Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) (21 page)

She had to work hard to catch her breath.
“The
King
doesn’t know me.”

“The
King
’s brothers have seen you
and they consider you spoil
s
of war
.
They have made their claim known to the
King
.”

She didn’t want to end up a slave of the
King
.
She was still upset with Drest, but if she had to service someone, she wouldn’t mind
getting physical with him
again
.
“Do they really have some claim on me?
Is there no other option?”

“
We’ll see.
I will delay them as long as I can.”

She couldn’t help feeling disappointed; before, he had given his mark to protect her.
“Would that bother you, if I
was given to the
King
?”

“
You will be given to someone eventually.
You will not be sheltered indefinitely.
At some point, you will have to accept your loss of freedom.”
He firmly seized the vulnerable area
between her legs.
“
This is what keeps you alive.
It is what hybrids crave.
When you are a slave, t
his sweet portion will no longer belong to you
alone
.”
With his tongue, he
tasted the skin of her shoulder
.
“You’re not averse to the idea.
I can tell.”

The feel of his tongue on her flesh made her remember how it had felt when he had marked her.
She was aroused and he was touching her, which further excited her.
She wondered if he would take her here, in the bathing pool.
She was jarred by the sudden loss of heat and the breeze against her bare back.
He
had
transported to the patio outside the bathing pool.
She watched as h
e wrapped a towel around his waist and sat on the chair.
She was confused.
She had thought that he was going to start something physical with her.
He had seemed aroused and she had contemplated giving in to her own needs.
The way he had licked and nipped at her shoulder made her think he was going to mark her again, but then he had
suddenly
stopped
.
He had transported out of the pool; he hadn’t even taken the time to walk out like a normal person.
It was like he was running from her.
She got out of the pool and walked to the patio.
He handed her a towel and she wrapped it around herself.
He never took his eyes off her, but he maintained his distance, both physically and emotionally.
She wondered how she had ever thought he had
wanted
her.

***

The next day, Drest didn’t leave for the college, bu
t instead stayed at the lodge.
Ninian arrived
for a private meeting.
He knew that Ninian wanted to address Eden’s situation.
It bothered him that the
King
’s family had made inquiries.
The thought of her being given to the
King
’s fine was disturbing.
He couldn’t imagine her being passed around to all males of the Donovan line to be used for sex.
He didn’t want to think of her being intimate with Brett, Brendan, Belenos, Bran, and his best friend Brennus.
He wasn’t sure what he would do if the order came to turn her over to the fine.
He didn’t think he could do it.
At least for now, she was out of their reach because she was considered a safety risk and a possible threat.

He
remembered how tempting Eden had appeared in the bath.
He knew that he
should not have touched her.
He had
bec
o
me captivated by the milky white skin of her shoulder and the urge to bite her there was virtually overpowering.
As he
had
rubbed his small fangs against her shoulder, he
had
experienced vivid images of sinking his teeth into her vulnerable throat and pushing his engorged masculine flesh into her body.
Resisting the urge to mark her was becoming more painful by the second.
Given the fact that she was an Avenal, it was extremely disturbing.
He could not stomach the thought of binding himself to any female.
He was still having nightmares about his time spent in Nefertiti’s harem.
He was
scarred by memories of being chained and left defenseless, subjected to unwelcome groping and exploitation, all at the hands of an Avenal
countess
.
He had a newfound appreciation for his freedom and he was not planning on giving that up any time soon.
He had to resist her, which meant that he definitely had to avoid bathing with her at all costs.

Ninian took a seat in Drest’s library.
“We must address Eden’s situation.”

“I think she needs to stay here
.
We still do not know what kind of risk she may pose to others,” Drest said.

“Belenos is petitioning the
King
for possession of the prisoner.
He
wants to make her a bed slave.
Bran has petitioned for her also.
Right now, neither
are
willing to share her with the other, so the
King
has not granted either request.”

“They cannot make claims on her.
The interrogation has not been completed.”

Ninian nodded.
“Bran and Belenos
are known to beat their women viciously.
Slaves have been known to die in their care.”

He was not going to let them have Eden.
“They cannot take her.
They’ll abuse her and she will wind up dead.”

“We’ll discuss this again later.
I will work on a solution.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Drest
shared a breakfast with Eden, but he was quiet, which made conversation awkward
.
He
was polite toward her, although he remained distant.
That morning,
Ninian came to the lodge.
Eden
knew they were talking about her situation, but
they
refused to tell her anything.

Later that day, a guard knocked on the door and indicated that
Boadacea
was right outside and wanted
to see Drest
.
She
raced into the lodge.
She was short of breath and her chest was heaving.
“Drest, darling, I must speak with you this instant!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she trembled.
She grabbed
Drest, rested her head on his shoulder, and allowed him to embrace her in his strong arms.
“Something terrible has happened.”

Concern was evident in his eyes and tone.
“What has happened, love?”

She lifted tear filled eyes
and captured Drest’s gaze
.
“Brennus should have returned by now.
I think something has happened to him.
”

“Tell me what you know.”

“He went through the portal to the New World some time ago and he was supposed to return
last week.
He would not have missed the target date, not without something catastrophic preventing him from returning on time.
He knows how dangerous it is out there!
He knows how much we
would worry about him.
Some of the Portal Guardians conducted a search, but no traces of Brennus were found.
But that world is so vast.
I’m afraid we’ll never find him.”

“We’ll find him.
I swear it.”

“I’m so glad you’re here for me.
My no good brothers Brett and Brendan haven’
t been any help at all, and our father doesn’t want to ‘waste any more of our resources’ to find him.
It’s so unfair.
If Brett or Brendan were missing, he would not rest until they were found.”
Boadacea clutched him to her tightly.
“I would fall to pieces without you.”

He kissed the top of her head.
“Brennus is a great warrior.
Something may have delayed his
return, but he will come home.
We’ll bring him home.”

She nodded and kissed him briefly on the lips.
He stepped away from her and Ninian took her hands and gave them a comforting squeeze.

“I will have Ciaran Ward perform a ritual.
Perhaps the druid will
provide some answers,” Ninian said.

“The Bloodletter?
Please do not have him sacrifice any humans for my sake, unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Boadacea accepted a cup of tea from Drest and took a sip.
She turned a bit to the left and noticed
the other
female standing there.
Stunned, she dropped her cup and it shattered on the floor.

Eden
knew that Boadacea was stunned to see that she
was back in Ravenwood and living with Drest.
She
instantly recognized her rival and she realized that she could never hope to compete with the
King
’s daughter.
It was clear that they had a special bond and they seemed to care about each other.
It was only a matter of time before the princess became his mate.
Watching them together made her feel nauseous.
“Boadacea.”

Boadacea had paled.
“What are you doing here?”

She didn’t want to admit that she had stupidly begged to be captured and brought to Ravenwood so she could be reunited with Drest, a male who clearly had not missed her and
did not want her.
She had
made such an unremarkable impression on him
that he did not even remember
her.
“It’s complicated.”

“Drest, why is she here?” Boadacea asked.

He looked at Boadacea speculatively.
“Do you know her?”

Boadacea appeared perplexed by his question.
“I can see that she is human.
Why are you keeping a human?”

“Do you know her, Boadacea?”

She looked at him
quizzically for a minute,
then
she swiftly brightened.
“I don’t know her at all.”

Eden approached with deadly determination.
“You know me, Boadacea.
You are the one who took
me from this place during the dronusfly swarm attack.
You transported me back to Flourda.”

“I do not know what you are talking about.
I don’t know you.”

“Stop lying!
I am so sick of people claiming not to know me
,
”
Eden said.

Boadacea straightened to her full height of nearly six feet and smoothed her expensive silk embroidered tunic.
“Insignificant human ant, do not dare call me a liar.
I am the daughter of a queen and you are nothing but a bed slave.
Drest will tire of you shortly
.
Y
ou know that
to be
the truth
!
He will never take you as his mate.
When that time comes, he will pick an Asstrumnian.
He would never mate
with a human, especially not an Avenal.”

Drest observed
them with a look of unmistakable
interest.
“She’s not my bed slave.
She’s a prisoner that was captured in an ambush.
I took responsibility for her.”

“Why did you have to take responsibility for her?
Send her away.
Let someone else deal with her.
I do not like the idea of you being here with a prisoner.”

“Do not concern
yourself
with it,” he said gently.
“You’re overstressed.
Take a seat and rest for a minute.”

Boadacea sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to her, indicating her wish to stay close to Drest.
He sat
down on the sofa and held her hand.
“I am in distress,” she said.
“The
King
is threatening to arrange a union with King Conan McCreedy of the North.
He is a barbarian
and one of our enemies!
He says that if I can’t make a match locally, he will have no choice but to attempt a Northern connection.
He says that at least the northerners are pure Asstrumnians, but he completely disregards how different they are from us.
I cannot bear to live in such primitive circumstances.
They do not even have running water over there and they wear animal skins!
Please, I cannot bear it.
I cannot deal with the loss of my brother while this proposed union is han
g
ing over my head.
I cannot live so far away from Ravenwood
, so far
away from you.
Please
give me your mark.
I would be a good mate to you and the
King
would approve of our union.”