With quivering thighs and a spent expression, I whimpered lowly, "Is it always as this?"

  He peered back at me with a grin, and slamming himself into me for one final thrust, I felt his muscles clench and tighten with his release. He shuddered and my cunt clasped around his prick like a milking vice as my own orgasm began to quake me from the core. Beads of perspiration had formed at the top of his brows, appearing like tiny crystals as he threw his head back. I gasped at the beauty above me as his tousled dark locks fell over his rugged face. He groaned aloud, sucking in his lip as his eyes fanned down across my sweating body.

  "A fiery little cat you are, Caecelia. Like a lioness in heat, oh, how you bloom," he smirked, while rolling off me.

  I felt an instant anger pang my heart and turned away from him, pulling the sheets up to my chest. He chuckled and pulled the pillow up behind his head. He could not truly be leaving me to sleep like this, after the first time we had made love? Could he? I shivered and closed my eyes tightly. Sleep could not have overtaken me any sooner, and just as I thought he was sure to abandon me, Xenocrates rolled over, drawing his arm across my nude belly to pull me closer to his chest. "I could never leave you to the cold, Caecelia," he whispered. I exhaled a breath softly and closed my eyes.

  Captured Again

  When the morning sun finally did break through and the cock's crowing alerted me to the birth of a new day, I opened my eyes to find Xenocrates gone. Oddly, instead of feeling relieved at the momentary reprieve from my newfound husband, I felt disgusted. A newly married king already leaving his new wife's bed, without so much as an uttered syllable to alert her of his departure was enough to astound me. My mouth fell open and a low pout emerged from my vocals. It stunned and shocked me that I was upset he did not tell me good morning or goodbye. Yet even what was the most shocking was that I was feeling that way about him. He was my captor. The man who had forced me to marry him against my will and conscience, without regard to how it made me feel. He had called himself my liberator, but I saw none of the sort. I shifted the sheets from my body and tossed them to the floor, standing up from the mattress to saunter across the tiled floor leisurely. The wind blew gently, and I shivered slightly from the chill it caused on my nude body. I leaned against the windowsill, peering out the window casually. The view was magnificent, and I now understood why this was the chamber for my king. I smiled softly and turned to walk back towards the bed, where I fell atop it with a sigh.

  Darkness surrounded me but I felt at ease and I shifted my body to rest comfortably against the silky sheets of His Majesty's bed. But my dream became a nightmare in an instant. A flash of darkness overcame me and, suddenly, the world went black as night. Sticky hands groped me and I felt fingers clamp down over my mouth. I struggled to fight against whomever had taken me. I kicked and clawed like a feline but the hands of my bondsman were more than I could handle. It was useless. I felt my fear rising up in my throat as my heart began to beat wildly within my chest. I was certain it was visible as my chest heaved with uneasiness with every intake of breath. There was no escaping my captor's grasp. Hot and sticky breath fell upon my ear and I knew then, my fear was not misplaced.

  "Shh, you fight less, it hurts less, yes?" came his voice, heavy and thick with an accent.

  Shivers ran up my spine, as soon as he spoke. I stilled in his embrace and gave a forced nod, being unable to speak. A million thoughts raced through my mind. Should I scream when he released my mouth? Should I continue to fight against his crushing grip? In my fear, I realized I had no other choice but to surrender, as I had no means to free myself of this. Once again, cooperating with my abductor was the only choice I had. I cursed myself in my head. Why the hell did I keep ending up in these situations? He pulled me in a lift from the mattress, forcing me to stand erect. With his hand still firmly gripped over my lips, he began to bind my hands behind my back. The singing pain of the binds biting into the delicate flesh of my wrists made me realize how serious my captor was. I was certain that I wouldn't be escaping him easily. Up until then, I hadn't paid much notice to my nakedness, but a shiver ran down me and no longer being able to hold my resolve, I began to cry. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I lowered my eyes. This was complete and utter humiliation. As if reading my mind, he slid a scrap of cloth around my face. His palm fell away from my lips. He walked around to face me and my horror increased. On sight, my thoughts filled with the rumours of his sort of man. What lengths would he go to? He was a mercenary. I knew it from his garb, and being that the legends of men such as himself stretched far and wide, my fear of harems suddenly overwhelmed me like a cliffside of rocks falling at my feet. He tied it at the back of my head as securely as he had my wrists. With me gagged and restrained, he lifted me again and tossed me over his shoulder. My eyelids felt heavy as my tears flowed and I shuddered, closing them tightly. I knew not what my fate was, but the fact that I was abducted and not killed me made me even more fearful than if he had merely taken my life. The lives of exotics in places such as Hulin made it a given that I was a perfect candidate for a harem, and a large ransom was about the only thing that would prevent it. Fear seized me so ferociously that its bite rendered me useless, and I soon fell unconscious atop the shoulder that stole me, once again, from the place I had called home.

  I felt the sheets thrown over my naked flesh, and the next sensation against my skin was the light breeze of the wind outside.

  I awoke to hear the sounds of people speaking in a tongue that I knew not. From the sounds of their voices, I could only discern that they were Hulinian, and my mind suddenly filled with the realization of what had happened. In seconds, my wrists began to itch and burn from the rope burn that I now bore. It was an injury I knew I was only exacerbating by fidgeting as I was. Immediately, I ceased all movement and glanced around to get a feeling for my surroundings. It was dimly lit, and I could smell fire burning in the air. Yet there was no fire pit inside. It took a few seconds for me to realize it was the interior of a tent, but shifting my weight slightly atop the rugged terrain beneath me gave me the hope that I was still in Pretus. The men speaking outside hushed, and I heard the flap on the tent shuffle as it was thrown out of the way. There, looming in the shadows, was a man with his face wrapped. He stooped slightly as he entered, and his dark eyes seemed to gleam with satisfaction as soon as they came to rest upon me.

  "Ah, you are awake. Good, you will eat now," he murmured in broken Pretan, which I had some trouble deciphering, with his accent. I perked an eyebrow in puzzlement. I had not expected him to speak Pretan at all.

  "Eat now?" I asked, uneasy as I peered around to gather my surroundings.

  "Yes, you eat. Now," he replied, lifting a plate to my mouth and a crust of flat bread. I shook my head and twisted my body to shift my hands into view.

  "Untie me, please?" I asked.

  He shook his head and lifted the bread to my lips, urging me to part them and allow him to feed me. I could see why his kind were so successful at what they did. They gave no room for error, by any means, and humiliation seemed to work great for breaking the will of their captives.

  "No, you eat. Now," he repeated, this time pressing the bread into my lips a bit more forcefully. I finally opened my mouth and allowed him to force the food into my mouth. Slowly, I chewed the bread with a disdainful expression. He didn't seem to be bothered. in the least, and urged my mouth open again to accept more food.

  I coughed slightly and turned my face. "No, it's enough." I exhaled.

  He frowned and pulled the plate from my lips, tossing it to the ground beside me. I'd had my fill and I couldn't eat a bit more of it.

  "Oh, is it not good for you?" he scoffed, looking down at me with disdain. "Not good for a queen?"

  Once again, I felt fear rising up, as my heart began to beat faster. The last thing I needed was for him to take offense at the food he had offered. Quickly, I began to shake my head and continued to chew the rest of the bread in my mouth.

  "It is fine bread," I whispered, but he appeared unimpressed, turning away from me and muttering incoherently. I feared the worst in angering him and sank back against the tent wall, anxious to become one with the canvas, to just disappear into the fiber and be free of the iciness of his stare.

  He turned to lift the plate and brought the bread to his own lips, munching greedily upon it. I felt a pang of anger as I watched him devour his meal, but I knew I couldn't speak out of line.

  "You know I am a queen. What is it you want?" I asked, pausing for a breath. "What do you want to do with me?" I finally asked in a timid voice.

  "You are the wife of the king. I want what any would want," he replied roughly.

  "And what is that?" I replied.

  "You are worth much. You are wife of the king," he repeated.

  "Worth much?" I asked, the fear in my voice present with each syllable.

  "Yes, you will bring much wealth. Your husband, he cares much for you. You are valuable," he replied casually.

  "You kidnapped me for wealth? Is this all?" I asked as I began to understand his purpose.

  "Abduction for ransom. For a queen, reward is nice," he murmured.

  "Will you hurt me? Or will you return me to my land?" I inquired.

  "Only if I must. Only if you are difficult," He said and stood to cross the tent. He brought out a hookah and sat down to smoke it idly.

  I blinked as he blew smoke into my face. "Better you smoke and relax, Queen," He stated with some authority.

  "Will you return me safely?" I asked as the noxious smoke filtered into my nostrils. I closed my eyes in shock and began coughing profusely.

  "If King pays. You go home; I get reward. Everyone happy," He said nonchalantly.

  Fear gripped me tighter then, and I realized what he meant. He would hurt me, only if Xenocrates did not agree to pay whatever small fortune he had in mind. If the King did not pay for my life, it would be taken.

  "And if the King does not pay?" I asked, still coughing from the smoke.

  "You will be dispatched," He said, exhaling and blowing smoke directly into my face. "You relax. Smoke helps."

  He chuckled as my face was engulfed in a plume of grey. I choked violently and turned my face just as it began to redden deeply. Seconds later, I felt my head grow heavy and a deep slumber overtook me. The last thing that I heard was, "Enough speaking, girl. Silence now."

  Xenocrates returned from the morning swim he had taken, some two hours later, and with a cocky grin residing upon his handsome face, the king strode into his chamber. His thoughts drifted to the night before and the way his wife had reacted to him. It was as if the natural feline within was begging to be released from the cage of her inhibitions, and his every touch drove her insane. If she could only see how he saw her. She made him feel like the summer sun, warm and joyous. He relished the thoughts and pondered on repeating them, as he slammed the door and strode over to their marriage bed, where he expected to find his darling wife sprawled out where she belonged. Much to Xenocrates' dismay, he found neither hide nor hair of her. His gaze flew out across the mattress in shock, when he noticed that Caecelia was nowhere to be found. A sudden burst of anger began to boil within him as his perspiration broke out in a lining across his forehead. He flew through the rest of the chamber, searching for his beloved.

  "Caecelia?" he called out, flinging the remaining sheets from their bed. He paced across the chamber quickly to peer out the window. Caecelia had stood in the same place, looking out, just hours before. A worried Xenocrates stormed back across the chamber and flung the door open to bellow into the hall, "Where is Caecelia?"

  The sounds of shuffling feet were quickly heard scrambling to answer the call of the king. Guards came running from all directions, lining up before their king, who stood with a glaringly angry expression painted across his stern face. "I asked where in the cosmos is my wife?" he repeated, spraying spittle into the face of the closest guard, Thaniel.

  "Your Majesty, we apologize, but the queen has not been seen since last night, when she left the wedding feast with you, milord."

  The opposite guard, Hilit, responded, "Where are Caecelia's handmaidens? Has she been seen by any of them, today? I want an immediate search of the grounds. What are their names? The handmaidens? Melina? No, Kelina and Athea, that's it! Kelina and Althea are to present before me, immediately! And bring Mistress Juleppa, as well. I want my wife found now!" His voice came out like a barking command, vicious and accusing, spitting into Hilit's face.

  Hilit gave a nod and murmured in agreement. Thaniel looked back to Hilit and turned to follow after him. The last thing he needed was to cause the king more anger. It was clear he was ready to lop heads off without question.

  King Xenocrates chose to continue down the opposite way to search for the queen. His anger masked his true emotions as his heart began to beat as if it would leap right out of his chest. He rushed into the courtyard and began screaming to all who were gathered there, "Where in the cosmos is Queen Caecelia? Where the hell is my wife?" Everyone turned to peer at him with shocked expressions plastered across their faces. In an instant. all men and women ceased action and gave bows and curtsies to His Majesty. "I didn't ask for formality! Where is Her Majesty?" he barked.

  One man shifted and began to speak. "None of us has seen her, milord," he uttered in a low but respective tone. He stood firmly before the king. However, movement behind him brought Xenocrates' gaze to rest on a young woman who began to move toward them both. She dropped her head and gave a bow to the king. She spoke lowly and respectively but stood firm in place before the king.

  "Your Majesty, we have found something," she whispered quietly, a fearful crack in her voice as she spoke.

  King Xenocrates turned to peer down at her with narrowing eyes. "Pray tell, what is it you have found, girl?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing her like an insect meant to be squashed.

  "It is for you, milord. I know not. I am not educated to such matters," she said, lifting a small wax-sealed parchment for him to see.

  Xenocrates tore it from her grasp and cracked the seal in haste as his eyes ran over it. His lips twisted into a sneer as he bunched it into his fist. "It is a ransom. She has been taken by one of the midnight mercenaries," he murmured and tossed the parchment to the ground. In anger, he pointed to the stables and bellowed once more, "Men, gather the horses and be prepared to go out. My wife has been abducted! We haven't much time, let's ride!" In a near run, Xenocrates made way to the stables, without taking the time to gather armour or weapons. Time was his only weapon now, and retrieving her before it was too late being his sole mission. Nothing would stop him, not man nor beast, from reclaiming the love he had fought so long to grasp.

  Moments later, Xenocrates found himself galloping down the hill toward the forest line and gaining more speed by the second. His hair beat against his shoulders as he rode valiantly. He chose to take only a single spear and nothing more to aid him with the quest. He would rescue his Caecelia again, no matter the cost. Whatever it took, somehow, someway, Xenocrates would have her as his, happy and honestly. Even if he had to kill every single man, woman, or beast he came across. He was intent on one thing, even if it led to a legendary war, enough to revel that of the destruction of House Thessally, all for the love of Caecelia of House Servili.

  The Liberator's Kiss

  The mercenary had moved Caecelia from the first encampment to another, some twenty miles away from where she had been captured. By now, Caecelia had learned few things about him, save for his apparent name: Ahriman Khursheed. He had led her deep in the forest and his tactics became more apparent as opted to burn a low fire, as nightfall approached, as if to keep Caecelia from freezing in her nudity.

  The queen continued to sleep calmly in the corner of the tent, but Ahriman Khursheed was a man who had done this often. Capable of surviving off the land, possessing a great deal of knowledge and all the lucrative practices that kept him in business. He had become a well-known slave trader because of the way he deviated from staying in one place for too long. He found favour in finding new exotics for the market and travelled far and wide in search of pristine beauty and handsome reward. He had sold more girls to harems than most men could have ever hoped to, and the woman he held bound now was no less an exotic, herself.

  He chuckled to himself. Luckily for her, she was married to a man Ahriman knew could afford to purchase her back and would, at any cost. He could tell from the way he fawned over her as he had watched their wedding feast. Foolish of the king, he had thought, to leave such a jewel free for his taking. Had she been his own, he never would have left her unguarded for a single second. However, Ahriman was no fool, understanding completely how far King Xenocrates would go. He had no desire to be killed, though, and along with the recognition of Caecelia's value, he also knew the legend of her husband's strengths and skills. It was this knowledge that kept him from venturing far from the camp, even though the girl would be sleeping for a great deal longer.

 

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