Chained (Brides of the Kindred) Read Online Free PDF Page A

pain. Once when she was nine she’d
taken on three older boys who were torturing a small, defenseless dog. She’d
gotten a black eye and a bloody nose before her protective older brother,
Michael, found her fighting but the dog had lived. In fact, it had been her pet
for years. Scrappy had been a fighter and so was Maggie—especially when it came
to helpless creatures who couldn’t defend themselves.
    “I’m punishing him.” Lady Pope’nose’s face
was twisted into a sneer of triumph. With a sick feeling in the pit of her
stomach, Maggie realized that she liked this. That she was getting pleasure from it.
    Sick! She’s sick! she thought. She’s not just hypercritical—she’s a
sadist!
    “Well, stop it!” she said desperately.
“Whatever you’re doing, stop!” She ran forward, her hand outstretched to
the prisoner, as though she could somehow stop his pain. It was the same, blind
impulse that had gotten her beaten up when she rescued Scrappy and it had a
similar effect now.
    The moment her hand touched his naked
shoulder, Maggie felt a jolt of pain lance through her. She gasped and went
rigid—it was as though she’s been suddenly struck by lightning. Agony ripped
through her, setting her nerves on fire, making her feel like she was going to
die.
    “Krelb!” Lady Pope’nose shouted, ending the pain. She rushed
forward to pull Maggie away from the chained man. “Are you mad?” She shook
Maggie roughly. “What’s wrong with you, getting so close?”
    “I…I…” Maggie couldn’t think—could barely
even breathe. The pain was gone now, as though it had never happened. Not even
a faint tingling remained. But she remembered it well—it was the worst thing
she had ever felt even though it had lasted less than five seconds. How long
did the prisoner have to endure it every time Lady Pope'nose came to torture
him? “That…that was awful,” she finally managed to gasp.
    “Of course. The collar is set to maximum.”
Lady Pope'nose shook her head. “That was a very foolish thing you did and not
just because you gave yourself a nasty jolt. This prisoner is extremely
dangerous—even bound and restrained he could kill you if you get too close.”
    Maggie looked again at the chained man. His
huge, muscular body had gone limp and he sagged, his knees splayed apart. His
head hung down and he was panting like a wounded animal. He didn’t look like a
threat to her—not in his current state, anyway.
    “Why did you do that?” she demanded. Now
that the pain was gone, she was so upset tears had come to her eyes. She took
off her glasses and swiped at them angrily. “How could you? He’s helpless! How
could you hurt him like that?”
    “My dear Lady Jor’don.” Lady Pope’nose
frowned. “I’m simply trying to break him so he can be of useful service. And
I’m not doing anything he doesn’t richly deserve. Remember, my dear,
he’s a murderer many times over.”
    “I don’t care what he did,” Maggie said
firmly, replacing her glasses. “No one deserves to be tied up and tortured.”
    Lady Pope’nose looked at her blankly. “But
my dear, it is the only way to break a defiant slave. Just think—he
would be dead if not for me. If I hadn’t bought him, he’d be rotting in a
shallow grave somewhere with no one to mourn his loss. At least in his way he
may be made to be useful… if he will ever learn manners.” She frowned at
the still panting slave who was looking up again, studying Maggie’s face.
    Anyway, Maggie hoped it was her
face he was looking at. The dinner gown that Lady Pope’nose had loaned her was
positively indecent. It was a dark green velvet and it dipped low—very low—in
front, barely covering her cleavage and then clung to her hips like a second
skin before falling to her feet which were stuffed into the crazy high heels
her hostess had insisted that she wear. For some reason, even though it was the
prisoner who was half naked, Maggie felt completely undressed when he