Sorry for late update. ^^
Warning for this chapter: suggestion of rape. Don't worry, it's not graphic.

The only good thing that came of revealing my ability to speak Zandali was the fact that the trolls for the most part stayed quiet as they dragged me back to their camp deep within the forest.

I had also made such a hassle out of my broken foot that, again, Nobi had to heal me in order to keep the group moving.

However, they'd still managed to find a way for me to be uncomfortable in every possible way, in every possible situation. When I had to step up a steep slope to follow them, they'd help me up halfway and then let go, letting me slip and tumble clumsily all the way down the slope before having to make my own way up. If I tried to make a run for it or tried to escape, they'd chase me down within seconds, and yet again I'd be making my way through the forest against my will.

I have no idea how long it took other than it was nighttime by the time we came upon a camp surrounded by torches and troll sentries. I was battered, sore, tired, and pissed as the four trolls yanked me through the main entrance of the settlement of huts and tents and dragged me all the way to the heart of the encampment.

By now I was also starving and utterly parched, and my mouth and throat felt so dry that even trying to lick my lips seemed as if I was rubbing them with hot sandpaper. I stared at the ground, not even giving a single damn about what was going on around me. Let them do as they please; I'd already accepted that I'd either be the troll chief's pet or his food. Either way, I was screwed.

A troll whose name I didn't know told us to wait as he tentatively entered a large hut. As I waited, I wiggled my nose, huffing and exhaling violently in an attempt to shoo away the mosquitoes that buzzed around my nose and face, but that did nothing but attract even more. Angrily, I exhaled sharply again, shaking my head fervently, wishing desperately that my hands hadn't been bound behind my back.

A laugh came from above me and I paused and looked up the stairs at the mouth of the hut. My eyes were greeted by that troll from earlier, plus a ridiculously-old-looking one with grey hair and yellowed tusks. He was laughing, and if I guessed correctly, it was at me. He was dressed in fine furs and leathers and feathers of all colors, flamboyantly displayed as if he was their chief.

He's their chief? I grimaced to myself. I sure as hell didn't want to be this guy's gift.

He approached me, red eyes shining with humor as he held out one hand toward my purple hair. I shied away, jerking almost my entire body to keep him from touching me, and then spat on the ground at his feet, instinctively baring my canines again. No way this guy was laying his hands on me, I decided.

"She is lively indeed," he chuckled, his voice sounding raspy and aged, and he gripped one hand on his staff, using it as a cane to get closer. "Where did you say you found her?"

"About ten or fifteen miles to the south," Nobi spoke up with a quick bow-like gesture, and he then roughly grabbed the base of my neck at the spine and shoved me toward the old man, causing me to stumble as he hissed in my ear, "I suggest you give this man some respect."

"I will not," I sniffed in their language, glaring back at the trolls and letting my eyes scan between each one, "For I am in no way indebted to any of you, nor will I allow myself to let you control me through fear or brute force." I then glared at the old troll standing in front of me, who still hadn't wiped that creepy smile off his face, "And I definitely won't be giving you any special treatment just because you wear fancy clothes."

To my surprise, instead of getting angry, the older man just stared at me, then began laughing even harder. Kev'kiz reached a hand out and smacked the back of my head suddenly, glaring at me. I snarled loudly at him and he returned the favor, then said in a growl, "Don't think I won't snap you like a twig, night elf," he threatened, glancing down at my ankle, which he had previously almost destroyed, "That was just a warning."

I snarled back at him, grinding my hands to escape from the bindings with no luck. His frown turned into a sneer, then a smirk, and he shook his head mockingly and turned away from me silently.

The old man finally spoke up, glancing between Kev'kiz and myself, "Remove her bindings."

The four trolls and even I paused to stare at the man like he'd gone insane. Remove my bindings? Doesn't he know I'll make a run for it the second my legs are free?

He seemed to be one step ahead of me, though. He looked me straight in the eye as Nobi began tugging on the strings around my wrists and another troll worked on the ones at my ankles. "You try to run, and you're dead. I've got sentries trained on you at every turn."

The old troll then began circling around me, inspecting me as the other trolls slowly unbound my wrists and ankles. I held perfectly still, my head racing with different options. I couldn't run, I couldn't fight them, I couldn't do anything, not unless I wanted to end up dead. As the trolls stepped back away from me, I tensed my shoulders and rubbed my wrists, flexing my arms and hands now that I had a full range of motion. My shoulders especially were sore, seeing as they'd been tied in the same position for a more-than-absurd length of time.

I eyed the old chieftain warily as he smirked at me with a wrinkled grin. He advanced toward me again, this time very slowly, and he raised a hand to lift my purple braid that was draped over my shoulder, inspecting it. I raised my chin, tensing my jaw and refusing to look at the troll.

His voice was a little louder as he spoke this time, "A fine specimen," he grinned through chipped tusks, then turned slightly and regarded the other younger trolls out of the corner of his eye, "I believe Ra'jin will approve."

Before I could help myself, I cocked my head and stared at the chief. Or was he the chief? Earlier, I had heard the trolls mention Ra'jin as their chieftain, seeing as the suffix 'jin' stood for 'leader', and if this wasn't Ra'jin...

My thoughts were interrupted as the old man barked an order and all four trolls immediately gathered around me, trying to put the bindings back on my hands. Why in the hell they had removed them in the first place, I had no idea. Why unbind me for two minutes, if only to imprison me yet again?

Angrily, I refused to comply. I was tired, angry, and honestly, completely fed up with these people.

Nobi grabbed one of my wrists but I jerked it away, yanking my whole body away from him, which only caused me to slam into another troll. The other troll growled loudly, shoving me off of him as another went for my ankles. Nobi managed to get a hold of my wrists behind my back, but my feet were still free, so I began thrashing them around, smirking to myself each time they made contact with the trolls.

"Restrain her fucking legs!" Kev'kiz cursed loudly, and when that seemed to prove futile, he took one step back, red eyes burning in anger. He fumed at me for a second, then took this fight to the next level by reaching to his belt and unsheathing a large machete, holding it up toward my neck.

Immediately, I stilled as the cold blade pressed dangerously against the delicate skin under my chin, the point of the blade digging into the flesh and causing hot, red liquid to seep down my neck, across my chest and into my dirtied tunic.

He ground the sharp of the blade a little further, curling his lip as he spoke. "I'm getting very tired of this, elf."

I let out an instinctive cry as the blade continued to cut into my skin, my breath quick and shallow for fear that too much movement would result in my death.

Suddenly a loud, commanding voice echoed through the area from behind me, and every troll in front of me paused what they were doing, eyes widening and focusing on whoever was behind me.

"Kev'kiz!" The deep, almost liquid voice called out in a sharp bark, and if it wasn't for the blade at my neck, I too would have whirled around.

Kev'kiz gritted his jaw and furrowed one brow, letting out an annoyed sigh. He slowly lowered the blade, giving me one last final glare before sheathing it. "What?" He growled, but then shrugged his shoulders, "She was getting on my nerves."

The voice was closer now, sending goosebumps up my spine. Whoever it was spoke in a calm tone with an almost hint of humor.

"So your solution to that problem is to behead her?"

Kev'kiz rolled his eyes but took a step back, allowing me enough room to finally turn around. I whirled to face my savior, and I almost gasped at the sight that met my eyes.

He was a troll, tall and lean, with pale, almost white skin, and vivid red eyes. His hair was as crimson as blood, trickling over his shoulders like the substance itself and shimmering healthily in the light of the flickering torches that surrounded us. He wore nothing but a decorated belt holding up beaded leather trousers, which frayed just past his knees. Around his neck was an impressive arrangement of various beads, teeth, feathers, and leather chains, and tattooed across his chest, down his shoulders, and along his arms was a pitch black tribal design, a stark contrast to his pearly skin.

His face was young, pointed, chiseled and almost wolf-like, with intelligent, cunning eyes and a delicate mouth despite the large, sharp, pristine tusks that bowed out from under his pallid lips. Although I thought I'd picked up humor in his voice, his face held none of it, rather he looked both tired and peeved. However, even with the frown on his face, he was without a doubt one of the most oddly beautiful creatures I'd ever encountered.

He stood up straight for a moment, which almost made my knees buckle, his sheer height throwing me off-guard. He had to be at least eight or nine feet tall at this full height, and that made me wonder how tall the rest of the trolls were when they weren't bent over like that. I opened my mouth to speak but ended up looking like a befuddled fish as he started to walk toward me.

His eyes were still trained on Kev'kiz but he stopped in front of me as he spoke. "Would you do me the courtesy of explaining why you have brought an elf into my camp?" His voice was rich and molten, and from the way he spoke, I could only assume he was their chief.

"She strayed too close," Kev'kiz began, and I snorted, interrupting him.

"Too close?" I scoffed, "I was fifteen miles out, fishing on a beach. If that's somehow an infringement on your privacy, I-"

I was cut off by the scarlet-haired troll, who I supposed was Ra'jin, in front of me. "I did not ask you," the handsome man almost snapped, his vivid eyes glaring into mine and causing me to squeak in a form of surrender as he continued, this time in a much more benign tone, "Do not speak unless you are permitted, elf."

I wanted to retort, but the way his eyes burned into mine distracted me and I clamped my mouth shut, staring at him with wide eyes. He returned his attention to Kev'kiz, who looked entertained.

"Continue," Ra'jin said, and Kev'kiz sighed.

"She strayed too close," he repeated, glaring at me for a moment, "And we caught her poaching. Nobi thought we should bring her to you, as a... gift, of sorts." Kev'kiz reached out and grabbed my jaw, forcing me to turn my head. "She's pretty, too, despite her repulsive temperament."

The chief tensed his brow, holding up one hand to his mouth thoughtfully, inspecting me from head-to-toe. His eyes suddenly locked on mine, and finally I saw one corner of his mouth almost turn into a smirk. However, honestly, I didn't like that look. It put me on edge.

He continued to look at me with one raised brow as he walked by me, then placed his attention with the other trolls, muttering something under his breath that I couldn't quite hear. The other trolls chuckled at whatever he said, and the chief sent me one more lurid look before he turned. Then off he went, walking away through the village accompanied by the older troll.

Kev'kiz turned toward me finally, "Follow me," he ordered, then gave a nod to the other three trolls, which was apparently an order for them to manhandle me, as they all placed their hands around my limbs and forced me to walk forward and follow after Kev'kiz. Reluctantly, I did what they wanted me to. I hadn't been killed yet, and it appeared they wouldn't be killing me any time soon, so honestly anything else I could live with.

They led me to a large half-tent half-hut on the far end of the village, which had only one door guarded by two somewhat bulky trolls. Kev'kiz shoved me toward the door, muttering something to the guards, who stepped forward and took me by both arms, pulling me into the hut.

Inside the hut was much different than I had expected. Unlike the dirty, hot, salty feel of the village, this was much more.. comfortable. On the far end was a hammock strung between two sturdy poles, and beneath it was a thick layer of furs and cloth that more-or-less covered the entire floor. All sorts of makeshift furniture and whatnot was placed around one single torch that was lit in the center of the room, with the flame flickering and the smoke escaping through a single opening in the middle of the tarp-like roof.

The entire place smelled strongly of spices and incense, and oddly enough, the temperature was at a much cooler, more relaxing level. The two guards pushed me a little further into the room, a bit harder than was necessary, before they retreated back out through the door flap and left me all alone. I really wished they had taken the bindings off of my hands, but at least they weren't bugging me.

With nothing else to do, I shuffled around for a little while, inspecting all the various items hung up in the room and decorating the floors. Finally, feeling extra-bored, I curled up against what looked like a 'floor-couch' of sorts, which was more-or-less a gigantic pillow propped up against a wall. It was fairly uncomfortable due to the fact that I had my hands tied behind my back, but I worked with what I had. My stomach growled loudly, and I grimaced, knowing that if I didn't eat something soon I'd waste away.

I knew I couldn't escape; the only way out of this hut was through the front door, which was closely-guarded by two guys, both of whom had large weapons.

In short, I was in a pickle.

After who knows how long, the torch in the middle had almost completely lost its flame, now barely a flicker in the dark room. A shuffling noise came from the opposite end of the hut, at the base of the wall, far from the entrance of the tent. Confused, I sat up forward, squinting at the tarp walls. Then, suddenly, the tarp was pulled back to show a familiar-looking troll, one of the four that had captured me, but not one whose name I knew.

He squeezed through the small opening at the base of the wall, all the while giving me a dark grin that made me feel a tad uncomfortable. As he started to walk toward me with a wicked look, I scoffed at him.

"What are you doing h-?" I began, but he suddenly leapt forward, clamping a hand over my mouth, the other one placing a finger to his own mouth in a 'shhh' motion.

I began squirming and making sounds of defiance, trying to pull my face away from his hand, but he merely clicked his tongue, his red eyes flashing hungrily. He pulled one knife from his belt in a warning, cocking his head to the side.

"Make one more sound and I cut out your tongue, sweetheart," he scolded in a whisper, and I immediately froze, eyes widening. His hand left my mouth and traveled down to the shoulder ties of my shirt, and I immediately jerked away from him, now understanding his motives. I had always heard that the jungle trolls had very... animalistic behaviors, but now, apparently I was experiencing this firsthand.

He let out one warning growl, then returned his hand to my shirt, trying to untie it again.

He might've been threatening me with a knife and all, but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and let this creature have his way with me. Although my hands were bound, I could still use my legs, and so I did.

I pulled my knees back and jammed them into his stomach, then kicked my feet out against his legs, trying my hardest to hit him where it counted. Apparently I did, because he let out a very undignified 'oof' and doubled over, to which I took a chance and began scrambling away from him toward the door of the tent. If he'd gone out of his way to get in through the side instead of the front door, it meant he wasn't allowed in here, which also meant if I got the guards' attention he'd be kicked out.

When I got a few good feet away from him, I opened my mouth to call out for help, but was cut off when the troll's hand clamped back down against my mouth, silencing my calls into muffled complaints.

He wrenched his hand around my neck and whipped me around, then threw me with tremendous force against the floor again, causing me to smack my head against the hard ground. I let out a sharp cry of pain, my head throbbing almost unbearably and my vision blurring as I vaguely saw the troll come at me again with a fist.

His fist connected with my cheekbone, intensifying the headache I had and sending pain shooting from the point of impact to every part of my face, resonating in my nose.

"Try that again, bitch," he hissed, his hand clenching into another fist, "And I'll break more than just your pretty face."

I whimpered but other than that stayed quiet, my head swimming and my mind unable to focus on anything but the pain throbbing sharply through my skull. I vaguely felt his large hands once again ripping the cloth of my shirt away from my body, and my mind started screaming at me to do something, anything, but I couldn't. I was frozen and in pain, almost unable to even see in front of me.

And then, when I felt his hands tugging at my trousers, I blocked it all, scrunching my eyes shut and ignoring as best I could what was happening. In all my years, I'd never expected this to be the way I lost my virtue, but now it was inevitable. I suppose if I get captured by trolls, it's sort of a given fact I'll be assaulted and raped as well.

Silly me for not knowing that.

I couldn't, however, ignore how he fiddled with the strings of my trousers, the way it made me gag and sent disgusted shudders down my back.

But then, suddenly, I heard a scuffle and he was gone. And just in time, too, because mere moments earlier, he'd managed to get the belt of my pants dragged all the way down past my knees. My head was still throbbing too badly to open my eyes or lift it off of the hard ground, but I did hear muffled, angry yelling, and I could only assume the guards had discovered my attacker.

Moments later, I felt a troll's large hands on my body again and I cringed away, letting a terrified cry escape my throat. But then I heard a comforting deep voice carry to my ears.

"You're fine," the voice cooed. Then I noticed that the hands didn't feel the same, nor did they have that brutal, impatient feel to them. No, these were softer, gentler, and rather than invading my personal space, their owner was actually removing the ties on my wrists.

I finally managed to open my eyes, which to my surprise were wet with tears, and they ended up focusing on that same crimson-haired troll, Ra'jin, who I'd encountered earlier. His brows were knit tightly and his mouth was twisted in a frown against his tusks, but his eyes looked almost pained as he held a hand up to my face to inspect where the other troll had hit me.

I winced, shying away from his hand instinctively, at which he paused, his eyes flicking to meet mine.

"He is gone," Ra'jin said simply, his voice automatically making my shoulders relax a little.

Gone? Gone as in not in here, or gone as in... gone-gone? I questioned internally as he inspected where my assailant had hit my cheek. The fair-skinned troll frowned sorely, letting his fingers delicately brush over the swollen, broken skin.

He growled something under his breath, his expression dark and angry, and he closed his eyes in exasperation, letting out an irritated sigh before cocking his head toward the doorway and opening his eyes again. He stood and stormed back out of the building, leaving me yet again alone and bewildered as ever. I let my head relax back down against the ground, feeling oddly safer than before.

Before long he was back, though, one hand gripping an odd-looking staff and the other carrying a pail of what appeared to be water. First, he set down the pail and then walked over to me again, kneeling down beside me with the staff still gripped in one hand. He reached out his free hand and placed it softly on the untarnished side of my jaw, then closed his eyes, chanting something under his breath. The staff erupted in a bright light that enveloped both his hands, and the one on my face became warmer and warmer, sending a healing surge through my jaw and cheekbone and mending the skin and soothing the bruise and the headache.

Immediately my head quit its throbbing, and I breathed a sigh of relief. My brain still felt foggy, probably a concussion, but at least the pain was gone. He reached into the pail of water and retrieved a soaked cloth, wringing it out before placing it on my forehead. He then reached behind him and grabbed a furry blanket, tossing it to me.

"Sleep," he ordered, pointing a finger at the pillows behind me, and I did exactly what he said.

I shuffled back, with my mind still swimming and my vision a little off, and I curled up into the downy-feather pillows. I know I should have done something, anything other than fall asleep in this random troll village, but my head was still so fuzzy that I couldn't even remember why I was here. I curled up into the pillow, pulled the blanket over me, and fell asleep.

I awoke with a start and sat up straight, letting my blankets fall down off of me as I glanced around in confusion. It took me a while to figure out where I was, but then when my eyes rested on an amused-looking troll across the room, I finally remembered it all.

"Sleep well?" Ra'jin asked me, giving me a peculiar look I couldn't read, as if this was all very funny for some reason.

A little confused, I returned the funny look, "Yeah, fine..."

It wasn't until then that I realized my chest was still completely bare from the night before, and the only thing I had to cover myself were my pants. In a fit of panic, I squeaked a terrified squeak and placed my hands over my chest to censor my exposed self, pulling the covers back up and trying to block myself from his view.

Ra'jin gave me a look of confusion before he finally registered what I was doing, at which he - to my dismay - actually began to laugh. His laugh itself was in truth a very pleasant sound, but the fact that it was directed toward my discomfort was what set me off.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Ra'jin chuckled at me, shaking his head, "Besides, I'm not a mindless beast. Not all of us trolls are driven by our baser instincts."

Still wrapping my arms over my bare chest, I eyed him skeptically, "My experience last night gives me cause to counter your statement." I then sort of gestured to my entire self, "If you haven't noticed, he ripped all my clothes off."

"Oh, I noticed," Ra'jin's eyes flickered mischievously, a look that should have made me uncomfortable, but I instead had to catch myself from staring at him. I still couldn't get over how striking this man was, and the fact that he'd sort of saved my virtue was making me swoon.

He leaned back, pursing his lips slightly, "What is your name, elf?"

"Veiwyn," I replied back promptly, "And you're Ra'jin?"

"The one and only," he smirked, and I sort of blanked out at the sight of his dazzling smile. This was the first time I'd seen him legitimately smile, and that lopsided grin was making my heart do flip-flops in my chest.

Oh, dear...

"Veiwyn," he let my name roll off his tongue, and it sent a shiver down my spine before I could help myself. "It's a fitting name."

I fidgeted, becoming hyper-aware of our proximity and the fact that I still wasn't wearing clothes. I decided to speak up. "So," I mumbled, "Got any extra shirts?" I glanced at my old one, which had been so unceremoniously ripped from my back into two pieces.

Ra'jin's red eyes smoldered and he smirked again. "Nope."

I scowled at him. "That's a lie."

"Do you see me wearing one?" he held his long arms out to his sides, baring his uncovered and muscly tattooed chest and stomach.

He was right, he really didn't exactly have a shirt on, nor did I see any in this hut. Drat.

"Well I don't want to just sit around naked all day," I complained, still holding my arms over my chest defensively, and his eyes flicked back up at me, holding a smile behind the cunning look.

"Do you really have a choice?" He finally let out a soundless laugh, raising his striking brows.

I frowned, pulling the covers a little closer, then changed the subject. "So..."

"So." He shrugged.

"What am I doing here?" I asked.

He shrugged again, smirking and glancing to the side as he took in a breath, "Well, you see... My men brought you in as a gift. And I'm not one to decline something like that... The guilt, you know?"

I frowned. "No, I don't know. Why would you feel guilty for letting me go?"

"Because you're a gift," he said so simply, as if it was obvious. "It'd be rude of me to decline."

I glared at him. Yeah, it's rude of him to treat me like property as well, but who am I to talk? I pursed my lips and cocked my head at him, "So... Why did they think I could be a... a gift for you? What do you normally do with your 'gifts'?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know. The usual. Probably expected me to take you as a slave of sorts."

"A slave?" I squeaked, frowning. "What sort of work would I do as a slave?"

"Not what you'd expect," Ra'jin gave me a peculiar look, then clarified, "Something on a more... intimate... level than your average house slave."

"Intimate?" I almost whispered, my eyes widening. "So... A sex slave?" I thought about my encounter last night with that other troll and felt a gag pulling at my throat. No way. No way in hell was that going to happen. I didn't realize I was actually showing my discomfort in the idea until Ra'jin scooted a little closer, giving me a worried look.

"Hey," Ra'jin said in an oddly calming voice, his tone having switched from uncaring to comforting. "I didn't say that I'd actually be doing that, Veiwyn." He had craned his neck to make eye contact with me, and his eyes, rich crimson pools, caught mine and held me immobile.

As if purposefully interrupting, my stomach growled loudly, and Ra'jin raised a brow.

"Hungry?" he asked, giving me an oddly sincere look.

"Yes," I responded, then rolled my eyes subtly, "Ever since yesterday when I was fishing for a meal - which was right up until your little friends decided to kidnap me."

"Back in a moment," he stood suddenly, leaving me alone within a matter of seconds.

Five minutes later he returned with an armful of fruits and a woven leather satchel, along with a pouch full of what I could only hope was water. I nearly began drooling as he knelt down next to me and held out a nice-sized banana and a mango, both of which fit easily in his gigantic hand. Eagerly, I took the fruit, trying my best at holding the blanket up with my elbows and peeling the fruits at the same time.

Ra'jin untied the woven satchel and retrieved some smoked, dried meat and handed that to me as well, and it was all I could do to keep from jumping for joy. I hadn't seen this much food in weeks, seeing as I'd been traveling and camping along the beach and only managed to get a few fish a day. I scarfed down my food, not even beginning to care about table manners. I was in the middle of a tribe of nearly-barbaric trolls who lived in the jungle; I don't think they even have eating etiquette.

Ra'jin watched me for a moment. "Not only hungry, but very hungry," he corrected himself, shaking his head and holding out the - thankfully - water pouch. I drank it in a matter of only one or two minutes, then finally slowed down, leaning back and taking one single contented sigh.

"Better..?" Ra'jin asked me, his eyes twinkling in amusement, and I nodded.

"Lots," I raised my brows, letting an almost smile touch my lips, "Thank you."

"You eat like a troll," Ra'jin teased, and I finally did smile.

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" I laughed.

He shrugged his broad shoulders, but before he could say anything further his long ears twitched and he glanced to the left, toward the door flap of the large tent.

I only had seconds to process what was going on before I found myself lying flat on the ground, covered by the red-haired troll. He had somehow removed my blanket, planted himself over me within a split second, and placed the blanket over both of us.

Feeling both shocked and surprised, my eyes jerked to look at him, but his facial expression wasn't what I expected. His eyes flickered almost mischievously but still held a serious edge, and he held one finger up to his lips in a 'shh' gesture. His body heat was invading mine and I could smell the almost cinnamon-y touch on his breath as he held me down, pressing every part of himself against me, our only barrier being our trousers. I squirmed a little but did as he said and kept quiet, as almost instantly afterward, the door flap of the tent was thrust open and in came a troll, one who I recognized as Kev'kiz.

"Hey Chief, I-" Kev'kiz glanced around and then focused on Ra'jin and myself and he paused, and it only took me a moment to realize what it probably looked like 'Chief' and I were doing. Only our bare upper torsos were on display; our lower halves were covered expertly by the blanket.

Kev'kiz's face formed into a grin and he shook his fists triumphantly as he began to back out of the tent. He jeered loudly, then disappeared, closing the tent flap behind him.

Almost as fast as he had thrown himself on me, Ra'jin lifted himself back up and away, giving me back the blanket and sitting back on his heels again, acting like nothing happened. I, however, was confused to boot.

"What the hell..?" I blinked, giving him a bewildered look, "What was that about?"

Ra'jin brushed a hand over his hair, smoothing it back down as he glanced at me, "What? Oh," he almost laughed, "After what happened last night, I told the men that I had complete claim over you."

"And what does that have to do with you throwing yourself on me?" I crossed my arms, pulling the blanket back up over my exposed skin. Although it had been sudden and short-lived, I couldn't help but think back to how his body had moulded itself to mine, with lean, hard muscle pressing against my frame. Honestly, I kinda, sorta, maybe liked it.

But that still didn't give him permission to do it again.

He sighed, looking almost bored. "If I claim you, that means no one else can touch you in such a way that could be deemed as... suggestive. So they have to all think that I really do have a 'claim' on you. Otherwise you're fair game."

"So they have to think that I really am your... your... slave?" I frowned, blinking at how ridiculously strange this whole deal was.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "Unless you want to go through that whole experience from last night again."

I shuddered. "Nope, I'm good with this idea."

He smiled lightheartedly, the action dazing me yet again. Oh, this will take some getting used to.

"Good," he said, then stood up. "In that case, I'd like to introduce you to your new home."

He reached down a hand for me to grab, but I eyed him warily. "I still don't have a shirt."

His jaw pulsed and he shook his head in an almost chuckle, but knelt down in front of me again and reached his hands up to my long dark purple braid. Wordlessly, he undid the braid and then parted the thick hair, taking the two sides and placing the hair over my shoulders and chest. It fell down far enough to cover what needed covered, but I felt extremely exposed.

"One stray breeze and the whole village gets a show," I complained, but he just laughed.

"It's better than nothing."

Sighing, I knew he was right, so I stood up and obliged, letting the blanket fall. It was now time to see my new home.