Knightshade Ch. 02

The realization that they intend on drowning me sends my body into a frenzy of writhing to get away.

"No, please don't! Tristan. Tristan, stop! I'm not a witch--I am not gwrach!"

All he says to me is one word in Welsh: "sink."

Tristan doesn't hesitate as he throws me off the bank.

I can hardly catch my breath before I impact the cold water. It pulls me under. I know that I need to keep calm in order to hold my breath, but the cold pressure pushes out my air forcing bubbles to escape my lips.

They float up as I float down.

I cannot swim with my ankles and wrists bound to each other. The ropes ravage my wrists as I try to wretch them apart. There's no hope. Darkness begins to spot my vision from the cold and lack of air.

I'm dying.

There is nothing I can do about it as I sink down, down, down.

Before I can hit the bottom of the lake, through my blurred vision I spot a dark figure swimming towards me. For a moment I fear it is a large fish, but as it gets closer I recognize it is a man. Grabbing on to my midriff, the man pulls me up, up until we break through the surface of the water. I gasp at the chilled air as we get closer to land. I cannot get any air into my lungs.

I still haven't breathed as I am set onto the ground, the ropes restraining me cut. Free to move, I get on my hands and knees to sputter water. It chokes me, but eventually I am gasping blessed air.

From what feels like miles away, I hear the words "nid gwrach", not a witch.

Droplets of water fall from my hair and naked body as I consider the words. This--this--was a test to determine if I was a witch. I nearly drowned so that these knights could determine whether I had sold my soul to the devil. To determine whether I was safe enough to be left alive.

Curling my fingers into the wet soil, an anger at everything that has happened to me since arriving here twists through my body. If anybody wasn't safe enough to be alive it was the man who beheaded another without a second thought.

Tristan threw me in deep cold water, while I was tied up and unable to defend myself for... for what? Markings--tattoos--not so different from his own.

He had said "sink" before throwing me in the water. I did sink, but what would have happened if I floated?

Standing from the embankment, I bring fistfuls of dirt and weeds with me as I turn towards Tristan. He is soaking wet where he stands only a few feet from me. Just past him stand the rest of the knights, almost too much in the shadow of the trees for me to make out their features.

I am saying something, but I can't hear it over the ringing in my ears. My footsteps bring me closer and closer to the knight in front of me until we are toe to toe. I'm moving before I can stop myself--my open hand connects with his cheek forcing his head to swivel to the side.

Gasping, I put my hands to my mouth as realization hits me--the realization that I have just hit and disrespected a man that I should fear.

Tristan's dark eyes find my own, and horror winds through me at his expression. He takes a step forward. I notice the hand print of dirt flushed on his cheek before I snap back into my body.

Mirroring his movements, I feel water beneath my feet again forcing me to stop. I know I am trapped between the lake and this man. Alarm funnels through me as I put out my hands to stop him as he inches towards me.

My hands do nothing when he reaches me. Using his strength to pull my arms towards him, the knight drags me away from the water and flings me to the ground. Before I can understand the action, Tristan is on top of me. His hands are in my hair, tugging as he snarls words that I can't translate. The anger in his eyes shows hunger. Hunger for pain, my pain.

I know what is coming and it terrifies me.

He is sitting on my hips as he begins to undress. While I use my arms and legs to try to dislodge him, a pile of wet clothing grows beside us. He is unaffected by my struggles. His frame so larger than my own makes my movements nothing to him. Once undressed on the upper half, Tristan lays his forearm over my chest--pushing me down as he makes quick work of his pants and boots.

I know what is coming and I know I can't stop it.

But, I won't let it be easy--fear has warped into my own anger.

The knight's face is blank as he settles between my legs. I refuse to look down from his face as I spit. The wetness collects on his cheek. He looks surprised for a moment, touching the spittle. Before I can process his movement, a strike sends my head rolling to the side. My face stings from the impact of his backhand.

Taking the opportunity, Tristan wraps his hands around my thighs to pull me closer to him. The feeling of his heavy arousal at my core brings me back to the moment. Twisting my body, I take a foot to his chest and push myself away from him. I'm on my stomach crawling, yet the knight grabs onto the foot I pushed away with; he pulls me so that I cannot move.

Settling himself over my back, an arm wraps around my rib-cage to drag me up onto my hands and knees. I begin to buck to the side when the feeling of teeth digging into my shoulder stops me. The agony of the bite makes me whimper and fall to my elbows.

After digging in deeper for a moment, Tristan lets my skin from his teeth. A message to me that no matter what I do, he will win this game.

I can feel him between my folds, rubbing against the soft skin. He is large and, despite the feeling of complete despair, I don't want this. The knight settles behind me--holding my waist steady as he moves forward. At the feel of his tip, I panic. Throwing my head back, I connect with hardness.

The sound of nose cracking tells me I have hit my mark.

I tense, ready to run once the man writhes with pain and lets me go. But, he doesn't. Instead, I hear a quiet chuckle.

Spearing forward, Tristan envelopes himself into me in one fell swoop. The feel of the bluntness into my dry canal forces a shriek from my lips. This doesn't stop him as he continues his increased rhythm. Tears collect at my eyes as I am scooted forward by the force of him. For minutes he continues in this way, until he completely stops still buried inside of me.

The size of him aches my body, making any movement on my part uncomfortable. We sit there in silence as Tristan breaths steadily. I do not know what to expect, but still jump when I feel fingertips at my bud. They pinch and rub at me--and despite my horror, my body begins to respond.

I can feel the wetness begin to gather between my legs as the knight continues his attention. I am so dizzy, so tired of fighting that the touch at my core sweeps pleasure across my body. I think I am moving, rubbing against him, but I cannot be sure.

I am not sure of anything, but fire licking through my body.

The peak is near. I can feel it as Tristan begins to move his hips in sync with his fingers. I am rising, rising as the movements quicken. My arms and legs stiffen, back arches--allowing the knight to slide in ever deeper--and I tremble.

A scream so wanton that it cannot be my own echoes around me as my muscles milk his length. The peak is found, and I am falling.

My mind and body is singing. I can barely recognize the feeling of his heaviness slipping out of me, or being lifted and turned to my back. My legs are loose as he fills me again, pounding deeply into my body.

I am feather-light when I open my eyes. Above me, I take in the man still pleasuring himself with my body. His long hair, braided here and there, falls down his shoulders. Blood drips down his lips and chin from where I headbutted his nose. His eyes are open, bright with pain and satisfaction.

He is looking at my lips.

Each slide of him pulses pleasure through my entire body.

As if aware of my examination, the knight's brown eyes rise to meet my own.

I don't know how, but I tense suddenly again. The orgasm rips through me quicker than the first. This time I milk Tristan through his--jaw clenched, palms finding breasts.

We lay there to catch our breath. His forehead rested between my breasts, my warmth still enveloped around him. As the moments pass, I think to look to my left towards the trees. The other knights are nowhere to be seen, and I wonder how much they saw.