I was warmer after Master Zechs left. He had been gentle, despite his thoughts to the contrary, and I was left with a warm afterglow that did not dissipate as I saw Star, another of the Duke's slaves, who had come to meet us instead. It stayed with me as Master Zechs hurried home to his other slaves and up until the point where the other three cast-away slaves of the Duke met me at the door to the slaves' quarters. Since we all slept in the same room, I wasn't surprised to see them, but the vicious glares they gave me were an unwelcome surprise.

I hadn't thought so far ahead. I had been too surprised by Master Zechs choosing me to think of more than what would happen to me. I hadn't dreamed that I would be chosen, so it came as a complete surprise.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to be chosen. Though life with the Duke and the other slaves was like living in purgatory, there was nothing to assure me that living with Master Zechs wouldn't be hell. He was kind and gentle with me, who was merely an uneducated save, which told me that he probably wanted something very badly, or he planned to treat his slaves badly after he got them. His conduct when we first laid together was not what I expected, and it gave me some hope that my first impression might have been wrong, but it was not enough to completely change my opinion. Still, perhaps if I could please him he would not be so strict with me.

"I'm glad he took you," Weave said, and I desperately tried to block his words from my head, but I had spent so many years listening in the shadows that it was impossible. "I was worried for a while that he'd pick me, but obviously he wanted someone who wouldn't be missed."

"Yeah," Jaz chimed in, "I heard they had to take one of his slaves to the hospital, and the other has the most horrendous scars all over his back. Even the Duke won't scar his slaves. He must be a monster."

"Poor Nanashi," Honey said with faked sympathy, "We'll probably never see him again."

"All the better!" Weave laughed.

"Jealousy is unbecoming of you," I said before I managed to stop myself. They had tormented me for so long that it felt good to be able to return the favor, but I should have known better. In an instant, all their mirth was gone and they circled me like a pack of wild dogs.

"You should know better than to disrespect those smarter and prettier than you," Weave hissed, casually running a hand down my back. The effect was immediate and I jerked in pain as the bars in my back sent a bolt of electricity through my body. Weave laughed, for he knew that a mere touch on one of my piercings sent waves of agony through my body. Previously it had given them leverage over me and made me bend to their will. I hoped that it would be different with a new master, but doubted if his slaves found out they would be any different.

Another hand grazed my body, this time the back of my thigh. The force of the shock dropped me to the floor as if my leg had just cramped painfully. I gritted my teeth, but made no sound. Signs of distress would only provoke them. There was nothing I could do but wait them out, for running would provoke them to chase me then to hold me down, and fighting them would only get me in trouble with the Duke, who was worse than the three of them put together.

The continued to touch me gently for several minutes, laughing as I jerked and spasmed in agony. I was sweating by the time they walked off chuckling. I had only enough energy to crawl into the slaves' quarters, a barren room with a few mattresses and blankets scattered about. I lay myself down on the cold stone floor that was my bed. The other three had earned pillows to lie on, but I had not pleased the Duke enough to gain one. The Duke was never pleased with me. The Duke was a sadist, and the pain of his slaves only caused him pleasure. Because of this, it only angered him further that he could not make me scream.

For most of my life I had been a shadow, and so had learned to be silent as the darkness. Removed for content.

I tried to put the trio's voices from my mind, but it was difficult, and my uncertainties fed them. The brandy in my stomach was making me nauseous and what had already been absorbed was quickly making my head funny. Its strong effect was partially due to the fact that I had not eaten in several days, but I was too comfortable with the feeling of warmth in my stomach to remove it. Allowing the drug to relax my body, I was quickly asleep.

The next morning, the Duke called for me early, meaning that I got only a little over two hours of sleep. It was more than I had gotten in the last two days. I was not surprised about how early he called me, for slaves were often worked hardest their last day of ownership.

Removed for content.