The Pandora Curse (Greek Myth Series Book 4) (5 page)

It wasn’t just the effects of eating that took a toll on her body that she didn’t like to see, but it was what she’d become through the years. A murderer. A glutton. A whore. An ogre. Just like Nikolai said. She had been cursed with these vices since the day her great-grandmother, Pandora, opened the chest. Her mother, before she took her own life, also suffered from these symptoms. And it was because of this curse that her father died as well.

She sat up and wiped a tear from her eye, knowing that this self-pity would drive her mad. Why should she care about any of this? She had everything she wanted in life. She had power, money, earthly pleasures, beauty, and the mesmerizing ability to attract and couple with any man she chose. These were the things that made a person happy. This is what all humans wished to achieve during the course of their life, and she had it. Self-pity wasn’t going to make anything better.

A knock came at the door, and Vara tried to conceal the fact she’d been crying. It would do no good to sully her hardened image.

“Come in,” she called, getting to her feet and running her fingers over her hair to smooth it.

“My lady?” Calanthra poked her head into the room. “Are you ill?”

“I am fine, Calanthra.” She took a deep breath and released it.

“It seems to me the seer upset you with his words.”

“I should have him hanged for speaking to me so freely.”

Calanthra wandered into the room and slowly closed the door. “I am sure he didn’t mean those awful things. He was just upset about his rat.”

Vara didn’t know what to think. She felt evil and dirty, and wanted to wash away the image the curse had placed upon her. She bathed often, thinking she could rid herself of the turmoil in her brain. It never happened, but the hot water did relax her.

“Have the cooks warm water and the chambermaids bring me a bath. I am soiled from the episode at dinner and want to wash the grease from my face and the wine from my skin.”

“Yes, my lady.” Calanthra helped Vara undo her braids.

“And I would like to talk to the seer. He needs to be reprimanded for his actions.”

“After your bath, my lady?”

“No. I’ll see him right away.”

“Yes, my lady. I will tell him you request his services at once.”

*  *  *

Nikolai hurriedly made his way to his room, holding gently to the white rat in his hands. He closed the door and placed the rodent on the bed. For being skewered to the table, Baruch didn’t even look as if he were hurt. Probably a trait of being a minion.

“Baruch,” he said, petting the rat. “Baruch, are you all right? I’m so sorry about what happened.”

The rat explored the top of the bed, poking its nose into the pillows and nibbling at the coverlet.

“You can change back now, Baruch. Go ahead, turn back into a . . . whatever it is you are.”

When the rat didn’t change in any form, Nikolai had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Baruch?” He raised a brow and looked at the rodent. Its tail wasn’t harmed in the least. Matter of fact, this rat didn’t have that sickening green glow to it that he had seen earlier.

“By the gods!” He slapped his forehead. “I’ve managed to save the wrong rat.”

He vaguely heard a scratching noise at his door and ran to open it. There in the corridor stood a rat on his back legs, pawing at the wood.

“Baruch?”

A warning shout from a guard echoed down the corridor. “I think I saw the rat go this way.” Footsteps thundered up the stairs in close pursuit.

“We need to find and kill it for our queen,” said another.

Nikolai scooped up the animal quickly and closed the door. He leaned against the wood until the crowd of footsteps passed his room. When all was clear, he held the rat up to his face by the scruff of its neck and looked it in the eye. “Is that you?”

The rat hissed at him, and when it did, he got a whiff of an awful order.

“Egads, Baruch, you really need to do something to freshen your breath.” He placed the rat on the floor. In a moment, the green blob was back to himself.

“Ow, ow, ow,” it cried holding its tail and hopping around the floor.

“Sorry about that, friend. I didn’t know she’d plan on eating you.”

“That’s the last time I shift into a rat. Next time I’m going to be something more admirable like an eagle.”

“It wouldn’t matter. I have no doubt Vara would have no qualms about eating an eagle either.”

Nikolai walked over to the bed, gathered up the other rat, and deposited it into the corridor.

“You’re on your own. Sorry, my friend,” he mumbled as he closed the door.

He made his way across the room and lay down upon the bed with his boots still on, continuing to talk to Baruch. “I told you I could have brought food back to the room for you, but you insisted on coming to the table in my pouch.”

“I was instructed by Hera not to leave your side, except to bring her reports.”

“I don’t like the idea of having to look after a minion.  I can’t concentrate on my task when I’m constantly worrying about saving your life. I thought Hera said I wouldn’t even know you’re around. So far, I am having trouble forgetting.”

There came a knock at the door, and Nikolai sat upright.

“It’s her!” The minion caressed his tail and looked up with frightened eyes. “Don’t let her eat me, please.”

Nikolai gazed into his crystal. “It’s only Calanthra. Now calm down and make yourself scarce.”

He opened the door to greet Vara’s lady-in-waiting.

“My queen requests your services, good seer.”

“Now?” He held the door partially closed, just in case the minion hadn’t yet had the time to shapeshift.

“Yes. She wants to see you in her chamber at once.”

“Of course. I’ll be right there.” He closed the door and turned to talk to Baruch.

“She wants - ” Once again the minion was nowhere to be found. “She’s gone, you can change back now, Baruch.”

A green candle burning near the bed shifted form and turned into Baruch. “I heard,” he said. His eyes opened wide when he realized his tail was on fire. He blew on it frantically, but when it didn’t help, he ran over and dunked it in the water basin to douse the flame. He sighed in relief, and rubbed his tail, which Nikolai realized was oozing green.”

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

“If you got a dagger through your tail, you’d ooze green too.”

Nikolai hurried to the bed and reached out to help him.

“Ow. Don’t touch me. There’s nothing you can do. The only one who can heal me is Hera.”

“Then go. Go to her before you leak green all over my floor.”

“I can’t. I can’t leave when you’re about to walk into the lion’s den.”

“I assure you, I’ll be fine without you. More than fine, as I will be able to concentrate on my task and forget about trying to hide you. If there is anything to report to Hera about our meeting, I will be sure to tell you. Vara just wants me to gaze into my crystal for her, that’s all.”

Nikolai picked up the crystal orb from around his neck and held it out to show it to Baruch. A vision came to him from within, and had him reaching back to sit on the bed from what he saw. There stood Vara, naked and beautiful, stretching her arms upward as she fastened her hair up atop her head. She bent over to test the water in the tub. Nikolai’s heart almost stopped at the view she unknowingly gave him.

“What do you see in that orb?” asked Baruch, curiously coming closer.

“Nothing!” He put it down to his chest and rubbed it with his hand. “Just like I said, it’s probably nothing important. Now go. Find Hera and report, and ask her to heal your tail.” He scooted the minion toward the door with his hands.

“I don’t leave by doors.”

“Oh. All right. Then just dissipate and go that way.”

“I can’t do that, you simpkin. I’m a minion, not a god.”

“Then how do you do it?”

“Like this.”

He twirled around, and turned into a green mist. It floated up toward the open window. Then in a puff of breeze, it was gone.

Nikolai hurriedly picked up his crystal and gazed within it again. This time he saw Vara sitting in the tub, water up to her chin.

His loins ached to have her. His mind warned him not to get involved. He looked over to the standing mirror in the corner, fastening the pouch at his side. He was planning on changing his tunic, but decided against it. The mirror was covered, and uncovering it would only waste precious time. He wanted to be alone with Vara without that damn minion popping in. If he wanted some private time with her, then he had to move fast before Baruch returned.

Four

Vara’s eyes slowly closed as the hot water caressed and soothed her skin. A knock on the door awakened her.

“Enter,” she called, thinking it was Calanthra bringing her evening snack.

The door opened and closed. A man cleared his throat. She sat upright and turned around. She’d almost forgotten she’d called for the seer’s service.

Nikolai stood in the doorway, his eyes fastened to her exposed breasts. Her instant reaction was to hide her nakedness, but she didn’t. Instead, she sat motionless, letting him have his fill. She wanted him to look at her with desire, instead of disgust like he did at dinner. This was the look of a man noticing the body of a woman.

She longed for him to like her, though she knew he didn’t. She wanted to feel his lips pressed against hers again, but this time because he wanted to, not because she tricked him into it or demanded he comply.

She took a deep breath and released it, trying to calm her own heart beating rapidly in her chest which happened every time he was near. Her actions made his desire more evident, as she noticed his hose becoming tighter. To her dismay, the Furies returned, and her initial reaction of mild interest turned into powerful lust.

Call him to you, Vara.

He is attracted to you.

You must have him.

“Come closer,” she told Nikolai in a sing-song voice, the voice that was birthed from sirens and drove men to their deaths.

Nikolai did as instructed, walking as if he were in a trance.

“Sit down on the bed,” she ordered.

He did what she wanted, and she felt success even though she was being deceptive. Manipulative. Seductive. Because of the Furies, she acted as if she had no morals. She sank back into the water, sadly realizing it was true. She hadn’t any. The man’s trance was immediately broken.

“Vara. I shouldn’t be here. You are naked.”

“No. I supposed you shouldn’t.” What had she been thinking to call him to her chamber while she was bathing?

He wants to be here.

You want him to stay.

Don’t let him leave
.

Show him your voluptuous body. He wants to see it.

She waited, but she knew he wouldn’t stand and leave. His words said one thing, but his body actions said another. Just like all the men she’d had in the past. The power of the temptress lived strong within her, and gave her an invincible feeling. This feeling was something she’d learned to love in the passing years, but since she’d met Nikolai, she’d started to hate it.

“You called for me?” He shifted on the bed, fingering the crystal orb in his hand. “Did you want me to scry for you, Conqueror?”

Scrying was the last thing on her mind since the Furies had returned.

Order him to touch you.

He wants to feel your nakedness in his hands.

You want him to do it.

She closed her eyes and answered in a voice not much louder than a whisper. “No. I want you to wash my back.”

She opened her eyes to see his eyebrows raised in pleasured surprise. He scratched behind one ear and looked down at the bed. Confusion painted his gaze. It was evident that part of him wanted to do it, but another part made him cautious. She knew which part was stronger from past experience. Lust was powerful and would win every time. Lust flowed through her veins and also through his.

“I . . . ” He hesitated.

She sat up straighter in the water, showing him the promise of what was to come.

“Yes?” She played with her hair. The intensity of his green eyes sparked a yearning burning between her thighs. She drank in the sight of his strong shoulders and wide chest, and found pleasure in looking at his legs under his tight hose.

“All right.” He got off the bed and reached for the soft soap sitting in a dish at the side of the tub. Ever so gently, he used a small amount to make circles upon her back.

“Mmmmm, that feels good.” Her body responded to his contact, and she felt the undesirable need to take this further. Still, it was not the moral thing to do. She barely knew the man.

You will get to know him better if you make love.

You want him, Vara. He wants you.

Use your magic upon him and it will make both of you happy
.

Lust grew within her, and she could not deny this curse. No, she would enjoy it instead. Denying the Furies only made things worse. What was the harm in making everyone happy?

“So why did you really summon me to your chamber?” he asked in a low voice.

The resonance within his tone vibrated through her.

“I felt the need to get to know you more intimately.” Isn’t that what the Furies had told her? Make love and get to know him better?

His hands stopped rubbing. “So, are you saying you called me here for services besides scrying?”

She looked backward over her shoulder, the hair on his arm tickling her cheek in an innocent act of unplanned foreplay. Was he not feeling the same arousal? Didn’t he realize what was about to happen? This man of premonition surprised her by what he did not see.

“I am a naked woman sitting in a tub of water, asking a very handsome man to wash my back. What do you think, seer?”

He put down the soap and wiped his hands in a towel.

“Vara, I must admit, I’m very tempted by your offer, but I cannot couple with you. I am here to scry only.”

Who is he to say no to a queen?

He cannot talk to you this way.

He must be convinced.

“What? Do you mean to deny me? Don’t you know who I am?”

“I know exactly who you are. You are the descendant of Pandora and you are cursed. You have these feelings of lust and you cannot stop them. It isn’t me you really want, but it’s any man you see.”

She would have pondered that thought had it not been so absurd. Didn’t he feel the same attraction between them as she had? This was special. Wasn’t it? Yet he had said she wanted this from every man.

“That’s not true. You make it sound as if I’m a whore!”

“Lust has many different disguises, my lady.”

The insolent cur.

He knows not what he speaks. His words are false.

He only speaks as such to try to weaken your power.

She felt rejection, and she wasn’t used to this. He not only denied her, but he had more or less made it sound as if she would couple with any man alive. This wasn’t true. Didn’t he understand that she had feelings for him? She wouldn’t even consider going to bed with a man she didn’t like. Or would she? Either way, that didn’t matter to her right now. She wanted him in her bed, and she was going to get it.

She stood, naked and dripping wet, pleased to see his eyes fasten on her again. Mayhap all hope was not lost after all.

“Hand me my towel.”

He handed her a dry towel, and when he did, she clasped his hand and denied him the chance to move.

“You called me an ogre at supper.”

“I did not mean it.”

“I think you did. And you also made a comment as to my eating too much. I saw the way you stared at my legs.”

At her words, he glanced at her legs again. Just what she wanted him to do. She used her voice of the siren again, and this time, she knew he wouldn’t be able to turn away.

“Tell me what you think of me now,” she cooed. “You can tell me you don’t want me, but I won’t believe it.”

“I do want you,” he said softly, moving closer. “I feel the lust flowing through me, just as it flows through you.”

You’ve succeeded.

He has not defeated you.

You will soon have from him exactly what you want.

Take him to your bed now!

The Furies’ power within her was strong tonight, as lust was the strongest of all the vices. Vara the Conqueror was used to having whatever or whomever she wanted. She wasn’t going to be controlled by any man, and would not let this one succeed at what others could not accomplish. She had to be strong. She had to maintain the upper hand. After all, hadn’t he foreseen someone destroying her? She could not drop her guard for one moment.

She reached out and pulled him to her, letting the towel slip from her hand. She covered his mouth with her kiss, and melted in his arms as his tongue flicked out to first taste her lips, then parted them and entered her mouth.

Take him, now.

Don’t let him get away.

You want him. You must have him. You need to feel him within you.

Do not wait a moment longer.

She tore at his tunic, ripping it from his body, until he stood half-naked in front of her with just his crystal orb hanging from his neck. She reveled in the excitement of running her hands over his bare skin and feeling the corded muscles of his lean chest beneath her fingers. She could feel the sparks between them. The heat from his body burned her touch, running the course of her being and settling deep between her thighs. The coil of want spiraled through her restlessly, leaving her squirming, ready and willing to couple.

“You excite me,” she said, rubbing her body up against him. The urge grew stronger to take him. The voices coaxing her to continue deafened her with their silent hissing.

You almost have him. You want to feel him between your thighs.

Take him for your pleasure.

Take him before you die from want.

“I have to have you,” she told him in an urgent rush of words. “My body cries for you, and the heat that consumes me is unbearable. If we do not couple now, I will go mad. Take me to the bed.”

He did as ordered and laid her down, the two of them kissing in heated passion. The fingers of one of his hands caressed her breast and played with her hardened nipple. His other hand searched for her pearl of pleasure. She arched under his touch, moaning from want, not able to stand the pulsing of her inner core.

She reached out and touched him below his waist, feeling his hardened arousal through his hose. The thin barrier between them felt like a punishing wall. She fumbled with the ties at the top of his hose, tugging at them urgently, anticipating what she would find when she finally stripped him naked. That thought aroused her more, and she couldn’t help but cry out loudly and grind her womanhood against his manly form. A quick knock sounded at the door, startling her.

Before she could respond, Calanthra entered with a platter of food in her hands.

“Oh!” Vara’s lady-in-waiting clamped a hand to her mouth and then removed it slowly. All the while, her eyes were fixed upon them on the bed. “I am sorry to disturb you, my lady. I . . . I didn’t know.”

Nikolai was off her immediately, standing on the floor next to the bed, retying his hose. Damn. The spell was broken.

“I’m sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking at neither her nor Calanthra, and she wasn’t sure as to whom he spoke. “I don’t know how that happened.”

Calanthra blushed and placed the platter of food on a table near the bed. “I am sorry,” she said, looking up to him with sheepish eyes. She was staring at his bare chest, and Vara didn’t like that. To make matters worse, Nikolai was returning the same admiration.

She wants him.

He wants her.

He no longer wants you, Vara. You have failed.

“Will there be anything else, my lady?” Calanthra talked to Vara, but her eyes never left the seer.

“No,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Now leave us alone and do not bother us again tonight.” Vara scooted from the bed and grabbed a nearby robe. She tied it around her waist, suddenly feeling very foolish. And fat.

“Have a good evening,” Calanthra said to Nikolai with a small curtsey. Her waist was so tiny, her breasts so perky beneath her gown. Her face glowed as she smiled at Nikolai, and his face glowed too as he returned the smile.

“I will see you to the door.” Without paying any attention to Vara, Nikolai escorted Calanthra to the door. Vara felt the envy growing in her belly. This was one vice she could do without.

He closed the door and looked back to her, almost as if he were expecting a reaction. She felt her lip tremble, and the desire to cry lurched through her. But she was a warrior. A conqueror. No one could shatter her emotions so easily.

She used the previously discarded towel to dry her hair, trying not to react to what just happened. She rubbed hard, trying to scrub away the feelings of rejection deep inside.

“You seem bothered by something, Vara.” Nikolai found his torn tunic and donned it, shredded as it was.

“You cannot hide the way you looked at Calanthra.”

“What?” He glanced back at the door and then down to his tunic as he tied the rope belt and tightened the pouch at his waist. “Oh. Calanthra. Yes, she is very attractive. And I must say she possesses a certain dignity about her that just demands respect.”

Respect he will never give you.

He considers you a whore. Whores aren’t dignified. They don’t get respect.

Vara threw down the towel and picked up the platter laden with cheese, bread, and fruit. She sat down on the bed with the tray atop her lap.