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He offers me his arm and I reluctantly take it. We walk down the dark hallway for what seems like miles until we suddenly enter an enormous room that I haven't been in yet. It's as large as one of the ballrooms in my palace, and it's filled with rows of tables set up in a square on the outside of the room. The seats all face the center of the room and I wonder what the empty space is used for. The room becomes silent as we walk in and the occupants all bow or curtsy low to me as He leads me in a slow procession designed to show me off rather than introduce me to my people. I nod at them one by one and I see the pity in their eyes as they look at me. My whole life people have looked at me with respect, if not for my own sake then out of respect for my mother. Ever since she got sick pity is all I've seen, especially since they think that my mother's power wasn't passed down to me. I hate it.
He leads me to my seat and servants come rushing through several entrances that lead into the room, carrying steaming platters of food. My plate is heaped high and I think it's fitting that I don't even have the choice as to what I want to eat anymore. I stare at my plate in disgust. Our people have never been meat eaters, preferring to get our nutrients from the land. My plate is full of meat and as I look around I see the room's occupants eating it with gusto. How was my mother so unaware as to what was going on with our people?
He tries to get me to participate in conversation but it's a battle He's not going to win. I pick at the few vegetable options on my plate and I nod when required. When the plates are finally taken away I give a sigh of relief that I will be able to return to my room soon. He dashes my hopes though.
"We have a special entertainment for you tonight," He whispers in my ear. "I guarantee you won't have seen anything like it."
I shiver involuntarily at the feeling of His warm breath on my neck. I wonder what they call "entertainment" here. Beheadings maybe?
I'm studying the pattern in the intricately woven tablecloth when everyone in the room suddenly starts to chatter excitedly. I look up hesitantly, sure that something ghastly is about to happen. I almost drop out of my chair though when I see the man that is being led in wearing thick chains. I can immediately feel the seductive power pouring out of him but there's something else about him that feels so captivating it's hard to breathe. There hasn't been another man that has ever captured my attention since I met Beckham. I had vowed that even if my body belonged to someone else through matrimony, my heart would always belong to Beckham. Shame is coursing through me though right now as I fight the feelings that are erupting inside of me at the sight of this prisoner.
Just like Beckham, he's beautiful, but in a more haunting way. Before what happened to us, Beckham had always had a blessed life with little suffering. This beautiful creature in front of me has had a lifetime of sorrow and my heart instantly wants to comfort him.
I feel so attracted to him that I can feel my body responding even though he's kept his gaze firmly on the ground, not looking at anyone in the eye. He's easily one of the tallest men in the room, with long, dark brown hair that falls nearly halfway down his back, tied back with what looks like a leather strap. He has a straight aristocratic nose and perfect, full lips. I ache to see the color of his eyes beneath the long eyelashes that hide them from me. He's not wearing a top and his perfectly carved body is covered in strange runes, in a language that I've never seen before. They cover every inch and I find myself wondering if they cover the rest of his body as well. He's dressed in simple linen pants that leave very little to the imagination. A wave of heat passes over me and I don't hear Him asking me a question until He touches my shoulder.
"Are you ready for the show? I believe he is one of the last of the incubi. This will be a rare treat for you."
The heat turns into sickness. Growing up, I heard the maids giggling and whispering to each other about the incubi. Cursed with uncontrollable sex appeal, they survive on the energy from living beings, almost always needing to feed through sex. I'm saddened, but also somewhat relieved to think that my reaction to this prisoner is from his powers, and not from some other strange bond. I was almost thinking that what I was feeling was similar to what I felt when my fated mate bond fell into place with Beckham. I'm not betraying Beckham after all though.
I move to get up again, even though I know it will get His disapproval, but I'm once again frozen when the beautiful creature opens his mouth. A melody floats out of his mouth, so awe-inspiring that I feel like my heart has begun to sing with him. I want to get closer to him, to join in the song that somehow, inexplicably, I know. I've never been so overcome from another's voice. He finally looks up and I can feel the tension in my body build as I wait for his eyes to meet mine. It's sweet agony when we finally lock eyes. His eyes remind me of an ocean, vast and full of secrets. I feel like I could jump inside his soul and never be seen again. His eyes widen in surprise and his voice cuts off for a moment before he continues. I can tell from the gasp from the crowd that he hasn't done that before. There's a burning in my heart and my head feels light and clouded. This creature feels like he's mine, the same as the sense of ownership I feel with Beckham. I'm not sure that I can attribute what I'm feeling to his powers, it feels exactly the same as it did with Beckham when I knew he was my fated mate. My breathing is coming out in slight gasps and I'm gripping the side of my chair to keep myself grounded. There's a light sweat on the back of my neck.
He puts a hand on my knee.
"Everything alright?" He asks. "This is your first time in the presence of an incubus, isn't it? It can be extremely overwhelming." His hand slides higher up my thigh. "It's hard to control the urges that one feels." It goes higher. "The urge to fuck and fuck hard."
I shiver, but this time it's in disgust. The incubus is staring at me with almost a look of anger as he takes in the scene before me. I take His hand and place it on His lap near His bulging groin. "Trust me when I say that there's no magic in any of the worlds that could ever turn me on enough to want you," I tell Him. A look of rage passes over His face before he wipes it away. He leans in close to my ear.
"Someday I will make you beg me to touch you, mark my words."
The room has erupted into some kind of sexual crescendo. Couples and groups are all over each other, doing all manner of things that should definitely not be done in public. The incubus isn't watching any of them though, his face probably would pass for boredom if there wasn't something in his eyes that let me know he was intensely aware of every move I made. The last notes of his song fade into the room and I feel like I've been forever changed.
Suddenly, my task seems almost insurmountable. I already felt like I was going to die having to give up Beckham. It feels like a cruel trick of fate that there's another being that I will have the unfortunate burden of living without. I don't know how I can survive.
"Why is he wearing chains?" I ask Him, unable to keep all of my emotion out of my words.
"Do you see how dangerous he is?" he asks, sweeping his hand across the room at the sexual chaos currently occurring. I move my eyes back to the table when I see a particularly sordid scene.
"He would be able to walk out of here easily with his powers. The chains at least make it so that my guards can be distracted and he still can't go anywhere."
Cries of ecstasy fill my ears and it is suddenly my only wish to leave the room. A thought strikes me before I make the attempt however.
"You don't seem to be affected," I remark, wondering how He is able to stay out of the fray considering our ongoing sexless relationship.
"I haven't been able to so much as look at another woman with any kind of emotion since I first set eyes on you. It's pure agony and yet my head can't even comprehend touching anyone else besides you. So, you see, although I am indeed affected, the only individual that it's focused on is you."
He brushes the top of my breast and laughs at my indignant expression.
"Go ahead and scurry away my sweet. I may not be interested in touching, but I'll certainly look since you've shut the gates for the time being."
As much as I want to leave the room I feel true sorrow at leaving the poor incubus to his fate tonight. There's also the fit of jealousy that races through me at the thought of someone else touching him. I don't know that I wouldn't burn the whole castle down if they used him for more than to set the mood.
I turn to Him and surprise Him by willingly taking His hands in mine. "I'll stay, but I want the chains removed and I want his living situation improved. I find no entertainment in watching a slave perform."
He looks at me suspiciously, trying to understand why I all of a sudden am interested. I try to let a little of the emotion I am feeling show in my face so He can think I'm being affected by the incubus. I give Him the doe-eyed look that I would give Beckham anytime I wanted him to do something for me and He falls for it.
"Guards," he says abruptly. "Unchain the creature."
The guards have been eyeing two girls making out, but they jump to attention at His command. They hesitantly approach the prisoner and unchain him. The incubus looks confused but holds out his wrist willingly, not taking his eyes off our table. I want to know his name. It seems disrespectful to what I'm feeling to call him that but I'm sure that asking for his name will arouse suspicion.
