Every Good Boy Deserves Favor

by Treva Harte

  Maryam blinked away sudden tears.

  “I--I thank you for our time, sir.” She tried to rush through the formal words of departure before she actually began an undignified sobbing.

  She heard something above her that sounded like a gulp. It was a mistake, but she looked up into Ulrich’s copper-colored eyes.

  “Don’t.” She whispered.

  “Don’t what?”

  “You know.” He’d be hideously embarrassed if she said don’t cry. But there were definite tears in his eyes. Something tight and hard lodged in her throat as she looked at his devastation. Dear Goddess, she wasn’t going to cry, was she?

  “Don’t fu--er, lie with you while I have the chance? That is one command I’ll have to disobey.”

  “Now?” She caught her lip in her teeth. Why was she protesting? She’d long since learned that Ulrich actually possessed real flashes of brilliance.

  “Sooner, if we can manage it.” The tears in his eyes changed to a more familiar glitter of lust.

  She was going to be taken from him. His woman. His. All the careful training, all the obedience to tourney law was swept away. He’d tried, damn it. It wasn’t natural, but he’d done his best to follow the females’ dictates. Now they weren’t obeying their own rules and he didn’t want to obey them either.

  He wanted his woman. He could feel a huge scream of rage, of need, of pure lust rise up at the sight of Maryam’s naked body and distressed eyes. She wanted him, too.

  Curse them for tearing her away before he’d had a chance to…a chance to…he didn’t know what he’d have done had he just been given those few days more. Hurt more? Lusted deeper? It didn’t matter. The fighter in him snarled and raged. He wasn’t going to simply give in. Give up. He couldn’t.

  It wasn’t fair.

  They had only a few more moments. He could feel all the control he’d worked on over this week snap. Curse it, he’d worked to obey all the rules of politeness. For what? She wasn’t his lady now. He wasn’t her champion. They’d taken her favor from him.

  Well, blast the fates that had done this, he’d please himself. He’d make their good-bye something he’d remember forever. Because that was all he’d have of Maryam after this.

  His sexy, lustful Maryam. How could he bear it?

  But he didn’t have to. Not quite yet. Her keep could wait a little longer to reclaim her. He was going to claim her while he could.

  His hands pulled hers up over her head, manacling her as strongly as if she had handcuffs. Suddenly the awkward deference, the gentle care he’d given her these past few days was wiped clean.

  She stared into his face. This was the man who fought for women. Who fought to win what he wanted. He wanted her.

  His face had set into fierce lines, as if he was about to fight her and not time. His eyes surveyed her body as if he was searching for weak spots in her defenses. Maryam’s legs quivered. Goddess, she had no defenses against a look like that.

  She hadn’t forgotten his strength, not once, but she’d learned to trust in his gentleness. He wasn’t gentle this time as he leaned his body against hers, letting her back press into the hard ridges of the stoned wall.

  What if she fought him? What a foolish idea. Even if she wanted to, and every quiver in her body told her she didn’t, it would be completely useless. He’d overpower her without blinking.

  “I want you, Maryam.” He didn’t title her or speak deferentially this time. Her stupid pussy began to dampen at just the deep, commanding tone in his voice. “Open your legs and let me in.”

  “I--” Her mouth was still so far from his, though she was on tiptoe. Her legs ached from stretching to accommodate him. Her whole body ached to accommodate him. “Kiss me first, Ulrich. Please.”

  His lips tightened. Goddess. He wasn’t going to listen to her.

  She whimpered--perhaps in fear, but she rather thought not. Her body was curling up with too much lust.

  Slowly, his head bent, his mouth fastened on hers, but not softly, the way she’d pleaded. His teeth fastened into the flesh of her lower lip and nipped.

  She yelped and her body jerked forward, closer to his. Her hips did their best to find his cock, blindly thrusting upward. He was too tall! She was suddenly frantic for him. Ulrich smiled, a quick half-smile, as if he knew her need. He held her arms up with one hand, scooped her rear up with the other. She fastened her legs around his hips and ground her body into his, circling, dancing, as his cock pushed inside.

  He grunted, a deep, satisfied male sound. His demands ought to hurt. He did hurt, but the slight pain was overlaid with her own female satisfaction. He was her unexpected gift. She’d thought she’d done with males and sex years ago. After Ulrich, there’d be no more offered to her.

  After Ulrich she’d never be able to tolerate anyone else.

  “Maryam!” A female’s voice called outside the door--the door that was much too close. What sounded like keys rattled in the lock. The door, which had always seemed thick enough, was suddenly no barrier at all. It was too flimsy, too easily opened, allowing unwanted noise to enter too readily. Goddess, it also must let sound out. No doubt the whole castle could hear the two of them. Maryam’s face heated.

  “Leave us alone!” Ulrich had never let out such a sharp bark of an order in front of her.

  She sighed at the words, forgot embarrassment. Ulrich would see they had all the time, all the privacy they needed for this.

  He plunged in deeper, deeper than she had ever imagined anyone could. She stretched and groaned and strained to take him. Because he wanted her. Because she needed to have him. His cock was huge. His demands were huge. But so were hers, now that they’d both silently admitted their desperation to be together. This was the last time. Oh, Goddess, the last time…

  Swirls of hazy delight began to swim before her eyes. She hadn’t been taken, not so blatantly, since she was a youth. Maybe she’d never been so treated--she couldn’t remember, couldn’t think…just Ulrich. His harsh breathing, the slaps of his body hitting against hers, the spiraling, soaring need that swamped her because of him, because of what he demanded--

  Her insides twisted and grasped for Ulrich. For her own pleasure. She sobbed, the tears trickling down her face, mingling with her own sweat. With his. With the pleasure.

  “Maryam!” His voice bellowed through her ears as she felt her excitement loosen and dance within her, as she shot up into a blaze.

  * * * * *

  “Why did you call us?” Maryam’s acidic tone made Ara blink. Maryam wasn’t the complainer in this group. Ara was.

  Besides, Maryam had already spent several days with Ulrich. Ara knew what that was like. Maryam ought to be pleased to get away from the hulking lout rather than testy. Besides, Maryam hadn’t fallen asleep before intercourse. How could she have been so stupid? What would people say if Maryam did end up pregnant and Ara didn’t? Who would believe Quinn had never had the chance to get her pregnant? They’d call Ara lacking and useless.

  “I received an e last night. We had to clear all the men out of the keep by morning.” The Eldress twisted her hands. “In case.”

  Previous complaints and worries were forgotten. Ara and Maryam stared at each other. Something was going on and they had been left out.

  “In case what?” Ara asked first. Reina shook her head at her.

  From deep within the walls of the castle meeting hall, a dull clank sounded. The Eldress’ face tensed, then relaxed.

  “I think it’s working,” Reina said, hopefully.

  “Yes. It’s just been so long since we’ve used it…” The Eldress muttered.

  “It?” Maryam asked.

  “Shhhhh,” the other women said it almost in unison.

  The stone wall began to move, jerkily. Everyone stared as a crack in the wall grew bigger, wide enough to slip a body through. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Ever. Ara felt her hand creep to her throat, expecting--well, not knowing what to expect.

  It was almos
t no surprise to see a thin male slip out. Ara looked again. No, that was no male. It was a woman dressed in male clothing.

  The Eldress rushed forward, taking the stranger into a huge embrace. “My dear, thank you. Everything went well?”

  “Well, your escape route works,” the oddly dressed woman said. “There were a few snakes, a disgusting bit of fetid water and a great many cobwebs in the passageway but…it works.”

  The Eldress cleared her throat and released the woman. “Ladies, meet the woman who is going to discover why we have no children.”

  * * * * *

  “How long has this been going on?” Jewel scowled as she probed inside her patient, fingers carefully exploring her channel. The woman shifted uneasily.

  “What do you mean?” The Eldress goggled at her.

  “You know. No pregnancies.”

  “Um. Well, Leesha had a baby a year ago, almost. She miscarried.”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s all. For--for a long while.”

  Jewel scowled harder. Really, were these women as stupid as they sounded?

  “How long? I need to know. More than a year?”

  “Much longer.” The Eldress hovered at her elbow, as if Jewel would run away with the answer as soon as she discovered it.

  “How much longer?”

  “Well, Reina and Ara weren’t old enough to give favor until two years ago, so I suppose they don’t count…” The Eldress sounded flustered.

  “Six years. I had Stefani six years ago. That was the last live birth--almost the only birth--in Bloomingdell all this time.” Maryam cut through the twittering of the other women. Jewel could have kissed her for the clear response, though she wasn’t pleased with the news.

  “Six years? And no one has thought to ask for help before this?”

  “We thought about it. But Leesha was the only child-bearer among us for most of the time and we thought perhaps she was just delicate. She lost another baby as well before this.” The Eldress sounded defensive. “Anyhow, we wondered what good it would do to ask. How could anyone help from so far away?”

  “M’Cee did. I came running when I was told.” Jewel plunged her hands into the washbasin and shook her head. “Though I don’t know what is wrong yet. I see nothing physically wrong with any of the women.”

  “For almost the past year we’ve had no one trying to father our children but Ulrich,” Ara broke in. “Couldn’t that be the problem?”

  “I doubt it,” Maryam answered, sharply. “After all, we’ve had this problem long before Ulrich arrived.”

  “Well, we’ve had Ulrich ever since I’ve been giving favor--”

  “Ladies, ladies. I don’t know the answer yet. It may be a problem that isn’t easy to see with the eye.” Jewel’s head hurt. She’d forgotten how much bickering women did. The warmth of the embraces the women had all given her upon her arrival was long gone. She was starting to feel like she was home again. But home had its disadvantages, despite the joy she’d felt when she was back behind a keep’s walls. She was back to chafing at being among her kind once more.

  Apparently all keeps were the same. There was nothing but chitter-chatter and sniping all day long. Dangerous or not, now she wished she was outside the walls of the castle.

  She wished she was with Mio.

  “Time for tea, everyone!” Tiny Leesha chirped at the threshold of the examination room.

  “Not for me, thank you. I need to e my findings back to M’Cee. Perhaps our midwife can make some sense of it.” Jewel took a perverse delight in finally having a reason to break free of the routine that every keep apparently had.

  “Oh, yes. Of course.” The Eldress blinked. Obviously changing plans was as stunning here as at Castle M’Cee.

  But everyone stepped aside as Jewel bustled out. Being an outsider had some benefits. No one wanted to challenge you. Maybe they’d keep out of her way for the whole length of her stay.

  However long that would be. Jewel glanced out the small window in the hall. The green trees waved to her from a distance. She stared, but no--there was no sight of a man with a limp and a huge smile.

  She was an idiot. How often did one actually see a single man, waiting outside the expanse of trees? There might be one or two lust-ridden ones, now and then, who stared up at the turrets in search of women, but they were discouraged. A pot of cold water--or, if they persisted--one heated to a boil usually did the trick. Men rarely stayed longer after the contents were flung down on those who lingered too close to the walls.

  How would she ever get in touch with Mio? He couldn’t be watching the exit. She’d been careful. She’d used her handheld e unit when he was asleep. When she got her instructions, she’d memorized them and then, with one hard last kiss, sent Mio away. She’d entered the keep alone.

  Unless he’d watched her go in. Unless he was still keeping guard, waiting for her to return. Unless he didn’t eat or sleep or blink, waiting for her to come back and walk into his arms…

  She was an idiot.

  Though the look in Mio’s eyes when he saw she was safe from the mewt made her wonder if she was entirely wrong about his vigil.

  “Meet me here. I’ll wait.” Those had been his final words to her.

  Mio was waiting. At least for now. How long did men wait? They were supposed to be fickle and careless.

  Mio hadn’t seemed that way. Of course he had no chance at some other woman, either. That might keep him waiting for her.

  She turned from the window. How long would it take for her to find out the reason for the castle folks’ infertility? And how much longer would it take for her to convince them that staying here was futile?

  * * * * *

  Ara stared down at her hands, checking her fingernails as if they held the secret to her puzzlement and discontent. Her emotions were all wrong. She ought to be glad. It would be at least another month before she had to go through giving favor again. Very likely Quinn would never be inside Castle Bloomingdale again in their lifetimes.

  He’d been furious when the decree came through the door that he had to leave. She thought--she was almost sure--it was because they’d fallen asleep after their odd bout of pleasure and never had intercourse properly. But she wondered.

  Was she getting too old, too boring for men? She’d thought other men were dull. She’d never thought the same lack of interest would happen to her. Maybe Quinn was sure she was infertile and unworthy. Maybe…

  There were too many maybes.

  Her pride had been stung a little. That was all. She needed to believe that.

  “Ara?” Maryam’s voice was soft but carrying, even on the other side of the door. “Let me in. Please.”

  * * * * *

  Women. Mio scowled from his vantage point outside Castle Bloomingdell on the overhanging rocks. He’s already spent too much time here, waiting.

  Much too much. Jewel might take days, weeks, a year inside, with him outside squatting on his haunches and waiting like a masterless hund, anxiously wondering when its rightful owner would return. He’d always felt both pity and disdain for the poor creatures as they whined piteously and looked into human faces, searching for the right person to take them in. He’d never had a desire to be one of them.

  The worst of the situation was, he’d wait forever if he had to. Mio clenched his fist. She’d best not make him do it, though.

  The voices in the distance made him freeze, then slowly, carefully fade further back into the brush. This was an isolated spot. He’d picked this place to stand guard for that very reason. Who was intruding? And why?

  “…should be easy.” Mio’s eye widened. The voice was speaking enemy language. He strained to understand the few phrases he knew.

  “You’re sure…disabled the alarm?” Someone else spoke, in a harsher, even more foreign-sounded manner.

  “Yes…too easy…almost no defenses…need to find exit before they know…alarm…gone.”

  Jewel. Jewel was in a defenseless keep.
A keep surrounded by--at least five enemy. He couldn’t see them well, just as he hoped they couldn’t see him, huddled behind leaves and branches. He sensed more than observed that they weren’t quite as alien as he’d been told by some of the returning warriors. A few seemed to have the leathery, reptilian skin the enemy were famed for having. But they looked human. Or human enough. The one who was planning all this looked…normal. No one would have guessed.

  But they were large. Larger than Mio. And all of them looked powerful enough to inflict damage on anyone in their way. They looked fierce enough to reach their goal. Each of them had to have a better weapon than the tiny dagger Jewel had given him before she left. One dagger for him. One for her. Neither was going to be much help.

  Mio shut his eyes, forcing himself to stay still. Stay calm. Think things out.

  They didn’t know where the exit was. Of course finding the way was too easy. He knew where it was. He almost hadn’t needed to sneak after Jewel to make doubly sure. It would take at most a day or two for a group of enemy warriors to blast their way in.

  He could warn the men camped near Castle Bloomingdell. Mio wasn’t supposed to be here. Would they choose to exile him rather than listen? Would any of them believe him?

  If they did, what then? They’d have to find the enemy and fight them. What if the right side lost?

  Then what? What would the enemy do? Kill the women as an example? Kidnap them? Mio bit his lip. Kidnapping was most likely, though raping was almost a certainty as well. Killing women was just…just stupid.

  But maybe they were stupid. He knew almost as little about the enemy as he did about women. Men from his territory had fought them for decades but always safely away from Mio’s homeland.

  It looked as though the enemy had decided to change that tradition.

  Jewel.

  Jewel was in danger. He wanted the surest way to keep her safe. Because as soon as they found the exit…