Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
I stare at the three men, and see that all of them are shooting me amused grins.
“You must be kidding.”
“No, I’m not,” Ragnar drawls. “If you get another bite of our pear, you’ll be bonded to us for life. You’ll want to follow us to bed, and then offer that sweet body to us again and again, until you’re wrung out and exhausted.”
I stare into those blue depths, unsure if he’s kidding.
“But I already did all that. Well, basically.”
Ragnar lets out a shout of laughter.
“You did, didn’t you? It’s because the juice you had at the bar was drugged with Lysenian pear extract. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to provide a good trip.”
That makes me sit bolt upright in his arms. I almost fall off his lap, but Ragnar holds me close once more.
“It’s fine, baby,” he croons. “Don’t be mad.”
But I’m angry and yank myself away from him before shooting accusatory glares at all three men.
“Who are you, to think that you can drug a strange woman and then fuck her? What the hell? Is Mike your lackey?”
Mizhir looks straight back at me, black eyes gleaming.
“I’m Mizhir, of House Lysander,” he growls.
Rizza joins in.
“I’m Rizza, of House Pembroke,” he adds. “Mikael works for us, as we stated earlier. He’s already been rewarded for his loyalty.”
“And you don’t need to worry about any aftereffects from the elixir,” Mizhir adds in a low tone. “We barely gave you anything, and you were out.”
I sputter again.
“But drugging a woman only to fuck her later, three on one? Who does that? This is a crime and I’m calling Chicago PD.”
“To tell them what?” Rizza asks, one black brow arched in amusement. “At the moment, sweetheart, you’re currently nude in our liege’s lap. You’ve been well-fucked and taken in all three holes, that’s true, so you could concoct a story about something, and someone will believe you. But what will you use to contact the police? You don’t have a phone, and our home doesn’t have a land line.”
I look around then, and realize that I don’t recognize where I am. I’d been so consumed with trying to get my bearings that I didn’t even think to take in my surroundings. But now, I realize that we’re in an ornate living room. It looks like a bit like a castle because the walls are made of heavy stone, and strung with colorful tapestries depicting mythological animals. The furniture is wooden, heavy, and square, although the couch appears to be upholstered in fine purple velvet. But there are no electronic gadgets strewn about. I thought everyone had a flatscreen these days, as well as Alexas, Ring cameras, and Roombas. But none of these devices are present, and it’s almost as if I’ve stepped back in time.
“These are our personal premises,” Ragnar drawls, still holding me close. “Welcome to our castle, Ali.”
“A castle?” I stammer, staring at a particular beautiful tapestry featuring a unicorn and a maiden. “Are we still in Chicago?”
Mizhir chuckles before taking a seat on a nearby ottoman. His huge form dwarfs the poof, and I can’t help but notice how his broad shoulders seem to grow even wider as I stare at him.
“My liege, may I explain?” he asks. Ragnar nods, and the huge man continues. “This isn’t a castle, per se. Not like the kind you find in Europe with a moat, portcullis, and arrow slits for defense. But you Americans are interesting. Evidently, there was an eccentric billionaire who got it into his head that he wanted to build a castle for his family to live in. He bought some property outside Chicago, and boom! Now we have Castle Black.”
I stare.
“But why haven’t I heard of this place before? And where’s the billionaire and his family?”
Rizza shrugs, lowering his huge form to the couch beside us.
“Rich people often prize discretion, and the billionaire’s no different. Evidently, he talked to people at Google and convinced them to leave Castle Black off Google Maps. Not only that, but there are no roads that lead here. No public roads, at least,” he amends. “So Chicago PD would have a hard time finding you, if they even have jurisdiction over this area.”
I stare at them.
“But they can use the GPS in my phone to track me. Someone’s going to realize I’m missing after a while.”
The three men look at each other and shrug.
“Sure, after a while,” Rizza drawls, his black hair like midnight. “But it’ll take some time. In the meantime, you’re ours.”
I stare at them.
“I’m yours?”
Rizza grins at me, almost baring his teeth.
“Yes. All of ours.”
I take a deep breath because obviously, this conversation has been mind-blowing. Actually, everything that’s happened today has been mind-blowing, and Ragnar runs a big hand up and down my back soothingly.
“You okay, sweetheart? It could be the aftereffects of sub-space. You have been to sub-space before, haven’t you?”