When she reached for the buttons of his shirt, he looked at her in surprise but didn’t protest. She unbuttoned his shirt and moved her hands over the hard muscles of his chest, then pushed back the fabric to expose his shoulder. She leaned over and brushed his skin with her lips. Then she bit him.
Ashared strengthened his grip around her hips. “Harder,” he rasped out and gasped when she listened. After a moment he added, “Enough.”
When she straightened up, he moved his gaze first over the mark she left on his skin and then the mirrored mark on hers.
When his gaze met hers again, both sides of his nature seemed equally satisfied.
Chapter 25
Cold water invaded her nostrils and mouth. She clenched her jaw, cutting off the flow but it was too late. Icy needles pierced her lungs and throat. She needed air. She wanted the pain to be gone…
When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she opened her mouth, but it brought no relief. It couldn’t. Her head was underwater…
A tug on the chain entwining her body lifted her into a sitting position. She coughed and spat, grasping desperately for air. She had little time. The chain, immobilized by the enchantment, cut into her chilled skin, promising that soon she would be underwater again…
It occurred to her muddled brain that that someone was standing next to the deep vat in which she was forced to kneel. Numb from the cold, she could barely feel the collar around her neck, but the tanned hand holding the leash connected to it reminded her that strangling could be accomplished in several different ways.
“Have you had enough, Lannahi?” Nihhal asked in a seductive voice. “Swear obedience to me, and I’ll let you warm yourself in my bed.”
She didn’t think there was anything warm in her body yet, but the hot tears that welled up in her eyes proved that she was wrong.
Nihhal reached out and stroked her head. “Don’t be afraid,” he said with mocking understanding. “I will be a good master to you. As long as you serve me willingly, no one else will touch you. I will also let you play the harp… if your pride does not rob you of your fingers beforehand.”
Tears flowed in a hot stream down her cheeks. She had to die. She didn’t want to, but if she didn’t die, he would eventually break her…
“Lannahi?”
Someone shook her by the shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw in the dim light the powerful silhouette of a man towering over her. She screamed and began thrashing. The man grabbed her, pushing her down against the bed.
“Lannahi, calm down,” Ashared said. “You had a bad dream—”
From the adjacent chamber came the sound of a door opening and hurried footsteps. Ashared let her go and shifted away.
“Lannahi?” she heard Akammu’s voice from behind the door. “I heard your scream. Is everything okay?”
Feeling goosebumps on her skin, Lannahi forced herself into a sitting position. The room was cool, but not icy. She wasn’t kneeling in a tub of water. She wasn’t wearing a collar…
Ashared reached for the quilt that lay folded at the foot of the bed. Apparently, Lannahi had fallen asleep before she got cold…
She realized that her cheeks were wet with tears. Hearing the doorknob begin to turn, she hastily wiped them away and cleared her throat. “I’m alright, Akammu.”
The door opened slightly, but her words stopped the guard from entering. Her voice, however, sounded unconvincing even to her ears so she wasn’t surprised when the man asked, “Are you sure?”
“She had a bad dream,” Ashared said, watching her closely. “I woke her up and she didn’t recognize me. That’s why she screamed.”
Lannahi accepted the quilt from him, feeling the warmth on her cheeks. “That’s true, Akammu,” she said louder than before, trying to control the tremor in her voice. “You can return to your post.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the guard closed the door and withdrew from her chambers. A part of Lannahi wanted Ashared to do the same. Judging by the nearly extinguished fireplace, she must have slept for several hours. Usually, by this time he would have left for his own quarters. He didn’t know that she had nightmares from which she woke up in tears…
The memory of the night in the forest shelter deepened the blush on her cheeks. She didn’t like that he saw her again in a moment of weakness.
When she refused to look at him, he said in a light tone, “Rest. I will add more firewood to the fire.”
When he got out of bed, she lay down and pulled the quilt up to her neck. Listening to his movements, she wondered what to do. Let him stay or ask him to leave? If he stayed, she risked him discovering that it was the nightmare that caused her to shiver and not the chill in the air. If she asked him to leave, she would be admitting that she didn’t trust him. She didn’t want to give him the advantage, but she didn’t want to offend him either…
As the flames brightened the walls of her bedchamber, she clenched her fingers tighter on the fabric of the quilt. Ashared stood by the side of the bed as if unsure if he was still welcomed in her bed.
“I offer my body as an additional source of heating,” he said jokingly. “Interested?”
