“Understood,” he said grimly.
“I will examine this specimen daily.” Diermont’s eyes narrowed at Cassia. “Her thighs and cunt had better remain free of stain or you will face punishment.”
A specimen. Lucine had treated all hybrids as nothing more than resource materials. Now she was getting a taste of the same and it was extremely distasteful. She felt like a thing and not a person. She knew the prince examined her still—she felt his eyes on her and she stared at the floor to avoid eye contact. She hated being looked at and the thought of being subject to daily examinations mortified her.
“Fucking fur makes it hard to see anything,” Diermont grumbled. “Her fleece remains golden as the sun so it appears the staining only affects the skin and not the hair.”
Cassia knew her face was flaming. Apparently hybrid females didn’t grow hair down there. Her woman’s fleece was a major inconvenience to the prince since he needed to ensure the absence of sex between herself and Cabrian. It was too bad that it was off limits. She wouldn’t have minded the sex. She glanced at Cabrian but his face remained unreadable. Her breasts felt heavy, and although the climate was temperate and comfortable, without clothing she felt a bit cool. Her nipples tightened and Diermont hissed.
She looked up to see Diermont staring at her chest with fangs protruding past his lips. He said, “Humans are like rabbits, always ready to fuck.”
Cassia wanted to defend herself, but felt the wisest choice was to remain silent. Cabrian filled his hand with Cassia’s breast while his other hand slid around her waist.
Diermont’s reddened, frenzied eyes reflected his agitated state. “You may stroke your pet if it pleases you, but do not fuck her. I’d rather you fuck a sheep if your shaft proves unmanageable.”
“You’ve overstated the danger.” Cabrian cupped Cassia’s sex in his hand and said, “I could fuck this a thousand times and it wouldn’t damage my body.”
He provoked the vampire leader, seemingly on purpose. Cassia couldn’t see how that was a good idea. Diermont’s eyes glowed a deep reddish color and it reminded Cassia of blood. The prince’s fangs lengthened as his eyes followed the movement of Cabrian’s hand. She felt herself growing moist and it shamed her to feel desire mixed with her fear. She gasped when she felt a finger enter her slick depths. He thrust inside her, making her whimper. Diermont’s eyes flashed.
“You said I could stroke my pet, did you not?”
Cassia felt disconcerted and tried to jerk out of Cabrian’s hold. When it was clear he would continue touching her despite Diermont’s presence, Cassia forced herself to relax against him. Diermont gave her a look of approval when she stopped resisting. He said to her, “That’s a good pet. Obey your master in all things.”
“Oh, she is exceptional,” Cabrian groaned.
Diermont narrowed his eyes. “I am watching you, Lord Ross. You may keep your human slave, but do not think to treat her as an equal. She is a common animal and no pets will be pampered here. Do you understand, Lord Ross?”
“Don’t concern yourself with my lowly slave.”
Diermont picked up a heavy metal collar and latched it around Cassia’s throat. She couldn’t stop her hands from grabbing hold of the offensive object. It made her feel like she was suffocating and she wanted to tear it from her throat. Her eyes slid to Cabrian, but she saw no sympathy there. He had been collared once and now it was her turn, at least she guessed that was how he viewed the situation.
The prince attached a leather leash to the collar and handed the other end to Cabrian. “Keep your pet under control or I’ll lock her in a cage where she belongs.”
So she was not only collared, but leashed. Not even Lucine had thought to subject her slaves to such an indignity as this.
“She will cause you no trouble.” Cabrian tugged on the leash, hauling Cassia around like she was a cocker spaniel. “Many hybrids would find it amusing to keep a human pet. If you would allow others—”
“They tempt our males to commit the sin of bestiality, so I am afraid this villa can house only the one pet. There is amusement aplenty with the one on your leash. We have no need of a full kennel.”
Cabrian appeared crestfallen. He reached toward Diermont with his open palm. “My pet will catch a chill with no covering.”
Diermont hissed and tossed the sheet on the floor. “Pets need no clothing. Animals look foolish when they are dressed like hybrids. Keep her in her natural state so you can stroke her often. That is what one does with pets, no?”
Cassia cringed as Diermont leaned forward and pinched one of her nipples between two of his bony fingers. His smile was wolfish.
The prince continued to squeeze her nipple while his other hand tickled her stomach. “My mangy mutts like being rubbed on their chests and bellies.”
“This one likes being rubbed as well.” Cabrian cupped both of her breasts in his hands, dislodging the prince’s claw-like fingers. “Does the sight of this not offend you?”
“Not at all. I sometimes enjoy stroking the little pussy cats that hang around the palace kitchens. Their pelts are so soft and silky. Every now and then I eat the little pussies, but I never fuck them.” Diermont bared his fangs and said, “Meow.” He licked his lips and chortled before assuming a more serious expression. “It is depraved to fuck an animal for pleasure, but it may be excusable when performed as a duty. The king views it that way, in any regard. He funds a few of the breeding camps.” Diermont frowned, his look one of extreme distaste. “Some human breeders are kept there and some of our peers routinely donate their seed.”
“We all must do our part to prevent extinction.” Cabrian pulled his hands from Cassia’s breasts and bowed his head before the prince before pulling sharply on the leash. “Follow me, my pet.”
“They donate their seed, Cabrian, they do not enter into mating unions with those females,” Diermont called out. “You best remember that part.”
Cabrian paused to respond to the prince, causing Cassia to bump against him. “I have not forgotten,” he said as he gripped one of her buttocks to steer her in a different direction.
Cassia stared down at the floor to hide her growing anger. Cabrian was treating her like a piece of meat. She had thought things would be different between them. She stumbled after him while he tugged her by the leash. In the hallway she could feel the weight of the hybrids’ stares as they leered at her. She wanted to protest his callous treatment of her, but she knew that would only earn punishment. She was a fool to believe she meant anything to him. She was a slave, only alive due to her breeding potential. She was grateful her life had been spared, but that didn’t mean she would let him use her womb to breed hybrid warriors.
Cassia’s stomach dropped as she realized the magnitude of what she had done. She had let Cabrian give her the blue rot, which meant she would never be allowed to remarry now that her womb was toxic to humans. A woman who couldn’t produce young had no worth. Her options were limited and she had only herself to blame. She had given into her lust, thinking they would become lovers. But she was only his slave and that was all she would ever be to him.
Chapter 4
“The histrionics grow to new levels around here.” Modez should have moved aside and let the lady fall on her face, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I fail to see any advantages of employing this helpless act of hers. What does she expect it to gain her?” He gripped the back of Kiera’s head and lifted her face upwards. She looked dead to the world, but he was certain it was feigned. He gave her a little shake and provoked her with his words, certain she would open those eyes. She remained unresponsive, which puzzled him. He hadn’t expected her to continue the game.
“What is wrong with her?” Seamus asked as he assisted in laying Kiera on the floor.
“I’m not certain.” Modez kneeled on the floor at her side. Her coloring was pale. The movement of her chest indicated she was breathing. He tapped her on the shoulder, and when she didn’t respond, he shook her again. So
this wasn’t an act. “I think she may have passed out.”
“Are you sure nothing is restricting her breathing?” Seamus asked. “Check her clothing.”
Modez glanced about the room, realizing it would be best to acquire female assistance. “Where is Snotti?”
“She left with her ladies several minutes ago.” Seamus took the lady’s wrist and felt for a pulse. “I told you that we dined too long. You should have let the girl eat with the others. Slighting the girl will cause her undue difficulty here.”
“It is only a matter of time before she realizes she doesn’t belong here. Maybe then she will leave.” Modez began to work on the tiny buttons at her throat. He wasn’t sure if loosening her clothing would help her, but Seamus seemed to think it would. As he reached the buttons covering her upper chest, he was surprised to see she wore some kind of material beneath her gown. It appeared to be some sort of shift, but it was fixed too tightly to her body. “Is this what the ladies are wearing beneath their clothes these days?” It must have been longer than he thought since he had last had a woman if he was that unfamiliar with feminine apparel.
“I’ve seen no other woman with such undergarments, but Kiera has always had unusual tastes.”
“It could be causing the difficulty. I’ll have to remove it, or at least partially remove it.” Unfortunately, he would have to remove part of her gown as well. The oversized gown seemed to swallow her small body and it was a simple manner to shove it to her waist. He stared at the strange undergarment that appeared to be glued to her skin and he wondered at its purpose. He reached for a knife and cut the thick material down the middle till he reached her waist. The cloth parted to reveal pale skin and he couldn’t help but notice the generously rounded mounds of pale flesh rising beneath the torn shift. He resisted the urge to reveal her form more fully, to shove apart the material that was even now threatening to part on its own.
Seamus gasped. “Her breasts are the size of a navel orange. Have you ever seen a hybrid with such succulent fruit?”
“No, only in human females.” Modez shared a knowing look with Seamus. Both males knew what that signified. Modez felt the anger rise inside him, knowing that Diermont harbored the very thing he professed to despise. A female with human traits. And he knew Diermont lusted after Kiera. The prince was such a hypocrite.
“That creature is a mongrel. She has to be.” Seamus whistled between his teeth. “It appears the lady was trying to hide that fact by wearing that tunic to flatten her breasts and hips. I wonder if Diermont suspects the truth.”
A mongrel was the product of poor breeding, generally a hybrid whose more recent ancestors were of mixed ancestry, such as human. They were the lowest class of hybrid due to their diluted bloodlines. Modez had called Kiera a mongrel many times as an insult, but in this case it was literally true. And he suspected that Diermont was drawn to her because of her human heritage.
“There is too much of the human in her. If it wasn’t for her set of double fangs, she’d be considered human rather than hybrid.”
“I had heard rumors to that effect.” Modez had heard there was something special about her sheath, something that drove males wild to possess her. “I dismissed them because Diermont has accepted her as part of the family. He has no love of humans, as you know.”
“Diermont cannot see beyond his lust. At some point, he will give in to it and make the girl his mistress, if he has not already done so.”
“Just one more reason for the girl to leave. Diermont thinks to indulge in what he has forbidden to others.” The anger threatened to blind Modez and his head pounded. It seemed humans were off-limits to everyone but the prince.
“She’s still hybrid and I’m sure she fucks like a hybrid as well. Intercourse with her wouldn’t feel anything like it would with a human female.”
“How would you know?” Modez raised his eyebrow. “Have you fucked her?”
“Well, no.” Seamus licked his lips and growled. “I would have petitioned for that honor had I known what she hid beneath her gowns. But others have been with her. We would have heard if she was…different.”
Modez felt the anger burn once more. He had heard such rumors. There was something unique about Kiera, something odd. He would bet her sheath was more human than hybrid. And Diermont had given her to males during mating tests, knowing she would ruin them for other females. “The prince likes to watch her being taken. The males grow frantic, from what I’ve heard. The biting is vicious. And afterwards, the males pine for her.” He clenched his fists and tried to contain his anger. “Does that not sound like human sheath addiction?”
“I always thought the accounts were grossly exaggerated. If what you’re saying is true, then Diermont has to suspect the truth. Why does he arrange mating tests for her? Should she not be banned along with the human females?”
“Diermont’s been monitoring the males’ responses to her very closely. Those males sniff at her like a dog in heat, but none have lost control and stalked her like an obsessed maniac. I think he’s testing the waters and soon he will act on his desire to dip into her pool.” Modez scowled at Seamus yet again. “He plans to enter the forbidden lake while none of us can even dip our feet into the water.”
“You’re assuming she’s formed like a human. There’s no way to determine which side predominates.”
“Well, there is one way to make that determination.” Modez was nearly tempted to do it. Diermont may secretly covet the lady, but he wouldn’t deny him should he request to bed Kiera. He would consider doing it if the lady wasn’t such a leech. He had a feeling the woman could make a man regret using her should he make that mistake. “Perhaps Diermont already knows the truth of it.” Modez could picture the prince losing himself between her thighs, mindlessly plowing her mysterious sheath and enjoying her as a hybrid enjoyed a human female, all the while forcing the rest of them to forgo such pleasures due to the “dangerousness” of the act. “If Diermont thinks to break his own rule, I see no reason why I must continue to follow it.”
“You don’t know that he’s done that! The girl is hybrid, after all. There is little risk of her being equipped any differently from other hybrids. If Diermont makes her his mistress and finds her to be…more humanlike than expected, he still couldn’t be accused of violating the ban on human sex. She is not human.”
“If she feels like a human, then she may as well be one. In that case, the rule would have been violated since he would risk developing the same condition that one risks when doing a human.”
“Still not the same. A physical attachment to a hybrid is certainly allowed.”
“I disagree. It would be a violation of the ban, and if he gets to violate it, then the rest of us should be granted the same opportunity.”
“You’re mad to even suggest such a thing. Diermont would have your head for sure if you invaded a human’s body.”
He had already experienced the act, but Seamus did not know of it. Diermont would certainly never hear of it. “It’s nothing to get worked up over. We’re not likely to see many humans here.” Modez turned his gaze to the woman lying on the floor. She was still unconscious. “What should we do with her?”
Seamus picked her up and cradled her in his arms. “The lady is difficult to revive. Perhaps it would be best to put her to bed. I do believe I know the location of the room given to her.”
Modez narrowed his eyes at Seamus, not trusting his motives. He followed him through the portal that Seamus opened.
“I don’t need your assistance,” Seamus muttered as they arrived in the girl’s room.
“I am in a mood to be generous,” Modez said as Seamus unceremoniously dumped the woman on the bed. The girl’s torn clothing separated further, baring her breasts fully. Modez drank in the sight greedily, appreciating the twin mounds that were a tad too rounded for a hybrid. Seamus met his eyes and gave him a meaningful look, which alarmed Modez. “Don’t,” he warned.
Seamus groaned. “She’s beautiful
. Like those Roman slaves Diermont made us kill.” He leaned over the woman and grabbed her throat, baring it just moments before he assaulted it with his fangs.
Modez hissed, shocked by his friend’s inability to restrain himself. “Seamus! Have you lost your friggin mind?”
Seamus ignored him as he pushed her head aside to gain a different angle. He bit and sucked at her throat like a starving man. The woman whimpered and tried to push him away with her hands.
“You’re going to hurt her. What are you trying to do, anyway? You actually think to make her the Lady of Red Isles? That woman?”
Seamus released her with a moan. “Damnation! It’s not working.”
“You should feel eternally grateful it is not, or you would be stuck with the woman for life. What are you thinking, man? She’s related to Snotti and shares her bloodline, and she’s physically weak thanks to her human heritage. She’s not the kind of woman you take for a mate.”
“You will not speak of this,” Seamus said as he backed away from the bed. “Just forget what you saw.”
“I’m not sure I can forget what I saw, my friend. That creature is kin to Snotti, which should be enough to dissuade any male’s interest. But do not worry. I’ll not say a word about this.”
“Don’t give me such a hard time about it, either. You cannot convince me you wouldn’t bite her in order to possess her.” His eyes caressed the round, lush breasts that remained on full display. “Especially now that we have seen so much of her.”
Modez stared just as intensely as his friend. He wanted to memorize the shape of her so she could appear in his fantasies, although he would admit none of that to Seamus. “Control yourself, Seamus. Females like that one are for fucking, not mating. You know better.”
“Diermont’s not about to let one of us have her, not when he’s saving her for himself. But he would have to accept the mating bond if one was formed. Don’t tell me you didn’t think to do the same thing.”
Vampire Enslavement (Lords of Bondage) Page 5