Notes:
Again I want to thank all the people that gave me feedback on my story, again especially BIBOTOT, who puts a lot of effort into their reviews.
And, one thing, since some people suggested that and I want to make this clear once and for all:
I will not write about non-painful torture methods, like tickling, because it simply does not fit the Dark Eldar. I will play with psychological torture later, yes, but I can't befriend the idea of e.g. (and especially) tickling.
Yes, I know, Dark Eldar revel in every bit of suffering, also if it is 'just' mentally (and I think we can put tickling in there) but it is not compatible with my view on Dark Eldar, though I try to be flexible. As with the huge pile of information I have gathered about them - and I WAS thorough in my research, because I hate nothing more than badly researched and off-canon stories (though I know that I will and do bend the canon a bit in mine, though I try to keep it as close to 'true' canon as I can) - I have to say that I am sure that they would not use such means for punishment, I literally can't imagine this, in a sexual way maybe yes, but not for sole punishment and torture. If you screw up, they will hurt you… badly. Sorry, no discussion for me there.
And, since I also heard that from some people by now: the S&M parts are not about enticing or sexual connotation, I do
not revel in torture, just to make this clear. They are about keeping it somewhat 'realistic', since I think we can all agree upon the fact that they don't tend to pamper their slaves and subjects.
I hope that all my readers will still enjoy the story and will read future chapters, though they won't be short on cruelty. ;)
Chapter 9
Out for Blood
"I warn you, this might get ugly... What am I saying 'might'!"
— Haemonculus Salthazar Xorn, Pirate Fleet of the Shrouded Hand
MY NEXT AWAKENING left me somewhat surprised, for I awoke in the middle of the night. However, how could I know this since there was no day and night cycle in Commorragh? Two things told me: on one hand it was almost completely dark in the room, since the windows had been darkened, only small rays of light reached the room through the gaps that were between the slabs that covered the windows; on the other my master was lying beside me, his eyes only halfway open, his left hand on my belly. He almost looked as if he was dead, only occasionally he took a breath that convinced me of the contrary; otherwise, he was not moving, not even by a single millimetre. Carefully I slid away from under his hand, since I did not want to disrupt him in any way. I would have stayed in bed anyways if I could, but my urge for going to the bathroom was simply too strong.
It was not quite easy to navigate in this almost utter darkness; therefore, I took my steps quite carefully. As I came back from the toilet it was even harder, because the room possessed artificial lighting and I was now utterly blind in the dark room. It took me some minutes until I could see anything and I bode my time to not bump into anything. When I came back into bed, I noticed with relief that my master had not moved an inch, still apparently asleep or whatever Dark Eldar substituted as sleep. He had explained it to me, but I had not yet grasped the concept fully. I sat onto the bed.
I started so hard that I almost jumped out of bed again as he started to laugh behind me, as wickedly as always. My master caught me with his left arm, drew me against him, pressing me down, his arm now tightly around me. Still laughing, he kissed the top of my head and I had to ask timidly, "What amuses you so much, my lord?"
Vect stopped laughing and replied, "You being so cautious not to disturb me and being so blind in twilight. I am fully aware of my surroundings in this state, you know." My master hugged me tightly for a short while and then he continued, "And in some moments I cannot help but notice how incredibly sweet you are, my dear child."
I smiled and responded, "Well, then I will be happy about that, my lord."
The Overlord breathed a kiss upon my temple and whispered tenderly into my ear, "What a grateful, good girl you are." He let go of me for a minute, gently stroking the rim of my ear and then whispered into it, tenderly closing my eyes, "Sleep now, child, it is far too early for you to be awake!"
Then, Vect laid his arm around me again and I tried to relax, though I was utterly bewildered by his sudden gentleness. His erratic moods made it impossible to size him up, because yesterday it had looked as if it would take a tremendous amount of time and effort on my part to regain his favour fully; but right now he seemed to be utterly satisfied with me. Though it was a good sign for me that he no longer held a grudge against me, I was uneasy. I had to find out how it was possible to measure him up just a little bit, though I had no idea how I should do this.
Besides, I was also somewhat bewildered by the fact that I could face him and his touches again so calmly. It only had been half a night since I had encountered him for the first time after my punishment, but it seemed as if the sleep had already worked its wonders concerning the state my mind was in. I felt much better, though not a lot of time had passed. Something was utterly wrong here. Would I ever find out what it was?
I decided to be happy with the advantages this strange notion brought me and I drew strength from it.
Apparently, my intense pondering seemed to show, because his voice came from behind me, low-pitched and velvety, "You are thinking too much and too loud, child. Sleep now, I will not tolerate you sleep-deprived and I will knock you out if you dare to resist!"
Ok, maybe not everything was as perfect as I had thought it was. Because of that, I replied ruefully, "Forgive me, my lord. I just try to figure out how to be always at my very best." Evidently, this seemed to be enough of an answer to him, because he just let out an indifferent sound and let it go at that. I tried to relax again, his caresses on my belly made it hard for me, since something in me still rejected his touch.
Nevertheless, I fell asleep again at some point…
Slowly and gently I awoke at the side of my master. I could hear that he sat up and he said, not without surprise, "Oh, is it that time of the human month already?" I opened my eyes, looked at him in confusion at first, then I writhed slightly as a well-known pain in my abdomen started.
I said, bewildered, "How did you know this even before I did?"
He chuckled lowly. "Child, my senses are much keener than yours. My kind is able to hear the beating of human hearts through massive bulkhead doors and our eyes are capable of seeing in utter darkness. I can smell the change in your body and, most of all, I can smell the blood." I cursed silently, he grinned and added, "Do not worry, child, I will order a slave to help you with that. Go to the bathroom, she will be with you in a second." I obeyed.
When I had entered the bathroom, it occurred to me that I had been travelling on the ship for months and I also was here for more than one month. Why did I only menstruate now? What was happening here?
I ran around in a circuit; the pain was overwhelming this time. Presumably, only minutes had passed, until a secret door opened up between washstand and shower, which I had not noticed until now, and a young, human woman entered the room. The secret door explained a lot, for example, how it had been possible that clothes had been prepared for me as if by magic, though I had not seen another single slave around here. The slave said to me, "Keep your chin up, it always hurts like shit around here."
She carried new clothes for me, put them down and gave a small metal box to me. I opened it and saw several syringes in it, but without needles. She explained, "Put this stuff deeply in your vagina, it will soak up all the blood of the menstruation. Just throw the empty syringe in the cask, like everything else. One syringe is enough for each cycle, so you should be set for quite some time, since you will only bleed for two days. We all do. If you stop menstruating, it will dissolve in the shower and wash away, but not before. However, be aware that this stuff also dissolves if Dark Eldar skin touches it before this time, so if he decides to sleep with you, you will bleed and have to use another one." She drew a face and added, "I won't lie to you. They love sleeping with us while we are menstruating. Good luck." Then she left again, I was not able to say a single word to her, but she also seemed to be in a hurry.
I took a deep breath and got into the shower. I tried not to think too hard about what it would mean for my mental health if he slept with me while I was menstruating. I had to face it, like everything else, but I was not sure how much longer I would endure around here without snapping.
As I was done showering, I removed the first syringe from the box. At first, I turned it sceptically in my hands, then I shrugged and used it, finding with great dismay that the gel was icy and left a burning sensation afterwards. The unpleasantness did not surprise me at all. I washed my hands afterwards and looked to it that I was somewhat presentable, though I felt like shit.
What amazed me again – though I had already had more than just a taste of the healing technology of the Dark Eldar – was that my wounds were almost gone, though they had been deep. Then again, there had to be some way how Dark Eldar were able to keep torture up that long without their subjects dying. To be a good torturer also meant to be an excellent healer, since there was no point in having one's subjects dying because of their wounds.
Whilst I worked on my face and hair, I had to stop several times because of the intense, choking agony that had me in its grips when the ischaemic spasms hit. I had no idea how I was to survive the day with the Circle.
As calm as possible, I left the bath and faced my master again, who already had breakfast. I seated myself to his left and simply had to say, "Care to enlighten me why this feels this time like someone is massaging my belly? With punches? Thrown by demons?"
My cynicism merited me a small smile from the Overlord, then he replied, "Am I correct in assuming that you are menstruating for the first time since you are here?"
I added, "Actually, it is the first time since I was caught."
He nodded and continued, "Well, it is quite easy to explain. The Webway twists human bodies quite badly and especially jumbles the female reproductive system. You are not made for this environment, that is all."
"Oh, I am so glad it is that easy. Any other way I could like… you know… adjust," I had to add with pure sarcasm. The situation was so macabre and dire for me; I simply had to take it like that.
Luckily, my master did not seem to mind. "You should know by now that nothing around here is pleasant."
I sighed. "Yes, I do, my lord. But I don't have to be happy about it." He chuckled softly, I added, "And besides… I don't think that everything around here is unpleasant."
Vect stopped chuckling, looked at me through narrowed eyes and replied, "I am way too gentle with you, as it seems."
I smiled and with feigned anger I said, "Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have said that, because it would only encourage you to be nastier!"
A slap in the face and his following words knocked me out of the skies, "Careful, slave! You have not regained all the favours you have had before! Being impudent might lead you down a road, which, I am quite sure, you do not want to walk."
Now subdued and careful again, I replied, "I am sorry, my lord, I still have to learn when enough is enough."
I sighed in relief on the inside as his posture relaxed again. "Still, you know how to behave if reprimanded. Keep up that good demeanour, child!"
I dropped my gaze and replied, "I will, m…"
I stopped in mid-sentence, my fingers clawing into the tabletop and I gasped in pure agony; it was not possible for me to face it in any other way. With tears in my eyes, I looked at him again and saw a truly interested expression on his face.
"Just look at that! I already knew that menstruation for humans is really painful around here, but I never had the chance to witness such an intense reaction, especially from you, if not subjected to punishment," he stated, pensively.
Somewhat composed again I replied, "I guess it would be aesthetic to consider it my prolonged punishment for my insolence?"
"An aesthetic thought indeed." He leant forward, all of a sudden somewhat cheerful, and continued, "You have an interesting mindset for a human. I wonder how your race could de-evolve so badly over the last thirty-nine thousand years."
"Because we are incredibly stupid, too stupid to learn from our mistakes, as a race, that is," I stated. I shrugged and continued, "For my time, I'm also an exception."
"It is marvellous and a shame in one, I have to say. A shame, because through you, it is not possible for me to extrapolate the human mindset any further, since you are so different from any other human I have ever met and since you are the only prisoner left, who is still sane and alive from the mission, therefore, nothing is gained for me in that regard. Marvellous, because on one hand, you are able to talk normally to me and I do not have to beat every single word out of you, which is, interesting enough, refreshing for a change; on the other, you are quite a jewel when it comes down to being a slave."
I raised my eyebrows and said with surprise, "Am I? I thought you were rather displeased with my performance lately."
He laughed and said with false kindness, "Oh, my sweet child, do not judge yourself so harshly! Until recently, you did extraordinarily well. Four days ago, you made a mistake. But if your mistakes stay as simple and small as this one, I will consider you a good slave. Additionally, for all the little things you still have to learn whilst being a slave, your misplaced pride, and your quaint attempts of defiance… let me just say that I know very well how to knock such nonsense out of you." He was a master in thwarting every single compliment with pure mockery and I was aware that he did it on purpose. Expecting compliments from your lord as a slave?
Oh please.
I was not that naïve to truly believe that I would ever get a sincere compliment around here, without mockery or sarcasm.
My master then left me, exiting into the bathroom. This gave me some time to ponder my strategy with the Circle today. Unfortunately, my results were less than satisfying, though I not really had expected any. Like so many times, I had to improvise.
It did not take long until the Overlord came back, my collar, which was today ornated with silver and obsidian, in his hand. I did not resist as he donned it around my neck and I ignored his taunting tenderness while he did it. He decided not to mock me any further, but rather went to put on his armour.
As he was about to be done, I came to him, obediently, and let him attach the chain to my collar. These acts no longer humiliated or repelled me, it was the daily fare for me now and I did not even mind the collar any longer, I had gotten used to its feeling.
We then went to the throne room, in the usual constellation, and as we entered it, I could not help the queasy feeling in my belly – no pun intended – as I beheld the Circle today, for I was not sure how they would treat me today.
Yes, the Circle members now dealt differently with me, because I had proven time and again that I was more than a normal, stupid slave. However, each and every one of them treated me diversely and was more or less amicable, but I had to take a lot less 'caresses' than in the beginning.
Today, I feared it to be different.
The usual procedure transpired – Vect greeted them, came to the table and let me go to do my work. By now, I only was forced to wear the collar, my master used to take off my chain when we were with the Circle and this was a sign of a lot of trust in this society. It again made clear that I was a good slave.
By now I also had explored a bit more of the Black Fortress, because I had been introduced to the way which lead to the kitchen, since when I was in the throne room, I was part of the waiter-slaves. My job was the most delicate and taxing, though, and my manners, as well as my performance, had to be flawless. I sometimes got away from it when I was to fetch something from the kitchen, which also gave me time to grab a bite to eat or a sip to drink, which made my day somewhat easier. This particular room was a few floors below the throne room and could be reached on one hand through the official circling stairs, which was not an advisable way for a slave without their master or without explicit permission; on the other, one could get there through a hidden hallway, which was meant for slaves, to keep them from the eye of their masters, since many Dark Eldar despised the presence of humans. That was also the reason why the official stairs were off-limits for slaves. I had not noticed the exits to different floors the first time I had been on the circling stairs, because all doors were well-hidden and hard to see for a human eye. It seemed as if Dark Eldar also were all about impression and façade, considering all those hidden doors and smoothly-arranged, yet secret hallways.
The kitchen itself was enormous, which was not surprising considering it delivered to a big part of the Black Fortress and a huge section of it was meant for the throne room and the Overlord's quarters, as it was to be expected.
The chefs themselves, who were in the section that prepared the meals for the throne room and the Overlord's quarters – which was the only section that had to interest me, the rest was there for feeding the slaves – were mostly Dark Eldar or even Eldar, since their palates were fine enough to prepare a proper meal for others of their kind and all of them were slaves, the collars were distinctive. Human palates were by far not good enough to prepare a proper meal for Dark Eldar. I had been dumbstruck the first time I had met an Eldar slave. Although their stature matched their dark brethren, their expression and look in their eyes was not comparable. Where their dark brethren showed cruel madness, they flashed a somewhat sad calmness. Though their eyes also just were pools of dark colour, they mostly were blue or green, truly beautiful to behold, and their hair was as silky and beauteous as ever, having all kinds of colours.
Still, those Eldar commis chefs were treated really badly, the Dark Eldar slaves did not care that they were slaves themselves – it also seemed there were ranks amongst the slaves – and I was aware why it was so. Feelings of Eldar were as extreme as those of their dark brethren and it was pure joy for Dark Eldar to torment them; that possibly was the only way of those slaves to prolong their lives a bit. Most of the Eldar slaves were a miserable sight, lots of injuries covering their bodies and if one concentrated, one could feel their emotional pain. They seemed to radiate it. I had tried to talk to some of them, but they mostly chose to ignore or chase me away. After all, I was just a stupid human to them.
Nevertheless, I had eavesdropped on some conversations between the Eldar slaves and I had to find out that I understood some bits of their language, since it was not so different from the Dark Eldar tongue. With this, I had found out that their psychic powers had been somehow inhibited, by some strange and horrifying device and this was the reason why they felt so explicitly miserable. To rob a psyker from their powers was the worst thing that could be done to them. Nevertheless, I was not surprised about that. Psykers were forbidden in Commorragh and for a good reason, since they attracted daemons and those attracted the stare of their gods. What had kept the Eldar in this place (which was now Commorragh) alive whilst 'The Fall', was that they had been hidden from Slaanesh. Until the present day, the – now – Dark Eldar had been able to maintain this stealth and divert Slaanesh's eye. To bring an active psyker to the Dark City merited the death penalty, by decree of the Overlord himself.
With my excursions to the kitchen, I also had been able to talk to the waiter-slaves a bit. I found out that they were mostly kept unharmed – which meant that they were not tortured – and in big barracks. Things got dire for them when they made mistakes and they also told me that the Dark Eldar chefs did not take kindly to failure. Many of the humans had injuries, mostly burns and bruises, and it did not take much imagination on my part to know where they had gotten them from. Heat was easily available in this kitchen, I also had noticed that it was quite hot in there, though I could not make out how they heated the dishes – I guessed the ovens were something like induction cookers – but they produced a tremendous amount of heat.
The slaves also told me, to my surprise, that they were not chained during the night and even their sleeping rooms were not locked, but they had been told that running was a stupid idea. I knew why. The likelihood to be torn apart by someone or something around here, when one was not under some kind of protection, was very high. Additionally, not locking them up just added a psychological kind of torment, for knowing that the way was open, but also being aware that it was deadly and pointless to run, inflicted a certain distress on the mind. There were always some that tried to run and failed miserably.
Also, with what little time I had, I tried to teach the waiter slaves a bit about etiquette rules in court and what they had to avoid. I could not tell them much, but I at least tried to help them to be saved from the worst punishments. Some took the advice, but I also found that many did not. Whether they did no longer have the mental capacity for it, since they had suffered so much in their time around here, or simply did not care I did not know. I had done the best I could and I had no time to explain it to them any further or question their motives.
Realising that I had been pondering far too long, I gave myself a push back into the here and now and with haste I took the teapot into my hands, which was handed to me by one of my assistant-slaves, who was already edgy, looking at me impatiently. I gave her a small nod and smiled at her. She flashed a timid smile back, but as always, she hurried to get away, undoubtedly happy not to be forced to serve the Circle directly.
I pitied the poor girl. She was always so scared, possibly never finding a minute to rest. I had tried to calm her down and make her feel better whenever I could, but I had to find out quickly that it was futile, she was far too edgy for that. I had given up after some time; I had to save my mental strength for myself. No point in pampering a slave, who was simply not able to be cheered up. It was not like I did not understand her situation, but it somewhat confused and annoyed me a tad, since I also tried to make the best of my lot, though my position was by far direr than hers. I had never been a quitter, not even now, though I still did not know where my way would lead me here, except to a gruesome death. I somehow clung to the wild hope that somehow, something would turn out for me unexpectedly to the better. I could not chase the thought and feel away, though everything I knew told me that it was impossible that I would not end on the torture table of my master.
Again, it seemed to me that Vect was – like most of the time – right; the humans of the Imperium were cast in a different mould than I was.
Two of those assistant-slaves maintained a small kind-of bar in the far – proverbial – corner of the throne room, well out of sight to not disturb the meeting, where they prepared the tea and drinks for the Circle.
I only needed to look into the faces of the Circle members to know that they realised that I was in terrible agony and also what this pain meant. Ea'nash smiled at me wolfishly, which I liked even less and though he always smiled at me like that, I still had to get used to it.
I accepted my fate as calmly as possible and started with my task.
Of course, I was allowed to skip the greeting as I served the tea to my master. With each and every other one of the Circle, I had a different kind of procedure which we played through. As it was proper, I then went to Archon Sythrac, who was seated to the right of the Overlord, as it was usual for the Hierarch. I greeted him with a deferential nod and bow, "Hierarch."
He returned the nod slightly, and replied, "Slave."
It was a strange thing with Sythrac: on one hand, he did not care about me due to my status, which explained his detachment; on the other, he treated me with cool courtesy. It was impossible to read him, since he played this game far too long to reveal anything, but there was one thing I could say about him: he was immaculately prepared. Sythrac had survived too long in this Circle and as the Hierarch of Vect to make any blunt mistakes or to reveal his agenda. I also knew that he had dedicated himself to demoralising humanity and to kill all its great heroes. Until now, he was quite successful with his goals.
I leant a bit forward to pour the tea and wished in the same second that I had not done it. The movement had provoked a spasm and I could not help but to breathe heavily. Vertigo hit in, but my senses were called to order in an instant, as Sythrac softly said, "Interesting."
I looked at him in confusion and asked "My lord?"
He deigned to explain, "You never revealed anything, not a single sound, not the slightest flinch, no matter what was done to you around here. Is it really so bad?" I only nodded silently in answer. "Huh. I am anxious to see how you handle yourself under these circumstances. And… you have given me some nice ideas for torture."
It was the first time that Sythrac showed anything and I did not like what I saw. Behind this quiet, incredibly composed façade lurked an unspeakably cruel being, because as he had talked to me, this veil, which usually covered his whole personality, had lifted for a second and I was able to see terrible malice and deadly methodology in his face.
I gathered myself and tried to stay calm, which was a lot easier now that the spasm was over. I said, "Glad to be of service, Archon." Sythrac relieved me of his presence with a small smile and an equally small nod. I then went behind the Archons around the table onto the left side of the Overlord, where Zuol was seated. To change sides behind the Overlord's back was a grave mistake and discourtesy.
In time I had learnt not to fear the Circle members too much, since doing the worst things to me was not allowed to them. The things they did to me were not worth mentioning, I had suffered far worse. Fear only decreased my performance and would have me doing critical mistakes, which lead to dire consequences.
I then came to Zuol, bowed slightly to him and said, "Greetings, Archon." I receipted the backhander I now got onto my right cheek with a rather angry than pain-wrecked snort.
Zuol snarled, "I told you time and again to cut your chatter when I am trying to listen to the discussions here."
I did not show my resentment of his unnecessary punishments, because I knew it only got me into trouble and I was used to them. Since I had massaged him, he had had nothing left for me but contempt; apparently showing him nothing but obedience had been a mistake and I had not yet found an opportunity to show him I had some balls too. I did not mind him beating me, but what really annoyed me was that he constantly had to underline how stupid I was, though I was not. I was used to mockery, but insulting my intellect was something that made me see red. Nevertheless, I knew everything else would have only carried direr consequences for me, therefore, I replied dutifully, "Forgive me, my lord. It seems I am too stupid to remember."
For a second, I could feel the Overlord's gaze upon us. Zuol seemed to notice it too, because he said, after an irritated huff, "Alright. Your stupidity shall be forgiven, slave. Do what you are here for!" This I did and I was happy that I could leave and go to Sarnak, who was seated on the other side of the table.
The Archon leant almost casual-like in his throne-like seat. I had never seen Sarnak excited or euphoric, he just seemed to be constantly bored and underwhelmed by everything around here.
I greeted him, "Good day, Archon!"
He looked at me, flashed a lopsided smile and replied, "Any day is as good as another, my pet." My hands dug harder into the ceramic-like material of the teapot and I gasped in pain as another spasm hit. Without altering this smile, Sarnak added, "But yours doesn't seem to be too joyful."
I replied between clenched teeth, "You are right with that, my lord."
I only was able to pour the tea as the pain had subsided. Sarnak softly stroked my back, as a human would have petted a cat, and I had realised by now that I was not much more to him – an intelligent cat, but still, a pet. I was totally fine with that, since he mostly stroked me like one. I had not experienced a lot of pain from him until now. He seemed to be a bit fond of me since our talk in the arena; I knew that he was, because he was not so kind to other slaves. Also, there was not much more we had to say to each other, so I made my way to Archon Varys, again on the other side of the table.
Varys sat – as always – in an extremely straight and overcorrect manner on his seat. His demeanour was by far the most gallant in this round and he still was very amicable and deferential towards me. It still was odd to me that this noble and genteel Dark Eldar should be the one to betray Vect.
"Hail, Archon!" I greeted him.
Varys took my right hand and by every trick in the book he breathed a kiss upon its back. It was a truly intimate and trusting greeting, because in the Dark Eldar society it was unusual to touch the counterpart whilst a greeting, for contact poison was always a dire possibility. He said to me, his eyes glowing, "Ah, my favourite slave girl. Glad to see that the Overlord still keeps you."
I nodded, faked a smile and replied, "Well, he had to teach me some lessons along the way, but still, I seem to be satisfactory to him."
Varys returned the smile, whether it was faked or not I could not say, and responded, "Always be good to your master, child. It would be a shame if you fell from grace for some silly reason."
I agreed, "Indeed, my lord. May I?" He nodded and I poured the tea into his cup. Also, Varys liked to stroke me, and this time was no different, as he let the tips of his talon-like gauntlets gently run over my side. Since Varys then engrossed himself into the discussion, I was allowed to go ahead to meet Archon Nuscul.
The Archon greeted me with a lopsided, honest and yet evil smile, which I returned equally honest. I enjoyed Nuscul's presence the most in this round, since his pitch-black, acrid and sarcastic humour appealed greatly to me and it had been easy for me to return it, which, in turn, had amused him greatly. Also, his expression always either was like he just had heard the best joke in the universe or as if he just had played a hoax on somebody.
Nevertheless, the throbbing had me again in its clutches as I arrived at his side.
"You have seen better days, have you not, dear?" he stated with a grin.
I smiled wryly and replied in a strained voice, "Yup, that's the thing… with this… thing. What a sentence. Even my vocabulary is failing."
Nuscul chuckled softly and said, "Right, usually you do better. Is there anything else than tea on the menu?"
I exhaled relieved as the spasm was gone, my smile now was earnest again and I responded, "As always, my lord. Shall I fetch your favourite vintage?" Nuscul was by far the most decadent one in the Circle; he rarely went for the tea, since he preferred a glass of wine over it, which he drank with absolute relish.
"Do so. I take it you remember which vintage it was?" Nuscul asked, though we both knew that I did.
I grinned, did a mocking nod and replied, "Of course, my lord. I would not dare to insult your discerning palate! Besides, before I came here, I also was an oenophile."
He chuckled and replied, taunting, "Hmm, a woman who knows her tastes. Each time we talk, I like you even more." My grin widened, I again bowed, sincerely this time, and went to the bar to fetch the bottle.
I quickly came back and in the tried and tested way of a sommelier, I poured one sip of the wine into the glass I had brought with me for him to taste. Nuscul even cherished this little sip so intensely, it was a pleasure to watch when he indulged himself in his culinary delights and it showed how deeply every bit of emotion and sensation was felt by Dark Eldar. His whole body seemed to breathe easily as he smelt the bouquet and as he tasted the wine, a shiver ran through his whole being, almost orgasmic in nature. Dark Eldar relished every enjoyable sensation with body and soul alike; it was something that was hard to comprehend for a human.
After he had given his consent, I poured the whole glass, put the bottle back to where it belonged and then came back to the table.
As I reached for the teapot again, the next wave of agony was inbound. This time, it was impossible for me to breathe and my fingernails scraped over the pot. Nuscul watched me closely all the time and as I relaxed again, he said, "This must be intense pain indeed, considering what you can stand, judging from what I have seen already. Do you want a sip of wine? It might help you to relax."
Several things flashed through my head as he said that.
On one hand, I was utterly surprised because of Nuscul's kindness. I already had seen that he was completely different to any Dark Eldar I had met until now, but this brought his amicability to a whole new level.
On the other, oh, this was just such a mistake!
It did not take a second until the stern gaze of the Overlord fell upon us and his voice cut in with a caustic tone, "Archon Nuscul, are you trying to poison or even treat my slave?"
Nuscul was aware that he was in trouble, because he slowly turned his gaze to his Overlord and replied extremely carefully, a thing I had never seen from him until now, "Neither, of course, my lord. I just wanted to increase her performance."
With an extremely acrid tone, the Overlord replied, "I am sure you will find other ways to do so. My little slave has been disobedient recently, so pain relief would hardly be a fit treatment, am I not right?"
Nuscul replied the only thing that was healthy for him, "Of course, my lord."
I smiled timidly and said in an equally timid voice, "Well, my lord, it seems as if you'll have to motivate me otherwise." I, therefore, took the light slap across my face with great calmness and I could easily see in Nuscul's eyes that he only did it because it was expected of him. He truly seemed to treasure me, more than was usual for any Dark Eldar and for an Archon even less so. I bowed to him and went on my way, to Archon Ea'nash.
As I expected it, this Archon only gave me enough time to put down the teapot; then he drew me against him and kissed me passionately. This deed was agreed with Vect, because without permission it was not allowed for his Archons to come any closer to his personal slave than was necessary. I had asked Vect whether he allowed it after the second meeting with his Circle, and I had argued for my point saying that it would be the easiest way for me to stay close to Ea'nash. My master had liked my insight in this matter and had allowed me to indulge Ea'nash's advances without resistance.
Anyway, Ea'nash enjoyed the kiss greatly; he did not hide his passion.
At some point, he drew away from me, caressed my cheek softly and said, "Such an alluring taste! Your body should be more often in this state." To my demise, a spasm took hold of me as I was so close to him. Because of that he hugged me tightly and inhaled with relish as he could feel closely how I trembled with pain. Utterly softly he whispered into my ear, "Wonderful." Then, Ea'nash drew away a bit from be, but still looked intensely into my eyes and said, caressing my hair, "You sure feel fantastic too."
Varys's velvety voice came from the side (he sat to the right of Ea'nash), "Oh my, are you done yet? This child has other things to do than enduring your lack of restraint."
Now Ea'nash let go of me – I had to remember to thank Varys later for his interjection – and snarled at Varys, flashing a toxic stare into his direction, "Shut it, Varys, you have no idea what you are missing!"
It was apparent that Varys rolled his eyes on the inside and he replied, his inflexion as caustic as ever, "Sure, tell me all about it, cub."
That seemed to blow Ea'nash's top, because he spat at Varys, "How dare you!"
This squabbling between those two was nothing new, because they were as different as they could be and Trueborn were known to fight a lot amongst each other. Nevertheless, the quarrel prompted the stern eye of the Overlord, because he boomed at them, "If the gentlemen could leave their grudges aside and concentrate on the matters at hand!" The rest of the Circle laughed sardonically at them, the two kept staring at each other in angry silence. If Varys and Ea'nash did not at least quarrel once at a meeting, it was an odd thing. That they had been so civilised at the first meeting I had served at, had been nothing more than pure coincidence, as Vect had told me later.
Nevertheless, Vect's intervention had stopped this tit for tat before it could have started properly, and I seized the moment and went to Archon Alactel.
I greeted him courteously, but he did not find it necessary to return my greeting. In general, Alactel did not pay much attention to me right now… until the pain hit again.
With this, his gaze fell onto me and I gasped in pain and horror as he laid his left upon my underbelly, savouring my pain. He said with relish, "Ah, such intense pain… Fitting for a disobedient slave, I think, don't you agree?"
Though I was in explicit agony, I replied in a strained manner, "Yes… my lord. I… I… deserve it." I did not mind to humiliate myself.
Oh, I hated Alactel so much.
Such a flawless face, such a hateful personality.
The Archon did not let one single opportunity pass to torment or humiliate me and it was easy for me to read in his face that he enjoyed every single bit of it.
"What a good answer. It is hard to believe that you have it in you, being so disobedient, that is. However, I'm sure all of us around here will make sure that you won't dare such a thing ever again," he said and the malice that was flashing in his eyes warned me. I gritted my teeth in advance and then it took all my willpower not to flee his touch as he sunk his talons into my abdomen, making my agony mind-wrecking. I let out a small cry of pain and tears welled up in my eyes because it was that bad. Nevertheless, I was lucky under these circumstances, because Alactel deigned to not torment me for long; he rather let me go after he had fed enough off my pain.
On the short way I had to Archon Tahril, since he was seated right beside Alactel, I wiped the tears off my face and stepped as calm as possible beside the last of the Archons. Again, I got lucky, because Tahril ignored me as usual, apparently completely engrossed in the discussion. It had not been possible for me to reach him in any way, he just kept ignoring me. Anyhow, today was not the day for trying it again. Therefore, I figuratively fled the table and retreated a bit to gather myself and to look out for who would be in need of my services next.
Pain, anger and slight despair reigned in me right now. I was upset with those that had made this time a living hell for me and I also was mad with Vect, because he had not been able to hold it and had to tell them all about my mistake and the prolonged punishment I was due for because of it.
Since they now had the carte blanche to torment me, they sure as hell would take it.
I was sure that Sythrac, Zuol and Alactel would not miss this opportunity.
Sarnak simply was not interested; his tastes in torment were more refined, because he had had a taste of Haemonculi torture techniques.
Varys was too careful to do something to me.
Nuscul somehow liked me too much, though I knew that he also was a sadist on the bottom of his heart.
Ea'nash would shower me with innuendo the whole day.
And Tahril… yes, Tahril would just ignore me, as usual, too stressed to do anything else but proving his place in this Circle.
I was desperate because the round I had just made had only been the first of many and I was sure as hell that it would get worse; much, much worse. I had shown them pain, real pain, this time, my cry had been all too well audible and they had sensed weakness. I had seen it with the other slaves – the more they had shown how much they suffered, the worse they had been tormented. The Archons had sensed that I was vulnerable today, oh yes, and they knew the difference between a cry of little pain and a real one; I had shown them the latter right now. I feared that I would scream in front of them for the first time.
For the first time ever since I was with the Circle, I had to fight down the tears with all my might.
When I was sure that I had managed alright, I took a deep breath, gripped the teapot tighter and came again closer to the table.
This time, I was interrupted before I could do anything, because the Overlord indicated that I was to come to him. Dreading what he could want with me now, I came to his side. He looked at me, I knew that he read me like a book and then he said something I had not anticipated at all, "You will now sit down and have a short break, child. I will not have you spilling the tea."
I nodded briefly, handed the aforementioned assistant-slave the teapot and sat down on the floor beside his seat, without any grace and already worn-out.
Why the hell did he help me now? Why had he encouraged the Circle in the first place to torment me, but now let me rest? I closed my eyes and pondered this a while, whilst I squatted beside his seat, trembling, but thankful.
I found some answers to my questions, but I did not like them at all. Either Vect wanted me to gather my strength again, so that I would not faint at some point, or he played a small power game with his Circle, allowing them to torture me in the first place, but then denying them the pleasure. Whatever his motives were, I was sure that they bode ill for me. The wrath of a Dark Eldar, once awakened, could be lengthy, painstakingly lengthy.
I opened my eyes and watched the assistant-slave, who now had to take my place, with pity. This task did not help at all with her anxiety. The Circle gave her a hard time too, because to them the scent of fear was as evident as perfume was to a human. Then I noticed that I also felt that she had it coming, since she could have realised by now that such behaviour only merited one an even worse time around here.
I recoiled at the thought.
What was happening to me? I felt malicious glee as I watched how they tormented her. And it frightened me.
The slight touch of my master's hand in my hair brought me back into the here and now. I knew what he expected from me, obediently got up and I relieved the slave again. As short as my break had been – at least I had gathered enough strength that I was confident again. Therefore, I looked the next monster I had to serve calmly into the eye…
The day passed painstakingly slowly. I had been right with my prognosis concerning the behaviour of the Archons, much to my dismay. It always was scanning and testing with them, but today it was exponentially worse to 'normal'.
I had not screamed yet, but pain-wrecked gasps and low whimpering had escaped my throat. As I had feared, Sythrac, Zuol and Alactel made this day a living hell for me, each and every one of them in their own way. Sythrac tormented me with methodical precision and interest of a seasoned torture master; Zuol hit me whenever it fitted him and mocked me; Alactel gave his sadistic relishes full reign. Ea'nash's touches and kisses had gotten more passionate and intimate. The rest did not take too much notice of me or did not deem it necessary to do something to me. The Overlord gave me well-calculated breaks and I was deadly sure that he only did this to prolong my suffering. Nevertheless, he also made clear to me this way that even the smallest of mistakes entailed serious consequences.
I was aware that the exhaustion already was apparent on my face. I had seen my reflection in one of the wine glasses, which I had carried to and fro and I had jumped with dreadful surprise as I had. It had not appeared to me that my eyes only were half-open by now and that dark rings were under them. Also, my hairstyle was somewhat ruffled, but it was not surprising, considering that I had been touched or grabbed there several times. Additionally, my body was lined with bruises. They were not as satisfied as usual with me.
I had already felt the consequences of their displeasure, but the most dangerous one I was about to experience, for my master commanded me to his side – it now had been hours in which I had served the Circle – and as I was there, I knew in the very same second that I did terribly today, for he backhanded me so hard across the face that I cried out in pain, my ears ringing, and I was sure I would have fallen onto my knees if he had not grabbed me at my collar and drawn me close to him. Bluntly he spat at me, "I am only going to say this once: get – it – together!"
Extremely frightened that I did that extraordinarily bad, but still dazed, I replied hastily, "Of course, Overlord."
Vect let go of me without a word and pushed me back a bit, so that I stumbled a few steps backwards, fighting for my balance. I shortly fought with my stupor, but was able to shake it off.
I managed a bow and then stumbled away, rubbing the cheek he had hit me on. I jumped as I saw blood on my hand, but then realised that his gauntlet was spiked on the back and this also explained the dolorousness of his hit.
What surprised me was that my cheek did not swell, just like any other time he had hit me. I had never sustained any swellings or bruises when he had hit me in the face. How the hell did he do that? After all, his gauntlet was made out of metal and I remembered very well the time when the Kabalite warrior had hit me, back then it had taken some days until my cheek had been normal again.
I hurried to the bar to clean my hands and face, receiving pitiful gazes from my assistants, then I went back to my task, now a bit clearer, and I pulled myself together. It was perfectly clear to me what he had meant and I wanted to avoid a more severe punishment, especially today. The hit already had been painful enough.
Whilst I conscientiously tended to my task, cheek and belly hurting, I realised the mistakes I had made and I was about to slap myself again, because they had been so stupid. Such crude mistakes were not allowed whilst serving this Circle and they were especially forbidden for me, since by now I was a seasoned slave and the personal slave of the Overlord. There was no room for failure for me.
Though the hit had knocked me wide awake again, it did not take too long until my lethargy and stupor returned. Too much pain was flashing through my body; I was not able to maintain a clear mind. I was worn out, irritated and wanted nothing more but for this day to end.
Zuol annoyed me the most.
My stupor gave him the perfect opportunity to do my intelligence even further down and he mocked me each and every time I was with him.
At some point, I had enough; my trance let me throw all my caution to the winds.
I snarled at him, "Now look here, you can hurt me, hit me and cut me all you like if you think that I deserve it, I don't care anymore. But could you please do it silently… my lord?"
The table fell silent as I had said that.
Everyone looked at me, some with disbelief, some with well-hidden recognition, eyebrows were raised, and foreheads frowned.
Zuol turned his head to me, dangerously slowly, his eyes narrowed.
In this second, Nuscul saved me, because he started to laugh like he was out of his mind and he applauded slowly. Since he was the only one doing it, it sounded somewhat sarcastically. Between his laughs, he managed to say, "Touché!"
With this, Nuscul had swayed the table, because most of them started to laugh, well rather all of them but Zuol and Vect.
Zuol now bolted upwards and spat at Nuscul, "Do you think an impudent slave is a funny thing, you little bastard?" Somehow, this made Nuscul laugh even harder, possibly because of the fact that he was a Halfborn and 'bastard' was not really an applicable insult on him.
After a while Nuscul gathered himself, letting the infuriated Zuol remain standing up all the time, and then retorted, with a surprisingly angry and forceful voice, greatly contrasting with his laughs, "You at least have to admit that she has some balls, you grumpy geezer!"
Some laughs followed that comment and Zuol sat down slowly again, still tense. He then let out the most contemptuous huff I had ever heard, then turned to me again and said with a lopsided smile, which could only be described as fierce, "I don't know whether you are incredibly lucky, unbelievably stupid or absurdly brave. But as Nuscul has pointed out so blatantly, you truly have some guts, so I will go with that. Let's see if this will make you rise or kill you some day."
Then, Vect let out an angry snort and with this, the table fell silent again, as if nothing had happened. The Overlord rubbed his temples, his eyes closed, and snarled, "I am not sure right now whether I indeed have gathered my Circle today or a bunch of children. If I get interrupted one more time, I swear I will see to it that all of you get punished and I think we do not have to discuss that I know how to punish each and every one of you. Especially you, Nuscul, you have tried my patience enough for today!"
The addressed one replied dutifully and with a bow of his head, "Forgive me, my lord, I have forgotten my place."
"Indeed you have! If I hear one more frivolous word out of your mouth today, you and I will have a tremendously unpleasant and exceedingly long talk about how to behave in court!" Vect snarled and it was evident that his patience was wearing dangerously thin.
With this, the Circle returned to their usual severity and I to my task.
As I was a bit away from the table, having nothing to do for the minute, only half awake, I saw something that re-awoke me. It occurred to me that I only saw it because I had my eyes half-closed, which increased the contrast of my vision.
A black figure hung, almost perfectly hidden, on the ceiling, over the table, to be exact, over the head of the Hierarch. I did not have to think a lot to understand what that meant. Someone wanted to have the Hierarch killed. On one hand I was surprised and admired what an expert the assassin had to be, because he had not been noticed by any of those sharp senses, on the other hand, it had to be clear to him that this task was a suicide mission. Maybe he would kill the Hierarch – but after that, he was done for, the only question that remained was who would get to him first.
My mind was racing.
I wished for Sythrac's death, because he was a true monster, in a way, he had tormented me the worst today. In the same second it occurred to me that if Vect found out later that I could have warned them, I was done for.
Therefore, I could not decide: should I either say something, warning the Hierarch, but then risking that the assassin escaped or should I let the assassin finish his task?
Alas, I had no time pondering my strategy any further, because in this second the assassin let himself drop.
I did not think; I acted.
I did not know why I did it; I should wish every little bit of displeasure upon those monsters.
Maybe I did it because I was too afraid of the consequences if I refrained from acting.
Maybe I already suffered from some kind of Stockholm syndrome.
Maybe they already had broken me.
Maybe I was going crazy.
It did not matter.
There was no time for a warning shout. I ran to the table. Nuscul ducked as quickly as thought. Recklessly I jumped with one leg upon the table, in front of Nuscul, kicking some glasses aside. Then I jumped off the table. Somehow in slow-motion, I saw Sarnak's slightly interested face and Sythrac's predatory understanding. Then I collided with the assassin, my timing was somehow perfect. He let out a surprised gasp as I caught him. We sailed beyond the table, into the direction of the throne.
And then my world exploded in sheer, unimaginable pain.
I had taken the assassin along by my side and now we landed on the floor. I was incredibly unlucky, because one of the stairs was rammed directly into my abdomen. My senses exploded that intense in sheer agony, so I later could not say whether I had screamed or not. I did not grasp what happened afterwards in general. I let go of the assassin deliriously, rolling onto my side, feeling something warm running over me.
Blood.
The thought did not make any sense, but somehow I knew I was right. The beating of my heart blocked out every sound, tears dimmed my sight, all I was able to feel was utter, mind-wrecking pain. I felt that someone grabbed me at my shoulder and turned me around. I somehow realised that I was spoken to, but I neither understood the words nor could I react to them in any way. Seconds turned to hours. At some point, after this purely agonising while, everything turned black around me and I hugged unconsciousness like an old friend…
Arduously I fought back to consciousness. I was lying on my right side and the first thing that greeted me was the throbbing in my abdomen. I breathed heavily, dug my fingers into something soft and drew a face. Slowly I opened my eyes, my sight only blurry, as well as my memories. Gradually my senses came back to me, until I could sense my surroundings again. I bolted upwards as I did, because no less a person than the Overlord sat beside me on the bed, in full armour, and he looked at me strangely blankly. We were in his quarters; I was lying in his bed, naked and apparently bathed from what I smelt.
I looked at him, startled, and only managed to say weakly, "Oh dear…" before falling back, utterly feeble. I panted heavily, my eyes closed again, because I was dizzy as hell.
I froze as he gently stroked my side, and he said, "Easy, child. You just fainted because of sheer pain, give yourself some time."
I did not trust this calmness and said, "On a scale of 'one' to 'I'm so screwed', how bad is it?"
He chuckled softly. "Would I disappoint you if I say 'zero'?" he stated.
I blinked, looked at him in disbelief and utter confusion and asked, "My lord?"
Vect stroked my hair, I flinched because of the spikes on his gauntlets, and he replied, "You just saved my Hierarch, how bad can it be, hmm?"
"Considering how well I did before that, I thought I just smoothed out my mistakes with that."
He did not comment on that, but added to his former sentence, "Also, you handled Zuol very well. You showed him your teeth, he appreciates that and he will show this in the future. Well played indeed, my dear. Still, I have to say that you somehow turn my Circle into a mad circus sometimes."
I smiled weakly and replied, "But wasn't it rather Archon Nuscul that did this?"
Vect flashed his teeth and replied, "Yes, but you give him a lot to work with. I am not yet sure whether I should like it or not. I will let you know in time."
Since I had nothing to add to this, I asked, "How long was I out?"
"Just an hour or so," he responded.
"I take it that the meeting is adjourned?" I asked.
The Overlord's gaze darkened. "Oh yes, it is. I have to sort some things out, like how the hell an assassin managed to get inside my throne room, unseen and unhindered but by a mere slave, and who the hell tries to kill my Hierarch. This counts as a personal insult to me and I will not have it."
Woe to the one who had staged this assassination.
With this still dark expression Vect got up and said to me, "Alright, child, rest now. You will need your strength to deal with the pain that will come back at its full scale soon."
"Do I want to know why you know that?" I asked, a bit in jest.
My master smiled at me predatorily and replied, "Do you really think that you are the first human that collapses in my presence because of sheer pain?" With this somewhat creepy sentence, he left me.
Of course, Vect was right.
It hurt like hell again after a short while.
Nevertheless, I was glad that he was not here to watch me as I suffered. Because of this, I did not hide my pain, I whined and moaned, somehow enjoying that I did not have to restrain myself for once. The agony only subsided extremely slowly, but I was lucky, because my master only came back when I had regained my composure somewhat.
When he came back I was only able to acknowledge his return with a weak, "My lord." Arduously I asked, "So, anything new?"
Vect shook his head whilst he took off his armour. "I have to let my connections work their wonders. It will take some time; however, I will not let my Circle know that. We will meet again tomorrow." I was not able to suppress a desperate moan. He laughed and continued, "Do not worry, my child, I will leave you here. You need time to regenerate."
I sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, my lord! I am incredibly grateful!"
My master put me off and responded, "Save your gratitude, child. This does not mean that you will not have to serve me in your usual and full manner."
Carefully I replied, "I do not mean to diminish you in any way with this, but still, one of your kind is easier to deal with than nine."
The Overlord made a pensive sound and looked at me with tilted head whilst saying, "Well-chosen words. You still manage to surprise me." Then, he added, "Still, you need to rest. Try to sleep. I will not be too easy on you tomorrow."
I nodded and closed my eyes again. I did not like his last sentence, but I would see how the next day would be for me.
I was extremely grateful that I was allowed to stay in his quarters the next day and that my master had gone easy on me yesterday after my 'accident'. It was strange how modest one became if long enough time was spent in slavery.
Therefore, I was able to go through the day like I wanted it, minimising my ache. The spasms and the attached agony still were breath-taking, but still, all of it was much easier to bear if not in the presence of nine monsters, who took every chance to deepen the pain and who fed on each hard breath and every flinch. This was going to be fun every month in the future.
I also remembered my contemptuous feelings for the assistant-slave and pondered them a while. I did not quite understand it still, but I formed at least something like a hypothesis. I figured I felt that way because the mindset of the Dark Eldar, to despise anything weak, seemed to rub off on me. Well, it was that I always had despised people who whined all the time without any basis, but in this case, every single slave had a freaking good reason to do so. Nevertheless, I figured that if it was so, I had even more reason to whine and I did not. I caught myself thinking that maybe next time I would tell her to pull herself together if she did not want to be treated that badly.
Somehow, this pushy and cruel thinking did not fit me, but somehow I did no longer care for the well-being of my fellow slaves, I only cared about mine, knowing that I could not save them. Again, I recognised the mindset all too well. Dark Eldar also only thought about their personal well-being.
Although it scared me that I accepted their fierce values, I also knew that it was the only way I would survive around here. Besides, if one was constantly exposed to such a mindset, it was likely that one accepted it, no matter if one wanted to or not.
Adapt or die.
Though I had accustomed myself to the longer day cycles around here, whilst menstruation they were taxing for me. Because of this, I was utterly happy that I was allowed to sleep. The generosity I now experienced from the Overlord also put me in a distrustful mood, for he was way too nice to me, especially considering that he had had me punished by his Circle as a prolonged penalty the other day. I constantly asked myself whether there was more to come for me.
As a result of my exhaustion and the pain robbing me of a lot of my strength, I went to bed quite early this day. Also, lying in this awesome bed relaxed me greatly.
Therefore, I was roused from my slumber as my master came back.
I had slept too deeply to react instantly to him. To my surprise I felt his gloved hand gliding over my side – I lay on my left side and I had rid myself of the blanket in my slumber as it seemed – and his warm breath stroked my face as he kissed my cheek tenderly. His caresses made me shiver – he just stroked me with the tips of his sharp gauntlets, without injuring me, but this gentleness gave me goose-bumps pretty quickly. I flinched as Vect laid his hand upon my belly, because the metal was pretty cold. His other hand gliding through my hair only added to my shivering. As my master let his lips stroke gently over the side of my neck, I realised that he still wore the helmet, because some of the artificial (?) hair that was donned on the tip of it fell forward and stroked my shoulder.
My master whispered into my ear, "This will hurt, child, but try not to move!" Then, he slid the hand he just had had in my hair under my head, without even cutting me or tearing the pillow I lay on, laying his other arm around me, lifting me a bit and holding me tightly, overstretching my neck to the left. I flinched – against his command – as his fangs burrowed themselves into my neck.
With this, I felt what his obsidian fangs were here for, besides looking menacing. Apparently, he had his teeth and jaw altered to use them as some kind of vampire teeth, because he was drinking my blood right now through those fangs, and I was sure that he just had punctured my artery. Though I completely had not expected such a somewhat cheesy and stereotypical thing, I was not afraid or repelled. Of course, he had tasted my blood several times before, but this way had something… sensual to it. What surprised me even more was that I was aroused by it, though it hurt.
My master did not drink for long – possibly he did not want to weaken me any further. He drew away from me; his saliva already had made the wound close. Vect inhaled with relish, kissed my temple tenderly and whispered into my ear, "Exceptionally, my child, I like the way you feel when I do this to you, and your taste and scent are so much more… enticing… when your body is in this state." With this, I was sure what this was all about.
Well, the slave had warned me in the first place, right?
Vect laid me down softly and let go of me.
I heard myself say, "Well, this will be quite the bloody mess." I was somewhat surprised that I truly had said it.
Of course, he heard it and chuckled, then said, "Not as bloody as many other things I have done in this bed."
I rolled onto my belly, looked at him and replied, "And I sincerely hope that I'll never be part of those. With being the bleeding part, that is." Somehow this amused him even more, because he went to the armour rack, laughing out loud, and took off his armour.
As Vect was done, he came back to me, smiling, shoved me into the centre of the bed and was over me. He kissed me, passionately, yet tenderly, and he spared me his bite this time. Then he drew his lips away from mine and enjoyed my somewhat escalating facial expression as he thrust into me, saying, "And now, let me show you why I treasure this bloody mess over any other variation of this game…"
It did not take long until I thought I had to lose my mind in a pleasant way…
Again, I ask for opinons and reviews, be it official or through PMs. This was the last chapter I could 'only' translate, now I have to write them completely anew, therefore it will take some time until chapter 10 will be ready, be patient, I have a lot of things on my plate right now.
Then again... a little wait makes it much more enticing to watch a series or read a book, right?
Take care and love to you all, no matter where you are.
