by Kyra Alessy
She pulled and thrashed, trying to loosen the ties, but they wouldn’t give. She made a sound of distress and heard heavy footsteps a moment later. A door opened and closed and she felt a presence. There was a man in the room with her now, but he didn’t say a word.
‘Hello?’ she called.
‘Kora?’
Her brow furrowed. Whose voice was that? Kade’s?
‘Why am I tied up?’ she asked finally, her eyes darting around in the darkness, hoping he couldn’t see that the blanket had fallen to her waist during her struggles to get free. ‘Please let me go.’
‘Kora – ’
Another voice whispered something on the other side of the room and she moved her head to look, but of course it was just dark. That meant there were at least two of them.
‘Who’s there?’ her voice sounded scared and small, but she found she couldn’t pretend to be otherwise. She was naked and tied up in the dark and there were at least two men in the room with her.
Suddenly she was afraid that she knew exactly where she was, and dread filled her. Lucian had promised she’d be put in the barracks to be used by the men just this morning. She’d hoped he was bluffing. After all, he’d been threatening such a thing for weeks. Her heart began to pound in her chest. She should have made a second escape attempt before this. Now it was too late.
‘Please don’t do this. I promise I’ll work harder.’ She tried to make her voice clear and strong and thought she’d succeeded in pretending to them that she wasn’t terrified. Though tears leaked from her eyes, no one could see them.
More whispering.
‘It’s alright,’ a voice cut through the dark, gravelly yet calm and serene. She knew at once it was Kade. ‘You’ve been confused. You were scratching your arms raw, so we bound them for your safety. I’m going to untie you. Do you know where you are?’
She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to stem the tears that began to flow in earnest. ‘I’m in the barracks,’ she said brokenly.
‘No.’ He sounded confused. ‘Why would you presume such a thing?’
‘L-Lucian ordered that I be put in the barracks tonight – ’
‘Fucking Lucian!’ Kade growled. ‘Is there no end to his torment? Bring Davas.’
The door opened and closed.
Someone put a knee on the bed and she jerked her body away.
‘I’m not going to hurt you,’ said Kade. He pulled the sheet back up to her chest and she felt the rope around her wrists slacken.
She grabbed the sheet tightly against her gratefully when she was freed. ‘Thank you.’
She peered in the direction she thought him to be. ‘Where am I? Can you light a candle, please?’
The door opened again and she tensed.
‘It’s Mace bringing Davas to have a look at you,’ Kade said softly. ‘He has experience with the healing arts.’
There was more whispering and she tensed.
‘Kora?’ Davas’s voice made her sigh in relief. If anyone meant her harm, Davas surely wouldn’t have been called for.
‘Will someone please light a candle?’ she asked with a glower. ‘I can’t see anything in the dark like this.’
‘Lass …’
His pitying tone made warning bells sound in her head.
‘Please tell me what’s happening,’ she begged, starting to panic anew.
No one spoke. All she could hear were her own quivering breaths.
Finally Mace – she thought – swore. ‘It’s day,’ he blurted out. He sounded like he was just by the bed, on the opposite side to Kade.
‘But – but everything’s dark,’ she whimpered, blinking rapidly and rubbing her eyes with her hands. ‘Why is everything dark?’
Mace took her hand gently and, though she knew she ought to be angry because of last night, she gripped it tightly; an anchor as she felt the terror growing inside. She couldn’t live in the dark for the rest of her days; she couldn’t!
She took a deep breath and then another. Giving in to the fear was the worst thing she could do. She knew that much. She had to focus on something else, so she pressed her hand into Mace’s, thinking only of what his skin felt like – its temperature, the rough callouses, anything to keep her worries at bay.
‘What’s the last thing you remember?’ Davas asked.
‘I was picking the flowers on the hill. I felt odd. My hands were itchy and prickling. I heard noises, like buzzing in my ears, and I asked the guard if he could hear it. He was – ,’ she shuddered as she remembered, ‘ – he turned into a monster and I ran and then I fell – into water, I think. That’s the last of it until I woke up in here.’
‘That was three days ago, lass.’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘Well, what have I been doing for three days? Why can’t I remember anything?’ she asked incredulously.
‘The flowers,’ Mace said quietly.
She could almost see him sitting next to her, his relaxed posture belying the quiet authority he cast around him. Her cheeks coloured as she remembered what had happened when she’d last been so close to him.
She heard Davas step forward. ‘They cloud the mind when they’re handled for more than a moment or two until after they’re boiled.’
She closed her eyes – despite their uselessness – and laid her head back on the soft bed, remembering Lucian’s face when he’d told her to take the basket.
‘So that was his game,’ she muttered. ‘Was blinding me all part of the jest?’ Her voice broke on the words and she clenched her teeth. She would hold herself together. She refused to fall apart while they watched. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t stop them. But they were silent at least.
She heard quick movement and Mace’s hand left hers. The door opened and slammed shut.
‘Just the Brothers leaving,’ said Davas. He took Mace’s place by her side.
‘Where are they going?’ she whispered.
‘Kade will give Mace and Lucian their due. They waited until you woke to decide.’
‘I don’t understand. Decide what?’
Davas snorted. ‘How bad the beatings will be. I should think by the time they’re finished, at least one of them’ll be in much worse shape than you, girl. Though I suspect neither Kade nor Mace would have been in quite as much of a rush if they weren’t feeling so guilty.’
‘Guilty?’ She would have laughed in different circumstances. ‘I can’t see either of them feeling such a thing.’
Davas continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘Mace for the other night, his callousness, for thinking the worst of you and for not realising that Lucian would go so far in his cruelty. Kade for not doing enough to help you and for not intervening in time.’ He reached over her and picked something up. ‘Drink this. Such a reaction to the flowers’ poison is very rare.’ He helped her to sit up and tilted her head to look at her. ‘I’ll make a poultice for your eyes. They’re very inflamed. Can you see anything at all?’
‘No, nothing.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘It’s just black. Will it – ’ Her lip quivered. ‘Will it come back?’
He patted her hand. ‘A man from my village came to my father when I was very young with a similar story and it wasn’t a lasting affliction. My da was an apothecary, you see,’ he explained at her unspoken question. ‘I think your sight will return in time, but I don’t know how long it will take. As I say, this isn’t a commonly known side-effect of the flowers.’
‘Then how do you know?’
‘I’m not promising, but I believe it will come back. Have faith. Now, rest. One of us will be with you when you wake.’
He sat with her until her breathing became slow and steady. She was still alert enough to vaguely hear him leave the room, but she let sleep claim her. It was that or lie there helpless and afraid in the dark.
KADE
Kade watched dispassionately as two of their men hauled his limp Brother from the yard. Lucian had fought him half-heartedly, but the only damage Kade had sust
ained was to his knuckles, which were bruised and bloody. In truth, Lucian had wanted the beating; as much of it as Kade could dole out. Kade had seen it in his eyes. He knew why his Brother was acting this way. Lucian was still grieving, and he was afraid, Kade suspected, of his feelings towards Kora.
He frowned as he glanced at Mace, who sported a swollen jaw, at least two bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. How was it that neither of them could see what he had known in the first week that Kora had been brought to the keep? Perhaps they were simply not ready to admit it, but he was.
After losing his only way home, he had wallowed in disappointment and sorrow for a long time. He had thought that there was no way out of that shadowy place in his mind. But then Kora had appeared and he had known almost immediately that she was theirs; not as a slave to a master, but as a woman to a man. Or in their case, men.
That was the way of the Brothers sometimes, or so he had heard. It was an unusual thing, but he had seen it once or twice – and heard tales. The units of the Dark Brothers were always a trio except on the very rare occasions when a Fourth was found. It was ofttimes a female, though he had heard a story or two where it had been a male. Kora was their Fourth, he was sure. The other two would understand when they were ready, but he wondered if he should hurry things along somehow. He loathed playing matchmaker like a matriarchal freewoman, but the sooner they realised what he did and the binding ritual was done, the stronger they’d be for it.
Kade rubbed his hands with the salve Davas had made from the flowers Kora had collected on the hill. The flowers only lasted a day or so before they lost their potency. He’d gone back for the basket. Waste not, want not.
Mace approached him, rubbing his swollen cheek absently. ‘I’m as much to blame as Lucian. Why show me mercy? You know what I’ve done.’
Kade didn’t look up from his hands. ‘I spared you for the same reason as I ruined him. She needs you and I capable of helping her. She needs Lucian … weak for a few days while she gains her strength. Besides, I saw her face when she heard your voice after she woke and when you took her hand in yours. If you’d done what you fear, I would have seen it in her countenance. If you weren’t blinded by your guilt, you would have seen it too.’
‘And what is that?’ Mace spat.
‘She desires you.’ He smirked at his Brother. ‘Though I may question it. She was clearly not well-pleasured in your bed.’
There was a tic in Mace’s jaw. ‘I wasn’t trying to pleasure her. But I’ll remedy that as soon as she’s strong enough if I have your blessing, Brother.’ He turned and stalked off, not waiting for Kade’s reply.
Kade fought back a grin at Mace’s sarcastic tone. His Brother didn’t understand. He still thought Kade wanted her for himself, that he wouldn’t share her. In his own realm that would have been true. Monogamy was the way of his clan. But he wasn’t part of that place any longer. In truth, the thought of watching her with the other two, of filling her as they filled her, made him hard as granite.
He hoped that in time she would accept all three of them, though, granted, both Lucian and Mace had lost a lot of ground.
He frowned as he made his way back to the spare chamber between his and Mace’s where she was now ensconced. He and Mace could well strike a truce with her, but if her sight did not return, she wouldn’t forgive Lucian. And that was fair enough.
He entered her room quietly, finding her asleep, and for the first time, he prayed to the gods of this world; not simply for her, but for them all.
She looked so tiny in the large bed. Her eyes were closed. He shouldn’t be here. She needed rest. But he couldn’t go. All he could think about was her dying in that watery tomb. What if they hadn’t gotten to her in time? What if she’d drowned? He swallowed hard. He couldn’t remember ever being so afraid; not since he was a boy being torn from his mother’s apron strings to journey for the first time to the training camps where he would learn to be a warrior.
He sat lightly on the counterpane and touched her cheek. She murmured in her sleep and turned to him, the blanket that concealed her body slipping to her waist. He groaned as he pulled it back up, fighting his very nature to not simply take what he wanted. He was going mad with need. He hadn’t touched her the way he’d wanted to since that morning in the smithy.
He would have had her then if Mace hadn’t interrupted. She wanted him; she was just too inexperienced to understand that she did.
‘Who’s there?’ she whispered. A tremor in her voice made him want to assuage her fears immediately.
‘Kade,’ he said as gently as he could and flinched as it still sounded like a growl. But, oddly, her body subtly relaxed when she heard it.
‘What is it?’
‘Nothing,’ he lied. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry I left you earlier.’
She yawned, still half asleep. ‘Are you alright?’
‘Yes,’ he replied, surprised at her concern.
‘And the others?’
He snorted. ‘Got what they deserved.’
At her look of mild shock, he caressed her jaw with a finger. ‘Don’t worry. They’ll survive.’
His gaze locked on her lips and something in him let go. Gods help him; he couldn’t stop what he was about to do. He leant down and took her mouth with his, swallowing her gasp of surprise. He told himself he would pull away. Just one kiss and then he would leave her be. But then she stunned him by kissing him back, drawing her tongue across his lips with a little sigh.
‘I should go.’
‘No, don’t,’ she pleaded. ‘It’s so dark and you being here makes me feel safe. I – please don’t leave.’ The counterpane fell to her waist once more and she gave a sound of mortification as she fumbled with the sheet to cover herself.
He bit back a groan before leaning forward and kissing her forehead chastely. ‘I will stay with you. Here.’
He pulled his own shirt over his head and put it over hers, smiling as it dwarfed her slight frame. She wasn’t even very small by human standards, but he was practically a giant compared to her. He tied the neck closed and, now that she was covered, found he could once again breathe – until he saw that he could see her dark, pert nipples through the thin cotton. Somehow the sight was even more erotic than before.
He shut his eyes and shook his head with a small sigh, realising that he was going to be in relative discomfort for as long as he remained in this room with her. But, instead of leaving, he leant back against the wooden headboard and put her hand in his.
She gave him a small smile. ‘Thank you.’
He grunted in response, not sure what else to say. He hadn’t spent much time in women’s beds when he wasn’t fucking them and he was sure that none of them had ever had cause to thank him for something so innocent as the use of his shirt.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be of a mind to chat after that. Not that he was surprised. He’d noticed she wasn’t much of a conversationalist. He frowned. She talked with Davas quite a bit. But not to anyone else. She must feel safest with him, Kade decided. Ridiculous. Davas was well past his prime. The old man wouldn’t be able to protect her the way he and his Brothers could.
She shifted next to him and sighed. ‘I’m not tired,’ she suddenly blurted.
‘What?’
I’m not tired,’ she complained. ‘Everyone keeps telling me to rest, but I feel like I’ve been in this bed for days!’
Kade chuckled at her ferocious little scowl. ‘Well you have been in this bed for days.’
‘Is there naught I could do? Some task or something?’
‘Davas would have my head if I put you to work, little Kora.’
She huffed and squirmed next to him and suddenly Kade wondered if perhaps she was feeling the same unfulfilled need that he was. His brow furrowed. Could she be?
Drawing back, he surveyed the bed, taking in the sight of her. She was tense, as if she couldn’t relax next to him. Her fingers were twitching, her legs very slightly as well. He sniffed
the air and found he could detect the very subtle scent of her arousal. He grinned. It was rare that the beast inside him was more blessing than curse, but this was definitely one of those times.
He drew his hand lightly over one of her nipples and watched it bead under his shirt. He heard her sharp intake of breath, but she didn’t move, didn’t try to escape him. So he did it again, rolling the nipple gently as he passed over it. Her eyes flew to up where she thought his were, getting it wrong and looking straight past him with her unseeing gaze.
‘W-what are you doing?’ she breathed.
‘Helping you to rid yourself of this surplus energy you seem to have.’
He began to roll and tweak her other one gently. She moaned, twisting under his hand.
‘Shall I see if you want this as much as you did in the smithy?’ he whispered in her ear as his fingers travelled down to the apex of her thighs. Here, though, he found her legs tightly closed.
‘Now, now,’ he tutted as he took one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth through the cotton. He sucked on her gently before nipping her sharply. She arched off the bed with a cry of pain and he laughed quietly.
‘Part your legs for me or I’ll do that again.’
Her legs slackened just a bit, but it was enough for him to gain access to her core. He made a noise of contentment as his fingers delved into her slit and found it already slick. He moved down her body, trailing kisses as he eased a finger into her and then two. As she had felt little pleasure with Mace, he would ensure she found more with him, not to one-up his Brother – well, not just that – but because her contentment had somehow become vitally important to him over the past weeks.
He moved down her body, pushing the covers out of his way. He found the bud between her legs and his tongue flicked around it. Her breath came in fits and starts even as her fingers came down to tangle themselves in his long hair. He liked that. Women rarely touched him even when he paid and certainly none had ever put their hands in his hair.
