Master of Desire (6 page)

be?

“Welcome to Myrtell, Ralen of Charelton,”  Enrick said as Ralen drew to a halt  before the throne, masking his shock.

“Thank you, Enrick,” he answered, eyes still pinned on  the girl. She sat mooning up  at him as if  he’d hung the sun in  the sky, an expression that  might well have pleased him under other circumstances. But did the girl think he’d not remember her? What in  Ares’ name was she smiling about? Did she think it would please him to  realize his  bride had heretofore gone about offering herself to men she didn’t  know?

“You are acquainted with my wife, I believe,” Enrick said, and Ralen shifted his gaze to the beautiful Jalal, a woman held  in high regard throughout the land.

He gave a  nod of respect, trying to reconcile the fact that  the wanton who’d offered  herself to him so freely at Rawley was this  stately woman’s offspring. “My pleasure to  see you again, Jalal.”

The ruler’s wife offered him a small, regal smile. People professed that Teesia took  after Jalal both in looks and personality, but they were clearly mistaken on the second  count. Caralon was a place of freedom—sexual and otherwise, so he did not judge the girl on
 
moral
 
grounds. No, he judged her on
 
royal
 
ones! Royal and wealthy girls knew their duties to their families, and
 
most
 
obeyed the rules, as they should.

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Lacey Alexander

He’d not believed her for a second that  night when she’d claimed her braidsignified nothing, nor  had he believed she  was not a virgin. But he’d never suspected she was Enrick’s daughter, sister of Dane’s wife!

His own damnable fault, he supposed, for not seeing a family resemblance, but he’d never expected a young royal daughter to be  giving herself to men in the back hall. At the time, he’d presumed she was a wealthy girl of other parentage, seeking excitement.  He had burned to open his pants  and explore  her cunt deeper than his fingers had been able to, but had not wanted to ruin the girl,  both for the sake of herself and her father.

As for wealthy girls with a bride price seeking sexual release—well, it had  been fine when she was a stranger, someone he would never see again. But to discover that same girl was to be his bride… He could only wonder how many
 
other
 
male hands haddipped beneath her costly silk skirts.

“I have promised you my middle daughter, Teesia,” Enrick continued theceremony, a tradition suddenly tainted for Ralen.

Looking again to the ruler and trying to hide  his ire—for it was not Enrick’s fault he’d raised a misbehaving tramp—he gave a nod of recognition.

“Do you vow you can provide her with a comfortable life?”

Define comfort
, he almost asked, yet held it in. He was suddenly inclined
 
not
 
to offer his new wife the ease of life she surely  expected. But could he give her material possessions, keep her well-fed,  a sturdy roof  over her head? “You know that I can,  Enrick,” he  replied. Enrick had visited his estate—he knew what Ralen possessed. He need not know any of  the more punishing thoughts that swirled in Ralen’s head just

now.

Enrick nodded. “And do you vow you can fulfill her physical needs and get herwith child, so that my line  is guaranteed to continue?”

“Oh yes, Enrick, that I can do,” he answered with bold confidence. He’d do  more than fulfill them—he would make sure  she knew who her sexual master was.

“Very well, then,” the ruler of Caralon said. “I send her with  you knowing she’s in

capable hands.”

Capable? Indeed they were. And he’d intended, until a few moments ago, for them

to  be  loving  hands,  too—but  Enrick’s  wayward daughter had ruined that wish. For what he had on his capable hands, it seemed, was a girl who had been slinking around back hallways and Ares knew where else, giving herself over to any man who would  have her. For all he knew, she
 
wasn’t
 
a virgin.

But he wouldn’t hold Enrick responsible  for that. Enrick was honorable and Ralen respected him—always had. He  certainly had  no  idea  of his hungry little daughter’s appetites and that she’d already been doing her best to get them filled.

And he, like Enrick, was a man of his  word. He’d agreed to guard Caralon’ssouthern border until  the time of his death or Enrick’s, whichever came first, in

exchange for the girl and a  place in the royal family.

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Master of Desire

All this meant was…well, that he would not have the marriage he’d expected.

And that his new bride would have to be punished. Severely.

His royal bride was supposed to be his  and his alone. She was supposed to be totally ignorant of  sex other than  what she had learned in her  Orientation. She  wasmeant to be his to mold and teach and train and nurture.

Well, soon enough she’d understand unequivocally that she
 
was
 
his, body and soul,to do with what he pleased, to treat as he  would, to use in bed in whatever manner he wished.

He was a man of unusual sexual desires. Some women had gone so far as to  call his tastes frightening, chilling, bizarre. Up until this moment, he’d had every intention of initiating young Teesia into his decadent  sexual world ever-so-slowly, exercising the utmost care and concern for her feelings and her pleasure. But to his surprise, he wasmarrying a woman who was not to be trusted, who might well think she could fuck every man she liked—and she’d have to be brought to heel, taught to know good andwell to whom she belonged.

The good news was that he no  longer had the slightest care  if she enjoyed his  sexual tastes or not. And he would no  longer worry about going slow or being gentle. Punishment was not meant to be soft—it was meant to teach a lesson, and he’d be certain his wanton little  vixen would learn it.

“Daughter, stand and take Ralen’s hands,” Enrick instructed.

The silly girl hopped to her feet at lightning speed, anxious to get in his pants, he presumed, if his last meeting with her was  any indication. He closed her much smaller  hands in strong fists, wondering if she could sense the anger  in his grip, if she could see  the cold determination in his eyes as he gazed down on  his lovely, naughty little bride.

“I hereby give to you my daughter, Teesia  of  Myrtell, Teesia of the House of Enrick.  She now belongs to you, Ralen of Charelton.”

* * * * *

Teesia’s entire body was atingle as Ralen led her away from her parents, out thedoor into the bright Myrtell sunlight. “Do we start for Charelton  now?” she asked,peering up at his strong, handsome face,  the lower half covered with rugged stubble just as when she’d first met him. He was  just as dark, dangerous and arousing as she remembered, and the mere touch  of his hand made her heart beat faster.

“Yes, my caravan is waiting,” he  said without looking at her.

That pinched a bit,  making her lustiness die a little. She’d  thought he’d be more…well, more like
 
she
 
was—excited and thrilled  and ready to begin their new lifetogether.

Perhaps she just needed to express herself better, let him know how pleased shewas to become his wife. He still held her  hand in his firm—truthfully, too  tight—grasp, so she took the opportunity to  stroke her thumb lightly over the back of his  knuckles.

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Lacey Alexander

Bella  had  taught  her  that  little  touches  could  be  used  to  ignite  flames  in  a  man  “I.   amthrilled to be going to your home, Ralen,  thrilled that we  will soon be married.”

Only then, as they walked,  did he  glance down at her  with stern eyes. “That makes one of us, then.”

Teesia flinched and instinctively tried to  pull her hand away, but his grip was tooconstricting. She was aghast, trying to fight off the sting of his words. “You…you…do not wish this marriage?”

“I wish this  union with the royal family,” he stated plainly.

Teesia swallowed back the pain that threatened to make her collapse. Ralen’sentourage had just become visible in the  distance, but she kept her eyes on her husband-to-be. “I thought that…well, I thought we would fit well together,” she said, sorry for the depth of emotion that leaked from her voice. “I thought you would wish ahappy marriage, as I do.”

He stopped walking,  pulling her to a rough halt, and  stared down into her eyes.  “Do you think I’m so thick that  I don’t recognize you, vixen? Do you think I don’t recall what happened between us at Rawley?”

She was confused—why wasn’t their brief but passionate interlude a
 
pleasant
memory? “Of course I  expected you to remember me. And frankly, I expected  you to be pleased, knowing that  our encounter in Rawley was only a taste of what’s to come.”

“That part you have right,  vixen,” he said,  his voice going deeper, and  sounding almost like a threat.

They’d started walking again— him pulling her along was more like it—and  since the caravan loomed closer, she knew she must speak plainly,  for she wished to get to the bottom of this
 
now
. “I should think you’d be happy to know  you have a bride who desires you. Deeply,” she added, figuring there was no cause to hide the truth. “I should think that would bode well for our marriage.”

“How many other men have you desired deeply, Teesia? How many men have you lifted your skirts for in back hallways?”

She gasped at the accusation. How dare he? “Only you, I swear it!”

His sideways glance said he didn’t believe  her. “I have  no qualms  with pretty girlswho want to play, vixen. But
 
you
 
are royalty. With duties to your family. You possess a bride price. Or at least I
 
hope
 
you still have it.”

“Of course I do! I—”

“Royal girls do not let down their hair and  tell lies to  entice the nearest available man in a darkened corridor. It was a betrayal  to your father. In fact, you’ve made him  look foolish to have traded your supposed chasteness in marriage—for one cannot trade what does not exist.”

“But I—”

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Master of Desire

“Had I wanted to marry a common girl with common sexual habits, I would have.  But I wanted a chaste, inexperienced virgin,  Teesia. I  wanted a girl who would belong  to me alone.”

“I
 
am
 
a virgin, and I
 
do
 
belong to you, Ralen—I promise.”

He stopped walking again to cast her a  glance, as if considering her words—but then chose to disregard them. “Yet chaste and inexperienced you are not, Teesia. As for  your claim of being mine, why  should I believe you’ve not offered that ripe little pussy  of yours to every interested suitor who might have come sniffing  around? You knew  me not at all when I stroked you to ecstasy. And then, by chance, not knowing who you  were, I bargained with your father to wed you. Do you realize the  coincidence involved  here, vixen?” He paused for a dry chuckle that held no humor. “But  even more amazing  to me is that you expect me to believe your  silly story. I might not have gotten what I  paid for in you, but I won’t be made  a fool of by my wanton bride.”

Teesia was incensed. She’d quickly grown  tired of his accusations and had gone from saddened to angry in a few pounding heartbeats. “Has  it occurred to you, you big  brute, that it was
 
not
 
a coincidence? That perhaps the  reason my father chose you was  because he knew I fancied you?”

He let out a scalding laugh. “Am I to  believe his virgin daughter told him she  spread her legs for my touch before a viewing glass and would have eagerly taken my  cock if I’d offered it, as well?”

She drew in her breath  at having her most thrilling memory transformed into one of regret. “There is no shame in what I did!”

“For a common farmgirl or a villager, no—they may spread their  legs for one andall, as is their right. But a girl of royal descent knows good and well she must keep her desires at bay.”

“And for your information, what my father
 
does
 
know is that you and I exchanged glances at Dane’s feast. My sisters witnessed it. My mother, too. And though I knowyou are an apt choice for a husband for other  reasons, it’s my belief that he took my wishes into consideration because he knew I  was attracted to you and would find you a

pleasing choice.”

The caravan was but a few hundred yards away now and cheers began to go up as  Ralen and Teesia approached. It seemed  to end their conversation, much to her  dismay—she
 
had
 
to make him see the truth!

Girls in frocks of leather offered gaily colored flowers to Teesia as she and Ralen  passed through the two lines forming at either  side of  the path they took. People waved  colorful streamers in the air and shouts were raised. “A cheer for Ralen and his lovely  bride!” “To a long and happy marriage!” “Welcome, Teesia, new lady of Charelton  Fortress!”

For a brief moment, the fanfare made Teesia believe she’d simply imagined thehorrible exchange with Ralen just now.
 
This
 
was how the days leading up to her wedding were supposed to be! A welcome from his people. A welcome into his life.