Taming the Raven's Son (Galactic Lust) (2 page)

The curator cut the last rope holding the woman. Jacob
caught her before she fell to the floor. Raven gathered her into his arms, a
strange tingling disturbed his skin. Although her body felt cold, a calming
heat filled his chest as if he stood before a roaring fire. The strange warmth
could be a byproduct of having the woman placed under his care. He must not
allow her to have too much of an influence. Many lives depended on his ability
to see her for what she was—an inconvenience.

“You rushed to her aid without having truly seen her,”
Sovereign said, pushing a mass of fiery curling tendrils from her face. “You
could’ve been greatly disappointed. It’s fortunate she’s not repulsive.”

“Indeed,” Jacob replied. She could’ve resembled a disgusting
Theazian and he would’ve followed the same course of action. Only bastards such
as Sovereign and his men deserved to be beaten. Fine-boned, unique beauties
such as the one in his arms deserved patience and attention with careful
discipline and reward. If only he could devote his time to such an important
task.

* * * * *

Jacob paced the room aboard ship where the healing unit sat,
waiting for the glass to rise. From the amount of time the unit worked, the
degree of internal damage to the woman must’ve been significant. He’d taken her
from the castle’s dungeon and boarded the ship without her stirring. She
appeared to be in shock as her gaze remained fixed.

She resembled the women from his mother’s clan in size and
in the creamy tone of her skin. Those of the Raven clan grew tresses the color
of the blackest outreaches of space. This woman possessed long, thick,
fire-licked curls.

He studied her as she lay silent and motionless, appearing
almost dead. Long limbs, a curving torso, generous breasts and shapely legs
appealed to him. The fact he’d found her in a place of dominance and discipline
also agreed with his basic nature.

He turned away to pace the room, reprimanding himself on the
folly of looking at her as something other than a nuisance. She’d more than
likely be housed in his chamber. Sovereign would expect nothing less. Jacob
would find a way to deal with it. Until he could make her disappear amongst the
remainder of his people, he’d lay down some rules. He glanced over his shoulder
at the unmoving woman. They would reach an understanding as soon as she woke.

The lid to the healing unit unlocked and the glass rose,
filling the room with the sound of rushing air. He stood alongside the bed,
waiting for her to awaken. Long, thick black lashes fluttered several times
before her eyes slowly opened. Luminous green orbs dominated her features even
with the puffy lids and dark circles underneath.

She lay still, as if digesting her surroundings. When she
turned her head and found him standing close, she sprang to life faster than a
feline who’d been dunked in a freezing river. With nails bared, she swiped at
him as she slid to her feet and backed away.

He turned to face her with his hands clasped behind his
back. He concentrated on keeping his expression and posture non-threatening.
Sometimes when coming awake after a turn in a portable healing unit, a being
could behave irrationally. This was the case with the beauty currently trying
to escape.

“You’re safe,” he said, as she backed into a wall.

“Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here?” Her voice
held an edge of authority contrasting with her gently curving body.

“You were taken from the caves after almost being beaten to
death.”

She stared as if trying to recall recent events in her life
before her eyes closed and her shoulders drooped forward.

“To answer your other questions, you may call me Jacob. As
for your purpose here, you were purchased for my pleasure.”

She demonstrated no signs of shock. Instead, she glared as
if sizing him up. He’d met very few women so bold. She couldn’t have been a
submissive for any real length of time. Her brazen appraisal would’ve gotten
her punished long before this.

“Now answer some questions for me,” he said, using his most
reasonable tone.

She raised her chin, turned her head and glared at him from
the corner of her eyes. How amusing. Pride and aversion weren’t traits
prominent in a meek.
How did she wound up tied to a discipline rack?

“Your name?”

She hesitated. “Sage.”

There was little doubt she remained guarded, offering the
least amount of information to satisfy his question. Most beings proudly stated
their given and surnames as well as which planet, clan, tribe or political affiliation
they aligned themselves to. He also hadn’t offered her more than his given
name, though. “How long have you been a submissive?”

She crept along the wall with her hands behind her back. She
was searching for the door to escape.

“You won’t leave this room until after we land.”

“Land?”

“You’re aboard a craft in route to the outpost Prevelor. Now
answer my question, Sage. How long have you been a submissive?”

The door to the room swung open. Sage turned and backed away
as Sovereign and one of his henchmen entered. Why wouldn’t the almighty
Sovereign ever come to see him alone without one of his guards? Because he knew
Jacob wanted to dismember him at the first available opportunity. But that
would never happen. Not as long as the obedience chip remained stuck in his
frontal lobe, overriding his urges to kill Sovereign.

“Ryker,” Sovereign said, “how’s your new plaything working
out?”

Jacob studied the color creeping into her cheeks and the
green in her eyes deepened to an emerald glow. She didn’t care to be referred
to as a
plaything
. By the stars, the woman couldn’t be stupid enough to
speak to Sovereign.

“Sage,” he said, trying to afford her an opportunity to
escape Sovereign’s wrath.

She didn’t glance in his direction. She continued to glare
at Sovereign.

“Why, you little bitch,” Sovereign said, taking two steps
before bringing up his hand.

She glared at him with her chin raised, as if daring him to
strike her. The woman was Jacob’s. Sovereign had placed her in his care. Her
safety and well-being now rested on Jacob’s shoulders, a responsibility he took
seriously. Jacob interceded by grabbing Sovereign’s wrist before his club-like
fist scattered her teeth across the room.

Take away the chip and fight me, bastard. For once, face
me on equal ground without your damn device blasting my thoughts to the
heavens.

Sovereign turned on him with malice gleaming in his eyes.

More than ready to settle the matter, Jacob flung
Sovereign’s wrist, releasing him. Mere contact with the bastard forced his
brain to throb and his eyesight to diminish. Electric shocks tore at his brain.
Braced for what would follow, Jacob relaxed his fists.

Sovereign laughed. “You’ve conducted yourself so well
lately. It’s hard to believe justified punishment for a misbehaved submissive
raised your hackles enough to intervene.”

Let the bastard believe I care for her. Let him think
she’s a distraction.
It’s why she was given to me. To keep me off
balance.

“Forgive me, Sovereign. I haven’t slept well and the
training of your soldiers has been gruesome. The little bitch stirred my anger
just prior to your arrival. I was about to measure out some discipline when you
walked in.” The lie seemed the only plausible excuse for his transgression.

“Then your actions are understandable. With your Domineer
blood, I can imagine how my interruption must’ve irked you. Apparently it was
enough to override that chip we installed.”

Yes indeed. Somehow the woman provoked enough emotion in
me to temporarily disregard the chip. Why? How?

Before Jacob could breathe a sigh of relief, Sovereign said,
“Burke will settle the matter for us. Because we both want to extract a measure
of punishment, neither of us will get the satisfaction.”

Jacob continued to stare at Sovereign but watched the
hulking idiot Burke from the corner of his eye. The six-and-a-half-foot
lumbering fool smiled, knowing he’d get to
punish
the woman. Hell, he’d
likely rip her apart.

“As you wish,” Jacob said, shrugging before taking a seat in
one of the chairs in the room.

He could feel Sovereign’s gaze scanning him for any
trickery. Jacob concealed his anger and loathing as he crossed his arms, trying
to appear as though he waited for the woman’s beating. Sovereign frowned. That
wasn’t the reaction he wanted from Jacob. He’d wanted to provoke Jacob into further
irrational behavior.

I won’t give you a reason to believe I care for her
safety. If you thought that, she’d pay with more than a pound of her flesh.

“Jacob,” Sovereign said, “collect your woman and follow me.
Since I did indeed give her to you, I’ll let you discipline her after all. It
will start your relationship off on the right footing.”

Jacob rose from the chair and walked toward her. She’d
backed herself into a corner. He believed by her expression, she intended to
pummel him. Could she be so dense? Couldn’t she see he’d be the lesser of evils
threatening her?

When he reached her, she threw punches. He grabbed each of
her fists, twisted her until he had her wrists restrained in one of his hands.
He bent, grabbed behind her thighs and hoisted her so her torso wrapped around
his neck.

Flaming red hair flew in every direction as she struggled.
It didn’t fazed him as he followed Sovereign and his henchman. Jacob knew where
they were headed and thought through different scenarios in preparation.

They reached the mess hall aboard the small ship.
Sovereign’s men toppled chairs in their haste to stand at attention when he
entered the room. The actions smacked of long-term Governance training. Once
acquired, the conditioning lasted a lifetime.

“Move everything aside except for one table from the center
of the room. Jacob’s new submissive requires a lesson in discipline. He’ll use
this.” Sovereign grabbed a short whip from a cabinet. “Stay for the show if
you’re so inclined.”

Tables and chairs scraped the floor as the men shoved
furniture against the walls. Jacob placed Sage on her feet. She tossed hair
from her face, staring at the coiled whip in Sovereign’s hand. The men talked,
excited to witness what would happen. This provided Jacob an opportunity to speak
to Sage.

Jacob gathered her close and surprisingly, she leaned
against him. It couldn’t be more obvious she’d realized her situation too late.
He was the least of her worries.

“I’m going to restrain you.”

“No,” she said, trying to pull away.

“I must. You’ll be tied tightly so you don’t thrash around.”

“No.” Her gaze dropped.

“Breathe through the pain. You can bear it.”

“How would you know?”

“I’m very good with a whip. Compared to what you’ve already
endured, this will be inconsequential. I won’t even break your skin if you hold
still. Understand?”

The chatter amongst the men died down.

“You
must
do as I say or you could be seriously
injured.”

For the first time since she’d regained consciousness, he
detected terror in her glassy, green eyes. He’d trained a few meeks over the
years and not one had truly feared him or what he would do. Some hadn’t
relished punishment, but none had shaken in fright or silently begged him for
mercy with their gaze. None of the others, however, had been expected to calmly
submit to a whip in the first hours of meeting him.

He held her gaze and silently implored her to trust him. She
must. He hadn’t lied. If he didn’t satisfy Sovereign’s order, another would be
chosen to extract the prescribed punishment. None would show her the slightest
measure of compassion. She’d be beaten again. No woman deserved this.

He released her wrists and led her to the table by her upper
arm. He pulled her along. The closer they got, the more he had to tug. A dozen
cords of rope hit them from every direction. The bastards couldn’t wait.

He pushed her to the edge of the table. “Sage, lie down for
me on your stomach.”

She glanced up and tears shimmered in her luminous eyes. The
room fell silent.

“You’ve misbehaved. You’ll be punished. It won’t last long
and then it’ll be over.”

Tiny, stifled puffs of air passed her lips as she scanned
the men in the room. No, she wouldn’t be able to escape. She afforded him an
expression relaying her hesitance to trust him. Unfortunately, she had no other
options. Neither did he.

She turned and placed herself onto the tabletop. The men
surrounding them laughed and cheered. The color drained from her skin.

Jacob bound first her wrists and then her ankles to the legs
of the table. Satisfied she couldn’t move but a few centimeters in any
direction, he stepped back. Sovereign placed the whip into his hand and stepped
away.

Jacob tossed the whip to the floor. A few men gasped. He had
no choice but to do as Sovereign ordered. No one else would wield the whip.
Right or wrong, this woman had been given to him.

He stripped his shirt off before tossing it to the floor. He
needed freedom to move. He wouldn’t risk a careless throw of the whip. He
needed to raise some welts to satisfy Sovereign. A miscalculated flick of his
wrist could result in torn flesh.

Although the men in the room viewed her compliance as
defeat, Jacob knew better. She’d demonstrated intelligence and courage. He
wouldn’t reward her faith with gouged skin.

He grabbed the whip from the floor and unraveled the coils.
He grasped the handle and let the leather slide through his hand. He took
several steps back. He repeatedly judged the weight, length and flexibility of
the whip. His concentration narrowed to Sage’s ass cheeks. Unlike the skin on
her back, her ass would better tolerate the lashes.