Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (29 page)

After what seemed an eternity later, the bolt slid open, and a huge man strode in. He was at least six foot, four inches tall and massively built. His chest was broad, and his arms were well-muscled and rippling, displayed by the sleeveless leather shirt he wore. His waist narrowed into impossibly small hips for a man his size.

Long, well-muscled legs strained at the leather pants he wore tucked into furry boots. He had butter-yellow hair which was long and hung down well past his shoulders, and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. A golden circlet set atop his head, and his sky-blue eyes surveyed the women closely.

“Welcome to Ambria. I am King Ston, and you are now my slaves.” A chuckle rumbled out of his chest at the look of dismay present on the women’s faces. “You are naturally surprised I am sure, given the ridiculous way your country is run.
Women
in control? Ludicrous! You will now learn how to be
proper
women.” A smile spread across his face. “The both of you would do well to behave and accept your fates, for there is no going back,” he finished smugly.

“How dare you treat me so? I am the Queen of Erla, and I demand you release me at once!” Nera’s voice was venomous as she rounded on the man.
 

Ston frowned, stepped forward, and slapped her across the face. Nera’s head whipped to the side, her hair flying.
 

Cassie leapt at him and landed a punch on his jaw, sending him staggering backwards. Fury flashed in his eyes as he cradled his jaw.
 

He reached for her with his large hands, meaning to strangle her, when the door flew open as guards came in to investigate the noise.

“Be glad for this intrusion, woman. That blow could have cost you your life. Know that you will pay for this insolence.” Cassie moved to stand next to Nera as she looked at the five huge, armed men.
 

She knew there was no way she could take them all with no weapon. Ston approached her and grabbed the back of her hair, pulling her head back. “I will take true pleasure in breaking your spirit, lovely one,” he rasped out before he ground his mouth against hers.
 

Cassie gagged as he shoved his tongue into her mouth. When he released her, she spit and wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve as he laughed at her disgust.

“I will return later to
taste
my new slaves,” he said in what was a mixture of a promise and a threat (laced with a menacing smile) as he and the guards left the room.

“Are you all right, Nera?” Cassie pushed Nera’s hair out of her face and checked for injury.
 

“I am fine, Cassie. Don’t fuss. I truly appreciate your defense of me, but I think hitting him was a mistake, my friend.”

“What was I to do? Stand here and watch him abuse you?” Cassie asked.

“No. I wouldn’t have stood still either, but we have to accept that—for the moment—this man controls our fate. We have to play this smart; we will never get out of here using force. We must find a weakness and exploit it, and until the time is right, we will have to submit to certain indignities,” Nera said, looking at Cassie with meaning.

“If you think I will stand by and let him rape you, then you have lost your mind!” Cassie blurted out.

“Cassandra, understand me. I will not have you getting yourself killed over something so insignificant. I am no virgin, and neither are you. I have been with countless men. He may force himself upon me, but I am not afraid of him, and I refuse to give him that kind of power over me. Perhaps I will lay back and imagine he is your Aidan. Now,
there
is a man!” Nera’s sad attempt at humor, however, could not calm Cassie’s fury.

“I swear this to you: I
will
kill him! If I cannot do it as we escape, then I will bring a force back here, raze this village, and burn his great house to the ground. Then—and only then—will he feel my blade!” Cassie seethed.

“Calm down, my friend. I know we will triumph.” Suddenly, the bolt flew back again, but this time a different man entered. He had the same build as the King, but his hair and neatly trimmed beard were flame red. Brilliant blue eyes sparkled as they beheld the women.
 

He made an attempt at a courtly bow.

“Welcome, Ladies. I am Lord Sern, brother to the King. I could not resist the chance to meet the famed female ruler of the beautiful land of Erla.” The women stood and looked at him, making no response.

“When my brother makes me Overlord there, perhaps I will let you visit.” His smile was wide as he surveyed their figures. He locked eyes with Cassie, and she glared at him. Laughing, he said, “How delightful! A woman with the fire and courage to stand up to me! I am enchanted!”

“You will be dead before this is over, and I will hang your worthless carcass from the gates of Erla!” Cassie hissed at him.
 

Sern’s eyebrow shot up, and he doubled over with laughter.
 

“My Lady Cassandra, I am delighted that your reputation is no myth! I will go now and petition my brother for the right to have you to myself. Such passion! Such daring! To spit in the face of a man who could so easily break you . . .”

“I warn you now that I am not so easily broken, and you will soon find yourself at my feet along with that pig brother of yours,” she ground out.

“Cassandra, hold your tongue!” Nera growled low. Her Commander was going to get herself killed at this rate!

“Indeed, Cassandra. I can think of many better uses for that tongue,” he chuckled. Reaching out and grabbing her chin, he moved close and she thought he meant to kiss her as his brother had done, but thankfully, he did not.
 

He put his lips so close to hers that they nearly touched. He then ran his tongue along her lower lip and Cassie jerked away, wiping her mouth—much to his delight.

“I will see you soon, my flower. Prepare yourself for me!” With a grin, he left them and closed the door. They listened as the bolt slid home.

“Cassie, do not antagonize them anymore. They will kill you or lock you in a prison, and then we will never get home!”

“I am sorry, Nera. I will attempt to curb my tongue,” Cassie ground out, wiping at her mouth again.

“He is right. You do need to prepare yourself. How will you react if—and probably
when
—he forces himself upon you?”

“I will kick his ass for him. That is how I will react,” Cassie fumed.

“As your Queen, I order you to not fight him. They
will
kill you if you do, and I could not bear the loss of you, Cassandra.”

“Nera, you cannot order me to let someone rape me!” Cassie paced agitatedly about the room.

“I am, though. It is
just
sex. Please do not forfeit your life over it. Remember, we are not victims—not frightened virgins to cower before a man’s penis. We are women of strength who can and will do what we must to survive and save our people.”

Cassie sighed. “You are right. The thought of being
forced
to lay with a man is just so disgusting and galling, though.” Cassie spun around, fists clenched tightly.

“Be calm, Cassandra. We will get through this, and our country will as well. Kara will stand us in good stead. She will defend Erla and keep our country safe.” Cassie nodded and collapsed into the chair by the fire again.
 

Truth be told, she was not afraid of the man forcing her to his bed so much as she was afraid of being trapped here forever. When Nera came and sat next to her, the women joined hands and stared into the flames.

Hours later, Ston and Sern returned to the room, and at the sound of the bolt, the women stood.
 

King Ston bowed mockingly as did Lord Sern.

“My brother has asked me to make a gift of you to him, Lady Cassandra, and I have grudgingly agreed. I owe him much and am loath to deny him anything he truly desires. So, woman, you now belong to Lord Sern. Enjoy her, brother,” he laughed.

Sern approached Cassie and took her wrist, daring her to respond.
 

Cassie met Nera’s pleading eyes and bit back the blow and angry words she wished to release upon him. As Sern pulled her along with him out of the chamber, Cassie caught Nera’s eyes one last time as the King moved towards her. Then, the door closed abruptly, and Sern pulled her behind him towards his own bedchamber.

Once inside, he released her hand and locked the door.
 

Sern leaned back against the door and watched her as she looked around the room. She clearly sought a means of escape or defense, and it amused him to think that she would fight him.
 

She was beautiful and he wanted her badly. The thought of those flashing eyes and the passion she exhibited had driven him to demand her from his brother. Ston had laughed at him before relinquishing the woman to him, making Sern squirm before he granted the woman to him. Now, however, he could look forward to tasting her passion in his bed.

Cassie looked about the chamber trying to find some means of escape and then quickly discounted the idea. She would have to succumb to this man—as hateful as the thought was.
 

She refused to go willingly, though.
 

Sern advanced towards her, exuding power, and she mentally compared him to Darien. There were some similarities, but she had genuinely desired Darien, and she felt no attraction for this man; only a slowly building hatred festered within her. As he approached, he discarded his shirt, displaying his impossibly broad, muscular chest. His chest was hairless and riddled with old scars. The only visible hair on his body started below his navel and disappeared into the waistband of his pants.
 

He was all muscle, and his biceps bulged as he moved. When he reached her, he bent and snatched her dress quickly over her head, leaving her naked except for the boots she wore.
 

Cassie gasped (shocked by the unexpected speed of one so large) and forced her hands to rest by her sides, rather than moving them to try to cover her body. She stood before him, beautifully nude. Her eyes were trained on a spot on the wall behind him, and her head was held high as he looked his fill.
 

His big hands reached out and encircled her waist, pulling her flush against him. Her flesh was warm and smooth, and he ran his hands down to her behind, squeezing and caressing. His eyes sought hers, but she refused to meet them.
 

“Look at me,” he demanded.
 

Cassie was silent and still, not responding. He sighed and lowered his mouth to her ear.
 

“Regardless of whether or not you choose to look at me, I promise you that soon I will be so deeply inside of you that you will not know where I begin and you end. You will soon be begging for my touch and screaming my name over and over.” He punctuated each word with his tongue in her ear.
 

Ripples of goose bumps flowed across her skin and her nipples hardened as Sern swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently.
 

He stood for a moment, taking in her beauty. Then, he pulled the boots from her feet before running his hand up her legs to the juncture of her thighs. It cost Cassie a great deal to remain still; she wanted to grab a knife and plunge it into his black heart.
 

The bastard!
 

His fingers penetrated the folds of her womanhood, and finding no moisture, he frowned, looking at her closely. The little bitch was not going to give an inch! A wicked smile then lit his face as he replaced his hand with his mouth.
 

Cassie jumped and then stilled as Sern spread her legs wide and looked at her closely, feeling his manhood turn rock hard. He used his mouth and tongue to explore every inch of her as Cassie distracted herself by mentally considering the ways she could kill him
when
the time came . . . not
if
.
 

Sern stood, pushed out of his leather pants, and his erection sprung out—long and hard. He smiled at her as he moved into position between her legs. Cassie couldn’t stop herself; she shoved against his chest, trying to squirm away, but he caught her hands above her head, parted her legs with his knee, and slammed deeply into her. She cried out in shock as his eyes burned into hers, his hair curtaining their faces.
 

Sern set a deep and hard, pace. Cassie’s anger, outrage, and hatred built up to such an extent that she screamed out in fury, but in his arrogance, he mistook her response for passion, and his movements became faster and faster until, moments later, he collapsed atop her—his sweat covering her.
 

He lay there for a while, before rolling onto his side, facing Cassie. When she regained her breath, she looked at him with pure hatred. Teeth marks and scratches marred his skin, and she felt ill and disgusted by what had just occurred. He smiled at her smugly and ran his hands through her hair as Cassie’s mind raced. She had to gain the upper hand or all would be lost . . . Then, it occurred to her. She knew what she had to do.

Taking a deep breath, she pasted a sultry smile on her face and moved closer to him, curling up against his side and stroking his chest. Sern stilled and then brought his hand under her chin to look at her. Cassie made her eyes go soft and adoring, and as his lips parted in surprise, she wound her hand up into his hair and kissed him hungrily.

“What is this?” he asked, pulling away from her kiss, trying to read her face.

“What do you mean, My Lord?” she purred, caressing his chest.

“What game do you play?” Sern demanded.

“It is no game, My Lord. I swear. I have never felt anything like what has just happened. I didn’t know I could feel like this.” She gazed into his eyes, willing him to buy it. “I am a traveler through the Portal, so it was only chance which put me in Erla. Your country is more like the world I came from. I was never truly comfortable with Erla and its strange ways,” she purred as she continued to nuzzle his chest.

Tension eased out of his body and he smiled. He squeezed her breast gently, satisfied he had shown her what a
real
man was and that there was nothing to fear from her now.