Dark Lord (11 page)

“I did not agree to do that with you!”

He
leaned into her body again
as she struggled.
“Remember.
I want you to remember what you said.”

Her face colored in embarrassment.
“I do not remember!”

“We will repeat this until you do.
Consider it a lesson.”
He captured her in his gaze again and compelled her with his mind.
“
Tell me what I want of you.”

“My surrender.”

“And what shall you do?
Answer when you come to full awareness.”
He waited while her eyes returned to normal.

She looked at him oddly before responding.
“I will submit to you.”

“
Yes, that
is what I
want you to do
.
You have no choice but to submit.
I will not release you until you agree to surrender something.
In what way
are you prepared to s
ubmit
?
”

Her look was hesitant, but her voice was firm.
“
In whatever way you desire.”

“You should not surrender everything.”
He
coaxed
her mouth
open and explored with his tongue
while h
is hands roamed her naked skin.
He reached for her breast
and began to caress it at length.
She voiced no
prot
est, yet her eyes were clear and aware.
He didn’t think she was still under hybrid influence.
“Why do you still submit to me?
You don’t have to play my game, you know.
”

“You will continue to assert your dominance over me until I
acquiesce
, so there would be no point in resisting.
Am I right?
”

She was playing a dangerous game, one that he had stupidly initiated.
“I could decide to let you go.”

“Yes, but you will not release me until you’re ready.
You’re not done with me.”

He reached down below,
to the area
between her thighs
that held her body’s entrance.
He tested her with his fingers and encountered damp, slippery feminine flesh.
She should not be allowing his intrusion.
“What will you do afterwards?
Will you run to the Countess and tell her how you were violated by her hybrid harem lord?”

“You know I cannot tell her anything of th
e
matter.”

He continued to stroke her intimately with his hands while she made no move to stop him.
“Then how will you protect yourself from further invasion?
Are you not concerned for your safety, the safety of
the
Flourdans
?
You cannot leave yourself so vulnerable to attack.”
He leaned down and captured her breast in his mouth, learning the taste of her nipple with his tongue.

“You must leave Avenal.
If you do not leave, I will have no choice but to warn the Countess of the danger you pose.”

Her words lacked conviction.
“
You don’t really wish me to leave.
If you wanted me gone, you wouldn’t let me touch you.”

“It is because you are near that I have such trouble.
I cannot help the way my body responds to you, but I still want you gone from Avenal.
You’re a hybrid.”

He could not allow her to reveal his hybrid heritage under any circumstances.
“
You will not speak to anyone about hybrids and you will not associate my name in any way with hybrids.
Do you understand me?
I would not wish to harm you, but my identity has to remain hidden.”

“I will not betray your identity to anyone.
There is no need to threaten me.
But I must still insist that you leave Avenal.”

“No, that is not up for discussion.”
He continued to taste her skin and still she made no protest.
“You have not asked me to stop.
You’re running out of time.”

“You obtained my agreement in a rather underhanded manner, but I am still obliged to abide by it.
I
will
submit.”

“You remain influenced by my suggestion even now?
I thought the effects would be long gone.”

“I still feel the urge to submit.
It causes pain even to think of refusing you.
I want
the feeling to go away
.
You can make it go away.”

“I will release you.
All you have to do is agree to my terms.
Cease any talk of hybrids and make no further attempts to evict me from this harem.
That includes your
useless
attempts to persuade me to leave willingly.”

“I cannot agree to that.
I would rather suffer the consequences.”

He looked at her incredulously.
She would rather surrender her body to him rather than cease her meddling?
It made no sense.
He placed her hand firmly around his shaft so she would understand what she was provoking.
She made a whimpering sound and squeezed her hand more tightly around him.
He could smell her arousal and he was aware that his hybrid nature was taking over.
He tried to resist the urge to take what she was offering.
She began to stroke him and he felt himself succumb.
She halted as she
looked into his eyes and he sensed her wave
of fear.
He had frightened her and she was probably turned off by his hybrid appearance.
He could feel his hybrid side
emerging
and he knew it would likely be reflected in
his eyes.
Her hands sti
lled and slid from his body.
She tried to back away from him, but
was stopped by
the wall
at
her bare back.
She couldn’t escape him, not while h
is hand was still upon her, stroking her most intimate feminine flesh.
“You must agree to my terms or submit to my touch.
Your choice.”

She relaxed against the wall.
“I
choose to
submit.”

Her stubbornness was going to spell the death of them both, for he couldn’t see any reason why he should not proceed with the ravishment.
His concerns about falling prey to the mating bond were disregarded as he contemplated how best to enjoy her.
The room lacked a bed, but the floor or the table could do well enough.
“You must never suggest a meeting alone with me again.
You
will cease all talk of hybrids or I’ll have no choice but to discipline you for it.
Since you are so willing to grant your submission, I want you beneath me.
You may choose the floor or the table.”

“Beneath you?
You would do such a thing to a lady?
I had thought to do this in the usual manner.”

He would do this only once with her.
Any more liaisons would be beyond stupid for them to risk, so he would have to hope that he could manage the troublesome aftereffects of that mating bond.
Surely it couldn’t be true that one could die without mating; it sounded like a myth made up by a bunch of horny males to get females to
succumb
to them.
They could risk one night, if only to get this unwanted attraction out of their systems.
It would have to happen now, while they were alone and safe from discovery.
“I must insist on doing it my way and I care not that it violates
Flourdan
laws.
You did promise to submit.”

“I did, so I will do as you wish.
But n
o one
must
ever know I committed such an indecent act.”

He was surprised her agreement came so easily, especially since he had demanded that he be allowed to take her like a whore, something only done with slaves and concubines.
Ladies only ever accepted a male when they were on top, in complete control of the act.
There was minimal touching and the male knew not to ever do anything without the permission of the female.
He had expected her to refuse him, which would have made it easier for him to put a stop to this whole thing.
Her agreement caught him off guard and he hoped she wasn’t under hybrid influence without his knowledge.
She appeared in control of her faculties.
He pulled her against him again and took her mouth in a kiss.
He told himself to
go slowly and not mount her like some kind of wild beast.
He didn’t wish to frighten her, but restraining
himself was difficult to do because he had not had a woman in a very long time.

As she began to relax, a loud bang and the sound of breaking glass jarred them both.
She glanced at the wall opposite them and stared in horror at the broken pieces of wood.
The remains of a table that had, until now, been in decent condition littered the floor.
The nearby window was shattered and glass covered the floor beneath.
“What just happened?”

He did not know, but he was afraid that his hybrid nature was to blame.
How else was he to explain how a table got hurled against the wall by itself and a window had shattered?
He stepped away from
her
and took a closer look at the damage.
It was bad and the sounds would bring attention.
Frustration mounted as he surveyed the destruction and he was angry at himself for his lack of control, which had come at the most inopportune time.
He was nearly choked by disappointment
.
There would be
no liaison, no night of pleasure
.
The moment had passed along with the opportunity and it would not reoccur.
They would both come to their senses by morning and would take no further chances at being alone together.
“We shouldn’t linger here.
That loud crash will surely draw others here to investigate.”
He opened the door and peered into the hallway.
“The hall is vacant of people.
We should leave.”
He glanced at her naked body and he knew there was no way to retrieve her clothing.
“You need something to wear.”