Dark Lord (6 page)

Devereux thought about the hybrid in Sebastian’s dungeon.
She could be the key to learning how to use his hybrid abilities,
providing the female cooperated.
Sebastian would ensure
Helsina’s
cooperation, as his friend was determined and ruthless when it came to achieving his goals.
That ruthless streak ran through Amalie as well, although she kept it hidden most of the time under her sugary demeanor.
Dev
wasn’t ruthless and he wasn’t by nature a killer.
Sometimes he wished he could be as ruthless as the others and not care who he hurt to get what he wanted.
He was hardening in some ways.
In the past, he would not have considered using a female like
Helsina
just so he could gain knowledge.
Now, he couldn’t contemplate not doing it.
Hybrids used their bodies and minds as weapons.
He could do the same once he learned how to do it.
He had to find some way to turn his weaknesses into strengths because that was the only way he would survive.
He would not be left defenseless should anyone decide to hunt him.

As he left the
falinn
, he
took the lengthier route to the main hall.
He was in no hurry to attend Nefertiti’s notorious circus.
He knew that technically, the lords were not supposed to explore the entirety of the lower floor
s
of the mansion (or the upper floors for that matter).
He preferred to scope out the areas, never knowing when such information may be useful to him later.
While wandering the hallways, h
e
spied
Briella
.
She narrowed her eyes at him and walked in his direction, stopping inches in front of him.
“We meet again, my lady.”

“
You are in an unauthorized area.
Are you lost, Lord Langley?”

Her high and mighty attitude grated on his nerves.
“I am guilty of trespassing.
Will you arrest me?
Will you tie me to your bed and use your whip on me – again?”

She frowned in irritation.
“I’ve never had you in my bed and that whip that you refer to was not mine.”

“Yes, your memory is more accurate than my own.
I was tied to the Countess’s bed when you used the whip on me.
I recall seeing you to your own bed once, but I did not join you there.
Such a pity.”

She frowned further and glanced about the hall, seemingly concerned that others would overhear their conversation.
“You cannot speak of such things.
Do it again, and I will borrow Nefertiti’s
porcupine
whip and strike you with it.”

“Please
,
not the
porcupine whip
.
I prefer the soft leather whip that you used once before.
Where shall I present myself for your punishment?
In your quarters?”

“Your suggestions are tasteless and offensive to me.
Cease immediately, else I will have no choice but to take action against you."
Her face filled with anger as he laughed at her.
“This is no laughing matter, Lord Langley.
I was just appointed the new safety officer and I’ve been given
additional authority to ensure proper levels of safety are maintained at all times.”

Dev
inwardly cringed.
Her new promotion would only accelerate the rate at which she would become poisoned by her sister’s influence.
She would lose
all
decency
and
her soul would
become
as
rotten
as
Nefertiti’s
oozing, sore-ridden flesh.
“My apologies.
I had no idea that your station had been so elevated.
Congratulations on your accomplishment.
The Countess will be certain to mold you in her image.
In no time flat, you will become the best bitch that you can be.”

“Goodness, Dev.
There’s no need to be so hostile with me.
My only goal is to ensure safety, so how is that a bad thing for Avenal?
Given the recent events, one would think a safety officer was needed here.”

“Will you protect me from harm if the Countess wants to strangle me during one of her bondage games?
How will you ensure safety?
Will you be close at hand to provide
CPR when I fall unconscious in the Countess’s bed?
Will you breathe new life into my chest just so that I can complete the sex act with Nefertiti and give her pleasure?”
Briella
looked uncomfortable by his questions, which pleased him for some reason.
The idea of her facilitating these unwanted sexual encounters between the Countess and the harem lords turned him cold.

“Nefertiti has decreed that an expert be acquired to advise her on erotic matters and a trip to Eros is in the works to hire this expert.
My job is to ensure safety, not to stand guard at Nefertiti’s bedside.
You never answered my question as to your presence here.”

“No, I didn’t.”

She looked at him with frustration.
“Well?
What were you doing trespassing down this wing?
Were you hoping to visit one of the concubines in their beds?
I must tell you that it will not be allowed.
You are
not to fraternize with the concubines under any circumstances.”

He had not realized he was in the concubine dormitories.
He wondered if she was jealous.
“A male has needs, you know.
Nefertiti’s too repulsive to meet them, but perhaps you will do in her stead.”
The shock filling her face was
entertaining to watch.
She yanked him by the arm and started tugging him down the hall.
Unfortunately, she did not tug him into a vacant room and have her way with him.

“I do not trust you and I’m going to personally escort you to the main hall.”

He allowed her to escort him, liking the feel of her hands gripping his flesh.
He spied the mark on her throat, still visible despite her attempt to hide it under a high necked robe.
The bite he had given her was related to mating and the hybrids had mentioned some sort of mating bond.
Did that mean that he had unwittingly bound himself to this female?
Would he actually die if he did not
mate with her?
He didn’t feel like he
was dying.
Due to his
Flourdan
mother, he did not share as much alien DNA compared to the other hybrids.
The effects of the mating bond may be less severe, especially since the female he had bitten was not a hybrid.
He could only hope he would not be impaired by any mating bond.
He had enough problems without having to deal with uncontrollable physical urges.
Despite his attraction to
Briella
, he had no intention of taking her as his lover.
Keeping such a forbidden affair a secret would open
himself
up to all sorts of potential problems.
When his needs became too great to ignore, he intended to seek physical pleasure outside
Avenal
.

Chapter 4:
Circus
of Depravity

Nefertiti hosted a circus four
times a year at Avenal.
It was not
a
normal circus and none of the villagers were invited.
The affair was rather notoriously known as the Circus of Depravity, an event that one could only
hope to see
when one was in the home of the Deranged Dominatrix.
The Countess
forced the
male and female
concubines to dress as animals and perform tricks.
A tightrope was strung in the center of the room.
It was not elevated very high off the ground, but anyone who lost his balance and fell would fall straight into the watching crowd.
Some of the ladies were known to cop a feel whenever a gentleman they admired fell into their grasping hands.
The lords were all forced to participate wearing tiny loincloths that were decorated with a furry red ball in the center.
According to Nefertiti, it was supposed to represent the nose of a clown.
This year, she had also requested that they
all wear curly red haired wigs.
After they walked the tightrope, they would be forced to juggle their loincloths, which of course would leave them wearing nothing but the clown wigs.

Briella
did not know what to expect when she was ordered to attend the circus, but it did not surprise her that it was going to be another obscene spectacle.
An ordinary circus with real acrobats and dancers would have been better, but normal and ordinary were not words associated with Avenal since Nefertiti had become the
C
ountess.
She knew it was terrible of her, but she couldn’t stop herself from laughing when she saw the lords in their ridiculous clown suits.
The tiny loincloths decorated with the furry red balls were a bit out of place on the hardened warrior bodies of the lords.
Their grim expressions reflected their displeasure as they moved through the crowd in their unusual attire.
Jules had apparently been sent to guard
Triniti
in the tower so that
Payne could participate, but Payn
e did not seem happy about being relieved of guard duty.
He fell off the tightrope and ended up sprawled all over Portia Fairley.
Miss Fairley acted like a God had fallen into her lap; she fawned over him and kept referring to him as “your lordship.”

One by one the lords walked the tightrope.
Briella
couldn’t help but notice that Dev
ereux
was not present.
That was extremely unusual; being a no show was not allowed.
She could not blame him for balking at the thought of participating in something that would be so degrading and debased
, but she wondered where he had disappeared.
She had looked forward to his performance, despite the indignity of it.
She had seen little of his naked body since the night that he had been tied to Nefertiti’s bed
.
The male could not even fake obedience.
She had actually caught him wandering the female halls, probably in search of feminine flesh.
He had been unconcerned at being
caught in an unauthorized area.
He had claimed that he had
needs
.
He would not be satisfying any of his personal needs any time soon.
She would post additional guards on the wing housing the concubine dormitories
to bar any unauthorized visitations
.
He would have no choice but to forgo his physical needs, just as she had been doing for years.
It was not like he could die from sexual deprivation.