“No! This morning she had been half-asleep, affected by her dream and warm in his tent. None of that was true now, and without his body covering hers, the cold came back with a vengeance. “II dont want to do this.
He came back up her body until he was covering her and looked down at her. “Whats wrong, kitten? Dont cry.
“Im n-not. She wiped away the tear on her cheek.
“Allegra. He sounded bewildered. “What do I have to do to make you believe I wont hurt you?
“Let me go.
“I cant do that. Awkwardly he said, “I am becomingfond of you.
“You hardly know me.
For a long moment he looked at her. Then he said, “Suppose I were to agree you will no longer be my pleasure girl. Would you consent to love me then? No fighting or crying?
She was so startled, she almost said, You would really let me go? Then she felt like a fool. Of course he wouldnt. “Dont play with me. If we have to do this, just get it over with.
“Get it over with? Thats terrible.
She had no argument there.
“I want you to enjoy yourself. He brushed his lips over hers. “Tell me. Would you consent if it meant you would no longer have to be my pleasure girl?
“Does that mean you would let me go?
He exhaled. “If you mean would I help you to leave me, then no. I wouldnt. But I would give you legal documents that made it clear you were no longer a pleasure girl.
She clenched the blanket under them. “Why do you say pleasure girl? Do you think calling me that instead of slave makes it all right? Because it doesnt.
“Im not lying. I mean what I say. Pleasure girl, slave, whatever you want to call it.
“Im not even sure what youre saying. Youre offering to free me, is that it? But you wont help me leave this camp.
“Yes.
So she would still be trapped with him. They were deep in an arid, barren desert where she wouldnt last a day without supplies. Only the legalities of her situation would change. Butif she found a way to escape, he would have no claim on her. In fact, it would dilute his control so much, she didnt believe he would do it. She wanted to hit him for offering her hope when they both knew he would never willingly allow her to leave.
“I dont believe you would let me go, she said.
He moved his hands up her sides and grazed his roughened thumbs over her breasts. “I want to have you of your own free will. Its worth a lot to me, even as much as I paid for you. If freeing you is what it takes to win your consent, Ill do it.
“Youre just saying that.
“I keep my word. His voice cooled. “If you think otherwise, you know nothing about me.
Well, she didnt. If she had learned anything, though, it was this: he had far more depth than she had believed in that excruciating moment when she had first seen him. The brutal killer she expected had never appeared; instead she faced a complex man who had a great deal of good in him, even greatness. She felt out of her league with Markus, faced with a powerful leader in a culture so at odds with her own, she could barely deal with it, let alone judge the nuances of his attitudes.
She spoke carefully. “If you have documents that say you own me, will you have new ones drawn up saying youve freed me?
He didnt hesitate. “Yes.
“When?
“As soon as we go back to camp, Markus said. “When we reach the base, Ill ask the atajazid to approve them.
“What if he says no?
Markus scowled at her. “Hes nine years old. Hes not going to tell me what I can do in my personal life.
“Are you sure?
“No, he admitted. “But it would be as out of character for him as it would have been for me to tell my father such things when I was nine.
She wasnt so certain Markus wouldnt have tried. Whether his father would have listened was another story, but the point was moot. As a child he couldnt have controlled his fathers actions. The same wasnt true with the child king. The atajazid had the power to refuse him. Maybe Markus wanted that to happen.
What else could go wrong? “Would you forget to tell anyone I was no longer your slave?
“Ill tell whoever you ask me to. My guards. My officers. Even Yargazon, if you want.
That felt like a punch in the stomach. “Would that mean Yargazon could take me as his slave girl?
“No! Anger snapped in his voice. “I would never let that sadist touch you. Neither him nor any other man here. Ever.
His vehemence surprised her. He and Yargazon obviously worked well together. His father and the General had shared women, which implied his father had accepted Yargazons cruelty, even participated. And Markus had loved his father. She hadnt expected him to condemn Yargazons private life. She also had the impression that after that one time, when Markus fathered his son, he had never again joined the General in taking a woman. In fact, she thought Markus was a far kinder man inside than he let show. What that said about this “bargain, she didnt know. He had made it nearly impossible for her to leave. With what he knew about Jazidian women, he might assume she would stay with him rather than venture into the desert alone. If he believed that, though, he knew nothing about her.
If she agreed to lie with him in return for his rewriting the documents, it was still coercion. But she could think of worse prices to pay for her freedom than to let this sensual man do what he wanted if he was telling the truth.
“If youre making this up, Allegra said, “Ill fight you every day for the rest of my life.
“Im not lying. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Say yes.
“If you undress.
He lifted his head. “What?
“Take off your clothes.
“No! Why would I do that?
“Are you afraid? she asked, genuinely curious.
“Of course not.
“Is it about control? You feel vulnerable when you take them off. She certainly understood that reaction.
“Im never vulnerable. He paused for several moments. “Its too cold.
She knew it was a false excuse. “But its all right for me to freeze? Im supposed to believe that someone who cant see the hypocrisy in that will keep his word to me?
“Hell and damnation, Markus growled. “If I take off my blasted clothes, will you consent?
“Yes. I will.
“All right. He sounded surprised. “But give me a kiss first. He laughed softly. “To build my courage up.
Allegra smiled. “All right. The thought of him needing courage to take off his clothes had its own charm.
He nibbled at her lips. His body pressed on her, and rocks poked her back. After a moment, though, his hands went still. He raised his head, and his eyes caught glints from the starlight. He exhaled, stirring the disarrayed curls on his forehead.
“I cant do this, he said.
Her heartbeat lurched. Did he mean undressingor freeing her? “Cant do what?
“Lie with you under these conditions.
“You promised!
Markus sat back with his knees on either side of her hips. “Its wrong for me to do it this way.
When she started to shiver, he slid to the wall and held out his hand. Shaking, she went to him. He put her between his legs and wrapped her in both his jerkin and the blanket. Curving into his body, she folded her arms inside the warmth of his embrace.
“Does this mean you wont let me go? she asked.
“I never said I would let you go.
“Right, she said bitterly. At least he hadnt forced her to go through with the charade. It was especially hard because he had chosen to do the right thing and tell her the truth. She didnt want to see good in him, not when he had stolen her life.
“I meant what I said about the bargain, he told her. “I still do.
Allegra froze. She must have heard wrong. “You would let me leave even now? And tell your guards not to stop me?
“You shouldnt walk around alone, he said gruffly. “It isnt safe in an army, especially when youre one of the only women. Then he added, “But Ill tell my guards about your change in status.
That didnt sound quite right. “You mean that you no longer own me. But I have your protection.