Mercenaries

SEBASTIAN managed to keep his mouth shut as Zaria mechanically reported the results of her inspections to her mother.

He maintained that careful silence at the noon meal that followed. Dutifully, he stood behind her chair like all the other Thralls and Thrallines, stepping forward to eat from her hand when she summoned him. It all would have made him feel like an exceptionally large Pekingese, if he hadn’t been so busy trying to decide how to turn this twist to his advantage.

By the time they’d disposed of both the rest of her duties and started on the evening meal, he’d mapped out a plan to secure the Domince’s freedom. He’d even pinpointed a couple of potential escape routes.

As the serving Thralls bustled around with their trays, Sebastian used his internal com to reestablish communications with Nathan and his party. The mercenaries had withdrawn into the hills just beyond the palace’s immediate environs to await his signal.

“Sounds good,” the captain commed finally. “I’ll transport a combat force down from the Starrunner and have them ready to back you up when you give the word.”

“Give ’em all the copy of Zaria’s vidshot I sent you,” Sebastian told him. “I don’t want any of them hurting her by mistake.”

“Hey, Zaria’s more than the sum of her cleavage,” Sebastian told them, glowering. “She’s bright, she’s got guts, and she actually cares about her people. Which is more than the rest of her family can say. She . . .”

The com carried Nathan’s hoot of astonishment. “My God, he sounds like he’s halfway in love.”

Heat flooded Sebastian’s face for the first time in decades. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m only interested in the tits.”

“I lied,” he said firmly, and stepped forward to accept a bite of fruit from Zaria’s slim fingers.

ZARIA walked into her quarters rubbing the knots of tension gathered in the base of her neck. She was only vaguely aware that Searle and Sebastian had entered after her. She was far too preoccupied with worry for her mother and the dominality.

Ila stubbornly refused to acknowledge that she’d put them on the road to destruction with her determination to tame the Domince. And Marcelle, vicious bitch that she was, was equally determined to take revenge on Arnoux for his father’s rejection.

The two of them are going to be the death of that boy, she thought, pacing the room in long strides. But, what in the name of the Ten Gods am I going to do about it?

Suddenly Sebastian stepped up behind her, so close she could feel the heat of his body. “Get rid of your watchdog,” he breathed in her ear. “If you dare.”

Looking into those green eyes, she found herself aching for the distraction she knew he was more than capable of providing. Her heart began to pound. “Searle, you’re dismissed.”

“Go find Gemma and punish her for something,” Sebastian said without looking around. “I’m sure between the two of you, you can come up with an excuse.”

Searle drew himself up to his full height—which, she realized, was still several centimeters shorter than Sebastian. “You forget yourself, Thrall! I could have you—”

Searle threw her a glower, but even he didn’t quite dare refuse when she used that tone. Grumbling, the guard walked out. Sebastian followed him and bolted the door.

“You people really don’t take Thralls seriously, do you?” Sebastian said, turning to study her with narrow, calculating eyes. He began stalking her, moving across the room like some big, feral cat pursuing something it could eat in one snap.

She managed a casual shrug. “You’re only a Thrall,” she said, though the erotic menace in his eyes was anything but submissive.

“Actually”—before she could duck away, a big hand clamped over her shoulder, spun her around, and jerked her back against his hard-muscled body—“tonight I’m not. Tonight I’m a warrior who’s tricked you all into believing I’m nothing more than a Thrall. Just so I could capture my prize—a pretty Domina, left all alone.”

“None of that,” he whispered roughly. “I don’t care to have my pleasure interrupted.”

It couldn’t be, Zaria thought wildly as he picked her off her feet and bore her backward toward the bed. No Dom would ever stoop to disguising himself as a Thrall.

As he pushed her lightly down onto the mattress, Sebastian grabbed the whip she’d hung on the wall, more for decoration than anything else. Before she could even muster the will to fight, he straddled her hips and tied her wrists behind her back with the light leather lash. Zaria squirmed, shocked and titillated as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “There, now. Just the way I like my Thrallines.” He straightened off her.

“I’m not a . . .” But before she manage more of her instinctive protest, he’d ripped a strip of fabric from a sheet, whipped the cloth around her head, and tied it into a gag.

“Now, we really need to get rid of all this armor,” he said, and flipped her onto her back as if she weighed no more than a child’s doll.

Zaria stared up at him in shock as he went to work on the front lacings of her leathers, his big hands surprisingly deft. She really should be fighting him. And yet . . .

He lifted his head and gave her a smile hot with humor and male hunger. “I’m not going to hurt you, Zaria.” His silken purr was so completely devoid of any real malice, she felt the knot of fear in her chest instantly loosen. “Though I just may fuck you until you scream for more.”

Big fingers peeled the leather cups away from her breasts to fondle the soft mounds possessively. “Oh, yeah,” he said, as he squeezed her nipples. “God, I’ve been dying to get my hands on these.” That grin flashed again. “Along with my lips, my tongue, my teeth, and my dick.” He rolled the little peaks, watching her face closely as she squirmed. Ten Gods, it felt good. “Mmmm. These are delicious. Ever been tit fucked?”

Sebastian laughed. “I’ll take that as a no.” Lowering his head, he gave one nipple a sampling lick that sent pleasure shivering through her body. “Ooooh, yeah,” he said. “That tastes as good as I expected.” He watched the peak draw tight and pink with her growing hunger. “I do believe I want more. And I’m going to get it.”

Closing his clever mouth over her, he suckled hungrily. Zaria gasped behind her gag as her cunt throbbed with every erotic pull of his lips. Simultaneously his tongue flicked her nipple, pressing it up against his teeth, then raking with gentle bites.

She felt dizzy, overwhelmed, as if she’d fallen into one of her own dark fantasies. She had no idea whether he really was a Dom, or simply a Thrall who yearned to dominate as much as she longed to submit.

And she realized she didn’t care, because she was more aroused than she’d ever been in her life. He was giving her exactly what she’d always wanted. Exactly what she’d always dreamed of.

Need surged through her, hot and reckless. She knew she might never again get a chance to experience what it was like to yield to a man. And she meant to enjoy ever second of it.

Besides, she was thoroughly sick of obeying the rules and ignoring her own needs. Ten Hells, her mother was willing to plunge the dominality into war, simply out of pride. Her sister didn’t hesitate to maim men to serve her own lust. Why shouldn’t Zaria let herself enjoy an experience straight out of her hottest dreams? Why did she always have to be the one who denied her needs?

“You want it, don’t you?” Sebastian asked darkly, his heated gaze locked on her face as he lifted his head from her wet, hard nipple. “You want to be taken. Fucked.”

His hands drifted down her bare torso, straight to her cleft. One long, strong finger slid between her lips and found her opening to slip inside. She whimpered behind her gag at the sensation.

“Mmmmm,” Sebastian purred. “Just the way I like my captives. Nice and slick and ready for cock.” A second finger joined the first, and she writhed. “Unfortunately for you, sweetheart, I’m not prepared to give it to you yet. You need a lesson in what happens to pretty little girls who try to dominate men much, much too big for them.” His smile was deliberately sinister. “And I’ll bet you’ve got all kinds of toys that would be just perfect for the job.”

THE way Zaria’s eyes widened over her gag made Sebastian’s dick twitch in anticipation. He rose from the bed and looked down at her, letting her get a good look at the erection behind the ridiculous loincloth she’d given him. Baring his teeth at her, he reached down and ripped it off, freeing his cock to stand straight and straining with eagerness.

If anything, her eyes widened even more. He rocked back on his heels, grinning, to enjoy the view.

The way he’d tied her with her hands behind her back thrust those round, gorgeous breasts upward and emphasized the white curve of her hips against the dark coverlet.

He tilted his head, letting his blond hair slide over his shoulder. Reaching down, he stroked his cock with one hand and caressed his balls with the other. “Oh, yeah,” he told her. “I’m going to enjoy making you pay.”

His sensors picked up her answering leap of heat at the threat, and he concealed a grin. Subs always loved it when he played sadistic villain.

Leaving her bound and ready, Sebastian sauntered toward the big wooden box that stood at the foot of the bed. He’d noticed a stylized whip carved into the lid earlier, and he had a good idea what it contained.

Flipping it open, he discovered he was right. There was an array of dildos—including one in a harness arrangement he was instantly glad she’d never tried to use on him—cock rings, various cuffs, jars of what appeared to be lubricants, and several wicked-looking paddles.

Finally he found what he’d been looking for—a small box containing a selection of clamps. Grinning in anticipation, he tried several of them out on his pinkie until he found two that had just the right bite; enough to sting without inflicting actual pain. He added a promising buttplug and a jar of lubricant and closed the lid.

By the time he turned around, Sebastian found Zaria watching him like a bird hypnotized by a snake.