“Come.” He grabbed her hand and gently tugged her from the room. He could feel her body stiffen the closer they came to the front of the house. He made a promise to himself to rid her of this fear if it was the last thing he ever did.
Stepping into the sitting room was like dragging an animal into a cage. She resisted with every ounce of her body. He wrapped his arms around her, placing her back to his chest before introducing her to his parents. He could see the understanding and compassion on his mother’s face the moment he started speaking.
“Mother. Father. This is Rella. My mate. Rella, this is my mother, Padma, and my father, Sojur.”
“My dear, why all the fear? We won’t bite, I promise.” Padma’s quiet words did nothing to release the tension vibrating from Rella. He could almost feel the tension in the air, like a shimmer of energy around her body.
“Why don’t you sit with her and tell us about how you met and the story from last night.” His father spoke softly, but there was an edge of tension to his words.
Sabar slid backward until he found a chair. Slowly he turned Rella in his arms and sat with her across his lap. He wanted to laugh because it was the same position he’d found them in just a short time before, but he didn’t feel like laughing. Not with her shaking with fear on his lap.
“I was one of the males selected for Rella’s initiation ceremony. She was beautiful and open. I wanted her.” He nudged her and felt a slight change in her body. “I decided that I wanted to claim her then, so I spent all morning yesterday petitioning the magistrate for the right to take her as a mate. He agreed, but she still needed to attend the ball. I’m so glad they made me wait. Seeing her in the ball outfit was well worth it all.”
His father chuckled, and Sabar felt Rella lean into him, softening against his chest. He sighed with relief and kept telling his story.
“We spent some time at the ball getting to know each other.” He barely caught the scoff from the woman on his lap, but from the amused look his father gave him, she must be making some sort of face. With a grin, he squeezed the warm feminine bundle in his arms, and aimed the next words at her. “What did you say, Rella? Hmm, something to add?”
* * * *
Sure we got to know each other, with me restrained to the table and naked.
She bit the inside of her mouth to keep the words from flying from her mouth. Keeping her attitude in check took every ounce of control she had. The view of Sabar’s parents that she could see through her hair left her with conflicting thoughts. They both seemed nice. His father kept winking at her, and his mother looked so sweet. Were they really nice or were they playing a part for her benefit? What possible reason would they have, though, to be nice to her if they didn’t want to be? Sabar was their son. Therefore, they didn’t need to make him happy.
She came back to the conversation when she heard her name again on Sabar’s lips. “Rella seemed to think that her sister’s welfare was more important than getting my medallion, so that is why she is still not wearing it and why she is still wearing the band from the ball.”
Her muscles froze in terror. Why would he tell his parents that part? Was he trying to get them to hate her? Perhaps he really didn’t want to keep her after all. She peeked through her hair again and caught his father laughing silently. How did he find it entertaining? Unless they’d finally determined her punishment and he laughed with mirth. Icy tendrils of fear wound around her heart. That had to be it. Sabar had admitted that the Linax oil wasn’t his idea, so his parents had come to witness her punishment for running.
“Stop. Rella. Listen to me.”
She jerked at the growl rumbling under her back. She hadn’t done anything. Why was he telling her to stop? She peeked up into Sabar’s face, and she flinched from the irritation clearly evident on his eyes. She’d done something wrong, obviously.
“I’m sorry, Master.” She mumbled the words, trying to pour every bit of submission she could muster into her words.
“You don’t even know what I’m angry over, yet you say you’re sorry? Rella look at me.”
She glanced up again, schooling her features into her blankest mask.
“Stop hiding from me. You were thinking again while I was explaining things to my parents. I don’t know how to get through your thick head. You aren’t going to be punished. You did nothing wrong. Well, I would have liked to know that you were leaving to tend your sister, but other than that you are not in trouble. Stop waiting for me to beat you.” His voice lowered and his hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. “You are giving me a complex, little girl. Am I truly that frightening?”
She shook her head before she could think about it. No, he didn’t really frighten her. The situation scared her to death.
“Talk to me.” She tried to turn her head and gauge the look from his parents, but Sabar had captured her chin. “No, talk to
me
. They aren’t in charge of you, I am. Look in my eyes and tell me what is going on in that pretty little head of yours.”
She wanted to shake her head, refuse to speak. It was safer not to voice her thoughts. He wanted her to say what was on her mind. He’d said so repeatedly. She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know why you are telling them all of this. They’ll hate me and want me punished. I disobeyed you the minute you let me out of your sight. How can explaining that to your parents be a good thing?”
The grin that spread across his lips made her smile back in response. She couldn’t help it. He looked like a boy in a sweets shop. “There’s my girl. So, what should we discuss with them?”
Rella was at a loss. She didn’t know what to say to his parents. She’d barely been allowed to speak to her own. Her mind worked through different topics, but in the end she came up with a blank and shrugged, whispering. “I don’t know.”
“So, perhaps you can trust me to talk with my parents if you can’t think of anything to say?”
She swallowed a giggle.
Okay, girlie, you’ve found a good one, and he isn’t out to hurt you. Relax.
With a deep breath she finally loosened her muscles and melted against his chest.
“Good. Now, where was I. Oh, yes. This is where you come in, father. I sent Tannard to collect Rella. I gave him clear directions to not harm her and not to punish her. He took it upon himself to have her rubbed down in Linax oil.”
The growl from Sabar was drowned out by the gasps from his parents. His anger was evident in the clenched muscles under her cheek. She stroked his chest, trying to soothe him. His anger made her feel better. At least someone found her treatment appalling. A knot in her chest unwound. He cared. He cared enough to be angered by her treatment. Tears prickled her eyes. Other than Marena and Lena, she hadn’t had anyone really care about her in so long. She pressed her face tighter to his chest and breathed in his scent.
“Shh, we’re not angry at you.” His crooning words finally broke through her thoughts. His face was drawn, and a frown pulled his brows together. Hesitantly she reached up and smoothed her thumb over the wrinkles.
“I didn’t think you were angry with me. I was just coming to the understanding that you truly do care for me.” She could hear the wonder in her own voice, but he wanted her to speak her thoughts. There was no way she was going to let him think that her tears were from fear.
A thrill fluttered in her stomach when he bent down and captured her lips with his. The kiss wasn’t light or comforting. It was an assault on her senses. His hands held her head, strong and sure palms cradled her face, holding her exactly where he wanted her. His tongue didn’t wait for her to open. He speared into her mouth, taking what he wanted, branding her mouth with his. Heavy breaths mingled in her lungs as she gasped and tried to suck air through her nose. She fisted his shirt and pulled him closer to her and tried to turn on his lap so she could straddle his thighs.
* * * *
Someone cleared their throat, and Sabar reared back from the mauling he’d been undertaking. A blush crept up his neck. He’d completely forgotten that his parents, his
mother
sat not an arm’s length from him. He tried to hide the grin but was obviously unsuccessful when his father laughed loudly.
“Son, you have picked well. I’m quite impressed with your mate. Now, before you have her naked on the floor, let us discuss Tannard and his punishment. I would assume that is why we are here?”
“I’m afraid I will kill him, Father. If I take him into the yard, I will flay his skin from his bones for what he did to her. She knelt for most of yesterday covered in that horrible oil. By the time I came home she was so far gone that she didn’t know what was happening. I had to carry her into the bathing room while she screamed in pain.” The memory came fast and hard, digging painfully into his heart. He wanted to taste the blood of the man that had inflicted such horrible torture on Rella.
“May I speak with him? I’d like to know why he disobeyed your orders before I take him for punishment. Perhaps he needs to be taken in front of the magistrate, but perhaps not.”
“Fine. But he will at least get whipped, Father. I refuse to allow anything less for what he did.”
“Understood. Where is he?”
“Tannard, come out here,” he shouted. With Rella firmly perched on his lap, Sabar felt strong enough to have Tannard come out of his room. Her soft body molded intimately to his kept him from attacking the other male. Just seeing him creeping into the room was enough to send rage coursing through Sabar’s body.
Before Sabar could explode, his father spoke. “You will explain your behavior, Tannard. You’ve been with my family for years. What do you have to say as to why you harmed my son’s mate?”
“Master. I would beg your forgiveness for harming the girl. It was not my intention to cause her any lasting pain.” The sniveling servant bowed.
“Shut up.” Sabar growled and felt Rella’s tiny hand moving in circles on his chest.
Stay calm and don’t frighten her.
He tried to focus on her hand, her body. He tried to steer his anger and keep it under control.
“Why did you have her prepared with Linax oil? Did Sabar instruct you to have her oiled?” His mother’s voice was sharp with her anger. “I just don’t understand why you would think that was appropriate behavior.”
“I thought to have her prepared for her punishment. She’d run from him at the ball, had ignored his instructions. Those actions warranted swift and hard action. When Master instructed me to just collect her, I found his recommendations too lax.”
Pure rage flashed red behind Sabar’s eyes. “What do you mean my recommendations were too lax? Am I not the master of this house? Were you not instructed to follow my wishes in all things when you were given to me?”
“You break tradition too often. It’s a disgrace to the warrior race to allow a female to get away with anything, let alone running from you. In the old days, she would have been punished in public, scarred for her insolence and then made to apologize to you, your parents and anyone else she wronged.”
“The old ways are
barbaric
and you know that those laws were rescinded years ago.”
Tannard bowed his head, whispering, “They shouldn’t have been. Females should be kept in their place and pain is the best method.”
His own servant, a man who had been with him for years, had taken it upon himself to punish Rella based on archaic rules? Sabar’s body vibrated with pent-up anger. Adrenaline surged, bunching his muscles and speeding his breathing. Battle rage was going to take over, and he would kill Tannard unless he could be removed and fast. Gritting his teeth, he forced words from his lips. “I’ve heard enough. Father. I want him removed and punished. I never want him to look, speak, or even think about Rella. If I see him near her again, I will kill him.”
“Fine idea, son. Tannard, you will remove yourself from this home and wait in our vehicle outside. We will be visiting the magistrate and having your punishment dealt with publicly. I’m suggesting you be coated in Linax oil for some time so you can fully appreciate the severity of what you did to my son’s mate.” Rage colored his father’s words.
Sabar watched the blood drain from the servant’s face and almost laughed at the fear. No one would harm his mate, no one. He turned to watch his parents stand and move toward the door. They both gave him sympathetic smiles as they glanced at the bundle of nervous woman in his lap. She’d stiffened again as soon as Tannard had entered the room. She was making small whimpering noises even now, but he could deal with her fear. Deep down she was a strong female. He just needed to poke at her emotions enough for that strength to come shining through.
With one more deep breath, he tried to calm his thoughts and emotions. “Thank you, Mother, Father. We will see you soon.”
They both nodded and winked as they left. His home felt empty when they left, quiet and still. He pulled a deep breath into his lungs and held it for a moment, savoring the flavor of Rella’s scent on his tongue. He was finally alone with his mate. The knowledge and the remnants of adrenaline stirred his cock, and he grinned when his bundle of woman squeaked. She was sitting on his quickly growing shaft and obviously could feel what she did to him as he pressed against her ass.
“Come, mate of mine. I have something for you, and then we’re going to take care of the growing problem you happen to be sitting on.”
Rella couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh or run. The moment Sabar’s parents shut the door, she could feel the hardening bulge of a very interested cock under her while she sat on his lap. She’d just been terrified, irritated, and downright confused by the presence of his parents, and now he wanted to have sex with her? Her mind might have questions about his motives, but her body was completely on board with the idea. She could feel a rush of wetness between her pussy lips with the first twitch of his shaft under her ass.