Corruption of the Rose Page 5

  A pair of strong gray legs came level with head, their appearance tugging at her curiosity enough that she glanced up the length of them at an unfamiliar large gray male standing over her with an expression of distinct disapproval. Although his face wasn’t human, there was enough flexibility that she could make out the unhappy frown on his face as he watched her writhing on the ground. He glanced at the male who was kneeling by her legs.

  “Aigra, Saris wants the human brought to him. He didn’t give permission for this or any other delay. He is expecting our return.”

  The male in question let out a raspy laugh and shook his head. “When has Saris not allowed our indulgences when it comes to our pursuits, Gnaval? He wants results and nothing more. As long as we follow those orders, how they are accomplished has always been left up to us.”

  Gnaval’s eyes flicked over her, his muscles shifting with uncertainty. The one called Aigra chuckled, one clawed hand brutally grasping her breast as the other covered her mons, delving between her thighs in search of the liquid heat that seeped out of her. She gasped, arching into the touch, her eyelids falling half-mast as she quivered under the tide of lust that swamped over her. She wiggled and enticed him to satisfy her need. She knew that it worked as his rich scent ripened, drifting to her.

  She wanted him… She wanted them all. And she would have them!

  A soft cry fell from her lips when several tongues from the males crowding her lapped at the sweat gathering on her skin and at her arousal coating her inner thighs. The stroke of their tongues delving into her, they swept over her sex from rear to clit as their muzzles pressed in against the sensitive flesh. Each frenzied stroke of their tongues hit her blood, shooting electric pulses through her. Teeth pressed randomly on her clit and along the length of her sex with their eagerness. It was just enough to send her over the edge, her sex spasming as arousal dripped in a slippery mess. Her cry of completion was loud, her hips jerking up against the muzzle pressed against her, the tongue dipping deep as he drank her in.

  Although her climax hit her hard, it still wasn’t enough. Even lying there spent, she twisted to them in a silent plea, wanting more.

  Aigra laughed, and it didn’t take more than a moment for her to focus enough to see why.

  Gnaval stalked toward her, shoving the other male of the way. Aigra didn’t take offense, but rather crouched nearby to watch as Gnaval’s hand gripped her leg and flipped her onto her belly. It happened so suddenly that her breath rushed out of her only to draw back in on a startled gasp as teeth nipped at her ass and neck from more than one male as her hips were canted, raising her ass into the air. As unexpected as the change in position was, it sent a thrill through her that had her panting in anticipation. Instinct ruled her as she wiggled back and widened her legs, lift her ass and exposing her dripping sex needily.

  A hand slapped at her folds, the claw tapping lightly on her clit. She hissed and jumped slightly, her channel clenching with pleasure as raspy laughter surrounded her from the males pressing close. She felt a wet slide of something thick and slick nudge her left hip, and someone groaned.

  “She is soft and warm,” the male snarled, his hot, wet flesh—what could only be his cock—bumping against her for a second before he retreated.

  Furred hips filled her vision as a hand tangled in her hair, jerking her head up so she was eye level with a veined purple cock. The head of it was like that of a human, but the shaft was far thicker than she’d seen before. It was a mix of different things, just like the monster’s body. It protruded from its sheath, a dark scrotum hanging heavily just behind it. To her surprise, the strange scent was thicker there, calling to her hunger. She glanced up the male’s body, surprised to find Gnaval now in front of her. He had changed places with another male who dragged her back into place, a hot cock sliding against her ass cheeks as her scalp burned from Gnaval’s tight grip tugging relentlessly on her hair when she was pulled a short distance away.

  He glanced over to the male behind her. “Just hold her,” he growled.

  A quiver ran through her, and the creature in front of her shifted forward, his cock bumping her mouth as he pulled her head forward. The unnatural hunger plaguing her surged within her, and she swept out her tongue along it, collecting the slick from its length. It hit her tongue like an explosion, a pulse running through her body, making her channel clench just as the male behind her hunched over her, his hips resting more firmly against her ass, pinning her in place while Gnaval thrust deep into her throat.

  Her throat constricted in reflex at the invasion, but the cock shuttling in and out of her mouth was ruthless, leaking more of its hot essence with every thrust. Lust boiling in her belly, she gradually relaxed her throat to receive him even as she pushed back eagerly against the hips, attempting to penetrate herself on the cock she felt hard against her ass.

  She needed—and her need burned through her out of control.

  Her eyes rolled to one side and then the other, noticing the other males pressing close, their erect, extruded cocks bobbing eagerly. There were a half-dozen males shuffling, their growls and snarls breaking around her as their scent thickened around them. Balancing her weight on one arm, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around a nearby phallus, squeezing her hand around the slick shaft. The surface, bumpy with large veins, strained and jumped against her hand. The silky, wet heat of the hard length driving against her hand was thrilling, and she tightened her grip, working it faster, eager for the spray of his seed on her flesh.

  Gnaval, noting her drifting attention, gripped her jaw with one hand, the other still tightly wound in her hair, holding her head in place. He fucked deep into her mouth, making her whimper and her body jerk in response. She was aware of Aigra’s laughter a short distance away, but she didn’t care. A rumbling growl filled the air as Gnaval pressed closer, panting for breath. Just as the cock began to swell in her mouth, he suddenly pulled free, his hand running up and down his length furiously until his seed sprayed over her chest in thick jets. Rose whimpered, bereft from its lack, wanting more of its taste and sweet, sticky essence as her body quivered with unsatisfied desire.

  Gnaval’s ears tipped back, and his lip curled as he drew away from her, but she didn’t have time to wonder at the meaning of his expression. Claws dug into her thighs as sharp teeth snapped at her back, and a tongue stroked down her spine. It was like a silent adulation as her free hand continued to work up and down the length of the male at her side. The male, lighter gray with splotches of white, dug his claws into the soft dirt and moss. A strained cry of ecstasy dragged from his throat as she felt his cock thicken, the center expanding as the tip jerked, spewing hot seed into her. The contact made her channel pulse without anything to cling to or filling it.

  Rose cried out with disappointment.

  The male behind her flipped her over, bringing her face to face with Aigra as he slid over her. His lupine face snarled down at her, his large hands pinning her arms to the ground on either side of her. His scent drifted around her, and Rose arched her hips eagerly, desperate to be filled. To have the ache within her satisfied.

  His lips curled back, baring wicked fangs, striking fear through her despite the greedy clench of her sex and the desire licking through her. He dropped his head low, inhaling deeply, a snarl of gratification slipping from him as he scented her. His tongue stroked her cheek.

  “Your fear and lust are most appealing flavors,” he growled in her ear.

  A loud roar broke over them, and the males instantly pushed away from her, their eyes rolling wildly as they looked around. Whatever it was had the bestia—no, lupi, they called themselves—falling back away from her with a ripple of fear. Panting through the waves of her need, Rose looked up, squinting into the darkening forest.

  The iron gray male that stepped out of the shadows was massive, far larger than even Gnaval, who she had assumed to be the largest among their kind. A whisper of fear skated down her back, banishing her arousal as efficiently as
the musk that had surrounded her moments ago.

  He stepped among the males, his lip curling as he stared at them until at last his eyes fell on her. She was too tired to drop down from the tree, so she just lay there stubbornly, meeting his eye. His long ears pricked toward her as he approached, and he snarled low in his throat as he whirled around, his enormous hand closing around Aigra’s throat, lifting him off her. Whatever ferocity he might have shown toward her in coupling was now gone as the male quaked passively in the larger male’s grip.

  Was this Saris?

  Turning slowly, he looked at each of the males, his eyes resting lastly on Gnaval.

  “I gave you an order, I believe?” he growled.

  His voice was incredibly deep, so much so that it nearly vibrated through her like a thunderclap. She watched as Gnaval bent his head in submission.

  “You did, Saris, and we found the mage. None of us were expecting a female…”

  “And so you thought that excused you to take and use that which is meant to be under my care by Darthar’s decree?” he demanded. “You assumed that it excused you from your responsibilities to carry out your orders. I said to bring the mage to me! I did not give you leave to do anything else and expected my orders to be obeyed in their entirety.”

  “Saris, you have always given us freedom on our hunts,” Aigra argued, despite his breath being cut off by the huge hand holding him in the air. “We had every intention of bringing the female to you, but we wished to get some enjoyment for our efforts. We cannot devour her like we can the beings who escape the underworld.”

  A murmur rose among the males, but Saris’s growl drowned them out. He acted with such speed that Rose was barely able to track the movement. One moment he had Aigra by the neck, the next he snapped the male’s neck effortlessly before allowing his body to drop to the ground.

  Rose swallowed back a scream, suddenly even more fearful of being anywhere near a male who could so carelessly kill his own. She struggled to her feet, and though her knees nearly buckled beneath her, she attempted to stumble away. Saris caught her easily, almost pitifully so, as he gripped her at the back of her neck. She attempted to rouse some power to protect herself, but she was utterly helpless. His eyes pierced her, almost looking into her before glancing back at the male he had just killed. The corner of his mouth curled, and he snorted mirthlessly.

  “Do not worry for Aigra, mage. He is immortal as we all are. He cannot be killed by any simple bodily damage. He will mend and be up again before daybreak. Your worry should best be reserved solely for yourself, for you do not possess any such protection.”

  “Believe me, I feel no sympathy for him, only concern for casual brutality and how it might be visited on me. I couldn’t care less who you kill—I assure you I’m only worried about myself,” she whispered.

  Saris cocked his head, and a deep laugh rumbled in his chest as he set her to her feet. He smirked at her as he removed something from a pouch hanging off the wide belt that held up a long flap of black cloth concealing his genitals. It was a marked difference from the other males, and she caught herself wondering about it rather than paying attention to her environment. Unfortunately, the realization came too late to avoid the collar that was clipped snugly around the base of her neck.

  She struggled, dropping to the ground in hope that the increase in weight from where he held it would apply enough tension to cause it to snap. The iron bit into her neck, and she choked against Saris’s unyielding grip as he yanked her back to her feet before fastening a long chain to it. He leaned forward, his hot breath fanning her face.

  “You are spirited, but that will not save you in this journey. Do not try that again,” he snarled.

  Rose swallowed back her angry retort, aware of the eyes of the males watching their exchange curiously. She didn’t even know what journey this creature was speaking of, but it was apparent that it didn’t hold anything pleasant for her. She would pretend to be compliant, but at the first opportunity, she would escape him and any plans he had for her.

  Chapter 7

  Saris paced through the stretch of forest leading deep into the earth, to the fortress entrance of the Master’s castle within the mountain. His muscles were still taut with restrained aggression. Aigra was fortunate to have gotten off so lightly, as were the rest of the lupi for what he had caught them at. The mage was his by right, and instead of having her brought to him, bound submissively for his control, he had to tolerate the stink of the males covering her as their seeds smeared over her flesh and leaked from her thighs.

  It couldn’t come to anything, as he might have once worried ages ago when he had been a man. It was so long ago that it was almost laughable such an idea even occurred to him. They were no longer mortal—they didn’t breed. Still, the instinct and desire to rut was strong, especially among their kind.

  He and his brethren had been the best of hunters, strong and lustful. Decked in the fur of the wolves they revered and emulated in their close-knit friendship, they were admired by all of their village. They hunted their prey and fucked any woman who presented herself as willing. When Master Darthar selected them to be his, he drew their true nature forward, breaking away everything that society had built with them and their pride as men and hunters. What was left had been purified and remade. They had been reborn lupi, true coagulation between the bestial wolf and the man.

  None of them missed their human existence, least of all Saris, but it seemed that there were some things both the man and the animal agreed upon on an instinctive level. He did not hold it against his lupi for acting; both they and the human had been caught in a sort of pheromone induced sexual madness when he had come upon them. He had been startled, but no more so than the fact that this new mage was one that they had never received before among them… a female.

  Every mage caught upon their mountain—in fact, every human that dared to trespass—had been male. None of them had even seen a female since their transformation. The Master refused to take another mate after losing his family a great many years before he ventured to the mountain, and so no females dwelled with them. This reaction was unexpected, but one that he fully intended to utilize.

  Casting another glance at the female trailing at his side on the chain, he curled his lips. She was pale from the cold, shivering despite the proud and determined way she trudged by his side without complaint. She even ignored the evidence of her recent carnal activities smearing her thighs, chest, and belly. She was a pitiful, filthy sight, and her pride was badly misplaced.

  Turning his attention to Gnaval, he jerked his head toward the great table near the hearth.

  “There is food there that has been prepared and left for us. Go eat your fill while I tend to our new guest.”

  The male nodded, one ear cocking in the direction of the mage.

  “And what of her? Would you like me to put aside some food for the female?”

  Saris shook his head. “No. When I am ready to feed her, I will obtain food. Enjoy the meal. The goblins took great pleasure in preparing it. I will return shortly.”

  Gnaval dropped his head in a submissive nod before hastening with the rest of the lupi toward the food. Saris headed toward a narrow door on a far wall, leading their mage by the short length of chain. She faltered every so often on the short lead, her curses silent hisses as he hauled her through the door and down a staircase in the Master’s workroom.

  There he slid her chain through a ring on a far post near a thick pile of cushions to serve as her bed. Although what was to come would often be unpleasant, he allowed at least the comfort of a restful bed until the time that they did something to lose the kindness he granted them.

  The female’s eyes followed his motions, watching with undeniable fury as he locked the chain in place. He nearly smiled at the fierce expression, but leaned forward and snapped his teeth inches from her face instead, reminding her exactly who was in control. She jerked back, but her eyes flashed with anger and recognizable disdain. His
mouth twisted in a humorless smile, and he stepped away casually, picking a torch up from the wall and lighting it within the hearth.

  Humans were afraid of the dark. Something he would explore further with this mage—just how much she feared that which she couldn’t perceive with her eyes. But that was for lesson time. For now, he offered simple comforts. As the torch slowly caught fire, he addressed the female in a clipped voice.

  “This is your new home. Now is the time to make peace with yourself on this fact. It will allow you to keep some comforts through this ordeal. The more you rebel, as I can see you desiring to do, the less comfortable your situation will become. That you are female will not change things. My task is too important to ignore. Be assured that you will not be escaping or leaving in any fashion, except perhaps in the way that they went.” He gestured to the floor with his torch, illuminating some nearby human skulls. “Also, be aware that your magic will not work in your present condition. The iron collar dampens it until you can develop your power beyond the strength of its effects.

  She drew back against her chain, her eyes fastening on the skulls even when he shifted the light away to place the torch in a waiting wall sconce. A subtle shiver ran over her skin.

  “Did you kill these as you killed the ones in the forest?” she asked flatly, and his brows arched at her curiously. “And they with none of their magic to protect themselves.”

  There was a hard bite to the words, but he ignored it, busying himself instead with feeding more fuel into the hearth so that the small human wouldn’t fall ill during the cooler nighttime temperatures. It was bad enough in the forest, but even worse within the mountain if one lacked fire or a pelt of fur.

  “No,” he replied, his voice brisk. “Most of the creatures in this forest are deadly to humans. We will dispatch those we find suffering, or those that are already gone but are walking corpses infested with parasitic spirits. These males here died by their own hand in one way or another, their failure being their downfall.”