1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

T he sounds of their footsteps pattered along the mushy soil of the earth, their whispers filled the night. “Hurry up, Merrill. This place is giving me the creeps.”

I stared at the figures from the top of my balcony, clutching the blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders as a harsh wind blew around me, leaving chills along my skin. The weather had been slowly changing from the blazing summer heat to the chill of fall. I could see it in the ever-changing trees and smell it in the air.

This was my favorite time of night. I found a strange peace in watching how nature changed, even in small ways, undeniably envious of decaying leaves. They could grow, wither, and die, while I was…me.

I needed this moment, however small and fleeting, before I tried to sleep. And yet, here were two humans sneaking onto my lands, pilfering it from me. It had been many years since someone had the audacity to pass through my front doors.

I eyed them curiously. It didn’t matter who they were. Not their status in life, nor their circumstances. I only cared about their purpose. Purpose was everything, and it defined if they’d live or die.

The intruders’ hunched forms stalked through the rose garden, opened the heavy front doors and slipped inside. I lazily pushed my way from the balcony archway and out my chamber doors, wondering what poor, unfortunate souls had stumbled onto my lands. A smirk pulled at my lips at the prospect of having new toys to play with. It had been too long.

I clung to the shadows, observing them from a distance. Their faces lit up in awe as they gazed hungrily at my desolate castle in the middle of the dense forest. The gray coloring of the castle against the eternal fog cast an ominous feeling that should have sent any sane human running in the opposite direction. The points of the castle were so high that they couldn’t be seen from the ground, soaring above the fog. Moss and vines had taken over the exterior of the stone walls, bringing the only color to the bleakness that was my home.

I narrowed my gaze to find that their clothes had numerous patched holes, their skin was littered with dirt smudges, and their shoes had more patches than I could count. They hadn’t bathed in months. How they made it all the way out here in the first place was a mystery that I didn’t care to know.

I was about to step forward when I felt a presence behind me. Turning, I found Emilia staring blankly over my shoulder at the unwanted guests. It was a far-off look, the kind that told me she may be here, but her mind was not.

I slid next to her, resting my arms over the railing, and said in a lazy voice, not bothering to turn toward her, “I haven’t decided if I am thrilled to have new playthings or if I am annoyed to have to deal with them at such a late hour.”

She turned toward me and gave me a small smile. “You haven’t had visitors since Callum came ten years ago.”

I thrummed my fingers on the railing. “Has it truly been that long? Feels like only yesterday since my little bird came to live with us.” I smirked to myself, thinking of just a few hours ago when his cock was buried deep inside me.

I gave Emilia a sidelong glance and saw her cheeks redden as if she knew where my thoughts had lingered. I huffed a laugh as she asked, “What kind of a night do you think it’s going to be?”

I thought for a long moment and then responded, “They have yet to do anything salacious. Though, personally, I hope they do something to warrant punishment. I’ve been rather bored lately.”

But as the words slipped from my mouth, I instantly regretted them. Emilia and Callum were enough, especially when I considered all the years I’d spent alone, bound to this castle with nothing but my memories to keep me company. I couldn’t explain why I felt a yearning, a want for more. I didn’t know where it came from, and I hated it.

“It could be fun,” I continued on with a wink.

She began to laugh before her hand flew to her throat, and she winced in pain. Her eyes widened as she looked away, attempting to hide her pain from me. I didn’t want to embarrass her further so I tapped her on the shoulder, brought my hands up, and signed, You don’t suppose they committed such a heinous crime as to require dismemberment? I have yet to do that. I smirked playfully. Emilia looked back over and seemed to assess them with that sharp gaze of hers. Then, she turned back to me, brought her hands up, and signed. Per your rules, your majesty, they must have to commit such an atrocious act so as to warrant capital punishment.

I smirked at her. “I am not worried; look at them: they reek of evil.” I cocked my head. “What do you think they have done?”

Emilia scoffed. At the very least, they have proven themselves to be thieves.

We focused on the two guests; the female bounced up and down on the balls of her feet and screeched, “Can you believe this? Claude, we won’t have to eat scraps anymore.”

I was taken aback by her words. Were they just here because they were desperate to make ends meet? Did they just want food in their bellies?

Claude was walking around the entrance, looking into every nook and cranny as if he expected someone to jump out at them at any moment.

“Merrill, I don’t have a good feeling ‘bout this place.”

Merrill rolled her eyes and walked over to him, slapping him on the back. “Oh come on, if someone were, they would have already made their presence known.”

“I don’t think—”

“Stop worrying, would you? A find like this doesn’t come often.”

He grinned at her, the tension slightly leaving his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against his chest. His hands made their way down to grab her ass as he drawled, “And here I thought the biggest find was that little old woman at the edge of the forest.”

Emilia and I straightened at his words, waiting to see what he meant. That longing for something interesting shifted almost violently—I didn’t want them to finish their story.

Merrill threw her head back in laughter. “That old bitch didn’t know what hit her. I loved the sound of her flesh when my blade sliced her throat.”

Any sympathy I would have had was erased in the blink of an eye, and rage filled me, so familiar and welcome.

What shall you do now, Callie?

Not her. Not now. Get out of my mind! Sometimes her voice felt so real. I’d spent so many nights covering my ears, trying to talk myself into the truth—she was just another memory haunting this place, and she didn’t have any power over me.

Testy… I thought I taught you better manners.

I didn’t have time to worry about her. I squeezed my eyes shut and cast her from my mind.

That never keeps me away for long, Callie.

Red lined my vision as I concentrated back on the murderers as the man rubbed himself all over her, moaning, “Merrill, you make me so hard when you talk dirty like that.”

She threw her hands around his neck and sloppily kissed him. “You can fuck me after we clean this place out.” She pushed off of him and made her way over to one of my paintings, running her nasty fingers across it.

I knew everyone who lived on the outskirts of my forest. There weren’t many, most were afraid to venture too close, but not her. The old woman, Mariam, in the little house with overgrown brush and a litter of stray animals lingering about. Mariam, who had never harmed a hair on anyone’s head. Who was alive mere hours ago, was now dead.

Violet shadows surged across my skin, the only indication of me having any emotions left at all. I had been numb so long that even the brush of thrill at the thought of punishing them made me feel alive again. Humans had not changed over the last several centuries. Their cruelty had no limits, so why should I be merciful?

Their purpose was to steal, and perhaps I could have let that go, but now I knew too much.

As I moved away from Emilia, she signed one last thing, Make them suffer .

I stared at her for a moment longer than intended. It had been years since she had said anything violent. There was fire in her eyes. We both had grown fond of Mariam. She was nothing to the villages, a cast-off, but not to us.

I nodded and moved away from her, my own temper flared. Adrenaline coursed through my veins at all of the ideas running through my mind of how I was going to punish them for their crimes. It was almost too much to contain. Not only against me, but against every single person that they had robbed and murdered.

Claude went back to stuffing whatever his clammy little hands could find into a bag. He kept looking around as if he was sure that he was being watched. He should have listened to his instincts.

He called out to her over his shoulder, “Merrill, we need to leave. I don’t like this.”

She let out an exasperated huff and yelled, “Can you just do as your told and shut your mouth for once?”

Merrill was an older, short woman with hair that looked as though a comb hadn’t run through it in years. She was putting her dirt-covered hands on everything in her sight.

My ears almost burst as she screeched to the male, “My bag is almost full. Grab that blanket and put whatever you can in there.” She took a moment to look around. “I’m shocked all of this is still here. That no one else has looted it.”

They kept talking as I walked around, tuning out the rest of their conversation. I had already made my decision. They were never leaving this castle alive.

I looked up and found Callum had joined me in looking down at them from the other side of the landing.

He walked over to me, bowed slightly, and said, “Your grace, it looks like we have guests.”

“Indeed. Soon, I’ll go and welcome them.”

“What’s giving you pause?” Those beautiful light brown eyes were looking at me curiously.

I narrowed my eyes, not knowing how to respond. I didn’t want to tell him the truth, that Emilia’s words left me with a slight hesitation. I’d only ever wanted her to be different than me—better. I didn’t want her to see anything, hear anything.

“I take it you have already decided?”

I didn’t bother to glance at him as I replied, “Yes, for what they have done.”

He must not have heard what the female said, otherwise he wouldn’t have been curious about my reasoning. He paused and then asked. “Can I be of any assistance? I could hold your blades and hand them to you when needed.”

I smirked, still looking at the couple, “Don’t try to seduce me right now, little bird, I need to focus.”

He looked down, blushing, and turned to me, bowing, “I will leave you to your guests, your grace. If you should need me for any reason…”

“I don’t need to look too hard. You’re never too far away.”

I ran my eyes over Callum’s body as he walked away. Desire for his hard cock had my insides turning to liquid, but I had one thing to do before I could give myself over to it.

I turned back to the couple who had made quick work in grabbing most of my possessions near the entrance. I gripped the railing in an attempt to calm the raging storm inside of me, not wanting to make my presence known until their bags were completely filled. It had been so long since anyone had found my castle, much less done something to deserve my punishment.

I was itching to get my hands on them, my shadows begging to be released.

The looks on the faces of humans when I appeared were comical. I never tired of the confidence humans had before they realized their mistake. They were always confused that a living soul would ever reside here. Cold. Desolate. Isolated. And for a woman to be here was even more unusual, to say the least.

They looked around, and Claude said, “Merrill, we can disappear with this loot. Let’s go.”

She sighed, caving into his paranoia. “Fine. At least we know this is here if we ever need to come back.”

Claude nodded enthusiastically at her. The pride he felt for finally succeeding in something was almost laughable. They really were pathetic. I knew they wouldn’t be challenging for me—no one was.

They were making their way out of the castle as I walked around and descended the staircase leading to the South Wing.

I called out to them, “Please Merrill, help yourself to my things. Like this ornate egg that you forgot.” I picked it up from a nearby table and turned it in my hands. “It isn’t like I am getting any use out of them.”

She dropped the items that she was holding and screamed, “What’re doing here?”

I sighed, still looking at the egg in my hand. “I don’t think you have a moral reason to ask me what I am doing in my own home,” I stopped and looked at her, “though I do know exactly what you are doing.”

Her face had gotten red from what I could only assume was utter shock at my sudden appearance. Merrill quickly grabbed a blade from beneath her tattered shirt and held it up, pointing it directly at me. “If you know what’s good fer ya, you’ll leave us be!”

I put a finger against my lips and whispered while looking all around the main entrance, “Merrill dear, you must be quiet. You wouldn’t want to wake the beast, would you?”

She cocked her head and looked at me in disbelief, “Have you lost your mind?”

I widened my eyes dramatically. “Oh, have you not heard of the stories?”

Claude had approached his wife, staring at me with his mouth agape. “ La bête ? So, the rumors are true?”

I turned my attention to him, giving him a most sincere expression, “Of course they are. The beast has held me prisoner here for so long. It lurks in the shadows, waiting for any unsuspecting person to walk into its territory. Waiting so patiently to allow their prey to relax, make them think they were safe, and then…”

Claude had moved his arm around his robust wife and leaned closer to me, wanting to hear the rest. “And then?”

“The beast attacks, leaving nothing left for anyone to find,” I said, barely above a whisper.

Merrill laughed, “Good story, but none of that is true!”

“Oh? How would you know?” I tapped my finger to my chin. “Isn’t it true that long ago, a group of hunters entered the woods, but only one returned with all the pieces of his friends? He told the story of the beast, the hungry creature of the forest.”

Merrill scoffed. “There are rumors, but if there were such a mighty beast then someone would have seen it by now. You are spewing nothing but lies, wanting to scare us off so you can have this all to yourself!”

“I told you that this is my home. All of these belongings are mine.”

Merrill huffed a short laugh while her husband had not moved his eyes once from my body. He gulped. “And your here all by yourself?”

I wrapped my arms around my body, feigning sadness, “Unfortunately, I am trapped here. All alone…” I dipped my head so that I could look at him through my lashes.

I could see that he had licked his lips and as I looked down, his trousers had started to become engorged. Merrill followed where my eyes were looking and then looked back at me with disgust filling her sunken eyes. “How dare you stand in front of my husband and force us to see your near naked body! You’re vile! Whore!”

I contemplated that for a moment before I shrugged, the fabric of my thin robe falling off my bare shoulder, “I have been called worse.”

Merrill turned to Claude and slapped him, and yelled, “Stop starin’ at her, you damn fool. Let’s kill her and then leave this godforsaken place.” He snapped to attention as he nodded quickly at her. I took a step forward and she turned her blade on me once again. “Stay away, wench! Actually come here and stand still while I gut you like cattle.”

The look in her eyes was wild; she was determined to do as she promised. I looked over at Claude, who hugged both bags tightly to his chest, making sure not to drop anything. With the items securely in place around one arm, he used the other to grab a blade from his waistband and pointed it at me. He slowly stepped in my direction, thinking that I would back up at the threat of the both of them. “You heard my wife! Get out of here before I—”

I swiftly moved to him, grabbed the blade from his weak hand, and sliced his arm from shoulder to elbow. He screamed out in pain, dropping the bags, and fell to his knees, clutching his arm as blood pooled around him.

I backed away as Merrill rushed to his side, eyes bulging out of her sockets at the unsuspecting violence.

I smiled sweetly at her as she shrieked at me. “How dare you! Claude, can you get up?”

He grunted to her as an answer and she helped him to stand on shaking feet. “Kill—kill her, Merrill.”

“Come now. You are going to make your wife kill me? Didn’t know that she was the one with the balls.”

His ears and cheeks burned red at the insult and spat out, “You’ll pay for that!”

I threw the blade in front of their feet. They looked at me, confused as to why I would give them back a weapon, as I said, “I have a better idea. Let’s play a game. Cat and mouse. Catch me, and you can have it all, but if I win, I will take your souls.”

I didn’t wait until they answered as I turned around and took off.

I could hear the rest of my possessions clanging to the floor as Merrill yelled, “After her!”

I ran down the hallway barefoot, my robe flying behind me as I passed by portraits coated in dust. My heart was beating wildly at the little game I had come up with. Foreplay before the actual fun began. I smirked at the thought of what their faces would look like once they realized who—what—I was.

I could barely hear them behind me, so I slowed down and walked past closed doors, rooms that I had abandoned long ago. The memories within them weren’t worth remembering.

I ran my hands over them as I continued walking and called out, “You’re awfully slow…” I smiled as I could hear their screams of rage getting louder, closer.

I rounded a corner and stopped in front of a worn wooden door that led up to the tower. It was my favorite room in the castle, the one place where I could truly be myself.

I waited until they saw me, opened the door, and rushed up. Round and round and round. Up and up and up. The steps felt like they would never end as it was the tallest building on the premises. It used to be where top-secret meetings were held, but now it was my own personal oasis.

Once I reached the top, I entered without being out of breath, having climbed these stairs countless times over the last few centuries. I waited for them to barge in, but they never came. I was growing impatient by their delay, ready to sink my claws into their flesh, until I heard their labored breathing, the harsh sound reverberating around the room.

The door was flung open, and Claude charged me. I could only assume that this newfound act of bravery came from my comment about his wife.

“I got her Merrill!” He had a look of pure determination on his face. Spit flew from his mouth as his voice rang off the walls of the tower.

I could only wonder if this had been the dynamic their entire marriage. The wife made all the decisions, and he merely went along with her. And this was his moment, the moment where he was going to finally prove to her that he wasn’t as incompetent as he had been throughout their entire miserable marriage. I could appreciate his gumption, but it was futile. He was no match for me.

He clumsily jabbed the blade toward my throat, but I easily dodged it and tripped him. He screamed out when he landed on the arm that I sliced open, hollering in pain. I could hear Merrill entering the doorway as he hurried to stand back up, cheering him on. He raised the blade above his head as he strode back over to me as if that were a better approach. I had grown bored of him, so I reached out to grab his throat tightly. Before he could register what was happening, I snapped his neck so roughly that his head severed in several places, almost falling off completely.

His blood splattered over my face and body. I hung my head back, smiling at the sound of his body hitting the floor at my feet. I raised my hand in front of my face, the purple shadows danced across my skin, giving me the added strength needed to kill the pathetic human. I brought my blood-coated fingers to my nose, inhaling the intoxicating scent of death.

I turned toward her, rubbing my bloodied fingers together as her piercing scream invaded my eardrums. I waved my hand, and her body was forcefully propelled back into the chair. Her hands and legs were tightly bound to the sides, rendering her immobile. The wind was knocked out of her by the force of magic. She was gasping, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She truly thought that they would overpower me.

Humans were just as dense as ever.

I sighed at the rush of adrenaline that the kill always brought to me. It was one of the few, rather only, moments that brought me as close to pure happiness as I could get. Punishing those that deserved it. Punishing those who thought they could take advantage of the weak. Punishing those who thought they could betray me and get away with it.

No. I am not there anymore. I am fine.

I took a deep breath, cleared my mind of the past, and slowly made my way over to the table that had various devices that I had accumulated over the years for torture. I picked up my favorite rusted pruning shear and made my way back over to her. I stopped directly in front of her and watched her writhing around. Loving the way her hair was in disarray, her tear-stained cheeks, the way the ropes cut into her skin, causing them to bleed, and last but not least, the terror. Pure terror clouded her eyes. The terror was so palpable in the air that I could taste it.

I even made a show of licking the air and moaning in delight.

She thrashed around, trying her best to get as far away from me as possible, which was fruitless. She would never be escaping this prison with her life intact.

I walked over slowly to stand in front of her, using the tip of the shear to lift her chin to look up at me. She swiveled her head away from the chill bite of the tool and did her best to avoid eye contact.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. “You know, you shouldn’t steal from others and then attack them in their own home. It isn’t very nice, is it?”

“Fuck off!” She was going to fight me until the very end. Good.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” I released her chin and grabbed onto her finger.

“Wh-what are—” I giggled at her guttural cries of pain as I dug the tip of the shear underneath her nail bed and slowly pushed in toward the cuticle and scooped, effectively severing the nail from skin.

“You are a guest in my home. Do not use such foul language while addressing me.” Tossing the ripped out nail bed to the floor.

“How’re you any different from us! You killed my Claude fer no reason!”

I laughed dryly. “No reason? Weren’t you just boasting about an elderly woman that the two of you murdered in cold blood before arriving here?”

Her eyes widened. “So what if we did?”

I towered over her, and gritted my teeth as I demanded, “Tell me what you did to her, Merrill.”

“Get away—”

I lowered my voice and repeated, “Tell me what you did to her, Merrill.”

My powers afforded me the luxury of twisting minds to do my bidding. It was all a matter of finding the right buttons.

She blinked rapidly, and then the truth started to slip out of her. “I—well, we needed more money to pay off someone we owed. We were out looking fer something to steal and came upon her home.

“That woman had nothing but herbs, handmade blankets, and books made of roots and flowers. She was simple.”

“Gold, she had gold,” she panted the words, sweat beading down her face.

The gold I had paid her over the years, buried in one of her floorboards. I felt my chest tighten.

“She should have stayed in her bedroom, but she didn’t. She came out with a broom and—”

Merrill tried to clamp her mouth shut, confused as to why she was telling me all of this. It didn’t matter, she didn’t have a choice once I used my powers to force her to tell me, “and I used my blade to cut into her throat.” She clenched her teeth together and gritted out with a smile on her wrinkled face. “And I watched the light fade from her eyes. And I enjoyed it.”

I nodded slowly and asked, “So, her only crime against you was to protect her home from intruders?”

“She should have stayed out of our way!”

I could feel the rage steadily building inside of me with every word out of this wretched woman’s mouth. To think that they believed they had a right to kill someone weaker than themselves. But not just someone, one of the three strays I’d collected over the years. That was not something that could go unpunished.

I squeezed the arms of the chair so hard that my knuckles began to ache. I knew that my eyes had begun to glow purple by the look of fear in her eyes. Shadows, a dark purple that nearly appeared black, skittered along my skin, a reaction to the burning emotions flowing through me.

“Can I tell you a little secret? You and I have something in common. I love murdering humans, hearing their screams, seeing the blood drain from their skin, and watching the soul leave their bodies…but I have rules…only those that deserve it, and you signed your death warrant when you killed Mariam.”

“Who?”

“The old woman you killed!”

She ignored me and instead begged, “You don’t have to do this. I will leave, I’ll tell no one you're here. I swear it.”

“Thank you, Merrill, I needed this. I needed you.” I leaned my eyes close to her face, tears ran down her cheeks as she screamed in terror.

I grabbed her hand and began the same agonizingly slow pace of extracting the rest of her fingernails. She tried and failed to yank her hand out of my grip, which only caused me to tighten mine. I squeezed her hand so hard that I could hear bones snapping and continued the pattern over and over again until both of her hands had not one fingernail left. Until her blood was running down the wooden frame of the chair.

I leaned back and tilted my head, observing my work of art. I smirked as she said while hanging her head in defeat, “Please…please, I can’t handle anymore…”

“Well, I did win the game. I did warn you what would happen if you lost.” Her cries began to get louder at the realization that it wasn’t a matter of whether she would die but of when. Her cries turned into an all-encompassing scream of anguish.

“If you could please stop screaming in my ear drums. You’ll burst them if you continue,” I said sweetly.

This time, she made eye contact and stared at me like I had lost my mind. She wasn’t wrong—I lost it years ago.

“Please, spare me.”

I knew this was coming. It was always the same. First, it started with anger. They would always scream at me, calling me every vile name they could think of until they saw my powers and realized that they were no match for me. After that, they would resort to crying and then bartering. Their tears had no effect on me, it didn’t matter what they did or said after I made the decision that they would die.

I rolled my eyes as the woman continued to badger me to spare her life. “Did Mariam plead for her life, as well? Did you take the time to consider sparing her for even a moment?”

Her only reply was more tears. I tuned out her cries as I slowly moved around her, contemplating how I would make her suffer for her crimes.

Humans were such depressing creatures. They always acted tough when faced with a weaker opponent, not realizing that there was someone out there who was bigger—more dangerous.

Someone who reveled in their pain. Hearing their screams. Seeing them squirm. Begging me to stop.

I never would.

In these woods, I was the apex predator.

La bête .

I stopped behind her, reached forward, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her head back. The pathetic woman cried out at the unexpected pain and stared at me with bloodshot eyes.

“How should I kill you, Merrill? Any suggestions?” She didn’t answer. I scoffed, looking away. “I have spent centuries torturing pathetic humans, so I have a few ideas. Let’s see… I could cut you in various areas of your body and watch as you slowly bleed to death.” I looked back at her. “No? Hmmm… How about I rip you apart limb by limb? Or I could kill you exactly how you had killed Mariam.”

I wrapped my hands around her head and was flung into her mind. I thought of the woman and was transported to two days ago. Mariam had come out of her bedroom, broom in hand, and screamed at them to get out of her house. I could feel Merrill’s sick elation at seeing the woman, and wasted no time in grabbing a knife from her boot. Mariam retreated back into her room, but Merrill was quicker and kicked the door open. Mariam fell back and shuffled away as Merrill strode to her, plunged the blade into her neck, and then stood back and watched her slowly bleed out.

I let go, and Merrill strained to say, “Please let me go. I won’t do it again.”

I cocked my head to the side, wondering if she would ever own up to her crime. “She must have screamed and begged you to stop, just as you are doing now. What makes you different? What gives you the right to live when she doesn't get that chance?”

“Oh yeah? And what makes you any different from me? You say your going to kill me. That makes us the same.”

I leaned down until my face was inches from hers, breathing in her putrid breath as I said, “There is a difference. I have never pretended to be anything that I’m not. But you… You keep spewing lies, and honestly, it is disgusting.”

I raised my hand to let a blade form from my shadows and plunged it into her neck, just like they had done to Mariam. Her blood squirted in my face and down my hand, but I held still as I watched the life drain from her eyes until her soul had left her body.

Silence.

I took a deep breath, happy to never hear their shrill voices again. I considered sending Callum to Mariam’s house to find her body and bury her properly. It would be the right thing to do. She didn’t deserve to rot there alone without a proper burial and send off into the afterlife. Not that it is something that I necessarily believe in, but maybe she does.

I stared at the woman for another moment, wishing that I had prolonged her suffering, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Not even my powers were capable of bringing someone back from the dead once their soul had completely left.

I gathered my powers one last time and waved a hand over their bodies, shadows cascaded down from my hands intermixed with bright golden sparks, and the moment it touched their bodies they burned. Ashes replaced flesh.

I made my way out of the tower, and Emilia was waiting for me there. I had saved her about twenty years ago from a fate worse than death, and out of thanks, she designated herself as my official guardian. She ensured that my basic needs were met and that the castle was in near-perfect condition. It took me time to adjust to her presence, but now, I wondered how I’d ever gotten along without her.

“They are taken care of. Mariam can rest easy knowing that her murderers will burn in the pits of Hell for all of eternity.”

She nodded, raised her hand, and rubbed her throat. Her injury must have aggravated her because she had brought her hands up and signed, They got what they deserved. Do you need me to clean the room?

I shook my head. “I took care of it.”

She looked up as if she could see through the walls and floor and into the room where their bodies were nothing but ash on the wind. I followed her gaze toward the tower which was located at the back of the castle and was so high that there was a severe drop in temperature once you reached the top. It was a perfect place for torture.

From its current state of desolation, no one would guess that we were once a happy, peaceful kingdom that took care of its people. Where I could walk around without a worry of an attack. The people who I knew would lay down their lives for me, their princess. But that was before the execution…

Before her .

I gave Emilia another nod and left her, heading back to my chambers. It was a rather eventful night, and I was ready to wash their blood from my body.

I entered my chambers, not even bothering to close the door, and walked to the open window like I did every night. I grabbed my wrap from the chair next to me as the sting of the cold air bit into my skin.

I heard a noise behind me, but didn’t turn around as Callum wrapped his strong arms around me, squeezing me to him. I let my head fall back onto his chest as we stood there, looking at nothing in particular.

“How was your night?”

I knew what he was asking and turned my head until I was looking directly into his eyes. I knew what I must have looked like, but he didn’t balk at the blood. His love for me didn’t waver as he brought his mouth down to mine.

I said in an icy voice, “You know the rules, Callum.”

He stopped immediately, and closed his eyes in defeat. In a quiet voice, he replied, “Yes?”

I watched his retreating form move to the middle of the room, and then he knelt with his hands on his knees, head bent, naked.

Good little bird.

I had fucked Callum every single night for the last ten years that he had been here. The way that my body reacted to the feel of his cock in me was nothing short of a revelation. I felt a connection with him the moment I saw him. There was something that was so broken about him and when our eyes met, he looked as if he was ready to die. He welcomed it, and that’s when I knew that we were alike. Two tortured souls finding each other.

Before the curse, I’d only been intimate a few times. Whenever things inside the castle became too much to bear I would find anyone who could help me to satiate my needs. Yet, I knew so little about men, about myself, and he welcomed my curiosity. He’d awakened something in me I might have been shameful for in the past—a desire I didn’t care to fight any longer.

I walked over to him and ran my fingers through his bowed ruffled head. A moan escaped his lips. I yanked his head back by his hair to look me in the face, his eyes heavy with lust, breathing rapidly. A thrill ran through me at the thought that he would do anything that I asked. No matter the request.

“How shall I fuck you tonight, Callum?”

He whimpered, and I couldn’t hold out anymore. I was done playing games for the night. “Get on the bed,” I ordered.

He was more than happy to oblige. Getting up, he walked over to the bed, getting on in the middle while I walked around it. Stripping off my clothes the closer I got, his eyes glued on me.

I knew that he wanted to kiss me, but I felt as though it were too intimate. A boundary that once crossed, would completely shatter everything that I had built over all these years.

I’d made a promise to myself not to grow too fond of my strays, and I’d already broken it with Emilia. I couldn’t possibly give myself to him, not entirely, because like all humans that had come and gone since my curse, he’d wither away and die.

And you will watch , her voice haunted my mind, daring to ruin the moment.

I cast her out, not paying her any mind. Completely naked, I climbed to the top of the bed and spread my legs for him. I slowly dragged my fingers from my breast down my stomach all the way to my sex. My back arched as I made slow circles around my clit.

His eyes were hungry, waiting for me to give him permission. He slowly moved up and down his length, squeezing hard, staring directly into my eyes.

“You are beautiful, your grace,” Callum moaned.

I smirked at him, making slower circles. “Even with their blood still on my body?”

“I would fuck you whenever and wherever you wished. I am your consort and yours to do with as you please.”

“And you are fine with being a body for me to use whenever I wish?”

“If my only purpose in life is to bring you pleasure, then I would consider that a well-lived and full life.” I scoffed because I knew that he meant every word.

Tired of talking, I leaned back, rested my back against the headboard, and called him over with a flick of my finger.

He gave me a sly smile and crawled over to me like the good little bitch he was, and placed his head between my legs. He hovered above my pussy and tentatively licked all the way up in slow lazy movements. I ripped his head up and commanded, “Faster.”

With that, he inserted two fingers and pounded them into me while sucking my bundle of nerves. My breathing turned ragged. He was stretching me, but I needed more. What I wanted was more than sex—it was primal.

I threw him off me, grabbed him by the shoulders, and pushed him onto his back. I straddled him and moved my hands over his bare chest. The feel of his muscles sent heat down to my core. I could feel my cum pooling on his stomach. I leaned forward, grabbed his cock between my slick legs, and lowered myself onto him. He groaned in ecstasy, his thick cock filled me. I jerked my hips forward and got into a rhythm.

He tried to touch me, and I bent over, pinned his hands over his head, and whispered breathlessly, “You want to touch me, little bird?”

All he could do was nod, not able to find his words. I leaned down to his ear, biting it hard enough to cause him to whimper.

I smiled and whispered, “Be a good boy and show me you deserve that honor.”

I let go of his hands, and he grasped onto my hips and fucked me so hard that I had to grip the headboard or else I would be propelled off. It didn’t take long for us to find our release at the speed he was going, hitting that spot with each thrust.

I let go of the headboard and collapsed on top of him. We laid there for a moment, our breaths intermixed. There were only two things that made me feel any kind of emotion and one of them was when his throbbing length was deep inside of me. Even then it was a feeling that wouldn’t last, a fleeting moment.

Princess, do you really think he wants you for anything other than sex?

Circe.

Would she ever not invade almost every moment of my damned existence. Always reminding me of my shortcomings?

I replied to the voice in my head, “Get out.”

“What?”

I sighed as I sat up, looking down at his flushed face, and couldn’t help but think about the way they killed Mariam. About how she was no more.

Another dead body , taunted Circe. How many more will die because of you?

I squeezed my eyes shut as I slid off of him, and rolled over to get out of bed to go to the bathing chamber. He knew what I wanted, knew what our arrangement was.

And he was right. He was my consort. Nothing more and nothing less.