Chapter 14
A pale light streams in through the stained glass windows. For a moment, I lose my bearings, forgetting I’m in a castle with four heathens who spared my life only to claim my body. I drift between fear and desire, lust and shame. I have survived the night, but will that be enough?
War is a rabid wolf at my back. He grips my ass hard, spreading my cheeks apart as he coats my entrance with the thick honey; once used to sweeten my tea and cakes, now a lubricant for him to ease inside my most fragile cavity.
But as he inches the tip of his cock in, it feels as if there isn’t enough moisture in the world to make this hurt less. Even so, still, my pussy throbs, full of desire and greed for their depravity.
I claw at the bed sheets, nearly foaming at the mouth. My monsters are as gentle as they are fierce, softly caressing my skin as they pull and pinch and demand more of me. I take deep breaths as War’s cock promises to rip me apart.
“You’re doing so well,” Conquest coaxes with his hands tangled in my hair. His firm grip on my strands, a mixture of ownership and tender support.
Death’s hand is underneath me, cupping my pussy. And so help me, but I can’t stop myself from rubbing it against his cold palm, desperate to find a sense of pleasure that will melt away the pain.
War lifts my hips higher as he pushes in another inch. “Mmm… such a good little whore.”
A trickle of fear stirs in my belly. What if they intend to still kill me after? Or during? I wonder if one can die this way. He could rip me apart from the inside out.
“Don’t be afraid,” Death whispers in my ear.
Famine chuckles. “Be terrified.”
I bite down on my lower lip and take shallow breaths. “You’re too big for me. Please…”
War thrusts in deeper, ignoring my pleas. “You were made for us, Imogen. Don’t deny me your ache. I want to hear the cracks in your voice when you scream.” Thrust. “I want to taste the sweat off your back and lick the tears from your eyes.” Thrust.
He’s filling me up, remaking me in his image like an iron forged in fire. And it sparks something inside me that reverberates through my entire core. Ohhh. I jerk against the mattress and use Death’s hand as an anchor, rubbing harder against it.
War grunts and squeezes my buttocks together, creating a cradle for his hard cock. “Ahhh. That’s it. You’re opening up for me now. Doesn’t that feel better, little doe?”
I can’t deny that it does. He’s unlocked something primal within me. I unclench and exhale the breath I’ve been holding, whimpering into the sheets as he thrusts all the way in.
Conquest yanks on my hair. “He asked you a question. Answer it.”
“Y-yes,” I declare.
War smears his honey-coated fingers around my hole as he slides out halfway, then slams back in.
I buck and cry out. Oh gods. Why does this feel so good? A deep ache festers in my belly, a longing to be defiled in every way. He draws this out of me. They all do. I feel rabid and raw. Alive.
“Wait,” Death commands. “Let me get underneath her.”
I’m panting as tears stream down my face. I’m overstimulated, combusting like a bonfire that’s been ignited by oil. I’m the wildfire and the wood that stokes it.
The three of them lift me up while Death lies back against the mattress. “I want you to take both of us at the same time.”
Panic seizes my chest. I shake my head. “Are you mad? That’s not possible.”
Shadows flicker through his eyes even as he smirks. “Slide that pretty cunt around my cock, little doe. I’ll show you what is possible.”
He spreads my pussy wide with his fingers as I lower myself onto him. “Uhhh,” I murmur.
His lip quivers. “Oh, that’s good. What a marvel you are.”
“Enough,” War growls. He rubs the tip of his wet cock in circles around my swollen hole. “I want back in.”
Before I can protest, he returns, sliding in much easier this time. My mouth gapes open as the sensation of both of them inside me does unspeakable things to my heart rate and my bewildered mind. It shouldn’t feel this natural. This familiar. As if they were made to be inside me at once.
They guide me back and forth between them like a seesaw. Our moans morph together into one terrifying voice, strangled in our chests like caged birds pecking away at their steel bars.
Famine yanks my chin toward his cock. “Open your mouth.”
I’m dizzy, my heart racing wildly in my chest as the stimulation shatters me. And now they make even more demands, requiring more sacrifices.
Conquest pushes my head farther down. “Let us complete you.”
As soon as I part my lips, Famine plunges his cock inside my mouth.
“Oh, you like getting used by us, don’t you?” Death’s gaze is taunting, yet tender. As if his degradation is an act of endearment.
Tears stream down my cheeks as Famine’s cock taps the back of my throat. I steal a deep breath through my nose when he retreats.
Conquest pulls my face toward him and slips his cock in next. I feel the blush creeping from my neck down to my chest as the shame of what I allow them to do fills me. As they fill me from every angle.
“Imogen,” they chant. Their voices are low and demonic, but the cadence stirs something deep in my soul. Like a long-forgotten folktale or distant lullaby. Visions of my riders storming through the woods flash in my mind. They are my captors, my monsters, but also, my legends.
The Four Horsemen of the Wild Hunt, and they are obsessed with… me.
Death’s cum fills me first. It’s hot and thick. But it’s War who sends me over the edge. I shudder between them. A feral cry rips from my throat as my orgasm claims me like a thief in the night.
Famine and Conquest take turns punishing my mouth. They choke and gag me, their invasion making me raw and ravenous. I welcome it, spun like golden thread between them. My body is on fire, resurrected by the ancient longing etched in my bones.
I swallow Famine’s offering, gulping it down like a goblet of sweet mead. He laughs, consumed by his own rapture. With his essence still dripping down my chin, Conquest reenters. He grips the sides of my head as he unravels on my tongue.
He tilts his head back and roars, “May the gods witness our power.”
An ache stirs in my nub, sending me into a frenzy. I moan around Conquest’s cock, lapping ferociously at the underside of his shaft while I swallow every drop he unleashes.
They chant my name louder, singing my praises like devoted worshippers. And yet it is I who serves them. The dreams I once had as a girl have transformed into this. I longed for an awakening. An adventure. I begged the gods for pleasure.
In this moment, I finally realize my prayers have been answered.
There is no joy to be had in my old life.
The alternative, in which my sister now faces, is being sold off to a man twice her age.
A man she will loathe until he dies after bearing him unruly children.
The disgust when she has to numb herself with opium just to get through another night of him fondling her. A life that I have now escaped.
It is not my sacrifice that is worthy. It is Lucy’s. For I am truly free while she still lives in chains.
A breath lodges in my throat. I burst into tears and collapse onto Death’s chest. I feel the full weight of my fate. Their hands are gentle, stroking and caressing my limbs. Their thunderous voices now soft as they soothe and coax.
Even War is tender as his fingertips dance along my spine. “Are you mourning your innocence, little doe?”
I choke on my sobs, my chest heaving as I sit up. I’m suddenly nervous in the stillness with all of their eyes on me. “No. I am filled with guilt for the ones I’ve left behind. Their innocence will come at a much higher price.”
The rest of the night moves fast, yet slow at the same time, like a fever dream. I cry as they bathe me. With merciful hands, they rub ointments and creams over every inch of me, taking extra care of the places they’ve penetrated.
Then the nourishment comes. Conquest feeds me soup while Famine brushes my hair and War reads aloud from an old book.
But I don’t focus on the words, just his voice.
And Death sits across from me, holding my gaze.
He views me with amusement and curiosity.
I let them dote on me as I fade away into the darkest recesses of my mind.
Until I can’t keep my heavy lids open any longer.
I wake up in a sea of tangled limbs, aching in places I’ve never ached before. They have me trapped in a heap of thick, muscular legs, chiseled arms, and heavy furs. I sigh as they sleep. It’s the first quiet moment I’ve had to myself since I was first abandoned in the woods.
It’s tranquil here. There’s the faint sound of ravens squawking in the distance and the sweet melodic chirps from songbirds who perch on the window ledge.
I marvel at the fact that I’m in a castle with four strange and beautiful men, with nothing to want for ever again. It is a fairy tale, albeit a dark one.
The fear has almost left me now, too exhausted to battle my adrenaline any longer.
I’ve been hunted, starved, fed, drowned, buried in dirt, and yet they tuck me away for safekeeping.
It never crossed my mind, as I was running through the woods, that the Four Horsemen could be my saviors, not my executioners.
But there’s an uncertain spark in the air. A penance that was never paid. A new fear unfurls in my bones. My breath hitches. They were meant to chase me. To capture me. But I wasn’t their sacrifice to claim. They’ve stolen me, and now I wonder who will pay that price.
“Has our sleeping beauty awakened?” Conquest asks. War, Famine, and Death stretch out around me, fluffing my furs and pillows. I fixate on the wooden beams above my head, shivering despite the warmth from four brutish men.
Death nuzzles my neck. “What weighs on your mind, little doe?”
I lick my lips, willing moisture back into my mouth. “What will you tell Saint Nick? He must be furious you haven’t delivered me to him.”
The four of them exchange a ferocious look. They each reach out possessively to lay a hand on some part of my body.
“He’s not your concern,” War snaps.
“But I am his. Will he come for me?” I shudder at the thought. “Or will he make you kill another in my place?”
Famine snorts. “We don’t take orders from him anymore. If he wants to come, let him.”
“I dare him to try and take you from us,” War adds through gritted teeth.
Death slips out of bed and stands before us, naked and beautiful. “There are wards around this castle… these lands. No one can enter but us. And you. Our doe-eyed queen.”
“The wards keep you from leaving as well,” War snarls. He wants me with every fiber of his being, but he doesn’t yet trust me. The feeling is mutual.
I sit up and pull the furs with me, covering my breasts. “So he won’t find me?”
Conquest drapes a protective arm around my shoulders. “No one will find you, Imogen. This is your home now.”
Despite being told there is no possible means of escape, I don’t feel like a prisoner. Not after what we shared last night. It felt good to give in. To surrender. And I’d rather be their peasant queen than someone else’s servant. Or a corpse, for that matter.
I nod. “Do I still have to crawl, or am I blessed enough to walk around on my own two feet?”
Famine bursts out laughing.
“Only when we play our games,” Death answers. “But otherwise, you are free to roam around wherever, and however you like.”
“Until we call for you,” War snaps.
“Very well,” I murmur.
As if reading my mind, Conquest springs from the bed and claps his hands together. “Let’s start the day by showing you to your chambers. We’ve filled it with all the lovely things you could ever dream of.”
A rush of relief washes over me. I was starting to think they were going to keep me in a cage in the dungeon.
Death places a soft kiss on my lips before I’m whisked away. “The Wild Hunt breeds in our bones… Soon, it will in yours as well.”
It’s this place, and them, that stirs these primal longings. I know it as I gaze deep into his dark eyes. This ache to hunt and chase festers like a disease. Like an insatiable craving.
His lips pull up into a smirk as he watches the revelation spark in my eyes. Soon, I will become like them…
A monster.