All Novel Sweet
62
The men walked us out of the compound. I could see, using my peripherals, that all the other girls were eating lunch. We strode out the wall onto a transport pad.
Rose’s owners took us back to their place and fed us. Before we were done a group of Keepers showed up.
“We will leave you both with these Keepers,” Basin told Rose.
She rose up on tiptoes and kissed him on his lips. Each of her owners demanded the same treatment from her and she obliged, thanking each of them.
We sat in the afternoon and Rose taught me to play the card games the men were always playing. After losing for the fifth time, I set my cards down and looked at Rose. The Keepers were playing a game across the room and ignoring us. I spoke quietly to her in English to hide what I was talking about.
“Why did you try to hit me? Why not just tell them what was going on last night?” I asked.
“My Masters love me. They don’t care about you that way. I knew that if anyone complained the Warriors would have demanded the Keepers fix the problem. That would mean a whipping for every slave involved. My owners would hate to have me whipped, so I had to involve myself. Now they will probably try to fix it themselves by talking to the other slave owners,” she said confidently.
“And what if it doesn’t work?” I asked her. “You are willing to take a beating over this?”
“My owners swore to me I would never be whipped. The idea upsets them terribly. They love me; they won’t let it happen,” she said.
“They told you they love you?” I asked.
My owners acted like that wasn’t possible.
“Oh no, of course not, the men here don’t understand what they feel. I know what it is and I know what I feel. By the way they act, I know they feel the same way,” she told me smiling.
I wished I had Rose’s confidence and knowledge about this place.
The Keepers spoke to us after that. They didn’t like it that we were talking in our native language. Rose apologized and I followed her lead.
We spent the rest of the afternoon with Rose teaching me about the games the men like to play in the evenings. She said her men thought it was fun sometimes to let her play with them. If I got good my owners might let me play with them, too. That gave me plenty of incentive to pay attention.
Late in the afternoon Rose’s owners came home. They took us to the bathhouse and then fed us. They didn’t say anything about what had happened this morning. The men acted just like they always did.
As I lay in bed later that night, I thought about my owners. I wondered how much longer they would be gone. Hopefully the women wouldn’t hurt or keep them this time.
When sleep finally took me I was worrying about the women. My sleep was fitful and full of horrible nightmares. When I awoke I was glad to be out of my dreams, they had been awful.
Rose and I didn’t go back to the Keeper’s the next day. We stayed in her owners’ apartment with our own men to watch us. In the late afternoon she sewed and I watched out the window.
“How long are the men usually gone for a coupling?” I asked Rose.NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
“It depends,” she told me, “two or three days, usually.”
“So, it isn’t odd mine aren’t back yet?” I fretted chewing on a fingernail.
“Ciara, the women rarely kidnap men from a coupling. Honestly, that’s when they are least likely to be taken,” Rose said watching me.
“Are they really that bad?” I asked her. “Are they really stronger than the men?”
“Without a doubt,” she told me and shuddered.
“How did you see them?” I asked.
“I was with my Masters while they played a game of chuke,” she said quietly. “Two women swooped out of the sky and grabbed a man right from the field. They were about to fly away with him when another larger woman attacked them. The women seemed to be fighting over the man. The larger woman forced the two smaller women to drop the man and then chased them away.”
“The larger woman protected the man?” I asked her.
She shook her head, “I don’t know what they were doing. We all waited thinking the man was going to be taken again, but he was not. I’m not sure what they were doing.”
I held my tongue in check and watched Rose go back to her sewing. The larger woman was probably protecting a man she owned, just no one knew it. He must have had some talent to have been the target of a nearly successful raid. None of that was something I could share with my friend.
Despite my concern over my men, I made up my mind to think of nice things before bed. I didn’t want to have nightmares again. Thankfully, I had good dreams all night.
Rose and I were delivered to the Keepers’ compound the next day. The girls from the village had been returned and their friends didn’t attack me. They were all smiles, happy to be together again.
The four that had gotten in trouble didn’t talk to me or even look at me. Frankly, I was fine with that. I had a core group of friends and I didn’t need to hang out with people that would just get me in trouble.
When we were in the bathhouse that night before dinner I sat with my Keepers and chewed on my nails. It was a bad habit I thought I’d broken years ago. I was just so worried my owners would not come back.
“Didn’t we tell you to feed it, Basin?” I heard Master Evan ask from behind me.
I slipped my finger out of my mouth and chanced a glance up at my owners. They were battered and bruised. Master Bane had fresh teeth marks over one shoulder and Master Christof couldn’t open his right eye. They all looked at me expectantly.
“I’m so glad to see you, Masters. I missed you all so much,” came out of my mouth in a rush.
The men all smiled at me.
“Come, Ciara,” Master Damien commanded, “I want you to wash me.”
I got up quickly and followed them to a shallow part of the pool.
The wounds were worse this time. Despite the flinching, I cleaned all of the bites and scratches thoroughly. After the last time I expected the unease with my nearness.
Rose’s owners wandered over while I was finishing washing Master Evan’s hair and just gently massaging his scalp.
“How many groups did you entertain?” Karis asked pulling Rose onto his lap.
“I believe there were three distinct groups this time,” Master Damien told him.
“It seems to me we are more often outnumbered these days,” Basin commented.
“Our offerings are much smaller with so many groups to service,” Master Christof said flexing a bruised wrist.
The men continued to talk and I sat quietly. Rose’s owners wanted to talk to the Administrators. They thought they could send troops to limit the number of women at each coupling.
“Perhaps with a large enough guard, we could scare away the groups of women we don’t want,” Basin told my owners.
Master Damien agreed with him politely, but even I knew that wasn’t an option. The Administrators worked for the women. No extra guard would ever be sent unless the women wanted it that way.
Once they were done in the pool the men walked slowly back to their rooms. They were exhausted and I was giddy. I tried to reign in my enthusiasm at having them home.
“Ciara,” Master Kein asked, “why are you walking like that?”
I realized I was almost skipping and walking on the balls of my feet.
“I’m just so happy you are home. I was so worried about you all,” I told them.
“There is no reason to fear our couplings, Ciara,” Master Damien chastised.
I disagreed internally. The women were dangerous and could take my men at any time. There was plenty to be worried about.
We had finally made it to their rooms and Master Damien let us inside. Master Bane stoked the fire up and the men all sat down watching it. I found my kneeling place and rested next to them. They were spent, it was obvious. They hadn’t said a word since we’d come inside.
Master Damien’s big feet sat beside me and I tentatively reached out and stroked the top of one foot. He looked down and raised an eyebrow at me.
“Would you like me to rub your feet, Master Damien?” I asked him.
His brow crinkled a little as he looked at me. “Why would you do that?” he asked curiously.
“It feels good for humans, you might like it, too.”
“Please go on,” he said motioning to his feet.
Starting with the bottoms I rubbed and massaged. When I was about done and ready to start on his legs he told me to go and do it to his brother, pointing to Master Christof.
I made my way around the entire room. By the time I was done with the last man they had all stretched out on their chairs. Their eyes were all closed and they were breathing like they were asleep.
Never in all the time that I had been with them had they slept in chairs. I wasn’t sure if I should just let them sleep or wake them. Their positions didn’t look uncomfortable and the room was warm.
I opted to leave them be. Stretching out on the rug by the fire, I laid my head on my kneeling place. I guess we’d sleep out here tonight.