“No idea, my basilinna.”
“The night Seraphina brought you in for our inspection.”
Heat had suffused his cheeks at the bitter reminder of a night he’d rather forget. To appease her queen and her sister tribeswomen, Sera had “presented” him to them so that they could inspect him and be assured that he was tame enough to reside in their village. Completely naked, he’d been forced to endure their bold scrutiny and rude groping of his body as they made sure he was “man” enough to live among them.
No part of him had been left unexamined.
Or fondled.
By the end of it, he’d been so furious and hurt that he would have left Sera, but she’d apologized and promised him she wouldn’t let them treat him like that again. That this was a one-time event, and that she would make it up to him.
Even so, the humiliation and pain had stayed in his heart. Especially since he knew they didn’t do that to Arcadian males. The Arcadians were respected and allowed their dignity.
Never him.
The animal.
“What of that night?” he’d asked her, stepping back, out of her reach.
She’d closed the distance between them and reached out to touch the feathers braided into his hair. “You’re the most handsome male in our tribe. Did you know that?”
“No, basilinna. I haven’t paid much attention to the other men here.”
She’d laughed at that. “You know, part of your job in this tribe is to please and serve me.”
Those words had sent chills over him. Especially when she reached for the laces on his breeches.
Grabbing her hands, he’d stopped her. “Basilinna, please. I can’t do anything. You know the laws of our people.”
“And what a waste they are. Still… you have other parts that are capable of pleasing me.” She’d led his hand to her breast. “Tell me that you haven’t been as curious about other women as we are about you.”
He’d tried to pull away, but she was relentless.
“Do you know how many times I’ve seen the two of you rutting like animals? I know exactly how capable a lover you are with your mouth and hands.”
Anger and embarrassment made a deadly mix in his heart. “You spied on us?”
“It was human curiosity. Something an animal wouldn’t understand.”
The insult had stung him. He always hated whenever they said that to him.
“Now as your basilinna, I command you to submit to me. Give me what I want!”
He’d grabbed her more forcefully to keep her hands out of his breeches and off his body. “No.”
“No?” Her shocked tone would have been laughable had the situation not been so dire. “You dare deny me?”
He glared at her. “I’m just a dumb animal, incapable of understanding the complexities of how your society works. In my world, the rules are simple. I have a mate and I belong to her, and no one else.”
“And she would be the first to lead you naked to my bed and chain you there if I asked it of her. Are you too stupid to comprehend that?”
Even more furious, he’d started to deny it. But deep down in his heart, he knew Nala was telling the truth. At every turn, Sera had shown him that she would submit to her queen, no matter how ridiculous or mean the command.
How humiliating.
Still, he wasn’t going to accept this. Not without a fight. “Then get Sera’s permission. But without it… I won’t do this. She is my dragonswan. My loyalty and heart go first to her.”
Nala had backhanded him. “And hers go to me, you stupid bastard!” She reached for him again.