Into the Tiger's Den

[Shiress]

Winter 5th day
518

Slender fingertips ran along the silky material, following the elegant path of intricate patterns and embroidered swirls outlined by tiny emerald green stones, wide eyes of likewise color watching the journey in the mirrored reflection.

The gown that adorned Shiress was immaculate, to say the least. A snug and perfectly fitted mint-colored bodice hugged every curve of the girl from shoulder to hip, where it gave way to an eddy of dangling jewels cascading over an emerald-colored skirt that spread out and ran past her ankles, brushing the floor. Turning this way and that, Shiress watched the dazzling dance of candlelight as it reflected off the embellishments, a childish tuck of her bottom lip between her teeth giving way to the awe she felt at seeing herself in such attire.

Her gaze traveled up from the dress to a reflected face she could hardly recognize. Emerald eyes outlined in soft black, a delicate brush of green powder on the lids, above rose touched cheeks, and glistening pink lips, stared back at her. Shiress's long, chestnut hair was pinned up, held in place with jeweled hairpins, ringlets let loose to dangle about her shoulders. Isabella had a craft when it came to hair and makeup; to take a slave and create a princess.

Shiress's eyes fell to the plunging neckline of the gown and the edge of a pale scar emerging from the fabric. Lifting a hand, she pulled back the low collar, fully revealing the gnarled and puckered reminder of what lay beneath the delicate material. Tears sprang to her eyes, but anger dammed the flow. In a flurry of rustling silk and flying hair, Shiress began yanking and pulling at the hairpins in her hair, ripping each one free and slinging them to the floor.

What was Elias thinking? What did he want her for? The man could have any woman in the city that he chose, and he had chosen her? A slave? She had nothing to offer Elias, but yet he had given her everything -jeweled gowns, jeweled hairpins, even the slippers he had given her were more immaculate than any shoes she could ever hope to own. Elias had given her a home, loved her, made love to her, made her feel loved. No other man had ever done any of that for her before.

Why take a dirty, stinking vagabond from the streets and put him in new clothes without bathing him first? That's just how Shiress felt, though there was no bathing or scrubbing away what dirtied her body. Elias was scarred, yes, but he had earned those scars and was a better man, a better warrior, for it. What was Shiress?

A battered slave

A slave who had somehow earned the love of a brave and handsome Ebonstryfe commander, but how? And again, and again, and again the question 'WHY' looped around to the front of her mind.

Shiress was obviously having adjustment issues.

Chest heaving, Shiress turned away from the mirror and sat on the bed, the biggest bed she had ever seen, surrounded by candles and silk sheets.....it was too much. Reaching for the nightstand, Shiress pulled out a piece of paper from the drawer. It was a map of Rovok that she had found in some room of the vast house she called home now. Placing it on the bed beside her, she came to her feet, undoing lace and latches, then wiggling free of her dress. After donning her favored oversized shirt, that she belted over the waist of a pair of riding britches she sat back down on the bed, retrieved the map, and began studying it.

After a chime, her finger pressed down against the map just below where a crude drawing of a house was labeled 'Valdinox estate.' Smiling she stood, folded the sheet, and crammed it into her bag alongside a purloined bottle of wine. Shiress knew just how to escape the torment of trivial thoughts and self-pity.

She would drink them away with a friend.

Slinging the bag across a shoulder, Shiress walked from the room, hand feebly trying to smooth down chestnut tangles.

Half a bell later, the girl found herself staring at the Valdinox estate, a hard stone of foreboding settling into her throat. The house looked much like the Lark estate, save for the large tigress that she knew should be prowling the ground outside. Swallowing down the feeling, she gave one last look over her shoulder to the departing Ravosala then headed for the house, steps lite as she slipped into the shadows.

Shiress made it to the house unseen and without trouble and now leaned against a wall far from the entrance, grinning in triumph. Now, she just had to wait for her tigress friend to pad by and oh what a surprise she had for her.

[Zavya]

It was a night like any other, or at least it seemed that way to Zavya. Leth was high overhead, the stars were bright, and the Valdinox grounds were utterly silent. There wasn’t a soul to be found other than the Kelvic herself, and that was just the way she liked it. Good, the tigress thought to herself as large paws caressed the ground with each quiet step, grass tickling her pads and slinking between her toes. Boring is always better than exciting in a place like this.

After her fifth circuit of the grounds, the tigress yawned, reaching her paws forward and stretching out in a very feline gesture. Searing gold eyes looked toward the horizon, calculating how much more time it would be until Syna took Leth’s place overhead. A few bells yet, she reasoned with a heavy sigh, stretching her back legs before resuming her path. A few long bells…

While guard duty wasn’t necessarily how she’d prefer to spend her time, it was much more preferable to other nocturnal ventures she often found herself victim to—one of which she’d already been subjected to far earlier in the evening. At least he’s asleep now, she thought with an inner sneer, wishing she could forever purge the feeling of Ryker’s hands on her body from her memory. Could have been worse, though. He was relatively gentle this time. As if that made a difference. It would never be an experience she’d enjoy.

The massive cat continued in her meandering, golden eyes sharp for aught that might be amiss. It wasn’t until she came around the far corner of the house that she noticed something—a shape leaning against the wall that wasn’t supposed to be there. A distinctly human shape.

Oh, no, you don’t.

The tigress kept low to the ground, creeping her way over to where the person stood. An intruder? On her watch? If she didn’t take care of it now, she’d pay the price later. And it was a price she wasn’t willing to pay.

A growl rumbled in Zavya’s throat as she approached, muscles gathering as she readied to pounce. When she was only steps away, the figure turned just enough for the Kelvic to really see her, and what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Her jaw dropped open in shock, dumbfounded at her unexpected visitor. Shiress?!

A flash of light briefly illuminated the darkness, a nude woman with a fiery gaze and messy dark hair soon taking the place of the agitated tiger. Zavya could hardly believe her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her vision and assure herself this wasn’t some trick. Shiress was really here? How? And why?

Zavya rapidly cast her gaze around them to be sure they weren’t watched before closing the distance between the two and pulling the other woman further into the shadow of the house. “What are you doing here?!” she whispered, nearly frantic with worry. Every nerve in her body was blazing, her skin practically twitching. Meanwhile, her hands were patting at Shiress’s shoulders, her arms, her waist, as if trying to assure herself she was real. “Did anyone see you? How did you get here? Is everything all right?”

The Kelvic took a deep breath, both to calm the pounding of her heart and the rambling of her questions. She couldn’t deny her heart soared to see the woman again, but she couldn’t help but think something must be terribly wrong for her to be here. Shiress didn’t seem overly perturbed, but that didn’t mean anything. Divines knew slavery made good actors out of them all.

At last, Zavya’s hands found their way to the woman’s face, fingers gently curling as her thumbs caressed her cheekbones. “I… I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I… I started to wonder if that night in the cottage ever really happened.” Letting her hands drop, she instead wrapped her arms around the other in a brief, yet fierce, embrace.

“But you’re here. You’re real.” Her voice was a muffled whisper into Shiress’s shoulder, shuddering as her arms tightened, then let go. Pulling back, Zavya took an unsteady breath as gold eyes met green. “It wasn’t a dream.”

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[Shiress]

Shiress heard the soft padding of footsteps growing close and smiled, knowing that she had remembered right. The smile slid from her face, however, when she heard the deep rumble of a growl begin to form from the approaching Tiger and immediately knew she had messed up by not announcing herself. Her mouth opened to call out to her friend but the sudden blinding light imprinting itself on her retinas had her snapping it closed again as a hand lifted to shield her eyes.

Before the illumination had completely faded from her sight, Shiress heard Zavya's voice and felt herself being ushered backward, the Tigress's gentle probing drawing a smile back across the girl's lips. Shiress returned the embrace fiercely, surprising even herself by how suddenly excited she was to see her Kelvic friend again. She let her fingers glide gently through the woman's dark hair before pulling back, hands holding onto slim shoulders as she studied her friends face.

Gods, she's even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.

Shiress shook the mesmerized stare from her eyes, remembering Zavya had spoken.

"No, no one saw me." she said, pulling her bag from her shoulder. After a tick of rummaging around within, she produced a dark colored cloak, stepped forward and wrapped the garment around Zavya, a frown touching her lips "I'm not actually sure why I came, to be honest. I just wanted to see you" she admitted, then after a brief pause, brightened "But I do have news!"

Turning the woman to where Shiress now stood to her front and Zavya's back was to the house, Shiress lowered her voice in an attempt to contain her excitement.

"I'm free, Zavya!" she licked her lips, warming to the subject of freedom "Elias came for me near the end of last season. I live at the Caldera Manor now." The features of Shiress's face went slack again as she continued, "he bought me, though, and I think I'm having trouble fitting in, or maybe I..." her words fell away as she shook her head.

With a sigh, she rummaged around her bag, freeing the wine bottle she had brought for her and Zavya and presented it to the Kelvic with a hopeful gleam in her emerald eyes. She waved the bottle back and forth in front of her like a child showing off a new toy "I was hoping we might could talk?" she said, a soft smile forming on her lips. "I needed a friend tonight."

[Zavya]

At the revelation of her news, Zavya’s heart both sank and soared. Shiress was free? And by Elias? She couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped her lips, even if she hadn’t intended it. The Kelvic wrapped the cloak a little tighter around herself, not for any sense of modesty, but rather to ward off her sudden chill. Of course, she was ecstatic for the woman who’d stolen a large portion of her nearly nonexistent heart, but with that ecstasy came a sort of… emptiness. A longing for that which she couldn’t have, and was sure she never would.

“That’s wonderful,” she said instead, offering a smile that she hoped wasn’t as brittle as the disappointment she felt inside. One hand reached out to gently caress Shiress’s cheek, hoping that gesture might convey a bit more of the happiness she felt for her. So he would free one slave but seek to further enslave dozens of others, simply for the accident of their birth. Is it because she’s human? Or is it because he loves her?

She opened her mouth to say as much, but before a word could come out, she clamped it back shut. It wasn’t fair to sully Shiress’s joy with her own resentment. Even if Zavya couldn’t understand what Shiress could possibly see in such a man. The Elias she’d met had been cruel and calculating, a cold soldier who’d stood at the side of her very first tormentor and defended the bastion of evil that had birthed and raised her. The tigress couldn’t wrap her mind around the kind, gentle-hearted woman in front of her falling for such a creature. There had to be depths she couldn’t see. There had to be.

“Truly, there couldn’t be better news,” she continued, her tone hopefully more reflective of the elation she felt for her companion. The Kelvic entwined her fingers with her friend’s and gave them a firm squeeze. “All your talk of hope finally came true. I’m… I’m so happy you were able to get away from that horrible Radcliffe. I was so scared you for that night, terrified you’d face the same…” Consequences I did. Trailing off, she cut her sentence short, unwilling to force any measure of guilt on the beautiful brunette. Even if the night had ended on a much sourer note than it had begun, it was a night she cherished above all others. The first and only night any human had given her any sense of worth.

Zavya glanced at the bottle in surprise, biting her lip and looking between it and Shiress’s hopeful face. This was dangerous, to be out here with another so close to where her master slept. A sharp golden gaze swept the area around them, listening carefully for any sign of approaching footsteps. It seemed they were alone, but the Kelvic knew any moment could change that. She cared little for her own safety, but Shiress… Zavya could hardly bear the thought of anything happening to the woman on her account.

However, no amount of worry could make her refuse that face, inwardly kicking herself as she slowly nodded. “We can talk, but we must be very quiet, understand?” she warned Shiress, her own voice barely audible. “And if I tell you to run… you run, just as fast as you can. If we get caught, you don’t want to know what…” Swallowing, she closed her eyes and cleared her throat. “We can’t get caught. Ryker has never known a moment of mercy in his life.”

Zavya knew this was foolish, knew it in her very core, but as much as Shiress needed a friend, so did she. Every night since their last meeting, she’d thought of the woman, working out ways in her head to find a way onto the Lark estate, to get a message to her, anything, but coming up short each time. To have her here now hardly seemed real, and she intended to cherish each moment. No matter what happened after. To see her again, to hear her voice… whatever came would be worth it.

Or so she thought.

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[Shiress]

Though the Kelvic did her best to hide it, the flicker of despondency that had filled Zavya's golden eyes was not lost to Shiress. Shoulder's drooping with a sudden loss of ardor, Shiress's hand covered the one that rested against her cheek, grasping it as it fell away.

"I'm sorry." she said, voice low with remorse. "I'm being insensitive."

Shiress placed the bottle of wine back into her bag and slung it back over a shoulder. The girl knew all too well what it felt like to be happy for someone else's good fortune, but loathe it at the same time for not happening to her. She had come to talk to a slave about insignificant difficulties of being free. How could she have been so thoughtless? Swinging her arms forward, Shiress took a step toward her friend, catching both her hands in her own.

"If I have to save up the coin for a multitude of seasons to buy you myself, I will see you free, too, my friend." Shiress forced as much conviction in her voice as she could muster, hoping Zavya believed her words as much as she did. "I know you have little reason to trust me," she shook her head with a slight chuckle, "When I met you last season I vowed to myself then that one day I would see you free." Shiress smiled, closing the short distance between her and the Kelvic, arms lifting to grasp either side of the woman's head. Like she had witnessed her father do so many times in Zeltiva, Shiress pressed her forehead against Zavya's, "now I vow it to you, Zavya." she continued, emphasizing the last of her words with a halting lilt to her tone. "You. Will. Be. Free."

Shiress stepped back, shoulders rising and falling with a deep sigh, her emerald gaze holding the woman's golden for a long chime before she finally looked away, eyes carefully searching the area they stood.

"It was foolish of me to come here tonight." she said, eyes moving back to Zavya. "I wasn't thinking, and I've put you and myself in danger, it seems." she tightened the bag around her shoulder, looking thoughtful. "I won't stay for fear of causing you harm." she said, her hand disappearing inside a hip pocket before pulling out a folded sheet of paper and handing it to Zavya. "It's a map. The Caldera Manor is where I live. If ever you need me or can get time for yourself somehow, come see me." she smiled sadly "I won't come here again, not like this. It's too risky, as you said and I never want to hurt you and my coming here just might."

Shiress placed a hand around the woman's neck, pulling her close, and placed a soft kiss upon her cheek. "It was good to see you again, even if for just a little while."

Shiress turned, taking several steps away, before pausing to look back over her shoulder. "I'll be looking for you." she said with a smile, then turned and walked into the shadows.

She had nearly made it to the edge of the Valdinox estate when something buzzed passed her shoulder so close that her long chestnut hair was whisked about, but she saw nothing and quickened her pace. She hadn't gone two steps before something else flew by her head, but this time she caught sight of what it was when a crossbow bolt clunked into the wood before her feet. Shiress froze, uncertain, and was about to take a run for it when a man's voice called out from the darkness behind her.

"Don't even think about it." it said "you move, I shoot."

Shiress tilted her face skyward muttering a curse, hands going up to indicate her compliance.

"Shyke."

[Zavya]

Insensitive or no, Zavya was loath to see Shiress go. As the woman’s forehead touched hers, she felt another swell in her heart, one both painful and ecstatic. Telling her again she would be free, even if she had to buy Zavya herself. The Kelvic wanted so desperately to believe her, wanted it to be true more than anything. But her entire life had been spent under a thumb that wasn’t her own, controlled by hands who had no care for who she was or what she wanted. Freedom was a pipe dream. It always would be.

Zavya clung to the woman for as long as she dared, leaning into that embrace like a lifeline. It was better that Shiress left before anything could happen to her, but that didn’t mean the tigress liked it. She would have loved nothing more than to while away the remaining bells of the night, wine drunk and laughing with the former slave who had enthralled her so. But fate was a cruel and twisted thing, and even with the best intentions, it wasn’t to be.

It was with the utmost reluctance that Zavya finally let her go, accepting the folded piece of paper Shiress offered and looking at it with a detached sort of curiosity. Caldera Manor. His home. Would it be worth it, to see that pale-faced bastard again just to see Shiress?

Yes, it would she thought without hesitation, fighting the tears that threatened to prickle her eyes. She longed into the kiss Shiress pressed against her cheek, throwing her arms around her one last time. “I will find a way to come to you, I swear,” she whispered against the woman’s neck before releasing her, handing over the borrowed cloak, and turning away. It was nearly more than she could bear, to see her only to lose her again so soon. “Thank you for visiting me tonight, if only for a tick. It means more than you could know.”

The Kelvic couldn’t watch as Shiress left, cautioning her softly, “Be safe.”

As soon as her footsteps started fading away, Zavya took a deep breath, that same flash of light ripping through the air before she tipped forward onto all fours. No matter that she was already gone; the slave’s spirits were lighter just from the few moments she’d shared her presence. The tigress began another circuit of the estate, slinking silently through the night as thoughts of Shiress consumed her.

How can I get there? she thought to herself as she walked, stepping carefully over a rock in her path. Ryker’s gotten wiser to my tricks after the past few times. What would it take to be able to pull it off?

She’d find a way, of that she was certain. Even if he strung her up and bled her dry afterward, she’d make sure she’d get there. How could she not?

Zavya’s musings were interrupted by the faintest of sounds, a dark ear swiveling in the direction of its source. The twang of a bowstring… she’d know that sound anywhere. Her heart sank, even as she started running as fast as she could in the direction from which it had come. Shiress…

It was exactly as she’d feared, one of the newer guards standing with his bow trained on the departing woman. A growl rose in her throat as she looked frantically between the two, adrenaline setting her veins afire. If she interceded, it could mean her death. If she didn’t, it could mean Shiress’s. In the end, the choice was easy.

She pounced.

Golden and furious, she flew through the air with a bristling snarl of rage. Her impact with the man sent him sprawling, the bow flying out of his hand and into the water nearby. Massive paws held him to the ground, baring her teeth as she glared ferociously down into his shocked face. No further than that did she go; she knew well the consequences of murdering one of the Valdinox guards. They were consequences she might face regardless, but there was no need to make it worse than it already was. Hopefully, her intervention would give Shiress just enough time to escape.

What she wasn’t counting on was the man’s surprisingly quick recovery, a syringe flashing in his hand before she even knew what was happening. A sharp prick of pain between her ribs had her yowling, a bright light blinding the guard beneath her as she was forced unwillingly into her human form. Of course Ryker would make him carry that shyke on him… Before she could blink, the guard’s arm was tight around her neck, holding her flush against his body while he fumbled for something at his waist.

“Run!” Zavya screamed desperately, eyes wide with fear as she gazed at Shiress. "Go now!!"

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[Shiress]

How in all of Ryhsol's unholy nightmares do I keep getting myself into these situations?

Shiress would have laughed at her misfortune had it not been for the concern that immediately flooded her for Zavya. It seemed that complication road on the forefront of Shiress's shoulders and it also seemed that she had an uncanny ability to drag those around her into the unwanted drama with her. No wonder Elias had offered her an entourage of armed bodyguards. What then seemed to be a thoughtful suggestion now looked like a subtle attempt to protect the girl from herself.

Shiress sighed heavily, hearing booted footsteps drawing close. Had she and Zavya been seen? If they hadn't been seen together maybe she could come up with a good enough reason for venturing onto the estate that would not condemn her friend along with her. The girl's mind began to work with countless excuses that would account for a lone, mindless female roaming onto the property of a guarded home. None seemed believable.

Regardless, Shiress turned, opening her mouth to spew forth an excuse, but the words died on her tongue, her mouth hanging open wordlessly, as she watched Zavya, now in her tiger form, pounce the approaching guard. She took several hesitant steps toward the beast and man, but the blinding light of the Kelvic's forced transformation had her flinching away. When she turned back the Tigress's cry for the girl to run fell on deaf ears.

Shiress darted forward, revealing the hidden dagger around her thigh. She rounded the flailing pair, bringing the hilt of the weapon down against the guard's head and the man went limp. Shiress grabbed Zavya, careful not to skewer the woman on the dagger's sharp point, and hauled her to her feet, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice quivering.

Remembering how disoriented Rook was after being doused in the same liquid, Shiress didn't wait for a reply and shuffled awkwardly away from the prone figure, turning and half dragging her companion along with her. They had gone several paces when Shiress stopped and faced Zavya, emerald eyes scrutinizing the woman.

"You need to go." she said sternly, her tone absolute. "I think I can get away, I'll swim if I have to." Shiress grimaced at her own words. Despite being born and raised in Zeltiva the girl had no idea how to swim, but she was willing to give herself an unforeseen lesson in the art if it would ensure that Zavya was safe. "If we are seen together it will only implement you, but maybe if I...."

"I think its a bit late for that." A flat, unamused male voice called out from behind Zavya.

If the look on the Kelvic's face didn't allude to the amount of trouble the two female's just landed in, the look on the man's handsome and bearded face that entered the scant light surrounding them did. Faster than Shiress thought possible the tall, blonde man threw out a hand, grabbing a handful of brunette hair and yanked Zavya backward against him, just as large muscular arms wrapped around Shiress utterly immobilizing the girl.

Leaning down close to Zavya's ear, the stranger's fingers tightened into a fist around the hair at the base of her neck.

"You have some explaining to do slave."

[Zavya]

The unbearably familiar voice caused the blood to drain from Zavya’s face, nearly going limp in Shiress’s grasp. Ryker. Why was he awake? What was he doing out here? Had he heard the commotion from inside or had one of the other guards fetched him? Either way, it didn’t matter. At that moment, their fates were sealed.

A hiss parted the Kelvic’s lips as Ryker’s hand tangled in her hair, yanking her backward and against his chest. Her mind tumbled uselessly over the excuses she might give, but her fear combined with the disorientation from the drug injected into her had her coming up short. What possible explanation could she give that would make sure Shiress got away clean? How much had he already seen?

“Please, Master, she’s no one,” Zavya managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth, pointedly avoiding the other woman’s gaze. “Just a passerby who happened to get a little lost, that’s all. Let her go. She’s done no harm.”

Ryker’s hand tightened in her dark tresses, pulling sharply so that she looked up into his cold steel gaze. “She’s no one, hm? Yet you felt the need to take down one of the guards to let her go?” Zavya’s face paled further at that, disbelief clouding her features. How long had he been watching? A cruel smile curled his lips in response, his free hand caressing her face in a mockery of tenderness. “That’s right, my precious tiger. I saw it. Do you really think I don’t have you watched while you’re out here? How foolish do you think I am?”

He leaned in closer to her ear, watching the other woman struggle feebly in the guard’s arms. “She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear and causing a shudder of disgust to travel down her spine. “Don’t you think she’d look even prettier when she’s begging and screaming?”

Zavya’s breath caught, struggling to wrench herself free while Ryker only tightened his grasp. “No! Don’t you dare touch her!” she growled, to no avail. One arm went around her waist to pin her arms to her sides, the other violently pulling her head back. “Master, please! I’ll do anything! This is all my fault, I swear, please… just don’t hurt her!”

The laugh that met her pleas was sadistic and unyielding, Ryker shaking his head back and forth in false sorrow. “I thought she was no one? What do you care if anything happens to her?” Zavya’s struggles redoubled, but he only held her that much tighter before slipping her collar around her throat. “It’s a fitting punishment, don’t you think? Having you watch while your little friend here learns her lesson?”

It was her worst nightmare come true, Zavya’s heart racing as she looked at Shiress, at last. The Kelvic could handle pain; Rhysol knew she’d borne enough of it. But for Shiress to meet the same fate? It was everything she’d hoped to avoid, every fear made manifest. “Please, Master, punish me as you will,” she whispered in a broken plea, closing her eyes as if to ward off the pain to come. “But please… not her.”

“Bit late for that now,” he answered coldly, releasing her briefly only to yank her arms behind her back. A length of rope quickly bound her wrists before she was tossed over his shoulder as if she were nothing more than a sack of grain. Turning to the guard that held Shiress, he nodded. “Take her to my chambers and strip her down. She’ll soon learn what happens to trespassers that don’t know their place.” The guard nodded, holding his charge tight in a crushing bear hug while he started ushering her forward. Before he could leave, Ryker added, “And take care of that when you’re done.” He nodded in the direction of the unconscious guard.

“Of course, sir. Right away.”

The guard hastened off to obey his orders, Zavya watching after Shiress with her heart in her throat. Ryker followed at a more sedate pace, satisfaction practically radiating off of him. What had she done? How could she have let this happen? If only the tigress been a little faster, a little smarter… But no. She’d doomed them both. She could only pray they made it through alive.

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[Shiress]

"Master"

So this was Ryker. This man was Zavya's Master.

Shiress's green gaze slowly clawed its way up Ryker's form, settling on the man's eyes in a cold glare. The way the man touched Zavya was vile. Shiress needed no imagination to know just how evil this man indeed was. She just needed to keep all scrutinizing attention off of her and the dagger she still clutched in the hand that was forced to her side.

Though the woman's pleas for her well being both touched and broke Shiress's heart, she knew it was for naught. She knew that the Master's mind was made up and that there would be no amount of begging that would change it. Shiress knew precisely what drew the corners of the man's mouth upward, and she knew what she had just seen ignite in the man's cold, azure eyes. It hadn't been that long ago that this same torturous and sinister game had been played with Shiress. The same sinister light. The same malicious amusement.

Shiress would be used as punishment for another.

Shiress paled with raw guilt at the thought. This was her fault, a situation born of her stupidity. Maybe she deserved what was to come, but Zavya didn't. Shiress's struggle with the guard lessened as she began to think furiously. The first thing to her mind was her bond to Rook. The last thing that needed to happen was her Bondmate coming to her rescue....again. Shiress had brought danger down on him too many times. Hurt him too many times. Never again. She clamped down on the bond, or, at least, imagined tying it off from her emotions -she had no idea if it would work or not. For good measure, she let rage and anger dance to the forefront of her thoughts. Maybe Rook would think she was in a heated argument with someone instead of, well, another likely harmful event.


A hiss of pain from Zavya had Shiress back in the moment, her eyes darting up to see the woman's master wrenching her arms backward then tossing her over a shoulder. However, it was Ryker's order to her captor that made Shiress's blood run cold. She would have screamed her rage-filled thoughts of being forcibly stripped down at the departing figures back had the man's restricting arms currently around her chest allowed enough breath to do so. Instead, she renewed her attempts to struggle free, only resulting in an amused grunt by the guard and a tighter hold.

If anything her defiant struggles caused the guard more time to get to the house than it would have had he not had a wiggling, kicking, and occasionally biting female in his arms. Even still, it hadn't taken long enough to reach the Master's chambers, and Shiress was being forced through the doorway of a large two room living quarters.

As soon as her feet touched the floor and she felt the guard's hold loosen, Shiress moved, arching her back so that the arm holding the concealed dagger slashed up towards the man's face, but either he knew she had the weapon, or she was way too slow. In one smooth motion, the guard's thick arm lifted, catching Shiress by her wrist, as the other raised with a hard backhanded slap to her face. Plucking the knife from her fingers, he released her, and a dazed Shiress slumped to the floor.

The room spun once, twice before Shiress could see straight again. Lifting a hesitant hand, she swiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with a thumb, staring at it dumbly. Slowly she raised her unsteady gaze to the guard, studying him closely from his hairless head to the scar running across his eyebrow, to his black boots, taking in every detail to describe him to a certain man later.

Then, Shiress gave him a blood-stained, toothy smile.

"You just gained a very dangerous enemy."

Shiress saw the man's hands curl into fists by his side as he took two long strides toward her. Shiress darted forward, passing beneath the guard's outstretched hands, quickly coming to her feet, then froze where she stood, staring wide-eyed at Zavya, her eyes downcast, face bloodstained, and her Master standing in the doorway.

Then her eyes fell to the tail of a whip untangling from Ryker's fingers.

[Zavya]

“Who is she, Zavya?” Ryker asked as he carried her toward the house, shifting her body so her weight was more evenly distributed. The Kelvic had little strength to fight and only groaned as he moved her, though she wanted nothing more than to gouge out his eyes and force him to watch himself die. One day, you miserable bastard, she promised with a silent snarl. One day…

“I told you, she’s no one,” Zavya muttered in response, though it was an answer her master obviously did not accept. His hand came down firmly on her exposed rear, the tigress jumping, but giving him no more cause for satisfaction.

“You never learn, do you?” he asked with a shake of his head, his tone almost amused. “You know I’ll find out what I want to know, Zavya. You don’t have to make the path so difficult.”

“Petch you,” was her feeble comeback, another sharp slap against her bare skin her reward.

“I’d watch that mouth if I were you,” Ryker warned her as they neared the house, sliding in the back door and locking it behind them. “Do you really want to make this harder on yourself than it needs to be?”

Silence was her only response this time, a catlike satisfaction radiating from her master’s very core. He’d break her eventually. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name.

The rest of their journey was short and quiet, Zavya’s mind working furiously on how she could end this, how she could get Shiress to safety. She contemplated how they’d made it into this mess in the first place, and swore by every god in existence she’d make sure they got back out. Or… that Shiress got back out. She had little hope for herself, but the Kelvic couldn’t bear that she was the reason her friend was here in the first place. She should have warned her, should have been faster…

Ryker entered his suite and dropped Zavya on the floor, a short grunt leaving her as bare flesh collided with the hard surface. Sullen, dead eyes stared up at her master as he paced the length of the room until he discovered what it was he was searching for. Several polished boxes were pulled from a large chest nearby, each opened and laid out in front of his slave for her inspection. Her stomach immediately turned at what she was presented.

A sadistic smile lit his face as he waited for her reaction, the tigress closing her eyes and turning her head away. Each box held various implements of pain, from perfectly polished knives and shackles to immaculately oiled whips and floggers of every size and shape. She’d known the cruel caress of just about every instrument he presented her with, and the thought of any of them being used on Shiress caused bile to rise in her throat.

“It’s your choice, Zavya,” Ryker told her, grabbing her face and forcing her to see. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, looking up at him helplessly. “You cannot save your little friend there from what’s to come, but mayhap you can make it a little easier on her, hm? At least she’ll know her poison was picked with love.”

“I refuse,” she told him flatly, golden eyes burning with hatred. “You can make me watch, you can beat me yourself… but you cannot make me do this. I won’t.”

“You know, I had a feeling you might say that,” her master replied, his tone conversational, as if they were talking about nothing more than the preparations for breakfast that morning. A casual backhand across her face had her spitting blood to the side before he reached down to pick up a large bullwhip with metal spikes ranging up and down the length of the leather. He gave it a few experimental snaps, the steel tip stopping a mere inch from her face. “If you don’t choose, I will, Zavya. And I don’t think you or the girl will thank me for it.”

Zavya bit down hard on her lip, her breath quickening and more blood flooding her mouth as that dreaded leather snake came to life in his hand. Hating herself more by the tick, she shuddered like a stung horse, fists clenching behind her back. Molten eyes ranged over the assortment he presented her with, settling at last on a soft deerskin flogger to her left. From what she remembered of it, it still provided a good sting, but it would not be near so damaging as the one he held now. She gave a short nod in its direction, refusing to speak the words aloud. She would not give him that satisfaction. I’m so sorry, Shiress. I hope you can forgive me.

Shaking his head, Ryker coiled his own choice and lovingly placed it back in the box before grabbing the handle of the one his slave had picked. “You disappoint me, Zavya,” he said, coming around behind her and letting the tails of the weapon trace gently across her skin. A casual flick sent red reeling across her vision, back arching as she flinched away. “Though I suppose we can make do with this.”

Grabbing the rope that bound her wrists together, he jerked Zavya to her feet and shoved her forward. Before they left the room, he grabbed one of the knives he’d laid out, thrusting it in his belt before closing the various boxes and stowing them away. The Kelvic looked on with mounting horror before he grabbed her again and pushed her into the adjoining room where Shiress and the guard from before waited.

The tigress couldn’t meet Shiress’s gaze, her own eyes firmly fixed on the floor as Ryker forced her to her knees, her ankles trussed as surely as her hands. Another length of rope tied her wrists and ankles together, her hair bound into the knot to make sure her gaze stayed above the floor and on what was about to transpire. A signal passed between him and the guard, who grabbed the other woman’s wrists and tied them in a similar fashion to Zavya’s. Her struggling arms were jerked above her head before she was secured to a post that had obviously been used for the same purpose many a time. Nodding his satisfaction, Ryker dismissed the guard with a curt, “You may go.” With a grunt of acquiescence, the man took his leave and locked the door behind him.

“What a lovely sight,” Ryker finally purred into the silence, circling Shiress much like a tiger himself. “It’s normally Zavya that I see like this, but how positively delicious to have another woman to… play with.” The knife was withdrawn from his belt, the tip of it tracing a slow line down the front of her shirt. The fabric parted with a sigh before he ripped the article of clothing away and tossed it to the side. Ever so gently, the cool metal tip moved over her skin in a zig zag pattern from her throat, between her breasts, and down to her navel before stopping at the hem of her pants. “What’s your name, girl?” he demanded, pausing before the knife did its work on her trousers as well, peeling them away to join her shirt on the floor.

“Don’t tell him,” Zavya interjected, her voice pleading. “Master, please… you don’t have to do this…”

“The more you speak, the worse it will be, my dear,” Ryker informed Zavya, the knife slowly tracing its way back up to Shiress’s pretty face. The Kelvic quieted at that, shuddering as she fought feebly against the ties that held her. The flat of the blade caressed her friend’s cheek down to her jaw, moving until it stopped at the tip of her chin.

“Now, I asked you a question,” her master said, this time to Shiress. “Your name. What is it?”

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