Page 5

MORRIGAN

The Castle In The Sky

“It worked.”

I feel the magic within me again—potent and stirring.

“Theren walked right into the trap,” I explain to Variant. “I knew he’d protect her to his last breath.”

“And how did he manage that?”

“The only way to do so was to free himself completely,” I explain. “His victory restored part of my power. I can use it to track down the mirror Silvanus used to keep the rest of my power from me.”

I drop my robes to the floor and slide into the bath of scented oils. They soothe my muscles, seeping into the parts inside me that are still cold from that godforsaken mountain. “Silvanus was there too. I was able to catch a hint of his signature.”

“So we can track him,” Variant says from where he sits perched on the windowsill. His hair flutters in the wind and I take a moment to appreciate his beauty.

“Yes,” I say.

“What will you have me do? We have the Unseelie army as well as my own. The orcs thirst for blood.”

“Send your spies to the mortal realm and head north. There’s an old human fortress nestled away from the ancient villages. Silvanus may be hiding there. At least it’s a place to start.”

I watch as Variant drops his own robe to the marble floors, revealing his impeccable form.

He climbs into the steaming waters, slotting himself between my thighs.

I groan as I feel the weight of his prick nudging between my folds.

He strokes his hands along my sides before reaching beneath the water and grasping my hips to lift me onto his lap.

“Your moves are bold, Variant…”

His lips cut off my words with a searing kiss.

I arch against him, grinding my hips into his.

Variant leans back against the tub and I place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.

That fiery gaze holds all of his hatred for me and I love it.

I don’t want him to desire me any longer. I simply need him to obey.

My hands glide along his silken skin, caressing him until he can stand it no longer. I grip his rigid length and position him at my entrance. Variant bites his lip as I sink down on his thick member.

I hiss as my body struggles to adjust to the sweet burn of his possession. “This is what I need from you, Variant. Obedience.”

He grits his teeth, but I see his resolve melting.

His hips buck up, driving the fleshy steel of his cock into my spasming channel.

Each throbbing vein sends a delicious tickle as he caresses the fluttering walls of my delicate flesh.

I place my hands on him again and force myself into his thoughts.

I want to know what anger he feels. But, instead of anger, I see him fucking another woman…

Eilish. Shock jolts me as I realize he imagines I am her.

As he shoves his cock inside me, it’s her face he sees, not mine.

“You pretend I’m her,” I say in a scathing tone as I glare at him.

“Yes, I want her,” he says. “But that’s nothing new.”

“You’re obsessed with her,” I say, even though it’s more of a question.

“I will have her beneath me. I will know the inside of her. And then I will kill her,” he says.

“As long as you realize what it is you must do,” I say.

He stills within me. Then he smiles. “I may enjoy finding release in your body, Midnight Queen, but know this…” he moans. “I will break free of your treachery, as Theren has done.”

I laugh as Variant grips my thighs and pulls me down into each thrust. His chest heaves as I ride him.

The muscles of my legs burn and he lifts me out of the water, positioning us on the floor without ever sliding free of my body. He tilts my pelvis to pound into me at the perfect angle. I gasp and scrape my nails down his spine until he roars above me.

I dig my nails into his chest, shredding his skin. Variant stares into my eyes and licks his lips. He leans forward and sinks his teeth into my shoulder. I hold him tightly against me as I shatter, milking his member with my tight heat until his back bows and—

“Eilish!” he shouts as he spills his seed. I feel it trickle as he pulls out and I shove him off me with a furious shriek. Variant comes back to himself and reaches for his robes.

“How dare you?”

“You know the truth, why should I hide it any longer?”

“The truth?” I insist.

“I fucking want her! I can’t stop thinking about her and yes, whenever I shove my cock inside you, it’s her face I see.”

I blast him with magic. I’m stronger now that I no longer have to maintain Theren’s compulsion spell, and Variant writhes on the floor as I hold him in my clutches.

“You vile pet. To think I ever imagined you beside my throne sickens me. Love that pitiful creature all you want, but she will fall to the prophecy and so will the rest of them.”

“Morrigan—” he says, fighting against my magic.

“Enough!” I scream. “You are beneath me, Variant. I’ve changed my mind. You’ll be tracking Silvanus yourself and will be held responsible for any mistakes that are made. No deviating from the plan, unless you wish to find yourself even further on the wrong side of my anger. You’re dismissed.”

I free him from my spell and he takes a deep breath as he pulls on his robe and stands beside me.

“It burns you, doesn’t it?” he insists.

“What?”

“That I think of her when I’m with you.”

“No, I don’t fucking care anymore.”

“You made one crucial mistake, Morrigan.”

I look up at him and scowl. “What mistake?”

His smile is broad. “You fell in love with me.” Then he chuckles.

“You don’t know your place,” I start.

“Control me all you want, Morrigan, but I will never love you.”

Variant storms out of the bathing room and I cast a spell to refresh the water of my bath. I step back into the warm water and scrub my skin until it’s raw. Never have I felt so humiliated. For Variant to belt the name of… her in such a moment of intimacy... My mind reels with anger.

Abedon would never…

Though his mistress was darkness itself, he was never unfaithful.

The pain I feel in my heart forever amazes me. Millennia have passed since I betrayed Abedon with Silvanus’ help, and yet I love him now as I always have. And, yes, Variant spoke the truth when he said I love him. I do. But it’s a different love to that I felt with Abedon.

My betrayal of Abedon wasn’t out of spite or scorn, but love. He was out of control. He wasn’t the man I vowed my life to. But here I sit with thoughts of his affection still surfacing in my mind.

Variant is a boy, by comparison. I was a fool to have ever thought he could stand at my side.

And he is a fool for ever admitting as much as he has to me.

He will never have Eilish, I vow to myself as I watch the rising steam from my bath. I will kill her while he watches.