A King's Rival by Xander Tracy

Author:Xander Tracy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: M/M Fantasy Romance
ISBN: 978-1-947135-56-7
Publisher: Etopia Press
Published: 2018-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Vash pushed away from the table and approached the bed where Rygar was chained. He was pleased the man had some sense. The barbarian was stubborn. That could not be denied. Almost as stubborn as Vash was.

“You made the right decision,” he said. “I’m not going to release you completely. You tried to strangle me after all. But I will make your imprisonment more comfortable. As long as you behave like a good little captive, you will gain more freedoms as we learn to trust each other.”

Rygar grunted. Vash could see the fire still burning in the other man’s eyes. He was not broken, and that was good. The more Vash was around his barbarian, the less he wanted the man to break. Part of him enjoyed the defiance. The challenge of it anyway. He liked to win, but he also needed an opponent strong enough to be worthy of challenging.

And Chieftain Rygar Idran was strong enough to be worthy of any challenge.

He used his key on the padlock, freeing the chains that bound Rygar to the heavy bed frame. He kept the iron collar around Rygar’s neck, but he removed the chains that attached to the iron cuffs around his wrists. As soon as the chains were off, Rygar stood and stretched with a groan and a sigh. Vash didn’t try to hide his stare as he admired the barbarian’s body. Shaved clean as he was, the barbarian’s warrior body was striking as he stood with his shirt off in the morning light.

Rygar noticed his brazen interest and his expression became guarded, wary. The man didn’t trust him. That was expected. It was even wise. If their positions had been reversed, Vash would’ve felt the same. But the truth couldn’t be denied. Vash was the one in control. He would never have submitted in the first place, although it spoke highly of Rygar’s love for his men that he’d forsaken a warrior’s death to save them. That was one of the reasons Vash had decided to give the man a way to set them free. It wasn’t without cost, however. And Vash would certainly enjoy collecting his payments. But for now, he was pleased enough that the stubborn man had agreed to eat the food in front of him.

He did not ask what Rygar would like to eat. He simply picked up an empty plate and began piling it high with a selection of foods he believed the man must have in order to maintain his strength. He sat on the edge of the table in front of Rygar. He picked up a bunch of grapes and slowly began taking them off the stem one by one. Vash knew Rygar must be parched and hungry. The slight bit of hydration each grape offered would be just the right combination of pleasure and pain to make the meal memorable. It was only through both pleasure and pain that life could be fully experienced. Fully enjoyed.

Vash fingered the first grape and brought it to his lips.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.