4 comments/ 20648 views/ 9 favorites Harnessing Fire Ch. 01 By: heatedreverie The shadow-touched leader met with the Demon Lord they knew as Galea. A private location that left any doubt behind of spies or sabotage regarding the business agreement that was about to be made. In the Dark Province, demons were the superior race, and many of the humans that inhabited the land were touched by an element of the world they lived in. Earth, Shadow, and Water were most common. Those who were Wind element were wiped out entirely, and Fire-touched humans were very rare. A thin and wiry woman with shoulder length black hair stepped forward, donned in a dress made from shadows that clung to her body like silk and showed off her more appealing features. Her name was Shar. She approached a bald man looking to appear in his upper twenties, with a well-trimmed goatee and fierce eyes that burned with Dominance. His tall and strong physique was cloaked by a long black robe that had no seam in the front, and stopped at his feet. The fabric was thin, but when one approached him would feel a shield of heat, pushing away all cold air surrounding him. He moved his eyes over the body of the woman who approached and bowed low, dropping one knee to the ground before she rose and addressed the reason for their meeting. As always instructed, her violet-hued eyes held his stare. "My Lord, when we first spoke of our trades, I recall that you wanted us to keep an eye out for women of a particular element. Those who have been fire-touched." Galea nodded once to confirm this, and undressed Shar with his eyes, watching how uncomfortable she was to be within his presence. "Continue." "We have found a woman that hasn't been broken by any of our strongest Masters." She said, swallowing her pride with bitterness leaving her mouth. "We think she is fire-touched." "Oh, yes, much like the last woman who you believed to be fire-touched. Turns out she was just a very willful water element that died with my first spell." He snarled at them, and immediately he collected his anger when he saw how the proud woman cowered at the thought of his wrath. This filled him with bloody satisfaction. Galea very much enjoyed the reputation he earned of being a hard Master, and a cruel fire demon. Yet, he loathed going through human slaves month after month by unintentionally killing them with torment or pushing their limits too far. He longed for a slave that could handle his ways. Only women who were fire-touched could do so. They were so rare, as they were killed by the thousands for their power so many years ago. Many of them hid their ability, and even more did not live in normal societies where there would be a calculated risk of being revealed. "I meant not to have wasted your time with that woman, My lord, nor this one if she proves to not be one of fire." Shar stepped within the shield of that heat, and felt it caress her body with what felt like a thousand hands pleasurably touching at her skin. She almost buckled at the knees, and he grinned evilly to her struggle to resist pleasure pooling hotly between her thighs. "And what do you offer for my inconvenience?" He asked in a deep and curious tone. Gently, he let up on the invisible hands caressing over her skin so that she may speak. Catching her breath, she looked up at him once again. "We offer any woman you wish from our fortress to have at your dispense. We understand that shadow-touched can only appease you for so long, but it's all we have to offer. I will provide you with the keys to the dungeon that she is being held so that you may see her for yourself. If she proves to be of fire descent, we may discuss a price for her purchase. If she is not, you may have her free of charge." She curled her upper lip. "We will be glad to be rid of her." Galea laughed softly. This sent a chill through the very core of each shadow-touched human in the gathering that came to visit him. "If she is not of fire descent, then I will kill her, plain and simple. I have no use anymore for a woman that isn't fire-touched. I kill too many of them to continue putting forth effort that runs out in a month. Whether because the girls kill themselves, or I kill them, intentional or not." "Very well." Shar answered swiftly, choking back a string of words that would have protested to the woman being killed and not sold on another market. "Lead us there, now." He commanded. "You're not bringing any money? What if she proves to be fire-touched?" Galea's eyes narrowed at Shar and his hand stretched out towards her. She felt her air supply choked and pulses of fire burn through her blood. Shar screamed in pain, writhing along the ground in discomfort. She cried for him to stop, begging within seconds of his method to cease tormenting her. No other shadow folk stepped forward to stop him or save her. They all feared him and his magic. Gently, he let up his fire pulses running through her to speak. "You will never question me. If she is fire-touched, we will discuss payment. Until then, consider everything to be free, and I will be moving under the assumption that she is free until she proves to be of use to me. Is that clear?" "Yes, my Lord." She groaned through a veil of pain. "Good girl." He released her of any touches, painful or pleasurable that would hinder her ability to lead the Demon Lord to their fortress and seek entrance. After an hour of traveling, they arrived at the fortress, walking through the common room of the enclosed towers. He stopped in the middle, and cleared his throat. Shar turned around to look at him confused. "Is there something wrong, my Lord?" "Not at all. Though, I am not interested in seeing my room. I want to see the girl, now. If she isn't fire-touched, there's no sense in settling into my suite for the night if I don't plan to stay." Swallowing the lump in her throat, knowing that if she were wrong, Shar could be killed for wasting his time. Pushing aside all thoughts of such, she handed him three keys and spoke to him which cell she was staying in. Tauntingly, he approached her slowly and lifted the keys delicately from her hand, which she still coiled back from him despite his gentle demeanor. He smiled broadly and approached the heavy wrought iron door that he unlocked to lead himself into the dungeon. After two long flights of stairs, he entered a long hall of doors made from iron, and walls that held hint of frost. It was shockingly cold down here, but his aura alone kept him warm as he counted each door until he was in front of number 4. He opened the door slot to look inside, and he saw a young, naked woman hanging by her wrists against the wall, blindfolded. Her name was Tania. Her body was slender and slightly toned in the stomach region, and her legs were stretched longer than her upper body, giving her height up into about the 5'9 to 5'11 range. Her champagne blonde hair spilled in long waves down her back and front over her peach toned flesh. He knew the blindfold had to be hiding sapphire blue eyes. She couldn't have appeared more than eighteen years old. She doesn't look fire-touched, he thought to himself. Many had red or auburn hair, and had the fiercest green eyes. What made this one so different from the rest? Tania's chin lifted, hearing someone at her door, shivers running through her body from the ice that surrounded her cell. When she was awake, Galea closed the slot and unlocked the door. Leading himself inside, the warmth of his aura filled the small room and touched the youth that was pinned to the wall. She made a soft noise as the warmth caressed her skin, and nearly lost herself in enjoying the feel before she realized someone was in the cell with her, and hadn't spoken yet. When she had stopped responding to the warmth, that's when she could feel the cold in his voice as he spoke. "I'm here to see if you're worth keeping alive. Brace yourself." She barely had a second to brace herself before she could feel waves of fire burning through her blood, and her air supply begin to choke as her lungs were filled with hot air. The same method he used upon Shar, he now used on this slave. Tania howled in pain and her whole body clenched before he saw faint pulses of lava magic running through her veins, and not just any normal lava magic. As he continued to thrash her with his fire magic, her defensive magic aura took the form of a phoenix, sending her body into euphoria. So, the Great Phoenix had a descendant after all. He thought to himself, and licked his lips. He let up on his magic before that shield would force back his assault upon him. He moved forward until he was near to her enough that she could feel those invisible hands in his aura caressing at her skin, and that warmth envelop her, but all it did was make her fear him. He fed from that feeling and pulled in a deep breath to savor it. While feeling the passionate touch, she grunted and pulled on her ties, trying to resist feeling any pleasure from his invading aura. Tania was so beautiful to him the more she struggled. Oh, she had the core of a Phoenix, one of the most resilient fire-touched spirits for a human to be imbued with. This thought pulled at his own fire core, imagining the things he would do to her once he returned them both to his fortress. Seeing the chains dangling from the ceiling that were meant to support her thighs, he picked up her legs at the knees and placed them through the harness that now suspended her body off of the floor. The chains were then turned on a crank that lifted her body further up in the air until she was level for his use. Her arms ached at the socket joints of her shoulders, and her wrists were gently showing evidence of injury from her attempts to squeeze her flesh through those iron clasps. When he approached once more, he gave her body a full appraisal. His fingertips grew out half inch nails that he sharpened into tips, and he gently used them to capture a nipple between them. She gasped, and immediately that breast beaded tightly into a round confinement, which he slid his fingertips over to caress with his palm. Feeling his hands all over her body, he listened for her reactions as every inch was softly scored by his sharp nails, feeling out her sensitivity. He learned swiftly that her stomach region was ticklish, and that her pleasure spot was the entire region located at the small of her back. Hearing erotic panting leave her lips the more he toyed with that area, he grinned when he could smell the sweet scent of her arousal. "You're very responsive, my little whore." She thrashed out of his touch, hating that word and the way he was talking to her. "Never call me that again! And stop touching me!" She snapped at him. Unable to see it coming, his hand clenched at her jaw and being seized with those nails digging into her skin, she yelped in surprise. Softly, her agony was marked by soft whimpers over the pressure that started to dig into the joints of her jaw. Her eyes began to form tears as the teen attempted to lift herself free from his clench, which only made him push harder against her skin with his tips. "Stop moving, and it won't hurt so much." He calmly directed her. She paused, and rather than writhing free, her entire body was shaking from head to toe, trying to ignore the pain. "I can touch you how I want, and call you what I want, you little fucking whore. You're mine, and if you think being obstinate will grant you death or release, you're very wrong, my sweet slut. There are worse things than death, and I will do them all to you if you do not obey me. You will never have your freedom again, because I will keep you for as long as I wish." He never lost his temper, nor did he raise his voice. Every word was clear and cold as it left his lips, and quietly he made a promise to her that had her shivering in fear now. "Do you understand, my little whore?" Again, he called her that name, and her face burned with rage that seethed in her core and spread over her skin hotly. He could feel it as he kept a tight hold on her jaw, but not so much that she couldn't answer through her clenched teeth. "Yes, my Lord." "Good girl. But to you, it's Master from this point forward. Understand?" "Yes, Master." She spoke with gritted teeth, and having been pleased by her obedience, he released her jaw. She sighed in relief and gently wiggled her jaw side to side to alleviate the pain that still stung at the joints. "Good girl." He moved his hands to knead over her body once more, and there was one last place that he hadn't examined. It was the one place she didn't draw any attention to and hoped that he wouldn't touch her there. Gently, he parted her thighs and looked down at her lovely sex. A blond canopy of curls were gently combed through by those razor-like tips. Her thighs quivered to the ticklish sensation as he was trimming away that small collection, letting them drop to the floor until he could see the naked outline of her pouted lower lips. Gently, his tip traced down her slit, feeling how slick she was. He hummed in delight and gently probed a finger deep into her hot little slit. The way she clenched at his fingertip, he withdrew from her quickly, learning that her tightness was virginal. He growled feral in his throat, which made her cower before realizing the way he rubbed his palm between her wet pout that he was pleased. "So, my little one is untouched. I'll have to change that when we're home." She moaned in embarrassment, feeling the warmth flush over her body from head to toe when he rubbed his fingertips to tease at her damp heat. The feel of the soft pad of his fingertip alternating with the sharp point of his nail over her clit sent pulses of pleasure and panic to tense her muscles. Tania hadn't even seen him yet, and he already had her obedience out of fear and lust. "That's it, my dear. You are right to fear and want me." Shar tapped her foot across the dull, black marble floor of the main room, wondering if he was killing her slowly, or found use out of her. Either way, she was growing impatient. She needed to know if Galea was staying the night and she would collect, or if he was one step away from killing them all for wasting his time. She looked over to her immediate commander shrugging her shoulders, and when she turned around, Galea was standing right in front of her. She jumped back in reflex and caught her breath, taking a moment to realize that he apparated. "So, my Lord. Is she of value?" "Very much of value. I will be staying for two days, and during these two days I want her prepared to return to Vulcos with me." He moved toward the tribute throne that was built for his visitations, as this region was in his control. While he allowed the shadow-touched to do as they pleased and appoint leaders, and live a comfortable life, there was a price. Lowering into the throne, he settled his elbows on the arm rests, letting his fingers steeple in front of him. "Heal all of her wounds, bathe her, and make sure she is shaved clean between her legs. Let her rest in a cot and in comfort. Trim the ends of her hair, but leave it long. I want no more punishment to be given to her by anyone. If she acts up, tries to escape, or harms others, you immediately inform me. Is that clear, Shar?" "Yes, my Lord." She knelt to one knee again and felt relief, but nothing more. Galea could sense this about his loyal subject. "Relish this moment, Shar. The price I intend to pay will care for your entire fortress for a year." Her eyes widened in shock and surprise before he could see that surge of happiness and pride fill her once more. She rose like the proud leader she was in his absence and carried on about her evening to decide what she may do with this fortress that needed work. "Make a note," he looked to the scribe near to him and waited until his quill and paper was ready, "send a courier to Vagrent waiting at Vulcos that in two days time, payment shall be tendered to Umbra Fortress in the amount of one year's wages. Send it tonight." "Yes, m'lord." The scribe dipped his chin respectively before he departed to deliver the message to the courier. Harnessing Fire Ch. 02 It was cold again. Tania could feel the heat that lingered after the absence of her Master wither under the frigid air that now wrapped around her naked skin. Like invisible tendrils, she felt it dance along her spinal cord, and reach up under her sweat-heavy blonde hair, tickling at her neck cruelly. Goosebumps tightened her skin, and just then, she could feel every delicate scratch made across her flesh from her Master. They tingled, amplifying the cold that he left her in. The collection of wetness seeping from her sex now made her aware that as freezing as it was, she was still aroused. Her lower lips still flowered open and that little bead he rubbed was now feeling the soft and cold draft of the dungeon air. It was as though the frost was playing with her body, tormenting her with a feeling she despised the most. Tania longed for warmth, and even had the thought in the back of her mind, as afraid as she was of her Master, she'd let him do what he wished as long as his warm aura and touch were upon her again. How long could they keep her like this? They can't do this to her! She didn't have to wait long before she heard the heavy clank of the dungeon door opening, and four different pairs of feet were tracking down the steps in what seemed to be urgency. They stopped outside of her cell door and opened it up. There was a moment where nothing was said, and no movement was detected. Whoever it was, they were staring at her. She blushed heavily, feeling the warmth of her own embarrassment melt away the frost that clung to her body. Suspended by the arms and knees, level from the ground at the perfect height for any cock to be slammed into her and little resistance at all to be given, the four men were set on their task by the Demon Lord to prepare her. They were looking at an angle to see her lovely, wet sex as the focal point before looking up over the shape of her cold-touched body, marveling at the youth's untouched beauty. "What did he say? None of us could punish her?" The first male voice had that lust in the back of his words. "Yes. But he didn't mention that none of us could use her." A second voice added to the pool, much closer to her than the first. Tania realized they were all thinking the same thing. Panic grasped at her heart and breath. She tried to tuck in the protrusion that the bones of her thumbs made in difficulty of escaping those clasps. She pulled and tugged, the contortion of her effort clear on her face. Tania wasn't going to be used, not by these men and not by her Master! One of them laughed and the source was right in front of her. She stopped her squirming to escape and tried to angle her feet to kick at him. Each time, the dark haired male was able to sweep his face and upper body away to avoid it. Eventually, his hands grasped at her ankles, ceasing her attempts to harm him. "I think she needs to be warmed up a little first," his smooth fingers slid down from her ankles, over every inch of her fuzzy legs, until they pushed her thighs apart. "leave no marks, and no fucking her. He'd know if one of us did." "Please don't." She whined and arched her chest forward to try and dip her lower body away from him. In the eyes of the men who were chuckling low at her pathetic attempts of escape, she looked desperate for their touch. She could hear clothing shift and the clink of belts loosening. "Mmm..." The man situated at her thighs let a warm breath roll from his nostrils over the exposed pink of her sex. "she smells so sweet." They can't do this to me. They can't do this to me! They can't- Her thought was interrupted by the first long stroke of a hot tongue sliding over her crease. Her initial moan cried out louder than they thought it would, and tension suddenly filled the room as the shuffling of feet approached her upper body. They were quiet for seconds, until they were certain nobody had heard her. "Do something to silence her." The words were spoken half an inch from her pussy, and Tania could feel every breath in which they left from tickle at her exposed center. She felt her long hair collected and wrapped in a circle around one man's hand, and her head was turned towards him. She felt something soft and large pressing at her lips, which she sealed them tightly, trying to fight whatever was trying to be placed inside. With a sharp jerk at her hair, the man's dick filled her mouth the moment she went to pull in a deep gasp. "Ohhh..." He closed his eyes and started pumping his hips gently, guiding her head to slide all of his cock into her mouth and out almost at the crown before sliding himself back in. His breath became ragged and uneven in panting as all five inches fit perfectly into her mouth. He wasn't big, and she was thankful for that, but she still choked on the last inch when it would touch the back of her throat. Tension gripped at her chest and eyes, which were closed beneath the blindfold and wet with tears that were soaking into the fabric each minute she was forced to suck him off. Her body jerked very suddenly when the man's tongue resumed probing deep into her tight entrance, then firmly dragged up to her clit, where he danced the tip of his tongue over that wired button. Her moans vibrated around the length that was beginning to swell against her tongue, the man's pumping was more fervent than before as she could hear deep groaning between every sharp breath he took. Something was about to happen. Then she felt it happen. His final two thrusts were hard against her throat, saliva spilling from her lips from choking, and a hot rush of seed splashed into her mouth, falling down her throat as he held himself balls deep into her. He panted and shivered in delight until he was emptied, and dragged himself out of her mouth, releasing her hair. Tania coughed, barely having time to take two breaths or realize what had happened before the back of her head was clenched by another hand "No, please!" She pleaded to ignorance. A thicker cock was stuffed into her mouth to keep her words to a whimper. "Oh yes, suck that cock, you dirty whore." He whispered and pumped into her mouth in shorter and firmer thrusts, seeming to only need stimulation at the spear tip of his length. Each short stroke made a soft suction noise when her lips would loosen around his hard member. A strong moan wrapped around his dick when she felt the man settled between her legs push his middle finger into her at the same time his tongue was wiggling firmly against her bead, sending pulses of pleasure through her body. Tania could feel a faint build inside of her growing with every thrust of his mouth and push of his finger deeper into her. He was so gentle, so warm down there that she couldn't ignore how good it felt. Two different hands grasped at a breast, kneading her soft flesh and tugging on her nipples; twisting, pinching, and flicking each one with their fingertips. Tania grunted a few times fitfully at the touches of her breasts, coupled with the man deeply kissing and fingering at her damp entrance. Stimulation from every point of pleasure on her body made it hard for her to breathe, and frustrated her nerves. Her body was responding, much like her Master had complimented of her, despite her mind and heart were wrenched in the agony of this happening against her will. Breaths were sharply flared to and from her nose, as the groans from the man currently fucking her mouth started to heighten and sharpen in clarity. She knew he was about to come, and sucked in as much breath as possible for when he did. Pulling out of her mouth, he stroked the tip until she could feel hot squirts hitting her cheeks, chin, and neck. Thick and salty-scented ropes painted over her face while he groaned as though it were painful. He panted and stepped back from her. Two left, she thought, and one of them was making her gasp for breath in pleasure. He could feel she was close. Her muscles were convulsing around his finger probing deep inside of her, toying with nerves that shot hot waves of need through her like lightning. The third man was much more resentful that he couldn't fuck her. His cock was harder than the other two that had been in her mouth, and she could feel every vein and texture to his hard length as it was placed past her lips. Both of his hands were clenching at her hair, and much like the first man, each thrust into her mouth pushed down her throat. He had about three inches more on that first man, making her choke and close up around his length. He began a rhythm that carelessly forgot to let her breathe sometimes, and the feel of asphyxiation opened her nerves up as Tania started to panic. Tania felt something happening with her body, the man licking at her needy cunt hurried every stroke of his tongue to lap at her hard nub. His finger was racing in and out of her, swishing with liquid wetness that coated his finger and the knuckles that clapped against her wet opening over and over. Her moaning sounded like sobbing as her body started to convulse, her muscles spasm and jerk in the chains. Neither male violating her let up on their intended interest of her body for their use. Something's happening! It hurts! No, wait, I can't tell! What's happening?! Tania moaned so soundly that it growled in her throat when she felt her entire body clench from her throat to her pussy, and curled her toes inward as every pulse had finality to that build inside of her, bursting with heat and liquid from her depths. The strong vibration of her voice was enough to spill another ejection of seed into her belly and the man cut off every attempt at her to catch her breath as he held himself inside of her mouth, pulsating until he was finished. A collection of tears fell down around her temples from the edges of her eyes as long as he was choking her. When he finally slipped out, she gasped for air like she'd never breathe it again, feeling a tongue sweep inside of her dripping wet hole, lapping up the reward of her juices that the man worked in achieving. She had never felt so good, and yet so used before. The thought of both feelings pulling at her heart and mind was enough to make her pass out, her arms and legs growing limp in the chains that held them up. Harnessing Fire Ch. 02 "So how am I going to eat?" She snapped at him. He didn't answer her, and tended to the duck by slicing into its tender breast meat with the fork and offered a morsel of it to her lips. "Open." She was hesitant at first, before leaning in and taking her first bite. He didn't smile as much, but she could detect that he was proud of her. Mmm... by the second bite, she was savoring the taste of the waterfowl dinner they served her. He paused after a few bites and picked up that wine glass and held it to her lips. He did so well in feeding her, she wondered if he did this for many slaves. She pushed that thought back to her mind and continued to let herself be fed by him until her plate was empty, and two glasses of wine had been consumed. "You've been very good today, little one, despite all you went through. I think your Master will be very pleased. For now, you should rest." That illusion of it being just the two of them was broken. Her eyes glazed over sadly at the reminder that she belonged to someone else. That the tenderness and pleasure the man had given her was temporary. She nodded softly and despairingly lowered her gaze while he picked up the tray containing the dishes and dipped backwards out of her cell. "Enjoy your rest, little one." When he closed the door behind him and locked it, she sighed out a sad breath, feeling horny and frustrated over her thoughts of his mouth stroking against her pussy. As her thighs rubbed together, she could feel that collected wetness and stared into the fire that crackled and spit from the other side of the room, wondering if her Master ever had plans to reward her like that. If he was capable of a tender touch, or making her come so hard that she would forget herself and what was happening around her. These thoughts simmered into her mind until the very weight of them helped her drift into sleep. Harnessing Fire Ch. 03 Morning crested the sun to blanket its golden rays against the eastern facing fortress of Umbra. Already, the night walkers that scouted the area were retiring from their long twelve hour shift. Light poured through the circular stained glass window of the common room, decorated in colors of deep and light purple, blood red, and cobalt blue glass fragments, dancing across the floor and over the throne that was empty of Galea's presence. It was the calmest that the fortress had been in years. The royal members and council were at peace, the guards were vigilant and silent within their duty, and a single prisoner was sleeping deep down within the cold recess of the dungeon. Galea took an hour of deep meditation to relax his body, and felt rejuvenated upon awakening. The book he pulled from the shelf from earlier last evening had been finished by the light of first dawn, and he withdrew from his suite, walking the halls of the fortress in only his black robes. He wanted to see her this morning. The keys to the dungeon door unlatched it with a heavy clank, startling awake the only individual that was held in place by those concrete walls and iron doors. Tania lifted her head as she heard faint pattering footfalls drawing slowly down the steps, taking their time in arriving to her dark cell. She sat up, shivering as the fire had died over the course of the evening, returning the chill to the room that made her clench her robe tightly around her. As the presence loomed in the hall down from her door, she felt tension from her stomach to her throat, deepening the effort that her breath in worry of whom it might be. She was hopeful it was the groomer from last evening coming to pay her a morning visit, but it could also be Master, checking upon his property. Pounding against her ribcage, her heart fluttered with fear and hope of either individual that it may be, and already she couldn't stand the anticipation that leaned her forward in the bed, on the edge as the key was turning in her door. When Master entered the room, she didn't recognize him by his appearance. It was that warm and invading aura that caressed around her that made her realize it was him. She moaned softly to the feel of heat rushing around her robed body, and a moment later looked upon her owner with fear settling in. The robe covered most of his mass, not being able to determine how strong or fit he was beneath the thick cloth that touched the floor. His head was completely bald, and a goatee was neatly trimmed at his chin, lacking the mustache that normally lined a man's lips, his nose and cheekbones were shaped and controlled by the strong jawline that softly squared his features. It was his eyes, however, that caught her attention. Eyes that were fierce and radiant in sunlight amber, with fire flickering in the hollows as she stared into them for the first time. There was a strange and growing comfort between them, as though their very cores were already beginning to bond with something as simple as a glance. As he stepped inside and closed the door, he grinned gently to her lack of training to kneel before him when he arrived. Oh, it was going to be a good day. "Good morning, pet." He said gently. "Good morning." She almost forgot. Her eyes widening and her breath pushed out the end to that sentence with her shoulders tensing . "Master." "Good girl, you remembered." The fear had gently dissipated when he had complimented her on remembering to call him Master, and in a delightful voice. It gave her a moment of hope that there might be a tender side to him, but uncertainty still settled in as to what to expect of him. Like a cornered animal, she was on the verge of screaming in terror or lunging at him in defense when he approached the bed. Neither action, she reasoned, would benefit her to carry out. He lowered down to be level with her on the bed, watching her cower at the memory of what damage he had done to her the day before to see what element ran through her veins. Her pain and fear were savored, devoured by his senses as one knee dipped the mattress beneath his weight and angled her body toward him. Tania drew away from him until her back pressed against the concrete behind her. Both of his hands set on the bed on either side of her, his face leaning in to let his feral gaze pierce her soul, and a subtle grin wickedly amused his lips. Red heat flushed over her cold skin as her heart pounded like a doe being trapped by a hunter, with her face turned so that only one blue eye was gazing out at him. Slowly, Galea's hand reached out and pulled the knot on her robe until it was loose. Drawing the center line apart, he continued to hold her gaze as he was undressing her, watching that fear blossom into helplessness. He slid the robe off of her shoulders, and she now felt those invisible warm hands caressing all over her naked flesh as it was being exposed. Waves of sensual tingles rushed up her spine, and she shuffled her arms and legs on the bed to veil her body, pausing him in looking over her groomed beauty. Modesty. Galea snickered at her useless attempt and reached his hand out to grasp at the rope holding her wrists together. He took a seat on the bed next to her and untied her hands. In that small confied space, only her breathing was heard entering and leaving her chest in a deep rhythm. Confusion settled in on her face when the rope was collected in his hand. Was she free? Was he trusting her? He turned her so she was facing away, setting her on her knees, and moved her hands behind her back. One wrist was draped over the other, squaring her arms and pushing her chest out as he secured them with quick knot work, then let her go. She balanced herself shakily as Galea shifted on the bed to face her and watched her squirm on her knees, adjusting to the new position. Her breasts perked into smooth rounds with her nipples poking out, and her entire body was now vulnerable for his viewing. A fact that she could do nothing about, and anger started to rise within her core at this discovery. Her hair had the look and feel of threadbare silk, catching the color of champagne in waves that were weighed down in her capture before they were washed. Her skin was softer than it had been, with sweat and a film of grime scrubbed away, replaced with the subtle scent of vanilla. He hadn't been able to see until this time and moment that the curve of her hips flowed up into a pear shaped body. She would bear many children with those hips, and he was tempted to get started tonight. That all depended on her, however. He reached towards her chest, catching a nipple with his curved fingertips. She gasped and thrashed out of his touch involuntarily. Her eyes went wide when suddenly she realized what she had done, and all of her anger was flooded over with terror. She didn't dare to look at him and see what expression grabbed him when she did that. "I'm sorr-" The back of her neck was suddenly clenched and she was pushed down across his lap. She felt her stomach pressed against his knee, forcing her breath out. In a panic, Tania wiggled across his lap, attempting to get away from the vulnerable position he placed her in and what he may plan to do with her. In little effort, his hand wrapped around her silken blonde mane, clenching it tightly and lifting her head up. She stiffened her spine and yelped when the sound of a smack landed on her skin. She felt the rush of tingling heat beneath his hand as it landed palm first upon her ass. When his hand removed, it urgently returned to hit the other cheek with equal force and strength, causing her to cry and struggle across his lap. "Your first lesson, pet. You will never move or cower away from me or my touch. I will touch you as I please. Do you understand?" "Yes, Master." Her neck had been stretched, and her voice was throaty and strained when she answered him. Her mind was lost into the pain, swimming to resurface and find one moment of clarity in it all. "Good girl. Now hold still." His hand alternated which cheek was struck, and he never hit the same place twice until he was certain the sting would not be dulled by the last hit. Each strike elicited a cry and moan from her, jolting her legs as his hand seemed relentless. She didn't know when he was going to stop, but each palming seemed to be harder than the next. Her tender skin reddened wonderfully, and he paused when ten strikes had been delivered to each side, from the small of her back, to just over the top of her thighs. She panted swiftly when he had stopped, feeling the full sting throbbing over her buttocks. His hand rubbed and massaged that entire area, alternating his smooth palm and sharp fingertips to drag over that abused skin. She was burning hotter than she usually would. Every inch of her body hummed, and between her thighs, an arousing scent was caught under the nose of Galea. His fingertips slowed to a stop, and he gently directed them to slide down and dip over that moist opening. She groaned when he slipped a finger inside and pulled it out dripping wet with desire. He guided his finger around her front and presented it to her lips. She could smell her own sweat and sex, and crinkled her nose at it. Who would find that scent arousing? She thought. "Suck it clean." He ordered her softly. "Master, please don't make me do that." She begged. "While I admire your begging, if you don't do it, I will punish you worse than this." The gentle tone of his voice pricked at her nerves, just as much as his words did. Her few seconds of hesitation left enough of a window that Galea landed his strong palm down harshly upon the weakened and supple flesh of her ass. She cried out again and immediately latched her mouth over his finger. Anything to keep her cheeks from being slapped anymore. He pushed it in all the way to the end knuckle, her lips closed tight around it until he dragged it out and the juice of her own pleasure was left on her tongue. She didn't think there was much taste to it, aside from a savory sweetness that prevented it from being entirely repulsive. Tania didn't find anything attractive about it, and couldn't understand why any man would think otherwise. "Very good, pet. Learning your second lesson very well; Obey whatever I command of you." Galea softly pet a hand through her long hair, raking away a few tangles that matted into her hair overnight. His hand continued to circle over her beaten flesh, and occasionally would smack his palm down, keeping her writhing on his lap. He was careful not to leave permanent damage to her seated muscles. She didn't understand why this was happening. The hatred for what he was doing was building beneath her skin, and the question of 'why' was becoming louder and louder in her mind with each strike that landed on her heart-shaped cheeks. The harder he hit, the more her body was burning with a heat beyond feverish that he could feel rising in waves off her skin. It was just like the spell he used, except that her body was slowly climbing to defend itself. She reacted to pain, not pleasure, and it was why none of the four men reported seeing any trace of heat, fire, or the defensive magic that he saw upon first encountering her. Her cries were prolonging, becoming more desperate and erratic in her breath. Heat and tears saturated her face, wetting it from her eyes to her chin. "Master please, please stop.." When she would moan like that, he'd grin and pause for a few moments, before resuming his delight in harming her. She was learning, but her begging was not as strong in conviction as he'd like it. She wasn't broken yet. Each time she felt herself at that moment of desperation, closer to breaking, she would growl in her throat and another rush of heat would fill the dungeon cell. She had layers of defense, and endurance. "STOP IT!" He smiled broadly each time she fought giving in. She'd scream and growl like she had the power to demand, and that's when the timing and landing of his hand would be swift. One after another so quickly that you could count two strikes for every second, and he'd hit her harder, letting the sting build and her pride crumble beneath it. She'd moan and squirm, her growls of rage would break into cries of pain. When she would break, he thought, she would be his ultimate prize. Traces of lava started to dance through her main arteries, making her body glow, and Galea could feel himself becoming aroused by that fierce magic flowing through her veins. After the hour, his hand was starting to tire, and she was responding less and less to the firm strikes he administered on her, even with pause. She calmed her panting down and her body was relaxing against his lap, her searing flesh now simmering down. At her stomach, she could feel his arousal pressing close to her navel, and the cloth across his lap was tented beneath her weight. He wasn't solid, but the length was enough that she knew he was enjoying himself. The area of her upper thighs and every inch of her curved ass was swollen and red. Hand marks feathered the ends of where her punishment was centered on her skin. She had cried, she had whimpered, and pleaded, but she did not break. Not enough for him to reward her any. He gently eased her off of his lap and forced her to stand by keeping a firm grasp on her hair. She was still trying to catch her breath, and pain still continued to cling to her body, wearing her down from what already was a productive morning for her. When he had moved them both away from the bed, he looked down at her. "Kneel." When she lowered down to her knees and settled her bottom atop of her ankles, she immediately rose up off of them, tensing her ass muscles to keep from toppling over, which only made the pain of his spanking her just as worse. Galea amused over the contortion upon Tania's features as she dealt with the agony his hand delivered to her, and her attempts to keep from falling flat on the floor. When she had writhed for too long, he jerked on her hair. She whined and froze in place. Gently, he pushed her back down to sit her on her ankles, despite the resistance she was giving. "Sit still for your next lesson, pet. Whenever I enter a room, or you come into a room that I am present, you will kneel at my side and kiss my feet, so that others may know that you belong to and obey me. Understand?" "Yes, Master." She said in a flat tone. "Good girl." He tilted his head to look down her front and pushed his foot to spread her thighs as far apart as they would go. "And your thighs will be as far apart as you can make them when you kneel." She staggered, and adjusted herself, keeping her thighs open, feeling further strain on those shaking muscles that he beat to a swelling red. The thought of having to kneel every time and kiss his feet made the feeling of degradation rise to her throat, blooming into disgust. He noticed this expression. "What's the matter, pet?" Is he really asking me that? Her eyes made a swift glance to his face before she looked back down and through calm breathing, debated how to answer that. If she lied, he'd know. If she said nothing to him, he'd hurt her. He may even hurt her for the truth. She had no way to escape punishment if he so wished it, and with a heavy heart, she spoke. "I don't want to be a slave. I want to go back home." "You will be going home today to Vulcos. I am very certain that you will like it." She wanted to cry, she could feel the urge rising, but instead she suppressed it out of an endearing pride that was still deeply etched into her core. "I want to be free." It sounded like a demand as her voice was harshened by her restatement. "The only way you'll be free is if you surrender yourself to the fact that you are my slave, and will be my slave for the rest of your life." He knew that would be hard for her to swallow, and didn't let the anger twisting her face phase him. He'd wait for her to scream or burst at the seams. If she could break in her silent anger, he knew she would be capable of breaking in surrender. "I'll never do that." "Oh you will." He smiled. "No, I won't." Her eyes lifted to look at him, flaring with anger, and a gentle flicker of fire began to twinkle in the center of her eyes. "Yes, you will, pet." His voice was still calm. "Stop calling me that!" She snapped. "I'll call you what I want, my little whore." She growled soundly, her body jolting in a struggling fit to try and release herself from her ties. "I WANT TO BE FREE!" She screamed at him, the flames licked deep inside of her eyes, which none had seen before him as she was blindfolded or faced away from anyone who had the opportunity to see her fiery core come to rise. His hand lashed out, and the strike hit her face so swiftly that when her head was down, she didn't feel the pain right away. When it finally welled up past the shock, her breath held in her chest and tears streaked down her face. Her heart wrenched, and her stomach twisted with an illness that rushed up in her throat. There was just no give, and no way around the Demon Lord keeping her. "You just gave up eating for the rest of your stay here." He looked over to the fire bowl and stretched his hand out to let the last flicker of the embers remaining die out under his control of fire and took the warmth with it. He then snaked the robe he shed from her and the covers from her bed, holding them in his grasp while heading for her cell door. "You'll have plenty of time to think about the rest of your life, and how you'll live with the facts. Until tonight, my little whore." He slammed the door closed, leaving her to her tears. The pain of her cheek faded away beneath them, feeling the cooling touch of her own crying. Her entire body shook with the chill that returned to caress at her spine, and brought with it a deeper sense of the cruelty that her Master was capable of. She swallowed one cold breath after another, crying harder as the light of hope was slowly dimming down inside of her, leaving her to wonder when he would return again, and how long she would be here before anybody would summon her. Galea had marked the leading dungeon door with his insignia, sealing it from being open from either side until he granted such a privilege. Despite leaving with disappointment, it was short-lived. He knew his little pet was already thinking about the future with him, and slowly would come to grip the reality that was now her life. Without food, water, and the comfort of warmth, she would break sooner. But he remembered her eyes. Those beautiful eyes burning back at him. Fire dancing deep in the black pools of her gaze, beckoning him, seducing him. He didn't want to hit her, but he did because she was still insistent on being defiant toward him. The Queen had awakened sometime in the hour that he was downstairs, and waited within her dress robes for him to emerge from the dungeon. When their stares met, she raised a brow at him, and he said nothing to explain himself as he headed for the stairs leading to his suite. "Notify me when Vagrent arrives, and not a moment sooner." Harnessing Fire Ch. 04 The air shifted in the dungeon, but with the temperatures dropping down to single digits overnight, Tania hardly noticed. Her body was merely a husk containing heat that pooled out into her aura in natural defense against the cold. She was sleeping a deep and undisturbed rest after the events of the previous morning had overturned her every hope of being free. Her dreams were of endless fields of blooming flowers and grain. An eagle soared in the cerulean sky above her while she sprinted through the field, feeling the texture of the wild grass rub against her naked hips. It wasn't until she realized she was naked in her dream that she woke with a sudden gasp. She panted heavily, white breath hazing from her mouth while she became aware of her nudity and her surroundings once more. She was certain it was night time. A moment later when her eyes adjusted, the firelight from the hallway revealed a figure standing in her cell, and she drew back to the corner of her bed, startled. Was it Master? No. She would have felt those invisible hands sinking into her skin. It could have been anyone and her mind was blank from the sound of her heart pounding quickly inside her ears. When the shuffle of feet advanced the figure toward her bed, she felt her stomach drop and her hands bound tight around her thighs to huddle herself in defense. The figure was tall and he grabbed her ankle with one hand and pulled her from the corner. Keeping a tight hold on her thighs, her back was now flat against the bed and her legs were in the air. She wanted to scream but she didn't. If this was Master he would just hurt her for doing so and she didn't want to be punished again. Tania panted quickly when the hand clutching her ankle was gone and both of his hands set to her wrists and brought them closer together around her thighs. Her knees touched and her rear end was lifted slightly off the bed. He knelt in front of her, which brought his slow and calm breathing to gently pass over her nether region. The sensation made her tingle, but she could barely move with his hands keeping her body balled up in place. Another strong breath brushed over her sex, feeling more deliberate. Her breathing calmed and her heartbeat softened the more she concentrated on the stirring warmth pooling low in her belly from this simple act. She was both terrified and curious. "Master?" She whispered softly. "Shhh..." Tania felt the man remove one hand from her wrist to softly touch her lips with his finger and then returned his hand to her wrist a moment later. Were she quick-witted, she might have broken free when the opportunity was presented. He had her like a hunter had a doe in his sight. He leaned his face in between her thighs starting just beneath her knees and slowly dragged his smooth face down until his lips touched her bare sex. He kissed it gently and she gasped softly. Her breathing changed and her cheeks burned with a pleasing heat that tightened her skin with goosebumps. Another kiss to that hot spot had her mind pleading with this stranger for more and couldn't understand why. It was a struggle in her thoughts that was slowly losing to her need. His last kiss pressed down firm, and then his tongue snaked out and parted her labia with one full stroke from bottom to top. She hummed loudly, and quickly his hand came free to cover her mouth. "Shh, quiet." He whispered too soft for her to identify who it was. She nodded in the dark while his hand was over her mouth, which he freed the moment he knew she understood. The man freed her wrists and let her legs drop down. He pushed her legs out to the side as far as they would spread, and Tania could feel her slit bloom open from the wetness that was already there. She burned with shame and arousal. How could her body be so eager for more and fear still remain in the back of her mind? She didn't understand what her body was doing right now but she knew what it wanted. Her late night stranger reached under her thighs and grasped her elbows to hold her in place. His face was directly over her hips and Tania knew he was going to lick her down there again. She could hardly wait for it. Her breath was shifting unevenly as each second slowly passed by. He looked down and blew another warm breath over that sensitive bead. The desire for more pushed all the breath from her lungs at once and then sucked in through her teeth. Oh, Tania, stop being so eager! She yelled in her mind. The thought passed when his lips touched down on her warm center and his tongue brushed in soft clockwise circles. Ohhhh yes, keep doing that. Tania's mind could not say or think of anything else. This stranger silenced her inhibitions with every strong lick that pushed over her sex. Her breathing followed a rhythm he was easily controlling with his touch. She was open to him, and both of them knew this. Every circle his tongue traced was a symphony of her breath carefully exhaled to not make noise. Tania knew then that this man was not allowed to be doing this to her, but she didn't care. She didn't cry out for help and as much as she knew that her place was under her Master, she couldn't stop her body from wanting this. Yes, every roll of that soft, hot tongue was building toward something inside of her. She could feel it through nerves that had never felt so alive before. Her eyelids fluttered as the fire burning deep inside of them had returned. The glow that surged through her aura was so faint and was building with her desire. He knew she was near to coming and he slid his tongue down from her clit. She whimpered faintly in hope that he wasn't stopping. Please, you perfect stranger, don't stop now, please! Her body begged with her hips, pushing up to try and meet his skilled lips again. He squeezed the nerves passing through her elbows and the pain was sudden and sharp. She hissed through her teeth and halted her body from begging any further. Only a second passed before he kissed her again and buried in tongue up inside of her wet entrance. The feeling was just as intense, but all over. Her nerves sang with pleasure that waved through her body. She wanted it deeper, and thought for sure she could feel his tongue moving further and further in, tickling her from the inside. She lost sight of her late night intruder when her head tipped back, her chest filling with breath, then sharply huffed out with every lap of his tongue. How could she give herself to a complete stranger? The idea was unthinkable, and yet her body was bending to this unknown person as though he had known her for ages. Beneath his grasp, her muscles tightened in her hands when they gripped her bed. That surge was building within her again, and he slipped his tongue out of her and rolled it right back over her clit. Quickly, he wiggled side to side, his lips closing around that central bead and sucking it into his mouth before letting his tongue lap swiftly over it. Tania lost her mind and all control. The release that was clenched out of her insides was gently licked from her until she fell limp against the bed. Her mind was fuzzy to a point that it didn't register right away that the perfect stranger had lifted her from the bed and carried her out of the dungeon. She felt warmer air wrapping around her skin while her stranger ascended the stairs and the dungeon door opened with a piercing firelight that resonated from four different hearths in the main room of the fortress. There, waiting beside the dungeon entrance was the Shadow Queen who governed the fortress. Tania had focused on her until her eyes had adjusted, and then she swiftly turned her face to look at who was carrying her. It was William. He smiled gently and kissed her temple before he set her down in a chair where four shadow guard were nodded over by his command and covered her wrists and ankles with iron clasps. She didn't see Master anywhere when she glanced around the room. There were a pair of guards posted at every door, and the windows were twenty feet up from the ground and narrow. Escape was out of the question. A warm laugh from William was shared with the Shadow Queen and pulled Tania's attention to the two of them. They looked over her briefly and the Queen cleared her throat. "So, I can expect payment as soon as tomorrow?" "Yes. It is my money after all, and I know it's being put to a fine investment." Williams eyes shifted and glanced over Tania with a hunger that made her blush from head to toe. "and what of Galea?" The Queen's voice leveled with concern, her deep shaded eyes searching Williams for assurance. "He is awake and coming down the stairs right now," William glanced to the stairs and waited for the pair of doors at the top to open and reveal the proud demon. The Queen and Tania shifted their worried eyes to the top of the steps as breath hitched in their lungs and the anticipation was deafening. The heavy clank of the doors was brief as they were thrown open by the furious male demon. His aura danced and flickered with fire, as did his eyes. Three individuals were looked upon; Tania, the Queen, and then William. "What is this?" Galea snapped upon William and the Queen. "I plan to take my new slave home with me. What do you think is happening, Galea?" William asked him curiously, his tone calm and amused. "And what power do you possess that you think you can take a slave from me, William?" Galea growled at him, moving down the stairs and stalked slowly toward his servant. Williams' eyes flickered with a deep fire that filled his irises and the heat from his skin was greater than Galeas' as he approached. Within those few moments, Williams' hair grew out rapidly to the middle of his back and turned silver. His facial features sharpened and were more regal. His body stretched taller and his muscles slimmed with more tone and definition. A pair of dragon wings grew out from the center of his back and filled in with rich scarlet scales that glimmered in the firelight. His tail stretched out almost eight feet long and formed a sharp tip with a uniform line of spikes moving up the whole of his tail. Galea watched the transformation carefully, until he saw the familiar face staring back at him. "Vagrent," he growled lowly, "I shouldn't be surprised, but I am." "Now that you know how I've always kept an eye on you, I can't allow you back in my fortress." "YOUR fortress?!" Galea roared, "You wouldn't have that fortress if it weren't for me keeping other demons away from it all these years!" "Please," Vagrent said softly, "You are weaker than previous demons I have killed. There was a mark of fate over your head the day you invaded my territory and fought me to a draw. Did you ever wonder why it lasted a full week and that neither of us seemed better than the other? I was holding back, you were not." "I don't believe you," he snapped. "No? You were the one filled with anger at having to draw the battle to a close on equal ground. I didn't deliver a killing blow when you were weakened, and all these years, you never once attempted to kill me. Why do you think that is? I let you into my fortress, I gave you free reign of my slaves, I let you draw power from the volcano, and the use of the Iron Forge. You've had an endless fountain of power, wealth, weapons, and all the women you could ever want. You foolishly believed that you won all these things, when in fact I let you have use of them while I waited for fate to reveal what your purpose was. You have found the last living descendant of the Phoenix." Vagrent then gestured to Tania. Tania was very aware now of what Vagrent had said, and couldn't believe it herself. Her eyes glanced over to Vagrent, then landed on Galea. She was more confused now than she had been before. "I still don't believe you." Galea snarled. "Galea, think very hard. What dragon would, in their right mind, share his wealth and status with a mere fire demon? You were an investment. I threw money at your shallow desires. Countless slaves that couldn't stand up to your cruelty and all of them given a proper funeral by me. My wealth was shared with you because I knew one day it would pay off. If there's one thing I have is patience. My investment just matured, and it's time to make use of it. When the young woman was brought here, you were first to test her fire and I was first to taste it." Tania's body curled up in that chair and her skin flushed remembering the first night she was here, and what just occurred not long ago. She ached for more even now. She could feel her wet lips throb at the thought of his tongue coursing over her heated sex and the shattering orgasm that followed. Galea was livid. His next move was a mistake. Vagrent had expected a reaction from the fire demon and when Galea put all of his energy into a swift advance on him, a small amount of Vagrent's stored energy was channeled to his fingertips and he delivered a strike to Galea's core. Rather than flying across the room, Vagrent penetrated Galea's skin and in one swift draw, Galea's glowing heart was pulled him his chest cavity. The blackened muscle pounded rapidly until it turned to lava in Vagrent's hand. As the heart melted through Vagrent's fingertips, Galea's body melted into a pool of hot lava on the floor that turned black and became a brittle pile of ash. "Hmph. Good riddance." Vagrent wiped his hands clean of the ash and turned once more to Tania. He was an impressive dragon, but she had never seen a dragon before. Her fear clutched at her chest and her cowering form ebbed away from his wandering eyes. He smiled and was amused by her fear; it made his job easier. "I am your Master now, little one, and you will call me such." That fear turned quickly to sadness, and her eyes became solemn as she resigned to her fate and nodded. So it had been him all along. The one who gave her pleasure while she took the cruelty of three other men, who bathed her after she had endured it, who sneaked into her room and gave her pleasure once more, and who now takes her home as his property. She was numb and watched Vagrent gesture to the nearest guard. A piece of cloth was placed over her eyes and drawn tight. Her hands moved instinctively to remove it, but two sets of hands each pulled her arms down from her face and secured them down on the chair. She huffed lightly and remained in place until she could feel chains being applied to her ankle cuffs and then connected to her hands. The length was enough that when she was made to stand she could be upright. However, her legs would not allow her to do anymore than a short walk, and her hands remained at waist level by the height of the chain. Her body jolted when Vagrent approached from behind and his hands set to her shoulders to turn her to a specific direction. "Walk." he instructed her quietly. Tania's legs snagged a few times when the chains were pulled taut and Vagrent did not let her fall to the floor when this happened. Eventually, she adjusted her footsteps to where she could walk in them without error. There was comfort in Vagrent looking after her as she crossed the long marble hall in the direction that he chose. The heavy clank of the doors she was approaching opened and the smell of a spring breeze rushed over her nude skin. She drew in a deep breath and let out a long sigh of relief to be going outside. It was a feeling that she wasn't sure that she would have had again, not with this sort of elation. For a moment, she was happy that she was rescued from the cruelty of Galea, but she was saddened to still be trapped. She was not sure of Vagrent, knowing nothing about him but his handsome appearance and gentle ways. Still, despite those two points, he wanted her as a slave. She was torn, conflicted about her acceptance. Why was she able to do so? Did Galea put so much fear into her that she willingly accepted a more gentle Master? Or perhaps the thought of running away was too much of a struggle for her. His hands gently guided her in the direction he wanted her to go, and when she had walked far enough, he stopped her. "I am going to pick you up now. Be still and I won't have to punish you, little one. Do you understand?" "Yes." "Yes, what?" His fingers closed around her left nipple and clamped down until she gasped. The pain spread through her swiftly and her body arched. "Yes, Master!" She answered quickly. "Good girl." He released her nipple and rubbed his hand over it in slow circles. When her breathing calmed, he swept her into his arms, and he guided her into a carriage that was awaiting the two of them. Because of the blindfold, she depended entirely on him. It was frustrating not being able to see, but when she felt the crushed velvet floor beneath her feet, she was put at ease. He closed the door behind him and settled in. Looking down at Tania, he reached for her chains and freed them from her feet, then pushed her down into a kneeling position. The ends of the chains were then moved through a key in the ceiling of the carriage and he pulled the chains through until her hands were up over her head. Bringing the ends down to her wrist clasps, he secured them. Then, he removed her blindfold. Tania looked up at the ceiling to see the chains fed through the key ring in the ceiling and what little give her arms now had to move. Her sapphires then shot to Vagrent, who was sitting comfortably and staring at her. His eyes were at ease, his body was at ease. She finally had a chance to take a good look at him. He had retracted his wings and tail back into his body before he had climbed into the carriage. Despite his long, silvery hair, his skin was firm and tone. He was quite handsome, regal, and very appealing. The longer Tania seemed to stare into his fiery eyes, the more she felt drawn to him. His skin tone made him appear ghostly, but he was very much alive and strong. Ash still remained on his fingertips from killing Galea, and she swallowed hard remembering how easy it was for him. "Comfortable?" He asked her, curiously. Tania paused to think about it before she answered. "No, Master." "No? What discomfort do you feel?" "My knees hurt sitting like this, Master." His lips spread into a feral smile. He closed his fist and pounded twice on the wall behind him. The carriage jolted and shook side to side. Tania was held well in place, but even she found some difficulty in remaining in that position as the pressure was growing on her knees. They were now moving on the half-day journey that would take them to Vagrents fortress. "Oh, you'll have to get used to it, little one. This is your place now, and you should feel so fortunate that you are kneeling on velvet. When we return to my fortress called Vulcos, I could make you kneel on concrete. Would you like that?" His tone lightened with his question. "No, Master." Tania answered in a solemn tone. "Then be grateful for the comfort that you do have for I can take it away as easily as I can reward it. You will find that I am not a cruel Master as Galea would have been to you. I will punish you when you fail to do what I ask or if you act out against me. I will reward you when you deserve it. You will learn to be my slave. How long it takes you to learn your place and how long you endure that lesson is not determined by myself, but you. Do you understand, pet?" She shook her head, not knowing what these lessons would entail. "You will always answer me verbally, slave, and you will always end your responses with Master. Do so now, or I will have to punish you." He warned her. "No, I do not understand, Master." She answered gently. "Good girl, and what don't you understand?" "I.. I don't know what I am supposed to learn, Master." "You will learn to be my slave. You will learn skills and the proper etiquette I expect from a slave. Much of your training will come from me, and the rest will come from the other slaves." Harnessing Fire Ch. 04 Her eyes went wide. Other slaves? She was not the only one? She didn't know why, but in that moment, a flare of jealousy came over her. Her chin dropped and her breath was held while she nursed that feeling along. "What are you feeling, pet?" Shoot, he noticed. She thought and then wondered where the jealousy was coming from. She took too long to answer and Vagrent's hand was quick to react and grasped her nipple then clamped down on it again. She groaned in pain and her body curved up to try and alleviate the pain. "You will answer me immediately, pet. The longer I let you think, the more likely you are to lie to me. Now," He kept the pressure even and gradually turned his fingers so that her nipple was being twisted slowly. Her jaw dropped to draw in heavy breaths, "tell me what you are feeling." "I-I feel jealous, Master!" She gasped. "Really?" Vagrent sounded amused and let go of her nipple swiftly. She could feel the blood return to the area and it bit with pain. "Tell me why you feel jealous, pet." He leaned back and set his hands on his lap, expecting her answer would be quick. Tania started to hesitate, but then she could feel her nipple throb painfully and didn't make him wait. "You mentioned other slaves, Master." "Yes, I have other slaves, Tania," she found comfort when he said her name and a temporary relief from her feelings, "they all have their purpose in my life, and your purpose will hopefully be earned quickly." "What place would I have, Master?" She asked, afraid of the answer. "In the interest of keeping you obedient for now, I am not going to tell you. You will ultimately decide where your place is in my life, just like all the rest of my pets. I have hope that where you end up is where I hope you will be with time, discipline, and patience. As Galea learned, I have plenty of patience." She drew in a deep breath, disappointed that she didn't have the answer she was seeking. Vagrent watched her carefully and smiled when it was plain to him that she was wearing her emotions so openly. "You have such an honest body, pet. I like that." Tania proved his observation true as she wore a suddenly heavy blush over every inch of her skin in response to his comment. How she wished she could hide such a thing and be off her knees and back at home where she knew the comfort of a warm bed and freedom. She sighed heavily to calm herself, then lowered her chin to look at the floor. She could feel his eyes watching her as she reserved her emotions for now. "Don't try to hide from me, pet. Your very existence now is to please me, and it pleases me that you are honest in body." Her eyes rolled up and locked on him with an anger that now tensed through her body. She absolutely wanted to not be anyone's pet. "Ooh, now there's a look," Vagrent grinned and was amused by her anger and took a moment to draw a thin stick made of bamboo from a shelf above him. He held it passively across his lap for now and looked back to her, "why are you so angry with me, little one?" "Because I don't want to be a slave, Master." Vagrent's fingertips twitched, but she had not forgotten herself and had answered him honestly. "I am aware of how you feel, pet, but the sooner you let go of those feelings the easier this will all be for you," he explained calmly, "this is your life and this is your place now." "No." She said with a growl in her throat. She heard the sudden snap of that bamboo stick and only half a second later the pain sear across her chest with perfect aim that the sting ran through both of her nipples. Oh, she had seen him take hold of that bamboo stick and did not make the connection that he would use it on her. As her breathing calmed, her teary eyes opened to look toward him. The bamboo was still in his hand, but resting passively across his lap. "No, what?" He whispered. "No, Master." She whimpered. "Very good. That's my good little pet. Never forget your place no matter how angry or emotional you are or I will punish you. I will be here to work through your emotions with you. You don't like what is happening to you because it's new. You want to go back to the way things were because you are familiar with the life you had. You don't know anything about your new life and that frightens you. New things are always frightening, pet, and I think it's unfair that you're not wanting to at least try this new life to see how well you adapt to it." Tania frowned and dropped her chin to look upon the floor. She was terrified of the changes happening to her life, and wanted to go back to living with the nuns. Although, she couldn't forget the lack of real human contact she had in that life. Since her capture, she had met new people, but many of them cold and cruel as the nuns had told her. The sin which they openly committed was appealing to Tania in the sense that she had never known such acts before. She could not lie to herself and say that she didn't enjoy what pleasure Vagrent had given to her. Was there more to come? Would it all be training and punishment? "You may ask me questions, pet. Though, remember your place when you do." "I don't know what to ask, Master." "Perhaps it is because you are tired. If you can tell me what your purpose is, I will free your arms from the key in the ceiling and let you sleep the rest of the way." A beautiful red mark had caught Vagrent's attention to her chest. It was a thin, sunburned streak across her breasts, both of which were erect and covered in goosebumps from their sensitivity. He stared while waiting her answer. Tania's mind scrambled past the pain on the other side of that beautiful mark and tried to recall everything that Vagrent had told her. Then, she came to the answer. "To please you, Master." "Very good, pet." He set the bamboo aside and reached up with his hands to the key in the ceiling. The chains were loosened and she was drawn up and off her knees. If she had not seen his transformation for herself, she would have tried to escape at this time. How do you run from a dragon? How do you outsmart a dragon? Vagrent pulled her gently to his seat and moved her so that she rested across his lap. He kept a strong hold of her chains to keep her hands in place and lied her against his body. He smelled lightly of incense and saffron. It was an unusual smell, but one that she enjoyed when she rested her head against his shoulder. "When you are rewarded, always show your appreciation, pet." Tania lifted her head up from his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Vagrent tensed, not expecting such a gesture from a newly found pet. All of his pets had remembered that they must be verbal and would say thank you. Still, he didn't find any error to her gratitude and let it be for now. With the gentle rocking motion of the cart, it wasn't very long before Tania was sound asleep in Master's arms.