A Sinless Betrayal by Cherie Benjamin (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📖

completely what I was angry with him about. "I don't know what you speak of."

His lips tug up at the corners. "I know a liar when I see one." Abigor turns and climbs into his bed, waiting expectantly for me to join him. "Come to bed. We should sleep."

I'm reluctant to join him in bed. I undress from my silk and make him turn away before I put on my nightwear. Once I'm finished, he lifts the covers for me to climb in. I'm wary.

I slide to the very edge of the bed, my feet hanging off the edge. I'm still angry with him. I'm still hurt from what he'd said about me, basically telling me that I was nothing to him, and he wouldn't tell his brother to stop choking me because it would have spoiled his crown.

When he says goodnight, I do not say it back. He licks his finger and pinches the fire on the candle out. I close my eyes and try to get comfortable. But it's near impossible.

I'm in a foreign land, in a foreign bed with a foreign man that wants me in an utterly foreign way. Raid

"Sit here with me," Cordell whispers softly. I feel the passing breeze kissing my neck as it wanders by and the smell of sweet wildflowers it carries with it. I sit by him in the meadow, my knees hugged to my chest.

His reddish-brown hair gleams in the sunlight and I can faintly see the freckles on his pale cheeks illuminating with the sun's presence. He looks like a spring tiger lily. I smile and wrinkle my nose at him. "This place is beautiful. How come I've never been here before?"

Cordell looks up towards the clouds. His horse, which is tied to the nearest tree whinnies softly. "I'm not sure. As a child, I always used to come up here for some peace of mind. Majestic, isn't it?"

I nod breathlessly. "More than majestic," I agree. The whippoorwills and the nightingales sing in the trees, the common loons calling their mysterious call from the lakes deeper into the surrounding forest. Woodpeckers drill into the bark of trees, the clunking noise echoing in my ears.

"Elizabella," he says. I pull my attention from the authentic bird noises and the quiet rustle of the trees to focus on the wonderful man sitting beside me. "One day you will be mine. Promise me, Elizabella, that you will save yourself for me. Wait for me. Because I will always come for you, no matter what."

My heart flutters with joy. "Okay. I promise you." He grasps my hand and plants a warm kiss on my skin.

He smiles a honey sweet smile, one that spreads over his face slower than the thickest molasses. "That's good. I think about our future life together all the time. You and me in the countryside, living in a big old wooden house built by yours truly, a farm in the back, and little bare-bottomed babies running wild around the living room. Can you see it?"

I giggle like a little girl and bat my eyelashes at him. "That sounds absolutely wonderful. And yes, I can see it." I say bashfully. I can't help but picture the scene myself. Little redheaded girls with big green eyes and pretty faces freckled like a robin's egg, and big strong brunette boys with her brown eyes and Cordell's sweet smile.

He smiles and lays his folded hands on his knees, puffing out his chest proudly. "Alright. Then it's settled. You and me?"

I nod. "You and me."

.~.~.~.~.

My heart is pounding as I depart from my dream. My mouth falls into a frown as I realize that I'm not in Cordell's bed, but in his bed, in his lands. But I'm comfortable, I'm so comfortable, and I don't want to get up. My eyes flicker open slightly, taking in my surroundings. A heavy tanned arm is draped across my body, and my legs are entwined with another pair of long, hot legs.

My eyes widen in realization. I'm lying closer to a man than I ever had before, he wasn't even Cordell. Abigor still sleeps soundly. I don't want to wake him, so I try to slip out of his grasp quietly. I lift his arm off of me and set it on his side. I pull my right leg out of his. He stirs quietly.

I silently curse and try my left leg. I've almost got it free when a huge hand wraps around my neck, a gigantic thumb threatening to push on my pulse point. "Where you goin'?" he asks.

This angers me. The bruise on my neck still hurts from his brother's assault yesterday. "Let me go," I hiss. "I'm trying to get up."

His grip tightens. "Lay back down," he instructs in a firm voice. "I don' wanna get up yet."

Shivers crawl up my spine. My fingers try to peel his off of my skin. "You don't need me to sleep," I say. I struggle to get out of his grasp, but he's unrelenting. "Use a pillow, Abigor."

He brings me closer and buries his nose in my hair. "Stay," he whispers. "We got a long day ahead of us. I wanna sleep as long as I can."

I'm somewhat comfortable in his warm arms, despite the fact that it's like lying in a soft bed with a steaming hot rock. My fingers trace a pattern on his hand. "What do you mean that we've got a long day ahead of us?"

His hot breath on my neck gives me gooseflesh all over my body. "The raid parties are goin' out," he whispers huskily. "I got to oversee it in an hour."

I don't say anything, for I fear that saying something insulting while in his arms could mean something dangerous for me. It's a wise choice, not saying anything. His warm hand caresses the smooth skin over my hip and his fingertips skirt over my thigh. I tense up almost immediately.

He kisses a bruise on my shoulder as his fingers trail down towards my womanhood. I clench my legs together and roll away from him. "Don't," I whisper. I try to stand but he just pulls me closer to his body.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asks me. "I told you I wouldn't rape you. I…I not like my men. I take a woman when she begs me to take her, to fuck her so hard and fast that her vision goes blurry and her voice is shot for days."

Heat flares in my southern regions, my eyes as wide as saucers as I listen to him. Abigor's huge hands settle on the soft swell of my hips and he grinds his erection into my backside. I find myself gasping before I can even register it. "But I—"

"I won't take you unless you ask me to," he confirms, somewhat soothing my worries. "And I don' t'ink you'll get a better offer than dat. But Elizabella, my Tiger Claw, I doubt you'll be able to stay away from me for long."

I shudder as he rolls away onto his back, his arms coming up to shield his eyes. I'm frozen in my position. I don't know what to think, or what to say. I look down and see his breechcloth lying on the floor.

My eyes flicker back to his huge, beautiful body lying beneath the sheets—I realize that he is naked under the covers and that he was flesh to flesh against me, completely aroused.

He looks at me from under his arm, his long black lashes hiding his mischievous brown eyes. "You like what you see?" I realize that I'm staring straight at the appendage straining against the silky sheets.

I gasp quickly and look away, redness instantly painting my cheeks. He chuckles smoothly and slides out of bed. He throws the covers off of his glorious naked body and strides over to his wardrobe.

I can't help but stare as I see him walk in front of me, his muscled ass cheeks flexing with each step. I feel like I want to swoon. But I remember who this man is and I instantly shake the thought out of my head.

I follow subtly behind him. I don't have a wardrobe of my own, and I'm relying on Abigor to give me something to wear. He notices me lingering awkwardly and realizes why I'm doing it. "I should pro'ly tell you 'dat your clothes are in 'de other wardrobe over 'dere."

Something about his accent makes me shiver. I look over to the wardrobe in the corner of the large room. I hadn't noticed it before. I open the big wooden doors. I'm blown away by how many dresses are stuffed into the little closet. Reds, blues, greens, yellows, pinks, oranges, and an abundance of other beautiful colours.

I glance over at Abigor, changing in the corner. He slips on a red breechcloth with a brown leather waist covering. He then dips two fingers into a wooden paint bowl, spreading paint all over his naked chest. I look in the closet for a red dress. I feel somehow connected with my master and can't help myself when I think about matching him.

I select a red silk dress from the wardrobe and begin to change behind the wardrobe door. There's a cracked mirror beside the door, and I look at myself to make sure I appear alright.

The silk accents my supple, womanly curves perfectly, adding just the right amount of concealment needed for my satisfaction and comfort. I see Abigor staring at me, mirth in his eyes. My face reddens and I seethe at him. "You wearin' it wrong," he mumbles in his thick, husky accent. "Here, lemme help you."

I decide whether or not I should let him help me. "Don't look at my chest," I warn him. He takes the silk off of my shoulders, keeping his eyes down as he wrapped the red silk tightly around my bare breasts. As soon as they're covered, he looks up, walking around me all the while winding the silk around my body.

By the time he's finished, I look and feel like an exotic princess. The way he wrapped me boosted my breasts and made them look awfully perky and 'up for grabs'. He comes back with red jewels on another golden chain and hands it to me. It's more beautiful than the gorgeous one I wore yesterday.

"Where did you get this?" I ask him. He merely shrugs his shoulders, painting on his body more. I examine the jewels for a moment more before I decide to put them around my neck. I sweep my long chestnut curls forward and then back. I feel dirty after not having had a bath in a few days. Perhaps I'd ask for one later.

He brings the paint bowl over to me. "I paint you," he murmurs, holding out the bowl. I look at the liquid inside of the bowl and cringe. It's red and thick looking.

"Is it berry juice?" I ask.

Abigor snorts. "Pig's blood."

I hold back the vomit threatening to come up the back of my throat. "I'm not putting pig's blood on me," I say defiantly. "That's…that's gross."

He raises an eyebrow. "Do you know how petty you sound?" he asks, somewhat amused. "We always wear red on the days