by Ramona Gray
“Naveen! I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, massina,” Naveen said as she helped him to stand.
She winced, her hand touching her lower back delicately. Silas sat up as Naveen said, “Get back into bed.”
She nodded and turned to climb back into bed. She raised her arms, instinctively covering her naked breasts when she saw Silas sitting in her bed.
“Wh-what are you doing in my bed, danen?” She asked in confusion as pain clouded her eyes.
“The queen gave the danen to you last night, massina,” Naveen said. “Do you not remember?”
Quinn closed her eyes before nodding briefly. “Aye, I remember now. I think.”
“It’s the drug. It makes you slow-witted,” Naveen said. “Lie down so I can finish putting the salve on your back.”
With a cautious look at Silas, Quinn slid into the bed and lay on her stomach. She flinched a little when Silas gathered her long dark hair in one hand and held it out of the way so Naveen could rub the salve into her upper back.
“Did we fuck last night?” She suddenly asked.
Naveen laughed. “If you cannot remember then the danen has much to learn.”
Silas gave him a mock scowl and Naveen grinned as he smoothed the salve over the bruising.
“Did we, danen?” Quinn asked.
“I’m not in the habit of having sex with unconscious women,” Silas said dryly.
Her body relaxed a little and he leaned over so he could stare at her. “Did you really think I would do that, Quinn?”
She shook her head. “No, I just,” she glanced at Naveen, “never mind.”
“What’s your pain level on a scale of one to ten?” Silas asked.
Naveen was giving him an odd look but Quinn said, “Five.”
“Can she have more powder?” Silas said to Naveen.
He nodded and finished smoothing the salve into Quinn’s lower back. “Aye.”
“I don’t need it,” Quinn said.
“Don’t be stubborn,” Silas said.
“My senses can’t be dulled around her,” Quinn said to Naveen. “You know that.”
“Aye, I do,” he said gravely. “But you are to remain in your home today.”
Quinn started to protest and Naveen frowned at her. “Be quiet, massina. I am the kalan, not you, and you are to stay in bed. You set back your healing by participating in the claiming ceremony last night. Why did you do that?”
Quinn just shrugged and Silas stroked her hair. “You shouldn’t have fought so much, Quinn.”
“If I hadn’t you would not be here with me,” she said quietly.
“Point taken,” Silas replied.
“Open, massina,” Naveen said. He poured more of the powder into Quinn’s mouth. She chased it down with a glass of water before burying her face in her pillow.
“Stay in bed,” Naveen said. “I will come by at noon to check on you and bring you something to eat.”
“I can keep an eye on her,” Silas said.
“Afraid not,” Naveen said. “You need to return to the breeders’ quarters for breakfast and then work. I believe you’re on pit cleaning duty today.”
“Shit,” Silas muttered.
“Yes,” Naveen said with a grin.
“He isn’t,” Quinn’s voice was muffled and both Naveen and Silas leaned closer.
“What did you say, massina?” Naveen asked.
Quinn raised her head. “He isn’t on pit cleaning duty. I had Belda switch him yesterday morning.”
Silas leaned over her again and gave her a loud and wet kiss on the forehead. “Thank you. I owe you big time.”
Her lips curved up in a rare smile. “You’re welcome, danen. Although considering it’s my bed you’re sleeping in tonight it’s benefiting me just as much.”
He pressed a quick kiss against her lips before whispering in her ear, “I like sleeping in your bed.”
He nipped her earlobe then slid out of bed and dressed. Naveen squeezed Quinn’s shoulder. “Get some rest. I’ll be back later.”
* * *
He had barely stepped into the common room when Lloyd appeared beside him and clapped him on the back. “Silas! You fucking lucky bastard! Come sit beside me at breakfast and give me all the details about fuckin’ the massina.”
“No,” Silas said shortly.
He walked away from Lloyd as the man gave him a disappointed look and followed him toward the long tables. “C’mon now, don’t be shy. Give us the details. What are her tits like? Did she keep you chained up while you were fucking?”
Lloyd nudged Steve as he sat next to him. “I could see the massina keeping him chained. She likes control, that one.”
Silas ignored him completely. Kyle was sitting across from him and he tapped him on the arm. “Okay, Kyle?”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, it was fine, man.”
“You sure?”
He nodded again. “I’m sure. My girl was nice and it wasn’t as,” he paused, “awkward as I thought it would be. We, uh, talked for a while before.”
“Aw, you talked. Ain’t that sweet,” Lloyd said before grabbing a hunk of pork. “Did you rub her feet and braid her hair?”
“Shut up, Lloyd,” Steve said.
“How was it with Dora?” Lloyd asked Evan. “You have trouble gettin’ your willy to work when you could see her face?”
“No,” Evan said coolly. “Dora’s sweet.”
Lloyd rolled his eyes as Silas searched the long tables. “Where’s Gage?”
“Still with the princess,” Lloyd replied. “Probably takin’ a while to break her in. Christ, I don’t know if he’s the luckiest or unluckiest guy in the whole damn place. Sure, he gets to be the first fuck for the princess and dollars to donuts her cunt is as tight as a - ”
A large blue hand fell on his shoulder. Lloyd winced when it squeezed tightly. “Jesus, Vida let up.”
“I think it would be best if you sat at another table this morning, my friend,” Vida said in a low voice.
Lloyd stared at the others. They were all giving him looks of disgust and he shook off Vida’s hand before standing. “Fine. I don’t need to be around a bunch of pantywets like you anyway.”
He stuffed a final piece of pork in his mouth before sauntering to the other table. Vida sat down and studied Silas. Silas returned his look unblinkingly until Vida nodded to him and helped himself to some food.
* * *
Silas muttered a curse and pulled off his leather glove. His thumb was bleeding and he sucked away the blood as he tossed the weed into the wooden bucket beside him. This world’s weeds seemed to have an inordinate amount of thorns but weeding the garden was still better than cleaning out a pit of human shit.
He looked up as there were a few catcalls from the other men weeding. Gage was being led into the garden by a guard. He was handed a bucket and a pair of gloves. He took both before following the narrow path between the carrots and a yellow plant that gave off a cilantro-like smell to where Silas was standing.
Lutan was weeding a few feet away and he grinned at Gage. “Enjoy your time with the princess, Gage?”
Gage just waved at him before pulling on his gloves and squatting next to Silas. “Hey, Silas.”
“Hi, Gage.”
They pulled weeds for a few moments before Gage said in a low voice, “Is Quinn okay?”
Silas nodded. “Her back is pretty beat up but Naveen is giving her pain meds. She’s resting today.”
“Good.”
“How did it go last night?” Silas asked a bit awkwardly.
Gage blushed slightly. “It was good. Really good.” He paused in pulling out a weed. “I tried to be, uh, gentle.”
“I don’t need details,” Silas said with a small grin.
“Right, sorry,” Gage replied. “I really like her, Silas.”
“I know you do.”
“Did you and Quinn uh…”
Silas frowned at him. “Of course we didn’t. She’s injured, Gage.”<
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“Yeah, I know. I also know how much you like her,” Gage replied before pulling a weed.
“Why weren’t you at breakfast this morning?”
“The queen made me have breakfast with her and Kila.”
“How was it?”
“Truthfully? Terrifying,” Gage said. “That woman is a psychopathic bitch.”
“Keep your voice down,” Silas said with a glance at the guard standing at the end of the row.
Gage shrugged. “Kila told me that everyone hates her mother. I think even Kila hates her. I know she’s afraid of her.”
“Really?” Silas asked.
Gage nodded. “She won’t admit it but she is. She loves Quinn though. She says everyone does, with the exception of Akia. Kila says that Akia hates her because she wants to be the massina.”
“Why?”
Gage shrugged again. “The power I guess. Personally, I think she’s nuts. The less you have to do with the queen the better.”
“Sleeping with the princess isn’t exactly having less to do with the queen.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Gage said. “Kila won me at the claiming ceremony, remember?”
“I remember,” Silas said.
“It’s fucking weird, isn’t it? To be just handed over to a woman without any say in the matter?”
Silas nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“Oh well. At least I got to be with Kila,” Gage said.
“For a month,” Silas replied. “Don’t forget that it’s only for a month, Gage.”
A dark look crossed Gage’s face. “I haven’t. But Kila has already said that she’ll bid on me again.”
“Is that smart?” Silas asked. “You don’t want to draw the queen’s attention.”
Gage sighed. “I want to be with her, Silas.”
“I know you do but this world isn’t like ours. We have to follow their rules. If this queen is as fucked up as everyone says she is, you’ll want to fly under her radar. I know you like Kila but you have to be smart, Gage. You need to be prepared that you can’t date Kila. At least not like you would have in our world. You can’t - ”
“I know, Silas,” Gage said irritably. “Give it a rest, would you? At least let me enjoy my month with Kila, okay?”
“I just want to keep you safe,” Silas said.
“I know and I appreciate it,” Gage replied. “But I’m not a little kid anymore. I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t think you’re a little kid but your feelings for Kila are clouding your judgement. It’s dangerous to – “
“I know,” Gage retorted. He stood and stepped over the row of carrots before moving further down to weed.
Silas gave him a troubled look as the guard standing at the end of the row said, “Danen, continue weeding or I’ll send you to the pit to clean.”
Silas sighed and bent back to the weeds.
* * *
Quinn nibbled at some cheese before pushing aside the piece of pork on her plate. After years of pork being the main meat source, she was more than a little tired of it. She stood and paced nervously in the small kitchen of her home. Silas would be finished his dinner with the other breeders soon and then one of the guards would bring him to her.
Her stomach twisted and she abruptly threw the rest of her dinner into the garbage. He wouldn’t like what she had to say but she had to do it. She couldn’t let him stay with her, simple as that. Tomorrow she would speak to the queen. She would thank her for her generous offer but make it clear that she had no interest in Silas. She had no choice.
Not fair! He’s ours! She gave him to us.
She shook her head in disgust. It had taken nearly a decade but she was finally starting to think like the other women in this world – like men were nothing more than objects for them to use. Shame and self-loathing permeated her body. Silas didn’t belong to her. He was a human being with his own wants and needs and not her toy to play with for the month.
He wants to play with you.
A little shiver of lust went through her. Yes, he did, and she wanted to play with him. Garna, did she want to play with him. But it was too dangerous. The queen would use him against her if she thought Quinn had feelings for him. She needed to prevent that.
It’s too late. You saw the look on her face last night.
Quinn cursed and slammed her fist on the table. It sent a vibration of pain through her back and she winced. Her back was actually feeling much better than it did even this morning. She suspected it was a combination of the salve and the drugs that Naveen kept plying her with.
She should never have participated in the claiming ceremony fights. But seeing Silas sitting at the queen’s feet and knowing that he would be fucking her made her angry. Fighting was a way to work off that anger and so, like an idiot, she had thrown herself into the fights. She rubbed her lower back. Both Barkha and Akia nearly defeated her. It was only luck that allowed her to beat Barkha. As for Akia – her intense dislike of the woman and her desire to win for Kila was what made her final push to win so effective. If Akia had taken Gage it would have crushed Kila.
She lit the candles in the kitchen and built up the fire. It was going to be a cold night and the stone houses were drafty. Her mind nagged and worried at her as she did the simple tasks. She should have had better control last night. What was she thinking even looking at Silas? She wasn’t, that was the problem. Tired and in so much pain she could hardly think straight, her glance at Silas had been completely involuntary.
Was it, though? You were insane with jealousy over the thought of Silas being with the queen. Admit it.
There was a knock on her door and she froze as her stomach twisted with nerves and anticipation. Her heart thudding in her ears, she walked down the narrow hallway and opened the door. Kila stood on her doorstep and Quinn smiled weakly at her.
“Sandora, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check on you. I’m sorry, I should have come by earlier but I was,” Kila’s cheeks turned a delicate shade of rose, “resting for most of the day.”
She stepped into the house and hesitated only briefly before giving Quinn a gentle hug. “How is your back?”
“Better.” Quinn led her into the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I ate with mother. I can’t stay long. They’ll be bringing Gage to me soon and the danen to you,” Kila said as she sat at the small wooden table.
Quinn joined her and reached for Kila’s hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Kila said. “A little sore but Gage was very sweet and gentle when we fucked last night.”
She suddenly grinned at Quinn. “Mother went on and on about not having a large cock for my first time so I decided not to tell her that Gage’s was very large.”
Quinn smiled inwardly. The women on this world were incredibly open about their sex lives. It wasn’t uncommon to overhear them comparing notes on the different breeders and suggesting tips on how to help a breeder improve his lovemaking skills.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, sandora.”
“I did,” Kila said enthusiastically. “Fucking is so much fun, Quinn. I mean, I assumed it was based on what the other women said but it’s so much better than I ever imagined.”
She squeezed Quinn’s hand. “Gage ate my pussy twice last night. His tongue was so soft!”
Quinn laughed as Kila glowed so brightly the kitchen was washed in light. “Sorry, massina.”
“For what?”
“I probably shouldn’t share such intimate details with you but I didn’t want to speak to the other women about it. I know it doesn’t sound like it but I feel like what happened with Gage is special and not their business.”
Quinn smiled at her. “You can share whatever you’d like, sweet sandora. I am not easily embarrassed.”
“Tonight I’m going to try sucking Gage’s cock. I wanted to last night but he said he wanted to make it all about me last night,” Kila said. “Isn’t that sweet?”
“Very,” Quinn said.
“I was so nervous,” Kila confessed. “But Gage said we could stop at any time and that we didn’t even have to fuck last night if I didn’t want to. Wasn’t that kind?”
“Yes,” Quinn said. Her opinion of Silas’ brother was growing by the minute.
“I decided to just go for it and I’m so glad I did,” Kila said happily. “It didn’t really hurt that much the first time and, garna, each time after that was better and better. I finally truly understand why the women go on and on about it and are so excited when they win a breeder.”
She hesitated before smiling at Quinn. “I’m so glad that mother gave you the danen for the month.”
The smile dropped from Quinn’s face and Kila gave her an alarmed look. “Massina? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Quinn said abruptly.
There was another knock on her door and Kila stood. “That will be the danen.”
Quinn followed her down the hallway and stood back as Kila opened it and smiled at Silas. “Hello, danen.”
“Hello, Kila. How are you?”
“Good. I was just leaving.” Kila kissed Quinn on the cheek. “Good night, massina.”
“Good night, sandora,” Quinn said.
Kila followed the guard into the dark night. Silas closed the door and locked it. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Quinn paused awkwardly before turning and walking to the kitchen. Silas followed her and she poured herself some steaming liquid from a clay kettle. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sure.”
She poured him one and they sat at the table as Silas sipped cautiously at it. “It tastes a bit like tea.”
She didn’t reply and he smiled at her. “Tea is a warm drink in my world. It’s brewed from leaves.”
She just nodded and took her own sip. “Danen, we need to talk.”
“All right.”
“Tomorrow morning I’m going to tell the queen that I appreciate her generous offer but I do not want you for the month.”
