The Alpha King's Slave (Book 2 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 9

The room was nicer than any she had ever seen, even in the Baron's home. But her main focus was on the large bed in the room and what it might mean for her.

She had a basic knowledge of coitus, having overheard the other maids speaking of it in the Baron's household. She knew in some homes, the aristocracy had no problem with having affairs with the staff, whether they were willing or not. The Baron, though, had never strayed from his wife.

Would having Beta bed her be such a horrible thing? She supposed it depended on how gentle he was with her. She hadn't forgotten the pleasurable tingles that accompanied his touch. So far he had been kind, but this was their first moment alone. The man was attractive, so as long as he was kind to her, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

Penny was also drawn to him like she'd never been drawn to a man before. There's was something about him, something that made her want to trust him, something that made her heart feel safe with him, even though her mind told her she needed to be on guard at all times.

She hadn't moved since she'd walked into the room, her arms wrapped around herself as she waited to see what was about to happen. Beta didn't even know her name and she wondered if he'd bother with formalities before bedding her.  Though she supposed it didn't matter if she had no say in whether or not he had his way with her. 

He sat his bag down then turned to her and she stiffened, waiting for him to pounce on her. He took a few steps towards her and stopped. "What's your name?"

"Penny," she whispered warily.

"Penny, my name is Roland." He was relaxed in his stance, and made no move closer.

She frowned. "I thought it was Beta?" She stopped herself from saying any more and hoped he wouldn't punish her for questioning him.

A small laugh escaped him. "No, Beta is my title." He looked at her in concern. "Penny, I want to reassure you that I'm not going to hurt you. I realize that you have no reason to believe me but I'm hoping to gain your trust. No one will touch you against your will either. Our meal will be here shortly and then we will discuss everything. I'm sure you will have questions, and I want to be open with you."

Penny didn't know what to think. She wanted to believe him, but he was correct. She had no reason to.

A knock sounded at the door, and Roland walked over and opened it. A woman entered carrying a large tray and bowed her head to both Roland and Penny, before placing the tray down on a table. "Do you require anything else, Beta?"

"No thank you."

The woman bowed again to both of them and left the room.

"Come. Eat." Roland said, and Penny walked over and sat down at the table. She still didn't trust him but she was starving.

Dinner was delicious and Roland made polite conversation about nothing important at first before he finally asked her something personal.

"Penny, how long have you been a slave?"

She paused for a moment, thinking his question over. "I'm not sure of the passage of time, but not long." She had lost track of how long they were on both ships, and wasn't quite sure of the date.

"You were aboard a ship that was attacked by pirates that took you and sold you to the slaver?" Roland asked her.

She raised her eyebrows at him in surprise at his quick deduction, but nodded before dropping her gaze.

"I saw the pirates who sold you..'" he explained. "..and unfortunately your situation is not uncommon."

"We were with the pirates for a few weeks I believe." She stared down at her empty plate.

"Where you raped?" he asked her softly.

Her eyes shot up to him at the frankness of his question and she blushed before looking back down. "No, my lord." She missed the way he visibly relaxed at her answer.

"What about your life before this unfortunate chain of events?" He leaned back in his seat.

Penny looked back up at him and saw nothing that alarmed her in his expression. "I was a servant at an English Baron's home."

"How long had you been employed by the Baron?" Roland asked her.

"For ten years now. I spent the last eight years as a personal maid to his eldest daughter," she said quietly. She couldn't keep her eyes on him. She was very attracted to him but he also intimidated her quite a bit.

"Do you have family back in England?'

She met his gaze again briefly before looking down at her hands. He had lovely green eyes that were studying her so intently. "No my lord. My father died when I was very young and my mother shortly after I was employed by the Baron."

He was quiet for several moments, contemplating what she had said. Penny thought about asking him questions herself, but decided against it.

"Penny, if you could, would you return to the Baron's family? To your position in their household?"

"There's nothing to return to," she said hoarsely.

He didn't question her anymore about that, and she was thankful. It hurt that they were gone and she really didn't want to discuss it with this man.

"Penny, have you ever heard of the Remington Family?"

She looked up sharply at his question. She had heard of them and how powerful they were. It was whispered that they were more powerful than the king of England, though she found that hard to believe. She'd never met anyone who worked for them though. "Yes, I have heard of them."

"I work for Caleb Remington. I'm his second." Roland placed both of his hands on the table, studying her.

She looked at him in surprise. If he was Remington's second, he was indeed a very powerful man in his own right. "You're his servant?"

"No. It's more complicated than that. I also have no intention of keeping you as my slave, Penny. Once we have returned to England, the papers of ownership will be destroyed," he said with finality.

She gasped in shock. Why would he purchase her only to free her? It made no sense. What would happen to her? She had nowhere to go. She had no idea why this man had even purchased her. She would end up on the streets with no home and no protection. If anything, her situation was growing even worse.

Suddenly he was by her side and he took her hand in his. "Penny, breath."

Waves of calm flooded over her and she breathed in deeply. She looked up at him, and saw only concern on his face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be." He stroked her hand with his own, and she again noticed the tingles, finding comfort in them, in him.

"I'm not going to just leave you out on the streets. Please let me explain." He let go of her hand and sat back down on his side of the table. "I need to tell you something that will explain everything. But first I need you to understand that I would never ever hurt you. That is the most important thing. You need not fear me. I will always take care of you and I will never let anyone harm you. But what I'm about to tell you may scare you so I need you to understand that I will never harm you."

She stared at him in fear but breathed in deeply and nodded.  As much as her head screamed not too, she needed to put a little bit of trust into this man.