Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  The look in her eyes left no doubt as to just what sort of reward she was after.

  “Gilfri,” I redirected her. “How should I deal with Gilfri?”

  “He’s polished, refined, and will have no fear of you since he’s come under a promise of safe conduct,” Líann said before she bit into a peach.

  “But,” she began again after wiping the juice from her lips. “He does have quite the temper, so if you can rile him enough somehow, you’ll get the better of him.”

  “How do you propose that I do that?”

  “Mmmm, propose, yes,” she stared at me intently before returning to the actual question that I’d asked. “My presence alone should help throw him off, but anything you can add to that will certainly help.”

  “I’ll have to give that some thought,” I replied, having nothing else to offer.

  “So, what is this about needing scribes?” Líann inquired as she took a sip from her glass.

  “Yes, well,” I began cautiously, knowing that my request would give her an opportunity to ask a boon of me in return. “At some point, I will be forced into war. When that happens, I intend to try and raise any of my soldiers that fall in battle. Nadiel promised to recruit Curates for me, and I’d hoped you might be gracious enough to send me some of your scribes to craft resurrection scrolls as well.”

  “And what did you give Nadiel in return for her promise?” Líann asked pointedly.

  “She was decent enough to offer without asking for anything in return,” I replied to her in kind.

  “Sounds just like Nadiel,” Líann huffed.

  I let her snarky comment slide and took a bite of one of the small fruits that had been laid out for us among the assorted items. It was sweet, but with a tart aftertaste, and just as I was reaching for another, Líann spoke to me again.

  “I will send word to see if any of my scribes would be willing to come serve you,” Líann offered. “But I am not so inclined towards charity as Nadiel. I want something in return, and you know exactly what my price is.”

  “I can’t do that Líann,” I let out a sigh as I replied. “You’re asking too much of me. I just can’t handle that right now.”

  “I’m not asking to take her place,” Líann came back at me. “I just want you to let me take mine.”

  “I’m already dealing with too much,” I confessed as I slouched back in my chair, desperate for a reprieve. “Between ruling this Empire and dealing with you and Tási and the others, I can’t take any more right now.”

  “The others?” Líann glared at me as she hit upon my slip of the tongue. “Just how many am I competing with?”

  Oh, shit. I really hadn’t meant to go there, but with my ‘secret’ out, I figured that perhaps it was time for some brutal honesty. It was my best, and maybe even my only option at that point.

  “I have come from literally nothing, Líann,” I sighed as I began to tell her my tale, although I didn’t reveal just how true that first statement was. “And in the span of months, I’ve risen to become Empress, blessed by the Gods, and tasked with the challenge of uniting all Arrika and conquering the Dark Lands.”

  Despite the delay in answering her question, Líann leaned in towards me, as her interest was piqued in hearing more of the story of how I came to be where I was.

  “During that time, I’ve also learned that I am a Sintári, and that my power draws people to me, much like it’s drawn you, Líann,” I continued, leaning slightly away from her, into the back of my chair. “Most come to me because they need some sort of healing. For many, the only requirement for that to occur is that they be in my presence for a time. For a very few people, however, a more personal connection is necessary.”

  “Then there are others, like you and Tási, who feel my pull for even deeper reasons. You have come to me as a partner, someone who seeks my love and affection, and in time, you will have it.”

  “But only if you can accept the fact that you will have to share me with those who need my attention to make them whole,” I told her firmly. “Tási knows this already, and despite how much it pains her, she has come to accept me for who I am, and I love her all the more for that.”

  “I need your help Líann,” I confessed to her. “I need your scribes if I’m to have any chance of success in the coming wars, but I also need you as well. I need you to give me time to find some balance and come to terms with everything that’s happening.”

  “I’ve already felt you, Líann. Beyond your beauty, there’s something within you that’s almost irresistible to me. You keep pushing me, Líann, and I want to give in to you more than anything, but if I do, I know that your intensity will be far more than I can handle right now.”

  “So, I’m asking you—no, Líann, I’m begging you, to please back off. I need you to wait until I’m ready for you. I need you to be patient and let me come to you when it’s time.”

  “If you want there to ever be anything between us, Líann, you will have to accept the same terms I have imposed on the others. Tási must never know what transpires between us. Our relationship will be between you and I, and no one else must ever learn about it.”

  Líann sat still, pondering all I had revealed to her for a moment before she looked me in the eye as she responded.

  “You have bared your heart, and I dare say much of your soul to me, Empress,” she replied with far more empathy that I thought she was capable of. “I can’t help but respect your candor, so I’m willing to do as you request. To ‘back off,’ as you say. I only ask that you answer a few questions in return.”

  I really, really needed her to give me some breathing room, so I nodded reluctantly, and she proceeded.

  “How many, and who are they?” She asked immediately, and I saw the jealousy burning fiercely in her eyes.

  “There are three, including Tási,” I told her bluntly. “But that is all I’ll tell you. The discretion I require of you applies to them as well.”

  “So, I will be fourth in line for your attentions?”

  “No, Líann,” I replied honestly. “The others only have need of me infrequently. Once I’m ready, no one but Tási will come before you, and to be honest, your places would likely be reversed had I met you first.”

  Líann’s eyes lit up at my candid admission. Perhaps it was unwise for me to be so honest with her, but so far, it was the only tactic I had used on her that didn’t seem to blow up in my face.

  “I know something of the Sintári,” she responded. “Forgive my crassness, but you will live far longer than your halfling companion. As long as you promise to come to me when you’re ready, I can afford to wait in the shadows until your time with her has run its course.”

  “And the rest?” I asked her pointedly.

  “So long as you keep them from me, I will look the other way as well,” she replied without much objection. “It is not uncommon for Kings to have a mistress or even several of them. At least yours are for a higher purpose, and you have the decency to keep things discreet.”

  “Then I think we’ve reached an understanding, Líann,” I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as I rose from my chair.

  “Yes we have, Empress,” she replied as she matched my movements. “I will send word back to Íforn and see how many of my scribes I can call to serve you. But I warn you, although I can send out the summons, and some will undoubtedly answer my call, I cannot prevent them from charging you for their services. The cost for the scrolls you seek is steep, and you will need deep pockets indeed if you are to have the number of scrolls to match your needs.”

  “Yes, so I’ve been told,” I responded. “And I’m working on that issue now.”

  Well, not directly I wasn’t, but I was hoping that something would come up to help me solve that problem. At the very least, I had the Khelduin to fall back on, but I was reluctant to give that up too easily.

  “Empress,” Líann called to me as I started to leave the room.

  “Yes, Líann?” I replied, somewhat concerned o
ver what she intended to add to the conversation that I thought had come to an end.

  “I understand that you have weekly meetings with your Ministers,” she responded. “Perhaps you might consider including me in those discussions so that I might be able to offer you my advice as well?”

  “Of course,” I answered with genuine appreciation. Her skill and experience would be invaluable to me in governing my new Empire. “I will have Talína send you our schedule and a formal invitation”

  “Thank you, Empress,” she replied as she joined me beside the doorway that led back into the office Talína and the other aides shared.

  “May I ask just one final favor of you?” She added, and I could tell she was practically bursting at the seams.

  “You can ask, Líann, but only so long as it doesn’t violate the agreement we just made,” I cautioned her.

  “I promise not to push, Empress,” she vowed. “I only want you to show me your eyes again.”

  She looked at me almost desperately as she made her request, and while it was a simple enough thing for me to do, I hesitated to stir up her powerful desires as I had the last time I’d shown her my darkness.

  “I know what that will do to you, Líann,” I tried to rebuff her gently. “I’m not sure that it’s wise for me to provoke you in that way right now.”

  “You’ve told me I can’t act on my desires, Empress,” she pled with me. “But at least let me feel your fire—I promise I won’t press you or try to do anything else to make you feel uncomfortable. I only need to feel your power once more.”

  “Are you sure your willing to endure the consequences?” I asked her bluntly.

  “Yes, I am,” she replied with conviction.

  My initial reaction was to simply deny her request—the risk was simply too great. If I did anything to encourage her, she might react too strongly for me to resist. But there was something in her words that made me reconsider. Her pleading tone and the sense of near desperation I felt from her led me to remember some of what she had told me before.

  Líann was a Queen who had spent her life not only in near isolation, at least on a personal level, but also without anyone who even dared to contradict her. Almost inevitably, with that sense of power and entitlement, she’d grown into the haughty and arrogant woman I’d first met.

  But that had begun to change when I’d first rejected her. When I demanded that she treat people with some level of decency, she’d heeded my words. My display of dominance had not only spurred her desires but had also apparently caused her to work even harder at learning how to deal with people in a more appropriate manner.

  The realization hit me suddenly, like so many of my moments of clarity seemed to do. Líann had never met anyone more powerful than herself. She required the influence, the guidance of a stronger hand, to mold her into a better person. Líann needed to be dominated. Not only so that she might be instructed, but it was also something that had become part of who she was—something that I had awoken in her. A part of her that had lain dormant until I roused it from its slumber.

  Fuck! That sounded awfully familiar to me.

  Líann hadn’t just been drawn to me as a lover, she needed me as well. Her desires weren’t just carnal in their nature, as I’d already known for some time. She had a deeper need that only I could satisfy. The need to feel my power; to be dominated and recognize that she was not the superior being she’d always believed herself to be.

  Part of me experienced an instant sense of relief at my epiphany. Líann wasn’t just sent to me as a piece of meat; there was a deeper, more meaningful reason behind her powerful desires. Thinking of her in that way made the situation somewhat easier for me to tolerate, and I was more comfortable giving in to her request.

  “Are you ready?” Was all I said in return.

  “Yes,” she replied almost meekly.

  With my new-found comprehension of Líann’s needs, I decided that if she needed dominance, then I was going to give it to her. So, when she uttered her reply, I grabbed her forcefully and pushed her against the wall. Not too hard, but strongly enough so she understood that she was no match for me. Then, I looked her in the face and let my eyes blaze with their bright, green light.

  “Is this what you wanted?” I asked her almost tauntingly as I held her there.

  “Yes,” she answered in an awestruck whisper.

  “You need this, don’t you?” I prompted her as I glared at her even more intently. “You need to be put you in your place.”

  “I do,” Líann replied softly, and I could see that she recognized it for herself.

  “You sought to make me yours, Líann, but it’s you who are now mine,” I told her as she began to squirm. “I will take you when the time is right, but until that time comes, when you need to feel my power you may request that I attend to you.”

  “I will,” she uttered slowly.

  I wanted to do more, so much more to her at that moment, but I’d already pushed things far beyond what I’d initially intended. Somehow, once I’d given Líann what she needed, I felt myself drawn into the display of dominance as well. It was as if satisfying her needs also quenched some inner desire of my own, and as I reluctantly released her, I realized just where that desire originated from—my own inner darkness.

  Displaying my power not only met Líann’s needs, but also satisfied something in me as well, a need that I’d never recognized before. My darkness had desires of its own, and they had to be fed. Venting a portion of my shadows, even in a faux display of power, released some of the pent-up rage I held deep inside me. I realized that without some sort of outlet, the anger inside me might build up beyond my ability to control. It wasn’t just Líann who needed to feel my power; I needed her as a way to release a portion of my shadows before they became too powerful for me to contain. Líann needed my darkness, and my darkness needed her in return.

  “Are you alright?” I asked her as I let the light fade from my eyes.

  “I will be in a moment,” she replied in a strained whisper as she looked away from me.

  Although Líann averted her gaze, I still held her firmly against the wall. As I kept her in place with one hand, I reached up and cupped her chin with the other and forced her to look into my eyes.

  “It won’t be quite as long as I thought, Líann,” I whispered to her. “You’ll get what you want soon enough.”

  I wasn’t lying to her or leading her on. Despite everything—despite all my reservations and the absolute mess I’d made of my personal life—with the realizations I’d just had, I knew that my need for Líann was nearly, if not equally as strong as her desire for me.

  So, with those words, I kissed her softly on the lips and let her go before I hurried out of the room. I wanted to leave her on a lighter note than the rough handling I’d given her, but I didn’t dare remain anywhere near her after the quick gesture of affection. Then, once I’d made good on my escape, I went back to my private rooms to retreat from all of my responsibilities. I’d done enough to upend my world in just that short meeting with Líann, I didn’t need to create any more trouble for myself that day.

  As I entered my chambers, I found that Tási was gone, but Bane was in his room, so I curled up against his scales and drew a blanket around me.

  ‘How’s your fire breathing going?’ I asked him.

  I am learning how to control it, Sintári, but it is difficult. The flames vary greatly in their intensity depending on what I do, as does the distance that I can project them.

  ‘That sounds rather incredible. When are you going to be able to show me?’

  Bane had refused to let me witness his practice. He claimed that it was too dangerous for me to do so, since he had little control over the flames that shot from the twin pits beneath his tongue. He had promised to let me see as soon as he felt it was safe enough for me to do so, so all I’d ever witnessed of them were the remains of the curtains he had accidentally scorched.

  It has only been a little over a
day since I discovered the ability, Sintári, he replied in amusement. You must at least allow me some time to learn how to wield it.

  ‘I guess that’s a reasonable request,’ I admitted with a smile. ‘Will you be staying with us tonight?’

  Regretfully, no, Sintári. I have found a perfect place to test my powers, but it is far away, so I will spend a few days there to learn what I can.

  ‘I understand,’ I sent back to him. ‘Please return to me as soon as possible. I miss you so much when you’re away from me.’

  My connection with Bane had grown quite powerful. Even if we couldn’t see each other, so long as we were close enough, we both felt the comfort of each other’s presence. As our bond grew stronger, that distance increased, and we only needed to be within a few miles of each other for us to feel the reassurance of each other’s presence.

  I feel your absence as well, Sintári. I promise to come back within a few days, regardless of my progress.

  Bane left shortly thereafter, and when Tási returned later, I informed her that Líann would be joining our weekly meetings. Although she managed to hold her tongue, I could tell that she was almost raging inside at the news.

  “Are you afraid of the darkness inside me, Tási?” I asked her when I became too irritated to let things go any farther.

  “Scared to death is more like it; why do you ask?” She replied.

  “I discovered Líann’s purpose today,” I told her quite bluntly. “She’s an outlet for my darkness. The reason she’s here is to keep it from overwhelming me.”

  “Is that really true?” Tási asked me needlessly.

  “It is, Tási,” I replied. “I’m not asking you to like her, but can you at least stop acting like such a bitch every time her name comes up?”

  “If she can keep me from ever having to see your eyes do that again, she might become my best friend,” Tási offered weakly.

  “I hope she does,” I responded sincerely. “Because I think that she may be the key to keeping the shadows inside me at bay.”