"That's what you would do?"
"Yes."
"Then please, do it."
She disappeared for a moment then she was back. She opened the front of the jumper, peeling it down over my shoulder and exposing my left breast, and then she jabbed the needle in and depressed the plunger. She covered me back up, disappeared for a moment, then came back.
"It will take a few minutes for that to take effect," she explained. "I normally wouldn't wait, but it would be a shame for your tattoo to be ruined if you flinch. It is not pleasant to have your face tattooed. So we'll wait for the pacifier to take effect."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Your new mistress is an artist," she said. "Or more likely, hires one. Would you like to see what your tattoo will be?"
"I don't care," I said. "It doesn't matter."
She held up a computer tablet to face me, and I stared at the pattern.
"That's one of mine," I said quietly. "I painted that."
It was a painting I had done several years ago, a forest scene. It had been changed to allow for a facial tattoo, but it was clearly mine.
"It will go here," she said, touching my chin. "It covers your mouth, then around your face like this." She traced a line, covering my entire cheek, then up to my eyebrow. She touched me in a similar fashion on the other side. "It's going to be stunning."
"Why would he do this?"
"She," the woman correct. "You were bought by a female vampire. I don't know. If it's your painting, then I would guess she knows who you are. I have not seen one like this before."
She turned away for a moment, setting the tablet aside. "The vampires can become angry if their tattoos are imperfect. If you ask, I can secure you very tightly. Even through the drug, this isn't pleasant. I will need to adjust the bonds as the machine reaches other portions of your face."
"Please make it tight," I said.
She tightened everything I was already wearing. Then she tested my eyes like the technician had yesterday.
"You're almost out of it," she said.
"Yes," I said, the word slow.
"Close your eyes. We'll do the area around your mouth first. It is the most unpleasant, except when we're forced to do the eyelids, and this design avoids your eyes."
I dutifully closed my eyes, and she added another strap over them, this one padded, but with a cup that fit over the bridge of my nose. She cinched it down tightly.
"More," I whispered, and she made it just a little tighter.
"I'm going to give you a chin strap while we do your lips, but I'll have to remove it afterwards."
"Thank you," I whispered.
She wrapped a strap over my chin, then when she pulled it tight, it forced my mouth closed. I couldn't move, not at all.
"Relax your face now, as best you can. I'd rather do this to you while you were unconscious, but it is part of your punishment, and that is not allowed. If you clench, you will ruin the design, and your vampire will be reminded every time she sees it."
I relaxed as best I could, floating under the effects of the drugs she had given me. I felt something settle over my face, cold metal feet pressed against me, and then she said gently, "I am about to start. There is a brief test, a moment for you to grow accustomed, and then the machine proceeds with only the pauses I programmed to move your straps."
There was a pause, and then the machine began to whir. A moment later there was pressure against my lips, painful pressure like tiny little mosquitoes. I lay there, unmoving, and the machine began.
My thoughts drifted, lost to the drug, and I barely noticed the machine. I barely noticed as it stopped, and she removed the chinstrap. The machine moved over my face. Then it stopped again and she removed the strap across my eyes.
"It's best if you keep your eyes closed," she said into my ear. She added other straps, pressing against my abused skin, but I was held steady, and then the machine continued with its tiny needles of torture.
And then it was done, and she removed the machine, but she didn't loosen the straps. Instead, she added one across my eyes and another under my nose before removing the one from my chin.
"Open your mouth," she ordered, and I could do nothing but obey, no thoughts of defying her even entering my brain. She slipped something into my mouth, sliding it between my teeth, and then it expanded, pressing against my teeth, forcing my mouth to open widely.
I didn't care. Let her do what she wanted. I didn't care.
She pinched my lower lip. There was a moment of pain, and then another, and then a third. After that, there was pressure, pinching pressure in the skin immediately below my lip. I didn't know what she had done, but I didn't care.
"Done," she said, and she began releasing some of the straps, but not all of them. I was still strapped tightly to the chair.
"Do you want to see?" she asked.
I opened my eyes but stared straight ahead, unable to form enough thoughts to decide what I might want. There was a part of me that realized it was the drug. I didn't care about that, either.
She tested my eyes. "You're pretty far gone," she said. "I'm going to show you and answer a few more of the most common questions, then your guards will come for you."
She used her tablet, holding it in front of me, the camera taking my image, the screen reflecting it to me.
"Beautiful," I said.
And it was.
She showed me the entire thing. The only marring feature were the three small silver rings against my chin.
"What?"
"These?" she asked, touching them. "For your leash."
I was to be dragged around the world by my lip. I found I didn't care.
She put the tablet away.
"The tattoo is permanent, although it can be removed if you serve your sentence. The removal process is unpleasant and imperfect. The anchors for your leash are also permanent, unless you tear it out, although we will remove it for you when your sentence is fulfilled. You will probably find them mildly irritating and even more distracting, but there are no sharp edges to wear the inside of your mouth, and the backing conforms to your mouth." She paused. "I have not done one like this before. Your face will be tender for a few days. Unless you do something foolish, there will be no infection."
I blinked, a portion of my brain absorbing her words, but by and large, I could barely think.
"Your guards are on the way. You will remain in the chair until they arrive. I know right now you will do anything I tell you, but there are regulations, and I remain within them."
"Thank you," I told her. It was the only thought I had.
She held my hand for a moment, squeezing it, and then she stepped away. A moment later, the door opened. My guards had returned.
They both moved into my field of view, looking at me in the chair.
"Wow," one of them said. The other reached forward and tugged on the anchors for my leash, pulling on my lip painfully.
"Leave her alone," the technician said.
They unstrapped me from the chair, shackling my arms behind my back again. I hung limply from their grip, barely able to hold myself erect, and when they urged me forward, I took two steps and slumped.
They dragged me through the corridors, hanging painfully from my arms, my feet pulled along the floor. Neither of them seemed surprised or put out by it.
I didn't recognize where they took me, but eventually I found myself in a small room similar to the one yesterday. I was strapped into a chair, and they left me.
I stared ahead, uncaring.
The Mistress
I had no idea how long I sat there. It could have been five minutes, it could have been several hours. I vaguely registered the need to use the toilet, but it wasn't pressing. I vaguely registered my mouth was very dry, but I didn't care.
The door opened, and I didn't even turn to look. Two women stepped in, one human and one...
A vampire.
A portion of my brain registered this. I didn't particularly
care. I stared straight ahead, not registering when they talked.
The vampire stepped closer, clasping my hair and pushing backwards, turning my face upwards.
Vampires come in all styles: male, female, young, old, attractive, ugly. I would not have called this vampire attractive, but she was far from ugly. Her skin was white, nearly translucent, like many vampires. She wore makeup around her eyes and lips, giving her an even more garish appearance, and her black hair was long and stark.
I would not have wanted to paint her.
But I caught a glimpse of her hand with delicate fingers, and I thought perhaps I could paint her hand, and maybe her nose.
"Beautiful," she said, looking at me. "Perfect. Remove this collar." The vampire thumbed the punishment collar and stepped away.
I sat quietly, staring straight ahead. The collar loosened, and then the technician removed it from around my neck.
The vampire stepped forward to stand in front of me again. "Why is she so unresponsive?"
The technician consulted her tablet. "It appears there was a mix-up with the pacifier drugs," the other woman said.
"What sort of mix-up?" the vampire asked. She stood up and turned to the other woman, and I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of that glare.
"She was given an extra strength dose of the pacifier," the woman explained.
"Why?"
"Antidote," I managed to say.
The vampire turned back to me. "Explain."
"Antidote. Frightened. The technician was kind."
"She makes no sense," the vampire said sternly, turning back to the other woman again. "Explain. Now."
I stared dully ahead as the woman stammered. "Um. Um."
"Now!" the vampire thundered. A part of me thought I should be frightened.
"She was given the antidote," the frightened woman said. "It must have been a mistake."
"The technician gave her the antidote?"
"In her cell. It would have taken effect by the time she arrived at the processing facility."
"So why is she so unresponsive?" Again it was thundered.
"The technician gave her a fresh dose of the pacifier, an extra-strong dose."
"Why would she do that?" the vampire asked.
"Perhaps the slave was resistive, and the technician did not want the tattoo ruined."
The vampire turned back to me. "Is that true? Were you resisting?"
"Nooo," I said slowly. "So scared. Crying. Pleading. Pain."
The vampire straightened. "I believe I understand. Can she even walk?"
"Probably not," said the woman.
"Administer the antidote."
"With this large a dose, even the antidote takes time."
"How much time?"
"An hour or two."
"Administer the antidote," the vampire ordered again.
I sat on the bench, staring ahead, as the human woman fled the room. She returned a moment or three later, and I didn't resist as I received the fourth shot of the day.
"Release her," the vampire said.
"I need guards-"
"Release her NOW!" the vampire yelled. "I have waited long enough."
"Yes, Lady Dunn!"
The human woman released the straps holding me in place. I lolled, and the vampire held me upright. The human removed the shackles from my ankles then said, "I can't reach her hands."
The vampire picked me up by my arms, holding me easily. It hurt, but I didn't care. The human stepped behind me, freeing my hands, and then the vampire set me back into the chair with more delicacy than I would have expected.
I watched as she produced a chain from her purse. She attached it to the rings dangling against my chin, then wrapped the free end around her wrist. "Get a wheelchair."
"We do not have any," the woman stammered. "We have gurneys."
"Never mind," the vampire spat. "I'll carry her." She stepped up to me, reached underneath me, and picked me up, holding me cradled in her arms.
The trip to her car was a blur. I lolled in the vampire's arms, aware of what was happening, but not resistant. The human woman ran ahead, opening doors, and we emerged into an underground garage. The vampire strode to a car. I didn't see what style, but it was a convertible and looked fast. She set me on my feet, keeping one arm around me, and opened the door, then set me into the car.
She turned to the woman, following along behind. "You must sign for her," she told the vampire, holding out a tablet. The vampire scratched across the screen and then glared at the woman. "Anything else?"
"No, Lady Dunn," the woman said.
"Is she going to be sick in my car?"
"I don't know."
"If she is, I will be finding out who gave her the antidote, and that person and you will become my newest blood slaves. Do I make myself clear?"
I turned my head and watched the woman turn white. Part of me felt a moment of victory, and I almost considered getting intentionally sick. "Yes, Lady Dunn," the woman said. "Please, I had nothing to do with that."
"Then you best hope she isn't sick."
Then the vampire strode around her car, climbed in, and started the car. She looked at me. "Buckle up. It's the law."
I fumbled with the seatbelt. She made a disgusted noise and reached past me, pulling the belt tightly, moving the chain of my leash out of the way. She snapped the buckle closed then turned my face towards hers.
"If you are sick, you will be severely punished, whether it is your fault or not. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I managed to say.
"You say 'yes, m'lady' or 'yes, Lady Dunn.' Try it again."
"Yes, m'lady," I managed to get out.
"Hands in your lap," she ordered. "Leave them there. Look straight ahead. If you are going to be sick, warn me. Otherwise, you will remain silent."
I turned my head forward. "Yes, m'lady."
Her driving was crisp but erratic, and we hadn't been on the road long before I said, "Sick, m'lady."
She came to a near-screeching halt at the side of the road and had both of our seatbelts off faster than I could react. Then she literally sprang from her seat, landing in a crouch next to my side of the car and moments later had me hauled out of her car. She lowered me to my hands and knees.
The world spun with all the sudden movements. I closed my eyes and tried not to be ill. I knelt there, panting, but I wasn't sick.
"Are you wasting my time?" she said from beside me.
I looked up. "No, m'lady."
She hauled me to my feet by my arms, holding me steady in front of her.
"Explain yourself."
My brain was beginning to work better, but the last thing I wanted to tell this woman was that her driving was contributing to making me ill.
When I didn't answer, she shook me, the motion rattling my head about. I clamped my hand over my mouth and turned away, but I shoved it down. Slowly, when I was sure I wouldn't be sick all over her, I turned back. "I am sorry, m'lady."
"Why did you claim to be sick?"
"I thought I was going to be."
"Why?"
"Um."
"Answer me!"
"Your driving."
She narrowed her eyes, gathered my leash in her hand while still holding me upright with the other, and pulled my lip painfully towards her. I had little choice but to go where she pulled.
"What is wrong with my driving?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"It is very precise," I was able to say.
"And what is wrong with that?"
"It is very sudden."
She stared into my face for several heartbeats before relaxing the pressure on my lip. "Are you in immediate danger of becoming ill?"
"I don't think so," I said, "but if you shake me again, I don't know."
"The antidote must be working," she replied. "You are more responsive. But you do not look frightened."
It wasn't a question.
"Can you stand?"
"I don't know.
"
Slowly she released me, first removing the pressure against my lip, although she maintained possession of one end of the leash, then, once she was sure I was steady, she relaxed her hold on my arm. I wavered a little, but I didn't fall.
"Can you get back in the car without getting sick?"
"I think so, m'lady."
"Try."
I turned to the car, and she followed along with me as I opened the door and gingerly climbed in. I was able to buckle up, and she dropped the leash into my lap, closing my door. She watched me carefully.
"I will endeavor to travel more smoothly."
"Thank you, m'lady."
She climbed into the other side, and a moment later, she pulled smoothly away from the curve, accelerating evenly and comfortably.
"Thank you, m'lady," I told her again.
After that, it was a very smooth ride, although I could feel the bumps in the road. Even my car was smoother than this, and I wondered how a rich vampire could have a car that felt so rough.
But I didn't have permission to speak or ask questions, so I kept them to myself.
We exited the main part of the city, soon finding us in an expensive portion of suburbia where the houses were huge, the yards were enormous, and the entrances gated. We pulled into a driveway, and the vampire reached over, pressing keys on a keypad far too quickly for my eyes to see. A moment later, the gate began to move aside. We drove in and came to a stop in front of a very large house. It looked very much like an old French chateau. She shut the car off and turned to face me.
"Can you walk?"
"I think so, m'lady." I turned my head slowly. "I am dizzy and may not walk as quickly as you would prefer."
She climbed from the car then moved to my side. I moved slowly, and she pulled me from the car, steadying me on my feet, wrapping the leash around her hand. I stared at it for a moment but was still too dull to protest.
She kept hold of my arm and pulled me around her car towards the front door of her house. As we reached the first step, the door opened, and a young woman in a maid's uniform held the door open.
"Welcome home, m'lady," the woman said, her eyes downcast.
The vampire pulled me up the steps, hurrying me along, but not dragging me.
"Penny," she said as we stepped into the house. "This is my new blood slave, Melissa. She is mine and only mine. Do I make myself clear?"
Blood Slave Page 5