Page 4 of Claiming Their Slave
“But you’re not human,” she said with a note of disbelief. “Where did you come from?”
He stroked his thumb along her cheek and reached around her to unfasten her bonds. “I came from the forest. There’s a settlement of Banded a three-day journey from here, at the bottom of the mountains near the Eurot River.”
“What do you want with me?” She rubbed her chafed wrists once he freed her from the post.
“My brother and I could use a good, obedient servant.”
She quivered in his hold. “Surely you’ve heard the crowd talking about me. You must know I displeased my master and that’s why he’s selling me.”
Jaxon grabbed ahold of her leash and gave it a tug, though not overly hard. “Enough talking. You will follow me back to my campsite. If you put up a fuss or attempt escape, I will simply toss you over my shoulder and carry you off, and upon our arrival at my campsite, I will bare your bottom and give you a sound thrashing. Do you understand, Ava?”
Despite her continued shaking, she looked him directly in the eye and said, “Yes, Master,” with a boldness that bordered on rude. His palm twitched with the urge to teach her a lesson in manners. But oh, Goddess, hearing her call himMastermade his cock twitch too.
He’d planned to allow her to call him by his given name, but now he was seriously rethinking his plans for the pretty girl. He longed to carry her back to his campsite and spank her bottom bright red, until she begged him to stop and promised to be a good girl, promised to serve him and his twin. He longed to comfort her and wipe her tears away, and then reach between her thighs and stroke her to wetness before claiming her roughly.
No. He couldn’t. His twin, Wolfe, didn’t want a human girl as a mate. For as long as he could remember, his brother had talked about finding a sweet Banded woman to claim as their own. A group of Banded was set to migrate down the mountain soon, and they’d both talked of searching for the mate they would share from amongst the new group of Banded settlers due to arrive in two moon cycles.
Jaxon guided his little human slave through the lingering crowd, anxious to leave the village. The entire place reeked of misery. Most of the houses were in poor repair, the booths in the market were not well-stocked with useable goods, especially decent-looking food, and many of the people appeared gaunt and sickly. He wondered if all human villages were as poor as this one.
He picked up his speed and tugged on the leash, leading the girl across the flower-covered meadow. With his back to the village, he breathed a sigh of relief and slowed his pace a little. When he glanced over his shoulder, he was stunned to see his new acquisition gathering up daisies as she hurried behind him. He paused and turned, gently pulling her to him by the leash.
“What are you doing?”
She held the tiny bouquet to her face and sniffed, then gave him a brief smile. “The daisies in the center of this meadow are the largest. I’ve always wanted to pick them myself, but it’s forbidden to walk this far outside the village.”
It stunned him that after having just been sold to a complete stranger from another race, she would take the time to pick flowers on her way out of the village. She clutched the daisies to her chest, as if afraid he would tear them from her hands. The afternoon sun beamed down upon her wavy golden locks. He took a moment to admire her beauty more fully, appreciating the spark of life in her bottomless blue depths, and noticing a scattering of freckles on her cheeks and nose that begged to be kissed. He imagined holding her in his arms and stroking her hair, staring into her eyes, and promising to keep her safe and take care of her always.
His throat burned suddenly, catching him off guard. He didn’t want to have tender feelings for the girl. She was a human. Banded men were typically expected to choose a mate from among their own people. She would be his servant and nothing more. He hardened his heart to her charms and gave her leash a yank.
“Hurry up, girl. If you keep slowing me down, I won’t hesitate to punish you.”
The brightness left her face, and she lowered her head and murmured, “I’m sorry, Master,” in a tone so crestfallen he immediately regretted his harshness.
But he couldn’t take it back. If he showed weakness, she would likely take advantage of him. He needed to get her back to the campsite and discover exactly why her master had sold her. He didn’t know a thing about her yet. Only her name.
When her steps slowed, he turned to see what was wrong. A pained expression crossed her face and she lifted one of her feet. Her bare feet. She wasn’t wearing shoes, and he felt like a bastard for not noticing her lack of footwear sooner.
“Come here,” he said, dropping her leash. He held out his arms.
“Please, don’t hurt me.” Those pretty blue eyes glimmered with fear. “I promise I’ll walk faster.”
“You won’t be walking through the woods on bare feet. You’ll hurt yourself. Come here, and I’ll carry you.”
She took a step back, but he lunged forward and grabbed her, scooping her protesting form up in his arms.
“Settle down,” he said. “I won’t punish you unless you give me cause to, Ava,” he said, using her name for the first time. Goddess, having her in his arms felt so fucking perfect, he didn’t ever want to put her down.
She stilled in his hold and he set off, soon entering the thickness of the forest. She cradled the daisies to her chest as if they were the sweetest treasure in the world, but once the meadow was out of view, she started trembling anew.
“Do I truly frighten you so?” he asked.
“I don’t know anything about you, not even your name. Of course I am frightened of you, but I am also afraid of the forest. It’s said there are beasts as large as houses that roam outside the safety of the villages.”
He held her tighter, reveling in her sweet, feminine scent. A surge of protectiveness for his little slave spread through his chest. “You have nothing to fear from the forest, so long as you stay with me. I will keep you safe. I give you my word.”
