by NJ Cole
Her fever was down in the morning and she seemed to rest more comfortably. By the afternoon, she’d gone to the bathroom twice, though I’d helped her to get there both times. Again, I’d wanted to give her a bath, but she seemed so weak. She did eat a bit more and I got her to drink some broth before we went to sleep. She’d had four doses of the antibiotics and I was feeling a lot better about her condition. Seth had called twice and texted through the day and night. He’d asked for more pictures, but the truth was, even though she seemed to be doing better, her fever had gone down, and she’d stopped vomiting, she looked worse. The bruises on her neck and eye had turned a deep purple and her bite marks had also started to bruise.
When she woke from her afternoon nap, she was sitting up.
“Bath?” I signed.
Please. She signed back.
I ran her a bath. When the water was ready, I got her and put her in the tub. She looked at me, signed bath and then please. I couldn’t resist her. Any time she asked me for something I wanted to give it to her.
Removing my clothes, I climbed into the bath with her. I washed her entire body and I was surprised when she took the wash cloth and began washing me. It felt so good. I wasn’t sure if she was strong enough, but it didn’t seem to take too much energy.
When she was finished, I washed her hair. By the time the back was done, she looked so much better. I got her a new t-shirt.
She didn’t seem to mind at all. She put it over her head and slipped it down her body once I’d placed her in bed. She laid back closed her eyes.
I left her there, falling asleep to go make something for myself for dinner and to get her some more broth and crackers.
She was awake when I returned. She ate all of the crackers, alternating with the broth. I was so glad she was keeping food down.
I hadn’t stopped with the Advil and Tylenol, to know if her fever was truly gone, but it seemed a lot better.
After she ate and used the bathroom, I laid in bed next to her and watched a movie. She fell asleep before it was over. Her body was curled into me. I stroked her face as she slept. Her lip was healing, but her eye seemed to look worse. The purple was turning green and yellow. I knew that it meant that it was healing though. Pulling her into me, I rested my head on hers and fell asleep.
It was usually Raven who had the nightmares, but that night it was me. I had a dream that the two men came back and there was nothing I could do to stop them. They had leashes and insisted that Seth had given her to them to use, as they liked. I tried to fight them for her, but as I reached for her, she disappeared.
I woke suddenly from the nightmare to find that I was alone in bed. At first, I thought she might be in the bathroom, but the light was off. I glanced over at her cage. Had she moved back there now that she was feeling better? I turned on my light, but she wasn’t there either.
All of the sudden my nightmare came flooding back. Had someone come to get her while I was sleeping and I hadn’t even noticed?
I jumped from the bed and snuck down the stairs. I could see the light on in the kitchen. When I peeked in, I saw Raven standing there in my t-shirt. She was standing in the light of the refrigerator looking sexy as fuck.
“Raven?” I said.
She spun around looking guilty as sin. She had some grapes in her hand.
“Raven, are you hungry?”
Of course, she didn’t answer, but her stomach growled.
I laughed making her smile. “Oh, Babygirl! That’s great. Sit down. Let me get you something to eat.”
This seemed to make her nervous again.
“Would you like to make it?” I asked.
She nodded.
“OK,” I said coming up behind her. “But let’s not overdo it.”
Raven turned back around and pulled out the grapes and some cheese. She reached for the yogurt and some jelly. She moved over to the pantry and took out some bread and the peanut butter.
I watched with wide eyes. Was she really going to eat all of that? She made two sandwiches, and put one on a plate for me then one for her. She scooped out yogurt and also put a huge bunch of grapes and the sliced gouda cheese on the plate.
She started to sit on the floor, but I pulled her onto my lap. I didn’t think she would eat much, so I started with the cheese and grapes, figuring they had the most nutrition. She ate them all, as well as her entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with half of mine. She was eating the yogurt as I fed her when I saw her eyes finally start to close.
I was so happy she’d been feeling better. I felt awful that she’d felt that she was sneaking food. I didn’t want her to feel that way. I took my hand and shaped it like a C and then brought it over my neck and down my chest to my stomach in the sign for hungry. “Hungry,” I said to her. “But Raven, you know that you have permission to eat any time you are hungry. Food is not something you earn.”
She nodded and I hoped she believed me. I glanced up at the clock. It was just after three in the morning. She looked tired again and I know I was. “Let’s go back up to bed,” I said, picking her up and carrying her through the house. I placed her back in my bed and got in. She immediately rolled toward me and curled up, putting her head on my chest. I ran my hand down her back and over her ass. Rather than wincing, she moved even closer to me. I loved how she responded to me. It had been hell, but she seemed on the mend, and I was glad that I was there to take care of her.
Chapter Ten
Raven
I picked up my journal and began to write.
I thought I was going to die. I’d wanted to say red or make them stop, but I didn’t know how. I was frozen with fear. All of the memories had come flooding back.
Kade was there. He stopped them and took me home. I hurt so badly. He held me and healed me. I saw Doc. He made me feel better, but it was Kade who took care of me.
Kade carried me and gave me a bath. I can ask for a bath now. I like them, and I like when he gives them to me. I learned some more signs. I can communicate with him. I always could have I guess.
I set down my journal and looked at Kade who was sound asleep next to me. “Thank you,” I whispered, then kissed him on the lips. Something I’d never dare to do when he was awake. My heart spun a little bit.
I slept better in his bed than I did in the cage. That was a surprise for me. I’d never slept well in a bed, but Kade was different. He was my cage.
When I was awake, he taught me signs. I could have spoken, but this was special. It was just for us. I learned how to say a lot of things. I liked spending time with Kade. He made me feel like the person rather than the pet.
He made me want to try it...maybe...just for one night.
Chapter Eleven
Kade
By the third day, we were simply spending time in the bed together because it was fun. I’d taught her about twenty signs. Of course, she knew hungry and bath. I taught her “game” and we started playing cards and backgammon. I’d taught her “out” and took her on the porch a few times. I figured that getting out of the house was good for her.
The doctor had been back and said that moving around would do her good. He said lying in bed too long could produce side effects we didn’t want.
I loved that I lived in the middle of nowhere. She and I sat together on my porch swing. Me wearing only a pair of jeans, Raven wearing just a tail. I’d yet to put the collar on her. Her neck was a darker purple and the greenish color was appearing at the edge of her bruises. We lay out there in the afternoon sun for hours. She drifted in and out of sleep while I did work on my phone, her head on my lap. I’d yet to go into work since she’d been with me. I’d heard a bit about it from a few people at work, but since I was getting all of my work done, and then some, they really couldn’t say much.
I’d finished up and was running my fingers through Raven’s hair enjoying the moment.
As the sun was starting to set, Raven stirred, then looked up at me. She stared at me for a while. She looked nervou
s about something.
I was about to ask her what was wrong when I heard her stomach grumble. “I’m hungry too, Babygirl. Want to go make dinner with me?”
I’d been cooking for her since she’d been hurt, but I thought she’d like to help. I was surprised when she shook her head. She signed “out” and “eat.”
I looked at her with confusion. “You want to eat out here, like a picnic?”
She smiled but shook her head no. Again, she signaled “out” and “eat,” this time looking over at my car. Did she actually want to go somewhere?
“Do you want to go out to eat?” I asked.
She nodded.
I was shocked, but tried not to show it. I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t want to go. “You’d have to get dressed, wear shoes. Is that what you want?”
Again, she nodded.
I couldn’t help the smile that was spread across my face at the thought of taking her somewhere. “Alright, Babygirl. Go inside and get dressed. We will leave when you’re ready.”
She went up to her room, and I went to mine. It only took me a few minutes to get ready. I didn’t want to overdress and I warred with where to take her. Part of me wanted to take her to the best restaurant within a 50 mile radius, but that was part of the issue. It would be nearly 50 miles to get into the city where there was anything elegant or classy. And even if we did go, would she be comfortable in that kind of place? There was a burger joint in town, but that seemed too casual. As I was buttoning my dress shirt, I remembered this seafood restaurant that had opened not long ago on the other side of the lake. It would only be a fifteen minute drive and, hopefully it wouldn’t be too crowded or too pretentious.
I finished getting reading and waited at the bottom of the stairs. I hoped that she realized that she couldn’t wear lingerie to dinner. I shouldn’t have worried. When she came down the stairs about fifteen minutes later, she was wearing a simple sundress with strappy sandals. They had a heel, which made her already spectacular legs look even better. You could still see the bruise on her eye, but she had a lightweight scarf around her neck covering the other ones.
Her hair was down, but she had makeup on. The thing I was most surprised about was the purse she carried in her hands. She looked so much like a woman rather than a pet, it took me a moment to wrap my head around it.
She stood there nervously as I seemed to fumble for my words, “Uh...ready?” I asked like some sort of teenager picking up his hot date for prom.
She nodded and the two of us walked to the car. I was pleased that she let me open the door for her. We’d been driving down the road for about five minutes when I’d finally regained my faculties. I had no idea why I found her ten times more attractive dressed than nude, but I did.
As we drove down the dusty road, the sun right in my eyes, I put my hand on her knee. “You look beautiful,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road.
“Thank you,” she responded softly.
Out of reaction, I slammed on my breaks, sending gravel and dust flying. I sat there a moment. At first, I wasn’t sure that I’d even heard it, but when I looked over to her, she was looking at me, eyes wide.
“Did you just...uh...say something?”
She nodded. “Yes, Sir. I said thank you.”
She answered me as if it was something she did every day. I knew I was staring. She looked down at her hands nervously. I didn’t want her to think it was a big deal, even though it was huge for me.
I turned my eyes back to the road and started off again toward the restaurant. “So, I’m taking you to a seafood place. Do you like seafood?”
I waited, mostly expecting the silence that usually followed something I said, but again she spoke, “Yes. I like most fish and I love shrimp.”
I hung on every word, this time listening for the tone and inflection in her voice. I loved it. “I’ve never been here, so I hope the food is good.”
“I haven’t been out to eat in a while,” she said. “Seth takes me out sometimes. It’s usually before the club though, so I’m all dressed up. This is the first time I’ve ever gone out without my tail.” She picked up her bag. “It’s in my purse though, in case I need to put it back in.”
I nodded like I understood. Truthfully, I had more questions than before. “So, is that why you’re talking to me? Because your tail is out?”
“Yeah. When my tail is in, I’m Raven, a good pet. When it’s out, I’m me.”
Her explanation brought clarity to so many things. She was comfortable being Raven, a submissive, a pet. When she’d been hurt, she needed the tail. She needed that comfort. Even holding it in her hand seemed to count to her as still having it. With it out, it was like she was a completely different person.
I wondered why Seth had never mentioned this. “Is this what you and Seth do when you need to communicate?” Maybe that was why she’d had no way to communicate with me. Maybe I was supposed to remove her tail so she’d talk.
“No. I’ve never spoken to Seth,” she said matter of factly.
“What? Why not?”
“Well,” she said softly. “He never seemed to want to talk to me, so I never really thought about it.”
“But you knew I wanted to talk to you?”
She nodded and gave me a huge smile. “Yes. You’ve been teaching me all of those signs so we can communicate. I love them, but then I had a dream, and in it, we were just talking, like normal. It didn’t seem scary, so I thought maybe we could try it. I hope it’s alright.”
“Of course it’s alright,” I responded, trying to hold in the huge smile. “And yes, I do want to talk to you sometimes. I’d love to know what you’re thinking.”
We rounded the corner and a tiny restaurant appeared. It had white lights strung around its small wooden sign and in the trees surrounding it.
“I’m thinking that this place looks very romantic.” She stared at the building.
I couldn’t have agreed more. I parked the car and got out, once again opening the door for her. We entered the small restaurant to find most tables empty, though there were a few couples seated around the room.
If the hostess noticed Raven’s black eye in the dim lighting, she never let on. Neither did the waitress. Raven had applied makeup and it was a wonder the miracles that stuff could pull off.
We were led to a table off in a corner. I held out the chair for Raven.
She sat down, but was on the edge of her seat. She looked nervous, but hadn’t reached into her bag for her tail or bolted out the door.
The waitress handed each of us a menu. For a moment, I wondered if she could read before I recalled her journaling and other books. I felt embarrassed for even thinking that.
I’d never consciously thought of her as stupid, but I guess part of me had treated her as if she were. I spoke in simpler sentences to her and had worded questions so that her answers were yes or no. In truth, that was the only way to do it, when a person was nonverbal, but now I wondered how I should proceed. I didn’t want anything ruining tonight.
“Can I start you off with a drink?” the waitress asked. She looked at Raven first.
“Water, please,” she said in that voice I was starting to love, but her answer sparked another question.
Did she drink? I’d only ever seen her drink water. That didn’t mean she didn’t drink alcohol or soda. When I thought about it, I’d only ever seen most submissives drink water. That’s what Doms gave them at the club, and alcohol was forbidden at every club I’d ever been to. Who would give their submissive a soda after a scene when they were dehydrated. But that wasn’t the case now. I felt lost, but the Dom in me came out. She might not be wearing a tail, but I had a dominant personality normally, and I’d take charge of the situation.
“Do you have Riesling?” I asked the waitress. It was a small restaurant, and I doubted they had a large wine list. Riesling would go well with the seafood.
‘Yes, we do.” the waitress answered.
I looked across the
table at Raven. “Would you like to share a bottle of wine with me?”
“Sure,” she said quietly, and there was a tinge of pink to her cheeks.
I wondered what caused her to blush. “I’d like a bottle of that, and two glasses of water,” I said to the waitress, but I kept my eyes on Raven.
As soon as the waitress left, I spoke softly, “If you don’t like wine, you don’t have to drink it.”
Again, the blush hit her cheeks. “I don’t know if I do. I’ve never had a glass of wine.”
I smiled softly but did feel a little shocked. “Well, we can change that tonight.”
She smiled back.
A thought hit me. Was she old enough to drink? It flew in and out of my mind. She had to be over 21. Seth had had her a while. Then again, who knows how old she had been when he’d gotten her.
I decided to ask, though, I wondered if she kept track of dates and things like that. “How old are you Raven?”
“I’ll be twenty-seven in Summer. My birthday is August 8th.”
She was actually older than I’d thought. I was thirty-two, so we were about five years apart. I started to think that wasn’t so bad and how a lot of people had relationships that worked with a five year age difference before I caught myself and reminded myself that not only were she and I not in any sort of relationship, but she was going back to the man she lived with, in a few days.
Raven was looking at her menu again.
“Do you know what you’re ordering?” I asked.
She shook her head without looking up. “Do you think I should get a salad?”
I chuckled. “Yes, with your meal, but not as a meal. I’m getting the surf and turf. How would that look with you eating a bowl full of rabbit food?”