Dark Lord by Corinne Balfour Page A

release her at once.”
     
    Devereux did not look at the ladies. “No, I will not.”
     
    Briella spied the look of shock on her aunt’s face as she contemplated what to do. She tried once more to wriggle out of his hold, but his grip was too strong. “Let go of me.”
     
    “No. You are mine,” he responded.
     
    Her aunt rolled her eyes and produced a needle filled with liquid. “If only Markus could be so moved to rut with you, I would be so happy. But no, the only one who wants you is one of Nefertiti’s least favored lords. I must say his manners are vile. No wonder she tires of him.” Valerie thrust the needle into Dev’s upper arm and in moments, he collapsed against her in a heap. “Eunuchs, take this male to the harem and let him rest undisturbed.”
     
    Briella squirmed underneath Devereux’s heavy weight. He had collapsed between her thighs and his head was resting against her chest. She could feel the hard press of his erection against her center , even though he remained fully clothed. She wondered how he managed to collapse on top of her in such a crucial spot. She tried to shift underneath him, but it only resulted in added contact. She started to rub herself against him and it shamed her when she realized what she was doing. He was only harmless now because he was unconscious, but when he revived, he would once again be a threat. She couldn’t seek pleasure from his body, not when he wanted to make her his slave . He was dangerous and she needed to rid the harem of his presence.
     
    His heavy weight was lifted from her body by several eunuchs and Briella pulled her clothing down to cover herself.
     
    “It is a good thing we got to you in time,” Valencia said with false sweetness. “You were nearly violated. How dreadful, to have to endure the press of a male body against your own. Only whores are used in such a manner. I shudder at the thought of what those poor unfortunate souls endure, to be taken in all sorts of vile ways to appease the unnatural appetites of the lusty male animal.”
     
    Briella pulled herself upright on shaky legs. She didn’t know why she was trembling. “Yes, I thank you, dear Aunt.”
     
    Samantha came trotting by with a gleeful expression on her lips. “While you were being molested by that uncouth lord, I was being serviced by royalty! Might I say that the Queen’s grandson has the most marvelous feel. He was so responsive and so eager to please me. I was pleasantly surprised, since I had heard that Lord Langley was impotent. I am happy to say that he is not.”
     

 
    Chapter 8: Addiction
     
    Devereux woke the next morning with no memory of the night following the carnival. The other lords had told him what he had done and he had been appalled by his behavior. Julian wasn’t too happy with him, since he was being blamed for the near rape of Briella . He had no memory of assaulting Briella , but he had been told that he had thrown her on the sofa and had been so intent on having his way with her that the Lady Valerie had injected him with a sedative. He groaned and rolled over in bed, trying to get comfortable. He still possessed a raging erection that he could not rid himself of. He hadn’t known what to say to the lords when they had confronted him with their reports of his behavior. His confusion about the events led them to think he had been under the influence of drink or drug, so they had forgiven him and urged him to “seek help” for his addictions. He obviously needed help. He needed to get himself under control because it terrified him that he could harm another while having no conscious awareness of it. He was certain that Briella would never forgive him. She would triple her efforts to remove him from the harem and he would have no choice but to silence her. If not by his hand, it would be by his uncles, who were already concerned about some of the rumors flying about the harem. Apparently, there was talk of his being a hybrid. He had