The Twilight Lord

make you beg for their lives, but in the end I would slay them without mercy,” she told him.

“There is darkness in you yet, my jewel,” he murmured, pleased.

“There is darkness in all of us, Kol, both mortal and faerie, but most of us learn to overcome that darkness and let the light shine within our souls. There can be no wickedness in protecting those you love, my lord.”

“Do you not love our sons?” he asked her.

Lara shook her head. “They are nothing to me, Kol. Only by stealing my memories were you able to convince me that I was who you said I was. Because I did not know I was faerie-nor knew their customs, I gave you the children that you wanted. Be satisfied, Kol, with that, for there is nothing more I can or will give you.”

“If you do not return to Kolbyr to sit by my side I will create havoc in both Hetar and Terah, my gem,” he told her. “That, I can do, even imprisoned as I am.”

“For each blow you strike out at me, I will return two blows,” Lara warned him. “Do not be confused by my beauty, Kol, or your memories of the creature you made me. I am a warrior born and I will destroy you. My sword, Andraste, longs to sip your blood, my lord.”

“You cannot slay me here on the Dream Plain,” Kol told her. “You must come into the Dark Lands to do that, my jewel. If you come, my creatures will capture you and bring you to me. When they do I will never let you go again.” And suddenly he was by her side. Reaching out, his arm went about her waist. His hot breath touched the fair skin of her neck and he kissed it. “You belong to me, Lara,” he said as he fondled her plump breasts. “Consider what we could do together, my precious one. We could conquer our worlds.” He turned her about, his thumb rubbing across her lips. Then he kissed her in a deep, demanding kiss, his forked tongue snaking into her mouth to hotly caress her tongue while his fingers pinched the nipple of a breast with which he had been playing.

Lara sagged against him, shocked by the sudden weakness that overcame her. She struggled feebly against him as he pulled her gown up and lifting her up impaled her upon his dominant rod. She tried to scream but her throat seemed to be constricted and she could utter no sound. She felt his great dominant rod pumping and pumping within her tight sheath. She tried to awaken, but he would not permit her to do so.

“Feel my strength and my lust for you, my jewel,” he murmured against her ear. “My desire and need for you is every bit as strong as your hate for me. You are yourself now, Lara, not the weak creature I made you. Yet you are about to know pleasure with me again as you did before.”

“Noooo!” Lara insisted, her voice now restored. Desperately she attempted to push him away, to get free of his dark hunger. She could feel him within her. Thick and long and probing deeply. He stretched the walls of her sheath with his fierce burning and throbbing rod. “Noooo!” she cried again. “Noooo!”

His dark laughter echoed, surrounding her, imprisoning her with its evil. “Yes! You will yield yourself to me because you have no choice, Lara. You are mine. Mine alone to command. I am your lord and master, not Magnus Hauk of Terah.”

Lara screamed as she felt his boiling juices scalding her-and worse her own satisfaction as she reached her pleasure peak. And then she heard Magnus’s voice calling to her and the sound of it gave her the courage to shove the Twilight Lord from her and flee the Dream Plain.

“Lara, my love, wake up!” the Dominus said to his wife. “You are having a very bad dream. Wake up, sweetheart!” He shook her gently. “Wake up.”

Lara’s green eyes flew open and she almost wept with her relief. Clinging to Magnus, she wept wildly.

“What is the matter, my love?” the Dominus asked his wife. “What did you dream that has frightened you so greatly? I do not believe I have ever seen you really fearful, Lara. Tell me, my darling. What is it?”

The sound of his voice soothed and comforted her. She drew a deep breath and cleared her mind. She could hardly tell Magnus what had happened, that the Twilight Lord had raped her upon the Dream Plain. How had he wielded such power over her? The Dream Plain was supposed to be a neutral place. She needed to speak with Kaliq, but she could hardly return to Shunnar having just been there. But she must summon him to her as quickly as she could. “I cannot recall what I dreamed,” she lied to her husband. “But suddenly I was very frightened, Magnus, and that as you know is unlike me. Just hold me, my darling, and I will be all right,” she said, horrified further by the stickiness between her thighs.

He stroked her disheveled hair quietly, curious. How could she not remember a dream that had had such a powerful effect upon her? He had awakened with the sound of her voice crying no. And she had appeared to be thrashing and struggling against someone, but of course there was no one there. Strange, he considered, but then Lara never lied to him. If she said she could not recall her nightmare then she could not. But he wondered why. Lara lay against him and wondered what time it was and how long she had been dreaming. She could swear she could scent the muskiness of Kol’s skin on hers. Could her husband smell it? She shuddered and Magnus’s arms closed tighter about her.

“It’s all right, my love,” he told her reassuringly.

She nodded her head silently. She needed to get up. She needed to think. She needed to speak with Kaliq. Pulling away from Magnus she said, “I think I will get up and walk about a bit, husband. I would rid myself of these night terrors more easily, I believe. Go back to sleep. I am sorry to have awakened you.” She arose from the bed.

“If you are certain you are all right,” he said slowly.

“Whatever I dreamed,” she told him, “I sense I need to move about a bit to calm my nerves.” She forced a small laugh. “It really must have been quite dreadful to put me into such a state, Magnus.” Bending she kissed his lips lightly. “I’ll be fine, my love. Perhaps a warm bath and a stroll in our gardens.”

“If you are certain,” he repeated, lying back, his eyes already heavy.

“I will be fine shortly,” Lara replied and then making a great effort not to hurry, she walked from their bedchamber through the passage that led to her private bath. She was already naked, for sleeping garments were but an impediment to the frequent lovemaking she and her husband shared. No attendant was about for it was obviously still the middle of the night. Lara washed herself in the small sunken shell, rinsed and took a large thick towel from the shelf nearby. She did feel better, but she was still seriously concerned by what had happened. She wafted herself to her private room so as not to disturb Magnus or be seen by the guardsmen. “Prince Kaliq, heed my call,” she said. “Come to me from out yon wall.”

Immediately the Shadow Prince appeared within the little chamber. He raised an eyebrow seeing her garbed in but a towel and he grinned. “My love, your attire is quite fetching, but I do not think the Dominus would approve of our meeting under these circumstances.” Then seeing her face, he quickly amended his tone. “What is it, Lara?”

“I met Kol upon the Dream Plain tonight, Kaliq. We talked and I told him in no uncertain terms I would not return to the Dark Lands. He threatened Magnus and the children. I told him I would kill him if he touched them. But then suddenly he was by my side, touching me, kissing me. And…” She hesitated, going very pale. “He…he…”

“Say no more, my love, I understand,” the Shadow Prince said. “You do not have to kill him, for I will. I have done something extremely foolish and underestimated his powers, even bottled up in Kolbyr as he is.”

“Kaliq, how could this have happened upon the Dream Plain? He should not have been able to touch me at all, yet he did,” Lara said.

“He took the power of an incubus into him,” the prince said. “They are creatures of the darkness who can make reality of dreams. Your encounter would have killed it once Kol awoke, but he will undoubtedly have another he can use.”

“Kaliq, he is so determined to regain my person,” Lara told the Shadow Prince. “I am actually afraid of him, which I never was before.”

“You are wise to fear evil. Did you tell Magnus of your dream?” the prince asked.

“I told him I could not remember it,” Lara answered. “I do not know if he believed me. I have never really lied to him. I wish I had had Andraste with me. I think I would have sliced Kol’s head from his shoulders but I could not have, could I?”

“If you treat with him again,” Kaliq advised, “you must purge yourself of all emotions, Lara, my love. He and his incubus grew stronger because they fed off of your anger and then your fear,” the prince explained. “The Dream Plain is neutral, but even it can be set awry by intense feelings.”

“I will never deal with him upon the Dream Plain again,” Lara said firmly. “He is too dangerous there, especially if I am prevented from fighting back. Kaliq, he made me feel pleasures! He is evil incarnate. He must die so that the Dark Lands can be set into even greater confusion than the birth of his sons caused. No one will dare to kill either of