Enslaved (Brides of the Kindred Book 14) (24 page)

“Oh my dear, I should have warned you! The black
gas is from a vein of nightmare vapor that rises up through this vent along
with the dream gas.” Lady Tam-tam looked upset. “It causes horrid visions—bad
dreams and memories we would much rather forget are brought to the surface.”

“They are?” Trin looked at him wide-eyed. “Then
that…what I saw…”

“A bad dream.” Thrace straightened up, his eyes
watering from the coughing fit. He swiped at them and got to his feet. “A
really fucking bad one. That’s all.”

Trin didn’t look convinced but she turned back to
Lady Tam-tam at once.

“I don’t think my love-slave is well, Lady Tam-tam.
I think I’d better take him back to our suite and get him settled in bed.”

“Nonsense.” Lady Tam-tam frowned. “I told you, the
effects are transitory. He should be better already.”

“I’m fine.” Thrace took a deep breath, careful
not to inhale any bubbles as he did. “It was just…really vivid. That’s all.”

“That nightmare vapor
is
a problem,” Lady
Tam-tam remarked. “I would have had that particular vein sealed off if I could
but it runs too close to the love gas and I couldn’t risk losing that strain.
It would never do—oh my, no!”

“I’d still like to get back to our suite soon.”
Trin still seemed troubled and she kept shooting mistrustful looks at Lord X
who was standing beside Lady Tam-tam with a disquieting little smile on his
lips. “It’s been a very
long
day.”

“Of course, my dear,” Lady Tam-tam said soothingly.
“But I
insist
on the two of you trying some of the scarlet gas before
you go. You simply must—it’s the best kind.”

Thrace
and Trin exchanged a glance. Clearly their hostess
wasn’t going to let them leave before they did as she asked. If they tried to
leave without trying the scarlet gas, they risked her extreme displeasure as
well as losing the deal with Lady Malroth. And speaking of Lady Malroth, she
and her body-slave were standing just on the other side of the tall silver
fountain. Her sharp eyes were fixed in their direction and a sour looking frown
was on her face. A bubble filled with pink dream gas drifted towards her and
she batted it away impatiently.

“What does it do?” he asked, turning his attention
back to Lady Tam-tam. “I’ll try it but I don’t want a repeat performance of the
nightmare gas.”

“Oh no, my dear—it’s not like the nightmare vapor
at all. Just
try
it—you’ll see—it’s
lovely
.”

Trin looked at him and held out a hand.

“Together?” she asked in a low voice.

“Well…all right.” Thrace took her hand reluctantly.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hold hands with her, but he was afraid she
might see something she shouldn’t. Still, he could understand her unwillingness
to try the gas again alone.

“That’s the spirit!” Lady Tam-tam said
enthusiastically. “Here come two good ones. Go on and try them!”

Two bubbles, one shaped like a rectangle and the
other a sphere and both filled with scarlet smoke drifted towards them.

Thrace
leaned forward and captured the sphere at the same
time Trin sucked in the rectangle. The shapes popped on their lips and the
scarlet gas swirled down their throats.

At once, Thrace felt a surge of what could
only be described as lust—a lust as hot as fire—rush through him, tingling over
his body like flames, igniting his senses and setting his nerves alight with
desire. His shaft was suddenly rock hard, his need insurmountable.

And there was Trin, standing beside him wearing the
revealing dress with see-through lace that barely covered her full breasts and
the tiny triangular panties which couldn’t quite hide the plump lips of her
pussy. Gods, he wanted her! His shaft was rock hard and aching to take her,
aching to thrust deep into her sweet, warm depths and plant his seed so that
she would be his, his forever…

He was already reaching for her before he was able
to make himself stop.

Can’t
do this—can’t have her,
he reminded
himself, struggling with the sudden haze of lust that clouded his mind.
She
doesn’t want me—doesn’t like males. She—

And then Trin was in his arms of her own volition.
She reached for him and climbed him like a tree, her arms wrapping around his
neck and her legs around his waist as she pressed her mouth to his.

For a moment Thrace was stunned by her hungry
kisses. Then he grabbed for her, filling his hands with her full, bare ass,
drew her even closer, and kissed her back. Gods, she felt good against him! So
soft and lush and feminine—so utterly perfect and right! And her scent—Gods, it
was hotter than he’d ever smelled it! He fed on her mouth, kissing her deeply,
sucking her tongue between his lips.

“Thrace…
Thrace
,”
she moaned, breaking the kiss. “Goddess, I want…I need…”

“Know what you need, baby,” Thrace growled. She was hot against
him, her body throbbing with the same fire that was consuming him. He wanted
nothing more than to shove the black loincloth he wore aside and thrust inside
her slippery depths.

Need
to fill her,
he thought, pulling her closer and
reaching down with one hand to raise the cloth.
Need to part that sweet
pussy with my shaft and fill her all the way up, come inside her, make her
mine. Need to bond her to me…

But suddenly Trin stopped writhing in his arms and
held perfectly still.

“Thrace?”
She sounded uncertain.

Thrace
’s head began to clear as well.

“Trin? I mean, Mistress?” he muttered. Gods, what
had he been going to do? Fuck her? Take her right here in front of everyone?
Break her pride because of his need? Because of his own selfish urges to
satisfy the lust that had suddenly overwhelmed him?

Not
only that—you were going to bond her,
whispered a
little voice in his head.
Bond her to you forever. Just forget the Havoc
code and everything you’ve ever stood for and tie a female to you for life.
What in the Seven Hells is wrong with you?

“Thrace?”
Trin asked again, her voice unsteady. “What are we doing? I mean…” He was still
holding her in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. Now she looked
down and her eyes widened.

Thrace
followed her gaze and saw how close they’d come to
betraying themselves. The ridiculous black loincloth that was part of his slave
outfit had gotten twisted to the side, leaving his shaft free. He was hard as a
rock, standing at attention and Trin was pressed against him. The tiny
turquoise panties she wore had also been pushed to the side and her full,
swollen pussy lips were enveloping his hard shaft.

Thrace
saw with some relief that he hadn’t actually
entered her, but he wasn’t far from it either. The head of his cock emerged
from the top of her slit and he was leaking precum which was running down to
coat the inside of her tender, bare pussy.

“Oh my sweet Goddess of Judgment,” Trin whispered
unsteadily. “What…what did we just do?”

“Nothing,” Thrace growled.
“Yet.”

“Or ever.” She squirmed to get out of his arms,
which only made him harder. “Let me go!”

“Give me a minute!” Thrace half groaned. For a second
he was afraid he was going to blow his load all over her flat belly. Then he
somehow regained control of himself, set her back on her feet, and stepped away
though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

*
* * * *

Trin straightened her panties, her hands shaking
with embarrassment. Goddess, what else could happen tonight? This was
horrible—humiliating! Not to mention incredibly confusing. Why had she reacted
that way to him? What was wrong with her?

“Are you all right, my dear?” Lady Tam-tam sounded
concerned but she had a naughty little smile on her face, like someone who had
gotten exactly what they wanted.

She
knew,
Trin thought, her face getting hot.
She
knew what it would do to me—to us—to try the scarlet bubbles. She made us try
it on purpose because she wanted to watch.

Somehow, nothing had quite prepared her for the
realization. Though Lady Malroth had warned her their hostess was a voyeur and
she had clearly condoned Lady Needra and her graphic displays, somehow Trin
hadn’t quite believed that Lady Tam-tam could or would do such a thing. To
deliberately drug her—or have her and Thrace drug themselves—so she could
watch them lose control…well, it was too much. Just too much.

“We tried the gas and now we have to go,” she said,
trying to keep her voice from shaking. “I…I don’t feel well. Not at all.”

“Of course you may go.” Lady Tam-tam’s eyes were
shining with interest. “You should go back to the room and avail yourself of
the bathing facilities—a nice hot bath and massage should make you feel like
new again.”

“Thank you,” Trin said stiffly. She wanted to shout
and rage at their hostess—to condemn her for her inexcusable awfulness but she
knew she couldn’t. Lady Malroth was watching with a smug smirk on her face.
Trin had to remind herself again that if the deal for the crystals fell
through, she and everyone who depended on her would be out on the street.

Have
to get out of here. Just have to go!
she thought
wildly.

Turning, she began to run across the lawn but the
stupid heels she had on tripped her and she nearly fell. Only Thrace’s hand under her arm saved
her.

“Stop it!” Trin tried to shove away from him but he
wouldn’t let her go. “Let go of me!”

“No,” he said in a low voice. “You’re upset and in
no shape to walk in those ridiculous shoes. They might be lower than the ones
from this morning but they’re still not made for running.” Ignoring her
protests, he swung her up into his arms and carried her across the rolling lawn
towards the vast, sprawling mansion.

Trin wanted to fight him but suddenly all the
strength seemed to have left her body. She collapsed against him, pressing her
face to the place where his broad shoulder met his neck and breathed in the
dark, spicy scent of his skin. It comforted her for some reason she couldn’t
understand, bringing her a small measure of calm even though she felt like she
was falling apart.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered as he carried
her through the long marble hallways of Dreaming Hills. “Why did I act like
that? Why couldn’t I control myself?”

“Not your fault,” Thrace rumbled, answering her
though she had been mostly talking to herself. “It was that damn dream gas. If
I had to guess, I’d say the red kind makes you horny as hell. No wonder Lady
Tam-tam wanted us to try it.”

“But I’m one of the Unpenetrated,” Trin exclaimed,
lifting her head to look at him. “And I didn’t even care! In one more minute I
was going to…going to…” She blushed, unable to go on, unable to say how she had
longed to join with him, to have his body pressed to hers, filling her, fucking
her…
Wrong…so wrong…

“I know. Me too,” he said softly, looking into her
eyes. “I wanted you so fucking badly I thought I was going to die. Never wanted
a female like that before.
Ever.”

I’ve
never wanted a male
at all.
Not
before tonight. Not like
that
.

But she couldn’t say it out loud. Neither could she
keep looking into his eyes—her stomach did a slow flip at the intensity of his
gaze.

“I…” Trin dropped her eyes. “I just…”

“Wasn’t your fault,” he said again, when she
couldn’t finish her sentence. “It was Lady Tam-tam.”

“What’s
wrong
with her?” Trin asked as he
carried her into their suite and kicked the door shut behind them. “Why is she
like that? Wanting to watch people…
embarrass
themselves like that?”

Thrace
sighed and sat down on the edge of the sleeping
platform, still holding her in his arms.

“My guess? She’s lonely. She lost her own
love-slave cycles ago and she still misses him. She wants to relive what she
once had with him by watching other people do the things she loved to do with
him—a vicarious thrill. Sad, but it’s all she has left.”

Trin looked up at him, surprised at his insightful
analysis of the situation.

“You almost sound like you don’t blame her for what
she made us do. Or…
almost
made us do.”

He frowned. “No, I blame her all right. I never
would have forgiven myself if I’d hurt you. And that fucking gas made me so hot
I couldn’t see straight.”

“Me too,” Trin confessed in a low voice. “I…I never
would have done…what I did otherwise.” Suddenly she realized he was still
holding her and she sat up and slid off his lap, putting some much needed
distance between them.

“I know you wouldn’t…Mistress.” Thrace sighed and looked away. “So
what now? Do you want to keep playing her game or give up and go?”

“You mean…” Trin put her arms around herself
protectively. “You think she’ll want to see more? Even after that display we
put on by the dream-sphere fountain?”