Rider King ✓

25

One female and one male leave the group with the girl. They'll reach Rexon in two days by flight. Hopefully, the girl will settle in while Dramon and I finish our business with the kidnapped woman.

Dramon and I ride on. His hands are heavy on my thighs. I've been on his lap many times before, but I find myself twiddling my thumbs as he leads us through the Valley. Somehow, it feels like our wedding day when I rode with him embedded inside me and the Clan's eyes all over us.

There are heavy grey clouds ahead. It's going to rain soon, and it's looking like a storm.

"I really hope the Seer is done messing with me," I whisper.

"What?" Dramon says from behind me, his rumble echoing through my own chest. I never explained my connection to the Seer, so I expected his confusion.

I clear my throat. Here goes nothing. "I met her when you were flying through her territory in search of me."

His fingers dug deeper into my thighs, nails threatening to rip through the cloth. He isn't fond of the memory of losing me.

"She took care of me when she found me feverish and bleeding and..." I squeeze his meaty hand. "You're hurting me."

He instantly relaxes his hold.

"I left on good terms, but then I started dreaming of her. She said she would show me what's in your heart..." I trail off, knowing that he's about to erupt.

"What do you mean, show you what is in my heart?"

"I didn't know what you thought of me..." I explain lamely. "She wanted to show me if you would take advantage of me being... er, sexually distressed."

"Take advantage?!" he blows, and the Clan comes to a stop behind us.

"You said I was beautiful."

"So what!" he grits out. "I did only mean your flesh!" He breathes heavily behind me to keep his control together. I see him raise an arm to rake his fingers through his hair, and it's then that I realize I've forgotten about his injuries. His head is always high, his shoulders broad, his gaze sharp. He wears his injuries like war badges.

"I am not a poet, Venus, but I know that you are a good female." He leans closer, skimming those lips against my earlobe. "Not just good in my furs, and not just good at wearing my cum."

He doesn't say those words teasingly. He's furious, but he has no way of punishing me. Maybe if we were on good terms, he would have touched me and left me hot and bothered. Or maybe he would have tossed me over his lap and spanked me like my mother did when I was younger and snuck out at night. Instead, he speeds up until we're galloping and I'm getting tossed atop him.

I grit my teeth as I hold his forearms to stabilize myself. This is my punishment. There's a meaning behind it. He's telling me I should consider myself lucky that I'm only on this beast because he would have ridden me harder. Wrung me out until all I could do was lie on our bed and think about my assumptions.

I cling on until I feel the first raindrop on my skin. I don't feel any different, but I don't know if the Seer is done playing with my body.

"We shou-ld stop," I tell Dramon.

The last thing I want is for the Clan to ride through another one of the Seer's plots.

He makes a gesture, and the Clan spreads. They stop by the side of a mountain and instantly unpack. At this rate, we'll never reach the woman. We're taking too many stops, but I'd prefer if everyone is safe.

I help two men put up my tent and brush down Treysa. I'm sweaty from riding under the hot sun, and my nails are caked with dirt, but I feel at peace. When I close my eyes, I lose track of time and fall asleep.