Sedrak sighed deeply, his chest rising with the weight of his heavy breath. He shook his head. “I cannot have what I want from you, Leola,” he said quietly.
Then he rose, and called for Barval. At the flap of the tent he shared words in a low voice with his servant.
When he came back, he went to the fire and began to tend to it. “I am going out. You will remain here. The fire will last until morning but Barval will ensure that it is tended to should it begin to die.”
Leola stared at him. “What… what?” she asked. “What will you… do?”
Sedrak pulled heavy furs over his torso, and without looking at her, declared, “I am my own man, a king. I do what I please.”
And with that, he left, leaving Leola to stare after him in wonderment and utter confusion, before falling onto the furs, curling up, and staring at the flickering shadows on the side of the tent.
Night fell, and the sounds of the feast filled the air around her. But Sedrak did not return.
Barval brought a plate heaped high with food, and looked at her mistrustfully before setting it on a table and leaving. Leola looked sadly at the food, at the dress she had been meant to wear, and her vision blurred again with tears.
She stared at the shadows on the walls of the tent, and at some point she must have fallen asleep, the sound of the feast still scattered about her in the night.
Chapter 11
She awoke to the sound of a clatter, and sat up in the furs, straining to see in the light of the now-dying fire. She recognized the bulk of Sedrak’s great form, as he labored to bend over and scoop a goblet from the ground. When he stood up, Leola could see that he had been drinking. Sadness lurked in his eyes.
“Did you… not enjoy the feast, Master?” she asked.
Sedrak set the goblet down and harrumphed. “Feast,” he repeated. He waved a hand dismissively in the direction of the sounds of revelry that echoed outside the tent walls.
Then he looked at her, and the air between them seemed to smolder. Leola could not escape the grip of her attraction to him, the reawakening of her desire, even as much as she was exasperated by his ever-changing moods, and perplexed by his behavior.
“I am a king,” he declared, and paused so long that Leola almost said something, believing he expected affirmation. “And I cannot do all I please. What do you think of that, Leola Grace?”
Leola did not know what to say. In her chest, a cool feeling swirled, empty and full at the same time. She wanted him to come to her, but she was too unsettled to speak her desires.
“Hmm?” Sedrak said, almost growling. “What do you think of a king such as I am?”
“Master,” she said quietly, and saw something harden in his face. She spoke quickly to dispel whatever had taken root inside of him. “I do not… it is not my place… I do not know what… to say.”
Sedrak nodded, as though he agreed very much with what she had said. He moved toward her, standing at the foot of the pile of furs.
The fur she had been clutching slipped from her hand, baring her breasts. The cool air caressed her nipples, they hardened and ached, and she knew that she ached for his touch. She held his gaze, though it burned through her, mixing with the cool emptiness in her chest.
“Rise for your master, Leola Grace,” he said quietly, his hand beckoning her.
She slipped her legs beneath her and rose to her knees. She was naked, and her skin was covered in gooseflesh with a single shiver. Sedrak held out his hand, and she took it, rising to stand before him.
She did not know what he wanted: it could be anything. Her breath was caught in her chest. His eyes were still burning into her, but she dared not to look away.
He put his fingers in her hair, pushing it back, grazing her shoulder and sending an electric shiver through her whole body. He tilted her chin toward him and put his lips to hers, cupping her head with his large hand.
Her skin prickled and her eyes fluttered shut at the soft touch of his lips. After drinking from her mouth, his lips moved over her cheekbone and to her ear.
“Do you enjoy your corrections, Leola?” he whispered, his lips barely grazing her neck just below her ear.
His warm breath on her neck sent a shiver racing down her back. “I do,” she whispered. Not a word of a lie either. She still couldn’t understand why but the thought of his hand spanking her backside was thrilling.
“That makes two of us,” he said.
She turned her head until she could see him staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Excitement crackled through her at what might come next.
“My cock hardens at just the thought of watching your bottom turning red,” he said. His hands slipped down her naked body. They wandered around her sides, up her stomach and cupped her breasts.
