The Breaker's Concubine (19 page)

He bit the tip of her thumb, and her thighs pressed together as she removed it from his

mouth. “I am yours.”

Anger flashed through her eyes, but the pain and longing she felt passed through their

bond. “Unless you want to see me tortured, you will keep that sentiment to yourself while we are

here.”

“Don’t leave me, and I will.” He challenged her with his gaze, not letting her break eye

contact with him.

A man’s voice cut through the din of conversation in the square. “Breaker Melania, who is

that exotic creature you’re playing with?”

Melania’s eyes grew huge with fear. She nodded slightly at Devnar and breathed out. “I

won’t leave you. But you must behave. Please.”

She waited until he nodded, then tugged his leash and led him across the square. They

stopped before a tall man in long bronze robes embroidered with shimmering gold thread on the

shoulders. With long silver hair pulled back with a gold thong, the thin man’s hands flashed and

sparkled as the rings on his fingers captured the light. A small group of men and women in

various colored robes surrounded him, and they all watched Devnar far too closely for his

comfort. Despite their well-manicured appearances, he saw every one of them as a threat. It was

something in the way they stood, in the intelligence in their eyes. These were hawks pretending

to be peacocks. He studied the man in the bronze robe and changed his opinion. No, not hawks.

They were like a pride of lions, and this was their leader.

His tension ratcheted up another level until his jaw hurt from clenching it. Despite their

soft robes and carefully styled hair, all of these people radiated dominance and danger. But none

as much as the silver-haired man that now examined him and Melania. The way he constantly

scanned his surroundings reminded Devnar of his old war instructor. Always ready for an attack

no matter where they were.

Melania gave a low bow and jerked at his leash. At a loss of what to do, he sank to his

knees and kept his gaze focused on the ground. He must do nothing to cause them concern,

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nothing to put Melania in danger. A bead of sweat trailed down his cheek, and he resisted the

urge to brush it away.

“Lord Mithrik,” Melania said in a low and clear voice.

“Interesting novice you have.” The edge of the man’s bronze robes entered Devnar’s field

of sight, and he tensed as his chin was lifted by a pair of strong fingers. Dark hazel eyes

examined him, and he gripped his hands into fists as he almost lost the battle to stand and put

himself between Melania and this lord. Whoever this man was, he was very dangerous.

“Fascinating bone structure. Don’t you agree, Khilam?”

Khilam? The novice he’d shared with Melania?

Lord Mithrik stroked his chin with a small grunt. Fear and anger from Melania, but no

surprise. What was going on?

Devnar flinched in the man’s fingers still holding his chin as Khilam separated himself

from the group of people and strode up with an arrogant roll of his hips. Lord Mithrik drew back,

and Khilam filled his vision. Gone was the submissive novice from the day before, and in his

place stood a haughty and powerful man. Dressed in tight dark emerald green pants and a soft

cream shirt, his brown skin gleamed in the sunlight. Golden hoops hung from his ears, and an

emerald ring as big as his pinky nail sparkled in the lights. Devnar felt even more exposed as the

man he had shared a bed with stood over him and brushed a strand of his hair off his face with a

gentle touch.

Khilam’s familiar desire rolled over him, and his cock throbbed in response. A sudden

flash of heat from Melania, and her pulse of need let him know the sight of them together

aroused her. Helpless against his primitive nature, Devnar leaned into the other man’s touch and

rubbed his cheek into his scent. Whatever his mate wanted, he wanted. And to be honest, even

without Melania’s desire, he would have been attracted to the handsome man.

“Why, I think he likes you.” Lord Mithrik chuckled, and the surrounding group joined in

his laughter. Heat burned in his cheeks as he realized the crowd around him had grown. Using

the tip of his boot, Lord Mithrik spread his legs farther apart so his balls hung low and full under

his stiff erection.

“Breaker, my Steward fancies your novice. How much for him?”

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Devnar stared at Melania as she tried to compose herself. Her panic burned through him,

and he tried to shut her out the best he could. “Your lordship, he is not ready for service yet.”

“Nonsense.” Khilam continued to stroke his face, and Lord Mithrik’s eyes danced with

amusement at Devnar’s obvious discomfort. “He responds beautifully. Not everyone likes the

life beaten out of their concubines. What pleasure house does he belong too?”

Toying with his chain, Melania said in a low voice, “He belongs to Lady Grenba.”

The hum of the crowd filled the silence that stretched over their small group. He lifted his

chin just enough so that he could see their faces through the fringe of his lashes.

“Pity,” Lord Mithrik said in a dry voice. “I’d hate to see this one broken under her hand.”

He watched Melania carefully, and only the slightest tightening around his eyes betrayed his

impatience as she kept her silence. “In fact, Lady Grenba’s watching us from across the square

with a few regulators.” He raised his hand in a wave, and Devnar tried to see through the crowd

but could only observe the closed-off wall of pants and skirts surrounding them. “Perhaps I

should… Hmm, she just entered the arena. Maybe she didn’t see us.”

Lord Mithrik hooked his fingers into Devnar’s collar and raised him to his feet. He tensed

beneath the man’s hands, then let out a sigh of relief when Lord Mithrik stepped back. That relief

was short-lived as Khilam spoke up, “May I sample him? You did bring him here to be

displayed, didn’t you?”

Melania gave a stiff nod. “Of course, Steward.”

Devnar stiffened as Khilam pressed into him, and he felt the swell of the other man’s cock

rubbing against his. Slowly, deliberately Khilam brushed his full lips over Devnar’s. A woman

laughed softly as Devnar clamped his lips together, denying Khilam’s tongue access. Melania’s

desire pushed against him. He gritted his teeth in an effort to keep from pulling her between them

like she wanted.

Khilam ran his hands down Devnar’s back, keeping him fully pressed against his body.

“What a disappointment.”

Devnar’s head jerked as Melania pulled on his chain with a sharp tug. “Novice, pleasure

him.”

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Shame and desire mixed in his blood, rushing to his aching cock as Khilam shifted his

hips. The soft cloth of Khilam’s pants rubbed against him, reminding him of the silk of the other

man’s grip. He didn’t know what kind of game they were playing, but he would be damned if he

was going to let Khilam make Melania angry at him.

Aware of her gaze on him, Devnar traced his hand over Khilam’s jaw and cupped the back

of his head. Khilam’s eyes grew wide with alarm and then closed in a soft sigh as Devnar

captured his lips. The bonds holding his wrists together came undone, and he took the silent hint,

reaching around to grip Khilam’s firm ass and pull him closer until their erections ground against

each other.

Hot and hard, Khilam made soft, needy noises as Devnar stroked his tongue across

Khilam’s lips. Goddess, he tasted good. Masculine and warm with a hint of spice. The memory

of sharing his seed with Melania brought a rush of blood to Devnar’s erection that left him light-

headed. Deepening their kiss, he shifted enough to allow Khilam’s hand to slip between them

and pull gently at the hairs around his cock. The hum of the crowd faded under a rush of

Melania’s desire, and he reached out to pull her toward them.

When only air met his seeking hand, he pulled back from Khilam with a frown and held

out his hand to his woman. Wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue, she ever so slightly shook

her head in a negative gesture. The flash of a man’s rings momentarily blinded him, and he

stiffened as an unfamiliar hand pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

“And you say he isn’t ready,” Lord Mithrik scoffed in a loud voice. Trumpets blared over

the square, and people began to flow toward the arena. Melania pulled him to his feet with a jerk

of the leash and subtly put herself between him and Khilam.

“I assure you, my lord, when he is available, I will let you know.”

Lord Mithrik gave Khilam a sharp glance. “Please do. It seems as if he’s had quite an

effect on my Steward.” Khilam shuddered in a visible effort to control himself and gave Melania

an enigmatic glance.

With that, Lord Mithrik and his followers left them standing in the middle of the square as

people hurried around them, eager to get to their seats.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “What is going on?”

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“Politics,” she said in a faint voice. She gripped his hand and squeezed it. “While Khilam

was kissing you, the empress and her entourage passed. Lord Mithrik and his people effectively

blocked her from seeing you. Lady Grenba is going to be furious.” Her strange blue and brown

eyes stared into his; her fear lay heavy in his heart. Politics were always a deadly game, and he

was far out of his element here. His soul demanded he protect his woman, but he didn’t know

how. So small and fragile. He ached to hold her in his arms. “Devnar, I can’t protect you from

them.”

“Ahh, little Mistress, don’t worry about me. It is you I’m concerned about.”

“What?” She glanced around and led him behind one of the tall trees, taking shelter in the

shade against the wall. “Prince, I assure you I will be fine.”

She gasped as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet for a kiss. Soft,

sweet, she opened for him even as her small hands pushed at his arms. “Stop,” she hissed and

backed away when he set her down.

“Who is Lord Mithrik, and why was Khilam with him? I thought he was a novice.”

Her bitter laugh hurt his heart. She picked up the end of his leash from where it dangled

between them. “Lord Mithrik is the empress’s spymaster and a very dangerous man. I have no

idea why he sent Khilam to us and then made sure we were aware of who he really is.”

“I hate politics,” he murmured and stroked his hand down her cheek. If he lived ten

thousand years, he wouldn’t be able to stand next to her and not want to touch her.

“At least we have that in common. I keep as far away from politics as I possibly can.” She

took a deep breath and tugged on his leash. “Come, we will be expected at the arena. Be on your

best behavior. After that public display with Lord Mithrik and Khilam, you can bet everyone will

be very curious about you. At least Lord Mithrik’s interest will help protect you from the

regulators. He has a long-running feud with the regulators’ High Council, but they’re each too

powerful to take the other out. Hopefully Lady Grenba won’t be angry I didn’t display you as she

wished. “

“If she hurts you, I will kill her.” Even though he knew how ridiculous that statement

seemed when he was naked and on a leash, it didn’t make it any less true. He would kill to keep

his bonded female safe.

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“Hush.” She placed her hand over his mouth. “If anyone heard you say that, you would be

tortured. Favored by Lord Mithrik or not.”

Shaking his head, he followed her into the crowd.

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Chapter Ten

Instead of the rows of benches that he was used to in the playhouses and meeting halls at

home, this arena was lined with staggered rows of individual boxes of various sizes. Each box sat

from as little as two to over a dozen people. A low wall separated each box from the next and

was low enough to see over if you were standing. The boxes farthest from the arena held plain

wooden chairs, while the boxes with the best views had sumptuous seating with the gleam of

silver and gold brocade.

The massive walled pit of the arena was filled with black sand that faintly shimmered in

the sunlight breaking through the dirty clouds beyond the dome. Currently a group of scantily

clad men and women performed an elaborate acrobatic routine. Their toned bodies were painted

bronze, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by their skill and balance.

He started to sit in the brown suede chair next to Melania when she tugged his leash and

pointed to her feet. With a derisive snort, he lowered himself next to her and pressed against her

thigh. The smooth leather of her uniform barely contained the heat of her body. He promised