Bakra Bride

by N. J. Walters

  They lay there in the soft grass both gasping for breath. Her inner muscles spasmed around his cock and he shuddered, easing his bulk slightly to one side. His hair flowed over her chest and she toyed with the long strands. Unable to resist, she stroked his biceps, the strong cords of his neck and his firm jaw. A rumbling sound came from deep in his chest as he raised himself up, bracing himself on one forearm.

  He looked sated and content as he stared down at her. She smiled up at him as she brushed a damp strand of hair off his forehead and over his shoulder. He captured her hand in his, turned it over and planted a kiss in the center of her palm.

  His head jerked up suddenly and the sharp gaze of a hunter replaced the sleepy look in his eyes. He pulled out of her and came to his feet in one motion. “Get dressed.”

  Jane didn’t know what the threat was, but she sat up, hauled down her top and grabbed her pants from the grass. She gasped as two men emerged from the woods behind them. Stuffing her legs into her pajama pants, she quickly hauled them on. Trying not to attract attention, she got to her feet and pulled the drawstrings tight around her waist.

  She could feel the wetness seeping down her legs. The combination of his cum and her orgasm had left her damp and sticky. With her tangled hair and her face flushed, she knew she looked a sight. She looked exactly like a woman who’d just had a quickie in the grass. She bet she even had grass stains on her ass. There was nothing she could do at the moment but brazen things out.

  Both men were staring at her in a way that was quite unnerving. Gathering her courage, she returned their gaze, surprised to find that she recognized them immediately. These were the other two warriors from the tapestry.

  “What have we here?” Jane kept her eyes on them as they walked closer. The one who spoke slowly smiled at her.

  “The tapestry brought her, Bador.” Zaren’s words stopped the man dead in his tracks and wiped the smile from his face.

  The other warrior froze when he stood. “Impossible,” he muttered. “That’s impossible.” His eyes went from Jane to Zaren and back again.

  “Not impossible. I’m here, aren’t I?” Jane thought for a moment. “Or maybe I’m not. Maybe this is just a dream.”

  “This is not a dream.” Zaren sounded exasperated as he spoke. He jerked the ties on his pants closed, drawing his brother’s eyes.

  “I see you have taken advantage of the situation to advance your position.” The one called Bador ran his eyes over her, taking in her rumpled state.

  “You would have done the same.” Zaren stretched, totally unconcerned.

  Jane felt absolutely mortified. It was as if what had just happened had meant nothing to Zaren. And perhaps it hadn’t, she reasoned. What man would turn down a quick roll in the grass with a willing woman? Her stomach roiled and her head began to pound. She could feel her cheeks heating with embarrassment as the men continued to stare at her.

  She needed to get away. To have some time to think and pull herself back together. If this was real, she had to find a way to get home. If it was a dream, she had to find a way to wake up. Either way, she wanted to be by herself.

  Backing away from them, she tried not to make a sound, but of course three heads swung her way with the first step she made. “Come, Jane. It is time to go home.” Zaren held his hand out to her.

  She frowned at him. “I’m not some bitch to come when you call. And my home is not the same as yours.” She was tired of this and if she didn’t get away from them soon, she was afraid she’d do something really stupid, like burst into tears in front of them all. She had too many emotions bubbling around inside her and they were all close to the surface just waiting to explode.

  Zaren’s features grew hard as he walked towards her. “Your home is with us now.”

  Jane kept backing up, needing to keep the distance between them. She couldn’t think straight when he touched her. “Jane,” he barked, making her jump backwards.

  Her foot caught the edge of the ground and then fell into nothingness. Losing her balance, she felt herself falling backwards. She swung her arms, trying to regain her footing, but it was too late. Down she plummeted. Her body hit the water with a smack and she gasped just as the water engulfed her.

  As she sank deeper into the lake, she thought she heard someone yell, but she couldn’t be certain. Then she couldn’t hear anything at all. The last thought that flitted through her mind was that she wished she’d learned how to swim.

  Chapter Five

  “Wake up, Jane.” The voice sounded as if it was coming from far away, but it sounded so urgent and desperate that she struggled to respond. She tried to speak but coughed instead. Then she groaned. Her chest hurt.

  “We need to get her back to the castle.” The other male voice sounded just as concerned. She wanted to open her eyes and reassure them that she was fine, but she just didn’t have the energy to do so.

  She felt herself being carefully lifted by a strong pair of arms. Her head rested against a damp, rock-hard chest. But underneath she could still smell the unique scent of male tinged with grass and water. Definitely Zaren. It was incredibly gratifying to know he’d jumped in the water to save her. She’d thank him later. Right now, all she wanted to do was rest.

  “Give her to me.” The arms wrapped around her tightened. “We need to get her back to the castle and get her warm and dry.”

  “I’m already wet. I’ll carry her.” Zaren’s chest rumbled against her cheek as he spoke. She was glad he wasn’t going to hand her off to one of the other men.

  “As you wish, brother.” There was a note of concern in the male voice. For her? For Zaren? She wasn’t sure. Zaren shifted her in his arms as he swung them both up onto the horse.

  Jane didn’t open her eyes, but she could hear the horse snorting and shuffling beneath her. Her feet brushed against the shaggy coat of the beast. And then there was the smell. Definitely a horsy smell. She hadn’t been on a horse since she was a kid. Too bad she wasn’t able to enjoy it more.

  He set a quick pace and it felt as if they were flying. The horse’s hooves pounded against the ground in a punishing rhythm. The wind whipped at her hair and stung her eyes when she tried to open them, so she closed them again and just enjoyed the sensation of moving so fast. The feel of the powerful beast beneath them and the muscular man holding her made her feel safe and allowed her mind to drift.

  So the other two men were his brothers. She had suspected as much as they seemed as familiar to her as Zaren did when she first met him. Her head was spinning. So much had happened so quickly. Was it only last night she’d fallen asleep on her daybed in her one-room apartment? She had to face the fact that this was real. Somehow, she’d defied all the laws of physics and been transported to another time and place.

  The consequences were frightening. Could she even return home? Would they let her? She had so many questions and no answers.

  Opening her eyes a crack, she took a peek to see where he was taking her. Her jaw dropped open at the splendid castle in front of her. Like something out of a fairy tale, it was large and hewn from gray stones that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.

  She caught a glimpse of stone cottages with thatched rooftops as they galloped by. People paused in their daily work to watch them. Women and children stared while men looked on with interest. She caught sight of cattle, pigs, chickens and dogs as they flew by the dwellings and got closer to the magnificent castle at the top of the hill.

  With the mountains guarding its back, the stone castle looked as if it belonged there. There were dense woods circling the castle, but the building itself stood alone in a large clearing. It was breathtakingly beautiful and frightening at the same time. This was a fortress from which there would be no easy escape. But her fear was quickly swallowed by sheer excitement. This was a real honest-to-goodness castle!

  “We’re almost there, Jane.” Zaren’s voice startled her out of her reverie and she looked up at him.

  “But I don’t really know wher
e here is,” she whispered softly. She needed answers to the questions pounding in her brain.

  His lips brushed her forehead as his fingers brushed a damp lock of hair off her forehead. “Welcome to Bakra Castle. You will always find shelter within its walls.”

  His words moved her deeply. She sensed that they meant more than she understood. But as they clattered into the courtyard and he pulled the horse to a stop, the moment was lost.

  Zaren swung down from the horse with her still in his arms as two more horses thundered in behind them. Bador and the younger warrior swung down from the backs of the beasts and handed off the reins to a waiting groom. Zaren didn’t wait for his brothers but turned and quickly carried her up a stone staircase and into the castle.

  It was dim at first after the bright sunlight of the outside and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She caught a glimpse of an enormous stone hall filled with tables and people as he started up yet another set of stairs that were just off the right of the main entrance. Looking over his shoulder, she strained to see more, but the two brothers hurrying after them blocked her view.

  “I will show you everything later.” There was amusement in his voice. Jane supposed that she had been rather obvious in her desire to see everything.

  When they reached the top of the staircase, he continued on down a long hallway. His boots slapped against the stone as he strode purposefully to the end and used his shoulder to push open a large wooden door.

  The bedroom was a rather cozy one, with a rather intimidating bed taking up most of the space on one side of the room. Dark blue curtains were pulled back on the sides of the bed to expose a comfortable-looking haven filled with pillows and furs. A single window was covered with an exquisite stained-glass pane. The individual pieces of glass in beautiful shades of turquoise, blue, green, gold, scarlet and many other colors depicted a tranquil woodland scene. She made a mental note to examine it more closely later.

  There were two small benches made of a dark rich wood. One sat at the end of the bed, the other under the window. A small table sat by the side of the bed and another one was placed near a small stone fireplace. A large fur rug was spread before the fireplace and it was here that Zaren carried her.

  Kneeling down, he laid her on the rug. Turning aside, he busied himself starting a fire in the grate. Jane shivered, suddenly cold without his bulk to warm her. It was more than just his body heat that had warmed her and she inched closer to him when the other two men strode into the room.

  Zaren stood to his full height as his brothers joined him. Jane was beginning to feel as if she’d gone to the land of the giants. All of them were huge. Zaren was slightly bigger than the other two, but not by much. None of them was under six and a half feet tall.

  “Jane.” Her eyes flew to Zaren’s and she realized that she’d been staring at them. Zaren looked exasperated, Bador looked amused, while the younger brother seemed almost disinterested. “These are my brothers, Bador and Garrik.” He motioned to each man in turn as he introduced him.

  Gathering her courage, Jane stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Jane Smith.” Really, it was no different than an awkward business situation and heaven knows she’d gotten through plenty of those.

  At first they just stared at her hand as if they weren’t quite sure what to do with it. The moment stretched out until it began to get awkward. Jane started to withdraw her hand. She could feel the heat climbing her cheeks.

  But before she could lower it all the way, Bador reached out and snagged her fingers in his. Raising them slowly, he bent his head and kissed the top of her hand. Then his lips brushed her knuckles as his tongue snaked out to stroke between her fingers.

  Gasping, she tried to withdraw her hand, but although his grip was gentle, it was unbreakable. Zaren stared hard at his brother but said nothing. Jane could feel her entire body warming beneath the strangely erotic caress.

  Bador slowly raised his head and smiled at her. It was a gentle smile, but it was also filled with heat and sensual promise. Jane felt a pulsing low in her belly. This couldn’t be happening to her. She’d just had wild sex in a field with this man’s brother and now she was feeling aroused by him. This wasn’t like her at all.

  This time when she tugged her hand away, he let it go. Grateful, she pulled it back into her lap and just nodded at Garrik. He didn’t smile at her and, when he nodded at her, his eyes looked incredibly sad. “I’m pleased to meet you, Garrik.”

  He took a step towards her and crouched down beside her. Although he was a grown man, he looked slightly younger than the other two and Jane had a feeling he was a few years younger than she was. Slipping his massive hand behind her head, he bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. It was a simple kiss and lasted but a second, but the younger man sighed deeply as he released her and stood. “Jarmon would adore you.” With that cryptic statement, he turned and left the room.

  “Garrik,” Zaren started after him, but Bador stopped him.

  “Let him go. It is hard for him.”

  Obviously this Jarmon was important to them. “Who is Jarmon?”

  Both men turned back to her, staring as if they had forgotten she was there. “He is our brother. Garrik’s twin. And he was severely injured in a battle a month ago. He has not yet recovered.” Bador’s voice was ragged and he took a deep breath.

  Jane could feel their pain and the underlying message that they didn’t really expect him to recover after this long. To have a brother so close to death when they were obviously all so close must be an incredibly painful experience. She wondered if Jarmon was the fourth warrior in the tapestry, the one who was in the shadows and faded in and out of the picture.

  Her heart went out to them all, but how much worse must it be for Garrik, who was faced with the possibility of losing his twin? Well, she couldn’t even imagine it. Her own father’s death had been hard enough on her. “I’m sorry.” The words were totally inadequate, but they were all she had to offer them.

  Bador nodded and Zaren turned back to feed the small flames flickering in the fireplace. Crouching in front of it, he stared into the fire as he added several larger pieces of wood.

  Jane shivered again, suddenly very aware of her cold, clammy pajamas. Bador seemed to notice and frowned at her. “You’ve got to get out of those wet clothes.”

  Zaren stood abruptly and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you in Bador’s care.” He didn’t even glance back as he disappeared from her view. The door closed heavily behind him, slamming with a finality that made her cringe. She felt abandoned and bereft without him.

  “Everything will be all right, Jane.”

  “Will it?” She honestly didn’t know anything anymore. Her entire life had been pure chaos for the last six months. This was just more of the same.

  “Yes, it will.” Gripping her shoulders, he pulled her to her feet. “But first, we need to make sure you don’t get ill.” Before she knew what he planned to do, he caught the hem of her silk pajama top in his hands and whipped it over her head.

  “Hey,” she cried as she smacked ineffectually at his hands. He ignored her protests as if she were no more than a bothersome child. Naked from the waist up, she covered her breasts with her hands. He’d already seen them, but that didn’t mean she was going to show him even more.

  His eyes only skimmed her breasts before dropping lower. His blue eyes darkened as he skimmed the tips of his fingers over her torso and down her rib cage. A shiver skated down her spine, partially due to cold and partially due to arousal. Shame washed over her at the thought that she could so easily go from making love with one brother to being aroused by another.

  Bador didn’t even bother with the knot at the waistband of her pajama pants but snapped the thin string with his hands and pushed the fabric low.

  Gasping, Jane caught the fabric before it slipped below her hips. His thumb brushed her hip and she winced. Looking down, she saw a bluish splotch. Bador swore under his breath and quickly checked th
e other side. Sure enough, she had another bruise on the opposite hip.

  “My brother was not as careful with you as he should have been.” There was a thread of anger in his voice and Jane hastened to reassure him.

  “He wasn’t rough with me.” Bador looked at her as if he didn’t quite believe her. “Honestly,” she continued, “I didn’t feel it at all. I actually bruise easily.”

  Forgetting the fact that it would leave her breasts bare, she brushed the side of his face with her hand. The slight stubble scraped her palm as he turned his head and kissed the center.

  “You have been unwell, I think?” He pushed aside the hand still holding onto her pajama pants, and the fabric dropped to her feet.

  Jane felt totally self-conscious and tried to cover her body from him. Bador ran his eyes over her body from head to toe. And she feared that he missed nothing. Turning, he walked to the bed, grabbed one of the thick furs that covered the top and came back to her.

  Draping the fur over her shoulders, he wrapped it around her before plucking her off her feet and depositing her in front of the crackling fire. The warmth from the fur and the fire was delicious and she edged closer.

  Bador sprawled out behind her. The heat from his body was amazing. Without a word, he turned her so that she was cradled in his arms, with her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. Like his brothers, his torso was bare except for the leather vest he wore.

  Snuggling against the firm warm pillow of his chest, Jane fought against the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her. She had so many questions to ask.

  “Sleep,” he crooned as he sifted his fingers through her hair. “I will be here when you awake and I will answer all your questions then.”

  As if his promise was all she needed, she felt herself drifting off to sleep. Just before sleep claimed her, she thought she heard him whisper, “And you shall answer mine.” Then there was nothing but darkness as sleep claimed her.

  Chapter Six