Enslaved (Brides of the Kindred Book 14) (22 page)

“Well, this is my special guest, Lady Trin,” Lady
Tam-tam said. “This is her first time to Dreaming Hills but not her last, I
hope.”

Lord X held out his hand and Trin reached out
dutifully to take it. There was something about this male she didn’t like,
though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. His touch was cold and when he
kissed the back of her hand, his lips were like ice. The chill of his skin
belied the heat in his eyes when he looked her over, his gaze lingering
overlong on her barely covered breasts.

Trin shifted uncomfortably. Why did it make her
feel so strange to have him look at her? His eyes were hungry as he raked his
gaze over her body. No other male had ever looked at her like that but Thrace.
But she didn’t mind when he did it. Or rather, it made her pulse race and her
breath come short but it didn’t repulse her. It was different with Lord X. It
felt strange…
wrong
.

Apparently Thrace didn’t like the way the new
male was looking at her either. With a low, possessive growl, he sat up straighter
in the love seat and cupped her breasts with his big hands, effectively hiding
them from sight.

“Thrace!”
she exclaimed. The sudden movement had caused his shaft to shift against her
and the heat of his hands against her nipples sent a bolt of sensation through
her.

“It’s all right, little mistress, your slave is
simply protecting you from prying eyes.” Lord X nodded and gave her that cold
smile again. “I don’t mind—I’ve already admired your beauty.”

“My lady’s beauty is
not
for you,” Thrace
rumbled, frowning at him.

“Thrace,
you can’t talk to Lady Tam-tam’s guest that way,” Trin admonished him, though
she privately agreed with the big Havoc and was relieved to have her breasts
hidden from the strange male’s sight. “What brings you to Yonnie Six, Lord X?”
she asked diplomatically, looking up at him.

“Why, dream gas, of course. Yonnie Six has the only
deposits of it in the known universe, making it incredibly rare and valuable.
Most places, like the area around Opulex, they have to mine it. But here on the
lovely Lady Tam-tam’s estate, it comes right out of the ground on its own.”

“It does? I didn’t know that.” Trin looked at their
hostess.

Lady Tam-tam nodded. “Oh yes, my dear. In fact,
Dreaming Hills is built right over the largest natural deposit of dream gas
ever discovered. Lord X here is interested in exporting it to other planets. Of
course, no one in Opulex will deal with him.”

“Because of my misfortune to be born male instead
of female.” Lord X made a sorrowful face. “But if I wasn’t male, how could I
appreciate all the lovely females in the room?”

“You don’t have to be male to appreciate the female
form. Females can love other females,” Trin said flatly. “It’s done quite often
in places such as Zetta Prime.”

“I know I certainly appreciate
your
form, my
lovely.” Lord X gave her that slow, cold smile. “Even if Lady Tam-tam decides
not to deal with me, I’ll consider this trip to be worth it, just to see such
your exotic beauty.”

Trin could feel the rumbling beginnings of a growl
building in Thrace’s
broad chest again.

“That’s a lovely compliment,” she said neutrally.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lord X. I wish you success in all your
endeavors.”

“In other words, I am dismissed. Very well…” He
bowed elaborately. “I am too late for dinner, anyway. Perhaps I’ll see you
later at the dream-sphere fountain.”

“The what?” Trin asked but Lord X was already
withdrawing, his black boots ringing on the smooth stone floor.

“The dream-sphere fountain,” Lady Tam-tam said.
“It’s on the back grounds—near the place where the dream gas emerges from its
vent. We’re going to adjourn there after dinner. I do hope you and your
love-slave can be there? I’m only inviting a select group, of course.”

“We’d love to,” Trin said, though she privately
doubted she spoke for both herself and Thrace. The big Havoc hadn’t seemed
to like Lord X at all—not that she blamed him. There was something strange
about that male, something somehow
familiar
in the way he made her feel.
But that was crazy, wasn’t it? Until she’d bought Thrace, Trin hadn’t had more than
fleeting contact with any male. So how could she find one familiar?

“Such a lovely male. A pity no one else will deal
with him,” Lady Tam-tam remarked.

“Indeed,” Trin said neutrally. Lady Tam-tam turned
to speak to someone on the other side of her and she looked down to see that Thrace’s
big hands were still cupping her breasts. Strange that while talking to Lord X
she had almost forgotten they were there. But now, seeing them again and
feeling his warm palms against her nipples made her pulse begin to race.

“He’s gone now,” she muttered to the big Havoc.
“You can let me go. And you didn’t have to do that in the first place.”

“Didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Thrace
growled, finally removing his hands. Trin’s nipples peaked immediately in the
chilly air and she missed the warmth of his palms, though she would never say
so.

“He was looking at me the way you do, that’s all,”
she snapped.

“Exactly.” His face was like a thundercloud as he
watched the retreating back of Lord X. “I don’t like that son of a bitch. Not
one fucking bit.”

Privately Trin agreed but she knew she couldn’t say
so in front of Lady Tam-tam.

“Let’s try to forget about him and eat,” she
murmured, picking up the long handled miniature silver shovel again. She
spooned up a dainty bite of the steaming purple mush. “This looks…delicious.
Want some?”

“Hell no,” Thrace grumbled. “But give me a
bite anyway.”

Trin did and took some for herself—it was bland for
a moment, then packed a sharply sour aftertaste that made her lips pucker.
Again, not the best thing she’d ever eaten but not the worst either, though
doubtless it was incredibly expensive and rare—imported from some distant world
or other.

They went through several more courses, some better
than others including a plate filled with long, slippery strips made of the
tongue of a
cheena
bird and a plate of squirming multicolored bugs which
Trin point blank refused to taste. Then the main course was brought in through
the wide side door, carried on a vast platter by fourteen slaves—seven on each
side.

“Oh goody—the
shromp!”
Lady Tam-tam clapped
her hands in anticipation. “You really must try this my dear,” she said to
Trin. “It’s
such
a delicacy! I got it all the way from Rigel 4 and there
are only five hundred left in captivity, you know. Well, I guess now four
hundred and ninety-nine.” She giggled.

“So…it’s endangered?” Trin asked bluntly, eying the
huge creature which was
larger than a life pod shuttle.

“And
delicious.”
Lady Tam-tam smiled,
obviously missing the point. “Just look how crispy and brown my head chef got
the skin! That’s not easy to do, you know. The
shromp
must be roasted
for forty days at very low heat because of its size.”

“It has six legs,” Trin remarked, staring at the
vast, roasted carcass. The chef had adorned the
shromp’s
crispy brown
face with large, yellow glass eyes and it appeared to be staring at her
accusingly.

“Six legs, two hearts, and four sex organs,” Lady
Tam-ram said happily. “Those last are the real delicacy—I’ve given orders for
them to be served exclusively at the high table.”

“I couldn’t possibly—I’m getting so full,” Trin
demurred when the server put a piece of shriveled gray tubing on the plate in
front of her.

“Oh, you
must
try it! And give your slave
some as well,” Lady Tam-tam declared. “After all,
shromp
phallus is
supposed to be very good for stamina. And I’m
sure
you’ll be needing
that tonight, yes?” She raised an eyebrow at Trin, who felt her cheeks heating.

“I…suppose,” she said hesitantly. “Of course, it’s
been a long day. I might just turn in early.”

Lady Tam-tam frowned. “How very
disappointing
.
Most couples who are privileged to stay in one of my famous dreaming suits find
they have renewed energy and stamina. Why some of them stay up
all night
long.”

Trin felt her stomach do a slow flip. “All night
long doing
what?”
she asked bluntly.

It was Lady Needra who answered.

“Oh, you name it,” she said, her eyes twinkling.
“Sometimes after I let Yorth here bathe me and caress me with oils, we just lie
on the bed and worship each other with our bodies for hours.”

“Worship each other?” Trin asked.

“Oh yes.” The blonde mistress nodded eagerly.
“Yorth is
especially
good with his mouth.” She grinned. “And he just
can’t get enough of penetrating me with his tongue. He says I’m
yummy.”
She
giggled.

“I…he…” Trin shifted uncomfortably, a movement
which made Thrace’s
shaft rub against her slick inner pussy. He gave a low groan from behind her
which she tried to ignore. “So you let him…penetrate you that way…that way…?”
Too?
she somehow managed not to add. It reminded her of what Thrace had said he wanted to do to
her and even now she could feel his thick cock throbbing against her clit.

“Of course I do! I mean, oral penetration doesn’t
really count, now does it?” Lady Needra said. “Not like, you know…letting him
fuck
me.” She rose slightly to reach for her wine glass again. When she sank back
down, her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and Yorth uttered a low, tortured
groan.

Trin wasn’t nearly as shocked this time, though she
could still scarcely believe that Lady Needra would allow herself to be
penetrated by a male, let alone in public.

“Oh, is she at it again?” Lady Tam-tam remarked,
giggling. “That naughty Needra—such an
exhibitionist.”

“I don’t know
what
you’re talking about.”
Needra’s voice came out low and breathy. “I’m just having some…some wine.” She
rolled her hips in a slow, leisurely fashion and Yorth groaned again. “Though I
do
know some mistresses who let their slaves penetrate them that way,”
she added to Trin.

“Is that right?” Trin asked flatly.

Lady Needra nodded eagerly.

“Oh, yes—so shocking! I know one especially who
doesn’t even use a barrier between herself and her slave. She lets him slide
his hard, naked shaft deep inside her unprotected sex.”

“Does she?” Trin raised an eyebrow. She was trying
not to let the performance affect her but all the same, she couldn’t help being
hyper-aware of Thrace’s
hot shaft throbbing against her slick pussy. They had shifted around so much by
now that her outer lips had spread completely open, allowing his thick cock
unrestricted access to her inner cunt.

“She
does
. She lets him fuck her just like
that—completely bare,” Needra widened her eyes. “So if the slave goes too far
and comes inside her…” She rolled her hips some more and Trin saw Yorth’s big
hands squeeze into fists as he apparently fought the urge to move along with
her. “Why, all that creamy white cum goes right up inside her tight little
pussy,” the blonde mistress ended breathlessly.

Trin’s mouth felt dry and she clenched her own
hands into fists as well. Why was it when Needra spoke like this, all she could
picture was Thrace
thrusting deep inside her own pussy, filling her up?

No,
she told herself.
It’s degrading and wrong—don’t
even think such a thing!

“Gods,” she heard Thrace mutter. When she turned to
look at him, she saw that his jaw was clenched and a muscle was jumping in his
temple. Was he thinking the same thing she was? Was that why his shaft had
suddenly gotten so much harder against her? He was really pressing against her
clit hard now and for some reason her pussy had gotten creamy and wet all over
again, making her spread around him in a most distressing way.

“I think we’d better try some of this lovely
shromp
phallus,” she said hurriedly, cutting off a chunk of the gray, shriveled
tubing and popping it into her mouth. “Mmm…delicious.”

Which was a total lie. It was chewy and salty and
thoroughly disgusting—exactly what she needed to calm the strange thoughts and
feelings that threatened to overcome her. She gave a piece to Thrace too, though he didn’t really
want it.

“Mmm,” he growled dutifully, chomping on the piece.
“Fucking disgusting. Thanks so much, Mistress.” But at least his shaft wasn’t
quite
so hard against her.

“It’s a delicacy,” Lady Tam-tam remarked. “Especially
when combined with the nectar pods you ate earlier, the
shromp
can have
an…
interesting
effect. They come from the same world, you know.”

“That’s the
only
reason I eat it,” Lady
Needra confided, chewing a piece and giving some to Yorth as well, who still
looked considerably too distracted to eat. “Certainly not for the taste but I
like the effects.”

“What effects?” Trin stopped with a second piece
midway to her mouth and eyed the gray, shriveled meat apprehensively. “What
does it do?”