Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4) (24 page)

He glanced up at me for a few seconds, temporary panic glistening in his eyes. But in no time, he returned his attention to the crevice of my thighs. I watched his desire suddenly transform his expression until he reminded me of some ravenous beast. He instantly closed the gap between us. Grasping my rear with both hands, he buried his face between my thighs. Licking me up and down, he teased my delicate flesh using only the tip of his tongue. I threw my head back and moaned with delight as sensations of unbridled bliss traveled throughout my body, stoking my core like fire. I gripped his head and brought him even closer. In response, his delicious tongue probed the slick folds of my flesh with renewed intensity. And that was when I decided I’d had enough.

“Stop,” I ordered him before actually stepping away. I allowed my skirt to drop back to the floor. He appeared slightly surprised at my command, but didn’t argue. “Stand,” I continued, doing my best to catch my breath. The man immediately rose to his feet and watched me, silently awaiting his next orders.

I turned toward the door and started for it, intent on exploring this new realm of mine. The man immediately jumped in front of me, effectively making himself a barrier between the door and me. Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked at him in anger.

“Lily,” he started before shaking his head. “I mean, my queen,” he corrected himself as I curtly nodded. I didn’t know why he used another name for me, but the very mention of it displeased me for reasons unknown. “It is dangerous out there,” he started.

I shook my head, and pushed past him as I reached for the doorknob. I pulled the rickety door open, saying, “I fear nothing,” and glanced at him over my shoulder one last time before I stepped out into the darkness.

“Please, stop! My queen!” the man called after me from inside the ramshackle house. But I had already lost interest in him, and didn’t bother responding.

The moonlight lit my way and I walked toward a wooden dock on a moat, which surrounded the bizarre, old shack in which I’d discovered the beautiful treasure that now sat atop my head. At the sound of flapping wings, I looked up. Three winged creatures were flying through the air, circling just above me. They sang to one another and their voices sounded very beautiful.

“Run, my queen!” the man called from inside the doorway. “I will cover you with my arrows!” he finished and lifted his bow, aiming it up into the sky directly at the lovely creatures.

“You will do no such thing!” I yelled back before facing forward again as I reached the dock. The creatures overhead continued to fly in a circle above me, calling to one another in their melodious voices. Staring into the inky water below me again, I stepped off the landing. The water supported me as if it were concrete, and I simply walked across the top of it. The satin fabric of my skirt received not so much as a single droplet of water. When I reached the other side, I turned around to see the fearful man who still stood inside the hovel, gaping at me.

“Above you!” he yelled as I heard the sound of flapping wings coming closer. I turned around and watched one of the bird women land right in front of me. Sitting down, she was nearly as tall as I was. She extended her glorious, black-feathered wings out on either side of her, as if proud to reveal their awesome span. Then she studied me with white, glowing eyes as I took in her nude form. Her breasts were heavy and her waist quite small, while her hips matched her shoulders in proportion. Her body resembled mine actually, with the exception of her hands and feet. Those clearly belonged to a bird of prey.

The only blemishes on her otherwise perfect figure were what looked like very recent battle wounds; a gash appearing on her upper thigh that looked as if it could have been made by a sword. And an arrow still protruded from the junction of her shoulder, where it met her wing. The sight of the wounds on such a lovely creature angered me, and I wanted to find the person responsible to inflict great pain on him.

The beautiful creature crooned at me as I allowed my eyes to return to her lovely face. It was sculpted as exquisitely as any Roman statue, but her hair held me transfixed. It wasn’t really hair at all, but a collection of snakes that undulated this way and that, some small and others much larger.

We stood staring at one another for several long seconds before she pulled her wings into her body and bowed her head low. I approached her while offering my hand to the snakes on her head. All fifty or so suddenly stopped shifting and moved toward my hand. Each of them opened their mouths and their forked tongues stretched forward to lick the surface of my hand, their long fangs gleaming in the moon’s light. I bent down and stroked the side of the lovely creature’s face while she looked up at me, her eyes glowing even brighter white. Leaning forward, I replaced my fingers with my lips and kissed her velvety cheek.

“And now my master was recalling me…”
- Dante’s
Inferno

TWENTY-FOUR

“Lily?”

The deep sound of a man’s voice caught my attention, and I turned from the beautiful winged creature to find two men who were standing there, staring at me. One was much smaller than the other, not to mention fatter. The larger, taller one looked battle weary and weathered—his kilt was torn and stained with blood and a multitude of bruises and cuts marred his face and bare chest. The smaller one looked unkempt, in general.

Even though the larger one was sweating, dirty and smeared with blood, he was magnificent. He had to be the most ideal specimen of any man I had ever beheld. Large and imposing, I fought to tear my attention away from his chiseled face and body. Despite whatever I’d previously considered
masculine,
it paled, becoming almost effeminate, in comparison to this perfect example of virility and strength now standing before me. This flawless Adonis absolutely emanated both power and authority.

“Do nae look the furies in the eyes,” he spoke in a soft tone to his squat companion. His eyes settled back onto me before narrowing with impertinence.

It will be a pleasure to break that one
, I said to myself. The smile that spread across my mouth was irrepressible.

“Nerdlet, you okay?” the smaller of the two strangers prattled on, while waving at me. “Hello? You in there, McFly?” His flailing arms only served to irritate me even more. I was astonished at his unabashed insolence. Glancing at his compatriot, he shrugged, asking, “Dude, what the hellz eatin’ her?”

“She no longer remembers that name or you, for that matter,” said the man who had first made my acquaintance inside the shack moments earlier. He strode up behind me as I caught his smile before it faded when he turned to face the other two.

“Saxon! You fucking, evil cow! What the hellz did you do to her?” the smaller man demanded, glaring at my subject with animosity as he spoke.

“I did nothing to her,” Saxon responded with a quick shrug. “She merely assumed the role of matriarch and ruler she was always destined to be … she is your queen.” He nodded at me with a smile of deference, and added, “Our queen.”

“Ye will pay fer the part ye played in this,” the larger of the two men said, fixing his angry gaze on Saxon before he looked at me. With a mixture of regret and exhilaration, I didn’t fail to notice that his eyes never strayed to my breasts, or down to the junction of my thighs. Instead, his attention remained entirely on my eyes, without any aversion or distraction, as if he were immune to all of my feminine charms.

We shall see about that!
I promised myself.

“State your name, warrior,” I demanded as I studied him. I found it thrilling how he stared at me with such vehemence and anger. Although I saw hatred in his eyes, there was something else there too … something I had a difficult time detecting.

“Dude, why’z she actin’ like she don’t know us no more?” the smaller one demanded before bracing his hands on his hips while his belly undulated with the effort.

“Because she doesnae know oos,” the larger one replied, his eyes never leaving mine. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke next, his tone of voice could have cut steel. “Ah am Tallis Black, the bladesmith.”

“And you?” I demanded of the smaller one.

“Bruce,” he answered while furrowing his brows together and sticking his chin out. I assumed his comical expression was intended to convey defiance. “Bruce Wayne, but my alter ego is Batman, bitches! An’ you give me a chance an’ I’ll bust open a can o’ whoop-ass on all three o’ those fugly ass chickens! An’ you too, Saxon, you little bitch,” he added with a snarl at the man standing beside me. Then his eyes found mine again. “An’ once I’m done with them, I’m gonna beat you over the head with the memory stick ’til you remember who the hellz you are!”

“You should not speak so indignantly to your queen,” Saxon warned him before taking a step nearer me.

“Saxon is absolutely correct; you would be wise to listen to him, Bruce,” I informed the smaller man as I slowly approached them. The lovely creature at my side immediately extended her wings, the arrow still sticking out of the one on her right side. She didn’t seem to notice and, instead, hissed at the strangers, but I quieted her with a loving smile and a soft pat on her naked shoulder. Her two winged allies also dropped down from the sky and landed. Each of them stood next to me in solid allegiance to their queen.

“What the fuck happened to nerdlet?” Bruce asked his friend before staring at the nymph to my left and gawking at the one on my right. “The furies are like … her pets!” he exclaimed. His circular eyes widened as they landed on me again. The closer I came to him, the more he glowed. It was an unnatural, ethereal light, and I eventually realized he was a creature unlike any of the others that surrounded me.

“What manner of creature are you?” I asked while eyeing him suspiciously. I crossed my arms over my chest because his insolent eyes persisted in consuming my breasts.

“
What manner of creature am I?
” he railed back, shaking his head and throwing his hands into the air. He looked frustrated. “You know what the hellz I am! The real question you should be asking is: what the fuck manner of creature are you?!” Screeching his reply at me, he slammed his hands down onto his ample hips. “All I know is one minute we’re all on the same side, busy fightin’ the Army of the Undead, an’ all of a sudden, that dickhead over there shows up,” he continued while motioning to Saxon, “an’ he takes you away on a field trip! The next time I see you, yer lookin’ like somethin outta
Beetlejuice
an’ talkin’ smack ’bout bein’ a queen?”

“’Tis the crown,” Tallis Black interjected as he eyed the crown on my head with visible suspicion. When his eyes fell back to my face, they seemed sterner and more calculating.

“I am your queen,” I informed them curtly. I’d grown tired of their antics. “You should bow down to me and address me only as ‘Your Honor’ or ‘Your Royal Highness.’ Your dissidence shall not be tolerated nor indulged.”

“Dude, what the hell’s gotten into her?” Bruce asked his tall companion. “She’s actin’ like she doesn’t even know who we are!” He faced me again and shook his head. “Shit! Maybe that zombie back there actually did manage to suck most of her brain out!”

“She isnae herself,” Tallis Black agreed, his eyes never leaving mine. His expression was brazen, almost disrespectful. It was not the way any subject should look upon his queen. But I didn’t object. There was something about him that thrilled me and caused a bizarre sensation to stir from deep inside me.

“I have grown weary of your tiresome conversation,” I informed him. I figured he must have been the leader of the two. Turning to my winged friends before I gestured toward the two strangers, I said, “You may apprehend them now.”

In response, my feathered companions, the “furies” as Bruce referred to them, fully extended their wings. The snakes on top of their heads slithered and wriggled up and down and back and forth in fervor and excitement. The furies flapped their impressive wings a few times before lifting themselves into the sky. When they were maybe ten feet above me, they flew out until they reached the two strangers. I was surprised when Tallis Black showed no resistance to my creature as she dropped down on top of him. Instead, he simply offered himself to her by lifting his hands into the air.

“You do well to yield to my minions without a fight,” I commended him.

He glanced at me as his eyes narrowed. “If Ah wanted tae, Ah would kill each o’ yer furies with a single stroke o’ mah sword.”

“Well, fortunate for them that you don’t want to,” I rebuked him, with my nose in the air.

“Aye,” he said with a brief nod. “Loocky fer ye an’ them.”

“Do not harm either of them,” I warned my furies. I figured Tallis Black would certainly be of more use to me alive than dead. However, I wasn’t quite so convinced about his companion, Bruce Wayne.

“You’re givin’ in just like that?” Bruce railed at Tallis Black. The larger man didn’t respond except to briefly nod his head, keeping his eyes fastened on mine.

“What the fuck, dude?” the slovenly one continued, shaking his head in obvious disagreement. But Tallis Black didn’t respond.

My fury dropped down until she was hovering just above Tallis Black’s head. Then she extended her claws and wrapped them around his wrists, straining with the effort as she lifted him into the air. Meanwhile, the other winged goddess lifted Bruce, also struggling with the weighty burden.

All at once, I realized I didn’t know where to take my two prisoners, so I turned toward Saxon. “I fear I am still new in this role,” I started, trying not to sound ineffectual, but having no alternative. “Do I possess a citadel somewhere, or some other form of refuge?”

Saxon nodded and smiled at me broadly. “Yes, my queen, you do, and I will happily lead you there.”

***

One Day Later

Alcazar, my citadel and home, was constructed of stone and built into the face of a mountain in the center of the City of Dis. It was deliberately built on top of the most precipitous cliffside in the entire Underground City. It appeared as if by magic, perched on the edge of an abyss that dropped down into the river, Styx. It could only be reached by way of a very narrow, long bridge, which lay suspended across the widest part of the river.

Standing three stories tall in some areas, a series of Ionic columns comprised of onyx mimicked the ancient architecture one would expect to find in Rome. Four statues of knights stood as high as the wall itself that surrounded the citadel. They were built into the wall, and so old that their faces were indistinguishable. One was missing its head and the others lacked various limbs. The largest statue was that of the king, which stood in the center at maybe thirty feet tall. The king was depicted wearing a knight’s helmet as well as armor. He held his broadsword directly in front of him, looking eager and ready to go into battle.

Alcazar had stood empty for hundreds of years, awaiting the return of its queen. Or, at least, that’s what Saxon relayed to me. At some point, it was outfitted with more modern conveniences, like running water and electricity, although it still remained unoccupied, waiting patiently for the day when it would celebrate life once again.

And now that day had come …

“My queen, your bedchamber has been prepared,” Saxon informed me. I strolled across the stone courtyard that connected the east wing of the citadel to the west. There were lamps every ten or more feet that lit the entire quadrangle, casting interesting shadows all over the faces of the stone walls. Curious creatures, which Saxon termed “Watchers,” busied themselves with various tasks. They were all involved somehow in making the citadel a more comfortable living space for me.

I looked forward to my first night in my new accommodations.

“And I must inform you of a visitor, with whom you are scheduled to meet later this evening,” Saxon continued. Strangely, he seemed a bit tense when delivering this news.

“A visitor?” I repeated as I turned to face him. I wasn’t sure what to make of his information. In general, visitors were not particularly good omens. Well, that is, if the last two were any indication …

“Yes, the Master of the Underground City wishes to make your acquaintance,” Saxon informed me.

“Who is the master?” I asked, my growing irritation drenching my tone. “As far as I understood, I am the queen, and therefore, the mistress of this realm and all its subjects?”

“The master is in charge of managing the Underground City, my queen,” Saxon explained. “As such, you are now a resident in his domain.”

“A resident?” I fired back angrily, my skin prickling from head to toe. “I am the Queen of the City of Dis! How dare you refer to me as anything less! I am not a resident!”

“Yes, yes, please forgive me,” Saxon pleaded as he held his hands up in an attempt to placate me. “Yes, you are the queen, but you also must realize that there are other people in positions of power that you must ultimately associate with.”

I began to calm down. His words started to make sense to me. Of course! It only figured that I wasn’t the only highly ranking official in this territory. Having accepted that truth, I realized how important it was for me to befriend anyone else that could help me. “The Master of the Underground City is a very important person for me to associate with then?”