by Dagny Aldan
“I’m already in trouble,” she pulled away and plucked at the dog tag.
“What did you do?”
“Just –Esquire Justin grabbed my throat and I nearly broke his arm.”
Adrian’s eyes widened,
“Why would you do that?”
Isabel flushed, her temper rising, “How should I react when a stranger grabs my throat? I didn’t think, I just reacted, my training kicked in.”
Adrian frowned and shared a look with his brother. Isabel glared at the two of them, when Jingyi spoke,
“You’re so different now Isabel. I’d barely recognise you.”
Isabel started and looked at her, taking in her dark almond shaped eyes and soft red-black hair.
“I don’t know how to take that,” she said flatly.
Jingyi blushed,
“I think you’re very beautiful.”
Meaning she wasn’t back in school. Isabel knew that fact as well as she knew her own name. Still, it stung to be reminded of it. She gave Jingyi a tight smile.
“Thank you, but you’re far prettier.”
“Still don’t know how to take a compliment, do you?” asked a new voice. Isabel turned and her stomach lurched again, recognising Prince Benjamin. He was just as striking as she remembered, with his skin so dark it seemed to have a blue hue. She had to force herself to stand still and not shrink from him. Benjamin had the most commanding presence she had ever known outside the military. Even some commanders did not carry themselves as he did. Even now, with his cock encased in a plastic container, he was still intimidating.
“Prince Benjamin,” she murmured.
“Isabel,” said Benjamin, reaching out and hooking his hand on the back of her neck. Isabel squeaked in surprise as he pulled her against him and kissed her, prying her mouth open to explore with his tongue. Isabel squeaked again, he had a piercing in it.
“Benjamin,” growled Sander. “Let her go.”
Benjamin broke the kiss, but kept Isabel against his hard body.
“I’ve been waiting years to do that Sander, don’t tell me to stop now.”
“You’ll get in trouble, we’re not supposed to be physical with her,” said Sander.
Isabel, who was still trying to process the fact that she had just been kissed by Benjamin, gave herself a little shake and broke free of his grip.
“Lena said I’m not to do anything with anyone without a Duke or Duchess’ command.”
“That is the rule, but you won’t get your belt until the introduction ceremony, so we can always have a bit of fun,” said Benjamin, his hand reaching for her again. Isabel caught it and pushed it back,
“That’s against the rules, I don’t want to be in more trouble.” In truth, his kiss had stoked her interest and she knew if he kissed her again she would probably agree to his idea. The fact that this man wanted her, had apparently wanted her for years, was making her head spin. The amount of flesh all around her was starting to really mess with her thought processes. This was not like changing in the barracks, everyone tried to avoid everyone else’s eyes, and the women were prepared to beat up any man trying to peek at them. She was also aware that they were all still watching her, even if they had started to move around and talk to each other. She pressed back against the wall and tried to pull herself back together. Jingyi sidled up next to her,
“Don’t be frightened Isabel, they won’t do anything to you that you don’t want.”
Isabel nodded, but a frown formed between her eyebrows. She could not remember the last time she had really wanted something. She mostly waited for someone to tell her what to do, what to want.
The door swung open and all the slaves looked around. Esquire Justin came in carrying an ornate looking paddle.
“It’s time,” he said in the silence that had fallen. “Slave Isabel, come with me. The rest of you, follow Esquire Caitlyn to the showroom.”
The slaves all knelt and Isabel did the same, crawling to Justin’s side. Feeling another stab of guilt for her earlier action, Isabel kissed his shoe. Justin did not react to it, he just clipped a leash to her collar and started to walk, Isabel scurrying to follow him. Justin brought her into a small room where Lena was waiting. Isabel felt the dog tag swaying and she felt even more ashamed. As soon as Justin handed the leash to Lena, Isabel pressed her lips to the perfect leather of Lena’s shoes and then rested her forehead to the floor, hoping Lena would understand her contrition.
“Getting into trouble already Isabel?” asked Lena loudly. Isabel flinched, her fingertips dug into the floor and she shook.
“I’m sorry Duchess. I’ll do better,” she promised.
“Yes you will,” said Lena sharply, then her tone softened, “But I think we can remove this tag now, wouldn’t you agree Esquire Justin?”
“Yes Duchess Lena,” said Justin. “Sit up Slave isabel.”
Isabel straightened up and crossed her wrists behind her back, pushing out her chest. Justin reached down and unclipped the tag from her collar. Isabel felt as if a much heavier weight had been removed from her body and she looked up at Justin gratefully with teary eyes. Justin noticed and his expression flickered for a moment, then he turned to Lena.
“Everything has been prepared as requested Duchess Lena. Will you require anything else?”
“No Justin, I’m fine, thank you.”
Justin left. Lena looked down at Isabel, who lowered her head to her mistress.
“You will be introduced to the Dukes and Duchesses now Isabel. I want you to make a good first impression.”
Isabel nodded in understanding. She desperately wanted this to go well. If it did not… would she be sent away? Lena had never told her if anyone had ever been rejected from this place. The idea that she would not match up to her peers cut through her like a knife and she trembled. She was so desperate to fit in here, like she had managed in the military after struggling so hard. She could remould herself to fit in here if she had to. She had done it once before, she could do it again.
“The Grand Duke, our founder, has reserved the introduction for himself,” said Lena. Isabel could not make out her tone, she sounded both pleased and annoyed. “I had my own plans, but he has insisted on introducing you to the Dukedom himself.” Lena’s perfectly manicured fingers cupped her chin and made her meet the dark eyes above her. “Do not disappoint me Isabel.”
Isabel swallowed, “I won’t Duchess Lena.”
Lena’s eyes searched her face and then she smiled slightly,
“No, of course you won’t. You’re a good slave.”
Isabel relaxed a little under the praise and she risked a tiny smile at Lena. Lena traced Isabel’s smile with her thumb, then let her go. The door opened and Isabel saw Lena stiffen before she lowered her eyes back to the floor.
“Grand Duke Ahmed!” Lena exclaimed. She sounded nervous.
“Duchess Lena,” said the newcomer. He had a smooth, almost gentle, voice and his pace was steady and strong as he crossed the room. “So this is Isabel.”
“Yes sir,” said Lena breathlessly. Grand Duke Ahmed hummed thoughtfully, then said abruptly,
“Thank you Lena, you can go.”
Isabel could tell by the way Lena leaned back in her heels that she was startled by her abrupt dismissal. Isabel herself was frightened to be left alone with this man. Justin had been intimidating but somehow the Grand Duke was a hundred times worse.
“Yes Grand Duke,” said Lena and Isabel watched her shoes move out of her line of sight. A door opened and closed to her left. Silence fell in the room, the only sound Isabel could make out was her own frantic heartbeat. The Grand Duke moved to stand before her, he wore combat boots, so unlike the fine shoes she had expected.
“Stand up,” he ordered. Isabel tucked her feet under her and rose as gracefully as she could, putting her hands behind her back again and bowing her head. The Grand Duke was so close she could smell his scent, not his cologne, but his own scent. She could see his fine shirt, a deep purple, and his black trou
sers. The Grand Duke paced around her once, but he did not touch her. Did he not like how she looked?
“I hear you tried to break Esquire Justin’s arm,” he said softly. Isabel bit her lower lip and a tremor passed through her, but she nodded her head. The Grand Duke hummed again and he leaned his head closer to hiss in her ear, “I don’t like violent slaves, they are not tolerated in this Dukedom.” His hand closed around her throat and tightened enough to cut off her air. Isabel’s whole body jerked and her hands moved to rip him off before she managed to stop herself. This was a test and she was determined to pass. She forced her hands down by her sides and tried to remain as calm as she could as she struggled to catch a breath against his grip.
“You belong to me now Isabel,” said the Grand Duke, “Your body, your mind, your heart, even your life itself, is mine now. Do you understand?”
Spots were popping behind her eyes as Isabel wrestled with her instincts of self-preservation and her desire to submit, to be accepted to this group. She had to please this man, the Grand Duke so she would be accepted. She grabbed her own thighs and held on to keep her hands away from his arm, but she was starting to black out and her whole body was at war.
Then, just as suddenly, the Grand Duke let go of her neck and she sucked in a breath desperately, clutching at her throat.
“Yes!” she cried when she could speak, “Yes Grand Duke, I understand.”
The Grand Duke reached for her throat again and it took everything in her not to tense up, but this time his fingers were gentle, massaging her neck tenderly. Isabel whimpered at the gentle touch and finally lifted her gaze to the man’s face. The Grand Duke was much younger than she would have expected, though he was still at least twenty years older than her. He was clearly Arab in descent, and there was a refinement in his face that made her think of wise scholars and seductive poets at the same time. There was also something familiar about him, but she had no idea what it was. She quickly lowered her eyes again and ducked her head for good measure.
“Put your hands above your head,” said the Grand Duke. Isabel obeyed, stretching her fingertips to the ceiling. “Lift your chin, I want to get a good look at you.”
Isabel took a deep breath and lifted her chin so she was staring at the Grand Duke directly. He stared into her face, then his eyes travelled over her body, lingering at her breasts, then down at her sex. He stared at that for a long time, and Isabel started to feel uncomfortably exposed.
“Tell me Isabel, do you like pain?” asked the Grand Duke.
“I…” Isabel hesitated, unsure of the answer.
“Answer the question.”
“I like… I like that pain pushes everything else out of my mind. I like that I can’t think about other things if I’m being spanked, or caned. I don’t know if that translates to liking the pain itself.”
“Hmm, well, that at least is honest.” The Grand Duke stepped closer and skimmed his fingertips over her belly, tracing her navel twice before moving up to her left breast, brushing the sensitive underside. Isabel swallowed hard, concentrating on keeping her arms straight above her head as he thumbed her nipple, moving it back and forth until the nub was hard and pebbled. He pinched it and pulled until she winced then let it go.
“Present yourself,” he said softly. Isabel, feeling slightly lopsided with only one nipple being toyed with, lowered her arms and turned around. She bent forward to touch the ground, stepping her legs apart to expose her bare pussy. The Grand Duke cupped her ass and pulled her cheeks apart, exposing her asshole to the air. She instinctively clenched it and the Grand Duke laughed.
“Lena told me your holes were greedy. I see that’s true.”
Isabel flushed but she knew he was right. Her inability to make smart decisions because of her greedy holes were why she needed someone to control her.
“I wonder, do your peers know how much of a slut you are?”
Isabel’s head jerked up and she gasped loudly before she could stop herself. The Grand Duke’s hands tightened on her ass,
“No, I don’t think they do. But they’ll find out today.”
Isabel knew that logically this should not make her panic. She had seen all the other heirs naked and bound in chastity belts, she knew they were fully aware of what the situation was, probably better than she did. Yet suddenly she realised that she was not going to be dominated in a private setting, just her and her master or mistress. This was something else, public and shameful and everything she was afraid of. They would see how weak she was, how slutty and needy she was. They would know and they would laugh at her.
Isabel clenched her eyes shut, trying to swallow down her anxiety. A knock on the door brought her back to the room she was in, and she heard Justin say,
“Grand Duke? Everyone is gathered.”
“Excellent!” The Grand Duke stepped away and let Isabel go. She dropped to her knees and waited. She knew she was trembling, but she could not stop herself as the Grand Duke led her out of the room by her leash.
Chapter Five -Hans
Being stuck in prison left Hans with far too much time to think. For the first two weeks he had obsessed over the injustice of his situation, fixating on proving his innocence. The fact that he had to assert himself as a man not to be fucked with was a welcome distraction. However, once he had done that, he was left with his own thoughts far too often. So he had done the only thing he could think of, he went to the library. The gym would probably have been a more obvious choice but Hans would only think of the times he and Isabel had spent working out.
The library was a place he had never spent any time with Isabel in. She was not very bookish and neither was he. So when he went into the library for the first time he was not sure what to go for. The library would not carry anything that might give poor ideas to stupid inmates, so he was expecting it to be very limited. However, as he browsed he was surprised to find a lot to choose from. He meandered around for a while, pausing to read the backs of various books before putting them back. He considered the law books which might come in useful to proving his innocence, but he wasn’t in the mood.
Eventually he went to the section on psychology, because it was something he knew nothing about but thought he might find interesting. He trailed his fingers across the spines and paused on a book about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He recalled only days before his arrest how Isabel had been triggered by a door slamming and had thought she was back in the Caliphate. The wild terror in her eyes had been awful to see and he had been at a loss at what to do about it, except distract her.
Hans hesitated for a few moments as he considered if he really wanted to think about something that would only remind him of his lover. Yet when he got himself out of prison he wanted to be able to look after Isabel in whatever way he had to.
The idea that he would not be able to regain her trust again did not even enter his mind.
So Hans pulled the book out and grabbed a seat. At first he struggled to focus, but after a little while he was able to take in the book’s contents. It was relatively familiar, he had received instruction in PTSD and his own psychological evaluation when he had been discharged. He paused and wondered when Isabel had gotten her own, since she had been bundled out of her deployment and brought straight home to her parents outside the usual channels. Hans had never gone with her to get evaluated and no one had come to the palace to check on her.
Did that mean Isabel had not received any sort of evaluation? The idea seemed insane, after all, it was a standard practise. Yet he could not think when she had received the evaluation or any kind of treatment.
Had Isabel’s parents really not had their daughter evaluated? True, Isabel had only shown the manifestation once, but that did not mean it could not be triggered again. As Hans read on, he noted words that struck him as troubling. Things that he had taken to be Isabel’s own personality but could have been expressions of trauma.
Hans went to bed that night and tried to ignore his cell-mate’s snoring on the
other side. Everyone had a cell-mate for the companionship, it was considered healthier than having a cell to yourself. There were screens you could draw for privacy, and they each had a TV in the wall above the foot of their beds.
Hans had seen old movies and TV shows about prisons back in the early 21st century, and had been appalled at the way they had been run. Dehumanising the prisoners would not reform them, they would only make them worse. Even Hans, who was considered a dangerous man for the crimes he had been convicted of, was still expected to try to be rehabilitated and reformed. He knew if he went through the system and kept his temper, he could probably get out even with a life sentence, but it would take years and he knew that even if he was released he would be prohibited from contacting Isabel since she had been his ‘obsession’.
Closing his eyes, Hans tried to put her out of his mind, to prove to himself that he was not obsessed with Isabel. Yet his mind kept bringing her back to the forefront, reminding him of how she had smelt, how she had tasted. The harder Hans tried to put her out of his head, the more forcefully she came back.
“I love you,” she had said out of the blue one day. Hans remembered how he had been checking her wrists for bruising, and when she had said it, he had frozen in shock. Isabel had looked terrified of what she had said, and tried to pull away. Hans had held on, pulling her closer, and now Hans was so lost in the memory his lips actually moved as he remembered saying
“I love you.”
Isabel had burst into tears. Hans frowned, thinking about how she had run through such a gambit of emotions in a matter of seconds. Isabel did that a lot, if she was not apathetic and bored, she was moody, swinging from one emotion to the next. Hans had found that his domination of her had kept her calmer and more focused. It seemed to keep her from her mood swings for a while and it had made her smile.
Isabel did not smile enough. The only times she really seemed to smile had been when he had dominated her, driven her thoughts out of her head.
What had she wanted to forget? Hans had never asked directly, he had just assumed that she was unhappy that her parents had taken her out of somewhere she had been happy.