“I never thought a king like you, so powerful, would be afraid of some little gremlins. They don’t even sound real. They sound like a superstitious story you’d tell children.”
“That which is small, is not always little. Stories told to the young contain more truth than most stories the grown tell one another. And that which thinks it is smart, does not always understand the first thing about its own existence.”
“Am I the it in your sentence?”
“You’re the it in every sentence, human.”
Chapter 9
Elizabeth had become the center of all things. The thorn in his side, the proverbial, well, everything. He had not known her a day ago, but now there was not a thought that passed through Konan’s head without reference to her. She had cast a spell over him unlike any other, and he was not sure either of them would survive it.
He could see her trying not to burst out laughing. He appreciated the effort, though he knew it was probably only being gone to in the hopes of avoiding punishment.
Konan’s cock twitched. He was hungry for her body again. The tightness of her sex felt like home, and now that they were locked out of the ship for three days, he very much wanted to feel that warmth.
Warmth. Comfort. These were not things a king should expect to receive from a spy. He reminded himself, for the umpteen-millionth time, to be careful.
“I’m taking you inside,” he said. “You will make yourself useful in the only way you seem to know how.”
He did not know how she would react. He expected fear. What he got was an arched brow and a little secret, inimitably human smile. He growled under his breath, vowing to fuck that smile right off her face.
Konan unleashed her from the stake and took her inside the tent, which felt like a small city. She had never seen the entire crew all in one place before. She knew Konan wanted her to be properly sexually intimidated, but there were a lot of sights vying for her attention.
“Not as many as I’d thought.”
“Not as many what?”
“Soldiers.”
“These are the loyal ones. These are the warriors who refused to be corrupted, and who did not take riches or fame over the honor of serving their king.”
These were probably the only people he still commanded. Maybe two hundred, max. It was more than she had ever commanded, but it wasn’t exactly a kingdom. Were they still pretending that she didn’t know about the rebellion, or whatever had happened?
“What happened to the ones who were corrupted?”
“They were left behind, on a dying world, with a filthy interloper to rule them.”
“So. You. Were… Deposed?”
“Betrayed,” Konan said.
“Dethroned?”
“A king is not defined by his chair,” Konan said proudly. “A king must be born from royal blood, and then he must earn his crown through his deeds. Interlopers may plot and scheme. They may even achieve small victories, but they will never be kings. I am Konan. I speak for my people at the council of kings. I am Konan, and the throne of Masih is mine.”
“You’re sexy when you’re determined.”
“I am always determined. Come here, human.”
He led her by the hand to the sheer curtained bedding area set in the very heart of the tent. Many eyes followed them, but none mattered. None besides his. There was no reluctance in her body. She did not try to pull away, she did not fight him one little bit. She wanted him. Maybe as much as he wanted her. Maybe more.
There was something between them. A growing understanding she didn’t think either one of them would have ever admitted to. In some way, she belonged to him. Not in the dominating way he liked to declare, but in the universal way. The… romantic way.
Maybe she was just hoping for romance. Maybe there was no chance of it with a king who wanted to fuck her into submission to make himself feel powerful. Maybe she’d be left with nothing but an aching pussy and a hollow feeling. There were no guarantees in life.
He’d told her more than he wanted to. He’d admitted to the greatest humiliation of his life, the loss of his crown and his kingdom, and she had not mocked him for it. She had been somewhat sympathetic. She’d said he was sexy. What kind of creature thought a deposed king was sexy?
A human. A woman with more empathy than was good for her. He’d watched her staring out at the world as if she was seeing a planet for the first time. She was, technically, seeing the planet for the first time, but she’d spent literal hours just gazing out at the world. He’d expected her to fight her chains, but she hadn’t bothered. There were generals who lacked that kind of composure.