“Then why would you even think that?”
She let out a long breath. “Your reputation precedes you, Bercelak.”
His frown deepened. “Now what the hell does
“Rumors of what you do to females once you have them here have circulated the court for years. I hear everything.”
He raised an eyebrow, even more intrigued. “Oh? And what are those rumors?”
“Forget it. This conversation is getting uncomfortable.”
“Forget nothing, Princess. Tell me what you’ve heard. And I’ll tell you if they’re true.”
“Fine.” She stared him straight in the eye and he adored how she didn’t back down from a fight. “Banallan the Gold said you kept her chained here for days.”
Bercelak grinned. He couldn’t help himself. “I did.”
Rhiannon’s body flinched the smallest bit and her brows pulled down into a brutal frown.
“But she wasn’t forced if that’s what concerns you. If memory serves, she enjoyed every second of it . . . immensely.”
Rolling her eyes, she snorted in disgust.
“What else, Princess? What else has you so concerned?”
“Derowen the Silver.”
He really had to search his brain for that one. Derowen the Silver? Gods, it had been ages since he lay with a silver. “Oh. Do you mean old Gobrien’s daughter?”
“Yes.
My, what was that tone in her voice? “Yes, I remember her. What about her?”
“One of my mother’s guards said he could hear her screaming from nearly a quarter league away.”
“Aye. She was a noisy one. Fun . . . but noisy.”
“He said she sounded in pain.”
“Well, there’s pain . . . and then there’s pain.” He grinned at the expression on her face. “Anything else?”
“I heard what you did to the Argraff twins.”
“Yes. But I only had one. My brother had the other. Don’t ask me which. They both look exactly alike. Imagine coming from the same egg.”
She looked at him in horror. “Dark gods! You’re as bad as your father.”
Bercelak laughed outright at that. He hadn’t laughed so much in his entire life. Always so serious and intense, with much on his mind, this was the first time he ever felt he could relax. “Not in a million ages. There aren’t enough dragons in the universe to compete with him. No, I’d be forced to involve humans, elves, and, rumor has it, centaurs.”
“I’m done with this conversation.” She stood up but he reached over and grabbed her wrist.
“Tell me, Princess, what truly bothers you?”
“Nothing. But if you think you’ll chain me here and turn me into some broken dragon available at your beck and call, you’re as insane as my mother. I bend for no male, Low Born.”
“I have no desire to break you, Rhiannon. I like you mean.” He growled that last part and her breathing sped up. As, it seemed, did her desire to get away from him. She tried to yank her arm from his grasp, but he didn’t let her go.
Bercelak sat up until he rested on his knees in front of her. “Perhaps it’s time to set up some rules.”
“Rules?”
“Aye.” He tugged her until she grudgingly knelt down in front of him. “So that you feel more comfortable.”
She watched him with narrow eyes, but she did relax a tiny bit. “All right.”
“If there’s anything you don’t want me to do when we’re together . . . say no.”
She stared at him for a long time, then shook her head. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“All I have to do is say no?”
“Aye. You say no . . . and I stop.”
“That sounds very odd to me.”
“Why?” He leaned over and gently kissed her neck.
“I . . . I don’t know. It just does.”
He kissed a spot under her ear. “Let me explain it to you this way—You say ‘don’t,’ I will. If you say ‘stop,’ I won’t. If you really want me to stop, you’ll have to say ‘no.’” While keeping a tight rein on her left wrist with one hand, he used the other to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. “You can beg me, Rhiannon. Beg and plead for me to stop, and I won’t. Because between us, there will be only one word that will stop me. And it’s ‘no.’Now do you understand?”
Her body melted against his, her head tipping so he had better access to her neck. “Aye. I understand.”
“Good.” He slapped her ass. “Now you should go to bed.”
It took her a moment, but suddenly she pulled away from him. “What?”
“To bed, love. You look exhausted. I’ve fixed a place for you down the cavern and to the left. It has a bed and everything. Until you can shift back to dragon, no floors for you.”
As hard as it was, he pushed her away and stood up, dragging her with him. “Besides, tomorrow we travel into Kerezik.”
A bit dazed, she pulled herself up. “Why?”
He didn’t want to answer that, at least not honestly, so he dragged his hand along her cheek. “Are you all right? You look a bit . . . ow!”
She punched him. Right in the face. And the female had a right hook that could destroy the jaw of a strong human male.
“What the hell was that for?”
“You play games with the wrong female, Low Born,” she snarled. She walked away from him, her robes swirling around her. “Do you think I’m like one of those stupid whores you had here before? Do you think you can toy with me?”
Rubbing his jaw, he looked at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You hope to leave me wet and wanting so that I’ll come begging for your affections like some dog looking for food.”
Damn. She was right on that. He was.
He stepped toward her. “Rhiannon . . .”
“No. Say nothing,” she growled.
His eyes narrowed. Why was she so angry? Angrier than he’d expect since she figured him out quick enough.
Of course, it could be . . .
“Are you already wet for me, Rhiannon?” She turned on him like a coiled snake. “
“You heard me, Princess.” He walked toward her and immediately she stumbled back away from him. “If I put my hand on your pussy right this second, will it be dry like the deserts of Alsandair or wet and desperate like the Kennis River?”
She slammed into the far wall and immediately Bercelak placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. She looked caged in, too. Like a wild animal about to snap.
“Perhaps I should find out.”
“Get away from me, Low Born!”
“Now, Rhiannon,” he gently admonished as he used one hand to yank off the belt holding her robe together, “you know those aren’t the right words.”
She was gorgeously naked underneath. Bercelak placed his hand against her breast and squeezed before moving down her body, past her hips, only to slip his fingers between her trembling thighs.
“Wait.”
“Still not right,” he muttered low, unable to turn away from the sight of his hand disappearing between her
