Page 32 of Condemned

She prayed they’d not decide to remove the rings. They were a part of her. Her decision, nobody else’s.

“Fookin’ special,” Timin mocked. As he trotted up to ride in line with them, he leaned over, peering across at her, his curled brown locks as chaotic as ever, if cleaner. His eyes seemed baleful, like he’d found a pest and wondered why it hadn’t been sprayed with pesticide already. “And she’ll kill you as soon as look at you. We shouldn’t forget where she comes from. Her loyalty is to the humans. You of all people should know this, Kondio.”

“Listen, last time I say this. I will always have a place in my heart for Fayra, boy, but I’m tired of being angry at everyone, at the whole world. This one is just a girl.”

“You’ll learn.” He let his florse slow and drop back.

The cloak wrapped about her insulated against the chill and possibly Timin’s evil thoughts, and she pulled it closer.

“Warm enough?” Kondio asked. “Ignore him. He’s just... slow to adjust.”

She grunted an affirmative, hoping he understood grunt language. Saying yes would make her uncomfortable. What was it with this one? She preferred Timin’s hostility. It was honest.

The dark brown florse under them kept trotting down the road, clip-clopping, fluttering its mini-wings now and then when a dragonfly or a rattlebug dithered by its ears. The sun was high overhead.

She craned back her head, squinting at the pale sky. Lunchtime, her stomach told her.

The white bag slipped on her neck and Kondio adjusted it back into place carefully, like a momma fixing the bib on a child. Or so she thought, until his hand slipped between the front edges of the cloak to cup her breast.

He tugged on the ring there, slowly smoothed his palm down her belly and wormed it between her legs. Then he left his palm over her mound, over her clit, stirring to life feelings that she did not want.

“Now all of you is warm. Let’s just ride and watch the birdies.”

Birdies? She squirmed.

He was taking liberties with her body, as had Zo.

Difficult to think of anything much at all, or to stay upright in the saddle, when his forefinger came to rest along the groove of her pussy. Slowly, she grew wetter.

To her relief and perhaps discomfort, none of them touched her that night when they camped. She was left tied up, horny, and dissatisfied with herself and Zo. And Kondio.

There was a whole lot wrong with lusting after your enemies.