Please enjoy this teaser for my upcoming novel, RECIPROCAL EVIL.
PROLOGUE
“It is magnificent, is it not?” The handsome bearded man held the younger girl’s arm as if supporting her, and guided her into the nave of the old church. She didn’t look around, nor did she answer. She wore a long cloak that looked too warm for the day’s temperature.
“These Europeans knew how to build churches. Without doubt. A perfect place for such a momentous ceremony. Are you not excited, my dear?”
Again, no answer came. The girl stumbled as he released his grip on her. He placed his arm around her waist again, holding her up.
“Be careful! We wouldn’t want you to fall and suffer pain.” The man chuckled. “Plenty of time for suffering later.” He looked toward the altar. “Hello!” he called. “Anyone here?”
The church was empty, as he knew it would be. His lords and masters would make certain that no one would be present to interfere with the ceremony.
“It is a long walk to the altar. I wish I had thought to bring along a wheelchair to help you, my dear. As it is, however, you’ll have to walk. Never fear. I will help you.” He looked at his young companion. She looked lovely, even clad in the cloak. Her reddish-blond hair was full and long, and her greenish eyes were deep pools of beauty, even if they were unfocused due to the drugs he had administered.
Too unfocused? Perhaps I gave her a bit too much of the compliance drug?
No matter. She had already agreed to her participation in the ceremony. The hour was almost upon them, and he had only a few more preparations to make, mostly involving her placement on the altar.
He looked at her fondly. If he was capable of love, he may have loved this exquisite creature. As it was, he enjoyed her. And now she would be given to others to enjoy in manners that he could only imagine. And he would be rewarded for presenting her to them…
“You always wanted to walk down the aisle, my dear. Even though we say we are married, you have never made this walk. I wish you were more…aware. You might savor the moment.” He chuckled again, and they made their way to the front of the church, where he helped her up the steps and guided her to the front of the altar. He reached to her neck where the cloak was buttoned, and he unhooked the clasp. The dark garment fell to the ground, revealing a short white diaphanous gown.
“Perfect!” he smiled as he stepped back, taking her beauty in. “Lovely!” The gown hugged her figure in all of the right places, billowing around her hips and thighs.
He ran his hands over the young woman’s body, then, grasping her waist, lifted her onto the altar. “Lie down, my dear.”
The girl followed his instructions, stretching out on her back and placing her arms at her sides. The man smoothed her gown around her body and lifted her arms onto her stomach, crossing them there. He opened the bag which hung from his shoulder and withdrew two lengths of soft black rope. He used the first to bind her wrists and the second to tie her ankles.
“Comfortable?” he asked her. “Not too tight?”
She did not respond.
He nodded as if she had, removed a large black leather-bound book from the bag and placed it at her hip. Opening it, he extended his arms over her and chanted words that sounded much like a prayer. Just like the masses that are usually said in this place, he thought as he finished the first part of the ritual. He knew that if anyone was to come in and see him, they would assume he was a priest performing a service in private.
He waited, and so did his lovely faux-bride.
When he sensed that the time was right, he injected her with a counter-agent to reverse the effects of the drug he had administered earlier in her drink. She had not been aware that he had drugged her; she had simply become more and more compliant until the drug hit its full potential.
Oh, the things she would do while under the influence of that miracle drug…
But none of that mattered now. What mattered was that she was conscious and aware as he finished the ceremony. He watched as her eyes focused, looked at him and then at her surroundings and realized her predicament.
“What…?” she began, but he shushed her.
It’s time, my love,” he said. “This is the culmination of all that we’ve gone through. The time is right, the location is right, and you are right…”
He placed a hand on her forehead, holding her down against the altar as he intoned the words he had memorized so well. As he finished, he looked down at her and saw the fear in her eyes. He smiled.
There’s nothing to be afraid of here, my dear,” he reassured her. “But soon, your fear will do you no good.”
A shimmering on the left of the altar drew his attention, and he almost laughed. “It worked! I knew it would! Let us go, my dear, and hope that it is not a cell in Romania!”
He lifted her easily from her resting place. She didn’t resist as he carried her to the shimmering air, and both handsome man and beautiful young woman disappeared into thin air as he stepped into the shimmer…
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Happy reading!
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