Taming the Raven's Son (Galactic Lust) (5 page)

Once he’d finished with the sprain, he sat down next to her.
Placing his hand over hers, he persuaded her to remove her palm from her face.
A few droplets of blood escaped from where Sovereign’s nail had scraped high on
her cheekbone. He dabbed it away with the wet antiseptic cloth he’d brought
before placing some healing salve on it. The cut would mend quickly. The bruise
would remain for days.

He couldn’t have stopped the attack but Jacob remained
disgusted with himself for his inability to act. He stood before rolling her
onto her stomach. He could at least ease some of the discomfort in her ass with
the salve. While he hadn’t actually torn the skin, in several spots he’d
brought blood to the surface. The ointment would help.

After helping her in the only manner available, he returned
to the relief room and placed the items where they belonged. A single syringe
of birth control remained in the cabinet. Thankfully, he wouldn’t need it. Both
he and Sage had been temporarily sterilized and inoculated against disease.
Sovereign didn’t want to deal with a sick woman or an unexpected conception.

He saw to his own needs, extinguished the light and walked
to his bed. Wearily, he slipped the pants from his legs, shook out the thick
quilt and climbed in next to Sage.

He’d covered them before the woman started thrashing. He
grabbed her arms and pinned her to the bed. “What is wrong with you?”

“Don’t touch me!”

Could he blame her wanting to keep her distance? “We’ll
sleep now.”

“That’s all?”

He’d laid her in the bed and joined her. Naked. It was how
he slept and hadn’t given it a second’s thought.

“That’s all. Just sleep. I’ll release you but you’d better
not go wild.” He freed her wrists.

She lay there panting, scared, on the verge of hysteria. He
could feel the pounding of her heart and random tremors running through her
arms.

From the fear in her voice, she’d drawn conclusions. Wrong
ones. “I don’t—rape—women.”

He settled next to her and she turned on her side, facing
him. Most women would’ve turned away. Not her. She wanted to keep the threat in
her sights.

“He watches,” Jacob whispered. “He listens.”

She pulled the quilt up to her neck. It made her shaking
worse. He turned on his side to face her. In the dim light, her eyes appeared
huge. He reached for her beneath the covers as he whispered, “Come lie close.
Let me warm you.”

He turned her and drew her against his body. Her skin was
cold and clammy from fear. He’d remedy that. He had enough heat in his body to
share. He stroked strands of hair from her ear and placed his lips close. “He
can’t hear me now and I’ve got a great deal to tell you. Lie still and warm
yourself. Listen and don’t speak.”

She shivered and nodded.

“I can’t keep you safe if you don’t cooperate. If you’re too
willing to be trained, he’ll grow bored and seek you out to get a rise from
you. If you’re too impertinent, he’ll intervene, just like tonight. He can’t
tolerate a freethinking individual, especially a female. He’ll target you.
He’ll break you.”

The shaking slowed. He hoped she hadn’t gotten warm and
dozed off. He needed her to concentrate and listen to everything he relayed.
“Come morn, you need to wake a different woman.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, already disobeying him.

He could barely hear her, which meant Sovereign couldn’t. He
wouldn’t reprimand her for speaking. They might settle things faster if the
dialogue ran both ways. “You must. Since I’ve been held captive—”

“You? You follow his orders like a well-trained animal.”

He fought the urge to hush her by tightening his arms so she
struggled to breathe. It wouldn’t accomplish his goal. It would scare her.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair, especially if you really are
his captive. I don’t suppose us being placed in that cell was for my benefit.”

“I’ve been enslaved for over a year. This entire outpost
has. How you’ve seen me behave and how I feel are two totally different things.
I’ve learned to manipulate the bastard. I’ve learned to play him against
himself at times.”

Her stillness meant she listened. Her breaths stayed
shallow, not deep as if she’d fallen asleep. “If you want to remain relatively
safe, if you want to live, you must do as I say. You must become my meek. At
least for appearances.”

Several long minutes passed as she lay still, mulling over her
situation. “How? What do I do?”

The pain at the base of his skull eased with her questions.
At least she was willing to listen. “You mustn’t outwardly defy me. You mustn’t
say whatever pops into your head. You need to speak and act with restraint.”

“Roll over and take it. Got it.”

Rather than spur his anger, her words made him smile. Her
hasty summation cut to the chase. She reminded him of a well-trained Governance
soldier. Bare-bones conversations. “Not exactly. You’ll need to show some
reluctance in what I’ll ask you to do.”

“But don’t be too obvious about it. Got it.”

He chuckled into her hair. He tried describing the subtle
nuances of how she’d need to behave and she was formulating a mental checklist
as if it were a work assignment to be completed in some systematic order.
“Please stop,” he whispered, wondering how they could be speaking about a
life-and-death matter and her responses amused him.

“Like, what types of things will you ask me to do that I’m
supposed to be reluctant about?”

His blood stirred as he cuddled her and nuzzled her neck.
“Things between a man and a woman. Normal happenings between a Master and his
meek.”

“Sexual things?”

“Extremely sexual things.” He flattened his palm on her
stomach. Her temperature had risen nicely. “I know you don’t want this. I also
know what must be. I’ll be good to you, Sage, and so very careful.”

“What type of things are we talking about here?”

He hesitated a moment so that when he whispered the
response, he wouldn’t be smiling. “I’ll treat you like a woman newly venturing
into my personal domain. I’ll treat you as I’d treat any woman I’d agreed to
train.”

“How many
have
you trained, Jacob?”

His name whispered from her lips caused blood to rush
through his veins. He focused on the question. “Two.”

“Only two?”

What had she expected? Scores of women? A true Master didn’t
acquire meeks as if purchasing clothing. The commitment, at least for him, was
enduring. “Each of them stayed with me for years. You didn’t ask me how many
women I’d fucked, Sage. You’d asked about my relationships.” He couldn’t keep
the subtle anger from his voice. She’d insulted him. “How many for you?”

“Relationships?”

“No, it’s obvious you’ve never committed to anything so
personal.” He regretted his callous words. They’d been spoken from anger. He’d
try to be more direct with her. “How many men have fucked you?”

The tension in her body grew.

“Settle yourself. We’re merely having a conversation.
Learning about each other. Reaching an agreement.” He scolded himself for
allowing his anger to surface. At the least, it was counterproductive. “If you
care to end this now, I’ll sleep without a problem. You, on the other hand,
won’t know how to act come the morn.”

The simple statement settled her. “Six.”

“Six sexual relationships.”

“No. I’ve had sex six times.”

“In your life?”

“Look,” she said, trying to turn to face him. He held her
still. “I don’t particularly like sex. I don’t get off on it. It doesn’t do
anything for me. Get it?”

“You’ve been with the wrong man.”

“No, it’s
men
. Six different ones. One each time. If
not one of the six did a thing for me, I’m one of those women who just don’t
like sex.”

“You’ll need to be open about its possibilities when we
wake.”

“Can’t we just skip that stuff and I’ll feed you and clean
up and do other stuff? Isn’t that what men like you want? I’ll be a reluctant
servant.”

“None of that means a thing. We need to pretend to develop a
relationship. A normal one. A sexual one.”

“Really?” she whispered.

“Maybe this won’t work,” he mumbled, thinking aloud. With
her sexual history, perhaps what he was asking her to do was impossible.

“And maybe,” she said, scooting a centimeter closer, “it
will. The entire premise is perfect actually. I’m naturally reluctant so I
won’t need to act.”

He relaxed against her. Her declaration gave him a measure
of renewed hope. She was processing the information and trying to find a way to
act appropriately. It was a beginning. She’d neglected recognizing one small
facet of her personality, however. “You’re naturally defiant.”

“I won’t be tomorrow. I’ll only be reluctant.”

She huddled closer to him. He hadn’t meant to take hope away
from her. He needed her to understand their situation. Most captive women
wouldn’t have acted as brazenly as she had. While he could more than tolerate
her antics and might even enjoy the challenge, Sovereign would not. “Do you
know the meaning of the word ‘meek’?”

“I guess.”

“Not good enough. You need to live and breathe it until…” He
wouldn’t give his plans away about the impending revolt, not even to give her the
reassurance that an end might be in sight. “Until I can make plans to have you
taken from here.”

“Meek,” she whispered.

“Humble. Teachable. Patient under suffering. It’s an
attribute of pure discipline.”

“I thought it was eyelash fluttering and head bowing.”

Oh Sage, you see only the obvious. Haven’t you ever
looked more deeply into behaviors?

He cuddled her and inhaled deeply. She possessed
intelligence, resilience and pride. She could learn. But it was going to be a
long night.

Sage woke, stretching and shuddering as the remnants of
sleep lifted from her mind. Her head remained clouded with the words and
imagery left by Jacob as he’d whispered throughout the night. At first she’d
listened intently, trying to fathom how she’d need to act in order to survive
this ordeal. As her eyelids had drooped, his voice had taken on a hypnotic,
sensual quality that lulled her into a safe imaginary world filled with respect
and sexual gratification.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked from behind her. He
tightened his embrace, bringing her flush with his chest.

“Yes, thank you.” She automatically remembered manners were
important when addressing him.

Somewhere through the night, she’d begun to understand and
envision the type of role she’d need to play. If a few days of submissive
behavior would lead to her freedom with fewer bruises, she figured she could
suffer through it. She would escape. She held no desire to trade Jacob for the
asshole who ridiculously called himself
Sovereign
. Nor did she wish to
find out if he’d been serious about turning her out for his men’s amusement.
Although she’d been almost unconscious at the time, she’d heard the threat and
it hung in her mind, tormenting her at odd moments.

“We should probably rise and begin the day,” he said,
releasing her and pushing the thick quilt down to their feet.

She missed the warmth they’d shared when he rolled from the
bed. She’d never spent an entire night with a man. The oddness of sharing
another person’s body heat was different, but not unpleasant in the least.

“Come,” he said, easing his hands and arms beneath her.
“We’ll wash away the mistakes of yesterday, and as I’ve promised, we’ll start
over today.”

He picked her up effortlessly, which still astounded her.
She wasn’t a waif by any means. She clocked many hours a day on training
equipment to fulfill the terms of her contract with the board of the
corporation. She knew when she’d accepted the position they would demand
certain things from her. Because they’d invested in her, believed in her, she
needed to do everything possible to keep herself in the best of health.

He carried her to the relief area before setting her on the
smooth stone floor. She kept her right foot elevated.

“I’ll give you five minutes of privacy before I return to
bathe you.”

Gee, five whole minutes?

He frowned and his eyebrows drew together, demonstrating his
displeasure at her facial expression. She’d also need to watch her non-verbal
reactions?

“He isn’t able to follow us in here,” he whispered. “But we
can’t dally. You must try very hard to become my meek.”

“Impossible. I can act, but I refuse—”

“Your performance needs to be more convincing. If nothing
else, act fearful of me. If you can do that, you might be able to make him
believe you’re at least trying to respect me. It wouldn’t be unusual for a
woman in your situation to be afraid.”

“I’ll try.”

He raised her chin.

As she gazed into his eyes, she understood his sincerity and
desire to make their situation work. He wanted to protect her. “Why do you
care?”

“You’ve been given to me. It’s my duty to look after you.”

“You don’t know me. You owe me nothing.”

“A Master must see to the health, protection and
enlightenment of any meek under His care. You see, Sage, while our time
together is something you must convincingly pretend to endure, it’s something
much more to me. My actions will be judged and any
performance
on my
part would be immediately detected.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s simple. I won’t be acting. I must treat you as I would
a newly acquired woman. The etiquette in these situations is virtually written
in stone. I’ve adopted and adapted to the Bendolian manner of life. I took a
vow. And now you’re within my realm. I’ll try to be patient as you learn.”

“You’re saying this is real to you?”

“It must be or you won’t survive.”

Her heart thumped and her knees weakened. The agreement
they’d reached last night wasn’t what she’d thought. Somehow, with both of them
pretending, she’d believed she could act a few days away. She knew in her heart
the situation would be much worse than she’d imagined. If the situation was
real to him, she’d bet he wouldn’t tolerate her performing on cue.

He stroked her hair and stepped back. “I’m not an inherently
cruel man, Sage.”

Was he trying to reassure her with that statement? It didn’t
work. Her gaze traveled from his eyes to rake his tall, solidly built,
muscular, very naked body. She shivered. The interactions between a Master and
his meek included sex. He’d said they did. She’d never be able to act
submissive
when he mounted her.

“Five minutes,” he said before turning and leaving her
balanced in a one-legged stance, bracing herself against the wall. She slammed
the door in frustration and hurried to take care of business.

Jacob pulled up his pants and raked his fingers through his
hair. In his heart, in his very blood, he’d been born to shelter, care for and
protect the women who came into his life. Could he provide for this latest one?

His first meek, Deedra, remained in the center of his heart.
She always would. Their relationship and attachment had formed quickly. It’d
provided comfort, stability and predictability for both of them. On her
deathbed, when the disease had been at its peak, he’d inhaled her last breath,
vowing to keep her memory alive in his soul.

Within a year of Deedra’s death, he’d accepted another
woman. It had become apparent he’d never be able to fully meet her needs. While
he’d never been reluctant to administer discipline, her cravings went beyond
his willingness to participate. They hadn’t been suited. At all. They’d
relinquished the commitment and as promised, he’d placed her with the type of
Master she needed.

The door to his rooms swung open. Without glancing up, he
knew Sovereign had entered. Anyone else would’ve knocked, even the henchmen
working under Sovereign.

“Ryker,” he said, sauntering through the room. “Great news!
I’ve placed Heat in command of the training exercises for the next few days so
you can become acquainted with your new toy.”

Jacob hadn’t expected that and was surprised. Wasn’t the
training of Sovereign’s men more important than the confinement period between
a Master and his meek? Or could it be Sovereign thirsted for a different form
of entertainment?

“I’m grateful, Sovereign,” Jacob said, standing in deference
to the man who controlled his people.

“After her behavior yesterday, I thought to give you the
extra time to hurry her acclimation.”

Jacob grunted, making it sound as if he offered thanks.

“I’m curious,” Sovereign said, smiling for some odd reason.
“Do you think you can tame her?”

Jacob refused to narrow his eye or speak without thought.
Once he knew his voice wouldn’t tremble with anger, he said, “A meek isn’t
something to be trained, Sovereign. I’ve taken a vow—”

“Of course you have. Bendolian, isn’t it? I’ll give you the
extra time but if she doesn’t progress, she’ll be mine. I’ll bring her to heel
quickly. Perhaps you’ll learn from this.”

Sovereign would delight in taking her away and making Jacob
watch her suffer under his hand. Another form of control he’d used with other
residents of Prevelor. Sovereign loved to break not only women, but men as
well.

Jacob glanced to the doorway as Heat ducked to enter the
room. He admired his seven-foot-tall friend and had welcomed him to Prevelor
several years earlier. A space rambler by his own admission, Heat had adapted
to the ways on Prevelor quickly, needing the structure and camaraderie.

“Jacob,” he said in his baritone, thundering voice, “you’ve
been demoted.”

“So I’ve been told.” He admired the easygoing nature of his
friend. While he worked to train Sovereign’s men in moves to make them
vulnerable, he displayed a tireless smirk. Even when he’d been restrained and
beaten for insubordination, he’d smiled as they tore the flesh from his back.

“So while you pet and play in the comfort of your rooms,
I’ll spend the hours outside in the dirt doing your job.”

“You’ve about summed it up.”

“Do I get to see her at least?”

“Yes,” Sovereign agreed. “Let him see what will occupy your
time for the next few days.”

Heat would never make a situation worse on purpose. Perhaps
he wanted to see the woman to determine how much of a hindrance she’d present
to their plans. In reality, his request would’ve been considered quite common
under normal circumstances. Jacob walked to the relief area and opened the
door. Had Sovereign not been present, he would’ve knocked. As he’d anticipated,
his rude entrance both startled and angered Sage. He swept her from her feet.
Her muscles tightened as if preparing for a war.

“Fear, respect,” he whispered. “This is common.”

As he carried her to Heat, she relaxed, wrapped her arms
around his neck and buried her face in his hair.

Very good.

She even trembled appropriately.

Heat’s smile broadened. “My, my, my, Jacob. What did you do
to earn her?”

Sovereign laughed, enjoying Heat’s envy.

“May I?” Heat asked, reaching out to her.

Jacob didn’t deny his friend’s request quickly enough and
Heat touched her chin, forcing her to turn toward him. He stroked the side of
her face while making a tsking sound. Thankfully she didn’t try to shove him
away. His gaze traveled the length of her body, taking in every detail not
covered by the oversized shirt. Surprisingly, she tolerated Heat’s touch and
perusal without incident.

“Has she been so bad, Jacob? A mark on her face and a
bandaged ankle?”

“Yes,” Sovereign interjected. “At the very least, she’s been
impertinent.”

Heat didn’t give Sovereign any attention as he took her
delicate, wrapped ankle into his huge hand. “How do you expect to forge a
relationship with her if she’s hurt like this? For shame, friend. I’ve never
known you to be abusive.”

Heat placed his hand on Jacob’s arm, urging him to lift her,
exposing her ass. “And to whip her so early on? You’re setting her up for
failure.”

“Our Sovereign,” Jacob replied, forcing his teeth to
unclench, “
suggested
the whip be used.”

Heat’s penetrating gaze met Jacob’s. “She’ll be in bed for
the next several days. Precious time wasted if you ask me. Why not place her in
a med unit so you can begin her training?”

“An excellent idea,” Sovereign interjected as if he hadn’t
denied her the use of the unit yesterday. “We want to give Jacob a fair chance
with her.”

Heat turned toward Sovereign. “To form an attachment?”

“Indeed. It will allow the best possible outcome for the
demonstration I’ve planned.”

“Of what nature?” Jacob asked.

“My men have worked hard. They need a diversion. Some
entertainment. I’ve decided to allow you and the woman to provide it.”

Jacob held her tighter and she squeezed his neck.

“In the meantime, I’ve decided to repair the main gathering
hall.”

Why now? It was damaged from laser blasts when Sovereign
took over Prevelor. What did the bastard have planned?

“I expect the hall to be ready in a week. Heat can
accomplish this if we reduce the time he spends with my men.”

She’ll be gone long before this week ends. We’ll get her
well away from you and hide her as we did some of the others.

“As of now, you’re confined to your rooms.
This
woman
won’t suddenly disappear. Make good use of your time and gain her trust.”
Sovereign frowned. “A great deal rests on your abilities.”

Grimm turned and sauntered from the room, instructing his
men to escort Jacob and the whore to the med unit. After all, Ryker deserved a
fighting chance at gaining her trust. In fact, Sovereign hoped they’d become as
thick as thieves in a short period of time.

He detested Ryker. The only reason he hadn’t killed him was
because watching him suffer was too enjoyable. The Governance had sent him
after Richard. A well-trained hunter, it didn’t even pose a challenge for Ryker
to kill Grimm’s brother.

He laughed out loud and his men slowed their pace, giving
him more of a lead. He’d kept them on their toes. Yes indeed, no one would ever
get comfortable around him. He’d ensure it.

Sneaky Governance mongrel!
How do you feel, Ryker?
I’ve stripped you of your power, your seat of importance and your free will
just like I was stripped of mine.

The upset over his brother’s murder had caused Grimm to give
some hasty orders, which had resulted in casualties. The Governance hadn’t
tolerated his mistake and he’d promptly received a discharge. The hunter not
only taken his brother’s life, he’d ruined Grimm’s as well.

“Excuse me, Sovereign,” one of his men said.

He spared him a glance. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell Jacob what you’re planning? I mean,
wouldn’t it cause him more anguish if he knew?”

“I believe he’s come to expect the unexpected from me. We
don’t want him to grow bored, do we?”

“Uh, no, sir. I guess not. But—”

Sovereign drew his pistol, turned and fired. Dubbs died
instantly. He didn’t so much as twitch when he hit the stone floor. Sovereign
glanced at the others. Stark-white faces with horror-stricken expressions
gleamed back at him. “Are there any more questions?”

A resounding “no” echoed off the barren walls.

“Good.”

Idiots. I’m surrounded by Governance idiots.

When gathering a crew together, he hadn’t been picky. He’d
needed trained bodies to join him. He’d amassed his crew from Governance
rejects. At least they followed orders to some degree. All except Dubbs. He’d
questioned everything. He wouldn’t anymore.