Kwin

by Trudie Collins

  Luka smiled at him in a way that made him even more uneasy. She was obviously enjoying his discomfort. “What? Dogs in Tippet can’t do that?”

  He wanted to strangle her. He was seriously considering testing what would really happen if he removed Luka’s controller from her wrist. Almost as if he could read Kwin’s mind, Canis raised his lip again.

  “My father made him for me,” Luka continued. “He bought me a puppy for my birthday one year and tampered with it a little.”

  Kwin said nothing, hoping she would explain what she meant by ‘tampered’.

  Before she could continue, there was a knock on the door and Drake entered the room.

  “Shelby says your bath is ready whenever you are,” he said to Luka. “And Koal is keeping food warm. He said if it’s not eaten soon he will have to throw it away.”

  The comment made Luka smile. “Thank you Drake. I think Kwin and I have discussed all we need to, for now. Please take him to the kitchen. I expect him to be back here, properly attired, by the time I return.”

  “No problem Luka,” Drake said. He did not bow, but merely turned around, indicating with his head that Kwin should follow. Kwin obeyed, stopping when he heard whining coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Canis looking up at Luka with pleading eyes.

  “Go on then,” Luka said to the dog. “You can keep an eye on Kwin for me. But if you expect Koal to feed you, you will have to ask him nicely.”

  Kwin wasn’t sure he was comfortable with the dog ‘keeping an eye on him’, but it bounded past him without even glancing at him.

  As soon as they reached the kitchen, Drake told Kwin to take a seat at the table. The room was large, with a number of stoves and heating plates along one side. An overweight man stood in front of one of the ovens. Canis walked up to him, sat down on his haunches, raised one paw in the air, then whined to get his attention.

  “And how is my favourite doggie?” the large man asked, speaking in the Tippetian language. Canis barked, the sound loud and deep enough to make the table and the chair Kwin was sitting on shake.

  The chef smiled. “Just let me serve the new arrival then I will get you your dinner.”

  The look of disgust at having to wait that Kwin received from the dog made him shiver. Kwin was used to being the alpha male and he suddenly found himself relegated to second place.

  A plate was placed in front of him containing a leg and some breast of a roasted bird, vegetables and a couple of slices of buttered bread. A small jug of steaming gravy was put beside it, along with cutlery and a glass of water.

  Drake sat down opposite Kwin and instructed him to eat. Chomping noises were coming from behind him, but he didn’t turn around; he didn’t want to know what the dog was eating in case it was human.

  “You need to know the rules of this household,” Drake said as Kwin ate. “First, you always obey Luka.” Again he missed off the Lady. Kwin had his mouth full and by the time he had swallowed, Drake was talking again, denying Kwin the chance to question him.

  “I don’t know why you are here Kwin, or what your role is, but you will do everything she asks of you, without question.”

  “I’m her pleasure slave,” Kwin said.

  Drake looked him up and down. “I very much doubt that. That may be the story she will be telling everyone, but we both know that it’s not true.”

  Kwin didn’t ask how Drake knew. The man continued. “Do anything to hurt Luka or upset her in any way and you will regret it.”

  “I’ve already had the lecture about how she can use her bracelet to control me,” Kwin said and took a bite out of his bread.

  “I wasn’t talking about that. I am head of the servants and that means I get to deal with discipline. We are a family here and you don’t want to get on the wrong side of us.”

  “Family? You’re slaves.”

  “Not everything is always as it seems,” Drake said cryptically.

  Kwin didn’t ask what he meant. The man would either tell him or he wouldn’t, it was up to him.

  “Let me introduce you to Koal,” Drake said, indicating behind Kwin with his head. “Our chef. Koal and I have been here a long time, as have a few others, working for Luka’s father before he died and Luka moved in.”

  Kwin looked behind him and Koal turned his attention away from the dog. “You have two choices. Fit in with us and you will eat well. Cause any trouble and you won’t.” He was wielding a large chopping knife as he spoke, waving it around as though he had forgotten it was in his hand.

  Kwin did not respond. He couldn’t understand why his own countrymen were being hostile toward him. And they seemed protective of Luka, their owner. It didn’t make any sense.

  Kwin nodded his head in acceptance, but not agreement, and asked Drake about the rest of the slaves.

  “Shelby, my wife, is Luka’s personal maid. There are a number of others who live here, gardeners, stable hands, cleaners. We each have our own roles to play, but pitch in to help each other, especially when Luka has guests, which isn’t very often. We expect you to do the same. You may be here to allegedly warm Luka’s bed, but if Koal tells you to peel potatoes, you will damn well peel them.”

  Kwin smiled. He was beginning to like this man. “I’ve been a soldier for the last fifteen years, ever since I turned fourteen. I was taught everything I need to know in order to survive if ever I find myself stranded and alone. I also know how important it is to work together, as a team.”

  Drake grunted. “We’ll see.” He looked at Kwin’s empty plate and said, “If you’ve finished eating, we should find you some clothes.”

  Drake led Kwin to a bedroom at the far end of the house, on the upper floor. It was dusty and didn’t look like it had been used in a while. Canis accompanied them.

  “When Luka moved in here, she had all of her father’s things moved to this room. She had no use for them but couldn’t bear the thought of throwing them out.”

  “They were close then?” Kwin asked.

  “Yes. Very close. He tau...” Drake stopped mid-sentence, as though he was about to say something he shouldn’t. “He was about your size so hopefully his clothes will fit you. We’ll get some made for you soon.”

  Drake looked inside a wardrobe and selected trousers and a tunic. He handed them to Kwin before approaching a chest of drawers and opening the first one. He removed underwear and a pair of socks.

  “There are shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe. I really hope they fit as Luka hates seeing men in sandals.”

  Kwin removed his loin cloth and put on the underwear. He didn’t turn away. He was used to men seeing him naked and saw no reason to try to hide his body from Drake. He did, however, position himself away from the dog. He didn’t like the way Canis was eyeing him. If he was going to get bitten, there was one place he definitely didn’t want it to be.

  The shoes were a little tight, but nothing he couldn’t live with for a few days. Drake gave his seal of approval then took him back to Luka’s suite, where she was waiting for him.

  “That’s better,” she said. “Though I’m not sure the colour suits you. I’ll organise the dressmaker to visit.”

  “Dressmaker?”

  “She makes men’s clothes better than any tailor I have found. So tell me, have you been told the rules of this household yet?”

  Without asking permission, Kwin sat down. So far he had been given the impression that proper protocol wasn’t followed here and he wanted to see how far he could go before being reprimanded.

  “Some. I know that I have to obey you and if I upset you in any way your slaves will deal with me. The way Koal was holding a knife, I got the distinct impression he was threatening to remove parts of my anatomy and feed them to the dog.”

  Luka laughed and Canis barked. “Don’t worry. That will never happen. Canis doesn’t like human meat.”

  Kwin noticed that Luka didn’t say that Koal cutting off his balls would also not happen. And how did Luka know that Canis didn’t like h
uman meat? He decided he was better off not knowing.

  “I get the impression there are a lot of secrets here, and me not really being a pleasure slave is one of them.”

  “There are, but they will not be revealed to you until Drake believes you can be trusted, and trust has to be earned.”

  Kwin looked over at Canis, who was still looking at him as though he was contemplating which part he would like to eat first, despite what Luka had said. “Tell me about Canis. What did you mean by your father tampered with him.”

  Luka shrugged. “He wanted me to be protected, so he gave Canis a few abilities most dogs don’t have. He is larger, stronger, faster, can walk through most things and is fiercely protective of me. Oh and he can create a shield around us both if ever he needs to.”

  Kwin just stared at Luka. “How?” he eventually asked.

  “Hasn’t anyone told you? My father was one of the most powerful magic users ever to be born in Wayvern.”

  Chapter 9

  When Shona woke it took her a moment to remember where she was. Initially she thought she was a guest in someone’s mansion in Tippet, then her eyes fell on her bracelet and reality came crashing down.

  She was considering getting out of bed when there was a knock on the door. She gave the person permission to enter and Dani walked in, carrying a breakfast tray.

  “The master says you are to be treated as a guest rather than a servant, my Lady,” she said as she put the tray on Shona’s lap.

  Shona shook her head. “Please just call me Shona. I’m as much a slave as the rest of you.”

  Dani’s eyes flashed her a warning. “The master does not like us using that word.”

  “But the master isn’t here.”

  Dani looked scared. “That doesn’t matter. If he finds out, you will be punished.”

  “And how does the master punish his servants?” She almost said slaves again and stopped herself just in time.

  Dani’s voice was quiet as she said, “He gives you to his guards.” She shivered, making Shona believe it was something she had either witnessed or experienced. She didn’t want to know which.

  “So are there any other rules I need to know about?” she asked instead.

  “Obey all of the master’s commands and you will be treated well. The same applies to Brend. You will never be ordered to do anything unreasonable. As long as you don’t cross him, the master is a good master.”

  Shona didn’t comment. She would make up her own mind about that. She was focused on something else. There was a tone when Dani had said Brend’s name that she couldn’t quite place.

  “So what exactly is Brend’s role here? If he is just a servant, why does he get to order others around?”

  “Brend has been put in charge of all of the servants.” There was that tone again. “He makes sure we have all we need. It was Brend who convinced the master that the servants should be allowed to have relationships, marry and have children.”

  Shona realised what the tone indicated. “You like him,” she said. “Don’t you?”

  Dani blushed and looked away. “We all like him. Without him, life would be a lot harder for us.”

  Shona smiled at the way Dani was trying to avoid answering her question. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Instead of telling Shona what she wanted to know, Dani said, “He would never be interested in me.”

  Shona was about to ask why, but Dani stopped her. “Please eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I’ll be back soon to help you get dressed.”

  Shona wanted to tell Dani that she didn’t need any help but the girl left her room so fast she didn’t have time to open her mouth.

  The food was good and Shona ate it much quicker than was ladylike. Then again, she had always avoided being ladylike whenever she could. She frequently ate in the kitchen with the servants at her father’s estate, whenever he wasn’t at home to catch her. The servants didn’t mind and kept her secret.

  She had just finished using the bathroom when Dani returned carrying a light cotton dress. It was going to be another hot day and the dress was loose enough to not make her sweat.

  Once she was clothed, Dani took her to her master’s suite. “Always wait for permission before opening this door,” she said before knocking.

  Shona walked into the room to find Brend adjusting Fillen’s waistcoat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dani smile at Brend shyly, but Brend didn’t even acknowledge her presence.

  “Lady Shona,” Brend said when he turned away from his master, dipping his head slightly at her. “I trust you slept well.”

  “Adequately, thank you,” Shona responded.

  Then Brend’s eyes fell on Dani. “That will be all Dani. You may go.” The dismissal wasn’t cold, but it was far from warm.

  “We will be attending a party tonight,” Fillen said. “I wasn’t planning on going as these affairs bore me, but it will give me the opportunity to show off my new purchase.”

  It took Shona a moment to realise that he was talking about her.

  “We will spend most of today buying you suitable clothing,” Brend said, “and teaching you how a pleasure slave should behave. Also, given your rank before you came here, I will tell you how the upper class act in Wayvern. It’s not usual for pleasure slaves to mingle openly with Wayvern nobility, but the master wishes you to, so you need to know how to behave.”

  “Very well,” Shona said. Then she addressed Fillen. “Have you decided how I am to address you?” she asked. She saw the warning look Brend gave her and quickly added, “Master.”

  “Not yet,” Fillen replied. “Let’s see how tonight goes shall we. For now, you will call me master, just like all of my other servants.”

  Shopping for clothes took a long time. When they returned, the coach was laden down with more clothes than Shona had ever owned. They had purchased outfits for every possible occasion that could occur. If this was what being a slave was like, Shona could get used to it. But she was aware that the reality of a life in slavery was much different for most.

  During their shopping expedition, Shona had tried to get information about her new master from Brend, but he hadn’t been very forthcoming. She now knew that he was the only son of a nobleman and had inherited his entire fortune. He was not married, or seeing anyone, hence the need to buy a pleasure slave.

  Shona didn’t like the term ‘pleasure slave’. It made it sound much more dignified than it was. ‘Sex slave’ would have been more accurate. When she voiced her views, Brend told her to keep her opinions to herself, if she knew what was good for her. Everyone in Wayvern said pleasure slave and she should do the same.

  When she questioned him about why Fillen had purchased a ‘pleasure slave’ he had no intention of bedding, Brend refused to answer, saying it was nobody’s business but the master’s. Not once did he ever speak Fillen’s name.

  The afternoon was spent teaching Shona the Wayvern equivalent of protocol. It was not much different to the rules she had to follow in Tippet and she was a fast learner. By the time they had finished, Brend happily told Fillen that he was confident that Shona would be able to play her part.

  As the sun was beginning to set, Dani helped her get dressed. The dress that Brend had chosen was made from light blue silk and flowed down her body. Brend had great taste in clothes.

  Fillen was waiting in his suite for her, dressed in tight black leather trousers and a dark blue silk shirt that matched her dress perfectly. Something told Shona that Brend was responsible for choosing his master’s outfit as well as her own.

  Brend, too, was dressed smartly.

  “You look lovely my dear,” Fillen said to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, bowing her head in acknowledgement of the compliment.

  “Brend will be coming with us to act as translator,” Fillen said. “Other than my servants here, I don’t want anyone to know that I can speak and understand your language. It gives me an advantage being able to know what the servants of o
thers are saying.”

  “You will not let on to anyone,” Brend said in a tone that suggested she would regret it if she did.

  On the way to the party, Shona was given a lot of instructions on what to expect and how to behave.

  “My master has never owned a pleasure slave before,” Brend said, “so we are expecting you to be quizzed by other slaves. Not many of the Wayverns can speak our language so they will get their translators or other slaves to get what information they can from you.”

  “What do you want me to say?” Shona asked. “I’m not a very good liar.”

  “Then say nothing. Tell them you are not permitted so speak about your master.”

  Shona nodded. That she would have no difficulty doing.

  “There is one other thing you need to be warned about,” Fillen said. “Most of my people tend to think that pleasure slaves are public property and that they can do what they want with someone else’s slave.” Shona paled. “Don’t worry. Brend or I will always be by your side.”

  “If anyone tries to get you alone, just tell them that the master won’t allow you to do anything with anyone else,” Brend said. “If they don’t have a translator with them or they pretend not to understand, scream, fight them off, do anything you can to make a scene. Nobody from Wayvern will make a slave go against their master’s orders.”

  Shona felt sick. She was nervous enough about her first proper outing as a slave, now she was terrified. For a while she had forgotten that she was nothing more than a possession and that her body was no longer her own. She didn’t like being reminded of it.

  “What about the other slaves? What is to stop them touching me?”

  Fillen and Brend both looked amused by the question. “If any slave touches one owned by a different master, for any reason, without permission,” Brend said, “they will forfeit their life. I don’t think anyone would risk that, not even for you.”

  The rest of the journey was made in silence.

  Shona was shaking as Fillen held out his hand so he could escort her from the carriage. He treated her as his date instead of his slave, introducing her to all those who approached him. She had no idea what he was saying, but he always referred to her as Lady Shona.