Raider's Treasure (Alpha Barbarians Book 1)

3

It wasn't long before he was smoothing a fresh bandage over her wound, and Lyric let out a sigh of relief. There was still a deep throbbing through her shoulder, but at least it no longer felt like a brand was being drawn over her skin.

"The arrow passed through cleanly. There are stitches on both sides, so you will need to be careful with the arm to prevent tearing," he told her as he finally slid off of her thighs to dispose of the dirty dressings.

Lyric gave a small nod but otherwise remained exactly as he had placed her, still not daring to move.

Raising an eyebrow, he said, "You may move now, but do not fight me."

Nodding again, she carefully pushed herself up with one arm, being sure to keep herself covered with the blanket and not move the injured shoulder too much. Unsure of what to do, Lyric remained sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at the alpha's feet.

"I'm sure you are in pain, yes?"

Looking up, she gave another nod. Moving to the door, he opened it and motioned for her to follow him out. Snorting at the surprise he must have seen on her face, he walked through the door and out of sight, leaving it open behind him.

It took a moment for Lyric to get up and follow him. Peering through the doorway, she saw a large open space that was obviously the living area of the home. A huge fireplace in the same wall as the doorway she was standing in did double duty to warm the home and serve as a place to cook as well. Another door on the opposite wall was closed, but she assumed it was the way out. A kitchen area with a table and chairs took up the left side of the room, while the right contained two large, well-worn chairs placed before a large window that had a blanket hung over it blocking the view.

The alpha had his back to her, dipping something out of a pot sitting on the hearth into a mug. Eyeing the door on the other side of the room, Lyric wondered if she could make it outside before he caught her.

He didn't even turn to look at her when he said, "Even if me or my men didn't catch you, you will freeze before you make it to the next home."

Walking towards her, she ducked her head to hide the stubborn expression she knew was on her face, but he only thrust the mug into her stomach.

"Drink," he ordered.

Bringing the mug to her lips, she sniffed it before taking a cautious sip. Chugging the rest of the warm mead, the sweet flavor of honey flooded her taste buds.

"That was very good," she told the alpha as he took the mug back from her. "Thank you."

His only response was a grunt before he turned back to the hearth and poured more into the mug. Handing it back to her he said, "Slow."

When her hands reached for it eagerly, he pulled the mug back out of her reach while giving her a stern look.

"Yes. Okay, I'll drink it slow," Lyric said, and he finally let her have it back.

Taking another sip before finally moving out of the bedroom doorway, she followed behind the alpha as he went over to the table. Pulling out a chair, he motioned for her to sit before taking a bowl off of the counter beside him. He sat it at the spot he wanted her to take and moved to the opposite side with a second bowl.

Stretching her neck forward to peek at the contents, Lyric sat cautiously on the edge of the chair. Seemingly ignoring her, the alpha dug into his own bowl of what looked like some kind of stew. Sitting the mug on the table next to her portion, she lifted a spoonful towards her mouth, surreptitiously licking a bit of the sauce from the edge of the spoon. Though slightly bland, her stomach demanded that she stop wasting time and eat it.

Curious at how hungry she felt even though she had eaten dinner just before the raid had hit her village, she decided to try and get some information from her captor.

"How long was I asleep?"

Not bothering to look up at her, he responded, "Around eighteen hours."

Gasping, Lyric almost dropped the spoon, choking a little on a mouthful of the stew. His dark eyes glance up at her before returning to his bowl.

"You were exhausted and injured. Your body needed rest. It still does," he said.

Swallowing hard, she looked down at her own bowl. "And, where are we?" she asked quietly. She didn't recognize the home but she was hoping that they were still in her village.

Lyric thought he was just going to ignore her question this time because he didn't respond right away. Finally, he sat back and wiped his mouth with one large hand.

"We are in a home on the border of your land where we stayed on our way to your village. It was empty when we arrived but obviously hadn't been empty long. My men are camped outside with our wagons, and in the morning, we will return to our homes."

Picking up her mug, she took a large gulp of the mead before asking her next question.

"And what is going to happen to me?"

The look he leveled at her said she should already know the answer to that. In her heart, she did, she was just hoping he would tell her something different. Getting up, he made is way around the table. Lyric pressed herself back into the chair as he got closer, knuckles turning white as she gripped the mug before her chest like a shield.

Leaning down before her, he placed his hands on the chair on each side of her and stared directly into her eyes. "Let me make it clear. You belong to me now. I captured you, and as soon as you go into heat, I will claim you. My teeth will pierce that milky skin covering your neck as my knot locks deep in your cunt. You will take my cock whenever I want you to and be grateful that I let you live and chose you as my own instead of giving you to my men. I destroyed your village, so there is nothing for you to go back to. Nowhere for you to run that I can't follow and find you. Anyone who helps you will die by my hand right before your eyes, so be careful that your actions do not cause unnecessary deaths."

Lyric stared at him in shock, mouth gaping open. No one had ever been so crude to her, and to casually mention that he would kill someone just for helping her left her speechless, but a slow anger began to burn within. Closing her mouth as he smirked down at her, she straightened herself in her seat.

"I belong to no one. You're a murderer. I will never be grateful to you for destroying my life. I may not be able to stop you from doing what you want to with me, but I will never just give in to you. I will fight you every step of the way."