9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

I t was well past noon by the time we left the tower. I had them following me down the halls, and into the dining hall to get something to eat. I knew that Bastian would have his mouth watering in no time once the smell of fresh food hit his nose.

No one said a word as we walked, but I could tell that Soren was staring at everything before muttering absentmindedly, “Did you know that this castle was constructed in 817 AD? And look at her.. Still standing after all these years.”

“Ren…” Bastian said tersely.

“Oh! And did you know that the labor to construct these walls was so rigorous that people were said to have died right on the spot?” He placed his hands on the cold walls as if he could hear the past. “It’s rumored that they were buried within the walls because they didn’t want to take the time to bury them in the ground. I suppose there were too many bodies to worry about.”

“Why do you always jest in the worst situations?” Bastian questioned. Soren shrugged and Bastian walked up to him and slapped the back of his head. “Say another word about the stupid castle and I will bury you within these walls myself!”

“Okay, sorry,” He said, rubbing the back of his head.

We entered the dining hall. “The seat to my left belongs to Emilia. She is the only other female that resides in this castle. Callum’s seat is directly to my right. You both can sit next to him, I don’t care which seat you occupy.” We were walking toward the table as I finished explaining where everyone’s place was. “Sit.”

I had assumed that they would want to sit as far away from me as possible, but Soren went to sit next to Callum. Bastian intervened at the last moment and sidestepped around him, forcing Soren to sit three seats away from me.

Callum entered with a couple of trays full of food.

“Hunter, be a doll and help Callum fetch the rest.”

He stood and left with Callum without another word.

Now, it was just Soren and I, and he didn’t waste a single moment before asking, “Are there any other people living here?”

“No, just the three of us. And you two.” I leaned back into my chair. His tone and demeanor reminded me of a child. What other questions would he ask? My head was already starting to pound.

Callum set the rest of the platters down and took his seat.

“Is Emilia going to be joining us?” Soren asked.

I didn’t want to give it another thought, but she should have been down by now. I didn’t know where she went after I left, and I hadn’t sent Callum to get her because I had never needed to in the past. Maybe she just needed a little more time to come to terms with Bastian. Though, I would have to have a conversation with her right after lunch.

It didn’t go well the last time, and now with the addition of Soren… I shook the thought away. I could already see her face pinched together with distaste.

“She will join if she wishes. However, you are not to approach her unless she approaches you first. Is that understood?” They both nodded.

I reached forward and took a few blackberries from the platter, giving them the cue to dig in. They all filled their plates as I sat back and slowly plopped the berries into my mouth, staring at the two newcomers.

I could see Bastian doing his best to ignore me, only side-eyeing me occasionally. But not his brother. Once he realized that I was looking at him, he stared right back. His gaze was intense, so intense that I almost looked away.

I cleared my throat and said, “Let’s get introductions out of the way. These two are Soren and Bastian, my new pets.” I pointed a sharp nail at Callum. “And this is Callum, my consort.”

“Consort?” Bastian questioned bluntly, but then seemed to swallow his tongue.

I was about to continue when I saw a look cross both of their faces that made me pause.

“Do you have a problem with a woman using a man for sex?” They both looked away from me, and I continued, “Or is it because I am not a male that I should think higher of myself and not fuck anyone other than my husband?”

Bastian spoke up, “It is just not something that is talked about so openly.”

“Spin your judgment however you like; you are still looking down upon us for enjoying each other sexually. You will learn that within these walls, we fuck whenever we want and wherever we want. There are no rules here, no standards. We’re just…us.”

The idea perplexed Bastian enough to stare off for a long few seconds, considering the idea.

“How freeing,” said Soren, as if he were reading Bastian’s mind.

“Rules are in place for a reason,” Bastian snapped back at him. “If there are no standards, no rules, what makes us any different from animals?”

I ignored their bickering and continued, “And then there’s me. I am the Queen of these lands and you will address me as your grace or your majesty .”

With a grumble, Bastian whispered to himself, “I will never call you anything, but a—”

Callum threatened, “I would think long and hard about your next choice of words if you want to continue breathing.”

“Settle down, boys. We have more pressing issues. You both need a role here.”

“A role?” Bastian asked.

“I can’t just keep you around for that pretty face of yours, can I?”

“I just thought—”

“Everyone has a role to play. If you aren’t going to be an asset then I have no use of you. And if you’re of no use then I may as well kill you now so there is one less mouth to feed.”

He snapped his mouth shut.

“So, what are your strengths?”

He thought about it for a moment before he answered, “I am a good hunter and—”

I cut him off. “Go deeper. Tell me something I am not already aware of.”

He contemplated for a moment before he said, “I enjoy cooking. Though, I never had a chance to because of obvious reasons.”

“What is obvious about that?” I asked, clearly confused.

“Is it not a woman’s place?”

I stifled a laugh.

“I think a woman’s place is wherever she wishes. It seems your village thinks very little of their women… Some things never change, do they?” I rolled my eyes at the thought. It was good that he could cook because that would give Emilia a break. I knew she was spiraling and a break from her daily routine might be enough to snap her out of her stupor. “You will then cook every meal for us, starting tomorrow.”

He nodded.

“And you?” I looked at Soren.

Without hesitation, he said, “I am a scholar. Before you decided to keep us, I was going to go off to university to study.”

He held his head up; he was very proud of his profession.

They may be related by blood, but they couldn’t be more different.

“A scholar you say?” I was intrigued, but not surprised. “Nothing else?”

“Is there something wrong with being a scholar?” He asked, not defensively as I suspected he would.

“A scholar isn’t a skill that I can utilize so you will clean the castle every day. You’ll start on one side of the castle and then slowly make your way through it. If a door is locked, then skip it.”

“Clean?” Soren repeated the word as if it were foreign to him.

“Yes. I mean, I could find other ways for you to occupy your time here, though it doesn’t matter to me how you get on your knees.” I knew that would get a reaction out of Bastian. I would do anything to torture him, get under his skin. He was gripping the silverware rather tightly, mouth in a grimace. “I don't enjoy repeating myself. As I said before, you will earn your keep here or you will die. I don’t have time to take care of two useless humans.”

He smiled at me, a wide smile that held nothing back. “Humans… The way you say it, it’s as if you’re not one. If you’re not human, then what are you?”

“I’ve had enough of your questions today, scholar. You will clean. Have I made myself clear?”

“As you wish, your grace.”

I blanched. Was he not going to fight back?

“May I at least have run of the castle? For research purposes, of course. You mentioned some doors would be locked.”

“There are very few places that I don’t allow you to venture into. Stay out of the West Wing, South Wing, and the greenhouse. You may go everywhere else: the kitchens, library, any of the other rooms and the grounds. Of course, stay away from the main gate and don’t wander too far into the forest. I wouldn’t want to assume that you are trying to escape… Not like you could even if you tried,” I said teasingly.

“The library?”

I think he heard me say ‘library’ and then tuned out everything else.

“Yes, the library which I know you will love since you are a self-proclaimed scholar. Tomorrow you can start there.”

His eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically.

I narrowed my eyes at him, dumbfounded, as Bastian asked, “What the hell are you so excited about?”

Soren cleared his throat and gave him a shrug. “What? Am I not allowed to smile? It is a beautiful day, is it not?” He gestured outside to yet another gloomy afternoon.

Bastian went right back to eating his food when Callum scoffed.

Bastian set his fork down aggressively and turned to Callum. “Actually, what about you? Your only job can’t be to fuck her.”

Callum smirked, though I assumed he would have gotten upset over what Bastian just said. “My duty is to service the queen with all of her needs, as you saw a few nights ago. And if I remember correctly, you rather enjoyed the show,” he teased, rubbing his thumb across his bottom lip.

I interjected, “That reminds me, hunter. Callum hunted a few days ago and we are running low on meat for tonight's meal. So, that’s your job for today.”

Without looking away from Callum, he said, “Yes, your grace.”

I knew he was only using my title to demean me. Bastian was a horse in need of breaking, and soon.

“And I will join you.”

All of their heads turned toward me simultaneously, mouths agape.

Callum swallowed. He looked at Bastian suspiciously and then back at me. “I understand why you would want to go with him, but hunting is not a job for a queen such as yourself. Let me go in your stead.”

I leaned forward, skimmed my fingers along his jaw, and said, “You worry too much, little bird.” And then sat back in my chair, looking at Bastian. “We will go after I garden.”

Bastian did his best not to roll his eyes, but I could sense the tension radiating off of him.

Instead, he said too sweetly, “Callum is right, hunting isn’t for a woman of your stature. Not to mention that I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. What a shame that would be.”

I knew what he was saying, could read between the lines. “Yes, what a shame that would be. Though I wonder…what mischief we could get into with a rifle all alone in the woods where sound goes to die?”

He didn’t take his eyes off mine for a second, stuck in a war of our own making, waiting for the other to look away. He finally realized that it wasn’t something he would win and conceded. “As you wish.”

We all heard a noise at the door as Emilia entered. My back straightened at seeing her sudden appearance, and I realized that I should have checked on her earlier. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot as though she had been crying for hours; she looked completely disheveled.

She stormed up to the table, slamming her hands down, causing the fine china to tremble. Her throat bobbed, and I knew it was sore, but she spoke as loud as she could, “You are the spawn of the devil! Curse you and your entire fucking family!” She blindly grabbed whatever was within her reach and began to throw the items as hard as she could at both of them.

Everyone was out of their seats. The brothers shielded themselves from the onslaught of food and drink. I stood there in shock as I had rarely seen even an ounce of anger from her in the past twenty years. I had come to my senses and found that Callum had rushed around the table and grabbed her by the waist to haul her away. He whispered something in her ear that no one else could hear.

She wasn’t listening to anything he said, thrashing in his arms, doing everything in her power to get away from him and back to the brothers.

The sound of her screams disappeared as they rounded the door, and he took her back to her chambers, I presumed. The entire ordeal left me stunned, my ribs tightening around my chest and heart.

What do you think? They seem to be causing quite a bit of chaos to the very humans you vowed to protect. Are you going to give into your true nature and kill them in their sleep?

“Enough,” I said, loud enough for everyone to look at me. I remembered where I was and breathed out a sigh of aggravation, changing the subject. “Callum stays in the East Wing, as will the both of you. There are ample rooms so pick whichever ones you want. I couldn’t care less. Every day you will be at this table before I arrive at half past eight. I don’t recommend being late.”

I needed to hurry and check on Emilia.

“Why did she attack us?” Bastian asked. “She doesn’t even know us.”

“Is she alright?” Soren asked at the same time.

I didn’t have time for this. “Clean up this mess and meet me outside of the greenhouse at half past seven,” and stormed out after Callum.

I ran through the halls back to the South Wing and up the stairs. He was opening her door with her still thrashing, begging him to let her go as they entered her room.

I followed closely, watching him set her down, and she crashed onto the ground crying. I rushed to her side.

“Emilia, what happened?” Her sobs wracked her entire body. I calmed my voice, sending her into a trance-like state that always seemed to work whenever her emotions got the better of her. “Emilia, tell me what happened.”

She looked up at me and signed, I don’t want them here. Please. Please. Please. Her hand was balled in a fist, and she kept circling it around the middle of her chest, begging me to listen.

“Her episodes have been few and far between, but ever since Bastian stepped foot into this castle her mental health has dramatically declined.”

I shot my hand out and wrapped it around his mouth.

“Wait for me outside.” He left without another word.

I took a deep breath in. One. Two. Three. Deep breath out. One. Two. Three. Then, I turned my attention back to Emilia who had dropped her head to the ground.

I escorted her over to her bed and sat at the edge with her. “I will explain everything when you wake up.” I blew a powder into her face and caught her as she fell backward.

I needed her to sleep, and wake up renewed and calm before we discussed the brothers. I knew why she didn’t want them here, understood it deeply, but I also knew I had to keep them or kill them. I massaged my temples and closed my eyes, her earlier idea lingering in my mind. Maybe staying in Mariam’s cottage wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

I opened her door to find Callum pacing, his hands constantly rubbing his arms up and down, his nervous tick.

He turned to me when he saw me shut the door and knelt before me. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, your grace.”

I didn’t know what to think. Nothing I decided would make anyone happy. My hands were tied. “Stay with her.”

My mind was clouded when I walked out of the greenhouse to find Bastian waiting there with his rifle, his hair ruffled as if he had been running his hands through it all morning.

I was left to my thoughts after leaving Emilia alone, but there was nothing left to do until she woke up, and that wouldn’t be until tomorrow.

He stood when he saw me and barely nodded his head as a greeting, until he saw my

appearance and cocked his head to the side, clearly confused. The simple long black gown that was immaculate this morning was now covered in a light layer of dirt. I walked over to him, my baby hair wildly framed around my face, dirt under my nails, and on various parts of my body.

I teased, “What? Do I have something on my face?”

He coughed, trying his best not to look at me. “No, I just didn’t expect you to look…”

“Radiant?”

“Dirty.”

He was rather direct, but his statement was true nonetheless.

“You know exactly what to say to make a girl melt. How lucky am I?” I moved past him with a shove. “Let’s go; we haven’t got all day.”

We walked in tense silence with him slightly behind me, I wasn’t worried that he would attack me, not yet anyway. Even though I couldn’t leave my lands, they were vast enough that I could walk for miles in every direction. Our current path was heading northeast to where there was a small meadow that I knew the deer enjoyed grazing this time of day.

Bastian finally broke the dreaded silence. “You didn’t need to come with me. I meant what I said: hunting is not something a woman should be doing.” Then he teasingly said, “What if you were to scratch that perfect skin of yours.”

I smirked. “Oh darling, I have more scars than you would ever be able to count in your lifetime.” I stopped right before the clearing, using the shadows to our advantage. “And I don’t trust you not to do something idiotic that would surely get you killed.”

He had gone rigid and hissed, “I would never abandon my brother to the likes of you.” He walked a little closer than I would have expected, and I heard the sound of metal scraping against fabric. I sensed his movement and motives, which were all rather predictable.

The tip of a sharp blade was pressed tightly against my neck.

I sighed. “I thought we had just talked about you not doing anything reckless.”

His hot breath was against my ear as he said, “I don’t trust you, witch.”

The way he said it, the hardness in his tone, reminded me too much of my father. His war on magic, on anyone different. The countless people he burned out of fear. Times had changed, but the hysteria remained. Good looks aside, I wanted to kill him right here and now. Spare myself the trouble of having to explain to Emilia that I had no choice. I had to keep these strays if I wanted to keep her safe.

“Is that the best insult you have? Come on, you can do better.”

“It’s the only insult I need.”

“You fear what you don’t understand, and you understand nothing.”

He pulled me against his body, his hand grabbed my stomach so tightly that I knew if I didn’t heal immediately then I would have had a bruise. If I so much as moved my head, the blade would cut into my skin, causing me to bleed all over my already dirty dress.

I could kill him now, but my body betrayed me. I didn’t want him to stop. My skin had heated over our position. No one had ever treated me so callously, with such disdain that I could taste it whenever they were near me. Touched me.

And I wanted more.

He was punishing me, hated me, and I liked it because punishing myself felt fitting.

“Shut. Up.”

He still hadn’t decided if he was going to kill me or not because my blood was still tucked safely away in my body.

I asked, “So, what was your plan here? Kill me and then run off into the sunset with your brother?”

“That about sums it up.”

“Then fucking do it, coward, if you think that will indeed break the spell that I cast on you both.” If I could have moved my hand I would have pointed when I said, “That scar on your chest proves that you now belong to me. Just ask Callum; he has the same one.”

“You already lied once, and I will try anything to get away from you. To protect my family.”

I couldn’t focus on his threat when I could feel his hard chest at my back and thought about how it would feel to be pressed beneath him once more. I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to him and wanted those large, calloused hands to roam over my body. I wanted more, oh, I wanted so much fucking more.

So, I gave in, and I moved my hips in small motions at first from side to side, grinding into him little by little.

I knew he wanted to fuck me, saw it in his eyes when I grazed that blade across his thigh. He was excited.

A shudder ran through my body as I thought about his hatred toward me and how rough he would be because of it. I welcomed it while he held my waist, his grip tightening, his cock hardening. I left him that night in the tower after getting him all worked up and he had yet to get a release. And something told me, something I didn’t quite understand yet about Bastian, that he needed this more than I did.

We were so different, and yet, the same. Did I want to break him? Would the fire leave his body as soon as I did?

At that moment I decided that he would be mine. Even if he was thrashing, tied to my bed, he’d be mine. And eventually, he’d learn to accept the part of him screaming for it.

I was brought back to reality when I could hear him trying to suppress a moan, but failed drastically. If it was even possible, the hold he had on me tightened and I sighed in bliss at the feeling. It was unbearable to continue our little dance, but I wanted to see if he would make the next move.

“Stop moving,” he breathed.

“That wasn’t very convincing.” I could feel his cock hardening the longer he had me in his arms, the longer I swayed. “You don’t want me to stop.”

He skimmed his nose along my neck, and it was my turn to suppress a moan as he said, “You think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

“Trying to distract you enough to disarm and then kill you for your insubordination?” I teased as I continued swaying my hips in slow circles.

“Oh yeah?” He said breathily. “You think you’re in a position to be killing anyone?”

“I could kill you without moving a single muscle.”

No sooner had the words left my lips, he pushed me roughly against a nearby tree, my body getting scraped by the harsh bark, the blade finally dug into my throat as I felt blood dripping down my cleavage. “There is no world in which I would ever want you.”

I laughed as much as the blade allowed. “Your head might think that, but there’s a part of you, a part you hate, that wants nothing more than to fuck me.”

“Shut up!”

Stubborn male. I wasn’t done playing.

“You’re right. You probably couldn’t even get me off if I drew you a map.”

“You would want that, wouldn’t you?”

“Just stating facts. Could never elicit these sounds from my lips.” I then proceeded to give the performance of one of my lifetimes and moaned while lifting my dress and touching myself.

I saw the blade pierce the trunk of the tree as he braced his hand on the skirts of my dress, lifting it. I stopped laughing as his other hand moved over mine, making slow and deliberate circles around my clit.

“What was that you, little slut? I can’t hear your filthy mouth anymore,” he growled.

“If you think that is going to work, then we will be here all night.”

Neither one of us wanted to admit that our most primal instincts wanted to take over and devour each other. We didn’t need to like each other to be attracted to the other, but if he wasn’t going to admit it, neither would I. Two could play this game, and I never lost.

I moved my hand to the trunk of the tree to brace myself and have a better grip, better control over wiggling my ass all over his cock painfully straining in his trousers.

We were both silent for a few seconds while he kept rubbing me and I grinded on him.

I relished the feel of his hand on my pussy, but laughed and asked, “Is that the best you can do?”

Admittedly, the words came out as more of a whimper than I’d have liked.

I knew I was egging him on, but I needed more friction.

He fit a calloused finger into my pussy and started pumping in and out of me, causing my legs to shake.

We were both caught in another war with each other, holding out until the other admitted what exactly was happening. He’d die before he admitted it.

“Is this what you wanted? Me fucking you with my finger? Or do you wish it was something else?”

I scoffed, breath quickening. “If this is what your cock is going to feel like, then I should have killed you on the road. Or rather the lack of feeling…”

“You fucking bitch.” He wasted no time in bracing a hand on my throat and inserting another thick finger, moving them so fast that I couldn’t help the moan that escaped from my lips. I lied when I said I couldn’t feel one, but two at once was nothing short of euphoric.

I couldn’t even pay attention to anything else except where those fingers were. I clamped my thighs together, doing my best to not allow him to give me an orgasm, to not allow him to win. But his next words, breathed right into my ear, sent me over the edge, “Come for me, your fucking majesty.”

No. No. Not so soon.

His lips found my ear, and for a moment, his voice softened a bit. “I want to feel it.”

I stilled as a tidal wave of pent-up anger over the last few days ran through me. If he hadn’t had me pinned against the tree I would have collapsed to the ground.

What the fuck just happened?

I believe you are exactly what he said, my dear… A whore.

Fuck off, Circe, I cursed.

It took a moment to realize that he was still behind me, his fingers still inside of me. I quickly reached down and grabbed onto his wrist, my cum sliding down his fingers and onto my hand. I pushed his fingers out of me and slowly turned around to look into his eyes. I had never expected things to go that far so soon. I never thought that he could get me off with just his fingers.

Those words sent me over the edge.

When I looked him in the eyes, I was surprised that he was just as out of breath as I was. His hand was still braced on my throat, and we were so close that our breath intermingled. We stared at each other, caught in a trance that neither one of us realized we were stuck in. He brought them up between our faces and rubbed his coated fingers together.

My eyes widened as he brought them all the way up to his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and licked his fingers. Moaning as he closed his eyes, savoring my taste. He opened his eyes and the spell was broken.

“Fuck.” He ran his fingers through his hair and then made a grunt as he turned around and started walking off.

I called after him, “Where do you think you’re going?” Still using the tree to hold me up.

“Leaving.”

“You still have to hunt. This… It meant nothing. Shall I punish your brother for your insolence?”

He stilled the moment I threatened his brother. So predictable.

He marched back toward me, not daring to get too close. “Don’t you dare touch him.”

“Then go do your fucking job and I won’t have to.”

“This is all your fault.”

“I don’t remember asking you to put your fingers in me, lover . You did that all on your own.”

“If you would have just let us go to begin with then none of this would be happening.”

“Are you done sulking?” I nearly rolled my eyes. “You are under my command. My control. Do I need to remind you of our little wager?”

“Control! You want to go another round, my queen ?” He said my title, dripping with sarcasm. “Want to see how many times that control of yours breaks?”

“Who says that I would allow you to touch me again?”

“Well, seeing as you can’t stand without the help of that tree. Then it can only be assumed that you will be the one begging me to fuck you. Obviously, Callum hasn’t been able to satisfy your needs as he boasted.”

“Callum’s cock is the least of your worries… Unless you want to be worried about it?” The look of pure disgust on his face was priceless. “I could describe it to you in perfect detail, seeing as I fuck him every single day.”

He seethed. “In your dreams.”

“Oh, that image will definitely plague my dreams tonight, thanks for that. Do you think you will dream of my scent still on you? Wake up with your fingers in your mouth, your dick so hard that you can’t wait until you can do it all over again the next day?”

This entire exchange had me wet all over again. Wanting more than just his fingers inside of me, but I wouldn’t be the one who gave in first. He would be begging me in no time.

“That only happened because I knew you would use your magic on me if I refused, witch. I would never touch you under any other circumstances.”

“Excuse me?” I was truly offended by what his words meant. What he believed. “Contrary to what you may think, I would never force myself onto another. It’s a vile act, justifiable by death. But if that’s what you need to tell yourself to help you sleep better at night, then fine. Make me the monster that you want me to be. But we both know what actually happened.” I scoffed. “You’re still panting.”

“So are you.”

Damn. He was right. Instead of acknowledging that fact, I said, “I won’t ask you again to do your job.”

He mumbled something under his breath as he walked around me, bringing out his rifle, and went off to do exactly as I instructed.

I called over my shoulder as I made my way back to the castle, “Same time tomorrow, then?”