Page 15 of A Cursed Son

I smile and try to raise one eyebrow, even though I can’t raise it the way he does. “Oh. So did you find what you were looking for?”

He looks away, sighs, then stares at me and narrows his eyes. “You’re forcing my hand. I was choosing to be gentle. One more time, and if I were you, I’d drop this pretense.”

I can’t do this anymore, or maybe I’ll truly die with embarrassment. “Just ask what you need to know. Like a normal person—or fae.”

“I’m anything but normal. And you have one more chance.”

I shut my eyes and try to think about something else. Drusils. Passion-fruit custard. Yikes, vomit-tasting passion-fruit custard—and then it’s all gone.

There’s a light surrounding me, and part of me knows it’s not good, not good, I have to stop it, but a bigger part of me knows that this is the real truth.

Marlak is lying down on a bed of dried leaves, slanted rays illuminating his beautiful chest, his lovely arms. I’m on top of him, and lean down to kiss his soft lips, my nipples touching his warm chest and the thin hair covering it. I feel him harden between my legs, so warm, so perfect.

The image stops and yet my eyes are still shut. The only reason I don’t beg the Almighty Mother to kill me right now is because that would be blasphemy.

Did I just picture me and this prince almost having sex right in this cave? The light in the vision was prettier for sure, and his scars shone from within, looking magnificent. He looked magnificent.

I’m feeling mortified, but I can’t let him notice it.

I dare open my eyes and smirk. “So my skills are no match for yours?”

He’s looking away, his expression a mask. “No clue. I think you almost tried to check my skills.” Finally he turns to me, frowning.

Puzzlement, frustration, annoyance. I’m not sure what to make of his face, but I’m glad he didn’t mention what he just saw. Despite the sexual image he must have seen, I don’t think he’s going to take advantage of me or use the vision as an excuse to make any lewd comments, and that’s a huge relief.

By the Mother, our standards are so poor that I’m glad I’m not at risk of being raped. But I am thankful for that. That said, I don’t know what he’s going to do now. Perhaps I made everything worse by teasing him, but that’s still better than letting him think I’m attracted to him.

I mean, he does have something fascinating going on, but there’s no way to put sexy and family murderer in the same sentence. Not to mention he attacked our carriage, hurt Prince Ziven, and is holding me captive now. At least he thinks this is some kind of smart trick to prevent him from seeing my thoughts. Let it remain that way.

His face could be made of stone for the way he glares at me. “I warned you. Unfortunately, I won’t be as gentle.”

Frankly, I don’t care. Here, see all my thoughts, just make this embarrassment stop. This is the most mortifying experience of my life, and when he touches my head again, it’s a relief. I’m ready to lay all my thoughts bare for him. My ability to care, my sense of duty, my honor, they’re all gone.

Light surrounds me, but my hands are on the ground, over soft leaves and lavender flowers. I feel safe, protected, powerful, even in a position that should convey powerlessness. Marlak’s hands cup my breasts, and they’re so large that they cover them completely, while his teeth bite my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I feel his length by my slit, teasing me, a strange kind of agony and delight. I want him more than anything in the world. My thoughts, my feelings, they disappear. All that’s left is my body and that aching need.

Then, in one swift stroke, he enters me. There’s pain, but it’s subtle and delightful, soon turned into pleasure, a raw, wild feeling of being taken like an animal, like the wild fae forest I love so much.

Delightful pleasure, as I feel him inside me, then moving back slowly, and shoving in again hard, each time harder, each time faster. Every thrust dissolves me, undoes me, uncoils me.

His beautiful, fascinating power enters me, breaks me, rips away all my fears. His strength is unleashed, desire unleashed, all for me, out of control, and then it explodes in a ball of light. So much light inside me, light around us. For a moment, we’re one. There’s nothing more wonderful than this moment, this now. There’s no better feeling than this wonderful, magical release, unwinding me open.

I open my eyes and feel that my body is completely relaxed, that wonderful feeling still within me, almost as if it had been real. I had never felt like that when having sex—but then it was never a crazy vision.

His voice startles me. “Impressive. Quite impressive.” He then gets up and leaves the cave, his steps heavy.

I want to cover my face with my hands, but I can’t because of these stupid ice manacles. It’s not shame. The vision didn’t feel shameful; it felt wonderful—which is a thousand times worse.

I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind right now. Well, he’s the one who told me he wasn’t going to be gentle and maybe got the idea in my head. Why is this happening?

The sound of dry leaves cracking startles me. The ice around me then starts to melt.

Ziven is standing there, and puts a finger over his lips.

Stunned that Ziven came to rescue me, I follow him in silence, careful to keep my steps as quiet as possible. He’s silent and agile, a far cry from the clumsy, drunk prince who sometimes visits the Elite Tower.

It turns out that we weren’t deep into the forest, and soon I see the river and the log across it. Before crossing, I glance back, fearing that Marlak would chase us, but there’s nobody, just our broken carriage blocking part of the dirt road.

On the other side, we encounter uneven terrain: jagged rocks and bushes, making up the base of Mount Eye. I look back again, and still see no trace of the disgraced fae prince. We climb up more jagged rocks until we reach a narrow trail, from where I can gaze down at the river and the vast expanse of the wild fae forest.