SurrendersMischief Read Online Free

she hadn’t shown the least sign of
violence. Just to be sure, though, he’d have servants look in on them
frequently. At least at first. It wouldn’t take long for her to settle.
Especially with Gaith’s woman guiding her. If anyone could tame the woman’s
rough edges, it was gentle Bryta.
    * * * * *
    The wad of silk smacked the man across the face when he
walked into the bedchamber that evening. Riana refused to feel guilt when, the
sorry excuse for a tunic in one hand, he touched the other to the corner of his
eye where that ridiculous gilt tassel adorning the high collar had caught him a
stinging blow. She lifted her chin and stood her ground when he advanced, one
slow step at a time.
    He wrapped a large paw around her neck, tipping her chin up
with his thumb. The antique gold of his eyes glittered.
    Anger?
    The son of a bitch should be afraid to close his eyes. Make
a slave of her, would he?
    “Was last night’s lesson not enough? Are you so eager for
another?”
    Despite her fury, a chill went through her at the soft
tones. She’d heard warmer sounds from the growls of a sabre-cat poised for
attack. Too bad her captor wasn’t on that primitive ice world so the two
predators could battle for supremacy. Though she had the uneasy suspicion that
the sabre-cat wouldn’t stand a chance. Fear, the same fear she’d been combating
since she awoke to his midnight voice, clogged her throat, making breathing
difficult. She fought back the same way she always did, the deeply ingrained
response too powerful to ignore.
    She went on the offensive.
    She took one step closer, until only a breath separated
them. This close, she was aware of his scent, of the strength in his long, lean
form. “What kind of world is this? You treat women as second-class citizens.
No, wait. Third class. Heck it’s worse than that. Women are non-people here.”
Surprise flitted through the antique-gold gaze. Riana pounced on it. “Oh yes,
Bryta explained a few things to me. The poor thing seemed to think it natural.”
She lowered her voice to keep it from shaking as outrage rushed in anew. It
sickened her to know that sweet, gentle Bryta was subject to the restrictions
and punishments she’d so matter-of-factly detailed. Like the punishment Riana had undergone last night. “What kind of man are you?”
    The fine lines at the corners of his eyes tightened and the
skin across the high cheekbones drew tight. “One whose patience is fast
evaporating.”
    “Hah! Patience, my ass. What need have you of patience when
you’re a man, and men make the rules on this benighted planet? The attitude
toward women is cruel, degrading and downright inhumane.” Something in his face
stopped her tirade. Oh shit. When would she ever learn to watch her mouth?
Self-preservation belatedly sinking in, Riana turned to run, or at least to put
some space between her and the man whose very stillness screamed danger.
    She wasn’t fast enough.
    One large hand clamped around her wrist like a manacle. His
voice, when he spoke, came from the deepest, darkest regions of space. A place
so cold, it’d singe a person’s flesh like the heart of a sun.
    “You want to know cruel, degrading and inhumane? I’ll show
you.” He dragged Riana to the door, her heels digging in all the way.
    “Look, can’t we talk about this? Maybe I spoke a little
hastily.” She was a merchant, for Zethra’s sake. Where the hell was her smooth
tongue when she needed it? But Riana had the sinking feeling that no amount of
fast- or smooth-talking would get her out of this spot. She’d pissed in her
chili this time. What the hell was chili anyway? And why the heck was she even
concerned with her granddaddy’s sayings and what they meant at a time like
this, she wondered with a touch of true hysteria. Zethra, she had to get hold
of herself.
    Focus, Riana, focus. There had to be a way out, there
always was. The thought of several past close calls had a steadying effect on
her nerves. Okay, she