The Monster Within
6: [we bear the burden of death]
"Back in the saddle again!"
Clarke laughed as Blake belted out his favorite tunes from the cavernous shower in the master bedroom. The ease had returned to their relationship, at least for the time being, and she hung out on the bed in just her underwear and socks. It was Wednesday morning, and she couldn't find much to spoil her mood. Her bruises still lingered though, and she pulled the blankets up to cover herself as Blake emerged with a towel around his waist and a joint in his mouth.
"How did you even...?" She started to ask and then just shook her head.
"Don't panic. I'm a trained professional." He replied as he lit it.
"We gotta check in with the chief soon and we gotta give him something to work with." Blake pointed out between long hauls. He held it out to Clarke but she didn't take it. "What's the matter? You giving up on fun too?"
"No, I just have to be able to focus." She replied, looking away. The mission was there in her head, it just occupied a tiny space. Her memories of Academy, of all the road classes and behavioral science lectures, had seemingly been wiped away. College was gone, her criminal justice degree dissipating in the wake of one very powerful substance.
Maybe she'd been set up for it from the very beginning. Initially it was adrenaline, discovered on the first swing set she'd ever leapt from, then it was the thrill of the chase; of finding the criminal and coming back alive. Next were the painkillers, a panacea that kept her from feeling the effects of the job she'd so pursued, and now it was her sponsor, who trafficked in hurting people, people like her. Maybe she was just hard wired for destruction, and that was her addiction.
"Hey, Griffin," Blake snapped his fingers in front of her and she came to attention.
"I'm here." She replied absently.
"I thought I was a space shot." He mumbled, disappearing with his own drug of choice.
They got dressed in separate rooms, both glassy eyed and slow. Clarke felt a sense of desperation clawing at her, forcing her to take deep, measured breaths.
In a t-shirt and jeans she let her hair do its wild thing, simply running a hand through her waves before returning to their room.
"Do we have a plan for today?" She asked as her partner finished up. The familiar thread of desire had started weaving its way around her already, but at least she could pretend.
"Not much we can do on these sessions. Just keep your eyes peeled."
"Right." She replied with a small smile.
"Don't get lost." Blake warned, wagging a finger at her, and she nodded.
"Yes boss." With a fake salute she hopped up, grabbing the car keys and making for the front door. Blake stopped her, squeezing her shoulder.
"I'm serious. I know deep cover is your shit, but don't let this one beat you. You've got a great career ahead of you Agent." His sincerity touched her for a moment, but the need for her sponsor was greater than everything else.
"Don't worry Blake, I'm sure we'll be working the undercover vice beat until we're old and gray." Her lies were reassuring, her partner unable to see past the patina of rosy cheeks and pouting lips.
"I probably will be. Since you like this bullshit I'm sure you'll do well in the office. It's just kissing ass and getting whipped every day." He replied sardonically as they took off for the Sign of the Lion.
"It's all fun and games until I send you on the crap details. If you wanna spend the rest of your career locking kids up for selling dope then keep talking." She almost sounded normal over the drizzling of the rain on the windshield, but her knuckles were stark white on the steering wheel. Without makeup the color in her face was high, her heart beating hard against her ribcage, trying to escape.
Unbidden, the crime scene photos flashed through her mind. It was only for a few seconds though, the grisly scenes disappearing as the mansion came into view.
"Ready?" Blake looked at her, then quickly looked away. His partner was gone for the moment, and he knew it. The person she became was making him feel strange and off-kilter. Clarke Griffin had always had a fire in her eyes, but this one was different. If he wasn't careful it was sure to consume them both.
"Good afternoon." Sam greeted, leading them behind the counter and to a different door than normal. She kept Blake, and Declan took hold of Clarke, shepherding them off in different directions. They went down a flight instead of up, and Clarke stared as the walls got more narrow and the lighting even dimmer. At the bottom of the rickety steps Lexa waited for her, her arms folded, her expression cross as usual. It softened only a little as Declan passed her off but Clarke melted anyway as Lexa entwined their fingers. The wave was absolute, a crushing tide of comfort and release, of fear and excitement.
"We're here tonight." Lexa led her down a hallway illuminated by candle light, and Clarke took in the huge wooden doors. They were similar to the ones upstairs, but instead of angular embellishments these sported full on scenes carved into them. They were all of a slightly demonic persuasion, with horned figures and sculpted weapons adorning each one.
"...where?" Clarke asked, running her free hand across Lexa's forearm. Lexa faltered for a moment, then picked up the pace.
She led them to the last door in the darkest corner of the hallway, opening it with ease despite its weight.
The space they entered was the exact opposite of the rest of the lavish club. Sparsely decorated, it was home to a desk, a few leather stools of differing heights, and a mattress with black sheets lying directly on the floor. There was a single small window, and the only other thing in the room was a large cross. It was shaped like an X, and Clarke noted the shackles hanging from each corner.
Her breathing picked up as Lexa brought her over to the scary creation. Putting her against the center of it Lexa pressed into her, kissing her deeply. Any protest Clarke might've had died in her throat as Lexa stroked her tongue with her own. Pulling away for a moment she locked Clarke's wrists into their corresponding cuffs.
Lexa kissed her cheek, then knelt down to secure her ankles. When she was finished she walked away, leaving Clarke there trembling. She returned with some more equipment, setting the stuff down on one of the stools. Stalking back over to Clarke she indulged herself for a while.
She kissed her way across her prisoner's exposed arms and shoulders, licking the inside of her elbow before moving away to nip the sensitive skin on the inside of her arm.
Clarke whimpered, but kept her lips pressed together. It was just the beginning of the session, and she was certain there would be much more to endure. The thought hit her hard, and she rode the wave of anticipation, enjoying the body high.
Lexa kneeled, running the tip of her tongue over Clarke's hips. She leaned forward to kiss her clit, then gave up on the pleasantries and slid two fingers into her.
Clarke's toes curled against the floor as Lexa worked her in a leisurely fashion. Following her instincts Lexa pushed upwards, finding her slaves swollen g-spot and stroking it until Clarke was a total mess.
"...fuck." Clarke panted as Lexa stood. There was a beeping sound, and then the cross she was tied to began to recline. She was almost prone when it stopped, her hair swinging until Lexa slipped a headrest underneath.
Clarke's heart pumped hard as she lay there, completely helpless.
Lexa bent to kiss her again, and then undid her trousers and put something else into Clarke's mouth. The strap-on was a lot bigger than she was used to and coupled with the weird angle she was decidedly uncomfortable.
"Mmf!" Clarke tried to protest but Lexa shushed her, grabbing her hair as she fucked her face. Drooling and otherwise incapacitated she just took it, her chest heaving.
Lexa sighed as she pulled out, pressing her lips to Clarke's again before circling her the way a big cat might circle its prey. Without warning entered Clarke, gripping her legs as she pushed hard, and Clarke cried out loudly.
Lexa fought to stay under control, Clarke's sweetness threatening to unravel her. The torment was wonderful in a way, especially as she gazed upon her slaves reddened face and breathed in the gasps that tumbled from her lips. As she sank all the way into her Lexa bit her own lip, needing to cling to the metal cross for support.
She only lasted a few more minutes inside Clarke before she had to stop, struggling to catch her breath as she pulled up her pants. This was going to be a lesson for both of them.
Clarke was limp and pliant as Lexa set the cross upright again. Lexa set to exploring her body, willing her canines to stay where they were, but daring them to come out and play as she bit the underside of Clarke's breasts. She gave each one a light slap before fixing her mouth over a hard nipple. Clarke closed her eyes and disappeared into the pleasure, moaning as Lexa fastened a shiny silver clamp over the nipple she'd just been working. She repeated the process, then pulled on them, and Clarke hissed as pain and desire filled her at the same time.
"Quiet." Lexa squeezed her sides, nipping at her pulse point before running her teeth over Clarke's throat. Clarke twitched, but didn't make a sound.
Lexa let her go, picking up a black leather riding crop from her selection of tools, and Clarke gaped for a moment. She could feel it in her own hands, and see the marks she'd left on Blake.
Lexa completely erased that memory however, as she brought it down against the inside of her arm.
Clarke cursed, the pain like the prick of a needle, sharp and insistent. It only served to make her chest feel tighter, the clamps flooding her with warmth in the face of Lexa's swing. Her master hit her again, this time on the inside of her thigh and she jumped, straining against her chains.
"You are earning yourself more punishment." Lexa said as she whacked her several more times. Pausing for a moment she slid the crop between Clarke's legs, and her slaves face was crimson as if came away shiny and wet.
Hanging her head Clarke flinched as Lexa delivered a few more blows, doing her best to stay silent. Lexa kissed the welts that were starting to rise all over her body, layering another element over the agony.
Placing the riding crop under Clarke's chin Lexa lifted it up. For the first time in a long time goosebumps rippled across her body, and she took a deep breath as she felt her own heart beat. Hours between beats had been cut to minutes. Running didn't even do that for her anymore.
Letting the crop fall to the floor Lexa held Clarke's gaze as she put her hand around her throat, using the other to toy with her pussy, readying her for penetration. This time around Lexa was reckless, squeezing her throat hard as she filled her.
"Uh-" Clarke made a single sound before her vocal chords cut out. The pressure of the strap-on shot through her body, mingling with the aching of the clamps at her chest and the bruises under her skin.
Lexa breathed Clarke in, choking her with all the restraint she could muster under the circumstances. Her vision blurred, flashing red as Clarke's carotid artery throbbed in her hand. Using all her will she let go to grip the cross again, and the metal bent under her fingertips as she tried not to succumb to the chaos in her brain and in her body.
"Damnit." Lexa whispered against Clarke's lips as she brought her all the way down to the hilt. Clarke gasped for air, but Lexa kissed her hard anyway, stealing what little she could get. Clarke bit her masters lip in response, and Lexa growled as she rocked her slave back and forth, fucking her deeply. They were both at their respective limits, toeing two separate edges with two eerily similar outcomes.
Lexa removed Clarke's clamps swiftly, not trusting her hands, and the ensuing rush was too much for her slave. Clarke's wetness trickled down her stomach as the girl came, bursting forward from the cross only to be pressed back into it.
Lexa trembled as she rode it out, taking all her probate had. Clarke felt her world explode, the remnants of her life floating down around her, brightly colored and popping like confetti.
"...are you alright?" Lexa's voice was raspy and barely human as she pulled out of her slave slowly.
"...yeah..." Clarke whispered, still floating. Lexa took a step back to compose herself, running a hand through her hair. It was too late to go back now though, she needed more.
"Your punishment isn't over." She announced when she was steady enough to undo Clarke's restraints.
Her slave fell into her arms, totally sapped of strength.
"I'll die." Clarke murmured as Lexa kissed her cheeks and then her forehead.
"We'll see won't we?" Lexa smiled then, but Clarke was too fucked up to notice the sharpness in her humor.
Picking her up again Lexa brought her over to the bed, laying her down gently. She lit a few candles that were sprawled by the side of the bed, then pulled a silk tie from her pile of equipment.
"Ready?" Lexa asked, straddling her.
"I guess..." Clarke answered breathlessly as Lexa slid the tie behind her head, then fastened it over her eyes.
"Do you trust me?" Lexa murmured against her lips as she kissed them and Clarke nodded, enraptured with the feeling of Lexa's body over hers. It soon went away however as Lexa leaned over to retrieve another instrument, this time a stiff brush with a black leather handle. Careful to avoid the spots she'd already abused she ran the brush over Clarke's skin in firm, even strokes.
Now it was Lexa's turn to inhale sharply, surrounded as she was by the ultimate temptation. She kissed Clarke's abraded skin, her head swimming when she got too close to a bruise. She was glad her probate couldn't see her, as she was sure her eyes were wild and discolored by now.
Shifting down she worked Clarke's lower body, kissing her wantonly as it got harder to breathe. When it became too much to bear she sat up, surveying her slave. Clarke shook silently, overwhelmed by all the sensory play. Lexa wasn't done yet though, putting down the brush in exchange for a small clear bottle.
"Oh..." Clarke made a small sound as she poured a little of its contents onto her. The oil was cold against Clarke's worried skin, but it started to warm as her master worked it in. Lexa meanwhile tried not to groan aloud at the terrible perfection of Clarke in her hands.
When Lexa was ready she wiped her hands clean on a small black towel, and then picked up a candle. Holding Clarke down she poured a rivulet down the center of her chest. Clarke's mouth fell open as the hot wax sealed her up her skin, burning briefly before turning into the most pleasant heat.
Lexa poured out another strip, this time curving it around the base of Clarke's breasts, and her slave didn't move.
"Good..." Lexa breathed, circling her navel with wax, then dripping some over her ribs. Clarke was breathing hard, and Lexa watched her muscles contract and release with a desperate hunger. Her mouth started to water but she shook it off, dripping the last of the wax straight down Clarke's stomach.
Her slave buzzed down to the tips of her toes, but stayed as still as she could, and Lexa decided to go forward.
She didn't do it often, and she was usually far more removed from her probates than this, but she had reached the point of abandon with Clarke.
Sliding her knife from her back pocket Lexa flipped it open, regarding the vanishingly sharp blade in the candle light. She was so close to the precipice now that time had slowed down, every inch of Clarke's body sharply outlined in her predatory state.
"Hands behind your head." She commanded and Clarke obeyed. "Don't move."
Clarke took shallow breaths as she felt something thin and sharp pressing against her skin. Adrenaline pumped through her, and she gritted her teeth as Lexa scraped the wax away.
With supernatural accuracy Lexa removed each design, knowing a single slip up would mean death for the girl she'd come to like very much, very quickly. It was the ultimate game of chicken.
"Very good." Lexa declared once she was finished, with nary a scratch on Clarke. With close to a happy expression she put down the knife and picked up the towel. Moving in small circles she cleaned up the excess wax, enjoying Clarke's twitching as the rough cloth excited her ultra sensitive skin.
"Turn over." She demanded and Clarke did so, the satin sheets a total 180 against her abrasions after the towel. Lexa didn't hesitate to spread her legs and enter once more, sliding in easily this time. Clarke gripped the sheets, fucking Lexa back as she was reduced to just her throbbing desire. Lexa picked her up by her hips. She pulled all the way out and slammed back in, her fingertips digging into Clarke's bruises, the scent of the blood pooled beneath the skin nearly driving her off the edge.
It shouldn't have been possible, that anyone could make her feel this way, but Lexa was alive as she fucked her deliberately. Leaning into her she hammered her down until Clarke was flat on her belly, crying out as the sheets pressed into her skin.
Biting the back of Clarke's neck Lexa forced herself to slow down, wanting to savor every second of it. Holding Clarke down she slid out a few inches, then dropped back into her, enchanted by the way their skin met. Slick with Clarke's wetness she manipulated her around the strap-on, making her take it this way and that way.
Clarke cried while her body betrayed her, coming with each purposeful stroke from her master. Eventually she went silent as Lexa picked up the pace, jolts of pain and streaks of pleasure mingling with her absolute surrender.
They both fell into rhythm at the same time, the cruel time signature ripping them apart. Lexa lay on her back afterwards, panting hard, while Clarke stayed just where her master left her, wordless sighs escaping from her swollen lips.
Eventually Lexa got to her feet, just long enough to peel off the rest of her clothing before curling up beside her lover.
"…you'll be dismissed in the morning." Lexa announced sleepily, her words muffled by Clarke's skin as she kissed the agents shoulder blade.
"Mmm." Clarke muttered an unintelligible response, perfectly content to black out for a while, but a niggling self-alarm of sorts started to ring in her head. Exhaling, she struggled to pick her head up off the pillow.
"I have to…text Ethan." She murmured and now it was Lexa's turn to sigh. Her master ran a thumb over the lines of her cheeks, then kissed her nose before nodding.
"You may."
Clarke was loathe to actually follow through with it, and it took her a long time to stir. She got up in stages, first draping herself across Lexa, who kissed her with a smile that nearly stopped her heart, then she sat up, running her hands over Lexa's fully exposed body. When her master leaned into her touch Clarke sucked in a breath, the shock of it giving her just enough strength to finally leave their bed. Tip toeing past Lexa's clothes and all the tools she couldn't look at lest her body start burning again Clarke found her way to her cell phone.
It was blissfully empty, devoid of messages from either the office or her partner and she bit down on a grin as she pulled up Bellamy's contact. His sour face showed up in a little bubble, hovering over his number, and she texted at warp speed.
"Hey
Won't be dismissed till morning.
See you then. Good luck!"
She hit send and immediately tossed the device back into her pile of things, turning herself away from any follow-up. The grin that she held back while she was texting Blake was set free as turned back toward Lexa. Entranced, Clarke didn't recognize the perils of the path before her. Much less careful this time, she stepped forward and felt the tell tale pinch of a blade finding purchase in skin.
"Ow!" Clarke whispered it, tried not to be too dramatic as she lifted the sole of her foot to find it opened up by Lexa's knife. Embarassed, she wondered what to do for a moment until her gaze met Lexa's. The lawyer sat up and stock still, her back completely straight, her eyes wild and swirling. A deep-seated fear took hold of Clarke then, who didn't know who she was looking at any longer.
"L-Lexa?" She tried, hoping to snap her out of it, but it was much too late as the smell of iron and salt filled the room. In a blur of motion Lexa leapt from the bed, her hands wrapping themselves around Clarke's neck, her own teeth sinking into her lip.
"Please-..don't do th-" Clarke attempted to get the words out but she was arguing with a monster, devoid of reason or thought. The last thing the agent saw before the darkness swimming at the edges of her vision took over completely was her master's feral expression, branding her mind in searing pain.
-/-/-/-/-/-/
tbc
thank you for reading!