the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 5 - Not sure what is going on?  Start with the beginning of the Chronicles of the Midlands with The Slave Warrior

 

 

There was a slight breeze trying to tickle Launs nose through the open porthole early in the morning.  Her bladder was more successful in bringing her awake and Laun could not ignore it when Gem moved and her knee came up and into Laun’s groin.  The blonde was asleep and did not mean to, but it was what made Laun roll from bed.

She had been shown the privy the day before.  They called it the Head, for no known reason.  There was a long tunic near the top of one of the cases that Laun pulled on and the gummy slippers to make her way to where she could relieve herself.

She almost expected the door to the cabin to be locked.  It was not.  Laun made her way through the narrow ways below deck to the privy and used it, her body seemingly with a never ending stream of urine for a count of almost twenty.

Done with that morning ritual, Laun made it to the upper deck and took in the misty light coming to the moving schooner.  The trees on either side of the river seemed very far away and the mist covered them sometimes making Laun think they had traveled to a lake or perhaps the ocean while they were asleep.

No one seemed to be on the deck, though Laun could hear someone on the bow calling out every so often, a responding call from the person steering from the little back deck above the main deck.  She started in on her stretches, feeling a vaguely familiar stiffness in some of her muscles, as if she had been riding hard and then had not moved while sleeping.  She dismissed it as travel weariness and started in on one of the open hand routines for the morning.

Several of the sailors went by carrying large coils of rope on their way to the rear mast.  Laun kept an eye on them, but did not react or stop what she was doing just because they were passing by.  She turned, catching the eye of one of the men and smiled, making an obvious killing blow in her kata before flowing into another routine to keep moving.

It surprised the man.  He slowed and followed the others with his part of the tacking gear, but went below decks as soon as he could, passing Laun again.  Liam came up a little later as Laun was going through the routine again and watched her.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be up at this hour, Highness.  Most women of your status like to sleep in.”  Laun saw something, heard something that she had to pull at.

“Most women of my rank would not run a household full of women warriors, assassins and clapperless bells, Liam.”  Laun finished the leg sweep and turned to Liam.  She saw that was not what was concerning him.  “And most women do not have the resistance to drugging I do.”  She saw a small twitch before she turned and continued the routine to the end.

Liam leaned on the railing, his eye on her as she was able to do a very precise kata on the shifting deck of the ‘Midnight Hour’.  He saw scars on her legs as the long tunic lifted, his pulse racing at the glimpse.  “You flow well, Laun.”

She smiled and continued until the killing blow again.  She stopped and rubbed her neck where it had turned sore.  “Thank you.  I would normally say it is my training, but it is from my trainer this Winter.  He kept me moving when the darkness would have overwhelmed me.  I have been easily bored and I am not used to having nothing to do.”  She stepped a pace closer and looked at him as she rubbed her neck.

“At this point, I should say that such a beautiful noble woman does not need to train so hard, but I know that you would not take it as I intend.”

Laun stretched up and back with her arms, feeling something slide reluctantly into place in her back before she looked at Liam again.  “I am only beautiful because I am a ranking noble, Liam.  I know how plain I am and I am not one of those simpering women who chooses to rely on her looks and giggle to get a man to take care of me.  You try to flatter me, and I accept it.  You yourself are pleasing to look at and have a mild way about you, when you choose.”

He blinked and said, “Thank you.  I think.”  He looked over Laun’s shoulder drawing her attention to a sailor coming across the deck in the morning mist.

A pot of hot tea was in his hand brought up from the galley, a raised eyebrow from Laun at the mug poured for her.  “Just tea, Highness,” Liam said.

“I am here willingly.  Even if it is part of your preferred chase, do not drug me again.”

“Understood, Highness.”

“I do not like to be impatient, Liam, but I would like to know what is to become of me while I am in your care.”  Laun took a sip of the minty tea, swishing it around her mouth to clear the morning taste.

Liam thought for a while.  “I have to remember that you are truly not like others I have Played with for their payments.”

Laun heard the meaning behind the word play.  She thought of herself with Silar and others, but knew she was to be the receiver, not the giver in his play.  Liam leaned forward and looked into Laun’s eyes.  “A little food first and then I think we will have some time together.”

There was a nod from her.  “I mentioned rules, which we need to get into the open before we step into your Play.”

He tried not to lift an eyebrow and covered it with turning to the rail and taking some tea from the mug.  “I remember you mentioning there were rules.  I was expecting a message listing them before we met.”

“They are ever changing, Liam.  We were supposed to be together at the fall of last year...”  Laun leaned on the railing and looked at him, not the shadowy shapes on the far shore.

He looked into the mug and said, “Highness, it was unavoidable.  A matter came up that I could not delay.”  He looked up to her eyes.  “It seems the wait was worth it.”

Laun took the statement and smiled slightly.  “I hope I am worth what you did for my apprentice.”  She smiled further at his blink.  “Three things are on my list of rules right now.  No man peaks inside of me.  I do not wish to become pregnant again, even with Mother’s Bane available.  I am so happy Kell introduced me to that.  Second is that anything between us is business.  I do not want to find that one of the stupid Rosemond laws has snuck up on us and married us.  I have two husbands and am very happy with them.”

“Wait... No.  That is for later.  Two?”  Laun waited for Liam to work through that.  “And the third, Laun?”

“Do not bind my hands.”  Laun put her wrists together and then pulled them apart as if breaking a rope tie.  He saw the tracings of the scar around her wrists and looked back up to her eyes.

Liam paused.  “That is a very specific rule.”

“It is a very specific rule brought up for you to know.  I react badly if I cannot use my hands, and several people have found that to be a problem.”  Laun took a large swig of the tea and watched Liam.  She did not realize that a wash of darkness had gone over her features as the back of her mind thought of Ithian, but did not come fully forward for her to know.

He looked like he wanted to say something.  He drank the tea to the dregs and looked out over the water.  Laun leaned against the railing and looked over the deck to the other shore.  Her host was quiet as he mentally chewed over what she had said.

“Laun, I understand and accept your rules.  I have ways of working around your third one.  You have seen through the niceties to what I wish to do with you.  I know none of those before you have breathed a word about my tastes.”

“I hope they still can fog a mirror.”

He turned to Laun and grinned.  “Yes, Highness.  No one I play with had died because of me.”

Laun bowed her head slightly and said, “That is good to know.”

They stood at the rail discussing a few points to the play that Laun was to endure, the look on Liam’s face becoming more animated.  He had not been with someone who understood what he wanted, even if she herself was not entirely willing.

The mist was shredding around the ship, the morning sun starting to become hot on deck.  A sailor came to Liam and they talked in low tones for a moment.  Laun stepped away to give them more privacy.  Liam still would not say exactly what he wished to do, but with the subjects they had discussed, including her pain tolerance, she knew it was not going to be something to bring up at morning meeting once she was back in Salam-Dir.

She watched marsh birds fly overhead and felt a tear in her eye.  All of her loves, except her Gem, were days away.  Her strength, her conscience, her life.  They were all far away and she felt a pain in her chest at the thought of them.  They had been riding on the outside of her thoughts while she was traveling, Laun pushing them away inside her mind to keep her focused on her mission with Liam.

Mission? Laun thought to herself.  Yes.  In a way, it was a mission.  The way she had approached it while packing, while choosing how to initiate conversations and actions was all as if she was on a mission.  Not too unlike when she went to seduce and turn Erin.  Only bringing what she needed, perhaps a little less.  She had gone as far as to leave all her jewelry and other trappings of nobility and rank at the Sand Castle.  She did not know why she would wish to strip that off for this, but she did.  She didn’t even have her bell on her braid.

Laun turned back and saw that Liam had been watching her.  “Highness, you looked so sad there for a moment.  What would cause you such pain?”

She was not sure if she really heard an underlying delight at the prospect of her being in pain.  “I miss my family.  We are ever changing, but I do love them.”

He stepped forward and held his hand to her.  She placed her fingertips on the back of his hand and he bowed over her hand, saying, “I hope to distract you from your longing, at least for a while.”  Laun smiled but did not say anything else.  “The cook has been roused and I have ordered us up a little something.  Would you sup on deck or in my cabin with me?”

Laun felt a slight blush and she did not know where it was coming from.  “I think on deck.  It is such a peaceful morning and I would like to enjoy it a little more.”

He bowed over her hand again and turned to one of the men standing at the other side of the ship.  Soon, chairs and table were set up and food was brought for them.  Liam escorted Laun the few paces to the dining area and waited until she had sat before he took his chair.  She noted how formal he was, even in such informal circumstances.

Laun was very used to gruel and tea in the morning.  Liam’s concept of ‘a little something’ was more like an evening meal to Laun.  Eggs cooked in cream.  Breads sliced and on a tray with several forms of jam and butter.  Little sausages and ham steaks.  A thick brown drink that smelled slightly burnt to Laun and tasted as if the water had sat just a little too long before whatever it was had been brewed.  The Myrned black tea with honey was more to her liking and warmed her nervously cold fingertips.

There was light conversation over the heavy meal, Laun forcing herself to eat to keep her energy up for later.  They talked about how the weather was clearing for the day.  They talked about the children and how they had taken to the ship well.  They talked about the different birds that flew overhead.  They talked about anything that was not about what they were to do after first meal.

It could not be delayed any longer.  Liam stood and offered his hand, as if they were to walk around the deck as they had the night before.  Laun stood before taking the hand and let herself be led away from the open deck and into the enclosed below deck area.  He led her to the head first and waited outside as she let her body try to clear whatever it could, her stomach rebelling slightly and making it’s self known with tea and sausage flavored burps.

Laun used the paper flowers that had appeared since the first time she had used the head that morning, making sure she was well cleaned.  She may be feeling like the lowest of the red scarves because of selling her body in exchange for his services, but she was not going to let that make her slip in how she presented herself to him.

There was a fragile mask on Laun’s face as she came back out of the head.  Her emotions were running hot and fast below the surface.  The only true indication that she was nervous was a blush that had settled on her cheeks even before she had used the head.

From what Laun had been told by Gem about her brief time on the ‘Midnight Hour’, Liam’s cabin was in the opposite direction of where he was leading her.  He came to a small door and stepped in, Laun swiftly following so that her nerve would not break.  There were a few lamps lit and some faceted glass set into the sloping side of the ship, the light from them showing a space that would have intrigued Laun if she had been the one in charge.

Straps and bars and whips and other things had been attached and placed and hung in the space.  Something that looked like the frame they used to gut and hang the livestock at home was built into the ship at one end, a bunk with rope securely attached in several places at the other.  A case that seemed to have just been placed in the space was picked up by Liam and placed on the bunk.  He opened it and Laun saw sharp things and a few things wrapped in velvet, their dangerous nature hidden by the luxury.

“I hide these until later for most of those I Play with.  You are not one to shy away.  I will be using these on you, Laun.”  He picked up a long, thin piece of steel that looked like an oversized sewing needle.

A wave of faintness went through her, but Laun bent her knees and took a deep breath.  She unclenched her jaw to say, “I am not looking forward to it, but I am in your hands.”

He nodded and put the needle back in the case.  His hand went to a net bag on the wall and brought out a small leather and silver collar.  He turned to her with it between his hands.  “You will wear this while you are with me.”

It was not a question.  He was not asking if she would.  He was telling her.  She thought of Ithian and the choice she had given him, though it was a forced choice.  Liam was not giving her any choice, though perhaps the choice had been made when she had agreed to his price.  She swallowed and stepped forward, her back straight and head up.

His eye twitched slightly.  Liam slid the collar around her neck, the soft lining not obvious just glancing at it, making the symbol of subservience more comfortable on the skin, but not in Laun’s mind.  The little latch caught, the sound making Laun jump.

Liam stepped back and looked at Laun.  His eye was critical and she thought about where she would bring the Play next if she were in charge.  Without him asking, Laun pulled off the tunic and she was naked except for the deck slippers on her feet.

He took in a breath and looked at her again.  She knew he was looking at the fading scars, some still more obvious than others.  She waited until his eye went back up to hers before kneeling on the deck.  She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, never breaking eye contact.  The only thing that was going through her mind was a phrase she had used a few times before.  Her voice was soft as she said, “How may I please you today?”

That shook him.  The elite red scarf phrase had caught him off balance.  His hand went to her head, stroking the top of her head and down to her braid.  Laun relaxed, thinking he was going to use the braid to pull her around, stand her back up.  His hand pushed her instead and she was on all fours, looking at the floor.  He moved around her and she could feel his eyes on the few scars she had tracing her skin on her back.  There was a sound of metal against metal and heavy leather before a wide belt was dropped onto her waist.  He pulled it around her, fastening it in back and making it tight.  Laun gasped as her skin was pinched and the tightness of the belt made it hard to breathe.

He pulled on the belt and Laun stood.  She felt him behind her fiddling with the belt and it was suddenly even tighter, making her lower ribs hurt slightly.  He pulled again and she backed up into the frame in the bulkhead.

Straps and latches were attached to the belt with the rings that were there.  Laun could not move from the frame and was tightly secure within the frame.  He knelt to one knee and drew his hand down her leg, the gentle touch seemingly out of place to the tight ankle manacle that was suddenly on her.  First one leg and then the other was moved and secured to the frame, Laun’s hands going up to an iron bar above her head to keep her steady with her legs spread wide.

Liam stepped back, looking up and noting that Laun had grabbed onto the support bar without being asked.  He was pleased things were going so well.  The frightened women he usually had would be begging and squirming to get out before this.  It had it’s appeal, but got old quickly.  Laun was calm and knew what to do and did not have to have things explained to her several times before she did as he commanded.  He smiled.

Laun clenched her teeth and tried to have a calm exterior even as the darkness was trying to come up and make her rebel.  She watched as Liam put a hand out to a small rack of implements, choosing one by feel as he continued to look at her.  The darkness was trying to get her to yell for help.  It was trying to get her to let go of the bar so that she would fight back.  Laun pushed the darkness down and kept her eyes on Liam’s.

“You are quite beautiful strapped in there.  But, you need to be warmed up a bit, I think.”  A flog made of black leather with a bright red handle was in his hand, the tips of the strips of leather twitching at the motions of his wrist.  Laun saw it coming and still could not hold in the gasp that came out.  It was not a hard hit, but several of the tips had hit her nipple as they had gone past.  She kept her eyes open, but it was hard to focus.

Another hit on the other breast and the gasp was louder.  He brought the flog into a rhythm and her chest was being impacted to match her racing heartbeat.  She found she could not hold her eyes open and her head went back as he moved the stingy sensation down her body, not letting any of her front go without some abuse, reaching her feet after a while.  She did not know how long he had taken to get there.  It had changed from something to endure to something that was raising her heat and Laun had part of her mind step back and watch how he was making her lustful without touching her with his hand.

The flog was being worked back up and his stroke changed.  It became softer, more for the impact than for the sting.  He was hitting her thighs, changing which one he was going for on slightly random strokes.  Then he started to go for her fur.

Laun’s eyes flew open and she looked Liam in the face.  He was concentrating on where he was impacting and she saw that he was intent on working the hits of the leather to directly on her womanhood.  She tried to wiggle away from the rhythmic hits, but the belt and straps held her securely.  She dared not let go of the bar above her head.  She knew what she would do to Silar if he did so.

“Ah, so you do have the will to protect yourself.  Hold on, my beauty.  Let’s see how much of this you can handle.”

His tone was condescending, but it had a little bit of something else that made Laun mentally relax a little.  The impacts on her groin continued, the tips of the flog working their way down and around further at each stroke.  She cried out when her clit had a direct hit, her hips trying to move back and away, but held still as the straps did their job.  Her breathing became faster, a little ragged as the strokes stayed there, her little button being hit to the point where Laun lost count as she was starting to loose her grip on the bar.  A grayness was creeping in and she had to breathe deeply to keep the gray and the darkness at bay.

Her lower body was moving as much as it could on it’s own.  She could feel the strain in her legs as she pulled against the frame with her manacled ankles.  Her arms pulled and supported her, trying to raise her above the impacts, but that just made them hit further in, her lower lips getting a few stingy strokes.

Liam backed off when she yelped and raised herself off the deck.  He moved in and held her, kissing her roughly.  His hand went to her breast, pinching her nipple and making her wiggle and whimper into his mouth.  His hand went down her body, scratching and pinching as he went.  He pressed his hand to her fur and then slid fingers along where he had just been hitting her, the light touch almost as unbearable as the impacts had been.

Her braid was in his hand, pulling her head back as his mouth sought out soft spots on her neck.  He held tight to her as his mouth and fingers worked together but separately on her tenderized skin.  She could feel his teeth clamping down on her as his fingertips traced her lower lips, spreading them and finding the fluids of her womanhood letting loose on his hand.  She tried to wiggle away from his hand on her groin, but that just let some of her own fluid slide down her thighs, giving away how the ember in the pit of her stomach had flamed up.

She pulled herself up as much as she could with her hands on the bar as he forced most of his hand into her.  The light touch had been almost a diversion before Liam started to stroke his hand in and out of her, his mouth coming off of her neck so that he could watch her face.  He worked in and out of her, almost getting his last knuckles into her.  She panted and looked into his eyes, letting some of the rising need in her show.

Even with Laun’s body still stinging from the flogging and her body being restrained, Laun was finding the experience to be more exciting than she was expecting.  She saw a need in Liam’s face, a concern as the stroking of his hand lessened slightly until he pulled his hand out and brought his hand to her lips.  It seemed like he was going to force his wet fingers into her mouth, but she willingly opened and had her tongue around his fingers.

Liam’s head went back and Laun heard a growl at the back of his throat.  She sucked him clean of her, scraping her teeth along his fingers and getting a sharp look from him.  He withdrew his hand and slapped her ribcage, the still damp hand sounding loud and feeling sharp in the impact.  She tried to move away from the pain, but that just made him do it again.  He held her with one arm, slapping her skin above the wide belt with the other until Laun was crying, tears running from her eyes and small gasps coming from her.

It hurt.  It was only pain.  She had been through worse, disabling pain and damage much worse than this.  There was something about how he was doing it that made her cry and whimper and feel something from within her bubble up with pieces of sadness that broke as she cried out again.

But she had not asked him to stop.  The part of Laun that was watching what was going on saw that.  She had more barriers, more mental shielding than this amount of play was going to get through.  And somehow, even though he had not outright said it, she knew that he would stop if she asked, even with the collar around her neck.

She heard her moans and whimpers and cries change.  The slaps that were warming her skin were now bringing out pants and moans she would have had if one of her Loves had been making love to her.  The pain had changed.  She did not know how it had done so, when it had done so.  Every hit to her exposed chest and ribs went through her and touched off something in her groin.

Liam was smiling.

He changed sides and kissed her just a little gentler than earlier before starting to slap her chest and ribcage.  That hand was dry and felt different, not as sharp of a feel, and it did not take as long for Laun to be moaning in pleasure, not gasping in pain.  The tears still ran down her face, the saltiness wetting her own lips as Liam kissed her after very hard slaps.

She was shaking as he stepped away from her.  She was having trouble keeping her hands on the bar above her head.  Laun’s head tipped forward, pants and gasps for air coming through her rough throat.  Her eyes were open, but she did not see when he stepped back to her with odd manacles for her wrists.

He saw the look in her eye and before she could say anything, he showed her the hooks on them, designed to go over the bar she had been holding onto.  She nodded and felt some relief as her hands held onto the shaft of the hooks but did not have to hold her up any longer.  Laun smiled and saw Liam beaming with pleasure at her.

He caressed her.  He was enjoying the redness and raised welts his hands had caused on her skin.  There was a heat that came from her even before he touched her, a smile playing across his face as she wiggled slightly under his touch.  The blood was just below the surface of her skin, and she was primed for his preferred Play.

He went to the case and brought out several things.  He hooked some to his belt, placing them in the order of use.  He wrapped a cloth around his hand and held onto the small, sharp knife for a moment, savoring the feel of it.

Laun’s eyes were not as focused as she had been when she had been collared, but she was much more aware of herself and her surroundings than many of the women he had gotten to this point.  Too many of them begged off before this.  Disappointing, but he did not wish to push things further than they could handle.  Well, not much further.

Liam raised the knife so that she could see it.  He saw a flash of fear, but that was gone in a blink.  She breathed, slowing her pants, deepening her breath.    Her head went slightly to the side and she seemed to relax.  Again, not the reaction he usually got.

He looked at her skin, fine and soft, even along the scars.  He knelt, the ship moving slightly under him more than he was expecting.  There was enough sound proof padding in the bulkhead of this compartment that he would not have been able to hear the calls of the navigator, but he felt the ship tack slightly and steady again.  He was able to focus on the woman before him and he felt a rush go through him.

The cold blade warmed as the first cut was made.  Laun sucked in her breath, but did not move.  Liam watched the blood trail down her side, bright red from the shallow cut on the pale of her skin.  He made a parallel cut below it, the trail of blood being pulled across her skin and then added to.

Her head was back again, eyes closed and her teeth clamped together in a grimace.  She still had good color in her cheeks, her breathing steady.  These were not deep cuts, nothing like the battle scars she had.  She was used to being sewn up, being able to breathe through the pain.  Her face was not peaceful, but there was a quality that Liam liked, appreciated for the calmness between the small twitches when his blade cut into her.

He stood before her, watching the blood trail down from the score of cuts and to the leather belt.  If she could handle that, she could handle even more.  He wanted to push this, to find where she would call him off.  She brought her head forward and opened her eyes, a small flash of bloodglint before the calmness was there again.

His eye roved over her and caught on the scar on her breast.  It was a straight cut, had healed well.  He had not seen even a hint of it before, even the night before as she sat across from him in the red and black dress, the cleavage...  Had not shown, but the shape had made him think of those breasts and the cleavage as if it had been there to see.  She had worn the dress well and it was fitted to her excellently.

The scar needed something.  An embellishment.  He looked and knew what he was going to do.

One of his tools on his belt was a small quill, a layer of tacky ink on the cut edge.  He held it in his hand, warming the ink as he thought of how he was going to approach his design.  Laun’s eyes were quizzical, but she did not ask, did not say stop.

He drew the drooping, thin leaves along the scar as if it were a stem.  A five-petaled blossom with the cupped center was hard to draw, but he did it, the little stamens in the middle to be made with the needles, not the blade.  He wiped some of the extra ink off with his slightly bloody cloth before he blew on the black marks to have them dry and set in her skin.

Laun giggled a little as he blew on her.  He smiled and let her see what he had drawn on her before the blade was in his hand again.  She bit her lip and then set her jaw as the first cut on the first of the six drawn leaves went into her skin.  She watched as he worked, a tear coming off of her nose and onto his hand once.  He pulled out the small needles from their cloth on his belt and pushed them through her skin in the center of the flower.

He was satisfied with the result.  He stepped back and looked and knew it was right for her.  She looked at it, her breathing becoming shallow and he saw her swallow.  Several times.

Liam’s hand went to a tankard of water set in it’s place, but she had calmed her stomach and was looking steadily at him as he approached.  She took a gulp of water when the tankard was offered.  She breathed heavily for a moment and had her calm again.

This was further than he thought he would go in one session.  He went to his case yet again and brought out the gold rings.  It was right for her, and it was time.

Laun watched him as he lightly traced the cutting he had done around the scar on her breast, the floral design seeming familiar.  It was an odd thing to do with her scar, but what was another set of cuts on her as her body was mangled and disfigured already.  His hands went to her breasts, stroking them and then gripping them, the cuts on her one breast flowing blood over his hand.

The wave of faintness and nausea went through her again.  She fought it back and looked at Liam.  She breathed slowly and deeply, the unsettled stomach coming into line again.  His eyes caught on hers and she saw that he was very much enjoying himself with her.  She saw a glimpse of something that made her blink.

He leaned in and licked at the trail of blood on her breast.  Her blood was on his lips, his tongue and he smiled.  His mouth went to one nipple and then the other, making them stand out as he bit lightly and then blew on them.  He smiled.

He focused on one nipple and brought up a large needle to where she could see.  Laun closed her eyes, knowing what he was about to do.  He made a few noises as if he were deciding what he was going to do.  There was a mouth on her nipple, sucking hard and making her gasp and then a pinching pressure and pain.

The pain made her move.  She tried not to, but she rounded her shoulders, bringing her chest back to try to get away from the pain that continued to burn from her nipple.  She growled through her teeth and felt his mouth on her other nipple.  The pleasure was almost as strong as the pain, and then there was more pain.

She cried out, tears falling as she sobbed at the intenseness of the needles through her nipples.  It continued for far too long, becoming the center of her being, the only thing that mattered.  It changed, was more on one nipple, bringing out another sob and then the other nipple had a flash of pain more intense than the others before.

She felt his mouth and hands on her.  He was licking up the blood coming from her pierced nipples, gently pressing his hands into her flesh.  Laun felt a change in the burning pain that was shooting through her nipples and breasts.  He licked and caressed until the tears had stopped and she was looking down at him.

He was on his knees, suckling as all men seemed to want to do, though the blood that he was seeking was not what she was used to having taken from her.  His eyes were closed and she saw the need in him for more.  She started to moan as the pleasure outpaced the pain and his eyes opened, seeking out hers.

He smiled around her abused nipple.  One of his hands went down her and to her womanhood, the heat and slickness even more than before.  She twitched under his hand and he nodded.

She was limp as she hung on the frame.  It was supporting her, her arms burning from the effort to support her and keep her still earlier.  Her head was forward and she tried to focus on her nipples as Liam stepped away to do something.  There was blood.  There were bruises coming up.  There was a glint of gold under the blood.

“How are you doing, my lovely?”

It took a moment for Laun to realize that Liam was talking to her.  She opened her mouth to speak, the breath in bringing a cough, not an answer.  She took a sip of the water he offered and could speak after a few swallows.

“I cannot say I am well, sir, but I am here.”

She saw his eyebrow go up at her calling him sir.  He moved in and held her face as he said, “You react beautifully to the knife.  Your blood is sweet and your skin is smooth.  I have seen the way your body wants more, but I think just something to finish this session off and I will let you down.”

“Thank you, sir.”  Laun found his mouth on hers, the taste of her blood metallic and then sweet.  The taste of the blood sparked the bloodlust that had been hovering in her groin and she pressed her mouth into his to try to get more.

He pulled away, a gasp from him at her sudden aggressive need.  “One thing, lovely Lady, even though you are primed for it, I will not be fucking you while you are here.”

There was a sad noise from Laun and a concern in her eyes.  “I have displeased you.”  She looked down and the wave of darkness overwhelmed her.  “The only thing I am good for and I disgust you-”

His hand was not gentle as he brought her head up to look at him again.  “Oh, no, Bella.  If I could, I would not leave between your legs for a month.  No.  The goddess of love has taken that ability away from me, but not the desire.”

Laun could not understand what he was trying to say.  Then it hit her and she felt pity for him, and then compassion.  She was not sure how to phrase it with the seeming submission of her to him, but she tried with, “Someone with your talents must find satisfaction in what you do.  I know you have brought more than blood out of me today.”

She read some relief at her words, her acceptance of his condition.  “Bella, you have given me more in exchange for the job I did today than I was expecting for the week.  I should give you more for it.”

Laun blinked and then he was kissing her again.  His practiced hands pulled the small needles out of her skin and back into the cloth they were stored in without looking.  His hands drew across the cut flower and Laun sucked in a breath around his tongue at the sting.  He leaned down and licked lightly at the slightly oozing blood and then pressed his lips back onto hers.

The bloodlust was still there.  Laun bucked against his leg as he brought his knee to her groin.  She felt her slickness on the leg of his breeches and the tension that was in her building again.  He let her move against him, kissing her and groping her for a while.

He stepped back and reached for a velvet bag he had placed on the bunk.  Laun saw the glint of colored glass and felt a deep throb as the glass dildo was brought from it’s protective covering.  This one was a cloudy glass shaft with an orange flower on the top, the glass catching the light and glowing.

Liam saw the slight smile at the corner of Laun’s lips.  “You know what this is?  You Midlanders are more civilized than I thought.”

He breathed on the tip, fogging the glass and slightly warming it.  He placed it against her thigh, the cold making her jump slightly as it took her warmth.  He rubbed it up and then along her fur, the cold bumps catching on her button before he started to press it in and out of her womanhood.

The coldness went away and soon it was slickly moving in and out of her.  Liam held her braid in one hand, the glass dildo in the other, watching Laun as he tried to bring her to orgasm.  He sucked on her nipples, the pain bringing a good response, but was not bringing her closer to her peak.  He changed hands when his arm started to fatigue.  He knelt and used his mouth on her as the dildo went in and out of her, the moan promising, but not enough.

The light was changing in the cabin and Laun was getting more frustrated than Liam.  He was working on getting her to her peak.  She felt the pleasure, felt the need within herself.  It had been over a week since her last orgasm and she could tell it was not going to happen right then.

Liam stopped when there was an exasperated whimper that Laun did not suppress.  She had a tear coming down her face that she could not get to by turning her head to her shoulder.  He stood and kissed her, the wet kiss gentle.

“My beauty, I think we have tired each other out.  Without bringing in my men, I don’t think-”  He smiled as the look on her face changed slightly.  “You did say two husbands.  You tire them out, too?”

Laun smiled and her head dropped slightly.  “Constantly, sir.”

He put the dildo away before starting to unstrap her.  He started with her feet and then the fasteners on the wide belt.  He let her stand without the support for a moment before lifting and unhooking the wrist manacles.  Her legs trembled.  He led her to the bunk and she sat, a shiver starting as he took the manacles off.  A blanket was around her and his arms were there, supporting and warming her.  A few sips of water helped to clear her mouth, and her mind.

“Rest.  You have endured much today.”  Liam’s hand stroked down her back and she nodded.

He laid her down, another blanket going over her.  The tiredness overtook her and she fell asleep as he knelt by her, stroking the side of her face as he watched.

 

Chapter 7, Where recovering from the play means napping on the deck of 'The Midnight Hour"