the woods as if she heard something. For some reason, he stretched out his arm to shield her. “I don’t see anything.” He replied before he let her finish her thought.
“I see your freedom.” She said, and he searched her face with puzzlement. “I have no use for you. So, you run in there and find your way back to the inlands. I’m going home, and I’ll tell my father that you simply ran from me, and I didn’t want to chase in after you. Now go slave. Go.”
He blinked and looked bewildered that she’d even offer. “I could show you what to do with me if you wish.” His expression was so stern, with not even a hint of a mischievous grin, his meaning was lost to her. If he was implying sex, he would’ve had a wicked glint in his eye, but he didn’t. He looked sober, standing firm with his words.
“I’m positive I have no use for you. Now go. I mean it.”
“I can’t leave.” He shook his head. “I’m a branded man with the slave mark given by the king. If I’m captured while alone, I’ll be killed on the spot. If I made it to the inland, I’d be an outcast because of my branding. I don’t belong anywhere. And if I’m your slave, as long as you don’t break my toes, stretch my limbs, flog me, try to drown me, or boil me, I have no intention of leaving you. I promise I won’t disappoint when it comes time for me to bed you.”
Katja parted her lips to speak, but then closed her mouth. She had no idea how to respond to the torture he spoke of or the remark about sex. At the present, the more disturbing comment was his affliction. “That happened to you?”
“I’ve heard of it, and obviously I’ve been beat. I’m a warrior. I’ve seen a lot.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said quickly. It was too disturbing and she wanted nothing to do with the subject. “I’ll take you to my father, and he’ll know what to do with you.”
Before she took a step, he clinched thick fingers around her wrist. His sudden grasp startled her, and she began to tremble, but he didn’t remove his tight grip. “Your father will flay me as he did before. He once said he bought me with intentions to watch over you. Tell him I’m your slave; tell him before he sends me away from you, or I will never live to see the next morning.”
She had no idea what flaying meant but she nodded, and gave her word. They were quiet as they winded up the many hills back home. Katja got the impression he was holding his tongue, and silently wishing she’d remain faithful to her word she rushed to give. She did not intend to break it, if the punishment meant his death.
When she brought the slave to her room, she had her servant, Annett, draw a bath. After her slave washed away the dirt from the fields and wore fresh clothes, he looked proper, except taller and far more muscular than any gentleman she’d ever met. She took him to the kitchen, and she sent a message to her father as he polished off three bowls of soup.
“If you really were sold to someone else, I suggest you hide for the night, find me in my room tomorrow morning, and leave my father to me. He may tell me one thing, to get me to stop arguing, but then do the opposite.”
With her warning, he abandoned the soup without a word and hid out of sight. He disappeared only minutes before her father rushed home, pale with worry. His color returned after Katja told her father the entirety of the meeting with her slave. But with each passing hour as the slave went missing, Cade began to think the warrior ran off despite sounding eager to stay with Katja.
“He will be back, father.” Katja stressed, as he listened for sounds outside while he stoked the fire from within the sitting room.
“If he comes back, he’s yours. That was what I wanted all along. The savage won’t listen to me, and brawls like a drunkard. But if he so much as removes a hair on your head in violence, I’ll throw him into a hungry lion pit.”
“He will come back, and I
“I see your freedom.” She said, and he searched her face with puzzlement. “I have no use for you. So, you run in there and find your way back to the inlands. I’m going home, and I’ll tell my father that you simply ran from me, and I didn’t want to chase in after you. Now go slave. Go.”
He blinked and looked bewildered that she’d even offer. “I could show you what to do with me if you wish.” His expression was so stern, with not even a hint of a mischievous grin, his meaning was lost to her. If he was implying sex, he would’ve had a wicked glint in his eye, but he didn’t. He looked sober, standing firm with his words.
“I’m positive I have no use for you. Now go. I mean it.”
“I can’t leave.” He shook his head. “I’m a branded man with the slave mark given by the king. If I’m captured while alone, I’ll be killed on the spot. If I made it to the inland, I’d be an outcast because of my branding. I don’t belong anywhere. And if I’m your slave, as long as you don’t break my toes, stretch my limbs, flog me, try to drown me, or boil me, I have no intention of leaving you. I promise I won’t disappoint when it comes time for me to bed you.”
Katja parted her lips to speak, but then closed her mouth. She had no idea how to respond to the torture he spoke of or the remark about sex. At the present, the more disturbing comment was his affliction. “That happened to you?”
“I’ve heard of it, and obviously I’ve been beat. I’m a warrior. I’ve seen a lot.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said quickly. It was too disturbing and she wanted nothing to do with the subject. “I’ll take you to my father, and he’ll know what to do with you.”
Before she took a step, he clinched thick fingers around her wrist. His sudden grasp startled her, and she began to tremble, but he didn’t remove his tight grip. “Your father will flay me as he did before. He once said he bought me with intentions to watch over you. Tell him I’m your slave; tell him before he sends me away from you, or I will never live to see the next morning.”
She had no idea what flaying meant but she nodded, and gave her word. They were quiet as they winded up the many hills back home. Katja got the impression he was holding his tongue, and silently wishing she’d remain faithful to her word she rushed to give. She did not intend to break it, if the punishment meant his death.
When she brought the slave to her room, she had her servant, Annett, draw a bath. After her slave washed away the dirt from the fields and wore fresh clothes, he looked proper, except taller and far more muscular than any gentleman she’d ever met. She took him to the kitchen, and she sent a message to her father as he polished off three bowls of soup.
“If you really were sold to someone else, I suggest you hide for the night, find me in my room tomorrow morning, and leave my father to me. He may tell me one thing, to get me to stop arguing, but then do the opposite.”
With her warning, he abandoned the soup without a word and hid out of sight. He disappeared only minutes before her father rushed home, pale with worry. His color returned after Katja told her father the entirety of the meeting with her slave. But with each passing hour as the slave went missing, Cade began to think the warrior ran off despite sounding eager to stay with Katja.
“He will be back, father.” Katja stressed, as he listened for sounds outside while he stoked the fire from within the sitting room.
“If he comes back, he’s yours. That was what I wanted all along. The savage won’t listen to me, and brawls like a drunkard. But if he so much as removes a hair on your head in violence, I’ll throw him into a hungry lion pit.”
“He will come back, and I
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