Kaitlyn O'Connor by Enslaved III: The Gladiators Page A

misunderstood me, gods damn it! I was trying to say that she is not fierce and she is not strong—in her tiny little body—but she has spirit and strength for all that. She has not cried or screamed as the other two have. She is intelligent. She knows that she has reason to be afraid, but she is very brave. A Hirachi woman would be brave because she would have confidence in her strength and her training. Lau-ren has neither and yet she is still brave. I do not understand it, but I would not have any qualms about passing that strength to my off-spring—if there was any possibility of it—which there is not!”
    Balen looked troubled. “I told her that we would protect her and she offered to be our woman. She said that it wouldn ‟ t be right to take and not give something in return. We tried to explain that it was our duty and honor as warriors to protect the weak, but she offered herself.”
    Discomfort flickered through Kael at that news, embarrassment that they had all obviously made their desperation to get their hands on her so abundantly clear that she seemed to think that was all that motivated them. He did not like to think that their lust had made them appear less in her eyes than what they were—warriors of the Hirachi, men of honor. As he considered it, however, his resentment that they could not court her properly rose to the forefront of his mind again and it occurred to him that, mayhap, she realized that and had taken it into consideration.
    “Mayhap she sees the offer as a courtship gift?” he suggested.
    “You think that is it?” Balen asked hopefully if somewhat doubtfully. “I would be ashamed to accept if she thought that I had expected it of her in exchange for protecting her. And it seemed to me that that was she thought.”
    Kael felt his belly clench with dismay. He did not like to think that she perceived them in that light—as dishonorable creatures that would take advantage of her frailty. It would bring shame upon them if she offered herself for that reason and not for the only reason acceptable—that she desired them as they did her. Frustration flickered through him. Their awkwardness with the only language they had to use to communicate only exacerbated the situation. They would not know if she truly welcomed any of them until and unless they were given the opportunity to take her as a lover. He shook his head and rose abruptly to pace the room. “It does not matter,”
    he said harshly. “She is a slave as we are. Even her body is not hers to give and she must know that.”
    Dakaar frowned. “You are saying that she did not mean it when she offered to be our lover if we would protect her and her friend?”
    Kael paused to stare at him miserably. He was as bad as Balen, wanting to believe that he had seen something he might not have to soothe the sting so that he could take what she offered without shame! “Did she seem sincere?”
    Dakaar turned to look at Balen questioningly.
    Balen shrugged. “She smiled at me and she seemed sincere, but I could not help but notice that she seemed afraid to come very close.” He grimaced. “She is so tiny, I suppose it is no surprise that she is afraid of us when we must seem like giant, hulking brutes to her and we are Hirachi warriors, after all, but it is disconcerting to have a maid quake with fear, let me tell you!
    I have never encountered that before!”
    “She smiled at Dakaar, as well, and I could see that she was glad to see him,” Kael said slowly. “She is afraid because we are not the same and look as strange to her eyes as she does to 28

    ours. And she is naturally afraid because she can see that we are much bigger and stronger. She has no reason to trust that we would not hurt her.”
    “But we are Hirachi warriors!” Balen said indignantly.
    “And she does not know our culture!” Kael retorted angrily. “Hers would not be the same—anymore than any of these others have a culture like ours. When Lecur said that they