So, this took more time than anticipated but I made it longer to make up for it.
Apart from just losing the last 100 words or so of the chapter but it's finally done. A furthering of SQ plus a little drama thrown in for good measure. After this we get to a part of this story that I have been waiting over 2 years to share with you...can't believe I've been working on this for so long...but that means it's mostly drafted and ready to go so despite life being very busy right now, in a good way, but not much quiet writing time available unfortunately.
Anyway, read and hopefully enjoy. Comments always appreciated.
Xxx
Previously on The Collar
"I'm sorry for being such an inconvenience, Mistress," Emma spoke softly, into the darkness only disturbed by the sounds of the queen's restless movements. "If it helps I can sleep in my own bed?"
"No!" Regina refused the suggestion. "It is much less of an inconvenience having you here than needing to rise to check on you."
"Yes, Mistress," Emma fell quiet and the queen seemed to settle next to her. No -. Another flurry of movements indicated her mistress was still awake.
"Mistress?"
"Yes?" Regina snapped, now utterly frustrated, both sexually and just unable to get comfortable with the slave in her bed.
"I realise I am taking up space, if you wish to sleep comfortably I am not too injured to rest against," Emma suggested but was met with silence. The slave was beginning to doze when the bed shifted and a weight pressed up against her side. When two sets of even breathing could be heard an arm found itself draped over the slave's body, ever mindful of the locations of the slave's injuries.
xxxxxx
Red approached the barracks and scented the air, looking for -. Tracking the amazons to their camp-fire, on the outer edge of the area they had been designated. The wolf stayed in the shadows, no sentry posted so no-one to detect the wolf as she observed the women. Most were seated in small groups talking and laughing with one another, others were more isolated, like the amazon queen's consort who sat sharpening her sword just out of the fire's light but Red knew she was there, just as the warrior knew the exact moment the wolf had arrived.
Red stepped forward and she became visible to the amazons, the fire flickering and lighting her emerald eyes to an incandescent green. This should be easy enough, the wolf threw her head back and howled, the sound heard and echoed by others around the palace but the wolves did not seek out their alpha, knowing she was on the hunt. As the last note died Red turned and left, re-entering the darkness, waiting to see which of the amazons was foolish enough to follow.
Two did and Red beckoned to the red-head, the amazon following the wolf until she came to a halt in an empty stable block.
It was fast and rough, the amazon eagerly accepting Red's advances but the wolf allowing nothing in return, the act making no dent in her frustration. After pulling her fingers out and pushing them into the amazon's mouth to be cleaned Red left, shifting as she went and soon lost in the forest.
Xxxxx
"Not again!" The queen's words woke Emma to find her mistress already out of the bed, magicking clothes onto herself as she stalked from the room.
"Mistress?" Emma called out in concern when she realised it was still dark outside, Regina hearing her pet but not having time to answer, instead transporting herself to the main gate in the palace walls, terrifying the guards stationed there by her sudden appearance.
"Red!" The queen called into the darkness, sensing her wolf was close. A familiar howl was heard and a few minutes later Red appeared, the queen darting forward from the safety of the gate as soon as she saw the wolf was limping. "What did this?" Regina hissed as she saw the slices along Red's left flank. The injury was severe but not life threatening and even as she halted the wolf so she could give a closer examination the queen could see the flesh visibly healing.
"Well, at least no-one has poisoned you this time," Regina sighed as she petted Red, hand on the wolf's massive head, the queen chuckling as Red playfully nudged her, sending the queen staggering to one side. "Foolish wolf," Regina muttered as she caught her balance and shoving Red back, her heir gracefully faking a stumble and earning a snort of laughter and a shake of the queen's head at the wolf's antics.
"Tell me what happened," Regina's mood turned serious, not a lot got the better of her wolf and she was highly concerned, especially as Red would not have been venturing too far from the palace.
Red whined and projected to the queen.
It began with a run through the forest, legs stretching, muscles burning as Red pushed herself to the limits of her speed, needing to exhaust herself so that she would be able to sleep on her return to the palace. The amazon should have at least helped take the edge off her urges, the need to conquer and dominate joined by the urge to destroy, to destroy the pretty amazon the queen had gifted her with. A growl and Red left the ground, hind quarters pushing off the soft ground and effortlessly propelling her over the small brook as she headed deeper into the forest.
A scent caught her attention as she ran, not one she had ever come across before, it was wild, a strange musk and not one associated with any of the creatures known to call this forest their home. It wasn't long before she had tracked the animal to the edge of a large pond where the wolf caught it drinking.
Settling into a crouch Red issued a warning growl, challenging the animal and also trying to reach out telepathically, wolves were not the only creatures to use such a link and the queen had taught Red to communicate in this way but on a broader spectrum than the wolves usually used. It often came in useful on her travels but this time the wolf only received a growl as her quarry turned to face her.
It was nothing she had ever seen before, a large maned beast covered by sleek fur in varying shades of brown but not it was not a feline, the body and snout more wolf like and as large, if not larger than Red. The wolf issued a challenge in defence of her kingdom and was met with a flying mass of teeth and claws as the two collided in mid air.
Red whirled to counter-attack but was caught on the flank by razor claws slicing into her muscle. The pain enraged the wolf who spun to defend herself, launching through the air with fangs bared but the beast was too quick and Red landed heavily in the dirt, attack unsuccessful, jaws catching only air. Extending all her senses the wolf tried to track the beast but it had fled, Red losing its scent on the edge of the river, it was then she heard the queen's call and returned to her mistress.
"Thank you, my wolf, my valiant defender," Regina praised Red as they re-entered the palace walls. "I shall research this strange creature in my library for I agree, it is not one known in this land. Until then I shall caution Braxas to have the guards on full alert and to deploy wolf patrols to deter the beast from the populated areas. The young ones must stay close to home for now." Red rumbled her agreement and knew the queen referred to all the young ones who lived in the forest and not just the wolves.
"Emma?"
"Emma is fine, still resting if she knows what is good for her," Regina narrowed her eyes before letting out a sigh, catching sight of her pet walking towards them, Greta trotting after the blonde and scolding the slave for being out of bed. "Well," the queen huffed as Emma came within earshot, "I admire your stamina, pet. But you will not disobey me!"
Emma blinked, only then fully realising what she had done and having very little memory of how she had found herself in the main lobby of the palace before spotting the queen and Red crossing the courtyard.
"Um -,"
Regina narrowed her eyes at her pet who seemed genuinely confused.
"No more potions for you, they are addling your brain!" The queen admonished, taking pity on the slave. "You must both rest," Regina commanded her wayward charges before taking matters into her own hands. "Girl, bring food for us all to me rooms, get the amazon to help you but be quick."
"Yes, Mistress," Greta bobbed a curtsey before backing away and jogging off at the queen's dismissive wave.
Regina pinched the bridge of her nose as she re-materialised herself plus Red and the slave inside her chambers.
"Stay as wolf until you are fully healed," the queen ordering then subjecting Emma to a glare. "And you! Back to bed!"
"Yes, Mistress," Emma bit her lip offering the queen a half bow, realising that she had overstepped even the unusual tolerance her mistress had recently been showing her. The slave took herself back to bed and allowed Greta to fuss over her until the young wolf provided a satisfactory report to the queen.
For once Regina was more preoccupied with the day's events than her pet, trusting the girl to take care of the other slave. Red curled up by the queen's feet whilst the queen pored over the piles and piles of large and often ancient leather bound books hoping to shed some light on Red's mysterious attacker, the wolf occasionally licking her wounds and glaring at Greta when she looked too concerned
"Mistress?" Red questioned as she shifted back, dawn had broken several hours ago but the queen had remained studying the books without a break.
"Yes?" Regina snapped at the wolf, the harshness of her voice calling attention to stiff muscles.
"Let me help you," Red grabbed the cloak Greta had laid out for her regaining human form, slipping it over her shoulders to cover her nakedness before stepping behind the queen as the monarch sat forward in her chair. Regina sighed as Red's deft fingers kneading and smoothing the muscles in her shoulders, neck and upper back.
"Girl, bring me my pet," Regina commanded Greta before standing from her desk and walking to her favoured chair. "That has helped, thank you," the wolf blinked, unused to such courtesy but knew better than to comment, dressing swiftly as the queen waited for Emma to appear. It had been a very strange few hours and although physically healed, Red's head was spinning and she knew the queen was also feeling unsettled.
Emma had been 'resting' all morning, if resting meant straining to hear what was going on in the main chamber, but it had been unusually quiet. Greta commenting that Red had been attacked but didn't know by what and the queen was obsessed with identifying the threat to her kingdom. As soon as Emma heard her name mentioned she was ready, sitting on the edge of the queen's bed when Greta appeared to summon her for the queen.
When the blonde entered the man chamber she was relieved to see Red looking unharmed and a brief nod from the wolf indicated that she was in no danger. Then Emma sought out the queen, the monarch's pensive figure sitting in her favoured chair, posture broadcasting her mistresses' unease.
"Mistress?" Emma braved her voice.
"Sit," a click of Regina's fingers summoned the slave to her side, restless fingers seeking anchor in golden locks and a calm settling over the room as soon as contact was made. Red and Greta exhaled, both able to relax now that the queen's magic was grounded. Regina looked up, frowning at the sound. "What is the matter?" The queen questioned looking between the two wolves who both looked visibly relieved.
"Your magic, My Queen," Red explained as she boldly took the seat opposite the queen, stretching her long legs, not asking for nor waiting for permission to be granted and pleased when the action was met with no reaction, simply accepted. "Your magic has been -," Red paused for words.
"Itchy!" Greta blurted before clapping her hand over her mouth.
"My magic is itchy?" Regina sneered, arching her brow as she observed the young wolf.
"Um -, no?" Greta squeaked and fumbled the tray she had been clearing, only Red's swift intervention stopping it falling to the floor, the wolf catching it flat on the palm of her hand.
"Pet?" Emma looked to her mistress and shook her head.
"I can feel it but -," the slave shrugged, "I like it." Red snorted and Regina arched her brow at the wolves, sniffing and turning her attention back to Emma.
"Itchy, indeed!" Emma tried very hard not to let out a laugh at the queen's indignation. But, she hadn't been lying, the magic felt good as it trickled through her, not exciting or the addictive burst of energy that typified her sexual encounters with her mistress but somehow soothing, relaxing. Emma thought the queen felt this too which is why their quiet time satisfied them both, the slave grounded her mistress in a way maybe only Red had achieved. But, with Emma being less sensitive than the wolf to the queen's majicks, it was of mutual benefit to them both.
"When you're with Emma it is -, grounded." The eyes of both mistress and slave shot to the wolf on hearing Red's words. "Not 'itchy', Red teased Greta with a repeat of the word. Regina did not immediately remove her hand from her pet but looked down at the slave, curious green eyes meeting hers but nothing more was said on the matter.
Red leaned back into her chair as the queen relaxed, hand once again in Emma's hair, the wolf musing how oblivious both women still were to their obvious compatibility but her thoughts were interrupted when the queen spoke, forcing a rapid change of topic.
"We must find out what attacked you, my books have nothing," Regina growled, upset with herself for not having an immediate answer.
"Then may I take some wolves to track the beast?" Red leaned forward, the need to be out there, protecting the kingdom racing through her blood.
"If you think that to be a safe course of action, then yes of course. Take as many as you need." Red was out of the chair in a flash on receiving the queen's permission. "But when you return I expect you to see to your slave, I know exactly why you have been shirking your responsibilities," Regina warned, knowing her wolf had fucked one of the amazons. "Where is she?" The queen frowned, not having seen the girl at all that morning.
"Oh, Cook grabbed her early this morning when she was passing the kitchen, Mistress," Greta informed the queen. "To help with the amazon's trail provisions," the young wolf explained. "Shall I retrieve her?"
"Red?" Red shook her head at the queen's question.
"No, I'll call for her when I return. Mistress?" The wolf sought consent to leave on her mission, teeth elongating and eyes flashing yellow in anticipation.
"Go but be careful, do not engage the beast unless you must but report back to me if you find its lair," Regina dismissed Red with a wave of her hand. "Pup, fetch those books there and place them on the table." Greta eagerly retrieved the large stack of leather bound volumes that had been placed on the floor by the queen's desk. "This is what we are looking for," Emma gasped as her mistress projected an image of the beast, as seen from Red's eyes as they fought, and shared with the queen when the wolf returned home.
Emma was shocked, she had never seen anything like it except -.
"Mistress?"
"Yes, pet?" Regina turned her attention to the slave, knowing that tone of voice usually conveyed both interesting and often useful information.
"I have seen a creature like that before, in my world," Emma confirmed, seeing the queen's eyes widen in shock. "But, well -."
"Well, what?" Regina looked down as Emma bit her lip but maintained eye contact. "Ah!" The queen suddenly understood. "In one of these stories, these 'fairy tales' as you call them, yes?"
"Yes, Mistress," Emma nodded. "It is a tale of a vain prince who is turned into a beast by a witch. Only earning the love of another can save him. There is a time limit and talking tea cups and -."
"What?" Regina was impatient, her mind already running over the witches she knew who may have placed such a curse, that was the faster option as there was a seemingly never ending supply of vain princes to pick from.
"Belle!" Emma blurted. "The girl who the beast fell in love with was called Belle."
Regina acted immediately, Belle appearing before the queen and looking completely flabbergasted by her rapid change of location. A second ago she had been packing supplies for the amazons' return journey and now she was stood before the queen. Should she bow or something?
Emma only just managed to keep a straight face as the young amazon nearly fell over in a weird bow curtsey combo in her attempt to please the queen.
"Enough tomfoolery!" Regina sighed as she observed the well meaning amazon's antics. "I have questions, tell me the truth as I will know if you lie. If you lie I will kill you, understood?"
"Y -, yes, Your Majesty," Belle paled but nodded.
"Do you know of any beasts that might be chasing you, specifically this one?" Belle stumbled as she was assaulted by the mental image of the beast in question.
"No!" The amazon's denial was swift and both Emma and Regina knew it to be true. "I've never seen that thing before in my life!" Belle's distress was genuine. "What is it?"
"The creature attacked Red on her run last night but it escaped -," the queen began to explain.
"Is she alright?" Belle clapped a hand over her mouth the second the interruption escaped. Regina glared at the girl but chose to be lenient, a gag appearing tied around the amazon's mouth, nothing more severe.
"You will not speak until spoken to!" The queen hissed and Belle nodded frantically, realising her error. "Stay with the pup until Red returns, Cook can find someone other than my heir's slave to help in the kitchens! Go, leave us alone but that gag stays on until Red sees fit to remove it!"
"Yes, Mistress," a bow and Greta led Belle from the room leaving queen and pet alone together.
Both relaxed as the door closed, eyes seeking out the other.
"So, tell me more of this beast," Regina commanded and sat back as her pet recalled the details of the story and relayed them to the queen, the room falling silent when she had finished. Both mistress and pet had a lot on their minds.
Emma was still physically weak from her ordeal the previous day and acknowledged that she really should be taking it a little easier than she had been, since the queen had denied the slave any more magic pain potions Emma's wounds were hurting pretty constantly. The natural remedies Greta had been allowed to provide were not a spot on prescription painkillers. But, resting against the queen's thigh, eyes closed, faint buzz of magic being absorbed by her body really was helping, the slave not understanding how the wolves found it unpleasant, deciding to take relief where she could.
A sigh as Emma realised what was happening to her, life at the palace was normalising, no longer seeming outlandish and extreme. Yesterday's barbaric punishment just a means to an end and one that Emma had willingly participated in, instigated even, fully understanding the queen's motives, agreeing with them and enabling her mistress to achieve the desired goal. It is what she would have done, had the roles been reversed.
Even mistress and slave had fallen into a routine, a rather domestic one at that, Emma frowning at the thought but not able to deny the fact. Another sigh as the queen's fingers rubbed at the sensitive spot behind the blonde's ear, a spot both relaxing and erotic when touched in that way. Emma now facing the stark reality that she was the queen's pet and decidedly settled in her role, not because she had resigned herself to the position, resigned herself to the pain that came both with and without accompanying pleasure, but because Emma liked it. She liked the hard sex, the queen's skill with pain, someone to match her own skills in that area, to admire. Someone who was as strong willed, if not stronger than Emma.
Even in quiet times like this Emma found herself enjoying the queen's company, her mistress was a highly intelligent, beautiful woman who ruled with an iron fist but with a strange compassion, fiercely protective of her property and her subjects, extreme but just. A complex balance that Emma found fascinating, there were so few people in her world she interacted with willingly, for pleasure, and had the circumstances been different the slave would have possibly sought a friendship or other more mutual activities but here and now -.
Regina looked down to see her slave had fallen asleep, not something that had ever happened before, unconscious yes, asleep no. Her pet was usually so dedicated to her role.
"Oh, my dear. Life is hard at the moment isn't it? Hmm?" Regina looked down on the slave, face relaxed in sleep and looking so much younger when the guarded look that was almost constantly etched on her pet's features.
The queen kept up the steady combing of her fingers through silky blonde locks, knowing she found the action strangely soothing, maybe it was as Red had said, that Emma grounded her stray magic? Maybe, but Regina acknowledged that she had found such time with Red to be the same, quiet company in a world where she had always been so alone. Through choice of course, since she had murdered Leopold that is and her mother, well -. Regina's stomach turned as it always did when she thought about such things, not for the acts she had committed but for the things that had driven her to such extremes, the others that had suffered at their hands.
This is why the mysterious beast was preying on her mind, it stank of cursed magic, that never boded well as it was usually connected to one of the darker magic users and that meant trouble would not be far behind, But who though, the imp? The genie? Regina was on good terms with most of the more questionable characters because they feared her actions if they were not, but this, this was worrying.
"We shall figure it out pet and then that beast will be sorry it ever laid a paw on my wolf!"
xxxx
Next on The Collar
Emma leaned forward as the sled sped through the forest, not wanting to miss anything, the queen expertly handling the vehicle as she navigated through the forest. As they travelled the trees became denser and the light from the canopy above so filtered by the foliage that they journeyed in semi-darkness. Regina took a moment to observe her pet, trusting the beasts drawing the sled to keep them on the correct path, the slave's face engaged and fascinated by the strange flora and fauna that inhabited this area of the forest. The home of the Faye.