Master of Desire

by Lacey Alexander

  “How many other men have you desired deeply, Teesia? How many men have you lifted your skirts for in back hallways?”

  She gasped at the accusation. How dare he? “Only you, I swear it!”

  His sideways glance said he didn’t believe her. “I have no qualms with pretty girlswho want to play, vixen. But you are royalty. With duties to your family. You possess a bride price. Or at least I hope you still have it.”

  “Of course I do! I—”

  “Royal girls do not let down their hair and tell lies to entice the nearest available man in a darkened corridor. It was a betrayal to your father. In fact, you’ve made him look foolish to have traded your supposed chasteness in marriage—for one cannot trade what does not exist.”

  “But I—”

  30

  Master of Desire

  “Had I wanted to marry a common girl with common sexual habits, I would have. But I wanted a chaste, inexperienced virgin, Teesia. I wanted a girl who would belong to me alone.”

  “I am a virgin, and I do belong to you, Ralen—I promise.”

  He stopped walking again to cast her a glance, as if considering her words—but then chose to disregard them. “Yet chaste and inexperienced you are not, Teesia. As for your claim of being mine, why should I believe you’ve not offered that ripe little pussy of yours to every interested suitor who might have come sniffing around? You knew me not at all when I stroked you to ecstasy. And then, by chance, not knowing who you were, I bargained with your father to wed you. Do you realize the coincidence involved here, vixen?” He paused for a dry chuckle that held no humor. “But even more amazing to me is that you expect me to believe your silly story. I might not have gotten what I paid for in you, but I won’t be made a fool of by my wanton bride.”

  Teesia was incensed. She’d quickly grown tired of his accusations and had gone from saddened to angry in a few pounding heartbeats. “Has it occurred to you, you big brute, that it was not a coincidence? That perhaps the reason my father chose you was because he knew I fancied you?”

  He let out a scalding laugh. “Am I to believe his virgin daughter told him she spread her legs for my touch before a viewing glass and would have eagerly taken my cock if I’d offered it, as well?”

  She drew in her breath at having her most thrilling memory transformed into one of regret. “There is no shame in what I did!”

  “For a common farmgirl or a villager, no—they may spread their legs for one andall, as is their right. But a girl of royal descent knows good and well she must keep her desires at bay.”

  “And for your information, what my father does know is that you and I exchanged glances at Dane’s feast. My sisters witnessed it. My mother, too. And though I knowyou are an apt choice for a husband for other reasons, it’s my belief that he took my wishes into consideration because he knew I was attracted to you and would find you a

  pleasing choice.”

  The caravan was but a few hundred yards away now and cheers began to go up as Ralen and Teesia approached. It seemed to end their conversation, much to her dismay—she had to make him see the truth!

  Girls in frocks of leather offered gaily colored flowers to Teesia as she and Ralen passed through the two lines forming at either side of the path they took. People waved colorful streamers in the air and shouts were raised. “A cheer for Ralen and his lovely bride!” “To a long and happy marriage!” “Welcome, Teesia, new lady of Charelton Fortress!”

  For a brief moment, the fanfare made Teesia believe she’d simply imagined thehorrible exchange with Ralen just now. This was how the days leading up to her wedding were supposed to be! A welcome from his people. A welcome into his life.

  31

  Lacey Alexander

  Around her, carts stood at the ready—and dear Ares, she’d never seen so many horses in one place! All the wagons were drawn by the rare and expensive animals. The conveyances were painted in bright hues, strung with more of the colored streamers and flowers that befitted a royal bride. One young girl lifted a wreath of daisies onto Teesia’s head—matching perfectly the flowing silk dress of pale yellow made by Bella especially for this day, for the Giving Ceremony and the departure to her new existence.

  Overcome, she dared smile up at Ralen, her hand still wrapped tightly in his .

  He did not return it. Her heart sank.

  Thankful when he led her to a particularly grand cart the color of ripe red apples, she stared up at him. “So this is how we are to be? We are to have an unhappy unionbecause you doubt my virtue?”

  “We are to have an unhappy marriage because I have discovered my wife-to-be is a liar with no regard to duty or loyalty. How can I put any trust in such a woman?”

  “Look into my eyes,” she said earnestly, “and you’ll see that my desire for you is real and my claims true.”

  “I looked into your eyes in that dark hallway, vixen, and what I saw there was uncontained lust.”

  “For you.”

  “I could have been any man.”

  She shook her head. “From the moment I saw you, I wanted you in a way I wanted

  no one else.”

  “You should save your pretty lies, vixen.” His eyes narrowed into thin slits. “In fact,

  you should save all your strength, in every way.”

  She swallowed, feeling threatened by his forbidding tone. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re going to need strength after we wed.”

  “For?”

  “I have plans for you, my little wanton. Wanton you may be, but before I’m through with your punishment, you shall understand that you will be a wanton only for your husband.”

  “You are the only man I wish to be with, Ralen!” Why couldn’t the insufferable

  brute get that through his head?

  “No, my vixen bride, you don’t understand.”

  That was true—she didn’t understand any of this. “What are you talking about?”

  “When I am through with your training,” he said slowly, his dark eyes gleaming with menace beneath the morning sun, “you will know of no other lust than for me. You will be able to conceive of pleasing no one else. You will do whatever I wish, whenever I wish it. You will no longer be capable of having sexual thoughts or desires that are not brought about solely by me. I will be your master, Teesia, and you will be my slave. My sex slave.”

  32

  Master of Desire

  Teesia felt faint. At once, her stomach roiled with revulsion and fear even as her nerve endings stood on end, prickling with a left-over hint of anticipation.

  “Now, into the cart with you,” he said, motioning toward the red conveyance that sported a leather awning for shade.

  She could barely speak around the lump that had grown in her throat. “Will you be riding with me?”

  He gave his head a short shake as a wry chuckle left him. “I think not, vixen. I don’t desire your company, I’m afraid.”

  * * * * *

  The ride in the horse-drawn cart was lonely, even with various members of Ralen’sparty occasionally happening past to greet her, some giving her more flowers, others bringing snacks of cheeses and sweet breads for sustenance on the journey.

  One handsome young man who introduced himself as Laene explained to her thatthey would arrive in Charelton by midday tomorrow.

  “So soon?” she exclaimed. She could have sworn Charelton lay farther away.

  “Horses make the travel much faster, Lady Teesia.” He motioned slightly to the mount he rode alongside her wagon.

  She felt silly, for it was so obvious. But she’d never traveled in a caravan with somany horses that the speed of movement was increased. “Of course,” she said, rather flattered by the way he’d addressed her, and wondering if Ralen would appreciate the designation as much.

  Laene smiled, his pale blue eyes striking beneath a swatch of messy blond hair. “So you shall be Ralen’s bride by tomorrow eve.”

  “Oh,” she said on a heavy breath, tryin
g to appear happy rather than horrified. Shestill couldn’t believe how catastrophically her betrothal had turned out. What yesterday had seemed dreamlike had now become a hideous nightmare of the unknown. She’d counted on having a much longer journey to absorb all that had happened, and tosomehow try to prepare herself for the sexual punishment her husband-to-be plannedto deal out. She had no idea how one could even turn sex into punishment. According to Bella, sex was always a wondrous, joyful thing shared between willing participantswho wished to experience pleasure together. Could sex ever be a bad thing?

  Then she shivered with the thought that Ralen had certainly succeeded in making it

  sound rather ominous.

  “Breeze chilling you?” Laene asked from his mount. In her terror, she’d nearly forgotten his presence. “The roof can be removed if you’d prefer the sun.”

  She glanced up to the awning and forced a pleasant shake of her head at the

  handsome Laene. “No, no, I prefer the shade. Thank you, though.”

  33

  Lacey Alexander

  That night, when the caravan stopped to camp, Teesia had no idea what to expect.

  She soon got her answer, however, when a young woman with silky chestnut-colored tresses approached and announced she was to accompany Teesia to her tent. Teesia followed and found a sizable space with a bed erected, as well as a dressing table complete with a small viewing glass. Under other circumstances, she’d have thought it very luxurious traveling accommodations.

  “My name is Shaena,” the woman said, offering a friendly smile within theshadows of the tent, “and I am to be your maid.”

  Teesia worked to return a smile. It wasn’t Shaena’s fault her employer was an ogre. “I’m happy to meet you, Shaena.”

  “I cannot tell you how honored I was when Ralen appointed me to this position. I shall work hard to please you in every way.”

  “I’m sure you shall.” Teesia liked the young woman’s earnest brown eyes and ready grin. The leather frock that wrapped Shaena’s thin frame revealed soft cleavagedarkened by the sun, and her arms and legs were tanned, as well, but there was something very natural about the girl that made Teesia think the look attractive on her, even if not fully in fashion—well, at least not in Myrtell. It suddenly occurred to herhow little she knew of the world beyond her homeland—the world she was set to become a part of.

  “Shall I undress you now?” Shaena asked.

  Teesia nodded. She loved her yellow silk frock, but the day it had been made for had not turned out as she’d expected and she was well-ready to shed it.

  Approaching, Shaena untied the gold cord that circled Teesia’s waist, then drew the yellow silk off over her head. The maid’s eyes gravitated toward Teesia’s breasts and it briefly reminded her of all she’d learned from Bella yesterday—perhaps because Shaena’s gaze held the same sense of sensuality as her friend’s. “Do you wish a bath this evening? We did not bring a bathing tub on the journey, but I would be happy togive you a cool sponge bath if you like.”

  “That sounds refreshing, yes.”

  Teesia sat naked in the chair at the dressing table waiting for Shaena to return with a sponge, the softening night air of the coast wafting through the tent to make her skin prickle and nipples pucker. When the tent flap opened, for a brief second she thought— even hoped—it might be Ralen, coming to mend things with her. She had the instant thought that maybe seeing her like this, bare from head to toe, might excite him and even somehow endear her to him, making him forget all this silly sex slave business.

  But, of course, it was only her new maid bearing a ewer of water and a sea sponge. She came to stand behind Teesia so that their eyes met in the viewing glass as Shaena began to run the cool brownish sponge over Teesia’s skin.

  “How is it that Ralen has so many horses?” she found herself asking. She’d been wondering about it since meeting the caravan early this morning, but until now, graver topics had kept her mind fully occupied.

  34

  Master of Desire

  Shaena smoothed the sponge down the length of Teesia’s arm. “Ralen believes horses are the future of travel, not to mention warfare. He is breeding them with great success on his estate.”

  Despite herself, Teesia was fascinated. She’d always loved horses, but even her father—the ruler of all Caralon—only owned a stable of ten or so of the expensiveanimals. The idea of living in a place so rich with them appealed immensely. Perhaps they would provide her with some much-needed cheer.

  “Forgive me if this is out of line,” Shaena said, “but you look sad. Especially for a woman who’s marrying a strong, wealthy man like Ralen.” When Teesia didn’t answer—unable to come up with any simple way to explain, Shaena went on. “Ralen’sfortress is very fine, filled with every luxury. And we are all pleased that he’s taking a bride, so you shall be very welcomed.”

  Teesia tried for a smile in the jagged viewing glass as Shaena’s sponge circled one round breast, sending a slight shiver through her. “Yes, I already feel welcome,” she said, knowing that, despite her words, she still sounded distressed. Her new maid would probably think her quite odd.

  “Then why so sad?” Shaena’s expression spilled true concern. She tilted her head behind Teesia, and added in a softened tone, “Is it because you have heard rumors about Ralen? About his…well, I shouldn’t say this, but about his tastes in fucking? Don’t fear them, Teesia, for he will be gentle with you.”

  Teesia blinked and drew in her breath sharply. “How can you say that? I mean,

  how can you know what he plans?”

  Shaena abandoned the sponge and drew up a nearby stool to sit next to her. Reaching out, she took Teesia’s hands. “Ralen and I are the same age—twenty-nine. I grew up on his estate —my parents served his parents, and now I serve him. We played together as children and I know him well, better than most mere servants. He has spoken to me about your impending marriage and I know he wishes to please you, in bed and out. He can be very fierce, yes—but there are other sides to him, as well.”

  “You don’t understand,” Teesia said, shaking her head. “Any wish Ralen had to please me died this morning.”

  Shaena’s back straightened. “Oh?”

  Embarrassed, but seeing no reason not to tell Shaena the tale, she relayed the story of her first meeting with her bridegroom, getting so caught up in the pleasant memory that she spared no details about how wild Ralen’s touch had made her feel, how shehad come for him in front of the enormous viewing glass in her brother-in-law’s fortress to the north. “Now he says he intends to punish me,” she concluded, “to make sure I know I belong to him. He wishes to make me his sexual slave.”

  Shaena’s brows knitted with concern, and even as she used her thumbs to caress the sensitive skin atop Teesia’s hands, she seemed unable to find words of comfort.

  “Then it’s as bad as I suspect,” Teesia concluded.

  35

  Lacey Alexander

  Shaena sighed. “As I said, Ralen can be very ferocious, and I fear you’ve roused that part of him. You have to understand, he’s not had an easy life.”

  Ralen? She hardly believed that. “But he’s rich. As rich as my father, from what I can tell. I would suppose his life has been much like mine, but better—since he is a man, with all the advantages that entails.” Although her mother had taught Teesia and her sisters to respect themselves, and though her father treated Jalal as his peer, women in Caralon were often considered possessions to their husbands—which was, perhaps, why many simply chose not to marry. Although seen as equals in sexual play, women were not always shown the same respect in other aspects of life.

  “Sometimes money does not mean happiness, Teesia.”

  “What was so horrible for Ralen?” The question came out sounding like an accusation, but she didn’t care—what could have been so awful to make him treat herso terribly?

  “He once loved a girl. Another maid, a friend of mine named Banya. But when hea
nnounced his intent to marry her, his father, Granick, paid her a great sum not to, thinking her far below his son. She left Charelton without even saying goodbye. Ralen had expected as much from his father—it was Banya’s betrayal that wounded him sodeeply. Since then…well, I’m afraid it doesn’t take much to destroy his faith in someone, especially a woman.”

  Teesia supposed that explained his overreaction to their previous encounter, but it hardly helped her situation. “I understand his hurt, but I still don’t understand hisability to be so cruel to me.”

  Again, Shaena sighed. “You have to understand, Granick was cruel to him. Ralen was taught that any sort of misbehavior must be dealt with harshly, that the offender must be punished in such a way that they will never commit the offense again. His father once beat him nearly to death for telling a silly lie when we were children, forsaying he had done a chore he had not. And indeed, after Granick’s beating, Ralen never lied again. His father dealt with misbehaving servants with the same severity.”

  Charelton was beginning to sound like a terrible place, and Teesia suspected her eyes shone wide with the horror of it. “Why did you stay, Shaena? Why did you continue to work for Granick when you reached adulthood?”

  The maid shrugged. “Where else would I go? I know no other place. And I wished to stay with my parents, as I am their only child. They are retired now, living in acottage in the village near the fort, and they enjoy having me near. And besides, Granick was growing sickly years ago. No one outside the fortress realized it, even some inside probably did not know—it was kept a secret. But I knew he would die soonenough and then Ralen would be in power.”

  “And Ralen is so much better to serve?”

  “He is more civil to all. You have seen already how happy his people are. And frankly, Granick rained so much wrath on his staff that, since his death over two years ago, no one has gotten out of line.” Now even Shaena looked doubtful, though. “I had