tw: Dub-con, Kidnapping
Icy winds howled through the air. Each gust ran over Sarah's cheeks like a razor's edge. Why was her room so cold?
A strangled cry forced her eyes to open. Who screamed? Where were they? As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized the better question was where was she?
Gone was the humble cottage bed and breakfast where she rented a room. She turned her head, taking in the grassy hill illuminated by the full moon above that peeked out from behind a wayward wisp of a cloud that dissipated into nothing. Stars blinked down from the indigo-blanketed sky.
Around her were several other young women, each coming out of a trance. They were all dressed in pristine white nightgowns that billowed around their ankles in the wind. Looking down, Sarah saw that she too wore the same. Her feet were cold against the frigid ground, the dried brown grass provided little cushion to her bare soles.
She wracked her brain trying to mentally retrace her steps, forcing her brain to remember anything that could have led her to be in the middle of nowhere in the frosty night without a coat. Her efforts were halted as a horn blasted in the air. The ground began to shake with the trampling of hooves, growing stronger as the distance between them shortened.
"Run!" Sarah screamed, scanning the area around the hill for a place to hide. A copse of trees provided the only shelter in the rolling hilly farmland. Glinting in the moonlight above the tops of the trees was the spire of an ancient church. If there was a church, civilization and her salvation were in that direction.
Jareth spurred his black Friesian on, its hooves cutting deep ruts into the earth. His black cloak flew wildly behind him as he raced the other Fae partaking in The Wild Hunt. He knew she was there, one of the chosen awaiting her fate on that hill. He had to get to her first. No one else could claim her. He wouldn't allow it.
His mismatched eyes focused on the ghostly figures on the hill, watching them scatter but only one ran with any conviction. A pale lithe figure with dark raven hair ran straight for the cover of an ancient overgrown thicket. His adversary. His champion. His prey.
Sarah's bare feet burned against the frosty ground. Her lungs filled with ice each breath more painful than the last. She could hear the screams of the other girls behind her and the cries of horses chasing down their quarry. She didn't want to know who or what chased them let alone why. All she knew was she needed to escape.
The tree line was in view, all she had to do was keep going. The cover of branches would certainly make it more difficult for her pursuers. Her heart raced, blood pounded in her ears as she pushed herself to keep running.
Hoofbeats thundered behind her as a rider charged. Her feet stumbled over the hem of her nightgown. Tears blurred her vision, but she dared not look back.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her off her feet as though she weighed no more than a feather and knocking the wind out of her. Thrashing in vain, nothing could break the grip around her abdomen that pinned her against a solid chest. Another gloved hand captured her wrists easily.
Jareth's lips curled in victory as he held Sarah in his grasp. Finally, she was his. After all these years, fate intervened and gave him another chance. The years had been generous. Her beauty had only grown, figure full and soft against him. His waiting rewarded.
"Let go of me!" she screamed.
"Oh, I think not, Sarah, dear," he whispered in her ear as she stiffened in his arms.
Sarah turned at the sound of that voice. His voice . "Jareth?" Relief was fleeting as she looked up into his hooded gaze.
The stunned green eyes glistened in the full moonlight for only a moment before they fixed themselves in a glare. He loosened his grip on her wrists, adjusting their position on the horse so he could take his new bride home. This was his first mistake.
She placed her free hands on his chest, muscles lean and hard beneath her fingers, and pushed with all her might. His hands still holding reins pulled the horse into a frantic side step before rearing tossing both riders onto the ground.
Sarah was quick to push herself to her feet, ignoring the dampness that clung to her thin cotton dress from the frost that glittered on the grass. The treeline was only a few feet away. Her feet ached against the rugged countryside as she ran for cover. Branches and shrubbery tore at her gown, scratching her face and hands like the claws of wild beasts.
Jareth pushed himself to sit, his cloak pinned beneath him adding to his indignant state. He should have known she would not come quietly. But what she did not understand was her fate was already sealed. The moment he held her in his arms. She was his. Claimed.
There was no escaping him now. She would return to the Underground with him whether she wanted it or not. He was the victor this time and as always he played for keeps.
Standing, he brushed the dirt and debris from his black pants. He took the reins of his horse, whispering a few words as he stroked and soothed the beast. The horse disappeared. The stable hands would see to it that he was well taken care of when he appeared in his stall.
Turning his eyes to the wooded area, he scanned the ground for her trail. Broken twigs, cotton in brambles, footprints disturbing the dirt. The best way to find her would not be on foot but by flight. Shifting, quickly, he took to the skies as an owl, soaring about the canopy, scanning shrewdly for his wayward bride.
The shadows from the tree tops blocking the moon made navigating her way difficult as she weaved in and out of the foliage. Her fortunes turned as she saw the other side of the thicket, moonlight shining on a pasture and beyond that a rock wall surrounding the old churchyard.
Her muscles ached, small scrapes stinging in the wind as wildlife battered her body. She knew she could make it. Find sanctuary from the supernatural king who was sure to be fast on her heels.
But do you really want to escape? A small voice whispered in her ear. Her stomach soured at the intrusive thought. She stumbled over a tree root, righting herself quickly. Of course, I do.
Her traitorous body remembered the strength of his body pressed against her. The way he had lifted her so easily. The smell of earthy magic and crisp clean mountain air that clung to him.
No, she shook her head, I won't be caught like some wild animal. It didn't matter that she had dreamt of a reunion with Jareth for years, spurning most advances from the boys she knew. She would not be a part of another sick game.
A shadow darkened the light that had been her beacon as she slammed into a solid mass. Her breath was stolen from her lungs as her back was pushed against the jagged bark of a massive tree.
"Did you really think it would be that easy, Sarah?" Jareth asked as he pinned her arms above her head.
"A girl can dream." Her chin jutted out defiantly as she met his eyes.
He stepped closer, pressing himself against her. "Is that truly what you dream of? I don't think it is." Her pale skin was flushed even in the blue glow of the moon, her plump lips pursed in a provocative pout as he pushed his leg between her own.
Her confidence from a second earlier dwindled as the heat from his body warmed her through the thin cotton. Her voice wavered as she said, "Let me go."
"I'm afraid not. You participated in The Wild Hunt–"
"It's not like I chose to wake up on a hill in the middle of the night," she objected.
"Of course not. Fate chose you. Everything was designed for you to be mine."
"Yours? Absolutely not." This was getting out of hand. She had to do something. Taking a deep breath, her exhale visible in the cold night air, she said, "You have no–"
"That won't work this time now, darling, precious, Sarah." His gloved hand stroked her cheek, soon she would not flinch under his touch. "So beautiful. I am fortunate to have been blessed by the gods."
"Excuse me?" She fought the urge to bite his wandering hand. "You're not blessed by anything. This is all a mistake."
"Really?" His hand rested on her collarbone toying with the lace around her nightgown. "Then tell me how did you happen to find yourself in such a faraway land during this auspicious time of year?"
She struggled in vain against his grip only managing to scratch her back in the process."I'm studying nearby for a semester abroad. My professor entered the winter solstice lottery at Newgrange but couldn't make it. He gave me the ticket since it would be my only chance to experience it. See? Coincidence. Not fate."
"I see. And did this professor happen to remember entering said lottery?" He twirled a wayward lock of her hair around his finger, waiting for an answer he was sure would not come.
Sarah's eyes widened. No, he didn't. That was why he couldn't go. He made plans to travel out of town to visit family and had no memory of entering the lottery at all.
He appreciated the way her lips parted in surprise and dismay, her thoughts reflected on her countenance. "There it is. The dawning of realization."
"Please. Please let me go. What about my family?" she pleaded.
"Everyone you've ever met forgot about you the moment I caught you in my arms, I'm afraid. You have no earthly ties keeping you here. It's better that way."
She searched his eyes and found no hint of lie or true remorse. He didn't care. She had just lost everyone and everything and he didn't care.
"Better? I'll never–You just–" she stammered. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She refused to say her thoughts out loud. But how was any of this fair?
"Just think of the life you will lead. I will give you everything your heart desires." He nuzzled the graceful line of her neck, teeth scraping the delicate skin.
Her mind was hazy as the rest of her reacted to his sensual touches. She had to stop him, needed to think, but her body screamed for more.
He felt the moment she began to submit, to give in. Back arching, hips rolling. He released her hands and was pleasantly surprised when they gently rested on his shoulders. His fists gripped the skirt of her gown, hiking it up around her hips.
Sarah waited until his hands had maneuvered to her waist, her legs cold as the wind whipped against them. But thanks to Jareth, she now had full range of motion. In one swift movement, she lifted her knee, slamming it into his groin. The bigger the bulge, the harder they fall, she thought with a victorious grin.
He groaned as he fell to the ground, watching as she ran away while he whispered a healing spell over his affliction though nothing would assuage his dignity. She was certainly a worthy prize. No other would have led him on such a merry chase. There would be plenty of time in the future to bring her to heel.
She scrambled over a crumbling rock wall. Consecrated ground, it worked against vampires and witches. Maybe it would work against Fae as well. All she had to do was wait out the night. Once the sun rose, maybe the spell would be broken. Everyone would remember her and she could go home.
Jareth appeared on the other side of the wall. "Come out now, Sarah," he said, his voice even and steady.
"No." She took a step back, unsure she was actually safe.
He produced a crystal from thin air, rolling it over his hands turning and twisting it this way and that. "Are you going to stay in there forever?"
Her eyes followed the motion of the glowing orb. "Maybe." What other choice did she have at the moment?
"There is one thing to be said for you, my dear. You certainly will never bore me." He met her gaze, a slow creeping smirk stretching his thin lips. "Do you know what I appreciate the most about humans? For all their ability to progress and innovate–"
Jareth threw the crystal sending it flying through the air, straight at Sarah. Her hands raised instinctively catching it with ease before disappearing on the spot.
"Deep down they are still so predictable."