“Choose one,” the man who pushed the cart ordered. The two others, both with rounded necklines stood behind Vladei.
Maggie lightly touched a whip and drew her hand back. “For what?”
The man picked up the whip and lifted it to her. Maggie cringed.
“Take it,” Vladei said, his jaw clenched.
Maggie obeyed, compelled to listen to him. She gripped the leather in her trembling hands. At least they gave her the weapon, instead of taking it for themselves.
Vladei nodded. The man with the cart left the room, taking the rest of his torture devices with him. Maggie gripped the whip, sighing with relief to have them gone.
Vladei lifted up his arms and the two men stripped him of his shirt. Maggie gasped. Dark flesh covered his chest, every inch of it hard, perfect muscle. The harder texture of his two small nipples matched the ridged flesh of his forehead. Glancing down over his stomach, she saw two small blue points coming up from his pants. It looked like a tattoo of sorts on both hips. When he turned, his back facing her, she saw a small ridge running down the back of his neck, stopping between his shoulder blades. Other than that, he looked completely human.
“For bonding a taken woman,” the black-haired man announced. Two shackles came down from the ceiling as he pushed a button. “You will be whipped one hundred times. Each lash to draw blood.”
Valdei didn’t move as the two men handcuffed his wrists. In fact, he all but helped them. The man with lighter coloring pushed a button and the shackles drew his arms up.
Muscles rippled beneath Vladei’s flesh. His head fell forward and he braced his feet. The two men stepped back, looking expectantly at her.
Maggie watched them as if they put on a strange play. When they motioned for her to come forward to Vladei, she realized they mean for her to whip him.
“Uh,” Maggie said, shaking her head in instant denial. “I can’t… You can’t possibly think that I would… No.”
Vladei glanced over his shoulder at her before turning around to face her. His hands were still trapped over his head. Damn, but he was gorgeous like that. Why in the world had she said she was married? Could she take it back and end this? What would happen? Would she get in trouble for lying to them? Would they still return her to Earth? Did she really want to go home to Earth? Did it matter what happened to her when they were about to whip Vladei for her lie?
She knew she was being selfish, worrying about herself when Vladei needed her to speak up. Fear made her tremble as she looked at him. Part of her really wanted to stay on the ship, to live the exciting life traveling the stars would bring. A bigger part of her wanted to stay as Vladei’s wife, to take the leap of faith and trust in his gods that she would not regret it.
“You must,” Vladei said. “I have wronged you, disrespected you. It is our law that I be punished for it.”
“I can’t whip you,” Maggie said, dropping the weapon on the ground. She refused to hold it. “I just can’t.”
His jaw tightened. “If you refuse, I die.”
Maggie didn’t move. What did she do? She couldn’t beat him. She couldn’t hurt him like that.
You have to tell the truth. You have to tell them you’re not married. You have to tell them that Vladei didn’t dishonor you, that you were just a scared-y cat.
Maggie frowned. Dare she risk it? What would happen if she did? Each day the burden of her lie had welled within her until she almost told the truth. But she hadn’t dared. She’d been too scared. Somehow, in her heart, she’d felt Vladei’s sadness and knew he was technically all right. Just as now, she felt that he told the truth. If she didn’t whip him, he’d be killed for this supposed insult. He’d be unjustly punished.
“I am sorry. I didn’t know I offended you so deeply,” Vladei said when she didn’t speak, didn’t move to pick up the whip. The two men beside him looked shocked.
“He did not claim your body,” the lighter man said. “You wish death for—”
The black-haired man next to him shook his head, silently telling the other one not to interfere.
“I have no fear of death,” Vladei said bravely. He lifted his chin, glaring at her. “If it is your will and the will of the gods, I am ready.”
“Okay,” Maggie interrupted. She lifted her hand and shook her head. Closing her eyes, she asked, “Don’t you think this is all going a little too far?”
When she peeked at them, the three men’s looks said otherwise.
“I’m not whipping him for touching my arm and he shouldn’t be killed for it either,” Maggie said.
“But, the bonding…?” the dark man asked. His firm lips pressed tightly together. “He had disrespected you, a woman, giver of life.”
Maggie bit her lip. This was insanity. What was she doing? Weakly, she closed her eyes and said, “He didn’t disrespect me. I’m not married. I’m not bonded elsewhere. I lied.”
The men gasped at her confession.
“What?” Vladei demanded. “What did you just say?”
“I said I’m not married,” Maggie repeated, louder. She pulled her arms protectively around her chest. “I lied to you so you would take me home. I didn’t know you’d be whipped and killed for it. I just wanted to go home.”
Vladei’s body stiffened. The men looked horrified. His voice rose, as he said, “You were given the dreams and surely feel it as I do and yet you lie to me? Why? I feel the connection between us. I was sure of it before I brought you here and yet you—”
“Hey, buddy, back off!” Maggie answered. Vladei’s nostrils flared. Before he could yell at her, she said, “This isn’t exactly easy for me. Where I come from a man asks you out on a date and, if things go well, maybe you talk marriage after a year or so. You can’t expect me to discover there are aliens flying around outer space, that you have some gods who tell you who to marry and then just accept that I’m that someone, no questions asked, all in one day. What did you expect me to say?”
“The dreams should have come to you. If it is true that you are not taken elsewhere, then you must feel me as I feel you. We bonded,” Vladei insisted. His eyes narrowed and she saw the passion he had for her. She felt it as if it was her own. Still, she was scared.
“Where I come from, dreams are just random thoughts that you have when you’re asleep. They don’t mean a thing!” Maggie wanted to make him understand, but she also wanted to convince herself of it. Things like this just didn’t happen. Logical, sane people were not abducted by handsome aliens and they certainly didn’t fall in love with those handsome aliens. It just didn’t happen!
“Why are you being so stubborn?” he yelled, straining against his ties.
Me? Stubborn?
“Why are you being so unreasonable?” she countered, her voice just as harsh as his. Maggie was glad his friends didn’t release him. She wasn’t sure she could handle him if he were free.
The two men glanced at each other. The lighter one nodded and left the room. The dark-haired one said, “We will leave you two to settle this.”
He too walked from the room, leaving Vladei tied up. The door slid shut, leaving them alone. Vladei yelled after them in the rough, throaty language she’d heard them use with each other and kicked toward the door. His body swung back and forth a few times before he stood once more.
“You know what?” Maggie growled. She reached down and grabbed the whip. “I may just whip you for this whole mess. What kind of barbaric race flies down to a planet, clubs the woman over the head and then tells her they’re getting married? Hell, when’s the last time you visited us? While there were cavemen running around and clubbing was considered romantic?”
Vladei looked mortified. “I did not club you. It is against the law to hurt women—especially those we are to make Dragoona women. The men on this ship are here to serve you and will do so gladly in hopes of a reward. You are special.”
“Gee, thanks,” she drawled sarcastically, even as if she felt some small measure of delight at his words. No one
had ever called her special before, not like that, not so passionately. Even so, it was all too much. How could she be expected to absorb it all and not make a mistake along the way? No one was perfect.
“You are welcome,” he said, nodding.
Maggie chuckled. These people really had no concept of sarcasm. She tossed the whip aside. She didn’t know how to wield it correctly anyway, not even in play. His eyes followed it. Was that disappointment on his face?
“And I swear I never clubbed you. You blacked out and I carried you.”
Maggie didn’t answer. Her eyes were caught by the way his chest lifted with each breath. Damn, but the man was full of muscles. Why was she protesting being married to him again? As a physical specimen, she could definitely do worse. Her thighs tightened. She was so wet she could barely breathe without feeling the twinges of her desire.
“How could you lie about this?” Vladei asked, his voice rising passionately. “I have spent every second since we were last together repenting for what I had done to you.”
“You did?” Maggie couldn’t help it. He looked so darned vulnerable. Judging by his body and the way others looked at him with respect, he was all warrior and here he was hanging before her all cute and defenseless. It was just too sexy to resist. Her body quivered with longing for him.
His eyes narrowed and she knew she’d somehow questioned his manhood by asking. “Yes.”
“What did you have to do?” She stepped closer. He smelled good, looked even better.
“I pledged to the gods to not pleasure myself for a week,” he said. His face was so serious, it took all her willpower not to laugh. No masturbating for a week? That was such a man thing to pick as a punishment. “And I paid a blood offering.”
Maggie tensed. Okay, that one wasn’t so funny. “You killed something?”
His mouth quirked. “I offered my blood.”
“Oh, well, that’s different.” Maggie looked over his chest and arms, not seeing any wounds.
Seeming to understand her curiosity, he said, “Inner thigh.”
Her eyes moved down to his tight pants. They hugged his sculpted waist. She licked her lips. The tight bulge was there again, straining against the black material. “Can I see?”
“You are not my wife,” he countered. The expression on his face said he was teasing.
“I’m not?” Maggie asked, surprised. “But, you said…”
“No, we have not consummated the bonding.”
Maggie shivered all over. This was crazy. Suddenly, she didn’t care how insane the situation was. This is what she wanted.
“If you choose to be my wife, you may do as you wish to me,” Vladei said. There was a challenge in his eyes. “Otherwise, it is best if we do not consummate the bond and if you do not tame the dragon.”
“Tame the dragon?” Maggie asked. He’d said that once before.
“It is how it translates,” he answered.
“How do you tame it?”
“Are you saying you will stay as my wife?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then you do not need to know,” he answered. Leaning back his head, he closed his eyes. “Will you let me down now? If I am not to be punished, I have duties I must attend to.”
When Maggie didn’t move to try and get him down, Vladei turned to watch her carefully. He couldn’t believe she lied to him about something as important as being married. He could care less about the blood offering or swearing off self pleasure, but the torture he’d felt inside his chest had been horrific. For whatever reason, the gods had chosen to test him with this. Though, now that he knew the truth, he wouldn’t be letting her go back to the Blue Planet. He only hoped his men had heard his order to turn back around as they left him alone in his room with the temptress.
He couldn’t stay mad at her though, not when her features softened and she looked at him like that. Maggie was ravishing in the tight black uniform of the crew. It hugged to her lush curves like a second skin. Seeing that she wasn’t about to unshackle him, he proudly lifted his chin.
“So, you think no self pleasuring for a week is sufficient enough punishment for kidnapping me?” she asked, returning his challenging look with one of her own.
Oh, this one was stubborn. She lit a fire in his blood. He liked that.
“Yes, longer than sufficient.” Vladei stiffened. His voice a little hard, he asked, “Why? How long can you go without pleasure?”
Her eyes widened as she got his meaning. Shrugging, she said, “Months. Years.”
It was his turn to be shocked. In fact, he was a little horrified that she might wish to spend their marriage taking such long breaks in between lovemaking. Most Dragoonas found release at least three times a day. He looked her over. It would be the ultimate torture to have to see her lush curves for months on end and not touch her. The temptation alone was likely to drive him mad. However would he survive it? Perhaps once they bonded his pheromones would increase her sex drive to match his. He swallowed nervously. He could only hope it would. “How is this possible? You must have much self control.”
She didn’t answer.
“Will you stay here?” he asked, not comforted by her silence. “As my wife?”
Maggie still didn’t answer. She just stared at him with her wide eyes, letting them roam over his body, taking in his stiff erection beneath his pants. She licked her lips and he felt his body lurch.
“Vladei, I can’t stay here,” she said shaking her head. “It’s just not logical.”
“Logical? What does logic have to go with what is meant to be?”
“Everything.”
“Give me five good reasons why you cannot stay.”
“Five? Okay,” Maggie bit her lip. “I’m human. I don’t belong here. I’m human. This is crazy. I’m human.”
This was too easy.
“I am Dragoona and my kind is highly compatible to humans, not only in the ways of the flesh, but in our life spans and breeding cycles. In fact, some of my ancestors were human from your Middle Ages. There is no reason for this to be a problem between us. You are fated to be my wife. You belong with me as my wife because the gods have willed it. And, nothing willed by the gods is deemed crazy.” Vladei grinned, as his answer took care of all her reservations about being his wife.
“You think to have an answer for everything, don’t you?” she grumbled, but he could see the smile she was trying to hide from him.
“Yes,” he said, winking audaciously at her. “Any other questions?”
The cream between her thighs stirred when she moved. He caught a whiff of it and nearly broke the metal shackles on his wrists. He forced calmness into his blood. There would be time for that—very soon. He’d let her get comfortable first. It was only fair he answered her questions.
“There is something,” she said, cautiously, still unsure about so many of their customs and ways. “One of the men gave me a little pebble and then stuck in it in the door. What in the world was that all about?”
Maggie looked so confused that he couldn’t help but chuckle. “The ship’s computer logs your DNA and other bodily readings—like temperature and biological makeup. You touched it and when you put it in the computer, it read you and logged you into the system. Do not worry, it is harmless. It is so you can be found if you get lost or if you were hurt the computer would know by your biological levels. We are all logged in such a way.”
“All right, then.” She nodded slowly. Pursing her lips in a way that drove him mad with lust, she asked, “What is taming the dragon? Are you the dragon? Is it a sexual thing? Do I actually have to fight some beast? You said dragons are pets, so I have to tame a pet for you? What’s the deal?”
“It is a pet of sorts, yes,” he answered, trying not to laugh. Vladei could tell she was curious beyond measure. “It is up to you to tame it after we bond completely. It is a test of strength and endurance and greatly reflects the honor of our marriage.”
“So if I don’t then…?”
/> “We are still married, just cursed with bad luck and hard years.”
“Ah.” Maggie nodded. Every depiction of a dragon Maggie had ever seen came to mind—fierce talons, sharp teeth, reptilian skin. No, thank you. Somehow she doubted the moves she learned in self-defense class would work against a beast. The thing would probably eat her before she could even get close enough to see if it had balls to kick. If she were to marry Vladei, she’d have to take the bad years. That was something else to consider, wasn’t it?
“Tell me, temptress, if you are not going to release me from my ties, what are you going to do with me?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
Temptress? That one word gave her such pleasure. Without thinking, she said, “I’m going to torture you until you explain this dragon thing to me. And then I’m going to demand you take me home to Earth—the Blue Planet.”
He grinned. “Demand?”
The word was a challenge, just like everything else about him. What was she doing? Maggie couldn’t believe herself, even as she walked up to him. Somehow, having the big, strong man tied up made her feel brave. She could touch him and if she wanted to stop he couldn’t do a thing about it. Wondering if touching him would bring the same sensations she’d felt from his hand, she reached for his chest. He stiffened as she ran her hands over his muscles.
“Tell me more about this marriage thing.”
His held tilted back and his breathing deepened. “What do you want to know?”
“What will be expected of me?”
Vladei frowned. “Expected? I will not force you into my bed if that is what you ask. Though I do hope you will not wish to wait months and years. My body needs to be released often.”
Maggie laughed. “I meant marriage-wise, everyday life. What will be expected of me then? Would I have a job? Would I be a housewife? Do I have to pick up after you and cook for you? Do we have servants? Where will we live? Now that you mention it, do I have a say when we have sex or just whenever you feel like it? What—”
Taming Him Page 4
