Unbound

Meeting

Have mercy.

Before her was a whimsical man, a antiquated man, a man was such an indescribable air that Analise found herself squinting, scouring for the key – that special, special key – that defiled his mystery. However the more she looked – the deeper she probed – the more enigmatic he became.

He was like a shadow, an afterthought. Someone who arrived in your darkest moments – of temptation, of greed, of mourning. He was a dark stranger, and when he reached down to offer his hand he moved with the silent wheeze of a ghost.

He boasted a marble pallor, white as any dove and a chiseled jaw. Though such a jaw looked rugged on most, it made him appear ethereal, delicate like an artifact kept behind museum glass. She imagined if she tried to touch him – it’d stop mid-air – and glide along smooth, glass barrier. His eyes were sultry, smooth and glistened in a kaleidoscope of browns, yellows and gold. The longer he stared, the more the colors seemed to change: from a grisly brown, carnation yellow, and sunflower gold. They were a compliment to the dark, dark curls that framed his face.

She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Then, shoved away the handkerchief away.

“The view’s better from the ground,” she said before wrangling herself to stand, legs unfolding and dress unfurling about her waist.

A musical chuckle.

“Better keep that from the rumor mill, lest others be tempted to join you.”

Her eyes rolled to the sky.

“I’m afraid that’s the problem. Too many are apt to join me – especially nosey strangers.” She steeled her shoulders against her, turned toward the stable’s gaping opening.

“So nosey is the new concern?” He raised a dark brow. “I should just let a poor, wounded creature lie on the ground without protection?”

She laughed – a wild, wild sound – and whirled on him, a finger jabbed toward his chest.

“I don’t need protection. I don’t need help. And I sure as hell don’t need you.”

A wide, sinister grin contorted his face. On any other man it’s be ugly, grotesque. But on this man? A foreign flutter stirred in her chest. She quirked an eyebrow pressed a hand to her chest.

“You’re right. Perhaps it’s I who needs you. You see, there’s a void I need filled. One that someone promised to fill long, long ago. It’s consumed me, ruined me, and there’s only one woman for the job. A princess. A fallen angel.”

As he spoke, he corralled her against the stable as one would prey. His suit barely fluttered as he walked, each pristinely clothed inch of his body a gift. She could imagine the wide expanse of muscle beneath the surface – the hard, chiseled planes carved in statues – to the point of madness. Her pulse began to race and her mouth ran dry, leaving her wont for a drink, a sip. Just one tiny, tiny sip of the man before her.

“Just your luck. By the end of the week I’ll be married to another man,” she gasped, flush against the stable door.

His eyes scanned her body slowly, delectably. His eyes pried the layers of clothes from her body – one by one, piece by piece – until she felt bare. Unarmed, unveiled, unmasked.

She stilled the shivers that threatened to seize her body, squared her jaw to challenge him. It was a feat, considering the traitorous way her body screamed from him. Heat coiled down her arms, to her belly, to foreign places she dared not ponder.

What am I doing?

“I’m promised to someone else,” she said weakly.

He leaned forward. As he did, a delectable scent oozed over her. It sung of berries and nature, fragrant as wine. It intoxicated her, caused her to swoon forward, only to be caught at the waist by his gloved hand. His touch burned through her bindings, a ghost of a touch.

“Yes,” he whispered against the bare skin of her ear. His breath was cool, icy and burned icy-hot through her skin. “And I’ll come to collect. Soon.”

He leaned back again, used a gloved knuckle to tilt her chin toward him.

“Tell me, princess,” he said. “How glorious would it feel to be free?”

Just as quickly as he was there – luring her closer, lifting her chin – he disappeared. A cool, dark cloud was left in his wake.