Chapter 36

I got Janet to help me get over to Violet’s prone body, remembering the sound of bones breaking when she had hit the corner of the wall. She was breathing shallowly, but she was still alive.

“Why did you do that, Violet? Why did you try to help me after trying to hurt and even kill me?!”

“I did not do it for you, dummy,” Violet said, struggling to get air. “He had to pay for deceiving me and then casting me aside!”

“He played on your insecurities and desires, Violet, you could not control that. But it does not excuse the horrible things you have done.”

“Nor should it, Davik, but at least I have done something right in all of this mess. I still cannot control the anger and hatred I feel towards you, but I knew before returning here that it was not all your fault. As much as I tried to ignore the journal, I read it - including your entries. Everything you have said matched both your entries and my father’s, though I could not understand why mother wanted me never to read it.”

I sighed, “Given the effect Voguel attacks had on your life and the lives of your friends, maybe she was worried it would tarnish your view of Ruben if you knew he had been one. I cannot know her motivations, nor anyone else’s but my own, but I am sorry things had turned out this way between us.”

Janet placed me against a wall and bent down to check Violet, looking to see what damage might have occurred. She turned and looked back at me with tears in her eyes, giving a gentle ‘no’, answering my question before I had a chance to ask it. I could not help the tears that began to form in my eyes, though I fought to keep them from falling.

“I know that he broke my back and that it is high enough that soon I will lose all ability to breathe. All I ask is that you give me a proper burial, and that you tell my family I am sorry for everything I have done to hurt them.”

That did it, and I began to weep openly. Despite all she had done, she was still Violet. All the pain and anger could not mar the childhood we shared and the time I spent with her when I returned. I looked to see Violet look at me with tears in her eyes and a soft gentle smile on her face.

“Janet, is it? Please look after this dummy. He will love you more than you deserve. He will try to always make you happy when you are around him but drive you crazy with his need to help others. I hope that you and Lillian can give him the love, trust and happiness that I was unable to give.”

Janet merely nodded and we watched as Violet took one last, strained breath before her body went limp. Her eyes were still fixed on mine, as the life that once filled them left for what comes next. I hoped that she would find the peace and happiness she did not get in this life.

The rest of the girls arrived at that time, with Kayla and Ingrid taking my arms, to allow me to brace myself on them, while the others went to check on Lillian.

“I am sorry, Davik, I know you still cared about her, even after all she had done. I felt the same way about Ethal when she killed Gwen - you hate what they did, but you cannot shut off the feelings that come from the history you two shared. I will carry her out of here and, once we talk with Ruben, we will give her the burial that she asked for.”

<<I am sorry, too, Davik, though I know all too well the pain you are going through, as I spent a few years loving her. After all she did, that does not totally go away. I just hope that she is at peace now, without the inner demons she faced, plaguing her.>>

I nodded, trying not to tear up again, “Were you successful in locating any guards or enemies we had missed?”

“There were three people who seemed to be going through the processes of becoming Voguel and they begged for it to stop, so they have been cured. We will give them to Retvan to determine if they were criminals, deserters or just poor fools who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Very good,” I replied, before a thought crossed my mind. “How are we expected to get out of here, now that the tunnels are sealed from this side and there are people armed and ready to attack if they see us.”

“I told Faye that if she hears the howl of a wolf, she is to order all of them to stand down.”

I looked over at Janet with a shocked expression, which was returned with a wide grin of pride.

“I may have told Faye to mention that you had tamed a wolf to fight with you, so that the soldiers would not be too shocked by Lillian. Her cover is that you made the wolf wait in the woods so that she would not scare people. She followed you after you were captured and found a way inside to help rescue you.”

I had to admit that it was rather good, though I did not like to lie about Lillian in that way.

<<It is okay, Davik, it will give you a reason to have me around until we find a way to get me back to normal.>>

They were right, of course, so I did not comment further on it. Just as Janet bent down to pick up Violet’s body, Lillian rounded the corner with the others and we slowly made our way downstairs. Once there, we headed back towards the atrium, hoping that the entrance to the building would be nearby.

“Janet, while your plan is sound, how are we to know that they have actually agreed not to shoot us?”

Janet laughed and said, “We tend to use bird calls to let one another know if an area is dangerous, or if it is safe to move. After the howl, we wait to hear the call from Faye and then we can leave.”

That made sense, and a few minutes later we found ourselves in front of two large doors, barred on this side, that led out of the building. Elsie and Irenia went over and removed the large pieces of wood barricading the door, followed by opening it a crack. Lillian padded over to the door, took a deep breath and let out a long, loud howl. As she was howling, I realized how beautiful that sound could be. I had been so negative about all wolves for a long time, so I had not stopped to think about them as anything other than vermin. Once her howl was complete, she stepped back and we waited to hear from Faye. A few minutes later, the loud sound of a bird I had never heard before filled the air. I turned to Janet and she looked back at me, nodding her head with a smile. We opened the door and cautiously made our way out, heading in the general direction we believed the sound had come from.

A few minutes later, thanks to Lillian’s exceptional nose, we found Faye. She looked happy and relieved to see that we were all okay, though she had a forlorn look when she saw Violet’s body.

“There were seven guards that attempted to flee the compound, all but two were fatally wounded. The two that survived the arrow volley are in the middle of the cure’s effects, but they will be fine by the time sentencing comes around.”

We continued, with Faye and Lillian guiding us through the forest back to Retvan. I used the time to try and help speed up my recovery, but my legs had been injured badly. I would need a few days rest before I would be able to walk on them again, but I was not fully sure. Given how slowly we had to move, due to my injuries, it took a few hours to get back to the inn and the girls rushed me right up to bed. Janet went on to Lillian and Celka’s room to lay Violet’s body down, before telling Ruben. He had been anxiously waiting with Revar at his house since there was a risk of enemies coming through the cellar at the inn. Faye went downstairs to permanently close that access as well, so that it could never be used again. I closed my eyes to try and get some rest before the others returned. I had a feeling I would need it.

I did not fall asleep for very long, but when I opened my eyes again, I felt a bit more energetic and my legs did not hurt as much. I looked over to see Lillian lying on the floor next to me, which was odd. She had stayed in the woods before we returned to the town, as she did not want to scare anyone. I looked to my right to see Janet lying next to me, her eyes open and searching mine.

“I thought that Lillian needed to stay in the woods, that way she would not scare anyone or cause any issues.”

Janet smiled and replied, “We did, but Sebastian stopped by and had learned of her from his men, so asked why she was not with you. We told him the reason and he said that, given our exemplary work in dealing with the criminal elements plaguing the town, she was allowed to enter and anyone who complained would need to take it up with the Patron. He has also agreed to all the terms of your deal, the documents are with Liza since she runs the household. Ruben would like to see you when you are able, as would your new friend, Ivy.”

I nodded and thanked Janet, and she rewarded me with a kiss and then left the bed to go find Ruben and Ivy. I looked over to Lillian and it looked as if she were sleeping and a pang of guilt hit me, as I was in part to blame for her current state of being.

<<Please do not think that way, Davik, I knew what I was doing when I chose to try this. Janet was linked to you in a way I craved, so I did something foolish and now I have to pay the price. I know that we will find a way to help me change back and when I do - watch out, because we will not be leaving a bedroom for some time. Until then, we will have to settle for sharing ourselves in our dreams.>>

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused as to her meaning. “What shared dreams?”

Lillian opened her eyes and locked them with mine, <<The dream of the three of us together that you had during your capture.>>

I looked at her in shock, “How do you know about that dream? I have not really had time to mention it, unless I was talking in my sleep.”

<<I know because Janet and I had the same dream, though we did not realize it until morning when the two of us talked about it. Maybe if we try, we can do it whenever we want, meaning I can be with both of you, despite my current trappings.>>

“If we did, I would probably wind up exhausted, as we would be together in our dreams every night.”

I could feel the embarrassment and lust that emanated from Lillian and I could not help but gulp at the prospect. A knock came at the door and I called out for them to enter, though I was surprised to see Ivy and Ruben come in.

“I am so sorry for your loss, Ruben. I wish that things had not turned out as they did, but you should know that she helped kill Brenson, though it ended with her losing her life.”

Ruben sighed, “I know you did what you could, though it gives me some joy to know that she tried to do something good in the end.”

“What can I do for you, Miss Ivy? I am happy to see that you got out okay, but Janet says you want to speak to me.”

Ivy nodded and said, “Yes, I do. I want to thank you for keeping your word about helping me to escape. Ruben has said my name was your mother’s, so I thank you for finding me worthy of that name. He has offered to shelter me and give me a home, so you will be seeing me often in Cartha.”

“She cannot replace Violet,” Ruben said softly, “but perhaps we can help her find happiness in a way we could not for Violet. I am sure that Violet would have wanted that, but she got lost in something that was out of her control.”

I understood what he meant and agreed that it would have been what Violet would have wanted. Ruben said that he and Ivy would be leaving for Cartha tomorrow and that he would see us when we finally got there. I could not help but laugh, as I knew I would be waiting a bit before I was well enough to travel. They both left and Janet returned a few minutes later and came into the bed again, a question on her eyes that her lips and mind were not telling.

“What is it, Janet? I know that there is something on your mind, but I cannot ascertain what it is.”

<<She wants to know if you are going to consider her idea for turning the rest of the regiment into Ostreguels.>>

She nodded slightly as a blush appeared on her face. I was not surprised she was still on it, but I wanted to know the real reason why she was so adamant.

“I heard that, Davik. To be honest, it is because I need them. We have become a family in our own right and me being changed could ruin that. I know they will still follow me, but when we eventually return to Vishant, they would be reassigned. I would possibly be only asked to retire, but I could also be taken to be experimented on or be deemed a traitor. Alone, I do not know what I would do, but if they were like me...”

I sighed and said, “They would have to be willing to be bound to me in that way, because it binds you, Lillian and myself to them as well.”

“I know that, silly,” Janet answered with a laugh, her shyness gone. “It would make us an even better unit.”

“Very true, but you forget the physical aspect, not only the shared pain but the shared pleasure.”

Janet looked at me funny, not understanding what I meant, but I could hear Lillian laughing in my head.

“Janet, you felt when I was getting tortured - each time it happened. Now imagine the flip side of that, the sensations of lust and pleasure feeding through that link when we are together, feeding to the others and filling them with lust, need and pleasure.”

I waited as she thought on my words, though her reaction to them was not as I expected. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she got a faraway look in her eyes and I swear I heard a slight moan escaped her lips.

<<Looks like the idea turns her on, I did not know that Janet was such a naughty girl. Perhaps you should give her a spanking or maybe tie her up and make her watch as you have sex with the other six.>>

I thought Lillian had taken the imagery a little too far, until I saw Janet’s eyes roll back and the link got hit with waves of pleasure and ecstasy. When Janet regained her composure, she blushed scarlet as her orgasm had proved my point.

“Thank you for demonstrating my point, but there is another fundamental part of that you have forgotten. They have to agree to that kind of bonding as well. However, before any of that can be considered, we need to get Lillian back to her human form. We cannot run the risk of issues like that occurring with the others, I will not take the chance.”