Enslaved Read online

  “What?” He took her by the shoulders and looked into her face anxiously. “Baby, is there anything I can do? We have to get you help—have to lift the curse somehow!”

  “It’s already been lifted,” Trin assured him quickly. “In the Sacred Grove. I’m okay now. It’s why I finally dared to come and see you.” She looked at him earnestly. “I wanted to say how sorry I was for pushing you away. But I did it for your own good—I was afraid if I died and our bond was strong, I’d take you with me.”

  “Baby…” He stroked her cheek, looking into her eyes. “Don’t you know I’d rather die with you than live a single day without you?”

  “Don’t, Thrace.” Trin shook her head and looked away from his intense, silver-blue gaze. “I don’t deserve that from you. Not after all I put you through—not after the way I pushed you away.”

  “You were doing what you thought you had to do,” he rumbled. “I just misinterpreted it. I thought after you saw my past…”

  “That never had anything to do with it,” Trin assured him. “I think it’s horrible what happened to you, but it doesn’t affect how I feel about you. I hope…” She looked down. “I hope you won’t let what I allowed to happen to me at the temple affect how you feel about me either.”

  “You might have gone there of your own free will in the first place but you’re not to blame for what they did when you got there,” Thrace growled. “That whole place is completely fucked up—especially the female who runs it!”

  “Betina…” Trin sighed. “She truly made me believe I deserved everything that was done to me—even…” She swallowed hard. “Even what happened to Swift and Silk. Not to mention my skin…my hair…” She put a hand to her head. Becca had done her best to trim it into a more attractive shape but it was still much shorter than Trin liked.

  “Your hair will grow back,” Thrace said firmly. “Or you could keep it short—makes it easier for me to see your gorgeous face.”

  “Not so gorgeous anymore…” Trin put her fingers to one scarred cheek.

  “Yes.” Thrace took her hand in his and kissed her palm gently. “Still gorgeous. Still beautiful—always beautiful to me, baby.”

  Trin gave him a tremulous smile. “That’s how I feel about you, you know. You’re still the same male I came to care for so deeply and your past doesn’t change that. And it also doesn’t change my desire…” She cleared her throat, feeling the hot blood rush to her cheeks. “My desire to…to give myself to you.”

  The pain on his strong features cleared.

  “So you want to try it then? Renewing our bond?”

  “More than anything,” Trin said softly. “But, well…I don’t really know how to begin.”

  “I think I can help with that,” Thrace murmured, pulling her close. He took her mouth in a long, lingering kiss and Trin moaned as his tongue slipped gently between her lips. Goddess, she could taste herself on him! Taste her own secret, feminine flavor still clinging to his lips and it made her hotter than she would have thought possible.

  “Thrace,” she whispered softly when the kiss finally broke. “Goddess, I want you so much.”

  “How do you want me, Mistress?”

  “I’m not really sure,” Trin confessed.

  “Well, how about this…” He stroked her cheek. “Last time I was in charge—I had to be since you were drugged out of your mind on the third drink of passion berry wine. How about if this time, you call the shots?”

  “How do I do that?” Trin asked.

  “You be in charge—take control.” He spread his arms. “Do whatever you want with me.”

  Trin bit her lip. “And…you don’t mind? I mean after…” She didn’t want to bring up his past again since he was obviously so sensitive about it, but she also didn’t want to bring back any bad memories as she had when she had almost penetrated him with the heart stone phallus on Yonnie Six.

  “I know what you’re asking but no, I don’t mind,” Thrace rumbled. “You’re nothing like my old master was—he tried to force my love. You won my heart without even trying—just by being you.”

  “Oh, Thrace…” Trin didn’t know what to say.

  “It will be a pleasure to serve you, Mistress.” He gave her a lazy grin. “In any way you desire.”

  “Well, then…” Trin eyed him, considering her options. “For starters, I think you have too many clothes on,” she pronounced.

  “You want me to disrobe, my lady?” he murmured, his fingers going to the buttons of his deep red shirt.

  “No. I want to do it.” Getting up on her knees, Trin pushed his hands aside and began unbuttoning the shirt herself, just as she’d wanted to earlier. She couldn’t stop the desire that rose in her as his broad, muscular chest was revealed.

  “Gods, I love your little hands on me,” he growled hoarsely as she finished unbuttoning the shirt and tugged it out of his waistband. “Love how soft they are and the contrast of our skin.”

  Trin liked it too and she also liked the feeling that she was allowed to do anything she wanted with him. She was used to being in charge as a captain of a ship but she’d never taken sexual charge in the bedroom before. And the fact that Thrace was such a big, powerful male who was completely under her control, ready to do anything she asked of him, made her feel safe and sexy and confident in a way she never had before.

  As she pulled the shirt off his broad shoulders, his warm spicy scent filled her senses, making her long to bury her face in his neck and breathe him in. Well, aren’t you in charge? whispered a little voice in her head. Why shouldn’t you? Do what you want—whatever feels good.

  “I love the way you smell!” she murmured, pressing her face to his strong throat and taking a deep breath. “Is that your bonding scent again?”

  “Sure as hell is, baby,” he murmured. “I’ve never wanted anything so badly in my life as to bond you to me.”

  “A bond is forever though, right?” Trin risked a glance at him.

  “It can be.” His voice was low and guarded. “If you want it to be.”

  I want it to be! The words hovered on her lips but she lacked the courage to let them slip out. Instead, she leaned forward and licked a long line from his collar bone to just under his ear.

  Thrace groaned deep in his throat and shivered under her oral assault.

  “Gods, baby—you don’t know what that does to me!”

  “I know what it does to me,” Trin told him. “You were driving me crazy the whole time you were healing me.”

  “You like my tongue on your body? Between your legs?” His eyes were blazing but his voice was a soft, lazy drawl.

  “You know I do.” Trin was tugging at his trousers now. She’d gotten his belt unbuckled but the front fastening of the black leather pants was eluding her. Frustrated, she gave up trying to pop the trousers open and simply slipped her hand inside instead.

  “Gods.” Thrace stiffened when she grasped his rock hard shaft in her hand. Trin enjoyed the sensation of power it gave her to caress his long, thick cock and feel it throb in her palm as she wrapped her fingers around it and stroked. His skin was surprisingly soft and hot, and she loved the feel of him thrusting against her hand.

  “Easy, baby,” Thrace groaned as she continued to stroke him. “You keep that up and you’ll make me come in my trousers instead…”

  “Instead of inside me, where you belong,” Trin finished for him, smiling a little.

  “Exactly,” he growled. “Which is where I want to be—where I need to be. But not until you’re ready.”

  Trin could feel how wet and hot her pussy was getting and she knew she was already ready—but she wanted to explore him a little more first. She’d always felt guilty about wanting to touch his big, muscular body before but now she intended to throw caution to the winds and do whatever she wanted.

  “First let’s get these off,” she murmured, tugging at his trousers again. Thrace helped her and soon he was as naked as she was, sitting on the edge of the bed with his leg