“We’re done here, anyway. It’s time to take you to the Horde Kingdom, and I’m sure you are in a hurry to settle into your new home as well,” the Horde King replied, releasing his hold on my neck, but not removing his fingers from my thigh.
“Good,” I said softly, moving my eyes away from him to scan the crowd. Where the hell was my knight in shining armor, and why was he late? I hadn’t planned on him saving me, but I’d at least expected to catch a glimpse of him before I went to the Horde’s stronghold.
“I’m glad to see you willing to serve me,” he replied with his mouth against my ear.
I gulped down air as if I couldn’t get enough. I turned to look one last time at my mother as the guards easily helped me to stand on my feet. The crowd was oblivious to what was going on until the king growled loudly. The entire assembly of the Horde creatures that had come turned to him, dismissing those they had been feeding from without a second thought.
“Say your goodbyes; you have one minute,” he said quietly in my ear, and then moved toward his guards to allow me to move away from him.
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I moved toward my family and hugged my mother tight. “I’m going to be okay,” I whispered quietly reassuring them.
I smiled at my father, and quickly stepped back to give the Horde King no reason to be upset with me. If I was going to escape him, I was going to need to earn his trust to do so. I didn’t want a huge goodbye either, seeing that I’d just been reunited with them and for the most part we didn’t know each other. Even though I understood why I was being given to the Horde, it still upset me that within one day of meeting them, we were here with the freaking Horde, and I was being given to their king.
Alazander held his hand out for me, which I accepted hesitantly. As soon as he sifted me, I wouldn’t be able to get away from him for a while. Grudgingly, I moved in close enough that he pulled me the rest of the way into his arms, and pressed me against his chest before he unfurled and swept those huge wings down, and launched us off the floor and toward the vaulted ceiling high above us. I was flying! I held onto him tighter without meaning to, and he smiled with approval as I did so. It had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the fear of falling, or being dropped.
“Hold onto me,” he whispered heatedly.
As if I was going to let go?
I felt the weightlessness of sifting take hold, and closed my eyes.
Ryder wasn’t coming to save me, not today at least.
Chapter Three
The Horde had followed, sifting in behind us as we materialized into an enormous room where even more creatures awaited us. The room was dark, and the walls were a light gray stone. Huge glass chandeliers hung from the high ceilings on metal poles that held them firmly in place above the tables, and threw soft flickering light against the stone and assembly of the Horde creatures that were present. All I could guess was that it was some sort of great hall or a gargantuan meeting hall of some kind. I was still wrapped in the electrical hold of the king as he shouted off orders in a language that I couldn’t understand. This was odd, as so far I had understood all of the different dialects that the High Fae spoke in Faery. I seemed to be included in those orders as I was quickly pulled away from him by two of his guards, who took me down a long winding stairway that led to a richly decorated room.
The room leapt to life as the door was opened and I was pushed through the doorway by one of the guards. The stone walls of the vast room sparkled like crystal was embedded in it, and reflected the many candles that were scattered throughout the room. I stumbled but easily caught my balance and turned toward the guards.
“Give me your hands,” the first one said through the black material that covered the lower half of his face. His gray and aqua eyes searched mine briefly before he stepped forward and grabbed for the thin delicate chain.
He guided me in the direction of the oversized bed, which had to be the biggest Fae bed I had seen so far. Made of oak, and I mean oak trees, each of the four posts was a slender tree that soared up and intertwined its branches with the next tree. Silvery sheets adorned the mattress, with an array of assorted pillows pushed against the headboard in varying shades that matched the wall and sheets.
“Get on the bed; on your knees and face the door,” he ordered. I moved on to the bed as he had ordered and sat back on my knees. He looked up and whispered something under his breath, which caused a chain much like the ones attached to my wrist to appear. He attached it to a chain that hung high from the ceiling. He pulled the chain and suspended my arms above my head. It looked like the Horde King liked his playthings tied up and helpless. Shit. It would be just my luck, which at this point was no luck at all.