Enslaved (Brides of the Kindred Book 14) (36 page)

* * * * *

“What is it?” Thrace stepped forward, putting
himself between Trin and their hostess. He didn’t like the greedy gleam in Lady
Tam-tam’s eyes, or the fact that she knew all their secrets.

“I wasn’t speaking to you,
slave.” Lady Tam-tam frowned. “However, my proposition
does
concern you so you may listen respectfully.”

“I’m all ears,” Thrace
growled. He fell back a pace but stayed close to Trin, making sure she knew he
was there if she needed him.

“As I said earlier, I know that
you are really from Zetta Prime—that benighted planet where they have no use
for males at all,” Lady Tam-tam said, addressing Trin. “And so I assume that
what I saw just now in your suite was the first ever time you had allowed a
male to taste you and penetrate you sexually.”

“He…he never
really
penetrated me. Not with his
shaft.” Trin’s voice shook and her creamy cheeks were flushed but she kept her
chin high, staring down the older female fearlessly.

“I know that,” Lady Tam-tam
snapped. “But am I correct in my assumption?”

“Yes,” Trin admitted with
obvious reluctance. “Though I don’t see how that’s relevant here.”

“It’s relevant because I
love
firsts, my dear,” Lady Tam-tam
exclaimed. “The first kiss…the first embrace…the first flush of love and trust
that allowed you to surrender to him and let him open you with the
phallus…Firsts are
tremendously
exciting.”

“As well as embarrassing,” Trin
muttered, frowning.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed to
let yourself fall in love,” Lady Tam-tam said earnestly. “Or to express that
love in a physical way. So— am I correct in assuming that you have never been
penetrated by a male’s shaft?”

“Of course not!” Trin exclaimed.
“That would be blasphemy—a slap in the face of the Goddess of Judgment!”

“Oh please! That silly Goddess
of Judgment all you Daughters of Zetta are so fearful of.” Lady Tam-tam made a
shooing gesture with one hand, as though Trin’s deeply held beliefs were simply
ridiculous.

“There’s a reason we fear her,”
Trin said quietly. “She is quick to anger when her laws are broken…and she
almost never forgives.”

“Very well then, enough about
that,” Lady Tam-tam said. “Am I
also
correct in assuming you have never penetrated a male with a phallus—such as the
ones I gave out for all to wear tonight?”

Trin flushed again. “No. I…I
have never done such a thing. Nor do I wish to.”

“But you must, my dear.” Lady
Tam-tam’s eyes had taken on that greedy sparkle again. “You must either allow
your slave to penetrate you and come deep in your pussy, or you must penetrate
him with the heart’s blood phallus and cause him to spill his seed that way.”

Thrace
felt sick.

“The Hell she will!” he growled,
glaring at the older female. “Why would my mistress agree to either of those
options? One is strictly against her beliefs and the other is…”

“Something I swore I would never
do.” Trin looked up at him, her dark eyes troubled. “Thrace and I have discussed this
already. Despite any…feelings that have grown within us as we played our parts,
neither of us wishes to be penetrated by the other—it’s not going to happen.”

“Oh yes it is—if you want to
sell those
Jaxite
crystals of yours
and get out of debt,” Lady Tam-tam snapped.

Trin crossed her arms over her chest.

“Some things aren’t for sale,
Lady Tam-tam. I don’t know how but I’ll manage even if I can’t sell the
crystals.”

“Is that right?” The older
female’s eyes flashed fire. “And what if it wasn’t just the crystals at stake?
What if it was your pride—your very life and reputation back on Zetta Prime?”

“What do you mean?” Trin’s eyes
were wide.

“Didn’t I tell you that I
researched your past?” Lady Tam-tam demanded. “And in the course of that, I
learned all about your family—your
mother
to be exact. Lady L’zara of Temple Trees—that
is
the name of your family estate on Zetta Prime, right?”

“What are you saying?” Thrace
demanded. “Are you threatening us?”

“Not you, my dear Havoc,” Lady
Tam-tam purred. “Only your mistress. Lady Trin, how would you like it if the
recording I just showed of you and your slave somehow found its way to your
mother?
And
to all the priestesses of
your home temple? The ones who doubtless trained you from childhood about how
very
wrong
it is to have anything to
do with a male—especially
sexually?
”

Trin’s face went so pale that
for a moment Thrace
was afraid she might faint.

“You
wouldn’t,”
she whispered.

“Oh but I
would
my dear. Unless you comply with my request.”

“You—” Thrace took a
step towards her but the small but deadly muzzle of a mini-destroyer suddenly
appeared in Lady Tam-tam’s hand.

“Uh-uh, my dear,” she admonished
him. “I know how protective you are of your mistress but believe me, I won’t
hesitate to use this. And it’s quite powerful enough to blast a hole through
the
both
of you so don’t think that
stepping in front of her will save her.”

“I can’t believe this.” Trin’s
voice shook. “You’re actually demanding that one of us penetrate the other?
That I break either my promise to Thrace or my deeply held beliefs
simply for your
entertainment?”

“Well, when you put it like
that, it sounds rather mean,” Lady Tam-tam said mildly. “But yes, essentially.
I want to see your first penetration—I don’t care which way it goes but it
must
happen.” She shook a finger at Trin
sternly. “And don’t think you can fake it—I can see the most vivid detail here.
Either you penetrate your slave or allow him to penetrate you. If you do—and
you put on a good show about it—I will buy your crystals for triple what they
are worth and send you on your way. If you don’t, however, your mother and all
the priestesses who taught you growing up will see your secret shame and know
the truth—that you are in love with a
male.”

“I…I never…” Trin seemed to be
at a loss for words and Thrace
didn’t blame her. The choice before them was a grim one.

“Mistress,” he said, taking her
by the hand. “Come on. Let’s go talk about this. In private.”

“Yes, do go and talk it over.”
Lady Tam-tam smiled languidly. “Take your time, my dears. But don’t take
too
much time. We only have a few more
hours before the feast tonight and I want to see results long before then.”

“How can you do this to us?”
Trin asked numbly, looking at her. “What kind of a monster demands such things
of her guests?”

Lady Tam-tam frowned. “A very
generous
monster, my dear. I’m prepared
to make you a rich woman if you do as I say.”

“Or break my mother’s heart and
bring shame to my entire family if I don’t.” Trin’s voice was shaking and her
eyes were filled with helpless rage.

“Yes, or that.” Lady Tam-tam
shrugged. “Don’t think too harshly of me, Lady Trin. I’m just a lonely old lady
who’s in need of entertainment.” Her eyes hardened. “Now go—you have an hour to
get started. After that, I’m sending the entire vid of you and your slave to
Zetta Prime.”

She made a motion, dismissing
them. Trin looked like she wanted to say something else but Thrace stopped her with a shake of
his head. Lady Tam-tam had made up her mind and she clearly wasn’t going to
change it. She wanted to see a ‘first’ and she was damn well going to see one
or she would ruin Trin’s life.

Can’t
let her do that.
He led his
mistress out of the secret viewing room and back the way they had come.
Can’t let her shame Trin in front of all her
friends and family. Can’t let her ruin Trin’s professional and personal
reputation—it’ll keep her from ever trading again either on Yonnie Six or her
home planet.

He had to stop Lady Tam-tam from
acting. But he knew couldn’t ask Trin to give up her long-held beliefs and let
him penetrate her. Thrace
could tell she honestly believed that to accept his shaft and seed within her
would damn her soul to the Seven Hells—or whatever Hell the priestesses of the
Goddess of Judgment had cooked up. So the penetration had to happen but it
wasn’t going to be
him
penetrating
her
.

It would have to be the other
way around. No matter how painful that might be…

“Say
the words—say them, damn you!”

The
thrust and push of a thick shaft inside him, invading him, taking him against
his will…the rush of shame as his nether entrance was pierced and penetrated…the
feeling of his pride and his body being torn at the same time…

No—stop!
Don’t think of it! Don’t remember the past—it only makes things worse!

Thrace
clenched his hands into fists, trying to
force the painful memories back. If only he hadn’t had that dream the night
before! It had brought everything he had tried so hard to forget back in vivid,
painful detail.

Well, at least Trin didn’t
remember the contents of the dream, even though she had shared it. Thrace
watched her from the corner of his eye as they made their way back to their
suite. If she had remembered the nightmare, this would be so much harder. Not
that it wouldn’t be hard enough already…

But as hard as it was, Thrace was
determined to do it. He had reached the
Crux
—he
was devoted to Trin—owned by her body and soul. But more even than that, he
loved her. Loved her as he had never loved a female in his life—and had never
expected to love one.

The
Havoc do not bond.

But at least he could do this
for her—though he couldn’t tie her to him for life, he could save her
reputation and keep her from shame. And he was determined to do it.

Anything
for you, Mistress,
he
thought, looking at her lovely, troubled profile.
Anything—even this.

Even
this.

Chapter
Twenty-six

“We can’t do this,” Trin said,
as soon as they got back into their room. “We can’t.
I
can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” Thrace
went to the sleeping platform and got the double-ended heart’s blood phallus.
“You have to.”

The implications of what he was
saying suddenly sank in and Trin looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Thrace…you don’t mean…?”

“Yes.” He looked at her sternly.
“I know you can’t be penetrated yourself, Mistress—I wouldn’t ask it of you.
But you can…” He took a deep breath, as though trying to calm himself. “You
can
penetrate me. It must be done.”

“No!” Trin exclaimed, backing up
a step. “I don’t want to…to do that to you! I know how you feel about it—you
don’t want it!”

“No, I don’t,” Thrace said softly. “But I do want
what’s best for you and this is it. So come on, Mistress—let me help you on
with your equipment.”

He knelt between her legs but
Trin pushed him away.

“You can’t be serious! You told
me this would make you feel less of a male—subjugated…dominated. I know you
well enough to know that you’re proud—as proud as I am. You don’t want to
submit to this, Thrace.”

“I’d rather submit to you than
see your professional reputation ruined! Than see you never be able to trade
again, either here on Yonnie Six or on your home planet.” He sighed and raked a
hand through his hair. “I’d rather do this than let you be shamed in front of
your mother.”

Trin crossed her arms over her
chest and narrowed her eyes.

“What do you know or care about
my mother?”

“I know that
you
care about her and you care what she
thinks of you. Look, Trin…” He rose to his feet, the heart’s blood phallus
still held loosely in one hand. “I have no parents left—my Sire was killed when
I was only sixteen cycles old. But you do—you have your mother. You shouldn’t
be shamed in front of the one whose good opinion matters to you most.”

What he was saying made sense
but somehow Trin wasn’t listening to it.
Sixteen
cycles old. His father was killed when he was only sixteen cycles old…
Why
did that detail bother her so much? For an instant she seemed to see an older
male Havoc—one that looked remarkably like Thrace—being shot with a blaster. A
huge, bloody hole opened in his chest…he fell to his knees…somewhere a familiar
voice cried out in shock and pain…

Then the image was gone. But it
left Trin shaken. So shaken she couldn’t stand and had to go sit on the edge of
the sleeping platform. To her dismay, Thrace followed her.

“Please, Thrace,” she said, putting her head
in her hands. “I can’t…can’t do that. So don’t ask me any more.”

“What else are you going to do?”
he asked harshly. “How else are we going to get out of this with your
reputation intact? How else are you going to pay off your ship? There
is
no other option—I know without asking
that letting me penetrate you is out of the question.”

“I…” Trin bit her lip, the blood
rushing to her face. “You know…how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, I know.” His deep voice
was bitter. “I know better than you do—you’re of two minds about it.”

“What do you mean?” She looked
at him, deeply troubled.

“I mean your body wants it
desperately—your scent tells me so.” He inhaled deeply, his eyes going
half-lidded with desire again. “You’re hot for it, baby. But your beliefs…they
won’t let you give in to your physical needs.” He sighed. “And I would never
ask you to abandon those beliefs. Not for me or anyone.”

“What about you?” Trin asked
desperately. “What about
your
beliefs?”

He shrugged, his broad shoulders
rolling with the motion.

“Don’t have any particular
beliefs about letting someone fuck me,” he said bluntly. “I don’t
like
the idea but that’s not the same as
thinking I’ll be cursed to the Seven Hells or wherever it is that damn
judgmental goddess of yours sends you if you let a male’s shaft inside you.”

“But…I don’t even know how to go
about it,” Trin whispered. She could feel her resolve weakening which she knew
was wrong. But Thrace
was right—what else could they do?

You
could let
him
penetrate
you
,
whispered a little voice in her head.
No one would ever have to know…

I
would
know,
Trin told the little
voice fiercely.
And the
Goddess
would know. I would never be
able to take it back…never be able to atone for it. Letting him do that to
me—no matter how much I want it—would stain my soul forever. I would never be
free of that sin…never be forgiven for it. No matter how close I may have come
to it or how much I care for Thrace,
that is one line I cannot, I
must not
cross.

“Mistress…” Thrace was on his knees before her
again and somehow he was raising her skirts and spreading her legs. “Let me
help you put on the phallus. We’ll go step by step…you can do this.” He took a
deep breath. “And I can too. It’s the only way.”

“I don’t know…” Trin began but
he was already licking her, dragging his hot tongue in long, slow strokes over
her heated pussy, making her moan with need. Before she knew it, he was fitting
the heart’s blood phallus to her entrance and entering her slowly and gently,
seating the thick shaft firmly inside her pussy.

“That’s right, Mistress,” he
growled softly as the head of the phallus kissed the back of her tight channel.
“That’s right, take it all in…so that you can take me.”

“Ah! Goddess!” Trin moaned,
bucking her hips up to meet the thrust of the phallus. If it was so wrong to
allow anything inside her here, in this most secret spot, why did it feel so
Goddess-damned good? She had no answers. And before she could think of any, Thrace
was pressing a small, cool cylinder into the palm of her hand. Trin looked down
at it uncertainly. “What—?”

“To prepare me.” Thrace’s voice
was a low growl and his silver-blue eyes were troubled but he seemed absolutely
sure about this all the same. “Unless you’d rather I did it myself?”

“Oh…oh, no. No, of course not.”
Trin suddenly understood. With trembling hands, she unscrewed the lid of the
small container and squeezed something cool and slippery out into her fingers.

Thrace
was already kneeling at the side of the bed
but now he removed the black silk loincloth which had covered the front and
back of his crotchless black leather trousers. Folding his arms on the top of
the bed, he spread his legs, giving her access to his tight, muscular ass. Then
he looked back at Trin.

“Go on—do it.”

“All…all right.”

Awkwardly she knelt beside him,
excruciatingly aware of the way the heart’s blood phallus felt moving inside
her as she did so. The other end of the phallus—the golden rod carved with
elaborate, flowing script and characters, stuck out in front of her strangely.
Was she really going to use this on Thrace? Was she really going to
take him this way?

What else could she do?

Reaching between his spread
thighs, she found the small, tight opening. He was clenched as tight as a fist
and for a moment Trin wished she had the same ability he did to loosen and
relax tense flesh. But she had not been born Havoc with such innate skills—the
slippery substance and her own slender fingers would have to do.

Slowly, her hands trembling, she
tried to massage the lube into his entrance. Thrace said nothing. He only buried
his face in his muscular arms and took deep, gulping breaths as Trin penetrated
him first with one fingertip…and then two. How widely would he need to be
stretched to take the golden end of the heart’s blood phallus? And would she
really be able to help prepare him? She had been working on him for a good
while now and he still seemed as tight as he’d been to begin with.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last.
“I…I guess I need more of this stuff.” She reached for the small tube again but
Thrace
surprised her by turning and grasping her wrist.

“Stop.” His voice was hoarse, a
deep, jagged growl.

“Oh. Of course I’ll stop. We
don’t have to—”

“No, I mean stop trying to prepare
me. This…” he gestured to himself with the other hand. “This is as prepared as
I’m going to get. I can’t loosen up for you. I can’t relax. All I can do is
take it. So go on, Mistress—give it to me.”

“Thrace…” Trin cupped his cheek with
her free hand. “Goddess, you’re
shaking
.”

He shook his head. “It’s
nothing. Just nerves. Do it. Please just do it and get it over with, Master—I
mean,
Mistress.”

Trin frowned at his slip.

“Thrace, what’s going on? Is there
something you’re not telling me?”

“Nothing.” But his eyes slid to
the side and wouldn’t meet hers when he said it.

Trin regarded him uneasily. The
Havoc was so big—so massive and powerful. He was so much taller than her—his
shoulders were fully twice as broad as hers and he probably weighed three times
as much as she did, all of it solid muscle. And yet here he was, humbling
himself before her, giving himself freely. But somehow she sensed it was more
than just his pride he was going to be losing if she went through with this.

“Thrace,” she said uncertainly. “I
don’t want to do this if…if it’s going to hurt you.”

“That doesn’t matter. Nothing
matters now but doing it and getting it over with.”

“This is an intimacy,” Trin
objected. “One that neither one of us would have chosen, maybe, but still an
intimacy. I won’t let it become a rape.”

Thrace
flinched, his eyes narrowing.

“It won’t be rape. I’m willing,
I tell you.”

“Your body tells another story,”
Trin objected. “A much different one Look how tense you are—how tight. You
remind me of my stallion, Swift when he’s scented something that frightens him.”

“Not your fucking pet,” he
growled. “Not some stupid animal that doesn’t know better. That’s not why I’m
doing this.”

She frowned. “Why
are
you
doing it then? Is it because of what you told me earlier? That
your body is attuned to me? That I’ve somehow…broken your barriers? I don’t
want to do this to you because you feel you
have
to let me—because you’re under some kind of…of chemical or hormonal spell
or—”

“It’s nothing like that,” he
interrupted. “It’s true I’ve reached the
Crux
—the
point of no return when it comes to you. But that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m
doing this because I lo—” He broke off abruptly, shaking his head. “Never mind.
You wouldn’t understand.”

“I might.” Trin’s heart was
beating hard. “Try me, Thrace.
Tell me…what you were going to say.”

But he only shook his head.
“Look, all you have to know is that I’m devoted to you. Didn’t I tell you I’d
hold nothing back?” He lifted his chin. “A Havoc always keeps his word. This is
me, baby, holding nothing back.”

“Thrace…”

“Listen to me.” He caught both
her hands in his and faced her, looking earnestly into her eyes. “Mistress,” he
said gravely, “
I submit to you and offer my neck
for your collar. I will serve you until I die or until you set me free.”

Trin bit her lip.
Those words…the words…
Why
did they echo in her head like the tolling of a great bell? Why did they make
her feel so uneasy?

Say
it! Say the words, boy! Say them, damn you!

But Thrace
wasn’t done yet. Still looking into her eyes, he continued softly.

“I will belong to you body and soul. I will protect
you with my life, shield you from harm in times of danger, and pleasure you in
times of peace. To the last drop of my blood, I…am…
yours.”

Say
the words! Say them!

Suddenly his face flickered before her eyes and
Trin saw something else—some
one
else.
Another Thrace—a younger Thrace—looked
out at her. He was bound by his wrists and ankles, chained up beyond hope of
escape. And there was a male—an older male with graying hair and a paunch
standing behind him…hurting him…forcing him…

“No!” Trin sat back with a gasp as everything
suddenly came rushing back. The dream…the nightmare…only it had been no
nightmare. It had been a memory—reality!

“Trin? Mistress?” Thrace was looking at her with
concern.

“That dream I had last night.” Trin knew her voice
sounded accusing but she couldn’t help it. “It was about
you
. You and
what happened to you in the past. Your father…murdered. And you were bought by
some horrible old male…with graying hair and purple robes. He beat you and tied
you up and…and…” But she couldn’t continue. She could only shake her head and
stare at him. “It was real, wasn’t it?” she whispered. “All of it was real. You
really
were
a slave.”

“Yes, it was real.” Thrace sat back scowling. “My Sire
and I were taken when I was only sixteen cycles old—caught unaware by slavers.
We were taken to the Flesh Bazaar. My Sire was killed but no one
cared—doubtless none of the Masters or Mistresses there thought they could
handle a full grown Havoc. A half grown one, though…now
that
was a
different story.”