Pleasure Bound - Complete (68 page)

She should have her head examined.

* * * * *

One day after Blackie had taken Piper away, Jarod was summoned to meet with the Council.

The instant he stepped inside the hide house containing the four selected members of the Council, he almost gagged. Pipe smoke hung heavy in the air, and it seeped like festering knots into his lungs and stung his eye.

Five men including Blackie glared at him from their seated positions around a smoldering fire in the middle of the hide house. In a corner, he spotted a naked woman, sitting cross-legged. Tangles of red hair hid her face and her head was bowed, her hands in her lap.

It was High Queen Jasmine. He didn’t miss the red whip welts crisscrossing her luscious breasts.

A flutter of compassion for the woman sifted through him. He wondered what she must have endured since he and Taylor had escaped. They’d wanted to take the gentle, compassionate High Queen with them, had wanted to protect her, but everything had happened so quickly back then and they hadn’t been able to rescue her.

“Be seated, old friend,” Blackie gestured to a tattered blanket on the dirt floor beside him.

Jarod took his place and accepted the smoking pipe.

He wished he didn’t have to smoke it. But it would insult everyone if he refused and would only make a rotten situation worse.

Depending on the weeds they used, inhaling the smoke could produce hallucinations, all the way from telling the truth to immense sexual arousal. The last thing he wanted to do was slip up that Piper Hero didn’t belong to him or to be sexually aroused enough to interfere with figuring out a way out of this mess.

But the other Boys were sucking on the pipe and they didn’t appear to be disoriented.

When they handed it to him, he took a big drag and sucked in a huge puff of smoke into his lungs. Forcing himself to hold back a strangled cough, he exhaled slowly, acting as if he trusted these men. For good measure, he sucked in another round of smoke and passed the pipe to the next man.

A moment later, his body began to relax.

It was a good sign. It meant they were using the calming weed.

For a few minutes, all men remained silent as they took turns smoking the pipe.

When everyone had at least two turns, Blackie broke the silence.

“The warrior woman with you. She is a fighter. She killed our leader quickly and efficiently. Thankfully he did not suffer.”

Jarod held back the urge to tell Blackie that Piper wasn’t a killer. But he’d had time to think about things over the past day, and had come to the conclusion Piper was covering for her twin, Kinley. That could be the only explanation as to why Blackie thought Piper had killed the leader of the Death Valley Boys.

“The Boys had no idea who you were, Jarod,” Blackie continued. “You were seen from behind and from far away. Once they saw the warrior woman who killed Laird they did not want to take any chances that she could escape again, and they acted quickly neutralizing both of you. We apologize for injuring you, Jarod. Eric didn’t recognize you.”

Jarod nodded.

The odd smirk on Eric’s face led Jarod to believe Eric had known exactly whom he’d been targeting.

Jarod remembered the dark-haired man as being called Eric.

Eric was a troublemaker, a male with a hot temper. But he’d always managed to avoid the whip by framing someone else for his dirty deeds. He’d been one of the many males who’d broken from his group during the Slave Uprising and teamed with Laird, sexually taking women against their will.

Anger flared inside Jarod as he remembered their terrified and painful screams. The bruises and broken bones they’d suffered amongst other atrocities because Jarod hadn’t been able to control Laird, Eric and the other males who’d mutinied.

Thankfully, the pipe was passed to him and he sucked in another round of smoke anxiously looking for the calming effect it would produce so he wouldn’t break Eric’s neck right then and there.

Fortunately, the curling smoke took the edge off his anger.

Jarod turned his attention to Blackie.

“Where is she?” he asked, although he knew exactly where they would put her.

“She is in the Shelter of the Cages. Unharmed as promised.”

“I appreciate that you did not hurt my property.”

“That is yet to be determined,” another member growled.

“I for one am eager to fuck that warrior woman,” Eric smiled smugly. “She is petite yet full of fire.”

Jarod clenched his fists as the anger grew another notch before being reined in by the calming effects of the inhaled smoke.

Three of these males, not including Blackie, were violent against women. There was no telling what they were capable of when it came to Piper.

Once again, the pipe was passed to him, and he drew in a deep puff of the scented smoke. It burned his lungs, yet thankfully continued to sooth his anger.

Blackie turned to the Council members. “A decision must be reached tonight regarding the woman.”

“Never mind the female. A decision must be decided upon regarding Jarod,” Eric snapped. “As far as I’m concerned he is not a member of us any longer. He and Taylor ran off. They deserted this membership. He has no rights. He must be killed or at the very least given back to Cath. I am sure she will be very grateful to have her pet sex slave back in her bedroom.”

“That is out of the question for now,” Blackie said coolly. “Jarod has challenged me for the woman.”

“We don’t do challenges anymore. Our traditions are to share,” Eric snapped angrily.

“Death Valley traditions are to share but only if the male agrees,” Jarod said coldly.

“That is how it was when you left. It has changed now,” Blackie said softly.

A shiver ran up Jarod’s spine.

“However,” Blackie continued, “since you had no knowledge of this new tradition and since you were injured, I recommend we grant Jarod a reprieve. I recommend Jarod’s life be spared, and that I be allowed to accept his challenge for the woman.”

“Nonsense!” Eric snapped. “Jarod must die. There is a death bounty on his head.”

The other men murmured with excitement, obviously not pleased with Blackie’s suggestion.

“There is no leader, and since I am second-in-command, I am allowed to make these recommendations,” Blackie said calmly.

Immediately, the men quieted down.

“If you let him back inside, he will try to change the traditions again. Just like the last time he was here,” Eric snapped. “He was a weak leader during the Slave Uprising. He did not wish to harm the women. It was why he was recaptured by Cath. Why he suffered at her hand for a year. He only wishes to please women. He is still a sex slave.”

Jarod stiffened at the insult. “I do not do what a woman says. I never will.”

Eric turned to Blackie and the rest of the Council. “I am surprised he did not lead the woman here sooner. Now that she knows where we are, she will lead Cath here.”

The blood in Jarod’s entire body froze. He’d totally forgotten that angle.

Blackie spoke again.

“She was unconscious when she was brought her. She does not know where we are. She is not dangerous. I for one will accept Jarod into the fold. But if he decides to run again, he will be hunted down and killed. Is this acceptable?”

There was a round of murmurs accepting the decision.

“Eric? Because you are third in command, is this acceptable to you?” Blackie asked.

Eric nodded and grinned savagely. “I look forward to hunting him down and killing him when he escapes again.”

“What of the woman?” one of the men eagerly asked.

“Jarod must fight for her,” Eric said smugly.

“He is not well enough to fight yet, Eric,” Blackie protested.

“He will fight at sundown tomorrow,” Eric said. “If not then, he will die then. Since there is no leader and I am third-in-command this is my suggestion.”

Silence overwhelmed the Council hut as the men thought over what Eric had stated.

Inwardly, Jarod cringed.

He wouldn’t have a chance against Blackie, even if his shoulder wound had been fully healed.

While in captivity, they, as sex slaves, had been trained to fight for the amusement of the women. Blackie had won almost every fight against the other men. Thankfully, Jarod had never been made to fight his good friend but he had sparred with him during training, and he’d learned some of Blackie’s weaknesses.

Jarod tried to keep his excitement from mounting. Perhaps he did have a slim chance at winning Piper.

“I will fight Jarod at sundown tomorrow. If it is agreeable to him,” Blackie replied solemnly. Obviously, his old friend had just realized the same thing.

Jarod hesitated for effect then said, “It is agreeable.”

Eric’s smug smile widened. “Good. The fight will begin at sundown.”

Chapter Nine

The ear-splitting sound of her cage door opening made Piper’s eyes snap open.

She’d dozed off.

Nothing else to do in a cage but sleep, and dream of Jarod.

Blinking wildly into the semi-darkness, she noted a woman standing in the doorway.

“Good evening.” The soft sultry voice was one she hadn’t heard before. But Piper recognized the redhead right away.

Jasmine.

“What do you want?” Piper asked rather impolitely. Not that she felt like being polite after being totally naked, caged up like an animal for what seemed like eternity without someone to talk to except when they brought her something to eat.

“A decision has been made about your fate.”

Oh, damn!

“Jarod and Blackie will fight each other for you.”

Piper bolted up on the bed. Fury made her see red.

“Jarod’s too ill to fight. God! What is it with you people? Is everyone so stupid around here that they can’t figure it out?”

Frustration at this newest development made her feel like rushing the woman, escaping out the open door, grabbing Jarod and getting out of this nightmare. Unfortunately, the collar around her neck, and the chain secured to the cage prevented her from following her instincts.

“No need to worry about, Jarod. He is an excellent fighter. Besides he was given another quick healing injection, he will be fine.”

“You saw him? How is he?”

“He has mended if the size of his arousal is any indication.”

Piper blinked with surprise. “Arousal? What the hell do you mean by that?” If Jarod had been fucking these women, she’d never speak to him again.

“He became aroused while I sexually prepared him, just as I am here to do to you.”

Sexually prepared him? What?

A riot of anger snapped along Piper’s nerve. She resisted the urge to grab this woman’s wild red curls and start pulling them out one-by-one.

“Exactly what did you do to sexually prepare him?”

Jasmine held up a glass jar filled with a clear liquid.

“What’s that?”

“Preparation ointment to show off all your assets to the winner.”

“Sorry, lady, but this chick is only going to Jarod.” And maybe not even him if he’d been screwing around on her.

“Preparing you with the oil will also make it easier if the one you want doesn’t win the fight,” Jasmine said gently. “The oil contains a sensual herb that unleashes your sexual side and dulls your mind to rejecting a male. It will be easy for you to be impaled by a man not of your choosing.”

“And what if I refuse to be…sexually prepared?”

“Then I will be punished.”

Gee, no big surprise there. Those Death Valley Boys sure knew how to gnaw on someone’s guilt.

She watched as Jasmine poured some oil from the glass jar onto her palms.

“Come, sit on the edge of the bed. We will begin.”

Piper remained seated where she was, eying Jasmine warily. “What would your punishment be?”

“Usually when an assignment is not fulfilled, the woman is whipped. However, Blackie has made it quite clear that if my assignment is not carried out, I will be staked out in the middle of the village for twenty-four hours.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“And the males will take turns fucking me all day and all night long. I may be addicted to sex, but I’m not that addicted. So, please, if you wouldn’t mind allowing me to complete my assignment?”

Piper swore beneath her breath. Far be it for her to condemn this woman to more torment after she’d just spent time bound and gagged in a closet.

Exhaling a resigned sigh, she slid her feet over the edge of the bed and sat where Jasmine had indicated. “I’m only doing this so you won’t be raped over and over again because of me.”

“It wouldn’t be rape.” Jasmine knelt down at Piper’s feet and lifted her right foot onto Jasmine’s lap beginning a slow sensual massage of the warm, slippery oil into the soles of her feet. “It would be punishment.”

“Yeah, right, whatever.” Was this woman screwed with her thinking or what? And she was supposed to be a queen? A woman with knowledge and here she was accepting this bull crap from these men.