Page 73 of A Tale of Two Dukes

“You’re clearly not. I see how the exhaustion and hunger beats at you. Beats at me. We are no good to her half dead.”

I detest being taken in hand as if I’m a child to be soothed. “We will water the horses and eat our food as we continue to ride. There is not one moment, let alone an hour or two, to spare. Besides, not one bit would touch my lips out of concern for my mate. This is the compromise. You are either with me or not.”

He heaves a sigh and shakes his head. “I am with you.”

CHAPTER 31

Catherine

Mr. Beaumont stands at the door, staring at me. He leaves only to return like a wraith intent on driving me mad. I don’t know what his game is, but each time he steps into view, my panic surges. It doesn’t matter that William purrs each time he feels my distress.

Whatever he has planned, I wish he’d either confide in me or get it over with. This constant war with myself is taxing, exhausting, and downright distressing. There were a few violent outbursts when I tried to ascertain our location, but now he’s quiet.

Too quiet.

There’s an odd quality about him as he watches me, his gaze roving over my body as if he owns it. I cannot figure out his mind, and this newest action, or lack thereof, has me on edge. His steps are heavy, threatening even as he strides toward me.

“Such a pretty little doll,” he murmurs, unbuttoning his breeches.

Fear slams into me, stuttering my breath. Does he mean to force himself on me?

As if he can hear my thoughts, he chuckles. “Such a silly little harlot. Though you’ve spread your legs for the Alpha who bought you, I’m far more respectable. I don’t plan to fuck your lithe body until you’re my wife.”

Wife? The word rolls about in my mind, eliciting a snarl from William. How I longed to be my mate’s wife, and now I’m set to be chained to someone I despise, someone so cruel. The enormity of my plight eats at me, reminding me how unfair and brutal life is to women.

Tears gather in my eyes as the monster continues to approach me. At least that’s one small consolation. He won’t rape me. Not right now, at least. It doesn’t give me any sort of comfort, however, as his member juts out in front, his blasted seed pearling at the tip. If he’s not planning to use my body, why is he disrobing?

“I’ve struggled all night with what to do with you. Now that I have you, I’m torn. I want nothing more than to dive in between your thighs, feeling that magical cunt of yours constrict about me. That is, unless the new Duke of Birchleigh has stretched you out, rendering you unusable.”

“Please,” I murmur, my fingers digging into the thin blanket covering the bed. “I request you wait until our nuptials to find out.” My vision wavers as fear assails me.

I need to remain calm. I need to cajole him, to keep him softer toward me. Any show of strength will surely cause him to lash out.

Deep inside, I feel William through the bond. He’s enraged, furious, but despite that, he’s a solid rock for me to curl into. I want nothing more than to leave where I’m at and disappear inside the bond where I cannot see, hear, or feel what this madman has planned for my person.

But to do that would leave me weak, vulnerable. I can’t allow myself to fracture, to splinter off where my mind would be at ease but my body tormented. And so, I shore up my defenses, facing the devil head on.

“You would rather that, wouldn't you?” He looks down on me with a smile, almost indulgent, as if it’s he and I in a relationship and not some figment of his imagination. “I cannot deny the pull I have to you. What is it that drives me mad?” Tipping his nose in the air, he drags in my scent, leaving me feeling dirty, used somehow. But then he frowns and glares at me. “You cannot even try to be aroused? Must you surround yourself with this air of fear and despair?”

He truly is mad. He’s kidnapped me, threatened me, and will force me to marry him, and yet thinks I’m the one to blame for my condition? I draw my knees up, attempting to make myself small in the wake of his bulk.

But that only seems to anger him more. Snaking out his hand, he grabs my ankle and drags it toward him, stretching me out. A cry hovers on my lips, but he slams his free palm across my mouth, stifling the sound.

My mind is the only place I can allow the unholy sound to be free. Terror and sorrow flutter about in my skull, beating at my insides until I feel ill. Despite his best efforts, even William cannot calm the maelstrom whirling inside me.

“You're my whore now,” Mr. Beaumont snarls next to my ear, his spittle dampening my skin. “You will make yourself want me, or by God, I’ll fuck you dry. I have no problem letting your blood lubricate my cock.”

I turn slightly, staring into his eyes. What can I do in the face of such evil? Bile rises in my throat as he moves against me, grinding his member against my hip. My fear fuels him, drives him as he grunts against me.

“Elijah,” he barks out, his hand granting me no quarter, no room to scream. Soon, the other man opens the door, standing at attention as he awaits further orders. “Grab me something to stifle her, will you? One scream was bad enough. Any more, and they’ll send someone to investigate.”

Grabbing a clean cravat from one of the bags, he hands it to Mr. Beaumont and grins down at me, his breeches also tenting at the hellacious display. With unforgiving fingers, my personal demon grips my face and leans in close. “Let lose any sound and I’ll flay you alive. You don’t need all your skin for me to get my pleasure.”

Shock stills me as I lay there, whimpers clawing at my throat. But I don’t dare let them loose. Closing my eyes, I escape to the bond, unable to do this on my own. William waits for me there. His purr washes over me, soothing me, lulling me into a false comfort.

Deep inside, a pang begins to grow. I felt it in my gut the moment I came to consciousness. The longer I’m away from my mate, the worse it feels. William can only do so much, in the wake of his love, I can almost ignore it.

But in light of everything else, it’s yet one more layer to my distress. I need William like I need air. This separation eats at me, clawing at me, destroying me from the inside out.