Outlander (Borealis) (15 page)

I ended my fourth Goddess ritual relatively unscathed. As
with all rituals, if Marcus hadn’t been there, I would have been shattered
emotionally and physically. But he was always there to block God’s brutality
with his love. His strong, unceasing faith kept us both alive. Though I had
learned to shut out the pain by focusing on Marcus, it didn’t let Boreas off
the hook.

Yes, I had grown to accept the cards we had been dealt, but
divine or not, God was a sadist. 

I wasn’t sure what Boreas enjoyed more, the fact that he
could fuck me at will or the fact that Marcus could not.

Marcus flinched as his penis hardened under his loin cloth.

I knelt in front of him. “Let me taste you, just once,
Dominus.”

With his eyes shut tightly, he let his chin drop to his
chest. “Claire, I—”

Caught in a fever, I didn’t wait for an answer. I unraveled
his loin cloth and stared at his shaft. To see it trapped by the polished coils
of the chastity device filled me with mixed emotions. It saddened me that he
was in pain—his erection stunted by constricting agony—but somehow the denial
of penetration coupled with the erotic display of his captured cock excited me,
magnified how much I craved it.

I ran my tongue over the velvety tip of his cock. He lurched
away. From the grimace on his face, it was obvious I had caused him pain.

“I’m so sorry!” I said, instantly regretting my lack of
self-control.

He fell on the bed, throwing his arm over his face. “I am
sorry too.”

I lay beside him for several minutes, bereft. I was turned
on, but he wasn’t up to pleasing me. Now what?

I was about to ask him what he wanted to do, but he had
fallen asleep. The pain and the energy he had exerted keeping me focused
through the worship session had been too much. I watched him adoringly and
concocted a plan. It was a crazy idea, but even if I had only a minuscule
chance of making it happen, I had to try.

Cautiously, I removed the cell’s key from his belt which lay
on the floor with the rest of his clothing. I opened the door and tiptoed out
of our cell, through the hall and onto the Holy Palace. The guards were busy
arguing in a corner with their backs to me and I was able to slip into God’s
bedchamber, my heart thumping in my throat.

Boreas was perched on the edge of his bed, his legs wide
apart as two women pleasured him. I assumed they were his concubines. I heard
he had many and they were kept in luxurious dens somewhere in the palace. They
existed only to satisfy God although rumor had it they also enjoyed each other.

One had his cock in her mouth. The second one was using her
tongue to toy with his balls. His hands were fisting the sheets and his head
lolled back as he groaned.

At this moment, I wasn’t sure who I detested most—Boreas for
being such a hedonist or myself for becoming aroused at the sight of it.

When he spotted me, he puckered his brow. He had not asked
for me and Boreas was not keen on anyone altering his plans.

Grabbing both women by the hair, he pulled them off his
erection. “Get out.”

One woman, visibly shaken and devastated by God’s dismissal
shuffled past me, her purple toga bundled in her arms, shooting me evil glares
on her way out. The other woman used her long, dark hair to shield her face and
slinked away, never revealing herself to me, though I thought she looked
familiar.

A guard appeared, blocking my path to Boreas. I gathered he
was one of the guards I had seen earlier. He was furious. His face was red and
twisted when he reprimanded me. “You must be with your Dom at all times, sub.
Return to your cell or you will both be severely punished.”

I shot Boreas a pleading look. “Please, Master. I have to
speak to you in private.”

Naked and erect, but completely without shame he studied me.
“Leave us and forget everything you have just seen,” he said, prompting a
brusque, apologetic exit from the guard.

When we were alone I came to him coyly, purposefully looking
at his erection. “I could soothe your discomfort, Master.”

He tilted his head to one side. “I see your memory has not
returned.”

I blinked at him.

“If it had, you would know that entering my bedchamber
without an invitation is punishable by death.”

I gasped. Panicked, I dropped to my knees. “I-I didn’t know,
Master,” I pleaded, my forehead on the cold, marble floor. “I beg for mercy!”

He let out a sharp breath and waved his hand. “Get up.”

On shaky legs, I stood and shifted my weight from one foot
to the other.

“You know how dangerous it is to be in the same room with me
without your Dom.”

Though terrified to my core, I tried to sound brave. “Galen
will heal me, Master.”

He snickered. “What makes you think you could bear it? You
nearly broke at our first ritual.”

“I’ve learned a lot since then, Master.”

“So you have.” He narrowed his eyes. He was studying me
again. “What are you really doing here, sub?”

Motivated by determination, I slipped my top off my
shoulders. My breasts felt heavier than usual. “I want to please God.”

His cock twitched. “I will hurt you. Your Dom should be with
you.”

“Marcus doesn’t know I am here. You can do whatever you want
to me, Master. My body is yours without restrictions.”

That got his attention. He licked his lips, his breath
quickening.

I tried to swallow back my terror. “Master, all I ask is one
favor in return.”

“So that’s what this is?” His tone was sharp, bitter. “I
don’t trade favors, Claire, I don’t have to. I can fuck you or anybody else
whenever I want to, however I want to. Go back to your Dom.” He practically
spat the words, but there was something else there… jealousy? I wasn’t sure,
but he sounded stung.

“Master, I didn’t mean to offend you. I thought you might
want to be with me without Marcus. Just the two of us.” I pivoted on my heel
and began walking towards the door, hoping he would stop me. “I apologize for
being so presumptuous.”

After a couple of beats, he grumbled. “What do you want?”

I wiped the smile off my face before turning around to look
at him. “I want you to let Marcus out of his cage so he can enter me.”

He gave me a wry smile and shook his head. “You really don’t
understand our ways, do you? I’m almost beginning to believe you
are
from another planet.”

“I will do whatever you want, Master. Use me for your pleasure.
I only want one night with him, please!”

His features hardened. “You want him that bad?” he said,
disgusted. “You would sacrifice yourself for him, allow me to torture you and
cause you unbearable pain so you can have his cock inside you?”

I hugged myself. I needed to remain strong, but a tear
rolled down my cheek. “I love him, Master.”

He closed the space between us, leaning into me. “Do you
love God, Claire?”

Not knowing whether or not he knew the truth, I scrambled
for an answer. “I have been here for… well, I have no idea how long, Master.
Time is meaningless in Borealis. I don’t know who I am and I don’t fully
understand Borealian culture or religion, though I have done everything to
embrace it. I have obeyed and trusted my Dom, as you have commanded. But do I
love you? No, I don’t. The only times we are together you hurt me and for what
you’re doing to me, to Marcus, to us—” I stopped myself, frightened at the
consequences.

Wordless, God gazed at me as if trying to put my features to
memory. I hit a nerve and that surprised me.

“I love Marcus and he loves you, Master. You’ve said before
that you love all the people in Borealis, right?”

My words were met with stony silence.

“If that’s true, then do this for the one you love, Master.”

His face was a veneer of coolness, but his words were tinged
with melancholy. “Everything I do is for the one I love.”

At that moment he almost seemed human, even vulnerable, as
if he was grappling with conflicting emotions. Then he started gawking at my
chest. I was counting on that primal urge to persuade him to bend his own
rules.

After taking a deep breath he appeared to relax. He hefted
my breasts. “Your favor is granted, sub.”

Though I wanted to wrench away from his touch and run back
to my lover’s arms, I had come too far to back down now. I looked at the floor.
“Thank you, Master.”

“On the bed,” he ordered.

My knees shook. My heart threatened to burst out of my
chest. I remembered my first time with God. The pain was excruciating, but I
had
endured it. For Marcus I could do it again. I only hoped my Dom would not be
angry with me for going behind his back. Marcus was strict when it came to
rules.

Shaking off the thought, I focused on my goal. This would
get me to be with Marcus the way we should be and that was worth any sacrifice.

When I reached the bed, I shrugged out of my clothes and lay
on my back. I waited for instructions.

“Sit on your knees and turn around.”

I complied, dreading what was to come. I was shaking so hard
that he had to notice it.

In an instant he was on the bed, grabbing a fistful of my
hair and pushing me on my hands and knees, my head pulled back. He used his
knees to shove my legs apart. His cock thrust into my pussy without preamble.
It was still moist from wanting Marcus. At least that’s what I told myself.

I felt pleasurable intensity, not pain. Of course that would
change when he used his Light.

A familiar tug in my pelvis indicted my betrayal. I was
aroused and it felt like I was cheating on Marcus.
That’s ridiculous. He
keeps telling me that I am God’s. This is what Marcus would want.

After pumping me long enough to bring me close to an orgasm,
Boreas pulled out and grabbed the back of my neck. He pushed me down until my
cheek was flattened against the mattress. From a nearby drawer he found rope
and tied my hands behind my back. He was on me again, forcing himself deep into
me from behind. He reached between my legs and started rubbing circles around
my clit.

He was going to make me come. This wasn’t supposed to happen,
but he was pistoning into me with a delicious rhythm and toying with my tender
nub. Unable to control myself, I let out a cry as my legs stiffened, releasing
hot juices that coated his cock.

More excited now, he turned me over. “Open your mouth.” His
eyes were bright, his cheeks flushed. He straddled my face.

I obeyed and opened my mouth. My hands were still tied
underneath me. His shaft was thick and hard. I sucked hard and he panted.

While fucking my mouth, he reached behind his back and
rubbed my engorged clit. It was just how I liked it, the right rhythm, the
right pressure. How did he know? Another orgasm blossomed and burst. I moaned
around his cock and came on his fingers.

His pace increased until he clenched his lower body and
grunted, releasing his essence into my mouth. To my amazement, he tasted like
melted chocolate and fresh raspberries. When he withdrew his cock, his come
overflowed onto my cheeks and chin.

Feeling euphoric, I swallowed what remained in my mouth. I
licked my lips, savoring the delicious flavor, wondering if that’s what Marcus
tasted like. If I survived this, I would know soon enough.

The Master sat me up and untied my hands. Then he dropped on
the bed next to me, drenched in sweat. His eyes were closed and his cock was
still hard and gleaming with his juices.

I studied him and it was as if I was seeing him for the
first time—the broad muscular shoulders, the chiseled pelvic girdle, the ridged
muscles of his abs expanding and contracting with the rise and fall of his breath.
I had always thought of him as a dangerous creature. Until now, I had not let
myself appreciate Boreas as a man.

He climbed on top of me, surprising me. Pushing my knees up,
he pounded me without mercy. He lowered his face and met my gaze. At that moment
he looked at me with something more than sexual desire. It looked like
affection or even tenderness. It was completely out of character.

Cupping my face, he nibbled on my upper lip. It threw me.
Kissing was sacred, something I saved for Marcus, but I let him do as he
pleased—partly because I feared his punishment, but also because I liked it.

His tongue caressed mine while he continued to drive in and
out of my pussy. I exploded in a frenzy of pleasure, my legs trembling in its
wake. He groaned as he came again at the same time as I did.

When he finished he sat at the edge of the bed, tense and
distant.

My cheeks reddened and I felt satiated, but dirty. I was
confused by the affection he showed me. And why hadn’t he inflicted any pain?

God reached into a nearby bureau and opened the top drawer.

I craned my neck enough to see what looked like a
multi-tiered jewelry box. On the black velvet lining were dozens of keys with a
corresponding Dominant’s name.

He plucked Marcus’s out and threw it at me, avoiding my
eyes. “Your time starts at sunrise. At the next sunset, I will take the key
back. Use your time wisely.”

When I slinked back to bed that night, I was wracked with
guilt. Though I had achieved my goal, unscathed, I knew I had betrayed Marcus
by not following his orders and not asking him to escort me. My Dom would be
hurt and disappointed and I wasn’t sure I could stand that.

I muffled my cries by pressing my face into the pillow.

Marcus slept blissfully through all my blubbering, completely
unaware of how wretched I felt. It dawned on me that this was the first time I
had seen Marcus sleeping. As I watched him, his sleep seemed unnaturally deep,
as if he had been drugged.

I shook him and called his name, but he would not respond.
That had to be God’s doing. I decided it was for the best. I needed time to
pull myself together.

I cried myself to sleep and woke up a few times with a sense
of foreboding. It was a horrible sleep, a complete opposite of the blissful
sleep my Dom spoke into my ear each night.

Marcus woke me up with his lips on my cheek. “The sun is up,
my love.”

I couldn’t look at his face. If he peered into my eyes,
Marcus would know what I had done. I was so ashamed, but I had to tell him. I
had to risk his anger for a chance to be with him—all of him—for just one day.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and studied me with
concern. “What’s wrong, Claire?”

I couldn’t look at him.

Taking a closer look at my face, his eyebrows knitted
together. “Your eyes are swollen. I don’t remember you crying last night.”

Without warning, my emotions spilled out like water from a
breached dam. I told him everything: the agreement, the sex and the key. I only
left out the part about enjoying it.

Through it all he remained still and silent. I avoided his
eyes until I couldn’t take it anymore. When I finally looked at him, he wore an
expression I couldn’t read.

“I’m so sorry, Marcus. I did it for you, for us. I—”

“You sacrificed yourself for me.” He sat on the edge of the
bed, staring at a wall with a lost look on his face.

“For both of us.”

The soundless space between us filled me with anxiety. A
quiet Marcus made me nervous, made me feel untethered and lost. “Please, say
something!”

When he turned to me, there was no hint of resentment or
anger. “Why do you keep apologizing?”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“Angry?” he said, incredulous. “I am in awe of you.”

“What?”

“All my life I have been the protector, the Dominant, the
one in control. Nobody has ever sacrificed themselves for me. Though what you
did went against protocol, I’m moved that you risked everything to be with me.”

“He didn’t hurt me.”

“There are wounds deeper than flesh and bone, Claire, and
you suffered them last night. All alone, without comfort.” He cradled my face
in his hands, his gaze penetrating down to my soul. “For just one day with me.”

More tears fell—some from relief and others from lingering
shame. I nestled my face into his neck, sobbing for several minutes.

Marcus held me, stroked my hair and told me he loved me
while I cried. His tender touch had me wrestling with a mixture of guilt and
exhilaration.

The sound of footsteps outside our cell roused us both.

A guard spoke to us through the bars. “Come with me.”

My heart sank. It would be just like Boreas to break his
promise and leave us broken and miserable knowing that we had been so close to
our goal.

As if hearing my thoughts, Marcus snaked his arm around my
waist and held me close. “Don’t worry. He will not go back on an oath.”

It hadn’t exactly been an oath, but I hoped Marcus was right
regardless.

We followed the guard back to the Holy Palace, but God was
not there. The guard kept walking, past the great hall and the Master’s bed
chambers. We could hear flutes and drums playing behind one room that was
hidden behind double doors. The doors were inlaid with pearls, rubies and
emeralds. Under the music, we heard women laughing. It had to be the room where
Boreas kept his harem of concubines.

When the music faded, we wound up in a dark section of the
palace I had never seen.

Marcus scanned the area, noticeably cautious. The frown on
his face told me this was unfamiliar territory for him too. He stopped and
demanded an answer from the guard. “Where are we going?”

The guard spoke in a gravelly voice. “Quiet, Dom.” He had no
interest in helping us or easing our anxiety.

Bristling, yet not challenging the guard, Marcus tailed him
with me in tow. The guard was only following orders from Boreas. If we refused
to comply with him it would be like disobeying God himself and that would get
us severely punished or worse.

We reached the end of a shadowy, narrow hall and stopped in
front of a non-descript door made of iron. It was the only door in Borealis
that wasn’t a work of art. It made me nervous.

After the guard clicked the lock open, the door creaked on
its hinges. He motioned for us to go inside.

The room appeared to have the same dimensions and layout as
our cell, but it lacked the homey charm. It felt dusky and neglected. A tiny
rosette window by the kitchen let in very little sun, except for a weak beam of
light that illuminated a bed in the center of the room.

“Do what you must,” the guard said with an oily smile. “I
will return for the key at sunset.” He left, locking the door behind us.

I realized why God has spirited us to this remote cell, away
from everybody. This arrangement went against Borealian law. God could not let
anyone—especially our fellow erotic pairs—know of the favor he had granted.

Marcus pulled me to his chest. His fingers dug into the
sides of my arms. He was losing control. “The key, Claire! Now!”

Muddled by nerves and anticipation, I forgot where I put it.
I was convinced My Dom would tear off my clothes to find it, but after an awkward
moment, I reached into one of my hidden pockets and fished it out.

Frenzied, Marcus threw his belt and arm gear on the floor.
He all but ripped away his loin cloth, exposing his cock trapped in its cage.
He stood there naked with his legs shoulder-width apart, waiting.

I squinted at the chastity device, trying to find the lock,
but I was too jumpy to focus.

“Here,” he said leading my hand to a thick band of metal
underneath his cock.

I found the lock. With my fingers trembling, I shoved the
key in the hole and turned. The device released and uncoiled, falling to the
ground with a loud clanging noise.

Marcus sighed deeply. I could see the relief washing over
him. Tears gleamed in his eyes. He gazed up at the ceiling. “Thank you, God.”
They were humble words, spoken in genuine gratitude to his Master.

As I gradually peeled off my top, he groaned a soft guttural
noise from deep in his throat. My skirt brushed past the curve of hips, skimmed
below my blushing mounds and pooled at my feet along with my top. I let him
look at me, cupping my breasts for him like an offering.

Then I froze.

We had never been to this place before. I wasn’t sure what
to do next. I was aroused and nervous like a virgin waiting to be deflowered,
feeling her heart drum against her chest, knowing her life will never be the
same.

His lips curled up slightly, just enough to show a bit of
playfulness. Marcus nodded to the bed.

My insides liquefied with the promise I saw behind those
hooded eyes.

I sat on the edge of the bed, knees together and feet apart
like an awkward girl unsure how to act.

With an open palm between my breasts, he shoved me hard and
I fell backwards on the bed and giggled. I was lightheaded and giddy.

My girlish laugh faded as I watched him change into a
different man. There was no smile on his face, no tenderness in his eyes. This
was not the Marcus I knew.

His features took on a dangerous edge. He drew in several
measured breaths as he stared at me. I could almost feel him harnessing his
erotic power, focusing it on me.

Marcus Alexis was going to claim my body like he had never
been allowed to. I closed my eyes and waited for him to take me like a starfish
waits for the ocean waves to pull her back to the depths of the sea.