13
Halt this. Now.
The words sounded like ice on Simon’s voice, like shards of fury and accusation, and Maria cringed back against the wall, the terror and relief blaring through her skull. Simon was here. Furious, clearly, buthere.
She could feel him coming closer, could hear the hard rush of his breath streaming through the corridor. And then movement, swift and forceful, as Ulfarr jerked away, leaving Maria blessedly untouched, shivering in the darkness.
“Your newpurchasewas lost,” said Ulfarr, and Maria didn’t miss the smirk in his voice, themockery. “She sought my…help. Ach, woman?”
Maria wanted to spit at him, kick him, thrust something sharp between his ribs — but she couldn’t even see the asshole’s face in the dark, couldn’t find a way through the heavy silence from Simon at her side. “I wanted alatrine,” she said, her voice badly wavering. “That’sall.”
But no one answered, no one came to her defense, or acknowledged that she’d even spoken. And Maria felt the bitter rage rising, lurching in her throat — and she clapped her hand against her mouth before she could start wailing or shouting. And she wasn’t supposed to care, shewasn’t, but why didn’t Simon say something, why didn’t he move, was he going to send her away, would they just keep standing here until she —
“Come, woman,” hissed Simon’s voice, slicing through the taut darkness. While hard fingers grasped at her arm, dragging her after him, and Maria staggered to keep up, stumbling through the pitch-black corridor. And when Simon turned her again, off to the left, she nearly lost her footing altogether — until those powerful hands gripped at her waist, and half-carried, half-dragged her over to something, and thrust her down to sit upon it.
Cool air hit Maria’s bare arse, and comprehension flooded her brain in bright relief — and before she could stop it, her bladder was releasing its long-held contents, while humiliation burned her cheeks. While Simon just kept standing there, looming close in the blackness, no doubt leering, mocking,judging.
Maria’s humiliation kept scalding hotter, and with it the bleak, abject certainty that once again, she’d surely somehow displeased him. He hadn’t defended her, hadn’t called out Ulfarr on his obvious bullshit, hadn’t spoken a single word of kindness or comfort. And good gods, Maria needed to stop caring, why was she even expecting such things from a vicious vulgar orc, she hated him, and he obviously hated her, and he only wanted an empty, silent shell for his use.Only woman I buy. Your purchase. This is all…
When Maria’s ongoing mortification had finally ceased, Simon grasped her arm again, drawing her back to walking. Turning left, and then right, as Maria’s distant thoughts realized she must have missed a corridor somewhere — and then the movement abruptly halted, and a flare of light burned across her eyes.
They were back in Simon’s room, and he’d lit another candle, glowing with shocking brightness in the dark. And in its light, Maria’s squinting eyes instantly locked to Simon, standing massive and menacing beside her. His body taut, his hand clamped on his sword-hilt, his eyes crackling with… rage?
But yes, surely,rage. Curling his mouth, drawing his already-harsh face hard and cruel, burning from his throat in a low growl. His muscles flexing and heavily corded, his shoulders hunched, his furious gaze glinting on Maria’s face.
Oh gods, ohhell, and Maria fought the desperate, swelling urge to wring her hands, to hurl out curses and accusations. Because she’d sworn to this, she would see this through, and he couldn’t send her away, please, notnow, not today.You shall honour me, he’d said,all I shall bear from your mouth is its tight, eager suckling upon my prick…
Maria’s knees buckled beneath her, sudden and painful, but she didn’t fight it. Didn’t stop her trembling, frantic hands from clutching at that immobile body before her — and yes, finding that powerful hardness, swelling behind his trousers. And he still wanted it, oh please, that had to be a good sign,hadto be —
Her fingers fumbled, yanked, pulled — and in a rush of musky-smelling warmth, he was out. That thick, veined, vicious beast bulging before her eyes in the candlelight, like an obscene vulgar gift from the gods, its deep slit already oozing white…
“Maria,” Simon’s flat voice said, and she flinched all over, her gaze snapping up to his face. To where he was watching, of course he was, but the anger somehow seemed to have faded from those eyes, in favour of something almost like… confusion.
“You wish for this,” he said, frowning at her — and suddenly there was the urge to scream again, to rage, to clutch the hysteria close and never, ever let it go,I told you, I want this, I need this, why do you keep doing this to me —
But somehow —somehow— she choked it back, bit her lip, stayed silent. Nodded. Waited. Honoured him.
Simon’s head tilted, his heavy brow furrowing, even as his hand smoothly, casually slipped down before Maria’s blinking eyes. And in an easy, fluid movement, he reached inside his trousers, and drew out his huge, swollen bollocks, too. Truly displaying himself, flaunting this without shame, simmering something deep within Maria’s belly…
But no,hellno, she hated him, she was only a woman he’d bought, he wanted her silent and sucking. And she could do this, she wanted this, he would see —
So Maria gulped in more air, courage, herfreedom. And then leaned closer, parted her dry lips, and —kissedhim.
It was only a small kiss, brushing gentle against the surprisingly smooth skin of that veined shaft — but the beast instantly leapt against her mouth, hard, hot, eager. As if wanting more of this, wantingher, and Maria fought that awareness even as it burrowed, slithering deep. No.No. He only wanted an empty shell. A sucking mouth. That was all.
So she did it again, kissing harder this time, feeling him again leap against her lips. Feeling the hot, silken-smooth skin, shuddering out its pleasure…
Skai know pleasure, Ulfarr had said, and surely Simon knew far better than this — but he still kept swelling, pulsing, vibrating against Maria’s carefully searching tongue. And the scent had begun rising from him, rough and rugged, andthatwas because — she drew back slightly, blinking her hazy eyes — he was still oozing from the head, slick, thick, dangling in a string of viscous white.
And if Maria were to lean closer, to just lightly brush her tongue there, she would find —fire?! Yes, sweet, hot, liquid fire, burning and shimmering like a thousand molten sparks, and what the hell and what was this andwhy—
She lunged for more, sweeping her tongue closer this time, feeling her eyes flutter at the taste, the heat, the ecstasy. And surely this was pure hysteria, rearing its horrible head, dragging a harsh gasp from her lips as they greedily searched for more…
And from above her, from within the otherwise unmoving bulk of his judgement, Simon — laughed.Laughed, mocking her, surely — but when Maria’s chagrined, fleeting gaze darted upwards, she found his eyes almost… warm. Indulgent. Approving.
But then they darkened again, as though angry at the verysightof her, and Maria felt the panic wash through her again, her throat painfully convulsing. Right. He wanted a shell. A sucking mouth. Not her wants or her voice or her feelings, notherself—
So instead of tasting, learning, enjoying, as some awful whispering part of her might have wished to do, she shifted her position, winced at the hardness beneath her bare knees. And then she reached up, took that beast firmly in hand, and thrust it deep between her parted lips.
