The Wildling

by Treva Harte

  "But—"

  "Many clever, agile pets who are not currently physically impaired to help me. Go clean yourself up, boy."

  * * * * *

  “Primary!” Martine gave a full-throated shriek.

  The two men stared at the unexpected sight of a furious woman with, unfortunately, a voice that carried throughout the camp.

  Primary didn’t look at Adan. Both of them knew the charade would be over with Martine’s next sentence. What kind of seven-cursed bad luck had made the ranch woman wind up with Merdeath? He glanced over, involuntarily. At least Arness was gone.

  One yelped, long and loud, before he got to his feet. Then he ran. Primary silently thanked him. Who would have thought a capture had that much sense? He was following the plan without the signal being given to him.

  “Hey! Why are you running?” Adan called and sped after the already disappearing One.

  Primary didn’t stay long enough to grunt.

  Martine’s screaming explanations rang in their ears as they sprinted into the dark.

  “They aren't chasing him…Her pet!…And Morgena’s!…You fools!”

  * * * * *

  Thuds of booted feet could be heard next. Large numbers of thuds.

  "Merdeath—" Arness hissed, crouching down in a fighter stance.

  The first man came close enough to view. One, with blood over one eyebrow, was running so fast his feet scarcely touched the ground.

  "No." The female's voice was suddenly coated with satisfaction. "Let's go."

  "But—"

  "Everything is working. Come! We're all the bait." Arness found herself at the small woman's heels. Arness could have outrun her in seconds, if she had some idea where to go.

  Her ignorance galled her. Arness was a leader, Goddess take it. She made plans, not followed blindly. The irritation didn't abate even when Adan and Primary drew up from behind and settled into a steady pace next to her.

  When they drew up to a large irregular rock formation, Arness understood as well as if someone had stopped to map it out for her. Where else could a successful ambush occur in this mostly flat land?

  "Mistress Arness!" A pet called from a rock above.

  "Shh!" the other woman hissed. "They're coming."

  She turned to shove Arness behind a rock—or would have if the woman's slight strength hadn't been so negligible. Arness resisted for a half-second but, because it was the prudent thing to do, Arness settled behind the stony barrier.

  She wished she had her darts, even a whip. A knife was far less useful in an ambush like this. She searched for some sharp throwing stones as Adan and Primary crouched nearby.

  Their close presence was reassuring until it occurred to her that they had weapons and she didn't. Did they presume to think they were guarding her?

  She couldn't even snap at them. Furious, adrenaline rushing, gripping her tiny dagger as if it would truly be of some use, Arness waited silently with the others.

  * * * * *

  "Do you need more?" Dorinda paused near the end of the line. "No false bragging here. The patroness won't appreciate it."

  "No, Mistress. We're fine." The lineup of naked men chorused dutifully. Dorinda surveyed the three who were still standing in the hall, almost dancing from one impatient foot to another.

  A loud groan reverberated through the hall. Everyone's heads turned.

  The bedroom door creaked open. The pet who came out, naked, sweating and limp, made Dorinda's eyes narrow.

  The next man hurried in, hastily giving his hard-on another swipe with his hand. The two remaining in line eyed the slumping pet and then eyed each other’s erections.

  "The patroness is in a mood today." Dorinda sniggered. "I'll fetch up one or two more of you, just in case. I knew all that monogamy would make her cut loose eventually. I told her."

  Loud yelping could be heard in the bedroom. The next man in line swallowed hard.

  "Vibrators," Dorinda muttered. "She never listens."

  * * * * *

  "You were brilliant!" Arness reached both hands to clasp Adan's and Primary's. "Both of you."

  Primary bowed his head in modest acknowledgment but not quickly enough to hide his grin. Adan merely grinned back without the modesty.

  "Yes, we were. Strong and resourceful, too," Adan said.

  Arness slapped his butt.

  "Let's not overstep, shall we?" she asked. "Remember we routed them but they're still around. Merdeath is nasty. I never knew a male could be so calculating."

  "Men are not the fools you females say we are." Adan sounded like he was remembering his old grievances now that the victory's thrill was fading. "Why shouldn't he be clever?"

  "He's also cruel and as physically violent as females say all pets are if not controlled." Arness placed a borrowed whip into her belt, happy to have the familiar weight back. "He has to be eliminated. Besides my capture, he took all the units I received for Two's trade. He owes me a great deal that I absolutely intend to collect."

  "You intend to eliminate him then?" the woman named Salla asked, rather sourly. "I'd have a care. He bushwhacked you, remember?"

  Other than being small, she was nothing like Morgena. The daughter was blonde, citified and had a chip on her shoulder. For the mother's sake, Arness bit back a hasty answer. Arness reminded herself that she had just been handling the woman's pet rather familiarly. A little sourness might be expected.

  "I'll have a talk with the patroness," Arness said. "I'm sure she'll be interested in tracking down Merdeath and the remains of his group."

  Salla stood aside, watching Primary, Adan and Arness smile at each other. Salla knew she couldn't be more different from Arness if she'd tried. Arness was dark-skinned, tall, strong, easily demanding and receiving command of the pets. She probably never read a book.

  Not that Arness didn't seem intelligent. But her intelligence would discount Salla's knowledge. Just the way Morgena did. In fact, Arness would have made Mama a better daughter than Salla. They were much more alike.

  Salla watched Arness hug Primary exuberantly. The other men crowded around, laughing, seeking attention and approval. They wanted Arness to touch them, to order them about. All of them.

  "The ambush was my idea, you know," Salla whispered softly, so no one else could hear.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  "Creek!" Garic called.

  All of them began to walk a little faster. The heat had been punishing after the exertion of attacking the bushwhackers and tending to wounds. Everyone was thirsty.

  Arness took her hat off, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and glanced back. Salla was the last, of course, hanging her head, trailing behind even the ones who had bandages on their legs. Arness did some quick addition to make sure all were accounted for.

  He was still there.

  Adan was at the head of line, striding steadily next to Primary, sunlight glinting off his hair. Perhaps there was hope for him after all. This wasn't the training she'd envisioned, but he seemed to be accepting life as a pet. That was just as well. At the moment she wasn't sure she had the heart to do more.

  The sparkle of the water made everyone smile and forget their long trek. The men jumped in as fast as they could, some bothering to shed clothing first, others not waiting even that long. Arness smiled as she watched them cavort.

  The only one who didn't seem happy was Mistress Salla. She stuck her feet into the creek but stood apart from the others, watching with a down-turned mouth. Arness shrugged. That was nothing new. The woman always looked sour.

  Arness stripped and plunged into the creek at its bend. She could have jumped in with the men but she had no desire to deal with male lust today. She was too hot and tired. Too confused, as well.

  The coldness of the water was a shock, but a good one. Her body was still strong, still as supple as ever, but she'd grown to almost dislike it. She'd felt dirty for days now. The frigid temperature and the water would wipe away the last remnants of that time with Merdeath. The disgus
ting smell of him, the humiliation of—

  Arness felt a lurch in her stomach and fought her queasiness.

  "Ar—Mistress?"

  Wonderful. She would have to talk to Adan, of all pets, while she had her hands clapped over her mouth, fighting the heaves.

  "You're ill?" The voice held concern.

  The splash warned her the male was in the water. She looked up. All uneasiness was forgotten. Adan was naked She stared. Goddess, she couldn't stop staring… He was naked and he was walking toward her. His muscles rippled. His wet skin gleamed almost as enticingly as if he were a new capture, oiled and ready to show how well he could pleasure his new mistress.

  She'd tried to be professional. She'd tried to make her actions that of a trainer and not a woman who simply lusted. Now she silently admitted her glances and touches had never been just professional.

  He was in the shallow water near her now. She could see he was hard. Hard and no longer concealing how he reacted to her. But he was doing what any male wildling or pet would do if they saw a naked female. She was his trainer. She needed calm. She needed control.

  Within seconds his arms held her strongly as he began to haul her to shore.

  "Let me go." Arness spoke very deliberately. Then she realized she had begun to shake. This wasn't calm. This wasn't lust. She was afraid. Overwhelmingly afraid. Her stomach roiled.

  "I can't." He gripped her wrists to hold her up. Strong wrists that wouldn't let her go.

  She used her hands to sweep down hard, suddenly, effectively breaking his hold. Nausea was gone as her adrenaline surged. She was ready to fight—until she saw Adan's face.

  He wasn't the enemy.

  "I'm sorry. I'm not myself right now." Arness made her own way back to shore, no longer enjoying the water.

  She hesitated at getting out. He'd see her naked. Exposed.

  "Arness?" One hand reached to grasp her shoulder then hastily dropped away. "What happened to you?"

  Arness looked down, quickly. Nothing showed. There weren't any marks that Arness could see. Why was Adan watching her, eyes narrowed, as if he could see inside?

  His lips thinned. "The bastard. How bad was it?"

  She didn't know how, but he could tell. Could everyone? Arness made sure her voice was steady when she answered. She didn't want anyone to realize just how deeply she felt.

  "I wasn't raped." She'd heard old wives' tales of such things, long ago. Now she believed it could happen. "Merdeath made me. He said he was waiting for me to beg to fuck him. I would have, I think. Eventually. I probably would have done anything to end his attention. It might've been better than the things he did—the things he had his followers do—instead."

  Her stomach lurched again. She could still hear the laughter as the crowd gathered to see the sport. Merdeath was inventive. Disgusting.

  Before she became lost in her misery, she stopped, stunned, at the look in Adan's eyes. She'd never seen blue eyes turn icy hot. Arness took a step back, actually afraid of the look on his face.

  "What?" Arness gasped.

  "I was thinking of ways to take the bastard's balls off slowly without killing him."

  Pets didn't say things like that. They didn't glare into their trainer's eyes, either, fists clenching. New realization seeped into her.

  He'd been right all along. Adan wasn't a pet. He never would be. If he had complied with her, she'd never have been so fascinated with him. She wanted a man. Thank Goddess he'd been strong enough to refuse her training.

  But if he wasn't a pet, what about the others?

  Oh, no. What had she done to them?

  Insight scalded her. Hadn't her training been just a kinder, subtler method of breaking them, the way Merdeath had promised to break her? She'd put her hands on them, used the promise of sex to make them agree, to submit. She'd been sure they enjoyed it, but maybe she'd been wrong. There had been times, not often, but times when she'd had to use her whip to subdue a pet.

  Goddess. She'd always been so proud of her ability to make pets out of captures. Slaves out of men.

  This time she couldn't hold back. She emptied her stomach on the ground.

  The moment she was done, she felt Adan's cupped hands at her mouth. She swallowed the water he held, rinsed her mouth, and this time she didn't resist when his arms held her, her back braced against his body.

  Arness struggled to regain composure, to make sense of her thoughts.

  No. That had to be untrue. I couldn't be so terribly wrong about an entire species. I'm not the only one who knows about pets. All the women around me are proud of our superior ability to think. All of us couldn't be so mistaken.

  Adan must be the exception, not the rule about males.

  But what if there were other exceptions? What then?

  "What am I going to do?" Arness heard herself ask.

  She wasn't used to that question. One way or another, she'd always known what to do before this. She would have called that practical or resourceful a few days ago. Now she wondered if she'd just been thoughtless.

  If there was just a chance, the slightest chance that there were other men out there—thinking men, human beings who didn't need a woman's guidance—what she had been doing was enslaving them.

  The Goddess couldn't have been cruel enough to give her the talent to do something so evil. No. Arness wasn't her usual self. That was it. Merdeath had made her doubt herself and her abilities; he'd planted false ideas in her mind.

  "What do you mean?" Adan was stroking her head, his fingers twining against the thick curls at her forehead. It felt good. Soothing. Comforting. Sensual. She hadn't realized her head hurt until he eased the tension.

  Adan was special. He was caring for her even though he was enslaved, surrounded by those who would chase him down if he escaped. If he had run just a few days ago she would have helped capture him herself.

  It didn't matter if her new idea was true or false. Arness couldn't shake the horror of what she might have done to others like Adan.

  "I can't catch or train pets anymore. That's too much like what Merdeath did to me. I may have used seduction while he used force. Both are wrong."

  "He was evil. You're not."

  Shouldn't he be triumphant at winning his point? Not that she was agreeing he was totally right, of course. But to concede anything to a male should have made him smug. Adan was arrogant enough anyhow.

  Instead Adan sounded concerned. His concern kept her from being angry. That was why she said exactly what she was thinking, unsure though she was.

  "I don't want to argue. All I know is that just the idea of capturing wildlings suddenly makes me ill."

  "I won't argue, Arness."

  "But now I have another problem. If I'm not a trader or a trainer, who am I? That's always been who I am. Was. I feel a little lost. What do I do next?"

  His hands moved to the back of her neck, where her nerve endings quivered at his touch. The soothing part of his touch was lost in sensuality. Did she want that? She wasn't sure what to think or feel.

  "You're wondering what to do next? I know. Make love with me." He whispered the words against the pulse of her throat.

  She jerked under his hands. That was unexpected. Not what she'd been thinking right now. Or perhaps she had been. Arness could feel a strange twist of lust and fear inside. Though his hands caressed her now, they were strong, powerful hands. The power they held tempted her. The power they held terrified her.

  "I'm not sure I can do that, either," Arness whispered back. "Merdeath made me feel so demeaned. I serviced him. With my mouth. With my hands. I'd never been forced to do that with a man before."

  "Arness, beloved—"

  "He had the women use my ass. I was never hurt before when I had sex. I—” Her stomach knotted.

  His hand went over her abdomen, protectively pressing, knowing what was happening without her saying so.

  "Arness, I didn't say I wanted to have sex. I didn't say I wanted you to service me. I want us to make
love. I dreamed of that while I waited for you to show up in my cell at the ranch. I loved it when you touched me, even while I told myself I wouldn't respond. I wouldn't tell you, not when you thought yourself my superior. But now—"

  "Now?"

  "There'd be no force. No seduction. We'd be free to give each other whatever we chose. Unless you want me to seduce you. Just a little. To let you discover what a man can do when he's in love and allowed to show it." He wasn't forcing anything. Arness could feel the swell of his erection, tight against the hollow between her buttocks. He wasn't forcing, but he wasn't hiding how hard he was, how much he wanted her.

  She couldn’t think. Her legs felt weak. Arness shut her eyes to avoid the temptation of seeing him, erect and ready to give himself to her. Only then could she force words out of her dry throat.

  "But…a trader shouldn't have complete sexual intercourse with a wildling. It could ruin the merchandise, interfere with training…you don't know if the captures are healthy—"

  Idiot!

  Arness stopped. She let out a deep breath. "I'm not a trader anymore."

  "I'm not merchandise anymore. Not to you." His voice sounded rich with satisfaction. "That's why we can make love. Please."

  He'd said please. But he wasn't begging. He was offering. Adan's hands ran up her body, to her breasts. Her nipples swelled and hardened under his fingertips. The fear was washing away, a little. The lust was starting to roll in. Arness let herself sag against his body, to absorb the strength there. His hands probed, but softly. They wanted her pleasure. She wanted him to give her pleasure. More and more pleasure.

  She understood how to relax when trust and pleasure combined. She'd trusted other men. Primary used his strength for her enjoyment.

  Adan’s gentle hands suddenly squeezed one nipple, hard enough to make her let out a huff of air. Arness stirred under his hands. This wasn't Primary.

  Primary would never dream of not being with her. Adan was here because he chose to be. That was why what Adan did—what she and Adan did together—was a different. A little riskier. She was safe with Primary. She was reckless with Adan.