Caught in the Devils' Hand Read online

  Peering intently at the spot from which the sound originated, she tried to discern what had nearly given her a heart attack, but the trees were tucked tightly against the stream, and she found it difficult to see much between the tree trunks. Coming shakily to her feet, she waited another breath, seeing nothing unusual.

  That’s when something large emerged from between the trees.

  Breaking into a run, she whimpered as she shot down the path, kicking up dirt as she went. The air sawed in and out of her lungs, and she almost cried with relief as the clearing came up again. It meant that, at a run, she would be back home in five minutes. The clearing was large, as if a great house might have stood there ages ago. It was now covered with thick, fragrant grass, a sea of green broken only by a thin dirt path. She and Oka often played tag here. On summer days when the grass was very tall, they would play hide-and-seek.

  Breaking away from the tree line, she didn’t let up speed as she entered the clearing. Her eyes stayed on the dark hole from which she had run earlier. She didn’t want to look behind her or to the sides, afraid that another set of eyes glowing red with evil malice would be staring back at her.

  But it was too late.

  A movement from out of that dark hole drove fear into the base of her spine, and a gasp of fright doubled as a gasp of air as her lungs burned with effort. The world slowed down as her feet stopped moving. Her body’s momentum carried her only a couple more feet, leaving her in the middle of the clearing. The first thing her brain could process was the enormous black horse, gleaming with sweat in the moonlight. Her heartbeat sounded slow in her ears, but she knew that it had never pounded as fast or as hard as it did now. The basket fell from her fingers, landing in the grass next to her.

  Her eyes involuntarily looked at the rider and before her was the most handsome man that she had ever laid eyes upon. She literally felt something inside of her twist the second she looked at his face. He seemed strong, warrior-like, but he wasn’t as burly as the field workers. His jaw was sharp and well-defined and his smooth, pale skin seemed to glow, though Shumei knew that it must have been a trick of the moonlight.

  His hair was a shocking, bright white. As white as her hair was black, it was cut just above his shoulders, flying free in the slight breeze and seeming silkier and softer than her ill-used locks. It was too dark to see his eyes at all, a very scary image, but she knew in her gut that his eyes would be gray to match his pale, pale hair. The clean line of his brow ridge, currently set at a determined and serious angle, sat above the dark pockets where his eyes were hiding. His mouth, gifted with wide, thin lips, was expressionless beneath his slightly hawkish nose.

  The world slammed back into place as the horse belted out its harsh scream. It and its rider came sprinting at her, and the only thing that made her react was the thought of Oka dying. Bending her knees and grasping for the handle of the basket, she shot to the side, hoping to run into an area too thick with trees for a horse to enter. It was all for naught though. She saw the horse come up on her left side as something slammed into her back, sending her to the ground. The basket tumbled forward, and only the wooden lid kept the herbs from spilling out helter-skelter.

  The air in her lungs, what there was of it, was knocked out of her body as she landed. Even worse was the heavy weight on her back, which made it very difficult to take in new air. The weight lifted quickly, and she was roughly tossed onto her back before the weight returned to pin her once again.

  “Ahh, one so young as you has not crossed my path in many years,” the demon said slowly, his voice deep and silky. She had never before heard such a wonderful, calming voice and it scared her most of all. She sucked in breaths of air, extremely winded from her sprint and her fall.

  “Wh-what are you going to do to me?” she asked, too frightened to say it with any more bravado than that of a shaky lilt. The demon’s exquisite features filled her eyes, and she gasped as she realized that his eyes indeed were a very light color, but their exact shade would remain a mystery under the pale moonlight. He gave her a lopsided smile.

  She was finally able to lift her arms, having caught her breath somewhat, and vainly tried to push him off her. However, he was too heavy and determined for her to escape his weight. His body lay mostly on her right side, one leg between hers and one hand pressed to the ground next to her head.

  “So frightened,” he purred, sending chills down her limbs. “There is no need to be frightened, little girl. I will give you a present,” he softly announced, lifting his hand and stroking her cheek. Her heart beat wildly and she recognized that she was thrilled rather than frightened, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think that her life wasn’t in danger. No doubt this devastatingly handsome creature was nothing but a demon. Even so, she had the uncanny urge to nuzzle his palm. Instead she simply closed her eyes at his soft touch and tightened her grip on his shoulders.

  What was happening to her?

  “I don’t want a present. I just want to continue on my way,” she pleaded as she opened her eyes again, trying to ignore the part of her that was begging to stay right where she was. Handsome or not, he was not human, a fact that she had to continuously repeat inside her head. No human could be that gorgeous.

  His spicy scent teased her nostrils, wafting up subtly from his skin, and she felt a strange need to lean into him and inhale. It was somehow familiar, like seeing a childhood friend years after she had moved away—not that she had had any childhood friends.

  She somehow wanted to believe him when he said she had no reason to fear him, but the practical side of her mind screamed at her not to give in to his good looks and calming voice. She felt panic fluttering in her chest as two sides of her mind warred against each other. One side wanted him to continue speaking to her with that sublime voice and the other wanted to fight him and run away.

  “All women would want this present, little girl.” He leaned closer to her, bringing his face nearer to hers.

  “I…I must return home. My brother’s life is at stake,” she whispered, seeing how close he was to her. He didn’t answer for a few seconds, but then he finally said, “I am not without compassion, so I shall make a trade with you. For being in the right place at the right time, I promise to leave you here once we are finished. Consider that to be my consolation.”

  “F-finished with what?” she tremulously asked, though some inner part of her had an inkling of what he referred to.

  “I shall give you pleasure, little girl, and it shall feed me. I will take you as men have taken women for the span of human history and you shall cry out in ecstasy this night.”

  Her eyes widened and she was suddenly aware of a rapidly growing hardness that pressed against her thigh. His leg between hers pushed against the core of her body as one of his hands stroked her side, moving slowly and with great familiarity.

  Her heart thudded in her chest and a tingling warmth stirred to life deep within her abdomen. She knew that whatever it was the demon wanted from her, she shouldn’t give it to him. She knew that doing so would blacken her soul for all eternity. Yet, even as she rejected her only serious suitor and attempted to be a good person, she knew that she would do this.

  “Say yes,” he murmured, his lips only a breath away from hers. “Tell me you’ll feed me with the cream of your body.”

  He continued to ply her for her permission, his voice like honey and his scent like cinnamon. His hand moved sensuously over her body and his leg between her thighs rubbed in a rhythmic motion that had her gasping. Her body wanted him. There was no denying it to herself and there was no denying him either.

  “Y-yes,” she agreed, her fingers digging into his strong shoulders as she bent one knee. His mouth slammed onto hers, and she cried out in surprise at the demanding pressure of his lips. She felt her belt rip, and his powerful fingers slipped inside her dress, gripping one of her breasts. A small sound of embarrassment escaped her throat. She sighed at the pleasant tingle his expert fingers invoked, which pinche
d and rolled her nipple. When he broke off their kiss, she pulled in a deep breath of air that was already thick with an indefinable energy.

  “Let’s see how fast you respond to me,” he uttered. Shumei blinked in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about, and watched as he leaned down over her bared bosom, his silken hair lightly brushing her skin. She felt her cheeks blush even as his lips formed a seal around the sensitive tip and she looked away in embarrassment, laying her head on the ground again. He hollowed his cheeks as his tongue tested the soft texture of the areola, swirling around it as if her breast were some delicate dessert.

  She gaspingly moaned and arched up into him, disbelieving that such a sensation could have existed. Her body stiffened and shuddered with each pull of his lips, for a sharp, tingling sensation followed, which shot down the length of her torso and made her muscles tighten involuntarily.

  It was many long minutes as he tasted her and the smacking noise of his mouth against her skin was loud in the stillness of the evening, as well as the liquid slide of his tongue over her swelling nipples. Her skin felt warm all over, like the start of a sunburn, and she became damp and swollen between her thighs.

  “So young…naïve…untainted,” he purred, his mouth moving against her chest as he began to nuzzle the soft skin between her breasts.

  When his hand smoothed its way down her belly to the inflamed place between her thighs, she automatically tried to clamp her legs shut, instinctively shy. His leg was in the way though, and she could not keep him out. He cupped her sex in his warm palm, massaging her mound with a familiarity and experience that made her cry out with surprise. His longest finger confidently slipped between the folds of her flesh, knowing what it sought and finding it quickly.

  “Aah!” she cried out, shuddering as her body convulsed with every single touch of his finger. Warmth was now infused in her entire being, all the way down to her bones, and the area where his hand was lodged was moist and humid. The demon then put his lips next to her ear, whispering softly.

  “It feels good, does it not? Like a warm summer breeze…like the slide of honey down your throat…like sin?” he queried, working his finger inside her womanhood and enjoying the wet sounds his hand made as he pleasured this delectable female. It had been so long since he had played with a girl so tender in years.

  A strange dizziness was coming over her, and she shook her head to clear it, but the dizziness grew even worse. Her senses were swimming. She felt her hips rolling upward involuntarily.

  “I can wait no longer,” he gruffly murmured. He pushed open her cotton robe, revealing her pale limbs to the night sky. She felt her body shiver as cool air met her heated skin. Her knees were roughly pushed apart, leaving her exposed as he moved between them.

  Her heart fluttered wildly behind her ribs and she lay meekly beneath him with both hands up around her head as he brought one arm between them. She was more than ready, needing a conclusion to this build-up of sensations. The demon’s desire also seemed to be barely under control, for his hand hurriedly pulled at his belt.

  She lifted her head and looked down to where his gaze pointed, watching as his free hand opened the front of his clothing. She saw a limb spring free, and it moved as if beating in unison with his heart. At the sight of his naked organ, she felt the heat begin to gather between her thighs and her breaths came fast and shallow.

  She wanted him. From the first second her eyes had landed on his perfect face, she had wanted him in the way any woman wants a man. She wanted him to give her pleasure, to show her exactly what it is that adults enjoyed so much. Seeing that the stories she had heard about “the marital act” were actually true, she couldn’t help the lustful mewl that escaped her throat, knowing that he was going to be inside her, though she wasn’t sure quite yet how they would fit together.

  “Lift up your knees.” She did as he said and the soles of her feet found the damp, lush grass. His body curved closer to her and she barely heard his whisper, “Let me kiss you, little girl.” He leaned down and she opened her mouth for him, accepting his tongue between her lips. It was so carnal, having his tongue in her mouth, lying naked beneath him. She reveled in the excitement of it all and the ache between her legs intensified, making her moan with need.

  More of his body settled against her torso and a hot, blunt object butted against the swollen lips of her sex. It began to enter and the feeling was so erotic and consuming that she rocked her hips back to experience more of the same sensation. The limb she had seen earlier turned out to be much harder than she had expected. The head of it cleared the ring of muscles in her body, and the walls of her sex began to protest the size of the object pushing itself inside.

  The demon bucked forward then, ripping through her virginity like paper. He groaned loudly and she cried out in pain, shocked that the pleasure had ended so terribly. Her eyes immediately began to sting with tears, making her blink rapidly at the tense face above her and her expression was tight with hurt and confusion. Her fists held handfuls of grass that she slowly ripped from the ground in an attempt to keep a second cry from bursting forth. She heard his comforting shushes and he uttered a few whispered words that sounded foreign to her.

  The pain suddenly receded, as if it had never happened. Even more confused now, she wondered for a moment what had happened. Had that been magic just now? Had he cast a spell with that strange language? She was about to ask when he began to move, stifling any questions she might have posed.

  “Yes,” he sighed. Her body rocked back with every thrust, his limb sliding in and out of her body. Breathy moans from deep within her throat began to escape, and she couldn’t control the prevalent hitch in her breath. The motion was compelling, exciting…

  “Little girl…no, not a girl anymore. A woman—and you are mine now. Oh by the gods are you mine,” he growled, bucking harder as his body pressed her down into the soft ground. She wrapped her arms around his back, her hands holding fast to his trim sides. The weight of their bodies was crushing the newly grown grass beneath them, releasing its earthy scent on the gentle breeze that cooled their surging forms.

  “So…so good,” she sighed, hearing the suction of her body around his surging phallus. She could feel time slipping by and knew that he was spending many long minutes over her. His hips changed angles several times, gaining more ground with every try. He thrust into her again, solidly bumping into the mouth of her womb, and she groaned loudly with pleasure. His pelvis drove hard, slapping down to the hilt of his shaft to ensure that every thrust filled her to the brim.

  “You’re close. Give over to it. Let yourself go,” he encouraged, maintaining the pace and watching her beneath him. Her breasts bounced lightly as his hips hit hers, tempting him to lean down and taste their softness again.

  “I…I feel sick,” she cried, shying away from the swimming sensation crawling through her lower abdomen. His hips sped up in response to her words, pounding against her and making her burn. She moaned again, unsteadily lifting her legs to hook her ankles behind him. The slapping sound of his pelvis hitting her was loud and fast.

  “W-what’s happening?” She felt like she was going to burst, like she would simply leave her skin and float away on the breeze.

  “Magic…it’s magic,” he brokenly groaned, bringing his head up again. “Omae wo shibatteyaru…eien ni na,” he hoarsely called, lifting his head to the sky. She heard the sizzle of lightning before it strikes, and the distant sound of rumbling thunder, but no lightning appeared. She cried out, feeling the nausea roll over into a wet bliss that froze her body. Her legs pulled him close, and she felt newly discovered muscles start to seize up around the long hardness buried deep inside of her.

  “A-a-h! Y-yes! YES!” she screamed. Dizziness like the kind she felt when she had tried the rice wine, only much stronger, hit her so suddenly that for a second she thought she was dying. Her thighs trembled and her hips repeatedly thrust against her lover. A warm liquid squeezed out from where his body joined
with hers and dripped down her skin. Her eyes opened and she saw a white mist floating up from her body. It seeped into the demon above her, rising in immense waves that matched each tremor in her loins and each passionate cry torn from her throat. Her eyes squeezed shut again and his body still moved over hers, drawing out the pleasure that rippled through her sex.

  Then the demon plunged his member once more into her body, bucking several times to make sure he was seated as deeply as possible, and a dripping heat shot into her. His groans were incredibly low in pitch, inhuman. The pleasure began to fade then, and she opened her eyes to look at the face of her first lover.

  Shumei sorely regretted what she had just done, even as the buzz of orgasm still lingered in her veins. The face of the demon was still tight with pleasure as he continued thrusting his seed into her body, intensifying her guilt tenfold.

  She knew then that she had let him seduce her. She had been weak in the face of temptation and had allowed evil incarnate to spill its seed into her body, risking the chance that a child would be born from her womb.

  Silent tears of remorse slipped over her temples to the ground, and her face held little expression as the limb inside her gave one final jerk, releasing one last splash inside her. The demon raggedly sighed and finally removed himself from her body. He stood to adjust his clothing, and she gingerly sat up, pulling her legs together and closing her dress with stiff, shaky hands.

  She looked around for the basket she had dropped, and, standing on her own, she reached down to get it as her other hand held her dress shut. Turning to the path, she began to walk toward it.

  “Where are you going, woman?” the demon asked, his voice tinged with threat.

  “I am going home,” she answered flatly, turning to him but not looking at his face.

  “You will go where I tell you to go,” he ordered. She could hear him walking toward her, and hastily backed away, looking up into his pale eyes.