Corruption of the Rose Read online

  Rose turned in his grasp, her fingers brushing against his chest, her blue eyes almost luminous in the room as they ran over him. The longing in those eyes almost felt like a physical caress to him, and a low moan escaped him as he dropped his head, his breath rattling from him in soft pants. She pressed closer to him, the soft swell of her belly grinding against him with every eager wiggle of her hips. Her long fingers dug into the fur of his arms as she tilted her head back to meet his gaze.

  “Then don’t hold back,” she whispered. “Show me the true depth of your adoration.”

  A snarl erupted from him, and he seized her tightly, lifting her against him as he strode through the water to the stone ledge at the foot of the goddess statue. He laid her on her belly there, splayed beneath the scrutiny of the stone eyes as he yanked her ass up, teeth snapping at the flesh, making her squeal as his opposite hand massaged the slickness between her thighs. He matched every stroke with a stinging bite until her blood from the healed wounds painted her body everywhere his tongue failed to catch it. He loved every jerk of her body, every whimper and moan that fell from her lips.

  Yanking her bottom up higher, he spread her legs wide so that his cock speared her as his teeth came down over her shoulder, gripping her to him in a primitive hold. Her dripping sex spasmed as her ass bumped back, driving him impossibly deeper into her until their flesh met in a flush embrace. Her sweet blood trickled into his mouth as his cock filled her, and holding her pinned beneath him, Saris began to pump vigorously into her, claws digging into the tender flesh of her hips and thighs. He knew that the wet rock was also rubbing its rough, weathered surface against her, every so often striking her mound as she jerked, grinding him ever deeper, the heavy swing of his testicles slapping against the lips of her center and the swollen nub that topped her sex like a perfect jewel.

  Her fragile human nails dug into his hands and forearms as she attempted to hold him to her. The demanding tug on his fur encouraged him to rut her harder and faster, every thrust reaching deep to the end of her channel, striking a spot just at the mouth of her womb that made her cunt grip him hard. A sharp cry escaped her as a fresh rush of moisture flowed around his cock.

  Leaning forward, he wrapped one hand around her throat, drawing her hard back against him as his cock shuttled in and out at a pace that made her gorgeous breasts sway from the violent crash of his pelvis against the lush cushion of her ass, and the water of the pool leap up in frenzied splashes around them.

  Saris drew his head back and snapped at her again, making her cry out and pulse around him. He snapped his teeth once more around her opposite shoulder, right at the base of her neck, and leaned forward, grinding her belly into the rock.

  The explosive sound of her cries filled the chamber as her cunt bore down on him hard, squeezing in a tight grip around his cock as it swelled within her, knotting them together. His seed came barreling out of him, his hips jerking with hard spasms as he released continuously into her. Every hot spray of his seed made her grip him anew, her moans turning into a soft keening sound as she writhed against him, grinding down deep against him as her sex spasmed and pulsed all around him, drawing out even more of his seed in its tight sucking grip.

  Her blood on his tongue, he gripped her shoulder and ground deep. Rose screamed, and her little teeth punctured the side of his other hand supporting his weight on the rock beside her head. Saris roared with pleasure, his cock tightening and jerking with such a strong ejaculation that his hips snapped with enough force to be painful as he emptied himself completely within her hot sheath. The play of her tongue against the small wound on his hand made his cock twitch deep within her as a low moan released from somewhere deep in his chest.

  Draping his body over her, he panted into Rose’s hair. They had blooded each other in the pinnacle of their pleasure. In doing so, they had forged a bond so tight that he doubted that either of them would truly be able to comprehend the depth of what they had done. Everything in his world shifted in that unrestrained moment as they rode their passion.

  Saris kept her pinned her beneath him, sheltering her body beneath the hard barrier of his. He shifted just enough of his weight off her that it wouldn’t be uncomfortable as his cock slowly began to ease from her hot, tight clutch.

  A soft moan escaped them both when his cock finally fell free with a small shift of his hips. His cock was still swollen, a deeper purple than usual as it slapped against his thigh. His seed dripped from her sex, leaving a pearly trail that he took great delight in rubbing into the flesh between her thighs.

  Rose sighed and arched into his touch, murmuring little sounds of pleasure. All the tiny cuts from his claws and the larger gouges from his fangs had all healed over, leaving only crimson smears as evidence of where her blood had once bloomed. She turned her head, her soft, wet little tongue brushing against his hand, sending a tingle through the muscle and flesh as the laceration sealed itself beneath the administration of her magic.

  Dropping his muzzle against her cheek, he nuzzled her, his tongue stroking the side of her cheek. He lowered his head farther until the weight of his head rested against her shoulder, his breath brushing her skin as he whispered in a rough voice.

  “You have conquered me, Mistress. I am yours. You have my adoration and protection, and all my heart and being. I am bound more firmly to you than I was even to Darthar. I will never leave your side. I shall walk this path with you for all of our days.”

  The words fell from his mouth in a voice hoarse with the emotion that overcame him. Rose stilled beneath him before wiggling around to face him, the depths of her eyes drawing him, threatening to drown him in her power like a siren’s enchanted hold. She nodded, her eyes shining with acceptance and a deeper emotion, and raised a hand to brush it over his fur.

  She didn’t say the words that he wanted to hear, but he didn’t truly need them. He felt them as she curled into his embrace, the water lapping at their limbs until he finally pulled them free from the water and carried his beloved back to their room.

  “My perfect dark temptress,” he murmured as he laid her down on the thick bedding. “How exquisite you are. If this Roninbar remains in these woods, I will hunt him down and bring him to you just so I may have the pleasure of watching you squeeze every drop of life from him. And then I will lift your tunic and, bathed in his blood, I will fuck you over his remains so that even in his death he will know that we have completely won.”

  Her soft laughter drifted up to him, her eyes sparkling with warmth. “You truly don’t mind the monster that I now am?”

  He nuzzled her, his tail resting gently over her thighs. “No, I adore my monstrous queen and eagerly look forward to your every command outside of the bedchamber. But until then…” With a smirk, he reached up and unhooked the collar from the bedpost, the long chain rustling as he dragged it near and looped it around her neck. He followed this by looping the leather cuffs secured to each bedpost around her wrists as she moaned in delight.

  “Again, my love?” she whispered.

  His heart lightened, and his hands ran down her sides. “Always,” he rasped as he moved down her body and bent his head to her sex. The chains rattled with the arch of her body and the hiss of her breath, accompanied by her murmured words of adoration that sang deep within his heart.

  Chapter 22

  Autumn had descended over the mountain. The trees were bright with the colors that seemed to appear overnight in the days following. The holy Night of Veils was soon approaching. Only twice a year were there hallowed days on which the worlds touched so closely, particularly in the case of the underworld and the world of the living. Although the late spring hallowed eve was of strong magic, none bore more power and potential danger as the hallowed eve of autumn.

  On the mountain, it was a particularly fraught time as the abandoned souls, those departed without living family to remember and greet them, attempted to flood the mountains and break through the barrier. And worse still, with that time’s ap
proach, the vulpi had become bolder.

  She was aware of them slipping through the shadows, tracking them as they made their rounds over the mountain. They were watching and coming closer every day. The lupi were just as aware of it, and tension was mounting daily, spilling into the hours of respite in the castle.

  The vulpi were all that the males could talk about. They seldom talked of Roninbar anymore, but Rose understood why that was. With so many days without any trace of him, it was unlikely that he still lived, although Saris still searched for him, his desire to lay her enemy at her feet and fuck over his remains no doubt encouraging his lust to hunt him down. The very thought of it made her giddy, so she couldn’t fault him for that desire.

  Rose drummed her fingers on the worktable, her eyes falling on a glint of metal among her tools. She frowned at it, the excited chatter of Serina, the nymph aiding her, fading into the background. Leaning forward, Rose pushed aside the goblet that blocked her view of the long, sharp pin sitting half-buried beneath various herbs.

  That was most unusual. She hadn’t placed it there, nor did she recall ever seeing anything of the kind among the supplies of Darthar’s workroom.

  “What is it, Mistress?” the nymph asked, her curls bobbing as she leaned forward.

  Rose glanced over at the nereid, surprised by the question. She was still becoming accustomed to engaging in a deeper relationship with one of her water spirits. Although she had a solid relationship with her sea serpent, Saris had recommended that she select a being with a more humanoid appearance for the finer manipulations that she might require assistance with.

  Rose had been doubtful at first, since most Masters she knew didn’t do more than command the elemental spirits. Engaging in an actual in-depth working relationship had seemed farfetched, given that a spirit typically wouldn’t be able to be physically manifest longer than what it took to do the shortest, most rudimentary tasks, but so many things were possible on the Urgal Mountains that weren’t elsewhere. And she had seen the evidence of the close working relationship between Saris and Equiim, and the goblin’s tendency to have run of the house to help as he liked at random.

  She couldn’t dispute that there was an advantage to Saris’s suggestion rather than doing a full summons every time she required assistance. It merely required strengthening the magical connection between them from the beginning so the nereid could come and go at will, and already Serina, who had been happy to reveal her name to her after a brief time together, was both a fitting companion and an accomplished assistant in her tasks. The only downside was that the nymph was often too curious for her own good, which led to a number of accidents.

  But that was expected of a sea nymph. That and cavorting with the goblins and flirting with the lupi. None of the males seemed to mind the attention. Like all nymphs, Serina was beautiful, her body lush, skin ghostly pale, inky dark curls, and fathomless dark eyes like the depths of the sea. Even her clawed fingers seemed dainty and feminine, the webbing between them possessing an iridescent shine that streaked over the pearly scales scattered all over her body. For all her beauty, Saris at least didn’t consort with the nymph, and so Rose wasn’t inclined to attempt to maim her lover in a fit of jealous temper.

  That was he was more than a lover pushed at the back of her mind, but she ignored it, her focus divided between the strange pin and keeping an eye on Serina’s progress. The magic at this stage was delicate, so she couldn’t afford to take a moment to explore the pin. Unfortunately, the direction of her gaze caught the nereid’s attention, and the nymph had no such compunctions.

  Black eyes widened in Serina’s ghostly face, and she reached out before Rose could stop her, the command to stop falling from her lips too late. The nymph jerked her hand back at her shout, but the sharp pin scratched the back of her hand deeply enough to draw blood from her physical form. Instinctively, Serina cradled the hand to her chest even as Rose turned it to get a better look at it.

  “It appears to be just a scratch, but I should send you back to your world just in case,” she murmured, her brows drawing down in a dark scowl.

  She was personally responsible for any of her allies she summoned. Having one injured in her workroom didn’t sit well with her. The nereid squeaked in surprise only briefly at the contact, but otherwise watched the blood bead with fascination.

  “I think I am fine,” Serina replied softly. “It burns a little, but not in a way that is unexpected. It has been too long since I have been in a bodily form that I forgot how easily it can be damaged. I was simply careless. I will be fine.”

  “If you insist,” Rose replied, though she wasn’t entirely convinced. She turned back to her vials, refocusing her attention on her magic.

  At her instruction, the nymph manipulated the blood samples that were divided into different containers. The blood had been magically separated and purified. What little matter had begun to decay or carried sickness was removed, and the results recombined with its liquid plasma in a wholly perfected form.

  A spark of life networked through the samples. Her breath caught, the pale crimson samples brightening with a golden glow visible to her inner eye. This was it! This was the result that she had been looking for at the conservatory. Back then, she had difficulty doing the manipulation of the water in sequence with the incantations. This was perf…

  A choking sound to the right of her was the only warning she had before the liquid burst from their containers. Rose spun around to demand answers from the nymph but froze in horror as she saw the nereid convulsing helplessly. Rose grabbed her, holding the nymph to her chest as she examined Serina. Her gaze immediately landed on the scratch. Instead of simply irritated flesh as it was before, inflamed, ugly red lines streaked out from the wound.

  Venom! But how?

  Rose’s eyes landed on the pin, her breath pausing as a pale arm swung out, knocking bottles and containers from the table, including the horrible pin. Everything clattered against the stone floor, glass breaking, but Rose ignored it as she chased after the pin. Plucking it up with numb fingers, she spun around, the palm of her left hand opening flat as she met the nereid’s eyes. The female was practically gray and crimson as she choked and writhed, blood gathering at her lips and spilling out.

  “Return, Serina, to the abyss of your abode,” she commanded, sending out a current of energy that swept around the nereid.

  Serina’s body disappeared on the waves of magic, carrying her back to the Water Kingdom where her ethereal form would have a chance to recover and heal. Rose stared at the spot where the nymph disappeared, her concern gradually displaced with a bitter anger.

  There was no doubt for whom the envenomated pin had been left. Someone was trying to kill her, but who? Was it a spirit commanded by someone else? She couldn’t believe it was anyone who dwelled within the castle. The lupi were hers, and loyal to the mountain. Whoever was responsible had to be outside the confines of the castle and sent their servant to lay the trap with the pin—and likely the fire wyrm too. It had seemed like an accident at the time, but now with a second attempt on her life, a prickle of awareness ran through her.

  Locating a heavy velvet cloth, Rose wrapped it carefully around the pin and placed the entire bundle with a long incense box she overturned and emptied of its contents. The incense could be placed back within later… This matter was too important to be careless.

  With the box in her hands, the fingers of one hand drumming restlessly on the lid, she carried it back to the common room and waited for Saris to return from the hunt with the lupi. The goblin, Equiim, burst into the room long before the lupi made an appearance, his expression harried and a hard glint in his eye.

  “Is it true that there was a mishap here with the nereid?” he barked.

  Rose thinned her mouth at him, not appreciating the accusation in his tone. In answer, she thumped her forefinger on the box.

  “She accidentally touched a trap meant for me and was envenomated in my stead. I sent her back to her world
in time for her to recover, but I am prepared to deal with the subject of the pin myself and discover who planted it in my workroom. Did you see anything?” she snapped.

  Sure, she was being a bit rude to Saris’s goblin, but his attitude paired with her guilt over the situation made her tetchy. She wasn’t going to apologize for it. The male met her gaze unflinchingly before he sighed and begrudgingly shook his head.

  “No,” he muttered. “I haven’t felt a need to spy on the comings and goings of the castle in a great many centuries. You are the only new factor here.” He grunted and peered up at her. “I am glad she was returned to her abode. Knowing Serina, she will be back in a matter of days if you returned her in time, before she was too weakened.”

  “I sent her back as soon as I was aware there was something wrong,” she assured him. “I am certain she will recover soon. I wouldn’t have been so lucky,” she muttered under her breath.

  “No, you wouldn’t have,” he agreed, and she mentally cursed his enormous batlike ears that seemed to pick up everything.

  “Is your Master coming near? I must speak with Saris about this.”

  The goblin paused, head cocking as if he was listening to someone whispering to him… or perhaps several someones. He nodded, his eyes focusing in on her once more.

  “Yes, he approaches from the forest with the acorn-fattened game they hunted. An autumn stag. I shall go alert the cooks,” he mumbled to himself as he fussed with his pockets and puffed out of sight.

  As it turned out, she didn’t have long to wait before the lupi burst into the large central room. Despite her certainty that the lupi couldn’t possibly be involved in what had happened, she still caught herself watching their reactions carefully as they took note of her presence. She was relieved to note that there was nothing overly suspicious.

  Gnaval rubbed the back of his neck with one large hand as he glanced at Saris, whose full attention was bent upon her and the damning box in her hands.