DarykRogue (3 page)

Rayder reached out to touch her throat, and she flinched at
his audacity and the soreness.

She grabbed his big hand and pushed it away. “Don’t touch
me.”

“I wouldn’t move much if I were you. You’re hurt more than
you know.”

“I’m well enough.”

“You almost drowned. A little longer and you would’ve slid
into the ocean for the last time. Farcam is a brutal man. He could have crushed
your throat if he’d wanted to.”

“I know.” She swallowed around her sore throat. Thinking
about how close she’d come to losing her life iced her heart. “Why didn’t you
let him?”

He grunted. His eyes grim and mouth tight. “He’s dragon
dung. Filth who should have died long ago.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what she expected him to say. She
switched subjects to avoid thinking about almost having her throat crushed.
“You rescued me from the water because you saw me as slave material?”

“Yes. We watched your ship get hit by the wave and go under
and figured there couldn’t be survivors. When we arrived at the location, we
found you and three other women floating nearby.”

Her heart leapt. “I was with two friends. Mia Griffi and
Ketera Aldrancos. Are they on board?”

The slaver shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of.”

Disappointment and grief threatened, but curiosity stifled
stronger emotions. “I demand to find out for certain.”

To her surprise he said, “I will check the names of the
slaves already on board.”

“One other thing. Did you pull a man from the ocean as
well?”

His eyes narrowed. “No. Why? Is he your betrothed?”

She swallowed hard, relief flowing through her. While she
normally would never wish death on anyone, she couldn’t imagine what she’d do
if Taris Elian had made it onto this ship. How much should she tell this man?

She made a quick, perhaps rash decision. “His name is Taris
Elian.” She added acid to her voice. “He was my husband. That is all you need
to know.”

“You have a husband?” Rayder’s mouth firmed, hardness
entering his eyes. “I see no grief in your eyes for him.”

Magon, she wished she could manufacture grief for the man.

“I wanted nothing to do with him. My parents arranged it. I
escaped him in Opali after—” She stopped herself. He didn’t need to know the
sordid story. “He caught up with me at the
Hydrasoseles
and was taking
me back to Opali.”

His eyes narrowed, keen intelligence and curiosity
sharpening his gaze. “So you were as much a slave in Magonia as you are on this
ship.”

Damn him for pointing that out. She nodded reluctantly. “In
a fashion.” She knew the answer to her next question but asked it anyway. “Why
did you save me?”

Xandra thought she saw concern and a very human emotion in
his eyes. It flickered and died. “In my former life it was my duty to protect
others. I’m an exceptionally strong swimmer and I jumped into the ocean. The
men threw me a line.”

Unless he lied about his heroics and this former life, she
couldn’t help but admire such bravery…even if it belonged to a slaver. “Thank
you for…saving me. From the water and from those odious men.”

He didn’t acknowledge her thanks, but his expression filled
with a smidgen of admiration. “I’m amazed, my lady. You show more courage than
any Magonian woman I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and maybe most Dragonians.”

Xandra’s throat tightened as she noted that she’d placed
herself in jeopardy speaking to this man so boldly and engaging him in
conversations about sex. Drinking ocean had apparently disrupted her common
sense.

“What…what time is it?” she asked, hoping to divert his
thoughts from carnal actions.

“You’ve been unconscious a night and day. It’s morning now.”

She sighed, perturbed. “How was I to know I was on a slaver
ship?”

He leaned closer, and this time his fingers traced down the
side of her cheek. Hot skin against skin contact sent a wake of response
rippling through her skin. Part of her liked his touch, and that shocked and
scared her.

“Soft. You’d fetch a pretty penny in Dragonia,” he said
softly, his voice a rumbling deep purr that stroked her skin as wonderfully as
his touch.

He leaned in closer, his heat and warmth seeming to surround
her. Rayder’s eyes weren’t as black as she’d believed. Hints of green and gold
flashed within, and as she stared, red flashed.

She gasped and her heart froze. “
What
are you?”

His lips parted, coming closer. “I told you. A slaver.”

Nearer. Nearer. Was he going to kiss her?

She couldn’t move.

For a few seconds more they hung in limbo until he moved
back abruptly and stood. “While you’re on this ship, you will do as I say when
I say.”

“But—”

“Follow my direction or there will be hells to pay.”

“Why am I here in this cabin? Do you house all slaves in
such generous accommodation?”

He strode toward the door, and her gaze snagged on his broad
shoulders, slim hips and the obvious strength in his body. Rayder turned to
look at her. “No. We have slaves belowdecks in far less comfortable conditions
than you are enjoying.” He gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze challenging
her to do or say anything untoward that might incur his wrath. “The only reason
why you’re here is because I claimed you with that kiss.”

Her jaw sagged as everything inside her protested. “You
don’t mean to make good on this…claiming. No decent man would. I only kissed
you to make it look like I wanted the claiming.”

“Too bad, my darling. You should have put more thought into
it before you acted.” His words came out sharp and sarcastic. “As it is, you
should only feel a little safe from the rest of the men on this ship. They
don’t always follow the rules of Dragonian society. If you leave this room
without me you take your life in your hands.”

Rayder turned toward her, his eyes glinting with menace.
That’s also when she saw another feature she couldn’t fail to notice. His
manhood pressed solidly against his trousers and the material outlined his
thick, long cock.

By the god Magon.
Surprise rocked her.

Flummoxed, she paused to take stock of what she’d
experienced. “You’re saying a man might try to…harm me even though you’ve
claimed me already?”

“Anything is possible. As the second-in-command of this
ship, I have privileges,” he said. “One is claiming any woman who comes aboard
as mine if I so chose. The admiral wanted you. I told him I hadn’t experienced
the pleasure of a woman’s touch in many a month and he gave you to me as a gift.”

Her mouth dropped open, but she was speechless.

“Tonight,” he said with deadly softness as he smiled,
“tonight we will sleep here together.”

Panic did a mad dance inside her. “You’d take a woman
against her will?”

He glared. “You’ll come to me willingly.”

Desperate, she said quickly, “You wouldn’t really rob a
virgin of her virtue, would you?”

A cocky smile touched his mouth, but his eyes were hard. “A
virgin though you were married? How interesting.” He retraced his steps until
he stood so close she felt his heat. “Beware of lying to me. Punishment for
liars on this ship is swift and harsh.”

He left and closed the door with a soft snick.

Xandra stared at the door, her vision turned inward to the
sight of his cock. She hadn’t experienced the wild mix of emotions stalking her
at that moment. Trepidation. Amazement. And more disturbing, a curiosity and
wild reckless desire that shook her to the core. Rayder Tyrus wanted her
sexually, and his thick, long manhood pressing against his trousers had shown her
the proof. She’d seen Taris’ cock, but it had been fairly small and had
repulsed her. She swallowed hard.

But this man…well…

Heat filled her face and flushed all through her body.

As a younger woman, she’d read some forbidden journals her
brother had located in a secret library being run out of a house in Opali, and
her knowledge of sex had skyrocketed. Book learning though, was far less scary
than seeing evidence of sex firsthand. She’d urged her brother to return the
books before they were caught with them, and told him to never show her the
journals again. But at night, her rebellious soul had haunted her with dreams
of what sex must be like, what delights might be found in something so outlawed
and denied by her people.

Then her wedding night with Taris had come and destroyed all
hope that sexual relations could be wonderful and pleasant for all concerned.

She flopped back against the bed, her mind a jumble, and her
body assaulted by unwanted but seemingly unavoidable sensations. Rayder Tyrus’
kiss had ignited her cravings, and the realization he wanted her sexually had
taken her off guard. Though she’d heard of these slavers and their horrible
penchant for sex, she’d never imagined one wanting her.

How was she going to escape this mess?

* * * * *

“I am fucked,” Rayder whispered as he left his stateroom.

He took deep breaths as he stared at nothing, knowing his
erection would take a while to disappear, and the raging sexual needs of a
Daryk One would continue to flow through his blood.

I’m not a Daryk One anymore.

No, they had different names for him back in Dragonia and
his home at Felican Castle.

Betrayer.

Rogue.

Banished for all time.

He gritted his teeth, unwilling to think about what he’d
sacrificed to accomplish his goal.

You haven’t accomplished the goal, you fool.
That
fact burned inside him like hot water, but his raging need for his slave burned
brighter.

That kiss had been necessary, but he could have taken her
with a little peck. Instead he’d plunged into her sweetness, tasting her
delicious mouth until he’d wanted to drag her into the cabin and fuck her there
and then.

But the reason why she’d aroused him so intensely frightened
him more than anything else.

Xandra Shorenus had worked on his vulnerabilities from the
moment he rescued her from the churning black ocean. His first impulse upon
seeing people in the water was to help them—living on this ship for almost
three years hadn’t destroyed all his humanity. Oh, he’d tried. He’d immersed
himself in this world and with the taint of a slave ship came sacrifice. Losing
every fucking stitch of his humanity would be easy.

But more had happened than he expected.

He’d taken a deep kiss from her because he wanted to stamp
ownership on her to protect her from other men, but something astounding and
amazing had exploded inside him when he’d kissed her.

He’d recognized her as his mate.

The woman he was supposed to be with for all time.

All the signs were there.

Then fear had thrown him sideways.

He didn’t want a mate. Not when his mission wasn’t complete.

He remembered his mother whispering to him as she lay dying
three years ago, “Rayder, my boy, promise me you’ll keep this family alive.
Marry. Have children. Don’t let Dragonia die. Don’t let our family die.”

He couldn’t cry then. Hadn’t allowed himself to cry even
though he’d wanted to rage against anything and everything. For his mother. For
his dead sister.

He would fulfill his mother’s dying wish.

Just not here and now.

Damn his mother and damn him, and damn Xandra Shorenus.

He took a shuddering breath as emotions rocketed through
him. Sexual frustration mixed with a yearning for Xandra he barely restrained.
He swallowed hard. It didn’t matter if his cock was so hard he could pound
nails with it. He had the willpower to ignore a woman’s sexual allure even if
she was his mate.

He had work to do. He considered locking his stateroom door,
but the men on deck wouldn’t dare enter without his permission. Farcam, who’d
accosted Xandra, would be punished when the admiral heard of it. Rayder would
make damn sure Farcam wouldn’t consider getting within several feet of her. As
men threw sidelong glances at Rayder, he knew they wondered why he’d picked her
as his slave. He glared at them and continued his rounds about the deck. As he
walked, he pondered his situation.

Yes
. Fucked described him if he didn’t take care. The
admiral had questioned his motivations for wanting the woman. After all, two of
the women below in the hold had bigger breasts. Rounder hips. More uniform
features. Tasty morsels, as the admiral had said, licking his lips as he did
so. The man was scum. Filthy fucking pond scum. He wanted to hang the—

He stopped that train of thought. He needed to keep in mind
that his job here wasn’t done. Might take months longer. Years longer. Just
killing Admiral Karman Aramus wouldn’t solve the problem. Other slavers would
take his place.

Yes, but Aramus is the one you want.

Still, he couldn’t afford mistakes. He’d made far too many
over the last years. Revenge burned deep in his heart, and in the back of that
emotion lay shame. Burning, unrelenting and impossible to ignore for long.
Perhaps, if he sailed on this forsaken craft long enough, he’d pay enough
penitence.

His mind turned back to Xandra as he walked to the railing
and gripped it.

Taris Elian.
Obviously she’d disliked this Taris
Elian with a fury evident in the way her eyes had burned. She’d seemed relieved
her husband was dead. Simply because it was an arranged attachment? That hardly
seemed enough to procure such wrath. She’d said she’d escaped him, so it was
obvious whatever the man had done she hadn’t liked it.

It didn’t matter now. If the man had survived, Rayder would
have fought the other for her.

And her husband would have lost.

Fuck me.
Yeah, the realization disturbed Rayder down
to the core. He’d never fought another man for a woman. He’d fought men who’d
tried to take advantage of a woman on more than one occasion. He wouldn’t
tolerate a man abusing a woman if he could prevent it.