Vaaden Warriors 1: Rheul by Jessica Coulter Smith Read Free Book Online

walked into Moira's room and smiled at her. She was sitting at a vanity table brushing her hair. When she saw me, her eyes lit up.
    "Rheul! I wasn't expecting you."
    "I hope this isn't a bad time."
    She stood and walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Of course not."
    "I came to ask your advice."
    She led me over to the bed, and we sat down. She held my hand, lacing her fingers with mine. How easy it would be if she were my slave instead of Darcy. Why did that stubborn woman have to enter my life? Why couldn't she just trust me?
    For that matter, why couldn't she trust herself?
    "What can I do for you?" Moira asked in her soft voice.
    "You know I have a slave?"
    She nodded.
    "I'll never force myself on a woman. I think you know that.
    But Darcy, she doesn't seem to understand that. No matter how many times I've told her she has nothing to fear from me, or the times I've shown her that she can trust me, it's not enough. I don't know what to do."
    "Do you know why she doesn't trust you? Is it you specifically, or just men in general?" Moira asked.
    "I don't know," I said with a frown. "I think it's Vaaden men. There were some slave women in the holding cell with her. Three of them had been returned by their owners, which I didn't even know could be done. I'm not sure what they said 50

    to her, but whatever it was, it seems to be putting a strain on things between us."
    "Will she not tell you about it?"
    "I asked, but she just clams up. She says she's not worried about anything and acts as if things are fine, but I can tell they aren't. She's hot one minute and cold the next. It's like being with two different people."
    Moira frowned. "Has she been like that from the start?"
    "At first, she just seemed a little nervous and maybe a tad scared. But... right after I claimed her, I became really sick.
    She was a virgin and took it upon herself to heal me. Since then, she hasn't been the same. I tried to make it up to her, but that's the night things got really... odd for lack of a better word. She was warm and soft one minute, and the next it was like a switch had been flipped, and she was suddenly someone else."
    Her thumb caressed my hand.
    "What am I doing wrong, Moira? I bought her tunic dresses, books, games, a plant... I know I gave her pleasure that last night we were together. Where did it go wrong?"
    "I don't think it's anything you did, Rheul. I think it's something with her." Moira laid her head on my shoulder.
    "Would you like me to talk to her? I know it's unusual, but you could take me to her."
    "You would do that?"
    She smiled at me. "Of course I would. You've been so good to me. If I can do something to help you, to make you happy, you know I will."
    51

    I caressed her cheek and kissed her. "Thank you, Moira. I promise I'm going to get you out of here. One way or another, you won't stay in this harem."
    She blushed and squeezed my hand. "That would be nice, but don't make promises you can't keep. I've been here for months now. It's my lot in life, and I know that."
    I shook my head. "I always keep my promises. And I promise that I'm going to get you out of here. If I don't claim you, one of my friends will. But one way or another, you won't stay here much longer."
    "Thank you. That means a lot to me. I have to admit that I never saw myself living this kind of life." She gave me a sad smile. "Did you know that I was a virgin when I came here?
    Just like your Darcy, I was scared and didn't know what to expect. Except I didn't have anyone come and claim me. No one wanted me, and after a few weeks, I was sent to the harems."
    My throat constricted. I couldn't imagine what she'd been through. What would have happened to Darcy if she'd been sent to the harems instead? What if Bastian hadn't purchased her for me? It would have been so easy for her to be standing in Moira's place. I didn't want that for her. "I'm so sorry, Moira."
    She shook her head. "I'm fine, Rheul. They decided to set me up as one of the