Enslaved Read online

  “May I present Lady Trin—my protégé,” Lady Malroth said formally. “I sponsored her because I thought she could benefit from the wonderful effects of staying at Dreaming Hills.” She nodded at the rambling brown and white mansion. “This is her first time celebrating Landra-Rey.”

  “Ah, lovely—it’s wonderful to see young people interested in the celebration.” Lady Tam-tam smiled encouragingly at Trin. “It’s considered outmoded in Opulex now but we do love our traditions here at Dreaming Hills.”

  “I’m very gratified to be here, my lady.” Trin inclined her head.

  “And who, may I ask is this?” Lady Tam-tam nodded at Thrace who had been standing silently behind Trin with his head bowed.

  Suddenly Trin remembered that she was supposed to be playing the harsh mistress and treating him horribly.

  “This worthless male is my body slave,” she said, making her voice icy with distain. “On your knees, Thrace! Make your obeisance before the Lady Tam-tam.”

  At once Thrace fell to his knees before the old lady.

  “My lady,” he murmured, his head bowed low.

  “Lower!” Trin demanded, nudging him with her foot. “The Lady Tam-tam demands your greatest respect!”

  “Oh, no, no, no!” Lady Tam-tam looked positively aghast as Thrace crouched even lower. “What are you doing to this poor male?”

  “I’m…treating him like the slave he is,” Trin said uncertainly. Behind Lady Tam-tam’s back she could see Lady Malroth making wide gestures with her hands and shaking her head but she had no idea what the other woman wanted her to do.

  “And what’s this—a pain collar around his throat?” Lady Tam-tam glared at the black leather and silver spiked collar. She looked up at Trin, her mild blue eyes flashing. “How can you use such an inhuman device? Do you not know what the Landra-Rey Celebration is all about?”

  “Well, I…” Trin faltered.

  “It’s about the love bond between a slave and a mistress. He ought to serve you out of adoration and devotion—not because you’ll shock him silly if he doesn’t make the proper obeisance!” She looked angrily at Lady Malroth. “How could you bring such a cold hearted girl to my house? Clearly she understands nothing about Landra-Rey! Here at Dreaming Hills, we have only loving couples in attendance—it’s not like the rest of that horrid Yonnie Six high society and I won’t have anyone here that doesn’t understand that.”

  Lady Malroth looked mortified.

  “Lady Tam-tam, I assure you—” she began.

  “No!” the older mistress exclaimed. “I want none of your assurances! You and this awful girl can leave—at once!”

  Trin’s heart sank. How could things have gone bad so quickly? They’d barely gotten here and already they were being thrown out—along with the outraged Lady Malroth! She would never agree to buy the crystals now and what’s more, she was influential enough that she could probably ensure no other mistress of Yonnie Six would ever deal with Trin again either. Slowly, she began to back away from the angry older woman.

  “I…I’m sorry,” she said as Lady Malroth glared daggers at her. “I never meant to offend.”

  “Well, you did. So just go,” Lady Tam-tam snapped.

  She was in the act of turning to storm off in a huff when Thrace rose from his crouch at Trin’s feet and turned to her.

  “Mistress,” he rumbled, pulling Trin into his arms. “At last a place where we need not hide our love.”

  Then he kissed her. A long, slow, passionate kiss that took Trin’s breath away. She opened her mouth to gasp and Thrace was there, his tongue teasing its way inside as he licked her gently…as though he was desperate to taste her.

  At first Trin tried to push him away instinctively but he held her close against his broad chest. After a moment, to her intense surprise, she found she was kissing him back.

  She’d never kissed a male before and this was very different from the few kisses she’d traded with females. There was no sticky gloss or lipstick to contend with for one thing. Thrace’s mouth was firm and demanding but gentle at the same time. And the way he was running his big, warm hands over her back made her shiver and want to press closer for some reason.

  Somehow Trin’s arms drifted up to rest around his neck as she leaned into his big body. Once again she felt surrounded by him—overpowered and out of control in a way that made her heart pound and her breath come short.

  Goddess, what was happening to her? How was he doing this to her and why couldn’t she make it stop? Why didn’t she want it to stop?

  Then, from behind her, she heard Lady Malroth clearing her throat pointedly. Trin’s eyes, which had drifted shut, flew open.

  Lady Malroth! Oh my Goddess! Can’t believe we’re doing this in public! Forget that—Trin couldn’t believe they were doing this at all.

  “Thrace!” she gasped, managing to break the kiss and push back from him at last. “No, we can’t—”

  “Oh, yes you can, my dear.” Lady Tam-tam’s faded blue eyes were shining as she held out a hand to Trin. “You absolutely can here at Dreaming Hills—that’s what this place is all about. It’s one reason I built it so far from that horrid capital city, Opulex.”

  Trin took her hand uncertainly.

  “You…built your house so that males and females could have…relationships here?”

  “I did.” Lady Tam-tam squeezed her hand tightly. “My body-slave, Nales and I were deeply in love but no one would accept us in Yonnie high society.” She lifted her chin. “So I moved out here and since I am richer than the Goddess herself, I made my own society. Which only mistresses and slaves who truly love each other are welcome to join.”

  “Well, that’s…beautiful,” Trin said uncertainly.

  “It certainly is,” Lady Malroth said, sounding rather sour. She and her own body-slave were holding hands now, probably in deference to the passionate display Trin and Thrace had just put on. But neither of them looked very comfortable doing it. In fact, Lady Malroth appeared to be standing as far from her body-slave as she could while still touching him.

  Lady Tam-tam didn’t appear to notice that, however. Her eyes were glued on Trin and Thrace, who still had one long arm possessively around her waist.

  “Tell me, my dear,” she said to Thrace. “How long have you loved your mistress?”

  “From the moment she bought me, my lady,” Thrace rumbled, bowing his head respectfully. “My Lady Trin saved my life—the slaver who had me was going to kill me with the pain collar. Lady Trin didn’t allow it—she punched the bastard and forced him to stop shocking me. Then she bought me for an exorbitant amount to keep me from falling into the wrong hands.” He looked Trin in the eyes and his voice got softer. “I owe her everything and I am completely devoted to her. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her.” He lifted Trin’s hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “Nothing.”

  “Oh…” His gentle kiss seemed to burn her but somehow Trin found she couldn’t pull her hand from his and couldn’t look away from him either. She knew the big Havoc was just putting on a show for their hostess but those silvery-blue eyes ringed with black seemed to be staring into her very soul. Goddess, he was a really good actor! She could almost believe he meant what he was saying. Almost.

  “Thrace,” she whispered uncertainly, her mouth dry. “I…I…”

  “Oh my.” Lady Tam-tam put a hand between her breasts and sighed deeply. “My dears, that is just the most romantic story I have ever heard! Truly, the two of you belong here. In fact, I want you to sit with me at the grand reception tonight.”

  “Of course, Lady Tam-tam. It would be our honor,” Trin said. Somehow she pulled her gaze away from Thrace’s at last but he continued holding her hand in his much larger one. “And…will we get to meet your body-slave, Nales?” she asked the older woman.

  “Alas, no.” Lady Tam-tam dabbed at her eyes with a scrap of lace she produced from her sleeve. “Poor Nales has been gone these last seven cycles and I d