Chapter Eleven

Natasha

Sleep weighed heavily on her. Waking took a deep effort. Dream-like images floated across her mind. Ragnar standing before her, bare chested, strong and virile. He eyed her with a hungered look. The feel of his hands sliding over her skin as he whispered filthy things.

Need to kiss you. Everywhere. Need my mouth on your breasts. Prima….

She writhed. Her lids felt heavy, almost impossible to lift, but when she managed to open her eyes, the shock of her new surroundings jolted her awake. She’d expected to find herself on his ship, but she was in a house. She sat bolt upright. A bright fire, burning at the far end of the room, drew her eye. She stifled a scream.

“Fire!” She tried to yell, but only managed a faint whisper.

Her heart raced. She shook off the fog of sleep, searching for something to extinguish the flames before they spread. Scrambling from her bed, she gave a small gasp to find she wore a pale dress. A wispy memory of being tended to by women flitted through her mind. They’d bathed and dressed her as if she were a helpless child.

Their touch reminded her of the Nymphs that tended to the children in the orphanage on Andromeda. Nymphs past their child-bearing years volunteered to tend to the motherless children. Their tender care was much like the Jaegarian women’s. Why she’d been unable to tend to her own needs, she couldn’t say.

The shock of seeing Ragnar in his wolf form had overwhelmed her. Even after she’d fainted and come to, she’d been weak and lethargic. She had no memory of the trip to Jaegar, nor any recall of the time she’d spent on Ragnar’s planet.

How long had she been on Jaegar? Hours? Days?

She ran her hands down her body. The dress, made of a fine, silken weave, clung to her, hugging her breasts and hips.

“Ugh. Disgusting.”

She returned her attention to the fire and it occurred to her that it had been started to warm the room. On Andromeda, they had no such luxuries. There was nothing to burn, and if fuel ran low, homes grew cold.

Her concern about the fire diminished. She walked around the room, taking in the massive proportions. Immense wooden beams spanned the ceiling. The wood had to be from the famed Jaegarian forests. She admired the roughhewn beams, the massive table and furnishings too. A tapestry covering the floor felt warm and luxurious beneath her bare feet.

Ragnar’s dwelling was completely unlike her dormitory on Andromeda. Her home was just like all the other Maidens’ barracks, sparse and uniform. The Maidens prided themselves on their simple living conditions. She couldn’t imagine Ragnar in her unadorned living quarters. He would think them plain. Unimpressive.

Outside the window, she could see nothing but inky darkness. Jaegar was twice the size of Andromeda. Their days and nights lasted twice as long. How long had she been here? Was she a prisoner? She scoffed at her own musings. Of course, she was. Would Ragnar allow her to go from captive to free woman? Hardly.

She tested the handle of the door. It gave easily. The heavy, wooden door swung open to a passageway. Just as she’d made up her mind to slip out of the room and explore, Ragnar appeared, filling the doorway with his immense build, a slow smile curving his lips. He stepped inside the room, forcing her back as he closed the door behind him.

“Going somewhere?”

She lifted her chin, irritation prickling her skin. He spoke to her as if she were his subordinate, just as he had on Doranna. His tone rankled. “Someone started a fire. They’re wasting precious resources.”

He frowned, peered past her and then returned his attention to her. “I started that fire to warm my mate.”

Her heart dropped. She no longer cared about the fire, but worried more about his use of the word “mate.” Did he have a mate somewhere nearby? Clenching her jaw, she forced a look of indifference on her features. “I see. The women on your planet require such gestures from their men?”

“They don’t require it, but I thought my mate would enjoy it.”

She wished, more than anything, that he would stop referring to his mate.

“Naturally. I’m sure she would admire that sort of offering. Many women are simple-minded. Especially if they’re like the Nymphs on Andromeda. Small gestures mean the world to them. Gems. Meaningless flattery. I’m sure your women aren’t much different.” She held up her hands. “Sorry, I should say woman, not women. Right?”

“Everyone likes gifts and tender words.” He took her hand in his.

A shock of awareness ran through her body. “What are you doing?”

“Touching you. Getting to know you.” He lifted her hand to his lips.

Her heart raced, pounding so hard in her chest that her pulse drummed in her ears. He brushed a kiss across the top of her hand. She jerked her hand, trying to free herself from his grasp. When he wouldn’t release her, she yanked harder. Out of sheer instinct, she reached for his shoulder to try and disable him. He was too fast. Before she knew it, he’d spun her around and pinned her to his chest.

“I don’t think so, little one. You don’t want to provoke me.”

“Then stop kissing me.”

He frowned. “I will for now, but after dinner, I might want to kiss you, to show you something you might not suspect. That you, in fact, enjoy my touch.”

She twisted in his arms. When that got her nowhere, she jerked her head back to try and smack him with the back of her head, but she only hit the broad expanse of muscle that spanned his chest.

His laughter rumbled through his chest. He dipped his head to sniff her and his laugh turned to a feral growl. When he nipped her neck, she gritted her teeth with fury, trying desperately to ignore the riot of sensations that assailed her body.

“Come and eat with the rest of my pack. It’s supper. I’m famished. My family is eager to meet you.”

He released her from his embrace but held on to her hand, leading her from the room. She had no choice but to follow. Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls and the arched ceiling that soared above their heads. Guards stood, their weapons holstered, and ammunition strapped across their chests.

She wanted to tell him she didn’t belong on Jaegar. She didn’t want his kisses or his touch, but she was sure he’d see through the last part. The feel of his hand wrapped around hers sent a thrill across her senses. For a moment in time, she could allow him to lead her, and care for her.

Inside the dining hall, a group gathered around an enormous table. Finely dressed ladies and gentlemen, all of them talking and laughing. The only one who appeared to notice her was the man seated at the end of the table. In an instant, Natasha knew the man must be Ragnar’s brother.

He rose and held out his hand. “Natasha, I am pleased to meet you. I am Gunnar. You are as lovely as Ragnar described.” His mouth curved into a smile. “You look nothing like a pirate.”

She smiled weakly and looked to Ragnar for some explanation.

“The Maidens who arrived looking for you called you a pirate,” he said.

Natasha frowned. “This must be a rumor started by Major Sebastian. It’s absurd.”

“The Maidens said something about her not liking you and wanting you dead,” Ragnar said. “It’s hard for me to remember details when I’m in my wolf form, but I’m certain they said you were the pirate.” He shook his head and laughed in disbelief.

Gunnar shrugged. “As if a woman could steal from Jaegar.”

Natasha’s mind spun, unsure what about Gunnar infuriated her more, that she couldn’t possibly be a pirate because she was a woman, or that, because Sebastian thought she was the pirate, that she might actually be the pirate. She was about to respond when Ragnar coaxed her into a chair and offered her a refreshment.

“Your brother is almost as impossible as you,” she murmured as she selected a piece of steaming hot bread.

Ragnar leaned closer. “You’re lucky he doesn’t suspect you’re the person stealing his shipments. He’s been hunting the thief for weeks. When he finds him, Gunnar isn’t going to treat him well.”

“I could take him.” Natasha sipped her wine and eyed the Jaegarian, noting the immense build and arrogant manner. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

“So you’ve said. I wouldn’t let him near you.”

She nudged him with her elbow and smiled. “Even if I was the pirate?”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “Even if you were the pirate. But you’ll never lack for anything again. You will have anything you want, little one.”

His seductive tone unraveled her defenses a little more and she shivered. The noise of the dinner table faded until the only thing she was aware of was Ragnar sitting beside her, leaning toward her with a sexy warmth in his eyes. He might tease her every chance he got, but in that moment, she was certain he would give her anything she wanted. Unless, of course, it was to take her back to Andromeda. He’d made that clear enough. Her safety was paramount, but there was something more, a seductive gleam in his eye that she hadn’t seen before.

“Now I understand why I was drawn to your desolate little planet, Natasha.”

Her chest constricted. She had to force air into her lungs as she tried to find the words. She wanted to forbid him from saying what she knew was coming. “No…”

“You are my mate, Natasha.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I know that. I intend to show you.” His lips curved. “Tonight.”