Page 18 of Seized to Sacrifice
‘I’m not,’ he vowed, ‘but if you leave this room and one of the others comes upon you first, especially Thorne, I won’t be responsible for whatever he does to you.’
‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘Why are you all doing this? I’m not truly this woman, this Elle. I promise you I’m not.’
Realizing she was dangerously close to tears, she broke off and tried to get her emotions under control.
He was silent for a moment before he spoke, and, when he finally did, it wasn’t to answer her question. ‘For your own sake, stay in this room or I swear to you, woman, I’ll chainallof your limbs to my bed,’ he threatened.
Suitably cowed by his dark promise, she nodded.
‘And give me back my favorite shirt as well,’ he ordered.
With a scowl, she ripped it off and threw it at him, lying back in the bed under the cover to protect her dignity, while saving her pride with a defiant sniff.
Her eyes began to close almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. She didn’t want to admit it, but her escape attempt and the rest of it had left her exhausted. She’d not have gotten far in her weakened condition even if she’d made it out of the fortress.
She let herself relax, feeling oddly at ease with this man. He was enormous, a stranger, her captor, and yet falling asleep with him watching her didn’t make her afraid, it made her feel safe for the first time.
* * *
Rye
Rye went downto the kitchens to ensure that Eruk and Oreon, the two former slaves, were settling in well. For the moment, both newly freed men had decided to stay on at the keep, which he was glad of. Fen, the cook, had been complaining for weeks that he needed help. He’d already claimed them for the kitchen, at least for a few weeks.
Rye wasn’t surprised that Eruk and Oreon hadn’t left. Work was scarce everywhere. Any position was better than starving.
He nodded at Fen and observed the two men going about their work from the doorway. Eruk had said he could fight, but they had enough guards, so in the keep he would stay for now doing the domestic work that was needed. Satisfied that they were working hard, Ryder turned away. He'd heard that the woman had escaped from Nyx’s room earlier and fled. He rolled his eyes. Already his Brother was getting lax around her, forgetting that her innocent face and feminine curves couldn’t be trusted.
He'd told Nyx to put her back in the dungeon, but it was a waste. She was as able-bodied as the other female servants. He just needed to ensure she couldn’t leave the keep.
Then she would earn her food and board as they all did, though she would remain a slave here. He had her Writ after all. He’d never agreed with the practice in the past, but for her he’d make an exception.
Rye mounted the stairs slowly, thinking of how he could make her time here as miserable as possible without actually torturing her. That was his forte, but Nyx had made his point. He couldn’t do it. Not to her, not even after what she’d done.
She was asleep in the bed on her front when he entered. His eyes surveyed her. She looked tiny in Nyx’s mammoth bed. He caught sight of one of the lash marks peeking out from under the blanket and frowned.
He moved the blanket down until he could see her full back. As it came into view, he noticed the two little dimples on either side of her spine at the bottom; one of his favorite parts of her body. He tried not to look, keeping his attention fixed on the marks that crisscrossed her back. They were all scabbed over now, and he conceded that bringing her out of the dungeon had been the right thing to do. Her death would merely let her escape their grasp. He aimed to keep her alive.
Alive and miserable.
His eyes flicked down to the creamy globes of her arse and the tops of her thighs. He gritted his teeth as his cock swelled uncomfortably.
‘Enjoying the show?’ Nyx murmured from his chair, making Rye jump with a curse.
How hadn’t he noticed him there? He was fucking big enough.
‘Merely ensuring her body is knitting itself back together nicely,’ he answered.
Nyx snorted. ‘Have you worked your magick on her yet? Best do it as soon as she’s able, she’ll try to escape us and she’s a slippery one.’
‘Not yet,’ Rye answered, pulling the blanket up, ‘but I will tonight. By the time the moon has risen, she won’t be able to leave the confines of the inner wall unless she has our permission.’
Nyx nodded and went back to what seemed to be his favored pastime for the moment: watching their enemy slave sleep.
Rye left the room with a growl, going back down to the servants’ quarters to find Leia.
That one was always up for a few hours in his bed. But as he drew near to where he knew he’d find her working, he faltered. He didn't really want her. It was the woman upstairs in Nyx’s bed who he ached to plow hard though he wished it wasn’t so.
He thought back to his time imprisoned with the Horde. How many years had he spent in chains in the darkness as they fed from him? As his magick was stolen as quickly as his body could make it?
