Page 26 of Mastering their Maiden

But as his lips danced over the sensitive skin behind my ears, and his hand palmed my ass, that began sounding more and more appealing. It had as the days went on and the four of them continued to give me various types of pleasure. Kissing between my legs. Using their hands to coax me into a frenzy.

Taking me hunting in the woods even though I no longer had a need to hunt.

“Come,” Zander murmured, releasing me and taking my hand as we moved deeper into the forest. “Show me these archery skills you’ve taught yourself. Kaiden could use a practice partner. The bow is his weapon, too. And I’ll start teaching you to use this.” He held up his spear, and my eyes widened.

“Really?” I asked, hating how desperately excited I sounded. Zander smirked and I schooled my features back to indifference. “You mean you aren’t planning on keeping me tied to a bed for you to ravish?”

“Oh, I’ll tie you up and ravish you, Princess, but the fun part is fighting before that.” He squeezed my hand, using the spear to push aside the brush. “Besides, when you’re not being ravished, there is no reason you can’t learn how to fight. You’re already fiercer than some soldiers. Maybe you can teach them a thing or two about bravery.”

My heart fluttered at the praise, and I bit back a smile, cursing how easily he could charm the sense out of me.

“You won’t get tired of me fighting?”

Zander grinned and leaned down to kiss me again. “Girl, I hope you fight me for as long as you can. Even if you sink to your knees for me or I sink to mine for you, I still want your fierceness. You’ll pass that onto my sons, and besides.” He grinned at me, squeezing my fingers again. “It makes the fucking fun.”

I didn’t know about that, but if it was a fight Zander wanted, I vowed to give him one.

CHAPTER 10

Aria

I didn’t have a chance to fight with Zander for long, sparring or otherwise. After a few days, it was Dex who began taking me out into the woods, handing me wispy green plants he plucked out of the soil.

“Dill,” he murmured, rising to his feet and moving forward a few steps before he bent again. He raised a hand, motioning me closer, then pointed at what I recognized as mint purely by the smell.

“Why are we gathering this?” I asked, taking the leafy plants from his hands. Dex gave me a fond smile, and I cursed the flush that came to my cheeks so easily. The others fought with me. Taunted and teased and tormented when I pushed back against their dominance. Dex was sneaky about it. He was gentle, and borderline sweet.

Until he wasn’t.

I had to remember that. No matter how many times he brought a blush to my face, or cooed consoling words at me while we were out together, he’d held my legs open and licked me just as ravenously as the other three did. He was just as debauched as his other friends, but he kept his lasciviousness hidden behind a mask.

“You forage for survival; I do it to replenish our supplies of herbs and other plants we can use for various things.” He grinned at me, then turned and began moving closer toward the small creek that ran through the woods. “Right now, I’m looking for things to help your friend out.”

My heart stuttered, and I hurried after him, dread creeping down my spine. “My friend?”

“The woman with the baby. Summer, I think her name is.”

I reached his side, putting my body in front of his and narrowing my eyes. “Why does she need your help?”

“She doesn’t need my help specifically, but Ellis and Kaze told me her baby has been fussy. He was up all night crying, they said.”

I frowned, following when he walked around me and continued toward the creek. “He gets stomach pains. Has since he was a newborn.”

Dex nodded. “It’s common. I told Ellis and Kaze I would look for things that might help her out. Dill and peppermint can both ease a stomachache.”

“Why do they care?” I demanded. “And they aren’t even your men. They wear those purple tunics like the other bastards.”

Dex gave me a soft smile. “I think if they had the choice, they’d shred those tunics and go shirtless. And why do they care? The same reason I’m out here indulging you in another walk. They plan to claim her.”

“They can’t,” I snarled. “What about her baby? Will they just take—”

“None of us would ever take a mother from her child. That would be cruel.”

“Then how will they claim her?”

“They’ll arrange her procurement alongside yours, and she and the child will come with us to Magilin. They’ll raise the boy as theirs. He wouldn’t be the first human child to be adopted by our tribe.” Dex gave me another soft smile as we reached the creek, then he turned to me and picked up a lock of my hair. “Do you know the origins of your tribe, Aria?”

I blinked at him, shaking my head. “I don’t belong to a tribe. We’re just a village.”

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