Elusive Hero

  It wasn't supposed to be this way. Damn it, she didn't care about the consequences. She could stop this, pass it off as a hard limit, acceptable in the human world.

  Nothing here will be unbearable to me, Kaela. But beyond that, it's not your choice to stop this, is it? I'm your Master. The only one who can call a halt to it is me.

  She pushed even farther into his mind to see if he was trying to protect her, if somewhere inside he was screaming in protest at being treated this way. All she felt was...a solid calm. Was it really more about what she could handle seeing done to him, than what he could handle himself?

  You wouldn't be the first sub who turned away from a Master because he didn't act dominant enough for her.

  No, God no. It wasn't that. She almost surged out of the chair in reaction. She had to will herself to stay where she was. It's not that, Master. Not that at all.

  Prove it. Shut the hell up, stop whining and watch.

  Whining? That snapped her spine up straight as a board. As he shot her another glance while brushing his lips over Seanna's thigh, she lifted her chin, refolded her hands on her lap. Fine. She would watch. God damn him.

  His lips curved. That's my girl.

  As Liam started to ease in, Garron's powerful thigh muscles tensed. The crowd let out a startled gasp and even Tara jumped as he threw his weight back. The decisive move impaled Liam inside him when the servant had to grab Garron's hips to prevent losing his balance.

  "Don't do it half-assed, kid," Garron growled. "Put your weight into it. I don't want it to tickle. I want to feel the burn. Think you've got enough of a dick to manage that?"

  Liam's jaw set. Taking an even more firm grip on Garron's hips, he complied, hard enough that his pelvis smacked against Garron's ass and he won a grunt from her Master.

  "Atta boy," Garron growled, and went back to teasing Seanna's cunt with his mouth.

  There was a ripple of nervous laughter from the crowd, a smattering of applause, quickly silenced by the attentive staff. Kaela closed her eyes briefly.

  Kid? He's at least three times your age, Garron.

  He's a sub, Kaela. You're nearly two hundred, right? Christ, that burns. He grimaced. Being a Master has nothing to do with who looks like they're on top. It's who is on top that matters. That battle all happens in the head.

  Proving it, he'd ramped up his aggression with Seanna as well, nipping, sucking, getting more of his mouth involved so she was working her hips up against him in a coital rhythm. She had one hand on Garron's shoulder, nails digging in so that Kaela smelled the first fragrant whiff of blood being drawn. When some of it trickled from under her hold, Tara's nostrils flared as if she'd scented perfume and Richard leaned forward even more attentively.

  Seanna reached out with her other hand and Liam leaned forward to clasp it. The secure hold on one another increased the strength of their movements. As Liam thrust forward, Seanna could lean back against his hold, tilt her hips even more up to Garron's mouth, a seesawing rhythm that had both servants moving toward climax quickly. Garron's cock was an enormous, thick staff jutting out beneath him, swaying as Liam slammed into his ass. The look of it made Kaela keenly aware of how empty her pussy was, her thighs tightening in her cross-legged position.

  If I was free... Garron's mind voice was distracted, Liam's stimulation in his ass bringing him closer to climax, a simple physical response, cause and effect, I'd make sure those legs stayed open. No pleasure except what I give you, my lady.

  He gave her pleasure just by being. His voice in her head was enough to make her come.

  She could choose to set aside her anger at the situation, let the pleasure of feeling everything Garron was feeling flood her mind. He wasn't beaten down by this. He was immersed in one thing. Proving to her that it meant nothing. Me coming because...someone's stimulating my dick and ass? That's biology, my lady. Nothing more... It doesn't change...who I am, what you are. Does it?

  Logically, she knew his point was valid. Her Master might be being fucked, but he was in no way subjugated, because nothing emanating from his body suggested surrender. All in the eye of the beholder. She saw Seanna claw at his shoulder, hanging on as he teased her higher and higher. She probably had a screaming desire to remove the barrier of those latex pants, so Garron could stab that clever tongue into her folds. But Richard wasn't allowing her to do that.

  Garron's thighs were hard ropes of muscle, his body moving against Liam rhythmically as his inner muscles clasped Liam strong and sure, milking his hard cock. Liam had to release Seanna to press his hand into the center of Garron's back, his other fingers digging into Garron's hip.

  "Mistress..." Liam gasped it out.

  Tara gave an imperceptible nod a scant second before the orgasm gripped Liam. One blink later and he would have been suffering her punishment for not being able to wait. An experienced servant usually had more restraint, except Kaela knew he was a true submissive as well, not only trained but desiring to respond to a Dominant's touch, even if it was ironically coming through the pull of Garron's muscles, stroking Liam's length.

  Through Garron's mind, Kaela could feel that demand upon her own body. And not just her. As her gaze swept the perimeter of the velvet rope, she could identify the submissives by who was leaning forward unconsciously, as if compelled into the wake of Garron's demands upon the other two servants. It was clear to anyone with eyes who had control of this situation.

  Even if I didn't, my lady, it wouldn't mean anything. It's a performance. That's all.

  Richard must have given Seanna permission at last, for her throat arched and the woman threw her head back, all her long braids pattering against her tight-as-a-drum ass as her own climax took her. She clutched Garron's head as she ground herself against his face. Kaela did everything she could not to yearn toward him, her body throbbing, needy. It was as if he was showing her exactly what he could do to her, holding it tantalizingly out of reach.

  One of the side benefits of this. I can torment my lady until she'll do anything to be fucked by her Master.

  "Gods above, I'd love to see him go toe-to-toe with another alpha at one of our get-togethers," Tara offered. Throughout the performance, the female vampire had moved between vantage points, enjoying the pump of Liam's ass, the writhing of Seanna's hips. At one point, she'd stepped in to caress Seanna's quivering breast in her tight corset. Then she'd trailed the edge of her wine glass down Garron's rippling back while she stroked Liam's thick blond hair, all while her servant was ramming his cock into Kaela's Master.

  Now the female overlord returned to the table. Setting her wine glass on the tray of a passing waiter, she took a seat next to Kaela. "Our servants are a cake walk for him, but can you imagine him paired with someone like Jacob? Or Devlin, Lady Daniela's servant? That one has a cock like a horse. You're being cruel in such a lovely way, denying him his own orgasm. His cock is thick as Liam's arm. I bet he'd explode at the barest stroke."

  She'd forgotten. She had to give him permission to come, and verbally, because they didn't know she was in his head. Eying Garron's turgid member, she wasn't sure what to do. But she was a service submissive, after all, and her Master needed to come. Liam was pulling out and Seanna was leaning over Garron, bracing herself on his shoulder as she got her breath back.

  You don't do anything, my lady. I decide when I come. If I need you to say it aloud for their benefit, I'll tell you when and what to say. Your only job is to tell me if something doesn't fit their expectations, because it's my job to protect you. Protecting you means making them believe what they want to believe.

  He lifted his eyes. Even tied down as he was, the potency of his gaze wasn't diluted, and the power of his words only increased it.

  She thought of the tattoo on his back--to protect and serve. She'd been able to be an effective overlord because Lady Lyssa had told her to serve. Was he able to serve for similar reasons--because it was another manifestation of being her Master?

  Now you're getting it, my lady.
>
  Maybe so, but she still resisted the idea. Yes, as he said, it was a performance. One that could drain the soul, if it had to be performed over and over, in myriad, excruciating ways. As extreme as this might seem to some of those watching, it was nothing in the vampire world. Rules and structure like this didn't exist. Servants were property, who lived, died, thrived or suffered according to vampire whim.

  Liam had moved to release Garron's arms. When Garron straightened, he put a steadying hand on Seanna, who was still disoriented from the force of the orgasm. After Liam released his ankles from the restraints, Garron passed her over to him. Tara's servant brought her back to Richard, pressing her into a kneeling position by him. Liam, still naked as his Mistress obviously desired him to be, took a position behind her.

  Meeting Kaela's gaze, Garron went to one knee, bowing his head as if merely waiting for her next order. His words in her mind were a provocative contrast.

  When I come tonight, it will be in your cunt, my lady. I'll put you on your back and spread your legs for my pleasure.

  "Have you flogged him yet, Lady Kaela?" Richard asked. "With that broad back and handsome ass, I expect you couldn't help yourself."

  Kaela pulled her attention from Garron to meet Richard's eyes. Things inside her froze anew at the look in his cool eyes. He wasn't irritated, which would be a definite warning sign, but he was intrigued by the challenge Garron presented, a human who presumed to remain in control of a situation where he wasn't supposed to have control. Vampires loved nothing better than to prove their superiority. If they outranked another vampire, they would take steps to make it clear they held the upper hand. A human who didn't perceive himself as inferior to a vampire might as well have a target on him. Vampires would dedicate extra time to changing that perspective decisively, brutally. Richard would be limited in what he could do here, but even so, her gut twinged unpleasantly at what he might do.

  Richard motioned to a panel between two pillars that displayed a cornucopia of floggers, paddles and single tails. "Do you mind if I enjoy the pleasure? It seems he needs a stronger hand than our servants possess to help him get out of a Dom's mindset."

  He began to rise, because of course her assent was merely a formality.

  Kaela...

  "No."

  She'd spoken more forcefully than intended. Richard stopped, looking back at her, a brow raised. But she had a unique knack for recovery, didn't she? On almost the same breath, she continued, "No, I haven't whipped or flogged him yet, my lord. If you don't mind, I'd like to be the first one to do it."

  "A bit possessive already." Tara smiled. "She may be thinking about that extra large suitcase after all."

  Richard offered a polite bow. "In that case, gentlemanly instincts trump rank, my lady. I wouldn't deprive you of first blood. It will allow me time to negotiate a wager with Lady Tara as to whether a man's hand or a woman's will help him mind better. I'll take my turn when you're done."

  Kaela managed an acknowledgment she didn't want to give before she rose, moved with purpose toward that panel of choices. She felt Garron's attention following her, even as his eyes remained on the ground. It gave her a view through his eyes of his bare feet. Like all of him, they were oversized. He probably wore a shoe size well into the teens.

  Frankenstein's monster was what the porters had called him. Yet Garron wasn't the monster. Richard and Tara, beautiful as freshly formed ice on tree branches, were the true monsters. Same as those who made tigers perform in the circus, showing the crowd how they could make the powerful predators jump through hoops, do despicably cutesy things. The trainer might even think it was okay if she or he had a bond with the creatures, or if they were born in captivity, deprived of any knowledge of the life they were meant to live. The last circus she'd attended she'd wished the creatures had sprung from the ring and eviscerated every goddamned member of the audience.

  Easy, my lady. Tune into my mind. She heard his sternness. He was concerned about her, she could feel that, and he was probably smart to worry. The way he'd aroused her, taking her along for the ride with Seanna and Liam, had helped, but the rage was still on a healthy simmer. She stopped before the panel, stared at her choices. She wasn't seeing them, though. She was trying to figure out how to go with this. All the different challenges she'd faced throughout the years, and this was one where she was groping for a direction.

  I thought I'd already taught you better than that. Where does a sub look for direction?

  Her Master.

  There you go. Now look at the choices and tell me what you know how to use, if any of them.

  She knew how to use all of them. Yet there were certain things that she rejected out of hand. A paddle? No. Just no. Floggers were versatile, but she found her gaze drawn to the single tails. Most subs didn't know how to use one, but most of them hadn't had to be a Dominant for as long as she had. She was very good with a six foot single tail, and the threat and strength of it, the skill and control required, would honor those same qualities in her Master.

  Well thought, my lady. Come show me.

  She grasped her choice, turned around. He stood in front of the bench, to all appearances waiting for her verbal direction Through his mind, she could tell his ass was sore, since the last time he'd experienced anal sex had been quite some time ago. She was surprised he'd experienced it at all.

  At Eden, Masters and Mistresses role play as subs occasionally to understand more about the submissive mindset, my lady. As well as to make sure we know how different punishments and sensations feel. I've had my ass taken by some quite formidable Mistresses with strap-ons that I'm pretty sure were borrowed from Lucifer's toy box.

  How about another Master?

  Tara's suggestion about pitting him against another alpha servant came to mind. While watching Liam fuck her Master had done little for her--his attentions to Seanna were far more stimulating to Kaela---now she couldn't deny a guilty twinge imagining him fighting for the upper hand with one of the alpha servants.

  Garron snorted in his head. Women, even submissive ones, are as intrigued by two strong males going at it as men are about watching two curvy females pleasuring one another.

  So have you ever had a Master...do that?

  One or two, because we're expected to learn about the pleasures of same sex domination and submission as well. It's about sensation my lady, not preferences. Haven't you done the same, watching Fran submit and experiencing pleasure through her? You've learned to arouse yourself regardless of the circumstances, to make it work for you.

  At the peak of an evening of vampire socializing, when it seemed everyone around her was copulating or absorbed in some type of pleasurable power exchange, she could close down her awareness of everything but the grunts and cries of pleasure and lose herself. She'd learned how to blend. Touched bodies, demanded surrender, inflicted pain...and to make that work, she couldn't stay detached. She'd learned to channel the pleasure in ways where she did in fact experience it as well, even if it rarely went below the physical.

  The body is entirely neutral, my lady. It just likes sex. It's the mind that fucks up our compass. So do you know how to use that single tail you're holding?

  Yes. Quite well.

  Good. You mess up and you'll pay for it. A mental pause. Perhaps that wasn't the best incentive to make you do your best.

  His wry humor loosened up some of the tension inside her and reminded her again that here it was just play. He could end it if he wished by indicating it was a hard limit, because this was the human world. So he was right. Stop whining, just enjoy it in whatever way she could. That's what he was demanding, and if she couldn't be anything for him after she left the island, she would be his in all ways while she was here. That was one gift she could give him.

  Closing her hand on the handle of the single tail, she let the thong and fall uncurl. His hands were loose, eyes trained on her face, everything about his body language saying she was the only one who existed for him, no matter the crowd,
the watching staff members or vampires. "Move to the pillar," she said shortly. "Put your hands on it."

  As he complied, he moved with that unconscious grace powerful animals had, strong and confident. It was as if he were fully dressed, not naked and just ass fucked. He knew who and what he was, and he wouldn't let anything shake that.

  You should pay yourself that same compliment, my lady. Almost two hundred years couldn't change your determination to honor who you truly are, which is why you're here on Eden with me.

  "You don't expect him to be so beautiful with all those scars, but he is," Tara remarked. "If he were mine, Kaela, I'd tie him down and feast on him for days. What an intriguing tattoo..."

  Kaela tilted her head in acknowledgment while she suppressed the urge to turn around and gouge her eyes out. A very female reaction, she knew.

  An appreciated one, my lady. Like all men, I love a good cat fight. Particularly if bikinis and a vat of mud are involved.

  She was not going to laugh. Though the urge took her by surprise, since humor wasn't the type of emotion she was used to quelling during this kind of thing. She took a stance a few paces behind him, watched him rest both palms on either side of the wide pillar. As he did, he tilted his head so she saw him capture her in the corner of his eye. Being in his mind, it was an unusual effect, like seeing her image in a mirror looking back at her true self. Because he saw her true self. Through his vision, by wrapping his feelings about it around her, she could see it as well.

  Nothing that she had to do would change that vision. She could be who Tara and Richard expected her to be and yet be what she truly was. That wasn't new. But for the first time in her life, the contrast didn't feel so isolating to her. It actually was...arousing, because Garron was still in control. He was with her, in her mind, supporting her, helping her, not making her feel so alone.

  This could work. It could work.

  The realization was so startling, so earthshattering, her mind shut like a trap to everything, even him. She had to blink, orient herself. Remind herself of the flip side.