Chapter 2
Rattle my bones, drink my blood, but no sacrifice shall be had until the virgin becomes our whore in the Wild Hunt.
The longer we hunt, the deeper our bloodlust festers. The woods are cold. Wet. Dark. She won’t be able to run for long. I will reach her, capture her, and ruin her pretty, soft skin.
They usually cry. The sounds of weeping ghosts haunt me still, echoing in my mind. It does nothing to satisfy the silence. The inexplicable silence that surrounds me now. This one is different. She’s tried to mask her scent, but I can still detect it coming from somewhere close.
Finally. A challenge.
I scan the trees, searching for movement.
The wind rustles softly but doesn’t give anything away.
My cock stretches, tenting my pants as I catch a whiff of soot and salted meat.
Her skin is stained with it, the result of endless days of hard physical labor.
The scent of a peasant whom no one will miss.
No one will come looking for her unless they don’t receive their gifts from Saint Nick. But by then, we’ll be long gone.
I have no intention of giving this one away to Saint fucking Nick.
My blood is simmering with need. Since the beginning of time, we have killed but never touched.
Searching. Waiting. We never took pleasure—never gave in to our carnal desires.
The others feel it too. The way she moves through the forest, leaves us imprints of her essence whilst remaining out of our grasp. It’s intoxicating. It’s familiar.
And that cruel god owes us.
As the rain falls hard upon me, I tie my brown hair up into a knot on the top of my head. A few wisps hang down and stick to my skin like wet parchment. I dig in my heels and urge my horse north.
Buried between the smells of soil and leaves is the scent of fear. I can almost hear her heart hammering in my ears. Throbbing like the vein in my shaft.
Our clever little virgin isn’t as smart as she thinks she is. She has no idea I’m herding her exactly where I want her to go. I close my eyes and listen. Over the sound of hooves, I hear the crunch of snow. She’s close.
“Go!” I command my horse as I dig in harder.
We race through the first clearing, the forest floor covered in a thick blanket of white powder for as far as the mortal eye can see.
But I am no mortal. I look beyond the snowflakes and shadows to see long blonde hair flapping wildly in the wind.
My pulse quickens, my adrenaline bursting through my veins like liquid fire.
“Velox!” I shout. Faster. The tree line becomes a blur as we charge forward, shortening the distance between us and victory. I can hear her whimper now over heavy breaths. She’s running as fast as her slender legs will let her.
As we near, her scent chokes me. I want to drown in it. She doesn’t dare look back as I make gains on her, my horse almost nipping at her boots. Boots that are falling apart as fast as she’s running.
But I’m faster.
I dart to her left and gallop beside her.
She makes the mistake of glancing up into my glowing eyes.
Her mouth opens, forming an O, her eyes widening just as big.
Sweat glistens down her neck while golden strands whip around her angelic face.
But all I can think about is her delicate and fragile body, never having been touched by a man before. I’m salivating.
A deep moan billows out from my chest at the thought of burying my cock inside every one of her virgin holes. I slow our pace and let her inch ahead, letting her think that she might get away. False hope makes my cock harder.
My moans turn to growls as the anticipation builds. I edge myself to the brink until I can’t resist trailing her anymore. I pull forward until I’m trotting at her side again. “Enough,” I grunt out.
She lets out a bloodcurdling scream as I reach down. In one swift move, I wrap an arm around her waist and snatch her off the ground. I put her on her belly in front of me so her head and legs hang off the sides of my stallion.
She thrashes against me, but I hold her tiny frame down with one hand, pressing it into the small of her back. Even sitting, I overpower her. This makes me even harder as I imagine how loud she’ll scream when I stretch her tight pussy around my cock. I will show her how I’m worthy of my name.
She screams as she bounces against the saddle. But her voice gets lost in the wind, drowning in the currents as the rain falls harder. My fingers tremble with need as we charge down a steep ravine. I ache to touch every inch of her, not just the curve of her hip, as I hold her tight to me.
When we near the caves, I slow our pace until we come to a complete stop by the river. My steed bucks as she thrashes like an animal wilder than him.
“Stop!” I slide off and drag her down with me. “You’ve spooked my horse,” I growl, my nose just inches from hers.
She shivers, her teeth chattering. “Please. I don’t want to die.”
I huff and throw her over my shoulder. “That’s not what you should be afraid of.”
She pounds her fists against my back as I walk us into the cave. “Let me go, you monster!”
I set her down, then back her up against the rocky wall of the cave. “Shhh.” I smooth her hair out of her face. “You’ve been chosen. In every way imaginable.”
Her clever eyes widen, realizing the weight of her predicament. “No. I take it back. I’d rather die.”
I yank off her coat to see that the rain has soaked her thin cotton dress, plastering it to her shivering body. Two perfect little buds stand erect, pink and swollen.
I rub my thumb over one of them; it pebbles even more through the wet cotton. “You should be thanking me for sparing your life. The others weren’t so lucky.”
She hisses through pouted lips. “Don’t touch me.”
I ignore her command and do the same to her other nipple, noticing how the fear and fury in her eyes transform into something else.
Curiosity. Desire, maybe… An exquisite reaction from a girl who’s never been touched before.
“There is nowhere to go. You belong to me. To us. To the Wild Hunt. My lovely little thing… sweet, precious prey. I am called Conquest for a reason.”
“Prey? I am not an animal,” she snaps, her lip quivering.
Humans are intriguing creatures. They war and pillage, murder and maim, and yet they remain so fragile. They wield their emotions like swords, quick to beg for mercy when they’re the ones on the chopping block, yet merciless when it’s they who hold the blade in their hands.
“No, you are not. Animals hunt and kill for survival. Your kind does so for riches. Isn’t that why you are trapped in this forest with us to begin with? Your village has offered you up as a sacrifice for their own lust and greed.”
She flinches when I stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. Her skin is so delicate, so soft and supple. I can’t wait to taste it.
“So what does that make you?” Her teeth chatter as another crisp breeze wafts between us.
I chuckle. “Not animal or human. Neither gods nor saints. We, my lovely little doe, are something else. Something dark and ancient and full of fury. We take what we want because we can.”
“Kill me. Please. Or I shall find a way to do it myself.” She tilts her chin up in an effort to look brave.
I place my hands on her hips and pull her toward me. My cock hardens against her belly. “No. Sliding into your tight little cunt sounds more enjoyable.”
She pushes against me, squirming as I tighten my grip. “No. I will not give you what you want.”
Oh, sweet, fragile beauty. I kiss the top of her forehead. “I’m not asking.” The more she struggles against me, the harder I get. I sense the others are close, watching, aroused, waiting for their turn. But we will take her innocence together after we’ve each had our fun opening her up.
Imogen whimpers as I lower my hands to her bottom. I caress her ass through the thin fabric, slowly bunching it as I lift it up. “Your beauty shatters me,” I whisper.
She looks up at me, her eyelids fluttering. “And what of my village? My sister? If you don’t kill me, they’ll send her in my place.”
Her naivete is endearing. I squeeze the backs of her thighs. A smile forms on my lips as I heed the quickness of her breath. “They will never know, sweet one. You belong to the Four Horsemen now… ours to defile for eternity. Isn’t that better than perishing?”
Tears well in her eyes, but her gaze is full of venom. “I will never want these vile things that you taunt me with.”
I scoop her up from her bottom, forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist. “I think you already are.”
The fire has warmed the furs I’ve laid out.
I set her down on them and kneel between her thighs.
I’m entranced as the flames cast an ethereal glow across her rosy skin, its reflection flickering in her pale blue eyes.
It matches the base of the flame. The rest of the cave is dark, however, except for this beacon of light around us. This sacred circle I will claim her in.
She shivers despite the heat, her teeth chattering, fingers trembling at her sides. “You can take my body, but you cannot have my soul.”
Hmm. An interesting challenge. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.” Without waiting for permission, I tear her white cotton dress down the middle.
She shrieks and wraps her arms around her naked body. “You’re a heathen!”
I smile as I remove my shirt, relishing the way her eyes widen at the sight of my corded muscles. Her gaze flits between each ancient mark engraved in my flesh, from my broad shoulders all the way down to the washboard of my belly.
“Move your hands, or I will tie them behind your back.”
“I hate you.” Tears stream down her flushed cheeks. Slowly, she falters, her hands dropping to her sides.
I draw in a sharp breath at the sight of her pink nipples darkening to a deep shade of red. Her arousal pleases me, making my cock swell like a young man who’s getting an erection for the first time. “Your tongue is a liar,” I rasp.
Her skin is milky, creamy, unmarred except for the crescent-shaped birthmark on her right inner thigh.
I run my finger over it before turning my gaze to the lush apex between her legs.
Her folds are slick, glistening. My jaw tingles, my glands watering as I salivate over this untouched wilderness.
“But your body, dear gods… your body speaks your truth.”
Imogen lies frozen, unmoving. “Get on with it then. Have your way with me if that’s what will make you happy.”
I smirk, lower my head, and plant a soft kiss on her birthmark. “Watching you unravel is going to be my new favorite sport.”
Her belly spasms as I plant another kiss higher up on her leg.
I study her every move—the way her breath quickens, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the quivering of her flesh as I inch my lips up higher.
And higher still until I’m nestled into the crook of her thigh.
That delicate spot between anticipation and pleasure.
“You’re wrong,” she says on a breath. “I will not unravel for—”
I dip my tongue inside her pussy and moan as her back arches away from the fur blanket. Her mouth parts, forming an O. I spread her open with my fingers and slide in deeper, humming as her sweet essence fills my mouth. Dear gods…
She bites her lip to stifle a moan, but it’s too late. I hear it clawing up her throat. I draw out and run the tip of my tongue up her slit until I find her virgin nub. I take it between my teeth, applying slight pressure while using my lips to suction it. A gentle preview before I destroy her.
She jerks her hips and grabs a fistful of fur in each of her palms. “No… how dare you?”
I release it with a pop and lick around her throbbing bulb, teasingly. “What were you saying about not unraveling?”
Her face turns a shade of red so bright, it matches her swollen nipples.