Claiming Their Slave

by Sue Lyndon

  He’d bought her. He was her master. She ought to fear him more, and she definitely shouldn’t like him. Not even a little.

  He carried her into a clearing where a small tent had been erected, and the remnants of a campfire smoldered faintly. She expected him to place her down on her feet at any moment, but he stood in the clearing and stared at her, his expression growing stern.

  “You must promise not to try running away, little human. I don’t want to keep you in restraints, but I will if I must.”

  “I promise, Master.”

  The lie tasted bitter, and she chided herself for the guilt that coursed through her over her preemptive betrayal. Good people didn’t own slaves, she reminded herself. Even though he’d shown her some flashes of kindness, that didn’t mean she should trust him, and it certainly didn’t mean she should stay with him. Jaxon didn’t know it yet, but as soon as the first opportunity presented itself, she would take off for the trees and hide until he tired of searching for her.

  Her days of being a slave were about to end, even if she had to risk her life by sneaking off in the middle of the night with only the silvery white light of the moon cutting through the trees to guide her.

  Jaxon set her down in a soft patch of grass, but his arms lingered around her, holding her steady. She clutched the bouquet of daisies between them like a barrier, and peered into his darkening gaze with increasing unease.

  Why was he looking at her as if he longed to claim her?

  She’d observed many a man in the village chasing after a woman, and she was certain it was lust causing his stare to become so intense. His eyes glinted with need, yet he held himself back from touching her further.

  Her heartbeat quickened. She was completely at his mercy. He could do whatever he wished, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. No matter how fiercely she fought, he would overpower her. Even if she screamed at the top of her lungs, no one would come to her aid.

  A powerful sense of vulnerability swept down upon her, making her insides quiver with fear-tinged desire, because even though she ought to despise him and fear him, she couldn’t vanquish the shameful urges that were quickly stealing her breath.

  Gulping in air, she tried to step back, but he didn’t release her at first.

  Finally, after a tense lingering moment, he withdrew and held her out by her shoulders, his gaze sweeping up and down her body. She flushed from head to toe and fixed her eyes on his chest.

  “Are you injured at all, Ava? If you have any injuries, I would like to tend to them.”

  “I’m fine, Master. No injuries,” she replied, taken off-guard by his concern, which seemed genuine given the seriousness of his tone. She wished he were cruel, then she wouldn’t be harboring any guilt or hesitation to escape her new master.

  His nostrils suddenly flared and a murderous look crossed his face. He nudged the sleeves of her tattered dress up and gently trailed his fingertips over the bruises left from Monrock’s rough handling of her.

  “Who did this to you?” he demanded in a voice so harsh, she flinched.

  “My former master’s son,” she admitted, seeing no reason to lie, except to conceal her plans to run away from the village. He could learn everything but that small detail.

  “Tell me exactly what happened to you today, Ava.”

  She cleared her throat. “My former master became angry when he discovered I was stealing food from the kitchen, and he mistakenly believed I was gathering supplies in order to run away. The truth is, I stole from him because he barely kept me fed. It was either steal or starve. I thought he planned to beat me, so I tried to run from him, but his son caught me and grabbed me very hard, as you can see. They took me to the auction block, and I believe you know how the rest of my day played out, Master.” Fear clenched inside her. Goddess, please don’t let him realize I’m not being completely truthful.

  “Selling you for stealing or even attempting to run away, as he believed you were planning, seems like an overreaction,” he said with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

  “Well, I left out the part where two of Monrock’s slaves disappeared in the middle of the night, and my former master was angry and suspicious that I might know something about their running off. However, I honestly don’t know anything about their escape. Monrock treated them poorly, so their running off is no great surprise to me, but I swear I have no knowledge of it.”

  “I hope for your sake you are speaking the truth, little human.” He reached for her neck and lifted the chain off, being careful not to pull her hair.

  Again, his gentleness awoke parts of her she’d thought long hardened and closed off from her awareness. Warmth spread through her chest, and her neck and hair prickled in the wake of his touch.

  “Thank you, Master,” she said, rubbing her neck.

  “You are welcome.” He lifted one eyebrow at her. “Don’t give me cause to chastise you.”

  * * *

  Was it his imagination, or did Ava flush whenever he gave her a stern look or mentioned punishment? He still hadn’t explained to her that he meant to keep her as a servant and pay her a fair wage, rather than treat her as slave. But his good intentions crumbled more and more each time she called him Master.

  That one word escaping her pretty lips made his cock ache and awakened needs within him that had been long buried. If he truly made her a servant once they reached his homestead, that would also make her free to leave if she wished, but only if she had a safe place to go. Maybe, to stall a hasty departure on her part, he would decree she must stay with him until she worked off the price he’d paid for her. As he took in her delicate features and admired her beauty, he raged at the thought of letting her go.

  He wanted to keep her.

  To own her.

  To make her writhe and moan beneath him in the throes of passion.

  To share her with his twin as they claimed her at the same time.

  Damn. What was he thinking?

  Several unattached Banded females would arrive in his settlement soon, and he and Wolfe would be able to claim one of their own kind. Banded females would feel the strength of a mating bond, but he knew a human woman would feel no such magical bond for any pair of Banded brothers who claimed her.

  Still, even knowing Ava wouldn’t instantly love him after he sank his cock between her thighs for the first time didn’t completely deter him from imagining her as his mate.

  His blood heated and perspiration trickled down his temple.

  He couldn’t wait to give her another command, just to hear her say ‘yes, Master.’

  During times of emergency, the urge to take a mate became suspended in Banded males, but now that the great war against the River Lord was over, his biological need to claim a female burned stronger by the day. If Jaxon and Wolfe took Ava into their bed and mated with her, would she eventually grow to care for them, despite not being able to experience the traditional Banded mating bond? Trent and Gavin, the brothers who’d renovated the nearby castle, had reportedly taken a human girl as a mate. It was possible, though he suspected a human female would prove quite the challenge. Banded men simply claimed the female they felt called to take as a mate, whether or not she was willing, because in the end, a Banded woman would feel the mating bond and love them. But when it came to claiming a female from another race, such as a human, the experience would be difficult, as it might take time for the non-Banded woman to accept a pair of Banded brothers as her mate.

  Yet, as he looked at Ava, he imagined he was up for the challenge. But he still didn’t know how Wolfe would feel about her. The two brothers had been separated early during the fighting against the River Lord and spent years apart, both believing the other was dead, until finally reuniting at their old homestead. Though they were twins and had been raised to manhood together, after years apart, there were times Wolfe seemed like a complete stranger to Jaxon.

  His attraction to Ava was strong though, and it was difficult to ignore the way his heart squeezed at t
he thought of letting her go.

  “Stay here.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  He turned and strode into his tent, needing to put some space between himself and Ava, lest he snap and start mauling her in the middle of this clearing. He reminded himself that the Goddess sometimes sent signs to Banded males, to help them realize which female they should pick. He’d heard of other Banded males who’d known the moment they laid eyes on a particular female that she was the mate for them.

  Until today, when he heard the noise of a human village, he would turn and walk the other direction. He’d been on a long patrol of the countryside for a fortnight, to ensure there were no human settlements too close to his homestead for comfort. Twice he’d heard voices belonging to humans, probably hunters, and had promptly gone in the opposite direction, not wishing to interact with them. In the days when humans were stronger, before the forests had grown up around all the villages, armies of men had driven the Banded far away from their homes and into the mountains.

  Many of Jaxon’s people believed the curse that caused the forests to grow thicker and the beasts within them to grow larger and become deadlier, wasn’t a curse at all, but rather the Goddess punishing humans for their treatment of the Banded.

  Now the world was more suited for the Banded. The humans had smaller numbers and could no longer join together in large armies led by powerful kings. In fact, all the kings were gone, their lines having died out long ago.

  The Banded’s settlements would soon be as strong as they once were, before the elves led by the evil River Lord attacked them and tried to steal their lands. Jaxon took comfort in the fact that a prosperous and peaceful time had finally arrived for his people.

  As he packed up his supplies and constructed a pair of makeshift shoes for Ava out of spare pieces of cloth and leather, he tried to focus on the positive and ignore the beating of the war drums that sometimes echoed in his mind. He tried not to think of the war, ever, because when his dark years on the battlefield rose in his thoughts, the carnage of battle and the deep pain of losing his two younger brothers, several cousins, and countless friends became too much to bear, not to mention the years he’d spent believing Wolfe was gone as well.

  His time spent with Ava today had been the longest he’d gone without remembering the war and all he’d lost.

  Once he had her shoes finished, he found a small block of cheese and a heel of bread in his food pouch. He’d heard her stomach growling on the way to the campsite. Once she ate and he took the tent down, they would set off for a few hours of travel. Since he’d planned to double back in this direction today before finally aiming for home, he hadn’t packed up his campsite yet.

  He exited the tent, holding the shoes and the food for his little slave. When he gazed at the spot where he’d left her standing, right in the middle of the grassy clearing only a few steps from the tent, she was nowhere to be seen. The daisies she’d collected were scattered on the ground. He tucked the shoes and food into pouches that hung from his belt.

  “Ava!” Worry clutched him, and he glanced in every direction, while listening for sounds of distress. He’d placed a handful of safestones—tiny gems mined in the Caves of Reshee that held predators at bay—around the perimeter of the small clearing. He hadn’t worried about anything happening to Ava while he was in the tent, as the stones would offer protection from the beasts of the forest, but he hadn’t thought she would attempt escape. He’d ordered her to stay put, and she had promised not to run away.

  Anger began to simmer as he set out to find her, easily tracking her by the path she’d left through the underbrush. Broken branches. Footprints in mud. A strand of her golden hair, fallen in the grass.

  A petite human girl didn’t stand a chance alone in the forest. What had she been thinking?

  He continued following her trail, running faster, ducking under branches and jumping over fallen trees. Finally, he spotted her footprints leading to the hollow of a large tree trunk. Several fallen branches had been placed strategically in front of the hollow, but he knew she was hiding within the tree. Even if he couldn’t see her footprints leading there, he would have been drawn in by her enticing feminine scent.

  “Ava,” he said, standing in front of the tree with his arms crossed. “I know you are in there. Come out now, or your punishment will be worse than I’m already planning.”

  A few moments passed, and still nothing. But he heard her little panicked breaths and thought he detected the sweetness of her arousal drifting toward him from the hollow of the tree. He took a deep breath, stunned. The threat of punishment didn’t only make her flush, but it made her wet between her thighs. He’d thought he smelled her arousal earlier when he’d threatened to give her a thrashing, but it had been so faint he’d wondered if he only imagined it. Now, however, the scent of her pooling moisture was strong and undeniable.

  His cock went hard and he had to resist the urge to adjust himself in his trousers. Fuck, the things he wanted to do to her. But he couldn’t let her get away with this bit of naughtiness. She could have gotten hurt during her failed escape attempt. He decided to give her one more chance at a lenient punishment.

  “Ava, come out now, and you’ll only receive a spanking with my hand. Keep hiding, and you’ll also feel the sting of my sword belt on your naughty bottom.”

  Chapter Three

  Oh, no. This couldn’t be happening.

  Tears of frustration burned in Ava’s eyes. She had been so sure Jaxon wouldn’t find her. She’d run until she was breathless and found what she’d thought was the perfect hiding spot. She’d even taken the care to conceal the hollow of the tree with several thick branches she’d found lying on the forest floor.

  How had he found her, especially so quickly?

  She didn’t want to feel the sting of his sword belt, but she didn’t want to receive a hand spanking from him either. She crawled toward the light that filtered through the branches, blinking rapidly to dispel her tears. No matter what, she didn’t want him to witness her crying.

  Sniffling, she pushed at the branches and rose up out of her hiding spot. She lowered her head, feeling sufficiently chastised even though Jaxon had yet to lay a hand on her. Her bottom tingled. Would he really spank her? Again, for a reason she couldn’t fathom, everything between her thighs felt achy. Maddeningly so. Her face heated in mortification. Would he spank her over her dress, or over her drawers, or on her bare bottom?

  Her heart thudded in her ears and her mouth went dry. She finally found the courage to glance up and meet his eyes. The resolute look in his eyes made her tummy flip.

  He uncrossed his arms and approached her. She drew back, but he picked her up and placed her down on top of a large smooth rock. He lifted each of her feet, inspecting them, and guilt for lying to him and betraying him swept down on her, because she realized he was checking the soles of her feet for cuts. He pulled out a canteen and trickled water over her feet, wiped them dry with a cloth, and then reached in a pouch attached to his sword belt. A gasp left her when he withdrew a pair of shoes.

  “I made these for you while I was in the tent. Stitched them together very quickly, so they aren’t the best quality, but they should last you until we reach my homestead. After that, my uncle, who lives nearby, will make you a fine pair of shoes. He’s a skilled cordwainer.”

  “Thank you, Master.” Remorse made her choke up, and she swallowed hard. While she’d been running away, he’d been inside the tent making her the finest pair of shoes she’d ever worn. Though he acted as if they weren’t of good quality, she felt proud to wear them, because he’d made them just for her. Oh, what had she done? Maybe escaping wasn’t the answer to her problems, a small voice in her mind whispered. Perhaps she ought to spend more time with Jaxon and his brother, to give them a chance before she ran off again.

  “You are lucky a wildcat didn’t jump down out of the trees and come at you. Or a giant spider.” He finished tying the shoes to her feet and urged her to dr
ink from the canteen. She accepted, and relished the coolness of the water assuaging her dry throat.

  “I-I a-am so-sorry, Master.” Her voice wavered and tears welled in her eyes. She sniffled again and berated herself for crying when he hadn’t even punished her yet. She should hate him for what he planned to do, but after he’d tended to her feet and put shoes on her, then gave her a much-needed drink, she couldn’t manage to summon an ounce of hatred for Jaxon.

  “Why did you run, Ava?” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as he crouched in front of her, and she had to resist the impulse to lean into his touch. A sudden shiver racked her body. His gentle touches and tender care, coupled with his sternness and insistence that she obey him, left her conflicted, yet craving him all the more.

  “I have always wanted to be free,” she admitted. The meadow of daisies flashed in her mind. When she had finally crossed the field that was supposed to signify her freedom, she’d been on a leash, pulled by her new master. Finally walking amidst those pretty flowers had been bittersweet.

  He tipped her chin up and leaned forward, peering into her gaze. “I bought you, Ava. I am your master now. As is my brother, Wolfe. You will be a good girl and serve us, and in return we will give you a safe place to live and treat you with kindness. You will have a comfortable place to sleep, in a room of your very own, and we will never starve you like your former master did. But when you disobey us, there will be consequences.”

  Ava didn’t think she could feel any worse. She couldn’t recall ever having felt so guilty over something she’d done. Jaxon’s promises to keep her safe resonated in her soul. She’d always avoided men, fiercely guarding her virginity, because she never wanted to have children unless she was free. But now as Jaxon stroked her cheek, with his gaze softening by the moment, all the walls she’d erected around her heart came crashing down in a flood of emotion.

  “I am sorry I ran away from you, Master. Please, forgive me.”