The Seeker Ch. 04

He brought his knee up to her face and sent her sprawling. She landed on her skull with a mind-dulling thwack and something warm and thick coated the hair on the back of her head. She felt faint, but the pain kept her from passing out.

He reached down and grabbed the front of her tunic, ripping it open and exposing her chest. Again, he forced her to her knees, roughly fondling her breasts. She cried out in anger and pain. Before she could think, he shoved his erection into her mouth and started thrusting, quick and frantic. His fingers gripped her hair roughly and forced her face into him in time with his thrusts. Before she could bite down, a hand gripped under her chin, his fingers digging painfully into the joint in her jaw, preventing her from moving. Her eyes burned as her fingers clawed at his arms and hands. He was panting and grunting, and he shoved once, hard. She felt his cock pulsing and the taste of come filled her mouth. She gagged and fell away from him as he released her. Her stomach heaved, and she turned over just in time to be sick over the ground. He grunted in disgust, and hooked a boot under her middle, easily flipping her over onto her back. He knelt down over her writhing body, grim amusement sparking sinister light within his dull, narrowed eyes as he reached for the hilt of a knife at the belt now barely holding his pants above his knees.

She couldn't move. Pain touched every cell of her body, crept over her skin, bore into her head, gripped and seized her insides. Raul drew the knife from its scabbard on his belt and held it to her throat. "I never told you what your bitch friend's last words were," he said menacingly, his breath hot on her face, stinking of rot. She felt the urge to retch again. He dragged the tip of the knife down her chest, circled a breast and then dragged it back up to her throat, drawing a thin crimson line. With growing horror, she realized the weapon at her throat was her own sharp, magic-laced dagger. He was going to kill her. He was going to rape her, and then he was going to cut her open, like he had done to Eila.

Against all logic, she found herself thinking of Venlen, wishing he were there. He could be violent and cruel, but he was nothing like the evil creature hovering over her, his hand tugging roughly at her pants as he breathed raggedly and pressed his knife deeper into her throat, drawing blood. He incited no response in her the way Venlen did, her body felt no pleasure from the way he roughly pawed at her. Even at her angriest, even as she raged against him, Venlen had drawn out moments of such intense pleasure she felt she was losing her mind in his strong grip.

Raul gave up trying to take her pants off and instead reached down with the dagger and tore through them, slicing deep into her thigh as he cut away the thin fabric. She cried out and he laughed in her face at her pain. He forced his knees between her legs and positioned his underwhelming cock at her entrance, still soft and limp. Warm blood from the cut in her thigh poured over his flaccid flesh, and she grew sick with dread as he smeared it over himself and began to stroke into his erection.

"She begged me to end it," he grunted into her ear. "She begged me to come in her like the hungry slut she was, and then she begged me to do the same thing to you when we found you. She said you deserved it."

Laiyla groaned in agony as his words sliced through her. Not true not true not true not true. She looked up at the terrible thing smiling wickedly down at her and missed the violet flecks and the midnight black eyes of the man who had bound her. Raul's dull grey eyes frowned down at her in concentration as he got ready to spear her. She spat in his face, and he barked a laugh at her and grabbed her throat, cutting off her air supply. She struggled to breathe, scratching at his face and the hand at her throat, and he sliced down at her, cutting her arm open. She was covered in blood, her body still suffering pounding pain, and she braced herself for what she knew was coming. He leaned down and slid his tongue across a cut on her cheek, licking his lips as he made an awful groan of pleasure.

"You will look at me while I fuck you!" he screamed in her face and pushed the head of his cock into her, her own blood coating her entrance. She clenched her eyes tight even as his gripping hands tore at her throat, even as she tried desperately to reach that place of stillness and strength inside her. She felt her grip on consciousness loosening even as she felt his tightening. I am not long for this world, she thought to herself. She strained her ears, desperate for the call of the Banshee to take her before he split her in two.

A deafening roar ripped through the air, shaking the ground under her. Suddenly, Raul was gone. The pain receded, still present where Raul had struck and sliced her, but no longer gripping her entire being, scraping all of her nerves raw. Above her head, she heard a body hit the ground with a sickening thud. She reached a hand above her head and turned over, resting against her arm as she looked back to see what had happened.

She saw Raul lying in a heap. Venlen stood over him, his massive frame shaking and heaving as he looked down at him. Venlen. The look in his eyes made her shudder. The way he had looked at her after she had tried to take control of him was like puppy dog eyes compared to how he now stared down at his guard, and she had absolutely no doubt as to what was going to happen next.

Raul turned over and scooted away from him, struggling to his feet. "You're making a mistake, Ven! You threw yourself at this Fae cunt like a dog! She's a fucking whore, she was just begging me to fuck her!" His voice was hoarse, and she could hear the fear beneath his angry words. Her vision swam, and she felt herself sinking below a dark surface as her blood flowed out of the several places he had slashed into her.

Raul's eyes darkened further, an impossible shade that was a total absence of light, and he stalked toward his man. His jaw clenched and unclenched. He growled dangerously, the sound low and angry enough to resonate through her, but when he spoke, he was deadly quiet. From where she was, hovering between consciousness and oblivion, she trembled at the sound. "Look at her," he said, the command in his voice absolute and undeniable. Raul looked at her, his eyes wild and panicked. Venlen stepped in front of him, his back to Laiyla. "Look hard and long at what you've done to her." He waited patiently as he gave Raul a moment to obey, tension impossibly thick.

Ven's voice was the sound of death as he spoke his next words into Raul's ear. "She is the last thing you'll ever see." The sickening sound of a blade shoving through flesh and bone pierced the air. Raul's eyes bulged, the look of shock on his face almost comical. Laiyla looked away and heard the sound of his body slumping to the ground.

Venlen was by her side in an instant, tying strips of fabric over the places Raul had sliced her and shushing her as she started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry, keonai mouv. I should never have let you go."

Let me go?

He finished bandaging her as best he could and gathered her into his arms. He was humming as he started walking back toward the cabin, holding her tight against him. She calmed and quieted, letting the vibrations of his soothing hum flow through her.

"He was going to kill me," she said softly.

"I know, keonai mouv. I would never have let that happen."

"He killed Eila."

"I know. Shhh now. You're safe."

Safe?

She shook violently in his arms. This time, she could do nothing to stop the oblivion as it swept over her.

............................................

He sat next to the bed in the oversized rocking chair, shaking with rage. He wished Raul were still alive, so he could experience his death a second time. What he had been so close to doing to Laiyla, his fierce little Fae, made murderous rage flare through him all over again. He should have paid more attention to his loyal guard. He should have seen through him and discarded him as soon as he learned of Eila's brutal murder at his hands. He had been distracted, careless.

Never again. All of the men close to Laiyla would have their minds searched through as soon as she regained consciousness and he was able to draw on her abilities. He would kill any of them who harbored negative thoughts of her. It was fitting that his first use of her powers would be to protect her.

When he had reached the cabin, the unconscious Fae in his arms, he had commanded a healer be brought to him immediately. The healer was there within the hour, tending to her wounds as Venlen stood over him, fuming angrily and watchful of his every move. Once he was done, the healer had gently woken her just long enough to make her swallow tonics, and she fell immediately into a deep sleep. He had been at her side ever since, glaring menacingly at the healer as he came in often to check over her wounds.

This was all his fault. He should have controlled himself more around her. If he hadn't been so rough with her, perhaps she wouldn't have feared him so strongly and wouldn't have tried to run. He should have taken her outside into her precious forest, should have warned her of the pain she would experience if she attempted to escape, should have trusted her to follow his command to stay close.

Should have, should have, should have.

He held his head in his hands and groaned. He was sick with regret, and he was not a man who felt regret very often. His decisions and actions were swift and unforgiving, and he rarely looked back and examined the damage he may have caused.

Laiyla stirred in her sleep and moaned, deep in the grip of a nightmare. He swept forward, cradling her against him and running his fingers through her hair. "Shh, keonai mouv. You are safe now." She thrashed in his arms and cried out. With shock, he listened to her call for him. "Stop him," she begged of him in her sleep. "Venlen, please," she murmured, restless and trapped in her terror.

He held her closer and started humming, the old Oden lullaby filling the air and stilling her trembling body. "Good girl," he whispered gently into her hair. His heart was slowly breaking for the creature he held in his arms. He clutched her to him as if he was drowning, smoothing her hair from a forehead hot and damp with fever. He barked a command to the guard outside the door. The healer was with them in seconds, fussing over her and lifting more tonics to her lips, softly urging her to swallow. He glanced up and met Venlen's eyes and quickly looked away, fearful of the dangerous look on the man who held her protectively against him.

......................................................

She was back in the forest, Raul's blade pressing into her neck as he pushed into her. Venlen stood above them, watching with angry and jealous eyes. She reached up for him, begging him to stop Raul, to stop the pain.

Suddenly she was standing, and Eila was the one underneath Raul. She watched in horror as he slashed through her neck. Laiyla thrashed frantically against the arms that held her, trapping her. Eila gurgled wetly as she held a hand to her throat, Raul panting and bucking his hips into her. Laiyla screamed for her friend, cried out for Venlen to stop him.

Then Venlen was lifting Raul off of her, throwing him to the ground with a violent shove. A blade rang out and Raul was run through, blood pooling from a wound in his belly. Raul sneered up at her from where he lay on the ground, clutching at where the knife had speared him. "Fae slut," he spat. "He hunts you like a dog."

Laiyla sprung up in bed, damp with sweat, gasping and crying out. Venlen was there, pulling her to him and stroking her hair, murmuring words of reassurance into her ear. "You're safe. You're with me. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise you, keonai mouv. You are safe with me."

There was that word again. Safe.

She slowed her breathing, not quite believing him but strangely comforted by his strong presence just the same. Raul is dead, she thought. He's dead, and it's over.

"The pain... It was from running away, wasn't it?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

He tensed, and it took a while for him to answer. "Yes, keonai mouv. The bond will not let you leave me."

"And you let me go. You knew I would try to escape."

"Yes." His voice was soft, resigned. "I was waiting for you to go. I needed you to try it on your own, so you could see what would happen. I would be able to stop you, I could make sure you did not injure yourself too severely."

"I was almost killed," she growled accusingly. He was silent but continued to stroke her hair.

"Tell me who you are," she demanded. "Tell me who I am bound to. Tell me why the night follows you, why the dark creatures now stalk through the forest. Tell me how you know the Oden words."

He sighed and shifted, settling her back into his chest. "Have patience, keonai mouv. Once you are stronger, we will leave from here, and all will be revealed."

She felt hot and cold all at once. Sweat dampened her brow, and her breathing quickened. He sensed her growing distress and called for the healer. A reserved and gentle man dressed in the dark green robes of his trade, the healer came in to offer her tonics and to redress her wounds. She hissed in pain as the old dressings were removed. She examined the wounds on her arms and legs, the winding line that crept around her breast and went back up to her throat. She wondered which of them would turn into horrible scars, forever a reminder of the evil man who haunted her dreams.

She turned once to look at Venlen and shuddered at the look on his face. Fury flamed his eyes and he bore holes into the healer as he touched her, the jealousy and possessiveness hideously apparent in the way he watched over her. When the healer was done and had left, his expression softened, and he pulled her toward him, tucking her protectively into the crook of his arm.

His hands traced the dark line of red that swept across her chest, covered with a balm that stung at first and then cooled and soothed. Her skin tingled at his touch. He traced the line back up to her throat and gently gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head to meet his gaze. His eyes were hungry, unsettled. His mouth came down to meet hers, his tongue gently parting her lips to explore the warmth of her mouth. She wanted so badly to kiss him back, to meet his tongue with hers, to press her lips back to his in response to his affections. She wanted to slide her fingers through his dark hair and pull him into her. Something held her back, even as her body rebelled.

With deliberate slowness, his hand traveled down the curve of her hip, over the silky fabric of her short sleeping gown. Her breath hitched. He reached down and gently opened her thighs, stroking the part of her that ached for his attention. He stroked that bundle of nerves and she involuntarily pressed into him, flames burning her where his touch went. He parted her folds and slipped a finger inside her. She moaned softly as she felt her inner walls clench around him, warm wetness coating his hand. He growled, a low pitched, primal sound that made her tremble. "You are ready for me," he rumbled, his voice low and husky. "This pleases me." She shook uncontrollably. He slowly climbed on top of her, undressing himself and offering her his naked body as he pressed himself against her. She felt his arousal poised between her legs.

"Look at me, keonai mouv." This time, she met his gaze, remembering how she had longed for his lavender specked midnight eyes when Raul's had been the ones staring down at her. Their eyes locked, and he entered her, slowly and gently. He cocooned her with his massive body, possessive and passionate. He dipped his head and kissed her deeply. He moved in her, her body clenching around his cock as he thrust the full length of his thick shaft into her. He was too big, but even the pain of her too filled insides was deeply pleasurable, and she rocked her hips in response to his steady thrusts. Hooking her legs around his waist, he slipped his arms underneath her to cradle her torso as he laid claim to her body. She was his and his only. No other man would ever touch her.

His thrusts grew stronger, faster, more insistent. She tensed then shuddered beneath him, feeling that terrible pressure building in her. He ground himself against her, the friction against her clit taking her to the crest of her orgasm. She arched her back and cried out as the wave crashed over her, ripples of ecstasy rocking her to her core. She was dizzy with pleasure as he continued moving inside of her, gazing down at her. "Good girl," he purred, and cradled her head in his hands as he pressed gentle kisses to her eyelids, the corners of her mouth, along her jaw. "I love watching you come," he whispered. He quickened his pace, seeking his own release, and incredibly, her body responded readily and hungrily to him again, a second orgasm rocking her body and making her clench and pulse around him as she felt the fire of his come spurt deep inside of her, lighting her up and filling her to the brim. She gripped his broad shoulders as he grunted and panted against her. She fell back, melting into the mattress beneath him as he stayed locked deep inside of her, come dripping out from between her tight walls and his thick cock.

She stared up at the ceiling, lost in confusion and shame. He was her enemy in every way and her savior twice over. She felt the sincerity of his fervent feelings for her, but the uncontrolled anger in him crept out in violent ways. In his own, sadistic way, she supposed he truly did care for her. The thought made her sad and afraid.

He gazed down at his prize and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You respond to me beautifully," he told her approvingly. "You are learning to accept me. This is good for us both, it will help the bond form, will calm you and help you settle."

She grumbled her displeasure and tried to squirm away from him. He held her tight, their bodies still joined where his cock stayed put within her still dripping sex. "I don't want to settle," she said angrily. "I want my life back."

"Your life belongs with me now, keonai mouv. You will begin again. You can stop all this running away. I will give you everything. You will know happiness."

She lay in his arms, exhaustion overwhelming her. The tonic began its work. She could feel it now, coursing through her veins, drawing her down into darkness. Her eyelids became heavy, and the last thing she saw was his velvety dark eyes gazing down at her lovingly. She tried to scowl at him, but in her dazed state, drifting towards oblivion, she unknowingly smiled at him instead.