Geared for Pleasure

by Rachel Grace

  This was not Maithuna, which meant the Siren’s existence was a violation of the highest order. Whether or not he believed, as everyone else seemed to, that she was born from a violation, she would not allow herself to be purchased or touched by a stranger. “I am no whore, sir.”

  He leaned closer and his scent surrounded her. A spicy, masculine scent that she found herself inhaling in spite of the situation.

  His lips quirked. “I can see that. Though I would argue that none of the women aboard the Siren are whores. They are gainfully employed. Free, in fact, to choose whom they wish to pleasure instead of having that choice taken from them.”

  “Whom, not if. A convenient distinction. And your definition of freedom is difficult to believe from my current point of view.” Dare glanced down at the rope lying at her feet, his hands gripping her arms, and wished he would move away. He was too distracting.

  “The Siren has a schedule to maintain.” He sounded reasonable, but she could feel that she had insulted him. That her judgmental tone was doing nothing to alleviate his suspicions. “Her current voyage has just begun.”

  Bargain with him, Dare. Focus. “Of course, but surely you will need to resupply. If you allow me to leave at your next rendezvous, I would be grateful.” She shifted in agitation, sighing heavily. “This place does surface on occasion?”

  His broad palms cupped her shoulders, fingers reaching behind her to loosen her braid, and he nodded. “Yes, she surfaces. And I must admit, the prospect of your gratitude is fascinating. Would it come with answers? You introduced yourself to Lavender. Is Dare your true name?”

  He was still touching her. Why was he still touching her? “It is the only one I answer to. And your name?”

  “Bodhan.”

  It was dark and exotic. It suited him. She leaned closer instinctively, the heat of his body warming her. What was wrong with her? Why was she so affected by his nearness? And he was affected by hers, as well. That, at least, was obvious to her usually faultless abilities. But he still doubted her.

  He tilted his head. “You say you’re not of noble birth, yet you are naively arrogant as only a noble can be. I am having difficulty with all the ways you don’t add up.”

  “Ways?” She swallowed, staring at his lips, his chin. Anywhere but into his eyes. He was too observant. Too attentive. She might almost believe he had her abilities, that he could sense she was hiding things. Lying.

  Bodhan’s thumb traced her ear lightly, and she could not hide her reaction. She shivered.

  He smiled. “This way for one. You are not used to a man touching you, not like this. Such a shame. Your skin is soft as cream, unblemished by work or hardship. All others of your claimed station are scarred by life inside and out. And your speech—”

  She inhaled sharply, and indignation momentarily quelled her reaction to him. “All others? Are you claiming to have met many like me? That the queen’s shields, the Wode, are regular offenders of helpless, lowborn women? That they break Theorrean law with impunity?”

  He moved as a predator would, pressing her back against the cool glass, his mouth a breath away. “I see I’ve angered you. What an anomaly you are. I have met no one like you in all of my travels, Dare. Though I have come across dozens of half-breeds hiding cowardly in alleys. Shorn-headed vagabonds begging for passage aboard the Siren to escape their plight. Not a one of them would be offended by the hint of a slight against the blue-haired militants the Theorrean Raj unleash on the population. Not a one of them would say the word ‘lowborn’ in that condescending, elite tone. None but you.”

  Her breathing was too rapid, her heartbeat too fast. She wished it were anger at his assessment of her rather than a reaction to his nearness, but she knew better. She needed to regain some semblance of control. As much as any woman could in her position.

  His fingers threaded through the hair he’d just insulted.

  Indigo hair. It was an inheritance marker within all Wode and their descendants, pure-blooded or not. It was not something that could be hidden, but Dare’s father had always taught her to be proud of what she was even when the other young guards soared above her in height and ability. And she was proud, especially when, at eleven years old, she’d been officially called to become the Queen’s Chalice. It was an honor she was never completely sure she deserved. Now more than ever.

  A tug on her hair drew her gaze to those glacier blue eyes. His emotions were conflicted but stronger than before. Suspicion mixed with a new protectiveness, curiosity tangled with increasing desire.

  Desire.

  She had never sought pleasure before. What she’d sensed on several occasions at the noble galas and shield guard barracks had always been disturbing enough to discourage her curiosity.

  There was a time when she’d considered how attractive the Queen’s Sword, Cyrus, was when he trained in the gardens. He was, however, too much like a brother to her. They had both been isolated from the world, she more so than he. Still, she imagined Cyrus as much a novice as she was. It had always been impossible to tell since, being one of only three humans in all of Theorrey aware of her ability, he’d always kept his emotions in tight check around her.

  Dare hadn’t understood what she was missing, the strength and intensity of feeling that existed outside of her isolated experience. In truth, she had felt more raw emotion in the last few days than she had in a lifetime. It was overwhelming, but it also made her feel alive.

  Bodhan made her feel alive.

  She had known him for the space of a conversation. She was, in point of fact, his prisoner, despite what he said to the contrary. Yet the way he was looking at her, the weight of his body against hers, and the emotions emanating from him, made her tremble. It was not an unwelcome feeling.

  His body was hard and hot where he was cradled between her thighs, the silk band of cloth and his pants not barrier enough to keep her from responding. She scolded herself for the reaction. This was not what she was here for. She could not forget that.

  “May I have your word? You will let me leave at the soonest opportunity?” She hesitated, then whispered, “Please?”

  His brow furrowed, though he did not pull his gaze from her lips. “Please, she says. And with such heartfelt urgency. What is out there for you that is worth the danger you would surely find? That you would wish so desperately to leave perhaps the safest place you could have stumbled upon?”

  She pressed her lips together, surprised to find herself tempted to tell him everything despite her resolve only moments before. His stare was mesmerizing, his mouth was close, and his words were so disarmingly kind and sympathetic—too kind for a criminal to utter with any sincerity.

  “Bodhan,” he said quietly.

  “What?”

  “Say, ‘Please, Bodhan.’ You aren’t in my employ, so I cannot threaten you with financial loss. You are not my prisoner. If, as my guest, you won’t answer my questions, then I would at least have the pleasure of hearing my name on your lips when you beg.”

  Dare would have told him she didn’t beg, that she never had, but his mouth covered hers, stealing her breath for a third time. Her eyes closed and her mouth parted instinctively at the gentle pressure.

  Curiosity and something else shimmered to awareness inside her. This was no sloppy, invasive touch, yet it was no cold, lifeless peck, either. Nothing like the kisses she’d witnessed in the past. This was different. A sensual question. A carnal greeting.

  If it had been an action of force she would have fought him, bitten his lips, his tongue. Instead Dare found herself straining to get closer, following his mouth, mimicking the movements of his tongue with her own. It was as if something else had taken over her body. Someone else.

  Bodhan.

  One of his hands came up to touch her cheek, angling her head to deepen the kiss. He moaned against her lips, and Dare felt a rush of excitement that he was as affected as she.

  Was this how it always was? This floating sensation? This fire? Her lips felt swo
llen from his thorough ministrations, her skin tingling everywhere he touched her.

  Dare tangled her tongue with his, savoring the taste, the texture of his mouth. It was addictive. Dangerous.

  She felt the air caress one of her nipples and pulled back with a gasp to see he had tugged down the too-bright sarong to cup her curving breast. She’d always felt her heavy bosom was a hindrance in a fight, and she’d usually kept herself bound beneath her gold and white Chalice uniform. It had never occurred to her that she could derive pleasure from being touched in this way.

  She glanced up to watch his eyes as the ice melted, the blue darkening at the sight of her flesh. Looking down again, she bit her lip, seeing the untouched skin, the tightening nipple through his eyes. She could feel the fine tremor in his fingers as he circled the hardening bud, and its color changed to that of a newly blooming rose.

  He growled, lowering his head toward her chest, his breath hot and shallow against her skin. “Perfect.”

  She arched against him, a cry of surprised pleasure escaping her at the sharp sensation. He closed his teeth around her, tugging lightly before sucking her deeper into his mouth. Fire flared from her breast to her womb, her sex heating as his hips ground into hers. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.

  The palm that had lifted her breast to his mouth slid down her side, calluses scraping sensually over her hip. He shifted, his fingers slipping between her legs to trace a line along her inner thigh.

  She lifted her arms to pull him closer, then stilled. She did not know this man. Only moments before he’d had her tied to a chair. What was she doing?

  Bodhan must have felt her tense against him. After one last lingering lick, he lifted his head. His narrowed gaze studied the stubborn set of her jaw, the cheeks she knew were flushed with newly awakened passion.

  He stepped back and Dare squirmed, covering her damp breast with the sarong, wishing he would look away. Wishing he hadn’t stopped. She wanted to be angry, to ask if this was how he sampled all his merchandise. But she could not be a hypocrite. She had wanted him to kiss her. She had wanted more.

  She wished heartily she could appear coolly unaffected. Instead her voice trembled like the novice she was. “Please, Bodhan.”

  His nostrils flared and she looked down, her eyes widening when she noticed the fit of his pants. He was erect, every detail of his shaft outlined in sharp relief against the fabric. She swallowed hard past the tightness in her throat.

  “Are you certain? You are a sensual creature, Dare, in spite of your obvious inexperience. A natural. You could do well here.” He watched her carefully and shrugged when she raised her chin to glare back in stony silence for reminding her where they were and who he was. “The Siren’s loss then. We will not surface until we reach Two Moon Bay. That is a four-day journey. If, at that time, you still wish to leave, you are free to go.”

  Four days until they surfaced? She blinked rapidly, taking deep, slow breaths. She would not faint in front of him again. “I will.”

  He nodded. “So I’ve gathered. I must insist on your obedience until then, and your silence as to what you see while you are here. Our clientele pay me handsomely for their privacy.”

  “I swear by Queen Idony the Ever Young, I will keep your secret.”

  He smiled. “I notice you do not swear to obey me. You are a puzzle, Dare. I would solve you before this is done.” He brushed her breast with the back of his fingers, making her shudder. “Yes,” he murmured as he noticed her reaction. “A beautiful puzzle.”

  He turned to walk away from her, stopping before he opened the door. “You are far beneath the ocean, with armed guards stationed outside. I will send Lavender back to release and clothe you, but do not attempt to leave or use your wiles on my men, or our deal will be null.”

  “I have no wiles and no wish to use them. You will hardly know I am here.”

  His low laugh wrapped around her like an embrace. “Dare, you must trust me, if only in this. Every moment you are here, each breath that you take on the Siren… I will know.”

  Dare watched him leave, listening as his low voice gave directions to whoever was standing outside. Her guard. She wasn’t as angry as she thought she would be; her relief at his promise was too great.

  Would he keep his word? For some reason, she believed he would. She was not sure why the desire to trust him was so strong, or how she could have reacted to his kiss, his caresses, the way she had. As soon as he touched her, she’d lost her ability to reason. Lost her ability to feel his emotions because her own were overwhelming. It was oddly liberating.

  Bodhan was an enigma. He could not have missed her arousal, yet he did not press her. He could have taken her easily—she would not have denied him if he had continued. Yet she was thankful he had not reveled in her weakness. The blow to her pride would have been too great had he taken the last illusion of control she had left.

  Her thoughts raced ahead. Four days. In four days she would be in Two Moon Bay. According to the Wode who had been stationed there, it was a favorite port for sailors and traveling traders alike. Surely someone there would know of the Deviant and point her in the right direction.

  Then her first kiss beneath the dark, mysterious waters would be nothing more than a memory.

  Chapter Three

  “She smells like fresh sweets. Tasty. I may save my profit for once to have a lick of that treat.”

  The sultry voice made the small crowd of women surrounding Dare laugh. Even the guard stationed in the open doorway chuckled. She could only be grateful he was facing the other way.

  Lavender grinned at her in the long mirror’s reflection and Dare tried to return the expression, grateful the woman sported neither bruises nor hard feelings from their earlier encounter. Her smile contorted, interrupted by the gasping need for air as Lavender tightened the laces of the corset she’d brought for her to wear.

  “Be good, Seraphina. I think our Dare is shy, in spite of her name.” Lavender leaned closer to Dare, the scented oil in her hair and face paint all seeming to blend perfectly with her name and the color of her dress. She whispered in her ear, “Never you mind her, love. She teases everyone. It’s just her way. Only been here a few days longer than you this time, and as usual, you’d be thinking she ran the place instead of the boss.”

  The woman in question came closer and Dare turned to greet her, as well as evade the infernal corset session for a few air-gulping moments. When she finally faced her, the hairs on her arms lifted, her skin heated, and she had the oddest sensation she had been punched in the chest.

  She was nothing like the others. Standing out in the crowd, not simply for her defiance of the women’s color-coordinated fashions. Her curved hips were covered in a black crinoline underskirt that she wore instead of a dress, and her full breasts spilled out of a jade corset embroidered with, of all things, golden dragonflies. They drew Dare’s gaze, but not nearly as much as the dark oval spots that lined the outside of her arms, disappearing up her neck, behind her subtly pointed ears and short tousled hair that was the shade of a dark ruby when it caught the light. But the spots… Dare knew those spots. Knew she would find the same markings up her spine.

  Seraphina was a Felidae. A female Felidae with no shame in showing her markings. Showing most of her body, for that matter.

  Dare had only been this close to one other of her kind. The queen’s personal maid, Nephi. Nephi was a shy, slightly older female, though still quite beautiful. She had always covered her ears with a lace cap and her body with a high-necked, long-sleeved gown. Even on the warmest of days, she’d refused to reveal her markings. The queen adored her, and it was clear Nephi shared her feelings, but to Dare it seemed she was an anomaly. A Felidae who enjoyed the company of humans. Seraphina was obviously another.

  The rest of their kind did not usually enjoy mixing outside of their species. With their keen vision, agility, and desire for isolation, they chose to work in the mines and the processing factories that bordere
d their settlement near the mountains framing Centre City.

  Dare knew the queen did not approve of the settlement’s borders, fortified as they were with stormfence—the same technology that, with the turn of a crank, electrified the massive entrance gate to Queen’s Hill. Neither did Idony approve of the shield guards monitoring the Felidae’s comings and goings, or the pending alternative recently put on the table by the science ministry: that they should all be brought in to be tagged as a census alternative.

  The Theorrean Raj had never disguised their disregard for the Felidae as a species. They annually denied the settlement elders’ requests for improved living standards. For the opportunity to trade fairly. The decisions disgusted and enraged the queen in every instance.

  But not enough to disagree.

  In fact, since she’d been in the palace, Dare had never heard Idony speak a word aloud in protest. Not when the Raj members, the nobles, and the queen had their annual meeting to discuss Theorrey’s future. Nor when the governor from Maithuna brought his harem of chained Felidae females—declawed, tails clipped, and obviously drugged—to the Hill when he was called to negotiate a change in trade conditions.

  Idony had hated every moment she was forced to take part in that official visit but willed herself to remain silent. Only Dare, because of her abilities, had known the queen’s heart. Had felt enough that she knew not to ask her why.

  Seraphina’s voice brought her back into the moment. “Get a good enough look, pretty girl? Count every silky spot? If you’re nice to me, I may even show you my tail.”

  She came closer, until her cheek was flush against Dare’s. She smelled of sex and something unique. Some alluring aroma that made Dare feel strange, liquid. She thought a female’s pheromones only affected males of the same species.

  Seraphina pressed a soft kiss against her jaw, her tongue slipping out to caress Dare’s flesh.

  The rough, wet texture made Dare shiver and she leaned closer, hardly aware of her movements, of the fact that she was asking for more.