Page 54 of The Pactbound Angel (The Soul Mirror Duet #1)

The Water Nymph’s Shawl

We walked back to the Black Unicorn Inn in silence. Later that night, we kept to ourselves as no one was hungry enough for supper. The stifling solitude and pacing eventually made me tired enough to exit my room and approach Ramiren’s door.

At my gentle knock, Ramiren opened it and smiled tiredly. He said nothing, merely stepped aside so I could come in.

“Thank you.” I entered his room, twisting my fingers together.

He closed the door. “I’m sure that proposal came as a surprise.”

“Yes. It was a surprise, as was my sister’s reaction to it.”

“Agreed, most unusual. Still, when you finally do marry, I wish you nothing but peace, love, and plenty.” His smile seemed to falter, but I took it as me imagining things.

And now the first reason I’m here. “Thank you. If I may ask, what do you think of Prince Jaylin? You’re more practiced at reading people than I am. I would like your opinion.”

“My opinion isn’t important. Only yours is. ”

My smile felt strained trying to hide the frustration I felt. “Still, I would have your thoughts.”

Ramiren let out a sigh and shook his head. “No, Nathalia. I won’t. Please don’t ask again.”

Fuck.

“It’s alright. I know you well enough to understand what that means.” He doesn’t like him. He thinks my sister is right, and I won’t be happy.

Ramiren looked at me sideways. “Do you, now?”

I nodded once in reply.

“Please elaborate,” he replied.

Oh no, Ramiren. You don’t get to deny me and then pry.

“Hummingbird.”

Ramiren blinked, then let out a rueful laugh. “That’s not really the purpose of a safe word, Nathalia. But I’ll give it to you. You’re uncomfortable sharing your thoughts, and I have pushed too far.” His smile returned. “I suppose you do have your limits.”

The return of his smile set me at ease faster than an answer likely would have. “Don’t we all?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. Yes, we do. Now, what can I do for you?”

And the second reason. I replied immediately, “I wanted to talk to you about our next lesson.”

He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. “But you are engaged.”

With a shrug, I let the reminder of my impending marriage slide off my back. “Correct, I am, but I still have more to learn. If I were married, we would not be having this conversation. Thankfully, the ring is not yet on my finger.”

“That is fair, but…” He pursed his lips. “We must decide when to dissolve the pact.”

My stomach twisted into an even tighter knot. “Yes, but not today.”

“True. Not today. But soon, I’m sure. I had a plan for the next lesson. A game of pretend. If you are sure you want to continue?”

Gods, yes.

“I am. And I’m all ears.”

He snapped his fingers, and I found myself in the bedroom. A vanity filled with pots and powders took up a portion of the left wall, along with a full-length mirror.

The preparation before the start of the lesson passed in a blur.

When I explained what I had in mind, a water nymph I had seen on the beach long ago, he raised an eyebrow.

"We can work with that. It is more exotic than I expected for you for a first foray into a role, not that I mind in the slightest."

We worked together on effects, both cosmetic and magical, to transform my hair into a bright shade of light blue, and my skin glistened with a hue to match. The subtle illusions woven about me changed the appearance of my proportions, making my frame willowy and somewhat otherworldly.

He removed his glasses, placing them on a side table. "I think that the costuming for your first choice is especially easy this time, as you only need a shawl or water-caul."

I looked down at myself, at my shimmering hands, and finally back up to Ramiren. "Oh. Yes, I remember. She carried a white shawl about her shoulders. Do you have one I can use? Or a scarf, perhaps?"

He searched through a clothing trunk and handed me a gauze-like piece of pale cloth, almost but not quite transparent.

He made a motion with his hands, with a short incantation, and the sound of gently lapping waves filled the room.

"I'll look away. I won't spoil your moment of unveiling the last part of the effect. "

As he turned around, I draped the shawl around my shoulders, as the water nymph had done all those years ago. "Alright, Ramiren. I'm ready."

He turned, and his smile got slightly wider. "You are… breathtaking.”

I rolled my eyes with a reluctantly amused smirk, which he returned .

“Pun intended. Now, tell me about yourself, Nathalia.

Tell me your story. It will both help you understand the role you are playing and let me know what is expected for my part.

It is best practice to assume the other person in this sort of play might not know exactly the version of the character you hold in your mind, and it is always preferable to be on the same page. "

"A story. I can do that.” Taking a few steps to the side, deep in thought, inspiration visited me, and a full, new narrative immediately came to mind.

“The legend of the water nymph is one of tragedy. Her one possession, her white shawl, was stolen from her by a man sitting on the beach. She had removed it to swim, and it lay on the rocks. He picked it up, not knowing what it was, and she cried out, ‘Give me my shawl. I beg you. I will do anything.’ Seeing a chance to have a beautiful wife, he asked her to marry him. She agreed, all to get her shawl.”

This is what I love about stories. The simplest elements, combined with the empathy of the listener, could produce the most amazing effects.

“After three years, she cried again, ‘Give me my shawl. I beg you. I will do anything.’ So, he asked her to bear his children.

She agreed, all to get her shawl. A son and daughter, she bore him, but his guilt had started to weigh him down.

After three more years, she cried again, ‘Give me my shawl. I beg you. I will do anything.’ This time, he gave not a demand, but a confession, ‘You gave me a home. You gave me children, asking for nothing save for what I wrongfully took. This is to settle the debt.’ And he handed her the shawl.

She took it, sprinting away as the man wept.

“She ran back into the ocean but stopped just before diving in. She realized she had given him more than a home. More than children. What he’d done was wrong, cruel even, but she’d given him her heart, regardless.

She hurried back, but the man was gone along with the children.

To this day, she leaves her shawl out at dawn, noon, and dusk, waiting for the man to come pick it up again and bind himself to her once again. "

With a sad smile, I finished the story. "Opportunity isn’t always something to be seized. Neither of them realized what they’d had until it was too late."

He was silent long enough for me to wonder if I’d said something wrong.

When he finally spoke, his voice was oddly scratchy.

"You remember our safe words. Use yours if at any time you feel discomfort, or pain, or unsafe.

Knowing how your role responds when certain things happen, we can start with a simple example, one from your tale itself.

" Suddenly, and playfully, he snatched away the shawl from me and went to sit down at the chair along the far wall. "And now, what will you do?'

A sudden and strange feeling of instant loss gutted me. It wasn’t even my shawl, but at that moment, I desperately wanted it back.

My eyes widened, and I moved to his side. My hands gripped his shoulders as I whispered, "I beg you. Please. I'll do anything."

My hand reached for my shawl, hesitantly, afraid it would be pulled away.

When it was, my belly clenched, and I groaned.

I will tempt it from him. Slipping into his lap, I looked down at him with begging eyes, my words coming out as a soft plea, "I will do anything.

Please. Anything." My hands moved from his shoulders to the sides of his neck where my thumbs traced his increasing pulse.

To emphasize what I meant by anything , my lips moved close to his, then over his even before his first request. Being this close to Ramiren was always intoxicating, but now it was more than that.

I was spellbound. I crushed myself against his chest, and my hips shifted closer until the rigid length of his cock pressed firmly along my clit.

He sucked in a breath, and the change in his demeanor was sudden. His face turned into a vicious mask. The hard look in his eyes startled and excited me. It was at once hungry and malicious. He dangled the shawl over his left hand while his right gripped my chin.

When he spoke, my lips ghosting against mine, it was harsh.

Cruel. Demanding. "You will lie back, with your legs spread wide, and I will gorge myself until you either give me a pretty scream or beg for my cock.

Then, you will swallow me down until I am spent.

Only after will you have what you desire. "

My entire body lit up like a bonfire, and he let my chin go with a slight push.

Sliding off his lap, I moved to lie on the bed with my knees raised and spread shoulder-width apart, staring up at this new Ramiren.

He stood from the chair and approached with an assessing gaze roaming over me.

I must have been found wanting, as he raised an eyebrow and shook his head, displeased.

His hands shot out, and he grasped me under my knees to wrench them apart and away from him until they were pressed into my shoulders.

The suddenness of his movement startled me, but I clutched the blanket under me to keep myself from jolting.