**ASH**
When I first entered the dining room, after a bath and fresh dress, I was struck speechless by the vision that was Daphne. Dressed in finery, that I was certain she wasn’t used to, with her hair coiled and braided into a modern hair dress designed to lengthen her neck, she looked like a princess.
The dirt had been scrubbed from her porcelain skin and her sprinkle of freckles gave her the appearance of innocence that was sure to have every male in the place hard as stone. Her curves were simply glorious. The velvet gown she wore hugged every inch of her body, step by bloody step.
The moment we sat down together, I had need to touch her. So, I did. I still was. It didn’t help that she stared at me with such longing and admiration that it heated my body from head to toe.
Dinner had been served, yet I couldn’t bring myself to release her thigh, so I was eating stealthily, and with my left hand. Fortunately, I have use of both in equal measure.
I didn’t expect this. Didn’t expect to feel so possessive of the young human the way I did. *Maybe I am just horny.*
Glancing to my right I lift my knife and serve her the slab of venison from my very plate. She smiles at me shyly and begins to eat. Watching her full lips work as she chews is disturbingly sensual. I begin to draw small circles over her thigh with my thumb. She shivers delightfully and I slip my hand, just an inch or two, closer to her core causing her to gasp slightly.
I signal for more wine, and after it is poured, once again I urge her to drink from my cup. Hers is tainted, I can smell the poison easily. The prince, no doubt. Probably dosed it to have her compliant and at his mercy.
*Well fuck that.*
The more I pictured the old, wicked king or the spoiled little prince stealing her virtue, the more it upset me. So, I paid the king a visit before dinner. Strange coincidence that he fell ill shortly after. Prince Hayden, however, I would deal with upon even ground.
“Must she drink from your glass? She is in possession of her very own.” Hayden says snidely, glaring at me over her head.
I smile while looking at her and say, “I like the taste of her lips on my goblet.”
At this, her eyes shoot toward me, a deep blush forms along her cheekbones and wetness pools at her center. Yes, I can smell this too.
“Is that a fact,” Hayden laughs. “Perhaps she shall drink from mine as well.”
For some reason this statement enrages me, and I am forced to remove my hand from her leg for fear of crushing a bone. I quietly take her goblet and pour the contents into Hayden’s.
“There,” I say simply. “Now she can use hers.”
Hayden is seething. He nods at me as he signals for a fresh glass of wine. Then he smirks at me over his cup, as if to say, game on.
Her eyes become frightened as she realizes what must have been in her goblet. I lean down and whisper, “There are some fates worse than the king.”
“Thank you,” she sighs, and I am momentarily frozen.
*Don’t thank me just yet, little dove.*
*For I am one of those fates.*
**DAPHNE**
It is dark inside the bedroom, with only the fire from the hearth casting light on my person. When I feel him slip inside my bed, I am still half asleep when hands grope my body through the thin cotton shift I am wearing, then tangle in my long hair.
At first, I am disoriented, and startle as he forces one knee between my legs, but then his lips find my neck and the feeling is exquisite. Images of soft dark hair and bright gray eyes invade my dreams as I moan in approval.
I feel something hard and throbbing press against my core, and I shudder at the new sensations dancing across my center.
“Ash,” I whisper, my hands finding his back, my nails biting skin.
“No, sweet pet. Not Ash.”
Suddenly, I am alert.
*Not Ash?*
The voice is all wrong. It is not Ash, and I freeze.
Blinking rapidly, I struggle to recognize the low tone of this stranger’s voice.
The glow of orange flame highlights this man’s face momentarily as he lifts himself off of me to separate my legs completely.
*Prince Hayden.*
“Highness?”
“Yes, love,” he smirks while reaching out to lift my gown above my breasts.
“Please, no,” I whimper.
“No?” He stops, glaring at me. “Do you not find me attractive? Would you rather it be my father here with you?”
I simply shake my head as tears fill my eyes. He grins and continues his assault on my body, his hand grasping my most private place as his eyes lock on my bare bosom.
“So delicious,” he hisses as he forces my legs even further apart and presses into me. I knew this was coming. Somewhere deep down I did, but the reality, I was still unprepared for. His mouth latches onto my left breast and I cry out as he bites my nipple.
“Please,” I say. “I am not ready.”
He laughs and bites down a bit harder, bruising me as his free hand circles my throat.
“I do not care,” he groans. “I am.”
I begin to fight him, pushing and punching until he is forced to pin my hands above my head in a fist. He lifts his face to glare at me and spits, “Do you WANT to lose your head? This is what you sold yourself for. You are mine to do with as I please and if you do not let me I will-”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Suddenly, my hands are freed as the prince is tossed off of me and onto the ground. He lands with a resounding thud, and I shoot straight up in bed to smooth down my nightdress.
*Ash.*
*He is here.*