by Tori Minard
“How much do you care for her?,” Shadow said, watching him inscrutably. “What are you willing to do for her?”
Dario gave the prince a sidelong glance. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“There are other places in the galaxy, Saturnios. Places where men and women are equal and free.”
Was he suggesting Dario run off-world with Tariza? That was impossible. He had obligations to his family and country. Yet the idea was strangely tempting.
“Even if I took her off-world, we’d still be master and slave.”
“Why? You’d have a chance to start over, to change your relationship.”
“Because, Demon Kin, neither of us has any idea how to behave any other way with the opposite sex.”
“You’re both intelligent,” Shadow said. “You could learn.”
He shot a half-shamed glance at the other man. “I’m not sure I want to. I ... like dominating a woman sexually.”
“You can dominate a lover sexually without enslaving that person.”
Dario twisted in his saddle. “What?”
Shadow grinned. “Many of my people enjoy this game, yet they don’t enslave their lovers.”
“I thought you didn’t have any women anymore.”
“We have very few. That’s why so many of us have taken males as lovers.”
“Oh.” His face flamed, the blush almost painful in the icy winter air.
The Demon Kin laughed. “You should see your face. I take it such arrangements are forbidden on Argelia?”
“In Saturnios, yes. I hear Concordian women take other women, and I’m not sure what the custom is elsewhere.” He was still blushing. Had Tariza a girlfriend?
“We’d welcome you on Belleren,” the Demon Kin continued. “Especially if Tariza was willing to conceive at least one Demon Kin child. In vitro, of course. We need all the help we can get.”
“I didn’t know humans could carry Demon Kin babies.”
“Oh, yes. We’re very compatible with humans.”
“Could Miri bear your child?”
“I hope so.” Shadow gave him a grim look. “If she hasn’t been damaged too badly.”
“I hate what he did to her. I should have gotten her away from him.”
“There isn’t much you could do against the king.”
Well. That was true, given his relationship to the man. At least he’d kept Tariza away from the old brute.
“Think about what I said. On Belleren, you would be free to create whatever sort of relationship you want.”
“I’ll think about it,” Dario said. Only it would mean giving up his family and everything he’d ever known.
Could he do it? Could he abandon Mateo in favor of Tariza?
***
Mateo made her wear a muzzle. The thing was made from glossy red leather and had a tight strap that went beneath her jaw, keeping her mouth shut. In addition to the muzzle, she had a matching red harness that outlined her breasts with loops of leather.
He grinned as he gazed down at her, his eyes gleaming in satisfaction. “That ought to keep you from mouthing off. I think this will be an important lesson in humility for you.”
Her first instinct was to glare at him. She curbed it, taking long deep breaths to regulate herself. Glaring or making any other sign of dissatisfaction would result in a beating. He’d already given her two.
They hadn’t been as awful as what Grasos had done, but they’d been bad enough. Worse than anything Dario had done to her. She most definitely didn’t want another.
The door to Mateo’s rooms opened and two men she didn’t recognize came in. They were around Mateo’s age – in their early thirties – and both were grinning as broadly as Mateo, their gazes hot as they stared at her. To her shame, her body responded eagerly to the attention, a flood of cream dampening her pussy.
“Is that her?” said the blond one.
“It is,” Mateo answered.
The blond walked up to her, his gaze traveling over her body and lingering on her breasts and the apex of her thighs. “She’s a beauty.”
“Bad attitude, though,” Mateo said.
“Well.” The blond cupped her breast. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
His thumb rubbed across the point of her nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure through her and making it bead up. It wasn’t right that he could do such a thing to her. She belonged to Dario.
Dario gave you to Mateo. He gave you away.
Her Master didn’t want her anymore, and all she could think of was how she was betraying him by responding to these other men. She was truly hopeless.
“She seems docile enough,” the blond’s companion said. He had mousy brown hair and a heavily muscled physique.
“She’s improved since I got hold of her,” Mateo said, winking.
The blond bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth. Behind the muzzle, Tariza gasped. He suckled hard, and darts of pain and pleasure shot rhythmically from her nipple to her cunt. She moaned low in her throat. The blond chuckled against her flesh as he continued to suckle her, his arm coming around her back to keep her steady.
“She’s responsive,” the brown-haired man said.
“That she is,” Mateo said.
“I want to taste her.”
The blond lifted his head from her breast and grinned at his friend. “In a moment.” He lifted her onto the bed. “Spread your legs and let us have a look at your pussy.”
Tariza glanced at Mateo. Was he really going to make her do this? He frowned at her, tapping the crop he held against his thigh. Yes, he was really going to make her do it. She closed her eyes to shut out awareness of the men and spread her legs.
“Look at us, Tariza,” Mateo said. “We want you to see us examining you.”
Damn him. She opened her eyes. All three of them were staring at her sex, their lips parted, eyes dark with lust. Her pussy throbbed at the look on their faces. She wanted them, hated them.
The brown-haired one fell to his knees in front of her. “I can’t wait anymore.”
He lowered his head to her pussy. His tongue swept out and lapped at her. Tariza gasped again. She wanted to belong only to Dario, to respond only to him. But Mateo stood there threatening her with his crop and Brown-hair grasped her firmly by the thighs as he tongued her.
“Damn, she tastes good,” he muttered.
“Let me have a turn,” the blond said.
Grumbling, Brown-hair moved over and the blond took his place. His mouth was even more insistent, more invading than his friend’s. He shoved his tongue into her sheath, making her cry out even with her mouth clamped shut. Then he swirled his tongue around her clit and suckled, sending her into a violent orgasm.
All three men laughed.
“She was wasted in Concordia,” Mateo said.
“Can I fuck her?” the blond said hoarsely.
“Go ahead.”
He fumbled urgently at his trousers until he freed his cock, which was so hard it looked purple. Kneeling on the bed, he positioned himself and thrust into her with no preliminaries. “God damn,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to fuck a Concordian.”
The blond pounded her mercilessly, without finesse, all male power and lust, grunting with effort. He grasped her wrists, pinning them over her head, holding her down, his weight pressing into her. She couldn’t move, could only take what he did to her.
“Come, damn you,” he growled, reaching between their bodies to finger her clit.
Another orgasm slammed through her, making her eyes roll up in her head. Her fingers curled into claws at the painful release, tears gathering in her eyes. The blond roared. Hot jets of come filled her.
As soon as his orgasm finished, he withdrew from her body and got to his feet, grinning again. “Good fuck, Mateo. Really good.”
Tariza closed her legs.
“No,” Mateo said. “Leave them open. We want to see.”
She licked her lips, hesitating.
> Instead of waiting for her to obey, he reached down and shoved her legs apart. “That’s more like it. We want to see all that come dripping out of you.”
“I want her now,” said Brown-hair.
Mateo gestured graciously toward her. “You’re the guest.”
Brown-hair grabbed her by the ankles and jerked her off the bed. He turned her face-down and shoved her torso into the mattress. “Spread again.”
She obeyed. Brown-hair shoved his cock into her so fast and hard that she moaned in her throat. The sound emerged, muffled, from the contraption on her face.
“That’s it, girl. Make noise for me,” he said.
He moved more slowly than the blond, groaning as he fucked her. His cock felt bigger, too, stretching her impossibly wide even though she was thoroughly wet from the other man’s depredations.
Her ass was tilted in the air, vulnerable and exposed, on display, as Brown-hair pumped his cock in and out of her body. He cupped her breast and tweaked her nipple as his hips continued their steady rhythm, as he groaned continuously. Another release bloomed in her core, and Tariza moaned.
Brown-hair’s fingers dug into her hips. His thrusts became sporadic, uneven. He shouted something incoherent and another flood of hot moisture filled her cunt.
He was just pulling out of her when Mateo’s door opened with a soft click. Tariza turned her head in time to see Dario enter the room. He was here!
Oh, shit, he’s here. Her heart began to race with a bewildering mix of joy at his return and shame that he would see her this way.
He stared at them, blinking for an instant. Then a ferocious glare came over his face.
“What the hell are you doing with my woman?” he said in a deadly voice.
Chapter 17
Tariza willed herself not to stare at Dario. His woman. That’s what he’d called her. Her heart raced even faster.
“Using her,” Mateo said. “What does it look like?”
Dario stalked toward them. “I told you she was for you only. Not your friends.”
Brown-hair moved away from her and Tariza scrambled up onto the bed. She yanked the coverlet around herself, without knowing whether she was hiding from Dario or the others.
Dario glared from one man to the next. “I never gave my permission for this.”
Brown-hair held up his hands. His cock was still out, glistening with moisture from her body, his trousers around his ankles. “We didn’t know. Mateo invited us.”
Dario advanced on his brother. “I asked you to protect her.”
“And I have.”
“Like this?” Dario shouted. “You know I don’t share her.”
“Dario, you gave her into my keeping,” Mateo said in a reasonable tone. “Traditionally that means I get the use of her, as do any of my guests. If you wanted something different, you should have said so.”
Dario’s jaw worked, his big body trembling. He looked like he was about to explode. “Damn you, Mateo. You knew this wasn’t what I wanted for her.”
“I’m not a mind reader, brother.” Mateo’s voice rose.
“If you weren’t the crown prince, I’d beat the shit out of you.”
“Don’t let my rank stop you,” Mateo spat.
“Maybe I won’t. Right now, I want to get her out of here.” Dario stalked to the bed and gathered her up, coverlet and all.
He was angry on her behalf. That must mean he still cared about her, that he hadn’t rejected her after all. She let her head fall to the side to rest against his shoulder. Dario glanced down at her, his eyes widening.
“You muzzled her?” He shot another glare at Mateo. “What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t spoil my girls. You know that.”
“So I spoil her because I don’t tie her jaw shut?” Dario growled.
“Her behavior has much improved. You should try the muzzle. It’s very effective.”
“I think you’re the one who needs a muzzle.”
He bore her from the room and down the hallway in long strides, then carried her into his quarters and sat down in a chair with her in his lap. Immediately he fumbled with the buckles on the muzzle, pulling it off her and tossing it to the floor. With his fingertips, he rubbed the marks it had left on her skin.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “None of that should have happened.”
She must remain strong. The fact he’d returned didn’t mean anything about their relationship had changed. “You gave me to him.”
“To protect, not to pass around.” He brushed some hair out of her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“I am uninjured.”
Dario frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look well. You have circles under your eyes.”
“I’m sorry I fail to please you, Master.”
“Tariza, don’t be like that.”
She sighed. “I’m not used to sleeping on the floor.”
“Is that where he put you?”
“Yes.”
“Damn.” His thumb traced the curve of her lower lip. “I guess I should have taken you with me after all.”
She said nothing.
Dario pressed a brief kiss to her lips. “I have a meeting to attend, so I have to leave you here for a while. We’ll talk about this later, all right?”
Come dripped out of her, wetting her thighs. Her skin was sticky with it.
“May I take a bath, Master?”
His frown deepened. “Of course. You know that.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“We’re going to have a talk later.”
“Yes, Master.”
He gave her a searching look. “Will you be all right here by yourself?”
“Of course, Master.”
“Lock the door after I leave.”
Tariza went into the bathroom and ran herself a hot bath. A good, long soak was what she needed to relax and distract herself. She added a few drops of night-flower oil to the water and settled in with a sigh of pleasure.
After months of idleness, she was getting soft. Perhaps the master would allow her to begin an exercise program. He probably wouldn’t want her sparring, but she could still train for strength and endurance.
She tilted her head back against the sloping side of the tub and let her mind drift aimlessly, trying not to think, as the water gradually cooled.
Behind her, the door clicked softly. Tariza sighed. He’d given her no time to relax at all. “What is it, Master?”
Someone grabbed her by the hair. “Get out of the bath, bitch.”
It was Lola.
Tariza reached behind her head to grasp Lola’s wrist. She dug her nails into the other woman’s skin. “Let me go. Now.”
But there were other hands grabbing her arms and legs, dragging her from the tub along with a giant splash of water. She clunked her head against the side of the tub as the intruders pulled her to the floor. Lola seemed to have at least three companions, maybe more. She couldn’t see all of them as they crowded around her, pinching, pulling hair, scratching and punching.
Tariza flailed, trying to get her limbs free. She had an attacker on each one, keeping her from being able to defend herself. Blows landed all over her body. Someone kicked her in the ribs. She tried to curl on her side to protect her vital organs. Another kick hit her in her lower back, over her kidneys.
“You won’t take him away from me,” Lola said.
Someone grabbed Tariza by the hair again and slammed her skull into the tiled floor. Everything disappeared into a black haze.
***
Dario made an excuse to cut the meeting short as soon as he dared and returned to his quarters. He and Tariza would have dinner there, alone together, then curl up on the bed and talk. They needed to work things out between them.
Would she agree to go off-world with him? He wouldn’t force her to leave Argelia. Whatever they did, it would have to be a mutual decision. He only hoped she’d want to be with him given the
opportunity to be free.
When he reached his rooms, he found his door ajar. He’d told her to lock it. Had she forgotten? That seemed unlike her. Frowning uneasily, Dario pushed the door open and walked into the suite.
“Tariza?”
There was no answer.
She wasn’t in the sitting room or on the bed. Who could have left the door open? No-one had a key to the room besides him and the head of housekeeping. Surely the housekeeping staff wouldn’t let anyone in here to harm Tariza.
Had she attempted to run again? He didn’t think she’d be so foolish, but she had been extremely upset with him. Her stiff silence, even after the incident with Mateo and his cronies, had worried him. He should have postponed the meeting, stayed with her. He should have known she was distraught enough to do something wild and dangerous.
The problem with that idea was that she was more than smart enough to close the door behind her. It didn’t add up. And she couldn’t have escaped by his secret passageway, because she didn’t know it was there. Something, some quiet voice inside his mind, insisted an intruder had come into his rooms and attacked her, yet she was nowhere to be found.
But wait. He hadn’t checked the whole suite.
He strode to the bathroom and shoved the door open. Tariza lay unconscious on the floor in a pool of water and blood, her naked skin shockingly pale. Deep red bruises bloomed all over her body. It looked as if she’d fallen – or been dragged – out of the bathtub.
“God! Tariza!” He fell to his knees beside her.
He pressed his fingers to the side of her throat to check for a pulse. It was there, faint but steady. Thank God, she was still alive. Her skin, like the water in which she lay, was cold.
He snatched towels off the shelves. Using an arm to support her, he wrapped a couple of them around her torso before lifting her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest, her sodden hair dangling almost to the floor.
Dario carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. He climbed in beside her and pulled the coverlet over them both. Gently he lifted her eyelids one after the other. Her right eye was dilated, but the left pupil was contracted to a tiny point. She’d had a serious blow to the head.