He leaned down, without hesitation, and pressed his lips to hers. Electricity ran through her body, starting at the point where their mouths connected. It flashed down her neck, chest, hips, and all the way to her toes. Nick’s hand tightened on her waist, his fingers squeezing hard enough that if they hadn’t been in some alternate mind reality, he’d probably leave bruises. They’d be worth it, just to have a single kiss from this passionate man who claimed her as his. His hand held the back of her head, keeping her close to him.
Kara continued to fist his shirt in her hands, afraid to loosen her grasp for fear that he might disappear. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and realized her own heart beat in rhythm with his. As butterflies danced in her stomach and her flesh grew more sensitive with every touch, Kara realized this was how it should be. This is what intimacy, shared and freely given, felt like. And she wanted more. She wanted the opportunity to replace every disgusting touch from Ludcarab with Nick’s soul-quenching love. And she would do whatever it took to make that her future. Some magic prevented her from knowing this man who held her so tightly yet tenderly. She would find out what that magic was and break it.
Suddenly, Kara felt a violent pull, as if a string wrapped around her heart had jerked her backward. She broke away from the kiss, her eyes wide with fear. A tidal wave of panic built in her gut. Nick clutched her face, and she could tell he saw the terror in her face. “Kara?” he growled. “Stay with me, dammit.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. She felt the pull again, a reminder that her body wasn’t in this place, only her mind. And now, the torment her physical body was experiencing was coming to an end. The protection was no longer needed, and she had to go back. She had to let her mind return so she could take care of herself. But Kara would do more than take care of herself. She would plan. She could try to fight the pull back to reality. But if she didn’t go back, then things wouldn’t change.“Nick,”she said through the bond, hoping he could hear every ounce of pain it caused her to leave him. She looked at her hands and saw they were fading out of existence. She looked up, and her eyes met his. She saw that the usually dark orbs glowed a soft silver. His jaw clenched as he narrowed them on her.
“I’m coming for you, sweet Kara. And I’m going to kill the one who has taken you from me.”
She didn’t have time to respond. Kara was suddenly back in Ludcarab’s room. Her body was folded into a fetal position on the cold floor. Her skin was pressed to the cool stone, and air ran across her back and shoulder. The dawning realization that she was naked, lying like a dog on Ludcarab’s bedroom floor, chased the chill away and caused her blood to boil with fury.
“I know what you’ve been doing, Kara,” Ludcarab’s voice slithered across her skin like a snake, and she had to fight the urge to swipe at him. But she refused to give him the pleasure of seeing her unnerved. “What if I told you that though your mind is not present when you’re with me, your body is all too willing to be mine?” He practically purred the words.
Kara bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. She wanted to scream “liar,” but she was too afraid that he wasn’t. What if his words were the truth? How could she ever look at herself in the mirror again and not see a weak female who couldn’t even keep herself from being a willing participant in a monster’s bed? Was that what she was? Could she even call it rape if her body did indeed respond to him? Kara’s stomach roiled, and she came dangerously close to puking on his floor again. She slowly pushed herself up until she sat facing her tormentor. Without a word, Kara stood and grabbed the robe from the end of the bed where Ludcarab lay languidly, looking exactly like the snake she reminded her of.
She slipped it on and tied it closed, never taking her eyes from his. If looks could scream “I’m going to slit your throat and bathe myself in your blood,” that’s what hers would say. She began to back toward the door. She wasn’t about to turn around, given that he looked at her like he was starving and she was his last meal.
“Nothing to say?” A sly smile stretched across his handsome face. The good looks were only skin deep. Everything beneath it was a festering, infected wound that stunk of evil.
Kara still didn’t say a word. She put her hand behind her and moved it around until she found the doorknob, then she pulled the door open. As she continued to walk backward, she began to close the door, but before she could get it shut, his words slipped through the small crack. “I’ll see you tomorrow, my queen. It shouldn’t be long now before you carry the first half-elf, half-gypsy healer child.”
As soon as the door clicked closed, Kara turned and ran. She reached the bathroom in her room—her prison—just as her stomach’s contents erupted. She felt a cool rag against her neck, and then a cup with water appeared on the counter next to where she stood hunched over the toilet.
“I’m sorry, child,” Reena said. Kara could hear the sincerity in her voice. None of the three females forced her to Ludcarab’s chambers, but neither had they offered her any chance of escape. They did what was expected of them, but she didn’t know why. She didn’t get the feeling they were loyal to Ludcarab, which meant he had some sort of leverage over them.
“S’not your fault.” Kara coughed out the words. Her stomach tried to expel more vomit, but it was empty. After several minutes, Kara shakily stood. She grabbed the cup of water and took a sip, swishing the liquid around in her mouth before spitting it into the sink.
Dyna stepped into the bathroom, and Reena moved aside so the other female could hand Kara clothes. Kara looked down and saw a note sitting on top of the folded clothes. The message said “after your shower, we need to talk.” Kara looked back at Dyna who gave her a sharp nod.
The two elves left her to tend herself, shutting the door quietly behind them. Kara wasted no time getting into the shower and turning the hot water to scalding. Fifteen minutes later, her skin looked as if she’d sat out in the sun for an entire day. She’d soaped every inch of herself, twice, and still she felt sullied. Ludcarab’s words reverberated in her mind, and Kara started the process of scrubbing her flesh all over again. Never in her life had she ever wanted to remove any and every part of her that made her a female. Not because she didn’t want to be a girl, but because those were the parts of her he claimed responded to him. “No way in hell,” she bit out. Her nails dug into the tops of her breasts so hard that when she looked down, she realized she’d drawn blood.
The rivulets of red running down her skin seemed to snap her out of her momentary insanity. His words were meant to take power away from her, but she wasn’t about to let him take anything else. She rinsed off the soap and blood and focused on the time she’d shared with Nick in her sanctuary. It gave her the strength to finish bathing, drying, and dressing.
Before leaving the safety of the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, the roof of her mouth, and her tongue. If she’d had some rubbing alcohol, she’d have gladly swished some of it in her mouth like she did the water, just to kill any Ludcarab germs that might have remained. She shuddered and pushed that image far from her mind.
When she finally emerged to the bedroom, Dyna and Reena sat on the couch in the small seating area. Coya was nowhere to be seen, which was odd because all three females were always together. Dyna patted the chair next to them. Kara walked over and sat down. She started to open her mouth, but Reena shook her head. Kara snapped her lips closed.
A minute later, the door opened and Coya walked in. She didn’t say anything. Instead, the elf came over and sat on the couch with the other two. Kara lifted her brow and looked at each of them. Coya held up a hand and slanted her head to the side, as if to say, “Wait for it.” Less than twenty seconds later, a woman suddenly appeared in her room. Kara jumped, though she managed not to squeal like a scared pig.
The woman, who Kara knew must be fae since she’d flashed in, lifted her hand and turned in a slow circle. Her lips moved, though no sound came from them. When she’d made a full rotation, she lowered her hand and then took the last empty seat. Kara frowned and stared at the woman. Something about her was familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“We can speak freely now,” the woman said.
“Ember,” Dyna said. The warmth in her voice made it clear she knew the fae well. “Thank you so much for coming.”
Ember nodded. “We agreed that if we ever needed one another’s help, we’d be there. We can’t survive against the Order on our own.”
“You’ve managed to stay out of their clutches,” Coya said.
The fae shrugged. “I’ve been in hiding for a long time. I’ve learned some tricks along the way.”
Kara stared hard at the fae trying to figure out why she felt as if she knew her.Ember.She hoped the name might trigger a memory. But there was nothing.
Ember looked at Kara. Her intense gaze was unnerving. After several heartbeats, the fae said, “I remember you, child, from Perizada’s house last year. When Volcan was still alive.”
“Peri?” Kara said the name. It sounded foreign on her lips, but at the same time it resonated with something inside, as if this person was somehow important to her.
“Ludcarab has altered her memories.” Dyna motioned toward Kara’s wrists. The markings of the bracelets on her skin were still there, a constant, silent reminder that the elf king held power over her.
