Chapter 7

Strauss

I n a flash, she scurries to the middle of the room and kneels, placing her hands in her lap. She freezes like a cold serpent as she stares at the floor. Well, it seems she learns quickly. Something about that makes my blood run hotter.

It was a momentary lapse for me to come down here unannounced. The girl is underage, and now that we're alone, unchaperoned, some pang of disgust fills me when I think about being twenty years older. I won't step inside her cell.

"Arise, child. Sorry to startle you. I heard about your trouble with Lydia and came to make sure you have everything you need."

Her golden hair bounces as she nods, the rapid rise and fall of her chest the only way I know she's alive. "You may speak."

Slowly, her chin lifts, but she looks at the walls around her as she says, "Um, yes, sir. Thank you for the books and…" The muscles in her scrawny neck constrict as she swallows the rest of her sentence. Her fear is tasty, as is the little candied scent that lives just under her skin. As if my nose had captured it when I collared her, it comes to mind now, even though there are six feet between us.

In her see-through dress with a tight red leather band surrounding her throat, I force my mind to think of anything other than how appetizing she will be.

Soon.

"What were you working on there?" The paper fell just to the edge of her cell, and I stoop to examine her drawing. It's obvious she's had no formal training, but the lines and perspective are well done.

"It's ancient knight armor from four thousand years ago." As if she suddenly remembered something, she quickly adds, "Sir."

Scanning the room, I spot a few books. "And those? Are you interested in Siberia?"

"Not particularly. Just archaeology in general. Mainly Mayan. Do you know of The Crystal Maiden in the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave in Belize? It's where I dream of going."

I know nothing about this girl. And I should probably keep it that way. But some part of me is curious. "Have you traveled?"

She snorts, and finally her blue eyes meet mine as they crinkle with a smile. Her body relaxes as if she's talking to a friend. "No. I never went anywhere before. Not outside Lecherton." Her little shoulders lift and lower in a shrug. "Not until now." How long has it been since someone spoke to me this way? It interests me. Her absolute naivety is endearing. So much so, my skin tingles with anticipation to hear her next thought.

My eyes trail to where hers fall to the stones in front of her. "Me neither."

A sharp gasp cuts her lips as she lifts her eyebrows. "Really?"

I consider giving her something of myself, and I never share pieces without wanting something in return. It surprises me, the sudden urge to spill out a detail, but then I remember who I am and who she is and refrain.

My slaves shouldn't have treated her so poorly and the burden of blame lies on me for causing the discord. A need to protect this girl's innocence for another day overwhelms me. Before I rip it apart…

Despite her skinny frame, her bosom is generous and almost spills out of her slave wardrobe. I need to leave her. Stepping back from the bars, I focus on the wall behind her head. "I'll have you moved to the tower for the next two days. It has more books and light for drawing. Lydia will be punished accordingly."

Dragging my gaze away from her shining face, I turn and head toward the torture halls. But my ears prick at the sound of a tiny voice saying, "Thank you, sir."

Her fear will help her survive this place.

But it won't help her against me.

Hopefully, she's fertile now so I can put a baby in her as soon as possible.

Unbuttoning my shirt, I shrug it off and head inside one of the walled cells. Sev prepared the room for me with the tools that I requested. Once I arrive, he nods and takes a step toward the door, but I tell him, "Stay." I know my limit. And Lydia will probably reach it. If she wants to live, her life will be in Sev's hands. Otherwise, I'll rip her neck from her body and go bowling with her head.

Sebastiano Camarino was my mother's third cousin, who has been my loyal comrade from a young age. My father changed all the guards' names upon their arrival at House Strauss. Each more suited for our family line. So, Sebastiano became Sevastian, which became Sev.

Alegra became Alyona. My mother.

I was Vlad to everyone, except for her and Sev. Vicenzo. Secretly whispering my middle name in Italian as a form of rebellion, Sev dropped it after her death, knowing how much of a dagger it was for me to hear. If there is one person who can make sure I don't go overboard, it's he alone.

Lydia sniffles as she kneels, naked, before me. I toss my shirt onto the torture table, then kick each of her knees with the toe of my shoes. A pained cry escapes as she drops her head more.

"What do you say, slave?"

"I-I'm so sorry, master."

My jaw tightens at her words. She should be disciplined severely, and I'll take every pleasure in doing so. "Sorry for what?"

"For blowing out the candle in the cell."

Bending, I grip her chin and lift her head so she must look at me. Her light brown eyes fill with terror and her ruddy cheeks pale. "Whose cell?"

"M-Mrs. Strauss's, sir."

Pressing my thumbs into her eyelids, I lift them so she cannot blink. "Answer me, you disobedient girl. Who is that?"

Attempting to shake me off, she screams, "Your wife, master!"

I let her go, then snap my fingers at the table in the center of the room. "Well, then. You're not as dumb as you look. Get on the table. Sev, lock her down."

As I tug off my undershirt, Sev works on strapping her to the table while she lies supine, her head hanging off one end. Grabbing the ratchet mouth gag, I situate it between her lips, then lock it so she's wide open. A large bowl of water sits on a pedestal at the other end, and I grab a cup and chug some. Taking another drink, I hold it in my mouth, walk to her face and spit inside her open mouth, letting the strands of my saliva ooze down her throat. She whimpers and tries to shift her hips.

"You're a selfish slave. And that's not how things operate around here. I am the master. You are to follow. That's it. And you will respect the other slaves because I command it. Do you want me to let you loose? Set you free in Gnarled Pine Hollow? Hmm?"

If she could say no, that's the word that would come out, but instead tears spring to her eyes as she moans and panics.

"Then this is your punishment." Unzipping, I pull my cock out through the open hole. It bothers me that I'm still firm from seeing the little girl down the hall. But I tell myself it's the terror that's taken over Lydia's face. The tears and spit she chokes on as she strains against her binds. I nod at Sev, pointing toward the whip on the wall, and he hands it over.

Straddling Lydia's head, I place my cock inside her warm open mouth, then whip her stomach as she screams. The vibrations of the sound pump me up, the end of my cock leaking onto her tongue. Another whip leaves a red gash on the skin of her thighs and another on her bare mound, where she has a strip of black hair.

I toss the whip and grab the back of her head, shoving my cock down her throat as she gags around me. Her body squirms against the violation, but I use her how I see fit. Easing off, I tap my shaft on her chin and smile. "You'll treat my wife with the same respect you give me. Do you understand?"

She nods and sobs, her neck straining to lift as the tears drop onto the stones beneath her. Aiming straight for her pink tongue, I empty my bladder all over her mouth, though some drops splash onto her face. Attempting as best she can, she shoves the liquid out, but must swallow or drown.

"Pieces of trash get pissed on. And now you're full of my piss. So behave, or I'll make Sev use your mouth as a toilet to shit in." Stroking myself to keep firm, I step away and tell him, "Unbind her."

He does so as I drag a spanking bench over to the pedestal. "Stand up," I command, and she obeys as I loosen her mouth gag. Using a length of rope, I bend her arms behind her back so they touch. Then I take my time to wrap them into a cross chest box tie. Gripping her waist, I push her onto the bench and bind her ankles to the pads. The bowl of water is placed just in front of her face.

A bottle of lube sits on the instrument table next to me, and I douse my dick with some, then rub myself hard. The anticipation of her demise is what gets me there. That, and maybe flashes of the little angel's pink nipples down the hall.

Drizzling more over her ass, she pleads with me, "Please, don't, master. I'll be good, I swear. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to her."

She spoke when she's not allowed. Lydia continues to defy me. My anger turns to rage that I try to control in order to focus on the task at hand. Instead of rubbing in the lube appropriately, I thrust my full cock inside her asshole as she screams. Tugging on her hair, I withdraw slowly, her tight ring choking my thickness in a death grip.

"You'll be sorry soon, slave." I force her head underwater while she fights me as much as she can. Her erratic movements only constrict her ass around me even more. When I shove in again, I lift her head up, so she gasps for air and wails with pleading sobs for me to stop. She's so terrified, she pees all over my legs, her body shuddering in my hold. Plunging her head under the water again, I ravage her ass while she fights. My fingers grip her by the hair again until her neck is strained up to the ceiling. "Who's in control here, slave?"

"You…You, master, please. I love you."

"No one alone gets my love, slave. You must share me with everyone here. Everyone. No more jealousy. It ends now. You'll appreciate your sisters and love them, too." One last dip into the bowl and she gives up the fight, allowing me to monitor her breathing. I leave her there just to see if she'll struggle, but she doesn't. Her body eases in my grasp. The utter submission makes me thrust inside her and spew my cum deep in her ass.

I slide out with a pop and notice some blood on my dick from tearing her. Pulling her from the water by her shoulders, she draws in a large breath and her chest shakes as she chokes on some she swallowed.

Dropping her bound arms, I turn away and stuff myself into my pants. Sev looks worried, but leans heavily against the back wall without saying a word.

"That was the last time you'll get my cock for a month, slave. As I said, you're my lesbian girlfriend now, so you better get used to eating pussy. Your face will be so full of cunt, you'll drown in their juices, just like today. You'll love servicing your sisters."

As I pause at the door, I give her a final warning. "And if you don't? Then you're free to go, slave."

Making my way up the stairs, two at a time, I find Dilan in her room at her vanity. I approach her from behind and slip my arms around her chest. She affords me a rare smile in the mirror. "Darling, did everything go alright?"

Her pearled collar lays next to her hand, but I pick it up and place it on her neck as she holds her hair up for me. "We'll see. I tore her. She'll need aftercare."

Standing, Dilan places her long fingers on my chest and her plush lips on my cheek. "I'll take care of it. Anything else?"

"Yes, after you tend to her, see to it that the little girl is moved from her cell up to the tower. I'd feel safer if she were there until the wedding."

Dilan freezes with a question on her brow, but I don't answer it. She doesn't dare ask it. Instead, we hold an unspoken conversation with our eyes until she nods slightly, then steps away.

My shoulders slump with relief that I didn't have to say something aloud that I don't understand myself. Why did I move the snake into her own room? One with luxuries she doesn't deserve?

It's because of her obedience.

At least…that's what I tell myself.