Chapter 12

"You don't honestly think you're going to get away with this, do you?" Unity demanded furiously.

Robat shrugged, keeping the pressure on the rope he'd used to bind her wrists and then pull her along behind him. She couldn"t believe she"d been foolish enough to let him into their quarters but she"d assumed he had news of the battle. Instead he"d stepped inside, given her an oddly terrifying smile, and snapped the rope around her wrists. She"d been so startled that she"d barely had time to reach before he was yanking her down into the depths of the castle.

He didn"t seem conceited about running into any one - with some justification. Most of the staff either involved in the battle or monitoring it closely.

"On the contrary," he said complacently. "The foolish male has succumbed to your charms, just as I predicted."

"What do you mean you predicted?"

"One of the secondary advantages to being in the slave trade, particularly when fulfilling specific requests, is that it soon becomes easy to know what will appeal to a client. Not that Cronan was a client of course, but you were just the type to entice him. As soon as I suggested that he claim you and he agreed, I knew I had him. It was just a matter of time. That possessive display at the ball last night proved it."

"But why? What does he have that you want?"

"Access to a very large number of credits - credits that are rightfully mine. I allowed Ulmat to think that he was in charge so that if anything went wrong, he would be blamed. I just didn"t anticipate that he would be killed in this foolish rebellion, or that he was intelligent enough to hide the funds so well." He scowled unhappily. It could have looked petulant, but for some reason it terrified her.

"All Cronan has to do is to find the funds and transfer them to me and then he can have you back. If not," he shrugged again. "You should still bring a fair profit. I don"t understand this obsession for female mammary glands but fortunately for my profit margin, many males find them appealing. You should do very well at auction."

She shuddered at the thought and he laughed.

"It may not come to that, but we"ll see."

A small device on his belt chimed and he nodded.

"Excellent. The battle is coming to an end. Cronan should return soon. In the meantime, we will await developments."

They were far under the castle now, in a long rocky tunnel. Several small caves branched off each side and he urged her into one of them. It had obviously been his destination. A folded blanket covered a rocky ledge and basket contained both food and water. None of which were for her she realized as he ordered her to the ground , then wrapped her leash around a tall rock pillar. Since she didn"t see a choice she sat.

The next few hours passed incredibly slowly, the monotony broken only by his voice as he talked about all the things he intended to do with his profits. Her legs were going to sleep and she asked politely if she could stand. She had done her best took helpless and hopeless and he agreed. She rose awkwardly to her feet, and stretched a few times, exaggerating her stiffness as she searched for escape routes.

The rocky passage stretched endlessly in both directions. Would she be better off running for the castle or heading into the unknown. She decided heading for the castle would give her the best chance of finding someone to help her, then bided her time.

A short while later, she asked, politely again, for some water.

He sighed, but went to fetch a bottle.

"Make this last," he ordered as he handed it to her. I"m not your servant any longer."

She nodded meekly, but when he bent over to give it to her, she angled her elbow into his chin just as Cronan had shown her, then darted towards the cave entrance. She ignored his muffled cursing and sprinted as fast as she could down the passageway, her bound hands out in front of her.

She cast a terrified look back over her shoulder, expecting to see Robat, but the passage was empty, she swung back around and straight into a massive, familiar body. Cronan.

"Are you all right?" he asked frantically, running his hands all over her body.

"I"m fine," she sobbed, trying to reach for him.

He swore at her bound wrists and immediately cut the rope, pulling her into his arms.

"I am so afraid I"d never see you again, my love," he growled.

"Me too." Another sob escaped. "Did you say love?"

"Yes. I love you, Unity. You are my female, my mate, and I can"t let you go. I won"t let you go."

"I don"t want you to - I love you too. Now take me home."

He swung her up into his arms immediately, using his communicator to call off the search as he returned.

As soon as the doors to their quarters closed behind them he turned to her, his eyes blazing gold.

"I need you."

"I need you too."

His lips claimed hers, hard and desperate as he backed her against the wall, his hands tugging at her clothes. He abandoned her mouth and she protested, then moaned happily as he bent his head to her breast. his hunger matched her own as he stripped away her clothing and his own. His hand dipped between her legs, stroking frantically over her clit until she shuddered. He immediately replaced his hand with his codix, pressing eagerly against her entrance.

Even slick from her climax, her body resisted the the huge invasion but she welcomed the discomfort, wanting everything he could give her. The burn intensified as he thrust deeper, his codix so wide it almost hurt and then he was all the way inside, his hips flush with her own and she was moaning again, crying out as the pleasure began to build. His mouth was at her neck, licking and sucking and sending shivers of pleasure through her body. She threw her head back to give him better access, eager for his mark.

He kissed the top of her shoulder and then she felt the sharp stab of teeth and she was climaxing, the pleasure overwhelming her. He gave a guttural shout, his codix throbbing as he exploded inside her, and then he was covering her mouth with his as his codix pulsed over and over, hot and wet and wonderful. She could taste her blood on his tongue but it only added to the sheer eroticism of the moment.

"Fuck, you"re perfect," he gasped. "My perfect mate."

"My perfect king." she whispered, and he laughed.

He slid his hands under her ass and carried her to the bedroom, still impaled on his codix. She moaned as the excitement started to build again and he grinned.

"This time I will take my time."

She sighed happily.

"We have all the time in the world now."

"And I intend to savor every moment of it."