Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings Of Dakkar #1) - Zoey Draven Page 0,20

tilting back towards the canopy.

I stared in disbelief at his sharp profile. My legs were still splayed wide, my chest was heaving, my cheeks were wet from my tears. Confusion warred within me.

Slowly, I sat up and reached for my shift dress on the floor. Pulling it over my head, I snuck another glance at the horde king, but found his eyes were still closed.

My hands shook when I smoothed it into place, my nerves still jittery, my body still warm from his touch. I felt like a stranger in my own skin, my emotions all over the place.

He stopped, I thought in disbelief.

He could have taken my body just now but he’d stopped.

Why?

Hesitantly, I looked over at him in the bathing tub. Water trickled as he began to wash, lathering up the soap in the coarse cloth before scrubbing over his skin, a duty I’d had the previous night.

Could it…could it be that he’d felt unease? Guilt? He’d seen my tears, heard my growling belly and he’d stopped, though he’d been so aroused he groaned when he first tasted my sex.

I was still sitting in the bed, wondering about his actions, hugging my knees to my chest, when he finished and stepped out of the bathing tub. My eyes caught his as he dried off, but he didn’t say a single word. I continued to watch him as he went around the tent, putting out the little flames from the wax candles with a sizzling twist of his fingertips, still naked, still erect.

The horde king came to bed. Just like the previous night, he pulled the furs around him, around me, warding against the slight chill in the night air that threaded its way through the tent flaps.

Unlike last night, he tugged me towards him in the darkness when I laid down beside him.

His skin was shockingly warm after his bath and smelled clean, not that musky heady scent from before. The ends of his damp hair slid over my shoulder as he tucked me into his side, pushing my face into the column of his neck, resting his chin on my temple. I felt his cock settle and press into my belly.

I blinked at the intimate embrace, torn between wanting to pull away and wanting to accept it. I’d never been held this way before, by anyone.

Neither of us slept yet, though long moments passed.

And maybe the darkness made me brave, maybe it was because I couldn’t see his face, could only feel his warmth, but I whispered, “Will you tell your name, horde king?”

My future was uncertain. At the very least I knew that my immediate future would be tied to his. It was only fitting I knew his name, so I could call him by something other than ‘horde king’ or ‘Vorakkar.’

“You do not know much about the Dakkari, do you, kalles?” was his answer. I felt his vocal cords vibrate against my forehead.

“No,” I replied truthfully, wondering why they tiptoed around something as simple as names. “I do not.”

“Except one, no Dakkari knows my given name among my horde,” he told me. “None ever will.”

“I’m not Dakkari,” I pointed out.

He made a sound in the back of his throat. For a moment I thought it sounded amused. “Nik, kalles, you are not.”

I waited for a long time, but eventually decided that I would have to call him Vorakkar. Just like everyone else. A strange part of me found disappointment in that.

Which was why I was surprised when he finally said, “I will offer you my given name on two conditions.”

Curiosity and wariness made me ask, “What are they?”

“You never speak it where it can be overheard by my horde,” he said.

“And the other?” I asked.

“You will eat once you wake.”

I inhaled a small, surprised breath through my nostrils.

Logically, I knew I couldn’t go even another couple days without eating something. But I still felt an incredible guilt weighing on my shoulders when I thought of eating fresh meat and having a full belly. What did that even taste like, feel like?

Softly, I said, “I will have the broth.” The horde king made a noise of protest and I said, “We have broth in our rations. I will eat that and nothing more.”

“Stubborn kalles,” he murmured. But he let out a deep sigh. “You will eat the entire portion I give you?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I promise.”

The horde king pressed his hand to the back of my head and I felt his lips brush my ear, felt