The Raven (closed)

A thick fog had rolled into the highlands that morning, covering everything in a mist that blocked out the sun. It was grey, gloomy, and silent save for the distance call of the ravens and the fish splashing in the pond. A solitary figure walked along the bank, her long black hair trailing down her green gown as her bare feet sank into the mud. She enjoyed this time of day when there was no one to bother her.

Emma Campbell had lived a lot of life in her twenty years. She had been born in Scotland, but had served in the court of the English queen for years. In fact, she had been the prince’s lover and even carried his child briefly, but when that pregnancy had ended she was sent away so he could focus on his duties to the throne. That is how she found herself back in her father’s lands, those that adjoined the area of Inverlochly.

She had heard stories of the man that ruled Inverlochly. He was young, he was handsome, and he was married to a woman that had lost her mind. She had yet to see the young man, and after what had happened in London, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to get into another relationship so soon. She looked out over the loch and sighed softly, her blue eyes taking in the water which was smooth as glass.

A barking cry came from next to her and she turned to see a raven looking at her with a quizzical expression. She grinned and bent down, picking up the giant bird and holding it calmly in her hands. They stared at one another, understood each other and she chuckled softly. Who knew it would be a bird that understood her the most…

A tall, imposing figure appeared from the fog. "Miss Emma," the commanding guardian growled, "you're going to be late for your meeting with the Duke of Glasgow if you don't come along soon." He always interrupted her time alone. He was a bodyguard appointed by her parents, but after they'd let her go about her own life, he took control of her, often took advantage of her in many cruel and sick ways that only a man could force on a woman.

His name was Sir Tavish Oleg, and all who knew him, aside from his brother whom was also Emma's guardian, despised him. The only reason his brother Dunham didn't hate him was because Tavish often shared Emma with him.

The stern man looked upon her like a warrior upon his maiden conquest. The way he looked at her told her that, before she met with the Duke, she was in for something not so sweet. Likely involving both the brothers.

Beside Tavish came his younger brother Dunham with a smirk on his face. He was even taller and hulking with muscle, but he had no brain like Tavish. Tavish was clever and quick and gave the orders. Dunham was like a great bull, just barreling into everything his brother painted red. Both had chocolate-brown hair, Tavish's was short and Dunham's was long and tied back. Dunham had a proper beard, whilst Tavish kept his facial hair trimmed smartly to a goatee and sideburns.

"Come 'long, now lass," Dunham smirked at her. His accent was much heavier than Tavish's. "An' leave tha' dirty bird."

Emma felt her skin crawl at the sound of Tavish’s voice calling through the foggy mist. The raven in her hands barked at the interruption, flapping its wings in agitation. It seemed to know her pain whenever the two men were around. They did horrible things to her and she had never told her family, too ashamed to admit that the guards they trusted her with were the ones that were slowly wearing away at her soul.

“I will be along in a moment, Tavish. If I am late for my meeting, I’m sure the Duke will not mind. He has paid a high price for this meeting.” She commented, stroking her hand over the raven’s lovely black feathers.

She pursed her lips as Dunham insisted she come along, telling her to leave the bird there next to the lock. She turned and looked at the hulking man, narrowing her eyes at them both. She wouldn’t listen. She never did and soon she had turned her back to them, disappearing into the mist as she walked further down the bank of the loch, her bare feet making no sound as she went on her way.

"Dammit, Emma!" Dunham snarled, but Tavish stopped him, following Emma in silence, watching closely. Oh, would he punish her for this.

The slender guardian was always a looming figure in the fog as she went, until Dunham appeared from the mist before her with a look on his face that told her she was really in for it now. Tavish came behind her and took hold of her by her upper arms. "Just submit... and it'll be so much easier," he crooned darkly.

Emma paused as Dunham appeared before her, the raven flying startled from her hands as Tavish took her by the arms, his darkly crooned words whispered against her ear. She shivered, jerking her arms free from his hold as she turned to stare at him with the most hateful look she could muster.

“I hate you and I hope that when you finally do die, your soul is tormented in the worst part of Hell.” She hissed at him like a cat, a scream issuing from her lips as she felt Dunham grab her around the waist roughly, his meaty hand covering her lips and cutting the scream short.

The huge man grinned at his older brother. "Whose turn this 'ere time, brother?"

"It is mine... but I think we can share, don't you?" Tavish smirked.

"Aye," Dunham growled, dragging Emma with him as they headed for the small house that Emma took up residence in. Once inside, Dunham carried Emma into her own bedroom, a place that until now had been a sanctuary. He pinned her down against the blanket with a dark sneer. "Play nice this time, eh? Y'know I won' 'esitate t'do wha' I did last time." Last time, she'd been beaten brutally for resisting and starved for three days, all damage that would not be permanent so that no one would ever find out.

Tavish entered in a rather dignified way despite how much a serpent he was, setting aside his cloak. "No bruises where they can be seen, Dunham, you know that."

Emma fought them ever step of the way, hissing and biting like a wild cat as they pulled her into her little home. She had loved the little home, a gift from her brother, the new Lord Campbell upon her return from London. It was her own little sanctuary, her place to relax without the world intruding. It seemed, though, that the brothers were intent on stealing even that away from her.

She let out another scream as they pulled her into her bedroom, pinning her down to the bed. She punched and kicked at the two of them, whimpering as Dunham told her to play nice. She remembered the last time vividly and didn’t want a repeat but she didn’t want either of them to take liberties from her body. She let out another scream before a gag was forced between her lips, her wrists tightly bound above her head as Tavish entered to remind his brother to not put bruises where people could see.

"Your call, brother," Dunham looked to Tavish, and the taller man stepped up, pulling his knife from his belt. It seemed he was about to go something awful and painful to her, more than taking her body, but instead, he cut open her dress and her underclothes, laying her involuntarily bare before him.

"Hm... on second thought, you have her first, Dunham. Wear her down," Tavish smiled kindly to his younger brother before exiting the room. That was entirely worse, because Dunham was bad, but Tavish was unbearable. Even though Dunham was much more forceful and faster, Tavish drew the torture out and made her body crave him despite how her heart and soul cried for him to stop. It was much worse than a simple and quick fuck by Dunham, who put no thought into it whatsoever.

Dunham smirked down at her, crawling up on her bed and forcing her thighs open with his knees whilst one hand held her bound hands above her head. "When're ya jus' gonna give in an' realize yer a dirty whore an' ya like it, eh?" He reached between them with one hand and buttoned the front of his trousers, giving her no time before he thrust into her. He was large, too large for her, and not in any sort of good way. It was painful and there was little to no pleasure unlike how Tavish pleasured her body and made her crave him.

Dunham was rough and unrelenting, picking up speed as he rocked her body hard against the mattress with deep growls, insulting her all the way and telling her that he and Tavish were the only men who wanted her anymore.

Emma screamed as Dunham thrust into her body, stretching her passage mercilessly as he taunted her with comments about her past and how she was just a dirty whore. She turned her head to the side, whimpering as he grunted and thrust against her, rocking her body against the mattress with deep guttural growls. She had stopped crying long ago. Her tears only seemed to enflame them further and she refused to give them that satisfaction.

Her mind would drift in times like these, back to her past. She could almost imagine that she was back with the prince, warm in his bed as he treated her like the queen that she thought she was soon to become. He had showered her with gifts, pretty clothing, jewels, and then it was all taken away in the blink of an eye. Her brother had not been pleased and her mother refused to speak to her. That was how she found herself in the hell that she was now.

She let out a gasp of pain as Dunham’s big meaty hand closed over her breast, bruising the fragile skin as he pawed at it like a rabid beast. She struggled then, bucking her hips as she tried to dislodge him from her body. It never worked…

Thankfully, Dunham's one drawback was that he came very quickly and he got bored easily with her once he was done. He never lingered. But he knew the rule. As he drew hear to his limit within just a few minutes, he pulled away from her womanhood and her breasts and he pumped his too-thick cock a few more times with his hand, letting his seed spill across the tatters of her ruined dress with a dark groan. He stood a moment as his blood stopped rushing and his shaft softened. He tucked it away with a smirk at her.

"Yer lucky yer pretty, else we'd 'ave let some bandit take ya long ago," he chuckled, gathering up the torn dress in a bundle and walking out, leaving her there for his brother.

Tavish soon entered, letting loose his fine tunic as he approached. "Hm... Well, he certainly wasn't gentle." He approached and pulled the gag from her mouth that Dunham had so cruelly muffled her cries with. "Poor dear." But she could never tell if he really did care... he was a mysterious man.

Emma trembled on the bed as she heard Dunham groan, marking the end of his time with her. She turned her eyes towards his, seeing the smirk that covered his lips. He insulted her, telling her that they would have left her with a bandit long ago if she weren’t pretty. She felt fierce anger fill her, making her see red as he left and Tavish entered the room.

Emma tried to jerk her head aside as Tavish cooed to her, pulling the gag from between her lips. She never believed him when he called her a poor dear, nor did she want him anywhere near her. She rolled on the bed, pushing herself up by her bound hands as she tried to scramble away. She was panting, thinking if she could just get to her window, she could get away into the mist.

"Hold on, dearest," Tavish easily caught her, pulling her back. He laid a seemingly loving kiss on the back of her shoulder with a sigh. He pressed against her from behind and she could feel the familiar hardness in his trousers. With a tender kiss to her neck, he pinned her rather gently on her belly to the bed. "Why can't you just let me love you?" He asked sadly, leaning down to kiss her cheek now. "Would you love me if I got rid of Dunham for you? If I showered you with gifts like the prince did? I'd be much happier if only you were happy, my love."

She'd known he had a soft spot for her for a long time, but he'd never offered to kill his own brother for her happiness. "Anything in my power... I'll do it, if you'll only love me in return," he whispered, his hand slipping beneath her to cup and massage her breast gently so not to disturb the bruising, touching just how he knew she liked.

Emma let out a frustrated groan as Tavish caught her, pulling back into his chest as he pressed so tightly against her from behind. She felt his hard cock pressing against her naked thighs and she shivered, trembling with the barely disguised rage that she felt inside. He pressed his lips against her throat before she was pinned against the bed on her belly.

She whimpered as he leaned down and kissed her cheek, asking her why she couldn’t love him. Then he spoke of getting rid of Dunham, showering her with gifts, making her happy. She trembled as he pressed his hand beneath her, massaging her breast as he promised to do anything in his power if she only loved him.

“I want you gone from here.” She said as she panted, whimpering in fear as she told him what she really wanted. “I want you to leave me be…”

"We could be wonderful together..." He insisted in a gentle tone, turning her over to face him til she could see the love in his eyes. "All I want is to please you... all I ask in return is to be by your side. I know I've not been kind in the past... but that's over. Let me please you, Emma..." He pressed his hardened cock between her thighs, the fabric of his trousers keeping them apart. "Let me please you..." he repeated in a whisper, reaching down to unbutton his trousers before slowly pressing into her body.

He was amazing at making love to her, knowing everything her body craved, betraying her by showing him with how wet she often became. Tavish's lips pressed to her neck, worshiping her skin in a way even the prince had not.

Emma whimpered as he pressed into her body, her wrists struggling against the bonds that held her wrists tightly. He professed his love but she didn’t want it. She didn’t want to believe that Tavish would be the man that was with her for the rest of her life. She gasped as he worshiped her throat, making her shiver as she pressed her hands against his shoulder, trying to push him off her body.

“I don’t want you, Tavish. Now or ever!” She cried out, her hips bucking against his as she struggled to get him off her body. “You’re a monster. I HATE YOU!”

She screamed like a banshee, fought like a wildcat, but she wasn’t a match for either of the brothers. They were too strong, too determined and Emma wondered if she would ever escape the little hell that she was living in.

Tavish snarled suddenly, pinning her roughly and making her unable to do much more than squirm. "You're mine, Emma, even if it takes me years to prove it to you! And you're not going to meet that damned Duke now, he could take you away... You're all mine and no one, not even Dunham will have you again. And this moment... you won't ever forget this..." With that, he thrust into her quickly, finding that perfect spot inside her with skill, striking it hard and making her belly clench, wanting to break.

"You're going to cum for me, my love, whether you like it or not," he snarled, and made it worse by lowering a hand to her blossom, finding her previously-untortured little clit and massaging it firmly in the most deliciously awful way.

Emma let out a cry as she was pinned to the bed roughly, her skin bruising under his hold as he started to pound into her body with brutal, punishing strokes. She whimpered as he told her that she would never meet the Duke now, that no one would ever have her or take her away from him. Tavish was a madman, she thought to herself as he started to ride her body hard, striking against that spot inside of her that he knew would make her cum.

As if that weren’t enough, his fingers found her clit and started to tease it in a rough motion, drawing her pleasure from her that she wouldn’t willingly give. She came for him, tears on her lashes as her body bucked and moved beneath him in the most erotic of ways.

But what Tavish did next was the absolute worst of all. When she came and her walls clenched around him, he came too without pulling away. His seed exploded into her belly and filled her to the brim and he remained buried inside her, letting the knowledge that he'd truly just branded her sink in.

Eventually he did pull away and forced her to her feet, rebinding her hands behind her back and draping a cloak around her before pulling her out into the main room of the house.

Dunham looked shocked, seeing Tavish drag Emma out, and she saw Tavish's seed leaking down Emma's thighs. "Brother... wha' th'bloody hell're you thinkin'!"

"She's mine, Dunham," Tavish snarled, making his younger brother shrink back in confusion and fear.

"Jesus! Alright, alrigh', why didn' ya say it b'fore!"

"Get out. Now. And don't come back," Tavish drew a blade from his belt, and Dunham high-tailed it out of the house in fright.

Emma let out a screech as he came inside of her, his hot seed filling her body as tears streamed down her cheeks. All of the fight left her as he pulled free, jerking her off the bed and binding her hands behind her back. She looked at him in fear, knowing that Tavish had completely lost his mind. She was shivering as he draped a cloak around her shoulder and she let out another whimper of fear as he pulled her into the main room.

She shrank back as Tavish threatened Dunham, pulling a blade from his belt until Dunham ran in fear. Emma was left along with Tavish, her eyes wide with fear as he turned back towards her with that gleam in his eyes.

“Tavish…love…let’s talk about this.” She said softly, her voice low as she tried to talk him out of whatever he was going to do.

"Love?" He snapped with a crazed grin, "Oh, so now you love me, now that you're in danger and you're all alone... Well let me tell you something, Emma, it's far too late." He left her side, knowing she couldn't do a thing with her hands tied behind her back, and he soon returned with one of her dresses that she could step into. He forced her to dress with his help and he kept the cloak around her. Keeping his knife, he pulled her outside, and headed for the loch's high cliff that fell onto a stone beach several stories below.

Once there, he brought her to the edge of the cliff and he kissed her in such a way that bruised her lips, holding her arms to keep her from fleeing. When he pulled back, he gave her a mad smile, "We'll be together whether you like it or not." He took a step closer to the ledge.

Emma panted in fear as Tavish returned with a gown and she dutifully stepped into it with his help. She was shaking like a leaf as he pulled his knife and used it to pull her outside, guiding her towards the large cliff that overlooked the loch. She saw his plan instantly, knowing that he had lost his mind. She tried to pull herself away from him, crying out in fear as he brought her to the edge of the cliff.

The wind whipped around her as he kissed her fiercely, bruising her lips as he looped his arm through hers to keep her from running. She looked at his mad smile, whimpering again as he stepped closer to the ledge. He was going to plunge them both onto the stone beach below, killing them instantly. Emma felt a lump form in her throat, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at him.

“Tavish…please…love, lets go back to my home. We can talk. We can get married. Anything you like!” She pleaded with him, whimpering as he took another step to the edge. “Please, Tavish, take me home and make love to me.”

"I told you it's too late. You'll always fight..." Tavish's eyes cleared for a moment and that mad smile faded to a pained frown. "Always... you'll try to run away, you'll never love me... but maybe you'll see, in the afterlife, the lengths I'll go to for you." He tugged her toward the edge, but a stronger, calloused hand caught her other arm. Behind her had appeared a hulking Scotsman in a dark kilt and trousers with a green tunic and short-shorn, nearly-black hair and dark eyes. His face, trimmed with a beard, was fearless and angry.

"Let go th'lady, lad," he warned viciously.

"Back off, stranger! She's mine!" Tavish snarled and swiped at the man with his knife. It missed terribly and instead struck the side of Emma's arm. Though it was a bad cut and bled terribly, it severed the ties on her wrists. Even so, Tavish pulled Emma in close and leapt from the edge, taking Emma with him.

It seemed forever, that less-than-a-second in midair, Tavish's hand gone from hers and the world a hundred feet below, but the Scotsman's strong arms suddenly caught her around the waist and pulled her back just in time. He nearly slipped off himself, but tripped backwards and fell with Emma landing on his chest, safe. Tavish fell in shocked silence with only an awful thud at the bottom.

“Tavish…no!” She screamed as he tugged her towards the edge. Emma’s life flashed before her eyes as she felt the ground beneath them start to lessen and the wind whipped more fiercely.

Suddenly another hand was around her arm and she was jerked back. She turned her blue eyes towards him, startled at the apperance of another person in the remote area of the highlands. He looked angry, growling at Tavish to let her go. She screamed as Tavish suddenly lashed out, his knife missing its target and slashing through her arm. The pain was swift and terrible as she felt the blood starting to flow freely.

“NO!” She screamed as Tavish wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her over the edge, her own free hands clawing at his face as they started to plunge through the air.

Emma swore she was dead as she hung midair before she was wrenched from Tavish’s hand and she was pulled back into the stranger’s warm embrace. She let out another scream as they fell backwards, her injured arm between them as the blood soaked into the man’s tunic. She winced as she heard Tavish hit the rocky beach below, the thud echoing across the loch with only the raven’s calls punctuating the silence.

“Oh my God. Oh my God.” Emma whimpered, pulling herself from the man’s embrace and scrambling to her feet as she looked down at him in shock. She trembled like a leaf, turning to run back to her home before her knees gave way and she sank to the ground. The last sound she heard before her head hit the ground and she sank into oblivion was the raven barking.

Darkness was all that accompanied her in her unintended slumber. Darkness, and soon, warmth. The world began to come back into focus little by little. There was a stone ceiling above her, and she was in a warm, soft bed with a downy pillow and a lovely wool-lined blanket. Her arm was wrapped up well, clearly by someone with skill, and it was only a dull ache. Near her, she could hear the crackle of fire in a hearth, and soft footsteps as someone walked about. And then there was the intoxicating scent of a hearty stew cooking over the fire.

A handsome face came to look down at her with a soft, but pitying smile. "Hiya, darlin'," he said softly. It was the Scottish stranger.

Emma’s head ached fiercely as she tried to lift if from the pillow, moaning softly as she let it fall back to the soft bed beneath her. She looked around the room for a moment, knowing that this couldn’t be her little home on the bank of the loch. No, this was somewhere else…somewhere with wealth judging by the blanket that had been tucked around her.

“Who are you?” She asked as a handsome face came into her view, a pitying smile showing that he must have guessed her situation. “Where am I?”