The Boy Next Door (31 page)

“Desperate aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t you be?  If certain death was your only other option?”

“I’ll tell him.  But I tell you this, stupid girl.  The only clan that hates you Fonnelly people more than we do is the highlanders.  The monsters.  The wizards and sorcerers.  They despise you the most of all.  And I would just as soon kill the lot of you for what you’ve done.”

“We haven’t done anything!” she said.

But the man walked away cursing and swinging at the air.

Allia went to sleep that night and stayed asleep until the late morning hours, shivering from the morning chill.  She awoke slowly, not knowing where she was or if she was surrounded by peace and quiet, or raging war.  A sickening stir came over her as she woke up and remembered all of the terrible sounds of war that occurred but a week ago.

As she sat up and shook her head awake an even more strange feeling came over her—the distinct feeling of being watched.

She was startled to see Gerard, the highlander, staring at her through the entrance of the cage.

“Oh!  Hello sire.”

He nodded, unsure of what he was looking at.  He seemed altogether confused by her appearance.  “I am Gerard.  And you are?”

“I am Allia.  The heir of the Fonnelly Dynasty.”

He nodded, unimpressed.  “You might think twice about broadcasting your titles, Future Queen.  Considering that we are at war with the Fonnelly Dynasty.”

“I know.  I was there and I saw the damage you did to my village.”

He chuckled quietly.  “The damage we did?”

“And besides, I am only waiting until my family pays the ransom.  Isn’t that right?  That’s what the brute said.”

“Aye,” he said cautiously.  “We kept you alive because we thought we might make a deal.”

“Yes, I assure you my family will pay for me.  They will give you whatever you ask and even more if you treat me kindly.  Not…insinuating that you haven’t been anything but very compassionate thus far.”

“Well, girl.  I hate to sound like a prophet of doom.  But I don’t anticipate your family is going to be taking you anywhere.”

“How dare you!” she screamed.  “I am an heir!  You cannot cheat in these negotiations!  You will all die if you don’t show me respect.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” he said with a shake of his head.  “Calm your lungs, girl.  What I meant was, the negotiation is almost over.  Your family who loves you so dearly is not going to send any reinforcements down.”

“What?”

“And they made it quite clear they don’t have a place for you up North.  It seems as if another dynasty is coming to power.  And the Fonnellys are…well, shall we say going the way of the dragons.”

“Shite!” she screamed.  “You lie!”

“I have no advantage in lying, girl.  Your Majesty.  Whatever you prefer.”

He shrugged and finally unlocked the cage door, much to Allia’s surprise.

“What…what are you doing?”

“Titles are sort of meaningless when your family reputation crashes.  I told the people that once we got the ransom paid we’d be done with you.  But the word is your extended family thinks that you’re payment enough.  In exchange for taking you, we stop the raids and respect the borders.  It’s recompense.”

“Recompense?  In what world is kidnapping and sexual slavery recompense?”

Gerard laughed.  “Are you really that dense?” 

She stared cluelessly into his eyes. 

“I guess you are.  The fact of the matter is that your people have been attacking ours for over the course of two years.  I suppose they never sent word out to the women and children, aye?”

“You mean…my brothers waged war against your kind?”

“It’s been a long and bloody battle.  We had enough of your pillages and rapes of our innocent.  We decided it was time to fight back, manners be damned.  The truth is, our human slaves wanted to take you and all the other maidens of your village and treat them like whores.  But I spared you.  I made the order and let your sisters run to safety, though heaven knows where.”

“Why?  Why would you?”

“Not sure.  Perhaps because we have a soul.  We have to be better than the people who would spurn us.”

“I see.”

“Oh but don’t pity our compassion, girl.  We made sure that your murderous brothers suffered.  That much we owed to our victims.”

Allia nodded.  “Now what?  If they don’t pay…what happens to me?”

“I take you as my bride.  Or at least, that’s what we tell your people.”

“And would I be queen?”

“Queen?” he laughed.  “Queen of highlanders?  That’ll be quite the day when our kind bows to you, my Queen.  On account of the lot of us thinking you’re quite the troublemaking lass.”

“But…if I’m not to be your bride…what becomes of me?”

“Well, that’s where it gets complicated.  If I don’t take you, and my brethren don’t take you…we have to give you to our human slaves.”

“No!  You can’t!” she said, taking a few steps back and becoming agitated.

“What?”

“They threatened me.  They said, they promised, they would take advantage of me.  I am just an heiress.  A countess.  I am not a warrior and I would never give orders to hurt your people the way my brothers did.”

“I wish I had good news, girl.  But I don’t.  There’s no way we’re going to be married.  And I rightly assume what you’re telling me about my human slaves is correct.  However, the only other option would be to let you go.  And frankly, with so many maniacs out there in the wilderness, it’s not safe for a girl like you.  You’re going to end up beaten and humiliated just as well out there.”

“There has to be something else.”

“I can ask my brothers…but something tells me they don’t want you either.”

“Why do you hate humans so much?  Am I really that sickening to look at?  The scourge of every brave warrior?”

Gerard sighed.  “Look, don’t think too hard on this.  The truth is, we don’t mix with humans because we have a…well, a rather strange tradition.  We marry into our own family.”

“Eeew!  I mean…that’s fascinating.  Why?”

Gerard shrugged.  “I don’t quite get it either.  Except that my grandfather decided that we were not to be highlanders anymore, but our own kind apart from the other highlanders.  As you probably have figured out, we don’t meet other clans of highlanders.  We are designed to be killers, warriors and competitors.  We kill other highlanders we run into, such is the unwritten law.”

“But…”

“But…my clan decided a while back we ought to strengthen the bond.  Produce offspring that stay loyal at all times.  And that loyalty…well, it led to some rather strange bedfellows, literally speaking.”

“But…you don’t have to do that.  And unless you feel some weird…I mean…some unusual attraction to your own sister, then you shouldn’t be forced into it.”

“Well, such an objection to tradition would anger my siblings, I’m sure.  And hey…”

He smiled and looked into her eyes.  “Telling them that I’m choosing the human queen instead of one of them would certainly not be a popular decision.”

“Do you…find me attractive, my Lord?”

He flinched at the thought.  “I’m a highlander.  You’re a human.  How can there be attraction?”

“What if you have human ancestors in your blood?”

“You got quite the mouth on you, huh?”

“I do, my Lord.  And to be honest with you, I would much rather save my mouth and the rest of my body for you and you alone.”

The thought scandalized Gerard who tried his best to shake it off.  “I appreciate the sentiment.  But that can’t happen.”

“Because it can’t or because…you don’t find me attractive?”

“I…I don’t suspect this conversation ends with any dignity.  So let’s drop it, shall we?”

She nodded and he walked a few feet away from her, analyzing the clouds in the sky.

“I sense rain coming.  It’s best you take off now and head south.  I don’t want to see you hurt.  My people are sure to hurt you worse than the ones out there, who may be villainous or may be kind.”

Allia walked up to him and looked him in the eye.  He kept talking, unaware that Allia had put her hand up to his pants and began unbuttoning his crotch.

“Just remember to tell them who you are…”

He surely noticed when Allia had pushed away his second layer, and found his second weapon in no time at all.

“What-What are you doing?!” he said, alarmed at the touch of her hands.

“I’m saving myself.  I’m desperate for help.  Can’t you see?”

“I understand, but don’t be doing that sort of thing.  What if we were caught?”

“We wouldn’t be…” she said, still touching his opened pants.  “We could keep it a secret.”

Gerard pushed her away and turned around.  “This is your disgrace, woman.  I won’t tell them what you did but for god’s sake go now.”

“Then you have sentenced me to death.”

“I have sentenced you to go find your own life.”

“Fine,” she said, looking him in the eye and still testing his attraction.  “Then I will accept being your slave.”

“I don’t-”

“Your human slave.  If your followers treat me poorly, then that is my punishment.  I will accept it.  And if you so will it, they will do with me what they please while you watch.”

Gerard seemed upset but was without words to contradict her.  What he was asking of her proved too much.  What she hoped of him felt mad.  Whatever compromise could be made would have to break tradition, and perhaps defy logical entirely.

III

Gerard slept naked, as many highlanders did.  However, given the provocative promise made to his bigoted siblings, he chose to rest in a tent by himself.  At night before he dreamt, Gerard meditated on all that he had seen and heard.  The image of Allia was still fresh in his mind.  Her lecherous behavior, he concluded, was an act of desperation.  Not her own fault. 

And such a scenario could never happen in any land outside her delusional mind.  Besides, highlanders were too strong for human beings.  Even if they did such an act, such a terrible act, how could they possibly perform it without killing the lesser female?

Absurd questions he concluded.  However, when he forced his mind to other thoughts and finally fell to sleep, a most inconvenient dream occurred.  He dreamt of Allia in her natural form.  Without clothes and bathing in a nearby river.  Her body was smaller than his with little to no perception of sorcery.  However, her imperfections seemed to make her more alluring.  He watched her bathe and felt new sensations in his own body.  Something beyond attraction.  Something obsessive, dirty and intense.

When he awoke in a cold sweat all that was on his mind was the forbidden girl.  His bride to be, who was so eager to please him.  He felt a longing for her throughout his entire body, though his larger than life penis certainly bore the brunt of that affection.  He decided to get dressed and walk outside the hut for a time. 

Gerard walked outside after suiting up and then casually glanced at the guest tent where his mock bride waited.  He walked over cautiously, just to peer inside and see if she might be unclothed, the way she was in his dream.

Indeed she was and she was even more breathtaking than his fantasy.  Her curves were so well defined and her nude form left nothing to the imagination.  The way she breathed in deeply and her body rose and fell in serenity left him staring in awe.  His conscience told him to walk away, to not exploit such a vulnerable person.  But his desire grew moment by moment.

He slipped inside the tent quietly and looked at her again.  She looked so innocent and helpless.  Scared to death when awake, but when she slept she was something close to being “beautiful”, the way highlander females were said to be.

He leaned down and touched her feet; her dainty feet felt so soft against his hardened skin.  Her ankles were milky white and her thighs so supple and smooth.  Without giving it much thought, he succumbed to his desire and placed a kiss on her lower thigh.  Then another… and another.  His warm and fresh lips turning her on even in a state of sleep.

He was fascinated by her guttural groan – half-asleep but still aroused.  She had a smile on her face and seemed to open her legs wider every time he kissed her.  Her little body shivers only enticed him to come forward and explore more of her body.

Gerard slowly put his face between her legs and inhaled her unique scent.  The wet texture of her lips and pussy was magnetizing.  It drew him in closer and within minutes, he couldn’t help but put his lips on her lips.  Tasting her and touching her.  His hands and fingers rubbed every inch of her pussy.

He slowly put his tongue on her pussy lips and began running it back and forth, sampling her taste.  The gentle suckling of his lips woke her up and she fluttered her eyes open to see him stooping in a very compromising position.

“My Lord…”

“Allia…I’m sorry…”

He said it, right before licking her clitoris in no particular rush to stop.