Chapter 6

His muscles rippling beneath her fingertips caused heat to spread throughout every portion of her body as she continued soothing his aching body. "To make my Lord and master feel good and relaxed." It was the honest truth; Tahlia wasn't concerned with her needs and desires, only what this man wanted. She owed him everything for bringing her into the fold and having enough faith to believe a woman could stand equally tall with the men he'd chosen to follow him. "So, tell me what you want? What would satisfy you and please you?" Her eyes searched his, her hands never stopping the massage while speaking her mind.

"Finding your breaking point." Taker had caught her hands in his, straightening up and moved so she was out in the center of the hot tub. He moved with her, one hand sliding around to her back, splaying his palm against it as he began tipping her backwards into the hot water. "That would please me, to find out where your devotion to me stops, to find out how far I can push you before you say no." And there was a number of ways he could do it, personally and professionally.

Completely taken aback by his words, Tahlia could only shake her head back at him and felt more confused than ever. "I don't understand. Y-You WANT me to say no to you?"

Why? That was the next and only question filtering through her mind while the back of her head met the water, her braid swirling around the top of it because of the jets. He wanted to push her to the breaking point…to find the one thing that would make her fight him off. Tahlia didn't want to though; the ceremony bound them together and she drank his blood for Christ sakes!

"I won't do it. No matter what you do to me, I won't deny you anything, Taker." If that meant being punished, so be it, but she couldn't – wouldn't – disobey her Lord and master. "So, you can try, but I'm afraid you're going to fail in that endeavor."

"Let's find out."

Baring his teeth at her in the hint of a mocking grin, Taker dunked her beneath the water. He watched her impassively, noting how calm her face was, even as she held her breath, her eyes shut to protect them from the hot water. When enough time had passed, he wasn't out to kill her after all, Taker bent down face first into the water as well. His lips found hers and he passed fresh oxygen to her in the kiss, allowing her more time. This would definitely go down as weirdest kiss she'd ever experienced in her life. Tahlia wasn't scared he would drown her because what would be the point? She was marred with his symbol and felt an unbreakable bond with Taker.

It would a waste of time and energy to kill her here and now.

His mouth on hers had Tahlia gasping for air under the water and all she could do was kiss him back, blaming it on lack of oxygen. Her arms wrapped around his neck to bury her fingers in his hair, pressing herself against him and suddenly Taker pulled them both above the water for air, the kiss breaking effectively. Tahlia coughed and heaved to regain her breathing, finally looking up at him wide eyed. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and she had to turn her head to cough more, releasing her hold on her master.

Once she had coughed her airway clear, he pushed her hair back from her face, studying her. "Tahlia... we're going to have a lot of interesting times together." He informed her, standing up with her in his arms. Water poured off them both and the transition from hot to cold covered them both in goosebumps, but it felt good all things considered. "Very interesting times."

"I see that." Tahlia mumbled, her chest hurting a little from how hard she coughed and felt Taker cart them both out of the hot tub. He set her down on her feet, handing over a towel and she took it to wrap around her body. "I should inform you of something, Taker." They were way past the point of her calling him 'sir', though she would do it around the other minions. At his raised brow, she reached up to brush a strand of black hair from his forehead. "You failed and you won't find a breaking point with me. Not when it comes to you." Others yes, him no. "Good night." She kissed her fingers and waved at him before grabbing her clothes, heading back through the maze to find her way back to the mansion.

Well... in typical male fashion, the first thought that popped into his head was along the lines of 'she wants me' followed by 'I hope she's not crazy or already in love' because he had his fair share of crazies. If she wasn't crazy, if Tahlia was just that damn loyal, then he wanted to find out what made her tick. Find out, explore it, break it and reassemble. Whistling under his breath, Taker retrieved his jeans and followed her back to the mansion, slipping them on as he went.

Staring back in the mirror, Tahlia smirked at the new attire she'd had wardrobe make for her. Originally, the colors were different, but since she was with the Ministry now, purple and black it was. The pants were black and purple thickly striped with silver studs starting two inches below the waist, planted directly in the middle of each leg and going down all the way. The top was the same colors, the front black with studs, the sides and back dark purple. It laced up the front and had a halter style, leaving her arms bare. Also, because of how low the pants sat on her hips, it proudly showcased Taker's symbol seared into her skin. Nodding approving at the seamstress, Tahlia gave her a quick hug and hightailed it back to the Ministry locker room. She could only hope Taker approved of her new wrestling attire, wanting something a little edgier now that she was running with the big boys.

Mideon was mildly disappointed from his time at the mansion. Being there had been great, seeing where the Lord of Darkness resided, but he had thought there would be more one-on-one interaction with Taker. Bradshaw and Paul seemed to be two people he automatically turned to and he had noticed Taker and Tahlia disappearing on the first night. Frowning, he finished with the paint on his forehead, looking up when the door opened.

"You got everything arranged?"

"Of course I did. I don't understand why..."
"Because I want her to have her moment. It'll let her move onto bigger and better things, which benefits the Ministry as a whole."

Walking into the Ministry locker room, Tahlia immediately grabbed her wrestling boots and began to loosen them up, slipping one on her foot to start the process. Every eye was on her and she could feel it, finally looking up at the boys she'd traveled with for the past month and a half. "Yes?" She asked impatiently, raising a brow at the Acolytes and Mideon staring down at her with wide eyes.

"Your outfit…"

"Attire." Bradshaw coughed, correcting his partner and smirked when Farooq flipped him the bird.

"She looks…nice." Mideon rolled his eyes at the horn dogs and sat down beside Tahlia, knowing she was focused on her upcoming match with Chyna that night. "So, I need some advice on how to get Taker to notice me."

"What?" Tahlia could tell there was distance between her and Mideon lately, having a suspicion as to why. Because their Lord and master preferred her over him, though she couldn't figure out why. "You really want my advice?" At his nod, she continued lacing up her boots and flipped her freshly dyed black and purple streaked hair over to the side. "Stop trying so hard and let him come to you. Do what he says, obey his commands, but let him come to you when he needs something. He'll need you when you least expect it."

"Makes sense, I suppose." Mideon eyed her doubtfully, his eyes narrowing in on her and smiled slightly. He and Tahlia had a bond, that came from sharing a cell for a month, and he'd been an ass over the past few days. "Ministry cheerleader?" He gestured to her hair.

She looked more like a Ministry gothic Barbie doll and he shared a knowing look with Paul, chuckling darkly before turning back to the planning of the night. "She'll do fine."

"But against Chyna?"

"Brother Paul, you're trying my patience."

"I'll be fine, Brother Paul." Tahlia stated confidently, standing from the bench and began jumping from one foot to the other, getting her adrenaline pumping. "Chyna has an ass kicking coming her way by me. I owe her for costing me what the bitch Sable has around her waist – MY title. And it will be mine again; it's only a matter of time. First, I gotta take down the Amazon bitch and then go from there." She had a plan, after talking it over with Taker to make sure he was onboard with everything. "She doesn't have a prayer tonight." Amber eyes flashed, steeling over as Tahlia continued doing her pre-match warm-up and kept her focus solely on the goal that night.

Destroy Chyna.

"Language, Tahlia." Taker drawled darkly, though he was amused. He knew she could back up what she was saying, but she'd have to remember that they all knew it as well. Posturing was quite unnecessary. "Also, for the record, your input will not be required unless we are talking to you directly."

On the ride here, Paul had mentioned it looked like he might be showing favoritism. Which he could do, he was in charge, but... not exactly a good thing for keeping everyone on board. This would show he wasn't playing favorites. He wasn't McMahon and it would be interesting to see how she reacted. Tahlia stopped her pre-match warm-up long enough to bow her head, murmured an apology for stepping out of line to both her master and Brother Paul before resuming what she was doing. The intensity somehow clouded her judgment and mindset, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. If Taker felt she was stepping out of line, then she would try not to do it again.

Once she was fully warmed up, Tahlia took a bottle of water and downed half of it, thrusting her arms gently back and forth. Then she sat down on the floor and began stretching, needing to be as limber as possible for Chyna. Speed and agility would get her through along with power, but she also had to use her brain. She'd studied tapes on how Chyna moved and knew what to expect, thankful for Taker's large wrestling tape collection back at the mansion in Texas. Spreading her legs wider, she felt the burn and didn't realize she was nearly doing the splits; glad her wrestling attire was durable and could take the abuse.

The major problem with having a woman in the Ministry, and one he and Paul had discussed prior to 'recruiting' Tahlia, was the fact that, if she was easy on the eyes, which she was, there could be some problems. Of the male kind because she wasn't inviting the stares or the thoughts that were obviously going through many of their heads, his included. She was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched, that her interesting positions was drawing unwanted attention and he cleared his throat.

"Perhaps there is something you all should be doing." It wasn't a suggestion and the men busied themselves.

Eventually, they would have to see her as a true member of the Ministry. Tahlia wasn't stupid or blind, she simply didn't care if they stared at her while she did her pre-match warm-up routine. It wouldn't change just because she was in the Ministry and having her own dressing room wasn't an option. Earning their respect by kicking ass in the ring and backing up what she said she could do would be proof enough. They were all still trying to get used to each other, after all. It'd only been a month and a half since the recruiting and only a week since her and Mideon's actual initiation. It was time to prove herself worthy of being part of the Ministry of Darkness with actions instead of words.

"Sister Tahlia, you're up, my dear."

Nodding, she finished painting her lips purple, her eyes only outlined in thin black liner with no other color, not seeing the need for it. Walking out with Paul would be part of her entrance, which would take some getting used to, but Tahlia didn't argue against it either. She caught Taker's eye on her way out and knew he would be watching her closely, knowing she could not fail taking out Chyna. This was her true test and if she failed, the consequences would be severe.

There was no failing the Lord of Darkness, at all.

Taker was indeed watching her, knowing her first match was going to show him that either he was an idiot, who should have stuck with time honored traditions of women are best served as candy for the eyes. Or he was a genius. Taker leaned towards B. Chyna was no lightweight, she knew what she was doing and she had trained under the best. She also wasn't above using dirty tricks, a nut shot or two came to mind. He settled himself comfortably in his chair, gesturing for silence.

He wanted to watch.

Stepping up on the apron, Tahlia flipped over them with ease and acted like the heel perfectly, shooing off the fans booing her. Currently, the Ministry were the antagonists and she actually enjoyed playing the heel role. "Come on!" She leaned forward with her elbows resting on her thighs, beckoning Chyna to come out with her hand. Amber eyes widened as flames exploded from the top stage and the theme of Kane's echoed throughout the arena. She looked over at Paul, who looked white as a sheet and Tahlia knew what that meant. How could she forget about Chyna's bodyguard, Kane?!

Tahlia went stoic, looking perfectly calm while Chyna made her way down the ramp with Kane by her side and the moment the Amazon bitch stepped in the ring, she attacked. Driving her knees into Chyna's gut, Tahlia didn't stop until she had Chyna down against the ropes, stomping her repeatedly. The count of 4 had her back away with her hands up, glaring at the referee before proceeding to do the assault all over again. This was the only way she would survive, especially with Kane out there and Tahlia kicked it up a notch, pressing her black boot against Chyna's throat holding the ropes for leverage.

Once again, at 4 she stepped back as the referee commanded and drug Chyna up by her hair before delivering a snap suplex in the center of the ring and then proceeded to deliver 2 more after that. With Chyna down, Tahlia bounded off the ropes and felt her foot being grabbed by Kane, immediately planting face first in the mat. FUCK, she thought, as the beating from Chyna began, something she had expected. Now it was the time to soak up the pain and punishment, take it and then get the upper hand somehow.

He shook his head, wondering if they both had gotten distracted. Of course, Kane would be with Chyna! They were 'partners' or whatever. Taker didn't understand it nor did he want too. Tahlia was Ministry, she had a feud with Chyna, so it made sense that Kane would be coming out as well.

"My turn, sweetheart." Chyna crowed in her nasally voice, pressing Tahlia directly over her head and launched her into the turnbuckle as hard as she could. She smirked, seeing the 'heel' crumple at impact and proceeded to put her big black boot right on Tahlia's throat, pressing in as hard as she could.

"Sit down." Taker ordered when Mideon got up.