Lilith Enraptured (Divinity Warriors 1)

by Pillow Michelle M.

  The statement came out more like a question than an announcement. Cheering erupted, jarring Lilith to her senses. She jerked her bound hands, trying to free them. Lord Sorin held tight, unaffected by her protests.

  “No,” she managed, loud enough to be heard by the women standing next to her.

  A low growl escaped Sorin.

  “Stop it.” Lilith tugged harder, not caring who heard. “Let me go. This is a mistake. I did nothing wrong. I’m not supposed to be here. Contact Divinity Headquarters on dimensional plane 269. My employee number is 54367D. I don’t belong here.”

  “Eh, my lord, if you wanted a woman, you should have waited to see their temperaments,” a knight shouted, causing a round of laughter. “Methinks you found the shrew!”

  “Ach, he’s lucky to have a bit o’ fire betwixt the sheets,” another answered. A loud bang followed as people hit their goblets on the wooden tabletops.

  “Are you saying my Bertha does not have fire?” the first man accused.

  “Not as much as my Darla!” the second answered, the original playfulness no longer in his tone.

  Fighting erupted behind her, but Lilith couldn’t turn around. Sorin still stared at her, his dark eyes commanding.

  “Come with me,” Sorin ordered, tugging her behind him as he walked.

  “Brother,” the easy-going knight insisted from behind the table.

  “It is done, Ronen,” Sorin answered. “Tell Sera to send food to my chambers.”

  As he dragged her by her wrists from the crowded hall to a narrow archway next to the fireplace, Lilith tried to brace her feet against the floor. The fruitless effort caused her to stumble erratically so she gave it up. She glanced behind her. The other women appeared a shade paler as they watched her being carted away like a newly acquired sex slave. And as far as she knew, that’s exactly what she was.

  Chapter Three

  Lilith trembled as the giant man led her up a wide, spiraling stairwell. The noise of the hall faded behind her, insulated by the thick stone walls. The heavy thud of his boots echoed around her, encasing her in his ominous presence. He kept her wrists in his fist, but didn’t look back at her.

  She let her feet trip on the stairs, trying to make him stumble and let go. That’s all she needed, for him to release her for just a second so she could run. Fleeing one man had to be better odds than fleeing from a packed hall. He didn’t break stride, didn’t let on that he felt her struggles. They passed a narrow slit in the wall, a thin window leading outside. They were getting high off the ground. She got a glimpse of an open field leading off into trees. Paige had told the truth.

  “You have the wrong woman,” Lilith broke the silence. Perhaps reason would work. Some primitive parallel cultures respected reasoning. “I’m an analyst.”

  Unexpectedly, he stopped and swung around to face her. “There is no mistake. The words were spoken, Lady Ann Anna List. It’s done. You’re mine.”

  She shook her head. He loomed over her, made all the taller by the higher step he stood upon. “I’m not—”

  Sorin surged forward, tugging her into his chest at the same time. She crashed into him, gasping at the hard wall of his body. Not a measure of fat marred his thick frame. A shock of pure, sexual awareness poured over her flesh, enrapturing her nerves and turning her knees to weakened jelly.

  “You are,” he said.

  “I’m not named Ann.” Lilith’s bound wrists were trapped between them, the sides pressed near the front of his thighs. If one of them moved, his cock would be squarely in her hands. “I-I’m Lilith Grian. I work for Divinity. Have you heard of them? I’m not supposed to be on this world. I’m not sanctioned to travel until after…” She paused, not wanting to say “my trial”.

  Sorin continued to stare at her, his brow slightly arched and his eyes cold.

  “…after this thing. It’s a mistake. Please, you appear very,” she glanced at his chest, so close and powerful, “very reasonable. I’m sure you understand, I’m not—”

  “You are,” he answered, as if he hadn’t heard a single thing she’d said.

  Lilith gritted her teeth. Reason didn’t work. Perhaps false bravado would. “I’m warning you. I’m trained to fight.”

  At that he grinned. The look did nothing to soften the hard lines of his face. He adjusted his hips and as she suspected, his cock pressed into her hands, letting her feel how very strong and powerful it really was. A hard knot formed in her stomach. Tears threatened her eyes as fear took hold. She held them back, feeling the burn in her nose. Her lips parted in shock and he took full advantage.

  He didn’t test her resolve or ask permission with a light brush of his lips. Instead, his mouth ordered her, commanding it to open wider with the probe of his tongue. The sweet, spicy taste of liquor flavored the hot kiss. It had been a very long time since a man kissed her like that.

  Who the hell was she trying to fool? A man had never kissed her quite like that.

  Pent-up desire and passion flowed through her, awakening nerves she’d long neglected. For a brief second, she thought of giving in. Who would know? This world was so far beyond the scope of hers. But when he had his way with her, would he pass her on to someone else? This man was a stranger on an uncharted world. She needed more facts. Lilith knew nothing about the true culture and laws of this place or of her place in it.

  The taste of him burned into her mouth, combining with the very masculine smell of his body. She turned her head violently to the side, wrenching it back and forth to get her mouth away when his lips would follow. “No. Stop. Don’t.”

  To her great surprise, Sorin let her go and stepped back. “You are right. This is not the place. Forgive me.”

  He hardly sounded contrite. Dizzy from the abrupt withdrawal, Lilith stumbled when he pulled her forward once more. The stone walls appeared to have darkened, not in reflected light but in color. “Where are you taking me?”

  “The Black Tower,” he answered, “our home. At least while we reside at Battlewar. When you come with me to the battlefront, we will stay in my tent.”

  “Our?” Lilith nearly collapsed in surprise. Did he just say she was going into battle? “Then you’re not going to share me with the other men?”

  “Share?” At that he almost looked offended. The blue tint of the stone faded into black, casting darker shadows over his face. Her heart raced and she backed away from the low tone of his voice. “I do not share what is mine. You are mine and you will not share yourself with others.”

  His possessive decree did not comfort her. Her breath sounded odd as it came out in rough pants. The end to this long stairwell had to be near.

  “No, I’m not, Sorin,” she said. “I don’t belong here.”

  “You do now. I claimed you, you are mine. It is done. The decision is made.” Coming to a door, he stopped and pushed it open. Without ceremony, he directed her inside.

  Lilith’s eyes went directly to the large bed covered with a fur pelt blanket. Firelight danced over the textured surface. She took a step away from him and then another, going the only direction she could—deeper into the chamber. The glint of metal caught her notice and she saw the weapons on the wall—gruesome, deadly instruments that would strike fear into anyone. The hilts were faded and worn, attesting to their frequent use.

  Out of all the outcomes this day might bring, being tortured by deadly weapons hadn’t crossed her mind. Lilith swallowed, realizing she’d held on to the idiotic idea that she’d be rescued if things went bad. But there was no safety feature hidden in her shapeless gown. Divinity would not be coming for her. This was real. Dark and twisted and real. If she refused, what would happen? If she gave in, what would he do? She’d never had a large warrior in her bed before, instead preferring to copulate with the tame, nonthreatening bookish types she met on assignment. There had been something safe and noncommittal to a man who lived on another plane—at least until now.

  A warm hand touched the back of her neck and she gasped, jerking
violently. She didn’t dare move, but her eyes found a second door. It was only a few feet away, but it might as well have been a mile.

  “Take this off,” Sorin said. He brushed aside her hair and drew his mouth to her neck.

  “Ah!” Lilith cried, running for the door. Her bound wrists made it impossible to pull the latch. She couldn’t do this. Not with him. Selfishly, she wished he’d chosen one of the others. Jayne seemed tough. She’d know what to do with a guy like this. Even the quieter Karre could have handled the giant before her better than Lilith ever could.

  Her escape ended as fast as it began. Sorin grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her back hit against the hard wood of the door. Lilith inhaled a deep, shaky breath.

  “I do not feel like playing a teasing game. There is much I have to do.” He stroked her cheek and looked meaningfully to the bed.

  “Please.” Lilith looked at the weapon-filled wall, quivering so badly she could no longer stand on her own. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

  * * * * *

  Sorin wasn’t sure what exactly made him stop his pursuit. Her words were so soft and worried, and her body appeared so small and fragile trapped against the door. Her eyes stared at him in raw fear. He’d seen that look in battle—the wild, round gaze, the trepidation and terror. He did not want that look from her, not from the woman in his bed.

  Fool.

  Idiot.

  Weak.

  His body hummed with desire, reminding him how long it had been since he’d felt the softness of a female’s touch. The painful arousal between his thighs annoyed him. Her resistance annoyed him. The wasted time he’d spend thinking about his new situation annoyed him. And the fact that he’d claimed her against all planning and better sense really annoyed him.

  “Argh,” he growled low in his throat. She jerked, closing her eyes tight. He could take her, make her want him. His desire begged him to. The taste of her mouth still lingered on his lips. She’d kissed him back in the stairwell. He’d felt her respond for the briefest of pleasurable seconds.

  Why did she turn from him? Sorin didn’t want her like this. He didn’t want her scared of him, trembling like a fall leaf. Already he knew women were apprehensive of his size, but he was an accomplished lover. He could bring her to release. Even Bianka had given few complaints in that aspect of their marriage.

  Sorin didn’t need this aggravation. He needed someone who did her duty by him as he would by her. The Caniba tribes attacked further north than they ever had before, rising from the earth and disappearing like ghosts. That was where his concentration needed to be and he didn’t have the time to explain it all to a stranger.

  Frowning, he studied her tightly drawn face. He stepped back, pulling her away from the door so that he might open it. It had been a long time since he’d looked inside. The smell of dust wafted over him. Apparently, it had been a long time since any of the castle servants had gone in as well. It appeared they had listened to him when he ordered that the room should rot like the decay of his first marriage.

  “You will live here,” he instructed, feeling a slight twinge to think of another woman in Bianka’s old quarters—even if Bianka only made use of it for one night. Light from his room cast into the dingy chamber, parting the shadows to reveal a dust-covered floor. Pale green cobwebs hung from the ceiling in withered strands, swinging gently and aimlessly. He hadn’t thought to have the chamber prepared since he never planned on filling it. “Have it cleaned for it has seen little use. You should find whatever it is you females need for your daily routines.”

  “There’s no other way out,” Lilith observed, edging away from him. What happened to the proud woman who held her own in the main hall? He didn’t like the protectiveness this fragile creature brought forth. “You’re holding me prisoner?”

  “There is no need to trap you, my lady. None of the others will touch you. They respect my claim.” Sorin put distance between them. If she wasn’t going to let him bed her, he wasn’t sure what other need there was to be in her presence. His cock throbbed, so full and tight he could barely stand it. Every ounce of him pleaded for relief—the feel of her hand, the sucking kiss of her mouth, anything to end the suffering.

  Striding to his fireplace, he grabbed an unlit torch and thrust it into the flames. Once lit, he went back into her room to find she hadn’t moved. Sorin placed the torch in a sconce, casting the room with light.

  He looked at the dirty bed. How easy it would be to bend her over the high edge. Growling low in his throat, he left her, slamming the door behind him. Once alone in his room, he paced the floor, tossing the front of his long tunic over his bent arm as he fumbled at the laces along his hip.

  Sorin managed to free his sensitive cock from its painfully tight restraint. Every nerve in his body beseeched him to go to Lady Lilith. From the first moment, he wanted her. His body ached and his flesh burned.

  “Witch,” he whispered, trying to reason what had happened to make him claim her. “She’s enraptured me in her spell.”

  He was lying to himself.

  Starian men depended a lot on instinct. They made decisions fast and stuck by them. Sorin knew how to size up a person in a few seconds. In war, he had to know his opponent. Lilith held his most withering gaze when most men could not. She kept her arms close to her body when she moved and didn’t wiggle and display herself for any man who cared to look in her direction. Her voice stayed soft, pleasingly so, even when she yelled. Well, “pleasingly” if he didn’t take into account what she said. Hurt her? He’d never hurt a woman outside of battle, and then the heathen Caniba females could hardly be considered ladies on the same level as a Starian.

  In one second, he knew. Lilith was for him. It did no good to deny it. He couldn’t even explain it. But that was how their gods worked. He’d tried to force the ceremony before, thinking more of duty than fate. It had not worked out well for him. This time he acted on faith.

  Then why in all of the burning forests was he standing alone in his bedchambers with his pants around his ankles about to grab his own cock?

  Lilith caused his current affliction. It was her duty to take care of it. Why did she resist? The decision was made. She was his. Nothing would change that.

  Gripping his erection hard, he began to stroke. This time, the vision of his new mistress filled his mind, fueling his passions. Sorin fell back onto his bed, into the soft fur of his coverlet. He cupped his balls, rolling them in his palm as he sought to bring himself relief.

  * * * * *

  Lilith paced the horrible bedroom, tugging at her bound wrists. A narrow window showed the impossible height of the tower she was supposed to call home. Even if she could squeeze through, it would be at least a nine-hundred-foot drop to her death. And falling was only a slightly worse option than going to face what awaited on the other side of the door.

  Lord Sorin.

  “Think, Lilith.” She reached a dusty, spider-web-covered wall and turned to walk the other direction. This room was not acceptable. Sure, the amenities appeared to be fine, if she could dig them out from under the twenty thousand pounds of dust that covered almost every inch of the place. The only hint of the room’s use before this night was a strange trail of footprints marring the blanket of dust on the floor. They started at Sorin’s door and looked as though someone paced to the corner of the room, turned around and left, over and over again. “Forget the footprints. Forget the dust. Think, Lilith. Analyze the situation and come up with a plan. Academy might have been a long time ago, but you were trained to get out of sticky situations.”

  Yeah, her mind answered peevishly, with the use of a Divinity emergency call-button hidden in my clothes.

  Now that she was out of Sorin’s magnetically alluring presence, her mind seemed to come back from a foggy abyss. At the time, she hadn’t realized the complete and utter effect he had on her. First, his eyes penetrated, causing every nerve to tingle. Then it was his smell, so masculine and erotic. He had the body of a gladiator,
the grace of a martial artist and the face of a god of war. When he kissed her, raw passion washed across her body.

  Lilith’s breathing deepened and moisture pooled between her thighs. Each pacing step became a jolt to her system. She looked at the door. Who would know?

  “I would,” she answered her own question. “Think, Lilith.”

  Sorin’s hands had been so strong and firm when they held her to the door, his tight body close to hers. And all he wanted was to throw her down on the bed and have his wicked, wicked way with her. With the way he moved and the very size of the rest of him, she just bet he knew how to work his well-endowed cock.

  Ah! Think of something else!

  “Um…” She looked around the room, desperate for a plan of escape. Just a few moments in Sorin’s presence and she contemplated ways to separate him from his clothing. Men of war tended to have stamina. She bet he could last for hours.

  Stop it! I don’t know anything about these kinds of men in bed. I’m no match for him. I don’t like it rough, or painful, or… Stop it!

  He’d stopped when she’d told him to stop. Mr. Warrior Man had impulse control. Plus, he claimed no other man would touch her. He clearly was a man of power and, even if he wasn’t, Lilith doubted any of the other knights would be stupid enough to cross such a formidable male.

  “Escape.” Lilith glanced at her bound wrists. First things first, she needed her wrists free from the ropes. Unlike Sorin’s room, hers didn’t have a wall teeming with weaponry.

  Lilith walked to the door and leaned her ear against the wood. Inside silence greeted her. After several seconds, she became relatively sure he’d left. Lilith fumbled at the latch before pulling it open. Sorin’s bedroom seemed an odd contrast to her dirty one as she stepped over the dirt-lined threshold. Not a speck marred his floor or the immaculately polished blades on the wall.

  Lilith began to lift her arms, intent on grabbing the nearest blade to free herself, when a very peculiar noise stopped her. Friction? Rubbing?