Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe - unfortunately. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. Changes have been made to the region of Silverpines. The area is larger and certain buildings have been added. I have added details about the balverines, so don`t be surprised if you read a detail or two that the game does not cover.

Warning: Chapter contains violence, activities of a sexual nature and activities centred around and involving blood. You've been warned, only mature readers should continue.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, any and all feedback is appreciated! - Fallon.

Chapter Four

It took a tremendous amount of self control to keep himself from pouncing on Reaver then and there – Von knew Ezra would be proud.

He knew his father would be too.

Von could tell just from glancing at Maya that she was having a hard time controlling her repulsion and anger too.

Reaver reached out to touch the Princess, and Von whispered a silent prayer that she could bite her tongue - until they got their hands on his father's pelt at least.

Maya cringed slightly as Reaver brushed a strand of hair out of her face, though she suspected he took it as a shiver of desire as his smile grew.

"What is your name, my lady?" Reaver asked, licking his lips as he waited eagerly for a response.

Maya glanced over to Von. "Carina."

Reaver whispered her "name" and let his hand snake around her waist. "Who is your friend, Carina?"

"I am Equuleus, Master Reaver." Von said as steadily as he could manage, making a conscious effort to keep his anger under wraps.

Reaver eyed Von strangely, having noticed his bizarre hair and eyes. Maya`s eyes bounced between the two men, she knew Reaver was questioning the entire thing. He may have been a deviant, but he wasn't an idiot. She could not lose her chance to get the pelt, for that meant loosing the Family as allies. She could not risk that, not for anything.

Maya had no experience with men, but could guess at what would keep him occupied. She swallowed hard and boldly wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in so their hips touched. "I'm a very happy girl, Mister Reaver, never thought I'd get my hands on you..."

Reaver turned his focus back to Maya. "Hmm, well it's your luck day my dear, I happen to have a entire evening free," he looked to Von, "and no one to fill it."

"I could take care of that for you-"

He grabbed Maya`s wrists and looked to Von. "You can both fill it."

Von stood in the middle of Reaver`s private rooms, his shirt off and his arms stiffly at his sides. Reaver had ordered him to do as such, and now stood behind Von with Maya at his side.

Reaver eyed Von like a hawk stalking it's prey. "Beautiful specimen..."

Von swallowed his growl and glanced over to the bed. At the foot of the bed laid their prize - the stolen pelt of Mathias Kaiser. He pushed aside thoughts of his father for now, he needed to stay alert around the deviant.

Reaver ran his fingers over Von`s shoulder, "Have you looked at him, Carina? Really looked at him?"

Maya shook her head, trying to keep her eyes on Reaver and not the balverine. At least, as far as she knew, Reaver was human.

Reaver pouted and approached a locked wardrobe Maya had noticed when they entered the room. He produced a key from a hidden pocket inside his jacket and pulled something from the depths of the wardrobe before quickly locking it back up. Maya saw what he had taken and swallowed nervously.

A whip.

"Equuleus needs to be broken in, Carina." Reaver raised the whip, but Von didn't move.

Reaver brought the whip down hard on Von`s back, the crack of the whip echoing through the room. Maya jumped at the sound, but Von remained still. He was deathly still in fact, and Reaver noticed. Another strike licked his back, wrapping around his lower back and hip like a lover. Reaver grinned and put all of his strength into his next lash, eager to see Von break.

But he didn't.

Von was breathing slowly, but had made no sound - not even a whimper.

Determined and turned on, Reaver whipped him until it was clear no amount would bother the pale man. Angry, red welts marred his back, standing out against his pale skin like rose petals in snow. Blood was slowly falling from the broken welts, trailing down to the top of Von`s trousers.

Sweat covered Reaver`s brow and matted his hair. He brushed it aside, panting but smiling. "Clean him up, Carina."

She looked nervously to the deviant, certain then that she had gotten herself in way over her head. A virgin couldn't play with someone as...experienced as Reaver.

Reaver gestured to Von with his whip, "With your tongue, darling. Now."

Maya bit her lip and looked to Von. He was looking at her over his shoulder, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he wanted her to do. She felt herself walking and stopped mere inches from the whipped balverine. She touched his shoulders and felt him cringe.

So many lashes, and he cringed when she touched him?

She quickly reminded herself that he was a monster, infected with something that would never allow her to feel anything for him. He was an ally, and not even that until she did what Ezra asked. Lick his wounds? She doubted even Reaver would consume the blood of a balverine.

Still, with Reaver watching her and the pelt literally feet away, she couldn't afford to mess it up.

Maya eyed a wide gash between Von`s shoulder blades, right alone his spine. It was angry looking, but at least it wasn't bleeding. She felt his muscles tense as she lowered her lips and closed her eyes. She pressed her tongue flat against his skin and slowly pulled it over the puckered welt. Once at the end, she licked it back down.

Von shivered. He doubted she knew the significance of what she was doing, given the little she truly knew about them.

Her tongue found a particularly nasty lash, and he squeezed his eyes closed.

Reaver laughed. "Finally, we get a rise from him!"

Maya reached a bleeding wound that trailed around his waist. She tried to pretend it was not his blood and sweat on her tongue, but syrup or something sweet and untainted. Her tongue met a wide gash along the welt and her tongue was saturated in his blood. She swallowed and gagged, the metallic tang of his blood was impossible to push aside.

"How does he taste, Carina?" Reaver asked in a long sigh.

Maya looked up at him, noticing the bulge in his pants as her eyes hurried to find his eyes. "So sweet, Reaver..."

Philipth Morley would have been proud of her acting.

Reaver purred. "I wonder what other sweet fluids our friend may offer..."

Von glared at Reaver and Maya immediately stopped her actions - she may have been naive and inexperienced, but she was not stupid.

Reaver wound the whip around his fingers. "Come on, Princess, you look so good down on your knees..."

Maya gasped and Von backed up, immediately taking a defensive stance. Von snarled, his eyes going wide as he stood on the edge between human and balverine. He wanted to lunge forward, but the pelt was behind him.

Maya reached for the Dragonstomper, only to discover it was missing.

Reaver pulled back his jacket, revealing her Dragonstomper on his belt. He smirked, "Come now, dear, everyone knows you always carry the Dragon with you, do not bother denying it. Only a hero could wield such a magnificent weapon."

Maya spat at his feet. "Vile pig!"

The doors to Reaver`s private rooms burst open and his guards filled the small room. Maya stood and backed up - right into Von. She felt him grasp her upper arms and looked down, noticing his fingers had turned to long, slender claws.

Reaver gasped in realization. "The Kaiser boy!" He laughed, clenching his stomach as he was over come by a fit of amusement.

Von`s claws dug into Maya`s arms as he began to give into his anger. She yelped and threw her head back as his claws tore threw her flesh like it was parchment. Von`s eyes were fixed on Reaver, Maya suspected he didn't even know he had her in his grasp.

Very pleased, Reaver nodded and they were jumped. Maya was wrenched from Von`s hands by the guards. She saw a length of rope and fought against their grasp as they pinned her to the ground.

They bound her legs and hands, making certain the ropes dug into her skin. She gasped as the skin on her wrists tore.

As she was dragged out of the room, she saw twenty guards trying to subdue Von as he flailed wildly, caught somewhere between man and animal. Reaver raised her Dragonstomper and the doors closed just as a shot went off.

She heard another just before her world went blank.

Her head was throbbing and her wrists were raw, but she was alive so she guessed she should be thankful.

She sat up and strained her eyes to get a baring on her surroundings. Straw was under her, covering the entire floor, and the walls were made of old, crude stone. Maya suspected she was in the dungeons under Reaver`s mansion.

Memories of what happened returned to her in a rush and she quickly stood, causing her head to spin.

"Calm down, Princess, we're not going anywhere."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Von leaning against the wall. His pale skin was gleaming with a thin layer of sweat, though there was no heat in their cell. In fact, it was especially cold.

She took a step closer to him and noticed he was breathing heavily. "Are you alright?"

Von smirked. "Never been better..."

His voice was weak.

If he were anyone else, she would have ran to his side and administered aid, but he was a balverine. "I heard a gun shot."

He nodded and pulled aside his arm, revealing a bullet wound just above his hip. "I can't believe he got me!"

"He is the hero of skill." Even as she said it she felt bad, the man was shot after all and probably wasn't going to make it. A part of her, the cold and dark part, was not sad that the world would be less one balverine.

He laughed hoarsely. "Still, Ezra is going to beat me - he's always pushing me to move faster..."

Maya tentatively sank to her knees in front of him, watching him carefully. "Was that your father's pelt on Reaver`s bed?"

Von nodded slowly. "Surprised you noticed it..."

"Surprised you see anything with those funny eyes." She grumbled.

"I'll have you know," Von said with a smirk, "my eyes make me desirable to the females of my pack!"

Maya chuckled, surprised to find herself smiling. "Oh yes, I bet you're a regular lady killer."

He shook his head weakly. "N-No, I'm n-not..."

"Why not? Aren't you pretty enough for your kind?" There was a cruel tinge to her voice.

He opened his eyes, which seemed to be getting harder to keep open. "We're t-trapped in a sa-sadist`s basement, and you're asking me if I-I get any action?"

She didn't say anything, not really sure what to say and not willing to make a further fool of herself.

Von coughed. "We aren't wild b-beasts th-that rut around i-in the dirt..."

She didn't roll her eyes even though she wanted to, she figured she owed the dying man that at least.

"I-I don't know if I'm go-going to get out of here..." He slurred, his eyes locked on to her's.

"I thought balverines were stubborn and difficult to kill." She said, remembering Ezra`s earlier words.

"Not as difficult for heroes," he sighed, "besides, I'm not as s-s-strong as..."

She waited for him to continue.

He shifted and moaned. "I know yo-u hate m-my kind, but c-can you pr-promise me s-something?"

His groaning made her ashamed of her actions, but she didn't want him to know that - he was still just a bloody balverine. "You can ask."

"Get my father's pelt," he took a deep breath, "a-and don't let them get mine."

She looked at the ground.

Von pushed, "You o-owe me..."

"For what!"

"For l-licking me, I-I smell like a h-human now." He gave a brash but tired smirk.

Maya forgot his wounds and punched his shoulder. "Damn you, wolf-boy!"

Note: The fake names Von and Maya used in Reaver`s Manor (Equuleus and Carina, respectively) are taken from a family of constellations called "the Heavenly Waters", which encompasses nine constellations in total. Equuleus is the foal and Carina is the keel. Just a little bit of information for those who may be curious as to the method of my madness :) - Fallon.