Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 144411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
I don’t know what it is about a woman that wants me dead, but I swear nothing gets me harder.
“I saw what you did to Daphne! She’s dead!”
Her eyes water for a moment and I almost feel sorry for her.
“I didn’t kill her,” I say calmly. Her anguish radiates outward, enveloping us.
“She said you were monsters! She looked like cattle waiting for the slaughter.”
“I still didn’t have anything to do with her death.”
“But you would have, wouldn’t you?”
I don’t say anything to that. I get up and pull her to her feet and drag her along to my quarters, her hands now bound at her front. “I’m very sorry you lost your lady-in-waiting, Princess. I had no idea the bonds between the upper-class would be so strong.”
“That’s because you know nothing!”
“Aye, that’s what my father used to say,” I concede and bring her into my chambers, kicking the door closed after us.
She’s looking around wildly for an escape, her gaze going to the windows, then to the weapons, but she’s not getting very far this time.
“You do realize that even if you escape, there is no hope for you,” I say as I pull her towards the cage in the corner. “This ship is going at a clip to leave our assailants behind. Soon you won’t be able to see land. Nowhere to swim to, lass.”
She plants her heels, trying to stay in place but it’s no use. I’m forcing her in the cage and then, before she can try anything, I’m fastening both her hands and her feet to the bars with more rope.
“You’re tying me up in a cage?” she cries out, pulling at the restraints.
“There’s a point to it,” I grumble. “You’re going to want to stand as still as possible.”
She turns her head to face me, wild-eyed. She’s breathing hard, her chest heaving against the bars. “You think ravaging me is rescuing me? Just because it’s by you and not that other man?”
I bite back my smile and come around behind her. I press myself against her backside until she’s pressed against the cage, my cock already stiff against her arse, and I brush her loose tangled black hair from her shoulders and lean in until my mouth is at her ear. “You say ravishing as if it’s a bad thing,” I whisper, my voice thick. “Apparently you’ve never been ravished properly before.”
Then I pull back. “Alas, you need a hot bath and some time with a bar of soap before I’d even think about ravishing you. You smell something awful, Princess.”
The gasp of shock that comes out of her mouth makes me chuckle. Nothing will insult a lady more than telling her she smells.
“Then what are you doing?” she asks, and I lean down and gather the hem of her dirty ragged gown pulling it up until its gathered at her waist. She gasps again, her legs now completely exposed.
“Marking you as mine,” I tell her. Then I yell for Lothar. “Lothar, I’m ready!”
“No, no,” she starts to say.
“I told you you’re my property now. Do you think that word means nothing to me? I have to claim you if you want to be safe.”
“Safe?!” she cries out.
“Aye, you may not understand our world much, but when something is yours, it belongs only to you. I have a special brand for occasions such as these.”
Lothar appears in the room holding out an iron poker. At the end of it is my brand, not quite red-hot but it will do the job.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “You mind coming in here and holding up her dress?”
“No, please,” the princess pleads, yanking again at the restraints to no avail. She doesn’t understand why I’m doing this and that’s fine with me. It’s not just a matter of possession, it’s for her own good.
Lothar’s usually impassive face twists into a wicked grin as he comes into the cage and hands me the poker. It’s hot on my palm, burning into my skin, but I enjoy this particular pain. Perhaps she will too.
He goes behind her and holds her dress up gathered around her waist and now I take the iron and aim it at the fleshy part of the side of her hip.
“It will only hurt for a moment, luv,” I tell her before pressing the brand into skin.
She lets out a howl as it sizzles and I promptly remove the brand to admire my handiwork. Her skin is burned a bright red where my mark has been left behind: a skull and crossbones with my initials RB. Crude but elegant, in my opinion.
The princess is still whimpering so I tell Lothar to grab me a bottle of rum from the galley, as well as some apples and hardtack. While he goes, I head over to the trunk that belonged to the princess and rummage through it for a dress. They’re all fancy, each composed of many layers which will need to be pinned on, none of which will do her any good on a ship. I pick a light blue one that has the least amount of frivolity. We like to dress well, but you still have to be practical at sea.