Page 34 of Mastering their Maiden

“Why?” Aria’s voice broke through my own thoughts, drawing my gaze back to her face. “Why would he leave you with someone so awful?”

“What could he and his partners have done?” I asked rhetorically. “Our tribe had survived a cataclysmic event. Volcanoes and mudslides and terror from the skies. The effects of it changed us. We were few in number, and women were fewer. None of our Kavari maidens fell pregnant, and it became a crisis. We were lost, and Ryne claimed to have plans to save us. Should they have fought against our entire tribe when they had no chance of winning? Should my uncle have tried to start another war when we’d just started to recover from a civil one on top of the cataclysm?”

I gave her a pointed look, lifting my hand to stroke it over her hair. “They did the best they could with the choices they had. It wasn’t easy, I imagine. I was far too little to understand for so long, but now… now I understand.”

She gave me a dubious look. “You understand why your tribe let a tyrant take over? Why they did nothing while he tortured the women you claim to cherish?”

“They were afraid for so long, and it wasn’t until your sister came and stood up to him—until she saved Quade and Indre and the lot of them were forced to run—that others began to notice.” When she scoffed, I gave her a rueful smile. “So many houses know the truth now, but the ones still following him after all he’s done are clinging to tradition.” I glanced down at her, taking a deep breath as I looked away, trying to avoid her piercing gaze. “They’re afraid if we remove Ryne from power, things will collapse. Our society might fall, and if that happens—”

“Then they’ll have no power.”

I turned to look at her, surprised that she filled in the statement for me. Her eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but grin when she shrugged her shoulders and looked back toward the village.

“The Elders’ wives,” Aria said after a minute of silence. “It doesn’t matter how much we suffer—women like me and those with children—as long as they are above us. They have no real power, but the Elders leave them alone. They allow them minor indulgences to make them think they have control. They believe that if things change and the Elders are no longer in charge, they’ll be left with nothing, but that isn’t true. It would be even. It would be better for everyone.”

I pursed my lips, closing the distance between us and setting my hands on her arms, coaxing her to relax slightly. “You and I are not so different.”

Her face tensed again, and she shot a glare in my direction. “We are entirely different,” she countered. “You have power. You command a squadron and could raze my village if you chose to. You are surrounded by men who admire you. And what do I have?”

She scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. “I have a sister who tried to come back to me once, then she gave up.”

“She didn’t give up,” I countered, thinking of the handwritten request at the end of each letter from Quade. “There was a reason Quade said I should take my men to your village.”

Aria scoffed again, giving me a disdainful look. “That was her solution? Sending you nearly a year after she left? A year where I learned to hunt and kill because I had no other choice?”

“The four of us are here now. You have a choice.”

“And what a fantastic one it is,” she said derisively. “Three men who want to ravish me and one who won’t even—”

I waited, watching as she cut herself off. Her cheeks flushed pink, and when I ducked my head trying to catch her gaze, she turned away. “One who won’t even what?” I demanded.

Her shoulders tensed, and she turned away so fast her body was blurred for a moment. “Haven’t you gotten enough out of me?”

“You wanted my attention.”

I bristled at her wry, derisive laugh, and she whirled around, defiance back in her eyes. “In what form? Another spanking? I’m worthy of your hands on my ass but the idea of kissing me must be abhorrent because it never crosses your mind.”

I widened my eyes, watching Aria’s do the same. Her cheeks darkened, and she instantly averted her gaze before stalking toward the woods. I took two large steps to catch up with her, seizing her arm and pulling her close, my eyes falling to her parted lips.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ve kissed you.”

She scoffed. “Barely.”

Desire laced through me, and I pulled her flush against me, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her close. “Is that what you want?”

“I want you to leave,” she countered, but her eyes told a different story. They stared up into mine, filled with longing I knew far too well.

Because I’d been fighting it since I first laid eyes on her.

She set her hands on my chest, ready to push, but she was no match for me if I wanted to hold onto her. I cupped her face, closing my fingers into her hair and tipping her head back, holding her gaze when she tried to look away.

“No, sweet girl. I’m not leaving. We have all night.”

I leaned my forehead into hers, pressing my thumb against her lips. “You may not trust us now, but you will someday soon. We will discipline you, and treasure you, kiss you, and take you into our bed and ravish you until there’s no questions left in your mind about where you belong and with whom. You are not alone, Aleria. Not anymore. I promise you, the four of us will always have your back.”

---