The Ethrel Series - Book One: The Cursed Soul

No man could resist a woman with a pretty face, tight ass, and a pair of nice tits. The whores whispered to Yuliah, who'd gone to them for advice on how to seduce a man.

She turned from side to side in front of a silver-trimmed mirror to get a better view of her body and exhaled. A pretty face? The one thing she didn't have to worry about. It'd been a curse and gift most of her life.

Nice tits? Her breasts weren't large but more than a man's handful and hung where they should.

A tight ass? Yuliah turned. She had shape, and both sides were round, compared to some woman she'd seen, who could only say that they had an ass.

Perfect… One side of her lips lifted. Women were not born with bodies like hers. It took work, more starvation, and will power. She rubbed her stomach and sighed. The only flaws were the eight lines that ran down her belly and back like stripes. Three on the left, three on the right. The seventh and eighth lines were on her back. One on each side of her hips. She didn't even notice the lines until a maid came in to help her bath. All eight lines were deep, carved into her flesh, but not as dark anymore. In a dimly lit room, you could hardly make them out. She had no memory of where these lines came from, but was sure the story behind them ran just as deep.

Red... Yuliah slipped her hands through the sleeves of a sleek dress. It's not her favorite color but made her fair skin pop. Then glanced down at the black undergarments she laid out on the chair, but quickly decided not to put them on. She tied a sash to her waist and tugged. The last thing she needed would be to have the dress come undone in front of everyone. With a final pull, she tucked in the ends and strutted out.

He avoided and even refused to let her into his quarters. One year and three months, that's plenty of time to reflect on her mistakes. He didn't think it were and had too much reserve; not like her. She'd gone crazy more then she'd like to admit too, plotted and failed multiple times, and if not for Nian would have gone begging to him. Yuliah's insatiable need to be with him and make things right between them turned her reckless. If he won't come and see her, she would make it so he had no choice. Good Gods. If there were Gods, she prayed they'd watch over and even bless her to make this work.

Light burst through the enormous windows and bounced off the golden doors to the Great Hall. Yuliah glanced up at those doors. They gleamed brightly and towered thirty feet towards the ceiling. Each one wrought from the purest gold and took six men to open. The purpose? To kill the ego before you entered.

She walked through that golden entryway more than a dozen times before, but today adrenaline pumped through her veins like it's the first time.

One deep breath of air escaped her nose before she hurried over to the Attendant who stood outside the doors, watching like a hawk.

"Your Lord has summoned me to attend today's meeting." She made a stoic but stern face.

The Attendant rested his eyes right on Yuliah. "You must be mistaken," his voice increased in pitch. 'Everyone who he summoned is already inside the Great Hall.'

A fiery flash crept up Yuliah's neck. She forced it away. Then stared directly into those small sunken holes he called eyes and a wolf like face. "No. You're mistaken. Announce my arrival to your Lord. Now!" Her voice raised.

The attendant sneered back. "Misery's driven you mad." His eyes rolled sideways - which only added to her annoyance. "It's pathetic how deeesprately you try to get his attention. This..." He pointed and made a sweeping circular motion with his finger. "Degrading. Try to keep your dignity." His eyes shone with that same glimmer of happiness when he foiled her plans.

It would not play out in his favor. Determined, Yuliah leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Announce my arrival." She snickered. "You should know when he wants to see me. No one gets in his way. Turn me away and defy his orders." Her lip twisted slyly up at one end. "Go ahead. Test your luck if you're brave enough."

The lump in his throat moved upward. "Wait here until I call for you." He snapped his mouth shut, spun around and disappeared through the doors. Yuliah clasped a hand over her chest, and took a few deep breaths to calm down. She couldn't believe it worked.

Standing here naked under a dress that could easily fall apart at any moment, unable to walk in a pair of heels too high for her liking, and demanding an audience with the most powerful man in the kingdoms - her knees trembled slightly.

No... Yuliah patted her chest a few more times. Her plan must work... She already risked her life to play this dangerous game, but to feel this way. To live every day without him as she did for this long, it's worse. It drove her mad.

When the Attendant did not return, Yuliah inched closer to the doorway. Talks to strengthen the borders came from inside the room. There were cities to protect, Nomens turning up in the countrysides, but she wanted to interrupt and seduce their Lord.

Her desires were petty compared the pressing matters. She stepped away from the doorway. Maybe now's not the best time but a pinched voice, lodged in a nasal cavity, suddenly announced her arrival.

"My Lord, Yuliah is here, per your summons." The room went quiet.

His voice full of mockery. No! She darted for the doorway and skidded across the floor. Yuliah wouldn't give either of them time to refuse her today. The Attendant glared at her. The ends of his mouth curled slightly upward, enough for Yuliah to make out his evil intent. That bastard!

Every head turned toward the doorway and she rid her face of all emotion, then entered the Great Hall; without even waiting for his approval. Right. Clink. Left. Clink. Right. Clink. Only the sound of her heels hitting the marble floor echoed throughout the room. With both shoulders back, head high, she made her way down the aisle.

A hundred disdained eyes bore into her as though they could see right through the red dress she wore. Down to the nakedness underneath, the lines that stretched down her stomach, the curvature of her hips that swayed back and forth as she walked on. Her face burned red and all that confidence she carried faded away and regret sunk in.

Yuliah forced one foot in front of the other, to continue gracefully right down the aisle past the men. Don't even glance at them, she told herself and kept both eyes straight ahead. She stopped a few steps behind the attendant.

"My Lord." He bowed and pointed to Yuliah.

In unison, every single head turned towards the front of the room, including hers... There he sat on the golden throne, God-like, looking attentively back. His brows creased together.

Their eyes locked and Yuliah's heart drummed... She could not look away.

Be brave, she reminded herself and took another much-needed deep breath. She exhaled gently to avoid anyone from noticing.

The attendant grinned eagerly and waited, waited for her get dismissed, but no response came, only silence followed. Yuliah flashed him a quick smile.

"GET OUT!" His voice shot from across the room. All heads suddenly whipped around to stare right at her.

The smile she flashed earlier gone, and her stomached tightened hard as rocks. She froze but kept both shoulders back and chin high. Inside, everything turned to mush - ready to spill onto the marble floor, and the entire room spun. Is this happening? Her face burned; she could only assume as bright as the dress she wore.

Yuliah bit down on the bottom corner of one lip. An unconscious habit when she grew nervous. She brushed the hair that fell across her right shoulder back and prepared for the embarrassment. She may have to walk out of here, in front of the entire room, when she strutted in so brazenly.

"Everyone leave! Except for you..." He pointed a finger directly at Yuliah. Immediately the Advisors, Officials, and Attendants stood up and scrambled out. "Wait outside until I call for you," he said. "Stay back a hundred feet - if anyone disobeys my command. I'll kill you myself." He threatened.

She exhaled, secretly happy at the sight of how fast the men were moving now after his words. His words carried weight around here no one took them lightly.

"Whore." The attendant whispered when he scurried past Yuliah.

That beastly looking attendant. Yuliah glared. He'll pay later, once this plan succeeds.

A loud bang echoed from behind when the last man passed through the doors. Finally, they were alone, and her gaze fell back on him.

Hurt flashed, but dispersed as quickly as it flickered from his cobalt eyes. Besides anger, he hid all other emotions well. What did she do to him? Yuliah's chest knotted. In the beginning she struggled to grasp the pain she caused but now it all changed.

For this plan to work, patience was vital. Quiet, deep, unnoticeable breaths she drew in to calm herself down. She used every bit of self-control left not to run to him and beg for forgiveness.

Two piercing blue eyes stared curiously at her, and that's all it took. One look, no words at all… and Yuliah unraveled. They cut into the depths of her heart and enchanted her. Time did not exist, nothing did when he cast his spell; only he did, and she wandered, lost in his gaze — waiting for validation.

Can he forgive her? Yuliah scanned for signs of redemption, but only those cold eyes gazed back.

The silence stretched on between them until unexpectedly, one corner of his mouth slightly turned up into a sly smirk, and finally a wide grin.

Her body lightened, and a smile erupted across her own face. It worked. Yuliah took a step forward. She no longer cared what anyone thought. Only he mattered. His people would burn her for this, oh she knew they would. But it's too late. A life without him was no life at all.

Compelled by his devilish grin, her confidence returned, and she took a big stride forward, stopped, grabbed both ends of the sash and tugged. The front of her dress quickly came undone. It exposed her bare body to him. He chuckled from across the room. She took that as a good sign and dropped her dress to the floor. He laughed deeply this time. She wanted every bit of her displayed for him to see and stalked ahead.

He shifted on the throne into an upright position. His brows raised upward, but both lips were closed tight. Did she misread him? Yuliah hesitated but determined to break his resolve towards her today, she gave him a sultry smile and strutted onward, right for him, with even more confidence. When she reached the golden throne, Yuliah climbed onto his lap then straddled him. "Hi." She leaned in to say. Inhaled in his familiar scent. Oh, she missed him too much. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she greeted him with her lips. A subtle sweetness she picked up on the buds of her tongue. Wine? He didn't drink. She kissed him again. He must have drank. Why? Yuliah leaned back and looked into his eyes.

He didn't react but sat there quiet and calm now. Yuliah engaged him again. This time she tilted further back far enough to give him a few quick bats of her honey eyes - the ones he loved. "Don't you miss me?" and meshed both breasts up against his chest straddling him tighter. "I miss you." She hoped this would provoke a response from him, but only the same stoic face from before looked back at her.

To sit here naked and this close to him after being apart for too long. It started to work against Yuliah. She sensed the hardness of him and strength behind it stir eagerly between her thighs. She ground onto his lap. Not able to fight her urge anymore; two hungry lips closed in on his mouth again, hoping it'd be enough to satisfy this longing for him, but no, she only needed more. "I want you..." She pleaded sweetly into his mouth, but he said nothing.

"I'm..." Yuliah would not beg for forgiveness - not this soon. "I'm lost without you." and bit down gently on his bottom lip, just like the whores instructed. A little pain mixed with pleasure. He liked that; she liked that, but no reaction came. He sat still as a statue.

She pulled away to stare him down again. Maybe it would work like before, but let out a short, yelping gasp. Lost in the heat of desire, she failed to notice his hands had slipped behind her and entwined around each finger were locks of her long black hair. He clamped tightly to one side of her butt and the other to her hair.

He tugged once more, and she arched back, suspended on his lap, with both breasts on full display. Slowly the point of his sharp nose brushed over each pink tip and she panted heavily. Hoping his lips would claim one, but no, his mouth made their way to the base of her neck instead. Heat exploded from between her legs - turning both nipples stiff. "Please... I need you..." Yuliah panted.

With one last tug, another loud gasp slipped from her mouth. Yuliah glimpsed the satisfied smile spread across his face. She knew that look - it sent her body into a frenzy. "I want my punishment now."

He snickered and breathed her scent in. His lips scaled down her neck until he reached the pinks of her breast and claimed one then the other. She missed his touch on her body even more and moaned.

His head slowly wound up to her ear. "Did you think… I would forgive you that easily tigress?" The deepness of his voice paralyzed her heart. "Or should I say cub? You're too good at pretending to be a tigress, when your only just a cub."

"Am I?" Yuliah smirked. She'd come as the hunter, he her prey, and she wasn't leaving hungry.

What kind of woman did she become?