He pulled her body against his. “Here’s what we will do, Aerhril. You will tell my father that you will not marry anyone but me, that you will not cooperate with any of his schemes to use you to seduce other men, that I am your choice. And in return, I will not tell anyone that you have been ruined by a servant, and I will marry you and make you a stewardess.”
She did not answer him.
At that point, some part of her thought that Dathor would come back. Soon, she thought, very soon, and that would change things, she thought, and she did not have to agree to anything that Celedin was saying, because Dathor would come back soon.
“And you will be mine,” he said. “There will be no escaping to some other man, because I will tell them that I have taken all manner of liberties with you. I’m going to take liberties now, in fact.”
“Celedin,” she managed. “Please—”
“Undo my trousers and take me out,” said Celedin.
She shook her head. “Take what out?”
“Don’t be coy.” His smile was vicious. “Do I have to hit you again?” And before she could answer, he did, slapping her other cheek.
The pain tingled in her jaw and she felt wide awake and her heart was pounding and she did not wish to be hit again.
So, she reached out and began to unbutton his trousers.Her hands were shaking.
His cock was long and pale and curved. He panted into her eyebrow. “You know what to do with it, I’m sure of that, little pale thing. Use both of your hands, that’s right.”
While it was happening, she felt sort of disconnected, as if she was only connected to her body by a little string, as if she was floating outside of herself, just watching. It did not take him very long.
“There,” he said, holding up her palms and looking down at his sticky leavings there. “Now, if any man wants you, I will tell him that you have pleasured me and I have spilled my seed on your pale, pale skin, and that you belong to me.”
She shook.
He took her by the chin. “Say it, Aerhril. Say who you belong to.”
She only shook.
“Do I have to hit you a third time?” There was an eagerness there. He wanted to hit her.
“I belong to you, Celedin,” she sputtered. “I am yours. I am Celedin’s.”
“Very good,” he said. He kissed her.
She did not respond.
He ran his hands all over her through her clothes.
She shuddered.
He put his cock away.
She wanted to wipe his semen off of her hands, but she had to wait until after he left the room.
Even then, she thought,Dathor will come back and when he finds out about this, he will destroy Celedin.
But Dathor did not come back.
26
NOW, AERHRIL AWOKEin the night to the sound of her bedchamber door opening. She stirred, trying to stir herself to wakefulness, and then there was a shadow falling over her, and she knew it was him, even before she was able to open her eyes and focus on his features.
She smiled up at him, yawning.
He sat down on the bed next to her. “I had already thought it, you know? That we must have an alliance between the orcs and the Valaedor. But you have the right of it, the wrinkle I was not seeing, which is to go directly to the revolutionaries. We will go tomorrow to see Elrion. You will convince him that we are going to build a brave new world together and that he must help us.”
