Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) (3 page)

He smiled engagingly and showered her with an attentive gaze.
“
Spending some time with you would make it much easier to tolerate.”

Eden rolled her eyes at him.
She did not know why he would flirt with her.
If Nefertiti noticed it, they would
both pay the price.
She wondered if this was his first time being loaned out to a peer
.
Had he served other countesses in other harems?
He did not have the look of inexperience, yet he appeared untamed
and a tad
too assertive
.
Perhaps his previous mistress was lenient with him, but Nefertiti kept her males on a tight leash.
He would learn that soon enough.

CHAPTER
TWO

Drest spent the rest of the evening trying to learn as much as he could about the lords
.
He had learned that
Lord
Jules
Beaumont
was the former huxor/mate of the previous
countess
, Ariana, and he was supposed to live a celibate lifestyle to honor her.
Lord Valor Assheton was Nefertiti’
s only huxor and he was extremely defensive of her.
He took it personally when anyone criticized the
countess
and he wasted far too much time trying to convince the rest of them that she was the most desirable and worthy female on the planet.
Lord Payne Hastings appeared to have the respect of most of the lords, as they deferred to him
for some inexplicable reason.
Lord Vane Honeybone did not seem to take anything seriously and he appeared to be easily entertained.
Lord Devereux Langley, who went by Dev, was a bit mysterious.
The other males were baffled that he had not yet had to serve the
countess
sexually, as she had apparently been very vocal in her desires.
However, Dev had claimed that
she kept changing her mind after being summoned to her chambers, and on one occasion, the
countess
had become inexplicitly sick to her stomach.
He thought that it was suspicious indeed
and he wondered if the male possessed hybrid mental abilities
.
Later, he found Dev alone and decided to question him.
“What do you know about the Asstrum?”

“Not much.
Why do you ask?”

“You have the look of one, that’s all,”
Drest said
.
“
Very unusual
to see a Flourdan with dark hair
.”

“Unusual, but not impossible,” Dev stated in an irritable tone.
“How would you know what the Asstrum
look like
, anyway.
Have you actually met one?”

Drest looked into his eyes, which were an unusual shade of indigo, darker than any seen in Flourda.
Had he seen those eyes before in Ravenwood?
He had not been told the identity of the father, but it had to be one of high status.
His skin was the right shade for an Asstrumnian, golden and tanned rather than the pale cream shades seen in Flourda.
“They
do not usually venture out of Asstrumnia, but on occasion, merchants travel to the great cities for trade, and their bards can travel as they please.
I did meet one of those once, a
nd he could produce the most beautiful music.”

Dev looked at him in disbelief
.
“What was he like?
Did he have a name?”

“He did not give me his name.
They are a secretive people.
He told me that the eyes reveal their inhumanity, their alien nature.
If one looks into them long enough, the eyes will tell.
The irises flash red sparks whenever they are over-stimulated or excited
, and they deepen to dark garnet pools when they are using their
inhuman abilities.”
Drest watched him carefully, so he did not miss the instant flash of red in Dev’s eyes, a trait only seen in hybrids.
He
had to be
the one they were searching for, and his
King
would be glad for the knowledge.
He
knew he had no good
reason to dally
.
He should return to Asstrumnia
this night, when the others were
safely
abed.
Against his better judgment, he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep, not waking until the morning.

***

Drest spent the
next
day with the lords, riding horses and
fencing with swords.
He endured a supper where strange foods were served on silver platters, and afterwards, he reported to
the main chamber where the
countess
held her sordid revels.
He was not surprised when he was ordered to line up on the stage and
disrobe
in order to display his wares more fully.
He noticed that none of the other lords refused to obey her command, so he would need to comply as well if he wished to
maintain his cover
.
Tra
nsport
ing
himself instantly
to Asstrumnia was out of the question, because they would all know without a doubt that a hybrid had invaded the harem.
He removed his clothing and joined the line of naked males, and he tried not to think about the way that he would be evaluated in excruciating detail.

The
countess
leapt from her throne and began walking alongside
the queue, surveying the males with calculating eyes, lingering on those parts that only males possessed.
She paused when she reached him and leered suggestively.
Up close, the
countess
appeared monstrously unfeminine, with bulging muscles on a formidable frame, wide shoulders, and a lack of feminine curves.
She wore a translucent gold gown, which on a different woman may have incited lustful urges, but on her, produced repulsion.
In her hand, she held a whip, and she slapped it against her
other
hand and smiled.
“You must be Lord
Kane
Woodcock.
The ladies told me you were here, and I had no idea that I even had a new paramour.
”
She
began to salivate while she ogled his body in a lascivious manner.
She
captured the droplets of drool that had escaped from her mouth with
one long
finger.
“
My, you are as fine as your name suggests.
I must thank your dear mother for sending you to me.
I plan to try you out
tomorrow
night.
I just recently purchased some new toys from a Roman shop, including chains and shackles.
They are now attached to the bed, just waiting for the perfect moment to be used.
I can certainly imagine you being stretched across that bed, bound and waiting in perfect submission.”

There was no way in hell that he was going to allow himself to be chained for that freak’s enjoyment.
He said nothing and glared at her mean
ly, hoping she would opt for more cooperative prey.
She
smirked
at him and finally moved down the line
, eventually stopping in the vicinity of a blond male.

Nefertiti placed her hand on Lord Vane Honeybone’s chest to indicate her interest in the male.
“My Lord Vane, I do hope your honeyed bone is as sweet as your name suggests.
I find I have a voracious appetite for
a sizeable chunk of
meat
.
Are you familiar with some of the more unique methods of loving the Romans employ?”

“No,
Countess
,” Vane said.

Nefertiti licked her lips and ran her hand down Vane’s chest.
“I am going to have the eunuchs restrain you to the bed and I plan to feast on your flesh till you bleed.”
She
directed the eunuchs to accompany Vane upstairs to her suite, and a few minutes later, she departed the main hall.

Drest
could not help his sigh of relief when the
countess
left the room.
The woman was a nightmare; thankfully such dreadful creatures did not exist in Asstrumnia.
He had tried to prepare himself for the culture shock that would be Flourda, but he did not think any of his people could prepare for this particular fucked up scenario.
Hybrid males did not subject themselves to the indignity of forced nakedness, especially when the intent was
debasement.
It was clear that the
countess
was intoxicated with the power derived from her little games.
Was this behavioral pattern specific to
the
countess
or did most of the Flourdan females play such games?
He scanned the watching audience and his gaze was drawn once again to Eden.
She was watching him with eyes wide open.
The lady had no shame, as her assessing gaze seemed to encompass the entirety of his naked form.
Unlike Nefertiti,
whose carnal interests reflected in her face,
he couldn’t tell whether
Eden
liked
the current view.
She acted as if she was attending an art gallery event; she acted as if she attended such events so routinely that the art held only
minor
interest to her.
Asstrumnian females would display a good amount of shock and embarrassment if they found themselves in a room
full of
naked males.
These Flourdan ladies
were clearly accustomed to
displays of nudity
; not only that, they were used to seeing naked males performing sexual acts.
Despite his previous research and training, his understanding of Flourdan culture was decidedly lacking.
He
followed the others into the Red Salon, thankful that he was not being exposed to the
special
Roman education taking place in the
countess
’s chambers.
“The
countess
is absolutely hideous.”

“I take it you may not be staying with us long,” Payne said.
“I can hardly blame you.
But if you do choose to stay, we would welcome you here.”

Drest listened as Payne described the highlights of life in Avenal
.
The
only thing of interest he had seen so far was the Lady Eden
, who had been making frequent trips to the refreshment table to replenish her punch cup.
While conversing with the lords, he surreptitiously studied the young woman.
She sported the typical Flourdan features, which were long blonde hair and royal blue eyes.
She was dressed in long white robes of
a fine
linen and she wore gold colored sandals.
She was tall and slender, yet her garb hinted at generous curves.
Her face was feminine and alluring, with full lips, almond shaped eyes, and a straight nose.
Unlike the people of his tribe, she wore no jewelry.
He wondered why she kept returning to the refreshment table.
He didn’t think she could be that thirsty.

Drest
walked over to the table and poured himself a cup to determine whether it actually was
as tasty as
she
made it appear.
That part of the room was packed with people, so he used that opportunity to stand so close to
her
that their bodies touched.
He
met her eyes as he took a sip of the punch
.
E
xpecting it to be refreshing, he was unprepared when the revoltingly foul
liquid assaulted his taste buds.
“What the hell is this stuff?”

Eden laughed as she set her cup on the table.
“It’s Nefertiti’s poisonous brew
.
You really don’t want to know what’s in it.”

He lifted an eyebrow in question.
“Poison?”

She smiled
, picked up her cup, and took a sip of the liquid
.
“It’s not going to hurt you.
It just tastes bad.”

He placed his
cup down on the table.
“So why do you drink so much of it?”

“I don’t usually.
I was just really thirsty tonight and it’s the only beverage at the table.”

“I’ll find you something to drink, something that isn’t terrible.”
He left the salon and went into the hallway, where he transported to his assigned chamber and selected two unmarked bottles of Asstrumnian wine.
A minute later, he joined
her
at the table and poured two glasses
.
He offered her a glass and watched as she took her first sip.
Asstrumnian wine was
superior to anything they had in Flourda.