Stolen (The Blueblood Stories Book 1) Page 9

  “I might come back later,” I squeaked, backing towards the door, my cheeks bright red.

  “No,” the soldier called. “Do your job.”

  Moving quickly, I rounded on the fireplace, trying to ignore the groans and screams coming from the bed. I’d recognized the soldier. His name was Potrick. Together he and another soldier had been the ones to find Marcus and I after the explosion. Potrick was large, even for a Spinton soldier. His body wasn’t quite that of Drake’s, but he was formidable none the less. His dark long hair was curly and matched his dark eyes and dark moustache. Something in his expression was sour or perhaps it was the absence expression in his eyes. They seemed blank.

  I was half way through building the fire, when Potrick spoke again.

  “Does your friend want to join us?”

  “Oh — that’s a house wench,” said Sindra. “Master Drake disqualified her from being in the harem.”

  There was a grunt as Potrick pushed Sindra away. She flew across the room, landing a few feet away from me.

  “Seriously? That’s just like Drake, wasting perfectly good women,” Potrick scoffed, jumping from the bed and advancing on me. “Well, he may not want to brand her, but there are plenty of soldiers wanting to unload themselves after the hard march.”

  I tried not to look at the naked form of the man standing right in front of me. Where Drake’s body had been glorious, there was nothing appealing about Potrick. My only thought was of escape.

  “I’ll just come back when you’re done,” I said, scrambling towards the door.

  “I don’t think so,” sneered Potrick, grabbing me by the waste and pulling me onto the bed.

  I let out a long scream, so shrill it could have woken half the house up. I was silenced almost immediately however, when Potrick’s hand swung down, hitting me hard across the face. My eyes were suddenly wild with fear and my cheek burned painfully.

  “Potrick,” Sindra cried, trying to call for his attention, “I told you. She’s not —”

  But Potrick held up his hand threateningly and Sindra fell silent. “Little thing like you is just begging for some of this,” he said, reaching down to grip his throbbing member.

  I tried to scramble away from the bed — it was no use. The second I turned away from him, he grabbed my hair, pulling me hard so that my back was pressed up against his sweaty body. His hand darted to my dress, hastily pulling the fabric away. He was just reaching down to touch me, when the door to the room flew open.

  “What the hell is going on in here?”

  My tear stained eyes looked up to see Drake, standing in the door frame. He wore only a pair of long pants and was panting hard. There was a small silver locket around his neck. My eyes narrowed — I hadn’t seen it before. Looking past it and into Drake’s face, all manner of thoughts for the locket left me. His normally mesmerizing green eyes were dark and cold. He was glaring at Potrick with such furious anger, just to look at him made me cower.

  “Just having some fun,” Potrick jeered, slapping me hard on the backside.

  I’d only just cried out in pain when Master Drake grabbed me from the bed, pulling me away with such force, I almost flew out of his hands. He was careful not to let go of me. With one hand he swung me over his shoulder, as though I weighed no more than a feather.

  “I gifted you Sindra’s affection for the night,” Drake snarled, causing Potrick to back down at once. “You have Sindra, waiting for your attention — keep your hands off this one.”

  Both Potrick and Sindra were staring at me with wild and curious expressions. I couldn’t help but mirror them. What in the Nevers was happening? Before anyone could say anything else however, the master reached for the handle of the door and swung it open. The door slammed hard against the wall, dislodging a few pieces of stone that fell heavily to the floor.

  “Touch her again and I’ll put you to work with the pigs,” he said. “I don’t care if you’re one of High Master Jader’s men. In my household, you follow my law.”

  After that Drake slammed the door shut, with me still balanced over his shoulder. He didn’t speak but stormed across the hallway and up the staircase leading to his loft. When he opened the door, I could smell the pine needles burning. My eyes darted to the fireplace. Sure enough, Fluna was there, on her hands and knees as she poked at the fire. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to look so seductive as they tended fires, but Fluna managed it as though it were a fine art.

  Drake took one look at her then shouted, “Get out!”

  She left at once, throwing me a look of absolute hatred before disappearing from the room. At first, Drake simply stood there, breathing deeply, as though trying to contain his anger. Still trapped in his arms, all I could do was try to balance and pray that he was not going to kill me. Then, without warning, he threw me onto the bed. As I landed, my dress slipped up high on my thigh — I quickly scrambled to cover myself.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” he yelled, glaring at me. “Would it be too much to expect you to stay out of trouble for one day? I suppose you were hopelessly trying to light the fire in Potrick’s room and he called you out on your inaptitude?”

  “No, I just —”

  But before I could say anymore he was racing at me, hovering over me in the bed, his face a temple of rage. “Do you enjoy seeing me angry?”

  “No, I —”

  “Then how is it that you have already forgotten to address me by my title?” he demanded.

  I couldn’t believe I had made the mistake so soon after being warned explicitly the night before. I knew that there was no way I would be able to explain myself, so I kept quiet, praying he might forgive me again — I wasn’t hopeful.

  “What am I to do with you?” he begged, looking at me grimly. “It seems I can’t leave you alone, or you will be raped and yet, I can’t show you in public, or you will make a mockery of my leadership.”

  I couldn’t help it — my eyes fell on the little locket across his chest. His eyes followed mine. When he looked down and saw the locket, his jaw clenched. Quickly he unclasped the necklace and moved over to a chest of draws, throwing it inside. After that he searched the draw for something; I watched him curiously.

  “Is there a reason you have decided not to answer me?” he asked, turning back around to face me, something small clutched in his hands.

  “Why do you care?” I sneered, then remembering his previous rantings, added, “Master.”

  The expression on his face changed in a heartbeat. It was clear I’d shocked him, not that I knew why. Finally, he moved to sit next to me on the bed.

  “You’re beautiful Nat,” he said, cupping my face, his fingers delicately tracing where Potrick had hit me. I was just about to back away, when his other hand reached up and pressed something cool against my cheek. Immediately the pain left me. “Do you know that?”

  “You’re surrounded by beautiful women. You literally have a handful of them, ready to serve you.”

  “I don’t just mean the shape of your face or the bend in your body. True beauty doesn’t ask for attention and there is something in your wildness that draws me to you. You remind me of a creature caught in captivity. I’ve never met a woman like you.”

  “Then why not release me?” I asked earnestly.

  He didn’t answer. Instead he searched for something in my eyes, all the while keeping his hand against my cheek. And even though he was relieving me of the pain Potrick had caused, I couldn’t stop trembling. His eyes widened and drifted, as though he were remembering something from long ago. Then he shook himself and continued our conversation.

  “I’m changing your position,” he mused, placing the mysterious cool object into my hand, and directing me to hold it against my cheek. I did so, and he left the bed. “You clearly have no talent attending to household matters and if I put you in the harem, you will likely be gobbled up by Catena. You leave me with no choice —I will undertake your training personally; it is the only way for you to
learn to respect me.”

  “I don’t know that you can teach respect.”

  Drake shook his head, but went on. “I expect you to be at my side always. You will sleep here in my room and —”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Let me make myself very plain,” he whispered, now talking with deliberate quiet, though his tone was furious. “You will do as I say or there will be consequences. Now — I’m going down to have breakfast. When did you last eat anything?”

  After a brief conversation, we left his room. As we walked down the hallway, people stopped to stare at me. It was unnerving. Outside in the courtyard, a table had been filled with large bowls of fruit, platters of dried meat and a selection of bread and cheese. I moved over to the table, remembering just how hungry I was. When I reached for a peach, someone suddenly slapped my hand away.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you little ingrate?” It was Catena who had spoken. She was looking at me with utter loathing. “How dare you touch this food? This is for the soldiers, not house wenches. Now, go back to the kitchen and —”

  “That’s enough Catena,” said Drake, smiling in amusement at the spectacle. “I’m taking it on myself to train Nat personally. She answers to me alone.”

  Catena’s eyes widened. Had my situation not been so grave, I might have laughed at her humiliation. As it was, I still felt that I was on the receiving end of a punishment. There was nothing funny about my situation.

  “But surely you would be happier with one already trained,” suggested Catena, when she had found her voice again.

  “I think this one is well suited for me,” he said, chuckling. “And that is the last that I want to hear of this. Now, go and find Girald. I need to talk to him about Jader’s arrival. I want you to make sure the house is in good order for his arrival later today. He’ll want to see what progress we’ve made in the village.”

  Catena bowed and disappeared, her face stuck in a shocked expression. When she was gone, Drake reached for the fruit bowl and handed me a peach. I took it gingerly and bit into it, half expecting something painful to happen to me. When no one attacked, I took another bite, relishing in the delicious taste of the fruit.

  For the rest of the day, I remained by Drake’s side. It wasn’t nearly as horrid as I’d imagined. I’d feared he might subject me to depraved sensual acts in public, but apart from brushing his arm against mine on occasion, or locking eyes with me, he barely seemed to acknowledge I was there. The one good thing that came from my situation, was that Catena couldn’t take any kind of vengeance out on me. I did catch her glaring at me when our paths crossed, but with Master Drake so close, she didn’t dare do anything.

  It was early evening when Drake left the courtyard and made for his room to get ready for dinner. He’d already announced that the leader of Spinton, High Master Jader, would be coming to see the progress in the village, and I took this as an opportunity to discover what had become of my parents. I hoped that the high master would have some theories at least, where my family might be hiding.

  The moment we reached the bedroom however and we were alone, all thoughts of my family dissipated. There was a hungry look in Drake’s eyes — a look that made my heart race.

  “You have been very well behaved today,” he said, reaching for a towel hanging near an open window. “I expected you to object to spending your day being quiet, but you seem well versed in that. Tell me truthfully, what was your position before the attack?”

  “I told you Master Drake, I was a farmer, with my brother.”

  Still holding his towel, he moved over to me. Surprised by his haste, I jumped back. When he reached for my hands, he turned them over and frowned. “Then tell me,” he said, tracing little lines across my palms, “why is it that your hands are so smooth. They haven’t done a day’s work. There’s no way you’ve ever tended a field, nor brushed a beast. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the first time you touched soil was when you were cleaning it up from the floor yesterday.”

  I gulped loudly, unsure how best to answer.

  “No matter” he said a few minutes later, when it was apparent I wouldn’t answer, “you will tell me eventually. Now, I have arranged for the courtyard to be emptied while I bathe before dinner. You will attend to me and —”

  “What?”

  He growled and said, “Excuse me? Are you really disobeying me already? After you have done so well today?”

  “I’m sorry Master Drake.”

  True to his word, when we reached the courtyard, the place was deserted. I double checked to make sure that none of the guards were posted, hiding in the shadows. At once I thought of Marcus. Where was he? I hadn’t seen him since my first night here.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Drake.

  “Huh?”

  “Just now. You were looking for something — or perhaps someone.”

  “I — I was just . . .” I started to say, unsure how best to lie.

  “I already told you, I had the courtyard cleared. I like to bathe in private. You needn’t be afraid of observers. We’re totally alone.”

  I tried to look as though his words pleased me. I ‘d only just moved over to the large bath, when I felt Drake right behind me. His enormous hands were reaching for my dress, making to unclasp the collar around my neck.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, turning to face him.

  “I told you we would bathe.”

  “No. You said you would bathe and that I would attend you.”

  At first, he just stared at me, his eyes wide open in anger. It took me a second to work out why he was so angry, then I realized I hadn’t addressed him properly. I was just about to apologize, when he grabbed my arm, swinging me so I was pressed up against him. Though I attempted to struggle, it was no good. Within seconds he was tearing the fabric of my dress, pulling it roughly, so that before long it was on the floor in tethers. All that remained was the leather collar around my neck. I scrambled to cover myself, torn between hiding my breasts or my newly waxed region. In the end, I settled for my nether regions.

  “I hope you aren’t foolish enough to argue about getting wet,” he said hotly, admiring his handy work.

  I was too mortified to speak. Given that I was standing in front of him, completely naked, I didn’t argue. Moving quickly over to the bath, I dived in, desperate for the water to offer some form of coverage. When I re-emerged a moment later, Drake was still standing in the courtyard, undressing. My eyes danced to the large black tattoos across his chest, admiring the way they curved around his muscles. It was then that I realized he hadn’t put the locket back on that I’d seen him wearing earlier.

  “In Spinton, it’s customary for women to undress their master, be them in the harem or not. I can see that the role of women in Carnell differs much to my homeland, but you would do well to take note of our customs.”

  As he asked no question, I didn’t reply. Rather I moved around the bath, trying to find an angle where I could sit without drawing too much attention to myself and where I wouldn’t be tempted to admire his body. When he was finally naked, he moved towards the steps of the bath and joined me. Though I tried not to, I couldn’t help watching him enter the water. What was wrong with me? Why was I looking at him? Quickly I blushed and averted my eyes. From his grin, I was sure he’d seen me.

  “There’s soap in that tub,” he said, indicating a bucket by the side of the bath. “Fetch it for me.”

  Leaning over the edge of the bath, I reached for the soap, careful to keep my sensitive areas hidden. The moment I had it, I re-submerged myself in the water and wadded over to him. Stretching my hand out, I offered it to him.

  He smiled at me, a smile that sent tendrils of anticipation down my spine. When his hand emerged from the water to take the soap, he grabbed me with it, pulling me close to him. Immediately I struggled against his grip. It was no good. He easily overpowered me, forcing me to sit by his side so that our skin touched.

&nb
sp; “You may clean me,” he said.

  I wanted to say, Lucky me, but kept my sarcasm to myself, knowing it would win me no battles. Instead I took the small bar of soap and used it to rub into his hair, not being careful to keep the suds out of his eyes. When a particularly large bubble slipped down his face and fell into his mouth, I knew I’d made my point.

  “Are you trying to piss me off?” he asked, his voice laced with rage.

  “Of course not, Master Drake. But perhaps it would be better if someone from your harem attended to you? As Catena pointed out, they are trained in such matters.”

  “Nice try Nat,” he said, then dropped down into the water, washing the soap out of his hair and face.

  “Honestly, they would be much better at all of this.”

  “There’s no question of that,” he said, smoothing his hair back; to my horror, the effect made him even more handsome than usual.

  “Then why bother having me do this?” I asked. “I gathered from your questions during the Harem interviews that you were interested in women who wanted to be, well, part of a harem.”

  “That’s true.”

  “And?” I asked.

  “And I have already told you. You amuse me. That’s the last I want to hear of it. I want to bathe — not converse. If I wanted that then I would have invited my guards to join me.”

  “It’s not too late. I could fetch them for you.”

  “You know, for a Carnell girl, your tongue is very sharp. So unlike a lowly peasant. Are you the daughter of a wealthy lord perhaps? Do you not tell me this for fear I will ransom you back to them?” He paused, shaking his head. “No, that can’t be it. If it were, you’d jump at the chance to leave, no matter the sum I’d request.”