Page 11 of Breeding Season
Both women bowed deeper and retreated, leaving their buckets and cloths. Taur waited… I could feel the weight of his eyes fixed on the side of my face, but I ignored him. One woman came back and placed clothing on the furs before disappearing. When they were gone, I drew a deep, shuddering breath. I felt heavy, weak, and sore everywhere. The need to scoop what seeped out of me and push it back inside unnerved me. I had to hold onto my wits, or else… I could see how easily I could lose myself here.
There was that low thrum beneath my skin I couldn’t switch off, but I’d ignore that too.
With a clawed hand, he sliced through the material of my dress, leaving me naked. Without straining, he grabbed the cloth and dipped it into the bucket of water. He then ran the wet cloth down his fur, cleaning the surface where I lay, before he began to clean me. With a shocking gentleness, he began to clean me himself. The same large hands I’d watched tear through bone and kill with were rough yet deliberate as he wiped the dried blood from my skin. His touch was firm, wiping down my stomach, inner thighs, and then running the cloth between my legs with a practiced, possessive sweep before moving over my back and hips. I bit on my bottom lip. I wouldn’t confuse this for what it was—an act of brutal ownership, not care. As his hand roamed over my hips and back, he was marking his property. There was triumph in his gaze, and I knew that ensuring no one else laid a hand on me was a small victory in his eyes.
When his touch disappeared, I lifted my chin as he nodded once, a gesture of approval. He towered over me, but he couldn’t be done.
He leaned down and licked my neck where his mark was. He didn’t bother giving me an answer, but he grabbed the material. A sheer red dress. He pulled it over my head, and it fell down my body, covering yet hiding nothing. He stood up, and I watched as his cock disappeared into a pocket barely visible beneath his fur.
He tilted his head as he offered me his hand. He expected me to go with him. Likethis.Still leaking, his cum dripping down my thighs.
I rose unsteadily, forcing my feet onto the cold floor. The chains were gone, but the silver crescent on my neck felt like a leash. I’d just woken up, but exhaustion made me stumble. His arm wrapped around my waist, and I had no choice but to lean into the monster who’d claimed my life.
This isn’t surrender.
I can’t run.
Not yet.
Every nerve in my body was screaming for distance, yet an unwanted relief washed through me as I pressed against him. The thick fur of his stomach brushed my hip, warm and terrifyingly solid. I leaned into his claws at my waist and used the discomfort to fight the ease I felt under his arm.
I followed him into a tunnel that descended further into the ground. Eventually, we arrived at a spacious chamber. It was furnished with plush furs and secured by heavy, locked doors. Before I could take in the space, a Minotaur guard stepped forward. The same Minotaur from the auction, Jox, whose face modeled a controlled calm.
“Taur, the Council meeting has begun, and they’re… impatient.”
Taur ignored him and held me close as he walked toward the doors. There was a clank as they were unlocked and opened for him.
My lips parted as we stepped into the room. Around an iron table sat monsters I grew up watching as a kid. A winged man, a dragon, and… were those werewolves? I swallowed as I took in two bipedal wolves. One white and one black. Between them, my eyes widened. A brown haired human woman sat between them. She stared at me as Taur pulled me into his side. There were six different monstrous species here, but it wasn’t the monsters that were horrifying; it was the women. A handful of them were chained to the wall. Tears stained their cheeks.
The heads of all the creatures around the table were on us now. I kept my head up, refusing to look at them now that they noticed our arrival. My cheeks heated as the silver crest pulsed on my neck.
I felt like a doll dressed to be shown off in front of guests.
Taur took a seat at the head of the table beside another Minotaur. He wasn’t as large as the King, but he was fierce and massive. His eyes made my skin crawl as I was pulled onto Taur’s lap.
“We don’t like waiting,” the white wolf growled.
Taur snorted.
“My Mát required preparation, Ryder.” I looked everywhere but at the monsters; the walls, the ceiling, the lit torches.
Silver eyes darted to mine before they returned to Taur.
“You called a meeting, and we’re here,” Ryder said as he straightened.
“I called no meeting. I was deep in my Mát’s guts. Gorok, why don’t you tell us why we’re here?” It was probably the most I’d heard him talk, and it wasn’t to me. Taur’s gaze was on the only other Minotaur seated at the table. He was immense, his presence almost matching Taur’s, but his gaze lingered on the chained women, then me.
Taur tensed. His massive hand gripped my waist, and I settled back into him. An icy spike slammed into my mind. Ididn’t know this other Minotaur, but Taur’s reaction told me everything I needed to know: Gorok was dangerous.
No one here was going to help me. I’d be better off with the monster I knew versus the one I didn’t.
“It’s my duty to ensure our realm doesn’t collapse. The Claim was rushed and not publicized as tradition calls for, King. You risk us all. Your barns are filled with obedient cattle. Pick any to breed and carry your lineage. Yet none have been taken. I called the Kings of the surrounding realms to stand witness.” Gorok’s voice was calm and low despite the clear challenge. Steam surrounded me as he turned his attention entirely on me.
Gorok didn’t wait for a response. He snatched a heavy, ornate hunting knife from the table and slammed the blade point-down into the polished stone, exactly between Taur’s hooves. The metallic crack echoed, silencing the Hall completely.
Then he leaned forward, his massive face filling my vision and blocking the rest from my view.
“Human. Look upon the other kings of the realms. Does your obedience feel earned, or were you forced?” The question was a dagger, and it was aimed not just at Taur’s throat, but my own. I was won and claimed just last night. What kidnapped woman would readily admit to choosing to be kidnapped? My hatred for Taur was a living, breathing thing. It clawed at my throat and begged me to plead for mercy, but when has that ever worked well in horror movies?
