Princes of Mannsborough, Part 6b

by Vulgar Argot

(caution, MF/rom, MF/nc-M, FF, ff-nosex, blackmail, bondage/light, torture/light)

"Maya," said Marigold, trying to keep her voice calm. She wanted to pull away from her old friend's embrace, but was afraid to.

Maya's chuckle was as cold and dead as her voice, "I bet you didn't expect to see me tonight. How are you, my dearest friend?"

Marigold was saved from answering by Thule closing the door behind her. She turned to watch him. He was very careful not to meet her eyes, his face blank and unreadable. He walked past the two of them, unbuttoning his jacket and throwing it on one of the high chairs by the kitchen counter.

Maya stepped back, still gripping Marigold gently by the wrists. As she looked Marigold over, her face settled into a frown. When she spoke, there was an air of menace in her voice, "Aren't you all dressed up? You both are. Were you on a date?" The last was directed at Thule and sounded like an accusation.

"I delivered her..." said Thule , his back to them, "like I promised. Where we were doesn't matter." He walked over to the couch and sat down. "I did what I promised to do."

Maya turned her attention back to Marigold, "You did. Didn't you? And all this time, I thought this was some elaborate hoax to get back into my pants." She reached up and stroked Marigold's long, blonde hair. Her touch was feather-light, but sent a shiver through Marigold like electricity.

Thule didn't answer her. Instead, he said, "Both of you, come over here. We need to talk."

Maya walked over to where he was sitting, pulling Marigold by the wrist. Marigold didn't want to go, didn't want to have the talk she knew was coming. But, she had no doubt that Maya would drag her if tried to fight. Maya wasn't tall, no more than five foot four, but she was still bigger than Marigold. More significantly, her arms were lean and well-muscled, something that had not been the case when Marigold had last seen her.

In fact, walking behind Maya, even for a few steps, Marigold realized she could have followed her one-time friend through a crowd and not recognized her. Besides being leaner and more muscular, Maya had cut her hair short. She walked like a big cat, all pent-up energy and predation. She wore a leather skirt that went beyond tight, matching black leather boots, and a starched, white blouse that wouldn't have looked out of place on the old Maya. What had happened to the shy, quiet Catholic girl Marigold had known?

Of course, Marigold knew exactly what had happened to that girl. She'd just spent the last three years pretending as hard as she could that she didn't.

Maya sat down on the couch next to Thule , letting go of Marigold's hand. Marigold was about to go and sit in the easy chair on the other side of the living room table, but Thule shifted, making a space between them. Marigold considered sitting in the chair anyway. Then, she saw the glare Maya gave Thule and decided to take the proffered spot. As she sat, she leaned into Thule , his body a line of warmth and comfort against her side.

"Sit up straight, Marigold," he said. The tone of command was back in his voice. Marigold did as she was told.

"I see you remember Maya," he said.

Marigold looked at him, surprised, "Of course I remember Maya. We're...we were friends...best friends...not that long ago..." She let her voice trail off.

"You're not my friend any more?" Maya asked. When Marigold turned to face her, she was pouting.

For a moment, Marigold thought she was being given an opening. She said, "Of course I'm still your friend, Maya...I just haven't seen you in a while."

"And why is that, Florita?" Maya reached up and stroked Marigold's hair.

Marigold turned to Thule , looking for guidance. His eyes weren't on her. They were on Maya, watching her like a mongoose watches a snake.

Marigold lowered her head. When she spoke, her voice was very small, "You went away."

Maya stroked Marigold's hair more deeply. Her fingertip traced Marigold's jaw. Marigold closed her eyes and trembled at the touch. She wanted to cry. But, she knew where this conversation was going. If she started crying now, this would be a very long evening. She wished Maya would ask the next question. She was going to have to answer it eventually. And talking was better than crying.

Behind her, Thule asked, "Why did she go away, Marigold?"

"She was pregnant," Marigold said. "She was going to get rid of it. Her father found out...He sent her away...to her grandmother's....to have the baby."

"And because he couldn't stand to look at his whore of a daughter," added Maya. Usually, when she spoke, it was in plain, unaccented English. But, Marigold could hear her Argentinian patrician heritage now. Maya's voice might be calm, but she was losing control of her accent. "He told me I was a whore and he never wanted to see me again. So, he sent me away." Now, a note of anger crept into her voice, "Who told him I was a whore, Mari?"

"Jonas told your father you were pregnant..." said Marigold. She saw Maya open her mouth to ask the next question and cut her off, "And I told Jonas."

She did cry now. Two fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up just in time to see Maya's face in front of hers, close enough to kiss. Then, she felt the other girl's tongue on her cheek, licking one of the tears away. Marigold flinched away.

Thule caught her shoulders. He spoke calmly, but firmly, "Marigold, you're to obey Maya as if she were me tonight. She's the one you need to make peace with, not me." He squeezed her shoulders together a little, as if he could hug her with just the palms of his hands. "I believe you're genuinely contrite. If you are, you might get absolution out of this."

Maya's eyes flickered to Thule again, "I'm not offering absolution. I'm only here to punish her."

Marigold had her back to Thule and couldn't see his reaction. Whatever it was, Maya didn't look satisfied with it. She focused on Marigold again, "Hold still. I want to taste your tears. I'm something of a connoisseur. I want to see if they're as bitter as mine were."

Marigold held still. When Maya leaned in again, Marigold closed her eyes. Maya's tongue flickered to the hollow of her throat. A tear had pooled there. Her old friend licked her in three quick strokes. The first was up her neck; The second went from neck to chin; The third traced its way from chin to eye, catching the edge of her mouth on the way.

Marigold gasped, her mouth opening involuntarily, lips parted slightly. Maya's chuckled was right in her ear. Her eyes flew open.

In her ear, Maya purred, "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."

Marigold closed her eyes again. She felt Maya's finger pressed against her lips, urging them to part again. When they did, her tongue darted out, licking Maya's fingertip.

Maya laughed, but didn't pull her finger away, "My god, Thule . What did you do to this girl?"

"I told you what I did to her."

"I know," said Maya, pushing Marigold's lips apart a little further. "But, what did you do to her? This is not the girl I remember and certainly not the girl you described in your e-mail."

Again, Marigold was limited by having her back to Thule and her eyes closed. Neither Thule nor Maya spoke. After a few agonizing seconds, the finger came away from her lips. Before she could close her mouth, Maya's own lips were there, kissing hers. The kiss was hard, punishing, and invasive. When Maya's tongue slipped into her mouth, Marigold moaned. All of the frustration and tension that had built up during the day flared up inside of her. Marigold had thought they would be gone. Instead, they were as intense as they had ever been.

She leapt up off the couch, almost falling over the low coffee table. Catching her balance, she spun around and backed away. Her lips seemed to be vibrating from the kiss, her whole body trembling, "I can't do this. I give up. Thule , you win. I don't care about our deal any more. Get me kicked out of school. I don't care. This is too hard."

A look of relief flicked across Thule 's face so quickly that it might have been a figment of Marigold's imagination. By the time he turned to face Maya, it was already gone, "We tried. I told you. I won't force her. I can't go to jail yet. I still have a lot of revenge to get yet."

Maya looked like she was going to object. Instead, she got a crafty look in her eyes. Going up on her knees, she draped herself across Thule , arms around his neck, "All right, Florita. Why don't you go and get some sleep. Thule and I will take the other room. He can drive you home tomorrow." Taking Thule 's chin in her hand, she turned his face to her, tilted it upward, and kissed him full on the mouth. After a moment, Thule 's arms went around her, pulling her body against his.

Marigold wanted to scream. She was down on her knees on the carpet, "Stop," she whispered. When they didn't respond, she said it again, louder, "Stop."

Maya looked up at her, not detaching from Thule , the question clear in her eye.

"Are you two going to kill me?" Marigold asked, not sure if she cared.

"That was the plan," said Maya. Marigold's head shot up in surprise.

"That was originally the plan," said Thule . "That last night, before Maya had to go away. We planned to kill you and Brianne and Randy. But then, you would just be dead. What we really wanted to do was punish you, to make you hurt like we hurt."

"What's going to happen to me, then?" Marigold asked.

"First," said Thule . "We're going to talk. Maya's going to ask you about what happened that year. You are going to answer her fully and candidly. Then, I'm going to let her punish you." He shot a warning look at Maya, "within certain constraints. After that, your punishment is done. You get to go on to Harvard and John Hopkins and all the rest."

Marigold lowered her head, " Thule , I can't answer those questions. Please..."

Thule rose, sliding away from Maya as he did. He strode over to Marigold, took her chin in his hand and said, "You can, Little Flower. You have to. You've been living with this a long time. It's time for you to let go of it. I can't promise that Maya will absolve you, but you need a chance to absolve yourself. You're not the person you were at fourteen. You need to let her go."

Marigold nuzzled his hand with her cheek before taking it in her own hands and gently pushing it away. When she spoke, she wasn't crying anymore.

"One condition."

"No conditions," said Maya.

"Hear her out," said Thule . "It may be something we've already agreed on."

Marigold looked up at him, " Thule , will you stay with me and protect me?"

Thule glanced at Maya, who laughed abruptly. She looked at Marigold, "You have a very funny definition of 'protect,' Mari. Keep in mind that it was Thule who dressed you up and delivered you into my hands in the first place."

Marigold didn't say anything. She couldn't argue with the point. She just knew that Thule would protect her.

Maya shrugged, rising from the couch, "Fine, then. Come in the bedroom. And bring your protector with you."

                                  -=-

The three of them sat in tableau on the bed. Maya sat cross-legged against the headboard. Marigold sat at the other end of the bed, facing her. Her legs were curled to one side so that her skirt didn't ride up. She leaned back against Thule , whose broad chest was like a brick wall. His hands rested lightly on her outer thighs.

Maya questioned her like she was a prosecutor that had Marigold under cross-examination. She started with easy questions, letting Marigold ease into the process.

Back and forth they went, filling in the backstory both of them already knew well. When Marigold's father had died near the beginning of the sixth grade, she had taken it so badly that she needed to be taken out of school to deal with it. Ultimately, she'd gone back the next year, still a sixth grader, now a year behind her peers.

During the summer before Marigold's second year of sixth grade, Maya's family had moved from Argentina to Mannsborough with very little notice. When they moved, Maya spoke only a few halting words of English. She and Marigold had met halfway through the summer and wound up spending nearly every day together.

When school had started, Maya was ostracized for her lack of English (even though it had gotten much better.) Marigold's friends were all a year ahead of her and many now avoided her after the "crazy incidents."

For the next three years, they had practically been each others' only friends. As Maya's English had improved, she'd made a few new friends, but her bond to Marigold had kept her social circle small.

It had all changed when they'd gone to Mannsborough High in the ninth grade. MHS was fed by seven local middle schools of which Marigold and Maya's had been one of the smaller. Very few people knew about Marigold's breakdown. She wasn't the crazy girl anymore. She was Jonas Tarr's stepdaughter. Suddenly, she was being courted by the popular girls.

"And you told them lies about me," said Maya. Her voice was still calm, but her accent was heavy.

Marigold shook her head, "No. I only told Brianne--and only the truth."

"Which truth?" asked Maya.

"That you were kind of wild at camp that summer..." Marigold said. "All the boys you'd fooled around with."

Maya arched an eyebrow, "Not the girls?"

Marigold shook her head, "I didn't think of that as fooling around. We were just...experimenting."

"Experimenting?" Maya's eyes flashed with anger. "Florita, I told you I loved you."

Marigold nodded, feeling miserable again, "And that scared the hell out of me."

"So, you went back to school and told Brianne lies about me."

Marigold shook her head again, "No. Everything I told her was the truth. The fabrications were Brianne's. I...never made anything up."

"Do you think that makes it better?" Maya asked.

Marigold shook her head, tears falling again, "No. Not now. I did then. That's what I told myself."

"I never fit in at Mannsborough," said Maya. It didn't take long for you to be my only friend. You started putting conditions on our friendship, so I wouldn't embarrass you with your wonderful new friends. And, like an attention-starved dog, I agreed. I continued to tell you all my secrets. And you continued to tell Brianne."

Marigold nodded. Her voice was almost a whisper now, "Yes."

"I told you the hateful things people said to me and how boys would grope me in the hallway because they thought they could get away with it."

Marigold closed her eyes, "Yes."

"I told you how they pulled me into the boys' bathroom and laughed at me and how much worse it could have been."

Marigold nodded. Her tears were flowing freely now. "Maya, I am so sorry."

Maya's smile seemed to have no emotion behind it at all. She didn't seem to notice that Marigold had spoken, "And then, I met Thule . I was happy. I told you how happy I was."

Marigold drew a deep, ragged breath, "That made Brianne angry. I never understood why. She became obsessed with making you miserable again."

" Thule wouldn't let that happen," said Maya. "The girls still talked, but he was my constant champion. Any boy who laid a finger on me, he made sorry. He beat Stanislov Pokov so badly that he was out of school for a month."

"I lost control," said Thule , interjecting himself for the first time in the conversation. "I didn't mean to hurt him so badly."

"I wish you had killed him," said Maya. There was no inflection in her voice. Marigold shivered.

"After that, I was left alone for a while," said Maya. "But, you found a way to betray me again, didn't you, Florita?"

Marigold shook her head, not in denial, but desperation, "Please, Maya. We both know what happened. I admit it. Please. Punish me." She lowered her head in shame and submission.

Maya slid forward until she could reach Marigold. Grasping her by the chin, she held her old friend's head up. When Marigold opened her eyes, Maya's face was still angry, but Marigold saw a glimpse of the old fondness, too.

"Have you ever told anyone this story, Marigold?" she asked.

Marigold shook her head in the negative.

"It's time, then."

Marigold nodded. Shifting her body, she leaned back against Thule , pressing her back against his chest as if she could borrow his strength. Thule 's hands went up from her thighs to her arms, pressing her in a comforting way for a moment before resting on her elbows.

"What happened next?" asked Maya.

"You got pregnant," said Marigold.

"I got pregnant," said Maya. "I told you I was going to get rid of it. You told Brianne. When that wasn't enough, you told your stepfather."

Marigold nodded, "I told Jonas I didn't want you to kill your baby. Thule , I didn't want her to kill your baby."

"Was that the only reason?" Maya asked.

A sob was wrenched from Marigold's lips. She'd hoped that, by telling the rest of it, she could keep this last secret. As awful as her actions had been, her motivations were much worse. Miserably, she shook her head no.

"Why else?" asked Maya.

Marigold's head came up, "I wanted you to go away. I was afraid you were going to tell someone else you were in love with me. I hated you for letting me betray you. I didn't want to keep seeing you and being reminded of it. As long as you were there, I had to keep betraying you. If you went away..." She started crying again, unable to continue.

Maya leaned in, licking away her tears again, then closed her eyes and smiled as if savoring the taste. When she opened her eyes, she said, "But, you..."

"I also wanted you to go away so I could be valedictorian." said Marigold, speaking quietly as if she could keep anyone from hearing.

Maya and Thule both stiffened. Thule 's hands dropped off her arms.

"You did?" asked Maya, obviously surprised.

Marigold nodded, "I wanted to go to Harvard so badly, I lost track of everything else. All I could think was that you and Thule were going to be perfect all through school. You would be valedictorian and salutatorian. All I had to do was screw up once and I would be nothing."

"Were you really that petty? Did you really want me gone because of grades?"

Marigold nodded, unable to speak again. She'd confessed everything now, even what they hadn't known. She'd thought she would feel better to get it all out, but she was as miserable as she'd ever been. She'd spent the last three years trying to pretend that none of this had happened, that she wasn't the sort of person who could do something like that.

Now, it was all true. She was that sort of person. Not talking about it had made it less real. By talking about it, she now felt like it was all happening again but without the benefit of self-delusion.

"And now, you're going to get what you want," said Maya. "Valedictorian, on your way to Harvard. Was it worth it?"

Marigold shook her head, "No. None of it was. I would give it all back if it would undo what I did."

Maya leaned forward, taking Marigold's chin in her hand. Marigold didn't have the will to resist. Her lips parted under Maya's kiss.

"It's good to hear you say that, Florita," she said. Her accent was gone again. Marigold opened her eyes to meet Maya's dark, liquid eyes.

Maya was even smiling at her a little. It was the saddest smile Marigold had ever seen, but at least it was a smile.

"It's too bad you didn't know that at the time," Maya said quietly. It didn't sound like an accusation, but like genuine regret that it had come to this. "If regrets were horses, we would all be trampled in the stampede."

Then, Maya sat up straight, "You would give it all up?" Marigold nodded.

"You would give up Harvard?" Maya asked. Marigold nodded.

"You would give up being valedictorian?" Maya asked. Marigold nodded again.

"Would you give up Thule ?"

Marigold's eyes widened. No one moved or spoke for a few long seconds. When she spoke, she was surprised by how calm and controlled her voice was.

"No," said Marigold. "I wouldn't."

Maya's smile turned feral. She wasn't looking at Marigold now, but at Thule .

" Thule , what did you do to this girl?"

Marigold felt Thule 's shrug in the muscles of her back, "I told you what I've done to her. I've been awful to her since day one. I blackmailed her. I got her ostracized. I turned her into a whore. I ordered her around. I violated her. I made her beg. Her reaction is as much a mystery to me as to anyone."

Maya's eyes went back to Marigold, "Florita, do you love Thule ?"

Marigold wanted to say no. She could see the dangerous look in her old friend's eyes, hear the barely-contained rage. But, she couldn't. Thule was there at her request, listening.

She nodded, "I think so."

"So, for all the tears you cry, you really did wind up with everything, didn't you?" Her accent was so strong now, the "you"s came out as "joo."

Marigold opened her mouth to answer, but Maya was still ranting, "You got my popularity, my good grades, my future, even my boyfriend."

"Maya," said Thule sharply. "I'm not your boyfriend anymore. I haven't been for a long time. That has nothing to do with Marigold."

Maya took Marigold's chin, squeezing it in her hand. Her touch was not gentle this time. She held Marigold's head up so that she couldn't look away.

"You choose your protectors well, Florita," she hissed. Maya was no long bothering to control her voice.

Without releasing Marigold's chin, Maya said, "Florita, do you remember how you told me you didn't want me to kill Thule 's baby?"

Marigold tried to nod, but discovered that Maya's hands were very strong. Instead, she said, "Yes."

"It was not Thule 's baby."

"Maya," Thule growled a warning. "We agreed..."

Maya took her hand off Marigold's chin, reached over her shoulder, and put it on Thule 's lips to hush him. With her other hand, she stroked Marigold's hair, "This is not part of the punishment. This is just two old friends talking about old times. Is that all right with you, Florita?"

Marigold nodded, "All right."

Thule took Maya's wrist and pushed it away from himself. Marigold, having half-turned, saw anger in his eyes, but he didn't speak.

"Do you remember the party at Randy Vandevoort's house, the one Thule invited me to?"

Marigold nodded.

" Thule didn't want to go. He may have been on the track team, but he was never part of that culture. I begged hin to take me to that one. I knew you would be there. I thought that, if I could get to just one on my own, you would see that I was an acceptable friend, again."

" Thule gave me what I wanted. He took me to that party. You avoided me. When I saw you, I abandoned Thule and followed you. You led me on a merry chase around the estate."

Suddenly, she looked up again, " Thule , go sit in the chair for a bit."

Thule 's voice was even, "You don't get to order me around any more, Maya."

"Please," said Maya. "You have made her feel like a whore, like I asked. Now, I want to make her feel as naked and alone as I did."

Thule opened his mouth to argue. Marigold shook her head.

"Go ahead, Thule . I need to do this."

Thule hugged her to his chest, eliciting another glare from Maya.

"If you need me, I'll be right over here."

Marigold nodded, not taking her eyes off of Maya.

"That's a beautiful dress," said Maya. "Did Thule put it on you?"

Marigold nodded.

Maya smiled, "He always liked to dress me up, too. He called me his beautiful, little doll."

Marigold smiled too.

"Take it off," said Maya, harshness creeping into her voice.

Marigold slid off of the bed onto her feet. She turned her back to Maya, lifting her hair. Maya untied it in the back, letting it fall to the floor and leaving Marigold naked. As Marigold resumed her place on the bed, she could feel Maya's eyes on her, appraising her.

"Do you know whose son I was forced to have because of you?" Maya asked.

Marigold shook her head, "I thought it was Thule 's."

"I followed you through the house at that party," said Maya. "You lost me in a maze of rooms. I wound up getting lost. I wound up alone in a room with Brianne and Randy Vandevoort."

All the color drained from Marigold's face. She whispered, "No."

Maya nodded, "Brianne whispered something in Randy's ear. He smiled and laughed as if it must be some great joke. Then, he offered to take me back to Thule . Instead, he took me out onto the back lawn and raped me."

Marigold shook her head as if the act of denial could undo what had happened.

"You told Brianne I was a hot, little whore. Brianne told the one boy Thule couldn't thrash into submission. He raped me. He raped a lot of girls at our school. But, I was the first."

"No," cried Marigold. "God, Maya. I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know."

"Randy Vandevoort raped me because of what you told Brianne."

Marigold didn't answer. She sat alone on the bed, naked and weeping. She felt like the worst person in the world. Once, she had convinced herself that, by becoming a Christian, she had been forgiven by God and that was all that mattered. Now, with her malfeasance laid out in front of her, she knew that what she had done had left a stain that would never be washed clean.

Maya let her cry for a long time. Marigold didn't turn to see what Thule was doing. He couldn't protect her from this.

Finally, Maya said, "So, Florita. Do you still expect absolution?"

"I don't expect anything," said Marigold, sounding raw and numb even to herself. "Punish me if it will help ameliorate your pain. Please. I am lost."

Maya rose, "Lie flat on your stomach, head by the headboard, arms extended over your head. I will be right back."

Maya stepped out of the room. Marigold looked at Thule , sitting in the chair in the corner. His face was unreadable. When Maya came back, she was carrying a heavy, black duffel bag. Reaching in, she pulled out a long, black silk scarf. She folded it over itself and secured it around Marigold's head as a blindfold.

Next, Marigold felt cold steel on her wrists as Maya cuffed her to the bedframe. Once Marigold was secured, she felt Maya give an experimental tug to make sure they were secure. Marigold was blind and bound, completely at Maya's mercy.

"Christ, Maya," Thule said. "Put that away. I told you that you wouldn't be allowed to use those."

"Relax, mi corazon," purred Maya. "I didn't repack my bag after my last...play session. Everything is mixed up in here. I'm just looking for these..."

Marigold felt something place on the bedspread next to her.

"...and these..."

Something else was laid on the bedspread.

"...and, of course, these."

"You still use those?" Thule asked.

"You can't go wrong with the classics," Maya said.

Thule sounded bored when he answered, "Just don't set off the sprinklers."

"Would you like to help?" Maya's voice sounded hopeful.

"No," said Thule . "I never needed these things to torture her."

"And a good job you did," said Maya, her voice rich with sarcasm. "Just think, you made her fall in love with you with no assistance at all. With my bag of toys, you could probably make her into a mindless sex slave. Come here, mi corazon."

Marigold heard Thule 's heavy treads on the carpet. Then, for a long time, she heard nothing. She started to wonder what they were doing. She imagined Maya giving herself to Thule . He'd loved her once. Would be able to resist her if she offered herself to him again?

Marigold knew they couldn't be doing that. It was too quiet. Still, her imagination went wild over what they could be doing so quietly. Were they even still in the room?

When the strap stung across her ass, Marigold let out a sob that was a mixture of pain, surprise, and relief.

"Not so loud, Little Flower," Thule said. His voice was coming from the chair in the corner again. "We can't have the neighbors complaining."

The next lash was harder. The third, harder still. Marigold stifled her cries as well as she could. But, if Maya kept hitting her harder, she wasn't going to be able to much longer.

Fortunately, Maya settled into a rhythm. Marigold could hear her cursing in Spanish in a low voice. She'd learned a lot of Spanish while they'd been friends, but knew very few of the words. The ones she did recognize, she doubted Maya had known before she'd moved away.

As the rhythm continued, Marigold started to feel like she was acclimating to the beating. The strap continued to sting, but not to hurt. She was even able to unclench her teeth, which she had not been aware that she'd been grinding.

Then, to her horror, all of the lust and sensitivity that had built up during the day started to trickle back into her awareness. She would have sworn that the ordeal she'd been through would have killed any prurient thoughts, but it hadn't. She started to make noise again in response to the strap, but they were mewls of pleasure. The more she fought the pleasure, the better it felt.

Recognizing that she was building to climax, Marigold begged, "Please...stop."

The beating stopped. Marigold lay there, trembling and panting. Even with the two other people in the room, she wished her hands were free so that she could touch herself.

She felt Maya's weight on the bed a moment before the other girl was straddling her at the knees. Maya pressed her chest against Marigold's now-tender ass, then slid up her back until her lips were right next to Marigold's ear.

"Did you enjoy that, puta?"

Marigold nodded, "I'm so sorry, Maya. I didn't mean to. I couldn't help myself."

Maya ran her fingers up Marigold's spine, barely touching her. It made Marigold shudder.

When she spoke, her voice was soft, almost happy, "It's all right, Florita. If you enjoy your punishment, it's because you know you deserve it."

Marigold nodded, "I do."

"Would you like me to keep punishing you?"

Marigold wondered if it would end if she said no, but realized she didn't care, "Yes."

"Yes what?" asked Maya, laughing.

"Yes...mistress?" offered Marigold.

Maya laughed harder, a rich, joyous sound, "I was going for 'yes, please.' But, that works too."

Maya shifted against Marigold. The bound girl thought she was going to get up and resume punishment. Instead, she whispered, "Florita, why didn't you want me to tell anyone else that I loved you?"

Marigold had no guile left, "I didn't want anyone to think I was a lesbian."

"Are you?"

"No!" The response was automatic and alarmed.

"Really?" asked Maya. Marigold felt her finger stroking her outer lips, between her legs.

Marigold shuddered at the touch, "I...I definitely like boys."

"So," said Maya idly. "This must do nothing for you at all." Her finger slid inside, stroking Marigold's clit gently."

Marigold bucked, squirmed, and tried to get away. Maya could have ordered her to hold still. By the sound of her breathing, she seemed to be enjoying the struggle. Finally, she got Marigold's hips pinned. Her fingers slid inside again, teasing and stroking.

Marigold whimpered at the pleasure. She tensed, trying to fight it.

"Don't fight, Florita," cooed Maya. "Would it really be so horrible to enjoy it?"

Marigold considered the question. As soon as she opened her mind to the idea, the decision was made for her. The pleasure welled up. She tried to clamp down on it in alarm, but it was too late. She went over the edge, a low cry of pleasure ripped from her throat. Her whole body rocked with the pleasure, too long denied.

She had assumed Maya would stop touching her like that once she came. Instead, Maya started probing more deeply, spreading her open. Marigold didn't bother to fight the pleasure. Her body responded to touch. It didn't care whose touch it was. Why should she?

Soon, she was panting with pleasure. She realized that Maya had stopped pinning her hips, which were now rising and falling in counterpoint to the other girl's fingers. When Maya's weight shifted off of her, she whimpered, thinking the girl was going to take her just to the edge, then stop.

Instead, she felt lips and tongue where the fingers had been a moment earlier. She moaned in approval. Dimly, she wished she could see Thule 's reaction to this, afraid that he might be disgusted. She was too far gone to worry about it much, though.

Her climaxes started to come one after the other. Marigold found herself biting the pillow beneath her face to keep from howling. The pleasure was as intense as anything Thule had ever done to her. She was starting to wonder if she was going to lose her mind from it.

When Maya let up on her, she flopped down next to Marigold. The line where her body touched Marigold's bare skin made the bound girl tingle.

Maya panted heavily against the back of Marigold's head, as if she had gotten as much pleasure from what she'd just done as Marigold had. When she spoke, it was a breathy whisper.

"Still think you're not a lesbian, Florita?"

Marigold swallowed, uncertain of whether she could find her voice. "I don't know," she admitted.

Maya chuckled, "We can keep working on the question until you're sure if you like."

Marigold closed her eyes under the blindfold, "I don't think I could take it."

Maya leaned down and kissed her, full on the mouth. Marigold opened her lips for it, letting her tongue tease up against Maya's. At first, the kiss was playful, but it got deeper and more serious. Marigold moaned in her throat.

When their lips parted, Marigold realized that the kiss had almost brought her off again.

Maya rose from the bed. A moment later, she called across the room to Thule , "Now can I use these?"

"No," said Thule emphatically.

"Can I ask her?" Maya sounded like she was pouting.

"No," Thule said again.

"Spoilsport," answered Maya.

"Are you done punishing her yet?" asked Thule .

"No," said Maya. "But, I need a break. Are you sure you don't want to take over?"

"Quite sure, thank you."

"My arms are tired," Maya said. "Would you rub them?"

"If your arms are tired, why don't you use the gloves on her for a while?"

"Ooh," said Maya. "Good idea."

Then, she was straddling Marigold's legs again. Marigold felt hands on her shoulders. When Maya drew her hands quickly down Marigold's back, Marigold realized that she must be wearing gloves with tiny spikes on them. They scratched her, but did not break the skin. Marigold cried out. They hurt, but she was already getting aroused by them, too. As Maya began to work them all over her back, bottom, and legs, sometimes in circles, sometimes in swipes, Marigold found herself pressing against them to increase the sensation. Soon, she was writhing, moaning, and gasping. By her chuckles, Maya seemed to enjoy the process immensely and it went on for a very long time. When she finally let up, Marigold's body ached with pleasure from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet.

"Are you ready for what comes next?" Maya asked.

Marigold nodded. Her voice was hoarse, "Yes."

What came next was the dull thud of a rattan cane. It came down repeatedly on her shoulders and legs. Maya hit her with it faster and faster until it became a controlled thrashing. Marigold whimpered under the attack. It hurt a little bit too much to enjoy, but what she felt wasn't exactly pain, either. It was like pain, but enjoyable.

The cane came down on the back of her knee. She yowled in real pain, finding it not at all enjoyable.

The beating stopped. There was no sound in the room except Maya's heavy breathing and Marigold's own. Marigold noticed that they matched, both girls panting in synchronicity.

Then, Maya's hands were fumbling with the handcuffs. Marigold could feel them shaking against her wrists.

"I'm sorry, Florita," she said. "I should not have pushed it as far as I did. I am too tired for this."

"Wait," said Marigold. "You're not done."

"What?" asked Maya and Thule in one voice.

"You're not done," repeated Marigold. "You didn't use whatever was going to set the sprinklers off."

"You've had enough," said Maya.

"Am I forgiven?" asked Marigold.

Maya stroked the side of her face a long time before speaking. Marigold felt a hot tear splash down in the center of her back.

"Yes," said Maya. "You are forgiven."

Marigold wept in relief and joy. But, when Maya went for the cuffs again, she said, "No. Finish."

"She is finished, Little Flower. Maya, let her up."

"No," said Marigold. "Let her finish. Please."

"Out," commanded Thule . His voice was so powerful, Marigold strained against the cuffs to comply.

"This is between her and me," said Maya.

"Get out," said Thule , his voice trembling with barely-contained anger. "Go in the living room. Or, take your bag and keep going. Whichever it is, close the door behind you."

A second later, she heard the door slam and Thule 's weight on the edge of the bed. His hand stroked her back gently, drawing pools of sweat across her aching muscles. Of course, all her muscles ached, so that wasn't hard.

"Are you enjoying your beating so much that you just can't stand for it to end?" he asked.

"I didn't mean to enjoy it," said Marigold.

"I would think that enjoying it would defeat the purpose. Fortunately, Maya seems not to mind. She's getting off on it almost as much as you are. That's part of why I sent her in the other room. She needs to cool off."

" Thule ," asked Marigold. "Are you going to fuck her?"

Thule chuckled, "No. That's a chapter in my life I'm only too glad is over."

"Are you mad at me?"

"I don't know," admitted Thule . "You have certainly defied my expectations."

"What does she have that you don't want to let her use on me?"

"Candles," said Thule . "They've been burning since she started."

"What's she going to do with candles?"

Thule ignored the question, "Why did you ask me to stay and protect you if you won't let me protect you?"

"I...needed you here," said Marigold. "But, Thule , I have to do this."

"Why?"

"Because I enjoyed the rest of it," said Marigold. "I want something to feel like punishment."

"If I let her back in here, I can't protect you any more. I'm going to let her finish it."

"Let her finish," said Marigold.

Thule stood up from the bed. Marigold heard the door open, "You can come and finish if you like. If you're going to use the ice first, gag her."

Marigold heard a sniffle and realized that Maya was crying. Then, she heard him talking to Maya in a quiet voice. She imagined Thule holding Maya in his arms, stroking her hair. She twisted, rubbing her face against the covers to dislodge the blindfold enough to see.

At some point, Maya had stripped down to her bra and panties. Marigold had noticed the touch of flesh on flesh, but somehow not processed what it meant. Thule , still fully dressed, held her in his arms, her head on his chest. As she suspected, he was stroking her hair. His other hand rested in the small of her back.

"Oh, Thule ," Maya muttered. "I'm so sorry. I've just missed you so much."

"You've hurt me too many times for that, Maya," said Thule . "Let's not go over that again. I brought you here to punish Marigold--not yourself and not me."

Maya sobbed, hard, deep, and low then. It was like something inside of her had broken and she couldn't control it anymore. Thule held her and let her cry herself out.

When they separated, Marigold pressed her face against the mattress again, hiding her eyes.

A few seconds later, Maya was on the bed, undoing the cuffs.

"Are we done?" Marigold asked.

Maya helped her into a sitting position, then pulled off the blindfold. Her eyes were rimmed red with tears. She shook her head in the negative, "No, Florita. I am just uncuffing you to turn you over. Give your arms some time to rest."

Marigold wrapped her arms around Maya, hugging her old friend as hard as her sore arms would let her. Maya gave a snort of laughter.

"You're not supposed to be comforting me, Florita. I'm punishing you. Remember?"

Marigold didn't say anything. She just laid a hand on Maya's cheek, tilted the other girl's head back, and kissed her. The kiss was almost chaste. Marigold's eyes widened with surprise, but only for a moment.

Marigold broke the kiss, "I'm ready."

Maya pressed a finger to Marigold's chest, pushing her to lie back, "No speaking from here on out."

Marigold nodded and put her arms up to be cuffed again.

"Not yet," said Maya. She straddled Marigold at the waist. Marigold gasped at the touch of wet silk panties on her stomach. Maya leaned forward, taking Marigold's shoulders in deceptively strong hands, rubbing tension out of them.

Marigold sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. After the previous ordeal, the massage felt so good that she had to fight the urge to doze off.

Eventually, Maya's hands moved down from Marigold's shoulders onto her pectorals. The heels of her hands brushed Marigold's nipples. It didn't take long for those nipples to get achingly stiff.

"Hands over your head again," Maya said. Marigold complied and was cuffed.

Once Marigold was secured, Maya leaned back and undid her own bra. In an impressively athletic display, she then squirmed around over Marigold until she had stripped her panties off. She lay herself full length on top of Marigold before lowering her head to Marigold's breast.

Marigold moaned at the touch. She had been braced for more pain, not this seesaw between pain and pleasure. She writhed against her bonds. Maya wrapped herself around Marigold's leg like a snake, head still at her breast, finger tracing little circles inside of her.

Nuzzling Marigold's breast, Maya said, "I want you sensitive. I would ice these up, but your protector says I would have to gag you if I did that. And, I do so love to hear you scream."

Marigold didn't answer. She had been forbidden to speak.

As Marigold was reaching towards another climax, Maya slowed her pace, keeping her old friend close while rubbing against her leg and hip. Marigold realized that she no longer had Maya's undivided attention, though. Instead, she was staring across the room, making eye contact with Thule . From where Marigold was lying, Thule was a great, brooding shadow in the corner. His features could have been cast in iron for all that they changed. His elbows were propped on the arms of the chair, fingers intertwined in front of his mouth, eyebrows drawn down in a look of intense concentration.

Maya got up from the bed, padding over to where four thick, white candles burned on a side table. She looked at the candles as if deciding which one to use first. Instead of choosing one, she glided past the table towards Thule .

Thule wasn't watching her. He was watching Marigold lying on the bed. By the time he looked up, Maya had climbed into his lap.

"Last chance, mi corazon," she purred. "Wouldn't you like to join us? I am ready for you. She is ready for you. You could have both of us together. You could save her a great deal of pain."

Thule turned to face her. As he did, Marigold could see a thin sheen of sweat on his face, reflected in the lamplight. He seemed about to speak when Maya swooped in to lick the sweat off of his face.

Faster than Marigold's eyes could follow, his hand shot up from the arm of the chair, catching her tongue between thumb and forefinger. Maya tried to pull away, but she couldn't go very far. Her eyes grew wide with fear and supplication.

"I've told you enough times, Maya. But, you just refuse to listen. I'm going to try one more time to make this clear. I've still got scars from the last time I let you in. You do nothing for me anymore, Maya. I'm fulfilling a promise that an angry little boy never should have made. Have your revenge if you're so damned determined, but that's as far as this goes."

As he finished his speech, Thule placed the three free fingers from the hand holding Maya's tongue on the side of her face, pushing her backwards until she was sitting upright. Then, he released her.

Maya's shoulders were quaking, the sounds coming out of her somewhere between tears and hysterical laughter. After a few seconds of that, she started to collapse towards Thule as if expecting him to comfort her again. But, he placed a hand in the center of her chest, just above the breastbone, keeping her upright.

Maya pushed off of the hand, springing up from Thule 's lap so quickly that she stumbled, bumping the table, causing the light from the candles to dance wildly around the room. Marigold gasped, fearing they would fall.

Maya spared her only a glance before turning back to Thule . From a half-crouch, she drew herself up to her full height. Despite being not much taller than Marigold, standing naked in the flicker of candlelight, she looked every inch the warrior of her ancestry. She looked ten feet tall.

"So," asked Maya, her accent as heavy as Marigold had ever heard it. "You really didn't bring me here so you could have both of us?"

Thule didn't answer. He was rigid again, his arms on the arms of the chair.

Maya lifted one of the candles. She took two strides over to the bed, "You brought me here so that I could do this?"

She held the candle out in trembling fingers. In spite of the shaking in her hands and voice, there was still precision in her movement. She was still looking at Thule , but the stream of wax hit Marigold precisely in the center of the chest, a couple of inches below the throat. With a flick of her wrist and a swing of her shoulder, she sent the wax in a straight line that ended just above the navel.

Marigold jerked in pain, arching her back and kicking her feet. The sudden burning was overwhelmingly painful. She was too surprised to cry out beyond a gasp.

Already, Maya was reaching for another candle. Thule was up, behind her. Before she could spill it on Marigold, he'd caught her wrist, looming over her like an avenging angel.

"Slowly..." he said gently. Maya looked up at him, as if considering whether she should struggle.

"Slowly, corazon," he whispered. Maya closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. Thule 's hand moved from her wrist to the back of her hand, guiding her to drip wax gently, a little bit at a time, on Marigold's chest and stomach.

The wax still hurt. Even when they repeated the process with the second candle, it still hurt. Even though they were often dripping wax on wax, it still burned. Marigold did not come to enjoy it. But, after a while, it was like it was burning someone else. It burned some part of her that couldn't touch her true self.

When Maya went for the last candle, Thule stayed where he was, looking down at Marigold, watching her, as if trying to figure something out. He stood there, not moving, as Maya dripped wax from the last candle across Maya's stomach and down her legs.

Maya put the last candle down and spoke quietly, "I am going to soothe her with ice, mi corazon. Would you like to help?"

Thule gave Maya a measured look, then said, "All right."

Maya left the room and came back with a bucket of half-melted ice. With an almost-clinical gesture, she placed her hand between Marigold's legs, parting them wide, then placed the bucket between them, close enough to radiate cold into her skin, but not touching.

For the last time, Maya undid Marigold's cuffs, placing them back inside the big, black duffel bag. Marigold drew her arms down to her sides. Thule had already extracted an ice cube from the bucket. With one hand, he was peeling wax off her abdomen. With the other, he iced down where the wax had been.

Maya followed suit. Soon, Marigold had four hands stroking her body everywhere. The ice made her skin so sensitive that even the sensation of Thule and Maya's breath on her brought a frisson of pleasure.

At some point, Maya helped her sit up. Marigold took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Thule 's head and bury her face in his hair. Thule pulled her into his lap, pressing her to his chest. Maya ran ice cubes up and down her back.

Marigold raised her head, kissing Thule on the mouth. He emitted a groan that emanated from deep in his chest and returned the kiss with ardor. Marigold's hands went to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them. Her lips followed, kissing their way down his chest.

In the meantime, the hands on her had become more exploratory than therapeutic. Thule 's big, powerful hands rubbed her back, cupped and stroked her bottom. Maya's stroked her breast and belly from behind. When Marigold sat upright, Maya rubbed up against her, so that Marigold was pressed between her and Thule .

Maya's hands slid past Marigold, stroking Thule 's arms and shoulders. Marigold couldn't see or feel Thule 's hands anymore.

Meanwhile, her own hands had undone Thule 's pants and were now stripping him. It was an act of pure need, almost without conscious volition. Thule gave her a look of warning, but it was almost obliterated by the desire in his eyes that she ignored it.

When Thule 's cock sprang free, Marigold thought that Maya's hands started to drift downward. It didn't matter. Marigold was already lifting herself against Thule 's chest, impaling herself on him. Thule thrust upward to meet her. Marigold cried out, wrapping her legs around his lower back. Thule 's arms were around her and Maya, pulling forward on Maya's back to impel Marigold onto himself. Maya's hips were pivoting back and forth, pushing Marigold onto Thule , her hands on his shoulders.

From the heavy breathing in her ear, Marigold knew that Maya was getting something out of this. It didn't matter. All that mattered to Marigold was her own body and Thule inside of her. She allowed herself to feel sorry for Maya, who had lost Thule forever, but still clearly couldn't let go of him. It only lasted a moment, though. In the next moment, she was gripped by a powerful orgasm and found herself holding on to Thule like the mast in a storm.

It didn't last long. As stoic as Thule had been, it was clear that his desire had been raging through him for some time. With one last, savage thrust, he came explosively inside of Marigold. As he did, Maya bit down on her ear. The pain of it mingled with the pleasure of Thule 's orgasm inside of her brought Marigold to another climax.

Thule held her there, seemingly unwilling to pull out of her before he absolutely had to. As if by design, all three of them listed to the right before collapsing onto the bed.

Marigold laid her head on Thule 's chest, inhaling deeply of his scent. Thule kissed the top of her head. Then, for the second night in a row, Marigold fell asleep with Thule inside of her.

                                 -=-

Marigold woke just before dawn, the sun tingeing the edges of the sky red. During the night, Thule had rolled onto his back, leaving slightly less than half the bed for the two girls. As a result, Marigold had wrapped herself around Maya like a lover, which she realized after a moment, she was...in an odd sort of way.

In repose, Maya looked much like her old self. She smiled a little in her sleep and, when Marigold shifted, nuzzled deeper into her shoulder. Pressed together like that, she couldn't help wonder what would have happened if things had turned out differently.

It had been the summer before ninth grade. She'd tried fooling around with Elliot to disastrous results. Maya'd had a brief, uneventful relationship with a boy who sent his friend to break up with her by proxy.

"Maybe," Maya had suggested. "We're just really bad kissers." They were lying in their sleeping bags after lights out at camp.

Marigold had furrowed her brow, "Maybe we are. But, I think kissing is overrated."

Maya had giggled, "You're probably bad at it, then. Kissing is great."

Marigold's frown had deepened, "Then, maybe Elliot is doing it wrong. I'm always worried I'm going to choke on his tongue."

Maya had nodded sagely, "He's definitely doing it wrong, then."

"How did Matt do it?" Marigold had asked.

Maya had explained and, finding explanations insufficient, demonstrated. Marigold had never been able to admit it to herself before, but she had been at least as active in pushing it towards that end as Maya had. She'd long wondered what it would be like to kiss her beautiful, exotic friend.

Particularly with only Elliot at thirteen to compare it to, it had been pretty good. For the next few weeks, they'd experimented a lot. In hindsight, what they'd done had been pretty tame. But, it had been exhilarating at the time.

Lying in bed, pressed between Maya and Thule, Marigold realized she'd managed to keep one secret during her confession by virtue of not realizing or remembering it at the time. The realization made her grow cold.

It hadn't been Maya who'd "gotten weird," as Marigold so often told herself, at least not at first. It had been Marigold.

After experimenting for a couple of weeks, Marigold had gotten oddly possessive of her friend. At the time, Maya had been fairly popular while Marigold was still the crazy girl. Maya and Elliot had been her only friends. And, Elliot had just rejected her in a particularly traumatic way. She started seeing every one of Maya's other friends as a threat to her last human contact.

It had never come down to a fight. Marigold had made things awkward and Maya had started experimenting with other people. Soon, she'd started spending nights in other girls' tents. At the same time, she'd tried to get Marigold to expand her circle of friends. Marigold had assumed everyone would hate her and refused.

When they'd gone back to school, Marigold found herself popular for the first time in her life. Even Brianne, her tormentor through much of middle school, talked to her as an almost-equal. At the same time, she saw the social status of girls who were suspected of any sort of Sapphic tendencies plummet. Ironically, the next year, all the popular girls would be trying to establish their gay credibility as bisexuality became all the rage.

But, that had been too late for Maya and Marigold. Maya'd had the misfortune to profess her love for Marigold when it was still unfashionable. So, Marigold had pushed her away. She just hadn't realized how far away until tonight.

Looking into Maya's sleeping face, Marigold was taken back to that summer before high school. She imagined what would have happened if she'd accepted Maya's declaration of love. How much misery could have been avoided? Maybe they both could have met and fallen in love with Thule . What was the protocol for such things, anyway?

As if it could recapture everything she'd lost, Marigold tilted Maya's chin upward, lowered her own head, and kissed those sleeping lips. Maya responded, opening her mouth to be kissed without opening her eyes.

Maya didn't seem to wake immediately after the kiss. But, a minute or so later, she stretched and her eyelids fluttered open. Her smile was genuinely radiant for about a second before the jaded wariness settled back onto her features.

"You're probably all sticky, Florita. But, would you mind if I used the bathroom first?"

As profound first lines after life-changing experiences went, it needed work. Still, Marigold nodded, "Sure."

Maya rose from the bed and padded across the room. Marigold watched how the sunlight gave her skin a deeper glow and nestled back against Thule . She smiled at the feel of his cock growing against the back of her leg.

Marigold had dozed off again when Maya shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. "You can go ahead now."

"Mmmmm..." Marigold murmured. "Can wait until morning."

Maya frowned, "If you say so, Florita..."

Marigold's eyes opened more widely, "What's wrong?"

Maya sat down on the edge of the bed, "You're just getting kind of ripe. And, if you don't wash, you can get the thrush."

Marigold nodded, forcing herself to sit up.

"And try the shower head," suggested Maya. "It's awe-inspiring."

She trudged across the room, across the living room, and into the bathroom. After adjusting the water temperature and pressure, she stepped into the pounding spray.

Step by step, she began to wake up. Muscle by muscle, she let the pulsing water work out some of the kinks. When she was feeling relatively human, she reached up to detach the shower head from the wall, but it wasn't the sort that sort of shower head. She wondered what Maya had been talking about.

All of a sudden, she was fully awake. An idea had sprung into her head that she couldn't shake. Maya had been awfully insistent that Marigold go take a shower, leaving her and Thule alone in bed together.

Even as she was rinsing the last of the soap off of herself, Marigold tried to believe she was reading too much into the situation. Thule had made it pretty clear that he didn't want Maya, no matter how relentless she'd been.

That didn't help. She had been relentless. And, she clearly hadn't used the shower head.

Marigold threw on one of the robes provided by the hotel, trotted out of the bathroom, across the living room...

...and froze in the doorway of the bedroom. Maya was straddling Thule , riding up and down, and moaning. Marigold wanted to grab the other girl by the shoulders and throw her on the floor. She assumed Thule was asleep, but even before she could act, his eyes opened and he reached for Maya. There was a brief grappling of hands and arms before he rocked his hips to one side, rolling over, and pinning her. Maya's legs came up, wrapped around Thule 's buttocks and pushed.

Marigold felt like she was going to faint or be sick. Maya had betrayed her. Thule had betrayed her. She staggered away from the bedroom door, directing herself to fall on the couch. Squeezing her eyes closed as if to erase what she had just seen, she lay there, stunned.

Less than five minutes later, she heard Thule and Maya talking in low voices. Five minutes after that, Maya emerged from the room wearing her pants and top, but no bra. She had her black duffel bag over her shoulder. Marigold closed her eyes, preferring to feign sleep over a confrontation.

Maya came over to the couch, crouched down, and kissed Marigold on the forehead. Marigold allowed her eyes to flutter open.

"I have to go now, Florita," she said. " Thule has my number. Call me some time. We'll get together and talk." Misreading the look on Marigold's face, she added, "Just talk. No toys. I promise."

Marigold just nodded, feeling like a coward for not clawing Maya's eyes out.

As soon as the front door closed, Thule emerged from the bedroom, wearing only a pair of jeans. He looked down at Maya, lying on the couch.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

Marigold thought quickly and said, "You're a bed hog. There wasn't room for all three of us."

"Sorry," said Thule , his face blank. "I didn't expect it to turn out that way. Come to bed. Maya's gone."

Marigold shook her head, "I'm fine here."

Thule went to a drawer under the TV, extracted a blanket, covered Marigold with it, and kissed her on the forehead, inadvertently placing his lips where Maya's had been a minute earlier.

"All right," he said. "Get some sleep. I'm going to need breakfast before my meetings, but we've got a few hours yet."

Marigold burrowed deeper under her blanket, thinking she couldn't possibly sleep after what she'd witnessed. Within a few minutes, she had proven herself wrong.