Were they intending to take him to coupling chambers again? His heart leapt and his cock stiffened at the mere thought of fucking Nerya once more. She was beautiful, amazingly passionate and, despite this bizarre situation he found himself in, Jaden was attracted to her. She was raised to be a warrior, but he sensed a softness and vulnerability within her that she struggled to keep hidden.
“Have you been touching yourself, slave?” The slave mistress rapped his cock-head with the tip of her cane. “You’re not permitted to waste your seed.” Grinning, she slashed the cane against the side of his shaft, and he was hard-pressed not to flinch. The temptation to grab the cane, break it in two and shove it down her throat, or some other convenient orifice, was so strong he had to grit his teeth and force himself not to respond. One of the male slaves stepped forward and threw a blue tunic down by his feet. “Put it on,” Murana ordered.
At a nod from her, the two warriors released their hold on him. The guards in the doorway brandished their swords in a threatening manner, so Jaden was careful not to act in any way that would arouse their suspicion as he bent and retrieved the garment. He slipped it on, relieved that his cock was now out of Murana’s sight. He was expecting the manacles. They’d chained him before when he’d been taken from his cell, so he made no move to resist as the warriors pulled his arms behind his back and clipped the heavy iron bracelets around his wrists.
One of the warriors swept aside his hair to buckle a wide leather collar tightly around his neck. Secured to it was a long chain. It was just another vain attempt to humiliate him. Such crude efforts would not work. In the past, he’d survived far, far worse.
Grabbing hold of his arms again, the two ill-favored female warriors led him out of his cell, along a narrow corridor, through a heavily barred door and into the bailey. After the dimness of his cell, the bright sunlight blinded him for a brief moment. Yet in those split seconds his other senses told him much. He could feel the cool cobblestones beneath his bare feet and hear the familiar sounds of a heavily occupied military fortress: the clatter of horses’ hooves and the clash of weapons in the distance from the training ground, the clucking sound from penned birds somewhere close by and the idle chatter of the castle occupants as they went about their daily business. The place smelt surprisingly sweet, with no lingering unpleasant odors from the uncleared midden, the livestock or the castle stables.
The massive stone keep within the crenellated walls was a fortress in itself. The breeze caught his hair, lifting it away from his face as Jaden scrutinized the outer walls. They were high, almost unscalable, and most probably constantly guarded by regular patrols, but somewhere there would be at least one postern gate. He’d never known a castle without one. That might well prove to be his easiest way out.
A group of young warriors, clad in their sexually provocative uniforms which consisted of skimpy brown leather tops and matching short leather skirts, walked past him. He couldn’t resist flashing them a cheeky grin. Judging by their surprised expressions, they’d never experienced a man acting anything less than submissively toward them before. He wished that he and his soldiers could have had the opportunity to show them how real men behaved. This land was an abomination. Men were designed to be in charge, not women. He turned his head away and ignored them as he was led across the bailey and up the steps into the keep.
The great hall was large, but rather plain and unimpressive compared to the magnificent and luxurious palaces in his land. Determined to find a way to escape, he kept his mind focused, mentally mapping out the layout of the building as he was taken through the hall. They walked along a wide passageway and turned left into a large chamber with an ornately carved ceiling and a polished wood floor. His eyes were immediately drawn to the striking woman sitting on a high-backed chair at the far end of the room. So this was Queen Danara.
They dragged him forward until he stood directly in front of her.
“Kneel,” Murana ordered, slashing her cane across the backs of his knees. Ignoring her, Jaden stared at the woman who ruled this strange land. She must be a good decade or so older than him, maybe more. Her dark auburn hair was streaked with grey, but her face was relatively unlined, and she was still very attractive. “Obey, slave.” Murana whacked him hard across the buttocks.
Damn her. Damn them all.
One of the guards yanked back the chain attached to the collar around his neck with such ferocity that the leather dug deep into his throat, constricting his breathing. Many hands grabbed hold of Jaden and forced him to his knees. After a moment or so, they released the pressure on the collar, and Jaden gave a strangled cough of discomfort.
“He has no concept of obedience, Majesty,” the slave mistress apologized.
“You may leave, Murana, but the guards will stay.” Danara’s voice was husky and melodious. Her violet gown was made of a filmy fabric that barely concealed the lines of her slim body. Jaden forced his attention away from her womanly curves. He’d not expected her to be this attractive, and he’d thought she would be wearing amour, or at least masculine clothing, certainly not these alluring feminine garments. Yet he’d discovered that in life things rarely turned out to be what one expected. When he’d set out on his mission, he’d certainly never expected to find himself a prisoner of Queen Danara in Freygard.
Danara leaned forward and grabbed hold of his chin. He stared into her green eyes, revealing not a flicker of concern. In her hand, Danara held a small, silver dagger which had an ornate hilt set with rubies and diamonds. Lord Sarin had given it to him before he left on his mission.
“A pretty trinket for a mere captain.” She pressed the flat of the blade against his cheek.
“What led you to believe I was a captain?”
“When you were captured, you were in charge of a contingent of Lord Sarin’s troops, were you not?”
“Indeed I was.”
“The sword you carried is extraordinary. I’ve never seen the like,” Danara commented as she stared thoughtfully at him. “It must be worth a great deal, must it not?”
The silver pommel of the sword was carved in the shape of a dragon’s head. It had a gold inlaid hilt, and the blade was finely crafted and stronger than any weapon he’d ever come across. “I’ve no idea of its worth. Such matters are irrelevant.”
“Did you steal it?” The point of the dagger now rested only a finger’s breadth from the outside corner of his right eye.
“No, I did not steal it.”
“Then it’s yours?” She dug the point into his skin until bright beads of blood appeared. Jaden could have shaken off the warriors still holding him down and pulled away, but it wouldn’t do him any good. There were a number of armed guards by the entrance to the room, and he wasn’t prepared to lose an eye, let alone perish in a useless gesture of resistance.
“It’s mine,” he confirmed as the warm blood trickled down the side of his face.
“What is your name? Judging by your weapons and clothing, you must be of noble blood.”
“My name is Jaden.”
“Only Jaden, nothing more?” She removed the blade and tucked it into the embroidered girdle wrapped around her slim waist.
“What other name does a slave need?” he asked with a cynical twist of his lips.
“When you were captured, you were wearing a ring of black onyx, with a crest carved in the stone.”
“Not onyx—obsidian.” His former love, Eridea, had given it to him many years ago. She’d said the stone reminded her of his eyes.
“And the crest is yours, no doubt?” She leaned forward a little more and ran her fingers across his wide shoulders. He felt the coolness of her skin as they brushed against the top of the leather collar fastened around his throat. “So, Jaden, what would a nobleman want in my kingdom?”
“Freygard does not interest me, and the true cause of my mission is none of your concern, Queen Danara,” he replied. Why hadn’t Nerya told Danara what little he’d told her? He would have preferred not to have told Nerya anythin
g at all, but he’d wanted her to unchain him, and information was the only thing he could think of to tempt her to do so.
“I don’t care if it concerns me or not,” she snapped. “You are my prisoner, and you will tell me all I wish to know.”
“I think not.” It would be wiser to keep silent. He could always tell her what he’d told Nerya, but Danara would never be happy with just that, and he wasn’t at liberty to reveal more. “I did not enter your lands, Queen Danara. We were captured in Percheron, and you’ve no right to hold me here. Nevertheless, I’m prepared to remain in Freygard as your hostage while you negotiate with Lord Sarin, but in exchange you will release at least some of my men and allow them to return home to Percheron.”
She gave a cold laugh. “You have the temerity to try to bargain with me, slave, when you have nothing to bargain with.” Her expression tightened. “Get up!”
He was happy to obey. As he stood, Danara also rose to her feet. Her filmy skirts swirled ’round her legs as she stepped behind him and grabbed hold of the chain attached to his leather collar. She wrapped the links around her hand and jerked it hard. The stiff leather cut into his throat, forcing Jaden to arch his neck in order to relieve the pressure on his windpipe.
“You arrogant swine,” she hissed in his ear. She grabbed hold of his hair and yanked his head to the left. “Do you see that table there?”
“Yes,” Jaden croaked, fighting the urge to at least display some kind of resistance, even if it was a pointless exercise at present.
It was an oddly shaped table made of dark polished wood with leather-padded edges and thick brass rings set in the wood at regular intervals.
“In the past, I’ve chained prisoners to it and punished them in the most uniquely subtle ways, and every time I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps you’d like to try those punishments yourself?” As she relaxed her hold on the chain and let go of his hair, Jaden straightened his head and swallowed. “You haven’t answered my question, slave,” Danara prompted, moving ’round to face him.
“Nor shall I.” He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. “My mission did not concern Freygard.”
“You will, in time, tell me all I wish to know. I’ve not failed yet. I’ve found that every man, even the most stubborn warrior, has a breaking point. Who knows, maybe you may even come to enjoy the pain and the humiliation I’ll force you to endure.”
“I’ve no doubt you’re most inventive,” Jaden said with a sarcastic twist of his lips.
“Come!” She beckoned to the guards. “Bring him.”
They followed her, dragging Jaden into the adjoining room. He noticed the huge brocade-draped, four-poster bed at once. Why bring him to her bedchamber? What was this bitch planning?
She issued no further commands, yet the warriors padlocked his collar chain to another chain affixed to one of the posts at the foot of the bed. It was clear she’d had captives confined in here before.
“Remove his tunic,” Danara ordered the guards. “Then leave.”
The two warriors’ faces were expressionless as they unfastened the shoulder ties and his tunic slid down to his feet.
“Move,” one snapped. He stepped out of the tunic, and she bent to pick it up.
The two women departed, leaving Jaden naked and alone with Danara. He waited, his expression not revealing any of his confused emotions. He would not even allow himself to think of what might happen next. He’d been tortured in the past and knew the fear of what was to come could destroy a man’s determination and resistance often far faster than pain.
“Now, where were we?” She tossed the silver dagger onto her bed and unfastened her girdle, letting it drop to the floor. “You were going to tell me all about your mission. You’re a nobleman, Jaden, I’ve no doubt of that, and I have a feeling you may not even hail from Percheron. Tell me, what land are you from? Why were you working with Lord Sarin, and what was the aim of your mission?”
“I was charged by Lord Sarin to travel to Kabra. That’s all I can say.”
She examined him without revealing any emotion, almost as if she was wondering what she might do with him. Although, no doubt she knew damn well what she was going to do next. Jaden had no intention of underestimating this bitch as he steeled himself for what was to come. Yet his muscles did tense a shade as her gaze came to rest on his cock. For a moment, he felt vulnerable. He’d been tortured only by men before. Jaden had faced many dangers in the past, but he had to admit this devious creature made him feel more than a trace uneasy.
“Of course you have no intention of telling me anything, willingly,” she said with a chilling smile that might have made the bravest man’s blood run cold. “Not that I’m at all disappointed. I’m pleased, as it happens. I intend to savor every moment of your interrogation. I find subjugating slaves such an enjoyable experience.”
She unfastened the neck of her loose gown and let the soft fabric drift to her feet. Beneath it, she was naked. Jaden tensed in surprise. Delicately wrought clamps imprisoned both her nipples. Attached to them were gold chains decorated with tiny sparkling diamonds. Any red-blooded man would have found the sight of them tantalizing.
Watching her as he would his prey when hunting, he tried to gauge her next move. His senses on alert, he heard her every breath, took notice of every subtle movement of her eyes and limbs as she picked up a leatherbound switch and advanced toward him. He tried to concentrate on the fact she was his enemy, nothing more, but he was still a man and Danara’s full breasts jiggled enticingly, the tiny diamonds on the chains sparkling as they caught the sunlight. To his surprise, her body was smooth and devoid of bodily hair which, as far as he knew, wasn’t the custom in Freygard, although it was common enough in Percheron.
He had no wish to be, but Jaden felt aroused by her nakedness, and the sight of her hard teats encircled by those tiny clamps was very titillating.
Smiling with cruel menace, she moved closer. “Are you scared of me, slave?”
Jaden took one step back. “No.” He shook his head. “I just don’t find you attractive.”
She threw back her head and laughed. Jaden stared at her exposed throat, longing to wrap his hands around it, crush her windpipe with his bare hands and squeeze the life from her body. Pain he could deal with, but that wasn’t quite what was on Danara’s mind. He suspected sexual perversities and abject sexual humiliation were her choicest forms of punishment.
“Whether you find me attractive or not makes no difference to me.” She kept her gaze fastened on his cock, which, despite his best efforts, was already hardening and stubbornly refusing to obey the commands of his mind. “I have a number of harnesses in that chest over there. Attached to them are fake phalluses which are far bigger than your paltry male organ. My women use them on me when I desire it, but I far prefer the idea of slipping one on and using it on your virginal ass.”
He swallowed, aroused and yet horrified at the same time. He’d not let this bitch fuck him.
“Perhaps you’ll come to enjoy it—given time.” She slapped the leather switch against the shaft of his phallus. “Today, however, I’m feeling magnanimous and, if you do as you’re told, I’m prepared to leave that exquisite experience for another occasion. Now kneel and pleasure me with your mouth.”
Her words confused him. Nerya had told him the women of Freygard considered sexual congress with men an unpleasant necessity. Danara didn’t believe that, it appeared. He stared in fascination at the chains on the nipple clamps as they brushed against the voluptuous curves of her breasts. “No,” he grated.
“You will do as you are ordered. Otherwise I’ll have you tied down and I’ll use the largest phallus I have on you. Unprepared as you are, it will most likely split you in two!”
“I’d sooner put my face in a viper’s nest than near your sex.”
As she advanced, Jaden backed away. Just as he’d hoped, most of the chain confining him now coiled on the floor at his feet. “Barbarian swine,” she hissed, lashing out with her swi
tch, leaving a painful red wheal on his chest.
Lowering his head, Jaden charged, hitting her in the middle of her solar plexus with a bone-crunching thump. Thrust backward by the force of the blow, Danara gave a loud gasp and crumpled to the ground, while Jaden was brought to a painful halt by the leather collar cutting deep into his throat as the chain stretched to its fullest extent.
Taking a step back to relieve the tension, Jaden dropped to his knees and rolled onto his back. Lifting his legs and bending them, he slipped the chain holding his manacles together under the soles of his feet and up in front of him. Fortunately for him, Danara was badly winded, and she remained on the floor, gasping for breath as he sprang upright. He unbuckled the heavy leather collar from his neck. By the time he tossed it aside, she was struggling to her feet.
“I’ll kill you,” she threatened.
“Try it.” Jaden jumped onto the mattress. In one smooth movement, he grabbed the dagger, rolled across the bed and landed on the other side.
Danara, still struggling to draw breath, staggered to a chest, flipped open the lid and pulled out Jaden’s huge broadsword. Clutching the weapon in a two-handed grip, she advanced, waving it in a threatening manner.
“It’s too heavy for you,” he challenged with an insolent smile.
“Damn you, barbarian!” she croaked, launching herself at Jaden.
Her first awkward ill-timed slash was easy to avoid as he backed away from her. Many more frantic blows followed, one after another. Each time he deftly managed to avoid them, and Danara’s mouth twisted in an angry snarl. She might be strong for a female but, fortunately for him, his sword was far too heavy for her to wield with any true accuracy.
The door to her chambers would be guarded and the windows were protected by elaborate iron bars not even wide enough apart for a small child to squeeze through. He had to get out of here. But how? He might be far stronger than Danara, but his wrists were chained and his dagger was no match for a broadsword.
He continued to dodge her furious blows. The situation was getting desperate. He had to escape, and soon. Danara was fighting ever more erratically, slashing at him again and again, but as yet not one of her blows had met their mark. No doubt one soon would. She took deep, gasping breaths, but he had no time to wear her down. Before then, it was likely her guards would burst in, and any chance of his survival, let alone escape, would be lost.
Savage Kingdom Page 5
