Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings Of Dakkar #1) - Zoey Draven Page 0,16
but quiet in a way that sent alarm bells through my head.
I didn’t answer him.
And he didn’t like that.
The horde king stalked towards me in three angry strides. Though I was still kneeling on the cushion, I tipped my head back to look at him. I was still frightened of him, unsure what to make of him, whether he truly was the primitive brute I’d heard stories of or not, but I would never let that fear show.
Unlike yesterday, he was wearing nothing more than a draped cloth that attached to a wide, gold belt. His thick boots creaked when he crouched in front of me and I caught a glimpse of his cock, swaying underneath the loose cloth. He was still bare-chested, his wide cuffs flashing on his wrists.
“You,” he said quietly, “will eat now.”
“Why?” I hissed, just as quietly, back.
“You are malnourished,” he snarled. “I will not have you wasting away.”
“I will eat what my village eats, what my brother eats. Uranian Federation rations and nothing more.”
The horde king burst out with a Dakkari curse and his large hand flashed out, wrapping around the side of my neck, just over my collar. His strength was undeniable and I let out a small, surprised breath when he tilted my head back to look at him.
“You are a part of the horde now. You will eat what the horde eats!” he growled, those yellow eyes flashing. My temper was rising. Whenever I felt backed into a corner, I came out fighting.
“I will never be part of the horde.”
“You are!” he roared. “You will be my kassikari, I will fill your belly with my heirs, you will be my queen, and you will eat when I tell you to!”
Sucking in a breath, anger pulsing through me, I hissed out, “Or else what?”
Something dark came into his narrowed eyes. His hand flexed on my throat and he rasped, “If you refuse to eat, I will consider it a slight. I will return to your little village and do what I should have done last night. I will let Kakkari feast on your brother’s spilled blood as retribution.”
I froze. He was threatening me, using my brother’s life as leverage.
However, he would lose me if he took that course and for some reason…he wanted me. A horde king of the Dakkari wanted me and I could use that to my advantage.
Narrowing my eyes, I called his bluff.
“Do it then,” I said softly, pressing my neck into his hand further, rising to my knees so that we were eye-level, ignoring the pain from riding the pyroki. The beads on my top swayed as I moved. The horde king stilled, his eyes flashing to my lips as I spoke, “But if you do, I swear on your goddess that I will never eat again. I will die here and be reunited with my brother and mother in the afterlife. Nothing would make me happier.”
The horde king nostril’s flared.
Then, without warning, he grabbed me around the waist and hauled me up, striding over to the tray of food on the low table.
I gasped, struggling against him, my skirt riding up in the process. My thighs rubbed together as I squirmed, but I didn’t care about the rough pain. Not right then. Desperate sounds, small and frustrated and animal-like, emerged from my throat as I fought against his hold.
But he was unmovable. Like a mountain.
“Enough!” he bellowed, dropping us both down to the table. He maneuvered himself behind me, pinning my legs down with his own, bracketing my arms at my sides until I couldn’t move, but I still continued to struggle, finding energy and a fire inside me that I needed to keep fueled. No matter what.
When I realized what his intention was, my eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed.
“If you will not eat,” he rasped, “then I will make you, kalles.”
I watched with frustration as he plucked a piece of dried meat from one of the dishes. Immediately, he pressed it to my lips, but I kept them tight together, keeping my teeth clenched, and turned my face to the side. He followed and I whipped my face to the other side.
And it continued. I don’t know how long I continued to fight against him, but soon, I grew tired. I was expending too much energy, my weakened muscles straining against him as I fought his hold.
“Stubborn kalles,” he growled. “I will break you like a wild pyroki if I must.”