Page 114 of The Viking’s Captive

“Hah! Only if you want to fall flat on your face.” Almost immediately, she said, “Ouch!” Kareem had switched her across the back.

“Then there is piercing one’s belly button with a gold ring,” Selim was saying. He ordered a young woman in the front row to stand and demonstrate. She had a gold ring, all right, smack in the center of her belly.

Tyra winced and thought, Ouch! “That is attractive? Really, ladies, are you believing this hog swill?”

This time, Kareem took great pleasure in putting his full force behind the swish of the whip across her back. Mayhap she would rest her tongue for a bit, after all. She adjusted her position on the divan and heard the tinkle of tiny bells. All the women were scantily clad, mostly in diaphanous pants and vests with lots of little bells. “What are we? Cows? Do we need bells to find our way home?” she muttered. Actually, Tyra would be mortified if anyone other than two hundred women were to see her in this attire. She looked like a six-foot scarf, in her opinion. Of course, she’d forgotten that she was not going to speak anymore, but Kareem had not. Three hits she got this time.

She was going to make Kareem eat that whip when she got out of this place. If she ever got out of this place. Nay, nay, nay, she could not think that way. Someone was sure to come for her. Gunter. Or Egil. Or her soldiers. They’d better come.

But wait. The program was finally getting interesting. Selim and Salome were handing out smooth marble rods to all the ladies. They were about the width of her forefinger and twice as long. She frowned, trying to figure out the purpose of such an object.

“Today you are going to be taught how to strengthen a new muscle in your bodies … one which will enhance the pleasure of the master during bedplay. And your pleasure as well,” Selim added as an enticement.

Muscles? That was a subject with which Tyra was well acquainted, but she did not think there was any muscle that could be considered new to her.

She was wrong. As one of the houris demonstrated the purpose of the marble wand, Tyra’s eyes widened.

“There is an inner muscle that you must learn to control.” Selim instructed, “Clench, unclench, clench, unclench, clench, unclench …”

As he repeated the order over and over, Tyra began to understand the principle. And all she could think was, For the love of a Frost Giant! What would Adam think of this trick?

But then she immediately chastised herself. I am never going to see Adam again.

Am I?

The intrusion of Adam into her thoughts erased all interest in the demonstration. At some point she was going to have to face her feelings about him, and the mistakes she might have made. In that moment, Tyra made a vow to herself. If she ever escaped this harem … and she had no doubt that she would … she was going to return to Stoneheim and make peace with her father and sisters.

Then she was going for Adam.

Really, every good soldier knew that there were times when it was best just to cut one’s losses. She was unhappy here in the Eastlands. She had been unhappy in Byzantium. And it all had to do with Adam … or his absence from her life. It didn’t matter where she was; she could be happy if he were there.

Yea, she was going for Adam. Even if she had to kidnap him again. They had unfinished business … the least of which involved marble wands.

Well, mayhap not the least.