Forced Handfasting (7 page)

“This one fits nicely. I will take this one,” she said to Deerna. She wanted to get back into her over-sized clothes, and move on.

“Just one, my lady?”

“Yes, this one...”

“She will take a dozen of the dresses.” Jahan cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

“A dozen?” Clearly Deerna was shocked with Jahan’s request.

“Yes, and I want her to stay in that dress. Please dispose of the other garments she took off.”

Jahan turned his attention back to the vendor who was eagerly figuring up the cost of the dresses.

Sam rushed over to Jahan and grabbed his elbow. “It’s too much! I can’t allow you to spend that kind of money on me!”

Jahan turned his head to look down at her pleading face. “You need clothes, and we are here to do just that. Don’t worry about the expense, little wife. I can afford it.” He dismissed her to turn back to the vendor.

Great! Just fucking great! I will never be out of his debt at this rate;
she thought to herself. There was no point in arguing with him, so she simply stood there, and watched as Deerna carefully folded the array of dresses. Once done, she handed the loaded shopping bag to Jahan.

“Thank you, my lord. It was an honor to provide clothing for your lovely lady.” Both the
vendor
and his wife smiled broadly at him then bowed in respect.

Jahan nodded at the pair then left the booth with her following close behind once again. But before she went too far she turned around and called back to Deerna, “Thank-you!”

The rest of the morning progressed much about the same. When Jahan stopped at a booth, she would go in
to look at the items for sale
, then he would buy the items she examined, then they would move on. It didn’t take long for her energy level to quickly deplete causing her to move slower, and slower as they weaved their way through the market. At one point, Jahan had gotten so far ahead of her that she lost sight of him. She stopped, and looked around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. She scanned the crowd time and time again but no Jahan.

“Ah, you sure are a lovely one. Are you looking for someone to take a tumble with? I’d be happy to oblige!”

Sam jerked around went she felt fingernails lightly trail down the back of her arm. The man standing before her was filthy and his breath nearly knocked her over. His fingers wrapped cruelly around her arm as she attempted to step away.

“Unhand me,” she shouted in his face.

His hand tightened on her arm causing her to gasp with the pain. “Now, now. There is no need to be nasty.” He started to pull her towards him.

“Unhand the female!”

Sam and the man whipped around to see Jahan storming towards them. She was so glad she wasn’t the one about to feel the wrath of anger she saw playing across her husband’s face. The man did let her go, and took a step back.

“Lord Jahan!” The man was visibly shaking now. “I meant no harm to the female.”

Jahan didn’t stop until he was up in the man’s face. “From what I saw, you had every intention of harming the female.”

“No, sir! I was only seeking the pleasures of a female. That’s all! I swear by it!”

“Well, sir,” he spit out sarcastically, “The female you want to seek pleasure with is my wife!”

The man blanched, and his eyes nearly popped out of his scruffy head. He looked from Jahan to her then back to Jahan. “My apologies, my lord. I had not heard you took a wife. Please forgive my error.” The man took a couple of steps back to put some distance between him and Jahan.

“If I ever see you approach a female in that manner again, you will answer directly to me! Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord!” The man turned, and bolted down the narrow walkway of the market.

The people in the market had stopped what they had been doing when Jahan had called out in anger. A sizable crowd had gathered around and was all ears as Jahan put the man in his place. She let out a sigh of relief when the man fled, but it was short lived. Jahan rounded on her, anger still clearly coursing through him.

“Why did leave my side?”

She didn’t know exactly know what to say. Was he blaming her for getting lost when he was the one who left her behind? “I…I didn’t.”

“Of course you did. Were you trying to run away?” His purple eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“I wasn’t trying to run away! I…

“Then what were you trying to do then? I turn around to find you gone then I catch you with that man. Were you going to ask him for help?”

He was clearly not going to listen to her side. It was pointless to argue with a man who suspected her of trying to make a run for it. But, run where? She had to laugh. She had nowhere to run! He had no cause to be angry with her, and until he calmed down some, she refused to say another word.

“Let’s go!” he announced suddenly and took her elbow.

He steered her through the growing crowd and ignored any further calls of greeting. She had to trot in order to keep up with him, and she was about to drop from the exertion.

“Please…please can you stop?” She sucked in gulps of air as she called out to him. When he ignored her plea, she planted her feet and pulled backwards. “Stop!”

That got his attention. “What? Do you wish to go back, and find your friend?”

His words stung. He had automatically assumed she was trying to get away from him, and wasn’t willing to listen to her side of the story.

“No! You are walking so fast, I can’t keep up.” Sweat rolled down both sides of her face even though she could feel that the air around her was cool. Her legs shook, and she feared they would give out any second. A trickle of sweat ran down her back as she struggled to regulate her breathing.

Something on her face, other than anger, must have told him she was in distress. He stared down at her as she stared back, willing her legs not to give out.

“Can I have a minute to catch my breath?” Her ears were beginning to ring, and her stomach did a flip-flop. A wave of nausea hit her so quickly she didn’t have time to turn away from him before she lost the contents of her stomach in front of him. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, and there was not a damn thing she could do stop it. She continued to
vomit
until her stomach was empty, and she was dry heaving. She was bent over at the waist when she felt a cool rag touch her face.

In her moment of incapacitation, she hadn’t notice the hands that pulled her hair back, and held it out of the way as she vomited. She was near to tears when the cool rag ran over her forehead then her cheeks. Whoever was taking care of her, she would give a big kiss to when she righted herself.

“Jahan you are an idiot!”

She knew that voice but couldn’t place it just yet while her ears were ringing. The retching receded but left her legs so weak she felt her body slipping to the ground, but before she hit the hard surface, strong, hard arms lifted her up, and carried her off.

Her head leaned wearily on the hard chest of a man who carried her. She wanted to open her eyes to see who it was, but her eyes wouldn’t cooperate. All her body wanted to do was slip into the world of unconsciousness, and forget all about what happened.

Far off in the distance she heard voices arguing back, and forth but she couldn’t tell if it was coming from the market or from the two men she heard a little bit ago. There was no point in fighting the pull of darkness and the lure of sleep, so she relaxed and let it take over.

Chapter 6

“How could you do that? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Niko shouted at Jahan’s back as he carried Samantha to his vehicle. “Answer me gods damn it!”

Jahan refused to answer. He knew he was the asshole Samantha claimed him to be, and he couldn’t figure out why. He had gotten too far ahead of his wife, and he blamed her for it! When he doubled back, and caught the grungy male with his hands on his wife, all he could see was red. He could tell by the look on his wife’s face she was terrified. He had witnessed her trying to jerk loose from the man, but he was stronger than she was, and refused to let go. It was at that moment his anger got the best of him and caused him to accuse her of plotting to run away.

“Jahan!”

“Just get in the vehicle, Niko.” He gently laid Sam on the back seat, closed the door then went to get in the driver’s seat. Niko slipped into the passenger’s seat, slamming the door behind him.

“You shouldn’t have taken her out yet, Jahan. She is still too weak, and you go, and make matters worse by walking ahead of her! You had better be glad I was trailing your ass! You don’t deserve her by the way you are acting towards her. You are directing this anger in the wrong direction, my friend, and if you don’t start treating her right, I will take her from you!” Niko’s voice was full of disgust, and anger.

His head snapped to glare at Niko. “I will kill you if you try such a thing!”

Niko threw his hands up in the air and let out a growl. “Then what the fuck is wrong with you? Ever since she woke up on the ship, you have been nasty to her. That’s not exactly the way to win her over, you know.”

“Don’t you think I know this?” He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

“Then make me understand,” Niko said.

The vehicle sped along as Jahan tried to rearrange his thoughts. His friend from childhood was right, and he knew it, but was too ashamed to admit it. At first, the idea of having to a wife did not sit well with him, especially one that was being forced on him, but after he had got his first glimpse at the small female standing on that auction block, something overcame him. He thought maybe having her as his wife wouldn’t be such a bad thing. His mood soured when he realized he would have to force her to marry him. Deep down he figured if he weren’t nice anymore, and became more of an uncaring, egotistical idiot, he wouldn’t be bothered with the fact she didn’t want him.

“I can’t explain it. Every time I look at her, all I can think about is claiming her as my permanent mate. She is unlike any other female I have ever encountered but…” he paused for a long moment, “she doesn’t want me. I have asked the goddess to help me but so far she has been quiet.”

“Maybe why the goddess hasn’t answered you yet is because you are an ass!” Niko laughed.

“Not funny, Niko.”

“My friend, lose the asshole act, and win her over, make her want to stay with you. Obviously, your way isn’t working. What would entice you to take her to the market already, anyway?”

“She needed clothing, and I thought she might like going shopping.” He shrugged his shoulders. He felt as if he were being scolded by his father again, which often
happened,
when he was a youngling.

“You should have realized she is not yet back to health. Walking through the market is taxing even on a good day, much less on one who is recovering from being in captivity. Use your brain next time!”

Jahan nodded in agreement. “Would you please summon the healer, and have him meet us in my rooms.”

“Of course,” Niko replied then called to request the healer.

Jahan got them back to the house as soon as he could. When the vehicle pulled up he found that the healer had already arrived, and was waiting for them. He and Niko jumped out of the vehicle as soon as Jahan turned it off. He flung open the back door, and reached in for Sam, who was still unconscious.

“This way, healer.” He strode through the open front door then straight up to his rooms. There wasn’t a moment to waste, and he was anxious to find out if his carelessness had caused his wife any permanent harm. The guilt of the possibility of having caused harm to his mate made him sick. He wanted the healer to do a complete, and thorough exam on Sam.

“My lord, you have...,” Harro slid to a stop when he saw Jahan carrying Sam, and the healer not far behind. “Is my lady alright?”

“Jahan though it was a good idea to take her shopping today.” Niko rolled his eyes behind Jahan’s back.

“I don’t think that was such a good idea,” Harro said as the group walked passed.

The group of now five trudged up the three flights of stairs. Harro ran ahead of Jahan when they entered the room in order to pull back to blankets on the bed he and Sam had shared for the first time last night. He would do just about anything if he could only go back to this morning and start over.

As he gently laid Sam on the bed, the healer moved in beside him and started to pull out his supplies.

“Will she be alright?” Jahan paced alongside the bed.

“My lord, I haven’t examined her yet.” The healer spoke as he worked. He lifted each of her eyelids and flashed a bright light into each one then moved lower to listen to her heart with the instrument hanging around his fat neck. The healer mumbled as he continued his examination, but it wasn’t clear enough for Jahan or Niko to make out what he was saying.

The healer next used the same kind of scanner he had used on Sam when he first brought her aboard his ship. This one though, was a lot better, and more sophisticated than the typical one found on every personal ship. Several minutes had passed before the healer said anything. Jahan was becoming increasing restless the longer the healer stayed silent. He let out a puff of breath when the healer finally turned to him to ask him some questions.

“My lord, your wife seems to be in very poor condition at the moment. Might you tell me what happened to her.”

Jahan quickly relayed the events that led up to him purchasing Samantha at a slave market on Iatune. He informed the healer of his findings when he had run a few simple tests on her then prayed he hadn’t overlooked something that was now causing her to become worse off.

“I see,” the healer said as he listened. “Her heart rate is normal for a human female, but she is suffering from exhaustion, and malnutrition. She should not have been out in the market. The excursion has taxed her system to the point of collapse. I am going to give her an injection that will ward off any infection that may try to develop while she heals. I would suggest that you do not take her out again until her health has improved, and by then it should only be in small excursions.”

“So, she will recover?” Jahan’s own two hearts thudded in his chest.

“Most assuredly, but with the correct amount of rest and diet.” The healer began to pack up his supplies.

“May I ask something else, healer?”

“Of course, my lord, anything.”

“Is my wife capable of conceiving a child?” His question caught the healer by surprise, but the old man tried to hide it.

“As far as I can tell, yes. Let me run a quick scan over her reproductive parts.”

The healer pulled out an instrument Jahan was not familiar with. It was long, skinny, and had a green tip that glowed when he waved it over Sam’s pelvic area. The healer turned back around with a smile on his face.

“Yes, my lord. She is fertile and should be able to bear you many children. Is there anything else I can do?”

The tension left Jahan in an instant. Samantha wasn’t going to suffer from any longer term injuries both her captors, and he may have caused. He would make sure he offered up a special pray of thanks to the goddess for taking care of his mate.

“No, thank you for your help.”

The healer gave Jahan a bow then hurried out of the bedroom. Neither he nor Niko spoke until they heard the closing of the suite’s door.

Jahan sank down into the chair that stood in the corner of the bedroom near the bed. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“I would suggest you take better care of Sam. You could have lost her with your stupid, selfish acts.” It wasn’t often that Niko scolded or argued with him, but this one time he had to admit Niko was completely right.

“Will you stay with her for a bit? I want to go to the chapel.” He stood, and walked over to the bed. He looked down at the female sleeping peacefully in his bed. A strand of her hair caught in the corner of her lips, so he softly brushed it back out of the way. The second his finger grazed her soft, delicate skin a sharp electrical shock shot up his arm causing him to gasp.

“Sure, no problem,” Niko answered.

Jahan turned to face his friend in shame. For the first time in his life, he was truly sorry for his actions. He never thought he could have developed feeling for the tiny human female so quickly, but something or someone was telling him different, and he needed to go to the chapel, and ask the goddess.

“I won’t take long,” Jahan said. “I owe you an apology.”

“For what?” Niko looked confused.

“If it wasn’t for you following us today, I might have lost Samantha. I am forever grateful.” He offered his forearm to his longtime friend who clasped it. The clasping of the forearms was a way to show thanks, or it could be used as a sign of introduction.

“You had better take care of her from now on.”

“I will. That’s a promise.” He released Niko then left the room to head to the chapel.

The chapel was a small stone building that was separate from the main house. It was one of the first buildings that had been built on the mountain when his great-grandfather had moved his people to a higher area.

Stepping into the chapel, he felt a sense of peace fill him. He often came to the chapel when his father was sick, and dying. He prayed to the gods to save his father, but he accepted the fact when they had called his father home. Now, he came to the chapel to pray to the goddess to watch over his fragile mate.

He walked to the front of the chapel then knelt in front of the Goddess of Life statue. The Goddess of Life was one of two goddesses his people worshipped, with the other being the Goddess of Fertility.

He bowed his head in shame in front of the goddess then prayed to her to forgive him. He didn’t bother to offer up any excuse for his recent behavior. He wanted to seek forgiveness, and have the goddess’ protection shine over his new mate, a mate he was quickly becoming attached to.

“I ask you Goddess, Mother of Life, to help my Samantha. She didn’t ask to be brought here by me or for any of things that have happened to her. You can punish me for my foolish actions, but please don’t punish her.” His voice broke at that point.

My child do not bow your head to me in shame.

Jahan’s head snapped up at the sound of delicate female voice coming from directly in front of him. Standing there in a robe of yellow, and white was the goddess herself.

“Goddess?”

Yes, it is me, my child. I have heard your prayers concerning your mate. I have been watching over her ever since her captors removed her from her world.

“You have?” He neared choked with relief.

The goddess had chuckled before she continued.
You seem surprised.

“I am, but why? I did not know I was going to find her on Iatune when I landed there. I was just going there for supplies.”

I led you there, knowing she would be brought there. I have chosen her specifically for you, my child.

“But why? I haven’t done anything special for you to have guided her to me.” Jahan was beyond confused. It wasn’t often things stumped him, especially with all the warrior training he had while growing up, and as a young adult.

But you have, child. You led a planet that is soon to be at war. You had put your people before your needs numerous times, including when your father passed. I have been watching you for a very long time now, and the time has come for you to take a mate, a life mate. Your mate comes from a world that is violent, and selfish. The people on her world do not care for their mates in a way I know you are capable. I brought you two together because you are both lonely, and will give great strength to each other.

“I have already failed her, goddess.”

No, you haven’t. It was a test to see how much you could care for her, and you passed. She is your other half, your life mate. She will bring you great joy, but you need to make her see that you care, that you will love her like no other. It may take some time for her to come to realize it too, but be patient, it will come.
The goddess smiled down on him.
Go now, and see to your mate. Hold her in your arms, and let her feel your energy, you strength. The road ahead of you will take a drastic turn, and there will be danger, so keep her close, and you both will pull through the trouble coming.

Jahan watched in awe as the figure of the goddess slowly faded away. He was unable to move for several minutes after she had left, leaving him alone once again. He drew in a ragged breath then smiled up at the statue. The goddess had come to speak personally to him. Growing up he had heard such stories of the goddess coming to visit chosen ones, but never thought in a million years that she would appear to him.