Mistress of the Veil (The Veil's Mistresses Book I)
10/01/2024
Mistress of the Veil
**Book I of the Veil's Mistresses** **Available on Galatea - https://hyzr.app.link/zZ5atlfzvyb** She's a fifteenth-century girl who stumbles into a mystical world. He's a powerful Luna Dog ruler who finds her and claims her as his lover. Two worlds begin to collide in erotic passion and growing affection. As a human in the world of the Veil, can Lana ever hope to win the powerful and stoic Jekia's heart, or will she forever be a prisoner to his lust for her? **Available on Galatea - First 5 chapters available to read on Inkitt and Wattpad**
Except
The distant sound of a howl made me stop and scan the area around me. Was that a wolf? I knew that there were probably some around, although I confess that I’d never seen one before. Feeling frightened, I picked up my pace, running through the underbrush and trees. Everything seemed like it was getting even darker now, the forest deeper. There was a strange energy in the air as I ran, something that I had never felt before. It almost seemed to crackle around me like a fire. Then, all at once, there was sunlight. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to believe my eyes. The once dark, dense woods now looked clear and beautiful, like something out of a fairytale. I lowered my hood and looked at my surroundings, taking in the warm feel of the air. Everything was so green, so pristine. I could not recall ever seeing a natural place look so beautiful. My mind immediately went to the stories I had heard. Had I just entered the world of the Faeries? A sudden rustling brought me back to reality. I looked around cautiously, trying to figure out where it had come from. It was a quick, subtle sound, like something moving through the underbrush very slowly. An ominous feeling came over me, and I instinctually took a step back. That was when I noticed something large slowly moving toward me through the trees. My eyes widened as I saw it, my mind unable to process what I was seeing. It was some kind of creature, standing at least eight feet tall with a massive body that looked like it had been made from the bark of trees. It shook its head as its glowing gold eyes caught sight of me, opening jowls that looked like an inky void, yet made no sound except for a loud hiss. Now beyond frightened, I turned and began to run again. I had no idea if it was going to come after me, but it had frightened me enough not to want to take the chance. The bright forest seemed alive around me with the sounds of birds and strange calls as I ran. I didn’t know where I could go, but I was going to run until it at least felt safe. Just as I came to a large embankment, I suddenly heard a strange hissing sound near me. I barely had time to turn before something hit me, sending me flying down into the steep embankment. I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me. My body was scrapped and bruised, and it took a lot of my strength to attempt to sit up. As I did, I stared in disbelief as something slowly slithered down the side of the embankment. It had to be the strangest creature I had ever laid eyes on. It had a very long body, not unlike that of a snake, but the top part of it looked almost like that of a human male. Its face was elongated and strange, with big black eyes and a slit mouth that extended ear to ear. It was slithering down the embankment, slowly coming towards me. I was cutting my hands on the rocks as it did, unable to get up for how much fear I was in. This was not a fairytale land at all. It was like a nightmare; and now, one of those nightmares was getting ready to eat me! But just before the snake-like thing reached me, it suddenly reared back in pain, blood spurting from slashes on its chest. I stared in disbelief as something landed between us. They appeared like a figure in white. As this figure held out a hand to their side, I could see that they had claws for their fingertips. Those claws were now bloody where they had cut into that thing. “Be gone with you. This one is mine.” A male voice ordered. I sat still as the snake retreated, hurrying up the embankment and into the forest. The one who had saved me turned and regarded me with what seemed like quiet contemplation. I’d never seen anyone like him before. Though he did resemble a man in many ways, he certainly was not a human. He had a pale complexion, with white hair and eyelashes that reminded me of the clouds in the sky. From that hair, I could see white ears that were wide and perky, reminding me of a dog’s. He also sported a long, fluffy-looking white tail. But perhaps the thing that caught me the most was his eyes. He had beautiful light golden eyes. I felt entranced by them, although I confess that there was also a bit of coldness there to me. It was hidden deep within them, like he was hardened towards others. “Who... who are...” I managed to start. “The better question at this moment would be why you are here.” the man interrupted. He stepped in front of me, kneeling so that we could be face to face, “You are human. How did you get access to this area?” “Area?” I repeated. The man remained stoic as he regarded me, “And a younger one too. If I was willing to take a bet here, I would surmise that you stumbled through the gateway somehow. Perhaps you even had a strong enough will to wish yourself through. But you must realize now that you have not entered the fairytale that you might have been imagining.” he went on. I managed to shake my head, “N-no... it’s rather frightening here.” “Frightening. Yes, that could fit for one such as you.” The man remained where he was, looking like he was studying me. I shifted a little, wincing at the pain in my hands. I looked at my palms and saw that they were quite bloody. The rocks down here had been sharp. My legs were scraped up too, along with my skirt being partially ripped and my dark hair tangled around my face and shoulders. I imagined that I did look a sight. “However,” the man suddenly continued, “you are quite lovely too. I appreciate that about you. The combination of those light brown eyes and that long dark hair makes you quite stunning, even if you are a mess at this moment. On top of that, you also had the strength of soul to make it in here as you did. Perhaps I can make some use of you. I have needed something more as of late.” “What do you mean?” I felt a chill go through my body. His words held an ominous insinuation to me. The creature ignored my obvious fears, standing up straight as he spoke to me, “First off, let me take you back and clean you up. I wish to properly see what you look like.” He easily picked me up from the rocks, and I was careful as I put my arms around his shoulders for leverage. I didn’t want to get my blood on his nice white shirt. As silly as it was, I did feel like I owed him at least a little for helping me. The man moved with lightning speed, easily sprinting through the maze of trees. Within minutes, we were coming to a cave-like opening within the woods. The man ducked into it with me, and when we came out on the other side, I realized that we were now in what looked like a large courtyard. This place felt much safer, much more secure than where I’d been. On the other side of it, I could see what appeared to be a large palace that had been set into the stone wall of a cliff. My eyes were wide as I took all of this in. Who was this creature? Was this truly his home? “Is this your palace?” I had to ask. “It is. From this point on, you will be staying with me here. These lands belong to me, and none would dare to come here to challenge me.” the man explained. He walked us through the courtyard to the front of the palace, where he let me down to stand with him. “What are you?” I inquired as I faced him. I was staring at him as I spoke, taking in his appearance again. No, he certainly wasn’t human, nor were the creatures I had encountered in that forest. It must’ve been the Faerie forest I had heard stories of. Did this mean that he was a Faerie King? “As I stated, I am the ruler of these lands. For the sake of formality and given that you are a human who has stumbled into this world, I will introduce myself as Lord Jekia.” “Lord Jekia,” I repeated softly. What an odd name. But then, what a strange world this was. I had already seen enough to give me that impression. “Come along now.” Jekia ordered as he turned towards the palace, “Let us move on and have you cleaned up. We will also be sure to treat those wounds. They are rather unsightly.” I followed him into the palace, where I was taken to a large washroom and told to sit down on a chair while he quietly prepared some water with a rag to clean off my wounds. I looked around me, taking it all in. This place was fancier than any I had ever seen in the human world. This creature, he was a king here. Yet in my heart, this didn’t bode well. “I thank you for your generosity in helping me, Lord Jekia.” I stated as he cleaned up my cuts, “I realize that I may be in your debt, but I also would not wish to be a burden to you in any way. If you could help me return home, then I would never breathe a word of this to anyone.” “You will go nowhere. Now that I’ve found you, I believe I have already taken a liking to you, so I will be keeping you as my own.” Jekia responded evenly. “You... you are keeping me?” That ominous feeling was increasing within me. It felt like I had escaped one prison only to find myself in another. Jekia stood up straight, regarding me with quiet contemplation before continuing, “I believe I will. Beings I have procured these lands and secured my place in power, my most logical step as of now is to move on with keeping a suitable female for myself. As I said, you are quite a beauty for a human woman and have a strong spirit. I believe you will do well in pleasing me and eventually giving me a few pups.” I immediately stood up, “Absolutely not! I did not come here looking to be another ruler’s whore!” I declared. “And what did you have back in your world?” Jekia challenged. He moved towards me, and my back hit the nearby wall as he placed a hand against it beside my head, “You are young. That much is obvious; and if you were running through those woods looking for Faeries as you seem to have been, then I would assume that you were also looking for a way out of a situation that was very unfavorable to you. Given your state of dress and that unkept hair, I’m willing to say you’re a peasant in status as well. Let me take a wild guess and say that you were being sold to a ruler in your world because you are a suitable age for them to decimate as they pleased.” My cheeks burned as he said this, though I continued glaring defiantly at him. He spoke so evenly and effortlessly, like this meant nothing much to him. But as much as I hated the condescending tone he had, I had to acknowledge that everything he said was true. My fate in my world was no better than this. I simply wasn’t willing to give in yet. “I will not believe that I am not worth more than being a plaything for a man, no matter what kind, or a convenient woman who will sire children for you. I will stay if that is what you believe is proper payment, but I will not bend to you like some common whore.” I warned him. Jekia looked amused, letting out a small chuckle as he took a step back. “As I stated, you seem to be exactly what I am needing here, so you may as well allow yourself to be content with this. From today, this is your home, and I am your lord.” he reiterated. I remained where I was as he looked at my torn skirt and stained peasant top, “This will not do either. Remain in here while I call on Edifel to clean you up. I expect much better when I next see you.”
