Rescuing Reya (The Beast Masters Series) Read Online Free Page B

been out with him, enjoying a picnic lunch near
one of Ralen’s many rivers. Wanu’s Heat overtook him, and in his crazed beast-locked state, he tore his love to
pieces. Wanu had remained in beast form and was
hunted and killed by his own men. The same men who had idolized him only days
prior were forced to end his existence and then clean up what he had done.
    Utan sighed. It was that type of past, those incidents that had once been high in
number, that kept women of the universes from flocking to Ralen to bond and collar. Though it had been over a hundred years since such a horror
had occurred, it did not matter. To the women of the many other planets, the
horrific events of old were as fresh today in their minds   as they had been long ago.
    Mayhap the men of Ralen were
dammed. Cursed for the actions of their ancestors. It was hard to believe
otherwise.
    He stared at Reya more, committing
her face to memory. Even with the knowledge she was to belong to another—his
brother— Utan couldn’t stop watching her. She was so
beautiful and something about her captivated him.
    She
is to be your brother’s , he reminded himself.
    He had a business to run but had done little more than hover
over her since her arrival several days prior. He had permitted his women to
handle the day-to-day running of the House. It was not something he’d normally
permit, but he could not seem to pull himself from Reya’s beside. One of two of the women who worked for him raised a brow at his
interest in Reya , and one in particular seemed almost
jealous.
    Reya whimpered softly in her sleep and Utan touched her
hand lightly.
    “I am here. You are safe,” he whispered.
    She eased somewhat, falling into a deeper sleep once more.
He remained close. While her breathing was much better, she was still weaker
than she should be.
    Manuk ,
a skilled healer, swore she would be well soon and that she would wake for
longer than the short bursts she had so far. Manuk also warned that the damage to her lungs was great and that some may be
irreparable. Only time would tell. But Utan was
impatient. He wanted to know she would wake soon and be healthy and right. The
idea of her suffering haunted him but he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if he
truly knew the women in his bed.
    It
feels as if I have known her all my life.
    Utan pushed her long blonde hair from her face and then wiped her neck with the wet
washcloth. He’d had some of his women cleanse the newcomer each day, but today
was different. He didn’t want them near her. He didn’t like the way they shot
him dagger-like looks when he lurked in her doorway. They acted as if he was
spending too much time with her and not nearly enough with them.
    What fools they were.
    He’d been very clear with each of them when they came to
work in his House of Pleasure that he had no interest in them sexually and
would not require their services in such a manner.
    Each one had foolishly believed she would be the one to
change his mind. That she and she alone would somehow make him look past his
rule about refusing to mix business and pleasure. The last thing he wanted was
to bond to a woman who had serviced half a legion of men.
    He sighed.
    He wasn’t fond of the idea of women servicing men for coin,
yet he took good care of them. He ensured they were always safe, always had
food and lodging, and that they were paid well for their services. But he
didn’t feel the way they wished he would for them. He never had. Altan had no problem bedding several of them. Though even
his brother’s visits for sex had slowed greatly. It seemed the closer Altan came to his Heat, the more he realized the women of
the establishment did little to keep it at bay.
    Utan had fallen into ownership of the House of Pleasure and had not wanted to keep
it. Direct orders from those higher than he left him no choice. The houses of
pleasure were necessary evils on Ralen . Males
outnumbered females in numbers too great to count. Much had