He motions to the chair behind me so I take a seat. I put my hands in my lap covering the ring, making sure to keep quiet until he speaks. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I try to look drawn and distant. He doesn’t seem to find anything suspicious with the way I’m acting so I continue on in the same manner, appearing to not have any emotions.

  “How are you, Princess? I hope you like your sleeping arrangements. You looked very lovely laying there in my bed, and soon when I make you my queen, I’ll enjoy the sight of you in it every night flushed with heat and sweaty from me fucking you,” he suggestively taunts.

  I keep my face blank, but my insides are screaming. My palms begin to sweat and my throat tightens up making it hard to swallow. I can feel the tears prickling the backs of my eyes, trying to make their escape, but I have to hold them back. The thought of being stuck here to endure this man forever makes me sick to the core.

  I get the feeling that he’s testing me, so I continue with my charade and say truthfully, “I am tired and hungry because I didn’t eat before travelling here. There’s a slight pressure in my mind that feels kind of strange. It’s like my life force is disappearing.”

  I make sure not to say anything regarding the part of his comment about the nights. I may be able to pretend right now, but there is no way I can pretend that I’ll enjoy him taking over my body every night.

  “That slight pressure you feel, my future queen, is the talisman taking your powers. Once I have enough of it, I’ll take it off you and you will never have to wear it again because you won’t need it. Your body will partly become my slave.”

  “Why would you want a slave as your queen?” I ask.

  It would be great to find out what he has planned for me. Warren said I would find out everything from the dark sorcerer, so I guess that time is now.

  “Your power is stronger than anyone else’s power right now. You are the eldest of The Four and I have to begin with you. Once I have your power, I’ll seek out the other three and take theirs. Once all the power is combined, my body will become solid and I will have the power to defeat both courts. If you would have spread your legs for your precious prince, then we wouldn’t be here right now. Your joining was going to make you King and Queen of the Fall Court, but not anymore. I hear he’s pushed you off to the side because of your relationship with your guardian.”

  Flinching, he sees my pained expression, and leans over to grab my hand.

  “But that’s why I’m here. I’m going to help you forget about him and you’ll be happy here as my dark queen. You can seek your vengeance on him when we storm the Winter Court, where you can shed his blood and everyone else’s over the ground.”

  Sitting there motionless, I feel like I’m going to be sick with him holding my hand and touching me. His hand has a slightly solid feel to it, but it’s cold and clammy. I’m thanking the bright stars that he grabbed the hand without the ring. Touching him makes me feel dirty, and all I want to do is take a shower and scrub my hand a million times.

  He narrows his eyes at me and demands weakly, “Can you not stand to look at me or touch me like this? Your face shows indifference, but your body is saying something else. I can taste revulsion a mile away.” He averts his eyes when I hear his voice crack and he immediately tries to cover it up with a cough. I caught it though. He may be the big bad sorcerer, but he seems weak so I might try to use it to my advantage. Refusing to give him my body in this plan, I decide it might be best to work on his mind. I may feel like vomiting the entire time, but this is something I have to do to buy time.

  Mentally preparing myself, I take a few deep breaths and relax my face. I have to pretend his influence is affecting me, however, I can feel the strain on my mind pulling me toward him. At least I can still think for myself … for now. Giving him a smile, I lean forward. My breasts have a good advantage in this position and I see that his eyes are distracted by them. He licks his lips and his breathing accelerates.

  In a low, seductive voice I say, “I’m sorry if I seem affected by your appearance, but seeing you like this is different and a little overwhelming.” Taking my hand out of his, I rub it up and down his arm in slow caresses. The feel of him is revolting, but I’m working through it and trying to give off the scent of desire. I part my lips and take deep breaths in and out to make my breasts move up and down.

  “I would prefer you to be in a real body because that way …” I slide my hand up his arm and down the side of his body. I quicken my breathing to make it sound like I’m aroused and I continue my hand down the path to his waist and over his groin. The intake of his breath is sharp and he closes his eyes. He grabs my hand and pulls me closer.

  “Not yet Princess … but soon. I don’t want to take the talisman off you yet, so instead of me using my real body I’ll use … Avery’s.” I wanted to groan out loud in disgust at the thought of pretending with Avery’s body, but at least it’s better than the dark sorcerer’s oily black outline of a man. He notices my hesitation and continues.

  “That way, you can touch me all you want and when you call out my name I want it to be mine ... Alasdair. I want to hear my name cross your sensual lips while I devour your body.” The sinking feeling in my stomach is back, and I’m desperately trying hard to keep a smile on my face. I can tell the talisman is taking some of my power, but thankfully, it’s not enough to do damage. I wonder when he’ll take it off of me.

  He motions toward the imp in the kitchen and she picks up a tray of food and flies over to where I’m seated. She gives me a genuine smile and lays the tray in my lap. The food smells wonderful, and the feeling of hunger takes over all rational thought. I can’t fight it any longer. Fresh bread, fruit and cheeses are scattered across the plate in a colorful arrangement that only an imp would think to make. I thank her with a smile of my own and she flies off. Imps are small and very creative creatures that live in the forest, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s doing here. I sense no evil in her at all. She’s a beautiful creature with short, green spiky hair and a green body. She looks to be about a foot tall with golden shimmery wings that are absolutely lovely. The dark sorcerer notices me staring at her.

  “If you’re wondering her name is Nixie, and I took her from an imp village in the Mystical Forest. She was stronger than anyone in her clan with some amazing capabilities and I could sense it. Her magic is one of a kind, so I took her in the middle of the night and brought her here. She was just a child then so I knew I could get her adapted to the ways of life here.” He pauses to look back at Nixie.

  “I also threatened to take out her whole clan if she ever decided to betray me and leave.”

  Nixie flinches and turns her back to us. Her shoulders slump, and I see them shaking like she’s silently crying. If I’m ever rescued, I am determined to get her out of here. She looks back at me through the kitchen door and I see a golden tear staining her cheek. I try to send a message to her through my eyes to let her know I understand and that I’ll get us help. She does a quick flap of her wings, and I take that as she got my message loud and clear. I continue to eat, but the dark sorcerer is staring at me again. It makes me very uncomfortable, and I can’t stop from fidgeting. I seriously hope I don’t have to do this for long.

  Alasdair tilts his head back and calls to Nixie. She pokes her head to the side of the door and asks, “Yes, Master?”

  With a gleam in his eye and wide grin he looks at me when he says, “I want you to fetch Avery for me. It seems my soon to be queen would like a warm body tonight.”

  Nixie hesitates for a second and tilts her head to the side, looking straight into my eyes. Her eyes are drawn together, and I honestly think she can see the anguish inside me. The look she gives me is full of sorrow and worry.

  She lets out a sigh when she answers, “I will fetch Avery for you, Master.” She stops at the door, her wings flapping a hundred miles an hour, and looks at me one more time before leaving to fetch Avery.

  Alasdair peers at me with a satisfied smirk and grins.

  “Now that that is taken care of, I have something for you to change into and then we’re going to go down to the village.”

  “Very well, Alasdair,” I reply in a low voice.

  He closes his eyes at the sound of his name coming from my lips and he breathes a sigh of contentment. His cold, clammy hands fold down over my bare shoulders and it takes everything in me not to flinch.

  Tilting his head to rub against my hair, he brings his lips closer to my ear and whispers, “Oh Calista, if I was solid right now, I would be hearing you scream my name.”

  He can’t see my face, but I bite my lip hard to keep from screaming. My heart is thumping wildly, and I seriously feel sick to my stomach. Please let Ryder and Merrick get here soon. I don’t want to blow my cover and then really have my power taken from me because then, all hope will be lost. Getting traces of it taken away is enough, and I really don’t want to know what it feels like to have it all taken away.

  Once I’m done eating, Alasdair takes my hand and motions me towards the bedroom. He said he picked out something for me to wear, and I can only imagine what it is. Reaching the bedroom door, I see on the bed a pair of brown leather pants and a brown leather halter top that looks like a bikini top, but a couple of sizes too small.

  ‘Great, this is just what I need,’ I think sarcastically. It looks like it’ll barely cover my nipples. It’s one thing to wear a bikini, but to wear this flaunting around is disgusting. I can’t believe he wants me to parade around the village in that outfit. I grip my hands tightly in front of my body to keep from lashing out on him. I really miss my magic right now. I could blast him across the room and be out of here in a second. He starts to untie my dress in the back, and I start to jerk away, but slowly move back.

  “Is there something wrong, Calista?” He asks curiously.

  Trying to cover my mistake, I laugh it off.

  “Oh no, it’s just your hand was cold, and it startled me.”

  He removes his hand and steps back, sighing.

  “Very well, I will go and see if Avery is here and then I can come back and help you dress.” He bites his lip and trails his eyes over my entire body, lingering a little longer on my breasts before meeting my eyes again. He walks backward out the door, and keeps his eyes fully on mine. As soon as he shuts it, I break down. Falling to my knees, I wrap my arms around my stomach, rocking back and forth.

  “I have to do this, I have to do this, I have to do this,” I chant sadly. The tears burn my eyes, but I keep them at bay. A light rapping noise on the door causes me to freeze. I look up as the door opens and I reflexively grab my chest in distress. Thankfully, it was just Nixie entering through the door. She flies in and flutters up to me at eye level when she speaks.

  “I felt your distress, my lady, and I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

  My eyes go wide at the thought of her knowing my feelings. Are they that strong of a beacon? I didn’t think anyone’s magic could work in here because everyone is surrounded by the corruption of dark magic.

  “No, Princess, they are not,” Nixie answers the question I was asking in my mind. “But I have a special gift of sensing these things. It’s one of the special attributes you and I both have. You could sense the goodness in me as soon as you saw me. Intuition is a strong gift in itself and no amount of magic the master gives off can stop us from feeling it. Even with the talisman on, you could sense these things, and that shows how powerful you really are. You shouldn’t be able to do anything with that talisman on because most people die within minutes.”

  I notice how her voice has a twinkling sound to it when she speaks. I instantly start to feel better with her company and the distress I was feeling a few minutes ago is subsiding. Turning away from her, I begin to change clothes as fast as I can. I want to be fully dressed before Alasdair makes his way back. Sliding off the dress, I pull the brown leather pants on. They fit like a second skin; they’re really tight and really uncomfortable making my skin sticky underneath them. The halter top ties at the neck and covers half of my breasts, just like I thought it would. The talisman weighs heavily on my neck. I try to take it off, but something is blocking me from lifting it from around my neck. I guess only the dark sorcerer can remove it. I wonder what Ryder and Merrick will say if they see me like this.

  Nixie looks at me with her hand over her mouth, abruptly turning away and snickering.

  “I’m glad you find this funny, Nixie, because I sure as hell don’t,” I snap. Looking down at my breasts. I pray they don’t fall out.

  She giggles again and her eyes twinkle with mischief when she teases, “Let’s just hope you don’t have a wardrobe malfunction.” She laughs, but then calms down when she sees my death glare.

  She clears her throat and turns serious. “Oh yeah, and speaking of special gifts, you pretend very well, Princess. I’m shocked the Master hasn’t picked up on it yet. You’re doing well, but I’m wondering what all you have planned.”

  She leans in close to me and whispers as quietly as she can in my ear. “I can help you escape, but I require two wishes to be granted upon your return home.”

  Wishes are taken seriously with the fae, as well as promises. They are held as a sacred vow that must be fulfilled no matter the circumstances. One must not go into this kind of deal lightly. Narrowing my eyes at her, I study her. She seems genuine and I still don’t detect any evil at all from her.

  “Tell me of your wishes and if I can fulfill them, I will,” I assure her.

  Her eyes go wide and she flitters across the room in excitement. “I’m sorry, but I’ve heard so much about you and the prophecy, and I know you’ll have the power to grant my wishes. I’m just a little excited that you accepted.”

  One thing I have learned about imps over the years is that they’re fun-loving creatures that excite very easily. They usually make good friends and are also loyal to those they trust. I think I just got lucky.

  She flutters in front of me and her excitement dims down into seriousness as she explains what she wants. “My family had talked about the prophecy for years before I was taken. When you return home, you plan to be with your prince, right?”

  Nodding my head, I prompt her to continue.

  “I know what happens when you and Ryder take the next step. I see already that you’ve started the change, but have not completed it. It takes more than the power of words to make this change so when you and Ryder become one, the Fall Court will appear from the magic of your union and you will become the queen of your own court. Your court will be a safe haven for those who seek shelter and since many fae creatures don’t really belong to the Summer Court or Winter Court, they can belong to yours. You can unite us and make us stronger.”

  Furrowing my brows in confusion, I say, “I understand that, but how does this help you?”

  She flaps her hands in the air and says, “I was getting to that, Princess. My first wish is to let me come with you. All I want is to be taken away from here and protected. For the second wish, I want you to let my family take refuge in your court … the Fall Court.”

  “Out of all the wishes you would want, you want me to keep your family safe?” I ask.

  She nods, “Yes, more than anything that’s what I want.”

  Placing my hand over my heart, I say, “I promise, Nixie, to keep you and your family safe when Prince Ryder and I form the Fall Court.” My heart feels full of joy when I look up to see her golden tears of happiness. She flies over to me and hugs me around my neck.

  Curiosity gets the better of me and I have to ask.

  “How do you plan to get us out of here?”

  “Your prince isn’t going to let you stay here so I know he’ll be making a rescue attempt, and when he does, I will be there waiting to give you a hand. Face it, Princess, coming here is a suicide mission. I can guarantee your exit out of here so just make sure you stay close together when he comes. Our window of time will be very short.”

  Nixie didn’t have any more time to elaborate because Avery walked through the door as soon as she finished speaking. I could tell this wasn’t the real Avery, though. The dark sorcerer is in there because I can feel the evil emanating off of him. Staring at Avery’s face I know I’ve seen that evil look before, a long time ago in my court. My eyes go wide as the realization dawns on me. I finally figured out why Avery was acting so odd all those times before. It wasn’t really Avery in that body, but the dark sorcerer. I didn’t know he could do that. I wonder what everyone back home is going to say about it. Protection from the dark sorcerer has just now become more complicated. There’s no telling how many times he’s spied on us and done things behind our backs.

  Nixie leaves the room and the fake Avery gives her a smile. He turns to look at me and his lips part with a lustful grin. He lets out an appreciative sigh and walks toward me. Taking my face in his hands, he leans down to take my lips with his. I kiss him back with a forced eagerness. His tongue intermingles with mine and his hands caress down my back to cup my ass. He squeezes tightly to press me up against his growing erection. A groan escapes my lips, and I meant it as a groan of annoyance, but he took it as one of passion and deepens the kiss.

  ‘Think, Calista! You have to stop this!’ My inner monologue screamed at me to put a stop to this, but what could I do?

  I slightly push against his chest, making my breathing sound frantic like I’m really turned on, when actually I’m disgusted with myself because of what I had to do.

  Sounding breathless I ask, “I thought you had plans to take me into the village tonight.”

  He steps back, looks up at the ceiling and then breathes a sigh of annoyance. I have to make him leave this room. Trying to persuade him that I really want to go into the village should do the trick.

  Bouncing up and down with excitement, I plaster a fake smile on my face. “I really want to go into the village. It would be nice to meet some of the people.” I run my hand down his arm and ask softly, “What kind of queen would I be if I didn’t take care of our people?”