“Itis not your fear that I seek—I want your love and loyalty. But if you will notgive them freely, I will take them.Guards!”

Fourhuge, muscular males wearing gleaming gold armor came forward, carrying alarge, X-shaped piece of equipment. They turned Thrace to face the X and untied hisarms from behind his back. Then they bound them above his head instead,fastening his wrists with iron cuffs to either side of the X shaped device.They manacled his legs too, bracing them far apart at the bottom corners of theX—chaining him down so he couldn’t move.

Trinbit her lip as she watched. Though he struggled and fought will all his might,the young Thracecould not break free. He might have had a chance if he was the Thraceshe knew now, the big, powerful male that had fought his way free of theDemon’s Eye with no more than a blaster and a bad attitude. But he was stillyoung in this scene—he hadn’t reached his full growth and potential. Which madewhat happened next even harder to watch.

“Sayit! Say the words!” The gray haired master stepped up behind him and pulled hispurple robes to one side, revealing a surprisingly large shaft. Not as large asThrace’sown but enough to cause serious damage, Trin was sure.

“Don’t!”she shouted. “Leave him alone, you bastard!” But neither the master or Thraceseemed to hear or see her. As before she was frozen in place, unable to help,unable to be anything but a silent, invisible observer.

Themaster grabbed Thrace’slean hips and pressed forward, entering him. Violating him.

“I will belong to you body and soul—say it!”he snarled as he thrust in.

“Never!” Young Thrace’s face was a trembling maskof pain and hatred, his hands clenched into fists as he fought to keep thetears standing in his silver-blue eyes from falling.

“I will protect you with my life, shield you fromharm in times of danger, and pleasure you in times of peace—say it!” Thegray haired master thrust again. “To the last drop of my blood, I am yours. Sayit, Gods damn you—Say It!”

Thosewords! Trin thought wonderingly. Thoseare the words he said to me when I put the pain collar on him. Is this how heknew them? Was he a slave after all? But how? And where?

“Say you love me! I’ll make you love me!”the master raved. Reaching around he grasped the other male’s shaft in his handand began to pump it in time with his strokes. “You love it…you know you loveit,” he hissed.

“Never.” The young Thrace’s eyes were closed now, hisjaw clenched as silent tears rolled down his face. “I’d rather die. Never.”

Trin found that she was crying too.

“No—no leave him alone! Please, leave him alone!Stop!” She shouted until her throat was raw, screaming at the horrible sightgoing on before her, her hands clenched into fists and tears pouring down hercheeks. “Stop it! Stop it!”

“Stop what? Trin wake up—what’s going on?” The deepfamiliar voice in her ear seemed to pull her out of the nightmare she hadsomehow entered.

She opened her eyes to find she was curled against Thrace’smuscular side, her hands balled into fists and her breath coming in short,heaving gasps.

“Th-thrace? Is that you?” She reached up to touchhis cheek.

“Yeah, baby, it’s me. What’s wrong? Did you have abad dream?” He looked at her with obvious concern. “You were yelling forsomeone to stop doing something.”

“I…was?” Trin frowned, trying to recapture thedetails of the nightmare. Whatever it was, it had been bad—terrible. But nowthat she was awake it was gone except for a few wisps.

“Yeah, you were. And…you’re crying.” He cupped herface and rubbed his thumb gently over her cheek.

“I am?” Trin touched her fingers to her other cheekand they came away wet. What had she dreamed that affected her so deeply? Ithad to do with Thracesomehow…something bad happening to him. But what?

She couldn’t answer the question. The dream wasgone. Not that she wanted it back if it was that upsetting.

“What were you dreaming? Do you remember?” Thraceasked softly. “I only ask because my people believe there can be significancein dreams.”

“I don’t know. It was so vivid but now it’s just…gone.”She shrugged and swiped at her eyes. “Silly, huh?”

“No. Nothing that upsets you that much is silly.”He frowned. “I had a bad dream too. Maybe it had something to do with the dreamgas we inhaled.”

“Maybe.” Trin sighed uneasily. “Although I doubt itwas the red gas and I didn’t breathe in any of the black nightmare gas like youdid. Maybe it was the white…the one that’s supposed to show you the truth aboutpeople?”

“That’s right.” He frowned. “You know, I meant tobut I never asked what you saw when you inhaled that. You touched Lord X andnearly jumped out of your skin.”

“Oh—that was so weird.” Trin shook her head. “Andit didn’t make any sense. For a minute I thought I saw that male from theDemon’s Eye. You know—the one with the metal teeth?”

“B’Rugh’s second in command, you mean? But why would you see him when you toucheda male from a completely different galaxy?”

Trin shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make anysense. But then…” She motioned, indicating not just their room but all ofDreaming Hills. “None of this does.”

“No, it sure as hell doesn’t,” Thrace agreed in a low voice.“C’mere.” He pulled her close to his side again. Trin let herself settleagainst him, not even minding the fact that she was still naked. She was stilltoo much upset by the dream, whatever it had been, to feel aroused anyway.

“Just a dream,” she murmured, feeling her heartbegin to slow. “Just a really bad dream.”

“Whatever you were dreaming of, you don’t need toworry about it,” Thracerumbled comfortingly. “I’ll protect you with my life, you know that.”

“I know,” Trin whispered. Something about his wordsseemed to jog her memory and for a moment she almost remembered what theterrible dream had been about. But then Thrace breathed deeply, jostlingher against his side and the moment was gone.

She took a deep breath, inhaling his warm, spicymale scent and snuggled closer to him. His arms around her were so comfortingand his body against hers felt so right. Though she knew it was weak and wrongto want the protection and comfort of a male, she couldn’t help it—Thracemade her feel good. Warm. Safe. Too safe to want to remember whatever thehorrible dream had been.

“Go back to sleep, baby,” he murmured and placed atender kiss on the top of her head. “It’s still a few hours until we have toget up.”

“Okay.” Trin yawned and let herself relaxcompletely. Finally sleep took her again and this time there were no dreams.

** * * *

Thrace held her close against him, wondering if she haddreamed the same thing he had somehow. He didn’t know how that was possibleunless it was some kind of effect of the dream gas. All he knew was at the sametime he’d been dreaming of his first violation at the hands of his old master,Trin had woken up screaming, “Leave him alone! Stop it!”

Her shouting was what had woken him, bringing himout of the nightmare of reliving the old pain. But while she had apparentlyforgotten it, the images lived on in his own memory. Images he had tried tobury, memories he had kept under lock and key for more years than he cared toadmit.

It’sall right. It’s over, he told himselfuneasily.

Except it wasn’t. Here he was, a slave all overagain. And this time by his own choice. What had he been thinking to accept thecollar a second time? And of his own volition!

I’lltell you what you were thinking, whispered alittle voice in his head. You were thinking that you weren’t ready to leaveTrin yet and this was the only way to stay with her. That’s what you were thinking. You weren’t considering any possibleconsequences. Anything that might happen to you because you chose to travelthis road again.