by Cyna Kade
Marissa challenged everything he believed, every custom of Darinthian males. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t accede to her demand for sex. He reminded himself that she didn’t know what she asked for, but that didn’t still his racing heart and his desire to possess her in every way possible.
He watched her push to her knees. Her movements to cover her nakedness just inflamed Kytar, making him more aware of her body. Her nipples peaking through her hair were sharp points begging to be touched and pinched. He longed to teach her to scream for his touch.
He drew a deep breath, forcing his pounding heart to slow, his raging hard-on was harder to control but he knew he had to control the situation. Maybe if he explained she’d understand the danger of what she demanded. But how could he explain something that every person on Darinth knew? Her world, her customs were so different.
He had to do something though. If another male ever heard her words, she’d be lost, damaged beyond repair. He started slowly, “By our customs there are two common status positions for a female. She is a slave or a companion. Slaves have no rights. The rest of the galaxy believes all our women are slaves.”
Marissa started to exclaim. Kytar held up a hand to stop her and continued, “An unaccompanied female is vulnerable to slavery. She won’t stay free long. Any male may use her without a binding. Once used by a Darinthian male, without the binding, he is under no obligation to keep her, to help her or to protect her in any way.” He drew a deep breath through flaring nostrils, then another, before continuing, “An unaccompanied female has absolutely no rights. Any man can and will use her. After he uses her, he’ll likely sell her to a pleasure dome. I’m sure you’ve heard of our pleasure domes where a man can do anything to a woman. It’s where we make the vids we export.”
Marissa’s eyes widened, remembering the vids she and Shelley had seen.
“In the pleasure domes a man feels like a god. Anything he wants, no matter how painful or dangerous is available. Ignorant foreigners buy the women in the pleasure domes. Those women have no spirit, it has been broken. They submit to many, many men every night. Their backs bleed from the slashing whips of amateurs, men who think that domination is debasement, that a female is a slave. Women in the domes have no rights, no hope and no recourse.”
“That’s barbaric,” Marissa spit out, horrified by the slashing coldness of his words.
“Yes, it is. That’s why it is so rare for a Darinthian female to be without a master. To be alone means that no man cares about her enough to protect her. Most of the slaves in the pleasure domes are from off-world. They chose a life of slavery. They are rarely Darinthian women who well know the difference between slavery and companionship. Companions are valued and cherished. I offer you companionship.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You’d prefer slavery? Slavery or companionship, those are your only choices on Darinth. Our women refuse to travel unaccompanied. Yet, you came here alone. You left yourself open and vulnerable. Believe me you should be on your knees thanking me that I accepted you as a companion. I could have used you as slave and turned you over to a pleasure dome.”
Marissa’s stomach roiled at Kytar’s words. “I didn’t…I didn’t know of your customs, besides my father said I’d be safe in the arrival center.”
“Did you feel safe? Didn’t you notice how the men in the arrival center looked at you when you were alone? I’d be amazed if you told me no man approached you.”
Marissa’s eyes widened, remembering the man who’d propositioned her.
“And didn’t you notice the men looked at you differently once I’d arrived?”
Marissa gulped. She had noticed that the looks had changed, she just hadn’t realized why. “But the arrival center is a safe zone.”
“Yes, but they still looked and evaluated and dreamed of luring you out. My presence prevented that. Once I arrived and stood next to you, the other men realized you were protected. Darinthian men respect the females of other men. Simply by standing next to you, I kept you safe from the others.”
His relentless words beat into her brain.
“Similarly, on the walk here, my hand in your hair told the other men that we’d started the linking process and that you had submitted to me. So even though your neck was naked, you weren’t free game. Thank me for not making you a slave. Thank me for offering you an honorable position.”
She couldn’t stop the fear and anger that bubbled up and out. “I should thank you for stripping me naked? For hurting and frightening me? For holding me prisoner? For this hateful cell? For kidnapping me?” She sniffed in derision. “Tell me, Kytar, for what particular act should I thank you?”
At her words, Kytar’s eyes seemed to burn. His mouth flattened to a grim line. “I tell myself you don’t understand our ways but you go too far.”
“You took me against my will. You hold me against my will. You want to collar me. I don’t want to be here with you.”
“How can you just dismiss the magic between us?” Kytar asked, his eyes black and unyielding. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, “When you left the arrival center, you left willingly. You submitted to me. You responded to the binding of the ritual words. Do you now deny it?”
“You forced me to leave. You left me no choice.”
“Yet you offer me sex?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“I can’t deny I want you,” she whispered.
“But you want me because of our link, because of my actions, not despite them. So why do you fight to control my actions now? Don’t you fear that would lessen your desire?”
The cold of the floor seemed to seep through Marissa’s knees and she fought to remain steady, not to tremble under his ruthless gaze. A scream struggled to escape her throat. She had to get away from this man. Tears filled her eyes as she watched him resume his pacing, as if he was trying to work off his anger.
When he finally stopped and turned back toward her, his eyes held a touch of brown. “The fact I accompanied you and said the binding words means that I promised to take care of your needs, physical, emotional and spiritual, all of your needs.”
Marissa didn’t want to know any more. He sounded so serious. Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t deny the sense of safety that surrounded her when he was near and the lust he generated was agonizing. She wanted him like she’d never wanted a man before. Could she continue denying him? Did she want to?
She needed more information. Not understanding Darinthian customs had allowed Kytar to mislead her. Was he misleading her now? There was only one way to find out. “And if I accept your collar, what does that mean?”
“If you accept my collar, I’ll finish the binding. It means I accept my responsibilities until death. I will not renounce the binding. I will not trade you or sell you to another. I will protect you and keep you safe. I will cherish you and meet all your needs.”
Marissa stopped breathing, stunned by the effect of his words. If she let him collar her, she’d never be free, why did she want to say yes? Her response made no sense to her. She stalled. She had to think of a way out of this. “You mean like marriage?”
“You may think of it like marriage and the collar as a wedding ring. But there is no divorce on Darinth. Collaring and the completion of the common binding ritual will tie us together forever, until death.”
“You don’t even know me! Why do you want to go so far? Why can’t we just have sex?”
Kytar’s eyes bled to black as his mouth tightened. “Once more I tell myself that you don’t know what you ask, you don’t know our customs. But that fact doesn’t lessen my anger, little one. You push me too far. You need to be careful.”
“What am I asking? Tell me then, so I’ll know!” Fists clenched at her side, her breaths ragged, she waited for his answer.
“Despite our reputations, Darinthians value monogamy and chastity.”
“But…”
He waved a hand, “Yes, I know our reputation. Others in the galaxy have perverted
our sexual customs into something vile because they don’t understand the magic of the binding or the way we use pain and no Darinthian will speak of it to outsiders. And yes, I know you’ve had sex. But you’ve never sex with a Darinthian.”
She frowned in confusion.
“Your actual physical state doesn’t matter. Remember I called you virgin to our planet?” He quirked an eyebrow in question and waited for her nod before continuing. “By publicly declaring you a virgin to our ways and by treating you as such, I declared you chaste. I chose to claim you and to protect you, rather than just use you.”
“Maybe you should just let me go, since I’m damaged goods.”
“You will only be damaged goods if I accept your offer to fuck you,” he shot back. “I’ve offered you an honorable position on Darinth. To counter, with the offer of a fuck, is an insult to both of us.”
“You…you can’t…you can’t mean that sex—”
“Darinthian customs go far beyond sex. Sex is a meaningless physical act of momentary gratification. Physicality, without mental and spiritual binding, is shunned by most Darinthians.”
“You make it sound like a religion.”
A brief smile twisted Kytar’s lips. “It is sacred. Magic is involved, as you’ve already felt. Power rises as the binding progresses.”
“You mean…you mean you…you gain power by putting a collar me?” she finished in a rush.
Kytar smiled. “By finalizing our link we both gain power. Even now, you can feel my touch brushing your mind and the threads that link us, can’t you? If we have sex now, before the common binding is completed it means neither of us gain more power. I’ve worked too hard to trade power for a quick fuck.”
“You mean if you have sex with me now it will hurt your power base?” Marissa asked, disgusted by the fact she might simply be a pawn in a power game.
“Yes, sex means I’d gain no more power but neither would you. If I agreed to your request, you’d remain mastered. I could never collar you but I could sell or trade you. Is that what you want? Do you want me to trade you to another?”
Marissa’s heart stuttered. While Kytar terrified her, at least she was attracted to him. She remembered the other men at the arrival center and the men in the street. No, she didn’t want him trade her to another. Still struggling to understand she asked, “But, sex would protect me from collaring?”
Kytar sighed. “I would not be able to collar you, but, you are mistaken if you believe escaping me means you’ll be free. Another man could still claim you. You’ll never be free again. Your only choice is your status. Whether you admit it or not, you want my collar. My strength arouses you or you wouldn’t have offered sex. You want to feel me deep inside you. You really don’t want to be free.”
“But I don’t want to be trapped here forever!”
“Don’t you?” He quirked an eyebrow in question. “Was your life so good before?” He didn’t wait for an answer before saying, “You belong with me. I will keep you safe. I will protect you.” He lowered his voice. “You ache with a need only I can satisfy. And I will satisfy you, but not until you are mine and the common binding ritual is completed.”
He stopped pacing and frowned at her. “Enough of the games, little one. You are on my world. You will accept our customs. I hold your life and your happiness in my hands. I know you don’t understand so I’ve made many allowances for you. I’ve tried to explain how tenuous your position is, but I can’t control my anger much longer. It’s time for you to surrender to the power of the magic that links us.”
Marissa gazed up at him, meeting the hard black coldness of his eyes. Every line of his body was tight. His mouth flattened in a grim line. Not a hint of softness marred his face.
Pushing him further was dangerous. Furious with herself, she admitted that she wanted him. His cold words hadn’t cooled her ardor. How could she even consider his proposal? It was barbaric, but it was also wildly arousing. No man had ever cared enough about her to delay his own gratification, boldly claiming her as his. Or was his concern for her just a side effect of his desire for power? That thought sent a stinging shard of disappointment through her.
Her mind circled while he waited. His reasoning really didn’t matter, did it? Surrendered or be sold, that was her only choice. Was he lying about everything? She didn’t think so. She was convinced he’d sell her if she refused him. She didn’t dare take the chance. It was just a collar, no matter what he claimed it symbolized. It was just a piece of jewelry she could always remove, she told herself.
Chapter Six
Despite the fact Marissa refused to accept the symbolism of the collar, fear weighed down her head as she faced her decision. She didn’t want to stay in this cell and she knew Kytar would keep her here until she surrendered. And he’d help that surrender by driving her into frenzied need. She couldn’t fight him anymore. Tears filled her eyes. She shook so much she had trouble staying upright. “I…” her voice trailed off, she didn’t know how to force the words past the lump in her throat.
Though a film of moisture, she saw Kytar kneel in front of her. His hand under her chin was gentle as he raised her head. “Will you accept my collar?”
She took a ragged breath, almost feeling him deep in her head, comforting and encouraging her. She nodded.
“I need the words,” he said, his voice gentle.
“I…” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the choking tightness in her throat.
His hand released her chin and grazed her nipples, sending a flare of heat into her pelvis before moving both hands to cup her face. Her tension eased. Opening her eyes, she noticed his eyes were brown again, warm and inviting, obviously concerned.
“You’re a strong woman. You can say it. You can handle it. I will keep you safe.” He waited until she nodded then said, “You voluntarily came with me. You voluntarily submitted to me. Now will you accept my collar?”
The words seemed to resonate deep inside Marissa, giving her strength, lessening her fears, dissolving the lump in her throat. “I accept…” She took a deep breath, straightening her spine. She met his eyes and said, “I accept your collar.”
He smiled at her and lightly brushed her lips with a finger. “I welcomed your presence. I accepted your submission. Now I will give you my collar and mark you as mine. Let us finish the common binding.”
The words thrummed throughout her body, causing her to shake so that she could barely place her hand in the one he held out for her. She couldn’t stand without his help. Help he gave freely as he pulled her up and circled an arm around her waist, supporting her as he led her out of the cell.
Why did she feel safe and protected? For the first time in her life, she wasn’t alone in the galaxy. She’d always be with Kytar. Yet he was going to place a vile collar on her neck. There was no escape, so why did she trust him? Hadn’t her stepfather’s actions taught her anything? She longed to pull away to protest again that this wasn’t right, but then why did it feel right? Why did she feel such a connection with this stranger?
The strength of his arms kept her upright as he led her down a hallway. How had he overwhelmed all her beliefs about herself? Was she really so weak? Had she always wanted a protector? All her beliefs about equality flew away in the face of his strength.
Kytar slanted a glance down. He could feel Marissa’s tremors. She was on the edge. If he pushed her any more, she might break. He didn’t want her broken. Her spirit called to him. He’d never lusted after a woman like this. Her strength delighted him.
Only her ignorance of Darinthian customs had allowed him to get this far. Until he finished the binding, she could have demanded to see her father. If she’d made the formal request, he would have had to accede, but she didn’t know that. Now, it didn’t matter. The ritual would soon be complete, binding both of them. One more step then she would belong to him, whether she liked it or not.
At the entrance to the room with the fire, she tried to shrink back.
“I don’t think I can do this,” her words rushed out in a breathless voice as if fleeing from his intent.
He held her tight, preventing any escape. “Shhh, little one, you make this harder than it has to be.”
Her eyes wide and filled with tears, part of him wanted to abandon his plans, but he strengthened his resolve. He had to bind her. The magic gave him no choice. Once he completed the common binding, she would truly be his. Then she could never escape.
The links between them tightened in anticipation, causing her to sag in his arms, trembling so hard she could no longer stand. He picked her up and strode into the room. Gently placing her on the sofa, he lifted her hair and placed a pillow under her head, leaving the long line of her throat exposed. His breath caught. In the collaring position, she was incredibly beautiful with her neck—white and vulnerable—waiting for his symbol of eternal possession.
He bent and kissed along her neck, feeling her shudders so soft and inviting. His cock raged and he closed his eyes, fighting for control. The intensity of his emotions threatened to overwhelm his restraint. No wonder he’d always heard that he’d know when it was time to take the final step of binding a woman. He’d never experienced magic like this in his other relationships.
He fought to regain control. If he lost control now, he’d lose her. He had to stay strong for both of them. Unlike a Darinthian woman, she couldn’t help herself during the binding. She didn’t know enough. She didn’t understand that the ritual tested him and bound him as well as every other male on the planet. He’d recorded her acceptance, forcing all males to recognize the link and respect it. Collaring her gave Marissa protection that she didn’t understand and believed she didn’t need. She’d learn, but not just yet.
Kytar, his hand gently holding her throat, felt Marissa swallow. Her eyes showed her fear as she looked up at him. He placed a hand on either side of her head, sending her a calming energy. “Stay with me. It will be over in just a few moments.”
