The Warrior's Reluctant Bride Pt. 02

Please read part 1 to understand this story. This story is now complete.

PART 2

Stars twinkled above her through the small venting hole in the top of the tent as Raina studied them longingly. Asim had not returned, even as the sun gave way to the moon and the stars began to speckle the sky. Her hands rode her belly softly as she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to force herself not to cry again. She'd shed more than enough tears that afternoon. Lying on her back, Raina contemplated her options. She could either make another attempt to escape, or she could give in, accept her new life and do her best not to anger her husband.

Her brow furrowed with disgust at her own thoughts. Asim had done nothing to earn her respect, let alone her servitude. So what if he'd made her cry out in pleasure? She was sure Marin could too, if he'd been given the opportunity. What was she doing weeping in his tent? So what if his hands could bring her pain as easily as pleasure? She'd known he was a beast before he'd ever slipped inside her. She disgraced herself by huddling in his tent waiting for his return all day like the obedient wife he wanted. Sitting up, she gazed around the tent, looking for inspiration, someway to escape.

A malicious grin spread over her lips as her eyes landed on Asim's belt of daggers. On her hands and knees, Raina crawled towards it, intent on hiding one beneath the furs so she could kill him with it while he slept.

"I wouldn't touch those," a deep voice warned as the tent flap opened, allowing a large man to step into the light of the small fire she'd started hours ago.

Jumping, Raina flipped over onto her bottom, staring up at the terrifying man filling the tent. Like Asim, he was heavily tattooed, his face tattoo beginning at his right ear, curving up to cover the side of his half-shaved skull, the edges of the sharp lines nestled against the thick braid he wore down the middle of his head. Her eyes dropped, following the braid as it reappeared over his shoulder, stopping just past his tattooed pectoral muscle, the tail end resting against his sternum.

"Who are you?" she whispered, terrified this man intended to have her as well.

Crouching, he set a bowl beside her furs. "I am Davar, Asim asked me to bring you nourishment," he replied, making no move to leave as he studied her from his haunches, the thick muscles in his legs flexing. "He thought you might be hungry."

"I didn't imagine him to care about any of my desires," she muttered bitterly, crawling back to the furs before collecting the bowl. Davar watched as she brought a piece of cured meat to her lips. "Is there something else?" she asked as he continued to watch her.

"I'm waiting for my bowl," he told her, a charming smile breaking out across his face as Raina blushed. "You're prettier than I expected," he added, his eyes twinkling with mischief as Raina choked on her mouthful.

"What?"

"It pleases me, your arrival means Asim will finally give me Mira," he explained, taking a seat beside her as he pulled a small knife and a wood carving from the pouch on his belt.

Studying him in confusion as she chewed, Raina watched as he whittled next to her in silence, "who's Mira?" she asked, stuffing her mouthful into her cheek.

"The reason for my heartbeat," he told her happily, grinning widely as a smile slowly spread across her lips.

"You are in love," she stated in amusement, her thoughts on the first time she'd admitted her feelings for Marin. "Does she know?"

Davar's smile faltered, his gaze returning to his totem as he carved away a small chip of wood. "Mira has known of my love for many moons," he replied, his voice flat.

Raina's chest clenched at his pain, her hand reaching out to squeeze his forearm in comfort, thinking of that uncomfortable moment, that painful heartbeat, she'd waited before Marin had declared he cared for her in return. She hadn't thought even for a moment about possible rejection until Marin had stared at her wide eyed, stunned by her emotional outburst towards him. "She doesn't love you, though, does she?"

Shrugging, Davar ignored Raina's gentle touch, "Mira has always admired Asim." Disgust wrinkled her face as Raina recoiled. Snorting at her reaction, Davar smiled, "he's made the opposite impression on you I see," he teased.

"He is a beast, a demon," she spat insultingly, not the least bit thoughtful of her audience.

"I see..." he replied, his silence stretching out into a contemplative moment, "what do you think?" he asked, changing the subject as he offered her his carving.

Raina held out her hand, inspecting his work as he placed the wooden figure in her palm. "A terrifying beast," she commented, "you've captured its likeness."

His smile wide and slightly crooked, Davar shook his head, "the most protective of mothers," he corrected. "Terrifying beast is but one side of the creature. The bears provide furs that keep us warm, meat to keep us full and children to keep the woods plentiful to fulfil our needs."

"All the same," Raina agreed, "I saw one tear the innards from a man as a child, it is not a creature I wish to encounter again."

"I have torn the innards from many men, am I a beast?" Davar asked, genuinely curious of her response as he accepted his project back.

Unsure what to say, Raina remained silent as minutes passed slowly, the sound of his witling the only thing accompanying her chewing. "Though it might be hard for you to tell, given his perpetual scowl, you have cut my chieftain deeply, his heart bleeds this evening," Davar commented casually.

Annoyed, Raina grimaced, seeing Asim had shared their misadventure this afternoon with his man, "his heart is no concern of mine, especially when he shows so little care for mine. He is a brut-" she replied, her words falling off at the dark look he silenced her with.

Arching a brow in amusement, his anger dissolving as quickly as it had appeared, Davar returned his carving to his pouch, his anger seemingly forgotten, "and yet, he bid me assure you ate, as he worried you would not accept nourishment from his hand," he replied sagely, collecting his bowl as he stood to leave the tent.

"Oh, and Raina," he added, pausing in the doorway, his charming smile firmly in place, "insult my chieftain publicly and you will find yourself with no one among us to call friend, very few are as forgiving as I," he warned, the flap closing behind him with finality.

~ ~ ~

Asim smiled sadly as he watched his people's joviality around the evening fires. He would like nothing more than to join them in their merriment, but his mind was firmly lodged on his sequestered, ill-tempered wife. He forced a smile to his face, catching the amused glance of his sister Freya, as he tore his gaze away from his tent where Davar had disappeared only moments ago. He winked at her over the fire, causing Freya to giggle and roll her eyes.

He'd spent the afternoon among his people, reassuring not only his little sister, but all of them, that Raina's absence was merely due to her needing to rest after their rather aggressive joining, and she would greet them tomorrow. This was met with much amusement. Only Davar, his most trusted man, knew the truth of his unfortunate afternoon.

When Freya turned her attention back to the woman beside her, he sighed, still unsure how to start again with Raina, how to win her over. He had opted to keep his distance, leaving her to work through her feelings while he cooled off. She was testing the limits of his bravado. He shouldn't care what she thought of his face, or his manner, but that horrified, disgusted look over the fire in her father's lodge kept circling his mind, giving him no peace. He bristled, the muscles in his shoulders tightening as he sat up a little straighter, shaking off the out of character self-consciousness that had momentary plagued him.

Warriors were meant to be intimidating. Her reaction to his face was to be expected. Then again, maybe he'd taken advantage of her daunted reaction to him. He'd never intimidated a woman with his size before, well, at least, not on purpose. He didn't like that Raina had forced him to resort to using his body to bring her to heel.

He scowled. He'd meant what he'd said though, Raina was strong of body and strong of will. He admired her for it. Wanted her all the more for it. Her defiance had crept under his skin and made the hair on his arms stand on end. She was infuriating and intoxicating and making her bend to his will was the most satisfying thing he'd ever experienced in bed. No one disobeyed him so flagrantly the way she did. The memory of her fiery angry eyes stirred his loins, his cock rising as lust surged through him.

Stamping down his desire, he rubbed at his stubbled jaw. This was exactly why he hadn't gone to see her. His brow creased, still worried if he confronted her, he'd be baited into another battle and wasn't sure he could be trusted yet not to rise to her challenge. Her biting tongue and fiery spirit filled him with the desire to dominate and conquer. A feeling he did not welcome off the battlefield.

"I heard she's quite beautiful," a disappointed voice came from behind him. Sighing, Asim closed his eyes, forcing a smile to his lips before turning to look at Mira.

Beautiful was too soft a word for his wife. Striking. Bewitching. Now those were words that suited her. "If only her temperament was as pleasing as her face, I might agree with you," he teased, patting the blanket beside him in open invitation.

Tucking her tunic skirt beneath folded legs, Mira settled beside him, leaning into his arm, tracing his tattoo with the tips of her fingers. "You are as disappointed by your marriage as I?" she ventured cautiously, a hint of hopefulness in her tone.

Chuckling self-deprecatingly, Asim shook his head, catching but ignoring Freya's frown of disapproval at Mira's proximity to him, "no. She behaves as many would in her position. I do not blame her." His mouth quirked at the admission, "I have taken her from everything she has ever known and as you're well aware, I'm not a gentle man. Her heart belongs to another, I do not expect her to warm to me right away. I am hopeful she may come to care for me as you do...one day...perhaps." He finished, glancing down at the woman on his arm wistfully.

"You are very patient," Mira whispered, her heart breaking in her breast, her hand falling away from his arm.

"Not as patient as Davar," he teased and then winced, reflecting on his own lack of patience with Raina. Asim closed his eyes and sighed once more in defeat at the look on her face, "my words have hurt you," he deduced, annoyed to have disappointed yet another woman today.

Mira shrugged, "I had hoped perhaps she would resemble a boar and you might be tempted to warm my furs from time to time," she admitted.

Barking out a laugh at the ridiculous idea, drawing the attention of a few around them, Asim grinned down at the lush woman beside him. "No matter her looks, you know I would not stray after seeding her. I think it's time you found another fixation for your attentions, Mira," he suggested, "Why not Davar? He is the strongest of our warriors. He has petitioned me for rights to you many times. You know he cares for you, why do you refuse him your affections?" Asim inquired.

Mira frowned, "Davar is not Asim," she murmured, "but if this is what you wish for me; then I bend to your will." She agreed sadly, pushing away from him as Davar approached.

Searching the man's face, Asim frowned. "She is still angry with me then?" He asked bitterly as Davar joined his fire, taking a seat beside him.

"Very. She reminds me of a wolf cub, too enthralled by her own teeth and claws to realize she is but a pup," Davar replied, "I quite like her," he added teasingly.

Rolling his eyes, Asim smirked, "you like all women."

"None as much as Mira," Davar teased, watching for her reaction as she sat like a statue on Asim's opposite side.

"You'll be much rejoiced then, Mira was asking me for my blessing to join with you," Asim lied. Davar frowned as Mira's eyes flared in surprise at Asim's words. "I told her I could think of no better man to seed her."

Pushing herself to her feet at his words, Mira circled Asim and draped her arms around Davar from behind to whisper in his ear. Asim fought the urge to grind his teeth enviously as Davar grinned widely before turning to drag Mira into his lap for a fierce kiss. She melted against him so readily it was hard to believe she was acting on anyone's desires other than her own.

Sighing, Asim drained what remained in his mug, wondering why Raina couldn't be more like Mira. The woman understood her place and accepted every new chapter of her life with open arms. Asim shook his head, the reminder of Raina's fiery will simultaneously an aphrodisiac and an annoyance to him.

Mira was pleasant but she didn't inspire excitement in him the way Raina did. She'd certainly never bit him, he thought, his cock rising as he thought of his wife's wicked little mouth. Pushing himself to his feet, he watched for a moment as Mira allowed Davar's hand to wander beneath her skirt before turning to walk away.

Ripping his mouth from Mira's, Davar called out to him, "Asim, count your blades! And, many thanks!"

Lifting his hand in acknowledgement, Asim nodded, amused by the fact Mira was squirming in Davar's lap, her eyes closed, a pleasured expression on her face as his hand moved between her legs, hidden by her tunic's skirt.

"I wish you many strong sons," Asim murmured with a small smile, blessing the union as he made his way to his own tent, pleased for his friend and comrade. He sighed, wishing his own wife could be even marginally as open to receiving his attentions as Mira was to Davar.

~ ~ ~

Stepping into the warm light of Raina's fire, Asim's eyes scanned his weapons, counting them before approaching his furs and the attractive lump hiding beneath them. "Did Davar bring you enough to eat?" he asked quietly as he undressed.

Ignoring him, Raina huddled deeper into the bedding.

"You won over Davar," Asim tried again, "he said you amuse him greatly."

"He pokes fun at me then. He did not but reprimand me for rejecting you," Raina finally responded in annoyance.

Asim shook his head in amusement, the beads in his war braids clacking, "I doubt that very much, Davar is the most mild-tempered among us. Now roll over, I wish to bury my cock in your heat again," he told her matter-of-factly, lowering himself to his knees beside her, steeling himself for the fight he knew was coming.

"Is twice in one day not enough?" she spat, "Even now, I still leak your seed. I am so sore; must you rut me again?" she whined.

The back half of her words soothing their initial sting, Asim grinned, "I must, yes, if I am to fill your belly with child."

"And what if I don't wish that?" Raina pouted.

Asim shrugged, caressing a lock of her long silky hair between his fingers as he knelt beside her. "It is your duty, your desires are irrelevant," he told her, his voice soft as he leaned over to caress her shoulder. He frowned at the tension in her body. "I will bring you pleasure, you know this," he tried to comfort her, annoyance spreading over his features when she pulled her shoulder free of his fingers. "Why must you be so difficult, Raina?" he chastised half heartedly, goading her.

She sat up, whipping around to face him, "Because you and my father have no regard for my wishes? Because you are completely devoid of civility and the only way you would agree to an alliance with my people was if I bore you a child? Because resistance is the only weapon I have left to assert my own autonomy? Is that clear enough to penetrate your thick Barbarian skull?" Raina scoffed, quickly forgetting her promise not to anger him again.

Smiling wickedly, Asim thought momentarily about taking her like the Barbarian she thought him. If she had any true idea of how brutal he could be, she would not bait him like this. Her fire in their bed furs was one thing, but speaking down to him would not be permitted.

"You asked me earlier if I would beat you. Would you like me too? The way you wag that tongue of yours leads me to believe you enjoy the sting of reprimand," he mused, his tone too light for Raina to take note of the warning.

"Given your beastly nature, I'm sure you would enjoy it, you repugnant -" her words ended with a squeak as she found herself on her back, Asim's large hand pressed over her heart as he pinned her to his bed furs with just enough pressure to keep her still. She had barely seen him move, she thought, even as the blood drained from her face.

"Let loose another insult past those tempting lips. See what happens," he whispered harshly, easing the pressure of his hand slightly when he realized he was frightening her.

His words reinvigorated her, filling her with resentment. "You can not control my mouth, husband," she spat, the last word sounding more distasteful to her than any other she'd used to call him by.

His lip curling with impatience, Asim glowered at her, tempted to show her just how wrong she was about that assumption should he wish to silence her. Instead, he tried to get her to see reason. He couldn't continue to make war with her their whole lives. It was preferable to him that she didn't actually hate him.

"Call me what you will, but know I am the only thing standing between your family and the wrath of true barbarism. If you had any sense, you would welcome this union and the benefits being tied to me extends to your people." When her face remained contorted in slight disgust, Asim added casually, "Or perhaps I should take your fields by force and leave your warrior weak tribe to the mercy of the Uruki?"

Despite the shadows of the tent making him look menacing, Raina ignored the less than subtle threat and retorted, "I see no difference between your band and them. Diplomacy handled you well enough. I don't see how being rutted by a Uruki would be any worse than the way you took me against the tree this afternoon."

Asim pressed a little harder, driving her into the furs more firmly, not sure if he was more annoyed by the reminder of his boorish actions or her continued constipated responses to his advances. He frowned at the sound of her breath catching on her words as he lowered his mouth to her ear. "If you truly believe that; you are even more sheltered than I thought," he growled. Flipping her onto her stomach, he crawled on top of her legs, yanking up her tunic.

"You think me no more than a beastly barbarian? Fine, I'll be a barbarian," he snarled, his hand firm on the back of her neck, holding her against the furs.

"What are you doing?" she demanded indignantly, beginning to squirm under him, annoyed by her traitorous body as heat pooled low in her belly in anticipation.

"I'm going to do what your father should have years ago," he snapped. A resounding slap filling the tent, followed by an ear-splitting screech as Asim brought his open palm down once more on her bare rear end.

"Gods take you!" Raina screamed as he continued to redden her cheeks, each blow more painful than the last. Clenching her teeth, Raina steeled herself against the pain, her ass clenching with each touch of his calloused hands over the smooth skin of her pert bottom.

Hardening himself to her cries, Asim continued his assault, trying to ignore the wilting of his cock even as she bucked and squirmed and cried out vicious, vile words beneath him. He scowled, her cries of pain doing nothing for his lust, he much preferred her hitched cries, her insults punctuated by throaty moans.

Raina squirmed, unable to move more than a few inches off the ground, Asim's fingers sliding down to spread between her shoulder blades, holding her down as he squeezed her ass with the other hand before he tore another shriek from her lungs.