Authors: Laurie London
Her mother crossed her hands over her breasts, but she didn’t need to. Neyla and a beautiful woman with long black hair were waiting with large blankets to cover them up.
Neyla introduced them to Petra and gave them their clothes, but before Olivia’s mother could take them, Petra dropped to her knees and took the older woman’s hands in hers. “My family and I will forever be in your debt.”
“I don’t understand,” Olivia’s mother said, looking confused.
“The evil man killed in your home was one of those responsible for my beloved brother’s death. We miss Fallon every day, but we can rest now, knowing justice has been served.”
“I…I didn’t do much. I just incapacitated him for a time, giving Olivia time to heal Asher.”
“But it was enough and my family is very grateful. Our home is your home for as long as you wish.”
Olivia pulled on a pair of butter-soft riding breeches, a purple cotton tunic with intricate embroidery at the neckline, and leather boots. “These are beautiful clothes, Neyla. Did you make them?” Rickert had told her that Neyla used to own her own clothing design business.
“Yes, except the boots. We bought those in town. How does everything fit?” She examined both of them with a critical eye.
“Like they were made for me,” Olivia said.
“Me too.” Her mother craned her neck around, admiring the blue sari-like outfit she’d just put on. She turned to Neyla. “And now it’s my turn to thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Neyla said, pride and excitement reflected in her eyes. “I’m glad everything fits.”
“And I’m not talking just about the clothes, although they’re lovely. I’m referring to you using your army contacts to find out what happened to my son.”
“I just hope the army’s fixer wasn’t lying to us,” Olivia said. That was the last thing they needed. To have their hopes raised that Vince might be alive only to be dashed again if they found out he wasn’t.
“As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know,” Neyla said. “Now, I’m sorry to rush everyone, but Rickert will be coming through the portal at any minute. And unless you want to see him naked…” She paused. “Let me rephrase that. No one but me gets to see my man naked, so we need to hurry.”
Petra scoffed. “Will you ever change?”
“What?” Neyla protested. “So I’m still clinging to my non-exhibitionist, Pacifican ways. Big deal.” She turned to Olivia and her mother. “They’re less inhibited over here when it comes to…well…sex. Let’s just say I was a little surprised on my first trip over here. So don’t be surprised if you see—”
“A few cocks and balls?” Asher strode into the antechamber like a rooster strutting into a henhouse. “Everyone decent?”
Olivia just about melted. The man—her man—was gorgeous. He wore a leather kilt and a white linen shirt with a deep V that hung open at the neck, showing the muscular plane of his chest.
As Petra and Neyla doted over her mother, helping her into a cart pulled by two handsome horses with flowing black manes, Asher grabbed Olivia and shoved her against the wall. “I thought you’d never get here.”
“What are you talking about? It was only an hour.”
“But it was too long. I missed you.” His mouth came down hungrily over hers. She reached under his kilt and found he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Two months later
“So you think I’m ready?” Olivia asked.
The woman with the raven-black hair nodded. “Yes, it’s time.”
Olivia retied the strings of her tunic. When she entered the circle, a few people clapped and Conry barked. Neyla and Rickert stood on the far side, his hand on her protruding belly. Petra and her husband were there, along with a few others she’d met. Olivia’s mother had learned she was from the town of Derry’s Folly and had met her biological sister there. Her parents had been killed in the raid when infiltrators had breached a portal, invaded their village, and kidnapped her as an infant sixty-two years ago.
She was there now, which was good, because if she were here with Olivia, she wouldn’t let this happen.
Asher stood on the other side of the ring, a crazy grin on his face. “You don’t have to do this, Olivia. You’ve already proven yourself very capable. And besides, if you stay over here, you’ll be safe. There’s no need for you to become a fighter.”
“No, I want to do this. You didn’t think you could let yourself fall in love with me because you thought I wasn’t capable of defending myself. And frankly, I was pissed that I hadn’t been able to defend myself a little better against that sonofabitch in Mom’s house.”
She did exactly what Mariah had taught her. She’d been practicing every day with the woman who used to be a member of the
Taghta
Sisterhood, a religious order tasked with protecting and defending sacred relics since before the Obsidian Wars.
Olivia circled to Asher’s left. He was right-handed, so this was his weaker side. He’d be expecting her to attack him here.
She darted left and sure enough, he blocked her. Good. He was thinking he was on to her. This went on a few more times and then she saw her opportunity. He had let down his guard on the right side.
She darted in again, but this time she went right. Using a move Mariah had shown her, she grabbed his hand, cocked his wrist hard, and brought him to his knees. Several people around the circle clapped and cheered.
“Ahhhhh,” he groaned. “Let go.”
“Do you submit?”
He didn’t answer right away. She twisted harder. “Don’t make me have to heal you,” she said.
“Okay, okay. I submit.”
She didn’t let go. “Good. What else?”
“I’m madly in love with you and want you to be my wife.”
“I know that already, Ash.”
“Then what?”
“Don’t you remember our deal?”
“Um…”
“It’s your turn to be
my
slave. When you’re not away on a mission, you’ll have to do everything I say, both inside and outside the bedroom.”
“Just say yes, Asher,” Rickert called from the sidelines.
“Pussy,” said a man they called Big Thom.
She twisted harder.
“Of course I agree. Ouch.”
“And…?”
“And I think you’re totally capable of defending yourself. I submit.”
She let go of his hand, dropped to her knees and pushed him onto the ground. “Good,” she said, crawling like a cat on top of him. “Because I want you naked and in our bed in ten minutes. Think you can do that?”
Instead of answering, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her down to meet him, his lips crashing against hers.
It was a punishing, bruising kiss. His tongue delved into her mouth, claiming her and making her head spin. Feeling his erection, thick and hard beneath her, she ached to have him inside her.
She almost forgot they had an audience. Almost forgot about her agenda.
She pulled back slightly, breaking their connection. They were both breathing hard, his breath became her breath. He had a smudge of dirt on his cheek and one of his thin braids was stuck to the sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was gorgeous. Absolutely and totally gorgeous.
“You’re mine, Liv, until the end of time. And when the earth crumbles to dust and the sun burns out in the sky, there will still be us. There will still be this.”
Her heart swelled, but she couldn’t let herself get distracted. “Yes, my love, but I’m still waiting for an answer.”
“About being your sex slave? Of course.” His tone was raspy and impatient, making her inner muscles clench with need, but she needed to stay strong.
She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”
He grinned then, understanding her completely, and his smile lit up her whole world.
God, she loved this man. More than she ever thought possible.
“Yes, of course…ma’am.”
A few people clapped as she pulled him to his feet and led him across the courtyard to their quarters.
She was going to love it over here. A lot.
~ THE END ~
The Iron Portal series continues with Vince’s story
WARRIOR’S HEART
Coming 2014
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading ROGUE’S PASSION! I hope you enjoyed Asher and Olivia’s story. Please tell a friend or consider lending it through your retailer’s lending program. And if you’re so inclined, I would be very grateful if you left an honest review at your online retailer’s website or on GoodReads, Shelfari, LibraryThing or BookLikes.
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Books by Laurie London
Iron Portal Series
ROGUE’S PASSION
WARRIOR’S HEART (
Coming Soon
)
Sweetblood Series
(
Dark, sexy vampires
)
E-novella
Anthologies and Bundles
(
with Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro and Alexis Morgan
)
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances
(with Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Erin Kellison and Felicity Heaton)
About the Author
Laurie London is the author of the Sweetblood and Iron Portal series—dark, sexy paranormal romance, set primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Publisher’s Weekly calls the Sweetblood series “sexy” and “sizzling.”
She lives on a small farm outside of Seattle with her husband, two children and a variety of animals. After graduating with a business degree from Western Washington University, she worked for a Fortune 500 company as a programmer/tester and an underwriter. Her other jobs included cocktail waitress, hotel maid, candy store manager and bridal gown sales.
When not writing, she can be found running, reading, sewing, making jewelry, mucking stalls, volunteering or riding her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show—that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again.
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