King of Slaves (Jenna's Story) (The Slave Series Book 5) (19 page)

He had a meeting soon, but hell, he was ready to cancel it to spend time with her. “Okay, allow me to be your tour guide then.”

Zurry took Alex to the formal throne room, the library, the game room, and the music room; and all the time Alex asked him questions that were relevant and intelligent.

“How many people live in the castle?”

“How many servants does it take to run the place?”

“When was it built?”

“Who owns it – the state or the royal family?”

“Are the royals paid apanage or do they collect taxes directly?”

“How many generations back can you trace the current royal family?”

They talked about traditions and culture, and he asked her about her life in the USA.

“So do you work like Jenna does?” he asked as they entered the kitchen regions in the basement under the guest wing. 

“Yes, I’m working on getting my PhD in history.”

“Wow, that sounds nerdy,” he said with a teasing smile and turned the lights on in the empty room.

“You bet – in fact I’m very nerdy.”

They walked a little father into the room. “This is one of the satellite kitchens that is only used when we have large social events going on. Normally the main kitchen can cater to everyone living in the castle, but when large amounts of guests arrive, they use this part too.”

Alex pulled herself up on a metal kitchen counter. “It seems sturdy enough,” she said and looked around.

Seeing her sitting so relaxed with her arms leaning on the counter behind her made his mouth water. In his mind he was walking closer and spreading her legs to fit between them. In his mind he was already undressing her and tasting her freckles.

But in reality he just nodded and moved away a little.

“What is this?” she asked and he turned to see.

“That’s a Ghinly,” he said.

“What does it do?”

Focusing only on the metal instrument, Zurry walked over to stand next to her and reached for the tool at the same time as she did. Their hands touched.

“Sorry, go ahead.” She chuckled.

“It’s used when the staff bakes our traditional Hym cakes. See, they dough goes in there and then this thing makes them the right shape.”

She reached out her hand to touch it and touched his hand in the process. “Do you like Hym cakes?” she asked, low and seductively… or maybe that was just him being hopeful.

He swallowed hard and looked down at her lips. She was so close; he could easily lean forward and kiss her.

“Yes, there are good,” he said.

“Will you let me taste?”

He swallowed hard. “What? The cakes?”

“Yes…” She wet her lips and stared into his eyes. “What did you think I meant?”

He lowered his head to kiss her… it was too tempting not to. Alex didn’t pull away, but she gasped a little, and it was enough to reach his sanity and make him break off the kiss before it happened.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“For what?” she said, took a deep breath, and slid herself down on the floor. “Nothing happened, and I have no clue what you’re talking about.” 

“I was just about to kiss you,” he admitted.

She spun around and looked at him with surprise. “Jenna told me you guys are very blunt. I was giving you a way out; you didn’t have to admit to that.”

“What way out? Admit to what?”

“Never mind, maybe it’s just an American thing.”

“What is?”

“Well,” she said and looked at him with curiosity. “If an American guy had tried to kiss me and then changed his mind, I would have offered him the same politeness by saying that nothing happened.”

“But something did happen. I wanted to kiss you.”

“I know. But since you regretted it for some reason, we won’t talk about it. That would just be awkward.”

“Why?”

“Because then I would want to know why you stopped and maybe your reasons would hurt me.”

“I stopped because I didn’t want to scare you.”

“That’s… ehm… very considerate of you.”

“Why would you pretend it didn’t happen?” he asked with a frown.

“To spare your pride.”

“My pride?”

“Yes.”

“That makes no sense.” He scratched his neck. “I’m finding your ways a bit confusing. Why can’t we just say what’s on our minds?”

Alex gave him a strained smile. “I think my sister did that when she first arrived, and that didn’t end so well for her.”

“I’m not asking you to insult me, just to be honest with me. Did you want me to kiss you, Alex?”

Her lovely face turned a shade redder. “Maybe Jenna is back now. I think I would like to go to her room and see for myself.”

“All right,” he said and let her out of the kitchen.

“Would I have scared you if I had kissed you?” he asked as they walked up the staircase.

She answered him with a smile and a shy shrug. “We’ll never know.”

“Why not? We could test it out right now,” he joked and held the door open for her.

Alex stopped right in front of him and looked up at him with burning blue eyes. “It’s kind of refreshing with your bluntness. Jenna warned me against it, but I’m finding it kinda cute.”

“I hope you’re not calling
me
cute,” he said dryly.

“What if I am?” she said playfully.

Zurry arched a brow and gave her a sly smile as he leaned closer and whispered into her ear. “You would be wrong, Alex. I’m anything but cute, and I would love to show you what I mean by that.”

She held back her breath and blinked up at him.

He chuckled. “You, however, are very innocent and cute. I can’t believe a few words are enough to make you so flustered.”

Alex’s hand flew to her neckline and she looked around the empty hallway. “I’m not that innocent,” she protested but he just walked along and threw his answer over his shoulder. “Sure you are, but that’s okay… it’s
cute
.” 

After a few minutes they reached the right corridor and he pointed to a door. “This is you and Jenna.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

He pulled up his phone and opened a new contact. “Let me get your number.”

“Why?” she asked but there was a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Just in case you get lost somewhere we haven’t been and need a tour guide to do a rescue mission.”

“What parts haven’t we seen?” Alex asked and was brave enough to look him square in the eyes.

He tilted his head and stepped a little closer to her. “The private parts… you haven’t seen my room, for instance.”

“All right then.” Alex lowered her glance to his cell phone and keyed in her number before she handed it back to him.

He laughed when he saw that she had written her name as
Alex Davis (the cute American)
.

He shot her a text saying nothing more than
Zurry, your personal tour guide
.

“Let me get this for you.” He unlocked the door and swung it open for her, revealing a dark room that told them Jenna hadn’t returned yet.

“How come you have the key to her room if she isn’t here?”

He smirked. “I’m one of the few with a master key.”

She raised a brow and walked through the door he held open for her.

“Alex?”

“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Do you want another private tour while you’re here?” The image of her lovely face looking up at him with a bed in the background was extremely arousing. 

“Sure, why not?”

“And would you like our next tour to go to my private chamber?”

She chuckled and color rose in her cheeks. “I don’t know… you’re the guide. Why do you ask me?”

“Because I don’t want to make wrong assumptions.”

“Okay, I can appreciate that.”

For a minute he stood there waiting for her to speak. “Sooo… do you?”

Alex moved a step closer to him and shook her head as if she couldn’t believe this was really happening. “I don’t know, Mr. Warlord.” Her voice slid over him like a silken caress.  “Is that what you want?”

Fuck yes!!!
he thought and felt pumped like a teenage boy getting his first offer to have sex. He tried to nod in a controlled way and keep his voice steady. “You know I do, Alex. You are extremely tempting.” 

Alex came even closer and stopped only inches from him, looking intently into his eyes. “I wish I could take you home with me, because honestly, Zurry, they don’t make men like you where I come from, or at least I haven’t met any.”

He tugged a strand of her fiery hair from behind her ear. It was exactly as soft as he had thought it would be.

“Your type doesn’t exactly live around here either. The thought of being with you and burying my head in your amazing hair is…”

“What is going on here?” A sharp tone sounded from the hallway. They both turned their heads to stare at Jenna, who stood with a tablet under one arm and a handbag under the other, looking at them like they were two aliens from outer space.

“Hey, sis,” Alex grinned nervously, like she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “We were just talking about you.”

“Nice try, but I heard enough of that conversation to know that if I’d come five minutes later you would be humping on my bed. Honestly, Alex, do you even know who that guy is?”

Alex gave Zurry a slightly embarrassed glance. “I’ll text you later.”

“The hell you will.” Jenna turned to Zurry. “You will stay away from her, do you understand?”

“I never make promises I don’t intend to keep. Besides, I don’t think you kept the promise you made to me.”

“What promise?” Alex asked curiously.

“Remember I told you I saw a picture of you?”

“Yeah,” Alex confirmed.

“Jenna promised to tell you I thought you were beautiful, but I have a feeling she never did,” Zurry clarified.

Jenna walked past them and threw her handbag and tablet on the bed before she turned toward them with a hand planted firmly on her hip. “Yeah, well, I didn’t tell Alex because I had a bad feeling about you two – and this was my nightmare. You shouldn’t be in the same room; it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Why?” Zurry asked “And could you lower your voice?” He closed the door so half the palace didn’t have to be part of their argument. “What are you so afraid of?”

Jenna looked from Alex to Zurry and back again. “Zurry, you don’t know my sister like I do. She might be a flirt, but she’s not the casual-sex kind of girl.”

“Jenna, please,” Alex tried to say.

“Don’t ‘please’ me, I don’t want you crying for the next four months because of a two-day fling. It’s just not worth it – and why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“But…” Zurry protested.

“But what, Zurry? I’ve seen you with your pleasers – you take what you need and don’t care about the woman. Sex is a pastime for you, not a commitment or an emotional bond.”

He crossed his arms and gave her a pointed stare. “Alex and I are both adults, so it’s not really up to you what we do.”

“You’re right, but I’m warning you. If you hurt my sister, I will
torture
you.”

“Calm down. I’m not going to hurt Alex, I was thinking more about pleasing her,” he said to lighten the mood but that didn’t help.

“Go please your pleasers or marry a damn teenager for all I care, but leave Alex alone. What she needs, you can’t give her.”

“And what exactly is that?” Zurry asked, provoked to be dismissed like that.

Jenna shot him a grim look. “What Alex needs, is a man who is smart enough to know she isn’t just a one-in-a-million kind of girl, but a once-in-a-lifetime kind of woman.”

Zurry stared at Jenna and knew Alex was watching them face off.

Maybe Jenna was right. Maybe what he could have with Alex would be short, passionate, and leave them both longing for more, but from the minute Alex walked into his office he had known he would take anything she was willing to give him. He would never allow Jenna, Nick, or anyone else to stand in his way.

“I can respect that you want to protect your sister, but I” – he lowered his voice to a low guttural growl and gave Jenna a hard stare – “don’t take orders from you.”

With deliberate steps he went to Alex and cupped her face, glaring deeply into her eyes. “It’s your choice, beautiful, my answer is still the same.” He placed a kiss on her lips that was demanding in nature and left her looking dazed.

“Text me if you want the tour,” he said and walked out the door, hoping Alex would be strong enough to defy Jenna. He wanted her so fucking bad it physically hurt to leave her.

CHAPTER 16

Promise

Jenna

Jenna slammed the door shut after Zurry and then she turned to face her sister. “What is wrong with you? Since when do you offer to have sex with complete strangers?”

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Jen,” Alex said and smacked her tongue.

“You want to see dramatic…” Jenna swayed her hips and waved her hand around. “Just wait until I find a priest to come and do an exorcism on you. Clearly someone must be possessing your body for you to say something as out of character as what I just heard. You practically asked the guy to sleep with you.
Hey, handsome, do you want to have sex with me?
” Jenna imitated mockingly. 

“I didn’t say that and I certainly didn’t sound like that.” Alex puffed out air and turned on her heels to get away from Jenna. She went to sit on the bed and started texting on her phone.

“Don’t you dare text Zurry.” Jenna cursed.

Alex looked up and pouted. “I was texting Dad to let him know you’re back.”

“Why are you here, Alex? You were supposed to help me talk Dad out of coming here, not join the circus.”

“I thought you would be happy to see me,” Alex said in a small voice that made Jenna cringe inwardly. She let out a deep sigh.

“I am happy to see you. I’m just shocked.”

“To see me?”

“Yes, and to hear you flirt with Zurry. What were you thinking?”

Alex looked down at her phone again. “I don’t know… he’s just so dreamy. I can’t explain it.”

“Well, try! Because right now I’m worried about your sanity. I told you about him. You know he’s a dominant, chauvinistic Neanderthal. Don’t you ever call him dreamy again. He’s not a good guy, none of them are.”

“Then why do I feel so attracted to him?”

Jenna closed her eyes for a second, feeling like a hypocrite. She was attracted to Kioni, and he was just as bad as Zurry. Maybe she couldn’t save herself from disaster, since she had already had unprotected sex and might be carrying Kioni’s child, but she would do everything in her power to protect her sister from making the same stupid mistake.

“Listen,” Jenna spoke in a placating tone and sat down next to Alex. “You only just arrived but I’ve been here for a month, and these people are so different from us. I know Zurry is good-looking, I’m not blind. But you’ve got to understand that women here are treated like in the dark ages when women didn't work outside the house. Zurry is a traditionalist because of the culture here – their mindsets are outdated. I mean they won’t even shake a woman’s hand, for crying out loud.”

Alex wrinkled her forehead. “You’re wrong. Zurry shook my hand when I first met him, and he offered his hand to me when we went to meet your colleagues.”

Jenna gaped. “Are you sure?”

Alex tilted her head. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve seen nothing that indicates he thinks less of me.”

“But he will, Alex. Have you ever met a guy who respects a woman who offers him sex within the first hour of their acquaintance?”

Alex looked down. “I shouldn’t have. It was stupid. It’s just that…”

“What?”

There was a pained expression in Alex’s eyes. “He didn’t feel like a stranger to me… the way he looked at me and spoke bluntly to me… I have been dating guys for months without feeling as safe with them as I did with Zurry.”

“Safe! Are you kidding me? He has danger written all over him.”

Alex crossed her arms. “I don’t believe he would hurt me.”

“Maybe not physically, but you don’t know that. He’s a big son of a bitch and you kinda promised him sex… what if you regret it or back out? I don’t trust that he would respect that. Women don’t have the same rights here… I told you he has two pleasers who don’t know the word ‘no.’”

Alex said nothing for a while. Her hands were playing with the hem of her shirt and she was deep in thought.

“Talk to me, Alex, what are you thinking?”

“I’m sorry that I got off on the wrong foot with him and that I upset you. I thought I could help you with Dad and make his visit here less traumatic for you, but I’m turning out to be the worst of us.”

Jenna pushed a lock of her sister’s wild hair out of her face. “Just promise you’ll stay away from Zurry. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Alex looked pained when she nodded vaguely. “I promise.”

Kioni

The minute Zurry stormed into his office, Kioni knew something was very wrong and shot to his feet.

“What is it? Are we under attack?”

“Yeah, it’s a bloody American invasion,” Zurry burst out in a raucous voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it… I want to hit something.”

“And you want that something to be me?”

“Better you than Jenna.”

“Right, so it’s Ms. Davis who got you so upset. That seems to be a special talent of hers.”

“I told you I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough… let’s go.”

They didn’t talk on their way to the underground gym, nor did they say a word as they changed into boxing trunks and entered the boxing ring. Zurry was like a brother to Kioni, and throughout their childhood this had been a way for them to cope with pain and worry.

“Don’t hold back,” Kioni said while putting on his helmet and boxing gloves.

Zurry nodded, popped his mouth guard in, and smacked his red gloves together.

It had been weeks since they last kickboxed, and Kioni was more than happy to let out some steam too. He hadn’t spoken to Jenna since he woke up in her room almost two weeks ago, but he was constantly thinking about her, worrying she might be pregnant and at the same time hoping she was. None of it made sense to him, and with his mother pressing for a decision about marriage, his system was on overload.

It was a fair match since Zurry and Kioni were equal in size and knew each other’s weaknesses well. Zurry was probably the better fighter of the two but only marginally, and Kioni would never openly admit it.

They weren’t trying to hurt each other, but Zurry’s punches were fierce and Kioni was happy to reciprocate with some clean hits, making Zurry moan in pain.

Thirty minutes later they lay panting next to each other in the ring, neither of them a winner, but both of them calmer than before.

Kioni caught his breath and removed his mouth guard. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

Zurry turned and looked at him. “Itz Blalex…”

“Huh?”

Zurry spit out his mouth guard too. “I’ve never been so attracted to a woman… it’s driving me insane and I need to have her.”

Kioni saw red. Zurry was talking about Jenna and describing exactly how Kioni felt about her himself.

“You can’t have her!”

“Why the hell not? I asked her if she wanted to come to my private chamber and she said yes. That’s basically the same as asking me to have sex with her,” Zurry said and got up on his elbows.

Kioni narrowed his eyes. “She said that?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Just now, before I came to see you.”

Kioni flew up from the floor and tore off his boxing gloves. He was going to find Jenna, and she’d better have a damn good explanation for coming on to his friend.

“Where are you going?”

“To Jenna’s room,” Kioni sputtered and jumped down from the ring. He couldn’t look at Zurry right now; he was afraid he would want to fight him again if he did.

“Do you think you can make her back off?” Zurry called out.

“Oh, she’d better back off… and that goes for you too.”

“Wait, what?” Zurry called behind him, but Kioni was already marching out of the gym, not caring that he was bare-chested and wearing only his boxing trunks.

“Don’t you want to dress first?” Zurry called after him and took up the chase.

Kioni was pumped on adrenaline and anger as he ran through the palace. He hadn’t done anything as erratic as this since… well, ever… but she made him irrational.

There was no gentle knock on her door; he hammered with his fist and the door swung open just as Zurry caught up to him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jenna asked, staring at the two sweaty and half-naked men.

“You!” Kioni pointed straight at her face. “Just because I refuse to be your boy toy doesn’t mean you can have sex with Zurry.”

“Excuse me?” She looked stunned.

“I know American women are promiscuous, but I won’t allow it under my roof. You slept with me… you made your choice.”

Jenna’s eyes were wide as saucers when she looked from Kioni to Zurry, who stepped forward.

“You slept with him?” Zurry asked her accusingly.

Jenna was pale as a ghost and gaping. “I… I…” was all that came out of her mouth before she was interrupted by a young woman coming from inside the room. “What’s going on?” she asked and took a protective step towards Jenna.

Kioni took in the stranger with her wet hair and with the strong scent of shampoo reaching his nose. It wasn’t hard to figure out the woman had just taken a shower, as she was wearing nothing more than a white towel.

“Who is that?” Kioni asked Jenna in a vicious tone. “Are you having sex with women too?”

“Is that the king?” the woman asked and gave him a once-over, and then she directed her focus to Zurry. “Why aren’t you guys dressed?”

Jenna held up her hand to silence the woman.

“Kioni, this is my sister Alex, who just arrived with my father to surprise me.”

He leaned back and took a deep breath.

“Alex, this is the king of Spirima, Kioni.”

Alex smiled cautiously.

She can’t possibly be Jenna’s sister. They look nothing alike.

“Welcome,” he said sharply and looked back at Jenna. “Why did you agree to visit Zurry’s private chamber to have sex with him? Explain yourself.”

“She didn’t,” Zurry exclaimed and pulled Kioni around to look at him. “Alex did.”

Kioni frowned. “The sister?” He turned his head to look at the half-naked woman, who looked both confused and clearly embarrassed, with her crimson-colored cheeks. “But I thought she just arrived.”

There was complete silence and he glanced around at all three people, trying to understand the bigger picture.

“So you’re not attracted to Jenna?” he asked Zurry.

Zurry turned around to walk away. “I’m not staying here; this is fucking awkward.”

Alex disappeared back into the room and Kioni was left with Jenna in the hallway and ran both hands through his hair. “What the hell is going on here?”

“You owe me an apology,” she told him.

“What for?”

She held up her hand and counted on her fingers.

“1: Calling me promiscuous,

“2: Accusing me of trying to seduce your friend,

“3: Sharing details of my sex life with others without my consent,

“4: Being rude to my sister… and that’s just to mention a few.”

“I didn’t know your sister was here, and so I assumed Zurry was talking about you when he spoke of his attraction.”

She gave him a grim stare. “You were wrong.”

“I may have overreacted a bit,” he admitted, and that was a big deal for him.

She waited. “You are not going to apologize, are you?”

“My behavior was justified, taking into account the information I had. It’s not my fault Zurry didn’t express himself more precisely.”

“Arrogant prick,” she snorted and turned to leave. Jenna had called him more insulting names than any living person, and he was sick and tired of it.

In a quick movement he pushed her back against the wall and trapped her inside his arms. His hands were flat on the wall on either side of her face.

“If you want a humble man then go search for a priest, not a king whose people depend on him to be confident and strong.”

Jenna narrowed her eyes. “For your information, oh mighty king,” she said sarcastically. “It’s possible to be confident and strong without being too proud and arrogant to say the word ‘sorry.’”