eventually.”
Unable to help herself, she cowered as she watched him spin several more strands. “If you can capture him so easily, why do you need me as bait?”
He snorted and a blue plume of smoke issued from his nostrils. “For the fun of tying him up again and tormenting him, of course. He is very strong, Linnea. He can endure the pain I would inflict on him. But I suspect he could not stand to see you hurt. Sentimental fool.”
She was silent.
“I have planned his humiliation for some time. He is proud but he will kneel before me in the end. And die a miserable death. You get to watch that too.”
There was no reply she could make to his vicious boasts. But a flicker of hope held steady in her deepest heart.
“I loathe all of the cursed ones of the Arcan Isles,” the demon went on, “and the feeling is mutual. I will have vengeance upon them in turn. Gideon’s wings ripped off and his precious Rhiannon chained in my cave—hmm, that will be amusing. And that Simeon who calls himself Lord of the Deep will fight to the death to save his Megaleen. He won’t win, though.”
The demon rattled on, scratching himself in an absentminded way. The last shreds of the false skin that had made him look so like Marius fell off and shriveled. Then she heard sounds in the woods…rustling…branches breaking…but whoever or whatever it was, was far away.
Marius—oh, Marius. If you can free yourself, come for me.
He was her only hope. The men among the revelers would not come this far. And they were no match for this leathery monster. She fought the sudden thought that Marius might not be either. If she were free, could she outrun him? Linnea, quivering with fear, looked up at the merciless demon who had tricked her, and knew she could not.
The obscene length of the organ she’d averted her gaze from bobbed in front of her face.
“Don’t want to look at it? Of course not. You hardly know me, at least in my own skin. And I did not introduce myself, did I? Do you really care? Your mind is elsewhere. On Marius.”
True enough. She kept her eyes cast down and said nothing.
“Yes, you went to him straightaway. You were so eager, Linnea. Masked and tipsy on May wine and even more drunk with lust.”
She gasped. Had he—?
“Yes, I saw you two fucking. You are beautiful naked or clothed. I watched you with Marius,” he whispered in an ugly voice, grasping his cock in his claws. “He does not deserve you. But I want what you gave him so freely. And I will have it. That is why I became what you wanted. Him.”
Linnea clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at what he was holding with horror. She saw eyes, three tiny eyes, blinking in the lumpy flesh of the grotesque head.
Goddess help her. She had not seen those weird little eyes when first she’d knelt before him. His cock had been exactly like that of Marius, smooth and silky and perfect. The demon was a shapeshifter of uncommon skill. The most intimate details of the manly body he’d assumed had seemed right, and the spells he’d cast had inflamed her lust and overcome her wariness.
The doe had known better. The doe had tried to warn her by tearing at her clothes. But she’d had to protect her fawns and run.
“Who are you?” Linnea asked again and wondered if he even had a name. Yes. He did. Marius had said it, even if she couldn’t remember it. If she were to guess—and hit upon it—speaking his name would only increase his power.
The demon continued to stroke himself. The three tiny eyes closed with perverse pleasure. Linnea watched as the slit in the head gaped under his crude self-stimulation. In it were teeth, sharp and small as needles. He laughed, knowing she was looking. “You almost had that inside you,” he said. His claws tightened around it and the slit oozed drops of dark fluid. She jerked back, seeing the drops fall to the ground and eat through the fallen leaves like acid.
The foul creature that had enspelled her grunted and
Unable to help herself, she cowered as she watched him spin several more strands. “If you can capture him so easily, why do you need me as bait?”
He snorted and a blue plume of smoke issued from his nostrils. “For the fun of tying him up again and tormenting him, of course. He is very strong, Linnea. He can endure the pain I would inflict on him. But I suspect he could not stand to see you hurt. Sentimental fool.”
She was silent.
“I have planned his humiliation for some time. He is proud but he will kneel before me in the end. And die a miserable death. You get to watch that too.”
There was no reply she could make to his vicious boasts. But a flicker of hope held steady in her deepest heart.
“I loathe all of the cursed ones of the Arcan Isles,” the demon went on, “and the feeling is mutual. I will have vengeance upon them in turn. Gideon’s wings ripped off and his precious Rhiannon chained in my cave—hmm, that will be amusing. And that Simeon who calls himself Lord of the Deep will fight to the death to save his Megaleen. He won’t win, though.”
The demon rattled on, scratching himself in an absentminded way. The last shreds of the false skin that had made him look so like Marius fell off and shriveled. Then she heard sounds in the woods…rustling…branches breaking…but whoever or whatever it was, was far away.
Marius—oh, Marius. If you can free yourself, come for me.
He was her only hope. The men among the revelers would not come this far. And they were no match for this leathery monster. She fought the sudden thought that Marius might not be either. If she were free, could she outrun him? Linnea, quivering with fear, looked up at the merciless demon who had tricked her, and knew she could not.
The obscene length of the organ she’d averted her gaze from bobbed in front of her face.
“Don’t want to look at it? Of course not. You hardly know me, at least in my own skin. And I did not introduce myself, did I? Do you really care? Your mind is elsewhere. On Marius.”
True enough. She kept her eyes cast down and said nothing.
“Yes, you went to him straightaway. You were so eager, Linnea. Masked and tipsy on May wine and even more drunk with lust.”
She gasped. Had he—?
“Yes, I saw you two fucking. You are beautiful naked or clothed. I watched you with Marius,” he whispered in an ugly voice, grasping his cock in his claws. “He does not deserve you. But I want what you gave him so freely. And I will have it. That is why I became what you wanted. Him.”
Linnea clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at what he was holding with horror. She saw eyes, three tiny eyes, blinking in the lumpy flesh of the grotesque head.
Goddess help her. She had not seen those weird little eyes when first she’d knelt before him. His cock had been exactly like that of Marius, smooth and silky and perfect. The demon was a shapeshifter of uncommon skill. The most intimate details of the manly body he’d assumed had seemed right, and the spells he’d cast had inflamed her lust and overcome her wariness.
The doe had known better. The doe had tried to warn her by tearing at her clothes. But she’d had to protect her fawns and run.
“Who are you?” Linnea asked again and wondered if he even had a name. Yes. He did. Marius had said it, even if she couldn’t remember it. If she were to guess—and hit upon it—speaking his name would only increase his power.
The demon continued to stroke himself. The three tiny eyes closed with perverse pleasure. Linnea watched as the slit in the head gaped under his crude self-stimulation. In it were teeth, sharp and small as needles. He laughed, knowing she was looking. “You almost had that inside you,” he said. His claws tightened around it and the slit oozed drops of dark fluid. She jerked back, seeing the drops fall to the ground and eat through the fallen leaves like acid.
The foul creature that had enspelled her grunted and
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