Black Coven (Daniel Black Book 2) (23 page)

Elin looked intrigued. “That’s fascinating, sir. I wonder if I could do the same? It’s so easy to exhaust my power when I have a lot of patients to heal. But the sight of dire wounds has never disturbed me the way it does people. If I could learn to do some of the mending with physical tools it might help me stretch out my magic. Although I suppose taking a knife to my patients wouldn’t do my reputations any good.”

I shrugged. “Saving the patient is the important thing. But you don’t consider yourself a person?”

To my surprise her chin came up, and the look she gave me was almost defiant.

“No, sir. I’m a monster to the core, and there’s no sense denying it. Blood and gore don’t disturb me because they’re really quite appetizing, and I’ve never lost the craving for human flesh. I feel the call of the sea as well, but I don’t dare transform. If I leave this shape for more than a minute or two I start to lose my senses, and revert to something more bestial.”

“But I can try to be a monster who does good, sir, instead of evil. I can heal people with my mother’s magic. I can command water when that’s needed. Once I’m healed I can shift loads that would otherwise take a crane to move. I just can’t let myself forget that in doing so I’m denying my own nature. I’ll always have to be on guard, so I don’t slip up and do something terrible.”

“Sounds like you and Cerise have a lot in common,” I commented. “She started out human, but when she kills a monster she absorbs part of its nature along with its power. It’s a constant struggle for control. We actually had to put a binding on her once, when she had to kill too many demons at once and lost control.”

“A binding, sir?”

“To be herself,” I explained. “Not a perfect solution, but it worked in the short term. She’s been using some secret techniques to gradually rid herself of the most problematic influences, and we have hopes that we’ll be able to remove it in a few weeks.”

I finished with Elin’s arms, and hesitated. “This seems to be working like I expected, and there’s room for more mercury in the vessel. What do you want to concentrate on next?”

Now she stared at the floor. “I’m concerned about the inclusions nearest my organs, sir. Some of them are large enough that they’ve been slowly doing damage, and that could go very badly if one reaches my liver or kidneys. But, um… it’s not a pretty sight.”

“I’ll survive, Elin. Let’s make sure you do, too.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll just…”

She unbuttoned her simple linen dress, and let it fall to the floor. That still left her pretty well covered up, between her underclothes and the bandages covering her many injuries. But I had to privately admit that it really was disturbing. Her whole body was badly misshapen, bent and twisted with no regard for symmetry or even functionality. She could very easily have featured in a horror movie, playing the part of an inbred hillbilly cannibal maybe. Or a mutant Neanderthal, considering her heavy bone structure and irregular patches of thick body hair.

But I’d seen that kind of thing in movies often enough to be a bit desensitized to it. I reminded myself that this brave, intelligent, remarkably selfless young woman sure as hell hadn’t asked for the body she was born with, and focused on the task at hand.

It was odd, though. With all of my previous patients I’d had a sense that their body was built to a logical plan, all the parts fitting together just so to create a functioning whole. With Elin it was like several different plans had been randomly jumbled together, forming a lurching ramshackle travesty of biology that barely even worked. A considerable amount of magic was tied up in papering over all the disjointed connections between conflicting plans, making body parts function in spite of a bewildering variety of mismatches.

It was too complex a mess to decipher all at once, but it made me wonder if it could perhaps be fixed. I experimented a little with that as I carefully cut writhing blobs of mercury out of her mottled belly. I needed to heal the injuries I was inflicting anyway, so why not fix them right?

I smoothed out the structure of mismatched muscles, lining them up evenly. The blood vessels that served them should be laid out in smooth curves, with no sudden corners or abrupt changes in diameter. Even out the skin tone too, and get rid of that random patch of fur.

Little bursts of magic leached out of her tissue as I worked, suddenly freed from tasks that had likely occupied them her whole life. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

“That’s a lot more than just healing the cuts, sir,” she observed.

“How does it feel?”

“Like something that’s been broken since I was a child is finally being set right. But it gives me an odd itch in my shifting sense, sir. Sort of like the time the faeries turned me into a mouse, only not as intense.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why did they turn you into a mouse?”

She flushed. “To see if I could turn myself back, sir. Maybe they wanted to turn me human, and pass me off as an orphan? Only I found my way back from it, so they had to give me to someone who would take me in as myself.”

“Hmm. In that case this is probably enough of an experiment for now. But see if you can’t convince your shapeshifting that the change is what you’re supposed to look like now, will you? You’ve probably got half your magic tied up in knots like the one I was just working on, so if we can figure out how to untangle them you’ll end up with quite a bit more of it to work with.”

“I’m not sure it’s wise for me to have too much power, sir. But I’ll do my best.”

              Tina presented a considerably more appealing problem.

              To be honest I thought she was perfectly delightful just the way she was, and if I hadn’t already been involved with Avilla and Cerise I probably would have talked to her about a more serious relationship by now. Instead I’d been avoiding that because it would have felt too much like cheating on my witches, despite their comments to the contrary.

              But I was starting to get a handle on my strange situation, at least enough to see that passively clinging to familiar habits was a terrible idea. I half suspected Avilla was intentionally trying to provoke me into some display of possessiveness, and I knew Cerise wanted to play kinky dominance games with me. Neither of them had any interest in being with some boring wishy-washy guy who didn’t have the backbone to pursue his own desires. Not to mention that they both wanted to surround themselves with pretty girls that they could seduce for their own entertainment, and they thought sharing the bounty with their guy was only polite.

              Yeah, my witches were complicated. They’d keep me on my toes, and however rewarding this crazy relationship might be it was never going to be simple. If I ever got complacent they’d walk all over me, and then they’d get bored and start wanting to move on.

              In contrast, with Tina everything was easy.

              She’d been raised to believe that the best way for a woman to get by in the world was to marry a good man and keep him happy so he’d want to take care of her. She was perfectly happy with this, contrary to what a modern feminist would expect, and her innocent eagerness to please was terribly attractive. Granted, she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but so what? She was still better company than ninety percent of the people I’d ever met.

              She also seemed to be developing quite a fetish for body modifications. Possibly because it was a demonstration of my power, and she desperately wanted a strong protector right now. Or maybe because she knew she wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Cerise or Avilla, and hoped that if I made her look exactly like I wanted it would give me a reason to keep her. Whatever the reason, she’d confided to Cerise that she desperately wanted to be permanently marked by her ‘dark wizard’, in some way that would immediately tell everyone who saw her who she belonged to.

              I wasn’t about to start playing magical bondage games with an innocent like Tina. I have some idea how powerful that kind of play can be, and how terribly easy it would be to take it too far. Besides, Tina was already the most submissive woman I’d ever met. If anything, I’d rather encourage her to be more assertive.

              Fortunately my flesh sorcery offered a lot of strange and interesting options that didn’t have the B&D overtones of Cerise’s ideas, and weren’t likely to be useful for any other purpose. So coming up with something unique and fun for her hadn’t been hard.

              When Tina brought dinner for two to my workshop I knew Cerise had been talking. Mind you, I still looked it over for magic before accepting the tray. I didn’t think Avilla was actually mad about this, but considering her abilities it would be stupid to take chances.

              Nope, just some kind of good health and virility blessing.

              I smiled at Tina, and set the tray down on my work table. “Thank you, Tina. Pull up a seat, will you? Half of this is for you.”

              She gave me an astonished look. “Me? But I’m just a maid, milord. It wouldn’t be proper for me to eat with you.”

              “That’s actually what I want to talk to you about,” I told her. “Relax. This is going to be a happy conversation.”

              “Oh! Um, yes milord.” She smiled shyly, and fetched a chair. Convincing her that it was okay to actually eat took a little more work, but I was stubborn.

              She groaned happily at her first bite.

              “I don’t know how Miss Avilla does it. I thought I was a decent cook, but everything she makes is so good!”

              “That’s her magic,” I pointed out. “Although I think a lot of hard work goes into it too.”

              Tina nodded. “Yes, milord. I never knew magic was so much work before. Miss Cerise is always practicing, and I’ve never heard of someone working all through the night like you do. Beri says she’s never studied so hard in her life. I guess that’s why I can’t do it.”

              “There’s more than one way to get magic, Tina. The wolfen didn’t have to study for their powers, although they do have to learn how to use them. I’ve got something like that in mind for you, too.”

              “Me?” She squeaked.

              “Yes, you. I’ve been very pleased with you so far, Tina. How have you been getting along with the girls?”

              “Well enough, milord. Miss Avilla is very strict, but it’s only because she wants everything done right. I’ve learned a lot from her. But I’m a little worried that she isn’t happy with me. I try to do as I’m told, I really do. But she’s taken me off kitchen duty, and lately she doesn’t give me as much work to do.”

              “I really like Miss Cerise. She can be kind of scary, but she makes me feel safe. Only, I think she wants to do naughty things to me.”

              “How do you feel about that?” I asked.

              Her cheeks turned a bit rosy, but she didn’t look away. “Curious, milord. I can’t imagine how it would work, but Miss Avilla always looks so happy. It makes me all fluttery inside when she teases me.”

              God, she was adorable.

              “That’s good to hear. You’ll probably end up finding out what it’s like, if you’re going to be my mistress.”

              She dropped her fork. “M-mistress? Me?!”

              “Yes, you. Didn’t I just say that?” I teased.

              “But what about Miss Avilla, and Miss Cerise? I can’t compete with them, milord.”

              “I’m probably going to end up marrying them both,” I told her. “So yes, it’s important that you can all get along. But Tina? Avilla is a natural beauty, and Cerise made herself look like she does. Your beauty is going to be a work of art I create for myself.”

              She gasped, and I swear she nearly had an orgasm right there in the chair. “You’re going to change my looks, milord?”

              “Yes.”

“You’ll make me whatever you want?”

              “Yes.”

              “Will you… bind me?” She half-whispered, half-moaned.

              I moved around the table to put my hands on her shoulders. “With the darkest of magic. I’ll bind your heart to belong to me, utterly and forever. I’ll make you over into a creature of magic, crafted for my pleasure. I’ll fill you up with dark desires, unbearable needs for the most depraved of pleasures. Then, when you can stand no more, I will take you and make you mine forever.”

              Her wide eyes glittered with desire, and the panting of her breath set her mountainous breasts heaving. “Yes! Thank you, milord. Please, make me your woman.”

              I kissed her. She threw her arms around me and moaned into my mouth. But I wasn’t going to rush this. I pulled away, and led her across the room to stand in a circle I’d already prepared.

              “Stand here,” I said sternly. “Don’t leave the circle, or bad things will happen. In fact, I’d better make sure of that.”

              I spun an intricate little paralysis spell over her, that cut off all conscious control of her body. The spell would keep her standing in place, but she’d be unable to move or speak. I felt her arousal spike again as the spell settled over her, and she realized what I’d done.

              That was a good start. But I’d exaggerated my intentions more than a little, counting on her own imagination to fill in the gaps. Maybe a little something more to keep her in the right frame of mind?

              I added an arousal spell, a bit of flesh magic set up to amplify any natural surge of desire she might feel. Then I undressed her. Slowly, taking my time to appreciate the lush curves that were revealed as her dress and underthings came away. I stopped at one point to cup her magnificent breasts, and give them a thorough grope. In our last play session I’d tuned them to be so sensitive she could easily reach a climax from that, and in her current state I could feel her quickly rising to her peak.

              I wove another spell to block that, allowing her to come right to the edge of orgasm but making it impossible to actually reach her finish. There. I played with her breasts a little more to check my work, but it held firm. Perfect.

              Tina was already a cute little thing, although the massive breasts that she’d begged me to give her were a little overdone for her small frame. She was still a bit skinny from her time as a peasant, with several old scars and teeth that were rather crooked. Not major problems, but things I could easily fix with flesh sorcery. I went over her body with a fine-tooth comb, healing blemishes and imperfections while I put some meat on her bones. Smooth, strong muscle, but not so much that it would actually show aside from her legs.

              I made her a little taller in the process, bringing her up to around 5’4”. Long, healthy hair in a vibrant red a few shades brighter than her previous color. A little extra width to her hips, to help balance out those breasts. Then I ran my hand down her firm belly, and made her hymen disappear. A little tune up down below ensured that she wouldn’t get sore like a normal virgin either, and her equipment would be considerably more sensitive than normal.

              Tina twitched and whimpered as I worked, involuntary reactions to the odd sensations induced by my magic and her own heated response to what was happening. By that point she was so wet she’d probably leave a damp spot if she sat down, and that orgasm denial spell was getting a workout. Some twisted impulse led me to increase her natural lubrication, and in a matter of minutes tiny beads of fluid started to trickle down her thighs.

              Then it was time for the serious work.

              I couldn’t give Tina the kind of magical power Cerise had. But I wanted to do what I could to help her survive if things ever went to hell again, and there was one transformation my flesh magic could provide that would actually make a difference there. That would mark her unmistakably as one of my group, and give her new abilities that would keep her alive through situations that would be certain death as she was now.

              The fact that I think catgirls are kind of hot was just a bonus.

              The catgirl transformation required stupidly huge amounts of mana, probably because it was doing a lot more than just cosmetic changes. She’d end up with the same kind of strength and general toughness as the wolfen, and a change that deep took a lot of magic. But I’d put together a single-use enchantment earlier with a connection to the power stone, so that wasn’t a problem.

              Since it was being done by an item I didn’t even have to concentrate on the transformation. That left me free to run my hands over her as the change took hold, teasing her into a frenzy of need while I observed the effects.

              I’d chosen to minimize the cosmetic aspect of the change, because I didn’t actually trust my magic to make an obvious cat/human hybrid look attractive rather than deformed. But Tina quickly grew a furry tail, and her eyes turned gold as her pupils changed shape. Her nails shifted, turning into claws, and her internal organs moved and subtly reshaped themselves.

              “There’s a pretty kitty,” I murmured, running my hand down her tail. Her eyes bulged wildly, and her arousal spiked hard.

              “Oh, you like that?” I cupped her breast in one hand, and scratched the spot just above her tail with the other. Yep, that was an erogenous zone now. I made it more sensitive, and tried again.

              A strangled yowl rose from her throat. Her tail lashed, and a fresh flood of musky fluids drizzled down her thighs. Nice. I flipped the internal switch that made her go into heat, and the flood redoubled.

              Then I blindfolded her, and levitated her off to my bedroom.

              By the time I laid her gently across the bed she was delirious with arousal, and the slightest touch was enough to test my orgasm denial spell. I disrobed and joined her, kissing my way slowly down her throat and across her chest to her breasts. I took my time with them, kissing and sucking her long, thick nipples.

I reached down to rub her clit. Her whole body went taut as she strained against the barrier that prevented her from reaching satisfaction. I eased off for a moment, and coaxed it to greater prominence with a gentle tendril of flesh magic. It swelled to the size of a pea, emerging from its hood to strain upward, begging for attention. I delicately circled one fingertip over it, making sure it wasn’t too sensitive for direct stimulation.

Every touch sent her slamming against the orgasm denial spell. Fuck, that was hot.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I knelt between her splayed thighs, positioned myself, and took her face in my hands. Her eyes were huge, gazing up at me in pleading desperation.