Sorry for the delay, my internet does this thing where it decides to stop working every few days : dam annoying, especially when you got exams to revise for and google is unavaliable!
Anways, thanks to the reviewers, huge huge huge help in churning chapters out faster. But for over 200 hits I'm sure we can get a few more, otheriwse I might just go back to revising and, lets be honest, who wants to do that? :P haha!
Reaver stood by the window of his study, the moonlight bathing half of his face in an eerie glow. He laughed out loud at the irony of it; like the moonlight was providing a visual representation of him. Half, the half bathed in light, was what he presented himself as each day – the demanding, notorious and relentless business man and lover extraordinaire. The other half, hidden in the shadows, was the side that he hid away.
His darker side.
The darker side that took a prostitute or a beggar, someone with no aspirations, each year and led them to a terrible place full of darkness and despair. There, he sacrificed their worthless lives so that his never had to end; his beauty and youth would never fade as he remained to see Albion change and thought of new ways to manipulate the land and people for his own gain. The darker side that hid his past away in a vault sealed deep within him, so deep that even he could barely hear the screams caused by what he had done anymore.
Of what the shadow court had done.
And now the little princess had gone and gotten herself involved with them. It wasn't that he was worried about her safety – as if Reaver would bother with something so trivial and time-consuming – more that when he had seen the shadow form in the corner of the room, his curiosity had grown to insatiable levels. And now that he had a taste of her, just the barest hint of flavour, he found that he wanted more.
"Silly little girl." He muttered, but even as he spoke the words he didn't believe them. He knew them not to be true anymore. She was nineteen now, battle weary, and even experienced within the art of sex – her reaction to his statement in the castle had provided more than enough proof.
She would make for an interesting conquest.
Reaver had decided as soon as he had seen her return, taken in the soiled yet pleasing appearance of her and heard the cocky remarks spill from her mouth that he was going to have her. It wouldn't be easy, but her reaction to him earlier had been so willing and uncontrollable that Reaver knew it was possible. And there was no doubt that he enjoyed a challenge.
He remembered her features as he took a long gulp of wine from his glass. The long tangled hair that just begged for hands to run through it. The wine was fruity against his taste buds as he thought of her eyes, the blue bursting with emotion as she had gazed angrily up at him...oh how he would love to see those eyes pleading with him, begging him for more. The plump, rosy lips that had been parted in surprise after he had kissed her. The wine left a cool trail down his throat as he swallowed and allowed his glazed over eyes to run lower down the memory of her, the soft curve of her small yet attractive breasts, her flat stomach and lower...
He smiled devilishly. Oh, he would make sure to remember this one.
But for now, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Smith!" he called out, tapping hid foot impatiently when the servant didn't arrive. "Smith!"
Finally, the man appeared, his face flushed and out of breath. "Yes, Master Reaver?" he panted.
"Send the girls in now, I'm bored."
Smith smiled. "Yes, Master Reaver. Right away, Master Reaver."
"Oh," Reaver said as Smith turned back round with an expectant expression. He fingered the Dragonstomper gun hung from his belt and gave the servant a knowing look. "And do try not to take too long this time."
Smith's lips trembled as he attempted to raise them into another smile. "Y-yes, Master Reaver."
Reaver turned back to the window, allowing his thoughts to stray once again to the princess Elena. She was a feisty one and he was going to have so much fun with her. But then shrill voices and flirty giggles broke into his thoughts and he turned around with a sly smile.
"Hello ladies."
It was a good few hours before Reaver fell asleep that night.
XXX
Princess Elena barely managed to get any sleep. She was tossing and turning, fluffing out her pillows and rearranging her blankets yet nothing seemed comfy. Her eyes refused to stay closed as each time the lids shut it was the same image; those horrible, blood red eyes glaring out at her, the wild man running towards her...she briefly wondered if she would turn out like that. She sincerely hoped not, even death was a better option than going insane.
Her thoughts were tortured.
When she wasn't thinking about the shadow court, she was thinking about Reaver. Elena didn't know which was worse. Both were linked, but in what way she didn't know. Each time he filled her head, she could remember the feel of his lips upon her neck, upon her own...and then she would force herself to stop, knowing that Reaver was an unreliable user who had left her in a confused state and with a deeply buried need.
Elena absently traced the outline of the mark he had left on her neck, feeling the rough skin beneath her fingertips. That was the last time she would let him brand her. Elena was stronger than Reaver's charms...but apparently not strong enough to sleep. She sighed heavily and pushed herself into a sitting position.
What to do at night in the castle?
Suddenly her stomach rumbled; a loud sound in the quiet room. Looked like she was going to make a quick trip to the kitchens. The floor was cold against her feet as she stepped silently out of bed, but the shock it sent her was a relief from her hazy state. She padded silently down the dark hallways, her eyes adjusting quickly, and tried to avoid looking at any shadows for fear of the demon's return. Upon entering the kitchens, she began searching for some food – only to find some sliced bread and cheese already out on the counter.
"So you think you can disobey the Queen?"
Elena jumped at the voice, spinning round to see her sister sat at a table, a messily made, half-eaten sandwich placed in front of her. Her hair, instead of being it its usually elegant coil, trailed down her back in messy waves and there were slight shadows under her eyes. Elliya's words were stern but her expression was playful, Elena felt like she had a piece of her old sister back.
"Sorry," she said grinning "I just needed some alone time...to think, you know."
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Alone time with Reaver?"
Elena's eyes narrowed as she felt a stab of embarrassment. "So you saw that then?"
Her sister nodded, fixing her with solemn eyes. "Reaver isn't someone to get involved with, Elena. He's unpredictable, you've heard about the way he planned to betray our mother to Lucien."
"I know." Elena smiled fondly at the memory of their mother sitting them down by the fire and telling them many stories of her adventures, pity her own hadn't turned out so good. "I'm not getting involved with him-"
"That's not what it looked like to me."
Elena huffed at her sister's persistent attitude. "I'm not going to let him..."
"Really? It looked like you were quite enjoying it."
Elena growled lowly. "Well you try getting kissed by him and not enjoying it!" she hadn't meant for her voice to be that loud, but it echoed around the kitchen. Elena was glad that Reaver wasn't there to hear them argue about him in such a way.
Elliya's eyed widened and she sat back in her chair, stunned. "Well, you certainly have grown up since you've been away."
There was a moments silence then, Elena with a wide-eyed doe look and Elliya holding a similar expression. They looked more like sisters than ever. Their eyes met and suddenly Elena found that she was unable to hold back a laugh. It barked out, following the echo of her words and was soon joined by the Queen's. They laughed for a good few minutes and by the tears running down their faces Elena guessed that it had been a while since they had let their emotions escape like that.
"I'm sorry, sister. It's just been a stressful return." Elena apologized.
Elliya's eyes suddenly turned sad and she gestured to the chair next to her, where Elena sat slowly. "Indeed. You must tell me all about your quest; why have you returned so soon? And where are all your men?"
Elena's face descended into a look of startling panic before settling on being sombre, her eyes wide once again. Her shoulders slumped as she let her head rest against the table, ignoring the crumbs that were sure to cling to her hair. She told her sister about the quest, about how it had all gone well until the bandit attack...then she lied. Elena lied, lied to the Queen of Albion and said that balverines had stormed against them; a huge amount so no man survived being ripped to shreds. When really it was the shadows that had done it, killing all but her...
Elliya must have read her alarmed expression as something else. "You look tired, sister. Get some sleep; I shall arrange a memorial service for them in the morning. Rest easy."
Elena, grateful for the excuse to escape the conversation, yawned widely, playing to the gallery. "I am feeling rather sleepy, yes. Thank you, Elliya."
The Queen smiled, one of her rare, realistic smiles that Elena was sure were only shown in the seclusion of night time. "Goodnight, Elena."
"Goodnight, my Queen."
XXX
Elena woke feeling angry. Uncontrollably so.
Her dreams had been plagued by shadowy figures and distant laughs that resembled a certain aristocrat's with a tall top hat and cane. Right now Elena detested that bloody top hat and cane, she felt like throwing them into a pit of lava...and then pushing in the man himself. Her chat with Elliya hadn't helped matters, only brought them to the forefront of her mind once again. She had bigger things to worry about.
"Screw everything." She growled to herself.
After bathing and dressing in a pair of simple black shorts and red blouse, Elena headed for the training room in the mood to spend hours pounding her anger out on the wooden dummies. She had her trusty sword in one hand, the blade jiggling dangerously with her walking motions, and had hooked her pistol into the waistband of her shorts. But just as she was nearing the training room, a certain top hat and cane swaggered into view.
Oh, bloody hell.
"What do you want Reaver?" her voice was low, dangerous and his eyebrows rose at the tone.
Raising his hands in a mock surrender gesture, Reaver replied "Don't think so highly of yourself, Rosie. I have merely just come from a rather pressing meeting with the Queen, when she had to cut it short to form some memorial service plans."
Elena felt a heat rising in her cheeks. The thought of her lost men sent her anger spiralling to new levels. "Oh, save your pathetic, manipulative words Reaver." She snapped "I am not in the mood to deal with your twisted tongue."
The mischievous glint returned to his eyes and he stepped closer, disregarding Elena's anger despite her nostrils flaring at his actions. "Well let's not talk then and I can show you just how twisted my tongue can be."
"Didn't I just say I wasn't in the mood for this?" Elena hissed from between clenched teeth, "You would do well to heed that warning, Reaver."
"Darling," he purred "I absolutely love angry sex. What do you say? Let off a bit of that...steam?"
Elena didn't think about her next action, otherwise she would have realised that it was a very stupid one. Within a second, her pistol was drawn from the waistband of her shorts and aimed straight at Reaver's head. However, it was only after she registered that her finger was curling round the trigger that she grasped that she was pointing her weapon at an ex-pirate king.
Crap.
She didn't let her uncertainty show though, gazing determinedly into Reaver's glinting, albeit slightly surprised eyes.
"Definitely feisty." He muttered through barely moving lips.
Then, in a move unexpectedly fast for a person of Reaver's stature and status, he swung his cane up and batted her pistol away with a single swing. It clattered to the ground a few meters away, useless. Elena couldn't contain her astonishment, gaping at her pistol and then at Reaver's cane as if she couldn't believe it. But when she turned back to Reaver she found herself facing the barrel of the legendary Dragonstomper that had no doubt blasted many lives to a quick and easy end.
It seemed she had been exposed to Reaver's renowned weapon and his notorious seductive side within the small span of a few days.
"Now, Rosie," he pressed the cold barrel under her chin, forcing her head up to meet his gaze, "Do you want to reconsider my question?"
Gazing into the face that was everything her mother had told her to stay away from, a plan formed in Elena's mind. A plan so simple and obvious that Elena nearly scoffed at the face that she had only just thought of it.
Reaver watched on with a bored expression that held the slightest hint of interest as the anger in Elena's eyes melted into something different, something akin to desire. Her lips relaxed and parted from being tightly pressed together, his eyes intently watching as her tongue sneaked out to wet them. When his eyes met hers again they were nearly black with desire. But Elena gave him no chance to act, threading her arms around his neck and yanking his head down until they were level.
"Now, Reaver," she breathed and he could taste her breath on the tip of his tongue, the scent of peaches teasing his taste buds. "What makes you think I would want to reconsider that?"
She pressed their lips together in a single, searing kiss. A kiss meant to tease.
Then, mirroring the spontaneity of his previous actions knocked the gun aside with one hand while the other grasped her sword and brought it up in a wide arc...slicing Reaver's hat in half.
Bloody top hat no more!
The sword cut through the expensive material easily. It fell to the floor with a surprisingly silent swish, landing delicately upon the ground.
Reaver's face was a mixture of astonishment, downright disbelief and his eyebrows were raised as if he was mildly impressed. Elena, forced out of her angry stupor, watched him with cautious eyes and a curved mouth; the sight of Reaver with half a top hat still clinging onto his head, undermining his usual immaculate appearance, was hilarious. She couldn't hold back a giggle.
His eyes darkened dangerously at the sound.
The Dragonstomper that she had so ruthlessly knocked away was raised once again to point straight at her forehead.
"Darling," Reaver's voice was dangerous like poison blended with an expensive wine, "As much as I enjoy the thrill of the chase and even a little fight, I do not take kindly to my possessions being destroyed."
Elena's mouth froze open as she felt a sudden coldness grasp at her ribs. Oh no. Not now. Not yet.
"Reaver," her voice was little more than a desperate whisper.
He laughed threateningly, stepping closer so the barrel was once again pressed into her skin, the metal barely feeling cold anymore. "Rosie, don't get boring now. Don't go starting battles that you don't intend to finish." He chided.
She gasped as the coldness began to climb up her body, towards her chest. A trail of numbness was left in its wake, her skin rising to form goose bumps as the cold seized her. She knew what was happening. It was starting now. The shadows were coming.
She opened her mouth once again to beg for help but as she exhaled all that came out was a puff of white air, similar to the effects caused by freezing temperatures. The cold seized her chest, digging its claws in and a pained cry escaped her lips. Her body began to shudder and her breath came in small desperate pants.
Reaver finally seemed to catch on that she wasn't playing a game anymore and his eyes turned strangely alarmed. Why would he be worried about her?
But Elena found no more time to dwell on that thought as a long, shadowy form materialized in front of her. Deadly red eyes glowing out from a face encased in darkness and terror greeted her and a cold, spindly hand reached out to gently brush across her chest. With it came excruciating pain, the likes of which Elena had never experienced before. She couldn't hold back her screams, couldn't help the flailing movements of her body as it was helpless to try and escape the source of the hurt.
She registered two things before the darkness ebbing at the edges of her vision overtook her.
Reaver's horrified expression.
And the shadow's words as its chilling, raspy voice spoke out to wrap cursed words around her, choking her.
"It has begun."
So, it has begun. And, never fear, it will all be explained in the next chapter :) so lemme know what cha think!