by Lisa Daniels
Bryce’s smile was a mix of mischievous and something I couldn’t identify. “Promise you won’t get angry.”
“I can only promise that I will get angry if you don’t tell me.”
He laughed. Then, without warning, he rolled out of bed. His toned body moved around the room, giving me a good look at everything I had been enjoying since our arrival at the cottage. It made it much easier to wait for him to pull whatever he was thinking together. Finally, Bryce approached the bed.
“What if I were to tell you that you could have children?” He raised an eyebrow as he asked.
I folded my arms, “Then I would know you are lying. I would believe that as much as I would believe that you have magical sperm. What does this have to do with my debt?”
He threw his head back, the sound of his laugh like music to my ears. My eyes couldn’t help but move down his body, taking in how beautiful it was. The vision I had of him could not have been further from the reality. When he stopped laughing, my eyes snapped back to his face. “I may be good, but my sperm doesn’t have medicinal qualities. Well, not for that kind of problem anyway. Our medical abilities are infinitely better than human abilities. I assure you if you want children, you can have as many as you like.”
It wasn’t something I had ever entertained. I barely knew my parents when they died, and having been nearly killed soon after losing them, I had simply accepted my fate. I found the idea of having a family of my own not as unappealing now that I wasn’t forced to accept I couldn’t have one. My eyes slid down the figure in front of me, which made the idea a lot easier to consider.
“Won’t I be looked down on by all of your people? Why bring a human into that, knowing that I would be seen as inferior?”
He was watching me, clearly enjoying how my eyes kept drifting from his face. “Most of our women are human. We look down on the species, not the individuals. The women who prove that they are strong, compassionate, everything that we love about your species, those women are brought home. Few of our children are women, and they are always sterile. Human women are the only ones who can help us, so it is mutually beneficial. I’m up here.” This last bit he said with a wicked grin across his face.
My eyes snapped up to his face, a blush spreading across my cheeks. “Maybe you should be down here instead.”
He did not need a second invitation.
Some hours later, he was stroking my hair. “I know that you haven’t really had time to consider, but I want you to think about it honestly. I cannot guarantee that you will be happy, but I swear that I will do everything in my power to make you smile every day until our first child arrives.”
This came across as a little jarring. Propping myself up on my elbow, I looked down at him. “Are you saying that as soon as you have a child, you will cease to care about me?”
Bryce’s grin was positively angelic, running counter to his words, “No, you selfish woman. As soon as we have a child, I will strive to make both of you happy. You can’t expect me to care any less for any child you give me than I care about you. Every gift you give me will be something I treasure as much as I treasure you.” He pulled me back to his chest.
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” I murmured into his chest.
“I know, Joslyn.” His words sent a shiver down my spine. He moved my body closer to his. “I am not trying to rush your decision, I just want you to know that I will do everything in my power to give you the kind of life you deserve. A home and a family who will let you know that you belong. You are not expendable. Not to me.” He kissed the top of my head. “And certainly not to our dozen children.”
“A dozen?” I tried to push him away to see if he was serious.
Bryce just chuckled and held me closer. “I would have more if that was what you wanted. If one is enough for you, I will be perfectly happy with one. A mate isn’t someone whom you force to do something. A mate is someone who enriches your life out of love and understanding. There will be difficult days, ones where I will hide the swords to keep you from trying to run me through.”
“I thought humans couldn’t kill you.”
“With you, my guard would be down. You could easily kill me if you had a mind for it. Thus the hidden swords. But,” he ran a hand through my hair, “I hope that those days are fewer than the number of times you have cried on another man’s shoulder.”
“I’ve never cried on anyone else’s shoulder,” I muttered into his chest.
“What? Really?” He pulled away. A part of me realized that even his look of disbelief was exquisite.
I nodded, “I have never felt comfortable around others. Even my mentor. I care for him. Or cared for him.” I sighed. “He taught me to trust no one, and that crying was a weakness. You are the only person to see me cry.”
“I am both honored and sorry.” His voice was rich with compassion as he stroked my head. “An unenviable life.” The words were murmured over my head. “If you gave me the chance, I would try to give you the kind of life that any person would envy.”
“Having you on my arm would certainly be a good start,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. He was feeling bad because of my past, something over which he had no control.
“You don’t need to hide your pain, Joslyn. Not with me.”
“And you don’t need to feel guilty.”
“But you were out there suffering while I was selfishly searching for a mate. I cursed my looks, thinking it was the epitome of misfortune. It was lonely, but compared to what you were going through… you were out there truly suffering. You humble me, Joslyn.”
“And you bring me a comfort I have never known, Bryce. Wait,” I sat up, “do you really feel humbled by my history?”
Bryce’s golden eyes looked at me quizzically, “More than I can possibly express.”
I began to nod, “Good. Debt cleared.”
“What?” His eyes widened as he tried to follow my thought process.
I smiled down at him, a sly grin spreading across my face with each word. “You said that I had run up a very hefty tab with you. But I taught you something that was a priceless lesson. I believe that puts you in my debt.”
“I don’t think so. I saved your life. Without that, you couldn’t have taught me anything. So your lesson was only possible through my choices.”
“But it was something you wouldn’t have learned without me. YOU admitted that no one would look at the real you. I not only found the real you, I taught you something that you can take with you for the rest of your life.”
Bryce opened his mouth to say something, but he almost immediately shut it again. His hands slid around my back, “I acknowledge that I am in your debt. Please let me spend the rest of my life proving that your lesson was well learned.”
“What?” It was my turn to lose track of the conversation.
He buried his face in my hair, “My savior, my heart, my soul, my everything, I owe everything to you.”
I began to hit him as my body shook with laughter, “Now you are just being ridiculous.”
He pressed me down onto the bed. “Let me pleasure you to show my appreciation. I am but your humble creature, a wretch in your presence.”
My laughs soon gave way to moans as his dexterous fingers did to my body something that was a far cry from his words. He had pushed me to the point of pleasure before stopping. “There. We are even.” He rolled away from me, leaving me craving so much more.
“Oh, ye gods, but you are evil.”
The wicked grin he gave me was in stark contrast to the halo that the moon seemed to make around his head. “If we go further, you will be back in my debt.”
“If you are trying to pressure me into—”
“No,” his expression changed far more rapidly than I would have thought possible. “I will never force anything on you. What happens in here has nothing to do with what I want from you in the future. If you can’t give yourself to me freely, willingly, then this is just a very enjoyable time. I wi
ll let you go to fight your war and to seek your own path. It may very well break my heart, but I will not try to stop you. I seriously doubt anyone could stop you.”
My eyes sought any indication that he was joking. All I saw was sincerity.
Looking away from that intense gaze, my eyes sought the moon. “Do you really think it is that easy to forget everything that I had fought for before meeting you?”
“Easy, no. Possible, yes. I can help you come to terms with your loss. I would much rather do that than know that you have gone off to die in vain.”
I frowned, “Is it dying in vain if you do it for your people?”
He shook his head, “No, not if you die to save others. But that is not what you are proposing, and you know it as well as I do.” Bryce stood up and moved away from the bed. Despite the gravity of the conversation, my eyes could not help taking in his perfect body. “If it will help you, I will take you to your country. To let you see with your own eyes what has become of it. You cannot ask me to stay and watch you die, though. I don’t think I could survive witnessing your pointless demise.”
I tried to smile, “Surely you, the great Bryce, could survive the death of a single human.”
He sat on the edge of the bed. “I could survive the death of almost any human. But I know myself well enough to know that I have already found my mate. I will do what I can for you, but even I have my limits.”
“Are you afraid of—”
He nodded. “I’m afraid of losing you. It’s a new feeling,” he smiled at me sheepishly, “so you will have to forgive the seriousness with which I take your doubt about me. I know that we have not known each other long. You have fought for your country for more years than days you have known me. I would never ask you to forget. What I would ask is that you let me help you to heal. Not all scars are visible.” His finger traced the cut on my abdomen. “But even the invisible ones can be mended so that there isn’t any permanent damage.”
“You have no evidence to support your words.”
Gently, Bryce picked up my hand and placed it over his heart. “They say when you find your mate, things that didn’t make sense finally become clear. I realize that the experience is very different for a human, but what I didn’t know, I now see clearly. It is as beautiful and tempting as your green eyes.” His hand stretched out and stroked my head.
Without thinking, I leaned into his hand, my eyes closed. “Do you mean it? You would take me back to Shingyon?”
I opened my eyes. He quickly hid the pain he felt when he realized I was looking at him. Slowly he nodded, his eyes never leaving me, “If that is what will help you. To see your home one more time.”
“I never said it was home.” I shook my head, “It hasn’t been home to me. Not really.”
“You feel something for it.”
“I spent my entire adult life trying to make it a better place. To protect it. The idea that it is just… gone… it’s like nothing I did mattered.”
His large hands took mine. Bryce kissed my fingertips as he said, “What you did always mattered. You helped them to survive for much longer than they probably would have without you. That region has always been unstable, the countries constantly changing. Your people had every right to try to make a place of their own after their history. But I don’t believe they ever deserved you.” His eyes met mine. “Unlike them, I know that I don’t deserve you. That’s why I swear to spend my life trying to give you what you should have had all along. If you think that you would regret being with me, then you should turn me down. Go live your life or die as you see fit. Only you know what is right for you.”
I sat up, the cover falling away from my body. For a moment, I couldn’t help but enjoy the way his eyes slid down to my breasts, his thoughts obviously less serious than they had been just a moment before. “I don’t think that I deserve happiness. Or that I deserve your high praise. If what I believe is true, I failed my people when they needed me most. If you are right, my failure was what doomed them. It’s...” The thoughts hurt, but he had been honest with me. He had earned no less. “What if I fail you?”
“You couldn’t.” Bryce moved closer, pulling me into his arms.
“I could. I really could. You obviously want children. What if your medicine cannot fix what I know to be broken inside me? You would be stuck with me, a barren woman, for how long?”
He shook his head, “I would love every child you gave me, but I will treasure you just as much if you cannot have children. You mean so much more to me than a future lineage. I love you, Joslyn, and whatever future you offer me. Be it one with children, one with just you, or one on my own. I accept whatever you decide.”
“Aren’t you putting too much pressure on the weak human? What makes you think I can handle this kind of pressure?”
“Is my proposition more of a burden than the fate of a nation?”
I had no response to that.
His smile was sweet, “I want a future with you. I will not take your future from you.”
I stared into his eyes for what felt like eternity. There was no doubt that he meant everything he said. If I asked him to take me to Shingyon, he would do it, there was no doubt in my mind. I was equally certain that I didn’t want to cause him that kind of pain.
For the first time, I tried to look into a possible future. The only path that I could even consider now that I was faced with all possible choices was one with the man in front of me.
“Give me a few days,” I said, looking away.
“Take all the time you need.”
“Oh, I don’t need any more time to consider my future. I want a few more days like the last one. I want to make sure that you are as capable as you promise. Any sign of weakness, and I will have to—”
His mouth covered mine before I could finish tormenting him. Bryce’s voice was heavy when he pulled away, “Thank you, Joslyn. I will spend the rest of my life making sure you have nothing to regret.”
With a thrust, he brought me to the brink of pleasure. “But know that I will definitely torment you for that, too.”
“Fair enough,” I said, wrapping my legs around him. He buried his face in my neck and held me close as he teased me for what felt like forever.
The Tiger Prisoner
Prisoners of Scythia
Book 2
By: Lisa Daniels
Prologue
A New Position
I had just finished getting dressed when I heard muttering outside my small room.
“She’s already up.”
This was greeted by some groans, and I had to stifle my sigh of resignation about the whole thing. I knew why they were there and why they were whispering outside of the room. They had come to do something to me in my sleep. It wasn’t like this was unexpected. For the last couple of weeks they had been not so subtly trying to get me to tell them when I woke in the morning. It had been obvious that they had wanted to do something to me, so I had given vague answers or pretended not to hear their questions. Despite my best efforts, I knew at some point something like this would happen. Considering what could have happened, I supposed this was the best-case scenario. None of them had tried to do anything to me with my back turned to the door.
Perhaps the thought had not dawned on them, I thought somewhat cruelly. It was impossible for me not to think of them as rather foolish girls chasing after all the wrong things. They had gotten up early just to try to embarrass me. Whatever plan they had concocted likely did not account for the fact that I would already be awake. None of them were equipped to come up with a new plan in the face of failure.
My time in the palace had taught me a lot. The lesson that stood out was that this was definitely not the experience my parents had prepared me for.
“Work hard and you will fit right in at the castle.”
“Don’t make waves. Just get your work done. That is how you remain a loyal servant to the royal family.”
“Your looks aren’t going to mean anything up
at the castle. Except to men who are less than honorable. Keep that in mind when they start to flatter you. They are only after one thing…”
There was definitely a story behind all of these warnings and recommendations by my parents. I was fairly certain that they at least meant well. My mother in particular knew what she was talking about, and I was the proof of that. She had me out of wedlock and my father wasn’t my real father. But he had always treated me like his daughter because he couldn’t have any of his own. It had been a pact my parents had made when they married—she would accept that she would never have any more children, and he would accept me as his own. For the most part it had worked for them. I had certainly seen far more miserable couples around our small town, and things were much worse for the couples I had encountered here at the castle. It was almost like they thrived on causing each other pain. By comparison, I had gained a much better opinion of my parents’ marriage once I realized that power and money did not mean that a couple would be happy. It actually seemed to decrease the likelihood in my estimate.
If I were to be very honest, the entire thing made me feel that there would never be a situation where I would want to accept anyone else in my life. Dying childless was beginning to seem much more like a goal than something to be ashamed of.
Before leaving my parents’ house, my mother had cut my black hair short so that I almost looked like a boy. My father had contemplated giving me a scar, but couldn’t bring himself to hurt me, even crying on my shoulder while he apologized for not doing more to protect me.
Everyone knew that I wasn’t his daughter in our small town, and they had been quick to point that out not long after I learned to walk. I knew that my parents would have moved if they could, and I always tried to tell them that it was fine. If we had moved, I could have passed for my father’s daughter, what with our similar hair color and lithe figures. I certainly didn’t look much like my mother until I was well into my teenage years. But that would not have guaranteed that we would be happy. My mother stood out too much, and a new town would have invited temptations that she simply would not have been able to avoid. I think that my father knew that, too. As he apologized, I felt that he was apologizing for choosing my mother over me. He needn’t have, though. I never blamed him for my mother’s weakness; he had given me so much already, it hurt to hear him suffering because of a choice he should never have had to make.
