Lycan noted Mag’s worried expression. “What’s wrong?”
The slight woman wrung her hands and frowned, tiny bells jangling around her wrists. “The new slave is refusing to be bathed.”
“There are two guards there, Mag. Why are you bringing this news to me?”
“She…she bit one and…injured the other one’s manhood.”
“By the gods of Lal, I swear. Two huge warriors can’t subdue a small sprite of a woman?” He threw the documents onto his desk and stood. Mag turned and fled from the room.
Barely dawn, he hadn’t slept last night, and already there were problems to deal with.
Lycan stepped into the bathing room to find at least a half dozen concubines cowering in the corner. One bleeding guard barely held on to the spitting and wet wildcat. The other guard lay crumpled on the floor, cradling his balls and moaning pitifully.
This was a disaster. It wasn’t possible for one woman to have created such havoc in less than an hour. She was still fully clothed and looked even worse now than she had when he’d brought her to Raynar.
“Touch my breasts again, you sonofabitch, and you’ll be joining your friend there on the floor,” Starr screamed, her face twisted in rage as she spit at the guard and lifted her knee between his legs.
Before Lycan could shout a warning, the guard went down howling. One of the concubines ran to his aid as he curled up on the floor. Starr made a run for the doorway, but skidded to a halt when she came face to face with Lycan.
He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her easily off the ground. Her hair flew in wild, wet tangles, slapping his chest and arms. She scratched at his arms and when she tried to bite, he cuffed her wrists together with one of his hands and grabbed her chin with the other.
With a vise-like grip on her, he stepped into the bath fully clothed.
“Strip her down and bathe her—now!” The concubines ran from their hiding places and nearly leaped into the bath.
“If you come near me you’ll die, stupid women,” Starr growled.
The concubines froze, looking to Lycan for assistance. “I can control this little thing,” he assured them. “Just bathe her quickly before I lose my patience and drown her.”
She wriggled against him but it did her no good. When the women approached, Lycan fit her legs between his and held her in place so she couldn’t kick. He pinned her arms at her sides, rendering her helpless.
In short order they had stripped the ragged clothes off her, scrubbing her filthy hair and body. Lycan could hardly stand the stench of her and looked up at the dawn shining through the skylight above the bath, wishing he were enjoying a warm day in the sun instead of in here with a creature who smelled like a wet animal.
And not once had she stopped struggling. For a small woman, she certainly was strong. But still, the guards should have been able to restrain her. He made a mental note to replace the concubine guards immediately. The two crawling off to nurse their injured balls could spend the next few days cleaning out the drainage ditches around the gates.
Finally, the women finished. Lycan hauled Starr out of the bath and held her while the concubines wrapped a large towel around her body. After she was dried they combed her hair.
“We need to remove her body hair, my king,” Mag said, directing Lycan to a flat table. He brought her over and placed her on top.
“You aren’t removing a damn thing from my body!” she yelled, her scream reverberating in his ear.
Weary of her struggling, Lycan grabbed two straps and tied her legs to each side of the table, then pulled her arms above her head and fastened them, too. He sat behind her head and held it in place. The women worked quickly, laying steaming towels over her body and then removing her hair with warm wax. She screamed as if they poured molten lava on her body.
Lycan yawned, tiring of the entire process, knowing there was much work to be done. He’d rather be cleaning the drainage ditches himself than suffering the titters and giggles of the concubines. Mixed with the squalling invectives flung by his prisoner, a raging headache had formed at his temples.
Fortunately, the women finished their task quickly, despite her screaming howls. Lycan prayed for a quick end to the process. He had many more important things to do.
“We are finished, my king,” Mag announced, then held out a multicolored skirt and golden halter for Starr to wear.
“You are not putting me in that thing,” she growled.
Mag hesitated until Lycan nodded. “Proceed and ignore the captive’s remarks.”
With quick movements they removed the towel, his body becoming aware of the clean smelling female squirming in front of him. She pushed her buttocks against his cock in her efforts to escape the garment Mag held before her. Lycan hardened instantly, reminding him it had been way too long since he’d felt the heat of a woman’s pussy.
He must be desperate for a good fuck, because the screaming hellcat in his arms would be his last choice of sex mates. Nevertheless, his shaft persisted in its quest to inch closer to Starr’s hot buttocks.
She must have felt it too, because she stilled. For the first time since he’d walked in the room, her body froze like a statue. He smiled, wondering what she was thinking. Did she desire a man? Despite her hatred for him and his people, would she willingly welcome his arousal inside her heated depths?
Ridiculous. She hated him, and he didn’t have the slightest interest in her. Despite the fact her skin was smooth, well toned, her breasts full and ripe with dusky nipples that begged for a man’s mouth to lick the buds to life.
He sucked in a breath as Starr moved to get away, her buttocks again coming in contact with his aching hard-on. Unable to resist, he reached for her hips, his fingers digging into her tender flesh. He brushed his aroused cock against her full ass, then wrapped one arm around her upper chest and pulled her against him.
She gasped, her nipples hardening. Lycan breathed in her fresh scent which ever so subtly mixed with her arousal. She might feign disinterest and try to fight him off, but she was primed for sex.
“Leave us,” Lycan commanded. The clothing meant for Starr dropped to the floor. The concubines bowed and scurried from the room, leaving him alone with his still-naked prisoner.
He turned her in his arms, surprised when she went willingly. Her luminous eyes sparkled like the green gems found in the caves outside the kingdom walls. Her lips were full and tempting and her hair, which he initially thought was a mud-brown, now streamed in burnished gold waves down her arms, curling at the ends. He threaded his fingers through the silken strands and palmed her neck, drawing her mouth to his.
She seemed as if in a trance, the former wildcat now a nearly tamed kitten. He brushed his lips against hers, taking in her shocked gasp when he teased the tip of her tongue with his. When she would have pulled back, he held her head still, gently probing the heated recesses of her mouth with his tongue before fitting his lips fully over hers.
His body ached for release. He wanted this woman in his bed, legs spread to reveal her honeyed treasure. What secrets did she hold that mesmerized him so? Would she be as wild in his bedchamber as she was on the battlefield?
She sighed into his mouth, her body relaxing. Her pebbled nipples rubbed against his chest and he reached for one full breast, letting it rest in his open hand before lightly flicking the extended bud with his thumb. Her whimper of surrender was all he needed. He picked her up and walked swiftly toward his bedchamber.
The Queen of Dognelle would be his very shortly.
* * * * *
Starr lay mesmerized in Lycan of Raynar’s arms, her body exhausted from fighting so hard for freedom.
Despite her voiced objections, she had secretly reveled in the cleansing bath, the dirt of battle washed from her skin and hair. How long had it been since she’d had a hot bath, since she’d felt clean? Too long to remember, and she’d thoroughly enjoyed the guilty pleasure. Not that she’d ever reveal that to Lycan.
Lycan of Ray
nar, the man who held her in his arms. When she’d felt the brush of his cock hardening against her buttocks, she had nearly melted into a pool of unfamiliar, yet delicious, sensations Never before had a man been so close to her. Untouched, the feelings he evoked were new and not at all as unpleasant as she had been led to believe.
Her body had come alive at his touch. His mouth wove a magic spell—her lips burned and she whimpered with delight when his tongue twined with hers. Damp desire settled between her legs, urging her to take what he offered.
She’d like to think it was the shock of his touch that made her pause, because normally she would fight off any physical advances, especially from a Raynar warrior. The last thing she wanted was to lie down with this barbarian. And yet, her curiosity over her body’s response to him overrode her normal sensibilities. She was, after all, still a virgin.
Did she want to die as the virgin queen of Dognelle? No. The opportunities to have men were few and far between, and as queen she was required to mate to produce an heir. None of the men in Dognelle had the fire, strength and intelligence she needed in a mate. She wouldn’t settle for less than a man of her equal.
Bedding down with the ruler of an opposing kingdom had never been an option.
Until now.
Had she known what she was missing she might have attempted to mate sooner. Now she could. She could allow him sex, then if she was lucky she’d end up pregnant with a royal heir. An heir who would hopefully be female. After she made her escape from this prison of silk and finery, she could give birth back in Dognelle and Lycan would never know of the child he gave her.
But what if the child were male? A man to run the Dognelle kingdom? Not bloody likely. She sighed, her mind unable to plot and plan how she could get a female heir from Lycan of Raynar.
The virile bastard would probably only breed sons.
In no time at all, they were back in his chamber. Daybreak shone through the half closed shutters, bathing the room in soft light. Instead of the rainbow of colors present in the concubine’s quarters, this room showed the dark colors of the earth, pleasing to the eye yet very masculine.
He laid her on the soft coverlet of his bed and stood before her, one brow arched.
Her nakedness became all too apparent under Lycan’s scrutiny. The urge to grab the blanket and cover her body was almost irresistible. Except in some small corner of her mind she knew that covering herself would admit weakness, and she refused to do that.
Instead, she scanned his body from head to toe, taking in his wet breeches that clung to his strong, muscular legs and outlined his erection perfectly. She swallowed hard at the size of him. Long and thick and more than her virgin body could handle, she was certain.
But what did she know of fucking? Her mother died when she was a child and she grew up among the warrior women of Dognelle. They were soldiers, not practiced in the art of seduction or lovemaking techniques. She knew coupling occurred and how it happened, but other than that the opposite sex remained a mystery to her.
With steady hands he popped open the buttons on his breeches. Fine, dark hair peeked from the shadows where cloth separated to reveal skin. Starr’s body heated, her natural curiosity piqued. Despite her loathing for the man and what he stood for, she couldn’t prevent her female response to one very sexy male.
Hell, men had used women for their own pleasures for centuries. Wasn’t it time for a woman to turn the tables?
“You look thoughtful,” Lycan said, pulling her away from her thoughts.
“Is that unusual around here?” she shot back without thinking.
He frowned. “Is what unusual?”
“A woman actually thinking.”
His lips curled in a wicked smile that turned her insides to liquid. “I can see you’re not like most women I know.”
“Most women you know have no brain. You’ll find I am quite different.”
“Is that so? Explain how.”
She didn’t want to talk. She wanted him to fall on top of her and fuck her until the aching need between her legs went away. “I have been educated. I can think for myself, take care of myself, and I am free.”
“That is, indeed, different than our women here.”
“Because you keep them as slaves for your own sexual pleasure.”
His blues eyes darkened like the sky before a storm. “It’s not like that. Our females are protected, revered, and well taken care of.”
“Do you educate them?”
“They learn.”
“I’m not talking about sexual education, I’m talking about the same learning the men have available.”
“Then, no.”
“Do you allow them the same freedoms as men?”
“No.”
“Then they’re slaves.”
“They’re happy.”
“Because they don’t know any better.” The passion she’d felt earlier began to dissipate, replaced instead by a cold anger. She fought back the disappointment, realizing she should have just kept her mouth shut and let him fuck her.
He waved his hand and sat on the edge of the bed. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll get used to it.”
Starr scooted away. The warmth she’d felt earlier turned to ice. “I will never be a slave. To you or to any man. I am a free woman and ruler of my kingdom. Why don’t you just let me go?”
He shook his head, his smile gone. “There will be no release for you. You have come under the protection of the Raynar Kingdom, and you’ll remain here.”
“Why would you keep me here?”
“You were captured during battle. Because you are a female you will not be killed. I have no choice but to arrange for your training to be a concubine.”
Her eyes widened as his words sunk in. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious. But I won’t make you available to others. If you’d prefer, I’ll keep you to myself.”
The audacity of the man! As if either choice was appealing? “I will be no slave, Lycan of Raynar. I’ll die by my own hand before I give up my freedom of choice.”
“Then I’ll have to watch you closely so that no harm comes to you.”
She shuddered at the thought of how close she had come to lying down with this savage. What had she been thinking? She slipped from the bed, refusing again to cover herself. “No matter what you say or do to me, I will never submit willingly as a concubine.”
When he stood and approached her, she struggled to hold her ground. He could easily snap her in two if he wanted to, and yet she knew instinctively that he wouldn’t harm her. At least not physically. He’d had plenty of opportunity to do that on the battlefield while she was unconscious.
“Make no mistake, Starr of Dognelle. I am the King of Raynar, and my word is law. Disobey me and you’ll be punished the same as any other female. You may have been Queen of Dognelle, but you no longer retain that title. You will live as a concubine, and you will be mine.”
The challenge had been issued. She placed her hands on her hips and said, “We’ll see who comes out of this battle the victor, Lycan. But as long as I live I will never be yours.”
Chapter Three
Lycan stared at Starr, unable to believe the woman’s challenge. She fired his blood like no other woman had done before.
“You will obey me.”
Her eyes narrowed, her chin lifting. “I don’t obey men. The men in my kingdom take orders from the women.”
He could easily take her as she was no physical match for him. But for some reason that thought held no appeal. He wanted her willing and pliant in his arms. There were over a dozen concubines who would gladly surrender to him, and yet she was the one he wanted.
“We’ll start with clothing.” Dragging her along beside him, he entered the concubine chambers and found Mag.
“This is Mag, and she is the mistress of concubines. She will see that you are clothed and that you learn your lessons on how to please me.”
Mag nodded and eyed Starr w
arily. “My king, surely you’re not going to leave her alone with us?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But first I’ll make sure she causes you no trouble. Bring me her clothes.”
Mag brought the clothing that Starr refused to put on earlier. Lycan picked up the long skirt and rib-skimming top and forced them over Starr’s head.
“Damn woman, cooperate! It’s like you have six arms and legs! Go fetch the guard and tell him to bring me some shackles,” he ordered one of the concubines.
In no time at all, Starr was ensconced in the concubine’s quarters, metal shackles around her wrists and ankles and a length of chain that allowed her only a six-foot swath in which to walk. Lycan fastened her to the sturdy column centering the room.
“Feed her and teach her from there,” he commanded. “Don’t let her loose unless I tell you.”
Mag nodded and Lycan stormed off, tired of dealing with the female who both tried his patience and fired his libido.
They were at war and he was babysitting a woman half his size who couldn’t be more than in her mid-twentieth year. At thirty and five, he was past the point of dealing with pouting children.
But by Lal’s stars, she was beautiful. Her golden hair was like silken water flowing over his fingers, and her body was ripe and full. His cock hardened as he thought of her underneath him, writhing in ecstasy and calling his name as she reached her peak.
He wanted that, and by Lal, he’d have it. He’d tamed wilder animals than Starr of Dognelle. It was only a matter of time until he bent her to his will, too.
But now he had duties to concentrate on. He slipped through the doors of his offices. Tor was there waiting for him, the usual scowl on his face as he looked up from the maps on the table.
“Where have you been?” Tor asked.
“Dealing with our new prisoner.”
Tor laughed. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed her yet. I heard she gave two of the guards quite a beating.”
“She has fire, and she’s just lost her freedom. How would you feel if that happened to you?”
Tor raised a brow. “You’re defending her?”