Rianen stared at her. “That bastard.”
“You’re not making me feel any better. What does that mean?”
“Traditionally, mating claims were negotiated. Each party is making commitments not only to each other, but to and for their family and clan.” She sighed. “Because the ceremony affected so many others, they had to be sure that the mating bond occurred.”
“Which means?”
“Which means he has to bed you as part of the ceremony.”
Beth’s mouth opened but no sound came out. She choked and tried again. “In front of everyone?”
“There has to be at least one witness,” Rianen admitted reluctantly.
“I don’t think I can. I’ve never even…”
“You’re a virgin?” Rianen sounded as appalled as Dragar had when he found out and Beth blushed. “Dragar agreed to this?”
“Kievan said that if he didn’t, then Kievan would take me.”
The string of curses that followed didn’t exactly translate but Beth gathered enough to understand that Rianen wanted to perform extremely painful actions on Kievan’s various body parts. When Rianen finally calmed down, she came and sat next to Beth.
“Little sister, you want to be with Dragar, don’t you?”
Beth nodded.
“Then you will have to be brave. Just concentrate on him.” She hesitated. “There are drugs that could make it easier.”
“Drugs?”
“Something to make you less afraid. To make you more…excited.”
Beth managed to smile. “I’m not worried about the excited part. Dragar has that effect on me as soon as I see him. He has a lot more control than I do.” Her eyes widened as she considered her words. “What if he can’t go through with it?”
Rianen snorted and shook her head. “A warrior not able to perform during his Claiming Ceremony? It couldn’t happen.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. He’s always very…responsive.” Damn, she was blushing again. “But he is so worried about hurting me. That’s why he keeps pulling back. Why we haven’t—”
The other woman considered her and sighed. “Then you will have to fight him.”
“Fight him? I don’t understand.”
“The oldest part of our tradition is that a warrior claims a mate by defeating her. The woman always fought. If you start to fight him, his instincts will take over.”
Beth nodded. She remembered their brief struggle on the ship. As soon as she tried to get away he had restrained her and she had felt him harden against her. But he hadn’t hurt her.
Rianen still looked worried. “But be careful. The more you fight the more dominant his instincts will become. In making you submit to him, he could hurt you. Especially since…”
“I know,” Beth muttered. “Since I’m so small.”
“And unbreached.”
Beth looked down at her hands and realized that she was trembling. Would she dare to provoke Dragar? She had never faced physical pain. As much as she trusted him, she knew he could easily hurt her if he wasn’t in control. Even worse, if he did hurt her, she didn’t think he would be able to forgive himself.
Soon after their talk, the cell doors opened so that the fighters could go to the training facilities. Beth watched in amazement at the variety of aliens who passed by. Despite the differences, they all had one thing in common—they looked big and mean. Fear for Dragar curled in her stomach but she tried not to let Rianen see it.
Instead of going for training, Rianen stayed with Beth. She exercised in the cell and then started showing Beth some simple moves. The third time Beth hit the floor she wiped the sweat out of her face and glared at the larger woman.
“Dragar’s never going to want me if you leave bruises all over my body.”
To her surprise, the other woman paled. “It won’t stop him wanting you, but it might make him decide to give me a few bruises of my own.”
Beth scowled. There was no way Dragar was going to get close enough to another woman to leave bruises on her body. “He’d better not.”
Rianen read her expression and laughed. “Trust me, little sister. It wouldn’t be fun for either of us. But perhaps we should stick to demonstrations rather than practice.”
The practice continued until the same guard brought lunch. Beth was sweaty and little sore but she had enjoyed the morning. It wasn’t until they sat down to eat that all of her concerns came rushing back. She picked at her food but couldn’t force herself to eat. Rianen watched her anxiously but didn’t speak.
After lunch, Beth took a shower. She wasn’t sure when Kievan would send for her and she wanted to at least be clean. As soon as the liquid started flowing, she burst into tears. Her emotions were so tangled she couldn’t concentrate on any one of them. She desperately wanted to be mated to Dragar, but she was afraid he was only doing it to save her. She wanted to finally have sex with him but she was afraid of what she would have to do to get him to agree. The ceremony itself frightened her and the thought of a witness horrified her.
By the time she emerged she had her emotions under control but she was still pale. Rianen took one look and came over and hugged her. Beth relaxed into taller woman’s arms, tears pricking at her eyes again. She had spent so much of her life without physical affection, afraid of what she would pick up when she touched someone. Unlike with Dragar and Kievan, she didn’t sense anything from Rianen but the woman’s concern was obvious.
Time dragged after that. Rianen tried to teach her a card game but Beth couldn’t concentrate well enough to really pick up the rules. Finally, she settled on telling Beth tall tales about places she had been and battles she had fought. By the time J’Ssett appeared at the door, Beth was as calm as she was ever going to be—a calm that disappeared as soon as the small alien appeared.
He opened the door and bowed respectfully.
“It is time for the ceremony, misss.”
Beth stood up and put on the cloak with shaking hands. She started to follow J’Ssett to the door. Rianen gave her an encouraging smile and Beth stopped abruptly.
“I would like Rianen as my escort.”
“I’m not sure that’s posssible,” he answered slowly.
Beth lifted her chin defiantly. “Kievan Rus stated that it was to be a traditional Claiming Ceremony. By tradition, I should have an escort.”
A flicker of something like amusement crossed his face. His hand reached for his ear and he moved his fingers across it in a complicated pattern as she frowned at him. After a brief pause, he nodded.
“Very well.”
“You will come, won’t you?” Beth belatedly realized she hadn’t actually asked Rianen if she wanted to take part.
“With great pleasure, little sister.” She grinned and stood up.
Beth took a deep breath and followed the two out into the corridor.
Chapter Twelve
Dragar paced the room impatiently. The time since Beth had left passed in a blur. The thought of her alone and defenseless ate at him constantly. He clung to the fact that Kievan had put her under his personal protection. On Sigrast Station, Kievan’s word was law and he was completely ruthless in enforcing it. But it only took one slip, one drunken or stupid person, and she could be lost to him forever. He realized that he had clenched his fists so tightly that his palms were bleeding and forced himself to relax. He didn’t exactly trust Kievan but he had given his word—Dragar had to have faith in that.
At Kievan’s insistence, he had practiced in the training facilities. He didn’t need the training but Kievan wanted to circulate the news of his return. At least knocking his sparring partners across the room had given him an outlet for his anxiety. But he was no longer in the ring and his anxiety was back, not just about his little one’s safety but about the ceremony to come.
Damn, Kievan. When he had insisted on a Claiming Ceremony, Dragar had actually been happy. Because of the circumstances he could console his conscience with the knowledge that, no matter how li
ttle he had to offer, he was a better choice for Beth than Kievan. Kievan might be rich and powerful but he would hurt her and he couldn’t allow that. But why had he insisted on a traditional ceremony? Did he sense that Dragar wasn’t sure if he could go through with the mating?
He groaned and sat, sinking his face in his hands. He still wasn’t sure that he could put his little one through this. There was no more time to prepare her. The idea that he would hurt her, that she would turn from him in fear, actually made him tremble. Goddess dammit. He resumed pacing, so lost in his thoughts he didn’t hear the door open.
“Dragar,” Beth said softly. He whirled to face her and stopped in wonder.
She looked beautiful. Her pale gold hair was pulled back from her face with a silver clip, accenting her delicate features. Her long gown was the exact shade of pink as her plump lips. He had been afraid that Kievan would dress her in some outrageous outfit but this dress was almost modest. True, the silky fabric clung to her slender body and showed the contours of her perfect breasts a little too clearly, but the neckline was high and the hemline was low. The modest cut didn’t stop his body from responding. He gritted his teeth, trying to control his reaction, and realized she was biting her lip.
“Don’t you like it?” Beth sounded uncertain and he cursed himself.
“So much I’m afraid to move.” A puzzled look crossed her face until he added, “I don’t want to tear it off of you.”
She laughed and the worried look disappeared.
“It is pretty, isn’t it?” She twirled in front of him and his jaw dropped. The front may have been modest but the back was not. The gown fell straight from each shoulder to her hip bones, revealing every inch of her back from the fragile nape to the soft swell at the top of her ass. Just beneath the ripe curve of her buttocks, the fabric opened again, split down to the floor and revealing her long bare legs. His cock throbbed and his nails were back to digging holes in his palms.
She swirled to a stop and looked at him, the worried look reappearing as she took in his frozen stance.
“Come here.” It was all he could manage, but her cheeks turned as pink as her gown. Without hesitating, she threw herself into his arms. He groaned as her slender curves pressed against his body and her delicate fragrance wrapped around him. She belonged in his arms. His fingers traced the silky skin of her bare back and she shivered.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, little one.” His mouth closed over hers and she met it as eagerly as ever, wrapping her tongue around his and drawing him deeper into the hot, sweet depths of her mouth. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, the hard points tempting him beyond reason. Without releasing her mouth, he bent down and curved an arm under her delectable ass, lifting her up his body until she was pressed against his throbbing cock. Not hesitating, she wrapped her legs around him and he groaned again as her gown rode up and he could feel her warm skin. Nothing mattered except the little female he held so tightly. His female. He needed her. Now.
“I’m afraid you’re getting a little ahead of yourselves.” The cold voice shocked him back to his senses. Instinctively he swung around, putting his body between Beth and Kievan. The man stood in the doorway, casually dangling a pair of shoes from one finger. He ran an appraising eye over the two while Dragar let Beth slip to the ground, keeping her behind him.
“What are you doing here?” he snarled.
“It’s time for the ceremony. You both seem to be ready.” His voice was mocking and Dragar couldn’t help another growl escaping his lips. Beth clutched his hand and stepped up beside him.
“We’re ready,” she said. Her voice was low but confident and pride washed over him. “Are those my shoes?”
“You searched my ship?” Dragar couldn’t decide if he was more embarrassed or outraged.
“I had to check for contraband.” Kievan’s look dared him to deny it but he forced his anger down. Beth walked over to get the shoes and he wanted to rip the other man’s hand off when he saw their fingers touch.
“Should I help you put them on?” Kievan asked.
Dragar roared and pulled Beth back in his arms. “I’ll help her.”
The other man nodded but his lips curved. Turning his back on the mocking smile, Dragar steadied Beth as she slipped them on. The heels changed her posture. They accented her breasts and her ass, and changed her walk into something sensual and challenging. His erection had barely subsided and now it sprang back into full demanding life.
“Thank you for bringing them,” she whispered. Her smile warmed him and his embarrassment faded.
“You look beautiful.” He stroked her cheek and she leaned into his hand.
“Very touching,” Kievan snapped. “Dragar, come with me.”
“I’m not leaving her alone.”
“She won’t be alone. She has an escort.”
Dragar blinked as the Sardoran woman appeared behind Kievan. He suppressed a scowl as he recognized her.
“Rianen,” he said coolly.
“Warrior.” She eyed him frankly and he waited for the reaction. The disgust at his scars, the hesitation about his status. She surprised him. Her gaze was assessing but not unfriendly. “I will bring your mate to the ceremony.”
He dropped an uncertain glance at Beth but she smiled encouragingly. “I’m fine. Rianen will take care of me.”
“Very well.” He turned to follow Kievan out of the room. Behind him, he heard Rianen whisper to Beth. “Don’t worry, little sister. Everything will be fine.”
Little sister? Had Rianen really accepted Beth—and his claim—that easily? Lost in his thoughts, he almost bumped into Kievan when he entered the claiming room and then stopped.
The room was astonishing. A circle of black stone flooring at one end of the room was surrounded by torches. Behind the circle, an immense image of a setting sun expanded the boundaries of the room. Careful arrangements of plants and rocks, sprinkled with tiny lights, led to the circle. They could have been outside on Sardor except that Sardor had never been this controlled or this perfect.
“Thank you. She will appreciate this.”
Kievan looked almost startled before his face hardened. “Your audience is equally appreciative.”
Dragar followed his gesture and his muscles tensed. The other end of the room was glass. Behind the glass, rows of seats climbed to the ceiling and every one was filled. A soft noise made him turn back and he watched in horror as a claiming platform rose in the center of the circle.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can. Because you deserted me. Because the Elders will be angry. Take your pick.” He shrugged carelessly, but Dragar heard the bitterness in his tone. It had never occurred to him before that Kievan might have felt just as alone as he had. During his time on the station, they hadn’t exactly been friends but they were comfortable with each other. At least they had been until Dragar decided to return to Sardor.
“You know why I went back.”
Kievan shrugged again. His face was cold and mocking once more.
“It is no longer relevant. Take your place in the circle.”
Beth paused outside the door. “I’m afraid.”
She hated to admit her fear to Rianen but she was shaking. The other woman gently lifted her chin so they could look at each other.
“Do you want Dragar as your mate?”
“Yes.” She didn’t have any doubts about that part. “I love him.”
“Then just concentrate on that. Everything else is irrelevant.”
Beth took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Any time, little sister.”
Rianen opened the door and Beth’s astonishment momentarily banished her fear. The room was dark except for the warm light of a setting sun and a path of twinkling lights that led to Dragar. His massive body was silhouetted in front of the sun image and she drew courage from the strength he radiated. As she watched, torches sprang to life around him and she could see h
is face. His gaze was fixed on her and she smiled. Unable to look away from the passion in his eyes, she let Rianen lead her down the path until she was standing in front of him. His wild scent surrounded her as his warm fingers closed over her cold ones and her fear disappeared.
A gentle breeze swirled around them and added to the illusion that they were outside. Music was playing softly in the background, a low, haunting melody that added to the sense that the two of them were alone in the universe. She heard Kievan speak but his voice was low and didn’t break the spell.
“In the name of the Goddess.”
There was a pause.
“In the name of Goddess,” Rianen echoed. She appeared beside them and Dragar released one of Beth’s hands. He extended his hand to Rianen and repeated, “In the name of the Goddess.”
Rianen drew a blade across his outstretched palm and blood dripped into a small bowl, already red with blood. Beth remembered this part of the ceremony from Rianen’s description. Out of the corner of her eye, she was vaguely aware of Rianen drawing a small branch through the blood and then scattering it to the four corners of the world. She knew it was happening but it seemed distant. Her whole being was focused on the man in front of her, looking at her as if she were the only woman in the world.
The room was silent, waiting.
“In the name of the Goddess, I, Chief Dragar of Clan Leijona take you, Beth Hudson, as my mate. I will protect you and provide for you. Always.”
“I, Beth Hudson, take you, Dragar, as my mate. I will provide a home for you. Always.”
The simple words expressed what was in her heart. She knew he understood her promise. His eyes blazed silver as he smiled at her.
Grasping each hand in turn, he slid heavy silver cuffs on each of her wrists.
“I made them for you, little one.”
Her eyes blurred with tears and she could only nod. Bending forward, he brushed her lips tenderly and she threw her arms around his neck. Her heart was so full it ached.
“And now for the main event.” Kievan’s voice was cold and hard, jerking her out of the soft daze of happiness. As she stared at him, the lights started to brighten. Dragar growled and pulled her against his chest. She followed his gaze in shocked horror and saw the glass panel at the end of the room, the waiting audience. The blood drained from her face but she straightened her spine. She could do this. She had to do this. And then Kievan raised the glass.
Beth and the Barbarian Page 10
