Broken Princess: A Dark Paranormal Romance (Feline Royals Book 1) Page 17

  Balam chuckled. “Nah, you’re not a witch.”

  “Of course she’s not,” Camila said, putting a protective hand on mine. “She’s a human.”

  “Exactly,” I said, a strange nervousness buzzing in my blood. “I’m the second child of shifter parents. I’m a human. That’s all I can be.”

  “No,” Lord Balam said. “All that means is that you’re not a shifter.”

  The light turned, and Gabor accelerated. The whirr of tires on wet pavement was the only sound for a long minute. Then Gabor spoke in his quiet, even voice. “That’s not what he said.”

  “Who?” Camila asked.

  “Shadow.”

  I sighed. “What, now you can read lips? That is what he said. If you want to know the exact words, he called me a witchy woman. Then he ran off, because apparently he’s so terrified of me that he can spend twenty-four hours as a writhing sex monkey rather than come back here and risk running into me again.”

  “Maybe he knows he’ll give you the amulet,” Lord Balam said. “He’s putting off the inevitable.”

  “How do you know?” Camila asked. “Maybe I’ll get this one.”

  “No,” Lord Balam said.

  “Did you ask the oracle about me?” I asked, feeling weirdly sensitive about that, like he’d been talking about me behind my back. “What else did it say?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” Lord Balam said smugly.

  “Ugh, I hate you,” I said, slumping back against the seat.

  “You have to be extremely specific to get an answer that makes sense,” Lord Balam said. “I asked before we left the Ocelot Nation. That’s why I came with you.”

  “I thought you came because it was the first stop,” I said. “And because it’s more dangerous than the other nations.”

  “It’s dangerous in a different way,” Lord Balam said. “Each nation has its own set of perils. Some might argue that the Ocelot Nation is the most dangerous.”

  “Our shifters are extremely civilized,” Camila said, glaring at the back of Lord Balam’s head.

  “We came here first because it was the only place we could drive,” I said. “And Camila wanted to see the land from up close.”

  That was a bald-faced lie. Camila hated flying so much that she’d had a full-blown panic attack at the thought of it, so Father had given us the armored SUV escorts instead of his private jet. It would have been much faster to fly to Florida. Camila had already disclosed her plan for her flight to Africa to visit the next two clans to me. She was going to take a shit-load of sleeping pills and be fully comatose for the entire flight.

  But first, we had to get the amulet from Shadow. Somehow.

  The next night was just as fruitless as the first. On the third night, Camila almost didn’t come. “Just one more time,” I said. “Then, if he doesn’t come tonight, we’ll do something else.”

  She sighed. “Oh, all right. But it’s worse standing around there than sitting around a hotel room. At least I can watch TV in the comfort of my bed.”

  “Maybe we can find a buzzard shifter,” I said. “They don’t seem to mind the swamp.”

  “I’m not wearing another one of your insane costumes,” she said, pulling on a pair of powder blue, velvet pants.

  “Deal,” I said. “Besides, I’m about out of them.”

  We headed for Gideon’s, the last night of our stakeout. The waters had begun to recede, and the swamp would probably be inhabitable in a day or two. The energy in the car was high, all of us forcing optimism, holding desperately to the hope that we’d get him tonight.

  A few hours later, we’d come crashing down. The knowledge that this was our last chance weighed on all of us as we slumped along the brick wall in the alley.

  “It’s been three days,” I said, throwing up my hands. “It must have worn off.”

  “It doesn’t wear off,” Lord Balam said. “There’s only one way to relieve it.”

  “I knew I should have stayed at the hotel,” Camila said, swatting a mosquito on her arm.

  “What happens if you don’t relieve it?” I asked Lord Balam. “What if the water kept rising that night, and he got stuck in the swamp and couldn’t get out?”

  “It makes you…go a little crazy,” he said, rubbing at his thick hair.

  “Great. We made a crazy guy crazier.”

  A man dropped into the alley behind Balam and slammed something down on his head.

  Camila screamed.

  I jumped back as Lord Balam crumpled in a heap on the cobblestones.

  Gabor jumped in front of me, crouching to shield me with his body.

  Shadow grabbed Camila, dragging her backwards toward the parking lot. His arm clamped around her throat, and she wheezed and struggled, her eyes bulging as she clawed at his arm.

  “Camila,” I screamed, starting forward at the same moment as Gabor.

  “Touch me, and I’ll rip her throat out,” Shadow hissed. His fingers had turned into long, curved claws that caressed her throat.

  Gabor and I stopped.

  “Itzel,” Camila whimpered, her terrified eyes on mine. A dark stain bloomed around the crotch of her velvet pants. Fuck. I’d insisted she come out tonight, even though she’d wanted to stay at the hotel in her safe, comfortable bed.

  “Take me,” I blurted, stepping forward.

  Camila whimpered as Shadow hesitated, his eyes moving from me, to Gabor, back to me. I had been discussing the drug with Lord Balam, probably distracting him so he didn’t notice the man on the roof. I had… Well, I didn’t know how it was my fault that Gabor had jumped in front of me instead of Camila. He’d have to find a way to deal with his guilt. But if something happened to her, I couldn’t deal with mine.

  “Take me instead,” I repeated. “I won’t fight. Just let her go.”

  “Princess Itzel,” Gabor said behind me. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice firm. “I do.”

  “Why are you protecting her?” Shadow asked. His voice was both gravely and slippery, like a snake hissing words.

  “She’s my sister,” I said. “And she didn’t do anything. Just let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want.”

  Shadow’s green eyes gleamed with pure madness. “Whatever I want?”

  “Yes. Just don’t hurt her. Take me instead. I’m the one you want. I’m the one who gave you the tincture.”

  Shadow’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring. “You made this happen to me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sorceress,” he cried, his claws tightening around Camila’s throat. She began to hyperventilate as tears streamed down her face.

  “Let me go,” she whimpered. “I’m the queen. If you hurt me, Father will have you killed.”

  “I’m not a sorceress,” I said quickly, holding out a hand to stop him. “It’s a drug. I drugged you.”

  “Princess Itzel,” Gabor said, and the crack in his voice nearly did me in. But if I didn’t look at him, I could bear it. I could bear anything if it meant my sister would be safe.

  With one swift motion, Shadow shoved my sister forward and grabbed me, dragging my body against his. He spun me around, pinning my back to his chest.

  Camila had stumbled forward, collapsing into Gabor’s arms with a sob. “Take her home,” I said as Shadow began to back away from them. “And take Lord Balam. Make sure he’s okay. Please, Gabor.”

  “Itzie,” Camila shrieked. “What are you doing?”

  “I told you I’d do anything for you,” I said, my ears ringing with the terror pounding through me. But I couldn’t let her see it. I forced a smile. Forced myself to look into her eyes, not to look at Gabor, not to know what he thought of me right now. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Don’t make promises,” Shadow rasped, pulling me around the corner of the building. He pointed to a motorcycle. “Get on my bike. You’ll ride behind me in case your guard decides to shoot. If you jump off, you’ll die.”

 
; Shaking, I scanned the parking lot for escape. But if I ran now, he’d tear me apart with those deadly, curved claws. I climbed on the bike and wrapped my arms around Shadow’s long, lean body. I could feel it buzzing like a thousand bees swarmed under his skin, and then the bike roared to life. Once we were out of there, I could run. I couldn’t do it here, couldn’t let Camila see my shredded corpse if I failed.

  Twenty-Five

  Wet wind whipped at my face as we sped through the streets, lights glimmering off every wet surface. The city seemed oddly deserted, as if we were the only two people in existence. No one knew where I was going or what would happen to me. The human police wouldn’t get involved with shifter business here. And I had turned myself over, gone along willingly. I had told Shadow I’d do whatever he wanted.

  I shivered at the thought. I knew exactly what he wanted. The only thing I didn’t know was how he could have the self-restraint to drive me out of the city before doing it. It made me even more scared than if he’d thrown me down in the alley and fucked me right there. The only reason to take me far away was so he could kill me. He would dump my body somewhere in the swamp. The thought made bile rise in my throat, and I thought I’d vomit from fear.

  At least Camila was safe. I kept telling myself that. Gabor would protect her. He would make sure she got the other amulets. Lord Balam might leave now that I was gone, but Gabor never would. He would make sure that she took the throne from Father, ended his reign of barbarism.

  After a while, we left the city behind. The cold wind over my arms made me shiver, and I huddled against Shadow despite myself. I needed his warmth, as much as I hated to admit it. We wound through the swamps lit only by the single headlight of his bike. The darkness seemed to swallow the rest of the world, leaving only us, a streak of light through the inky black nothingness. My shaking stopped. I knew what would happen to me, and I would make it as quick and painless as possible.

  At last, Shadow stopped the bike. As if I’d been waiting for the cue, I leapt off and ran. I wouldn’t go down easily. I would die fighting.

  My feet slid on mud, and Shadow hit me from behind. I fell with a splash, sickly warm water swallowing me. I felt slimy reeds and grasses bend against my face, tangle between my fingers. I held my breath, the weight of his body pushing me down until I smashed into the mud. I made a sound in my throat, refusing to open my mouth for the water. When he didn’t let me up, I began to struggle. His hands found my shoulder blades, pinning me as I thrashed in the muddy water.

  At last, my throat began to burn, my chest and lungs on fire, and I went still. So this was how it ended. So pathetically quickly.

  Just as I opened my mouth, I was yanked to the surface. I sucked in a mouthful of air, wanting to scream but unable to do anything but breathe. And then I was plunged back under. Shadow’s strong hand gripped my hair this time, shoving my face into the mud. I screamed underwater, writhing against his hold.

  He dragged me back up, and I gasped for breath, grabbing at his hand that gripped my hair with punishing force. “You lied,” he whispered in that hoarse rasp.

  Then I was back under, and everything was gone except instinct. I clawed and screamed, swallowing water, choking on it until he dragged me up again. This time, he threw me back the way I’d come. I slammed down on solid ground, grasping it for dear life as water spewed out of me. I lay there choking and sobbing for a full minute, Shadow crouching over me, his green eyes glowing faintly against the dark backdrop of the sky.

  “Now,” he said at last. “You said you’d do whatever I wanted. That was the deal, wasn’t it?”

  I shuddered with a sob, curling into the fetal position.

  “Wasn’t it?” Shadow asked, grabbing my hair. “You didn’t want me to hurt your sister, so you would do whatever I wanted. That’s what you said you wanted.”

  “Okay,” I choked out, nodding.

  “Tell me it’s what you want.”

  “It’s what I want,” I agreed.

  “Me, too,” he said. “I’m glad we’re in agreement.”

  With that, he yanked my black leather pants down, his hips crushing down on mine. Another jerk, and his own pants were down. His hot, rigid cock burned against the bare skin of my belly. I bucked under him, desperate to free myself. He must have taken it for an invitation because he thrust forward while my hips were raised, driving his cock into me. I cried out, my body clenching against him in protest. He gave an answering cry, forcing himself deeper into me. I bit my lip as he began driving into me, deeper with each thrust, until every inch of him had claimed me for his own.

  He pumped into me with deep, powerful thrusts, his hard body trembling with unspent energy as he pounded me into the mud. His body was hot against mine, his skin warming my belly as his hips moved between mine. His pelvic bone crushed my clit with each thrust, and to my horror, I felt myself getting wet.

  He groaned, and his own juices joined mine, making me slick for his cock. My body thirsted for his warmth, his body pressing down on mine, thrusting harder as if he’d fuck me into the ground itself. He grabbed my knee and pulled it up, his claws digging into my soft skin, his hips slamming into mine at a frantic pace. At last, he dropped my leg and slammed his hands down on either side of my head, sinking them into the mud. A cry of anguish tore from his throat as he gave a final, furious thrust, burying himself in me as his cum flooded into me in torrents.

  Shadow collapsed onto me, his full weight pinning me, his body trembling against mine, his skin hot as a fever. For a minute, I lay there too stunned to move. It was over.

  But when he jumped up from me, his eyes still burned with that ember of insanity.

  I shrank back, rolling away from him.

  No, no, no. Why hadn’t it worked? He’d come. It was supposed to be done.

  Before I could rise, he picked me up and slung me over his shoulder, his body coiling like a spring. And then we were flying through the air, and I gripped him involuntarily. Even though he had just drowned me and fucked me into the earth like he wanted to bury me, I clung to him now, unable to release my grip. His feet hit the ground, and he bounded again, this time landing on something that shifted. Shadow cursed and leapt again, and again, taking us deeper into the swamp with each jump.

  At last he stopped, his breath coming short, and let me slide off his back. I looked around at the little I could see in the starlight. Trees with water standing around them, and a tiny hillock in the middle with a tinier white camper on it. The ground underfoot was spongy and wet, and I heard water sloshing nearby as we crossed the few feet of land to the trailer. I had no idea how he’d gotten a vehicle onto this little island in the swamp. Maybe it had been here before the water rose the first time.

  My heart slammed in my chest as Shadow pushed me up the steps to the door. I grasped the metal knob, trying to still my shaking. Maybe, just maybe, if I played nice, he’d let me live.

  I pulled open the metal door and stepped inside. Shadow stepped in behind me, and his body shifted against mine as he reached for something overhead. A bare bulb blinked on, lighting the inside of the place. Broken dishes lay strewn across the floor on one end, the cupboard hanging open over the sink. In the other end of the small space, a mattress had been torn from the bed, its stuffing hanging out through a series of slashes. An animal skin lay on the floor in shreds, and a pair of manacles hung from the bedframe.

  My knees turned liquid. I was about to be disemboweled and eaten by a fucking panther. Was this how my mother felt in the hands of the panther rebels? The thought made my stomach lurch with sickness. I turned to run, but I hit Shadow’s solid chest of sinewy muscle.

  “Please just kill me before you eat me,” I blurted out, forgetting all about dying with dignity. Fuck dignity. I’d die begging with my last breath.

  Shadow grabbed me and spun me around, pinning my back against him. “See this?” he asked, gesturing to the little camper. “See what your little game did to me?”

  “You did this?” I whisper
ed, staring at the slashes in the mattress. His claws had left those.

  “I tried not to,” he said. “I tried masturbation, but it didn’t help. I tried breaking shit, but it didn’t help. I tried shackling myself to the bed so I wouldn’t hurt anyone. I screamed all night, waiting for it to go away. But it never goes away, does it, Princess Itzel?”

  He spat my name like a curse.

  “No,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes closed so I didn’t have to see what he’d done to his cute little house. What we’d done.

  “At last, you broke me,” he growled. “Now you get to see how it feels.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice shaking. “I know how it feels. I had it once, too.”

  “Did you?” he asked, his smooth chin brushing against my neck, his hands moving down from my shoulders to squeeze my breasts. “How long did you hold out?”

  “I didn’t,” I admitted.

  He rolled down the cups of my leather top, letting my breasts spill out into his hands before pinching my nipples between his fingertips. “Make it go away, you witch.”

  “I can’t,” I said as a tear leaked from my tight lids. “You have to… Maybe try again.”

  “You broke my dick,” he growled, grabbing my hand and wrenching it behind my back, pressing his stiff cock into my palm. “It’s still hard. It never goes away. For three days, it hasn’t gone away.”

  “You have to mate,” I said. “That’s the only way to make it stop.”

  “I just did,” he roared in my ear, so loudly the trailer shook. I shook, cowering against him.

  “I know,” I said, another tear rolling down my cheek. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how it works. I’m not even a shifter.”

  “And that’s why you offered yourself,” he said. “Because you don’t matter. Because to your fucking people, no one matters except ocelots. Not panthers who are dying every day from drowning and disease. Not even the mothers and children were welcome. Now it all makes sense. Even a princess doesn’t matter if she’s not an ocelot.”