Let want grow sharp as any greed.
And when he fills you with his seed
Your belly swells to show you breed
“There,” she says lightly, lowering her hand.“Thatought to ensure your eyes change–and your belly swells–long before your little quest is over.”
I stared at her in horror, but her words barely register.Becausethe moment her spell hits me,Igasp.
The sensation is immediate–almost violent.Theneed that has been simmering inside me—already difficult, already distracting—surges like a breaking wave.Itfloods through me all at once, doubling, tripling, until it feels like it’s going to tear me apart from the inside.
My breath catches in my throat and my knees go weak.Ipress a hand to my stomach, then lower, instinctively, as heat pools between my thighs—thick and insistent and impossible to ignore.Mynipples tighten painfully beneath my robes–a sharp, aching throb that makes me whimper under my breath.
“Oh—oh,Goddess…”Iwhisper.
It’s too much.Too,toomuch.Andit’s so much worse than before.
The need is so badIcan barely think.AllIknow is thatIfeel empty inside andIhave a burning thirst in my throat.
Name of theGoddess, what amIgoing to do?
Grizalyn watches me with open satisfaction, her purple eyes gleaming.
“Yes,” she says softly.“Thatshould do nicely.Howcan he resist you when you’re so deep in need?”
Then, beforeIcan even gather myself—beforeIcan speak or beg or demand that she lift the curse—she turns sharply and reaches for theForbiddenGrimoire.
The moment her fingers close around it, the rainbow barrier shatters and the alarm explodes into sound again.
The woman’s voice rises loud and furious, echoing through the vast library.
“Unclean hands profane this page!
Wake, oh temple—mark outrage!
Guard the word and seal the lore!
Bar the thief at wisdom’s door!”
Grizalyn only laughs.
“I’ll see you later, little priestess–when you’ve fulfilled your purpose!”
A cloud of black and violet smoke erupts around her–thick and choking–smelling of ash and rot and something far worse.Itfills the air, stinging my eyes and burning in my throat.
And then she is gone, taking theForbiddenGrimoirewith her.
The alarm continues to scream and gets even louder, demanding that the whole temple come quickly to protect what has already been stolen.
AndIam left standing there alone in the middle of the library, trembling, breathless, and burning alive with a needIcan barely contain.
16
ELOWEN
The alarm won’t stop.
It echoes through the library in sharp, piercing waves, the disembodied woman’s voice rising and falling in furious repetition.Thesound seems to bounce off every surface—the white marble floors, the high vaulted ceilings, the endless rows of books and scrolls—until it feels like it’s inside my head as much as outside it.
