Chapter 13

The trip back to their villa was almost anticlimactic. Their escort, especially the officer in charge, was cordial enough but there was no doubt the Salas troops surrounding them weren't an honor guard. Luckily he didn't quibble when Nilsen sent one of his own guards down to the docks to scout out potential transportation.

"Out of here by sunup tomorrow was what I was told," the captain said with a shrug. "So long as he and the rest of you are gone by then I don't care where he goes, or you, for that matter."

The carriage ride back seemed to take forever, more so since Makro steadfastly refused to cry out loud, instead huddling close to Nil's side, her face pressed against his shoulder. Inside he raged as he played the evening through his mind time after time. Logically he knew what happened to her wasn't his fault. There had been no reason to believe they would be attacked in the palace. If their capture had been on the Putram's mind for a long time it would have been easy to take any or all of them any time since they had arrived. Why do it now? Why in this clumsy manner? Why let them go after it did happen?

By any measure Salas's present ruler was a poor leader. Since his "election" to the post, the country had experienced a perceptible decline in its economy and what could only be described as its soul. Steadily, the more prosperous merchants moved their base of operations elsewhere in response to increasing taxes and the uncertainty of the civil law. Corruption in the courts mirrored the corruption in the civil services to the point where who you knew and how much you paid not only counted for more than the written law, it was the only measure used to adjudicate matters. While the large merchant houses looked at a minor amount of graft as a cost of doing business, it had escalated to the point where it was uneconomical to do business in Salas and the traders reduced their potential exposure slowly and as quietly as possible. Smaller merchants, tradesmen and professionals just left if they were able.

This slow disintegration of the country around him seemed to escape the Putram's notice completely, or maybe he just didn't care. His ambivalence toward the plight of Salas extended to the relations with its neighbors. Jeevel and Salas weren't that close distance-wise and had never been allies. Back when Jeevel had been the slave-trading center of that corner of the world, Salas had shunned it. Slavery in Salas had been more of a civil and criminal matter rather than one of private property and was considered more than a little unsavory and beneath a truly civilized person.

After Nilsen's father assumed power in Jeevel there had been a time of thawing relations that were gradually approaching normalization. This ended when the present Putram came to power. Nothing was overtly done to cool the burgeoning relationship, but the administration of Salas made it clear that improving ties with its neighbors, especially Jeevel, was not one of its priorities. So, while there was trade there was no official presence or exchange of representatives.

This being the case, Nil, his sisters and the remainder of his entourage had no formal diplomatic immunity from whatever the Putram desired. However formal immunity wasn't always needed. The Putram of Salas may have been an abominable governor and as corrupt as they come, but that didn't make him terminally stupid ― maybe a fool, but not stupid. He was well aware that Jeevel had one of the most powerful navies in the area and although its army was relatively small it had scored impressive victories against much larger opponents over the past eighteen seasons.

He may have thought his own land forces to be the equal of, or possibly better than Jeevel's and while this was probably more than a little self-delusional, he wasn't fool enough to think his own small coastal force would last more than one ten-day against the superior Jeevelian ships and marines. Even if he could hold off the threatened retaliatory invasion, the ensuing blockade would decimate the remnants of Salas's economy and choke off the remainder of his income sources.

Although he had been fool enough to give at least passive approval to the abduction of the royal children if not being its sponsor, it would appear he wasn't willing to go so far as to risk open warfare with Jeevel just yet. Nilsen thought the chances of avoiding that result, even if the children had been taken by a "third party", were little more than a drug-induced illusion. In fact he considered it still highly likely that his father's reaction to the collaring of his oldest daughter would still result in the city he was presently traveling through being reduced to ashes and rubble. Thinking about it, he wished ― even given the undoubtedly fatal results ― that he had sliced the bastard's head off when he had the chance! It would have saved a lot of innocent lives even if it did mean their deaths.

So there he sat, his sister whom he loved more than life itself, collared and cowering, her face pressed into his side as he tried to think of what to do. Unfortunately his mind was essentially blank. He had no idea what they could do about it although the first order of business when they returned to the villa was to consult the O'Tech priest, Mihi. He had always been told that once a salidin was in place it could never be taken off without killing the bearer, but he refused to believe that; there had to be a way!

Lavender was fidgeting next to him, her breathing fairly rapid and shallow, and when he turned to look at her she looked flush even in the evening darkness.

"What's your problem?" he asked with a frown.

"Just restless," she said not meeting his gaze. "Coming down from the excitement of the fight, I think."

"I've heard that happens," he said, reaching over to pat her leg, carefully making sure he didn't touch the sword lying across her lap. For some reason she seemed to jump at his touch, not away from him, more like he had startled her. "I'm sure you'll settle down after we get back." She didn't say anything other than a soft grunt but her free hand drifted over to his and she let her fingertips lightly rest on the back of his hand.

When they arrived back at the villa, he jumped from the carriage and turned to help Makro down. She took his hand but stepped down as if nothing was wrong, her eyes snapping around looking for the captain of the guard and the other household servants.

"Ah, May," he started, "why don't you go in and sit down―"

"Enough time for that later," she snapped. "This is something we will have to deal with, but not right now. Katern!" she called out when she saw the small woman running out the front door.

"Mistress!" Katern screeched. "They just told me! What have they done to―"

"Quiet!" Makro exclaimed sternly. "Everyone seems to think what is around my neck is of utmost importance; it isn't. It will be there later when we have everything ready to go. That's right, we have been ordered to leave Salas. In fact we are to be gone by sunup tomorrow. Make sure everyone is awake and start loading the carts."

"It will be done, Mistress," Katern said. Then she got a stubborn look on her face and began to speak again, "But we must―"

"Fine," Makro huffed and waved her hands. "Have Mihi meet with us in the study in one hour. That should give us time enough to have the loading well underway and then we can discuss this ... inconvenience. Now, go!"

Katern curtsied and left but not before pursing her lips and looking back over her shoulder.

"May, do you think... ?" Nilsen started.

"Not you, too," she said as she rounded on him, her hands balled up into fists resting on her hips. "I have not been wounded, nor am I an invalid."

"No, but―" he tried to get out before being interrupted again.

"But nothing! Go do something useful, but in any case stay out of my way!"

"Nil," Lavender said from behind his back, "I have something I need to talk to you about."

"That's fine, but I'm sure it can wait," he responded only glancing back over his shoulder.

"Ah, no, I do not think so." He could see she was highly agitated although she was doing her best to control it and give the outward appearance of calm.

"Okay, fine, spit it out," he said with a shrug.

"No, I need to see you in private," she said almost whispering.

"But..." he started.

"That's perfect," Makro said looking at the two of them. "Lav, you take him away and out of my hair. The last thing I need right now is him under foot." Having said that, she pointed towards the house with an expression that brooked no argument.

Seeing the futility of further squabbling, he snorted and nodded to his large bodyguard. Without saying anything she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the house. She moved quickly and although he didn't have to actually run to keep up he did have to jog a little to keep from being dragged along behind. She pulled him inside, paused and looked around for a moment and then drew him with her towards a storeroom he knew was empty.

He was puzzled since he was pretty sure she also knew it was empty. What could she possibly have to say that is so secret? he wondered. Still puzzled and more than a bit intrigued, he followed along behind her like a puppy on a leash. He was even more intrigued when just as she opened the storeroom door Cerberus trotted up and gave her a low, almost pitiful whine. She barely gave him a second look as she told him to wait, pulled Nil through the door and closed it behind them, dropping the latch in place as she did.

It was dawning on Nil that this was something she really considered important since she never greeted her shiakye with anything less than wholehearted joy. After latching the door she turned to face him. Nil could see she was shaking, almost shivering, clenching and unclenching her hands like she didn't know how to control them.

"Okay, Lav," he started. "I can see this is important. What is it you want?"

"You," she said, her voice husky and barely under control. "I want you!" With that she dropped to her knees and reached for the lacings on his trousers.

"Lav!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hands to stop her. "What is going on? I assure you, I want you too, but now is not the time or the place."

"I can't help it," she croaked and for the first time he saw actually tears running down her cheeks. "I am burning for you! I don't know what it is, I can't stop myself. I'm in pain, I need you so much!"

"Lav, this has got to be―"

"Pain, Nil!" she was almost sobbing and her hands shook uncontrollably as he held her. "I hurt like I've never hurt before. I need you, need you inside me!"

"Lav..."

"Do you want me to beg, Master? I will if I need to. Please! Please take me!"

"Stop that!" he almost shouted. "I never want you to beg me for anything, ever. And I don't want you to call me master―"

"Then help me, please," she looked up at him beseechingly.

"I don't understand what's going on," he said mystified. "But when a beautiful woman begs me to make love to her to stop her pain, how can I not?"

Lavender jumped up and looked down at him, relieved. Quickly she hiked up her dress to around her waist and reached down to grab the pair of simple cotton undergarments she had on. With one tug she ripped the flimsy garment from her body and tossed it onto the table that was the lone piece of furniture in the room. Pulling the dress up even further she turned and leaned onto the table, her delightfully bare ass and legs revealed to his view. Even as weird as the situation was, that sight and her aggressiveness were definitely turning him on and he started getting hard in spite of himself.

"Don't make love to me," she growled back over her shoulder. "Fuck me! Fuck me hard. I need you in me and I need you taking me hard!"

Fumbling with the lacings on his trousers Nil could hardly take his eyes off her incredibly long legs and shapely ass. She didn't help the situation any by shaking that ass at him and slowly moving her legs apart until he could see the glistening lips of her vagina even in the dim light of the storeroom. He could feel the blood starting to pound inside him as his trousers dropped and he pulled one leg out and free, his rock-hard cock also popping free and bobbing to the beat of his heart.

Stepping forward he grabbed her hips and pulled himself in closer to her, the spongy head of his cock rubbing against the swollen lips of her sex. She groaned and reached underneath to guide him into her center. He took a small step forward and slid easily into her as she bowed her back, raising her rear up to facilitate his entry.

"Yes!" she hissed as he slid in to the hilt, his flat stomach bumping against the muscular globes of her ass. "Yessss, that is what I need! Now fuck me!" she demanded.

Obligingly he began to piston himself in and out of her. She was always a pleasure to be with but this time there was something extra that he couldn't explain. He could almost feel her need as it translated into her cunt grasping at his invading member. Each time he pulled out he could feel her interior muscles clamp down on him as if she never wanted to let him out of her body. She whimpered and groaned beneath him beating her fists on the table. If he was any judge at all he would have sworn she had begun orgasming when he first entered her and had continued ever since.

"Harder!" she demanded. "Harder ... faster!" He obliged by speeding up his thrusts and ramming as deep into her as he could. He could just feel the soft head of his cock push against the hard surface of her cervix at the end of each thrust and somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped that their energetic sex wouldn't hurt the baby although he was pretty sure it wouldn't and anyway he was too far gone to hold back now.

"That's it! Take this bitch!" she moaned as he again pushed into her. "Take this bitch and make her yours!"

"You already are mine," he hissed and as he thrust firmly into her again. "You're mine and you'll always be mine!" he said as he began to speed up his thrusting even faster. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" Suddenly he felt his balls contract and he held himself as deep inside her as her could as he felt his seed gush out of his body and into his woman.

Lavender screamed as he came in her and then suddenly went limp and silent. Nil just stood there pumping his essences deep into her body until finally he felt like his entire insides were going to be pumped out of own body and into hers. When he was finally done he felt a great weariness envelop him and he slumped down over her back as he struggled to keep to his feet and not put his weight on her any more than he had to.

Gasping for breath he held himself up by his hands on either side of her as his cock softened slightly and finally plopped out of her. Cautiously he pushed himself up and backed away from his prostrate bodyguard/lover. Lavender groaned a little and finally turned her head back to look at him.

"Gods that was good," she sighed, but then looked troubled and refused to meet his gaze. "You must think I am such a slut," she choked. "That's what it is, right? A slut, a harlot, a whore. You must hate me!" She started to push herself up and off the table.

Quickly he moved into her, grasped her firmly and twisted her around to face him. Bringing one hand up to the back of her neck, he firmly brought her face down to his where he kissed her as tenderly as he could. At first she stiffened up, not resisting, but not returning his kiss. Undaunted he continued until she sighed again and seemed to flow against him, her body wrapping itself around him and pressing in as closely as she could. After a time he broke the clinch and moved back slightly so he could look up at her.