Dawn of Dae

by R. J. Blain

  “Bullshit,” I stammered. With women like Lily around, why would anyone consider me? My scars weren’t badges of pride; they were proof of my crimes, and all of the things I had done to break free of society’s hold on me—of Kenneth’s hold on me.

  I’d lost count of the number of times my boss had made some snide, stupid comment about me investing some of my earnings in creams to make my hands more like a proper lady’s.

  “Then why don’t you allow me to demonstrate,” Rob murmured, stroking his hand down the length of my arm to my shoulder. He didn’t push hard, but he took me by surprise, and I sprawled on the bed. Leaning over me, he pressed his fingertips to my throat, tracing his way down towards my collarbone. He trailed a single finger along the line of a thin scar from a stray piece of glass in a broken window.

  When he reached the collar of my nightgown, he dipped his head down and pressed his mouth to my throat. I gasped at the heat of his lips and the way he flicked the tip of his tongue over my scar. A shudder ran through me. My skin shivered at his touch, and heat spread through my chest.

  I tensed beneath him, and Rob captured my hand again, pressing my palm to his chest. “Am I to your satisfaction?”

  The way his mouth moved against my neck made me squirm. His muscles flexed beneath my hand. He guided my hand down over his ribs to his stomach. The subtle definition of his muscles promised strength, and I was torn between discovering if the rest of him was as supple and making a run for it.

  My hands had a mind of their own and skimmed over his chest, stroking up to his shoulders. He pressed into my touch, sliding towards me and pinning me beneath him.

  Rob kissed his way up my throat, and with every brush of his lips, I wanted more, holding my breath in anticipation of his next touch. “That was only one scar,” he whispered in my ear. “Which one should I play with next?”

  I could only hold my breath for so long, and when I surrendered and gasped in air, Rob’s mouth sought mine. He kissed me hard, and for a heartbeat, I remembered the suffocating pain of Arthur’s touch on my throat. Rob erased my fear with the warmth of his body on mine, his hands stroking me and infecting me with the desire for more.

  Breaking our kiss, he turned his attention to my scars again, and his searching, inquisitive mouth transformed the pain of old memories into pleasure more sensual than silk against my skin. His hands dropped to my waist, seized me, and slid me farther up onto the bed.

  I cupped his face in my hands and pulled him to me, guiding his mouth to mine so he could kiss away the years I’d spent desiring another’s touch.

  Twenty-One

  You need my permission, plain and simple.

  I woke sprawled over Rob, my bare breasts pressed against his chest. One of his arms was draped over my back, holding me close while his other hand clasped mine in a gentle but firm grip. Yawning, I rubbed at my eyes with my free hand, considered getting up, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

  The plush blanket I liked so much covered us, and the warmth of Rob’s body beneath mine relaxed me in ways I hadn’t experienced before.

  After having listened to so many women complain about how the first time with a man hurt, I had believed the first time would be more for his benefit than for mine. Rob had turned my misconceptions upside down. Caress by caress, he drove away all memory of the pain and left nothing but pleasure in his wake.

  I didn’t love Rob, but I loved what he did to me. The way he treated me like property still annoyed me, and I’d fight him every step of the way. However, the way he had driven me to desperation for his touch made me reconsider a lot of things, including leaving him in my dust.

  I hadn’t been the only one satisfied, and I flushed at the memory of his desperation for my touch, until we had both been too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. Closing my eyes, I rested my cheek on his shoulder.

  The pleasure I associated with a high tingled through me right down to my toes, all without the crash I had endured so many times. The weight of his arm around me kept me grounded, and I savored the feel of him.

  None of the women, Lily included, had mentioned anything about the comfort and security in waking up safe and warm in someone’s arms. Was it something they experienced so often they took it for granted?

  I didn’t want to return to flinching away from others, fearful of the pain their touch brought. As long as I kept still, quiet, and pretended to sleep, the moment didn’t have to end.

  “Mommy?”

  I tensed, as did Rob. His arm tightened around me, and he shifted beneath me. Holding my breath, I panicked and wondered what I was supposed to do. I was naked in bed with Rob, someone I had emphatically told my macaroni and cheese roommate I hated. Not only was I naked in bed with him, but I had lost count of the number of times I had enjoyed having sex with him before I had fallen asleep.

  “What is it, Colby?” Rob grumbled, untangling his hand from mine. The blanket slid down to my shoulders, and the room’s colder air sent shivers running through me.

  “Mommy. Mommy, Mommy,” Colby scolded, and at the disapproval in its tone, I groaned and squirmed in an effort to disappear under the blanket.

  Rob trailed his hand along my back, and I sucked in a breath at the way his fingers slid across my skin. “Okay, okay. I’m getting up. Patience, Colby. It’s not that late. Give me a break already.”

  “Mommy,” my roommate complained before I heard the squish of its departure.

  “She liked it if you really must know, you wretch!” Rob called out before muttering curses. “Nosy pest.”

  I blushed, as I had enjoyed him very much. Too embarrassed to say a word, I grabbed for the blanket so I could cover my head and hide.

  Rolling over, Rob trapped me beneath him, ducking his head to kiss me. “Good morning.”

  Rob teased me with his mouth, and I closed my eyes to savor the way his lips moved on my skin. He dropped a light kiss on my cheek before pulling away. “While I’d enjoy worshipping you again, we have work to do. I trust you’re satisfied with my stamina?”

  My face was so hot I feared I’d combust. I opened my mouth and a strangled squeak emerged. Laughing, he kissed my brow and untangled himself from me and the blankets.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. I have a few things to prepare, but there’s plenty of time for you to soak if you’d like.”

  I was sore in places I hadn’t even known I had, but the thought of bathing with him intrigued me enough I murmured, “The tub’s plenty big enough for two.”

  “While your offer is tempting, I have this urge to go kill someone we both don’t like. Why don’t you soak and then come join me?”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who has to beg to join me,” I reminded him. “I also require clothes. Real clothes. The type a girl can wear outside without flashing the neighborhood, in case you were uncertain.”

  “Already covered, I’ll leave them on the bed. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Rob gathered the wrinkled ruins of his suit from the floor, took one look at it, and shook his head. He pulled on his pants and left the rest draped over the foot of the bed. “Take your time. I have some things to discuss with Colby.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be begging for my permission to join me,” I hollered after him.

  “Okay, okay. After your bath,” he called back, and I laughed at the annoyance in his tone.

  The first round would go to me. Smiling my satisfaction, I headed for the bathroom to soak away the soreness and make plans of my own—and figure out how to work around an egotistical dae determined to get in my way.

  While Rob had encouraged me to take my time, I got out of the tub as soon as I had worked out the worst of the kinks. Time and experience warned me the only way to get rid of the soreness was to do more of what made me sore.

  I tried not to think too much about how much I liked the idea of a repeat performance. If Rob ever found out, he’d never let me live it down. He’d probably find some way to infuriate me with his
overgrown ego. He did things to me I craved to experience again, but I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me because of it.

  Once I dealt with the problem of Terry Moore, I’d focus my efforts on turning the tables on Rob. I could hate his arrogance while loving his body. I chuckled, wrapped my towel around me, and emerged from the bathroom.

  A bag was waiting on the bed, and when I dug through it, I found a pair of jeans, a black, sleeveless shirt, and a black sweater. Lying beside the bag was a lacy pair of panties and an equally dainty bra.

  “Men,” I muttered, both cursing how pretty they were and how conscious I was of the fact I was wearing sensual underwear Rob had selected. If they were anything like the other pairs, not only would they look sexy, they’d feel divine. After peeking into the hallway to make sure neither Rob or Colby were around, I changed, wrapped my hair up in the towel, and headed for the kitchen.

  Colby was on the counter having a heated debate with Rob, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was scowling at my roommate.

  “No fighting before I’ve had breakfast,” I ordered, wondering if I wanted to know what had both of them so riled up.

  “Mommy!”

  “Dinner, apparently. You didn’t take very long, Miss Daegberht.”

  “You’re supposed to be begging for the privilege of helping me kill Hasling. Make it good or you’re going home and staying out of my hair while I work,” I replied, heading for the refrigerator. I dug through the fruit drawer, grabbed a pair of apples, and decided they would serve well enough as breakfast—dinner, if Rob was to be believed. Leaning against the counter, I polished one of them on my sweater, narrowing my eyes at the dae. “Well? I’m waiting.”

  “I bought the guns.”

  “Unnecessary. I could have handled that on my own.”

  “Terry Moore’s locations,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “That has earned you the right to tag along when I break into his house and steal back Kenneth’s drugs and money,” I countered.

  “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Daegberht.”

  “I haven’t even gotten started, Rob. I’ll grudgingly allow the weapons as a starting point in negotiations.” Smirking, I took a bite of my apple. “I’m satisfied, for the moment, that you are physically fit to participate.”

  Rob’s mouth twitched, and I had the feeling he was trying not to grin. “For the moment?”

  “One can’t trust the elite to keep themselves in shape. It’s just too easy for them to shove the difficult work onto someone else.”

  “How shrewd of you.”

  “Mommy?” Colby hopped along the counter, and deciding one apple would suffice, I tossed my roommate the other. It disappeared with a crunch. “Mommy!”

  “I think Colby wants to know why you’re giving me a hard time,” Rob supplied.

  “You’re an insufferable man with a skewed perception of what constitutes as property. If you want to be there when I smash Arthur’s face into the asphalt, you need to convince me you won’t get in my way or steal my hit.”

  Rob covered his mouth, probably to hide his grin. He coughed, and with his eyes shifting colors to a brilliant azure, he replied, “I see.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to stop with your stupid property claims?”

  “No.”

  “Asshole,” I muttered. “Ask properly, Rob. If you want to come and be a pest, you need my permission, plain and simple.”

  “You really drive a hard bargain, Miss Daegberht. Very well. May I please come help you kill Hasling?”

  I glared at him, and because I liked the way he looked in his gray suit, I took my time admiring the way the dark material clung to him, hinting at his lean physique. “That’s a bit better. Show me my gun.”

  Arching a brow at me, Rob sighed, muttered something, and spun on a heel to storm out of the kitchen.

  “Mommy!” Colby called after the dae, sounding pleased with itself.

  “You can come. Your job is to keep Rob in line,” I offered.

  “Mommy.” Jumping down from the counter, my roommate hopped after Rob. “Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.”

  Sweeping back into the kitchen with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, the dae glowered at me. Anger paled Rob’s eyes to a wintry ice-blue. “You invite Colby without any fuss, but not me? That’s unfair.”

  “Mommy.”

  Rob grunted.

  Colby bounced on Rob’s foot, chanting its favorite word for a full five minutes before Rob threw his hands up in the air and replied, “Fine!”

  I wondered what Colby had said and how Rob understood it. Rob sighed, shaking his head at the other dae.

  Maybe if I said it often enough, Rob would take the hint. “Colby doesn’t treat me like cheap property.”

  “You’re not cheap.”

  “If you want to come with me, you’ll wisely shut your mouth, Rob. Cheap or not, I’m not your property. If anything, you’re my property until further notice.”

  “Is that so.”

  “It is. Now, before I change my mind about letting you tag along for the run at Moore’s properties, show me the goods.”

  The round went to me; Rob sighed, set the bag on the counter, and opened it up. He pulled out two small cases designed for handguns, setting each one down in turn before cracking them open.

  As a general rule, weapons fell into two categories: military-grade and recreational use. Hunting rifles, bows, crossbows, and sport guns were sold, with special permits, to those of the middle and higher castes. The prohibitive costs of the permits limited the possession of weapons further, and the punishment for carrying any weapon without a license tended to be steep.

  When I carried, it was a small gun I could easily conceal. Knives were the weapon of choice within the fringe, since they weren’t restricted. If the government could figure out how to ban people from cooking for themselves, I’m sure they would ban kitchen knives just to put an additional stranglehold on the populace.

  The handguns Rob had procured looked old, dating back from the United States prior to the crackdown on gun ownership. I whistled, my eyes widening as I looked over the black steel.

  “Beretta M9. They’re old, but they’re functional, accurate, and lethal. Military-grade, and it comes with another present.”

  “Ammunition, I presume.” I resisted the urge to take one of the guns out of the case. I’d seen a few Berettas around, although the ones I had handled were more modern, very illegal, and equally lethal. Not even Kenneth owned one, although he smuggled them from time to time. When he got his filthy hands on one, his street-hunting bitches all took turns with them, myself included.

  While Kenneth was rich, he wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t rated for military weapons. His personal weapons were even older than the Berettas, antiques the government chose to overlook as part of an eccentric elite’s prized collection.

  All of us had learned how to handle those, too.

  “I have sufficient ammunition for all of the weapons, but no, that’s not the sort of present I meant. Perhaps this will entice you into allowing me to accompany you.” Rob held out an envelope.

  I snatched it out of his hands, opening it to peek inside. A plasticized card waited for me, and with a puzzled frown, I pulled it out. It was a weapons permit, and when I flipped it over, my full name and picture was on the other side. It was the same image that was on my college identification card. “What the hell!”

  “Temporary; it’s valid for the next two weeks. I suggested it might be prudent to grant you access to a firearm you could conceal until your kidnapper is found. The police were in agreement and suggested a permit for a Beretta, which is easy to use. I’m to teach you how to fire it so you aren’t a threat to yourself.”

  “I’m sure I can figure it out.” I set the card on the counter, and emboldened by the fact I had a permit, however temporary, I grabbed one of the guns and went to work dismantling it. Rob was right; they were old, but someone had taken very g
ood care of them. I reassembled it, grabbed the single magazine in the case, and loaded the weapon. I chambered a round, engaged the safety, and gingerly set it back in the foam.

  Rob gawked at me, and with smug satisfaction, I watched him try to gather his wits. I filed his surprise at my familiarity away for later use. “The rifle?” I asked, allowing myself a smile.

  The rifle was in a dozen or so pieces in another case, and Rob assembled it with the confidence of someone who had handled guns many times before. When he was finished, the barrel was longer than my arm, and I had a feeling the rounds it fired were designed to take out vehicles rather than people.

  “This one’s mine. Even if you had a permit, the only way you’d be able to fire it without breaking your shoulder is with a tripod or mount.” Rob smirked at me, giving the weapon an affectionate pat. “Sometimes there are benefits to being a strong man.”

  I believed him; all guns recoiled when fired, and the more power it packed, the harder it kicked. While tempted to prove him wrong, I’d let him keep the rifle.

  I valued my teeth, and I didn’t want to eat the recoil of such a ridiculous weapon. “Point that thing at me, and I’ll kill you myself. That’s not an assault rifle. It’s a miniature rocket launcher.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. There’s only one dae I intend to hit with this weapon.”

  “He’s mine. You’re there as backup,” I reminded him.

  “Negotiable.”

  “Non-negotiable.”

  “Mommy,” Colby complained, oozing its way to the fridge. I had no idea how it managed to get the door open without help, but with a disgruntled huff, it yanked out the entire bag of apples and pulled them to the floor.