thick dark scar over her cheek. “He’ll like you. You’re built, and your cock is long.”
Taken aback by her brazen comment, I clutched the washcloth to my groin. She only laughed.
That night, I lay in a warm bed, the cushions so soft I could have been floating. Clean-shaven and bathed, my stomach full of fine food, I stared at the old carvings on the ceiling: birds and flowers, strange trees I’d never seen before, even a squirrel. The little I had seen of the house spoke of practicality and comfort. And time. Eons of time. The walls seemed ancient, built of thick heavy stone, reminding me of the old fortress in the harbor. The windows were newly repaired, though, the wood oiled and glass polished. The ceilings were high, almost like in church, but I felt warm as the logs in the fireplace crackled quietly.
I scratched at a spot close to my groin. They had shaved me and trimmed my hair everywhere. I ran a hand over the smooth skin, and it aroused me a little. The fatigue my illness caused was my only burden.
Lillian, the hunter I had met in front of the tavern, had told me to simply leave if I changed my mind. The door was unlocked, and the guards by the gate would let me go. I felt at peace with my decision, though. I slept deeply in the comfortable bed and didn’t wake before sunrise.
3
The Dark Rider
I knew he was different the moment they brought him in.
He was stunning of course. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here, but the difference lay in the way he looked at me. I couldn’t distinguish any fear in his eyes.
The men who came here were always afraid, some excited and giddy, some uneasy, most of them exceedingly horny, but always, always afraid.
This one was calm. His heartbeat was strong and regular, his breath even and steady from across the room. Not a frisson of fear. I pulled in his scent as it drifted, carried by the warmth of the fireplace. Young and soft, warm human flesh. Desire gathered in my belly. Then I caught an undercurrent of something else—a disturbing, metallic tang, alien and familiar at the same time. Did the scent come from his body or not?
I waited until my hunters left the room, closing the heavy door behind them.
I was alone with him in my bedroom, only the fire in the fireplace keeping us company. The windows were shut, curtains drawn, and the heavy paneling provided complete silence. No noise from the outside disturbed me when I was in here. And nobody ever heard any sounds coming from this room, however loud. No bang, no slap, no scream.
He stood and stared at me, motionless, blue eyes unblinking, lips locked tight. Then he raised his chin, and a sharp inhale lifted his chest.
“My Lord,” he said in greeting. His voice was melodic and gentle, yet his tone impatient.
“Am I what you imagined me to be?” His bold expression amused me.
He tilted his head, and his gaze skimmed my chest, exposed in the half-opened robe I wore tonight. “I’ve seen you before, riding your horse through the Town. I thought your skin was gray.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. It shines. Now it looks like silver at night.”
I smiled. He was daring, brazen. I liked him.
“How old are you?”
“I’m not sure. Probably nineteen.”
“How can you not know?”
“I never met my parents.”
An orphan. And he was much younger than my usual lovers. Something about him made my neck prickle. “What’s your name?” I didn’t usually care. Yet his name mattered. I needed a name with that spirited face.
“Rees.”
Rees. An old word from a forgotten language. It meant heat and passion. Had I believed in Fate, I’d have laughed at her jokes.
I liked his hair. Long, straight, and fine, the color of the midday sun, it fell past his collarbones. The opening in his shirt revealed a triangle of soft, light skin. My cock stirred already.
“Strip.”
With little hesitation, he tore the white shirt over his head, and his hair spilled over his naked shoulders. He pulled down the beige cotton pants my people had given him. Slowly, he stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.
From my position in the armchair, I appraised him, sucking in the smoke from my pipe.
I had to give my hunters a reward for this one. He was easily one of the most beautiful men who ever stood naked in this room. Tall and strong, with lean muscles, clear