Chapter One
Morgana squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to wake up from this terrible dream. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes again, she was still on her back on the medical table, and the strange man was gazing back at her, all the while observing her and seemingly evaluating her reaction to him. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his every move. They stared at each other, neither backing down.
“Who are you,” she whispered defiantly, enforcing some false sense of bravado in her voice, when all she felt was fear and some sort of feeling that she could only identify as desire, edging up from the tips of her toes. Her nipples peaked, and she remembered that she was completely naked and bound to a metal examination table. Her thighs quivered at the thought, the metal cooling to her skin. She tried to push that awareness from her mind, so that she could focus on the situation at hand, but the longer he gazed upon her naked body, the more difficulty she had finding her focus.
The man looked back at her, his white lab coat shifting as he leaned on the counter behind him. As he uncrossed his arms, she watched him with curiosity. He was tall, and very large for a man. She knew he probably wasn’t human, but an Erassan, an alien race that inhabited the planet of Terranovum. Many Erassans had different abilities. Some had the gift of mental powers, whereas others had abilities that even she didn’t know anything about. There was something about the deep yellow of his eyes told her this was probably one of those ancient species of Erassan, and she had no idea what he was capable of.
He wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt under his white lab coat. Morgana licked her lips when she saw that a hint of chest hair framed the V-neck of his collar. The dark fabric did little to hide the bulge of strength underneath, hugging the sculpted edges of tight chest muscles. His stomach was lean, tapering down to a trim waist. His features oozed power, confidence, and most surprisingly, dominance. She felt her mouth become dry, her body beginning to truly betray her. She suddenly wanted to see what was underneath all that clothing and the thought startled her. All the while, he watched her as she studied him. Strong angles cut his jawline, shadowed by stubble and a soft hint of a smile.
“You can call me Kade,” he said, finally responding to her question. His voice was rugged and firm, yet strangely gentle.
“Where am I,” she pressed further, breaking eye contact in order to further examine her surroundings.
The room reminded her much of the doctor’s offices back on Earth, yet this one seemed more sterile, as though it only had a singular purpose, her examination. The walls were lined with silver steel and the floor was a dark office tile. There was nothing on the walls to provide any sort of warmth or color. One round window allowed natural light to filter into the room, but upon further observation, she saw set-in lights in the ceiling, all centered on the examination table she was bound to. Shifting, she tested her restraints again, but they didn’t give her any leeway.
Her arms were bound over her head and she was lying on her back. Her bottom was positioned near the end of the table and her feet lay flat on its surface, her toes gripping the edge. She blushed as she realized how very much she was on display for him as she waited for him to answer her.
“You’re in the D’Lormere capital of Drentine. Lord Nero brought you here in order for me to fully examine you, to study your abilities as a sorceress, and to confirm that you could indeed bear children.”
“What? You can’t possibly be serious.” Morgana asked, dumbfounded.
Closing her eyes in disbelief, she finally remembered what had happened. In order to save the city of Eridell and her friends, she had offered herself in exchange as a captive. If a little reluctantly, she had agreed to the trade for the safety of her people, her king, and especially Emma and Lana. By giving herself up to the enemy, she had saved them all from whatever Nero had planned for them. She was here to find the enemy’s weakness. She had chosen this, and she would have to bear whatever the enemy was going to do to her before she had a chance to escape. Even as a prisoner in the enemy territory, she could help King Dante, no matter what it took. If there were a way to destroy the enemy from the inside, she would find it. Her resolve back in full force, she opened her eyes and glared back at him.
She watched him silently as he picked up his clipboard and began to move closer toward her, his gait purposeful. Whatever he was going to do to her, it was about to begin. Squirming nervously, she tried to loosen her ties once again, but to no avail. Before she knew it, his large frame was standing beside her, and she felt her pussy clench in response to his proximity. He was very nice to look at.
A shiver raced down her spine as she watched him. He wrote down a few notes before putting them down on the counter. When he turned back to her, his face had a look of calm determination.
She was strong. I can do this, she thought to herself.
His gaze lingered up and down her body, before rough fingertips touched and glided over her smooth skin. The tiny hairs on her flesh rose skyward at his touch, and gooseflesh prickled all over her body. A sudden surge of desire raced through her veins, along with a requisite feeling of confusion. Her brow furrowed in response.
Slowly, his palm flattened over her stomach, pressing down firmly and calmly assessing her response. Palpating her lower abdomen, he looked back at her—for any signs of pain, she guessed—but then he quickly moved on. His eyes flicked to meet hers again. Seemingly satisfied with her torso, he moved his hands up toward her breasts.
Morgana fought against her bonds as his fingers edged closer to the hard peaks of her nipples. Her limbs tight against the leather cuffs, there was no possibility of escape. A soft whine escaped her throat.
Taking her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, he rolled and pinched the pebbled points of her breasts. She gasped as sensation ricocheted throughout her body, desire firmly beginning to pump through her veins, and felt her peaks tighten further, almost impossibly, painfully so. Breathing deep, she tried to sort out all the heightened arousal that her body was determined to feel.
He palmed her breasts, thoroughly inspecting every inch of them, while Morgana writhed underneath him. A profound sense of need and urgency began to pulse deep in her core as she felt wetness begin to pool between her thighs.
Kade examined her neck and her arms next, massaging her muscles as he continued his work. He paused when he reached one of her wrists, hesitantly touching the metal bracelet that hung heavily on her arm. Staring up at it, she remembered what it was.
Lord Nero had placed that bracelet there. It was an ancient object that possessed magical powers, and effectively silenced her abilities as a sorceress. She had become a powerful witch ever since the day she had set foot on Terranovum, and because of that, she had always known freedom in her daily life. When the Erassans of Legeari had realized the full extent of her magic, they had given her the role of the king’s sorceress. There had been no higher honor for a human on Terranovum. This bracelet tore all of that away from her. She was nothing but a normal human girl now, with no powers to protect her from danger, and she felt as though a part of her was missing. Feeling entirely vulnerable, she shivered a little.
Now she was deep in enemy territory, bound to a table, and being examined for her worth by a strange man. Life wasn’t fair.
She was jolted out of her thoughts as his palm grazed over her nipple once again, and her body soared with sudden sensation. A soft sigh escaped her lips as a wave of pleasure passed through her.
Her lower half quivered, anticipating his touch as he continued further down her body and she wasn’t disappointed when he finally touched her there. His fingertips brushed the tiny triangle of red hair between her legs, and her body reacted wickedly, her hips rising up, almost begging for him to touch her further. She felt a blush creep up her face when she realized how she had behaved, shamed at her body’s wanton reaction.
Morgana knew that at any moment, he would find the irrefutable evidence of her arousal. Feeling herself blush, she could sense her wetness as it dripped onto her inner thighs.
As soon as he touched her aching pussy, his fingers slid across her nether lips, dewed with the dampness of her desire, Morgana arched her back, assaulted with strong shooting tendrils of lust. Up and down, he stroked her lips, and she trembled with the fire that burned underneath her skin, her hips rolling to meet his tempo.
Losing all sense of propriety, she moaned softly. She was ashamed to say she wanted more, craved more of his calm, assertive, and unmistakably dominant touch. The throbbing ache between her thighs continued to grow until it completely overwhelmed her.
She could hardly think; all she could do was feel.
“You are extremely sexually responsive. This is very good.”
When he took his fingers away from her, she nearly cried out in frustration. A groan of annoyance at the man’s sudden disappearance was cut short as she quickly brought her lips together, shocked at her reaction to his absence. Looking around, she realized he was fishing something out of a drawer, and opened her eyes wide when she realized what it was.
It was a speculum. She hadn’t seen one in years, not since her days back on Earth. She gulped in nervousness and fidgeted on the table.
“Please don’t,” she whispered softly.
“I must, in order to assess if your body can handle a child. I will lubricate the instrument, but, seeing how wet you are, I shouldn’t even have to.”
Morgana blushed as she felt her insides clench at his observation. He could see everything, and a sense of shame came over her, but her arousal grew impossibly stronger. A whine escaped her lips as he came closer.
Kade put the speculum down on a small table next to her, and sat down in a chair that put him on the same level as her pussy. She glared at the metal tool for a moment before turning her eyes to watch him. He pulled on a pair of gloves and began to lubricate the medical instrument. Before long, she felt the cool metal touching her skin, and then it slipped inside her slick channel with such ease. Her face had to be as red as an apple. Groaning in embarrassment, she looked away toward the window.
“Good girl,” he said, his voice filled with what sounded like pride.
Morgana felt his finger enter her through the speculum, and then squirmed as she sensed a strange prodding at what must have been her cervix. Everything he was doing to her was making her body sing with desire, however reluctantly she fought with her mind.
After a few short moments of additional probing, he took the medical instrument out of her and placed it back on the small table. She sighed with relief, hearing him remove his gloves with a snap.
Only it wasn’t over. His fingers returned to the skin of her thighs, reaching back toward her pussy, only this time he took his ungloved palm and pressed it up against the heat radiating from her core. Quivering at this mark of ownership, she waited almost breathlessly, nervously anticipating what he was going to do next.
Kade’s thumb began to circle her pulsating clit, and Morgana nearly fell apart at the intensity of the flood of lust that overcame her with his gentle caress. The rest of his fingers continued to stroke her moist lips, persistently coaxing her toward the edge into a world of pleasure. He played her body like a well-tuned instrument, as though he knew exactly where to touch in order to drive her insane with desire. After all the incredible feelings of need that her examination had brought forth so far, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from orgasm for very long. Panting, she felt a soft sheen of sweat begin to coat her body.
Her hips reached toward him and almost as if rewarding her, he slipped one finger and then another inside her wanting pussy. Once he began to massage her inner walls, along with his still attending thumb on her clit, her orgasm finally broke over her. Her entire body tightened with her release, muscles tense with the ferocity of the extreme pleasure that raged inside her.
Her moans increased with frantic desire as she writhed under his touch, and the throbbing need inside her seemed to grow to dizzying proportions. All at once, it seemed like her world fractured and her body sang. Her orgasm seemed to go on forever and ever, an endless blaze igniting fireworks throughout her body, all the way down to her fingers and toes.
Finally, her body simply smoldered with the aftershocks of her release. With a sigh of relief, Morgana allowed herself to just breathe.
She lay limp on the metal table, held steady by the taut leather cuffs that bound her ankles and wrists. Meekly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, and saw something deep within those yellow irises, something that looked animalistic, but strangely satisfied. He looked pleased with her reaction, when all she felt was shame for her body’s wicked and wanton response.
Suddenly, a dangerous look came over his face, and a smirk played at the corners of his lips. He removed his hand from in between her legs, drifting his fingertips across the trembling flesh of her inner thighs until his caress grazed against her bottom cheeks.
Morgana tried to squeeze her legs shut, but her ankles were bound too far apart. He had complete access to every inch of her, and from the look on his face, he knew it. A whimper emerged from her throat as he continued to explore the curves of her bottom, before he began to part her cheeks. Her eyes went wide in response. What was he going to do next? He couldn’t mean to touch her there, could he?
His forefinger touched the rim of her bottom hole and she gasped. No one had ever touched her there. Her mind told her she shouldn’t enjoy it and that it should be utterly shameful, but her body was telling her something different, that it was oddly compelling instead of terrible. Hesitant, she focused on what she was beginning to feel develop between her legs, her arousal becoming clearer by the second as her clit pulsed in response to his touch.
Kade circled her tight rosette, all the while spreading her wetness around it. She tried to close her eyes, but Kade’s voice echoed around her.
“I want to see your eyes when I take you here, keep them open.”
“Or else what,” she challenged back, her voice wavering with what she could only identify as desire.
His eyes narrowed, a stern, but slightly amused look coming over him that dared her to push him. His finger invaded her bottom as he leaned close to her. He pushed the tip inside and then pulled it out, over and over until her legs began to quiver. As much as she tried not to, her hips rolled to meet his thrusts, and an unquenched fire begin to flare once again deep in her core.
“Or else I will have to take these cuffs off you, bend you over this table, and give you the spanking you deserve for disobeying me. Are you sure you still want to test me?”
Speechless, she stared back at him and shook her head. He pressed his finger deeper inside her bottom hole and watched her. She felt shock at his invasion, embarrassed at her body’s wicked reaction, and full in a way she had never felt before. With his other hand, he began to rub her aching bud. It pulsed underneath his touch, and she felt her need begin to grow once again, but this time it felt stronger, and came rushing back with such ferocity that her desire for him to take her completely nearly overwhelmed her.
Throwing her head back, Morgana arched on the table as a second, much more powerful orgasm crashed through her. Her bottom pulsed around his fingers, and she panted with her shame and want. She had never had someone touch her there before, hadn’t even known she’d wanted it. Wildly, she rolled her hips against his touch, rubbing his finger against her clit and taking him deeper into her bottom. Desperate moans sounded as she rode the wave of pleasure until she lay spent, claimed by his hand on her pussy and the penetration of his finger inside her bottom.
When he finally removed his hand from her, she felt suddenly empty, bereft and lonely for his touch.
She trembled on the table. Kade began to massage the muscles in her legs, finishing his assessment of her body, all the while caressing her skin. No longer did she try to fight him; instead, she enjoyed his simple, dominating touch.
Watching him, she saw a certain hunger develop in his gaze. He looked at her almost like she was his prey, and he, a predator. Her chest rose and fell with her breath as she waited for whatever he wanted to do next.
She was disappointed when he turned away and picked up his clipboard, writing down notes as his back was to her. Her feelings of pleasure ebbed away, and she began to feel chilled.
“Kade?” she whispered softly. He turned back to her, putting his clipboard back on the counter.
“Can I have a blanket? I’m cold,” she said, as a shiver raced down her spine.
He opened a cabinet and pulled out a dark blue fleece comforter. Putting it down next to her, he took her wrist and unclasped it from the cuffs that held her tight. Reaching for her other hand and then her ankles, he freed her one limb at a time.
She sat up so that her legs hung over the edge, and he draped the blanket around her shoulders. Clutching it close, she huddled in its warmth.
“Now that I have untied you, remember you must be on your best behavior. I won’t hesitate to redden that little bottom of yours until it matches the hair on your head.”
Narrowing her eyes, she took in his no-nonsense demeanor and decided to test him a bit. There was no way he was being serious. He wouldn’t actually spank her, would he?
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me. Lord Nero gave me permission to do whatever I need to do to get you to cooperate. And if that means putting you over my knee? I can certainly make that happen.”
Morgana pulled the blanket closer around herself, almost as though it was a shield. She had never submitted to anyone in her life, and wasn’t about to. Raising her chin with as much attitude as she could muster, she glared back at him. She was the king’s sorceress, a woman to be respected and revered. Her station had made sure she was always taken care of and never wanted for anything.
There was no way in hell she’d bow down to this arrogant doctor. Not today, and not any other day.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me. I am Morgana, sorceress to King Dante, and you will respect me. I am not a force to be trifled with,” she said, her voice strong and unafraid as she challenged him.
Kade simply moved closer to her, his body towering over hers. He put his hands on the table on either side of her and leaned in toward her face, a dangerous smirk playing at his lips. She leaned backwards, trying to keep a respectable distance between the two of them, despite the events that had just occurred between them on that very table.
“Are you trying to test me, little girl?”
Morgana kept silent, staring him down. She wasn’t about to back down to him, not to anyone. No matter what happened, her pride was at stake.
Kade pushed his hands off the table and backed a step away from her. At first she thought she had won, but the words that came out of his mouth next had her legs feeling like jelly.
“Get up.”
“What?” she answered, her voice faltering.
“Get up off the table. Don’t make me say it again,” he ordered, placing a hand firmly on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” she yelled back, trying to pull herself out of his grasp.
He sighed at her defiance, and before she knew it, he had lifted her off the table and sat down in her place. It all happened so fast that she had no time to react as he put her face down over his knees. His left hand gripped her hips, and his leg snaked over hers so that she was effectively restrained without a chance of escaping. She couldn’t even kick her legs.
Whipping back her head, she tried in vain to push herself off of him. Feeling entirely vulnerable at this unexpected position, she recognized how bare and how completely unprotected her sensitive nether cheeks were. She jolted at his touch when he placed his hand on her bottom. Gasping, she realized just how large his hands were, covering what felt like the entirety of one of her cheeks. Suddenly, she was very nervous at her decision to test his patience and bordered on regretting it altogether.
“Now. Are you ready to listen to me?”
“I can’t believe the nerve…”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sound of spanks filled her ears before she realized he had paddled her with his palm. In a second, the sting caught her by surprise, crawling across her skin like she had just been stung by hundreds of bees. His hand came down again and again on either side until her entire backside was beginning to burn. Trying to wriggle out of his grasp, she tried to cover her bottom with her hands. Kade grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her back, effectively keeping her from any shenanigans.
His spanks became fiercer and much harsher, the bite of each one sinking deep into her reddening bottom. He spanked all over her backside as she continually tried to fight him, until he began the next series of smacks on her upper thighs. He focused on spanking the very sensitive area where her bottom and thighs met, and Morgana felt a cry escape her lips. She couldn’t believe how much this punishment was beginning to hurt. Feeling tears come to her eyes, she tried to hold them back but couldn’t help it as one escaped down her cheek. Soon, tears were streaming down her face in earnest.
The spanking seemed to last forever, until Morgana was sobbing in remorse for her decision. She was sure the entirety of her bottom was red, along with her punished thighs. Kade placed his hand on her poor aching globes and she flinched in response.
“Now, Morgana, are you going to behave? And before you respond, remember that this spanking can continue with my belt if need be.”
“Yes, I’ll behave,” she responded, sniffling as her tears began to dry. There was no way she wanted to feel the lick of his belt against her already tortured buttocks.
He spanked her again, one harsh smack to each side and she yelped at the sudden sting biting into her already sore nether cheeks.
“’Yes, sir’ is the correct answer. Let me hear you say it.”
“Yes, sir,” she said softly.
“Louder,” he said sternly, spanking her yet again.
“Please! Yes, sir!” she cried out, desperate for him to stop. If he continued to punish her anymore, she feared her bottom would fall off. Kade let go of her arms and helped her into a sitting position on his lap. Gently, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs, grasped her chin, and quietly stared into her eyes.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Good girl,” he said, and a strange sense of pride burned through her. It was then she noticed the throb developing between her legs, and the wetness that was beginning to slick across her pussy lips. She swallowed hard at this realization, embarrassed at her body’s betrayal. Her bottom still incredibly sore, she wondered how she could possibly be turned on by a spanking that hurt that much.
Cautiously, she allowed her hands to move toward his chest, where her fingertips met the cool white material of his coat. Feeling the muscles of his upper body and shoulders through the fabric of his clothes, her breath hitched and her body began to burn hotter with desire for him. There was something about sitting in his lap, him completely clothed and her totally naked with a burning bottom, that left her blushing with shame, yet wanting more.
She felt her state of arousal grow to new heights, and tried to cinch her legs together so that the evidence would be hidden from him. Unfortunately, as soon as she shifted her legs, his eyes dropped to her lower body. His hand moved to trace up the length of her skin to the cleft between her legs. When she refused to open them for him, he lightly smacked the top of her thigh.
“Open your legs,” he commanded, his tone gentle, yet unyielding. Morgana sighed with embarrassment as she forced herself to comply, not wanting another dose of his over the knee treatment. She knew what he was about to find, and whined when his fingers discovered just how wet she was.
“Morgana,” he said, surprise clear in his voice. “It seems you have enjoyed your spanking a little bit, hmmmm?”
She felt a wicked blush creep over her cheeks, shamed at her body’s unrestrained response. Hiding her face in his shoulder, she gasped as he began to spread her juices all over her aching pleasure bud.
Her hips began to move to meet the roll of his fingertips, and she moaned into his shirt. It didn’t take long for her to begin writhing and panting at his firm touch, his dominating presence taking over her senses in the most delicious way.
Shuddering with pleasure, she rode his fingers until her orgasm flared through her system, racing through her with such fiery passion and intensity that it surprised even her. Collapsing against him, she moaned as powerful aftershocks surged deep in her muscles and throughout her body. Kade held her close as she worked through the sensations that continually assaulted her.
It took her long moments to recover.
“I don’t know why I reacted like that,” she finally whispered, confused about the strong feelings that were bouncing around inside her head and all over every inch of her anatomy. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally began to feel normal again, her face flushing at the thought of what she had just done with a man she hardly even knew.
Kade silently observed her, his yellow eyes gentle and warm as she curled into his embrace.
“I’m going to tell you something now, Morgana, and you have to promise me that you are going to remain calm. Can you do that for me?”
Confused, she lifted her head, looking back at him. Slowly she nodded, a soft dread edging in from the recesses of her mind.
“Lord Nero has charged me with your care. He will check in on you now and again, but he has requested that my bloodline be paired with yours so that our children may serve his needs.”
“What!?” she cried out, pushing away from him. “He plans to breed me? You can’t even begin to think I would be alright with this!”
“Morgana, calm down.”
Seething, she climbed off his lap and began to pace in front of him. She couldn’t believe what he had just told her. She was so used to dictating her own life, and this threw her for a loop. Lord Nero didn’t have the right to use her like this. She may be his hostage, but that didn’t mean he could do with her what he wanted.
“Morgana…”
“What!?” she fired back. Immediately, she regretted her outburst as he stood up, his large frame towering over her. Taking a step back, she looked up at him as butterflies tumbled through her belly.
“Don’t make me spank you for a second time today.”
“Sorry, sir,” she murmured softly, unable to break his gaze. Her ire simmered to a low glow, and then burnt out into nothingness. Nervously, she fidgeted and tried to act as confidently as she dared, beginning to feel a little scared that he would take her without her consent.
“Are you going to do it now? Take me here, against my will, on this table?”
“No. You can relax, Morgana. I won’t ever force you. I promise you that. I will take you back to my cabin though, so that you may unwind and rest somewhere more comfortable.”
“Is your cabin like this place?” she asked, her eyes looking around apprehensively.
“No. We’re in one of the many buildings devoted to D’Lormere technology. This is one of the medical facilities in our city.”
Morgana felt her lips form a silent ‘o,’ and she absentmindedly touched her bottom. Blushing, she felt the heat radiating off her punished cheeks, and lifted her eyes to watch Kade’s reaction. He was smiling at her.
“I have a feeling that you are going to have a red bottom very often, until you learn to mind what I say.”
She glared back at him, then turned away so she couldn’t see his look of pride at her juvenile chastisement.
“You’re to wear the human slave attire when we travel to my home. You will wait here as I go and fetch one. Make sure you behave. I have ways of punishing you that will leave you trembling with a red bottom, sore in more ways than one. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she mumbled begrudgingly, hoping to please him with an acquiescent tone. As soon as he walked out that door, she would be looking around the room for something, anything she could use to escape or take down the D’Lormerean Empire. She tried with all her might to keep her face devoid of all emotion, so that she could keep her intentions secret.
“Do I need to restrain you again?” he asked, his eyes assessing her for mischief.
“No, sir. I’ll behave,” she said softly, keeping her eyes on the floor, looking as demure and innocent as she could possibly muster. Hearing the click of the door, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked up, making sure the coast was clear. Quickly, she rushed to the door to check to see if it opened. To her dismay, it was already locked.
Next, she made her way over to the window, in order to take in her surroundings and to learn about Drentine.
She had been told stories about the city of Drentine, the capital of the enemy territory D’Lormere, but she had never seen it in person herself. Rumors foretold of a city that was so technologically advanced, using up stores of dark matter, the planet’s energy source, at a much more rapid place than the rest of the world. Seeing the city now in front of her, she was sure Drentine used much more dark matter in a few hours than the entire kingdom of Legeari did in a month.
King Dante would be appalled at the sight.
She was at the apex of a very tall building, yet others still towered over her. Nightfall had taken place, and she could see the stars and moons overhead. Lights flickered all around her, both inside and outside of all the structures she could see. From what she could make out, the lights weren’t powered by magic, as they looked similar to light bulbs that she had witnessed back on Earth. Small airships flew by fairly regularly, but at an alarmingly high number. The sheer amount of dark matter needed to power this place must be staggering. To keep up with demand, Drentine must be sending out cargo ships every day in order to power everything that required dark matter to function.
She had seen some of the kingdom of D’Lormere a short time ago, when she had traveled to their camp not far outside of Legeari. She had gone in order to rescue Lana from the clutches of Lord Nero, who had captured the poor girl. The surrounding territories had been poverty stricken, so much so that even the Erassans suffered and not just the human population. The difference between the capital and the outside settlements was staggering. The wealthy here had all the luxuries in the world while the poor people who lived outside the city suffered with nothing. Just the thought made Morgana feel a little sick to her stomach.
Sitting back on the table, she watched the comings and goings of the people living in the technology-laden oasis. With ever-increasing dread, she wondered just how Legeari would conquer such a major, technology-driven city. Despair rattled through her body and a tear rolled down her cheek. How was she, a simple human girl now that she had been robbed of her abilities, supposed to deal a crushing blow to the enemy when it seemed that they had every advantage in the world?
A large hand touched her shoulder gently, but she jumped away in shock. Her heart pounding in her chest, she turned to see that Kade had already returned. She hadn’t even heard the door open. Looking down at his arms, she saw the telltale red sheer garment that marked a human slave, which was soon to mark her as one as well.
Looking up at her face, concern crossed over his features. He put the outfit aside on the table and stood in front of her.
“Morgana, is there something wrong?” he asked, wiping her tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, grasping her chin in the process.
“No, sir. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Lying to me is grounds for punishment, Morgana. I don’t take kindly to it.”
“I don’t even know you.”
He pursed his lips in response and turned away. His reaction chilling, she shivered, still afraid of him and what he could do to her. Coldly, he helped her to stand, and dressed her in the sheer red outfit. When he finished, he took something out of his pocket and clipped it around her throat. It was a wide leather collar, with a metal loop at the front. With another clasping sound, she realized he had also attached her to a leash. Rage simmered within her, before she did her best to quell it. If she was smart, she would just have to wait until he dropped his guard, and then maybe she could escape or figure out a way to fatally hurt Lord Nero along the way. But, she had to remember that Kade was one of them, one of the people who threatened her home and her king.