Sapphire - Book 2 (26 page)

Anxiety coursed through Lysandra’s body.
Curious to finally couple with a man, yet anxious to have the deed
already completed. She’d heard some of the Amazons say it was
pleasurable, but that was only whispered through the rushes. Men
were not brought to their camp for pleasure. They were brought
there for duty only. ’Twas their only purpose in life to plant the
seed of a future female warrior within the Amazon nation.

The queen threw the man down at Lysandra’s
feet and his face rubbed into the dust, only the back of his head
visible for her perusal.

“Raise your face to my daughter,” came
Medora’s snarl. Still, the man did not obey. Then with a swift kick
to his backside, the queen repeated her order.

Lysandra’s insides quivered. This was the
man she would take before the night was through, though she had yet
to see his face. She reached out to touch his head, but before her
fingers met with his hair, he raised his face to her.

Anger, yet cunning blazed in his golden
eyes, seeping right through her. His face handsome, but dirty, his
long hair hung around him, the ends brushing against the ground.
Lysandra couldn’t help but stare at his regal features as he held
his head high and proud. Chiseled cheekbones and a slight hawk-like
sweep of his nose gave him a noble composure. Bushy eyebrows and
deep-set eyes made him look dangerous yet mysterious at the same
time.

“Do you know what is expected of you?”
Lysandra asked the man.

“He’s been informed,” interrupted the
queen.

“You disgust me,” he growled.

Lysandra pulled her hand back, feeling her
own disgust at the man’s insolence. Didn’t he realize the honor of
mating with one of the powerful, undefeated women of her tribe?

“No man has ever denied an Amazon,” warned
Queen Medora, “and neither will you. You have been chosen by my own
hand to be the first man to couple with my daughter, Lysandra, at
her coming-of-age. The moon is right for her time and she shall
conceive your baby this night.” Medora tugged at the chain
connected to his iron collar, and brought the man to a standing
position.

He stood before Lysandra, towering over her
by head and shoulders, triggering off her instinct to draw her
sword in defense though she hadn’t one on her being. His mere
stance dominated the scene, his composure saying he could match any
one of the Amazon warriors. His shoulders straightened and his chin
raised as her mother reached up and took hold of the front of his
garment. With one powerful yank, she tore the cloth from his body,
but he never even flinched. He just stared at Lysandra, his gaze
rattling every one of her nerves. Donned in nothing now but a cloth
covering his loins, his tanned skin shone in the light of the night
fire. Had she not been weaponless and about to mate with this man,
her composure would have been solid. But tonight she’d lose her
virginity, and Lysandra was not used to losing anything.

“No woman has ever treated me as thus,” he
told her in a warning voice. “I advise you not to couple with me.
If you do, you’ll regret it.”

“Be still!” she shouted. “Do not talk to an
Amazon with such tone.”

The Amazon warriors pulled on the chains at
his neck, meaning to punish him for his threat. His feet planted
firmly, his solid body did not move. The veins in his neck bulged,
but he did not cry out in pain. His chest glistened with beads of
sweat, shining in the firelight, and Lysandra couldn’t help but
notice his muscular form. He would make the seed of a strong
warrior baby. He could give her a daughter who would someday rule
the Amazon nation with strength and courage. She prayed he’d give
her a girl so she could raise the child to be as strong as both
this man and herself. She prayed to the gods their union would not
bring about a boy and be a wasted act.

“Let go of the chains,” demanded Lysandra,
and the Amazons dropped them to the ground.

“Lysandra, don’t be foolish,” warned her
mother. “He is not to be trusted. He may run before the union is
consummated.”

“He’s too proud to run.” Lysandra circled
the man, seeing by the twitch in his jaw that her comment was true.
“This man needs to be taught a lesson.” She grabbed his chin in her
hand, squeezing as she brought his face closer to hers. “Tonight
you will learn how to treat an Amazon properly.” She released her
hold, seeing the marks of her fingers upon his skin. The man never
even blinked at her action. “Take him to my tent,” she
instructed.

Several of the women did just that. He had
to duck very low to enter, enabling Lysandra to see the muscles of
his backside. His legs were thick and strong. She was sure other
parts of him were the same.

Once inside the tent, she instructed the
women to strip him, then leave them alone. They removed his cloth,
leaving him naked. With a slight bow of their heads to the Amazon
princess, they left the tent.

He turned to face her, his head scraping the
ceiling. The candlelight lit up his body, enabling her to see each
and every muscle. She twirled the amethyst stone ring on her
finger, the jewelry that identified her as the princess of her
tribe. She spun it around with her thumb, staring at his face, not
letting her eyes travel lower.

His dark gaze encompassed her, mesmerizing
her in a way she never thought possible. She was drawn to this man.
An attraction she didn’t understand. She’d been trained and raised
to hate all men, but this one intrigued her. He held a secret deep
inside of which she could not decipher -a dangerous secret that was
well guarded. Lysandra liked challenges, and this man challenged
her with not only his words but with his stance and the brash way
he looked directly into her eyes. She met his stare, wondering as
to where he had gained his courage to stand up against a tribe of
Amazons. His eyes told her nothing in return.

“So you like my face,” he commented
casually. “Afraid to look lower? I think you’ll be pleased by what
you see there as well.”

The heat rushed to her cheeks at his
insinuation. He was only a man. He shouldn’t be in control of her
emotions. He had caught her by surprise, and she despised that. It
made her weak, and she was not a weak woman.

“I will not have a man telling me what to
do.”

“Ah,” he said. “Then if you do not want to
look at me, at least allow me to see your own body hidden under
that thick robe.”

“Be silenced, you cur!” she shouted, not
believing his audaciousness.

“Perhaps you need help disrobing?” he asked
with a raised brow.

“Your hands and legs are chained,” she
pointed out. “I hardly think - ”

She never finished her sentence. His arms
shot out from behind his back…unchained. He rubbed one foot against
the other in an awkward motion that somehow unlocked the manacles
around his ankles. He stepped forward, free from his
confinements.

“What makes you think your chains can hold
me?”

He reached to the ground and took a thin
metal pick from between his bare toes. He managed to unlock the
iron collar around his neck in one quick motion. He held the
shackle out in front of him for her to see, then dropped it to the
ground. It clanked and landed with a dense thud upon the dirt
floor.

Lysandra didn’t move. Her heartbeat
quickened and she longed for her weapons at her side. Who was this
man that he could escape the Amazon’s chains? Did he have some sort
of strange, magical powers?

“What is your name?” she asked in a low
voice, taking a small step backwards. “Are you a god in disguise?”
If she had angered a god, she’d be punished for her actions. Her
entire tribe could be defeated with just a wave of this man’s hand
if he came from the family of Zeus.

“Nay,” he answered with a half grin. “I am
not a god, nor even a demi-god. My name is Zarek. I am the king of
Thrace.”

So her mother had chosen wisely for her. A
king - good blood to make a warrior daughter. King for father, and
she, a princess for mother. Her daughter would be noble as well as
strong and courageous.

“Well,” she said in challenge, taking a
small step toward him this time. “I suppose you’ll fight me now and
try to escape.” She almost wanted him to fight her. The idea
excited her. She was an excellent warrior, even without her
weapons. Perhaps now she could teach this man a lesson through her
honed skills.

“Not until I get what I came for.”

He reached out and ripped the robe from her
body. She jumped backwards with a gasp, startled at his boldness.
The wool fell to her feet in a pile, and she stood before him in
the candlelight just as naked as he. Her first reaction was to
cover herself, but her warrior pride caused her to face him. She
wouldn’t be intimidated by any male, not even a king. She was a
warrior princess, someday to become queen. She could never show
weakness or her reign would be over.

“You sound as if you mean to be here,” she
said. “I don’t understand. The warriors captured you and brought
you here. You are here against your will.”

“Or so I let them think,” he answered with a
raised chin and half grin. “I want a strong male heir to take my
place upon my demise, just as much as you want a strong female
warrior. I came to impregnate you, and I’ll not leave until the
task is completed.”

“Task?” Suddenly the situation at hand had
turned around. It was she who was supposed to consider coupling
with a man a chore, yet he referred to her as a mere task. This
wasn’t at all to her liking.

“Shall we, Princess?” His proffered hand
pointed to the bed of furs on the ground. “I haven’t all night, as
I need to return to the castle. I have a kingdom to command. My
presence will be missed before too long.”

“But…but…”

She shouldn’t have let him unsettle her, but
she had never expected this to happen. She should have fought him,
and would have if she hadn’t let her eyes drop below his waist.
With one glance to his nether parts, she saw the strength of his
weapon. She wanted to feel the thrust of his sword, wanted to
couple with him in the throes of passion, taking from him what she
needed. But to do that, she would also be giving him what he came
for. Men were worthless and didn’t deserve to attain their
so-called goals. But if she denied him just to teach him this
lesson, she would be defying the Amazon ways and would show
weakness in front of her Amazon sisters.

She would continue with her coming-of-age as
planned. She would take from this king what she needed, and even
though he would be getting what he came for, she would prove her
superiority by maintaining control of the coupling process. She
would become a full-fledged warrior tonight, even if the
circumstances were backwards. She stepped forward and pushed the
naked man down upon the furs.

“You will be the one on your back, not
me.”