by Tori Minard
Mastered By Love
Tori Minard
Writing As Tessa Tremaine
Copyright 2013
Smashwords Edition
Cover by Tori Minard from images by © Vladimirs Poplavskis, © Rolffimages, © Ruta Saulyte
This story is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are invented by the author or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author.
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Enchanted Lyre Books
CHAPTER 1
Barbarians surrounded her on all sides. Tariza sipped her fancy mixed drink as she surveyed the masses of colorfully-dressed people thronging the ballroom of the Bellerenic embassy. Her sister, Lenora, was out there somewhere, dancing and smiling the same way most of the women were.
Tariza wouldn’t dance. So many of these people were male, all unchained – uncontrolled by a female hand – that it made the fine hairs stand up all over her body.
Most of the Bellerenics, or Demon Kin, were male because nearly all their females had been destroyed due to biological warfare, so she couldn’t hold it against them. Besides, they were the hosts and one must always be polite to one’s hosts. They’d arranged this meeting of Concordia and Saturnios at the Bellerenic embassy on Argelia in an attempt to broker peace between the two warring kingdoms.
The human males, on the other hand, had no excuse. No war, no disease had deprived them of their women. They’d simply left most of them at home because they were deemed unfit to participate.
Goddess, she hated politics. She was the heir to the throne of Concordia, yet she’d never felt less at ease than here, surrounded by other people’s expectations of her nonexistent diplomatic skills and politesse. Lenora was far better suited to this game than Tariza. She’d rather be at home with her horses than here.
I’d rather be almost anywhere than here.
She needed to think about something else before her anger and uncertainty began to show on her face. All of Concordia was relying on her and her mother, the queen, to bring honor to the realm this evening. She must not disappoint Merita again.
She turned her gaze on the design of the ballroom. The Demon Kin had a flair for the beautiful, the artistic. The enormous chamber featured exquisite hand-made glass light fixtures and gorgeous carpets made in her own Concordia. Everything shimmered with color and light, including the people that crowded everywhere around her. The only thing spoiling the loveliness was the hordes of un-escorted males wandering about.
Especially those damnable Saturnians.
She glanced around for her honor guard, but in the press of human and Demon Kin bodies she couldn’t see them anywhere and her heart began to thump so hard she imagined she could hear it. Tariza took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to show how unnerved this male-heavy gathering made her. With an effort of will, she released the grip she had on her own waist and forced her free arm to hang by her side.
She was the heir to Concordia. Princess Tariza and her mother embodied everything for which their country stood. Perhaps she was unaccustomed to such a sophisticated, Galactic crowd, but she would never admit that in public.
Relaxed. She was relaxed. She took another sip of her drink. It was far too sweet.
The song the live band was playing ended. Dancers began to move to and from the dance floor in the center of the room. She knew little of couple dancing, and nothing at all of the mass social dances performed here tonight. Concordian dances were all about war and conquest and were never performed in mixed-gender couples.
Almost all the women present had been claimed as partners by the men, even though many of those men were Saturnian. Why did they do it? What right-thinking woman would allow one of those female-enslaving swine to touch her, let alone guide her through a dance clearly designed to please a pack of males with more power than was good for them?
The band launched into another piece of music, one with a surging rhythm she found unexpectedly pleasing. She tapped her toe as couples began to whirl around the room in a complex series of steps Tariza couldn’t hope to decipher. She had to admit the music was pretty, even if the movements were uncivilized.
“May I have this dance?” a deep voice said next to her ear.
She spun to face the man, the rapid movement sloshing liquid out of her glass and onto her hand. In spite of her high heels, she had to look up – and up – to meet his gaze. Large, deep-brown eyes fringed with absurdly long black lashes stared down at her with private amusement. Stunning eyes.
She cleared her throat. “No.”
“No? You crush me, beautiful lady.”
Tariza shook her head. “I doubt that.”
He spoke to her as if they were equals. Maybe he didn’t know she was Concordian, that she came from a country where males knew their proper place. Her gown, though, was of turquoise silk with gold accents – the colors of Concordia’s royal house. He had to know.
He’s only a man. He probably doesn’t realize what he’s doing.
“It’s only one dance,” he said with a charming smile that brought out dimples in his cheeks.
“I’m otherwise occupied. Run along now. I’m sure some other woman here will be glad to oblige you.”
The overgrown lout took her by the elbow. With his other hand, he relieved her of her glass, setting it on the moss-covered soil of a nearby potted palm. “But, Princess Tariza, I want you. Surely you don’t mean to insult the house of Saturnios by denying me in front of all these good people?”
His charming smile had something predatory in it. Too late, she noticed the quiet red accents on the fellow’s black jacket. How could she have missed the Saturnian colors on him? Red and black.
They were quite understated, though; maybe even designed to escape a cursory glance. A little scarlet on the buttons and a subtle, narrow red stripe in the charcoal neck cloth he wore; that was all.
People were beginning to notice the two of them. Tariza’s cheeks heated. “I don’t know how to dance this way.”
“It’s quite all right.” His smile deepened, dark eyes sparkling. “I’ll take the lead.”
“No, I don’t –”
He already had her by the elbow and was leading her – chivying her, really – to the dance floor. Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to put an insolent male in his place, but this was a diplomatic event. If she continued to protest, she’d make a scene and embarrass herself and her people in front of the whole Galactic assembly. Argelia, with its anti-technology policies, was already considered somewhat backward, and isolationist Concordia the most backward of all its kingdoms.
People were idiots, but that was irrelevant. She was honor-bound to make a good, sophisticated show tonight.
She allowed him to draw her to the edge of the dance floor. He put his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body. Beneath his formal clothes, he was hard with muscle. His scent, of freshly washed male without a hint of cologne, hit her at the same time as their bodies met.
A bolt of pure lust stabbed through her belly, suffusing her with tingling heat. She stared up at him, tense with the effort to conceal that sudden desire. It had never struck her this way, all at once and fr
om nothing more than a fully-clothed touch.
He took one of her hands and placed it on his shoulder. “This is the waltz.” He lifted her other hand in his. “An ancient Earth dance.”
The Saturnian spun her away into the mass of dancers. Tariza jerked her gaze from his face to his feet. What in the Goddess’s name was he doing with them? She couldn’t understand his sequence of movements.
Her toe caught in the hem of her gown and she stumbled, lurching against his arm. Her face burned.
“Relax,” he said, righting her effortlessly as they continued to dance. “I’m in charge. All you have to do is let go and follow my lead.”
“I told you I don’t know how to dance this way.” And after this humiliation, she never would.
“I’m surprised it wasn’t included in your education, Your Highness.” The way he spoke her title sounded more mocking than respectful.
Tariza frowned at him. “You have the advantage of me. You know who I am, but I don’t know you.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Dario Saturnios, at your service.” He gave her a mocking little bow of his head.
Now her brows rose. “Prince Dario Saturnios?”
“The very same.”
“You weren’t with the Saturnian party that greeted us.”
“No. I was unfortunately detained in the field.” His eyes sparkled again. “Were you disappointed?”
She made a dismissive sound. “Why would I be?”
But she had been disappointed. She’d looked forward to seeing the two barbarian princes, nephews of the king, in person. Close enough to touch...except of course she would disdain to put her hands on such savages.
“I know I was.” He leaned his head close as they spun through another turn. “I wanted to know if the Concordian princess was as beautiful in person as she is in portraits.”
He flirted with her the way two female lovers did in Concordia. She’d never encountered that behavior in a male. Men in her country were humble and modest, not bold-eyed pirates. They never undressed her with their eyes, the way Dario Saturnios was doing.
“You’re talking a lot of bull – er, nonsense,” she said, fixing her gaze on his jacket buttons.
“Not at all. You’re twice as lovely in reality. I tell you, if this wasn’t such a formal event, I’d...” His voice trailed off suggestively.
“You’d what? Can you really be so ignorant that you don’t know how we Concordians deal with our men? Cease your chatter before you make an even greater fool of yourself.”
He smiled at her, looking more predatory than ever. “But I am not Concordian. Do you know how we Saturnians deal with our women?”
“How could I not? Everyone in the galaxy knows what savages you are.” She tried to break off the dance.
“Ah, ah.” His arm tightened around her like a vise. “We’ll finish out the dance, Princess.”
“You did this just to humiliate me, didn’t you?” she snapped, glaring at him.
“Not at all. I truly wished to meet you. Especially since we’ll be seated next to each other at dinner.”
“What?”
The music ended abruptly and Prince Dario released her waist, settling her hand in the crook of his arm in the same graceful move. “We’re dinner partners. Didn’t you know?”
She hadn’t even thought to ask who her dinner partner would be. In Concordia, there was no formal seating at banquets and the truth was she’d never attended a formal event outside her own kingdom. Concordia kept to itself for the most part, avoiding interaction with those who would destroy their unique way of life.
Dario gestured toward the adjoining dining room. “Shall we?”
Tariza lifted her chin. He may have phrased it as a question, but she knew an order when she heard one. If the circumstances had been different, she’d have told him to piss off, but here and now the formality of the occasion constrained her.
She gave him the most regal smile she could muster. “Yes, thank you.”
He raised his brows, just enough to let her know he found her amusing. Tariza ignored it. All she had to do was get through this one dinner and then she’d probably never see him again. Certainly she’d have no contact once she went home to Concordia.
His scent, combined with the body heat she could feel even through his clothes, made her tremble inside with a strange yearning. Goddess, what was wrong with her? She never reacted to men this way.
The dining room boasted a table made of some dark and glossy wood; it seemed to stretch forever down the length of the chamber, while enticing savory aromas drifted in from the kitchens. Above it hung more chandeliers, like the ones in the ballroom but smaller, with red and amber crystal drops that glistened like jewels in the candlelight. Another Concordian carpet underlay the table. The rug was so big she wondered irrelevantly how many people it had taken to carry it into the room.
Dario led her to a position near the head of the table, directly across from her mother and King Grasos. A Demon Kin male presided at the head of the table. He was the Bellerenic ambassador, a man with the unlikely name of Gluttony Black. In spite of his name, he was bone thin. At the foot of the table sat the Argelian High King, Zandro Margelia. In between were Bellerenic diplomatic staff, members of the Argelian High King’s Court and representatives from both Concordia and Saturnios, including her mother, Queen Merita of Concordia, and sister, Princess Lenora.
A glittering assembly, even if there weren’t enough women present. She’d heard a rumor that some of the Saturnian women had come along with the men, but they were confined to their quarters. And they wore slave collars. Her hands tightened in her lap at the thought of those poor, captive women.
If we do go to war, I’m going to free the Saturnian women. No matter what it takes.
Tariza glanced at the Bellerenics – exotic Demon Kin, with their devilish-looking horns and tails. Until she’d come here, she’d only seen them in pictures. Something about them reminded her of the Saturnian men. Maybe it was the air of physical power and vitality that surrounded them, or perhaps it was the bold way their gazes lingered on her.
Were all free males so shameless, regardless of race?
Dario bent his head nearer to her. “Don’t be afraid. The Demon Kin are quite friendly. They won’t hurt you.”
“I’m not afraid, you great dolt.”
“Now, Princess, that was unkind.”
She gave an irritated sigh. He grinned – the most self-satisfied expression she’d ever seen. The big idiot was teasing her.
“I don’t understand why you persist in trying to speak to me,” she said. “Can’t you see I’m not interested?”
His grin only deepened. “Sometimes girls don’t know what they really want.”
“That’s the most conceited, ignorant thing I’ve heard in a very long time.”
She loathed him, from his curly black hair to his big puppy eyes to his athletic legs, the muscular contours of which she could see right through the fabric of his trousers...if she chose to turn her gaze to his lap, which of course she wouldn’t. Insolent, disrespectful stallion that he was, he’d probably expected her to fall trembling at his feet and offer herself to him like a mare in season. Or some ancient virgin sacrifice.
Well, she was no ordinary princess. She was a Concordian warrior and no virgin, either.
Tariza pasted a smile on her face and kept her movements serene and regal as she dipped her spoon into her first course. She could put on a show as well as anyone and better than most. She’d been doing it all her life.
***
Dario glanced sidelong at Princess Tariza. He caught her scent, faintly floral spiced with female musk, even with the odors of food all around them. What was that smug little smirk on her lips for? He couldn’t decide if she feared him or hated him. Probably a little of both.
She’s right to fear me. If I could get her beneath me, I’d do it. Fuck her right here on the banquet table and make her like it.
But that wouldn’t be diplomat
ic. His Uncle Grasos wanted to pursue diplomacy first, before escalating to an armed conflict. It was radically out of character for him and the first decision he’d made with which Dario could wholeheartedly agree.
War hurt everyone. The last thing Dario wanted to see was more men under his command strewn broken and dying on a blood-stained field.
Still, it rankled to sit next to this self-important, over-indulged Concordian girl who thought she had the right to be accorded equality with men. Equality. She ought to be kneeling at his feet, accepting scraps from his plate.
His cock swelled insistently at that image. Tariza Concordia would look even more beautiful naked except for a black and red leather harness, her golden head bowed in proper submission, long blond hair unbound and spilling over her shoulders. He would feed her from his own hand. And then he’d guide that luscious mouth of hers to his cock.
He gave her another glance. She still had that impudent smirk on her face. Dario leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“Someday, little one, you’ll be mine.”
The smirk disappeared, replaced by a furious glare. “Only in your pathetic little fantasies, big boy.” Even more furious color flooded her face, her dark eyes widening. She bent her head to her plate.
What was that all about? Had she been fantasizing about him?
He grinned. “I’ll make both our dreams come true.”
She gave a brittle laugh. “I’d like to see that. I truly would.”
“I promise you it will happen.”
He’d only meant to needle her, but when her head came up and their eyes met, something fiery grabbed hold of his heart. It was almost as if she’d reached out with her glance and touched some part of him he’d never even noticed before. Something deep and hidden.
Her lips parted. Her little pink tongue swept out to moisten them. His cock responded with a painful throb.
She’ll be mine. Someday. Somehow.
