CaptiveoftheStars Read Online Free Page B

marks?"
    He pointed to the portrait where Nasha was depicted kneeling in a backless, gauzy gown with her marks exposed.
    A slow flick of Nasha's eyes and Mithwai offered in her timid tones, "Her avatar mark and the mark of the house of Fano."
    Shock rippled through him. "On the bottom of a foot?"
    "Yes, my lord. Ithena marked her with the one and her father with the other." Orial curtsied as she spoke.
    "One more question, ladies. Why did your lady refuse me when I arrived?"
    Nasha deliberately didn't look at him. She felt the pained confusion in his tone.
    Tish looked at him with pity. "You should have courted her. With her father dead, the agreement you had with him was dissolved by our customs. The law was designed for this kind of thing, so that men could not make arrangements under duress. She might have greeted you more favourably if she had known what the hell was going on."
    He jerked his head and nodded. His body vibrated with tension. "Before I go, ladies, show me the soles of your feet."
    Her ladies knelt facing the wall and removed their slippers. Each sole was perfectly smooth and unblemished.
    He sighed and his shoulders drooped in disappointment. "What is her name?"
    Tish was the easiest to sway by the sight of masculine vulnerability. "Nasha Elorha Fano. Chosen of Ithena."
    A cunning grin spread over his features and he looked down at Nasha. "Lady Nasha, I am pleased to offer you the hospitality of my home."
    With her mouth tight, she inclined her head. "What was the final clue?"
    "You never wear shoes. Even in the portraits, you don't wear shoes. Out of all the bodies on the battlefield, you were the only one found without footwear."
    "And I ran through the forest…"
    "Naked and without shoes. You knew where you were going, which is how we knew how to capture your ladies when they arrived. They would go where you were supposed to be."
    She would have clapped, but her arm was still in his grip. "Well deduced. Can you take the chains off now?"
    "No. I believe that you will be wearing them for some time to come. You will not leave this keep until you are my mate in every way. Eshkar is most insistent."
    "Good for him, Ithena is not interested." The faint presence of the star was far back in her mind.
    He scowled down at her. "It does not matter. She promised him a child centuries ago and you will remain here until you deliver."
    "That will be a while as I have not yet had my first heat. Who knows when I will get pregnant if that little tidbit of chemistry does not occur?"
    Frustration passed his face and he let out a sharp whistle. Tonio came in with a folded pile of fabric.
    "Here you are, my lord. The alterations have been made." Her guard bowed and extended his hands with their burden.
    Kalowell jerked his head for her to pick up the gown.
    She reached out and thanked Tonio for his service as the fabric crackled over her hands.
    Tonio looked up in surprise and then his gaze focussed on his lord's hand on her arm.
    Tish came forward and bowed as she took the gown. "If you will excuse me, my lord, we will attend our lady."
    "You have five minutes. I will remain here." He took a seat on one of the low couches and smiled grimly.
    Her ladies surrounded her and shooed her into the bathing room. The moment that the door closed, she was hugged from all sides.
    Tish was weeping openly, as was Mithwai. Orial and Vavi were made of sterner stuff. Lass didn't even acknowledge that anything was amiss.
    Vavi opened Nasha's work dress and unlaced the shoulders. It slid from her body in a swish of fabric. The new gown was a similar design with a fuller skirt and more ornate clasps as well as open sleeves. The colour was two shades darker than her own skin.
    Tish started on her hair the moment that the gown was on. "My lady, how have you avoided your heat?"
    "A berry cocktail. You know the one. The ingredients are plentiful, so they have been my evening dessert."
    The low laugh that her ladies shared made her smile. She had