Chapter 4

Shime was learning how to eat her food slowly. It was a challenge, but when she ate her food so fast, she'd have to sit there and wait for Higzashi to finish, and he liked to take his time. She would always fidget and he'd chide her teasingly about it. After another week, she was starting to eat much more slowly. She found she felt better when she did.

"I think I have an idea for today's training," he told her as they ate breakfast.

Shime glanced up at him. Her eagerness was most endearing. He smiled as her leg started to bounce rapidly under the table in excitement. "What's that?"

He grinned in amusement. "You'll see when we're finished with our food. And wolfing it down like that isn't going to make me eat any faster." Shime pouted, which made Higzashi laugh. He waved his spoon at her. "You should be aware, I raised twin daughters, I know that trick all too well. It does not work on me."

Giggling, Shime drank her juice. "Where are your daughters, Master Higzashi?"

Higzashi suddenly seemed thoughtful. Then he seemed sad. "I'm not entirely sure. Last I had heard of them, they had joined the Torak Lakus. I told them I didn't approve. We had an argument, and they haven't spoken to me since."

Shime looked down at her food. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up sad memories."

Again Higzashi waved his spoon at her. "Quit that or I'll be forced to torture you again."

For some reason, that made her laugh. She looked at him from under her long lashes. "Sorry." She stuck the tip of her cute pink tongue out at him.

Higzashi had a massive grin on his face. He knew her game. "Alright, little one. Let's make a deal. If you can complete the task I have in mind for you by a certain time, then I'll be entirely at your command for the rest of the night."

Shime stared at him wide eyed. "Really?" He nodded, a wry grin showing one of his fangs. "Anything I want?" Again he nodded.

"However, the same goes for you if you are unable to complete the task. Then you'll be entirely at my command. Do you think that's fair?" He started to eat his food again, watching her closely.

She smiled. "I think I like the thought of you being under my control." She stuck her tongue out at him again teasingly. He chuckled and continued eating. Of course Shime was finished long before him, but she sat back, giggling childishly to herself as she thought of all that she could make Higzashi do. Thus far, her training had been learning to fight and gaining more endurance. She was already getting better with her running. She wasn't nearly as winded as she had been the first time Higzashi had made her run around the house.

Finally, Higzashi was finished with his meal. After putting away the dishes, he led Shime to the end of the village. There was a long house she had heard no one lived in. It was for training purposes. Now, they stood at the door. There were several locks on the door. Higzashi stopped, a smug look on his face. "There's a maze in there, and at the end there is a prize. There are plenty of dead ends and false rooms. The whole place is trapped. The goal is to get the prize without setting off a single trap." He chuckled at her expression.

"How ... how do I do that?" She suddenly didn't feel so confident.

"Most of them are motion detectors and lasers. If you can avoid them, you can get through without a hitch. However, I will know if you set one off. They are very loud. There are also cameras that you have to avoid being seen, doors you have to unlock, and weight sensors in the floor." He handed her a small tool. "This is for picking the locks. Everything you need to get through the house undetected is in there, you just have to use that wonderful mind of yours and problem solve."

She gulped. "How long do I have?"

"Six hours." He chuckled at her. "Most of the other students take that long on their fifth attempt. Time starts when you get the front door open without setting off the alarm."

Shime pursed her lips, glancing at the door. Then she got an idea. She muttered a few words under her breath. A pleased look crossed her face when all three locks clicked at once.

Higzashi glared at her. She felt his hand cuff her on the back of her head, making her squeak in surprise. She looked at his disapproving eyes, suddenly ashamed of herself. "Magic use is forbidden in this test, Shime. Don't do that again."

"Yes, Master," she whimpered, looking down. "I'm sorry, Master Higzashi."

He shook his head. "No need to be sorry. Just don't do it again." He went to the door, locking it again before stepping down and standing near her again. "So, our deal still stands?" She seemed disheartened by his scolding so he thought to cheer her by reminding her what was at stake.

"I'd rather try to fight Master Valenis again," she mumbled mostly to herself. Higzashi had not lied about the fighting prowess of the Vorishki. No matter how many times she'd tried to fight him, she had never even managed to get a blow in.

Higzashi came up beside her, his body brushing against hers. She gasped when she felt his hand grab her ass teasingly. "Don't you want me to be entirely under your control for a whole night?" he rumbled in her ear. He snickered when she glanced up at him.

"You'll be too tired to train me tomorrow!" With that, she stomped over to the door.

"Have fun, then!" Higzashi waved, chuckling to himself as he walked away, heading to the training field where the boys were jogging around. He stood at the edge of the field for awhile.

Jabis had recovered from Shime's torture spell. He was wary around Shime now, keeping his mouth shut. He was Malorisk's student, but Higzashi was starting to think the boy would not be a good candidate for the final test. He was so very arrogant. Someone who thought they were better than the test never passed it. It was targeted to an individual's mental state more so than their physical abilities. That took a little longer to train. A Ha'trin could not be considered fully fledged for at least 5 years. Some took longer, but never less. Ha'tinre had a similar training time. They had to learn all their spells, counter spells, prove that they are cruel enough, violent enough, cold blooded enough to accept the magic that would keep them in the service of the Ha'tinre order for the rest of their lives. There was no leaving the Ha'tinre, unlike the Ha'trin. Amongst the Ha'tinre, retirement was a knife in the gut. Once you were too old to fight back, you were disposed of. And there was no option to hide. They could track their own, no matter where.

Higzashi sighed. He knew he had taken a risk in keeping Shime here, but his gamble had paid off. Tarnrax wouldn't have bothered tracking her down. He had his own clan to torment, and what would it matter to him if Shime was captured by Ha'trin? Hell, what would it matter to him if she became a Ha'trin? Just one more reason he could consider her weak and try to kill her. And no doubt he would enjoy killing her, probably slowly.

The thought made Higzashi's skin crawl. He was jaded, but he wasn't cruel or cold blooded. After finding his first mate dead in their home, and watching his next two grow old and wither away, he just couldn't allow his heart to break anymore. After that, he kept his heart closed, but had learned how to fool his mates into thinking he loved them. His offspring, though, they were different. They would hopefully outlive him. He found his mind wandering to his daughters. He had enjoyed raising the twin girls. He prayed that wherever they were, they would be safe. He had to smile, hoping that he'd get the chance to raise another girl.

"Where's Shime?"

Higzashi shook his head, turning to Denzin. "In the trap house."

His son glanced toward the long house. "How long she been in there?"

Glancing up at the sun, Higzashi grinned. "I'd say about an hour."

"This her first time in there?" Denzin sounded shocked.

Higzashi nodded with a chuckle. "I was certain she'd make it through at least half of it. She's got quite the brain in that innocent little skull of hers."

Denzin made an amused sound, causing Higzashi to glance at him quizzically. "She's got one hell of a dirty mind, if you ask me," he snickered.

Higzashi raised a brow. "Oh? Does she?" He turned away when Denzin suddenly seemed nervous. "I only brought her here just three weeks ago and already she's turned into a seductress." His tone then became teasing when he glanced at his son again. "I knew I needed to be careful letting you two spend time together."

"Hey now. You think I'd go pissing in your territory?" Denzin frowned.

"Interesting choice of words, but no, I don't think you would," Higzashi said, glancing at him with narrowed eyes. "Shime is not my territory. She's Ha'tinre, and among them the females are not monogamous, nor are they so scared of their men as they appear to be with Tarnrax. It's uncommon for a male to even be the Grand Master of a Ha'tinre clan." Again Higzashi glanced at his son, this time with a solemn expression. "It doesn't matter to me whether you are developing feelings for her or not. You were the one who expressed concerns for not making her an enemy greater than the one we're facing and that's exactly what I'm ensuring. However, if you go sticking your nose and other parts of your anatomy into my plan, you may confuse her and disrupt my carefully laid out strategy. So I would suggest you think about your actions."

Denzin sneered at him. "I take it back. You aren't nearly as nice as I thought. But arguing over your schemes is not why I came to talk to you. Eldris still hasn't returned from his mission. I'm starting to think one of the Ha'tinre got him."

"Wasn't he suppose to protect some kind of amulet or trinket? It had magical properties, if I recall what the informant told me," Higzashi responded thoughtfully.

Denzin shrugged. "I just know he's been gone longer than the contract called for and he hasn't contacted us at all."

Before Higzashi could respond, there was a loud siren from the trap house. Grinning, Higzashi turned to head toward it. "We'll discuss that later. But looks like I win," he snickered. "She got a good way through, though. I have no doubt if she was allowed to use her magic she'd've made it all the way through."

"Wait, what do you win?" Denzin blinked in surprise.

Higzashi snickered again, walking away as Shime came stumbling out the front door of the trap house. She looked terribly chagrin. "Whatever I want," he called back to Denzin, leaving it at that.

He didn't see the contempt on Denzin's face or hear him mutter, "bastard." Then Denzin turned on his heel, heading back to his own house.

"Can't I try again?" Shime asked hopefully, following Higzashi back to the house.

He snickered. "Eventually. But you can only try once a day. Things have to be rearranged so it's not the same the next time you go in. The objective is to be able to get around all methods of detection, whether primitive or sophisticated." He held the door open for Shime, allowing her to enter. When she sighed, he patted her shoulder. "It's still early in the day. The deal was for the evening, little one." He grinned teasingly at her when she glanced up at him.

"Then what are we going to do the rest of the day?" She stepped into the house.

Once he'd closed the door, Higzashi turned her to look at him. His expression was soft. "You and I are going to work on your fears." His voice was gentle, and so were his hands as he took hers, holding them up between them.

"What?" Shime looked up into his eyes, baffled.

"Do you remember your ... flashback the second day you were here?" Slowly, Shime nodded. "I thought it would be a good time to work on the trigger for that. It occurred when I grabbed your wrists and held them over your head. You had the same kind of panic when I first held your wrists to chain them down. Having that kind of fear certainly isn't helpful if you find yourself in an unarmed fight."

He could feel Shime's body start to tremble. She stared down at their hands. Her palms lay against his. His skin was warm, his voice reassuring. "We can go slowly. There's no need to rush or feel pressured. If you feel it's too much, just tell me to stop. Are you willing to do this? It will help get that madman out of your head."

With a deep breath, Shime nodded. She felt Higzashi's hands slowly start to move, running his fingertips against her palms. Then they moved up, running along her wrists. It felt good, not threatening as she had always felt whenever Tarnrax had even gotten near enough to snatch her as he normally had.

Higzashi moved gradually, taking his time. He was waiting for her to relax, to stop looking so expectantly at his hands. She was no doubt waiting for the pain she had been so accustomed to. So he slid his fingers up along her arm, then down again along her wrists and palm. He knew this couldn't be hurried. It also couldn't be done in just one session. But, as long as they at least started, she could heal faster. It would do neither her nor anyone else involved any good if she froze up and reverted back to her terrified state if she were facing Tarnrax and he happened to get a hold of her.

"Remember," he said softly, "you can tell me to stop anytime." She nodded, glancing up at him.

Carefully, Higzashi wrapped his hands around her wrists. It was a loose grip, without any pressure. Shime stared at his hands, trying to keep her breathing steady. It wasn't Tarnrax holding her, she told herself over and over. It was Master Higzashi, he wasn't going to hurt her. Higzashi was watching her face closely. He was looking for any sign of distress so he could back off before she got to the point of telling him to stop.

Slowly, he moved her arms by his light grip on her wrists. First, he kept their arms low, moving her arms apart then close together. Gradually, he lifted her arms. The process was slow, his eyes always on her. They finally got to shoulder height. He noticed her heavy gulp, her breathing quicken. He brought their arms down again, waiting for her to calm down. When she seemed stable again, he brought their arms up. He held her wrists up in front of her face.

"You see, little one, no harm comes from this." His voice was low and gentle. "All that you remember, they are memories. They're in the past. None of what happened can harm you again, not unless you let them. Tarnrax is far away. Here, you're safe from him physically. You are the one allowing him to keep tormenting you in your head."

Shime blinked a few times, trying to prevent herself from crying. "I remember so much," she whimpered.

Higzashi placed her hands together in front of her face, making her glance up at him. "Do not remember those times as moments of weakness and pain. Think of them as the times you proved your strength by not breaking."

With a gulp, Shime nodded. Slowly, Higzashi raised her arms over her head. Once her elbows were past her shoulders, though, he saw the fear flash in her eyes. She jerked back, whimpering, "Stop! Please stop!"

Higzashi released her immediately. Shime lowered her arms, placing her face in her hands as she backed away, leaning back against the table. She felt Higzashi hold her tightly, letting her sob. She felt his large hand stroking her long hair. She'd started tying it back into a loose tail.

A few minutes went by before she heard Higzashi's pleasant, soft voice. "Tell me what went through your mind when I did that, little one."

Sniffling, Shime glanced up at him. "I ... I remember when ... when Tarnrax chained me. He would chain me up and..." She couldn't keep talking, her whole body wracked with sobs. Higzashi held her tightly, letting her cry. She could not heal if she kept it pent up.

By the time she had told him of the things Tarnrax had done to her, it was growing late. Higzashi listened to her intently, a slow anger building in him. If he thought he could get close enough to Tarnrax himself, he would do it. But he knew the likelihood of Tarnrax dropping his guard enough for a Ha'trin to get near him was very unlikely.

Shime was exhausted by the time she had gotten out her grief. Higzashi made them dinner and then told her to go to bed.

"What about our deal?" she asked softly.

Higzashi shook his head. "Don't worry about it, dear heart. I was using it more to get you motivated."

"Oh." Shime shrugged, standing to go into the bedroom.

Higzashi pursed his lips, staring at her with a burning gaze. "Don't tease, little one."

Raising her brow, Shime shrugged again. She stood at the door of the bedroom looking back at him. "That's not teasing, Master Higzashi." Then her eyelids lowered in a seductive expression. That enticing tongue slipped from her lips, licking sexually along her hand and fingers that were resting on the frame of the doorway, watching Higzashi's expression with satisfaction. "That's teasing," she stated with a quick flash of her teeth. "Good night."

Higzashi had to take a deep breath, trying to calm his raging hormones. He usually didn't have trouble with that, but something about Shime set him on fire, and he found it difficult to concentrate around her. After a few moments, though, he decided he would find out if she was just ruffling his feathers or if she was serious about spending the rest of the evening enjoying each other.

When he peered into the room, Shime lay in the middle of the bed on her stomach, the blanket only reaching her thighs, leaving her perfectly rounded ass for his eyes to feast on. A slow, sadistic grin split his face. She was definitely well versed in the art of seduction.

Without hesitation, Higzashi removed his clothing, moving silently. He slid into the bed with Shime, his hand caressing her smooth back. His lips followed suit, feathering kisses over her back and shoulders. He smiled when she squirmed. She was pretending to be trying to sleep, and he knew it. "Do not think I would let you get away with such a show," he rumbled into her ear. His hand slid over her down to her rump, squeezing the firm flesh, making her gasp a little.

"But, Master Higzashi," she whined softly, "you told me to go to bed."

"And that's exactly where you are, little one," he purred hotly in her ear. "In my bed."

She turned her head to look up at him. "Do you like having me in your bed?"

With a grin, Higzashi pressed his hard length against her side. "Does that answer your question, dear heart?" Shime smiled slyly. With a chuckle, Higzashi kissed along her spine. "You are dangerous, dear one."

"I'm the snake in the bed, remember?" she giggled childishly.

For a second Higzashi paused, recalling his comments about her. Before he could blink, she pounced on him, straddling his hip. She grinned down at him. "You look surprised, Master Higzashi," she said silkily.

He had to take a breath to calm his pounding heart. Closing his eyes a moment, he let Shime lower her body over him, her lips kissing around his throat as she rubbed her opening against his length. Then Higzashi laughed, running his fingers through Shime's hair that tickled his broad furry chest. "Because you are full of surprises, my dear," he said breathily.

Shime smiled down at him. "Is that good?"

Higzashi grinned as he drew her down to a kiss. "It's perfect."

As he kissed her fiercely, he moved his hips, impaling Shime. She gasped against his lips, her whole body shuddering. His hands traveled down her soft, silky body, resting on her hips as he helped her with the pace. Shime was soon lost to the sensation, riding him easily.

Higzashi watched her lithe body move and grind, smiling when she brought herself to climax on him. But in the back of his mind, a nagging little voice told him that he had to tread carefully. She was learning to be even better than he had intended. However, for right now, she was still too innocent to think to use her abilities for killing. She truly had turned into quite a seductress, and Higzashi didn't mind in the slightest.

Again, Shime shuddered, her eyes rolling back with a moan. Grinning, Higzashi reached up and pressed lightly against her neck. The resulting extra dose of endorphins caused Shime to cry out, her body wracked with convulsions in an orgasm more intense than any she'd had yet.