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worry, little maiden.” He slowly wedged his knee in between her thighs, the skirt riding up her knees. The hands pinning hers to the wall showed no signs of letting go. “Your king is safe tonight.”
    She swallowed. “You haven’t answered my question. What are you doing here? I was supposed to meet King Belair….”
    “No, you’re not.”
    Anger flared. “I have a duty to see to. I don’t know why you’re here, but I have responsibilities!“
    “And so you do.” He shifted his hand so that only one held her wrists, while the other traced its way down the side of her face. “Tonight, little maiden, you have a responsibility toward me.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “King Belair will not be meeting you tonight, Adelai. I am.”
    She stared at him, incredulous. “You?! You paid three million marks for me?”
    He laughed. “If I had three million marks to begin with, I would. I would have spent every last farthing I owned for this night.”
    “Then… why are you… “
    “The king of Atalantea has decided to give you to me for tonight, as… advance payment, for services due.”
    That made even less sense. “You’re the captain of the guard of Sarcopia. King Garrant is your lord. Why would King Belair do such a thing?”
    “You are mistaken, little one. Garrant rules as king to Sarcopia, but he is not my lord.” His mouth was grim. “His father, King Andrucas, was my liege. When he was killed, Garrant took the throne. The kingdom of Sarcopia has been in a perpetual state of war ever since.” He leaned close, and she could smell his scent, spicy and musky all at once. “The king of Atalantea has sought me out, to ensure that his kingdom and yours will not suffer the same atrocities as Highrolfe has suffered. And as compensation, he has given me you for the night.”
    Adelai was stunned, betrayed. King Belair had managed this, and Thornton had known, and so had the High Priestess Saleia. It explained her cryptic words, the look she gave her before she had entered the room.
    And then, fury. “I am pleased to have been shunted from one owner to another like so much a prized sow.” She hissed, struggling to break free from his grip. “I am especially jubilant to find that none of you thought to ask me permission for this endeavor, as it is clear to me I have no say in the matter, and no right to. You may very well wish to betray your own king, Captain , but I will not - “
    “He is not my king, Adelai.” He whispered into her neck, and his hot breath and the timbre of his voice sent shivers up her body despite all her attempts not to tremble. “He is a liar and a thief, a killer and a sadist, and I have every reason to suspect he murdered his own father to assume power. I am a patriot just as much as you are, little maiden, and you will not think me otherwise.” She could feel his smile against her skin. “Would you have agreed to this had you known, my Adelai? Would you have sacrificed your body for my needs if the king or if your High Priestess had asked you to?”
    “No!” She cried out, though part of her knew that to be a lie. “You left me! After you… you kissed me, you left and never returned! I thought you hated me, for being so….”
    “Wanton?” She heard him chuckle. “Hate you for being wanton, sweetling? Quite the opposite. If you had been any more wanton that day at the gardens my cock would have been driving into you soon enough, and your auction tonight would have been for naught.”
    She quivered at his words, at the lust she could hear in his voice. “And if I hadn’t left you that day, and avoided you every day since then, I knew it would be inevitable. Your high priestess agreed.”
    “High Priestess Saleia knew of this?”
    “It was she who suggested I keep my distance from you, in anticipation of tonight. She was against the king’s plan at the start, insisting that we observe you first. To see if you were at least attracted to me before agreeing.” He looked