“Tell me what you are called, female.” His voice had gone softer, and if this male could have been called gentle, she knew that act would have been the max for it. “I am called Styx, but if you prefer you can call me ‘mate’ or ‘husband.’” He was looking at her lips again, and God, why did that have to be as exciting as it was?
“I’ll call you no such thing,” she managed to say. He lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. “And I’ll tell you nothing of me.”
Another low growl left him. It excited her as much as it frightened her, and self-anger filled her that she couldn’t control how she felt.
“You’ll tell me everything soon enough, mate.”
“I won’t be a prisoner, a sex slave for you.” She was surprised she’d managed to say that much, but she was glad the words had come out. She wouldn’t be anyone’s toy, not even this male, who was bigger and stronger than any other person she’d ever come in contact with.
He grinned, a flash of straight white teeth amidst his dirt-streaked face. But the smile was not something to soothe her, and instead offered dark promise. She knew that as much as she knew he was right before her.
“You will not be a prisoner, female.” He moved back an inch and took his hand from her belly. She felt her muscles tightening from the act and was confused by the way her body reacted. “You will be my wife, equal in all aspects. But being the male, your husband, I will provide and protect. You will never be frightened or harmed under my watch.”
Her throat was so dry, her tongue feeling swollen. She wanted to curse at him, to say something, but all she could do was watch as he moved away from her and over to the pallet that was on the other side of the fire. But he didn’t sleep, like she’d thought … hoped? No, he grabbed several furs and came back to her. Audrey was pressed to the hard, rough cavern wall, not able to move as he put the furs beside her.
“Lie down and sleep. Come morning you’ll feel better.”
She didn’t know if he meant physically, or that she’d somehow think this situation was any better than what she’d been about to face with the slavers. But she didn’t move, couldn’t.
“Sleep, my female.” He pulled her toward him, and Audrey found herself lying down, face to face with him. She was shocked and frightened, but more so she found curiosity ran high in her. She had to try to escape, though, because even if her future looked bleak, and she didn’t know if she’d even survive out there on her own, she had to try.
Not trying meant death, maybe not in the literal sense, but death all the same.
Chapter
Four
The deep, even sounds of her captor breathing told Audrey he had finally fallen asleep. For what seemed like hours upon hours she’d lain there, still, silent, but she’d felt his eyes upon her, knew he watched her. But Audrey couldn’t have fallen asleep anyway, not with her mind working a mile a minute and her entire body screaming for her to run. But even though she had the instinct to escape, there was a small part of her, a little voice in the back of her head, that said this male wanted her like nothing else in this world. He’d saved her, healed her, and wanted her for himself. He’d told her he’d protect her, care for her, and in return, he wanted her to be only his.
But she couldn’t just roll over to be his in all ways, not when she’d managed to escape the slavers and a life of sexual servitude. Essentially, wouldn’t staying with this male be the same thing?
She opened her eyes and stared into his face. For how dirty he was, she couldn’t help but admire the fact he was handsome, in a very savage, brutal kind of way. The fire was still going strong, and the light from the flames cast shadows throughout the stone surrounding them. She was on her back, and she looked down the length of her body to see his hand on her belly, holding her in place. The heavy weight was a reminder that this man saw her as his.
Audrey shifted slightly and snapped her focus to his face to see if even the slightest move from her would wake him. He still slept, so she moved a little more, rising up and moving to the side until his hand fell onto the furs and away from her. Moving quickly away from him was what she wanted to do, but she needed to take things slowly and be patient if she wanted to escape and go unnoticed by him.