Cursed by the Phantom Prince (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 26

26

TOREN

R han’s body went completely limp and she crumbled. I managed to catch her before she hit the stone of the courtyard, then gently laid her down before stepping over her and taking up a defensive position. I’d dropped my sword somewhere and considered drawing my spear but knew that it was cumbersome and not the best weapon to fight with in the cramped area.

A sinister laugh filled the air, making the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand up. The voice was feminine but barely. It sounded more like a group of crows rather than a woman.

The roiling mass of dark feathers undulated in the air for another moment before it stopped and the plumage morphed into a humanoid type form. The scent of blood, carrion, and death filled the space, making bile rise into my throat, the measly breakfast I had eaten threatening to reappear.

“Little princeling,” the crow woman cooed.

She was completely naked, her long black hair covering her small breasts while her red eyes blazed from a sunken face that was horrible yet beautiful. One of her ears was pointed like all Fae’s were while the other looked like it had been bitten off. Massive black wings rose from behind her back, curling around her body like they couldn’t help but touch her naked flesh.

I swallowed thickly, doing my best not to look at her directly or I’d succumb to her beauty and beg for her to use my body as she saw fit. A shiver skated down my spine as I regained control of my reactions though I couldn’t help that my cock was harder than it had ever been before. It was the after effects of Rhan’s touch, or so I told myself. I’d never admit that the woman was shrouded in an aura of blackness that was thicker than any type of mist or fog.

“Morrigan,” I greeted the goddess of death. She smiled at her name. Her teeth were impossibly white and it was unsettling to think that she and her crows feasted on the bodies of those slain on the battlefield.

A throat cleared and I remembered that Larek was there with his falcon perched on his shoulder. For the first time I was grateful that he was blind because looking at the Morrigan was enough to drive anyone crazy.

“Ohhhh, another princeling,” the crow woman said, turning her attention to my friend. “I came for one but found two. How exciting!”

“Leave him out of this.”

“Who are you?” Larek asked, stepping forward like he was greeting a random person and not the goddess of death.

“What do your instincts tell you?” The Morrigan asked, tilting her head in a curious but grotesque way.

“I smell death and hear the rustle of feathers.”

“Yes. What else?” The Morrigan encouraged, and I wondered if Larek knew that the god ate up flattery like a starved dog in a butcher shop.

“I can feel your…power.”

“Yes, yes, go on,” she commanded, stepping toward my friend with her hand outstretched as if to touch him. Her fingertips were stained black like she’d just dipped her hands in the darkest blood, each was tipped with a black claw that curled slightly.

“I had no idea that a goddess still walked among us.” His tone wasn’t surprised, which made me think that maybe he had dealings with one of the Dannan.

“Very astute,” Morrigan praised, clapping her hands like a small child would. The display made me uneasy. “Your name?”

“Larek, Prince Heir from the Court of Stars,” Larek answered, his waist bending into a small bow.

“Ahhh, the blind prince they say is Arianrhod touched.” She studied Larek like he was a new species that she hadn’t come across before.

“That’s what they say,” Larek agreed, nodding but not giving any further detail.

“Not a boaster I see. How…interesting.” Her head tilted like she was listening to something neither of us could hear. “Your sight was the price of your birth. Hand selected by the goddess of stars herself. That is a title that cannot be carried easily.”

Larek remained quiet, his jaw tightening with every word that the Morrigan spoke.

Larek’s beginnings were something we hadn’t deeply discussed. I knew that his parents had petitioned the goddess to grant them an heir. She’d granted the request but there was a price to pay. There always was. Hearing her say that the price of Larek’s life was his eyesight didn’t surprise me. He’d never begrudged his lack of sight. Most of the time I forgot that he was blind at all.

“Why are you here?” I asked her, drawing her attention away from Larek and back to me. “What have you done to Rhan?”

My fists clenched as I asked the last question. Rhan didn’t deserve this. The Morrigan was after me, not her. Why couldn’t she just leave her out of this?

“I’m here to collect your debt,” the goddess of death stated in a tone that was surprised I hadn’t figured that out yet.

“Alright, name your price,” I challenged her, praying that she’d ask for something that didn’t include Rhan or Larek.

“My price is her,” The Morrigan cackled as she pointed to an unconscious Rhan sprawled out of the courtyard stone.

“She is not mine to give,” I replied firmly. “You’ll need to choose something else.”

“You have nothing else of value that I require,” she said, her voice growing serious as the fire in her eyes rose and became an inferno. “That girl is the source of the dark ones fascination. I will use her to appease my long lost brother and save this realm.”

“No,” I growled, my body tensed as I sensed her ire rise even higher.

“You have very little choice here, Prince. Hand her over and this realm will be safe again.”

“I said no,” I barked, raising my hand and calling forth the Moon Court spear from its pocket dimension. “Pick something else to bargain for.”

She reeled back like I had physically slapped her across the face. She bared her teeth and hissed a horrible sound that made my soul quack somewhere deep inside.

“Pardon, but if I may…what is the debt that Toren owes you?”

“I owe her nothing,” I seethed, wanting nothing more than to run her through with my spear. “It was my mother’s debt.”

“Your mother’s?” Larek asked, clearly not expecting that answer.

“My first encounter with the dark one was seven years ago. He touched me and I grew sick. Black veins grew all over my body. I was feverish and embroiled in madness when my mother beseeched the Morrigan,” my throat grew dry and I relived what I had seen and experienced during my sickness. The only thing keeping me from succumbing to the darkness was my mother. “My mother pleaded for her not to take me. She couldn’t bear to watch me die. So she made a bargain.”

“A life for a life,” Larek whispered, catching on quickly. “Your mother gave her life for yours.”

“That was the loophole. She offered my mother my life in exchange for another and the Morrigan agreed but didn’t specify that it would be her life. Suddenly the sickness was gone. I was as healthy as ever with only the vaguest memories of the madness I endured while my mother grew ill.”

“She faded quickly. Too quickly, which told me that the dark one had a much deeper hold in this realm that I had originally foreseen,” the Morrigan cut in, almost sounding remorseful, which was impossible. The goddess of death did not feel emotions like the rest of us. She couldn’t.

“Upon my mother’s death her debt fell to me.”

“Wasn’t your mother’s debt paid upon her death?” Larek asked, confused. “Why do you owe her a debt when it was paid with her life?”

“Because the debt hadn’t been paid in full,” I replied, running a hand through my hair and tugging on it in agitation. “My mother’s soul was eaten by the dark one before the Morrigan could collect her soul.”