STORY EXCERPT

She was so beautiful. Her pale skin was smooth like peach-colored porcelain, her long, flaxen hair slightly wavy and thick, draping down over what Hunter was positive were full, supple breasts, and her lips…a full pout the shade of blood, or rather, deep red rose petals. He couldn’t pull his eyes from her and then it hit him…the fear. It had subsided for a time, but slammed back into him with enough force that he was actually knocked back a few steps. Something was chasing her, something she couldn’t get away from, but within the fear, there was an odd feeling of hope. It was a feeling that was new to her, but she clung to it with every bit of strength she could muster as she ran for her life.

Hunter looked around the chamber, trying to piece together an escape. Not that he even knew what kind of escape would even save her, considering according to everything he knew about her, she was already dead.

Down in the depths of the Keep, the chambers were home to history’s most notorious criminals, therefore the security set to keep people in was heavier than anywhere else that Hunter and Ian could normally easily maneuver through. Their only hope was that since the chambers had been all but forgotten, perhaps some of the magic had worn thin and would allow them an opening. Ian was, after all, a master at phasing through even the thickest magical walls, and with Hunter’s Empathic gift he was always able to keep them out of the view of prying eyes.

The thick steel bars that surrounded the woman’s chambers had sent small shock waves through Hunter’s body when he had first brushed up against them and he took it as a warning to not go any further. Being that he wasn’t one to heed warnings, though, he pushed past the pain and found himself standing over a woman of legend. In contrast to the rest of the chambers, hers was set up more like a bedroom rather than a prison cell. The cot that was a staple in each of the other chambers had been replaced with an oversized bed that was most likely filled with expensive down, and it conformed to the curves of her body. The blankets were starch white and showed no signs of aging. They didn’t even have the slightest layer of dust on them. Her head had been propped up with a pillow that was covered in some type of sheer fabric the shade of a sunset, and she had been dressed in an ornate gown of similar color. Beside the bed, a small nightstand held a tall, skinny vase, and inside was a single long-stemmed rose that looked as though it had just come fresh from the gardens.

Hunter found it odd that even in death she had been afforded certain comforts, but he brushed it aside, assuming that the Shadow Witch had pulled some strings to make her prison homey. However homelike it was in here, though, it was still a prison, and he still needed to save her.

“Can you phase if you’re carrying her?”

His hopeful eyes bored into Ian and he watched his friend cycle through possibilities. Ian was definitely not one for following rules and he hungered for adventure, no matter what the consequences might be. Hunter had worried that this might be too much for him, but he should have known better. A large, devious smile crossed Ian’s mouth and he marched up to the woman’s bedside.

“Well, we’ll sure find out won’t we?”

In one swift movement, Ian hoisted the woman into his arms, cradling her like a man would his new bride just before carrying over the threshold.

“Lead the way. I’ll do what I can, but you need to send your feelers out. I’m in no mood to get caught.”

Hunter reached out and took the woman’s hand in his. Her skin was soft and cool to the touch, her slender fingers perfectly manicured and painted with red lacquer. “Hang on.”

* * * *

As the black goop inched its way closer, Talia feared that she was running out options. It seemed like no matter which way she turned, the darkness found her faster than before. She had never seen it act this way, like it was hunting her, and the feeling was beyond unsettling. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she came to terms with the fact that even though she might have had a chance at freedom, the darkness was winning and she was sure to die. In one last effort to lose the darkness, Talia turned and ran through the only opening she could find, but she wasn’t fast enough. Black, sticky tentacles reached out and wrapped around her ankles, tripping her up and knocking her onto her face. Cloud-like or not, when she hit, she hit hard and it hurt. Her body convulsed in pain and her bottom lip bled from where her teeth had bitten down during impact.

The iron taste filled her mouth and the pain caused more tears to sting her eyes. The tentacles continued to spiral up her legs and she tried to kick them free, but the harder Talia fought, the tighter they became. Hysteria slammed into her and Talia found that the end she had been aching for for so long had come too soon after all.

ADULT EXCERPT

The fire in her eyes told Hunter that she wasn’t going to stop. Her resolve was strong and if he wanted to be rid of her, he would have to physically carry her out himself. The problem was that he didn’t want her to go away. He wanted her right where she was, ready and eager for him to have his way with her.

Hunter ran his fingers up through the thick waves of her brown hair, and, taking in a fistful, he pulled her head back, traveling his eyes down the long line of her neck until his sight rested on the mounds of her full breasts. He salivated at the thought of nibbling on her small nipples, and his carnal desire took over.

“Take it off,” he demanded, his voice thick with lust.

He let go of her hair and she did as he requested, sliding the smock down along her shoulders, one at a time pulling her arms free from the sleeves, revealing her bared breasts as she did so. The dress fell to the floor in a heap around her ankles, every bit of her exposed. Hunter eyed the lines of her body. Her breasts were full and round and as he pinched her erect nipples, one by one in between his finger and thumb, he felt Talia’s hands back on his waist, working diligently at the knot in the leather. When it finally gave and she was able to loosen the lace, she slid his pants down past his ass, his fully erect penis springing forward, head glistening with droplets of his seed.

Her pleasure at his size made him eager to fill her pussy with it, but before he did, he wanted to savor the ache that was building in her. He could feel her need and it had brought her to a place that she was unfamiliar with. She desired full surrender, giving herself to Hunter and allowing him to do with her anything he wished, but the waiting was gnawing at her. She needed him, she craved him, and she could hardly contain it. The feeling gave him a sense of power over her, the feeling of animalistic desire coursing through him.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Hunter pulled Talia into a tight embrace and pressed his lips to hers. As he pushed his tongue past her teeth and their lips slid across each other in reckless abandon, Hunter reached his free hand down in between their bodies and found the small patch of curls that hid her pussy. He slid his fingers into the curls and found the folds of skin, spread them apart and revealed her clit. Her pussy was moist with her desire and the slick juices coated his fingers as he pushed them, one and then another, deep into her body. Her moans of need and pleasure vibrated against his lips and he felt her body quiver under his touch. His need to bring her to the edge and not allow her to find release yet took over and he ran his thumb across the tip of her clit, pressing firmly as he created small circles over it.

Talia pulled her mouth from his, her body weakened from her desire, her knees buckling and leaving her loose within Hunter’s firm hold on her. Her breath came out in short, rapid puffs, stifling her need to call out his name as fingers plunged deeper into her pussy. He craved to hear it, craved to hear her scream out his name in total surrender as he rapidly pumped his fingers in and out, his thumb still firmly traveling around her swollen clit. She was so close to release, he could feel her body tense as he brought her near, but he wasn’t ready. He pulled his fingers from her body, smeared her nectar that coated them across her nipple, and with hungry need, sucked it deep into his mouth. He ran his tongue over the firm nub and savored her flavor before he bit down and dragged his teeth across her nipple, causing her to gasp.

As he continued to nibble her breasts, Talia’s hand traveled down and he felt her firmly wrap her small hand around the girth of his dick. Her touch was electric as she slid her hand up and down the full length of his shaft, and his need to be inside of her became blinding. He released his mouth from her tits and pulled her down to the cold, stone floor, laying her dress and his pants down beneath her. He positioned her on her back, knees bent, legs spread, and ran his fingers along her pussy, brushing back her brown curls so that he could see that she was ripe and ready to receive him.