Nikol's Surrender (A World Beyond, #10)

by Howard, Michelle

  His hand tightened in warning, curling about a round cheek, almost painfully. “I can do what I want, remember?”

  Darcy sniffed back more tears and bit her lip. If he made her orgasm in front of all of these people, she’d never forgive him. A few more deceptively gentle caresses and he finally turned her over and sat her up on his lap. He waited for her to speak, to say something.

  Locking her lips she remained mute and shot venom with her glare. Around them the crowd slowly dispersed. No one was interested any more now that the entertainment was over. Darcy was ashamed and hated him though she didn’t say it aloud. She wasn’t stupid. She’d learned this lesson well.

  ***

  Nikol carried Darcy back to his kitse in silence. She was shaking too hard to walk. Her rigid posture and stiff back told their own story. He was disappointed that it took her so long to give in. Unfortunately, if he wanted Ryz to accept the discipline as adequate, he had to make the lesson a harsh one.

  The intent to make her orgasm hovered at the edges of his conscious. The last step to force her compliance in being more careful but he’d been unable to do it. Nikol only hoped she wouldn’t push again with her brash manner in public. To do so could place her life in jeopardy.

  Nikol would never be able to stand over his astéri’s kneeling form and slit her throat. And when he refused, Lothar would do it. But only after taking her cruelly in front of Nikol to prove a point.

  He lowered Darcy to his bed and pulled the covers over her trembling form. “I will not apologize for caring about your safety, Darcy.”

  “You’re an ass,” she said on a sob, her body hunched down low.

  Nikol smoothed a hand over her shoulder. “Yes.”

  Cecilia entered his alcove and stood at the arch. “She will need this. It’s from when Stasia bruised her knee falling in the gardens.”

  Nikol turned and accepted the small jar of cream. He couldn’t take her to the medics. Others would see it as erasing the reason for the discipline and Ryz could demand Nikol discipline her again. Or worse.

  Cecilia glanced at Darcy with something akin to sorrow then bowed on her way out. Sitting on the side of the bed, Nikol twisted the top off the clear gel in the container. It had a floral smell. He eased back the covers and Darcy jerked on a whimper.

  Biting back a sigh of regret, Nikol blocked her discomfort and smoothed the medicine on her fiery red cheeks. At first, she flinched and twisted away but once the numbing properties of the gel kicked in, she relaxed against his bed. “Darcy?”

  No response.

  Nikol continued to caress her blushing curves. He wasn’t overly concerned about lingering pain because he’d delivered numerous erotic spankings before and knew he hadn’t seriously injured her. “Astéri?”

  Her silence grated and Nikol began to speak of random things. He talked about loving the mountains and how he found the vast emptiness and quiet soothing. He spoke of his mother and growing up in a kitse surrounded by women. He avoided mention of Lothar and though her eyes were closed, he felt like she was listening.

  When he finished, he covered her bare body again, tucking the edges of the covers in close. Her hand was fisted beneath her chin and her cries had dwindled to sniffles. Nikol smoothed her hair back and let his fingers drift to the lone bracelet she wore. He fingered the expensive jewels in the intricate setting. Seri’s gift from Lothar for Nikol’s birth.

  “This belonged to my mother. She was a strong woman. Fierce.” He paused when her fingers twitched and curled inward. Away from his touch. “Like someone else I know.”

  He bent over and kissed her temple, tasting the tears at the corner of her eyes then he stood and left her alone.

  Nikol was distracted as he left his kitse. Dain was waiting outside in the hall. If he noticed the strain on Nikol’s face, he didn’t comment on it. They strode off together, heads together as they whispered.

  “What is the news?” Nikol asked.

  “Everything is in place and ready when you give the word. Smiki’s contacts need a response right away.”

  It was time. Nikol met Dain’s gaze directly. “Do it.”

  Chapter 20

  The big day arrived and the house was alive with activity and noise. Nikol deliberately arrived late to the room for the bacchul. The space was reserved for Lothar’s more extravagant audiences. Its’ opulent décor boasted of priceless artifacts and paintings depicting his more depraved acts. There were canvases dedicated to Lothar mounting women in various sexual positions next to paintings of him slaying enemies and licking their blood from his hands.

  His thoughts were on Darcy, though. She hadn’t spoken to him yet, but he had hope. He hadn’t touched her since the correction but refused to let her return to her alcove to sleep alone.

  Each night for the last two weeks, he held her in his bed and each night she feigned sleep when he tried to speak to her. He missed her laughter, the shine in her gaze. In lieu of an apology she didn’t seem open to, he whispered in her ear all the naughty things he’d do if she forgave him.

  Usually, she stiffened and tried to pull away at that point but he wouldn’t let her. He’d do anything to get through the wall she’d erected.

  A scream ripped through the air followed by a choking groan. His mood darkened. The bacchul tended to do that to him. Each time Nikol was forced to spend time in this room, he was reminded of his end goal, taking down Lothar.

  Anticipation and lust perforated the air. The bacchul was in full swing and the festivities had already started for some. Ecstatic cries and muffled groans played out. Debauchery was the name of the game and there was nothing here that wouldn’t be eagerly approved. It was Lothar’s way of providing space for those here to abase themselves before him.

  Nikol was glad he’d decided to have Tashire accompany him tonight. She was an exemplary tutanis and self-professed pain seeker when it came to sex. Though he didn’t plan to touch her, she would take some pleasure from being here. Tashire was one of the few who had fared far better than others in Lothar’s kitse and when he’d disposed of her, the shock had nearly broken her.

  It was Cecilee who’d redirected their attention and skills, encouraging the women to create a healthy environment for the day Nikol brought his own tutanis into the fold. They assumed Darcy to be the start of his expanding kitse. Nikol knew that wasn’t the case.

  Staying close to the wall, Nikol navigated his way around the writhing bodies to an available spot deeper in the room than he wanted to be. It would make leaving without notice difficult.

  Lothar looked up from the throat of the woman he was slurping spilled wine from. He nodded abruptly in acknowledgment and went back to his task.

  There was a narrow sliver of space and an empty cushion not too close to the others. Nikol stretched out and pretended to take an interest in the deviant acts going on around him.

  “Szen wine, master?”

  Nikol glanced up at the servant in her rough spun brown shellam, signaling her position in the household. That didn’t mean sex sharing with her was off limits, only that it would be deemed inconvenient if someone utilized her and left the event short staffed. Head down, she held up a clear pitcher of amber liquid.

  “Yes.”

  He let her fill his cup and murmured his thanks. She gave him a tremulous smile then ducked her head and hurried to serve another guest.

  Loud talk and raucous laughter assaulted his ears. There were a dozen Marenian present with their tutanis in attendance. Most were business partners of Lothar in one venture or another. The cordial invitation to attend was really a disguised command.

  Half of the women kneeling at their sides were Marenian, dark-haired, brown horns and figures ranging from lush to voluptuous. A select handful were exotic beauties from other worlds who Nikol had no doubt were sold into sexual servitude. Their appearance varied from slender to statuesque, hair in every color imaginable.

  Jewels gleamed on their arms in the form of bangles and rings covered th
eir every finger. Some wore expensive necklaces or chokers that drew the eye to their bare breasts topped with nipples enhanced by bright red dye.

  Nikol was unmoved. He checked the door waiting for Tseju to arrive with Tashire.

  ***

  The door to the suite opened and Darcy looked up expecting Nikol and more of his fake charm. It bothered her that his late night talks were weakening her anger toward him. He’d applied himself to seducing her with words over the last two weeks after he’d insisted she sleep in his bed and...it was working.

  She fingered the bracelet on her wrist, the only piece she ever wore. To her surprise, there’d been no more holkom. No bootie, no presents, she guessed. Not that she cared. Heaving a sigh, she watched Garmon and Tseju at the door whispering back and forth with Garmon flicking a glance in her direction.

  Neither moved beyond the threshold and into the room. Tseju’s brows dipped into a frown before he nodded. He gestured for Darcy to come over after Garmon left. Curious to know what was going on, Darcy joined Tseju. “What is it, Tseju?”

  He was the kinder of the two and she caught him hiding a grin a few times when she and Nikol argued in his hearing.

  “Nikol has requested your presence.”

  “What? My presence where?” Nikol still took her out but only to one section of the house and never downstairs again after her humiliation with the guard, Ryz.

  It was easy to see he didn’t trust her enough to risk another debacle and Darcy didn’t want another example of how little freedom women here had.

  She didn’t talk while they walked but listened avidly as he shared small parts of himself. She wasn’t sure Nikol even realized how much he exposed of himself during those times.

  “There has apparently been a change,” Tseju said while scowling. He shook his head and assumed a congenial expression. “I’m sure it will be fine. Please come now. I don’t wish you to be late.”

  Not moving, Darcy prodded. “Late for what?”

  Based on the way his gaze narrowed, Tseju didn’t like being questioned. Too bad. She wasn’t going anywhere until she knew what was going on. One public spanking was enough for her thank you very much.

  “An event.”

  “And Nikol wants me there?” she asked, still trying to puzzle through what this was about.

  Tseju inclined his head. “That is all I know, tutanis. Please.”

  He was afraid. Maybe Nikol had threatened him too if Darcy didn’t arrive. This was probably another attempt by Nikol to gain her forgiveness for the childish spanking. She rolled her eyes, conceding. “Alright. Lead the way, my friend.”

  He paused for a moment and searched her face. “Friend?”

  Darcy shrugged. His job was to protect her and there were only a few people here who she trusted to make sure no one hurt her. “As good as.”

  They made their way quietly down an empty hall Darcy had never seen. Tseju stopped at a double door and gestured. “I can not go inside but Nikol will be waiting for you.”

  Darcy hesitated then nodded. He opened the door for her and she entered the hazy room unsure what to expect. Tseju leaned over and whispered, “Be safe, tutanis.”

  He closed the door on that pronouncement, leaving Darcy standing at the entrance alone. One quick glance and she nearly choked on her shock at what she saw. Depraved to put it lightly.

  A group of naked, blindfolded women were posed on their knees in one corner. Two men stood before them with their pants about their knees, heads back and their dicks in two of the women’s mouths. Their hips shuttled back and forth roughly, unmindful of the choking sounds the women were making or the saliva running in rivulets down their chins.

  Darcy abruptly turned away in case someone noted her disgust and terror. Why would Nikol summon her to something like this? Another lesson? No, he didn’t seem as if he’d do something that small minded. Not after all the effort he’d made to garner her forgiveness.

  She spotted him to her left, thankfully alone as he lounged back on a plump red pillow. It was hard to imagine what she would have done if he’d been with someone. Run right back out of the room probably.

  Head lowered, she headed in his direction, navigating carefully around the men and women having sex around her. It seemed consensual but what did she know.

  Flesh smacked against flesh, squishing sounds of fluid released and loud cries intermixed with moans. Blatant sex acts. She’d never been exposed to anything like this in her life.

  A man shouted and reared back from the woman on all fours he’d been thrusting in. Sweat dampened his face and his hand pumped furiously on his cock, spurting a stream of white into the air and all over her back.

  Darcy flinched, quickening her steps. Nikol was wearing the same dark pants and white shirt he’d worn earlier. The buttons of the shirt were undone, the tails open about his hips as he reclined with one leg stretched out and the other bent upright. His torso rippled with taut muscles as he sipped from a cup, staring off into the opposite direction of her approach.

  As soon as she reached him, Darcy placed a shaking hand on that upright knee. Nikol jerked. He cursed savagely when he saw her. “You will explain this later.”

  It was said in a vicious whisper she didn’t understand. What had she done wrong? He was the one who demanded she come here to what amounted to a veritable orgy. She clenched her hands into fists.

  “Ahh, finally,” came a deep baritone.

  Darcy risked a glance at the head of the room. She recognized the swarthy looks and aura of evil. Lothar. Not one, not two, but four naked women surrounded him. He lay sprawled on his back, shirtless, the placket of his pants undone and his erect shaft jutting forward. The way he watched her made Darcy uneasy.

  “Our last guest has arrived.” His voice carried through the room, bringing a halt to the mindless revelry and gazes swung in her direction.

  Nerves rattled, Darcy hunched her shoulders. Chills peppered her spine. She didn’t want their attention on her. Nikol signaled for Darcy to kneel and she dropped without complaint while terror raced through her soul.

  Nikol pressed a hand to the back of her head and Darcy lowered her gaze. She didn’t know what to expect. This wasn’t a world she’d grown up in and Nikol’s repeated warnings about the inherent danger here came back in a flash.

  “Perhaps now my son won’t be so despondent.”

  Beside her, Nikol sat up and slid his hands through Darcy’s loose hair. He massaged her scalp as he answered, “You know I had other things to do. This is tedious.”

  Okay, good. Darcy leaned into his caress and focused on the play of muscles in his thighs as he shifted about. Nikol didn’t like this any more than she did. She took comfort in his presence.

  “Tedium can be relieved by pleasure.”

  Was she the only one who heard the gloating tone in Nikol’s father’s voice?

  ***

  “I don’t like games,” Nikol stated bluntly.

  Lothar narrowed his eyes at his response. Nikol tensed, sliding his fingers from Darcy’s hair to her shoulder, fully prepared to throw her behind him if Lothar thought to use her as a lesson. Nikol had taken all the lessons he was ever going to take from this man.

  “Others do. More games,” Lothar yelled.

  The noise picked up again as bodies rolled together and the sex sharing resumed. Nikol’s leery stare remained on Lothar, who now had his face buried between a female’s thighs.

  Moans and groans joined in a mutated symphony. Fear nearly eclipsed Darcy’s preferred fragrance. The acrid odor offended Nikol and he wanted to get up and remove her immediately. She had no business being here.

  Someone came up on Nikol’s other side. He leaned back on the pillow behind him and tugged Darcy up next to him. Her body flowed with him until she rested along the length of him. Once he had her settled, he turned to the man waiting.

  “I wanted to make you an offer,” Osian said.

  “Oh.” Nikol took his time responding, running a hand down
Darcy’s side. Her body trembled against his and he had to keep his eyes down to hide the anger pouring through his veins. Tashire was supposed to be here. This was something the older tutanis could do without flinching.

  Darcy’s presence, on the other hand, pulled out his protective instincts. Was this another example of her wanting to defy him? She had no idea what she’d done by drawing his father’s attention further.

  “One session. Allow me one session with her. You can choose how she brings me to climax,” Osian continued.

  Nikol locked his jaw and worked to slow his breathing. It wouldn’t look good if he picked Osian up by his throat and slammed him to the floor. Everyone would focus on him again.

  Turning from Darcy’s bowed head, he faced Osian. “No.”

  Confusion flashed in Osian’s eyes. Then his expression cleared and his mouth twisted in a half-smile. “I won’t harm her. You know me.”

  Osian didn’t mete out pain to females when he sex shared with them and was known to be overly gentle with the ones in his kitse. Nikol still had no intention of letting him touch Darcy. “No. She is new and I’m still enjoying her.”

  Osian squatted, allowing his arms to hang between his spread legs as he tilted his head and tried to get a better look at Darcy’s face. Nikol smashed it into his chest, ignoring her startled oomph.

  Osian looked up, his black eyes knowing. “Thank you for considering.”

  Nikol’s flat refusal had been the complete opposite of consideration. Osian rose and took the tutanis at his side by the hand and led her toward another. Presumably to make a similar offer. It was a bacchul after all and the goal was to sex share with all the females who caught your eye. Nikol pressed his mouth to the top of Darcy’s head. “Where is Tashire?”

  She peeked up. Bewilderment replaced the fear in her eyes. “In your suite. Garmon told Tseju you wanted to see me. I didn’t think—”

  “You didn’t think,” he hissed.

  Before he could continue, Vizen sat next to him and pulled Taima onto his lap. “Nikol, I was not aware you had a new tutanis.”