Mastered By Love (23 page)

A naked female form crawled
after him. The sight startled Tariza into looking up in time to
watch the king’s emaciated Concordian slave follow him to the
throne. She wore no clothing at all, even though icy drafts blew
continually through the chamber. Goosebumps stood out all over her
sickly-looking skin.

Tariza clenched her hands, ducking her
head once more. There was nothing she could do for the woman. Any
attempt to help her would result in another beating for Tariza and
would make no difference to Miri at all.

She kept her head down so long she
almost missed the grand entry of the new Bellerenic ambassador and
his even more illustrious companion, Prince Shadow, brother of King
Night of Belleren. Ambassador Envy was a paunchy man in middle age
whose thinning gray hair looked oddly out of place with his Demon
Kin horns. Shadow, on the other hand, nearly vibrated with barely
contained sexual energy as he stalked toward the Saturnian throne,
his thick dark hair swinging against his back.

Goddess, he was fine. If
she wasn’t so completely besotted with Dario ...

She cut off the too-revealing thought.
Prince Shadow bowed to Grasos and they exchanged pleasantries, but
even from her limited vantage she could see his attention
continually strayed toward Miri. What did he make of her terrible
condition? Could outsiders do anything about Grasos and his abuse
of power?

Probably not, unless they wanted to
declare war on Saturnios.

She continued to keep her
head down, hoping to go unnoticed, focusing on making herself
invisible. She could hear what the men were saying – Grasos
accepting the gifts the Bellerenics had brought him – but their
voices began to drone monotonously as they made boring diplomatic
small talk. Her body began to cramp because of the uncomfortable
position. Even the cushion beneath her knees wasn’t enough to block
the room’s icy drafts from creeping under her skirt.

She was going to go crazy with
boredom.

“
... Tariza Concordia,” the
king said.

The sound of her name on his lips sent
a nasty jolt through her and she gave an involuntary
twitch.

Tariza sneaked a glance through her
lashes at the king and his guests. They seemed to be looking at
her. She broke out in a cold sweat, her heart slamming in her
chest.

“
Bring her forward,” the
king said.

Dario grasped her gently by
the elbow, drawing her to her feet. He bent his dark head and
whispered, “it’ll be all right; I won’t let him hurt
you.”

She put her hand over his
in gratitude, yet she didn’t look at him because that would be
improper.

Dario led her toward the
cluster of men standing before the throne. All she could see of
them was their lower legs and feet, clad in woolen trousers and
heavy boots just like the men of Argelia. Except men of Argelia
didn’t have tails and these Demon Kin did – long, catlike tails,
covered in silken fur, that swished lazily back and
forth.

She wanted so much to lift
her head and gaze at them, but it would be a breach of slave
protocol and she did not wish to receive another beating. Dario’s
hand remained at her elbow, his warm touch giving her strength.
Somehow, her captor had become her only ally.

“
Here she is, gentlemen,”
the king said in an expansive tone that made her grit her teeth.
“Tariza, former princess of Concordia, now a slave in my
household.”

“
How do we know it’s really
her?” Shadow said.

“
Are you accusing me of
lying?” Grasos sounded livid.

“
Not at all, Your Majesty,”
Ambassador Envy said in a conciliatory voice. “We merely wish to
ensure no mistake has been made.”

“
Show them her face,” the
king snapped.

Dario squeezed her elbow.
“Look at them.”

She lifted her head and
stared into Prince Shadow’s startling, pale gray eyes.

“
I recognize her,” the
ambassador said. “From pictures.”

“
So do I.” A muscle ticked
in the prince’s jaw.

Why would he be angry at her plight?
Belleren had never taken any interest in Argelian
politics.

The Demon Kin prince’s
black tail flicked from side to side like that of an angry feline.
“Very well. I confirm that you do possess the princess.”

“
She is a princess no
longer,” Grasos said. “She’s a slave. Dario, show them your
mark.”

Dario sighed, so quietly
she was probably the only person who heard it. He took her arm,
lifted it, pulled back her loose sleeve to display the tattoo.
Shadow’s eyes met Dario’s accusingly.

Tariza risked a glance at her master.
He gazed back at the Demon Kin prince with no expression on his
face, as coolly self-possessed as if they were discussing
horses.

“
Have they abused you,
Princess?” the ambassador said.

She couldn’t say yes in
front of Grasos, or he would take out his wrath on her skin later.
She flushed. “Dar – my master is kind to me. He hasn’t abused
me.”

“
She can’t speak the truth
here,” Shadow growled. “Can’t you see she’s afraid?”

“
Your Highness, we can
discuss this later,” the ambassador said.

Shadow made a visible
attempt to control himself. Tariza looked at the floor. She’d
already pushed the boundaries too far by keeping her head raised
longer than necessary and in her peripheral vision she could see
Grasos glaring at her.

Goddess, she was already
beginning to think like a slave.

When Paolo
came to tell Dario his new slave wasn’t wanted at
that evening’s banquet, he didn’t know what to say to Tariza. Would
she feel hurt at being excluded? Maybe she’d be relieved. She hated
Grasos and would rather be anywhere else than in his
company.

Tariza emerged from the
bathroom, wet hair wrapped in a towel. As her gaze met his, she
raised her brows. “What’s wrong?”

She still forgot to address
him properly, but in their – his – quarters, it didn’t
matter.

“
The king forbids you from
attending the banquet.”

“
Oh.” She smiled. “That’s
good news.”

He nodded. “I’m glad you’re
not disappointed.”

Tariza put her hands on his
shoulders, smiling up at him. “Such concern for the feelings of a
mere slave?”

“
You know that’s not what
you are to me.”

A dimple appeared in her
cheek. “And you know I’m only teasing you, my exalted
master.”

“
The things I let you get
away with.”

Her dimple deepened, her
eyes sparkling. If he didn’t know better, he might think she was
truly happy.

Dario pulled her into a
tight embrace. “He’s afraid Shadow will try to take you away from
me.”

Her arms clasped his waist,
but she didn’t answer.

“
Would you want that?” he
said, his throat suddenly tight.

“
I don’t want to leave
you.”

Dario rested his cheek on
the crown of her head.
Thank
God.

“
But I don’t want to be a
slave, either. You know that.”

“
I know.” He stroked her
golden hair.

If he wasn’t so goddamned
selfish, he’d let her go. He’d take her right to the front steps of
the Concordian palace, where she belonged. Yet didn’t she belong
with him, too? Hadn’t she said she didn’t want to leave
him?

He didn’t know how to let
her go. Didn’t know how to live without her. They’d only been
together three months and he could hardly imagine a day without her
in it. Thank God the other men didn’t know of his weakness; he’d
never live it down if they discovered it.

“
Go to the banquet,” she
said. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine here.”

“
I’ve ordered a meal for
you.”

“
Thank you,
milord.”

Dario tipped up her chin to
give her a gentle kiss. “I’ll see you later. Don’t wait up for me.
It might be a late night.”

“
All right.”

She really did seem
relieved to stay away from the banquet. Dario dressed in clothes
befitting a feast in honor of foreign dignitaries and left Tariza
locked in his chambers – for her own protection.

A hum of male voices filled the
banquet hall when he entered. Most of the men had brought a female
companion. The women all wore elaborate slave harnesses studded
with jewels or diaphanous silk gowns that revealed everything the
wearer had to offer. He seemed to be the only male without a woman
on a lead.

Perhaps he should have
requested a slave to accompany him. With a shock, he noted that
until this moment the option had never entered his mind. He’d
thought only of Tariza.

Men in other countries
often bonded with a single woman. Romantic love, they called it.
The idea wasn’t unknown in Saturnios, but it wasn’t commonplace
either. Dario had never met a man who claimed to be in love with
one of his slaves ... except for his father. The love his parents
had for each other had been obvious to everyone around
them.

I’m not in love with her.
It’s all so new. She’s just a novelty. That’s why I didn’t think of
bringing someone else.

He took his assigned seat,
next to Prince Shadow of Belleren – who sat in the place of honor
at the king’s right hand – and across from Mateo. Ambassador Envy
sat next to Mateo.

His brother had Lola with
him. She wore a scarlet harness glittering with diamonds. More
diamonds sparkled from her ears and in her hair.

They’d been together a lot
lately. Was his brother falling under the peculiar spell of
romantic love, too?

I am not in
love.

“
Where’s your female,
brother?” Mateo said with a mischievous grin.

“
I didn’t bring
one.”

“
I see that. Why
not?”

Dario shrugged. “Too much
bother.”

“
Not with the right
slave.”

“
Sometimes I just want to
enjoy my food without having to hand-feed a woman.”

“
Ah.” Mateo’s smile
broadened. “I see.”

No, you don’t.

Shadow, sitting next to
Mateo, gave Dario a hard stare. “Where
is
the Princess Tariza this
evening?”

“
My
slave
is in my chambers, where she’ll be served the same food we’re
eating,” Dario replied coolly. If the Demon Kin prince thought he
could steal Tariza, he was in for a disappointment.

“
I was glad to see she
appears to be in good health,” Ambassador Envy said in a bright
tone.

“
She’s my slave,” Dario
said. “Naturally she’s in good health.”

“
Uh – of course, Your
Highness. I meant no offense.”

“
Dario is well known for
spoiling his girls,” Mateo drawled.

“
I don’t spoil them. I care
for them.” He gave his brother a pointed look. “Nothing good comes
from mistreating women.”

“
I never said otherwise.”
Mateo took a long draft of his wine, then offered the cup to
Lola.

Shadow glanced at King
Grasos, who seemed absorbed in something his server was saying.
“Queen Merita is enlisting Galactic help to retrieve her daughter,”
he said in a low voice.

Dario’s hand tightened on
his fork handle. “She is, is she?”

“
That is why we’re here,”
Envy said.

“
You Saturnians have
overstepped the line this time,” Shadow continued. “If you’re wise,
you’ll return Tariza before you call up a demon you can’t easily
dismiss.”

“
Meaning what?” Dario
leaned across the table. “Your folk are in no shape to wage another
war after what the Novus Vitans did to you.”

The fanatical Novus Vitans,
who despised the Demon Kin and believed them truly demonic, had
sent a biological weapon that had wiped out most of Belleren’s
female population.

“
Must I remind you we won?”
Shadow smiled coldly. “I wasn’t referring to us Demon Kin, but to
the demon War. Believe me, you don’t want Galactics here on
Argelia, occupying Saturnios. This country, this planet would never
be the same.”

Dario held the Bellerenic’s
gaze for a moment before nodding. “You’re right about
that.”

“
So why don’t you do the
smart thing and let us return the princess to her
people?”

“
My uncle will never let
her go.”

“
Eventually he may not have
a choice.”

Dario shook his head. “If
you – or some other power – press the issue, she may not be safe. I
might not be able to protect her under those circumstances. Do you
understand what I’m saying?”

Shadow frowned. “I believe
I do.”

The Demon Kin’s gaze
flicked to the king, sitting at the center of the table, then down
to the battered slave crouched at the king’s feet. Miri wore no
gown and no glittering harness. On her neck, she had a plain
leather collar, so worn the black-dyed top layer had cracked to
reveal the dull brown beneath it. Her face was still bruised and
swollen, her nose permanently misshapen from all the times Grasos
had broken it.