“You’re insane,” said Hal. “Did you really think this was going to make me happy?”
“Would you have preferred me to have found a slave who looks like Cadrian?” asked Zoria. “Would that have pleased you more, master? Giving a slave a taste of the tangled love and hate you feel for the woman that betrayed you?”
“You’re a real bitch,” said Hal.
Zoria flinched back. Her expression looked injured for an instant, and then it hardened into a glare.
“Fine then,” she said, the sarcasm thick in her voice. “I did it to mock you. I went out of my way to set this up, all to see you suffer. That’s how you see me, isn’t it? As a heartless, eklid bitch, who couldn’t possibly understand your complicated cattle emotions.”
Hal glared at her, feeling his anger solidifying into something dangerous. Zoria took a step closer to him, lifting her chin to make it almost seem like she was looking down on him even though he was taller than her.
“I’m going back to the surface, Zoria,” said Hal.
“Good,” said Zoria. “The sooner I’m rid of you, the better. But you will still help me with my plan.”
“I follow through with what I say I’m going to do,” said Hal.
He held her gaze for a few seconds longer. Zoria looked away first, walking past him in the direction of her family’s domicile. Hal followed a short distance behind her, his emotions still surging within his chest.
CHAPTER 35
“…It’s about real heroes. The Dragongrounds have all sorts of different slaves entered into them, but everyone knows that the winner each year is a real hero.”
Hal stared blankly at Bilma, watching her lips move without really listening. They were sitting on a stone bench in one of Zelnata’s forested recreation areas. A small pond broke up the monotony of grass and carefully manicured trees, attracting both tiny birds and young, eklid children to play.
He’d said little to Zoria after their argument the previous night, falling asleep on her floor, rather than in her bed. The morning’s breakfast had been a quiet affair, with the two of them still tense around each other, and Kendri nervous for her dawning ceremony. It would take place later that night, and all of them would be there to watch.
“It’s a legendary contest,” said Bilma. “Thousands of people watch it every year. It had me gasping at every moment! I was up over myself, truly.”
Hal’s thoughts had been scattered, and he’d been doing a pretty terrible job of being an interesting date partner. Unlike Bilma, he didn’t have the same ability to see the Upper Realm through rose colored glasses.
“What do you know about the night harems?” asked Hal, interrupting her. Bilma gave him a strange look.
“The… night harems?” asked Bilma. “Why would you bring that up?”
“Do you know how the girls end up in them?” asked Hal. “Are they just… forced into it?”
He winced at the thought. He could still picture the girl Zoria had prepared for him, and it made him feel hollow inside. He found himself wishing that he had his heartgem, and that he was at a point with it where he could storm into places like that, and make right through might.
“I’ve never really thought about it,” said Bilma. “I guess they are. Though I’m sure some of the girls are there by choice.”
Hal only barely resisted the urge to go off on her, forcing himself to remember why he was there. She’d given him an opening, and he wasn’t stupid enough to miss it.
“You sound like you envy them a little,” said Hal.
Bilma shrugged.
“Maybe I do,” she said. “A little. My mistress will eventually find me a breeding partner, and that will be that.” She made a face. Hal slid in a little closer to her.
“You can always break the rules,” he said, letting one of his fingers draw a circle on her knee.
“She’d kill me if she found out,” said Bilma.
Hal leaned in close, whispering his next words in her ear. “Well, we’d better make sure she doesn’t find out, then.”
Bilma brought a hand to her mouth, but she was smiling underneath it.
“I’m not going to do anything weird, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said, in a matter of fact voice.
“Says the girl who was just talking about how she envied the slaves in the night harems.” Hal took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her over to a section of the recreation area that he’d seen before, where a couple of leafy trees mostly blocked off the view of another stone bench.
He pulled her to him as soon as they were out of direct view, kissing her deeply. He felt surprisingly confident as Bilma kissed him back. He hadn’t always been like this, though it was hard for him to think of who or what had been the catalyst.
Cadrian. She taught me how to express myself like this.
Hal tried to rinse his mind of the thought with more kisses. Bilma’s lips were barely moving against his. He pulled back a few inches, her eyes taking an extra few seconds to flutter open.
“You… kissed me,” said Bilma. She shook her head dumbly.
Hal pulled her back into him and kissed her even more deeply. She was wearing a red shirt with a dark grey skirt that barely went down to her knees. With no leggings or pants underneath, even. It emphasized the differences between Upper Realm fashions and what Hal was used to, and also presented him with an opportunity.
“I’m going to do more than just kiss you,” he whispered. He waited, judging by her reaction whether she was into it or not. Bilma gave a nod, her cheeks as red as her shirt.
Hal led her over to the stone bench. He sat down on it first, glancing around at their surroundings. It was too open and obvious a spot for them to risk getting completely naked, but he had an idea.
He pulled Bilma in closer to him and slid a hand under her skirt, gently running his fingers over her undergarments. She shuddered and swayed on her feet, almost looking like she was about to collapse where she stood.
Hal made sure they weren’t being watched, and then hurried to pull his pants down far enough to free his manhood. He thought he might be moving too fast for the clearly inexperienced girl, but she just stared at him, her mouth slightly open, her eyes hungry for something new.
He carefully positioned her onto his lap, pulling her panties aside as he lowered her onto his erection. Bilma let out a dreadfully cute gasp as Hal’s shaft slid into her. She was aroused, but it still took a bit of effort to get the angle right, along with a couple of torturous seconds for her to allow herself to drop down all the way.
“There,” said Hal, smoothing her skirt out to mostly hide what they were doing. “Nobody can even see what we’re doing.”
He ran his hands over her breasts, which were large and more fun to play with than he’d expected.
“They’ll know,” whispered Bilma.
Hal rocked her back and forth, his fingers tracing lines along her the insides of her pale thighs. He shifted his hips and plunged his tool upward slightly. Bilma took a shallow breath and steadied her hand against the bench.
“They won’t,” whispered Hal. “As long as you can keep yourself in control.”
He was grinning, though he knew that there was no way that she could see his face. He took her by the hips, letting his fingers caress her through her clothing for a second before taking a firm grip. Then, without warning, he began bouncing her a little, lifting her up and pulling her down, taking her more forcefully.
To her credit, Bilma managed to stay mostly quiet. She seemed to force the impulse to moan and cry out into other parts of her body, making her legs kick out, or her shoulders shudder. She made to lean forward at one point. Hal gripped her firmly by the waist and pulled her back down, sheathing himself deep inside her and making sure her skirt stayed in place to cover what was happening.
“Remember to breathe,” he whispered.
“Breathe,” repeated Bilma.
Hal ran his hands over her breasts again, planting soft kisses o
n her neck. He felt a little bad for what he was doing, and even worse for justifying it as a lesser evil for the greater good. Compared to some of the other things he’d done, seducing an inexperienced girl in bad faith seemed to be of minor note.
“Is this your first time?” whispered Hal. He lifted her up far enough to give himself room to thrust into her, her butt mashing against his legs as he did.
“No,” whispered Bilma. “My… mistress’s brother.”
“An elf?” asked Hal.
“It was… not like this.” She leaned her head back against his chest and twisted her midriff, taking advantage of the position of Hal’s manhood.
“I bet it wasn’t,” said Hal. He’d heard about the size differences between elves and humans. The tightness he’d experienced with Lady Katara and Zoria suggested that the rumors were more than exaggeration.
“This feels…” Bilma’s words were wispy and unfocused. “Oh… Hal. I feel… Oh!”
She began moving faster, throwing caution to the wind as she bounced on his tool. Hal glanced around at the trees and out at the pond. There was a group of female elves lounging on the grass, and one of them was frowning and looking in their direction.
“Someone’s watching,” whispered Hal.
Bilma let out a tiny squeak. She slowed down, but continued moving, her tight hole stroking up and down, tugging at Hal’s tool. He tried to push her skirt back down to block the action, but it didn’t change much about what the scene looked like.
The elf who had noticed them was lying on the grass, licking her lips. One of her hands slid down to settle in between her thighs. She made eye contact with Hal for an instant and bit her lower lip.
Hal threw caution to the wind, groping Bilma’s breasts and urging her back up to pace. She eagerly obliged him, bouncing on his manhood hard enough for the slapping noise to be rhythmic and obvious.
“Oh…” moaned Bilma. “Oh, by the sky, Hal!”
She tensed up, all of her muscles tightening and her back arching. Hal gave her another few deep thrusts, and then pulled her down, pushing his shaft as deep as it would go as he came inside her. He made a show of smoothing out her skirt as the pleasure washed over him. It was ecstasy, but also a major reality check. The female elf who’d seen them was smiling, and she only watched for another second or two before turning back to her friends.
CHAPTER 36
“I’ve never done anything like that before,” whispered Bilma. “That was… amazing.”
They’d moved to a different bench after they’d finished. Bilma’s hair was a little messy, and her cheeks were still flushed, but she seemed otherwise no worse for wear, physically and emotionally.
“It was fun,” said Hal. He smiled, remembering the purpose of his seduction. “Probably more fun than whatever you mistress would have you doing on a typical work day, right?”
Bilma let out a small giggle. “She’d have me polishing her jewelry, if I was home today. As though it needs more attention than I’ve already given it.”
“That sounds tedious,” said Hal. “I can only hope that she puts you in a room with a view.”
“She puts me in her bedroom, on the second floor.” Bilma sighed. “I can see out into the courtyard, but it’s not as though there’s usually much going on outside the hive during the day.”
Hal nodded, committing the detail to memory.
Second floor bedroom with a window overlooking the courtyard. Shouldn’t be too hard to find.
“Anyway, I’m hungry,” said Bilma. “You should buy me lunch now.”
Hal was in the middle of mentally phrasing his refusal when he saw someone walk through the park. Someone he recognized. Cadrian had her back turned to him, and she was walking as though she had somewhere she needed to be.
“Sorry,” said Hal. “I… have to go.”
He was already moving, and only heard the annoyed tone of Bilma’s response. As much as Hal wanted to sprint after Cadrian and confront her in a brash fashion, he’d learned his lesson from his last encounter with her.
He forced himself to follow at a distance, meandering down the streets of Zelnata and only watching her out of the corner of his eye. She was headed somewhere important. He could tell from her posture and gait. But where?
And how, exactly, was he supposed to take advantage of his opportunity? He couldn’t beat her in a straight fight, not without his heartgem, and possibly not even with it. Could he find a way to surprise her? If he’d had a knife, he could wait until she walked down an alleyway, and then…
And then what? I kill her? Like all the people I killed in the Dragongrounds?
The question was moot. “Cadrian” stopped to talk to another human woman in the street, and Hal got a clear look at her face. It wasn’t her, though she looked similar enough for him to picture her as a close cousin, or maybe even a sister. Hal exhaled, his heart still pounding in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed that it hadn’t been Cadrian, or relieved.
Hal had already turned to leave when another thought struck him. He’d mistaken that woman for Cadrian. Was it possible that the “Cadrian” he’d seen and confronted after Zoria’s trial had been another lookalike? It seemed ridiculous, but he thought back to the encounter.
She never actually said anything to me. She seemed to recognize me… but could that have been just because of how I was staring at her?
He scowled at the street as he walked. It was a frustrating line of reasoning to go down, but it did fit, in some ways. The Cadrian he’d seen in the Upper Realm had had both eyes. Would she really have thought to use something as limiting as an eye patch as part of her disguise? Why would she even need a disguise on the surface? Nobody would have recognized her, given the separation of the hidden Upper Realm.
Except there were people who could have blown her cover. Zoria could have, if she’d been more familiar with the Ardstone family. And it wasn’t as though Hal had confirmed that the woman he’d seen after the trial had two natural eyes. One of them could have been a fake, and she might have only bothered with it for formal occasions. Or the eyepatch could have been a disguise, after all.
Too many questions…
He made his way back to Zoria’s domicile slowly, not relishing the idea of having to spend more time around her and her family. He was still a little upset at her for what she’d done. Beyond just the act of procuring a literal sex slave for him, she’d made a bunch of assumptions that made Hal wonder if he really knew her as well as he thought he did.
Zoria was seated at the central table when he entered. She looked up at him, and then immediately glanced away as their eyes met. Hal frowned and took a seat across from her, feeling unwilling to take the first step in starting a conversation. The silence dragged on, until finally Zoria sighed and tapped her fingers on the side of her chair.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“I have what we need,” said Hal.
He didn’t elaborate further than that. In part, it was because the information was a bargaining chip, of sorts. He needed to get back to the surface, and Zoria needed to get revenge on Gardius. He had to be sure that she would uphold her end of their bargain in good faith before he gave her the information that would let her take care of it herself.
Hal also held his tongue for a less strategic reason. It was a way of hitting back, of demonstrating that she’d shaken the trust between them. He felt a little petty for doing it, but the image of the slave with Laurel’s scar drawn on her face was still fresh in his memory.
“Master,” said Zoria, in a carefully controlled voice. “I admit that my gift to you last night may have been in… poor taste.”
“Poor taste,” repeated Hal. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say about it?”
“I’m not sure what else to say,” said Zoria. “Whether you understand the reality of it or not, you are my slave.”
Hal glared at her. Zoria held her hands up and let out a sigh.
“That came out wrong,�
�� she said. “What I mean is… It was a gift. Most slaveowners in the Upper Realm would never even think to show their cattle a kindness like that.”
“So I should have been appreciative?” asked Hal. “Is that what you’re saying?”
He stood up, letting his chair screech as the legs dragged across the floor.
“Master!” snapped Zoria. “I just… I know that you love that girl. It might be hard for you to understand, and just as hard for me to explain, but I was thinking of you, when I did that.”
Hal stared at her, trying to calm himself for both of their sakes. His eyes focused on the detail of her pointed ears, and the narrowness of her face. She was an elf, raised in the Upper Realm. He was a human, raised not just on the surface, but in a far off land.
There are some things that we will never see the same way. But… I do still care for her.
“Just don’t do it again,” said Hal. “And don’t treat slaves like that. As a favor to me.”
Zoria nodded.
“I’ll still help you with your plan,” said Hal. “As long as you agree to get me back to the surface.”
Zoria hesitated. She looked a little pained by his words, but she nodded a second time.
“Fair enough,” she said. “Though I think you would live a happier life up here, personally. The surface is dirty and full of danger.”
“Which is a large part of the reason why I need to get back down there,” said Hal.
Zoria nodded again. She licked her lips and waved a hand.
“Well, we don’t have time to waste,” she said. “I came up with a plan in case you managed to get the details on where Gardius keeps her jewelry. We can act tonight, if you feel ready.”
“I’m listening.”
CHAPTER 37
“We’ll take my family’s silk carriage to Kendri’s dawning ceremony tonight,” said Zoria.
“Silk carriage?” asked Hal.
“They aren’t that different from normal, other than being powered by crystal,” said Zoria. “They aren’t very fast, but they’re popular for their privacy, especially when it comes to outdoor events. Doubly so for dawning ceremonies, given how some eklids react to watching the erotic action.”
Dawning Ceremony (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 3) Page 20