Blood of Azura

Part X

He gave a long Look to Cassine before turning to Iaria.  'Dress,' he commanded, before bending to retrieve the cloth with which he covered himself once more.

Turning back to Cassine, he gave her a look which he hoped conveyed that she had brought this upon herself, then he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the tent, commanding Iaria follow.

Cassine did not utter a word.

Not as he marched her out into the cool night air and down the small incline towards the clearing, not as he found an empty post in the pen and pulled her towards it, not as he called for the whip and the straps from the pen master, and not as he fastened the leather to her wrists.

When he pushed her back against the post she trembled against him, fear and confusion etched into her amber coloured eyes now. He considered what he might do if she pleaded with him, begged him not to do this. Asked his mercy. He considered it yet he was almost certain she would not. And I give you my promise that I will never beg you for anything, Leothine.

He lowered his face to hers, his lips almost upon her own. 'You will be struck seven times,' he told her. 'The first five will be thus: a strike for each letter of the word 'whore'. That word is not used in my realm; for it is not recognised in Leoth. But do not mistake me, female, I know well what it means. You think yourself better than her? You are not. You have not earned the right to insult this woman, and you will not insult this woman.' She blinked with confusion, shame fighting the fury in her eyes. 'That is your first lesson. The sixth strike will be for not holding your tongue in the presence of a loyal servant - a loyal servant of Leoth who learned that particular lesson a long time ago, and learned it well.' Cassine flicked her eyes once more to Iaria, who stood behind him, a calm and silent presence. 'The final strike will be both a warning and a reminder. A warning that I will not be disobeyed and defied like this again, and a reminder that your fate could still be far far worse than you consider it to be at this moment.'

Cassine said nothing, but her eyes glittered with their usual fire. He moved his mouth to her ear and inhaled deeply of her scent. His cöck throbbed desperately once more.

'The sooner you abandon your pride and forget your loyalty to Azura, the less painful these lessons will be for you,' he warned, quietly. 'The sooner you remember who spared you and who you belong to now, the more pleasurable these lessons will be for you.' He could hear her heart beat, her pulse thundering fast against the soft fragrant skin of her neck. His teeth sharpened against his tongue. He could all but taste her on it. He longed to taste her on it. Her pleasure, her flesh, her blood.  Which punishment would she prefer if he gave her the choice, he wondered? Him or the whip? 'Tomorrow you will hurt - but tonight you will learn,' He told her softly before stepping back from her.

Glittering and silent, the tears slid down the skin of her smooth cheek.  He wondered how they would taste.

Feeling a sudden momentary flash of guilt, he decided that if she could abandon her pride and ask him for mercy then he would give it.  Without hesitation, he would give it. He would simply have to deal with the consequences of it as they arose.

'Do you wish mercy, Cassine?' he asked her quietly, strangely moved by the sight of what looked like liquid crystal sliding down her cheek. She stared at him hard, looking deep into his eyes; a place few were brave enough to look. Slowly, her eyes began to transform. Soft wet orbs to hardened glass.

'My word is as strong as your own, Leoth,' she hissed. 'I will never beg you for anything,' she said, chin raised. 'I await my lesson.'

The growl escaped his throat free of his command. Damn this female to every bloody God of Ethis.

He stepped towards her once more and took hold of her, spinning her around so that her front was pressed against the post. He felt her legs weaken slightly as he stretched her hands above her head to fix them into the hook which he swiftly lowered for her size.