192
It was Kein who was coating my prominent nipples with the brush. The long needle sat beside him. He looked at me with a proud smile on his face.
“You practiced on… Master Bane?” I asked watching him.
“I did,” he said picking up the needle. “Now close your eyes. I don’t want you to pull away.”
I did as he said and felt the familiar fingers working on my flesh until the liquids had the desired effect. Just like before, I felt nothing other than the cold and a dull pressure. Kein was efficient and, according to Blain, he did a good job. I sat up and saw the family crest hanging from my nipples. Much like last time, I hadn’t felt a thing.
Damien led Blain and his Brothers to the door and Evan paid them. As they left Bane took the shiny rings out his nipples, wincing slightly as he did so.
“No numbing cream for you?” I asked smiling.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.
“No,” Bane grunted removing the second ring, “and after that string of words you put together we shouldn’t have used it on you, either,” he teased.
Breakfast had been delivered and we ate at the table. The men lovingly stroked the sides of my breasts, but avoided touching the newly pierced nipples. They had to heal, they knew from last time.
“It’s late,” I commented.
No one answered me except a couple noncommittal grunts, so I tried again.
“You are all late for work,” I told them my agitation rising for no reason.
“We have days off,” Damien said smiling. “We are going somewhere different.”
I pressed them lightly for information, but they busied themselves finishing eating and packing things up. I was instructed to help them by folding up and bringing several towels and blankets. They were being such pains this morning, I did my job with a scowl on my face.
I was dressed in warm layers, including a blue dress like I’d had in the mountains. A brown cover was put over that. The men packed up several bags and Kein brought up a transport.
Once everything was packed we zipped away toward the mountains.
As we passed over the village I looked down at it. The men were busy and looked happy. I wondered what it would be like if they lived like Hannah thought they should. Going back to that would be a big change for the men.
“We’re going to the cabin?” I asked once we were a safe distance away.
“No,” Damien said taking my mittened hand.
I waited patiently and he didn’t elaborate.
“Where are we going?” I finally asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Evan said smirking, “and stop talking. You’re supposed to be quiet in your brown cover. Damien doesn’t want to punish you again.”
I fumed beneath the hood of my outfit. One minute I’m family and the next minute they’re going to beat me. They pay me, but get difficult when I wear what I buy. They were annoying, self-centered assholes. Finally, I’d had enough.
“I demand to know where we’re going,” I said ripping the hooded top off my head. “This is intolerable. You still treat me-”
Christof had won the bet on how long I would last without lashing out at them. After cursing at Bane this morning they had wagered my mood would be volatile today. It had been a game to see how much they could push and how long I would go before losing my cool.
It was because I slept so late, Evan informed me. Not keeping to a schedule had my attitude in a twist. He wouldn’t let me do that again.
With the bet done, Christof told me we were going to a place they really liked. There was an old cabin there the men infrequently used anymore. A stream from the mountains cut down right beside it. We had several days together to just be ourselves with no one to interfere.
Crossing my arms, I tried not to scowl. Their attention to my moods made them frighteningly accurate. I didn’t like thinking of them as mind readers. My new goal was to be less transparent.
We went along the road for a long time and then veered off onto a less travelled path. Since Warriors patrolled out here I was instructed to wear my hood. It would be unseemly if I was caught without it.
The area we were in was different from the place I was accustomed to. There was a little more greenery here and it seemed to be getting thicker.
“Was it all like this before the men developed the town?” I asked. “There is so much plant life here, like just outside the Keeper’s compound.”
Christof told me the plants were growing because there was an underground water source here. The lakes were sometimes shallow and sometimes very deep below the surface. The men didn’t stay in this area because it made the ground above unstable.
“Oh,” I said happily, “a sinkhole!”
The men didn’t understand the Earth word and I felt deficient in describing one. From what I understood sinkholes happened in places with large underground lakes, especially when the water level fell. The conversation was entertaining for Christof. He thought it was interesting Earth had similar problems.
We stopped and had a midday meal before we got to the place we’d be staying. The men had some sort of a dried pouch of food. Apparently it would make me sick. I ate a bowl of a sticky rice like substance that was rolled into balls.
“It’s sad,” I said in between bites, “the other girls and their owners don’t do fun things together. I feel bad for the other girls.”
Damien answered me finally, but it was not helpful. He told me he had to arrange time to come out here. Although no one was stationed out here, someone used it frequently enough that you had to sign up to come. It had been the same with the other cabin we used.
After they finished eating Evan bounced up and started to pace. He was irritated with the slow pace of the rest of us. For some reason he was intent on getting where he was going.
“You’re supposed to enjoy the ride, Evan,” I chided him, “not just the destination.”
He looked at me for a moment before starting to pace again. “Seen it here before,” he said, “I want to get where we’re going.”
We loaded back on the transport and it took off a very short time later. I had forgotten how hard it could be to dismiss Evan’s restless energy.
The wind whipped harder against us and the men all donned long jackets at some point. We were going parallel to the mountains. Long ago we’d stopped passing other Warriors, this area really was deserted.
The building broke the horizon and the men cheered. It looked to me like the place we’d stayed in after I’d been “recaptured”. This must have been an outpost at one time.
Once Kein stopped the transport we all jumped down. I walked toward the building and was stopped.
“We have to check it,” Bane told me drawing his swords.
Kein and Evan followed him inside while I waited with Damien and Christof.
“What are they looking for, other Warriors?” I asked curiously.
“Scars, pests,” Christof said concentrating on the dwelling. “This place is so isolated it could be infested.”
I shuddered thinking of the spider like creatures. Nu-reeh had showed me Scars in the mountain caves. The men had fed me one as a joke, but I’d forgotten they came down here.
The men visibly relaxed after a moment and motioned me inside. They pulled all their bags inside and set up the inside of the cabin. Sheets and blankets were laid across the bed. Towels and toiletries were put in the bathing room. Christof and I unpacked the kitchen area.
All of the sudden I wasn’t on the ground. Evan had lifted me up and was taking me in front of the fire they had built. Despite my resistance he stripped me of my dress quickly.
“What are you doing?!” I sputtered standing nude in the main room.
“I want to go outside,” he said simply. “You need to change so we can train.”
“Change what?” I asked feeling my agitation rising again.
“Clothes,” Bane said handing Evan an outfit. “Are you going to be moody all day?”
I did every calming trick I’d ever learned. As Evan pulled pants up my legs I breathed slowly and tried to rid myself of this attitude. I wasn’t sure what had me so riled up today.