Read Online Mercenary's Reward by Stephanie Snow - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Snow
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strong impulse to convince him to leave her alone. In the tumult of today and yesterday, some internal balance had been forever shifted, and Mieli was afraid. It was an emotion she realized she had never truly experienced before. She had been bored and frustrated in Kyre's camp, restless and eager to leave what she perceived to be a group of fools.
Now she could see that they had been afraid too. Those young boys had learned to fear physical violence, a lesson she had managed to miss in the hospital tent. She finally understood exactly what she should be afraid of. Jai had so far treated her with sufficient restraint that she was sure he didn't intend to hurt her. Kyre had become a different person when she crossed him. So could Jai.
SOMETHING WAS AMISS. Jai could see it in the sad slant of her head and the guarded expression in her eyes. She was not happy to see him, nor did she appear to be ready to submit to him. Whatever had occurred between her and the man he'd killed had changed her attitude. Anger flared to life within him. It did not matter. She was his, and she would relearn that lesson if need be.
He took the pack from around his neck and tossed it to the ground. More carefully he set the fur-wrapped meat next to it. Two long strides brought him close enough to touch her. Her body was rigid; he could feel it across the small space that separated them. The tilt of her little chin was defiant but also scared. It was obvious she was struggling with something, perhaps even planning a struggle with him.
"Mieli.” The use of her name clearly startled her, and she regarded him through wide, nervous eyes. “You can't possibly understand this, but I think you'll get the gist.” Jai reached out with both hands and gripped her upper arms to draw her closer. “I own you, Mieli. Your life belongs to me. You will do as I bid, and I will treat you like what you are to me—a gift.” He released one arm to cup her pale face in his palm. “A gift that will please me or risk being discarded."
MIELI KNEW RESISTANCE wouldn't be easy, but when he pulled her close, she was rendered a coward. His words meant nothing to her, but the purpose behind them shone through. Jai sounded both proud and tender when he said her name, and there was a warning in his words. The firm grip on her arm and the hard palm on her face were a statement of their own. He handled her carefully but with no hesitation, only certainty and possession. As if he didn't intend to let her go.
When he stopped speaking, there was a tense silence. Mieli glanced around wildly. There was nowhere to run, and no weapon that would prove effective against one such as he. With the moment of truth at hand, she had no desire to be at the mercy of his anger. Her new goal in life was to never be subjected to his wrath or anyone else's for that matter.
She looked up at Jai, but he was not watching her. Something had caught his attention, and she twisted around to look. In the woods about ten meters away, a big sarkla was lumbering along. The sarkla were native to these woods but rarely seen. They were three times the size of a man and weighed nearly five times as much. Long, carnivorous teeth and curved claws were a testament to their hungry ferocity. This one would not be a problem; he was headed away from them, and his most recent kill was still tightly clamped in its jaws.
Mieli could see that it was a large meento, the same animal Jai had returned with. It was only after a moment that she realized it was still alive. Trapped in the unforgiving vise of the sarkla's teeth, it made terrible bleating sounds that could just barely be heard across the widening distance.
Finally the beast was beyond sight among the trees, and Mieli uneasily turned her head to face her captor. She met his eyes and saw an expression there that solidified her worst fears. He understood the sarkla. To him, there had been nothing disturbing in that tableau. Only she had felt anguish for the much
Now she could see that they had been afraid too. Those young boys had learned to fear physical violence, a lesson she had managed to miss in the hospital tent. She finally understood exactly what she should be afraid of. Jai had so far treated her with sufficient restraint that she was sure he didn't intend to hurt her. Kyre had become a different person when she crossed him. So could Jai.
SOMETHING WAS AMISS. Jai could see it in the sad slant of her head and the guarded expression in her eyes. She was not happy to see him, nor did she appear to be ready to submit to him. Whatever had occurred between her and the man he'd killed had changed her attitude. Anger flared to life within him. It did not matter. She was his, and she would relearn that lesson if need be.
He took the pack from around his neck and tossed it to the ground. More carefully he set the fur-wrapped meat next to it. Two long strides brought him close enough to touch her. Her body was rigid; he could feel it across the small space that separated them. The tilt of her little chin was defiant but also scared. It was obvious she was struggling with something, perhaps even planning a struggle with him.
"Mieli.” The use of her name clearly startled her, and she regarded him through wide, nervous eyes. “You can't possibly understand this, but I think you'll get the gist.” Jai reached out with both hands and gripped her upper arms to draw her closer. “I own you, Mieli. Your life belongs to me. You will do as I bid, and I will treat you like what you are to me—a gift.” He released one arm to cup her pale face in his palm. “A gift that will please me or risk being discarded."
MIELI KNEW RESISTANCE wouldn't be easy, but when he pulled her close, she was rendered a coward. His words meant nothing to her, but the purpose behind them shone through. Jai sounded both proud and tender when he said her name, and there was a warning in his words. The firm grip on her arm and the hard palm on her face were a statement of their own. He handled her carefully but with no hesitation, only certainty and possession. As if he didn't intend to let her go.
When he stopped speaking, there was a tense silence. Mieli glanced around wildly. There was nowhere to run, and no weapon that would prove effective against one such as he. With the moment of truth at hand, she had no desire to be at the mercy of his anger. Her new goal in life was to never be subjected to his wrath or anyone else's for that matter.
She looked up at Jai, but he was not watching her. Something had caught his attention, and she twisted around to look. In the woods about ten meters away, a big sarkla was lumbering along. The sarkla were native to these woods but rarely seen. They were three times the size of a man and weighed nearly five times as much. Long, carnivorous teeth and curved claws were a testament to their hungry ferocity. This one would not be a problem; he was headed away from them, and his most recent kill was still tightly clamped in its jaws.
Mieli could see that it was a large meento, the same animal Jai had returned with. It was only after a moment that she realized it was still alive. Trapped in the unforgiving vise of the sarkla's teeth, it made terrible bleating sounds that could just barely be heard across the widening distance.
Finally the beast was beyond sight among the trees, and Mieli uneasily turned her head to face her captor. She met his eyes and saw an expression there that solidified her worst fears. He understood the sarkla. To him, there had been nothing disturbing in that tableau. Only she had felt anguish for the much
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