The Claiming (20 page)

Jana stared at him. That was why Alain had been so insistent about her being virtuous? That was what they had meant by disgrace? It wasn’t just Alain. It was the accepted behavior on this world?

The tight pain returned to Jana’s chest, harder than before as she realized that this, at least, was no lie that Marty had told her. And there was nothing she could do to change it, for she had been ‘disgraced’ well before she came to Orleans. This must be why Alain had decided to share her with the strange man. Tears welled, unbidden, into her eyes.

As if he had been waiting for just such an opportunity, Marty rushed her.

Jana dashed the tears from her eyes and whirled to flee. She managed to cross the clearing and duck onto the path, but she’d gone no more than a few yards when she crashed into something that felt as solid and unyielding as a rock. She bounced back and would have fallen had he not caught her in his arms. Still terrified, Jana looked up quickly. Relief flooded her as she realized that it was Alain.

He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his hand. “Did he hurt you?”

Jana shook her head.

He put her away from him. “Go to the house.”

“But….”

“Go!”

Jana fled. She didn’t stop until she’d reached her room and bolted the door behind her.

***

Marty was so intent on the chase that he was almost upon Alain before he realized it. He came to an abrupt halt, staring at the larger man in stunned surprise.

Alain reached him in two strides, wrapping one large hand around his throat and lifting him off of his feet. Marty’s eyes bulged, the blood pooling in his head as Alain effectively cut off both blood circulation and his air. “Do you have some reason for being here that I don’t know about?” Alain asked coldly.

Marty opened his mouth, but found that nothing more than a gurgle emerged.

Alain pulled him closer, until they were almost nose to nose. “I didn’t catch that.”

Black spots had begun to swarm around his eyes. It took a supreme effort to shake his head.

Alain set him on his feet, but he did not release his throat, merely lessened the pressure sufficiently for Marty to drag in a breath of air. “I see I should explain something to you. If I see you near my wife again, for any reason at all, I will gut you like a fish and leave you to die a slow and very painful death. Do you understand me?”

Marty stared at him bug eyed.

“Nod if you understand.”

Marty nodded.

“Do you understand that this is no idle threat?”

Marty nodded again.

Alain released him, standing over him as Marty wilted to the ground, coughed, gagged, and finally caught his breath. “What did you say to her?”

Marty shook his head. “Nothing.”

Alain squatted in front of him, catching him by the throat again. “I really don’t like to repeat myself.”

“I told her she didn’t belong here, that she wouldn’t fit in. I tried to talk her into going back with me.”

Alain’s eyes narrowed. “She refused, so you tried to take her anyway.”

Marty gazed at him with pure hatred blazing in his eyes. “She’s mine!”

“She is mine. Your life may well depend upon remembering that.”

Alain released him and stood up.

Slowly, Marty crawled to a nearby tree and used it to pull himself to his feet. He stood unsteadily for several moments, looking around and finally started back along the trail that led to the plantation.

“Not that way.”

“But … my Zell! I tied it near the house.”

“But you are not allowed to go near the house, are you?”

Marty swallowed with some difficulty. “But, how can I leave?”

Alain nodded toward the trail in the opposite direction. “That will lead you, eventually, to town.”

“But ... it’s miles to town!”

“Precisely, and nearing dark. I’d hurry if I were you. The camar come out at night.”

Marty staggered off in the direction Alain had indicated, but stopped when he had put some distance between them. He turned and smiled. “I’ll have the last laugh, you know. I can overturn your contract. All I have to do is bide my time.”

“It’s been consummated,” Alain said coldly.

Marty giggled. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you? She was genetically bred to be a virgin. It doesn’t matter how many times you pop her cherry, it’ll grow back in a matter of days, intact, as if she’d never been touched by a man!”

The look Alain gave him was so deadly, Marty whirled and launched himself into a scrambling run, expecting any moment to feel the blade of a knife in his back.

***

As hungry as she was, Jana found it difficult to swallow. After several attempts to eat, she resorted to stirring her food around in her plate in a pretense of eating. Not that she thought Alain would notice.

He had not said one word to her when he had returned to the house. He had looked at her speculatively for several nerve wracking minutes and then strode into his study, closing the door firmly behind him.

Jana hadn’t been able to think of anything to do with herself and had been almost grateful when dinner was announced. Blane had not returned and she thought, at first, that she would be dining alone. When Alain had finally arrived, she wished she had been.

He smelled strongly of the alcoholic beverage known as Brie, a potent mixture that could, and had, put Blane out cold after no more than two or three glasses. From the looks of the decanter Alain brought in with him, however, Alain had already had more than twice that and still showed no indication of passing his limit.

He had eaten no more, if as much, as she had, and the dinner began to seem interminable. Ordinarily, the meal was not officially over until Alain finished. When it began to seem that he was too inebriated even to think of it, Jana nerved herself to rise from the table.

Alain gave her a look.

She sat.

“Your … friend, Marty had a bit of interesting news for me,” he said conversationally. “Can you guess what that might be?”

Jana stared at him wide eyed, wondering if she really wanted to know what Marty had told him, if it had been something ‘true’ and terrible, or a fabrication that was as bad or worse. She shook her head.

Alain rose abruptly. “I believe this conversation requires a bit more privacy.”

Jana stood up, watching him warily, wondering if he could walk.

He steadied himself, held out a hand to her.

She wasn’t altogether certain she wanted to go to him in his present condition, but after a moment, she did. To her surprise, the moment she placed her hand in his he snatched her to him and, bending, scooped her into his arms. Without a word, he grabbed the decanter and left the dining room, heading for the stairs.

The butler met them at the foot of the stairs. “Will you be turning in, sir?”

“Indeed I will,” Alain retorted agreeably. “In point of fact, my wife and I have decided we need some time alone to get to know one another. We are not at home to visitors. Tell cook we’ll expect to be served in our suite for the next few days.”

“Yes, sir,” the butler responded, bowing.

Jana looked at Alain in dismay, wondering what had come over him. Was it the drink? Or something that Marty had said?

She wasn’t certain she should ask. Blane had, at least on one occasion, become rather belligerent when he had drunk heavily of the beverage. As unnerving as that had been, Alain in the same condition was something she was certain she could not deal with.

He did not release her until they had entered her room. When he had set her on her feet, he turned, set the decanter on the nearest table and bolted the door.

Jana eyed him warily as he turned to face her once more, leaning back against the door. His lips curled in a faint smile.

She took a step back, wondering if it was at all possible that she could make it to the other door and through it before Alain caught up with her.

“Don’t even think it.”

Startled, she looked at him questioningly.

Alain tugged his coat off and tossed it to the floor. “Did I ever tell you,” he said conversationally, “that I think you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen in my life?”

Jana glanced at the door again and took another step back.

Alain loosened his cravat and tossed it in the direction he’d tossed his coat. His waist coat followed.

Jana took another step back and fell backwards on the bed. Alain leapt at her. Jana rolled, coming to her feet on the other side just as Alain landed on the bed so hard the sound of splintering wood filled the air. She darted for the door but was jerked to a halt before she’d taken more than three steps. She turned and discovered Alain held a fistful of her skirts. He gave the fabric a sharp tug and Jana flew toward him. Catching her in his arms, he rolled until she lay beneath him.

She stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

He studied her face for a long moment and finally sighed, rolling off of her so that he lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Jana was too unnerved to move for several moments, but finally her curiosity got the better of her. She turned to look at him. He had not, as she’d suspected, passed out. “Alain?”

“Are you in love with my brother?” he asked quietly.

Jana felt her jaw drop. Marty had said she thought she was in love with Alain. Now Alain was suggesting she was in love with his brother. How, she wondered, could she not have heard of this before when it seemed to be something that was of deep concern to everyone? “Blane?”

He turned to look at her, waiting.

She didn’t know what answer to give him. She liked Blane. She thought of him as a friend, but she was confused about the nuances of the word love. Everyone she had asked had told her something different. One had said there were many different kinds of love. One had said wanting to share yourself was love. Another had said it was liking, but more. Did he want her to speak honestly? Or tell him what he wanted to hear? And if it was the latter, what did he want to hear? “I don’t know,” she said finally.

He sat up abruptly, turning away from her so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. After a moment, Jana touched his shoulder tentatively. “You’re angry with me now?” she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. “Would you prefer to contract with Blane as his companion?”

Jana sat back on her heels, wondering if he was telling her that was what he wanted. “You don’t want me?”

Alain buried his face in his hands for several moments and finally shot to his feet, pacing the room unsteadily. “If I said yes would it make a difference?”

Jana studied him for several moments and finally climbed off of the bed, moving to stand in front of him. She looked up at him steadily for several moments and finally dropped her gaze to his shirt. Lifting her hands, she began to unbutton his shirt. When she reached the waistband of his breeches, she tugged the tail of his shirt free. Below his waistband, something huge and elongated bulged the front of his trousers—his sex tool. Her heart leapt at the sight, began to race. She put her hand over it, cupping her fingers around his erection, sliding her hand along it to measure it’s length. It had always seemed enormous to her. Now, molded by his breeches, it seemed even larger, but she felt a pleasurable surge of anticipation, not fear, to feel it inside her.

She stepped closer, pressing her cheek against his bare chest, nuzzling it as she breathed in his scent. Her heart pounded out a faster rhythm. Warmth spread through her, centering in her lower belly. A weakness filtered through her body, into her limbs, so that she began to tremble with the effort to remain standing.

She moved her hands, placing them on his belly, wanting to touch his bare skin, to feel the warm silkiness of it, and the roughness of the hair on his belly and chest glide beneath her palms. A tremor ran through him as she pressed her lips against his chest, above his heart. He cupped the back of her head with one palm. Digging his fingers into her hair, he tugged gently, urging her to lift her head.

When she looked up at him, he caught her face between his hands, bent down and covered her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply, hungrily, his tongue a sweet invader of her mouth. A groan rumbled from deep inside his chest, and he reached down, cupping her buttocks and lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up, curled her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him.

He moved, pressing her back against the door for leverage, fumbling with her skirts until his hand found the slit in her pantaloons, pushing past it. Moisture had gathered in her femininity even as she neared him, drenched her as she breathed in his scent, touched him, tasted him. She was ready for him, aching for his possession.

He kissed her all the while he fumbled to free his erection from the confines of his breeches, kissed her as he aligned their bodies, working the swollen head of his erection into her and finally drove his distended flesh deeply inside of her.

Jana gasped when she felt her body adjusting, molding to his flesh, felt him deeply inside of her, stunned as much by the fact that she had felt only a slight discomfort, no pain, as she was by the bolt of pleasure that went through her with the joining of their bodies. He groaned, tearing his mouth from hers as he withdrew and plunged again. She kissed his cheek, his throat, the side of his neck, bit down gently on the ridge of flesh that ran from his neck to shoulder. He shuddered, surging into her faster, harder, deeper.

Slipping one arm beneath her buttocks to support her, he sank his fingers into her hair and brought her mouth to his once more, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in the same rhythm that he drove the hard length of his manhood inside her. Jana closed her mouth around his tongue, sucking hard as she felt her body tense on the edge of culmination, making little cries of pleasure as it suddenly quaked through her. He groaned, caught up in his own crisis, his body jerking, trembling, before he went still, breathing raggedly as echoes of ecstasy still shook him.

Slowly, he released his grip on her, allowing her to slide down until her feet touched the floor. Her knees almost gave way, but he held her against him still, supporting her, his forehead pressed against the wood of the door. Moments passed while she fought to regulate her breathing, the pounding of her heart, felt his struggle to do the same.