Chains of Desire (15 page)

“Oh yes. And I was happy. Really. I grew up with the
princess and all her other ladies. They are like my sisters.”

“I had a sister,” Jarrod said softly.

“You did?”

“One sister. Four brothers. Layna was the baby in the
family. We teased her like all big brothers, but we would do anything for her.”

Hanna smiled. “You spoiled her?”

He nodded slowly, then was quiet for a moment. “She’s all
grown up now. She could have a child of her own.”

Hanna reached up and stroked his cheek. He looked so sad
suddenly. “You’ve never seen your family since you escaped from the mines?”

He shook his head.

“I haven’t either.” She should probably miss them, but it
was hard to miss what you didn’t remember. “The people in the palace are more
like family to me now.”

“And I’m taking you away from them. Are you sure you don’t
want to stay on Vanya?”

“Are you trying to talk me out of coming with you?” She
asked the question lightly but held her breath as she waited for the answer.

He gathered her to him and crushed his lips to hers. “I’m
trying to be a gentleman and give you an out. But I’m afraid I might keep you
tied in my room if you wanted to change your mind now.”

A thrill ran through her at the thought that he wanted her
that much. “No, I’m not going to change my mind. Please believe me, Jarrod.
Sooner or later, we all need to leave home.” She’d been languishing there. Her
life with Jarrod would be fun and exciting. She couldn’t wait to be on the way
to her new life.

* * * * *

Jarrod and Micah must have done a good job eluding any
Norians who might have come after them because they were never attacked or even
approached by another ship. Hanna spent most of the rest of the journey to
Vanya tied up in Jarrod’s room, even though she hadn’t changed her mind. Not
always tied up. Sometimes she had to hold her position while she was spanked.
Sometimes she had to bend over and grab onto her ankles while he enjoyed her
from behind. Sometimes she came out of the room with his marks on her body.

She did get to spend more time with the princess and the
other women. They all talked about being home soon. But Vanya didn’t mean home
to Hanna any longer.

“Home is where Jarrod is,” she explained to Serena when they
were alone in the lounge. It was the last day of the voyage. Tomorrow they
would reach Vanya. “I want to make a life with him. I’m going to ask your
father to release me so I may go with him.”

“I worry for you,” Serena said. “Yes, he rescued us and for
that I will be forever grateful. But he also frightens me.”

“I know he’s big and has a dominating personality but he’s a
good man. Don’t be afraid of him.”

“I’m not afraid of him physically,” the princess said. She
placed her hand on Hanna’s. “I’m afraid he’s brainwashed you. Turned you into
some kind of slave for him.”

Hanna almost laughed out loud. “I’ve always been a slave,
Your Highness.” Princess Serena blushed and drew her hand away. “Yes, you and
your family treated me well but I had no choice in what I could do with my
life. Jarrod has given me a choice.”

“It’s more than that,” Serena said softly. She looked
around, as if to make sure they were alone, before she went on. “I hear your
cries behind closed doors. I see the marks on your skin. Are you telling me I
don’t have a reason to worry about you?”

“Oh Princess, I wish I could explain to you the joy I feel
when he restrains me. Yes, I am his slave when we have sex, but it is a role I
play willingly. There is a freedom there, a sexual freedom I didn’t know was
possible.” She squeezed the princess’s hand. “It answers a need in me I didn’t
know I had.”

“But he orders you about. I have seen it myself. Perhaps he
is looking for his own personal slave in all parts of his life.”

“No.” Did he order her about? Of course not. “When we are
not having sex, I’m not his slave. He calls me Hanna. I call him Jarrod. We’ll
be running a trading post together. I will be a partner with him where we are
going.”

Serena caught her gaze, held it. “Do you love him?”

Tingles danced in Hanna’s stomach. She couldn’t entertain
such thoughts. “No, Princess. Sex slaves cannot love their Masters. I am
devoted to him, yes. But love is not possible.”

“Oh Hanna, is that what you want? To never know love?”

Hanna tried to ignore the twinge of regret the princess’s
words caused. If she
were
to love a man, it would be Jarrod who
protected the weak and rescued the helpless and gave her pleasure she’d never
imagined. But even if they could never love each other, they would be good for
each other. She was certain of that.

“We will have a good life together,” Hanna said. “If I had
never left Vanya, when would I have ever known love? Now I am cared for by a
man who thinks I am brave and strong and beautiful. There are worse things,
surely.”

“Perhaps you are right. I know I have never seen you so
happy.” Serena hugged her. “I will miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Hanna said. Her life had changed so
quickly. She could hardly remember her life from before. Could hardly imagine
what it would be like from now on. “I hear you’ve been bothering Micah.”

“I’m not bothering him,” Serena said quickly, but Hanna
didn’t miss the blush that rose to the princess’s cheeks. “I’m just curious,
that’s all. I think this ship is fascinating. Have you looked at that control
panel? I would love to learn how to fly a ship like this.”

Hanna couldn’t imagine the princess at the controls of a
complicated spaceship. “Really? It doesn’t have anything to do with the sexy
pilot, does it?”

Her pale face grew redder. “Of course not.” She cleared her
throat as Jarrod strode into the room. “Hello.”

Jarrod bowed to the princess, then held out his hand to
Hanna. “I need you. Come.”

Serena’s words came back to haunt Hanna. Was he going to
want to be the Master in all facets of their life? It was time to assert
herself and show him he couldn’t order her around all the time. “I’m sorry,
Jarrod, but I’m talking with the princess right now.”

His eyes flashed darkly, but he only bowed to her. “Forgive
me, Hanna.” He turned to leave, then stopped and faced them again. “I almost
forgot, Princess. Micah said something about showing you the control panel?”

Serena leapt to her feet and was gone in a flash. Jarrod
smiled widely at Hanna. “Perhaps you can help me now?”

Hanna narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of
her. “I don’t want you to think you can just order me about all the time.”

He looked as if her words had shocked him. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about. If you came to me and said you needed me, I would
jump to your aid.”

“You’re right. Of course. I’m sorry.” She stood up and
smiled sheepishly. “What is it that you need?”

He hooked a finger in her collar and tugged. “I have a
craving for sunberries and cream.”

King Lars was overjoyed to have his daughter returned to
him. Jarrod stood back and watched as everyone in the palace welcomed the
princess home. The portly king ordered a celebration dinner for that night and
invited Jarrod and Micah as guests of honor. He barely said anything about
Hanna or the other women, but Jarrod had never been a father, so he couldn’t
say what he would have done under the circumstances.

As soon as all the hugs and the dinner plans were made, the
king asked Jarrod and Micah to join him in his private office. His office
didn’t have the rich tapestries hanging on the wall or ornate sculptures that
decorated the rest of the palace. A large desk and shelves filled with books
were the focal points of the room.

The king wasn’t dressed in resplendent robes, but a rumpled
gray one. His face sported a week’s worth of growth. He’d obviously suffered
while his daughter had been missing. The king took a seat behind his massive
desk. Jarrod and Micah stood, as there were no other chairs in the room. “Tell me
how this happened,” the king said, “and what I can do so it doesn’t happen
again.”

Jarrod and Micah exchanged glances. Micah was the one who
was good at explaining things, so Jarrod gratefully gave him the floor.

“Forgive my blunt words, Your Majesty, but you have left
Vanya completely vulnerable. There are many powerful, highly technologically
advanced worlds in the universe. You have not opened communication lines with
any other planet. You don’t have any means to defend yourself. You didn’t even
have guards watching your women.”

“It was extremely easy to drop in and snatch them all.”
Jarrod couldn’t resist adding his own frustrated remarks.

The monarch didn’t appear to take any offense. He was
obviously puzzled. “Vanya has never been attacked before. We have never even
been approached by the government of any other world. We saw no need to invest
in planetary defense.”

“You had no quarrel with Noria?” Micah asked. “No reason for
them to abduct your daughter?”

The weary king shook his head. “No. When my daughter went
missing, we only searched on Vanya. It never even occurred to us that she’d
been taken in a spaceship to a distant planet.”

Jarrod had assumed there must have been some bad blood
between Vanya and Noria for the Norian king to pay a huge sum of money to
kidnap the princess. “So we have no way of knowing if they will try again.”

The king jumped from his seat. “I will hire you both as
bodyguards for my daughter. I will pay you as well for your expertise so I can
keep her safe.”

Anger caused Jarrod to curl his hands into fists. Reason
stopped him from using them. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but you are the king of
the whole of Vanya, are you not? Don’t you want to keep all your people safe?
You have many subjects you are responsible for.”

King Lars nodded slowly and pierced him with his gaze. “Like
Hanna.”

“Hanna went through hell in your daughter’s stead.”

The king’s ruddy face reddened even further. “It was her
duty as Serena’s decoy.”

“And did she have any say in the matter?”

“It was her duty!”

The stubborn king had no idea what Hanna had gone through.
He obviously didn’t care, as long as it hadn’t been his daughter. Jarrod turned
away before he said something he’d regret.

Finally Micah spoke up again. “Surely you have someone on
Vanya who can guard your daughter.”

“Not until they know what to watch for. How to protect her.
Please help us.”

“Fine,” Jarrod heard Micah say. “I’ll stay until I can train
a bodyguard for Princess Serena.”

Jarrod whirled around. “What?”

Micah shrugged, as if resigned. “You go on ahead to the
settlement, start getting things ready. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Vanya doesn’t have fast enough transport to get you to
Ceylon 7.”

“Then you can come back and get me.”

Jarrod didn’t like this at all, but it looked as if the
princess had gotten her hooks into Micah. And Jarrod couldn’t say a word about
it because the most important thing on his mind right now was Hanna.

“Your Majesty, I request that you release Hanna from her
duty so she may start a new life with me.”

King Lars lifted his bushy eyebrows. “You are willing to
pledge your life to hers?”

Pledge? “Sure.”

“Very well. We will have the pledging ceremony at the
celebration tonight.” The king shook his hand. “I will arrange everything.”

Jarrod uneasily watched the king leave the room. He turned
to Micah. “What did I just agree to?”

“I believe you’ve just agreed to spend the rest of your life
with Hanna.”

Jarrod nodded slowly. Why did the thought give him nothing
but joy? Most Masters didn’t commit to a slave for life, but he’d heard of it
happening. And right now he couldn’t imagine his life without Hanna in it.

“Could it be that you’ve fallen in love with your little
slave?” Micah asked. His tone was light, but there was a seriousness to the
question.

“Love?” A spike of regret stabbed him at the word. “Love
isn’t possible between Master and slave, you should know that. The domination
and submission create powerful emotions, but they shouldn’t be confused with
love.”

Micah frowned. “Did some old Master tell you that? Love
happens between two people. Not Master and slave. Not any other title you want
to give them. Two people.” He clapped Jarrod on the back. “Look into your
heart, my friend, before you take your pledge.” He walked out, leaving Jarrod
alone in the king’s private office.

Jarrod sank into the king’s chair. What did he feel for his
feisty little slave? Was it an affection that went beyond the physical
attraction, beyond the fondness of a Dom for his sub? Was it love or merely
devotion?

How could he know for sure?

* * * * *

Hanna could hardly believe that Jarrod had agreed to the
pledging ceremony. They hadn’t known each other very long. They hadn’t
discussed making that kind of commitment to each other. And she couldn’t forget
what she was told at the slave station, that Masters rarely kept a slave
forever. The fact that he was willing to pledge his life to her was
overwhelming. And made her so happy. Serena and the other women were so excited
they scurried around to find a dress suitable for such an important occasion.

Serena offered her a pale blue dress of the finest lace.
“But it has a plunging neckline and no sleeves. Perhaps I should try to find
something to cover your…um…your jewelry.”

Hanna shook her head. The dress was so beautiful it took her
breath away. “I am not ashamed of the collar and cuffs, Princess. I am pledging
myself to Jarrod as I am. I have no need to cover them.”

“Very well then. It is my gift to you.”

Hanna tearfully hugged Serena. “I’ll miss you, Princess.”

“I will miss you as well. But since your sexy mate has a
fast ship, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”

The time for the ceremony was upon her before she knew it.
The king would preside over the ceremony, then all were invited to the feast
afterward. Hundreds of people gathered to witness the pledging.

When she saw Jarrod standing in front of the king, waiting
for her, she caught her breath. She’d forgotten it was customary for the man to
be bare-chested for the pledging ceremony. His tattoo stood out for all to see.
Of course, she thought it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. He was the
sexiest man she’d ever seen.

A strong emotion rose inside her, so fast and intense that
she caught her breath. She was filled with joy and longing. If she didn’t know
better, she’d swear it was love for her Master. Hanna blinked back her tears
and hurried to his side.

The ceremony took only moments.

King Lars held Hanna’s right hand and Jarrod’s left. “In
front of these witnesses, do you pledge your lives to each other?”

“We do,” they replied in unison.

“Then you are mated for all eternity,” the king announced.
He placed Hanna’s hand into Jarrod’s. “Live well.”

Jarrod looked at Hanna, his hand clutching hers. “That’s
it?” he whispered.

“Do you need more?” she asked with a grin. The king had
already left them standing in front of the dining hall. The people were
following him inside for the celebration.

“No. I was afraid it was some lengthy ritual and I wouldn’t
get to enjoy your body for hours and hours.”

“Well, the ceremony may be brief, but Vanyans love dinner
parties. The more elaborate, the better. I’m afraid it may be hours before we
can leave.”

He clutched both her hands. “We could leave now. They won’t
miss us.”

“You are one of the guests of honor. You will be missed.”

He groaned. “Then let’s get this over with.”

Hanna led him into the huge dining hall. A long table set
for five sat at one end of the hall. Large round tables, enough to sit the
hundreds of Vanyans, filled the rest of the hall. Long cloths the color of the
Vanyan sky covered the tables and pooled on the floor.

King Lars sat at the center of the table. He placed Micah on
his left, with Serena on the other side. Jarrod sat on the king’s right, with
Hanna on the other end. Servants quickly filled their glasses with cold
portberry wine. While they filled all the other glasses, the king made his
speech, first congratulating Jarrod and Hanna on their pledging. Then he
explained what happened to the princess and how Jarrod and Micah had saved her.
He talked about the other planets of which he’d been informed and what Vanya
must do to protect themselves and bring their planet up to date with the rest
of the universe.

King Lars liked to talk.

The whole time he talked, Jarrod was touching Hanna
somewhere. He started just casually stroking her arm, while he looked at the
king. Just that innocent contact sent her sex tingling. Then, as the king
droned on, Jarrod swept her hair off her shoulder, drew a finger down her
throat and played with her collar. She shivered with his touch.

He leaned over to kiss her ear and whispered, “Spread your
legs.”

“What?” Hanna struggled to keep the astonishment off her
face. Yes, the tablecloth reached the floor, but what if the king saw? And she
really hadn’t expected Jarrod to make demands on her now, in public.

“No one can see.” Jarrod slid his hand gently beneath the
hair at the back of her neck and tugged back on the collar. Not hard, just
enough that she felt it when she swallowed. Just enough to remind her she was
his slave. “Spread your legs for me.”

She did as he commanded. She’d never really considered
otherwise. If anyone noticed her shifting in her seat, they’d think she was as
bored with the king’s talk as they were.

Jarrod slid his hand beneath the tablecloth. He stroked her
thigh from knee to crotch, pushing up the skirt of her dress until her sex was
exposed. She shivered. “Spread them farther.”

She grabbed her glass and took a long drink of wine. Then
spread her legs even farther apart.

Jarrod looked behind her chair and frowned.

“What?”

“I think your skirt is caught.” He slid out of his chair and
knelt behind her. Hanna didn’t dare look over her shoulder to see what he was
doing. She struggled to keep her smile as she faced the crowded tables of
Vanyans.

It was impossible not to react when he grabbed her ankles,
pulled them behind the chair legs and hooked the ankle cuffs together. She
gasped and caught herself as she felt her body shifting forward.

“Sit back. Shoulders straight.” How could his whispered
commands sound like shouts?

She leaned back as best she could and was able to find a
comfortable balance. Jarrod returned to his seat beside her and casually cupped
his full wineglass in his hand as if nothing had happened. He smiled and nodded
at whatever the king was saying. Hanna had long since given up trying to pay
attention.

He set the wineglass down after he’d taken a sip and placed
his hand over her bare sex. It was so cold, she almost gasped out loud. His
chuckle was so low, she knew she was the only one who heard it. He slipped a
finger inside her, then two. He pumped them roughly in and out of her. She
couldn’t help but wriggle in response.

He buried his face in her hair. “You like that, don’t you?
My pretty little slave is hot and wet.”

She couldn’t do more than moan softly and rub her face
against his. Anyone looking at them would think they were new mates who
couldn’t wait to be alone. No one would know what they were doing right in
front of them.

He slid his fingers in and out of her, slipped them through
her sensitive folds, brushed them against her nub. She gasped as the sensations
built within her, scrambling along her skin and concentrating exactly in the
spot where her Master was playing. She clutched the edge of the table and
stared into his eyes, panting. He continued to play with her, sliding his
fingers along her flesh, thrusting deep within her and bringing her almost to
the peak.

Then he casually slid his fingers from her body and left her
hanging.

She whimpered. “You’re so cruel.”

He chuckled as he wiped his fingers on his napkin. “Would
you really want to come? Here? Now?”

She shook her head as she thought about how her body would
thrash uncontrollably if she came. That would certainly get everyone’s
attention. Again, her Master knew what was best for her.

Finally the food was served and the king stopped talking.
Never one for talking if there was food around, he dug right in. All his
subjects followed suit.

Hanna wasn’t very hungry. Arousal sang through her body.
With her legs restrained, and her Master beside her, she found it very hard not
to slip into slave mindset. Her skin tingled and her sex throbbed. Her nipples
prickled with need and they’d not even been touched. She wondered what else he
had in mind. Everyone was eating. No one was looking at them. She could only
imagine what else he’d come up with.