by Mary Auclair
“I didn’t agree to any of this. I demand that you return me to the Agency. I want to go back to Earth.”
“There is no going back.” He snorted, visibly insulted at the prospect. “You have been Claimed. There is no need for your consent. You knew what you were doing when you enrolled. You are now under Tellurian law and you have been Claimed in front of witnesses. You are my female now.”
“I don’t care about your Tellurian laws. You’re not laying a finger on me.”
“Honor doesn’t allow for your refusal.” Jareth almost shook with fury. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet like a tiger ready to spring. “You are mine and this is final.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your honor.”
Jareth frowned and his lips curved down, making his face resemble that of a snarling wolf. He seemed to have trouble controlling his anger. This sobered Tamsin some and she swallowed her next bitter answer. She had to check her temper or she would say something that was liable to get her killed. She was in uncharted territory and had to be smarter than that or there was no telling what would happen to her. Jareth was still glaring at her and she realized she had to say something.
“What are you going to do now?” Tamsin asked in a softer tone. The answer might be obvious but she wanted to gain as much time as she could. “They didn’t tell me anything at the Agency.”
“We are going away for our Isolation,” he answered briskly, then walked around the bed and cornered her at the far end of the room. He seemed more relaxed now that she couldn’t escape.
“What’s this Isolation?”
Jareth shot an irritated glance her way before wiping blood from his chest. He stared a few seconds at the bite mark, then shook his head in consternation.
“It’s the traditional period where a male and female Bond together after the Claiming. Sometimes the Claimed female isn’t immediately happy about her situation and it takes time for the male to convince her otherwise.” He gave her a pointed lift of his brow. “Most females readily accept the Claim, after a warrior has proven himself in the arena, but some prove more difficult. During the Isolation, the female is locked away from the world and interacts solely with the male who Claimed her.”
“How long is this Isolation?” Tamsin’s stomach clenched and a cold trickle of fear stirred her guts. Her chances at escape were melting away, and fast. Hope was a fickle bitch.
“Traditionally it is twenty-four moon cycles—one of Earth’s years.”
“A year?” Tamsin’s voice faded to a whisper. A full year—that was way too much. She couldn’t escape his advances for so long and she would go insane as well.
“Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury to escape my engagements for so long. The male is usually expected to spend almost all his time with the female and I do not have that freedom.” Jareth scowled, then looked at her almost as if he was apologizing. “We will spend only one moon cycle, or about two of Earth’s weeks, in Isolation. Then we will have to go back to a normal palace life.”
“You’re living in the palace?” There was hope after all. She could keep him at arm’s length for two weeks, even if it would prove a challenge. At least, she hoped she could. “After fourteen days, I’ll be free to go around the castle?”
Jareth laughed, the sound startling Tamsin. It was funny how his face transformed when he laughed. He didn’t look so frightening anymore. He was handsome, in an I-can-kill-you-with-my-bare-hands kind of way.
“Of course we’ll live in the palace.” He didn’t stop laughing. “Where else would the king live?”
“King?” Tamsin blinked, then tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. It didn’t work.
“I was under the impression the concept wasn’t unknown on Earth,” Jareth said, then specified, “My name is Jareth of House Sikosh. I am king of the Tellurian nation.”
Tamsin didn’t answer. She had been Claimed by the freaking king. The king. That wasn’t going to make disappearing any easier.
Chapter Four
Jareth stood still, blocking any retreat route Tamsin could think of, his face as unreadable as a book in a foreign language. She had no idea if he had dark, despicable plans for her as payback. Maybe he was just thinking about what a stinking mistake he made by choosing her as his female. She couldn’t agree more.
“You are a very beautiful female.” Jareth’s gaze glanced down on her body, then back to her face.
“I prefer to be called a woman,” she answered softly, reassured he was interested in her enough to at least talk. This was better than the outright rape she had feared. “That’s what Earth females are called.”
Jareth took a step forward, never taking his eyes from Tamsin. She stood still, knowing there was nothing she could do to escape. He was so much bigger, towering over her like a mountain. In a flash, she realized how small and vulnerable she must look in his eyes. A weak female, for him to protect and dominate. She winced at the thought.
“Are you in pain?”
Jareth frowned and, in a single large step, he was at her side, holding her shoulders and peering down at her face with alarmed eyes. He was close, so close his nose brushed hers. His breath caressed her lips and she shivered. Her eyes settled on his golden lips and she had the crazy impulse to kiss them, but stopped herself at the last minute. She tore her gaze from Jareth’s lips and locked eyes with him. His irises were even more beautiful up close. Their dark, complex blue color was sprinkled with speckles of a lighter shade, and around his pupil shone a ring of pure sky-blue. Stunning. Then he smiled and his whole face lit up. She could hardly stop herself from gawking at how perfect he looked.
Tamsin blinked a few times, chasing the attraction away. She was supposed to escape, dammit, not wet her panties for her abductor.
“You never asked me for my name.” Tamsin studied his face. She wanted to see his reaction. “Or do you plan on calling me ‘female’?”
“I know your name, Tamsin,” he said, his tempting smile still on his lips. “A strange name, but I like it.”
She let this sink in. There was something that didn’t fit, something that happened at the Claiming. Then she remembered.
“You weren’t supposed to Claim any female.”
“You are right, my feisty Tamsin,” Jareth said, his face suddenly serious. “I fell for you the second I laid eyes on you. I just knew I had to possess you.”
Tamsin stared, not even knowing what to say. If they had been on Earth, she would have slapped his handsome face. He evidently though he was giving her a compliment, but him telling a girl she was a pretty thing to be possessed wasn’t turning her on. She reined in her impulse to shove him aside.
“Well, it seems you got what you deserved.” Tamsin didn’t try to hide the venom in her voice. “Let’s see if it turns to ashes in your mouth.”
Jareth raised his eyebrow at the thinly veiled threat, but his smirk remained. He wasn’t impressed. She couldn’t blame him—she wasn’t impressed by her threat, either.
“Do you wish to visit the royal wing, or would you prefer to explore the bed right away?” His uneven grin widened at the thought. “I would like that very much.”
Tamsin glared at him, but there was no denying he was right. She had to play along until she came up with a new plan.
“I’m coming with,” she muttered and walked behind him as Jareth led her through a door and into another room.
Jareth proceeded to show her the rest of the royal wing. The next room, an open-concept dining room and living room, stood large and airy with a series of tall, arched windows carved right through the stone of the castle. Tamsin walked past Jareth and stood at the foot of one of the windows. Her lips parted and a pained whine escaped her throat. Her heart sank down even deeper, digging a tunnel under her ribs. The castle towered over a small island that was covered with a sprawling metropolis. An expanse of water spread farther than the horizon on one side of the island, where the sun was setting fast. On the opposite side gleamed
a long beach, the shore landscaped with rocks, water splashing in glorious fury at every wave. It seemed close, but it could be a hundred miles away. Tamsin had grown up in the Vermont desert and never had a chance to learn how to swim. This Isolation was going to be an incarceration.
She tore her gaze from the shore and looked up into Jareth’s stunning eyes again. He was looking at her, staring at her face with a strange expression, one hand extended to her. She hesitated only a moment, then took it. She might be a fighter, but even a fiery thing like her knew when a battle was lost, and this one was. She wasn’t getting off this island if he didn’t allow it.
As soon as her skin touched his palm, a current of electric tension traveled up her arm. His hand was soft, not rough as she assumed it would be, and it was both hot and dry. It closed around hers, swallowing it completely. Tamsin was brought back to years before, in a distant past, where she was a small child holding the hand of her father. She felt vulnerable as Jareth pulled her close to his body, holding her waist.
“The view from the castle is breathtaking,” Jareth said, his voice husky. “But not as beautiful as you.”
The hands on her waist squeezed and Jareth drew in a deep breath, as if he was smelling her. Tamsin’s mind fluttered at the contact and she felt a long shiver run from her shoulders to end somewhere deep in her lower belly. Her breath accelerated and her treacherous body pulled itself even closer to Jareth. A huge golden hand engulfed her chin, lifting it up, and before she could move, Jareth’s lips landed on hers, hard and demanding, forcing her into a complete and utter surrender as he took possession of her mouth. Her eyes closed and she let the hurricane of feelings sweep her away. Somewhere deep inside her, a dam broke and she returned the kiss.
Jareth’s lips parted and his tongue stroked at her lips, caressing the soft skin with a torturous promise. Her heart lurched and she opened her mouth, only to have it instantly invaded by his probing tongue. He tasted sweet and spicy, like something so intoxicating it was forbidden. Tamsin felt the world swirl in a crazy dance and soon her fingers itched with the desire to rip at his clothes, making it take all her concentration to refrain from doing so. Jareth, however, knew no such scruples and soon his hands traveled on her curves, sliding on her hips and up her rib cage over the silky fabric of the gown, until long fingers cupped her breasts. An inferno of desire lashed her body and she pressed herself against his hard form. A solid bulge on her stomach confirmed Jareth’s desire and she pressed the soft flesh of her abdomen against his erection.
“You are mine,” Jareth whispered in her ear. “Mine forever.”
The words had the effect of a slap and she pushed him away with one hard shove. Tamsin was flustered, her cheeks burning and breath short, and as she stared into Jareth’s eyes, she saw a mirror of her own desire. He was aroused and confused but he was also angry. He frowned then stepped closer again. Tamsin remembered his words and her passion morphed into fury.
“I’m not a possession!” she screamed in his face, shoving him away again. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
Jareth stared at her, his eyes growing darker by the second, then took a deep breath and his face relaxed. He looked around him and a satisfied expression spread across his face. Tamsin had the clear, unpleasant feeling that he was assessing his chances of changing her mind during the time she would be his prisoner, and that he liked the odds. She could smash his smug, handsome face.
“Come to me,” he said, choosing not to answer her last remark. “Let me pleasure you and make you forget your own name.”
“Did you even listen to what I said? I don’t belong to you.”
Jareth took a long time, staring at her. His jaw was closed so tight a muscle twitched in his throat. She was pretty sure she should be terrified, but she was too angry.
“You do belong to me,” Jareth said. His whole body was tensed and he took a couple of deep breaths. It seemed like the action calmed him enough to speak. “I won you over all the other males. You’re my Ajena, Tamsin. Nothing can change that now.”
He extended his hand again and she stared at it, waiting for him to retract it. He kept it there, his face frozen into a smile that didn’t reach his stunning eyes. He was so calm and collected, as if there was nothing she could do to upset him. He’d see, Tamsin thought, just how she would get under his skin.
Tamsin’s brain floated in a fog as Jareth walked up to her. He towered over her, his eyes boring into hers, searching for something she couldn’t give. She found herself waiting for his next move. She didn’t have to wait long.
A moment suspended in time with their gazes pinned together, then Jareth moved. He reached down with an unnatural speed, one strong arm grabbing her legs and the other pinning her breasts against his chest. Out of pure reflex, her arms wrapped around his neck. He walked, his eyes still burrowing into her soul, toward the bedroom. She felt her control slip as Jareth’s eyes overflowed with naked desire. He was everything she never knew she dreamed of.
In a handful of long-legged strides, Jareth covered the distance to the large bed that dominated the room. He took a series of deep breaths in quick succession when he put her down. His hands pulled her waist against the hard jut of his cock.
Tamsin couldn’t look away, a prisoner of his handsome face.
“Take off your clothing,” Jareth ordered. His voice was husky. “I want to inspect you.”
Tamsin didn’t answer, staring at him with wide eyes. The words washed away Jareth’s hypnotic attraction, and she was left cold. This wasn’t exactly the kind of dirty talk that was guaranteed to turn her on. In fact, anything would’ve turned her on more than that. She wasn’t a brood mare to be inspected before mating. She bit her lower lip, then took a step back. Her legs bumped against the bed. Damn, there was no escape there.
“Take off your clothing, now, Tamsin.” Jareth repeated his order and took a step closer, imprisoning her between his body and the bed. “You will obey your Ajeno.”
Tamsin knew what was coming but, still, she was scared at the idea of uncovering her body to that very large male’s lust. She didn’t have a choice, though. She had to go through with this, or risk angering the male who held her fate in his hands. She swallowed through her closed throat and her hands reached up to her neck, fingers closing around the laces that held up her gown. Her fingers froze and she closed her eyes. Long seconds stretched and she finally brought her hands down, leaving the laces intact. She couldn’t make herself do it.
“I’m not a child, to obey orders.” Anger flared inside her, familiar and reassuring, pushing the fear away. “You can’t expect me to undress to someone I don’t know.”
“Remove your clothing, or I will remove it for you.” Jareth took another step and when she backed away, his velvet eyes lost their softness. “I will not harm you but I will claim what’s mine tonight.”
The words dissipated the reminder of the fear, leaving anger roaring inside her. She glared at him, her body tense and her feet ready to pounce. She almost out-ran him once, she could do it again.
“Is this what a Tellurian female is supposed to do? Obey? Cower before the male? You’re sorely mistaken if you think I’ll take orders from you.”
Tamsin backed away a few more steps along the side of the bed. She knew she was just making things harder, that she could get hurt in fighting him off, but she just couldn’t help it. She couldn’t let him win without a fight.
“I will not repeat another time. I am your Ajeno and you will obey or be punished.”
“Punished?” The thought of violence froze her. Anger made her forget their difference in size and strength. Now she was forced to realize that he could crush her skull with his bare hands. “I thought you weren’t supposed to hurt me.” Her voice was small, pinched with fear.
“There are a lot of punishments a male can impose on his female without causing damage.”
Jareth glared at her, his body rippling with anticipation. She tried to swallow but found her throat closed. He
r shaking hand reached behind her neck and pulled at the tiny strings that held the bodice of her dress. The silky fabric slid on her skin, revealing her breast. Her nipples hardened automatically from the caress of the soft breeze. Her breath accelerated and she felt heat flare on her face, and somewhere below, lower down and more private, too. Being offered to his view had her body tense and reacting in a way she had not anticipated, a moist heat warming between her thighs and her skin prickling with arousal.
Jareth watched her every move with hungry eyes. His mouth was closed and he swallowed, once, hard. His eyes shone with the hot, clear light of an impending storm and the bulge in his pants pointed directly at her.
“The rest,” Jareth ordered, his voice a low husk. “Take off the rest.”
Tears stung her eyes as she pushed the fabric from the curve of her hips. It fell down at her feet with an elegant swoosh, baring her completely. One hand reached to cover her sex in an instinctive gesture while the other tried its best to cover both of her breasts and failed miserably.
“Do not cover yourself,” Jareth growled with fury. “I want to see your body.”
Her chest heaved with her heavy breathing and with nipples so hard they were painful, she steadied her arms on both sides of her body. She was fully naked and Jareth’s gaze took in every inch of her exposed skin.
“Turn around.”
Tamsin slowly obeyed, feeling her face burn with humiliation. When she faced him again, Jareth had moved and stood so close his breath caressed the top of her head.
“Now lie on the bed.”
Tamsin’s gaze trailed down his half-naked body. His chest was a gold tangle of lean muscles, as was his stomach. Her gaze inched lower, to where his long, thick cock stood to attention, stretching the fabric of his pants to its limit. Tamsin sneaked long glances at it. It was big, she thought, it was too big. Jareth was by far bigger and stronger than any of her few previous lovers. He would hurt her, she was sure of it. Fear overtook her mind and she shook her head in negation.