Chained_Brides of the Kindred Read online

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  He heard them coming down the hall well before the door to his prison opened. The clatter of high heeled shoes was unmistakable. Pope’nose was on the way for another one of her gloating sessions.

  He gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw, and prepared to endure her visit. There was nothing he could do to break free at the moment so the best he could do was to be silent and not give her the satisfaction of seeing his pain.

  As the door opened with a loud creak, he kept his eyes down. He saw two pairs of feet enter the room, both wearing ridiculous three inch platform heels that were apparently the fashion this season on this fucked up world.

  “This,” he heard Lady Pope’nose say, “is the reason I so wanted the Hurkon collar. He is a fighter from the Blood Circuit—or he was until he killed his master. They wanted to put him to death but I bought him instead. I like a challenge.”

  The prisoner kept his head down, not caring to hear the visitor’s reply. This was not a new occurrence for him—ever since she’d bought him, Pope’nose had been bringing guests down to show him off. Apparently holding a multiple murderer in her dungeons made her feel important.

  But instead of words, all he heard from the guest was a low gasp. The sound made him look up involuntarily, though he had been determined not to. What he saw took his own breath away.

  It’s her! The one in my dreams! The one I see when I manage to nod off for a moment. Her!

  The girl—because he could tell she was a girl now, not a cyborg, despite the strange oculars on her eyes—was staring at him with a look of shock and confusion on her lovely face. He still couldn’t quite tell what color her eyes were but they were fixed on him and her entire body was tense. Could it be that she recognized him as he had recognized her?

  “You,” he growled hoarsely. “It’s you.”

  Chapter Three

  “You’re absolutely right, it’s me,” Lady Pope’nose proclaimed, obviously misunderstanding the prisoner’s meaning though he was clearly staring at Maggie. “I’ve come to see if you’re ready to submit,” she continued, frowning at the bound man.

  “Never,” he rasped, switching his attention to Lady Pope’nose. He glared at her, his slitted blue eyes filled with a fury that was almost palpable. Maggie shivered, glad that his anger wasn’t directed at her.

  “Is that right?” Lady Pope’nose frowned. “So stubborn, this one,” she said to Maggie. “I’ve had him for weeks and still he refuses to acknowledge me as his mistress.”

  “Um…uh…” Maggie didn’t know what else to say. She was still stunned that the huge man in her dreams was somehow real. How could this be? He was exactly how she had dreamed him, right down to the last detail. Huge, mostly naked—he appeared to be wearing nothing more than a ragged loincloth— muscular and covered in that silvery-gray dust. His cheeks were rough with stubble which might have been black but it was hard to tell because of the dust. He was even kneeling beside a small, chattering brook which somehow ran right through the middle of his prison, just as he had been in her dreams.

  Maggie wondered if he was thirsty—her own throat ached for him as she watched him kneeling there, glaring up at his captor defiantly. A phrase from some half-remembered poem came back to her—“Bloody but unbowed.” Yes, that fit him exactly. Here he was with his hands chained behind his back, being held captive by the sadistic Lady Pope’nose but still he refused to submit to her. Maggie felt a surge of admiration but it was clearly an emotion her hostess didn’t share.

  Lady Pope’nose took a step toward her prisoner. “Say the words, slave. Beg my pardon and kiss my foot as is your duty. The key to your chains is right here.” She indicated a large grey metal knob hanging from a hook on the wall across from him. “Your freedom from pain is within your sight.” There was a taunting note in her voice and a cruel little smile was playing around her thin lips. “I leave the key here with him on purpose,” she told Maggie. “To remind him how quickly he can be free if only he will submit.”

  “Never,” the prisoner growled again. “And if you put your foot in my face I won’t kiss it—I’ll bite it. So stay the fuck away from me!”

  The smile left Lady Pope’nose’s mouth and her face turned dark with fury. “How dare you insult and threaten me in front of my guest?” She pointed at him with one long finger. “Trab!”

  At once the lights on the slave’s collar lit up and began to blink. At the same time, he went rigid with agony, his face contorted in a mask of pain. The cords on his strong neck stood out and his huge hands knotted into fists. But though it was clear he was in anguish, he didn’t make a single sound.

  “Wait! What are you doing to him?” Maggie stepped forward, wanting to end this awful show. She had never been able to stand to see a helpless creature hurt or in pain. Once when she was nine she’d taken on three older boys who were torturing a small, defenseless dog. She’d gotten a black eye and a bloody nose before her protective older brother, Michael, found her fighting but the dog had lived. In fact, it had been her pet for years. Scrappy had been a fighter and so was Maggie—especially when it came to helpless creatures who couldn’t defend themselves.

  “I’m punishing him.” Lady Pope’nose’s face was twisted into a sneer of triumph. With a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Maggie realized that she liked this. That she was getting pleasure from it.

  Sick! She’s sick! she thought. She’s not just hypercritical—she’s a sadist!

  “Well, stop it!” she said desperately. “Whatever you’re doing, stop!” She ran forward, her hand outstretched to the prisoner, as though she could somehow stop his pain. It was the same, blind impulse that had gotten her beaten up when she rescued Scrappy and it had a similar effect now.

  The moment her hand touched his naked shoulder, Maggie felt a jolt of pain lance through her. She gasped and went rigid—it was as though she’s been suddenly struck by lightning. Agony ripped through her, setting her nerves on fire, making her feel like she was going to die.

  “Krelb!” Lady Pope’nose shouted, ending the pain. She rushed forward to pull Maggie away from the chained man. “Are you mad?” She shook Maggie roughly. “What’s wrong with you, getting so close?”

  “I…I…” Maggie couldn’t think—could barely even breathe. The pain was gone now, as though it had never happened. Not even a faint tingling remained. But she remembered it well—it was the worst thing she had ever felt even though it had lasted less than five seconds. How long did the prisoner have to endure it every time Lady Pope'nose came to torture him? “That…that was awful,” she finally managed to gasp.

  “Of course. The collar is set to maximum.” Lady Pope'nose shook her head. “That was a very foolish thing you did and not just because you gave yourself a nasty jolt. This prisoner is extremely dangerous—even bound and restrained he could kill you if you get too close.”

  Maggie looked again at the chained man. His huge, muscular body had gone limp and he sagged, his knees splayed apart. His head hung down and he was panting like a wounded animal. He didn’t look like a threat to her—not in his current state, anyway.

  “Why did you do that?” she demanded. Now that the pain was gone, she was so upset tears had come to her eyes. She took off her glasses and swiped at them angrily. “How could you? He’s helpless! How could you hurt him like that?”

  “My dear Lady Jor’don.” Lady Pope’nose frowned. “I’m simply trying to break him so he can be of useful service. And I’m not doing anything he doesn’t richly deserve. Remember, my dear, he’s a murderer many times over.”

  “I don’t care what he did,” Maggie said firmly, replacing her glasses. “No one deserves to be tied up and tortured.”

  Lady Pope’nose looked at her blankly. “But my dear, it is the only way to break a defiant slave. Just think—he would be dead if not for me. If I hadn’t bought him, he’d be rotting in a shallow grave somewhere with no one to mourn his loss. At least in his way he may be made to be useful…if he will eve