His eyes shot open as he realized this was what she meant. She must have thought he was going to force her into it. Almost certainly because some other dungeon lord — maybe even Lord Havron — already had.
Rage pooled in Keaton’s body. He was filled with the sudden desire to go fish Lord Havron’s worthless soul out of the underworld and restore it to a physical form just so he could kill the man again. He’d take his time with it this time, now that he knew the extent of the dungeon lord’s crimes. Then he’d find every other slimy excuse for a man who’d ever laid a hand on her and—
“I-I’m sorry, Lord Keaton. I’m sorry for not telling you. Please—”
He looked over to find Adriana on her knees, her hands clasped together as she begged him. Then he realized just what had her in such a state: That damn gauntlet was glowing again, emitting more energy this time. It swirled around his arm in clinging black and purple wisps, making the entire arm radiate heat.
“No, Adriana, I’m not angry with you. I’m sorry, I just…" He didn’t know what else to do to make himself seem like less of a threat. So there, in the middle of a crowd that might see it as weakness, he dropped down to his knees, his gauntlet at his side. "I was just remembering how scared you were when we first met. Was… was this why?”
Her lower lip wobbled, but eventually she nodded. "It was part of my fear, yes.”
He reached out to rest his hands on her arms, then stopped himself, looking to her. Adriana nodded, and he allowed himself to touch her. He forced himself to ignore that spark, looking into her eyes with utter sincerity.
While having an erection which was… an experience, but he did his best.
“Listen to me, okay? I promise you I will never force you into anything. If you want to be my lieutenant and we can find another way, we’ll do it. I won’t rest until we’re able to find some way that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Lord Keaton, I—”
“And if you don’t want to be a lieutenant, that’s fine too! You’re always going to have a place here, Adriana. You’re my right-hand woman, from now until… well until you don’t want the position anymore, I guess.”
Or until he died, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to bring that up right now. She was fragile enough as it was.
“What if I do not wish to be a lieutenant, but someday still wish to…” She snapped her mouth shut, a soft squeak escaping her. Her wide, golden eyes were even wider, and somehow that blush grew darker still. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… I’m—”
She was shaking beneath his hands and Keaton rubbed her arms gently. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I didn’t even hear it. Have no idea what you might mean.”
Only he did. Some part of him actually celebrated the fact that she didn’t find him repulsive. That she might be thinking about him the way he’d thought about her last night.
Calm down. Nothing’s going to come of it. She’s too scared, and she probably doesn’t even know what she’s saying right now.
He really did need to just purge it from his mind. Pretend she’d never said those words at all. That would make things much easier on them both. In fact, Keaton decided to adopt that strategy right away and offered her a friendly smile.
“Are we okay? You believe me, right? That I’d never try to force you into anything?”
She nodded, her eyes finally meeting his again. “Yes, I believe you. I… do not know why you would go to such lengths, or why you are so different from every other dungeon lord I have met, but… thank you, my lord.”
Please call me Keaton.
He silently implored her, not willing to say it out loud right now. Maybe not ever, since she seemed comfortable calling him lord. It wasn’t the worst feeling in the world, not by a long shot. But part of him just wanted to hear his name coming from her lips, without any of the titles or expected reverence of his position. How would she speak to him then, if he was just Keaton…?
A dumb thought to have, he knew, because he wasn’t just Keaton anymore. And she probably wouldn’t have spoken to him at all, since he’d been a human and humans made a habit of killing monsters of all kinds. Killing or subjugating them, which was even worse.
Besides, he had more immediate things to deal with. Something Cassia kindly reminded him of.
“Time is nearly up, dungeon lord,” she bellowed from across the small island. “What is your choice?”
“We need them, right?” he asked in a whisper.
“They would be a valuable asset to The Labyrinth,” she agreed. “Cassia especially. She is an excellent fighter and will complement the dungeon well.”
“And… you’re okay with it? With what I have to do?”
She blinked owlishly at him. “Why would I not be? It is your duty as a dungeon lord, and her duty as your lieutenant.”
Duty. Of course. That was all it was, and it wasn’t like he and Adriana were a thing. Why should he feel guilty about it, when she wasn’t even acknowledging the possibility that he should? It genuinely didn’t seem to even cross her mind in the first place. He was a dungeon lord, and the easiest way for him to bring lieutenants into his dungeon was to bed them. That was just a fact of life, even if he planned to deviate from it should Adriana ever want the position.
Why should he feel guilty or ashamed? It was just sex, after all. There were no feelings involved anywhere in this equation.
Keaton nodded, moving his hands up to Adriana’s shoulders and giving them a squeeze before he let go. He turned to face Cassia then, finding her still as naked as the day she was born, surrounded by a sea of beautiful women — though none even came close to rivaling her.
Not like this is going to be a chore. She’ll probably be as wild in the sack as she was out here… And she’s a damn good fighter.
“Very well, Cassia. I will accept you and your tribe into my dungeon, The Labyrinth. On one condition.”
She canted her head to the side, one fine brow arching. “And that is?”
“Ah, I’d… prefer to undergo the… ritual in private. If that’s all right.”
For a long moment, no one said anything. No one even made so much as a twitch of movement. Then Cassia threw her head back and laughed, the sound bold and resonant.
“A dungeon lord who is shy! I wouldn’t have guessed, from the display you gave earlier,” she said with a smirk, approaching him anew.
This time Keaton managed to keep his attention on her face and nothing else. “Though I suppose you cannot control your body’s reaction, hm? When the blood is pumping, we have no choice.” She laughed again, softer this time. “Very well, Lord Keaton. I accept your terms.”
18
He brought all of the Emvola inside, welcoming them to the dungeon with Adriana’s help. Each of them needed to attune to the crystal — after Cassia did so — before they were accepted by the dungeon itself.
After that, Keaton ordered his current minions to carve out a barracks — on Cassia’s suggestion — that could house all of the Emvola.
“Once we are done, I’ll assist in making sure the space has everything my warriors need,” she told him. “Though that may be hours from now, if you are as good at fucking as you are at fighting.”
The last she murmured for his ears alone, standing so close to him he could smell the scent of the forest on her. She’d put her clothes back on to venture into the dungeon, but that didn’t seem to matter to Keaton’s mind. He was already imagining every lewd act he could think of.