Page 15 of Mastering their Maiden

Esme said I could.

And not all their touches were bad, right? Even now. Zander wasn’t just keeping me pinned as he rubbed me. He was kissing along my neck, breathing out quiet, soft moans into my skin that stirred up unwanted heat, but it was heat nonetheless. And yesterday Kaiden kissed my cheek and along my ear as he held my hair and pushed my head forward and back.

Gods… was I so lonely that their vile touches seemed palatable?

I didn’t want to think about what that meant right now. It wasn’t the question at hand. Dex was stroking my hair, his fingers gentle, a fond look on his face that made my cheeks flush. I swallowed hard, looking up at him warily.

“You won’t let them punish me,” I confirmed, my voice barely a whisper. “They won’t drag me to that cage or to the sept or—”

“If they try, I’ll kill them.”

It was Zander who spoke, and I watched Dex’s eyes widen, but he did not deny the statement. I looked over my shoulder, watching Zander’s eyes narrow as they fixed on mine. “No one will touch you. Only us. You’re ours, Aria. You’re mine.”

My cheeks heated even more, and I turned away, still unsure if I could trust them.

But I believed his words. They were confirmed by the way he clutched me tightly, like he’d die if something happened to me.

Like he’d kill any man who tried to touch what they intended to claim.

CHAPTER 6

Umber

Early morning sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a soft glow over the rickety hut. It looked solid enough to withstand rain and light wind, but I feared if a bad storm were to come through the structure would collapse. But perhaps, like the man who owned it, the building was stronger than it looked.

Frayne greeted us with a grunt, focused on skinning the boar on his table. I suspected he was older than Ryne, wizened by age and time in the sun. Half of the table he worked on bore dark stains, but the other half was clear, and on it were stacked satchels of smoked and salted venison along with deer-hide gloves and hats. Some in smaller sizes. Children’s sizes.

I thought of Aria. How each day on her ‘laundry’ rounds she stopped by the houses with children first. The Elders punished their mothers the harshest, so they were the priority for the supplies she’d gathered.

Her concern for the young ones only made me more certain that she was meant to be our maiden.

Frayne lifted the boar and removed the hide, tossing it over a rack to dry. I didn’t ask if he’d caught it because I knew he hadn’t. Before we left this morning, I’d seen Aria coming through the fence alone again, completely disregarding the arrangement she’d made with us to not go out in the woods. I’d watched her sneak toward the well located behind the maidens’ quarters, filling a bucket full of water to wash her hands clean of blood. After that, she’d shimmied out of the filthy tunic and pants she’d had on into a proper dress. No panties, though. Zander had taken them all.

The thought of her walking around bare under those skirts made my cock ache. I wanted to lift them and bury myself inside her, walk around the village with the scent of her cum all over my face and fingers.

“So, I hear more soldiers will be along in a fortnight?”

Frayne’s voice pushed thoughts of Aria’s cunt out of my mind, drawing me back to the conversation at hand. I watched Kaiden nod, a frown on his face as he looked over the boar.

“Yes. Quade’s maiden is going to deliver any day now. As soon as he, Lavan, and Viggo feel it’s safe to move them, they and the others are planning to march on Magilin.”

Frayne pursed his lips. “Where is he planning on putting Esme and her baby while you all battle one another?”

“Most likely the catacombs beneath his estate. That’s how he plans to enter the city,” I explained, and Kaiden nodded.

“Esme won’t be the only one with a baby. Draven, Klev, and Indre’s maiden gave them a son just a few days ago. I suspect they plan to keep them hidden in the catacombs until—”

“They could stay here for a few days,” Frayne offered. “I’m sure Aria will be glad to see her sister again.”

“Aria will be with us,” Kaiden said simply.

“And I doubt the others would be willing to leave their women and children behind,” I added. “Not with Ryne’s troops in the city, and not while Hoval and Micah are still—”

“You’re not planning on removing them from power?”

Frayne lifted his eyebrows, and Kaiden shifted back and forth, eyes darting around the room then back to the man. “That’s not our fight at this moment. We can deal with them after.”

Frayne stared at Kaiden, then looked back at the boar. “Aria won’t like that. She won’t leave the village while they’re still in power. It’s the reason she hasn’t run yet.”

---