The Pandora Curse (Greek Myth Series Book 4) (16 page)

“No. Now take the rest of this away,” Nikolai said with a wave of his hand. When Vara looked at the servant and nodded slightly, the girl did as ordered. The cupbearer came to fill her goblet with wine.

She held it out and he filled it to the rim. She quaffed it down and motioned with a nod for more.

“One is all you get,” whispered Nikolai, holding out his own goblet to be filled. The boy filled his goblet, then started to refill Vara’s when she, too, held hers out. Nikolai stopped him. “That’ll be all, thank you.”

The boy looked up to Vara and she looked over to Nikolai, with strong wanting in her eyes. “I may get thirsty while eating my food.”

“You should have thought of that before you quaffed the first cup.”

She sighed deeply and sent the cupbearer away.

“My queen,” said Zetes, coming to the head of the table. “We missed you at supper last night. Were you ill?”

“No, I wasn’t ill, you fool,” she snapped.

“Then where were you? It is not like you to miss a meal.”

“She was with me,” Nikolai interrupted. “We were a bit . . . preoccupied.”

“Oh,” said Zetes. A huge grin crossed his face. “I understand completely.” Then he looked over to Vara. “Did you want me to bring the girl to you, my lady?”

Nikolai saw Vara consider it as she glanced over to Agatha. The little girl looked up and their eyes met, but then she quickly looked away.

“No,” she said. “Agatha has her nursemaid to take care of her now. She doesn’t need me.”

“The child is acting strangely,” relayed Zetes. “When I asked her if she wanted to go to the stables with me, she refused. And I’ve caught her sneaking up from the dungeon twice now since we’ve returned.”

“Well, don’t let her down there again. No child is allowed in the dungeon.”

“Aye, my lady.” He left them and went back to his table.

“Why did you refuse to have Agatha brought to you?” asked Nikolai. “It was our agreement that you take care of her.”

Vara sighed, closed her eyes, and then opened them. “She fears me. Besides, I can’t promise she’ll be safe in my care. After what happened in Athens I think she’d be better off with her nursemaid until I rid myself of the vices.”

“I agree. You’ve made a wise decision.” Nikolai noticed that Vara’s trencher was empty. She picked it up and was about to take a bite.

“Uh, uh, uh,” he scolded. She stopped in mid-motion. “I said, a lady does not eat the trencher. That is only for the beggars at the gates.”

“But I’m still hungry,” she protested.

“It will pass in time,” he assured her.

“Well, then if I cannot have any more food or wine, I am not going to sit here any longer.”

“A lady is polite. You will wait until I have finished eating.” He picked up a grape and slowly slid it into his mouth.

“But you haven’t eaten anything yet. And you are eating so slowly that it will take you until the next meal to finish.”

“Part of giving up a vice is being able to withstand temptation.”

“Well, I don’t want to be tempted. Nor do I want to be a lady.”

Calanthra approached them just then, and Nikolai jumped up and pulled out a chair, motioning for her to join them. Hopefully, by watching Calanthra, Vara would change her mind and want to be a lady.

“Good morning,” he greeted Calanthra, taking his seat next to her.

“Good morning,” she said with a huge smile.

“That is a very nice gown you’re wearing today.”

“Why thank you.” Calanthra slid her hands down her sides and tightened the belt rope around her tiny waist. Nikolai just watched. He wondered what Vara would look like when she became this thin.

“I am leaving.” Vara stood so quickly, the chair behind her fell. Nikolai could see she had learned nothing from this little lesson. And her eyes were green. Now he had to tend to another vice besides gluttony. He had been hoping to only have to conquer one at a time.

She walked away quickly. Nikolai shoved some food in his mouth, washed it down with a quick chug of wine, and hurried after her.

“Vara, wait for me.” He followed her out into the open courtyard in the sunshine. The day was beautiful. The sky was blue and the breeze very warm. The peaks of Mt. Olympus could be seen disappearing up into the sky in the distance.

She kept walking, ignoring him. He finally caught up to her and took her arm for her to stop. She twirled around to face him. Her eyes blazed with green fury.

“You are attracted to Calanthra, aren’t you?”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“This isn’t the first time I saw you fondling her body with your eyes. You want her in your bed, don’t you?”

“No, Vara. You don’t understand.”

“Well then mayhap you could explain it.”

“First of all, I am a man, and of course I am going to look at Calanthra the same way any other man would. She is a very comely girl with a very nice body.”

“I knew it! You want her.”

“Let me finish. I may look at her, but that does not mean I want her. I have no thoughts of doing anything with Calanthra except talking.”

“Well, some day you will look at me that way, Nikolai, because I will be just as thin. I no longer care about food. I am giving up gluttony and from now on I will only eat and drink like a lady.”

An orange mist rose from her body and floated above her head like a rain cloud. She wasn’t even aware of it, but Nikolai knew exactly what it was.

“What did you say?” He stalled for time. He reached for a vial, but to his utter horror, he realized he had left the room so quickly, he had forgotten to don his pouch.

“I said I am giving up gluttony forever.” She turned quickly on her heel and headed away with the orange mist lingering above her head. He’d come so close. He could have had the first vice, but his own stupidity caused him to fail.

“Psst. Psst.” Baruch waved him over from behind a nearby tree. He hurried to him, checking to make certain no one saw him.

“Baruch, I could have had the vice, but I forgot my pouch with the vials.”

“I knew that from the moment you left the room. Here.” He handed him the pouch, with the vials clinking together inside.

“You are so wonderful, I could just kiss you,” said Nikolai excitedly, tying his pouch onto his waist.

“You kiss me and I’ll never help you again,” grumbled Baruch.

“I hope it’s not too late.” Nikolai quickly pulled a vial from the pouch. “I’ve got to hurry.”

He ran to join Vara, who had just entered the stable. When she noticed him following her, she turned around. “What do you want?”

“Nothing,” he said, trying to hide the vial. “Well, actually, it was very noisy in the courtyard and I just wanted to ask you once more what you said about giving up gluttony?”

“That’s all I said,” she answered.

“Well, could you say it again?” He smiled, hoping this would work.

“What’s the matter with you?” she grumbled. “I said I am giving up gluttony forever. How many times do I have to tell you?” She turned to mount her horse, and when she did, Nikolai pulled the cork out of the vial. Instantly, the orange cloud of mist above her head swirled in a circle and shot into the glass container. He hurriedly corked the bottle and stuffed it back into his pouch. He knew Vara’s eyes would never be brown again.

“Congratulations, Vara.”

She stopped with one foot resting atop an empty barrel. “For what?”

“For taking the first step in changing. Now that you’ve given up gluttony, you will be so much happier. You’ll see. In no time at all, you will have a waist as small as Calanthra’s.

From the look on her face he knew he shouldn’t have mentioned her lady-in-waiting. Her eyes turned even greener.

“If that is your idea of a compliment, then I prefer your insults,” she snapped. She used the barrel to step on to mount her horse. Then she kicked her heels into her steed and in a puff of dust, she was gone.

Baruch stuck his head out from between two piles of hay. “Is she gone?”

“She’s gone. And we’re the only ones here. You can come out, Baruch.” Nikolai plopped down atop the empty barrel and dragged a hand through his long hair.

“Did you get the vice?” Baruch asked anxiously, coming out to see him.

“I did.” He held up the vial to show him, then stuck it back into his pouch.

“It’s orange!” said the minion, jumping up and down and clapping his hands, doing an obnoxious little dance. “I will have a good report for Hera tonight.”

“Yes, she will be happy.”

Baruch stopped jumping and studied Nikolai’s face. “You don’t seem happy about it. Why is that?”

“I am happy, Baruch, but this is so much harder than I had ever imagined. And now Vara hates me because she thinks I fancy Calanthra.”

“Oh, that’s not good, is it?”

“No, it’s not good at all. I think I had better work on her jealousy soon. If I don’t, she may hate me so much that she won’t want to continue.”

Thirteen

Vara paced anxiously while she waited for her new mirror to be delivered. It had been almost two weeks since she’d given up gluttony, and while it wasn’t easy, once she made the decision, she knew she would never go back to four helpings at each meal.

She laughed inwardly thinking of how hungry Nikolai had been lately, keeping to his promise of only eating what she ate. But she’d been eating portions fit for a lady. He was a man and needed man-sized portions of food. She knew this, but didn’t care. She had wanted him to suffer just as she had. She wanted him to see just how horrible giving up food really was. But somewhere in the process, it didn’t seem so bad anymore. Her gowns fit looser on her, and also her thighs were no longer rubbing together.

The knock came at the door, and she ran over excitedly to open it. The servants brought in the mirror, and she instructed them where to put it.

“Bring me a bath too,” she told them.

The servants nodded and left the room so quietly, she didn’t even hear the door close behind them. She stood in front of the mirror, surveying her figure through the robe. The belt had never tied this tightly before. The whole thing actually seemed larger. She untied it anxiously, sliding the robe from her shoulders. She gasped when she saw her naked figure in the mirror.

She had a waist again. She hadn’t seen that since she was a child. And her hips were smaller, her breasts more firm. All her workouts in the courtyard, practicing her skills instead of eating when she’d been hungry, had paid off. She turned to one side and then to the other, admiring her new figure from every angle.

Then she heard a slight whistle, and in the mirror, she saw Nikolai standing behind her in the doorway.

“By the gods!” he said, closing the door behind him. “You really look wonderful.”

“The gods had nothing to do with it,” she replied smugly. “It is all because of you.” She should have grabbed her robe and covered up, but she wanted to display her new body. After all, Nikolai had seen it previously, and she was anxious to let him see it now. She was far from modest.

“I am not sure I want you to see me yet,” she told him. “This is only the first stage.”

“Well, then you should close your door. Everyone in the corridor is going to see you naked if you leave it open. I do not like that idea at all.”

“You don’t?” She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “So, are you saying you like what you see?”

He walked closer to her, and she noticed his eyes settling on her waist, much like he did to Calanthra. She didn’t turn around, but watched his reflection in the mirror. There was a hungry look in his eyes and it warmed her all over.

“I do,” he said with a nod of his head and a slight tug to his hose. “But the question is, do you like what you see?”

She surveyed her figure once again, turning and stretching her arms over her head. “I guess so. But I would still like to lose more weight.”

He stood behind her now and placed his hands on her shoulders. She lowered her arms and met his eyes in the mirror. Thoughts invaded her head of them laying naked together. The burning between her thighs started up, and the lustful feelings were back.

Tempt him
.

Make him want you.

Take him to bed.

He wants you desperately
.

The Furies invaded her thoughts, and she knew if she ignored them they would only get stronger. They had not visited her in the past two weeks, and she was hoping she had already rid herself of them too. But now she knew she hadn’t.

She turned around and reached up to Nikolai’s shoulders and kissed him on the mouth. He backed up in surprise.

“Vara, you know what happened last time. You shouldn’t have done that. You know how I feel about this.”

He would have left if he didn’t want to make love with you.

He never would have closed the door.

He never would have touched you if he didn’t want to couple.

Sing to him. Lure him into your arms.

This is what you’ve been waiting for.

She opened her mouth and sang a haunting melody. One she’d learned from her mother who’d learned it from her mother and so on. It was the song of the siren. The song that lured sailors to their death, because when they heard it they were drawn to the island, overridden with want for the girls with the beautiful voices. But the sirens never had the chance to mate with the sailors. The sailors always crashed upon the jagged rocks before they ever made it to shore.

This is where she was different. She had the song of the siren, but she would get what she wanted. She sang to him and lured him to follow her across the room. He followed, mesmerized. She did not care that she was tricking him into making love to her. She was aroused and curious to couple now that she had a new figure.

She helped him undress quickly, and then pulled him down on an animal hide near the fire, not having the patience to make it all the way to the bed.

“Vara, I have to have you. I have to make love to you right now.”

It was exactly what she knew he would say. It was always the same when she put men under this spell.

“Then take me,” she said, leaning back on the rug and opening herself to him. This coupling would be fast and hard, just the way she liked it. In a matter of seconds, Nikolai was inside her and she squirmed under him, letting out cries of rapturous delight.

He pumped furiously. Their bodies crashed together again and again, each time bringing her to a higher plateau. She squealed beneath him, and he moaned in pleasure. She kept on going, feeling that every height she reached wasn’t high enough. She wondered how much higher she could climb. She just had to have more. Then, when she finally reached the highest peak imaginable, and he released his pent-up desire for her, it was over. Both satisfied, they tried desperately to regain their breaths.

You want more, Vara.

Take him again.

You want to couple all night long
.

Instantly, she felt the need to do it again, and probably would have, had the knock at the door not distracted them.

Nikolai snapped out of his spell, but she lured him into it once again with just a hum.

“Come in and set up the bath quickly,” she called, pulling a coverlet from the end of the bed. She covered them up and they kissed and fondled where other eyes couldn’t see them. They were so preoccupied, she didn’t even notice the servants or the tub until she heard the click of the door and they were gone. She pulled the coverlet off.

“Bathe with me,” she commanded Nikolai.

She was almost expecting him to make her ask instead of command, but he didn’t. She had to remind herself he wasn’t doing this of free will. He picked her up and carried her to the tub without objection. He climbed in after her and together they washed each other, fondled, and made love once again beneath the water. She felt so good, so satisfied. And she felt as if Nikolai really loved her, though she knew it was not true.

Calanthra entered the room with a handful of towels, surprising her, and stood there red-faced when she saw them. Nikolai’s attention wavered, and her siren’s spell was broken.

“Calanthra, what do you want?” asked Vara.

“I beg your pardon, my lady. I thought you were alone.”

As if in a dream, Nikolai found himself sitting naked in a tub of water with Vara. Then he noticed Calanthra watching them from the doorway.

“How did I get here?” He stood, and when he did, Calanthra’s eyes roamed downward. Vara didn’t miss it, and it cut like a knife.

“You stood up on purpose,” she accused him. “You wanted Calanthra to see you naked.”

“I must leave, my lady.” Calanthra threw the towels on the bed and rushed from the room.

“I have no idea how I even got naked.” Nikolai stepped from the tub, sloshing water onto the floor. He grabbed a towel and dried his body quickly.

Vara sat in the tub, her eyes a combination of green, yellow and black.

“You made love to me. Twice,” she retorted.

When she said these words, the memories came rushing back into his mind. He remembered seeing her naked and looking in the mirror at herself. He entered and admired her body, and the next thing he knew she was kissing him. And then he backed away. And she sang that song. That haunting siren’s song.

“You used the siren’s song to lure me to your bed, didn’t you?”

“We never made it to the bed,” she boasted. “We did it on the floor, and then again in the tub.”

He remembered his vision in the crystal the first day he’d met her. He’d seen them coupling on the fur coverlet in front of the fire. He should have been wise enough to guard against this. He should have been able to stop it from happening.

“You tricked me,” he accused her. “You knew I wouldn’t couple with you, so you put your spell on me to satisfy your lustful ways.”

“Don’t make it sound so terrible.” She stepped from the tub and once again he looked at her naked body. She was beautiful. She had lost much weight and was even more alluring than she was the first day he met her. “You wanted to couple with me, and I just urged you along.”

“I told you I didn’t want to do it out of lust.” He donned his tunic and hose and fastened his belt and pouch around his waist.

Indifference showed in her expression. “Love. Lust. What does it matter? I just helped the process along, that’s all. We both enjoyed it and were satisfied, so I don’t see that there’s been any harm done.”

He was satisfied, he hated to admit. And now that his memory of the coupling was returning, he found himself wanting to do it again, but he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to help her. His mistake had probably already fed the dark monster that lived within her.

“Vara, I doubt you even know the meaning of love. What just happened was nothing but lust. Don’t you understand that?”

“What difference does it make? I enjoyed it.” She honestly sounded as if what they’d done didn’t bother her at all.

“A lady would never lure a man to her bed,” he told her, quickly putting on his boots. She pulled her robe around her, cutting off his glorious view of her naked body.

“Well, I may eat like a lady but I assure you that when it comes to coupling I have the lustful appetite of a - ”

“Whore?”

She stopped suddenly, her face clouding over. Nikolai expected her eyes to turn black with anger, but this time he saw something different within them. They were silver, and also very sad. There was no mistaking her feeling of being hurt.

“I was going to say man,” she said quietly. “But now that you’ve called me a whore, I can see what you really think of me.”

“I am sorry, Vara. I didn’t mean it.” He reached out to touch her, but she backed away, pulling the ties of her robe tighter.

“You meant it. I know you did.” The silver of her eyes darkened to obsidian. “You meant it, and I will never forget what you just called me.”

“I didn’t call you anything. I was simply comparing your lust to . . . I didn’t call you that, Vara. If it sounded that way, I apologize. It will not happen again.”

“You are damned right it won’t happen again because I am giving up lust forever.”

The red cloud of lust rose up through her body and lingered around her head. His hand reached for his pouch, and he slipped his fingers inside securing an empty vial, just waiting for her to turn around so he could make his collection.

“You won’t have to ever worry about me singing the siren’s song again. I am through with lust. I am through with coupling for mere pleasure. Matter of fact, I think I may be through with ever having sex again.”

She turned around and Nikolai wasted no time in pulling the stopper out of the bottle. The red cloud sped away from Vara and dove into the vial. He plugged it back up quickly, putting the stopper into place.

“What are you doing?” She looked at him by means of the mirror.

Damn, he had forgotten about that. He slipped the vial back into his pouch.

“I was simply examining the contents of my pouch.”

“I saw something red in that vial. What was it?” She turned around and faced him.

He knew he had to get out of there quickly. Her eyes may never turn indigo again, but those silver ones staring at him would always hold the curiosity of her great-grandmother Pandora.

“It’s . . . just a polish for my new gargoyle,” he lied, cringing at his inability to think of anything more believable.

“A red polish for a green stone statue? I don’t think so.”

“It just looks red in the vial. Once it goes on it actually turns clear.” He was digging himself deeper into trouble. He hurried to the door before she could ask anything else. “Good night, Vara. I am sorry.”

“Tell me. Exactly what are you apologizing for?”

If only she knew how he had been deceiving her. “I apologize for anything I’ve ever done to upset you and anything I may do in the future.”

He quickly left the room and hurried down the corridor. He didn’t stop until he’d bounded into his room and latched the door from the inside. He heard a horrible guttural sound and saw a bump under his covers in his bed. The room smelled ghastly, and he hurried over to move back the heavy tapestry that covered the open window so he could bring in fresh air.