Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) (22 page)

Eden knew it was coming, but she hadn’t expected it to happen today.
He would mark her.
She was playing on his sympathies and his protective nature.
She felt sick; she hoped he would just bite the hybrid princess so it would all be over.
No more dreading the event; she could work on getting on with her life.

Drest walked over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“We wouldn’t suit, Boadacea.
You are like a sister to me and I want you to be happy, but I cannot make you happy.”

Boadacea started to sob.
“You would make me happy.
You are all I’ve ever wanted.
If you love me at all, then give me your mark.
Please, do this for me.”

As Boadacea started to fall apart, he
wasted no time in his rush
to console her.
He pulled her wrist to his mouth and licked the skin.
When Eden saw him close his mouth against her wrist, she assumed he was
attempt
ing
to penetrate it.
After several tries, he looked at
Boadacea
with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry.
I cannot mark you.”

Boadacea took his hand in hers.
“You must try again.”

He reached her throat and attempted to sink his fangs into her
skin.
“We’re not compatible.
If I keep trying to make the mark, I’ll just end up hurting you.”
He held her as she wailed
.
“You knew it wouldn’t work.
The connection cannot be forced.
The problem could lie with me.
I don’t know if I can mark any females.
You will find a much better match.”

Eden watched as he held Boadacea in his arms.
She felt a small bit of satisfaction that he couldn’t mark the princess, although she knew it wasn’t going to change anything.
He was willing to mark another and he wasn’t willing to mark her.
Eventually, he would mark some other hybrid female
.
She watched Boadacea like a hawk for the opportunity to speak with her alone.
The woman had transported her to
Flourda once, so it made sense that she would do so again.

An hour later, the opportunity arose when the other males left the room.
“Take me back to Flourda.
I swear that I will never return to this place
,
”
Eden said.

“I cannot help you.”

“You’ve done it once already.
You told me that I didn’t belong here in your world.
Now, I agree with you.
I will leave this place and never return.
Drest will never know you helped me.”

“He tired of you rather quickly
;
I tried to warn you.
You should not have returned
.
It’s different now that you are a prisoner and not a
freewoman.
I cannot help a prisoner escape
; that would be treasonous.”

It was clear that Boadacea was not going to help her
, so she walked away from her.
She needed some fresh air, but she wasn’t allowed to go outside by herself
.
She
felt utterly defeated and she wanted the day to end.
She sat silently while the others conversed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

At lunchtime, Belenos arrived and he lectured his niece for lingering too long at the lodge
.
Apparently,
Boadacea
was supposed to take her noon meal with the
King
and they were still waiting for her to appear.
Eden felt relieved to see her exit.

“
You look unhappy,” Belenos said.
“It’s ridiculous to keep you here.
Anyone can see that you are not a threat or a spy.
I’ll speak with Drest about it.”

“You could help me get home?”

“That’s not possible, but I could take care of you.
You’d be happy with me.
I can give you more than Drest
can; I have one of the largest holdings in Ravenwood.”

She was touched that he would offer her a life with him, but she felt that he did so out of simple kindness.
She had not seen any signs of any deep affection or regard.
“I’m not ready to take a mate, but I appreciate the gesture.”

Belenos took her hand in his and lightly squeezed.
“I had not thought of taking a mate, but I think it would be best.
You’d have my protection and I would have you.”

“You’re not getting that much with me.”
She was feeling rejected and down on herself, and in her current mood, she didn’t see what she could possibly offer him as a mate.
“I’m still a prisoner, so I don’t think you’d be allowed to take me anywhere.”

“If you were mine, I could take you away from here this minute.
The order has already been given to turn you over to the
King
’s fine.
It could happen as early as tomorrow.
You w
ill
be forced to be a bed slave to dozens of males.
Drest has agreed to let them have
you.
He does not care about you.
He doesn’t care that you will be made to be a whore.
He had what he wanted from you and now he is done with you
.
I want to see you happy.
I care for you.”

“I’m not sure about this.”
She was feeling mixed up and emotional
.
She knew it wasn’t the wisest time to
be making any important life altering decisions, but he was the only person who had actually offered to help her.
He was kind and being his mate would be better than being a bed slave.
He embraced her and touched his lips to hers.
She was feeling too dazed to respond, but he did not seem to mind.
She felt his tongue slide into her mouth.

“Will you give yourself to me?”

She assumed he was referring to the marking.
Consenting would be the logical thing to do in her situation.
“Yes.”

He went for her throat and she felt something prick her skin.
This time, it hurt and she felt like someone was trying to inject her with needles.
She winced, but didn’t cry out or ask him to stop.
She didn’t want to appear weak in front of these hybrids.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Drest throwing them a murderous glare.

“Belenos, you son of a bitch.
I didn’t give you permission to stick your fangs into my prisoner.”

“Drest, I was only trying to do what’s right for Eden.
I offered my protection.”

“You had no right to offer her anything!
Leave this house and do not return.”

Belenos turned to Eden.
“It doesn’t matter what he says.
I will have you, mark or no mark.
There are some advantages to being the brother of the
King
.”

She watched Belenos depart and she wondered about his closing statement.
She pressed her fingers to her throat; it burned and hurt.
She didn’t know whether she had been marked by him or not, but she did know that when Drest had bitten her, it hadn’t hurt.
Her eyes were captured by Drest’s and she could sense his fury, which now was directed fully at her.

“What were you thinking, letting him do that?
”

“He said he’d protect me.”

“Have I not been protecting you?
Have you come to any harm under my roof?”

She nervously held his gaze.
“No.
Not yet.”

“You think you’d be safer with Belenos?
Do you know the first thing he would do to you?”

She shook her head.

“He would fuck you.
Do you know what he would do after that?
Let me tell you, he would fuck you again
.
After that, he would let his friends fuck you.”

She couldn’t believe that about Belenos.
“No.
He wouldn’t do that.
He gave me his mark.”

He stormed to her and pressed his fingers to her throat.
“There’s no mark.
He couldn’t mark you.
He knew the chances of a hybrid marking a human were remote.
Hybrids have enough trouble these days trying to mark other hybrids.
His offer of
protection was bullshit.
He told you what he thought you’d want to hear so he could fuck you.”

“He’s
not like that.
I agreed to take him as my mate.
I’ve been marked before and I know what it entails.”

“You don’t know what being with a hybrid is like.”

“I’ve been with a hybrid, but I guess you have already forgotten about that time we spent in the interrogation room.
Just like you forgot the time when you bit me.
At least if I was with Belenos, he
would
fucking
remember it
.
”

“You think I don’t remember the interrogation room?
I think about it every day, but I had promised to leave
you unmolested.
Had I known that you would feel safer being used as a bed slave, I would not have bothered to restrain myself
!
Is that what you
need?”

“No.
I don’t think so.”

He leaned closer to her.
“I still smell his scent on you.”
He hauled her to the garden and pushed her into the bathing pool.

She
sat stunned while the hot water soaked into her tunic, plastering it to her body.
She wasn’t sure how he could scent anything on her, but she assumed it must be
an ability
specific to hybrids.
He attempted to hand her the soap and she stared at him with defiance.
He set the soap down, swiftly stripped off his clothing, and
joined her in the water.
She
remained
motionless as he soaped the skin of her face, throat, and neck.
“You got my tunic soaking wet.”

He responded by removing the wet garment and tossing it on the patio.
“That better?”

“I think you’re overreacting about the Belenos thing.”

“You fail to understand that you belong to me.
You cannot give yourself to another.”

He sounded awfully possessive for someone planning to give her
to others
tomorrow.
“Exactly how do I belong to you?”

He started to
leisurely
rub soap down her shoulder and across her breasts.
“You’re my
captive
.”
He
filled his hands with her creamy mounds of flesh
and caressed
the
pink coral tips
to stiffness.
“
Besides, y
ou were the one who claimed
to be my lover.
Y
ou’ve told me many times that you are mine.”

She was tired of him giving her these mixed signals.
“It seems like a lifetime ago.
We’re not lovers now.”

As h
e continued to
fondle
her
, they were interrupted by Ninian, who made his presence known by closing the outside door with force.
“We must talk, Drest.”

He sighed in frustration.
“Now?”
When Ninian nodded, Drest stepped out of the bathing pool, wrapped a towel around his waist, and held another towel out for Eden.

***

Drest
walked her into the lodge, left her in the den, and walked with Ninian to the
library.
“What is it?”

Ninian took a seat opposite Drest in the spacious room.
“We must make some arrangements for the female.
She cannot stay a prisoner indefinitely.”

“I don’t mind keeping her here a bit longer.
There’s no reason to rush things.”

“There’s not much point in delaying the inevitable.
The interviews have not yielded any
useful
information
and I’ve seen nothing to suggest she may be dangerous.
There are ways to reduce any risk she may pose to others.
She is not being fully
utilized here, and with
such a shortage of females, we cannot afford
the
waste
.
”