Chapter 7 A New Friend

• *Rose*
• Peeking through the windows, my surprise and confusion turn to horror. Four figures stand in the dark fog in the gardens below. I blink and try to adjust my sight.
• Their forms seem to be swaying to music only the four of them can hear. As my eyes focus intently on the faces looking up at me, my heart drops. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out.
• I have never seen a ghost, but they say there is a first time for everything. The faces below are blurry. They all have no definitive features. They are faceless.
• I attempt to scream again, but like before, it seems like someone has pressed the mute button on me. I try to move away from the window. I don’t want to see the scary faceless figures that are looking up at me anymore.
• I find that I can’t move; it’s like my feet are stuck in something. I look down. Two horns have my feet pinned to the floor. My skin feels flushed, and I can feel sweat beads forming. What’s happening? Where am I?
• A movement behind me makes my heart leap to my throat. I struggle to find my motor skills again. I lift my gaze to the gloomy skyline outside the window, purposefully not daring to look down at the scary figures below. I glimpse the moon behind some dark clouds. I find myself asking the Moon Goddess for strength.
• Suddenly, a blinding light filters over my face.
• My body jerks up and I can feel a soft surface beneath me. I blink against the light. I realize I am now sitting in a bed. The room looks large and unfamiliar, but I exhale in relief because suddenly I can move. A shadow catches my peripheral vision. I yelp.
• “Are you okay, my lady?” a voice asks.
• I look toward the source and see a young girl almost my age looking down at me with worry in her eyes. It takes a few seconds to register fully where I am. I bring my hand up to clutch at my throat. I must have been having a nightmare.
• The puzzle pieces of the full story about where I am, like magic, fall into place. I am in the castle, crowned with the displeasure of helping my family out financially by using the two uterine horn superpower genes to produce an heir for one of four Alphas.
• The girl proceeds to blink at me. I can tell she is unsure about how to proceed.
• “Argh, I…” I manage to stutter groggily while attempting to rub the sleep out of my eyes with the back of my hand.
• The girl smiles at me. “I hope I didn’t startle you. I was just drawing the blinds open.”
• I glare at her. My brain is trying to reboot from my uneasy slumber. What am I supposed to say? What time is it? Who is she? The light outside tells me that it is daytime. Have I slept through the night? Is it morning or afternoon? I decide not to offer any greetings because I am unsure if ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ would suffice.
• “Thank you,” I manage instead.
• I feel like an idiot. What exactly was I thanking her for? For almost giving me a heart attack? I wipe my face again. Well, she did just save me from the most bizarre nightmare.
• “I put a tray of bath salts and soaps for you in the bathroom for your bath.”
• “Thank you….” I feel like a broken record. What’s her name?
• As if reading my confusion telepathically, she offered, “I am Vienna. I will be your chambermaid for the duration of your stay here.”
• I nod. She does a small bow and walks out of the room. Alone now, I exhale and inhale. Memories of my nightmare cause me to pull the wool duvet away from my feet. I breathe with relief to find no horns growing out of them.
• I swing my feet off the bed and welcome the feel of the cold ceramic tiles against my heels. I yawn and stretch my hands over my head. I can hear a few bones cracking with delight at being straightened. Slowly I tread to the bathroom while taking in more details of the room as I walk.
• I gasp as I look into the bathroom. The room is almost half the size of the bedroom. The white oval jetted tub looks like a mini swimming pool, adorned with gold-encrusted plumbing. Magical!
• I manage to figure out how the sophisticated buttons work and soon I have myself a warm bath.
• I choose a little satin drawstring pouch marked with the words ‘lavender’ because I know how relaxing it can be. A sprinkle of some Epsom salts into the bath water puts the final touches to it.
• I easily slip out of the red dress I hadn’t bothered taking off before and step into the water.
• Closing my eyes, I lean back onto the cushiony bath pillow. The lavender scent tickles my nostrils as it works its magic. I feel my muscles begin to relax and I inhale the aroma that now fills the whole room.
• My mind starts playing different scenarios. What would my first time be like with a man whose only intention was to plant his seed in me?
• Thinking this, my hands began to wander over my body.
• I inhale sharply as I slowly trace my hands to my right breast, caressing it gently.
• My mind races with thoughts of what my first time would be like—the pain, the pleasure, the sheer intimacy of it all.
• And to think that the man involved would have no feelings for me beyond his own need to produce an heir...it was almost too much to bear.
• My hands continued their exploration, my fingers brushing over my erect nipple. A shiver runs through me, the coldness of the water, not helping at all.
• I knew this wasn’t the right time or place, but my body was begging for a release.
• A moan escapes my lips as I pinch my nipple, my body shuddering with desire. My fingers continue its downward journey, caressing my thighs as they make their way to my sex.
• I can feel the heat radiating from between my legs. With a trembling hand, I reached my wet sex, letting out a small gasp as my fingers found my slick folds.
• I run my fingers through my sex, letting out a sharp breath as I hold the side of the bathtub with my other hand.
• My fingers continue their exploration, slipping easily between my folds as I savor the sensation. My breath hitches in my throat as I circle my clit, already close to the edge.
• The world around me fades away, the scent of earth and flowers replaced by the musk of my own arousal. I'm so lost in my own pleasure that I can barely concentrate on anything other than satisfying myself.
• I caress my fold, stroking it gently.
• My fingers continue to work their magic, drawing delicate circles around my throbbing clit.
• My legs tremble as the tension builds within me, my body coiled tight like a spring.
• Suddenly, I hear footsteps coming from the bedroom. I can’t help but panic. The bathroom door is ajar and here I sit, naked in the tub. I don’t know how much my poor heart and mind can take. My eyes look nervously around the room trying to find something, anything to use to cover myself.
• “Hi,” a cheerful voice announces as a head pops through the open door. “I hope you are rested.”
• “I… I….” I stutter.