Lightning strikes.

Finally, after too much pomp and far too much circumstance, I bid goodnight to the last of the masters in attendance and was permitted to take my leave. The position of Royal Mage may have had its perks, but it sure seemed to carry an equal share of obligation. I didn't care for that one bit. But at least it was over.

Despite the late hour, the halls were full of servants. There was a great deal of cleaning up to be done after a large gathering such as the funeral had been. Seeing so many of them together in one place, it really was shocking just how many of them were attractive young women. I wondered how many of them the Hero had fucked. Maybe none of them, come to think of it, unless they had something to offer him. But then, I suspected he could be satisfied with exquisite pain or pleasure, if the woman suited his mood.

I found myself eyeing the various lines of the girls passing me in the halls, trying to guess which parts of which girls the Hero might find pleasing. The way this one's breasts pulled at her slightly-too-tight bodice, the way that one's skirts danced as she walked. That mouth, those legs. I had seen into his mind. Somehow, I was certain I was right.

I had no idea why I did it. The Hero had me so turned around that I couldn't seem to think of anything but him. But when I passed a large mirror in the hall, I paused to look at myself, through his eyes. My strong posture stood out to me, and the gentle slope of my neck and shoulder. He would like the strength and confidence I convey; it would make for a more satisfying victory. The curve of my exposed hip and the shape of my calf in my high heeled shoes. Yes, I was certain he'd take pleasure in me.

I shook my head. What in the hells was wrong with me? The man had **** me. Humiliated me, stripped me of my power and violated me in a most unspeakable way. But I couldn't find any freedom from him, even in my thoughts. A growing part of me didn't even want to. Our minds had been shuffled together like a deck of cards. He knew me as well as I knew him; I was sure of it. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. He would break me, and I would let him.

I turned from my reflection and retired to my library. I still had a few things to tidy from my earlier work. I hadn't had a chance all day to even think about actually acting in my role as Royal Mage. There were enchantments all over the castle that needed my attention. But until the Hero freed my magic, he was calling all the shots. The sparkling runes around my throat may have looked like a badge of status and power to everyone passing me in the halls, but to me they may as well have been a literal collar, the Hero holding my leash. I tried not to admit it, but the image turned me on. Power turned me on. His power. Perhaps his perversions were bleeding into me more than I'd realized. But I liked it.

I stepped into the dimly lit library and waved my hand to raise the flames to a more comfortable level. When they didn't move, I sighed. Exciting as it may have been to see myself the Hero's pet, being unable to work simple magic was tedious. I let the door close behind me and went to the first lamp to adjust it.

"Never mind the lights. Come here."

My heart leapt into my throat. The Hero was here! How had I missed him? Whirling, I turned to face the source of the voice and found his eyes, watching me. I swallowed nervously. I had enjoyed a little fantasy of the man, but being in his presence filled me with uneasiness again. I stepped towards him.

"You've been busy," he said, picking up one of the enchantments that would leave the target paralyzed but still fully aware of all of their senses. "You know these are illegal to make." Was he teasing me? What did he want from me? How did he want me to respond? He waved it in my direction and I froze. I knew he didn't need to use it on me to control my body, but it still felt like a dangerous gesture.

"Yes. I know." As before, in his presence, my voice came out much softer than I'd intended. It was a creative way to remind me of my place, I had to admit. And effective. I couldn't scream or shout in his presence, my voice all but stolen from me. Standing before him, I felt as small and weak as my voice sounded, but I **** myself to stand up straight and regard him bravely.

He smiled and returned the spell to the pile with the rest. "Good girl."

The words sent a thrill through me. Worse, he noticed.

"Oh, you like that, do you? I thought you were supposed to be a hard bitch. Cold and powerful." He stood from a leaning position against the table, reminding me again just how tall he was.

I lowered my eyes.

"Of course. That's just what you want people to think." He cupped my chin and **** me to meet his eyes again. "But let's not play games. I see you. I know you. You're just like all women. **** to be owned. Controlled. Broken."

I gasped softly. I couldn't deny it. I wanted to, but I couldn't. It hadn't always been true, but in that moment it was. My breathing quickened.

He didn't say another word. He simply grabbed my dress by the tiny sleeves and pulled it down, exposing me to my waist. The sleeves remained around my elbows, hindering my mobility slightly. I closed my eyes. It was happening.

He lifted me off the floor with shockingly little difficulty and sat me on the edge of the table. I reached to catch myself as I fell backwards, but there was no more table behind me. He'd dropped me at an awkward angle at one corner of the table and I gripped the edge desperately to keep from falling. The table edge ran diagonally across my back, only half supporting me. My head had nothing to rest on and I struggled to lift it as I fell.

But the Hero's hand closed around my throat and held me, trapped between rising and falling, my arms pinned by my sides and my legs flailing awkwardly. He shifted slightly for just a moment, and then he penetrated me again, thrusting deeply in one stroke.

I cried out as he fucked me, but the sounds of his body slapping against mine drowned out my voice. He hadn't used his power at all to control me; he hadn't needed to. I was balanced helplessly on my ass, relying entirely on his grip to keep from falling backwards as he drove his hips into me again and again. I was a ragdoll in his hands. My aching pussy was wet and willing; it opened easily to him this time. It made for a totally different experience.

His cock stretched and filled me and I loved it. I was so ready for him. The power of his body overwhelmed me. His grip promised to end me if this went on too long, my vision began to blur as I realized vaguely that he was actually **** me out. I didn't care. He owned me completely in that moment, there was nothing I could do even if I'd wanted to. It was surreal. I was going to come!

He came first, once again filling me with his hot seed. My body again welcomed the sensation as my vision swam and darkened. He released me and I fell backwards onto the hard floor, landing in a heap. I panted for breath as my senses returned and I tried to make sense of what had just happened.

I looked up at him, a hurricane of conflicting emotions overpowering anything I could have thought to say as oxygen returned to my brain. He hadn't let me come. He had to have known I only needed another moment. He'd dropped me on my head! I'd wanted him to **** me, and he did, and I had enjoyed it, but I also hated how I felt in that moment. Unfulfilled, discarded... ****. I was frustrated in so many ways. But looking up at him from the floor, I mostly just felt... small. He had proven again that I had no power. He'd given me exactly what I'd thought I'd wanted, but I hadn't gained any satisfaction from it.

"You are too eager." he said, fixing his clothing. "But don't worry. I will break you. I'm going to enjoy it."

I shuddered and climbed to my hands and knees. "You son of a bitch, can't you let me have this? You've taken everything from me."

He laughed, more genuinely than I'd ever heard. "No, I haven't. Not yet. But I will. You'll see." He gathered up all the various spells I'd made for him. Any one of them could be used to do horrific things to people. I knew, and yet I'd helped him. I'd even enjoyed it. If he ordered me to do it again, I wouldn't hesitate. I was beginning to understand just how little control I had. The collar, the leash. I 'd thought that I could dip a toe into this and turn the arrangement into a tidy little fantasy for myself.

I'd been foolish. He was not to be toyed with; I was.

I ached with unresolved lust. It burned in my eyes as I stared at him. I knew he knew what I wanted, and I knew he wasn't going to give it to me. No, I hadn't yet learned my place. I hadn't earned it. I could see exactly how he thought. I knew he was right to deny me if he wanted to break me. I was proud and stubborn.

I stood, my legs shaky, and watched him prepare to leave my library, carefully storing my spells in his bag. I didn't bother to cover myself. My breasts had been a point of pride for me ever since I was young, and damn it, even after everything else he'd done to me, I wanted to feel like he liked them. But if I was being honest I was afraid that he wouldn't like me to do it. So I stood there. Half naked, hair a mess, pussy full of cum, until he left.

And then I cried again. I'd wanted to come so badly. I was battered and ashamed, horny. Humiliated.

I didn't want to play this game anymore.