These Wicked Revels Page 9

  His expression hardened as he looked away from me again.

  “Well, here you are,” the king said. “I was just informing the princess of what a predicament she has tangled herself in. And whoever you are, now you will be a part of my revels too.”

  “You have it all wrong,” the other faery said. “I never wanted her mask in the first place. I just wanted to teach her father a lesson and claim a reward. I’m no faery.” He swept off his cloak, and a strange quivering shimmer passed over his body, changing his appearance.

  My faery man, who would not give me his name until I gave him my mask, was not a faery at all, but Will the cobbler, the man I had allowed to be whipped, even though I knew he had followed me into the faery realm.

  I sunk into a dread so deep it was like drowning.

  “You are a human, after all,” the king said. “I wondered… But it was a good glamour, I’ll give you that. It’s always the accent that gives one away.”

  “Hmph, well, not much I can do about that.” Will shot me a snarling look of disgust. “This girl,” he said. “Her father wanted to know where she’d been going. He said that anyone who solved the mystery would have her hand in marriage and the kingdom to rule someday. I followed her here and brought back enchanted leaves from the grove, but her father claimed that I could have had them made myself. And then she—she flatly denied it all.”

  “I’m sorry.” My voice was a whisper. “But—I truly wanted to believe it was you, sir. I know you have no reason to believe me, but…that’s why I asked you to sing.”

  “Yes.” Will practically spat the word. “She asked me to sing. That’s all she cares about. But my voice was gone. And where did it go? I think I know where.”

  “You’ve caught me,” the king said. “I stole your voice. But you see, we can’t have one man stealing the show. These are my revels.”

  “I don’t want your damn revels. I just wanted what I was promised. So, there I was, unable to sing or do anything to prove myself. I achieved exactly what the king asked for, and what did I get for my troubles, I ask you?” Will unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the bandages covering his back. Some blood had spotted through the white. Even without uncovering the wrappings, it was easy to see he had been whipped. “The entire court watched my punishment. Now, do you think I want this girl? Maybe to fuck her once, teach her a lesson. But not forever. I want a girl who is brave enough to stand up for something.”

  His words pierced my heart like shattered glass. Tears had already been threatening to stream from my eyes. I willed them back, but a few still broke through. “I made a terrible mistake,” I said. “I know I did, and there is nothing I can say. But I wasn’t the one who set up that contest; I didn’t want to marry some unknown man just because he followed me to the faery realm. I wanted you, Will, but I didn’t know it. I wanted you not because you were a faery, but because of your song, and our talks, and…” Oh, the things you did to me!

  He had been so tender then…

  “Anyway, I can’t blame you if you don’t want to marry a jaded soldier with a bad leg and calloused hands.” His voice had changed a little, grown softer. I could tell, then, that a part of him still wanted me. I couldn’t blame him for being angry with me after what he’d endured but it gave me hope.

  But then he looked at the king. “Give me back my voice and give me her slippers to prove I was here, and I’ll give you her mask.”

  “Please—Will, please!” I cried. “I do want you— I want you to be my king! I want to rule with you the way we talked about—together!”

  The king looked like he had unexpectedly stumbled on a treasure. “Done,” he said, without hesitation. He handed over the slippers, and then gave Will a rough kiss on the lips, and Will made a face. He touched his throat and sang a tentative note. This time, it came out as clear as a bell. Just hearing one note of his wonderful voice tore at me. I wanted to hear that voice forever.

  The king was staring at my mask in his hand, his fingers practically twitching with eagerness. “See, I’ve kept up my end. Now, give it here.”

  I was helpless. Every attempt to so much as move my limbs, and the vines tightened around me. The small penetration of the knob reminded me who I belonged to, that my body was not my own any longer. And now it would be forever.

  “This is not fair,” I said, angrily. “I gave you my mask, Will. I was told that no one could take it from me. But now, you give it to a man I don’t even love?”

  Will thrust the mask at the king. The king clutched it between both hands, and then he turned to me, his eyes shining like a wolf emerging from a forested wood.

  “Now—now I can touch you. Finally—you are mine. All your beautiful sisters have tempted me, all these years. I had hopes for every one of them, and they all turned out boring.” He mashed his hands to my breasts, taking them both in his large palms, staking his claim on me. I stiffened. It was done now, and I was not sure whether to give in because I had no choice, or to will myself not to feel it or respond to it, because he was not the man I had loved, but that didn’t matter anymore. The man I thought I was falling for had given me up.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Will

  This is it. My one chance.

  The faery king had turned his back to me. I was of no importance to him now, just a human who had surrendered his claim. His full attention was on Evaline.

  For a moment, I could see the man I had killed on the battlefield. I could feel the pressure of driving my sword through him. I saw blood, I heard his cries.

  But then I saw the king’s hands roughly grab Evaline’s breasts, and all I could see was the pain in her eyes.

  I took out Jeannie’s knife and plunged it into the king’s back. Just like when I was in the middle of the fight, I didn’t hesitate. Hesitation was too dangerous, and in the end my fighting instinct conquered all else. I knew the spot that would bring a swift end, but still I gave it a twist, because he was a faery and I didn’t trust his magic.

  “She’s afraid of you,” I growled. “Get your hands off of her.”

  I needn’t have worried. His blood began to flow from the wound immediately, as he made a terrible, choked sound. He stepped back from Evaline, clutching his chest. One more step back, and he stumbled. I had to catch him or he would have knocked me down with him as he fell. I gripped his shoulders and lowered his body to the dewy grass.

  “You…human…,” he managed. “It’s all yours now.”

  The light died in his eyes, and I pulled the knife out.

  Evaline looked at me with shock. “You—you killed him.”

  I straightened up. “It was the only way to save your life.”

  “You did save my life,” she said. “Will, I meant it when I said—“

  “Shh. I know.” I stepped up to her and gave her a kiss. Her mouth opened hungrily to mine, and I could practically taste her relief, that I had not betrayed her after all. “My princess,” I said.

  “You weren’t really angry at me?”

  “I was angry at the time, at your castle; of course I damned well was, being tied up there and whipped like a criminal. But I also saw you, looking so small and pale and lost, with your parents’ will bearing down on you. It’s no wonder you didn’t defend me. Even if I had been able to sing, I don’t think your father would have let you marry me.”

  “He’ll have to, now. He will have to give me that much.” She looked firm. “But—“ She tugged at the tough vines holding her fast. “The tree won’t let me go!”

  “I’ll get it,” I said. I wiped the knife off on the grass and then moved to cut through one of the vines.

  As the blade bit the vine, a little sharp quiver of pain lanced down my own arm. “Ow—!”

  “Did you cut yourself?”

  “No, I—“

  I realized the distant music had stopped, and that footsteps were approaching. The musicians and dancers were coming down the path toward us, led by the woman who warned me about the king. I hastily
grabbed my cloak and draped it over Evaline, which conveniently enough, didn’t just cover her up, but made her invisible.

  I had a very bad feeling as the revelers all bowed before me.

  “Hail to the new king of the revelers!” the female musician declared. She clutched her hands together.

  “What?” I shouted. I grabbed her arm and pulled her hands apart. “What do you mean, new king of the revelers? Stop smiling! You didn’t tell me that was part of the bargain!”

  “I’m sorry, but we’ve been under the thumb of that man for so long! We wanted a new king—a king who would enjoy the music and restore the revels to their original purpose, not simply lust for more power.”

  “I can’t stay here,” I said. “I only came down here in the first place so I could marry the princess.”

  “You already have her mask,” one of the dancers said. “Of course you can marry her. You’re practically married already by our reckoning.”

  “I mean, back in Torina. Her kingdom.”

  “But why do you want to live in her kingdom? All of her sisters were lured here because they never got a chance to dance. If you go back there you’ll just have to live under their rules.”

  I clutched my head. “So we could make it a better place, damnit. To make up for everyone who died in those wars; to give my sister a good life! I’m taking Evaline home.”

  “Well, you can’t,” the woman said. “You’re one of us now, and that is now your bond tree.”

  I said a few expletives that I usually reserved for solitude.

  “Will,” Evaline said. “Maybe we should listen and find out what the original purpose of the revels was in the first place. What do they want us to do?”

  “Did you make her invisible?” said the mischievous little blonde faery girl I had danced with before.

  “Yes. She is in no state for your eyes right now,” I told her. “Fine, then. Tell me. What is the purpose of the revels?”

  “Long, long ago,” the musician said, “revels were always held in this pocket of the faery realm. People would pass through the Three Precious Groves, as they were known, and cross the river, to indulge in their need for music, dancing, and sex, in the fine night air. The revels were always governed by a faery who was the king of the revels. He would direct the proceedings and make sure the revels were the grandest party in all the land—decadent enough that they felt a little dangerous, but also that all the participants were willing.

  “The kings of revels past particularly liked to open gateways to the human world in places where human girls were especially straitlaced. It’s always girls, isn’t it? I suppose that no matter where you go in the human realms, the women were not permitted to do as many things as men, are they? We never have human men here!”

  “That is probably true,” I agreed.

  She continued, “He loved to see how human girls, who had been told that they should never enjoy themselves, and were as shy as mice, would begin to let down their guard and dance and sing and laugh. He always felt that, after they went home, they probably felt more free forever after.

  “Then, there was an incident when our king—this king—had been newly crowned. The duties as a king include keeping watch over the participants and making sure the guards are vigilant so that no one gets hurt. A man raped several girls, and a shadow fell upon the revels. The king took the blame entirely upon himself—he had not been paying enough attention. He made a pact with the oldest tree in the forest that from that day on, girls would be given a mask to wear, that was connected with the tree. And that no faery could touch them unless the girl offered him her mask as a clear mark of her permission.” She paused, as if the memories were beginning to upset her too much, before she took up the story again.

  “The king found that by forming a connection between the enchanted trees and the consummation of two people, he could tap into the energy of their love making. It fed him sexual power like a drug. He never intended this consequence to begin with, but soon, he began to obsess over ways to make the connection stronger, to increase the surges of power. And thus, now the tree has been enchanted so it will hold your princess until you make love to her.”

  “How can I end this enchantment for good?”

  “It is actually quite simple.” One of the handmaidens who I had watched dress Evaline came forward now. “Stop making the masks and the connection of power will begin to fade before long. The revels will be as they once were. We should go back to protecting girls the old-fashioned way—by looking out for each other and quickly expelling anyone who doesn’t follow the rules.”

  “And now?” I looked back at the vines holding my invisible princess, and I hoped I already had a guess as to the answer.

  “It’s too late for her now,” the mischievous faery girl said. “The tree will release her when she’s ready…”

  “All right,” I said, trying to look like I wasn’t so eager to get to it. “Well, we still have to figure out what we’re going to do about this, but for now, the lot of you, get out of here.”

  I turned to her, stepping close enough to touch her, but at first I did not. She looked up at me, her eyes shining with trepidation and yearning.

  She had never looked so beautiful, like ripe fruit waiting to be picked. Her dark hair spilled across her shoulders, with the glinting strands of gold laced through it, the gold choker at her neck above her pale collarbones. I hardly knew what to admire: her breasts, round and full; her prone limbs wound with green vines and bands of golden bells. Every inch of her was exquisite. Her skin shone faintly with sweat. Her pussy had been shorn bare, and reminded me of her mouth—two bare lips and her little pink bud poking out like the tip of a tongue—warm wet hunger inside.

  I put my hand on the tree trunk behind her, and as my fingers met the smooth white bark, I could feel her desire like it was a living thing—like honey on my tongue and shimmering music in my ears. I realized that she was mounted to the tree, connected to it. No wonder her expression was a little pained.

  “My god, Evaline,” I breathed.

  She was breathing hard, her ribcage rising and falling. How had I ever resisted her the first time?

  And yet, this was the first time she had seen me as myself. I didn’t touch her right away. I wanted her to see me too, to know if this was what she really wanted.

  “Will,” she whispered. “That is your name. I’m glad you are just yourself now. It suits you.”

  “But now,” I said, “it seems I am also the King of the Revels. It wasn’t what I planned.”

  “We’ll just have to see, won’t we.” She moistened her lips. “I hope you aren’t in too much pain.”

  My back burned, but pain was a funny thing. It melted away if your mind was somewhere else. “No,” I said.

  “Your eyes are different,” she said.

  “My eyes?”

  “They’re golden.”

  Like his. I was disturbed at the thought. But it was hard to think about anything but the sight of her, and my sense of her need.

  “Please touch me, Will. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

  I didn’t have to be told twice.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Evaline

  His hand slipped between my legs and I immediately let out an absolute wail of relief.

  “My good little princess,” he said, pushing my hair off my neck as he stroked me there. “You’re not so quiet anymore.”

  His hand trailed down my neck, and then he dropped a line of kisses from my shoulder to my ear, even as his other hand continued to tease and stroke my folds. Then he put his mouth to mine, his tongue dipping into me, and his fingers clamped down on my clit and slowly twisted it a little. I moaned into his mouth and gently bit his lips. Our kisses were voracious.

  He slid both hands up along my thighs and hips, his thumbs tracing the tender place where my legs met my body. Sometimes his touch was almost ticklish, and I writhed in my bonds. Every place he touched felt twice as sensitive becaus
e I was so helpless; I could do nothing to stop him from touching me wherever he liked. His flat hands slid up the plane of my stomach, as his hips drew closer to my hips. I felt his erect sheath resting against my stomach, just beneath the fabric of his trousers.

  My kisses grew softer when his hands moved to my breasts; my attention was distracted now by the pinching at my nipples. Every nerve in my body seemed to be connection with every other nerve, sending jolts of sensation between my breasts and my core. My ass had grown shockingly used to the knob and now it almost seemed too small. I needed something to fill me, to sate me.

  Instead, just the taste of his mouth and his hands on my breasts, and I started to climax, my pussy pulsing and clenching at nothing. I whimpered. It was a swift little fluttering sensation that only made me need more.

  My arms strained. I wanted to grab him. “Will, fuck me,” I cried. The old Evaline was entirely unraveled. “Please, I can’t stand it.”

  He took a step back and regarded me. “I just don’t want to forget this moment,” he said. “We’ll never have another first time.”

  It was like being forced to say a long round of prayers when a feast was put before me, and my stomach was ravenous. He looked delicious, even with those unfortunate bandages around his chest. I wanted to touch him everywhere; the stubborn set of his stubbled jaw, the strong arms that I yearned to have around me, the slightly troubled line of his brow. The eyes that could be commanding or tender, changing as fast as passing clouds.

  He unlaced his boots and stepped out of them, and unbuttoned his trousers. His cock was erect and magnificent—but even before, when I took the head in my mouth, I had noticed how large and thick it was. I hoped I could take its entire length.

  He let his trousers fall to the ground, and I saw now that his leg was marred with scar tissue around his knee and puckered gashes up his thigh.

  “I wanted you to see all of me as I am,” he said.