The princess' nightmare

“What is he doing here?”

Josef didn’t need to look where Saisha was pointing to know which of his three guests she was directing her vehemence to. He was grateful she kept her voice down, but he doubted the gesture was missed by the others. One was a squire named Hiryl, who was highborn, but had chosen to befriend the page who wanted to be so much more than he was born into. Just like Metrin, he had not shunned Josef when so many of the other pages and squires had. His mop of jet-black hair made his narrow face and pouty mouth show off all the more, but despite his look, he had a good heart. He wasn’t as strong as all the other squires, but he was smart and quick and he was going to make a fine knight one day. He was currently sitting off by himself and Josef hoped he was not embarrassed by the other men. His blue eyes darted around, a bit startled himself at all the company he was keeping today.

The second was called Fioro. He was a middle-aged assassin and missing his left eye, replaced with a glass orb that was a simple white without a matching brown iris. It was a little unsettling to see. As Josef glanced back, he had his head down, hiding behind his long, blond, scraggly hair and the brim of his overly-large floppy hat as he pretended to check the strings on his crossbow. Josef bet he had heard Saisha. The man was good at picking up sounds like that. He was dressed in rags of several colors, but Josef knew the man was better off than he chose to appear today.

Josef knew it was the third that drew Saisha’s ire. Raskas and his arm were well known in the kingdom, and feared to boot, even amongst the peasants and merchants in the town outside the castle walls. Not that Josef blamed them. The damn thing bothered him as well and there was more than one time he wished he never saw his friend afflicted with that horrible creation.

Raskas had chosen to show up in a fine black silk shirt and expensive matching pants. The cloak he wore to hide his identity from the knights was a sturdy black wool with several strange markings down the back in a dark-green thread. He wore fine black leather gloves that he kept scratching at while they walked. His boots were also of high-caliber and the knights had mistaken him for some kind of nobleman. Josef wondered how his friend had afforded any of it, but it was not his position to ask. There were too many rumors and too many things he didn’t dare bring up to his old friend.

While soft-spoken, Raskas was considered one of the most dangerous people in the city. Four times assassins had been sent to remove him, including one by the king’s order. All four had failed and the assassins dead before they ever had a chance. What only a select few knew, including Josef, was that the creation had reacted to defend its master, rather than by any choice of Raskas himself.

Josef took a deep breath, preparing for an argument, but Raskas clapped a hand on his shoulder and spoke first. “What I’m doing here is repaying an old friend on a debt I owe him, and if means protecting your worthless hide, princess, then so be it.” His voice was low but forceful, and Josef stared at him like he’d grown three new heads. Raskas normally kept his tongue silent, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves.

Saisha glowered and mistook the stare from Josef, clucking her tongue. “Your ‘old friend’ has learned manners since he came here. But perhaps such things are out of reach now?” She sniffed, trying to show her disdain. “I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked, though.”

“At least I have more manners than you, or didn’t your parents tell you it wasn’t polite to point or talk like someone isn’t in a room? Maybe royalty just goes to one’s head.”

Saisha fumed, preparing to light into Raskas or tear him apart. Josef didn’t know or care which and stepped in between, dragging his friend aside. “What’s gotten into you?” he hissed, glancing pointedly at Raskas’s right arm.

He shook his head. “No, you can’t blame my outburst on that, Josef. This was just a mistake.” He glared over Josef’s shoulders. “I don’t get you. What in the name of the gods made you throw your lot in with the royals? I thought you were happy before...”

“I wanted to be a knight. I dreamed of it for as long as I can remember. I thought of all those stories Old Garuf used to tell us and I saw the way they were cheered when they came back from battle. I wanted to protect the people as they did.”

“Funny. I never remember you talking about that. You always said you wanted to travel the world and have adventures when we were young and innocent.” Josef watched as he scratched his right arm through the glove protecting the one side that hid his ‘gauntlet’ from sight. In truth, the gauntlet was an obsidian monstrosity magically sealed to his arm. Josef often worried about Raskas’s ability to keep it under control when they were younger. He still recalled the frantic fear when it had happened. He’d seen the magic grasping at his friend, magic created by warlocks who’d intended to use the orphan boy for their own purposes. He could still hear the screeching and wailing coming from the dark shape as he’d freed Raskas. And the panic still remained some nights when he woke from nightmares that took him back into those tunnels, hearing the shrieks of the evil that chased them as he dragged his unconscious friend away from it all.

Josef didn’t know whether it was Garuf keeping the townsfolk from banishing the young boy or his own determination that nothing would change between he and Raskas that kept the evil at bay. He remembered something Garuf told him back then when the rest of the town wanted to throw Raskas out. ‘If people keep telling ya something, eventually you believe it yourself. They toss him out and they might just create the monster they fear.’ It didn’t make much sense then and he still worried it would come true despite their efforts. Once he left to become a page, their friendship had become strained. That’s why Josef had called in his favor; to make sure Raskas would come.

“This is an adventure,” Josef said, chuckling a little as he came back to the present.

Raskas shrugged. He normally kept his opinions to himself, which was another reason why his outburst to Saisha was so alarming. If he had any opinion on Josef’s adventure, though, he didn’t offer it. “I just hope you realize your dreams are meaningless. You can’t be a knight. You aren’t a noble.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Sir Kottas said there have been exceptions.” He smiled and looked down. “He’s been...training me even though I’m not a squire.”

Raskas threw up his hands. “You keep dreaming. Glory is only for the privileged. The rest get this.” He peeled back the glove, showing where the skin went from fair to black. The darkness called to Josef and he spun away. He heard Hyril hiss and draw back after trying to come talk to them. Seeing the magical thing dredged up the awful feelings from back then and he was grateful when Raskas hid it away.

“How do you stand it?” he asked, rubbing his head and gripping his hair.

Raskas gave a noncommittal look, then stared behind Josef. “Best go calm the new love of your life before she tries to throw us all out.” He made it sound like getting tossed out was a great idea.

Josef flushed, the prospect of what he suggested too bizarre to contemplate. Me and a princess? Not likely... He looked back at his friend. Is he right? Was this a mistake? He’d never known Raskas to act this way before to anyone, but being around a royal had set something off in him.

Saisha wasn’t helping matters either. “I want him gone. Now,” she hissed as soon as he came over.

“You wanted help. These are the best I could get.”

“The other two, fine. But him?”

Josef sighed. “Who better to fight magic than someone who wields it?”

“Evil magic...” she said and shuddered. Josef wondered just how much her encounter with the creature that replaced Sir Goran was bothering her. Obviously more than she’d let on. He just hoped it wouldn’t ruin her judgment. “I don’t want it here...”

“Look, I’ll vouch for him. He’s a good man. I promise.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about...” she whispered. Though she calmed at his assurance, she kept glancing at his arm furtively. At least it isn’t the fact that he’s a peasant that bothers her. He hoped Raskas could earn her trust soon enough.

“Let’s get started already,” Mellioni called from her perch across the room, which Fioro echoed from where he sat. Her tone was high and bored as she made adjustments to her deep-blue dress, but she was making very sure to stay as far away from the newcomers as possible. Josef wasn’t sure why, but something about the girl had been off recently. The nerves and skittish behavior had been replaced by a cool and implacable front. Saisha said it was her way of coping and had been since she was eight. Josef wasn’t so sure and her behavior worried him, but Saisha knew her sister better so he had to trust her judgment for now.

“Ficia isn’t here,” Saisha pointed out.

Mellioni waved her hand dismissively. “She said she was going to talk with one of the knights, then try and speak with Mother again. The priest said he might be able to get her out of the prayer chamber.”

Saisha clicked her tongue. “Should we just postpone this meeting then?”

“Sounds good to me,” Mellioni said.

“Same here,” Raskas echoed, pushing himself away from the wall. Hyril looked confused while Fioro just shrugged, starting to grab his things.

Josef’s eyes narrowed and he rounded on Raskas, having had enough. “Sit. Down.” Maybe it was the way he sounded like Garuf, but Raskas was stunned enough to do so. Josef and Raskas used to get along well, but Josef had enough of the attitude his friend had taken. “If this is how you repay a friend, then maybe I should have just left your useless self behind.” His voice was calm, but cold, and though Raskas leaned back, giving a noncommittal noise, his gaze went straight up, unable to look Josef in the eye. Josef spun towards the princesses. “And you two. Given what’s happened to you, not to mention your youngest sister, I would think you’d be more insistent on getting things done and taking what help you can get.”

Hyril walked over, placing a hand on Josef’s shoulder. The highborn lad with dark black hair said nothing, but Josef knew he was worried about him. Hyril then shrank back as Mellioni sprang up, fury etched across her face. “How dare you?” she hissed, storming over to Josef. He saw her move and accepted the blow as his cheek burned when her palm connected with his face. She ignored her sister’s shocked cry and glowered at Josef, who held his ground. “You have no idea what we’ve been through. You can’t possibly understand it. Even he has more chance of knowing than you do,” she said, gesturing at Raskas. “All you’ve done is try to pick up the pieces and flail about recklessly.”

“And yet, I’m acting more afraid than you are,” Josef said, returning her gaze unflinchingly. “And I am trying to find a way to fight back.”

Mellioni met his gaze and sniffed. “If this is all you can do, we’re doomed to fail.” Saisha called her sister’s name and Raskas woke from his melancholy, but she gave neither of them a chance to interrupt her. “We have three princesses, only one able to do anything and unreliable at best, a squire and a page,” she put special emphasis on Josef’s status as she said it, “a man who has seen better days and another who made a deal with the demons themselves. We might as well hand ourselves over to the Ruan now, chained and nude to pleasure them as they wish.” She gathered up her the skirt of her dress, turning to her sister. “Come get me when you can bring up a real defense. I’ll be barricading myself in my room until then.” And she breezed out of the room, giving no one else in the room a second look.

Saisha’s glower returned as the door slammed shut. “That is so...so...Mel!” She began pacing the room, her fists clenched as she muttered to herself.

“Turning into a disaster already, Knight Captain,” Raskas whispered, clapping his normal hand on Josef’s shoulder. His sarcasm bit deeper than anything Mellioni had said.

“Doesn’t mean we should give up,” Josef shot back.

“Why? This isn’t a fight we can win.”

“Nor is it one we can afford to lose,” Josef said, his tone solemn.

“What do you mean by that?” Hyril asked, and Josef realized he hadn’t whispered that last part.

“You haven’t heard about what the Ruan have done, have you lad?” Fioro said, speaking for the first time since Josef had brought him in. Hyril shook his head.

“I heard rumors, but little else,” Raskas said, leaning in as he ran a finger under his nose. Josef noticed Saisha crept over and the look on her face suggested she didn’t know either. Josef did, and he felt sick at what Fioro had told him. He figured it would be best to let the man tell his story again.

Fioro launched into his tale of what he found in Carne. “When we came upon the town, the stench of the bodies was incredible. It had been a slaughter. So many dead men we couldn’t count. No sign of the women, but given who we thought had attacked, every one of us assumed their fate.” Saisha had her hands up to her mouth, muttering to herself in horror. Raskas had gone pale, and his cool demeanor seemed to be cracking. Josef felt sick himself just picturing what Fioro was describing, even though he’d heard it before.

“Out of one of the demolished house came a hoarse cry and my men and I decided to check it out. We found one lone villager, wounded and bound to a chair. He’d been tortured and gelded, but he was still alive. When we broke his bonds and gave him some water, he managed to relate his tale to us. He told us the Ruan had left him damaged, but alive, to give his story to the king about what they planned to do. We tried to tell him he would be leading his sovereign into a trap, but he was half-crazed with pain and loss, determined that the king would be able to save his wife and daughter.” Fioro shook his head. “We should have stopped him, but we aren’t cruel men. We instead tried to warn the knights who took him to the king, but they weren’t about to let ruffians like us tell them they might be throwing their lives away.”

“They heard you say it was a trap and still chose to go?” Raskas said, unbelieving.

“That they did. Pride that will get them killed, it was. They said they weren’t scared of barbarians with knives.”

Saisha shook her head. “Father...”

Josef wanted to hold or comfort her, but he wasn’t if he should or how. He folded his arms instead. “I’m at least glad he didn’t take all his good knights and left some behind here.”

“A lot of good it does if those knights are out of commission,” Raskas countered. Josef grimaced, not liking to be reminded that those good knights had been corrupted by dark magic despite their skill.

“Well, we destroyed the mirrors, so we at least cut off her means of entering the castle by magic,” Saisha said.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Hyril leaned down, his voice soft yet stern, “Magic like what you’ve described is rather simple for someone with the power she has. One of the court magicians my father brought to entertain us could do it. He wasn’t very strong, so it was a strain for him. I asked him whether mirrors were the only way to transport like that. ‘It’s the most convenient,’ he told me, ‘but a determined and powerful sorcerer will always find a way.’ And from what you’ve said, this sorceress is very powerful.”

“So we’ve been wasting our time then?” Josef asked.

Hyril shook his head. “What you’ve done is made it so she’ll have to expend much more energy to get in which will draw anyone with magical ability to her spell. She’ll know this as well. If she’s going to get back into the castle that way, it’s going to be because she’s doing an all-out assault. At least, that’s what I got from his lessons.”

Raskas raised an eyebrow. “Your father let him teach you magic?”

Hyril gave an embarrassed smile. “No, but it never stopped my brother or I. We both learned a great deal, but my brother’s the magical talent. He’s been traveling and perfecting his magic.” He sighed, then leaned back against the wall. “But as I said, it will take too much for her to get in that way. Even someone like me would feel it all the way from the town.”

Fioro nodded. “And I doubt she’ll try that so long as she’s got her allies on the outside.” He began tapping his fingers on the stock of the crossbow. “For now, we need to make sure she has no other way to get in magically that won’t tax her or raise alarms. I have an old friend in town who might be able to give me information on that. From there, all we need do is fortify until the king returns, then prepare for the worst.” He stood, bowing to Saisha. “By your leave.”

Saisha nodded. “Thank you for your help, kind sir.”

“Oh, I’m not kind lass. Money and debt drive my helping you.” He gave a half-grin and motioned to Hyril. “Why don’t you come with, lad? You might be able to help me keep this mess straight, and I don’t like the idea of the knights harassing me all the way out.”

Josef watched the two of them go, wondering what Fioro meant. He looked at Raskas, who had recommended the man, but Raskas just shrugged. “You asked for anyone who would help, and he’s one of the best hunters I know. His motives are his own to tell. Just believe me when I say he will not let harm to come to the ladies if he can stop it.” He turned to Saisha. “I will return to town as well. I can tell my presence makes you uncomfortable, and the feeling is returned.”

Saisha grimaced, then nodded. “Thank you, though.”

Raskas raised an eyebrow; the only sign he was surprised. Josef nodded, but followed Raskas out after warning Saisha to not stay anywhere alone. He had something to ask of his friend. He caught up with Raskas in the courtyard, looking around before he spoke. “What Hyril spoke of, the detecting of other magic, can you do that with your arm?”

Raskas shrugged. “Never had a need to. Why?”

“Something feels wrong around here. My instinct is that we may have been too late to guard this place.”

Raskas glanced around. “I won’t stay in town long, Josef, if that’s what you want. Just know one thing: this makes us even. You used your only bargaining chip with me. You won’t be able to rope me in against my better judgment again. I hope it’s worth it.”

“If it stops this whole realm from ending up like Carne, I won’t be the only one who thinks so.”

Raskas gave his fake knight’s salute. “Sounds good, fearless leader. I’ll find out what I can.” Josef watched him hurry off, waving a little. Whatever Raskas’s problem was, he would keep to his word. He just hoped it wasn’t all for naught.

“Why do you let him tease you like that?” Josef turned to see Saisha standing behind him. She followed close as they both walked back across the courtyard. “He doesn’t treat you like any friend I’ve heard of.”

“He and I have a complicated friendship.” He made it clear to Saisha he wanted to keep it at that. “He will be a big help.” I hope. Saisha nodded, lost in thought. They walked in silence for a little bit before Josef cleared his throat. “Something wrong?”

“I’m just wondering what’s been keeping Ficia, that’s all.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The room was hot. The sweat ran down Ficia’s chin, trailed down her neck and between her bared breasts. Even completely nude, she was perspiring like crazy. The candles surrounded her, flickering in unison. She stared straight at the bookshelf, her legs spread enough to give access should it be required. Her body tingled with strange delight at the exposure she felt. Two ornate mugs sat empty on the table in front of her, and she licked the last of the strangely-sweet liquid off her lips, fighting the urge to giggle.

~Yes, my pet. Drink in the sensations. The hisial you’ve drunk will make even the slightest touches heightened. Let me show you.~ He gripped her ass from behind and she felt pleasure beyond anything she’d ever felt in her life. She gasped, leaning against the body which she couldn’t see. She expected a reprisal and jumped back, but he pulled her back. ~With as good a girl as you’ve been, you deserve a little freedom. Just don’t get comfortable.~

Fingers brushed her neck, and she mewled a little as they trailed down her chest. She longed to see her mysterious benefactor, but as always she only felt him. He began massaging her breasts, his hand deft and practiced at getting the most pleasure for her. Her mind wanted to stop and just let him touch her and make her feel wonderful.

She could feel his member pressed against her ass and he adjusted just a little to let it rub against her pussy. Ficia mewled and tried to get him to put it in her, but she got a familiar smack on her ass. ~Not yet, sweetling.~

“Then when?” she protested drunkly, not caring that he spanked her again. It had been three days and her want had grown with each day.

~Soon. It is almost complete, my dear.~ He pinched and twisted her nipples, the sight odd without the hand visible. ~But you may rub your pussy back and forth on the shaft. Feel the strength in the cock as I enjoy you.~

“Yesss...” she moaned. She started moving back and forth, and she heard him cry out in pleasure. She grinned even more and worked on him, feeling his member as she coated it with her juices. She looked down, pleased to see that the liquid allowed her a little visual of him. The member was thick and looked strong and she wanted to feel what it was like inside of her. Unfortunately, when she tried to go a little farther, he treated her ass to the palm of his hand. She gasped, the sensation mixing pleasure and pain on a level she’d never hit before. She almost orgasmed immediately.

~Naughty, naughty girl. Such a wanton lass, aren’t you? But you mustn’t rush this. In time, I will become your world.~ Ficia groaned, wanting so much more. She couldn’t remember a time where she didn’t want his hands on her skin, to feel his throbbing member between her folds. His warm skin pressed against her back and she had learned to love the feel of his hand as it smacked her ass. She had tested it the last time, to see if she wanted it, and now she was using minor disobedience just to get him to strike her ass again.

He nibbled at her neck and her knees nearly buckled. He supported her, his hands cupping her breasts. ~Stay on your feet, girl.~ She nodded, but it was difficult. He resumed massaging her breasts, paying special attention to her nipples. He pulled her to the wall, pressing her against it and began to suck on one nipple, then the other. Each nipple appeared to strain in mid-air as he worked on them. She could see the depression in her breast where his fingers touched her, the sight more erotic than she would have thought possible.

She leaned her head back. “Oh gods!” she cried, thrashing her head back and forth. She felt his hand trail down, touching her jewel and the nub inside that made her feel so good. “Oh yes, yes, yes!” She was in a haze, the pleasure overwhelming. The room stretched and blurred, fading from her mind as the joy of his touch overwhelmed her. It ran like wet paint from her mind, bringing it to only darkness and soon she was spinning and falling down...down...

“Ficia!”

The priest’s shocked voice startled her from her slumber and she looked up at him, bleary eyes trying to make the room focus. She’d fallen asleep again, and she tried to figure out why he looked so horrified until she realized she had one hand on her bare breast, the top of her dress pulled just down to give her access, while her skirt had been hiked and two fingers were buried deep in her pussy. She gasped, trying to make herself look decent as she babbled on about some incoherent apology. What possessed me to do that in the priest’s chambers?! She’d been dreaming again, and though she couldn’t remember the specifics, what she’d been doing had been a good indication of its type.

“Priest Armeni...please forgive me. I...I must have been...I...” Nothing she said seemed to excuse her actions, and she couldn’t think of a good reason to change his look of disgust at her.

“I think you should leave, child. Your mother had wanted to talk, but I will not defile a house of the gods with the presence of lewdness in these walls.” He took her arm and led her into the hall. The chill air brushed against the sweat and made her shiver. Armeni said nothing, each footfall’s echo a condemnation of her actions by the souls within the walls. At the door, he stopped, looking at her. “A lady does not do the things you do, especially before her day of wedlock. Such disgraceful actions will be dealt with severely if found out. My duty requires me to report this to your parents.”

“Oh, please no. I don’t know what came over me. You must believe me.” Wanton acts by a lady were frowned upon. The fact that she was a princess only amplified her shame and the shame of her people when it was known throughout the church.

Armeni frowned, staring at the stone walls. “You ask a great deal child, but there is a way to keep you right. However, I must know. Are you still pure?”

Ficia nodded. “I’ve never known a man’s touch, much less his...manhood.” She blushed, the thought suddenly intriguing rather than disgusting.

“Then there is one way to protect you and your family. We must perform a cleansing to purify your body and mind once more. Tomorrow, at moon’s rise, you will come and we will wash away the sins you’ve committed within these walls.”

Ficia curtsied. “Father Armeni, you are most kind. Tomorrow night, I will return.” She twitched, the movement somehow bunching her underclothes up inside her pussy, the fine fabric rubbing her lower lips divinely. She bit her tongue, trying to keep from showing the priest the desire she felt. Such a display might change his mind and reveal her disgrace to the realm.

Walking out into the cooling air, she tried to focus on anything but the constant rub of her underclothes against her lips. She wished they would hurry in escorting her. She didn’t dare adjust at all until she was in the safety of her room. She couldn’t risk someone reporting it back to the priest.

“Where have you been?”

Ficia froze as Saisha rushed down the steps, the skirts bunched in her hands as she raced towards her sister and her own tagalong trailing just behind. Of all the times for you to stop me, sis... Stop she did, though, and folded her arms. While she tapped her foot, she could have sworn her underclothes were riding up further into her lower lips and stroking her sex, but she knew it wasn’t possible.

“You were supposed to be at the meeting...”

“I know,” Ficia said, trying to bite her lip without Saisha noticing. Every twitch made it worse and she worried that she was going to inadvertently cry out. “I went to see if Mother would talk, but I was turned away again...” She was sweating, trying to keep her voice under control even as her insides were roiling.

Saisha shook her head. “You’re wasting your time with her,” she snapped, but didn’t say much else at first, just walking with her, their guard behind them. Ficia could feel the garments rubbing against a nub and the pleasure was incredibly intense. She’d never felt anything like it...or had she? The feeling was familiar. Thankfully, it wasn’t much further to her room. They stopped outside the door, and her hand was on it when Saisha spoke up and her body chilled. “Let me come in and fill you in on the details at least.”

“No!” she cried, then looked down. “I mean...I need a bit of time. Can I come to your room later and discuss it?” It was a flimsy excuse and she hoped Saisha would see her need and ignore the rest.

Saisha looked at her strangely. “Alright, Ficia. Don’t wait too long...” She watched her sister for a moment and then hurried off, the lone knight with her trailing behind. Ficia nodded to the knights, opening her door and shutting it softly behind her, asking the knights for some privacy.

As soon as she barred it, she raced to the bed, fighting with her dress to yank it off without tearing it in her haste. She dumped it on the floor, flinging off her underclothes and jumping on the bed, her fingers working on her pussy as hard as she could. She moaned quickly, her body already working into a frenzy as she gripped a breast and mashed it as fast as she could, trying to push herself over the edge.

Her fingers dug into her sex, trying to bring the climax to bear. She rubbed and stroked her clit in a feverish but gentle motion, trying to use that massive pleasure jolt to send her over the top. She did whatever her limited experience with it could do to bring about that wonderful wash of joy that came with it, but nothing would work. She was hot, sweating, desperately in need of a climax, but none would come. Frustration set in and she pushed and scraped, working until she fell back with exhaustion. The lack of any release combined with the strange overwhelming need for it brought tears to her as she lay on the sweat-stained sheets. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt trapped.

~And trapped you will stay until you become mine.~ The voice floated to her, a voice that she knew and yet didn’t know, tingling up her spine like fingernails raking on stone. ~I am the only one who will be able to give you release and until I do, you will feel frustration and desire for something that will not come.~

A flood of hidden memories washed over her, and she flushed with shame and longing. “You...you aren’t real...”

~Oh, but I am. Real and in command now. You will be my pet, just as you wanted before. You and the rest of your darling sisters.~ It was no longer a voice of passion and kindness, but a cruel taunting voice that she couldn’t shut out.

Ficia’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No! I won’t let you!” She couldn’t betray them like that.

~Let me? My dear, if I didn’t have you under my power so thoroughly, you still wouldn’t remember my existence, or the wondrous high that came from my touch...~ Fingers brushed her bared skin and she arched. ~You are mine, whether you consciously want it or not anymore.~

Chills ran up her and she feebly gripped the sheets, trying to deny it. The lust haze forced everything out. “Please...I need...I can’t think of anything else...” She knew how pathetic it sounded, but this unknown need was driving her mad.

~Continue as if nothing has changed, pet, and soon you will feel the most glorious passion, more than your human mind could ever comprehend. Until then, a little suffering for your eventual reward is not too much to ask, is it?~

“What...what about the ritual?” she croaked, feeling despair and anticipation rising in her at the same time.

~The foolish priest’s antiquated nonsense is none of your concern. Do as you are asked for now. Once you are put through the fire I have thrown you in, you will be fully seasoned for the new life you will embark on.~ The next words froze her to the core, despite how much she was sweating. ~However, if you tell anyone what you know or attempt to avoid what I will give you, I will lock you into this unending cycle of lust until your mind snaps like a twig and leaves you a broken babbling mass. You cannot avoid it now. You gave yourself to my nectar and now you will be my newest prize. A trophy to attend to me. Forever.~ His laughter brought on fresh tears and Ficia clutched the sheets to her bare body, trying to wake up from the terror and lust she could no longer escape.