29. Kara
29
KARA
Kara gasped and nearly fell when J’orn severed the last band that held her in place and set her free. She still felt incredibly disorientated—just a moment ago J’orn had been fucking her within an inch of her life and then he had pulled out and started fighting the enormous Trollox without missing a beat.
It made her dizzy with a strange combination of lust and fear. How could he switch gears so quickly? She was still aching inside—not as badly as before, but she felt a low-level sexual need, as though she hadn’t quite been satisfied.
And there was something else—for a split second, it had felt like something was happening between them. Like something was forming—something delicate and beautiful as a butterfly’s wings and yet as strong as a rope made of iron, if only it was allowed to finish its growth.
But the minute J’orn had pulled out of her, the sensation had stopped—cut off abruptly as though someone had chopped the burgeoning connection in half with a butcher knife. Kara felt it like an aching in her soul—the withered beginnings of something that hadn’t been allowed to grow before it was choked off brutally and left for dead.
She didn’t have much time to analyze the strange sensation, however—because as soon as J’orn finished cutting her loose, he stripped off his shirt and draped it around her shoulders.
“Here, baby—put this on,” he said. “And then we’re getting the fuck out of here.”
Kara fumbled with the buttons but only managed to get a few done before he brushed her trembling hands away. But as he was fastening them, his eyes seemed drawn to her hips. Frowning, he pushed the shirt out of the way and looked down to examine her.
“J’orn!” she exclaimed shakily, reaching for the shirt. She was tired of being naked! “What are you doing?”
“I marked you.” His voice was grim. “I took you too hard— much too hard. I’m so sorry, Kara.”
“I don’t think—” she began, looking down at the finger marks on her hips. But he finished buttoning the shirt and was already leading her from the room.
She tried to follow him—she didn’t want to slow him down—but her legs were weak from the drug and she tripped and stumbled, nearly going to her knees on the floor.
Without missing a beat, J’orn stooped and scooped her up. He threw her over one shoulder and headed out of the room with one arm wrapped around her legs to keep her in place.
“Hey—where the hell do you think you’re going?” she heard a male voice demand. “You don’t own that girl—you only paid to fuck her!”
“Get the fuck out of my way or fucking die—your choice.” J’orn’s voice was a low, inhuman growl.
“Leave him alone, Hardig,” said a girl’s voice—the same one who had been in the room with the Paradisian and Spikes earlier, Kara thought dizzily. She couldn’t see anything but sets of legs and feet, since she was hanging facedown over J’orn’s broad shoulder. “He killed that Trollox all by himself!” she continued. “I saw him do it!
“Yeah, but the woman?—”
“The woman is MINE!” J’orn’s voice was a muted roar this time that shook Kara’s whole body. “If you make me put her down to fight you, you’ll suffer the same fate as your two-headed friend. Now get the fuck out of my way before I make you fucking sorry!”
“It’s not worth it!” The girl sounded anxious. “Just let them go—please, Hardig!”
Hardig must be the guard whose legs she was seeing, Kara thought. He backed away from J’orn and she could hear the unease in his voice when he spoke.
“Fine, get out of here. And don’t ever come back!”
The words were filled with false bravado but J’orn didn’t even bother to answer. He just headed out of the brothel with Kara still slung over one shoulder. As she swayed dizzily, she wondered where he was taking her.