Conquering Lazar Read Online Free Page A

cleared her throat and unfurled one of her shapely legs from beneath her, savoring the cool kiss of the room's tile on her skin. She thought of how much she missed the warmth of the ornate rugs she sat on at the palace as she spoke. "Are we safe? Will Jaden come and attack Casen like they did Lazar?"
    She watched Malachi's face contort with the pain of telling a hard truth. He finally looked away from her and took in the expressions of the other women.
    Donte extended his hand to Briar, who immediately sat next to him. Taking her small hand and squeezing it, he inhaled deeply before answering Elbi's question. "You will all be guarded thoroughly. My brothers and I will not let any harm come to any of you again. We have soldiers to guard you around the clock. All of you. They are among our best, and are the strongest men we could find. They will let no harm come to you," he said.
    "And what if we are taken anyway? What if by some strange fate one or all of us is left unattended and we are stolen? It will mean certain death, you know this!" Elbi did not mean to be insolent but it was her fear that spoke through her.
    "That is what I wanted to tell you all. For the next few weeks, we will dedicate as much time as possible to teaching you how to defend yourselves. You will learn how to fight," Malachi declared, clearly hating the words himself.
    Briar gasped and snatched her hand from Donte's grip. "You want us all to fight? To kill ?" Her voice was high pitched and shrill, like that of a terrified girl.
    Elbi watched as Donte looked at Briar, his eyes pleading that she, that all of them, understand. "Only if you must. I cannot bear the thought of you being at the whim of a Jaden soldier." His eyes now scanned the faces of all of the women and finally came to rest back upon Briar.
    "Do you know when Jaden will be here?" she asked. The other women watched them speak, their eyes flitting from Donte to Malachi and back. Briar had earned their respect and though she was typically quite timid in her speech, especially to Donte, she spoke now with a fervor and a fear they all felt.
    "We sent men to spy at the dunes and see if they were close. As of last night's moon, they could not be found. Our other brothers are skimming the desert, looking for them. We believe that they are still a few weeks away. Even on the fastest horse, the journey here is long. And we are hidden well," Malachi answered.
    "What about the training of the harem?" Mistress Tula piped up. "If they are busy learning to fight, when shall we have time to train them in their duties? If we teach them dominance, how are we to teach them submission at the same time?"
    The women began to whisper all around, and Malachi and Donte did nothing to silence their mild clucking. It was Malachi who finally answered the tough question.
    "The harem must change. Survival is what we must focus on. The best way we can protect all of you is by teaching you how to protect yourself."
    "If something were to happen to us, we do not want to leave you all helpless," Donte added.
    "We assure you, we will do everything we can within our power to restore the harem as it once was. But for now, we ask you to respect us. Not as the brothers who rule the Palace of Lazar, but as the commanders of this new army," Malachi said, with a renewed sense of authority.
    Despite the fact she was uncomfortable with the idea of learning how to fight, after years of learning the art of submission and seduction, she saw Malachi and Donte hurting with all the upheaval, and her heart opened to them. "You will always have our respect. And if you say to us now that you believe this will protect us, then that is what we will do. Of course," Elbi said, her voice barely above a whisper.
    Briar leaned forward and rose to her feet, gracefully. She brushed some of the dust from her silk robes. "The training begins tomorrow morning?" she asked.
    The other women began to rise, following her lead.
    Without hesitation, Malachi