Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) (36 page)

“We’ll make it work for us
.
We’re together and it is all that matters.
The
rest
of the world can wait
.”

He hoped she would still feel that way in the days to come.
Things were deteriorating between their two countries and war was inevitable.
He had still been unable to determine the importance of the hybrid living at Avenal, Lord Langley.
He didn’t know how that male fit into things,
but there must be a reason for the
King
’s interest.
Would she still love him if her home was destroyed by hybrids?
The future was uncertain, but he knew his lay with hers.
Even if the world crumbled around them, they would carve a place for themselves within the rubble.

BOOKS BY CORINNE BALFOUR

(
Lords of Bondage Series
)

#1
Deceptive Lord

#2
Dark Lord

#3
Vampire Slave Trade
(Release Date: TBA)

CHARACTERS
IN DECEPTIVE LORD
:

THE FLOURDANS:

EDEN AVENAL: Younger sister of the Countess of Avenal

NEFERTITI AVENAL: Countess of Avenal

PORTIA FAIRLEY: Product
(half-peasant prodigy)
of the
Selective
Breeding Program, assigned to serve Nefertiti

AUDRELIA TALBOT: Lady in service to Nefertiti; scout
and advisor

LORD DEVEREUX LANGLEY: Hybrid; grandson of the
Queen
of Flourda

LORDS OF NEFERTITI’S HAREM: Jules and Julian Beaumont; Vane Honeybone; Payne Hastings

THE ASSTRUMNIANS
:

AEDAN DONOVAN:
King of the Tuatha Broin tribe in Ravenwood

BR
ENNUS DONOVAN: Drest’s
best
friend;
warrior;
son of
King
Aedan

BOADACEA DONOVAN:
Princess;
Brennus’s sister

BRETT DONOVAN:
A son of King Aedan; warrior

BRENDAN DONOVAN:
A son of King Aedan; warrior

BELENOS DONOVAN:
Brother of the
King
; warrior

BRAN DONOVAN:
Brother of the
King
; warrior

NINIAN BYRNE: Head druid

TARAN BRADY: Druid

DREST KAVANAUGH: An Asstrumnian bard (AKA Lord Kane Woodcock); Master Seanacha (historian)

FIONA KAVANAUGH
: Druidess; distant cousin of Drest

KAMBRIA KAVANAUGH: Distant cousin of Drest

CANTORIX WARD: Warrior of Ravenwood; Ciaran’s nephew; telepathic hybrid

CIARAN WARD: (The Bloodletter) - Druid specializing in divination and ritual sacrifice; Cantorix’s uncle

CONNAL WARD: Relative of Ciaran and Cantorix; Telepath

Excerpt
From
Dark Lord

As the others filed out of the room, Triniti offered to show Briella to her new quarters.
Triniti provided a brief description of what she could expect to see during the nightly entertainments.
She tried to listen, but her thoughts kept wandering to the mission she would be forced to undertake in the middle of the night.
She had a feeling that Triniti was completely in the dark about it; she wished that she could remain equally ignorant of the situation.
It really sucked to be Nefertiti’s sister.

Briella endured an awkward dinner with the
countess
and the other ladies.
At the ninth hour, she reported to the main hall as directed.
She was
not sure what to expect from the entertainment hour, but after Triniti’s description of it, she was not looking forward to it at all.
She walked to the corner of the room and stood beside Triniti.
Nefertiti once again sat at her throne, and the males were lined up on the stage in the front of the room.

Nefertiti was once more dressed in a gold translucent gown and she wore a fortune in jewelry around her throat and wrists.
She stood, indicating that a directive would be forthcoming.
“I would like to enjoy a male this night, but I cannot decide which one of you I wish to have.
Disrobe for me and present your wares, so that I may have sufficient information on which to base my decision.”

Despite Triniti’s attempt to prepare her, Briella was appalled.
She was treating the men as objects, likely to humiliate them and keep them in their proper place, which was completely subservient to her whims.
She tried not to look as the men disrobed.
She did notice that Lord Jules Beaumont remained completely clothed, and then remembered the reason – as a huxor who had lost his mate, he would be expected to live the rest of his life in celibacy to honor her.

Nefertiti walked toward the stage and began to peruse the latest offerings.
She paused when she reached Lord Langley.
“You remain clothed.
Why is this so, when I ordered you to disrobe for me?”

“I did not feel like following that order,” he replied.

“I do not give optional orders, Lord Langley.
There is no option to refuse me.
I am the
countess
, and even grandsons of the Queen must obey me when in my home.
Your mother knows this, and she would not have sent you to me otherwise.”

Briella didn’t miss the look of disgust he shot toward the
countess
.
When he finally yanked off his clothing, her curiosity overcame her and she couldn’t resist allowing her eyes to wander over his naked form.
He was definitely pleasing to the eye.
All Flourdan males admitted to the Selective Breeding Program were flawless in form, as a healthy body
denoted healthy genes.
Lord Langley appeared to be magnificently healthy.
She wondered what it would be like to have the task of breeding this male.
Flourdan females reached their fertile periods every five years.
The next breeding period would not occur for another four and a half years, and at that time, all fertile females were usually given mates.

Nefertiti ogled Lord Langley and clapped her hands.
“Finally, you obey me.
You are a fine specimen, nearly outshining your competition.”
She pouted and surveyed the line of naked males.
“It’s so difficult to choose one, when they are all so fine!
However will I decide?
I swear I must have the most beautiful males in Flourda;
perhaps, I should acquire some ugly ones just to make my task easier!”

Briella groaned.
Surely, this was too much.
It was certainly worse than any of the displays she witnessed at her aunt’s stronghold in
Assheton,
and that was enough to give her nightmares.
Nefertiti was a hundred times more histrionic than her aunt; both of them could not get enough attention from others.

“I still cannot choose one.
I hate to admit that I may need some help.”
Nefertiti directed her gaze toward Briella.
“Lady Briella, come assist me.
Choose one of these fine males and bring him to me.”
She stalked to her throne and lounged atop it.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, now she would be forced to actively participate in this lewd spectacle.
Briella approached the stage with some trepidation.
She walked onto the stage and forced herself to walk alongside the queue of males, focusing on keeping her gaze above the waist lines.
She paused when she came to Lord Langley.
For some reason, she did not like to think of Nefertiti with this one.
She walked a step further and touched the big blond male on the shoulder.
“This one.”
Nefertiti nodded and signaled for her to continue.
Briella grabbed the man’s arm and guided him to the throne area.

“You chose Lord Lyon Arundel.
He’s a fine one indeed.”
Nefertiti
pointed to a cushioned chair a few feet away from her.
“Since you fancy him so much, I will allow you a boon.
You may play with him for a few moments while I rest.
Sit atop him on that chair and divert yourself with one of my pets, just this once.”

Could this get any more awkward for her?
She had no wish to “divert” herself with one of the harem males in front of a watching audience.
She didn’t trust Nefertiti not to punish her for touching one of her males, despite the fact that she had been ordered to do so.
As Lyon seated himself, Briella sat on the edge of his lap, nearly falling off the chair.
This was way too awkward, but refusing to comply could have perilous consequences.

Nefertiti laughed in a condescending manner.
“Briella, you don’t even know what to do with a man!
I see now why
your
huxor-to-be failed to complete the mating ceremony at Assheton.
I had thought the problem lay with that Roman, but now I suspect that the problem lay with you.
Just another example of your many failings; I cannot understand how an Avenal could be so very terrible at so many things.”

No, she did not just mention that bit with Markus Honeybone Agrippa, the event that sent her fleeing from Assheton in shame?
She had hoped her sister would be sympathetic to her plight and would try to help her.
She had been unaware of her cruel streak.
She was beginning to think that she
was in some deep shit.
She could not return to Assheton and she was uncertain she could survive at Avenal.
The best she could hope for would be to find some way into her sister’s good graces, somehow earn her respect, and eventually be rewarded with a small estate of her own.
She would then be free to take a male as her own huxor and live a simple, yet satisfying, life.

Nefertiti leapt from her throne and yanked Briella off the chair, flinging her toward the stage.
“I shall show you how it is done, how to take a man, Briella.”

Briella gasped as she was thrown against a hard male body; strong arms reached around her to break her fall.
Briella glanced up and saw that it was Lord Langley that held her.
It was difficult to ignore the fact that he was naked, as she could feel the heat from his body penetrate her clothing.
She glanced away and looked at the pedestal area.

Excerpt from Vampire Slave Trade (
Release date: TBA)

Chapter 1

Cassia steeled herself
. She had barely entered the villa and already she could hear her step-sister’s nasally high-pitched voice as she talked to her friend, Calpurnia Pornius. Calpurnia was Lavinia’s closest confidant and the two were practically joined at the hip. The only time the two ladies were separated was when Lavinia entered the arena, where she fought as a celebrated gladiatrix.

“You are the luckiest woman to have caught Janus’s favor. There is no
man more handsome than Janus Stolo,” Calpurnia said.

“I know. He has a body that rivals Adonis himself,” Lavinia said.

Adonis was one of the male gladiators that resided in the Maximus ludus. Like most of the gladiators, he was a war captive. Cassia thought that Adonis was far more handsome than Janus. She had once believed Janus to be perfect in every way, but marriage to him had turned out to be a bitter disappointment. Janus had tired of her quickly and had developed an obsession with her step-sister Lavinia. Her divorce had been finalized two days ago, and already Janus and Lavinia were discussing wedding plans.

“Janus is rumored to have unparalleled prowess under the covers. I’ve heard it said that his equipment is massive and he is skilled like no other,” Calpurnia said.

Lavinia giggled. “The rumors are true. I would know. I dare say he has more skills than Adonis when it comes to the bedchamber.”

Calpurnia laughed. “You would know! Now that you are done with Adonis, perhaps I can have a taste?”

Lavinia slapped her on the rump. “I haven’t given Adonis up, Calpurnia. I say, slaves were put on this Earth for our pleasure and one wouldn’t want to waste a precious resource such as Adonis. There is something so gratifying about owning
such a male. You should really think about acquiring some of your own. Gladiators are just the thing to stir up some excitement.”

“It must be even more so being a gladiator. I envy you, Lavinia.”

Cassia knew that many women envied Lavinia. She was a celebrity in New Babylon. Janus had become enthralled with her the instant he saw her fight in the arena. That was when he had lost interest in Cassia. He had tried to persuade her to enter the arena to fight as a gladiatrix, but Cassia wasn’t about to risk her life to please her husband. She had no interest in fighting and she didn’t care about the attention and glories to be found in the arena.