Emerald stretched her legs and felt silky warm sheets slide under her feet. A part of her mind flashed back to the time she had woken in Nuada's bed. Now, even though awake, she kept her eyes closed, reminiscing a memory from long ago. A tear escaped from beneath her closed eyelids as she thought of Nuada. It hurt to think what the BPRD would have done to him by now. She felt a warm stroke on her face, wiping the wetness away.
As her eyes flew open at the touch, she found herself staring up at a canopy made of draped blue sheets. Turning her head, she came face to face with Sreng, who was lying there on his side, his pale eyes fixed on her. It took a moment for her to be aware that she was in a bed, and not on a cold floor of the undersea glass house. She made a hasty slide away from him, pushed herself upright and felt stray waves of hair fall over her face. Flipping them aside, she realised that Sreng must have loosened her hair from the hold of its band.
He smiled at her annoyance. "You look better this way."
"What the hell? she exclaimed, looking around. "What place is this?"
"We are still in the siren house, but I've brought you to a more comfortable situation."
"But why?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"We're to be mates. I have decided on that," he replied, falling back self-satisfied, on his pillow.
"What are you talking about? How did I get here?!"
He tapped a finger on his bearded chin. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I remember Agent Gonzales pushing a needle in me. I don't remember anything after that. Did you bribe him, or something?"
Laughing lightly, he shook his head. "I had glamoured myself to resemble him. I have been Gonzales, all along."
"Can all fae make themselves look like someone else?"
"Not all. Being a shifter, I do so without effort. Others practising magic would be able, but it takes immense power to hold the illusion for more than minutes."
"Shifter? What does that mean?"
Sreng seized the moment to pounce, forcing her back helpless on the bed.
"Get off me!" She tried to fight him, but his strength was overwhelming.
He easily subdued her by sitting on her thighs and firmly gripping her hands, and straddled her tighter as she struggled to throw him.
"What do you think you're doing? Get off!"
"You're too curious, you know, little elf," Sreng snarled, his calm eyes suddenly burning with rage. "You think to glean information from me? Like they taught you at the BPRD?"
"I –just – wanted to know what shifters are," she protested, straining to get free. "It hasn't been long for me in the fae world. There's still a lot for me to learn. Get off!"
"I would like to have taken you after you'd washed yourself, but I want you now," he whispered, his eyes raking her frame.
As his intentions began to dawn on Emerald, she felt her heart squeeze in fear. Nuada, Nuada! Please help me! But no amount of screaming for Nuada in her mind could bring her any rescue. Only a fresh wave of tears escaped her as she tried in vain to fight off the faoladh, and the crush of his weight on her legs.
"What are you crying for?" he hissed. "I'll make you my queen."
"You're crazy! Please, please," she whimpered, "get off me!"
Ignoring her distress, he pinned her hands by her sides and dived down to capture her mouth. Incensed by her resistance, he bit down on her lips. Her shriek of pain and the scent of her drawn blood ignited his desire. Unable to bear him any longer, she screamed like a lost soul.
"Sreng!" A voice roared like thunder.
Sreng froze. Turning to search out the voice, Emerald saw Maya standing at the doorway, her eyes entirely, angrily black. Her long grey hair fanning out behind her in the absence of any wind, magnified her terrifying appearance. She spoke nothing more to Sreng as they exchanged looks of grave intensity. Her authority reigned. Sreng lifted himself off Emerald and straightened up. Without sparing a glance at her, he exited the room.
Emerald attempted to sit up, and groaned at the pain shooting through her leg. Glancing at Maya, she said, "Thank you." It hurt too, to move her wounded lips.
Maya's face softened as she went up to Emerald, and lifted her chin with a finger in order to stare into her eyes. Holding her breath, Emerald waited.
"Your heart is unpolluted, Child," said Maya. "I fail to understand how you became caught up among the foulest souls to live in this realm."
"I was kidnapped by him. He brought me here. I want to go back home, but I don't even know where the hell I am!"
"You're being kept in a siren pleasure house under the Leith, having been brought to Edinburgh city."
"Edinburgh? I'm in Scotland?"
"Aye."
"Can you please take me home? I can pay you," Emerald proposed, bringing out the gold medallion that Nuada had given her.
Maya's eyes widened at the sight of the royal seal. "How did you come by it? You should not be offering it up so easily. It can save your life, among the right people. There are many Bethmoorans living here, still. Save it for the proper chance to use it."
Emerald's face fell. "What's the point, if it can't get me back to Nuada? I don't even know if he's still ..." She broke down completely.
"There now...you won't be harmed here. Well, you might be hurt," Maya amended, frowning, "but I will not allow anyone here to violate you."
Emerald winced through her tears as she touched her swollen lips, feeling little confidence in the declaration. She could still be hurt very badly, if not raped.
"Don't look so glum, Child." Maya's tone indicated the limit of her sympathy. "I will have Demelza give you some fresh clothes, and you can tell her what your kind prefer to eat. You clearly do not care for the finest the Leith has to offer."
"Yeah, not into sushi, sorry," Emerald answered, as well as she could. "Some fruits and bread would be great, though."
"Fine. They'll be provided for you."
Maya's eyes twinkled when Emerald tried to smile. "Now, tell me how you came to be entangled in the war of the royals."
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A secret cavern
Somewhere in the hidden depths of old Edinburgh
Lord Sreng of the Fomorian clan stood alone in the gloom of the underground chamber, staring down a wild gwyllgi, his face reflecting ferocity equal to that of the crouching beast. The flame of the torch he held aimed low, glinted off the wet sheen of its razor sharp teeth. It was imperative that he tame the beast as soon as possible, to make up for the five he had lost in the course of his last mission. It took months to subjugate a beast such as this, and years to train it; but this was no ordinary exercise. Only a creature like this most savage red-eyed gwyllgi was fit to withstand his punishment, and bear the release of his pent up rage and passion.
In his long experience, every maiden in the Fomorian court had longed for him, and had gone to great lengths to bed him. Human females too, could not resist his charms. To be rejected by this one uncommon elf-woman, infuriated him. As compared to Maya's beautiful daughters, she was nothing; but all the same, he lusted after her. Because her scent alone drove him mad. Because he craved to possess her, and watch the innocence die in the mesmerising green depths of her eyes. Still, he was grateful for Maya's intervention before he had taken her by force. His life was filled with regrettable deeds, but there would have been no way to come back from what he had been about to do to her.
He felt supreme pleasure in knowing that he had pried her from Prince Nuada's side. He had become the maiden's shield and even though he'd been loathe to accept, he was grateful for it. He had tried to kill her, but after a time in her proximity at the BPRD, had allowed his curiosity to change his mind. He had also not thought he would acquire the Golden Crown so easily. This had not been his mission, but he had seized the opportunity. He would now use it to extract his vengeance from the royals who had snatched everything from him.
A hiss at his side reminded him of what he was presently facing, and he braced himself for the onslaught of an unrelenting foe.
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Author's note: Hope everyone is enjoying the winter holidays.
Here are the next few chapters ^_^