Mastered By Love (9 page)

“
Lola is a very talented
slave, but I’m too busy with Tariza at present. Why don’t you make
use of her yourself, Baso?”

Lola’s hands clenched
tightly. Had his words upset her? She flicked a narrow-eyed glance
at Tariza before realizing he was watching her. Brilliant color
flooded her face and she looked at her feet again. Odd. Normally
Lola was the most biddable of females.

“
Thank you, milord. I don’t
mind if I do.” Baso snapped his fingers as he turned to leave the
tent. “Come, Lola.”

Lola followed the man obediently as he
left the tent.

Dario glanced at Tariza
sitting next to him in the bed. Her face was as hot and bright as
Lola’s, her eyes downcast, but her posture as far from submissive
as it was possible to be. Her hands were clasped tightly together,
so tightly her fingers had begun to turn white, as if she could
barely restrain herself from hitting something.

He laid one of his hands
over both of hers. “She’s had a lifetime of training. Don’t compare
yourself to her.”

Tariza gave him the most
poisonous glare he’d ever seen. “You think I’m
envious
of her?”

“
Um –” He had thought that,
yes.

“
I would never envy that –
that sorry excuse for a woman. She disgusts me.”

Dario frowned. “She
disgusts you? That’s very harsh. She’s one of our most valued and
highly esteemed slaves.”

“
Why am I not
surprised?”

“
You would do well to
emulate Lola in every way. She’s an exemplary slave, and whether
you understand or not, similar behavior will be required of
you.”

“
You will never succeed in
turning me into a creature like that.”

At her vehemence, he
tightened his grip on her hands. “Do you want to be
beaten?”

She shot him a tight-lipped
glance. “No. Of course not.”

“
Then you’ll give every
appearance of being a properly submissive slave. Defiant women are
beaten.”

“
Charming, Saturnios.
Really charming.”

Dario grabbed her by her
shoulders. “I won’t be able to protect you all the time. You’ll be
expected to serve in the presence of other men who are much
stricter than I.”

She widened her eyes. “By
the Goddess, are you worried on my behalf?” Her tone was sweetly
mocking.

“
Yes, damn you. I
am.”

***

Saturnios didn’t
seem to know what to do with her. He obviously
didn’t want her out of his sight. He attached a lead to her
harness, clipping it to the D-ring at her throat. She glowered at
him, but the swine looked right into her eyes and smiled that
infuriating sexy smile of his. He didn’t care that she hated him,
didn’t care that he was humiliating her. Goddess, he probably
reveled in the fact.

Behind them, Paolo and
another young man were busily packing Saturnios’s belongings in
trunks and boxes. There wasn’t much to pack but she supposed they’d
get started on their journey well before dawn. It wouldn’t have
mattered to her except the two youths kept ogling her and there was
nothing she could do to stop them.

Paolo crossed in front of her, his
arms full of bits and pieces of armor and male garments. As he
passed her, he gave her a long look that dallied at her breasts and
the apex of her thighs. Tariza burned all over. She crossed her
arms and glared at him, but he seemed oblivious as he licked his
lips and smiled. His gaze met hers and his smile
broadened.

Even Saturnios’s squire
felt free to drool all over her.

“
Get used to it, Tariza,”
Saturnios said. “Every man in the country will be hot for
you.”

She gave him an imperious
look – at least she hoped it was imperious. “I thought I belonged
to you and only you.”

“
You do. And it’s my
prerogative to share you with whomever I choose. I have no
objection to Paolo looking.”

“
I do.”

He chucked her under the
chin. “Your objection, little slave, is immaterial.”

A sudden, stupid urge to
cry took hold of her. She looked down, breathing through her nose
and pressing her lips together hard. She’d been doing a lot of that
lately. But she wouldn’t cry again. She
must not
cry in front of these
barbarian pigs. It would only encourage them.

I am unworthy of the name
of Concordia. He hasn’t struck me, hasn’t beaten or starved me,
hasn’t even questioned me. Yet I stand here sniveling like a little
boy.

Saturnios gave her an odd look but
said nothing. As he turned from her, two more men in Saturnian
uniforms entered the tent and saluted him.

Saturnios returned the
gesture. “I’ll just get my slave settled and then we’ll
talk.”

The two newcomers openly looked her
over as if she were a horse at market. One of them, a middle-aged
man with close-cropped silver hair, lifted a hand as if to fondle
her. He glanced at Dario and dropped his hand.

“
You have a jewel here,
milord,” he said in a jovial tone. “I only wish I’d seen her
first.”

Saturnios tugged on her
lead. “Yes, I do.”

He led her to the far side
of the tent, where he clipped the end of the lead to a stake
pounded into the ground. “Sit here.”

Tariza just gazed at him.

His nostrils flared. “Sit
down now. Don’t make me spank you.”

“
I’m cold. If I sit on the
ground, I’ll get even colder.”

He glanced down at her
breasts and smiled. “I guess you are cold.”

Saturnios strode to his bed and pulled
the coverlet off. She looked down at herself and discovered her
nipples were tightly puckered against the chill in the air. Tariza
clasped them in her hands, ignoring the grins of the
men.

Saturnios returned to her
and wrapped the blanket around her before pressing down on her
shoulders with both hands. “Now sit.”

“
What about food? I’m
hungry.”

“
Paolo, get Tariza some
food,” he called as he turned from her.

“
You let a slave dictate to
you in that manner?” said the silver-haired man.

“
She has the right to eat,”
Saturnios said without looking at him.

“
She’s Tariza Concordia.
She should have no rights.”

Saturnios turned his head
slowly and gave the man a cold and level stare. “I
disagree.”

Silver-hair dropped his gaze after an
instant. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, shooting
a glance at his companion. The other man said nothing, kept his
face impassive.

She watched Saturnios
approach the two uniformed men and speak to them in a low voice.
She couldn’t make out any of the words. Was he chastising
Silver-hair or were they discussing tactics? Plans for the fort
they were building? She wished she could hear better.

What would you do with the
information? You can’t take it back to Concordia unless you
escape.
And that was looking less and less
likely.

Paolo set a tin plate of
food on the floor before her – just a bowl of stew and a chunk of
coarse bread. Tariza spooned up a bite. The stew was hot and
savory, the bread fresh, and she ate eagerly, trying not to spill
on the blanket. Yes, it belonged to Saturnios and therefore was
worthy of ruin, but it currently kept her warm and covered and she
wanted it to stay clean.

The men continued to speak in low
tones while Saturnios ate his own meal. Tariza finished her stew
and pushed the bowl aside. She had a meter or so of length on the
lead; maybe she could get a little closer and pick up some of what
they were saying.

She held the blanket closed
with one hand and scooted forward. Saturnios’s head whipped around.
He fixed her with a glare that met her gaze like a slap. Tariza
froze, her eyes widening.

He gave his head a barely-discernible
shake. Swallowing hard, she scooted back to her former position.
Saturnios nodded. He turned back to the men, ignoring her once
more.

One of the others said
something she couldn’t hear and all three of them laughed. At her?
She clutched her blanket, scowling down at the floor. Pigs. All of
them.

The conference seemed to go on forever, while she grew cold
and bored. She ought to be thankful they weren’t whipping her,
raping her, or torturing her for information. But the boredom was
not something she knew how to cope with. Finally she curled up with
the blanket wrapped around her and went to sleep.

***

Someone was poking her with a booted
toe. Tariza groaned, opening her eyes to peer up at her persecutor.
It was Saturnios, frowning down at her with an impatient expression
on his handsome face.

“
Get up,” he said. “It’s
time to train.”

“
Train for what?” She sat
up, rubbing her eyes.

“
Proper slave behavior,
obviously.” He leaned down and took her by the upper arm. “Get
up.”

“
I’m up, damn it.” She
hitched the blanket more closely around her shoulders for
protection against the cold.

“
On your feet.” He pulled
on her arm until she stood. “That’s better.”

She slanted a resentful
glance at him. “I know what proper slave behavior is.”

“
Then why don’t you behave
properly?”

She scowled at him and he
laughed.

“
You need training, my dear
slave. Drop the blanket and come over here.”

“
I’m cold.”

“
Rule number one is do as
you’re told. Drop the blanket.”

With an exaggerated sigh, she obeyed.
Goosebumps immediately covered her bare skin. Tariza shivered,
crossing her arms over her chest.

“
Come over here,” Saturnios
said. He led her to the other side of the tent, where a small
heater had been lit. “Stand in front of the heater and you’ll be
warm enough.”

Was that thoughtfulness on
his part? No, it couldn’t be.
Remember,
you hate him.

He tapped an object against his left
calf, the action drawing her eyes. A riding crop. Her gaze sped to
his, her eyes wide.

He grinned. “Yes, we will
have discipline today.”

“
You’re not going to hit me
with that thing.”

“
Only if you disobey.” He
tapped his leg again. “I hear the crop can cause a lot of
stinging.”

“
I don’t need that. I
don’t!”

Saturnios smacked her
lightly on the hip. “Rule number two: no speaking without
permission.”

Ow! The crop did sting. She rubbed her
skin, trying to remove the pain.

“
What are the rules,
Tariza?” His voice turned suddenly cold and stern.

“
Um –” She flushed. Rules
... “Do as you’re told and don’t talk unless you have
permission.”

“
In first person,
please.”

“
Huh?” She gaped at
him.

“
Do
as
I’m
told. Go ahead and say it, with the numbers.”

Her lips tightened as a frown
threatened to form.

He smacked her again,
making her jump. “No frowning, scowling, or other unpleasant faces.
Now tell me the rules.”

“
Do as I’m told
–”

“
Numbers!” He smacked her a
third time.

She bit back a sob of
self-pity. “Number one, do as I’m told. Number two, no talking
without permission.”

Saturnios smiled warmly.
“Very good.” He clasped her buttocks in both hands, massaging,
removing the sting. “Now for Rule number three: gaze must be on the
floor at all times unless instructed otherwise. Repeat.” He
released her ass and stood ready with the crop.

“
Number three: m-my gaze
must be on the floor at all times unless instructed
otherwise.”

“
Excellent.” With a gentle
hand, he tipped up her chin, bending his head to brush her lips
with his.

Her idiot body responded
instantly with a rush of warmth and pleasure.

“
You see?” he murmured.
“You’re learning. Rule number four is the manner in which you
address me. You are to call me Master, Master Dario, Your Highness
or milord. Is that clear?”

Tariza nodded.

“
Show me.”

“
M-master, Master Dario,
Your Highness or milord.”

“
Now repeat all four, with
numbers.”

Maybe if she showed obedience, this
particular humiliation would end more quickly. She rattled off the
four rules, keeping her gaze down as instructed.

“
Good. Now for your
name.”

Her name? She lifted her
chin and her gaze for an instant, before remembering rule number
three. Tariza ducked her head, twisting her hands together. Hoping
he didn’t mean to impose a new name on her.