Master of Desire (8 page)
Again, Shaena sighed. “You have to understand, Granick was cruel to
him
. Ralen was taught that any sort of misbehavior must be dealt with harshly, that the offender must be punished in such a way that they will never commit the offense again. His father once beat him nearly to death for telling a silly lie when we were children, forsaying he had done a chore he had not. And indeed, after Granick’s beating, Ralen never lied again. His father dealt with misbehaving servants with the same severity.”
Charelton was beginning to sound like a terrible place, and Teesia suspected her eyes shone wide with the horror of it. “Why did you stay, Shaena? Why did you continue to work for Granick when you reached adulthood?”
The maid shrugged. “Where else would I go? I know no other place. And I wished to stay with my parents, as I am their only child. They are retired now, living in acottage in the village near the fort, and they enjoy having me near. And besides, Granick was growing sickly years ago. No one outside the fortress realized it, even some
inside
probably did not know—it was kept a secret. But I knew he would die soonenough and then Ralen would be in power.”
“And Ralen is so much better to serve?”
“He is more civil to all. You have seen already how happy his people are. And frankly, Granick rained so much wrath on his staff that, since his death over two years ago, no one has gotten out of line.” Now even Shaena looked doubtful, though. “I had
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thought—hoped—that Ralen would not rule with such severity, and maybe he won’t, but if his reaction to your indiscretion is any indication—well, I might be wrong about that.”
“You know him well. Do you have any advice for me?” It seemed smart to learn
anything she could from her new maid—she was thankful Shaena was so forthcoming
and seemed to wish her well.
“From this point forward,” the maid said, “I would strive to be as obedient as you can. Even if that obedience is not in your heart, act as though it is. Try to please him until he softens to you.”
She nodded. “Anything else?”
“As for sex— well, I cannot say, since I don’t know exactly what he has in store for you, but…try not to fear, Teesia. Try to be open-minded.” Bella’s similar advice came to mind as Shaena leaned slightly forward, bringing their faces close. “It may not be so horrible as he intends for it to be, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t know what you mean,” Teesia admitted on a sigh of frustration. Here Ralen thought she knew so much about sex, but clearly she remained completely ignorant about it.
Shaena smiled. “I won’t lie to you, Teesia—I have been in Ralen’s bed before. And things I once thought distasteful are now pleasing to me because of what he taught me there.”
A short shock of jealousy struck, however insane, followed by more confusion. “Do you still…you and he?” In Caralon, it was within a man’s rights, even a married one, to fuck whomever he wished.
“Not for a while now,” Shaena said with a reassuring smile. “Except for Banya, Ralen has not been a man to confine himself to one woman, ever. But I know he intends to be faithful within his marriage, so now it would seem that you alone shall reap the pleasures he can impart.”
Teesia shivered. “Pleasures? Or tortures?”
The maid cast a knowing smile. “I can only say that perhaps you will find being his
slave is not such an unsavory thing.”
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Lacey Alexander
Chapter Three
Ralen stood, dressed in black, watching as his bride approached. The sun set over the hills behind her, the shock of late daylight making her seem to glow as she crossedthe sand toward him in bare feet. The red silk wedding gown he’d chosen for her clung deliciously to her curves, reminding him of a frock of sea green that had fit her just as well. Wanton she may be, but she was undeniably comely, making his cock perk to attention within his leather pants even now. Her raven hair still fell in a long braiddown her back, a gold cord wound about it to match the thicker sash that bound herfrom just below her breasts to the flare of her hips.
Bound
, he thought. Did the sash make her feel bound? Did it hold her as tightly, mold to her flesh as warmly as he liked to think? Did it somehow give her even theslightest arousal? He narrowed his gaze on her.
You’d best hope so, vixen, for there’s much more of that to come.
Part of him wished things were different —that he’d never recognized her, that some other foolish man had fallen prey to her seductive charms in the hallway, so that he’d never know what a wanton little royal she was. Had he never met her beforeyesterday, he’d be very pleased with the thought of spending the rest of his life with Enrick’s middle daughter.
And despite her transgressions, a girl so pretty would make any man’s bed awarmer place. Once her punishment was over, she would warm his nicely, too. Once hefelt certain she would never stray from him.
“You selected a lovely spot for our marriage rites,” she said, smiling up at him as if they were a happy couple in love. “As a child of Myrtell, I love the ocean.”
He replied dryly, making sure not to look into her crystal blue eyes. “Chosen before I knew who you were, I assure you.”
The priest behind him let out a sigh of dismay, but Ralen ignored him.
The ceremony was the drudgery he’d expected, although thankfully short. When the priest asked Teesia if she had a gift for her groom, she held out the bit of cloth he’dnoticed in her hand, fluttering in the sea breeze. Surprised she had anything—given that she’d had only a day’s warning before leaving home—he took it from her, smoothing it in his hands.
To my husband. Yours forever, Teesia
. The words were embroidered in thread dyed indigo, the edges of the cloth embellished with flowers ofyellow, red and fuchsia. He was surprised to find his heart softened—only slightly—by the feminine offering.
“For you to carry with you when you must leave home, or if you are called to battle,” she explained. “A remembrance. A token of my affection.”
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He didn’t plan to meet her sparkling eyes, but once he found her staring up at him so earnestly, he was trapped within her gaze—just for a brief moment before stuffing the cloth into his waistband and turning back to the priest.
“Have you a gift for your bride?” the older man asked, the breeze ruffling what remained of his grayed hair.
In response, Ralen reached down to a small leather bag next to him on the sand, extracting the extravagant jewelry he’d commissioned. Before he’d known he was wedding a woman in need of training and punishment, he’d intended the gifts to beseen as merely that—jewelry—figuring he’d reveal their real use sometime later in the marriage when he felt his new wife was ready for a taste of his darker appetites. Teesia, however, would discover the true purpose of the gift
tonight
.
“Your wrists,” he said, indicating that she should hold them out. He locked first onethick, bejeweled bracelet around her arm, then the other.
She gasped. “They’re exquisite, Ralen.”
“Indeed,” he murmured tightly. But he did like the look of them on her, feeling they made her
his
in a way mere words spoken by a man of Ares could not. “There’s more,” he said, then stooped to clasp the matching ankle cuffs just above her feet. Valuablestones of red, green, blue and gold glittered beneath the rays of the setting sun.
He almost felt sorry for the naïve little wanton as they left the beach to return to thefort. She was smiling, happy, thinking somehow that his expensive gifts spelled love, orforgiveness. But soon enough she would understand that nothing had been forgiven, that her indiscretion could only be forgotten through punishment, learning to obey.
The feast was grand, every person in Charelton there to celebrate his marriage.
Ralen made an effort to smile through it all, to pretend he was as happy as he’d hopedto be on this night. No one knew his stomach churned with a fear of betrayal—a betrayal that might take place if he didn’t quickly get his vixen bride in line.
How many men have touched you already, my little wanton?
He cast her a sideways glance as they dined on every manner of beast and fowl, fruit and sweets—thenswallowed back his disappointment along with a swig of dark wine, deciding it was of no matter. Soon enough she would know only him.
Only him.
Nothing else would exist in her world.
As usual for a wedding of such circumstance, the region’s residents had turned out in their most revealing garments of fur and leather, awaiting the Rituals of Passion they thought were to come. He caught Laene’s eye, where he stood flirting with a girl who wore only two strategically placed strips of thick brown leather, and waved him over.
“We are dispensing with the Rituals of Passion this evening,” he said when Laene arrived.
His servant and friend of ten years blinked his shock. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me. There will be no Rituals of Passion following the feast.”
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Lacey Alexander
Laene gave his messy blond mane a short shake, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “Then how shall she be made ready, Ralen? She is more than just a virgin, you recall—she’s a
royal
virgin. You know full well how clueless such girls are kept.”
Ralen shook his head and spoke with low confidence. “Not
this
girl. She knowsmore than she’s supposed to, trust me on this. She’s ready enough for what I have instore. So carry forth with whatever entertainment was planned and if that does not please the crowd enough, find some willing females who might engage in a seductive dance for them. They expected Rituals of Passion, give them at least
some
passion,whatever you can devise to excite them.”
Laene still persisted in questioning him. “It’s unheard of to forsake such tradition, Ralen.”
Ralen’s reply came in a matter-of-fact tone. “My bride does not need the rituals, myfriend. She needs to be punished. No rituals necessary for that— I can handle it on my
own.”
* * * * *
Teesia flinched as Ralen’s hand latched tight onto hers, his large fingers squeezing her smaller ones. “Let us go, bride.” His piercing look, along with his sharp delivery of the words, stunned her. Who
was
this man? He’d seemed so content during dinner—happy even— but now, in the time it took to blink, he’d turned cold and harsh once
more.
As he pulled her up from her seat, her emotions swung from pleasant to fearful—again. The dress he’d commissioned for her was lovely, as were the extravagant wedding jewels that adorned her, yet his fluctuating moods made it impossible to knowif he had perhaps started to forgive her—or if he simply hated her.
As he practically dragged her toward the great hall’s exit, she realized the crowd looked stunned to see them departing so soon. “Where are we going?” she asked. The large wooden doors fell shut behind them, leaving her alone with him in a widehallway—much like the one where they’d first met. Even now, she shivered at the memory, her pussy tingling.
“To begin your training,” he said, never slowing their stride.
Her chest went hollow. “
Sexual
training,” she said to clarify.
“Yes, vixen.” He didn’t bother looking at her.
“But what about the Maran tiles?” she asked as he pulled her up a wide stone staircase. “Is it not time for me to play the Maran tiles?” Perhaps that explained the crowd’s dismay.
He drew to a rough halt on the steps, turning to glare down at her. “You seem awfully eager about that. Most royal girls fear it, from what I’m told. Perhaps, like everything else, you know more about it than you should.”
She cowered, feeling tiny beneath his accusing gaze. “No.”
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Master of Desire
A humorless laugh echoed through the fort around her. “Well, no Rituals of Passion for you, wanton.”
She swallowed as they proceeded up the stairs. “Rituals…of Passion?”
Only once they reached the top did he pause long enough to turn his dark, narrowed eyes on her again. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the pleasures to be had after the Maran game.”
She could barely breathe. “Only…that, yes, there
are
pleasures.”
“And you’d like that, wouldn’t you, naughty Teesia?” His expression hovered somewhere between aroused and threatening— then tipped entirely toward the latter. “Well, too bad, I’m afraid. For I have a whole different sort of training in mind for you.”
* * * * *
Teesia held her breath as Ralen led her into a large room filled with…Ares, so many exotic, erotic things that she could barely absorb it all!
