They were already a full day into Queen Genevieve’s territory, but Lillith still felt edgy and afraid. Each time a twig snapped off the path, she startled and pulled her horse closer to Roderick’s. The uneasy feeling she’d had since she and Roderick fled was only growing stronger. She had been one of the King’s Select - a private group of women Roderick had secured solely for His Majesty King Argus’ sexual pleasure. Roderick’s job had been to train Lillith as he had trained the others.

But Roderick had broken the rules. He had fallen in love with Lillith and to her surprise she realized she’d fallen in love with him. He’d decided to get Lillith away from the king before he could fulfill his promise to claim her as his own, so Roderick had disguised Lillith as a guard and had him accompany him when he moved Jane, the woman Lillith was to replace in the king’s bed, to the house where she’d been banished. Afterwards, the two of them had fled towards the border. Roderick planned to seek amnesty for them both with Queen Genevieve, who was the sister of King Argus’ wife, Eleanor. It was a risk, he knew, to divulge the secret harem the king kept. Roderick hope that Genevieve would forgive him and offer him and Lillith safe refuge in exchange for information that proved her rival was not the moral and Gody king Argus pretended to be.

Neither knew that Jane alone had recognized Lillith’s disguise. The spurned woman blamed Lillith for her banishment from the king’s bed and had immediately dispatched a message to the castle.

“Are you tired, Lillith?” Roderick’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Do you need to rest?”

“No,” she lied. Lillith had never been so tired, but she did not want to stop.

He pulled up his horse and grabbed the reins of hers. “You’re being untruthful with me, Lillith,” he said, dismounting and leading her horse to a small clearing by the side of the road. Lillith did not resist as he reached up and pulled her from the saddle.

“I expect honesty from you, pretty one, even when we are in trying situations.” Roderick’s voice was firm as he spoke. “I am not above spanking you firmly here and now should you defy me.”

Lillith eyed him with alarm. “But I thought you only punished me as part of training for the king.”

“You are mine now,” he said. “And that means I have even more motivation to see you become obedient and amenable. If anything, I shall be more stern with you than ever.”

He turned her around and gave her a hard swat to her bum. It did not hurt much through her clothing; Lillith knew it was to make a point. He was as in control of her now as he ever was. In a strange way, that knowledge gave Lillith some comfort. Roderick’s authority was the one thing she could be certain of.

He ordered her to sit on a nearby log as he tied the horses and fetched her something to drink and eat. As Lillith sat nibbling a hard piece of bread she kept her ears trained towards the woods. Every sound made her edgy.

“You do not have to worry,” he said when he came to sit beside her. “By the time he comes after us, we will be across the border.”

“But he will come after us?” she asked.

Roderick nodded with a sigh. “As one long in the service and confidence of King Argus, I know his character better than anyone else does. He has a need to control everything and everyone, even as he puts forth a public image of himself as one who is godly and kind. Everyone he takes into his inner circle meets an unpleasant fate.

“But not his select,” Lillith pointed out. “The women at the house said they are all well cared for after they leave, and end up with good lives in fine houses…” But when she saw Roderick cast his eyes downward, she felt a chill. “That is what awaits them, correct?”

Roderick was silent for a moment.

“It is easier to tell the women that, Lillith. From the time he makes it known he wants them, they are marked for eventual death. He uses them and then orders me to take them to one of several houses. Afterwards they are never seen again…”

Lillith went pale. “He kills them?” she asked. “And you know about it? You are party to it?” She began to feel ill, and now he did look at her, his face grim.

“I prolong their lives,” he said. “As long as the women please them, they stay. As soon as he grows bored with them they are removed.”

“Have you….?” But she could not finish. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but was relieve when Roderick answered her question.

“I would not and could not,” he said. “He has men who do his dirty work. Rumor is that the bodies are dumped into the lake in the glen behind the castle. But those are only whispered rumors. No one would ever voice them, and those who whisper them are as afraid of the ghosts they say haunt the lake as they are the king….”

Lillith’s eyes filled with tears.

“Jane,” she said. The memory of the other woman’s face floated through her mind. She had loved King Argus, and hated Lillith for displacing her. “Her, too?”

“Yes,” said Roderick sadly, “and eventually you if you had stayed. Do you understand now why I am so hard on you all? When a woman loses favor with the king I blame myself. I feel as if I have played a part in killing them. I’ve shut myself off in some ways, Lillith. Or I have tried. But with you I was not able to do that.”

She stood, tears streaming down her face now as she thought of Faith and the others. “Please, sir, can we just go? I will not feel at ease until we are out of this land.”

He stood and looked down at her. “I will protect you, Lillith. If you are with me no harm can befall you.”

“But what about them? Can we save them?”

“I’ve already thought about that,” he said. “I cannot alone, but perhaps with Queen Genevieve’s help…”

He sighed and then turned to pull some things from a bag strapped to his horse.

“Here,” he said. “It will soon become apparent that you are no male guard. Put on this gown. From now on you will travel at my side as my lady.”

Lillith went behind a tree and obeyed, changing into a green riding habit. When she emerged, he smiled.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

He led her back to her horse and she mounted, feeling not just fear now but resolve to save the women that had been left behind. Roderick climbed aboard his charger and turned the animal as Lillith’s followed. They rode as hard as they dared without overtaxing their mounts. It was growing dark when they reached the borderlands.

The forests past the edge of King Argus’ kingdom were twisted and dark. Ravens preened and peered from the trees where they had gone to roost in the twilight. Lillith, who did not want to believe in omens, did not feel any more secure realizing that edge of Queen Genevieve’s kingdom was more foreboding than the land she’d just left.

An owl hooted somewhere in the forest and a twig snapped. Then a loud clattering caused her horse to stir. Two guards appeared before them.

“Who rides the Queen’s road?” demanded one.

“Fugitives from King Argus, seeking the queen’s protection,” said Roderick.

The guards eyed him but did not lower their drawn swords.

“Name!” one demanded.

“Lord Roderick of Longtree, and this is Lilly Satterfield. We have intelligences we believe are of importance to her Majesty.”

The guards glanced at one another, then moved to circle Roderick and Lilly. The largest of the guards flipped up his visor and stared at Roderick.

“If you say you have information you’d best not disappoint. Her Majesty Queen Genevieve is not one to be trifled with.”

“I have no intention to trifle with her,” he said. “But I should warn you that I have in my possession something King Argus considers his, and should he already be aware of this he will try to stop us before we reach the castle. I would hate to die before I could indulge the Queen in my confidence.”

The guard stared at Roderick, considering, and then wheeled his horse around. “Follow me!”

They were flanked by the guards as they rode. Lillith felt more secure with the protection, even if she was not sure how it would be received. She tried to put the “what-if’s” out of her mind but was finding that difficult to do. What if the queen did not believe them? What if she sent them back?

She was exhausted from riding without rest for so long and was about to tell Roderick that she could go no further when she saw a castle in the distance.

It was grand and imposing. Banners flew from the turrets. The road winding up to its gates were free from the woods now, and all around were verdant hills and valleys. The air felt cooler and smelled of cedar and the woodsmoke rising in tendrils from the chimneys of small huts that dotted the landscape. Queen Genevieve’s subjects looked prosperous and content, Lillith observed. But she reminded herself that so did King Argus’. Looks could be deceiving, and contented subjects were not necessarily a reflection on the character of the ruler.

The houses turned to a teeming village as they approached the castle. The guards escorted Roderick and Lillith up to an inn.

“You’ll need to make yourselves presentable if you are to meet the queen,” the lead guard said. “Have you coin for a room and a bath?”

“Yes,” Roderick said. “I do not travel without means.”

The guard nodded. Roderick and Lillith followed him into the inn where Roderick paid for a room and ordered a bath brought up. Lillith was grateful for the opportunity to soak her sore muscles and rest before facing the queen. In the room, her companion was quiet. His solemnity worried her, as she was sure he was plagued by the same concerns as she.

Lillith forced herself to lay back and relax in the water, her long hair floating around her like a bed of glossy seaweed. She felt the tension drain out of her body as she closed her eyes and pretended that she could feel this way for the rest of her life. But as the water cooled she was forced to come back to reality. Standing, she dried her body with the towl as Roderick watched her silouhette from the other side of the screen that had been erected for her privacy.

Lillith was a beautiful woman. He had not been lying when he told her loved her, but would she love him still when she found out he had no intention of returning to King Argus’ land and rescuing the other members of the Select? He did not delude himself into thinking that Queen Genevieve would risk her own men to go into enemy territory to free a small group of hand-picked whores. Roderick was a practical man, and he knew that Genevieve had her own good reputation to think of; she loved her sister too much to launch the kind of military action that would bring Argus’ secret harem to light and cause Queen Eleanor the kind of embarrassment that would ensue in the wake of such revelations.

Lillith came from behind the screen. She had dried hand donned one of the nightdresses he’d packed for her before they’d left.

“Thank you for remembering to bring clothes along for me,” she said.

“I’ve been shepherding women for so long I’ve become good at anticipating their needs,” he said. “Dresses, hair combs, jewels..” He smiled. “Necessities, especially if one is going to a Queen’s court.”

“Do you think she will send soldiers soon to help the others?” she asked, broaching a subject Roderick was in no mood to discuss.

“Leave that to me, and do not mention this to the queen. As far as she is to know, you are my betrothed. I do not want her to know that you were a member of the King’s Select.”

Lillith, who was sitting on a chair across from Roderick, stood. “And why not?” she asked angrily. “I’m not ashamed. I was not there by choice, but by force. I did nothing wrong, Roderick! You said so yourself! I do not care what others think of me as long as Faith and the rest of the women…”

“NO!” Roderick stood up and advanced on her. “You need to listen to me, Lillith. When we greet the queen, I will do the talking, not you. Do you understand?” His voice was heavy with warning.

But it was a warning Lillith did not heed. Jutting her chin out defiantly, she stared directly into his eyes.

“I do not understand, and I will not obey you,” she shot back. “Queen Eleanor’s sister deserves to know the type of beast her husband is married to!”

She was facedown over his lap before she could even comprehend what was happening. Roderick lifted the hem of her gown and Lillith realized what he’d said on the road had not been an idle threat. Things had not changed simply because she’d fled her forced service to the king.

“No!” she cried as she sought to cover her naked bum with her hands. But Roderick grasped her wrist and pinned to the small of her back. With her other arm trapped between her body and his, she was helpless to protect herself as he began to soundly spank her exposed bottom. Lillith gave up trying to be stoic and sobbed frantically as Roderick launched a non-stop volley of spanks with unrelenting force. She bucked and twisted, but to no avail and knew by the time he finished she’d not be able to sit comfortably for days.

“Please! Stop!” she cried through her tears.

“Are you going to do as you’re told?” he asked.

“Yes! Yes sir!” she cried, limp now from the exertion of fighting him in vain.

Roderick landed five hard smacks to the underside of each cheek before finally stopping and hauling Lillith almost roughly to her feet to face him.

“You are a clever girl, but you do not have the experience I have in dealing with royal minds,” he said. “They do not think the way we do. What would seem fair or unfair to is often justified by those in power. You want to tell your story, but keep in mind what may happen if you do. It would mean admitting to Queen Genevieve that her King Argus chose you to replace her sister in bed. We both know it was not your choice, but you are not an average woman and there is a good chance that the Queen will see you as she sees most females in your situation - scheming and all too eager to be close to the king, even if it means being just one of his whores. It is better for me to claim knowledge of this and let her decide how to handle it. She may decide to save the women. She may hold them accountable along with the king. If it is the latter I will not see you punished as well.”

His words were sobering and Lillith felt foolish for not thinking the matter through before insisting that Roderick concede to her wishes. Now she was torn between feeling humiliated over the spanking and grateful that he was again thinking of her safety.

“What of you?” she asked. “Will you tell him your role in training the King’s Select? If she would punish me for catching the eye of the king, what would she do to the man who trained me to please him?”

“I don’t know,” Roderick answered honestly. “That remains to be seen. I am hoping that I can secure amnesty in exchange for what I know. Queen Genevieve does not like King Argus. I’m convinced the only reason they have not gone to war is because King Argus was smart enough to foresee Genevieve’s rise and marry her sister as a way to neutralize any conflict before it could arise.”

“He is devious,” she said, remembering those shifty eyes with a shudder. She’d never been in the presence of anyone so cruel as King Argus. She wondered if Roderick would tell the queen the full extent of the man’s sadistic streak.

Roderick pulled Lillith to him. “You do know that I only discipline you to keep you safe, don’t you?” he asked.

She looked at him from beneath lashes still studded with her tears. “You told me once you punished me to show me you could.”

“That was then,” he said. “And although I am capable of spanking you solely for my own pleasure, on this journey your safety is my primary concern.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and stood, drawing her close. “Of course, that does not mean I cannot take pleasure in your perfect bottom, your small waist, your beautiful breasts…”

He cupped one now and lowered his head to capture a pert nipple. Lillith immediately forgot about the throbbing pain in her bottom as she threw her head back and surrendered to the sensation of his demanding mouth on her sensitive breast. She moaned with the feeling and her legs gave way as Roderick picked her up and carried her to the bed. He lay her down and her legs parted as he fell between them. His cock was rock hard as he entered her and Lillith cried out with a mixture of pleasure-pain as he grabbed her sore buttocks at the very moment he forcefully drove into her willing body.

Lillith wrapped her legs around his slim waist and pulled her to him, her hips working to meet his downward thrusts. They came hard together and afterwards she closed her eyes and clung to him, wishing she could always feel as safe and wanted as she did at that very moment.