"Halo"

Here is short vignette inspired by a future work tentatively titled, "Beautiful Sin." This future work is intended to be a prequel to the Vicious Bliss series. In the spirit of practicing, practicing, practicing, I am attempting to write little pieces based on random inspiration. The phrase, "Blinded by your halo, I never saw your horns," inspired the following. I hope you enjoy!

It started as a game. Harmless on the surface, designed to chase away the ennui of a bored werewolf prince, it required her delicious innocence and vicious instinct.

"Adria, my beauty, would you like to leave the castle today?"

His careful whisper reached her across the gentle murmurs of a full hall. She paused in her furtive journey across the perimeter of the grand room, small foot hanging in mid-air, and lush mouth parted in surprise. She reminded him of a small beast in the presence of a much larger predator. Her humanity, rudimentary at best, receded beneath the tide of rising instinct. He dismissed the courtiers swelling around him in anticipation of a hard run. Their disappointment made Adria quiver. Her eyes flickered to and fro, expecting displeasure to turn violent.

That would never happen for she was his dearest possession and therefore, theirs as well.

"Adria?" His voice assumed dulcet tones. He watched in satisfaction when the pinched fear fell beneath his careful consideration. "Would you like to leave today?"

She kept her posture rigid. Pitiful hope flared. Her throat worked rapidly. "Home?"

"No, my dearest. Not home." Sadness darkened her lovely countenance. He caught glimpse of fangs. "Ssh, my beauty. Don't cry." He approached with easy caution, unwilling to let Adria flee his hall without satisfying his will first. He touched her face with fingertips, too quick for her to jerk away.

Not that she would after he had put her over his knee the first time she dared.

His gentle smile never betrayed the craven glee warming his heart as he saw she remembered that lesson as well. Adria's ebony stare flickered gold in agitation. She broke mid-flight and finally put her leg down.

"Don't fret, my beauty. Your home is with me now. Aren't I yours, dearest?"

Adria's skin warmed in a maidenly flush. She leaned into his touch for a moment before pulling away.

He gifted a hard look until she brought her smooth cheek back into his palm. "Aren't I?" he repeated.

"Yes."

One stingy word couldn't come close to satisfying him. "Yes what?"

Adria frowned prettily, darling face contorted with frustration and daring. Bravery was left for another day. "Yes, my lord Nikolaus."

He tugged at her wrist until she obediently crept into the shelter of his outspread arms. Several pairs of human eyes blazed with feminine pique. Their jealousy amused for a moment. Those precious ladies would play poisoned games with his little Adria, games she had no ability to ever win. He kept her away from them out of possession but eventually he was going to have to throw her back into their care. If anything, to see how well she fared.

If you can't put dirty humans in their place then what kind of wolf would you be?

He enfolded Adria within his crimson cloak. Her gown matched perfectly. He often wore the color because he knew it pleased her so. When several of his paramours adopted the color in hopes of pleasing him he had ordered them stripped of their clothes with a stern warning to never wear it again.

This particular shade of red belonged to him and his Adria alone.

Only when she rested her head against his chest did he murmur, "I want to run in the forest with you. Will that please you?"

Several moments passed before Adria nodded. "It pleases me and I'm happy that it pleases you."

He froze his impulse to take her soft mouth beneath his as reward for her good behavior. Only the instinct that it would send her flying stopped him. "You are such a darling beauty, Adria, for thinking of your lord."

"It is easy when my lord is so very kind to me."

He smiled.