Charming Charly (English Edition) (Lords of Arr'Carthian 3) (9 page)

“Were … were the rebels …?”

“No!” snarled Amano. “They got away. But ten years later Kordan, Marruk and I were able to find some of the rebels. We made sure that they recalled their atrocities before they died. And it took a long time before they did.”

Amano’s voice had taken on an icy tone. But she understood. She understood it better than anyone else.
 

“I’ve never spoken with anyone else about it,” he said.

“I … I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.
 

“You’re crying,” he realized, filled with consternation. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you cry. It will have reminded you …”

“No!” she interrupted him. “I’m crying for the boy that you were. It must have been horrific seeing all of that. I cannot imagine … Oh, God! I’m so sorry.”

“I … I didn’t see her death,” he said quietly. They had tied me up behind a pillar. I heard her screaming, but I didn’t see what they … what they were doing to her. At least not directly. I could see my father. I could see it in his face.” He looked at her. “I saw the exact moment in which his pain, his anger and his helplessness turned into insanity. I saw it … in his eyes.”

“How … how did you manage …?” she began then stopped, because her words would not come.

“To deal with it?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I grew up thinking about revenge. And I took revenge. That’s the difference between us, Charly. I grew bigger and stronger. I was in a position to confront my torturers and do to them what they did to me and my family. You never had this opportunity. Perhaps that’s why you’re finding it so hard to deal with.”

“You … you know?” she asked, horrified. “Did your aunt …”

“She didn’t tell me,” said Amano. “All rooms in the palace can be watched through a monitor. I had to know what you’d been through so that I could understand you.”

“You … listened in?”

“You’re my mate. I had to know what was tormenting you. You didn’t want to speak with me because you don’t trust me. It was torment for me not being able to be there for you. I wanted to take you in my arms and comfort you, but you …”

“You had no right,” she yelled at him. “You had no damn right to listen in to my talk with your aunt. I confided in her because I thought that I was only telling
her
! A woman!”

“I’m sorry if that upsets you so much but I had no other choice. You don’t understand. It is of great importance to me as your mate that …”

“Aaaaarrrrgggghhh!” she shouted in frustration, and he fell silent. “I’ve had enough of you always calling me your mate, as if it were already a fact. It may be what you want, but I have not agreed to be your mate.”

“It is a fact,” he contradicted her. “You can’t see the bond because your fear is stopping you do so. A Carthian knows when he meets his mate. There is no doubt. That’s why you’re here, so that I can convince you of this fact. That’s why I’ve told you what I’ve never told anyone in such detail before. I did that so that you will trust me and also because you have a right to know.”

“You’re wrong,” she said, enraged. “I am not and never will be your mate. I’m sorry about what happened to you but it does not give you the right to tie me up here. And for how long? Days? Weeks?”

“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t intend to keep you tied up here. But I will tie you up again. When your next lesson takes place.”

“Lesson? You’re mad.”

“No,” he said quietly. “Just desperate.”

He got up from the bed and went to her side. He untied the roped and she moved away from him immediately.

“I wish you’d give me another choice,” he said quietly, then turned away and left.

Charly stared after him until the door closed behind him, then she curled up on the bed and cried. She did not know whether she was crying because of the situation she was in, because of what happened to her back then or for the boy who had to experience such a terrible tragedy. At some point she fell asleep.

Charly was disorientated when she awoke. She had had a bad dream and felt very rough. The memory of her talk with Amano came into her mind and she was pulled back and forth between sympathy and anger. She sat up and stared at the door. It would definitely be locked. She would still try it, though, so she got out of bed and went to the door to open it. It was not locked, but when she swung the door wide open, she saw two men standing outside it – clearly keeping watch over her.
 

“Good morning, Lady Charly,” they greeted her.

One of the two was a young lad, not more than eighteen – the other looked as if he was in his forties. Going by the similarity between the two of them, they were father and son.

“Did you sleep well?” asked the older one.
 

“Good morning and
no
,” she answered. “Am I forbidden to leave the room?”

“Oh, but no, Lady Charly. We are only here for your protection. Our task is to accompany you everywhere and to ensure that you have everything you need and …”

“My guard dogs,” she interrupted the man. “Understood! Well, it could have been worse, of course. At least I’m not tied to the bed any more.”

The two men looked at her in consternation and the younger man blushed, to her satisfaction. She was happy for them both to think that what her words suggested was the truth. They did not need to know that Amano, in truth, had not even touched her. She would make sure that her would-be mate regretted ever bringing her here.
 

Charly was tired. Her two guard dogs, Carron and his son Jahnon, really did follow her everywhere, and for a while she was content to keep the poor men on the go with her wishes and demands. However, she gradually grew tired of the game. No matter how much she pestered her guards, she could not get rid of them. She had to admit that Amano’s house was impressive and the garden was absolutely beautiful. She had even ridden on one of Amano’s pergamos, accompanied, of course, by Carron and Jahnon. She had not seen Amano again since the last time and although she did not like to admit it, she missed his company.
 

“Lady Charly?” asked Carron, concerned. “Are you not well? You look very pale.”

Charly sighed and looked round. She had wanted to make it to the tower that stood on a hill behind the house, but they were not even half way up and she was feeling weak – too weak to cope with the rest of the climb.
 

“You’ve over-exerted yourself,” said the older man. “You’ve been on your feet all day. We should go back.”

“I wanted to take a look at the tower,” she replied, simply not wanting to give in. But all of a sudden she really did not feel up to climbing any further up the hill.
 

“Please Lady Charly. The master will kill me if anything happens to you.”

“I can carry you,” Jahnon offered.
 

Charly sat down in the soft grass, pulling her knees up to her chest so that she could wrap her arms round them.
 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
 

“What do you mean?” asked Carron.

“I order you round all day, yet you follow me everywhere, nicely, fulfilling every silly task that I give you, and to top it off you now want to carry me up there. Why?”

“Because … because the master gave us the task of anticipating your every wish and taking care of you so that you come to no harm,” explained Carron.
 

“Where is he now?” she asked.

Carron shrugged his shoulders.

“He was going to visit the estates and the village. He’ll be back for dinner. That’s what he said.”

She got up and knocked the non-existent dust from her dress.

“Let’s go back,” she said, and the relief in the men’s faces did not go unnoticed. “I could handle a bath right now.”

***

“Is she OK?” asked Amano, pouring himself a glass of brandy.

Carron nodded.

“Oh yes, Lady Charly is taking a bath. Jahnon is on guard outside her door.

Amano took a sip of the strong brandy and closed his eyes. A bath would be a wonderful thing. He was tired and his limbs felt heavy.

“I’ll take a bath myself now. Go back to your post until I’m done.”

“Yes, master,” replied Carron, disappearing.

Amano sighed when he thought about the forthcoming confrontation with his mate. He had missed her and he was looking forward to seeing her again, but he wished it could be better between them.
 

Emptying the glass in one go, he got up from his seat and went into the bathroom. What he needed now was a little relaxation. A massage would be good. He smiled sadly. He did not think that his little mate would fulfill such a labour of love. The thought of her hands on his naked skin had an arousing effect. He closed his eyes. The yearning for her was almost killing him. It was torture for a Carthian when he delayed the act of claiming too long. From the moment that a Carthian found his mate, a hormonal process began in his body. He produced the substance that he would inject into his mate, through a bite. But if it did not happen, complications could arise. The longer the delay, the worse it became. He was already feeling restless and his head was hurting horribly. He had to win her over at long last.
 

Chapter 7

The meal took place in silence, with Charly’s heart pounding madly the whole time. She looked at Amano now and then. When he caught her doing so, she blushed and quickly looked away. But she could not stop herself glancing in his direction again. Desire was spreading within her, yet she could not even tell what she was actually yearning for.
 

“Would you like another drink?” he interrupted the silence.

She looked up from her plate. He was holding a carafe of
gejee
, a wine made from gej berries, similar to blackberries on earth, and he was looking at her, waiting.
 

She nodded and he poured her some. The wine was good and it did not seem to have a high alcohol content, because she could not feel any effect and she had already drunk three glasses.
 

“How was your day?” he asked, seemingly casually, but she could feel him watching her carefully.
 

“OK,” she replied vaguely.

“Are you still angry with me?”

She stared at the glass in her hand. How should she respond? Was she still angry with him? Had she ever been? She could not tell. She was confused, perhaps angry, too, but it was hard to work out whether she was angry with him or with herself. She was feeling insecure because of the contradictory emotions within her. His proximity did strange things to her and when he was not near her she felt as if something was missing. Did that make any sense?

She shook her head, without realizing that he would take this as an answer to his question.
 

He stood up.

“Come with me,” he said quietly. “It’s time for your next lesson.”

“What?” she asked, looking up at him. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing for you to be afraid of,” he replied gently. “Let’s not make this into a fight between us. Please come with me. Willingly.”

She got up but she avoided his gaze. Feeling sick, she followed him up to her room. Her guards had long since begun their well-earned evening off. Amano was now her guard.
 

“Please sit on the bed,” he said as he closed the door behind them.
 

“Amano, please …” she began awkwardly.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Charly. Sit down.”

She did as he asked but she could not stop herself trembling with uncertainty. He followed her to the bed.

“Give me your hands.”

“Please, can’t you just … leave me? I …”

“I can’t, Charly and I’ll explain to you, right now, why I can’t. But please give me your hands now. “

He tied her hands, but this time he left the chain so long that she could put her hands in her lap. He took a few steps away and looked at her.

“I’m going to undress myself now, but I’m not going to touch you. I will neither hurt you nor do anything sexual with you. All I want is to prove to you that there is nothing frightening about me – nothing about me that you need to fear.”

Charly quickly turned away as he pulled his shirt over his head. The sight of his broad chest was too confusing and much too intimate. She could not believe what was happening here. She could see his movements out of the corner of her eye and knew that he was continuing to undress.
 

“Look at me, Charly,” he said hoarsely, and she squinted.
 

“I can’t.”

She could hear him coming closer, then she felt something cold in her hands.

“Here! Take that,” he said, and she opened her eyes to stare at the knife that he was putting into her hand.
 

“What?” she asked, unsettled, trying hard not to look at his naked body.
 

“I told you that I would not do you any harm. If I should be lying, you have the weapon. I want you to trust me. Even when you’re bound and helpless, you have nothing to fear from me. I will never hurt you, Charly. If I come too close to you, stab me.”