Fain let the matter drop.
“What was that about?” Nonah asked Kwin, not realising that Luka could understand most of what he said.
“Moda tried to claim me for the night and I refused. Luka backed me up.”
Nonah grunted. “You’re lucky. You wouldn’t enjoy sharing her bed. If I have to tonight instead, I’m going to be calling you a few unpleasant names.”
Kwin grinned at him. “Feel free to call me anything you like.”
The atmosphere lightened again and soon the encounter was put from their minds. When Stewerd arrived to announce that dinner would be in an hour, the two ladies went to their rooms to freshen up and change clothes. Luka took Kwin with her.
As soon as they were alone, he put an aural barrier around the room so, should someone be listening in at the door, they would not be able to overhear the conversation.
After letting Luka know what he had done, he asked, “Is she always like that?”
“Who, my mother? Yes. She takes whatever she wants and hardly ever hears the word no.”
“Will she cause you trouble?”
Luka sat down on the bed and shook her head. “No, though I have a distinct feeling that the rest of my time here is not going to be much fun.”
While Luka bathed, Kwin changed his clothes. Once she was ready, he held out his arm to her and escorted her down the stairs as though he was her date, not her slave. Much to her mother’s disgust, Luka insisted that Kwin join them in the dining room for the meal instead of being sent away to eat with the other slaves.
A lot of people were present and all were doing their best to speak with Moda as much as possible. Luka rolled her eyes. Her mother always surrounded herself with people who wanted a favour so would do all they could to please her. Luka made sure she was seated as far away from her as possible.
Kwin acted the complete gentleman throughout the meal. Luka was aware that he had received the proper training in etiquette and it seemed to come naturally to him.
After the meal, Jona approached her. “You look lovely tonight.”
Luka wasn’t in the mood for being polite. “What do you want?”
“Can we talk?” He glanced at Kwin, who was standing nearby, listening in in case he needed to intervene. “Alone.”
“Alright,” Luka said and walked over to a door which led to a small, private sitting room. “Wait for me out here,” she said to Kwin.
“Do you want me to listen in?” he whispered in her ear as he brushed past her to station himself next to the door.
Luka nodded. While she was more than capable of handling Jona, it felt good knowing that Kwin was only the other side of the door and would rush in, should she need him to.
As soon as they were alone, Jona threw his arms around Luka and hugged her tight. She freed herself and pushed him away. “That is not an appropriate way to behave with your step-daughter.”
Jona took her hand. “Luka, please. Don’t be like that. I have missed you so much.”
Luka snatched her hand away. “This conversation is over.”
She turned away and he grabbed her arm. “Luka wait. Please sit down. Let’s talk. How are you?”
Luka did so, taking a seat in one of the chairs rather than the sofa so that Jona couldn’t sit next to her.
“You look well,” Jona said when Luka remained silent.
“Kwin is having a good effect on me,” she said. Jona frowned at her in confusion. “My pleasure slave. The man standing outside the door waiting for me.”
Jona’s frown deepened, turning from incomprehension to anger before he managed to hide it. Luka looked at him carefully. While still an attractive man, his face now contained frown lines that hadn’t been there when they were together and he looked older. She suspected he was unhappy, but wouldn’t ask. It was none of her business.
“Mother seems well,” she said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped the room.
Jona grimaced. “Can we talk about something more pleasant please.”
Luka raised an eyebrow. “Things not going well?”
“They were fine until I purchased a pleasure slave. She was making use of Fain’s new slave so I didn’t see the harm.”
Luka couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing. “You really are naïve aren’t you. Did you really think Moda wouldn’t mind you having sex with someone else? Just because she is doesn’t mean you are allowed to.”
“So I found out.”
Silence descended again. Luka could see that there was something Jona wanted to say, but he seemed unsure, so she gave him the time he needed without interruption.
“What went wrong between us?” he finally asked. “We were so good together.”
“You decided to sleep with my mother.” She kept her voice calm. She felt no bitterness toward Jona. If anything, she felt sorry for him.
Jona shrugged his shoulders. “We all make mistakes.” He leaned forward and grabbed hold of her hand. “Luka, I beg you, give me another chance. Take me back. You know we are the ones who are meant to be together. I’ll leave your mother, whatever the consequences. Nothing has changed. I still love you and I know you still love me.”
Luka squeezed his hand. What she was about to say was going to hurt him. “You made your choice, now you have to live with it.”
He made no attempt to stop her when she withdrew her hand. He didn’t even look up as she walked over to the door. When she turned around, he had his head bowed, looking at his hands. She couldn’t see much of his face, but what she did see showed deep sadness.
“Are you alright?” Kwin asked as soon as she had closed the door behind her. She nodded.
“Yes. Just a little sad. How much did you hear?”
“Everything. I put a spell on the door to allow me to hear through it as if it wasn’t there.”
Luka didn’t know that was possible and almost asked him to teach her, stopping herself just in time. She felt so relaxed around Kwin that it was getting harder and harder to keep her magic secret.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to bed.”
Chapter 24
Kwin looked at the bed, then at Luka. “How do you want to do this?” he asked.
“I think I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself,” she said, her smile suggesting that she found his discomfort amusing.
“I don’t have any night clothes. It seems that nobody wears them in this country.”
“Then keep your underwear on if you’re worried that I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
That comment was going too far. “That is not what I was suggesting,” he snapped at her. “And you know it.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist teasing you. Which side do you want?”
Kwin bowed low to her, mockingly. “Whichever side my Lady commands.”
He went to make use of the bathroom, giving Luka some privacy so she could undress. When he returned, she was in the bed, the covers pulled up to hide her nakedness.
He could feel her eyes on him as he undressed, but he didn’t let her put him off. He folded his clothes and placed them on a chair before returning to the bed and slipping under the covers. If she wanted to see his naked body, that was up to her; he would do nothing to hide his manhood.
“Goodnight Luka,” he said as he turned his back to her.
“Good night. I presume you put your sound shield back in place.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Fain, Jona or my mother will be listening at the door so they can hear what we get up to.”
“No problem. Now go to sleep.”
“Kwin.”
“Yes Luka.”
“No matter how many times I see it, your body still impresses me.”
Kwin chuckled, then closed his eyes.
The next morning, Luka was already dressed by the time he awoke.
“I thought you were going to sleep all day,” she said when she saw he had finally opened his eyes. “Fai
n and I are going to grab a picnic breakfast and go for a ride. Go to the kitchen when you’re ready to eat. Stay in bed as long as you wish. People will think I wore you out.”
“Yes my Lady. Should I provide them with any details, if I’m asked?”
Luka slapped him playfully on the arm. “No.”
Kwin spent a lazy morning being shown around the grounds by Nonah. He didn’t get time to himself very often and jumped at the chance of being out of the house without his owner or her mother in attendance.
He turned out to be good company and he and Kwin got on well. He didn’t ask any questions about Luka so Kwin wasn’t forced to lie to him.
They met up with the ladies for lunch, then the four spent the afternoon together. The estate had a lake and the two men tried to teach Fain and Luka how to fish.
They returned to the house in time to bathe and change for the party. Fain was looking forward to it; Luka wasn’t. She didn’t like the same people as her mother, she explained when Kwin asked.
There was no sit down meal; everyone just selected food from the trays being carried around by the numerous slaves. Kwin never left Luka’s side, acting as translator whenever she wished to speak to one of them. She hadn’t mentioned to anyone that she was learning to speak their language and Kwin was more than happy to keep up the pretence that his presence was needed.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, musicians started to play and the dancing began. Many of the women wanted to dance with Kwin and, much to his disgust, Luka gave her permission. More than a few of them propositioned him, but he turned them all down.
When the music stopped playing, Moda announced that it was time for the entertainment and that everyone should find a seat, insisting that her daughters sit with her.
A wooden contraption was wheeled in, with straps attached in various places.
“What is that?” Kwin whispered to Luka. When she didn’t answer, he looked at her. She had gone pale. Whatever this entertainment was going to be, he got the distinct impression he wasn’t going to enjoy it.
Then all eyes turned to the doors. Screaming could be heard and when they opened, two of Moda’s guards were dragging a young girl, forcing her to move into the room against her will.
“That’s Henna, Jona’s pleasure slave,” Kwin heard Fain inform Luka.
Kwin watched in disgust as the girl was attached to the wooden apparatus, her wrists and ankles strapped into place, her legs forced wide apart and her back bent at the waist. Tears were flowing down her face.
One of the guards raised Henna’s dress and cut away her underwear with a knife.
Kwin looked across at Jona, who was glaring at Moda with undisguised hate. Moda smiled at him. Whatever was about to happen to the girl, it was to make Jona suffer.
The other guard then produced a thin metal rod, holding it up for everyone to see. When he pressed a button at the top, metal spikes sprang out from every part of the surface.
Kwin had a pretty good idea what was about to happen and began praying to Hellan that he was wrong.
“Are you alright my dear,” he heard Moda say and turned to see that she was speaking to Luka, who looked like she was about to be sick.
“Just a headache mother.”
Kwin saw an opportunity to get Luka out of the room and took it. “I know a cure for headaches,” he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Before she could protest, he picked her up and carried her away, taking her directly to their room. The sounds of screams followed them up the corridor.
As soon as he pushed the door closed, Kwin put Luka on her feet. She ran straight to the bathroom and he could hear the sounds of her vomiting.
He placed an aural shield around the room and poured her a glass of water from the jug on the bedside table.
“Thank you,” she said when he handed it to her as soon as she emerged from the bathroom. She took a sip then put it down.
“Do you feel up to explaining what was going on?” He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.
Luka sat on the bed. She didn’t look well. “It’s a torture device that has been banned, but many people still secretly use it. It’s inserted into a woman then the button is pressed releasing the spikes.”
Kwin grimaced. He didn’t even want to think about how painful that would be. Unfortunately Luka hadn’t finished. “Then it’s pulled out, with the spikes still in place.”
It was Kwin’s turn to go pale. There was so much wrong with what Luka had said that he didn’t know where to start. How could anyone see that as entertainment?
“There’s a male equivalent,” Luka told him. “It slips over the penis then the spikes go inward.”
“Why is your mother torturing the poor girl? What has she done wrong?”
“Her target is Jona, not Henna. She has effectively stopped him being able to have sex with his pleasure slave for a few weeks. She’s sending him a message that she can do whatever she likes and there is nothing he can do about it.”
“So this young woman is being forced to have sex against her will, then gets mutilated for it?”
Luka nodded. She looked completely drained. She moved herself back along the bed, supporting herself on the bedrest as though she didn’t have the energy to keep herself upright.
“I understand why you left home. Your mother is evil.”
Kwin sat down beside her. Without thinking, he took her in his arms, giving her what comfort he could. The ‘entertainment’ had affected her badly. She didn’t push him away.
“Is there anything we can do?”
He felt her shake her head against his chest. “Not yet. Not until her ordeal is over.”
Kwin had no idea how long he held Luka in his arms, but eventually she moved away from him. “It’s time,” she said and pressed a button on her bedside table. This would notify someone in the servants’ quarters that she wanted someone to attend to her. Usually an interpreter was sent, but it didn’t matter who arrived; Kwin would be able to translate for her.
Much to Kwin’s surprise, it was Stewerd who knocked on the door. He would have thought that such a menial task was beneath the butler, even though he was a slave.
“Bring Henna up to me,” Luka said. For a moment Stewerd looked like he was going to protest, but he merely nodded his head and left.
A short while later there was another knock on the door. When Kwin opened it, however, it was not Henna who was waiting outside, but a young man. He was tall and muscular.
“My name is Kail,” he said. “Stewerd said you needed a servant to attend to you.”
“Lady Luka requested Henna,” Kwin said and he saw the young man stiffen.
“Henna is not available.” The fierceness in his voice told Kwin all he needed to know. Kail would defend the young lady with his life, if necessary.
He put his hand on Kail’s arm to get his attention. “She wants to help her,” he said gently. “She can be trusted.” Kail looked at him, his eyes full of uncertainty. “Go and get her.”
Kail hesitated, then nodded.
When he returned, he had Henna in his arms, cradling her against his body. She was sobbing into his chest.
“Place her on the bed,” Luka said and Kwin translated.
Luka went over to her and looked at Kail. “I have to examine her,” she said to Kail, who stepped back, out of her way, when Kwin told him what she had said. She then turned to Kwin. “Is the shield still in place?” He nodded.
Henna was still in the dress she had been wearing when the torture had begun. It was now soaked with blood. Luka quickly removed it and threw it onto the floor, obviously not caring that it would stain the rug it landed on.
Kwin watched as she quickly examined the girl. Other than between her legs, she appeared uninjured. Closer inspection, however, showed that the same torture device had been inserted into her anus.
‘Moda is certainly thorough’, Kwin thought to himself.
“Get me my bag,” Luka instructed. He didn’t need to ask which
one.
She put her hand into it and withdrew a pot.
“How is that there?” Kwin asked. “We won’t be home in time to put it on the correct shelf.”
She looked at him and tried to smile. “My medicals supplies are always where I need them.”
When she unscrewed the lid, the smell hit Kwin and he had to take a step back.
“It may smell bad,” Luka said, “but it’s effective. Please can you let Kail know that I have to apply this to her internal cuts. It will only numb the pain a little, but it will make them heal quickly and will keep out infection.”
Kwin did as she asked. Kail looked stricken. “Touching her there is going to be agony for her.”
Kwin glanced at Luka. Kail’s words had not surprised her. “Luka knows that, but it is necessary.”
“Is there anything you can do?” Luka asked. “Can you use your magic to take away the pain? I need her to remain conscious so she can tell me if there are any parts that still hurt after I have applied the cream.”
“There is one piece of magic I know that will help. It will transfer her pain to me.”
Luka shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
Kwin gently took hold of her arm, making her look at him. “I was going to volunteer anyway.”
Kwin placed his hand on Henna’s head and closed his eyes. He let his magic flow into her, then withdrew it, dragging her pain with it. It took all of his will power not cry out. He was surprised the girl was still conscious.
He opened his eyes then nodded at Luka, indicating he was ready. Kail took hold of Henna’s hand and never took his eyes from her face as Luka applied the cream to the two areas she needed to.
Kwin didn’t watch. He could tell by the surge of pain running through him what Luka was doing. It felt like it took a long time, but in reality it was over quite quickly.
“It’s done,” he heard Luka say. “You can stop what you are doing now.”
Kwin shook his head. “Not yet. Not until it has started to work.”
He held Henna’s pain inside himself until he could feel it reduce. Only then did he stop his magic flowing.
Luka turned to Kail. “You will not speak of this to anyone.” Her voice was full of authority. When Kwin translated, Kail nodded.
Kwin Page 18
