DarykRogue

by Denise A. Agnew

  Xandra’s eyebrows went up in incredulity. “Is he?”

  Yoanda chuckled and sat on the bed. “He’s always been kind and gentle to me. You are young and beautiful, and he favors you. I think he’s properly besotted.”

  Disbelief made Xandra snort. “Ha. I do not believe it. As I said, this is all a fraud.” She eyed the other woman warily. “Perhaps I shouldn’t say anything.”

  Yoanda shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I won’t tell a soul what you said. Even if my husband asks, I’ll make something up.”

  “He won’t be able to tell you were lying?”

  “Despite the fact he runs this ship, he’s quite the dunce. If it wasn’t for your betrothed, I think this entire ship would fall into chaos.”

  “Then Rayder is really the admiral of this…this slave ship?”

  Yoanda nodded again. “I’d say so. My husband got this ship by winning it from another admiral four years ago. He bought and paid for the crew and decided that selling slaves was a far more lucrative money maker than a legitimate business.”

  Part of Xandra was happy to know this information if it would help her escape when the time was right. She placed the dress on the bed next to Yoanda. “Then he didn’t work his way up to admiral of this ship or inherit from another sailor?”

  “No.” Yoanda chuckled, swinging her feet as her legs dangled from the edge of the bed. “He cheated his way into it, just like he does everything else.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  Yoanda reached over and clasped Xandra’s left hand in both of hers. She squeezed warmly. “There’s so much to know about this ship and the people on it. If you’re going to live here, I thought you’d want to understand a little of what makes it run.”

  Warmed by her new friend’s concern, Xandra said, “Thank you. It’s very kind.”

  “It’s good to have a friend on board. I haven’t had a friend in years.” Yoanda released her.

  Sadness wended its way through Xandra as much as additional inquisitiveness. “Your daughter died? How? And how did you end up marrying the admiral?”

  The cheer sucked from the room the minute Yoanda turned tortured eyes Xandra’s way. “I am from Magonia too. Near Opali. I was on a ship to meet my husband in the west mine lands when the Beast came along side and used its guns to wreck the passenger ship. They didn’t need a huge wave to do damage. The admiral took all the women as slaves and either killed the men or also took them as slaves. Many of the women and men on my ship were sold off in Dragonia. My daughter and I… My daughter was sold, and I’ve never heard from her again. It’s easy for me to think of her as dead than to imagine what horrors she must endure. Shortly after he sold my daughter, the admiral decided he wanted me for a wife. Here I am, and here I’ll stay until I die.”

  Xandra didn’t know how to respond. Finally, she turned full toward Yoanda. “I know how horrible it must have been to lose your daughter, but you could still find her. She’s not dead to you. We can plan an escape—”

  “No.” Yoanda put both hands out like a shield and stood. “You expect me to go into that jungle land just beyond the beach? I’ve seen it from the ship. It’s dangerous and horrible, and there are many beasts there. I won’t go.” She paced to a porthole and stood on her tiptoes to see what happened outside. She dropped back to her heels and turned to Xandra. “You don’t understand. There is no escape from this ship unless the admiral wills it and decides to sell you.”

  “If I marry Rayder, he can’t sell me, can he?”

  “He could, but I do not see Rayder choosing that. So you see, you have the best possible worlds. You cannot escape, but you have a man who will treat you well and protect you from the admiral.”

  “Protect me?”

  “You’ve seen how those scabs are outside this cabin. Awful men, the lot of them. And yes, the admiral isn’t above lifting a skirt from time to time even though he has Phili to fulfill his needs.” The sneer on her face turned the innocence to pure hatred. The transformation from sweet to sinister shocked Xandra.

  “All the more reason to escape.” Xandra pressed he woman’s shoulder. “I don’t want to marry Rayder. I want to escape.”

  The short woman stood and stared down at the wedding dress with sober, somber clarity. “You can try it as soon as we pull into port within a day’s time. If you dare.” Yoanda turned those sad eyes on her. “When the storm and wave came that tore your ship apart, I was out on the deck watching. I like storms.”

  Surprised, Xandra sat down. She never would have guessed. “I used to enjoy thunder and lightning. It always seemed so wild and free. One of the few things wild and free in my country. Now I…”

  Yoanda’s eyes held complete understanding. “Forget your freedom, Xandra. From this day it is well and truly over. Dragonia is a free nation, a place where many women are allowed to do what they will. But not on this ship. We don’t follow the rule of law here. If you want to escape, use the men to get what you want. Start with Rayder.”

  Conflicting emotions stirred inside Xandra. She’d escaped Magonia only to find a new prison, and it made her angrier than anything she could have imagined. She vowed from that moment that her struggle wouldn’t end here. If she had to beg, borrow and lie to achieve freedom, she’d start here and now.

  Xandra stood and eyed the wedding gown in her hands skeptically. “To freedom then.”

  Once she’d climbed into the dress and arranged her hair in a careless toss about her head, Xandra decided she looked well enough. The slippers she wore lacked much support, but she wouldn’t have to wear them for long. After the ceremony, she’d return to the cabin, jump back into the rough weave tunic and pants and return the dress to Yoanda. It took several deep breaths to gather the courage to leave the cabin. She left with Yoanda and they hurried through the throngs of dirty, scruffy sailors.

  All of them seared Xandra with needy gazes. Torture would have felt preferable to enduring the slimy men ogling her naked nipples. She looked straight ahead and followed Yoanda. No matter what they might do or say, Xandra stayed determined to remain dignified. To her surprise, no one said a word to her.

  To distract herself from probing gazes, she paid attention to the workings of the ship, amazed at the size of the vessel and impressed that it had weathered such a horrible storm last night. Above her huge masts swayed, sails open to catch the wind. The ship swayed slightly as it cut through the water. Sun blazed onto the deck, but the air temperature stayed cool. A crisp breeze fluttered through her hair. When the breeze touched her nipples, they went rock-hard. She bit her lower lip. By the god Magon, she didn’t want this. Everyone would see her nipples and think she enjoyed this wanton display. Her face heated.

  It seemed to take forever to reach the opposite end of the ship and the admiral’s quarters. Rather than enter, Yoanda knocked.

  “Come!” The admiral’s voice boomed his order.

  Yoanda opened the door and stepped through. As Xandra followed her, she caught Rayder’s gaze. Fire burned within his eyes for a few moments, red and intense. She almost gasped. Fear prickled and danced up her spine. His attention sizzled, sliding downward to land on her breasts. He stared. Oh yes, he stared. When his eyes returned to hers, the red was back, but this time it had an odd effect. Fear left, replaced by a heat in her core that seemed to always burn when he looked at her, and especially when he touched her. The man had no shame, and she couldn’t stop watching him watch her. He approached, his eyes devouring as he took in the dress. Amazing how a reserved garment in every other way could also be so immodest. She swallowed hard and tried to catch her breath.

  When her attention darted to the admiral, his mouth turned upward in a lecherous smile that made her want to slap him. She wanted to put her hands over her breasts and hide the beaded tips from his greedy gaze.

  “Ah, the young bride is here.” The admiral’s voice was loud, too loud. “You are a lucky man indeed, Rayder.”

  “Am I?” As Rayder e
xtended his hand, she placed her fingers in his hold and kept her attention on him.

  “Very much so,” the admiral said.

  Rayder offered her his arm and she accepted his strength.

  “This is Suteras Carna, the religious man. He’s performing our ceremony,” Rayder said.

  “Good day,” Xandra said softly.

  The tubby man smiled, the gesture genuine. His gaze stayed away from her breasts, thankfully. “My lady, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Step up to the altar.”

  Toward the left side a door opened onto what looked like a bedroom with two beds, one small and one large. Very interesting. She wondered if Phili slept in the small bed or if Yoanda did. Kitchen facilities resided in another corner, a huge roll-top desk and a seating area with chairs and three large couches.

  At the farthest end, a corner had been cleared. She’d expected something elaborate when the religious man mentioned an altar, but this one was decorated with fine delights. A pillar around waist high sat in the corner, a bowl adorned with fruits. A white filmy material acted as a canopy and was held up by four thin wooden poles.

  Rayder stepped first into the canopy and then held his hand out to her once more. “It’s all right.”

  “What happens? I’m not familiar with Dragonian marriage custom,” Xandra said.

  “Just follow my lead,” Rayder said with a calm she didn’t feel.

  Her heart started banging and panic started to set in. She glanced around the room as if she could find escape, but knew there wouldn’t be anywhere she could hide if she ran away. Frustration mixed with curiosity and fear.

  As she took a deep breath, she clasped Rayder’s hand and stepped under the canopy. Suteras stepped in front and faced them. Yoanda moved to Xandra’s left side and the admiral to Rayder’s right. Phili closed the door to the cabin and stood beside it like a sentinel.

  Trapped.

  Rayder turned toward her until they faced each other. He clasped both her hands. A message warmed his eyes, one of admiration and lust mingled with sincere curiosity. Just for that moment, if no other, she was safe.

  Suteras cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. He opened a large book, many pages long, and started to read. “My friends, we are gathered here under the sight of Draconus, to bless a union between this man and woman. Our laws are sanctified by Draconus, who shares our world with other gods and other beliefs. Thousands of years ago, our planet came into being, created by Draconus. He rose from the terra in the form of the great dragons and with his fire-filled breath created all that we see and feel. We are one on Croan. One with the terra beneath us, one with the sky, one with all life. We begin this process at birth and with death we return to the terra. My friends, rejoice in the creation of life in the union of man and woman, in the bonding of male and female. In the bond of sex that creates the god force.”

  The words stirred Xandra more than she expected, and for a few moments she believed this ceremony truly meant something to her and Rayder. His eyes, though dark, were warmed by that heated red glow. Within him she saw everything that made a man worthy. Fierce. Protective. Perhaps even a good man.

  She blinked. He might be fierce and protective, but he’d shown a darker side, a side willing to be ruthless in pursuit of a goal. A man who shouldn’t be admired. She’d allowed a ceremony connected with love to make her believe something that didn’t exist in this man or in this union.

  What about love? She couldn’t help wonder if it existed inside him for any woman now or in the past.

  What does it matter? He doesn’t love me.

  Suteras continued. “As we gather here to witness the bond between this man and woman, is there one here who would deny the sanctity and sincerity of their bond?”

  It hung in the air. Tell them this is a mistake. Be the one to say it’s a lie of the first order. Do it.

  She glanced at Rayder, and his eyes met hers. Firmness lit his eyes from the inside out. He wouldn’t say a thing to stop this marriage. Her stomach sank and within the beauty of the ceremony resided trepidation. But denial wouldn’t form on her lips and the chance passed. What difference would it make? Arguing with this situation wouldn’t garner her any friends and certainly form more enemies. If she had to play along to secure her freedom later, so be it.

  When it remained quiet, Suteras started again. “Within our uncertain world there are many challenges, but in the sanctity of a marriage before Draconus, there is no need for fear. We are all one, and the marriage between a man and woman, the sexual union between them, symbolizes that truth.” He smiled at Xandra and Rayder. “Do you have a ring for the bride?”

  A ring? Surprise held her immobile as Rayder reached in his right front pocket and withdrew a small red box.

  “I have this ring for my bride.” Rayder opened the box and lifted out the thick silver band. He stuffed the box back in his pocket and lifted Xandra’s left hand and slipped it on her left ring finger.

  “What say you, Rayder Tyrus?” Suteras asked.

  When she caught Rayder’s gaze again, something had changed. Certainly the red glow was there, but this was more. More intense, more animal. Undeniable. “With this ring, I vow my fidelity and trust in marriage.” His voice shook slightly in a sign of vulnerability that amazed her. “I vow that Xandra Shorenus is my true mate for now and forever.”

  She gasped as the ring encircled her finger with perfect fit. A large square stone, clear as water and catching light sparkled with what seemed a million prisms. She’d never seen anything more beautiful. Speechless, she peeled her gaze from the jewelry and caught Rayder’s burning gaze. Red flamed in his gaze for a few moments then faded. He gathered her hands in his and pressed them so gently, so sincerely, she couldn’t catch her breath. Warmth swept over her, but not like a fever. A headiness, a wishful feeling she couldn’t dissolve or understand.

  She couldn’t look away from Rayder and the possessiveness she saw inside him only for her.

  Suteras proceeded. “By all that is holy under Draconus, you are now joined in marriage. You may kiss the bride.”

  Chapter Seven

  You may kiss the bride.

  As Rayder stepped close and cupped her face gently in both hands, Xandra’s heart pounded and her pulsed kicked up. Embarrassed that people watched an intimacy like this, she stayed rigid. She averted her eyes, knowing if she looked into his she’d find that fire again. She didn’t know if she could stare into that flame and not be swept away in the conflagration. When his mouth touched hers, it was a tender touch that didn’t demand. Warm and coaxing, his mouth teased and dissolved in a heartbeat.

  Suteras cleared his throat, something he seemed to do an awful lot. “I introduce you formally as Rayder and Xandra Tyrus.”

  Shocked that her name had been changed, she frowned. That just wasn’t done on Magonia. Women kept their last names, even though children used their father’s last name. Before she could question it, Rayder took her hand and lead her out of the canopy into the center of the room. The magic she’d felt standing under the canopy with him had diminished in an instant.

  “Congratulations,” the admiral said as he shook Rayder’s hand.

  Rayder kept a straight face and said nothing. Aramus frowned at him but spoke no rebuke. Instead, he turned to Xandra and lifted her left hand. “Congratulations to the new bride.” He eyeballed the ring. “A most lovely present he’s bestowed upon you. And valuable to from the looks of it.” He pressed a swift, cold kiss to her fingers.

  Her skin crawled as she withdrew her hand, wanting to immediately wash her skin. “Thank you.”

  She didn’t want to thank him for being so crass about the ring, but what else could she do?

  Yoanda smiled. “I’m pleased you’re married and safe.”

  “Thank you,” Xandra said automatically, finding the entire exchange awkward.

  Phili stood near the door like a sentinel with boredom etched into her features. She approached and it was all Xandra could do not to
run from the room.

  Phili came to Rayder first, reached up and grabbed his head in both her palms. “Such a shame ladies will no longer have the pleasure of your flesh.”

  With a shameless smile, Phili drew his head down and planted a huge kiss on his lips. Xandra’s blood came up, an unaccountable anger surging so high she almost reached out to yank the impertinent chit away from her husband. To his credit, Rayder grabbed Phili’s wrists and pried loose.

  He reached for Xandra’s hand. “If you’d excuse us, we’re eager to begin married life.”

  Phili, looking put out, stepped away as Rayder started for the door.

  “Why, I never,” Phili said in a bored tone. “He didn’t even thank you for the hospitality.”

  “Shut up, Phili,” the admiral said. “He’s just hungry to bed his mate. It’s natural.”

  Xandra hurried to keep up with Rayder’s stride as they left the admiral’s quarters and crossed the huge deck back toward Rayder’s cabin. Men lined the deck, and she half expected them to jeer or cheer, but they stayed quiet. Most kept blank expressions and continued their work, but here and there she caught their quick glances as they leered. Her stomach tossed and turned, and she almost felt ill. How humiliating to have them staring at her, but it could have worse.

  Her foot caught on the hem of her dress and she tripped. As she gasped in surprise and started to fall, Rayder snatched her back and lifted her full into his arms.

  She gasped again, totally surprised. “What—”

  “Are you all right?” The soft concern in his eyes and voice as he held her sent a new, disturbing sensation into her belly. This one was hot and filled with pleasure.

  “Yes.”

  He didn’t reply, just walked swiftly toward the cabin.

  “Is it really necessary to rush?”

  “Yes. I won’t have these bastards staring at you any more than I can help.”