188
Dinner arrived while I was cleaned. When I went into the main room with Evan the table already had food on it. That didn’t hold my attention, though.
I walked straight to the fire and re read Hannah’s message. She was well, I thought happily, and smart. Hannah had found quite an ingenious way to communicate with me.
There were no details and I mourned that. I would have liked to know exactly how her days were and how she spent her time. Perhaps Damien could arrange for us to meet. That would be very special. I would like to know more about my child.
“Ciara,” Christof called, “come and eat.”
I sat the letter in the box and went to sit with the family.
My men loved the meal and savored every bite. The tami leaf left a distinct flavor. It didn’t really affect me one way or the other. I shrugged remembering they weren’t human, maybe it did taste really good to them.
We had dinner in comfortable quiet for a little while, before the questions from the day struck me again.
“Why did you buy me boots?” I asked breaking the silence.
“You are a member of the family,” Bane said taking another helping for himself and loading my plate with a little more also.
“Will I be wearing boots to the Keeper’s compound?” I asked grinning. “They should look wonderful with my ornamentation.”
“You don’t need boots at the Keepers,” Kein informed me continuing to focus on his meal.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. They were being so evasive and frustrating.
“It isn’t time to sleep,” Evan informed me.
“I’m not sleeping,” I said as politely as I could. “I’m trying not to lose my temper. I don’t understand why you bought me boots.”
“We bought you a shirt and pants as well,” Christof said. “When we teach you to use your sword you should be dressed appropriately.”
The men continued to eat like they hadn’t said anything odd. This had been on their minds long enough it no longer sounded strange. To me, it sounded like they had lost their minds.
“Why will I be learning to use a sword?” I asked.
“Everyone in the family knows how to use a sword,” Bane said, “except you. We don’t like that. You will learn to fight like us.”
I had to stifle a smile. “Will you be learning to dance?” I asked.
Bane wrinkled his nose at the idea, Damien snorted, and Evan stood up.
I watched with amazement as he displayed some of my characteristic moves. It was the most unusual thing I’d seen in a long time. Evan rolled his stomach and shifted his hips in a perfect replica of what I did.
“It’s not hard,” he told me sitting back down, “but no one enjoys seeing me do it the way we enjoy seeing you do it.”
I was speechless for a moment and couldn’t think of a thing to say to them.
“When did you figure out how to do that?” I asked amazed.
“The mountains were boring,” Evan told me, “it gave me something to do.”
I tried to imagine Evan standing in the sorting room full of men learning to roll his stomach. It seemed improbable.
“Eat,” Bane said holding a piece of food to my mouth.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
I took the chunk silently and pondered the circumstance. The men weren’t kidding. I really was family.
The next morning I got brave with Evan. As he prepared to clean me, I made a request.
“I don’t want to wear the plug today,” I told him boldly.
Evan faltered and looked quizzically at me. “You need it,” he explained. “If my Brother uses you, it will harm you if you are not prepared.”
While he argued Evan stopped moving. Unlike the last time we had this conversation, he was waiting for me to agree with him and not assuming I would.
“I will choose,” I offered, “and wear it some days. Today I am not in the mood to have it in.”
Evan looked confused for a moment and then he shrugged. “Fine by me,” he said turning on the shower, “just let me know the days you want it.”
I felt like it was a choice the whole world could hear. My head was spinning with the power he gave me. Evan loved the plug, as much as I hated it. I wanted to offer him a compromise.
“Tomorrow I will wear it,” I promised him stepping under the spray of the water.
He seemed unconcerned as he grinned and bathed me.
The Keeper’s was an anxious place today. The men who owned humans always relied on others to carry out punishment. It made discipline complicated and time consuming. The men only punished large infractions of their rules after a while. Now that was going to change.
“Why didn’t you warn us?” Rose wailed pacing.
“I didn’t think about it,” I told her honestly.
Rose made me tell them everything about the punishment my owners had given me. There was only the three times really, so I had very little to tell them. The other slaves didn’t like what I told them at all.
The consensus among the slaves was that their Masters were intrigued by the punishments. They wanted to try them because they were new. It had also looked fun.
“It didn’t help that your Masters looked ready to fuck you in the courtyard,” Rose groused crudely sitting on a pillow.
I coughed and blushed at Rose’s observation. I hadn’t realized my friends were watching.
“Oh yes,” she said, “they made us watch. Your Master had to adjust himself and it was plain to see his arousal.”