Chapter 3: The Forbidden Pool
There was a cursed forest in the middle of nowhere. Any civilization that attempted to make its dwelling was immediately wiped out by mysterious plagues, leaving the forest more cursed than before.
It was overgrown with spindly thorns and poison ivy, glowing with the moonlight and ringing with the haunting call of night birds.
At the center of the forest was a pool. The forbidden pool.
Many said the forest’s curse originated from the bottom of that pool. The water, glimmering with a faint purple color, was said to bind flesh to spirit.
As soon as a body was plunged into the water, the nearest spirit was drawn into the depths and bound to the sinking body. It was a revival, but a cursed one that only lasted for a limited time. Like taking an extension on a loan owed to Death. He’d collect eventually.
As soon as Aurelia had agreed, he’d lifted her dead body into his arms and turned into vapor, vanishing. Her soul, bound to their deal, was dragged into darkness with him.
And then, splash!
Her corpse hit cold, enchanted water.
It sank like a stone. Aurelia’s soul was surrounded by darkness, and then a loud rush filled her ears, and a wind dragged her until she was screaming.
She thrashed, limbs kicking like she was fighting an invisible entity. She was crying out, her heart pounding in fear as she fought against the force.
“Welcome back to life.”
Aurelia paused with her eyes closed, breathing hard as she stilled, feeling.
She was feeling.
Feeling water dripping off her chin, streaming down her skin, the cool night air chilling her wet body, and feeling her own skin against her fingertips.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. She was alive. She was really alive! A hesitant smile curved her lips as a broken laugh of delirious joy left her. She raised her trembling hands, studying them like they weren’t hers. She looked down at herself.
She was naked.
With a gasp, Aurelia threw an arm over her chest and one hand over her crotch. Her gaze snapped up, and she froze.
At the jagged edge of the pool, he stood, staring down at her like impending doom.
She swallowed hard, shivering when an icy droplet slid off her hair and trailed down her back.
“It’s you,” she said.
“Me,” he agreed darkly. “You’re alive, just as I promised.”
She nodded weakly. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he muttered. “Pay me.”
She froze, remembering the deal they’d made. “Pay you? N-now?”
“Now,” he said. “The deal was made, and now the debt is due. So, pay me.”
When she didn’t move, he roughly sighed and reached down, grabbing her arms. Like she weighed nothing, he lifted her out of the water and set her on the ground before him.
Her knees buckled, and she crumpled, but his arms came around her, catching her against his chest.
She gasped, scandalized at being held in a man’s arms whilst naked, but lacking the strength to pull away.
She slowly met his gaze, wondering if she looked as scared as she felt. As soon as she looked at his face, she stilled, awed by his outlandish looks. It was her first time seeing him this closely. His skin was like alabaster, his lips full and a very pale pink.
She found his eyes and stared through his hair to meet his gaze.
“What are you?” she whispered.
His grip tightened, and he pulled her harder against him as he lowered his head, parting his lips.
She stared, entranced, as his teeth lengthened and a pair of sharp fangs formed.
“Your friendly,” he whispered. “…neighborhood vampire.”
Sharp nails trailed down her back, and she shivered, gaping at him in shock. “V… v-vampire?!”
“Enough yapping.”
He closed the distance between them and covered her lips with his, throwing her into a heady kiss without so much as a warning. She was swept away instantly, clinging to him as his tongue lured her into puzzling need.
Aurelia hadn’t so much as held hands with a boy before. To be kissed so deeply and suddenly, and by something that wasn’t human, was far more than she could handle.
Her breasts were pressed to his chest, and even though he had thick garments on, it still embarrassed her.
She wasn’t sure how aroused men behaved, but something told her that he didn’t desire her. He just seemed to want to punish her. That meant she wasn’t meant to enjoy what he was doing to her.
Her body was warming up quickly now that she was alive, and his fingers were feeling colder and colder wherever he touched her. But how could such cold hands make her feel so hot?
They roamed her body as his mouth ravaged hers.
She breathlessly broke the kiss. “W-wait… not here—”
“Be quiet,” he muttered, gripping her face with one hand.
She pointlessly tried to control her erratic breathing. Why was she breathing so hard? “But I thought…”
“What?” he hissed. “You thought I’d be gentle? Princess, I resurrected you. I own your first breath, your first pleasure, your first… humiliation. Now give them to me.”
She stared at him in breathless arousal, and he dipped his head, nipping at her jaw as he trailed kisses down her neck, sucking on her skin.
Her body buzzed in a way she’d never felt before, making her close her eyes on shuddering sighs. His hand trailed down her body and slid between her thighs.
Her eyes flew open and, when his fingers delved between her slick folds, she jerked with a soft whimper.
He paused. Moving his fingers like he needed to double-check, he heard her whimper again.
Slowly raising his head, he looked down at her face. A scoff of annoyance parted his lips as he held her trembling body. “You’re… enjoying this?”
She pressed her lips together, turning her face as far away from him as she could.
He sensed shame waft off her like a candle’s scent and drenched his senses in it. “You are, aren’t you?” he murmured. His fingers resumed their actions, rubbing her untouched sex.
“What kind of princess...” he murmured near her ear. “Enjoys being touched like this out in the woods? And by a creature, a monster like me.”
She bit her lip but couldn’t hold back the moan, her cheeks turning red with shame at the pleasure she was feeling.
“This is what you like?” he murmured, intensifying her pleasure by nipping at her earlobes.
He was upset now, pissed that her shame was accompanied by pleasure. He’d intended to give her fear and humiliation.
He hadn’t expected that the princess would be this responsive. She was dripping down his fingers, her soft moans syncing to the movement of his fingers. Gosh, he was upset. He was supposed to be humiliating her. So, why was he so damn hard in his trousers?
A suspicion tingled the back of his mind, and he fell into immediate denial of it. It couldn’t be, could it?
But, how else could he explain their mutual pleasure in a moment that was meant to horrify? Was it the deal he’d made with her? Surely not.
He couldn’t have... accidentally created a soul tie between him and the wretched princess. Could he?