Torin was dead set on killing Beck and Cian. He’d sent a hag to do the job last time. He might think to try it again. The thought of Kaja being one of Torin’s goons unsettled him.
“I gave her a purgative when she came here,” Cara said. “I give it to all the females to make sure they are free of any spells or hexes. There was not a hint of magic on her.” She looked thoughtfully at the woman in her charge. “I would say she is a shape-shifter of some sort, but she isn’t Fae. The demon said she came from a far-off plane. The females there must be consorts as well.”
Dante accepted that explanation, but worried all the same. He really didn’t know what Kaja was. “So the silver will be gone by morning. What about the aphrodisiac?”
Cara’s mouth turned down. “It will only be in effect for a few hours, but it will be very painful for her. It is a strong mix, if I am correct. She needs to have physical relations, or she will feel like she is burning inside. My husband was trying to make sure she didn’t resist you.” Cara walked over to Dante. “If you are intending to revoke the sale, it would be best if you would allow me to find her a male.”
“I will take care of my consort,” Dante barked. Did he need to tattoo it on his forehead or something? Dante was getting damn tired of having to remind everyone of his rights.
Cara craned her neck to look up at him. “I understand, Mr. Dellacourt. Do you require anything?”
“I think I have the proper equipment.”
“Come along, Cara,” Beck said with a slight smile. “You can stand guard outside. If my cousin needs anything, he will let you know. Dante, I happen to know the drawers in the back are filled with…helpful items. Many a wedding night has occurred here. I will make sure she isn’t given the drugs again. She’s my cousin now, too.”
Dante nodded, happy with Beck’s acceptance. He wondered what Cian had said to turn the warrior king around. The flap to the tent slapped shut, and Dante was left alone with his wife.
He knelt down, placing a hand on her naked back. The towel had been thrown back, and she writhed on the bed. He saw her pain. He also saw her body. His fangs lengthened, and he cursed himself for being a selfish bastard. This was not the way he wanted his first time with Kaja to go.
“Kaja,” he said carefully through his fangs. “I need to take care of you.”
She shook her head. “It hurts.”
She covered her pussy with her hand, showing him where her pain was greatest.
It struck him suddenly that there was an easy solution. Why wasn’t she masturbating? Dante shoved his hand under hers and cupped her pussy. Her eyes flew open.
“No,” she said helplessly. She seemed to know she couldn’t fight him so she played to his sympathy. In this case, he didn’t have any. “No mating.”
He kept his eyes and voice soft as his hand rubbed against the flesh of her pussy. She was soaking wet. He let his hand dip into the crevice and felt his dick get hard as a rock. It was going to be a long night. He couldn’t take her. She hadn’t given him permission. The drug didn’t change that. He would take care of her, but he would be going without. He refused to be one more person who took from Kaja and gave nothing back.
She tried to push his hand away, her legs rubbing restlessly. “No. Leave me alone.”
Dante had to wonder. She was obviously in extreme pain. She wasn’t a virgin by her own admission. Why was she fighting him? Why wasn’t she trying to take care of herself? He tried to remember her words from before. “Kaja, you will mind me. Be still. Tell me something, sweetheart, when the Second held you down for the mating, did he pleasure you?”
Her eyes were feverish, the pupils large. “Women receive children from the mating. Men receive pleasure. Everyone knows this.”
Dante felt a slow smile spread across his face. That door he’d slammed closed with his idiotic admission had just swung open again. He let his thumb drift up. He felt her plump clitoris and sighed. She had all the parts for an orgasm. She just needed someone who knew what he was doing. Dante knew he wasn’t the greatest businessman in the world. He wasn’t CEO material like his sister. He couldn’t recall amazing amounts of data like Cian or wield a sword like Beck. There was one thing he was confident in, though.
“Sweetheart,” he cajoled softly as he circled that little nubbin of flesh he intended to get very acquainted with. “Those men were idiots. They were boys with little dicks who didn’t know how to please a woman. I assure you, I’ll take care of you.”
He grinned and forced her legs apart. The night was looking up.
* * * *
Kaja felt like she was on fire. She hadn’t felt this way before. Her insides were burning. Poison. Someone, that mean gnome, had poisoned her. She groaned, and her legs drew up. She tried to slap away Dante’s hands, but he did something, and it felt so good, she moaned. He was slipping his fingers into that secret part of her.
“No,” she whispered. “Don’t.”
He didn’t want her, not really. He might wish to slip his male parts into her, but he would walk away. She wasn’t sure why he was playing with her. Why would he wish to put his fingers inside her woman’s place?
“Stop it, Kaja,” he said in a deep voice.
She looked up and saw his magnificent fangs on heart-stopping display. They were long and so white it made Kaja sigh. He was beautiful. She loved his lean body. It was so different from the bulky bodies of the pack males, but no less strong. The First’s body was elegant. He wouldn’t overwhelm her with his weight. His eyes were the green of the forest. She enjoyed looking at him. At Dante. She knew she would not enjoy the physical process of mating, but he did not seem like a man who would walk away when he was done. He had allowed her to be close to him. Perhaps the mating would not be so bad if he wrapped his arms around her afterward.
She had been overjoyed at the thought of mating with such a creature. Then he’d told her of his plan, and she’d known. She was in the same situation she’d been in with the pack. He didn’t want a family with her. He just wanted his pleasure. He wasn’t any different. She didn’t belong here, either. This place was filled with pain.
She tried to move away from him. He was caressing her in a way that made her uncomfortable. It was too intimate. He shouldn’t do such things.