Page 29 of What Fury Brings
“Theyapplyto lose their manhood?” He could not believe any man would choose that.
“Yes, it is a simple procedure, done under anesthetic. They don’t feel a thing. They forsake sex for honor and wealth and high standing.”
“This place is horrific.”
She ran one hand over the soft cotton sheets, and Sanos wondered if she was still listening to the conversation at hand. Then she said, “I can see why you would think so, but I promise it’s not. All will be well, Prince. You needn’t fear.” She lowered her eyes to his chest, taking in all his exposed skin.
His voice rang out like thunder. “Whatever you think is going to happen tonight, forget it. You will not touch me.”
He ignored the excitement that mingled with his fury. That couldn’t be helped and hadnothingto do with her. He was used to going a year without sex. But tied up as he’d been for the past week, without the relief of his own hand?
He’d never gone more than a night or two without that.
And she was wearing transparent silk, for gods’ sakes.
“Unlike the men in your country,” she said, “I do not force myselfupon those who do not wish it. You needn’t fear that kind of violation from me, Andrastus.”
“Then why are you dressed like that?”
She looked down at herself and even took a moment to admire the silk.
When she returned her gaze to his, he wasn’t sure what look was there.
His breath stuttered out of him as she left the room, and he thought perhaps that was it.
But she returned a moment later, some sort of box in her hands.
“What is that?” he asked.
“So many questions… We could have covered all of this on the road had you not been so difficult. Do they not teach anything of the laws and customs of Amarra to you Brutish royals?”
They did. The Amarrans kidnapped men and made mockeries of them. Forced men to lie with them. And apparently cut parts of them off. What more could she possibly be referring to?
She took his silence as answer. “In Amarra, it is an offense punishable by death for a man to cause a woman to bleed. There are exceptions, of course. Accidents are often overlooked. Men in the army are given a pass during training. Injuries taken during battle don’t count. The queen wouldn’t have time for anything else if she had to track down every man who’d ever killed one of her soldiers.”
“Death?” he echoed, catching on the most important word.
“Yes. You can see how the First Night must be treaded carefully.”
“First Night?”
She rolled her eyes. “I had hoped you at least had some idea of what would happen between us tonight. No matter. I’ll explain it as we do to our children once they start to mature. Do you know what happens to some women the first time they have sex?”
“They bleed,” Sanos answered, not liking her tone. He wasn’t stupid. Or inexperienced.
“You seemed to frequent brothels. I thought perhaps you’d never taken a virgin.”
“I haven’t. That doesn’t mean I don’t know aboutsex.”
“It is hard to tell where the gaps in your knowledge lie.”
“I know women.”
“Just not our women, it would seem.” Her eyes promised that would change.
It took him a moment before he finally put her words together. “You kill the men who bed virgins for making them bleed?”
“Yes,” she said simply.
