PRIMAL MAGIC: SWAN'S LAKE Read online

  He heard the whimpering cries for release, but never associated that it was him making them, pouring out promises to the magician, vows of loyalty and commitment as his cock pummeled into him. He gripped the window sill as he again felt the burgeoning desire building inside, but this time Satrius didn't stop and he exploded so powerfully he thought he'd lose consciousness, as wave after wave of ecstasy shot through him.

  A shower of cold water poured down on him as Satrius emptied the pitcher over him. He shuddered at the shock and he convulsed harder, shouting with ecstasy, and would have dropped to his knees if Satrius had not held him up, his cock still deeply entrenched in Reynaldo's channel.

  Reynaldo trembled forcefully with the power of his orgasm and then unbelievably, Satrius began to move inside him again, drawing him up from his exhaustion. Amazingly his own cock again began to harden.

  It was the magic of the man, as no normal man would have recovered so quickly, but Satrius was no ordinary mortal. Nor was Reynaldo. Satrius had changed everything.

  Satrius leaned close to him. "I think you understand. She can't give you want you need. You know that. You belong to me of your own free will."

  Reynaldo could only nod his head. Of course, he had known all along where he belonged. Known there was no other course for him. He inwardly collapsed, recognizing his master, defeated by his own lust.

  Demanding hands pressed into Reynaldo's hips, and Satrius forced him away from the window, pivoting him toward the bed. He shuffled forward, Satrius still buried inside him, directing him. Only when they reached the bed did he pull free. "On the bed. On your back."

  Reynaldo did as he directed. He looked up at the imposing continence of the master magician. Reynaldo's cock was at full attention once again, ready to be dominated and pleasured at the master's whim.

  Satrius lifted his legs and separated them. His ass at the correct angle, he positioned his cock at his entrance and pressed deep. Reynaldo inhaled sharply at the forceful penetration, reveling in the domination. Satrius's hands slid up his chest to his nipples, grasping each one he twisted and thrust forward. Reynaldo cried out at the sharp pleasure that consumed him.

  "Yes," he yelled. "Whatever you want is yours." This man gave him power, offered him the secrets and the ability to have anything he wanted. To enjoy erotic possession in ways he had never dreamed of, with unbelievable stamina both in spirit and in body.

  He arched upward, melding himself more tightly to Satrius. With Satrius there were no limits, no boundaries. He plummeted into the abyss.

  Satrius lifted away and grasped Reynaldo's cock with both hands sliding over the slick flesh. The world spun and he could not catch his breath as the dark desire rocked through him.

  Satrius called forth the pleasure, pulled the semen from his body, spurting across his abdomen. Satrius pulled out and thrust deep, coming with force inside his rectum.

  He then pulled his softening penis from Reynaldo's gaping hole and slid up onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows. Sluggishly, Reynaldo slid from the bed and walked over to the basin. He wet a cloth and turned back to the bed. First he cleaned the master magician and then returned to the basin and cleaned himself, dropping the cloth back into the bowl.

  He could not help glancing out the window longingly, seeing the purity and peace represented by the plethora of fragile looking swans nesting on the mirrored waters. He broke away from the vision and turned to look at Satrius lounging on the bed. The world outside his window was not for him.

  Satrius opened his arms and without hesitation, Reynaldo went to him. He had chosen his course, accepted his magician lover and all that might be necessary to keep him at his side.

  He crawled over the thick quilting to rest between Satrius's legs, and lowered his head in supplication against the dark magician's muscled chest. Satrius tilted his head back to look into his eyes and then lowered his head to claim his lips, pressing his tongue deeply into his mouth. Reynaldo cupped his thick neck. Satrius raised his head and Reynaldo saw the hard determination lingering in his eyes.

  "Tonight you will go to Belinda and provide her with the assurance she needs."

  Reynaldo again rested his head against Satrius's chest, could hear the steady thundering of his strong heart. "I will do as you ask."

  He glanced toward the window. The swan maiden was not for him. He was no longer the young lord he once was, looking for a bride to grace his home. Something else had taken hold of him and he could not retrace his steps to human naïveté.

  He closed his eyes. Satrius's hands stroked over his hair and down his back. How had he become so accustomed to the touch of the man? So needy for it he could not think of a time when he had not required it?

  The steady stroking of the firm hands soothed him and he thought no more of the whys of the situation.

  Chapter 2

  * * *

  Martine drifted to the ground near the border of the lake and shifted from her swan form to that of a human. She glanced around as she unfolded to rise to her feet and then stopped as her gaze met that of the glittering, deadly stare of the cheetah crouched not thirty feet in front of her.

  Reynaldo. Pressed low to the ground, he approached her, but she refused to back away. Still as a statue she waited. She was not afraid of him no matter what form he chose to take. He wanted her to be, wanted to frighten her enough that she would leave and take the rest of the swans with her. He feared his attraction to her.

  She knelt on the ground, hands pressed to the earth, watching. Would this be the time he shifted to his man form and took what he wanted from her? Right now he was all male predator. She could hear the low rumbling, like the buzz of a million bees.

  He was now close enough for her to smell his animal heat. Her body responded, nipples tightening and her juices splashing onto her thighs. Her body recognized the scent of the male, even if it was not of her species. Instead of turning to flee, she inched toward him, crouched and defying his snarl.

  He was in danger from the dark magic swirling around him and his land. She sensed his sensual interest in her. But it was not enough that she could break him free of the shadowy web that seemed to hold him a willing prisoner. The lake and forest had only recovered because of the power of the swans working together. She alone could not have done it--her magic was not strong enough to combat that of the magician. But was it powerful enough to sever the magical bonds created by Satrius and the whore Belinda?

  Oh, yes, she knew he fucked Belinda, that he was Satrius's lover as well. They must find a way to break the spell before it was too late. Or it would be more than just Reynaldo who suffered--the whole land of Valliana would reap the havoc created as well.

  Reynaldo had no idea what he was involved in. He had been susceptible to Satrius--like a sponge soaking up the magic. He had been easily seduced by the magician and his witch whore. But Martine and the swans would succeed in breaking the dark ties that bound him. Some way.

  Reynaldo screamed, pivoted, and leapt back into the forest, disappearing from view. Martine rose to her feet and pulled her swan cloak close. She shivered at the close call. The waiting was not yet over.

  She had entered this world through the enchanted swan gate, fleeing from her demented jailor, determined to escape his ruthless persecution. Oh, she understood very well the power of dark magic. Her own seducer had used a form of it on her as well. At a time when she was sated with pleasure he had hidden her cape. She only managed to discover it by accident and wasted no time in fleeing his captivity. She had heard of the ancient, enchanted arch and knew her only chance would be through it, even though she did not know what might await her on the other side. Anything was better than being recaptured by her pursuer.

  He almost caught her, but then she shapeshifted and soared out of his reach. Just as she was about to pass beneath the arch, a searing pain smashed through her when an arrow pierced her outstretched wing. She had almost faltered, but even with an arrow lodged deeply in her wing she managed to mak
e it through the arch, into the abyss of nothing. As she broke through into the other world she saw the outline of the lake. Although it had been ill-kept and stagnant, she had no choice.

  Unable to continue flying because of the excruciating pain, she tumbled to the earth and lost consciousness.

  When next she awoke, she was lying in a huge canopied bed, her arm bandaged and Reynaldo bent over her. A darkly beautiful young man with a soul webbed in shadow. She saw hunger and pain in his heart and she knew in that first moment she had been sent here to save him.

  "My cloak?" she had croaked, searching frantically around the room. She had attempted to rise from the bed, but found herself too weak and fell backward against the pillows. She could not lose her cloak again--retrieving it had already cost her too much.

  A strong hand had gripped her shoulder, staying her movements. He then pointed to a chair where she saw the white feathered cloak resting. "Do not fear. You are safe here and no one shall steal from you."

  Her mind calmed at the deep assurance of the man. There was honesty in his voice.

  "How did I get here?"

  Something had shifted in his eyes, soon gone. "I found you lying unconscious by the lake and brought you to my home. We removed the arrow and you are mending nicely. There should hardly be a scar to remind you."

  "Thank you for your kindness. Where am I?"

  He handed her a glass and she drank.

  "You are at my home. My name is Reynaldo Donata and I am lord of this estate."

  She gazed up into golden eyes the color of autumn leaves warmed by the sun. They seemed to crackle and spark, mesmerizing her. There was something about him, but she could not quite figure out what it was. There was some element of magic surrounding him, but not the same as her own.

  It was not long before she discovered the truth of the situation. Reynaldo's loyalty belonged to the great magician, Satrius. And whatever Satrius wanted, he received. Reynaldo seemed enthralled by the man. She sensed untouched strength in Reynaldo, but somehow the soul inside him had become twisted. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she must reach out to save him.

  Her instincts told her Reynaldo did not belong with Belinda, the wicked, as she had dubbed the wanton woman who was Reynaldo's female lover.

  Martine carried the blood of the swan and he did not. They should not have been compatible. She should not have desired such a one as he, so shrouded in the blackness. But not all in nature was as clear cut as they should be. There was goodness in him. In her heart she knew that Belinda would destroy every speck of what was left of that goodness about him.

  As she recovered, more swans came to the estate. She saw them fly past her window. In the other world, there had been few of her kind, but here she was dumbfounded to discover she was not unique. And surprisingly, as more and more gathered, the lake and surrounding land grew lush once again with the help of the swans.

  As soon as her arm had healed, she took to spending more and more time on the lake, away from the house, which wreaked of Satrius's and Belinda's cloying magic. She needed to be free, out in the open, close to nature. She could not go back through the arch. What awaited her on the other side, in that other world, could mean her death. Here, the very air breathed magic and enchantment. But also an element of danger lurked.

  Each time Reynaldo came to the lake he was in his predator form, never as a man. Sometimes a lion, others a panther, and today a cheetah. He had the powers of a shifter, but in this world it was a natural order. He was of the cat line, she of the bird. There should not have been an attraction. Maybe the attraction was her white magic and nothing beyond that. Maybe he only coveted her magic for himself. Or for Satrius. She sensed he was tempted by her human form. Some part of him knew and reached out to her.

  She stared at the woods, the path he had taken. Time was growing short. She must reach him before he sired a child with Belinda. She must be the one to receive the vital, fertile seed meant for Belinda, in order to stop Satrius's power. If she could not couple with him before that happened, all would be lost. She had tempted him with all of her womanly wiles and magic available to her with no obvious success. He had a strong will. Or Satrius's magic was too strong.

  She knew that Satrius was hiding something from Reynaldo, something dangerous and deadly. On the surface, he appeared a man of good, but he was not. There was a cloud of gloom that clung to him. And he also sensed the danger that Martine represented to his plans. Yes, it was much better for her to steer clear of the house, at least for the time being.

  She turned away from the forest and looked out at the lake, where swans could be seen in all directions. There had been none when she first arrived on the Donata Estate, but now she had never seen so many swanshifters in one place before. In her world, shifters stayed hidden because humans feared their powers and believed that any presence of magic was evil. But in this world it seemed the magic was open and accepted, and she was surrounded by it on all sides. It was as though the world were opposite, and humans without powers were the oddity.

  "He will destroy you, Martine. If you do not act soon, it will be too late and Satrius will find a way to be rid of you. Of all of us."

  She turned swiftly to face one of the elder shifters, Arwen. He was a gruff old man, but beneath that she had come to determine he had a heart of gold and he meant well. He led the northern flock, those who had arrived in the first week. Yet all seemed to look to him for guidance. News traveled quickly in this magical world, and when word reached them of a strange swan maiden from the other land, they had begun arriving daily from throughout Valliana. Usually a bird or two at a time, but within Arwen's flock there were at least eleven.

  "I cannot act too quickly, Arwen. I know the urgency--you have all more than made that clear."

  "You are the chosen one. We all knew it when we heard of your arrival from the other world. What we attempt here has never been done before. For a swanshifter to mate with one outside our species--we do not know if it can even be done. Not even in Valliana."

  He had told her that was the name of this world. Valliana. So very different from her own where her kind had been hunted down and killed--or sacrificed in hopes of pleasing the unseen gods. The man who had imprisoned her had killed her parents and taken her for himself, hoping that one day she would provide the riches he felt he deserved. She had been too young, misunderstood his kindness, and had paid a heavy price because of it. She had been only seventeen when he imprisoned her below the surface, away from the sunlight, and had stolen her cloak. For three years she had suffered his touch, trying to gain his trust so that she could escape.

  He had grown lax over the years, and one day he had allowed her from her prison into the main part of the house, but under his watchful eye. She remained patient, knowing that one day she would get her chance. When it came, she'd wasted no time in gaining her freedom.

  To be alive and free and with her own kind was more than she could ever have expected. She would not fail them.

  She reached out to touch Arwen's arm. "I will do what I can. Would I have been led here if it was not my destiny? There is purpose, even if we cannot discern the rightness of it ourselves." She glanced over her shoulder toward the house. "I am here because of him. I have survived thus far because of him. I know this."

  He placed a gnarled hand over hers. "Do not fall in love with him. It will be the weapon of your destruction. I have seen this. Accepting a mate is a very, very serious matter, Martine. You must be careful."

  She nodded. "I know that."

  "There are many young cobs here who would gladly form a pair bond with you if you should decide otherwise. They would accept what is your duty."

  She shook her head. "I would never ask such a thing. To pair with one of them, yet bear the child of another? In some ways I am not like the others. I think you know this." She looked up at him. "What of you, Arwen? Why do you not pair with another?"

  He heaved a heavy sigh. "All right then, Martine. We will stay until the
pairing is complete or the announcement of Belinda's pregnancy. If that should happen, we must prepare for a great and devastating battle. If you change your mind and decide you cannot do what we ask of you, we will understand. Will you promise me this one thing?"

  "What is that, Arwen?"

  "If you are unable lure him to you, will you come with us? We would welcome you into our flock, offer you a home."

  "I will think on it. Thank you. You have been a true friend since my arrival. You have taught me much."

  "Do you really think he will accept you, having been with Satrius and the witch?"

  A shiver raced down her spine. It was, in fact, Satrius, she feared far more than Belinda. Not his magic, but the intimate bonding that could be more powerful than any magic ever could be.

  She again turned toward the water and gazed out at the shifters resting there. It was then she came up with a dangerous alternative. Would any of them agree? Could she accept it, herself?

  She whirled back toward Arvin. "What if we could give him what he seems to desire? It would be taking a chance, but if we can break the darkling magic it might be worth a try." Suddenly, it all became clear. "That's it."

  "What are you saying?"

  She laughed and a weight lifted from her shoulders. There was a way to beat Satrius and possibly to break his hold over Reynaldo. "It has never been done before--not among the swanshifters." Would it be such a sacrifice for her to accept another into the pairing? She felt a tingling begin between her thighs at the idea she was considering. It was a desperate chance, but one she was willing to take if the others could agree.

  "You can't be considering what I think you are."

  "Would it be so wrong? Help me, Arwen. You have told me how dangerous it would be for a child of Reynaldo and Belinda to be brought into this world. If it was not so, this gathering would not be taking place."

  "It is dangerous. If you have not found a cob to your liking thus far, what makes you think you will find one acceptable for the relationship you are considering?"