Tied to the Barbarian Warrior

by Abella Ward

  He walked away without another word. Wanda stared at the money in her hand, mind reeling. Was he serious? He had just given her all this cash and… she could leave. She knew how to live on the streets – she had done it before. This much money could last her for months. The book slipped from her hand and she glanced down at it.

  She didn't have access to these sorts of books on the street. She didn't have luxurious bathrobes or enough bubble bath to drown in. Maybe she could stay for a few more days… What would it hurt?

  Chapter Three – Adam

  Adam quickly signed off on the last of the expenses for the ball he was planning to introduce Wanda to the vampire court. It had been his mother's idea. He'd have preferred to keep things lowkey until Wanda committed to him, but Lena was insistent. She was ecstatic about his decision to marry, although she warned him that if he tried to compel Wanda to agree, she would make his life a living hell.

  And Adam wasn't going to risk seeing what that entailed.

  A frown crossed the king's face. Wanda had been with them for a week already, and yet she showed no signs of softening towards him. He had bought her diamonds, a new wardrobe, gave her a car, and had taken her to several fancy restaurants. But she still clearly didn't trust his intentions. What else did he need to be doing?

  "Hey, Mr. Grumpy face!"

  The king closed his eyes and repressed a growl. When he had himself under control again, he glanced up to see his brother standing in the doorway. Christopher looked more like Lena than their father but had not inherited her selfless disposition.

  And now he was back. Adam stood, studying him carefully. Rumor had it that he was starting to dabble in drugs, but there were no visual signs. Good. His brother had some common sense, then.

  "I thought you were in Cabo."

  "I was." Christopher shrugged. "Got bored, so I decided to come back. Sun's too hot down there. I know that we vampires aren't affected by sunlight, but I had to take up the nightlife just so I wouldn't get burned to a crisp."

  Adam narrowed his eyes. "You came back because you heard about Wanda."

  "You know me too well, brother." Christopher grinned as he leaned on Adam's desk. "Is she hot? I heard she was hot. A little on the plump side but—"

  "Stay away from her."

  Christopher grasped his heart and took on an affronted expression. "What? Am I not even allowed to say hello to my future sister-in-law? Have you so little trust in your relationship — wait. You haven't slept with her yet, have you?"

  Adam growled. His brother was annoying at the best of times, but in this situation, there were questions that the king didn't even want to cross his mind. He stood and shoved a finger in Christopher's face, attempting to look as intimidating as possible. Most people would flinch back from him. Christopher only smirked.

  "You haven't. What, is she demanding she be the queen first?" Christopher lowered his voice. "Has she got you whipped?"

  "I mean it. Stay away from her."

  "Afraid I'll steal her heart from you, Adam? Don't worry. I'm not looking for another human playmate. They get too serious too quickly. Besides, down in Cabo I met this great Tlahuelpocmimi lady and I think I've got a real shot at—"

  Before Adam could tell his brother to keep his sex life to himself, the door behind them swung open. It bounced off the wall, no doubt denting it, and Wanda strode in. Her gray eyes were narrowed, makeup streaking her face like she had pressed her hand into eyeshadow and lipstick and dragged it over herself. A silky black garment hung from her hand. Behind her were several of the servants he'd assigned to help her prepare for the ball he was holding that evening. All of them looked terrified.

  "What is this?" Wanda seethed, holding up the black garment.

  Adam glanced at it. Spiral steel boning with a lace-up front and back to customize the fit. "A corset."

  "And why are you putting me in a corset to dance in? Do you want me to pass out because I can't breathe? Or maybe you'd like my internal organs to be displaced because of the pressure?"

  He let out a heavy sigh. Honestly. People just didn't know the history of these things anymore. "That is not a Victorian-era corset. It's designed to support your back and breasts better than modern bras do. You'll be more comfortable after hours of dancing in that than—"

  He was just able to catch the garment before it hit him in the face. The king blinked, startled, as Wanda glowered at him. Her hands trembled in fists. There was a streak of red on what little of her palm was visible. So she had done that to her face on purpose. Odd.

  "If it's such great back support, then you wear it!"

  One of the servants gasped. She grabbed Wanda's arm, pulling her back, and opened her mouth. Adam rose a hand, stopping her from speaking. Even though his gaze was locked on Wanda, he could see all the others in the room tense. Christopher positioned himself just to the side between them, as though readying to throw himself in the way.

  Their obvious fear only made Adam angry. Did they think he would hurt her? She was merely stating her mind. It wasn't like she was coming at him with a knife. Yes, he had killed hundreds of people in his berserk rages, but that was in battle. There was never a time in his life when he had attacked somebody if they weren't putting his or other people's lives in danger, and yet everybody expected him to fly off the handle.

  It was exhausting, and the expectations were constantly pushing him towards doing just that.

  Even Wanda flinched when he stepped towards her, feeding off the energy in the room, no doubt. But he didn't let that bother him, instead taking her small hand in his huge one and pulled her away from the servants. He wasn't going to be able to reassure her when everybody watched, expecting him to go crazy.

  "You may all leave," he said, not looking at them.

  Christopher was the only one to hesitate. "Adam—"

  "Have you ever known me to harm a person just for speaking their mind?"

  His brother mutely shook his head. He still looked hesitant, but left the study, closing the door behind him. Adam shook his head as he put the corset on his desk. What could he do to stop people from fearing him, yet still remain in control of the kingdom?

  "I'm not wearing that thing," Wanda said.

  "Anybody else would be agreeing to wear it already. I don't understand why they fear me so much."

  Wanda narrowed her eyes. "You're kidding, right? You're built like Goliath and you do this angry-burning thing when you get mad. It's like hell is in your eyes. And then it just radiates from you. It's freaky."

  Adam sighed. "But you aren't afraid of me, are you?"

  "Honestly? I'm terrified of you."

  He flinched, but Wanda didn't seem to notice.

  "When Jonas brought me here, I fully expected you to kill me. I just wanted it to happen sooner than later. I was tired of being afraid."

  Adam's hands clenched. "And do you still think that I'll kill you for defying me?"

  Wanda studied him for a minute before shaking her head. "I don't think so. But who knows? I'm just a human. You're a vampire. What I think or want doesn't matter. You're going to make me wear that corset anyway."

  "Doesn't matter?" Adam resisted the urge to put his fist through the wall. "What did Jonas do to you? I can have him strung up and—"

  Her face paled and she backed away a step.

  Adam swallowed hard. "Am I burning again?"

  "Yeah."

  He ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When you are ready to share what happened with Jonas… I will be ready to listen. In the meantime, I am not going to make you wear the corset. But—" He glanced up to check her reaction. She looked nervous, but not terrified. Good. "If you'll agree to wear it, I will give you a thousand dollars right now and another thousand tomorrow morning. And if you don't like it, I won't ever ask you to wear one again."

  Wanda's eyes went round. "Are you serious?"

  "Yes."

  "Well then… Okay. Fine. I'll wear the stupid corset. Two thous
and bucks – that's not pocket change."

  It was to him, but he wasn't going to mention that. With a grin, he picked up the corset again and gestured for Wanda to turn around. She did so, sighing softly when he wrapped the satiny fabric around her. Adam laced up the garment so it was snug but not too tight, then cupped her waist with his hands. Wanda leaned into his touch, sighing just a little.

  "Well? Is it that bad? Can you still breathe?"

  "For now," Wanda grumbled. "But I don’t know if I can dance all night in it."

  "Well, you'll only be dancing with me, anyway."

  The human pulled herself from his hands. "Excuse me?"

  Had he not spoken clearly? "You'll only be dancing with me. It's a vampire custom, for when the future bride and groom—"

  "I never said I'd marry you." Her hands clenched again. "I am going to dance with whoever I want to dance with. I might not dance with you at all. Maybe I'll dance and flirt with everybody there instead of you. Maybe I'll even go back to somebody's room. Maybe your brother. He's hot. Like, movie star hot. And he doesn't strike me like the kind of guy who goes around telling me what I can and cannot do."

  "You are not going anywhere with my brother."

  "I am if I want to!"

  He didn't understand this woman. She was feisty and obstinate, but there was clearly something below the surface he couldn't see. She said herself that she was terrified of him. While that in itself concerned him, her refusal to show it was admirable. Or was it? Was she really speaking her mind towards him, or was she overcompensating for her fear?

  Should he push her on the issue, find out? Or just leave it alone and let her come to him on her own?

  "This is meant to be an engagement party," he reminded her. "You aren't going to go to anybody's room except your own, and nobody but you will go in it. You are only going to dance with me and—"

  For the second time, the door was flung open. This time, instead of a furious human marching in, it was his mother. He tensed. Her eyes were burning as she inserted herself between Wanda and Adam, and the king finally understood the whole 'burning' thing Wanda was talking about. And she was right. If Lena – small, delicate-looking Lena – could look this intimidating with it, he could only imagine what his bulk and height would do.

  "She is not your possession, and I will not have my son treat a woman this way," Lena said, shoving a finger in his face. "She hasn't agreed to be your wife. This isn't an engagement party. It's just a party. You have your head on backward, and you'd better straighten it out before I do. Understood?"

  "Mother, I—"

  Lena ignored him. She turned towards Wanda and put a protective arm around her as she hustled the human out. Adam watched them go shaking his head. Well, he'd really done it this time, hadn't he?

  Chapter Four – Wanda

  Ice sculptures were scattered through the room. The detail was so masterfully carved into them that Wanda wished they were in freezers rather than out in the open where they would melt. She could see the fine veins in the feathers of the swans and the crystalline eyes of the little fairy girls sparkled with life and mischievousness. Gorgeous.

  The room itself was a magnificent sight. It was big enough to hold a dozen jumbo jets, with humongous crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The floor was made from a beautiful mosaic of red, black, and green marble, and the pillars upholding the vaulted ceilings were carved to look like trees.

  When Wanda entered the ballroom, she saw Adam break away from the people he was talking to and head in her direction. His insistence that she only dance with him because this was their engagement party crossed her mind and she scowled. He hadn't been doing much in the way of wooing. He just bought her things. Other than his money, he hadn't shown her a reason why she should marry him. She turned to the nearest man, grabbing his hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. The man chuckled but didn't protest.

  Adam was, unfortunately, right about the corset. After a few hours dancing with multiple men, her feet ached but the corset gave her the back support she needed to keep going. Normally by this time, there would be a pinching between her shoulder blades, but the corset distributed the weight of her breasts more evenly than her bra did, so there was no pinching.

  It was nearing midnight when Christopher stole her from her current partner and swept her onto the dance floor.

  "Hello," he said with a smile. "We weren't properly introduced. I'm Christopher, Adam's brother."

  "I know. Hello." Wanda eyed him warily. He was softer-looking than Adam, but that didn't mean that she trusted him.

  Was he going to try to convince her to marry Adam? The king hadn't brought it up since his original proposal – if you could call it that – but she knew it was still on his mind. He also had given her all the money that Jonas was ordered to pay her, and she was beginning to wonder if maybe there was a softer side to vampires… and maybe she could trust the king enough to tell him what Jonas was really doing in his mansion. Marriage, however, was completely out of the question.

  "I must say, I was surprised when you came charging into Adam's study earlier today. I don't think anybody except Mother has ever done that. You see," Christopher lowered his head closer to hers and added in a stage whisper, "my brother scares the crap out of everybody. He doesn't always understand why, but most of these people remember the wars."

  "Wars?"

  Christopher nodded. "We didn't always have this prosperous kingdom. A couple hundred years ago, a bunch of different supernatural groups got together and decided to wipe us out. They did a pretty good job at it, too. Our numbers haven't bounced back yet. That's why you'll see so many vampires marrying humans. Mother has been hounding Adam to get himself a wife for centuries."

  So that was why the king wanted to marry her. To get his mother off his back.

  "But Adam, he took charge of an army and went out against our enemies. They called him the Blood Bringer. The rumors spread about the goliath vampire with a bloodlust they'd never seen before. People thought he made a deal with the devil to give him his strength. Many still do."

  Wanda snorted. "I don't believe that."

  "That he was a great warrior, or he made a deal with the devil?"

  "The devil." Wanda eyed Adam, who stood on the other side of the room, glaring at everybody. He looked so out of place and awkward her heart actually ached for him. "He doesn't strike me as the type to indebt himself to anybody. If anything, he would have caught the devil and forced him to give him powers in exchange for freedom."

  Christopher laughed, drawing the king's attention. Wanda quickly looked away.

  "And what about you?" her vampire partner asked. "How do you feel about him? The man of your dreams, or a convenient way to get free money? No judgment," he added quickly.

  "Neither. We've got a great little game we're playing, but I'm sure Adam will tire of it soon."

  And then where would she go? What would she do? Wanda tried not to think about that. She had all kinds of money now – she wouldn't end up back on the streets. She would get herself a nice little place and go back to school. But then what? She didn’t have any dreams for the future.

  "A game, huh? Not sure Adam thinks it's a game. I've never seen him like this."

  Wanda rolled her eyes. "Right. Yeah, in over three hundred years he never met a girl like me. As if I'm anything special."

  Christopher arched a brow. "I didn't say he never met a girl like you. I said I'd never seen him like this before. But now that you mention it, I would say you're rather unique. Everybody is unique in some way, but I think you're the first girl I met who shares Adam's anger issue."

  "What anger issues? I've never seen him so much as bat an eye. Well, other than when I first met him, but that's different." Wanda pulled away from him. "I'm done dancing. Thank you."

  She hurried away from the king's brother. The conversation just wasn't sitting right with her. Was this Adam sending his brother to find out exactly what she thought about him…? He
didn't seem like the kind of guy that played games like that. When he wanted her to do something, he usually threw money at the issue… Was that his way of trying to woo her? Hoping that she'd like the money so much she'd stay?

  Why did he choose her to marry, anyway? She wasn't anything special. Jonas had made sure that she knew that. Maybe that was a question she would have to ask. And if the answer wasn't what she liked? Well, there was nothing keeping her there. Nothing at all. If he was being pressured to marry, why not put an ad in the paper and choose one of the hundreds of applicants?

  Lena cornered her by the punch bowl. "You don't want to drink that one, dear. It's got a little plasma in it."

  Wanda wrinkled her nose and put down the glass she had been about to drink out of. "What is with you vampires and putting blood into everything?"

  "What's with humans and chocolate?" Lena smiled as she sipped her drink. "Now, you've been here for a few weeks now. Are you staying because you want to, or are you afraid of Adam?"

  Wanda repressed a sigh. "He told me I could leave whenever I wanted. But he keeps giving me money to stay. I like money. I'll stay until either he or I get bored."

  Lena nodded. She gazed out at the dancers, and Wanda asked for a drink that had no blood or blood byproducts in it. Her limbs were starting to feel weighted down; perhaps it was time to call it a night and head back to bed—

  "I found your parents."

  Wanda stiffened, her heart jumping to her throat. Bile churned in her stomach and the blood drained from her face. She grasped the table as she swayed.

  "You—" She sucked in a deep breath. "You had no right. That's my business!"

  A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a firm chest. Wanda breathed in Adam's scent and her wooziness cleared. Lena stood, looking at her with pitying eyes. How much had she found out?

  "Is everything okay here?" the king asked, his deep voice pitched with concern.

  Had Lena told him what she had learned? Was he giving her all of this money because he felt sorry for her? Thinking of him knowing her past made Wanda feel dizzy again, but she forced herself to stand straight. As much as she would have loved to sink against him and let him hold her up, she learned long ago that she had to stand on her own two feet.