Royal Recruit - Susan Grant Page 0,81

seeped out, snatches of lessons, sage sayings.

“In here!” Warlord-junior’s silly stick jabbed into her back, steering her into a large suite. She heard voices not too far away. Guards? Attendants?

Let it reveal itself.

The suite was a typical military man’s room. A simple bunk occupied one corner. An entire wall was covered with warlike souvenirs: images of battles, medals, ancient parchments from the age of paper…and a plaque displaying a complete set of daggers with jeweled hilts, just like the ones she had at home. Her mouth curved in a smile as she stepped into the room.

Rorkk grabbed her by the hair, pulling her backward and off her feet. She hated the yelp that escaped her throat.

“Take off your robes.” He twisted a fist in her hair and shoved her to her knees. Her insides clenched with fear as she felt her face flush with anger. “My shy mate. Don’t be bashful.”

He pressed her face to the carpet. She turned her head so she could breathe. Ragged gasps of air hissed in and out. “You promised me a bath,” she said. “For a goddess, it is a sacred wedding night tradition. We would not want our union to be cursed, would we?”

He shoved her. “Don’t take long.”

Her scalp stung and throbbed. As she crawled away, he yanked the robe off her and tapped the crop against her bare rear end. “There it is—the holy ass. That’s where I plan to start with you, you know.”

“And waste your seed?”

“I don’t plan to waste anything, least of all my seed, Goddess.” He slapped the stick against her rear, and she suddenly understood what he planned to do with it.

She hid a shudder of dread as she climbed to her feet, backing closer to the wall and the daggers. He would have no idea of her skill with the weapons, no idea that she as a female would have even noticed them on the wall.

His gaze lingered on her body. For a young boy with little or no experience, the sight of a naked woman was fascinating enough, let alone one of a Sakkaran goddess. She smoothed a hand over her belly, drawing his wide eyes to her crotch. She paused there as he waited almost breathlessly to see what she’d do. With a powerful grunt, she kicked her leg up, hitting him square in the balls. She caught the stick as he dropped it, jabbing it into his stomach. He bent forward and she brought it down hard on his head.

His skull was harder than she’d thought. He was still conscious.

As he staggered backward, trying to escape her, she tore a dagger off the plaque, hefting it in her hands.

“Are you going to kill me, Goddess?” he taunted, blood trickling down his face, raising his fists as a counterthreat. “With my father on this very ship? With a full squadron of guards outside the door? Think again.”

“All right.” She paused. “I thought about it again.” She took aim and flung the dagger. “Huh!” As she’d intended, it caught the sleeve of his uniform coat, pinning his arm to the wall. She grabbed another knife and nailed his other sleeve.

Now she would change history. The thought exhilarated her, even though she’d likely die before she got off the ship. No one would ever again be able to call Keira, Goddess-Queen of Sakka, a useless figurehead.

She lifted the stick and brought it down as hard as she could on his skull.

She threw her robes around her and tumbled into the corridor. A group of mean-looking Drakken guards turned to glare at her in disbelief. She must look a sight, her hair wild, her face bruised, her eyes wide with fear, a bloody stick in her hand. “You must help me. I’m the goddess-queen. The Sakkaran goddess. I was stolen from the Keep and brought here to be raped.”

Several of the men swore and made the sign of the goddess. Thank you. “Watch your tongue, whore. It is blasphemy what you speak.”

She turned her hands palm up, revealing the tattoos imprinted on her wrists. “The holy marks of my marriage. The mark of the goddess.” She stood still, her heart kicking her ribs so hard she was sure it would break free. The soldiers gathered. Their eyes widened. “She is the goddess….”

“The goddess.”

“She is amongst us.”

They went down on their knees, circling their fingers over their hearts. She’d taken a wild chance that they’d be believers. It was said that most of the Drakken still were