45. Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Caelan
T he scent of Raven’s arousal tortured me as I leaned in close to clip a leash to her collar. Though the leash was delicate, it was still chain. She would not be able to move without it clanging loudly. I’d always loved the sound.
Her body was stiff beneath my hands. She smoothed her dress back out, but it didn’t really work. Just as I’d intended.
Her back looked absolutely wrecked. Pinpricks of blood bruising drew lines across a canvas of bright red. All on top of her father’s black mark. Her hair was disheveled but still regal. It was the perfect picture, except for the spot of wetness that stained the gown between her legs. I hadn’t anticipated that. There were limits to my desire to humiliate her and that passed beyond them, but I could not make her change now. I didn’t have another dress. I’d have to just hope it dried.
I hadn’t planned to be late to dinner, either. I’d meant what I’d said to her earlier. Being late would be much more humiliating, and I’d intended to spare her. I must shame her enough to please my father and make a strong public point to the court. To a degree, I’d enjoy doing it. But past that…
Well, I wasn’t Amon. I didn’t want to see the girl broken. It was a careful line I walked. A tightrope she had put me on. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t still angry at the position her lies had put me in, though the words I'd spoken during our play were true. Anger was only one of many things I felt for her. I would not let any of them control me.
As for what had happened between us tonight, that was all her fault. I’d meant to hit her a few times, give her some stripes. But the way she leaned into my belt, begging me for more…she'd practically dared me to fuck her. And her taste…I shuddered in ecstasy at the memory. My cock was a solid mass in my breeches. I must be careful not to think of her moans during dinner or I’d lose the little self-control I had left. I'd promised Raven I wouldn't fuck her until she begged, and I meant to keep that promise.
I’d left Raven’s feet bare so the only sound as I walked her down the hall was the clinking of her leash and the stomp of my boots. Baris walked silently, two steps behind. I thought I might have to tug Raven along but she kept pace with me, allowing the leash to hang loosely between us. Her chin was high and her eyes stared straight forward. If I looked carefully, her lip quivered intermittently. Especially when we passed a guard or courtier. She kept her eyes off them, but she heard their surprised laughs.
My own cheeks grew hot—an automatic response to their laughter—until I saw the appreciative looks on their faces. They laughed at her, not me. For me, they had only respectful nods or jesting words. It worked to my benefit and I answered them in kind, whatever they said, my focus always on her.
We reached the large set of doors that enclosed the dining hall. Guards flanked each side, but I knew them both.
“Not like you to be late,” one named Dorisen said. I’d fought him in the yards only yesterday. He was a good fighter, though nothing exceptional. He lacked creativity, preferring to execute specific combinations whenever possible.
I tried for a roguish grin. “Wanted to make an entrance.”
“You’re too late even for that. Announcer’s gone in.”
“You’ll have to do your best, then,” I said.
The man swallowed and glanced at his fellow. Guards weren’t asked to talk much.
“Come on, you can do it. Just announce Prince Caelan Havard and his companion, Raven Rosa.”
The man’s eyes grew big as they stroked Raven’s body up and down. The chain jangled quietly as she shivered. “You want me to announce her ?”
“She’s my companion. She's entitled to announcement.”
The man looked dubious. He gave his fellow soldier another glance, but the man (wisely) kept his face blank and his mouth shut.
“You’ve been given an order, Dorisen,” Baris said quietly behind me.
“Alright, alright.” Dorisen raised his hands in mock surrender and turned towards the door. “Just don’t get me in trouble, eh, Caelan?” He’d fallen into the familiar way of speaking we shared in the yards. It was one of the things I loved about the military. For short bouts, I ceased to be a prince and got to be just a man.
But we weren’t there now. I didn’t deign to answer. I took a deep breath instead and waited for the large ornately-carved doors to swing in. The swell of conversation and the rich scent of the feast wafted out to us.
I slipped a hand to Raven’s back and scratched lightly along a welt.
She gasped, arching her breasts out and blinking rapidly.
“You’re going to be a good girl for me now, aren’t you?” I whispered.
She cleared her throat but did not speak. Her arms were shaking at her sides.
Dorisen shouted above the din of conversation. To his credit, his voice was sonorous and loud, revealing none of his nerves. “The honored Prince Caelan Havard and his companion, Raven Rosa.”
He stepped to the side and executed a small bow.
I was ready. I’d removed my hand from Raven’s back. I held her only by her leash as all eyes turned to us. My father’s eyes rose from his plate to glower at our late entrance, but I watched his expression transform into a pleased glow as he took her in.
I took a step forward.
Raven did not.
Good.
That pulled the leash tight so that when I took my next step, she had no choice but to stumble after me.
A chuckle rose in the crowd. I adopted a cocky smirk and sauntered forward towards the head table. My steps boomed on the stone. Silence had fallen in the hall. It was replaced by whispers as we passed; fingers pointed at Raven’s back.
My eyes flitted about the gathered crowd, assessing expressions. Most of the high table mirrored my father’s satisfaction. Aagha wore a large grin. He leaned over and whispered something to Massriel Fakoury, who laughed. My mother, of course, wore a blank mask. But Amon…Amon did not share the mirth that enveloped the table. His eyes weren’t on Raven at all. They were on me, narrowed. A slight sneer turned down his lips.
How was Raven handling the attention? I wished I could see her, but she trailed behind me. The leash had gone tight. She must be fighting her desire to run.
We reached the high table and I bowed to my father. Quickly, he flicked his hand to indicate I should stand.
“You’re late,” he admonished, though he did not sound cross.
I gave a slow, lazy smile and reached out for Raven’s arm. I took it roughly in my grasp and spun her back to my father. “I wanted her to know how I felt about this.”
If Emperor Calathan was surprised to be presented with the Traitor’s mark while he was at dinner, he didn’t show it. He laughed, deep-bellied and full. “Come, take your place at our table. But I’m afraid we must’ve given your companion’s seat away.”
There was only one open seat—the one beside my mother, which was rightfully mine. There had never been another, I was quite sure. I could insist Raven was my companion all I wanted, but she’d never receive the rights due one. Not in this court.
“Her back may be finished but her knees work fine." I dragged Raven towards my seat and a servant pulled it out for me. Understanding my intention, Massriel, who had the seat beside mine, shuffled over to make room.
My heart fluttered and I had a glob of nerves in my throat. “Kneel,” I said, loudly enough for all the hall to hear. What would I do if she disobeyed? I hadn’t thought about it and perhaps I should have.
But there was no need. With her eyes downcast, the perfect image of an obedient slave, Raven sank gracefully to her knees beside my chair.
I breathed a sigh of relief and sat in my seat, allowing the chain to clang as I settled in. The top of Raven’s bowed head was level with my thigh. I could stretch my legs a bit and graze her exposed shoulder. I did it, and still she didn’t look up.
Perhaps she liked it beneath the shadow of the heavy table. It was harder for the crowd to see her, at least. But I could not let her disappear down there. Not yet.
Before me on the table sat an empty plate, goblet and silver utensils. There was plenty of food left, a rich feast of suckling hog and pears stuffed with raisins and couscous.
A servant leaned over and filled my goblet with a red from the Belly. “I’ll need another plate,” I told him, loudly. Then I picked up the plate I had and dropped it on the floor before Raven. It clattered, spinning before settling quietly.
Chuckles and whispers in the crowd. Everybody knew these things went on in bedroom games, but it had been awhile since such behaviors were seen at court. Slaves in Vaharilar were treated as human property, not as dogs. And my father and brother preferred to keep their whores in the underworld.
My mother was silent beside me. My father made a satisfied grunt before digging back into his meal. It was an indicator to the rest of those gathered—the show was over. The Traitor’s daughter had gotten enough attention for one evening.
I speared sausages and roasted vegetables, filling my new plate. For every three bites I took, I dropped one onto Raven’s plate on the floor. I cut them up first and then flung down the small pieces. But she didn’t move to eat them.
“What’s the problem?” I asked her. I leaned over slightly to speak more privately but kept my voice cold, knowing we’d be overheard. “Are you thirsty?” I held my goblet to her mouth. I would allow her to drink if she did it from my own hand.
“No, my prince,” she said stiffly. “I lack utensils.”
I snorted. Was she putting on a show or had she really not caught on? “You have a mouth. I’ve cut the pieces up for you already. Eat them off the plate. The plate is not to leave the floor and you will not use your hands.”
She was stiff but her breathing had risen and so had the color in her face. She swallowed. “I find myself not very hungry tonight, my prince—”
“You will eat all the food I put on your plate. If you continue to sit here without eating, I will continue putting food on your plate. I will force it down your throat if you make me. I’m sure that would be quite a show for everybody here. What do you think, Lord Massriel? Would you like to hold her still while I shove sausages into her mouth?”
Massriel deferred politely without looking down at Raven. But others had overheard as well.
“I’ll hold her while you shove another kind of sausage in her mouth,” said Aagha. He was seated on the emperor’s other side, beside Amon, and had to shout the bawdy joke. Amon’s face looked positively venomous.
Aagha and I laughed together while Raven’s cheeks grew redder. I arched an eyebrow at her.
So quietly I almost didn’t catch it, she said, “Yes, my prince.” Then she bent at the waist with infinite grace to delicately take a piece of roasted vegetable into her mouth.
I watched with fascination as she rose again to chew. She swallowed, and bent to take in another piece. I’d imagined the process would be animalistic and dirty. I’d thought she would have to chase the food around the plate, desperate to stop it from falling off the edges. I’d thought she would whimper and fidget, crawling to get pieces that accidentally rolled away. But Raven made the whole thing look almost queenly.
“Are you thirsty?” I asked when she was done. I kept my tone light, as if watching her overcome my attempt to humiliate her hadn’t just made me hard as rock again.
“Yes, thank you, my prince.” Her voice, again, was so quiet I could barely hear. She didn’t even sound like herself; she’d pitched the tone higher, making a mockery of her show of obedience.
I brought the goblet to her lips and tilted it. I thought of spilling some down the front of her gown, but decided not to for the same reason I’d done up her hair. There was a fine line I wished to walk tonight. She swallowed several times before I took it away.
“Would you like more food?”
“Thank you, my prince, but I’m quite full.” She said it with no emotion, no desperate ‘No, please,’ but I knew what she meant, anyway. I wanted to stuff her full…full of my cock, which raged beneath the table. With a slight turn of her head, it could be in her mouth.
I thought about doing it. I fucking thought about it. But such a display would not please my father. He kept his lewd play out of sight in the dungeon underworld, putting on a show of respectability for his court. That, too, was a balance I must find.
I ate, but didn’t taste my food. Massriel said a few words to me and I responded politely. My mother was characteristically silent.
Dessert arrived—a many-layered trifle pudding—and I dropped a small dollop on Raven’s plate. Could she eat this with grace or would she smear it all over her mouth and be forced to lick it off? My mind had already started to wander back to my bedroom, where I’d escort her after this.
Perhaps I would finally take her tonight. I imagined my cock sliding into her slick opening while my fingernails scratched her beaten back. She would scream—I would make her scream. She would arch her body to escape my torments, forcing her breasts out and into me as…
“Little brother,” Amon’s voice boomed out.
My attention rocketed back to the table. Raven had eaten some of her pudding and the evidence lingered on her lips, in the corners. She licked them clean.
“Yes?”
“You said something so puzzling when you came in, I’m still thinking on it. You must put me out of my misery and tell me what it meant.” He grinned apologetically, as if he thought himself stupid.
The heaviness of unease had dropped into my stomach. Raven was frozen beside me; she’d not bent down to finish her pudding.
“Of course.”
“What did you mean when you said her back was ‘finished?’ From where I sit, the mark of her father remains intact. There is still skin on her back to be flayed.”
My heart pounded with rage and stirred-up terror. Amon knew just what to say to trigger the memory of my time in his cage. Piece by piece, he'd carved me up. Taken me apart until I was nothing but a broken boy, a slab of meat. Just the thought of him doing something similar to Raven made me want to shove a blade into his heart and watch him bleed out. I took a second to gather my careful answer together before I gave it.
“If you’re not sure of the method, I can show you,” Amon added in my silence. “The demon prince I captured makes an excellent subject for practice. His skin breaks as delicately as a woman’s. Or a little boy’s.”
Aagha chuckled beside his master. Amon’s smirk was back and better than ever. Even my father was smiling at the reminder to his court that the demon Tajawl languished in his dungeons.
“Thank you for the offer, Prince Amon, but I intend to enjoy my companion. If I flay her, what use would she be to me? I don’t like blood on my sheets.”
Amon laughed as if I’d said something truly funny. “You allow the Traitor’s daughter to rest in a prince’s feather bed? You know, if her father had succeeded, that might have been her bed instead of yours. Hardly seems proper to allow her to enjoy it.”
My face had gone hard. Fury threatened to burst open the vessels inside me and spill like blood across the table.
My mother caught my eye and gave me a look I recognized well. Count the stars.
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry; I wasn’t clear. After I empty my cock, I like to take a piss and a nap. If I’m covered in blood, it’s bad for the silk.”
Aagha laughed. He was slightly drunk, which was not at all unusual. “What man doesn’t?”
It cut the tension in the room. Men in the audience chuckled and began to talk amongst themselves.
The look Amon gave me was calculating. He knew I was lying, but I’d side-stepped his trap…this time.
I bent over to growl in Raven’s ear. “You’re going to finish that pudding.”
She was eerily still. Perhaps the talk of being flayed alive had unsettled her. Or perhaps she was only disappointed I hadn’t forgotten the dessert left on her plate. She bent over to take the last of it into her mouth. With minimal chewing, she swallowed it without rising back up. Then her tongue came out to lick the plate clean. She took long swipes across it, deliberately teasing me, or so it seemed.
My cock throbbed painfully as I buried a groan. I’d been aroused for too long. It was time to go. But we couldn’t. Not until my father…
Ah, excellent. He was standing. Leaving. As he passed me, he said, “Come to my private office tomorrow at sun’s peak.”
I bowed in acknowledgment, not distracted enough to feel nothing at the sudden request. Did the summons, coming at the end of this meal, mean good things for me or bad?