The Almost One Night Stand

Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Delilah's POV

The shifter appeared with Nimue in his arms. Both were deep in the thrall of the potion Mara had given him. "You did so well, shifter. Let us take care of her now," I told him as Addanc took her from his arms. Smiling like an idiot he just handed her over. Of course, she had the same look on her face. Mara's venom had erased all fear and knowledge of who they were dealing with.

I looked to the god, "Are you sure this will work?" I was nervous after the last failed attempt.

Addanc rolled his eyes at me, "Of course, it will work Mistress. Had I been allowed to be present last time, I would have been able to complete the spell in minutes."

"For both your sakes, I hope you're right," the hooded figure stood off to the side, his voice stern, eyes fixed on Nimue. "Get started."

My gaze settled on the poor creature Mara had ensnared. She always did have an affinity for the innocent ones. He looked on with such love and adoration for my niece. Poor thing really did believe he was saving her, and in a way, I guess he was. She would live her life taken care of and loved, but with no memory of who she really was.

"Do you wish her marked before we begin?" Addanc asked the figure. Without a word, he stepped forward and pulled down her top. He placed his hand near her heart and spoke a few words. She screamed as the skin under his hand began to burn, marking her eternally, yet when he pulled his hand away the skin was unblemished. "Well thought," Addanc smiled, "An untraceable bond. Will the other want to place one as well?"

"He's running late. Can it be placed after your spell?" the figure asked.

"Of course." Addanc turned to Laurent and Nimue, "Strip and put these on." Both looked at him with dazed eyes and silently obeyed. Once dressed they knelt before him wearing simple peasant clothing befitting of a farmer and his modest wife. All traces of their lives were gone. I had removed her jewelry and closed her ear piercings so that nothing from the modern world remained. The god spoke to us as the couple waited, "Once the spell is done, Delilah will need to give her the potion. Depending on sleep cycles, she should give birth within a week or sooner."

"How long until she can be bred again?" the figure asked, running his hand along her hair.

Addanc choked, "Um, uh, well, the babes will need to nurse and she will need to heal some, uh, depending on who or what is breeding her."

"That is not your concern, just tell me when," the voice snapped.

"Patience old friend," a new visitor said, his cloak swaying in the wind as he quickened his steps. "We want to breed her, not kill her, remember?" The hooded figure snorted. "Am I too late to mark her?"

"Not at all, Your Highness. However, I do need to know if you intend to give her any venom. It could interfere with the spell and the potion," Addanc said.

He frowned, "Well that's no fun. Then I guess I'll just have to wait until your spell is finished because my mark will require venom. So let's get this show started," he said excitedly.

"As you wish." Addanc placed his hands at the base of their necks and began to chant, his hands glowing as he pulled their memories apart, reworking them into the reality we had decided upon. I watched as their faces slackened, becoming so serene. Sweat rolled off the god's forehead when he finally finished. "There, all done." An accolade brought him a towel and wash basin. "If you are both breeding her then I suggest at least a week after delivery, then another week before the next insemination," he said, wiping his face and hands with the towel.

The second man laughed, "Oh Addanc, you misunderstand, we will both breed her at the same time, dear boy. More bang for our buck so to speak."

I spun around, my mouth gaping, "What? You never mentioned anything like this in our agreement." I shook my finger at the hooded figure, "For that matter, you never said a damn thing about him in the first place!" I glared at the smirking man next to me. "What are you trying to pull here?"

His hand clamped down on my throat faster than I could react, "Tread carefully, Delilah. You are not in charge here. You are getting your throne and your precious Isle. We are getting our heirs and anything else we want. Our business is none of yours." His grip lessened, "Now, take that poor creature to the marshes, let his guilt destroy him." He released me, pushing me toward the man Mara had sent.

"What of their imprisonment? You need me to seal the entry," I protested and he just grunted.

"Ma'am, can you tell me your name?" Addanc was asking Nimue. She blinked like a newborn deer.

"Emily, sir," she said meekly, and looked to the man beside her as he took her hand, "And this is my husband, Joe, well Joseph."

"So nice to meet you both," Addanc said, flashing a confident grin at all of us. "Do you recognize anyone here?"

They both looked around and Nimue, um, Emily paused at the hooded figure, subconsciously rubbing the mark he'd given her, but shook her head, "No sir, should we?"

He smiled gently, "No, not at all dear. Now, let's get you both into your cabin. Lots of nasty things are out in this part of the wood." He led them inside the cabin and stepped back out, closing the door behind him. "All yours, Delilah."

I began to mark the sigil on the door, changing it just a bit from what we'd discussed. I'll be damned if that bastard outsmarts me. When the image flared, the cabin vanished from view.

"You forgot to mark her," the hooded figure said to his friend.

"Nah, I'll just sneak in and let them have a lust-filled night afterward. My mark packs a punch," he chuckled. The other man groaned and rolled his eyes as they both vanished.

Addanc bowed, "Don't call me again, Delilah. Dealing with those two has nearly aged me out of existence. I'd watch your back if I was you. They have a much larger plan, and you aren't part of it, but she is." With that warning, he vanished.

I turned back to see the blissfully ignorant young man with his drug-induced smile still plastered on his face. "Come on, you. Let's see if I can still have some fun." 

Author's Notes:  Um, they're doing it again...those pesky characters are shifting the plot and it's about to take some unexpected turns.  I even argued with myself but lost...

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