Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The Disruptors, part 3 of 3
   by Nysidra
   This is a graphic story containing several erotic concepts and explicit
sexual descriptions.
   Fantasy Adventure
   <->
   -_ Sought and Found _-
   Tamarin slumped along the brick wall.  He stared at the black beetle
navigating its way along the break in the paving.  News of Raven hurt deep.
Elwood came second to Midnight Vale when it came to group tactics, but that
close was plenty good.
   "Your one not fallen." Helena handed him a tall mug of warm tea.
   "The Bali isn't your territory."
   "Morticians do not work alone.  We compete as a unit."
   "I want to believe that, but even if she survived, she's still in
trouble.  I shouldn't have taught her anything."
   "Why so?"
   "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."
   "But a little is better than none.  She survived, and the wounded leave
the best trails."
   Tamarin nodded.  "Please find me if you ever have need, Helena."
   She grinned.  "Mmm, and you the same."
   ***
   Tamarin locked into a tight hug with his closest companions.  "The hell
is that?" He pointed to the unfamiliar sedan.
   "The best we could do," said Nemanja.
   "Your retrieval torched my van."
   The three of them were headed in the direction of the car a few steps
before they noticed that Tamarin did not follow.
   Liam turned to look, but did not recognize the expression on Tamarin's
face: fury, confusion, the muscles of his neck and shoulders bunched in
sharp relief.
   "I have only had one retrieval." He said in a low, measured tone.
   "She called herself Tammy," said Liam.  "Hair like volcanic glass, brown
eyes, not as dark skinned as Nem, bit curvy, scarred from here to the
Lilizen range."
   Kayla picked up.  "She was traveling with another woman, Silvie, or so
she said.  We picked them up for a bit of fun, to get some news on the
street.  The morning after, she mentioned Midnight Vale."
   Liam said, "I tried questioning her and she freaked out.  She said you
were dead."
   "Freaked out is putting it mildly," Nemanja added.  "The girl with her
set the inside of the van on fire.  She has a bounty on her head, probably
spooked harder than the other girl."
   "Says you, you didn't take a blow to the leg." Liam pointed to the left
leg he'd been favoring.
   Tamarin huffed and a brief grin broke the scowl on his face.  "Okay, and
then they went where?"
   "Sub-train tunnels just as I got your message.  Who is the hell is she?
All we wanted to do was talk, but they went," at a lost for words, which
was rare for Kayla, she just shrugged and put her hands up.
   Tamarin sat on the edge of the walkway and stared out across the street.
Then he smiled, chuckled slightly and then sighed heavily.  "Her name is
Raven Elwood."
   Liam shook his head.  "The dead one?"
   "Yeah." He looked at Kayla.  "How'd you let a bounty get one over on
you?"
   "They're lucky our weapons were in the van, but you've been feeding
Raven information, haven't you?"
   Tamarin stood and headed for the car.  "Too little, but enough that she
could get away from you three.  What did they say?  Where were they headed?
When you say you invited her for fun, did you hurt her?  Who was this other
person?"
   "Listen," Kayla put her arm around his waist then twisted him into a
hug. "You're going off the deep end like she did.  Let's set it right. 
Okay?  That's why we're here.  This was a hidden side channel we didn't
factor in."
   "How?  I have no idea who this Silvie person is or was."
   "Start with Vucari."
   Everyone turned toward Nemanja.
   "Silvie, the fair one with the bounty?  She has a Vucari birth emblem
behind her right ear.  Raven thought she was the bounty, so she doesn't
want to return to Elwood.  We've spooked her from returning to the Vale. 
Lilizen is where you found her.  Virkane City has already burned her."
   "Damn it.  The Elwood and Vucari were having negotiations at the Bali.
That place is the least safe.  Get me back home.  I don't want any more
fucking missteps and I want to hear everything from the beginning." Tamarin
opened the driver side door and held out his hand for the keys.
   "What the hell is he so fired up about?" Liam whispered to Nemanja. 
"All this over a job?"
   "She's obviously more than that.  You heard the way that girl talked
about him." Kayla took the keys out of Liam's pocket.  "Tam, move.  I'll
drive."
   ***
   Silvia stared out the window of the temporary vehicle.  After changing
clothes, Raven had been silent for most of the trip.
   "Raven, are you upset with me?"
   "No.  Just thinking."
   Silvia nodded.
   "I'm not sure I made the right decision."
   "I think you did.  I'm glad we made it."
   "I can't go to Midnight Vale now.  They'll be looking for me.  It seemed
like they wanted to blame me for his death.  And," she wiped her cheeks
with the back of her hand.  "I'm not sure they are wrong."
   "We only need to make one more stop.  I'll get enough money to help
you."
   "Help me?" Raven smirked.
   "I can help you find work.  You don't have to be Vucari born to become a
dedicated.  Would you like that?  You seem very smart, and it takes a smart
person to excel.  It's a lot of responsibility." Looking out both windows,
Silvia did not see anyone coming for them.  No sirens, no caravan of
unmarked vehicles.  Perhaps he didn't care that she was gone at all.
   Raven shifted around to face her.  "What is that?  I've heard the term
before: 'Free dedication.'"
"That's against Vucari law.  Dedication is not free, anyone who wants to
sell that is looking for a slave."
   "Yeah.  So, is that what you ...  are you a dedicated?"
   Silvia shrugged.  "I outgrew him; he outgrew me," a bittersweet laugh.
"I knew it would happen one day, everything he liked best about me was due
to fade, but I thought I could stop it.  I thought I could fight it, but I
have no power over him.  I never did.  When I saw my chance to leave, I did
so."
   "Who?"
   Silvia shook her head.  "He has taken power over every part of me: my
dreams, my thoughts, my fears.  Speaking his name would only add to that
hurt."
   "It sounds like you care very deeply for him.  How could he not feel the
same?"
   Silvia turned into an empty lot and brought the car to a stop.  "I'll
take care of this.  Stay in the car."
   Silvia brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes.  This was a huge
risk, but one that she had to take.  No one else could help her.  All roads
led back home, even if home was a place she wasn't wanted anymore.
   If anything, Silvia could use the last of her status to help Raven find
a new life.  The woman seemed in desperate need of a second chance.  One of
them should get that advantage.
   She entered the code and waited to receive the Vucari credits.
   The car door slammed and Raven ran over to her.  "You're not considering
the possibility that he cares for you."
   Silvia shook her head.  "I don't have to."
   "I did.  We need to go.  Human Resources do not lose people, only put
slack in the leash."
   "It's been over two weeks."
   "Please trust me on this.  We need to go."
   "A few seconds."
   "No.  Now." Raven pulled her by the wrist away from the machine.
   "Damn it, woman.  Virkane currency won't do us any good.  We're not
going to get far without this!" Silvia pulled away and ran to collect the
card.  The moment she got into the car Raven pulled out of the empty lot,
tires squealing.
   "What's wrong with you?" Silvia demanded while looking around.  Nothing.
No where.  What could have...?
   Three black sedans converged on the lot disappearing in her the rear
view mirror.
   If Raven noticed, she didn't say anything, and if not for he woman's
panicking, they would still be there.
   "How did you know?"
   "I didn't, but I know how someone who considered my dedication 'free'
kept me, and I know people who enter a contract with the Vucari never get a
painless option for leaving it."
   ***
   Kayla leaned over toward Liam, but she looked at Nemanja when she said,
"I've never seen him taken in by a woman for more than a day, much less a
request."
   Nemanja could almost.  He sifted through the notes in front of him. 
She'd been so open, giving, as if she craved physical contact.  "Like you
said, she wasn't as worldly.  If she had access to a company account ... 
no activity at Waycross, but," he pulled the keyboard over.  "Just as I
thought." He stood and grabbed his coat.  "Tell Tam I'm following a lead."
   "Need us to go with?"
   "I can do this part faster alone.  When he wakes up tell him to look
into Andrei Luciano.  Message me if you find anything."
   ***
   Nemanja checked his transmitter often, but received no message.  He
gathered his intel and returned.
   Nemanja frowned at Tamarin from the doorway for several long seconds. 
Tamarin did not stir or make any indication that he recognized him.
   "Are you all right?"
   "No." He flipped a page over and entered information into the ledger.
   "Maybe this will make you feel better.  I have proof that Silvie /
Silvia and Raven are still together."
   Tamarin hopped up from his chair.  Nemanja grinned and led him to the
main room with a wall display.  "I got this surveillance from Marge.  She's
currently doing some work across the rails."
   "Let me see it." Tamarin rolled a chair over to the screen.
   "The description matches Silvia and Raven," said Nemanja.  "They weren't
using an alias or a disguise until they met us.  That will make them easier
to track.  If she's not covering her identity, I'd bank on Vucari contacts.
That marking was along her hairline, stretched, faded.  It's what she
knows."
   "She befriended Raven on purpose?"
   "That's one possibility.  Remember, Elwood has not been looking for
Raven.  The bounty made no mention of her."
   Nemanja shook his head.  "Vucari and Elwood are working together and
Vucari has never needed assistance finding someone."
   "Why the bounty then?"
   "Exactly."
   ***
   Tamarin did not recognize the first woman, the one Nemanja called
Silvia, but he recognized Raven before he realized it was her.  His heart
sped up and nerves heightened as she ran up to the other woman.  Something
had spooked her, enough that she snatched Silvia away.
   "Keep watching," Nemanja advised.
   Silvia broke away and grabbed the card, a plastic sheath the Vucari used
instead of currency, but they sped away in a car.  Raven must have been
driving.  The car left view of the camera.
   Several seconds later a fleet of dark vehicles entered the lot.  People
streamed out, weapons drawn, checking the perimeter.
   "That's not Elwood."
   "Vucari retrievers."
   "Play it again."
   "It will loop in a few seconds."
   Tamarin examined every second of the footage as it replayed.  Both women
were beautiful, though Silvia had more of a slender look, sharp lines along
her nose and jaw.
   "She's with her willingly," Tamarin whispered.
   "Willingly, for sure, but do you think Silvia knows the truth?"
   "Either way, she's not a prisoner.  We need to factor that in.  Here's
where the bounty fits: it caused Silvia to panic.  The noose is tightening
around that Vucari woman, and if Raven isn't careful, she'll get caught in
it."
   "I looked into Andrei." Tamarin got up and they went back to his desk.
He handed Nemanja the file.
   Nemanja flipped through the report and nodded.  "We'll find them."
   "Them?" Tamarin arched his brow.
   He huffed, "Yes.  Both of them."
   ***
   "What's his name?"
   Silvia turned away from the window with wide eyes.
   "I think it's time you share."
   She turned back to the window and leaned her forehead to the glass.  "I
was hoping he would be looking for me, but now that I know he is, I'm
scared of what will happen."
   "He's definitely after you."
   She shook her head, and her frown deepened.  She turned to look at Raven
with tears running down her reddening face.  "Did I say hope?" Her voice
was small.  She grabbed a glass of water and drank its contents within
seconds.
   "Start from the top.  Who is he?"
   "His name is Andrei, and I am his dedicated."
   "What does that mean?  It's not a slave, so ...  what's a dedicated?"
   "That's not important.  You need to get away from me.  He'll hurt you.
Andrei," she bowed her head and sighed heavily.  "It's best he find me
without you around.  I have to suffer for my betrayal alone."
   Raven tugged on Silvia and put her arm around the woman's shoulder. 
"Answer my questions and let me make my own decision.  Whatever this is,
we'll deal with it together."
   They checked into a small inn by the side of the road.
   Raven asked, "Have you ever thought about being with someone else?"
   "I entertain the fantasy on occasion, but it's not that easy, it's not
even mildly difficult.  Finding the person you can grant the entirety of
your trust, your love, and all your fears - it's rare enough, but then to
move onto another?  I see how Andrei treats the things he no longer cares
for." She palmed the tear from her cheek.  "I don't want to be his
employee. I want to be his world."
   "But it's not impossible.  If he's not bringing you happiness, why
suffer for it?"
   "Is that why you agreed to come here with me?  Did you give up on him so
easily?"
   "He's dead.  One day, I'll be able to explain myself to those who knew
him and pay my respects, but until then, I have my own ass to save."
   Both women stared stone-faced out the windows.  They bickered more than
less these days, feeling the walls closing in on them.
   "Some people want to nurture children," Silvia said softly, "others a
high-profile status within a company, or to make a profit on a favored past
time, but for me, my dream was the life of a dedicated: to be 'the one,'
not by happenstance, but by choice." She shrugged.
   "Two blocks down, near that guy in the yellow hat."
   Silvia followed Raven's directions and saw the black car.  "Are you sure
it's the same?"
   "No, but." Her finger pointed toward the left side.
   Another similar car parked at the end of the opposite block.  "Oh.  End
of the line?"
   "Seems so."
   "Stay in here.  I'll distract them by running.  Just wait until they
came after me and take me again.  Fuck me, this was hopeless.  Why'd I ever
try to leave?" Silvia snapped her head to Raven.  "What's so funny?"
   "I had a similar thought when I met Tamarin." Raven took her head. 
"We're in this together.  I said it, and I mean it."
   "It was a great thought, and I thank you for it, but you don't know
him." Silvia whined high in her throat.
   Three firm knocks on the door.
   "I'll do what I can to help you." Silvia hugged Raven tight.  "Thank
you."
   What made her think Andrei would simply allow her to walk away?  He once
made it clear that no one would touch his dedicated after him.
   ***
   Silvia squirmed and tried to twist out of his grasp.
   "Do not fuck with me, pet." Andrei snarled.  "If I have to hurt you to
prove my point, I won't promise to stop, even after you give me what I
want."
   Tears filled her eyes and she stilled.
   "Now that's better." He loosened his grip and kissed her on the
forehead. "Let's start over.  Introduce your gorgeous companion."
   "A-a-andrei," she made a small sound in her throat, "this is Raven
Elwood."
   Andrei put his head on Silvia's shoulder and looked Raven up and down.
"The Elwood daughter?" He whispered.
   "Yes."
   "I thought she was dead." He kissed Silvia on the neck.  "Good work, my
pet." He cradled her by the back of the neck and kissed her.  "I understand
your play acting now." He murmured to her lips then turned his attention to
Raven.
   Silvia went to her knees and Andrei rubbed her head as if she were
really some kind of pet.  Silvia brushed her face along his leg with her
eyes closed.  Is this all it took to get back in his good grace?  Did she
have some way out of this after all?
   What about Raven?
   ***
   The door made a soft whoosh when it opened.  Sung Li was always on the
other side.  He'd put her in this room.  He saw that she was fed, cared
for, and frequently fucked.
   He waved for another man to enter.
   Raven sat up with a smile on her face, expecting to see Tamarin's
gorgeous body.
   "Treat him with kindness."
   At this point in the dream, Sung Li became a voice without a body, some
place in the shadows.  This body felt different, smelled different.
   "That is the way.  Wet.  Giving.  Take it."
   Raven willed herself to be some place else.  She was in a dim room, gray
blue from the morning light.  Her wrists bound behind her back, on her
knees.  Staring at gray blue flooring.  Would it be white when the sun
rose?
   "I won't stop until I have you back."
   A strong hand stroked the back of her head.
   "If you wanted me to kill you before I replaced you, all you had to do
was ask." The man rounded her body.
   Dark shoes.  Cuffed slacks.
   He crouched in front of her.  No name came to mind, but she felt she
knew him.
   "I am not who you think I am," said Raven.
   "Are you the one that turned her from me?" He pressed a wet kiss to her
forehead.  "Is that what you want me to believe?"
   Raven opened her eyes, hoping to see the walls of a hotel room, hoping
to see the inside of a car, or even a tunnel, to hope that life before now
was only a dream she had trouble waking from.
   This was the room where Andrei had put her, but this is not where she
would stay.
   Raven stared at the door and waited.  Reality or dreams, she'd find a
way out.
   ***
   "Clever fucker," Nemanja muttered.  He leaned toward the communication
device on the table.  "He was herding them the whole time.  I told you, the
Vucari are shrewd when it comes to people."
   "Location?"
   "His place.  I've sent the info.  Liam and I will start laying the
ground work on our end."
   ***
   "You're a lively one." Andrei struggled with her, but his words were
those of a pleased man.
   Raven made to run again, and this time he let her, laughing as she went
out the door.  She was too far away to hear what he said to Silvia, but it
was enough to give her pause.  He let her run, in his house, a Vucari man
of status, highly knowledgeable about human resources.
   The same way he'd let Silvia run, let her have reign of the city,
thinking she'd escaped him.
   Raven turned around and walked back.
   Andrei dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and smiled.
   "You were right, pet.  She is a very smart woman." He pointed to the
chair.  "Fighting for her?" Andrei checked the cut on his lip in the
mirror. "How honorable, defending the feral hag my pet has become."
   "Her name is Silvia." Raven hoped her voice sounded braver than she
felt.
   "I know it well.  What about you?" He rounded her, but at a distance
this time.  "Perhaps I could teach you to heel during your stay."
   Raven rushed him, but he was ready.  Andrei slammed her body to the wall
sending a framed photo to the ground.  She kicked, pushed, but he was too
strong, much stronger than anyone she had ever met.
   "Make yourself useful and restrain her!" He snapped while holding one of
Raven's arms up behind her back.
   Silvia scrambled for the closet.  "She is scared.  You don't have to
hurt her."
   "Be lucky I don't do worse to you."
   For her part, Raven kept still, assessed her situation.  She could not
run, could not fight, but she had been in far worse situations and survived
them all.  She would get out of this one too.
   "What do you want with me?"
   "I haven't yet decided." Andrei slammed Raven into the chair.  "I do
enjoy breaking a willful spirit.  I haven't--" Andrei gasped and looked
down at Silvia.  "Not now, precious, not," the word tapered off with a low
groan.
   Silvia sucked on his cock and pulled on him until she lay on her back,
hands over her head.
   Andrei's eyes closed and he fell into a steady rhythm, fucking her open
mouth.  "You've missed me, I know.  Fuck.  You want it?  That's it.  Drink
it all." His head rolled back and he roared as he came deep, whimpering. 
"I love you, my pet.  I will always love you most of all."
   Raven could not help but watch as Silvia brought the man down with
nothing more than her lips and tongue.  He seemed to be in another place,
another world.
   With a low moan, he lay on his side.
   Silvia pointed toward the door.
   Raven extended her hand.  "Come with me."
   She shook her head.  "I don't belong anywhere else.  Go."
   ***
   Tamarin woke with a frustrated groan.  Late afternoon, rumble of an
engine, headache and sweating.
   "Bad dream?" Liam smirked and set a hot cup of tea in front of him.
   "Not today," Tamarin whispered.  He sat up and sipped the tea.  His
thankful look was marred by irritability and pain, but it was the best he
could do.
   "Here, I charted the possibilities.  Time is a luxury at the moment, as
good a time as any to use this."
   Tamarin sipped from the cup and pulled the chart closer.  Charting
behavioral possibilities was one of those things disruptors are taught
early, but never managed to use in the field.  "Why is this one crossed
out?"
   "Nemanja ruled that one out.  Up until Raven joined her, she didn't make
any decisions based on her."
   "But we don't know when that was.  They may have met each other in the
Bali." Tamarin pushed the chart away.  "Put word in to Andrei.  Corner him
if we can't outpace him."
   "Good call.  Kayla made that one around dawn.  She's already setting it
up."
   "How close are we?"
   "Nemanja is already on the road."
   ***
   Nemanja sifted through the papers in front of him.  He'd created folders
on children with more ink than Silvia.  Exclusive group home, private
education - all run by Vucari, some of the best learning in the city.  That
put her odds of having a content, highly social childhood high on the list.
   She had worked for the human resource manager, Andrei Luciano, for over
a decade.  Andrei provided people for domestic service within a household,
people that could be trusted around sensitive information and with
dependents.
   He moved to a separate notepad and wrote: New hires.  Turnover.  Rumors.
Distract and misinform.
   ***
   "It seems that someone needs a lesson." Andrei paced the room between
the chair Raven was bound to and the device Silvia was strapped to.  "I do
enjoy teaching by example, and my pet has not performed in years.  Don't
act without my permission, pet.  You remember this lesson, at least, yes?"
   "Yes, I can be good.  I promise, Andrei." Silvia's tone was soft and
defeated, as if all the life had been extinguished.
   "You will pay for your ill behavior, all of it.  Bear this punishment,
and I will forgive you." Andrei bent the frame and Silvia's rear stuck out
and rose.
   Raven's stomach churned as she braced for the violence, but the nerves
were for nothing.
   Andrei reached out to caress her backside, sometimes soft, other times
firm.  His hands went round and round, massaging and fingering the pale
flesh until it glowed soft pink.  His fingers strayed closer to the center
of her thighs, brushing at the seam from front to back.
   "Do you want me to punish you?  Is that why you've been so rebellious?"
   "I want you to cherish me like you promised."
   He grabbed her by the hair and pulled until the restraints on her wrist
pulled taunt.  "And I want you to be ten years younger.  We all have to
make adjustments." He kissed her briefly and sucked on her bottom lip. 
Given the tremble of her body and high whimper, he must have been biting
her.  "I'd always cherish you.  If not, I would have left you to the
wolves, not brought you home."
   "It's my fault she had to run," said Raven.
   Andrei held his finger in the air.  "My Silvia is not a child, do not
belittle her ability to make decisions." He let her go and turned to Raven.
"Watch.  Do not speak."
   He filled a glass of ice water and took a sip then offered the same to
Silvia.  He took a cube of the ice and ran it back and forth along her lips
then down the other side of her jaw.  With another cube, he circled her
nipples causing cool water to drip off the tips.
   Raven thought she knew about torture, about punishment.  The madness
that Carina would throw up on her screen would cause the heart to turn to
ice.  This?  How was this something to fear?  Something a person would want
to avoid?
   Silvia's soft whimpers echoed off the walls as he placed a third ice
cube along her slit.
   "I remember when I first took your oath.  It was a happy day, but the
happiest was when I realized I would never have to want for another.  How
naive I was then." He dragged his fingernails down her back, just enough to
leave faint lines that disappeared within seconds.
   Silvia writhed and squirmed as her tears and moans mixed into one
sorrowful song.
   Raven cried as well, but she could not reach up to clear her cheeks.
   One by one he ran the fat cube of ice over her body until only water
remained, rolling down her body, making cold what was once warm.  Silvia's
shivered harder, yanking and pulling on her restraints, but not a single
plea for him to stop.
   Andrei kneeled behind her, spread her ass cheeks open and swiped his
four fingers up and down her soaking wet slit.  He didn't penetrate her. 
Up and down, circling, dipping, teasing, until he had Silvia trembling for
a different reason.  She pushed toward him rather than trying to pull away.
   He moved closer and blew a stream of air on her spread pussy.  His
tongue slipped out, clearly for show, and made an exaggerated lick of what
was currently her dripping wet lips.  "You used to taste so much sweeter,
when you were better behaved."
   "When I was younger," she hissed.
   "Like I said." He placed a firm smack to her ass then walked over to a
shelf.  He pulled a black oblong object from his bag.  He inserted it
within Silvia's pussy until it disappeared.  "You know what to do.  Yes? 
Or have you forgotten this as well?"
   "I know what to do."
   "Explain it to our guest." Andrei grabbed her by the hair and made her
turn to face Raven.
   Raven blinked rapidly to clear her face, but it only made Silvia's pain
that more plain to see.
   "I can't let it fall out, and if I get close to climax, I must warn
him."
   Andrei pushed a button and Silvia groaned low in her throat.  He walked
over to Raven and pat her face dry, but his attention was never off Silvia
for more than a few seconds.  He walked back over to her and sucked and
kissed on her neck, along her shoulders.  He bent over her back and nibbled
down her back while pulling and twisting on her nipples.
   While bent over her back, he reached for a dial, turning it back and
forth in time with her nipple.  Silvia squealed and bounced under him, then
stilled, beads of sweat forming on her face.
   "Thank you," she whispered.
   "You don't deserve my mercy." Andrei stood, the front of his pants had a
large wet spot on the front, glistening like egg whites.  He turned the
dial once more.
   Her head rolled around and she yanked on the restraints, but no matter
her contortions, the small black object didn't even peak from her folds.
   "Please," Silvia whimpered.  Her head hung forward, slouched on the
rack. Every pore on her body glistened with perspiration.  "Please Andrei,
forgive me.  Please!"
   He must have turned the object up to its highest notch.
   She screamed.  "I'm close!"
   "No." He hit the button and Silvia went lax, sniffling and moaning.  Her
body seemed to glow red from head to toe.  The smell of her pussy filled
the room, heady and musky in its scent.
   He kneeled behind her and spread her labia with his fingers.  He dipped
his finger in the pool of her moisture then circled the ring of her ass.
   "I'm too close."
   "Back away from it.  Focus on how greatly you've disappointed me.  Think
about how little I want to reconsider my decision to get a girl that
actually makes my cock swell with lust.  Consider my regret at mentoring
you toward leading your own sector.  You took my lessons and used them
against me." He penetrated her ass with two fingers.
   Raven felt the pain so keenly, and it wasn't even her struggle, but she
knew how deeply Silvia must have felt for him.  How would she be able to
handle Tamarin saying such things to her?  Being disgusted by the passage
of time?  Or her scars?
   He pressed that button again but instead of moans, Silvia had only
tears. Profound sobs that seemed disconnected from the acts that should
have brought her pleasure.  "I need your mercy, Andrei.  Please.  I've
learned my lesson.  I-I-I'm about to orgasm."
   He pushed the button again and removed his fingers from her ass.  He
pulled the vibrator out and walked it over to the sink where he washed it
and his hands.  "That's enough for today.  Perhaps you've learned your
lesson."
   "No, please.  I need you, Andrei.  Please!" She stomped her foot on the
floor.
   "What do you need, to orgasm?"
   "No, I need you inside me.  Please, Andrei." Her voice turned high and
delicate, higher pitched.  It had been different than in he van with the
others.  She was trying so hard to affect the light, innocent tone that he
must have craved, nothing like the mature woman lost in the throes of lust.
   Andrei look at Raven then back to Silvia.  "Say it, pet."
   "I'm yours, Andrei, body and soul.  Forever.  Use me, please.  I crave
you.  I need you."
   "You.  Are.  Mine.  I will do whatever I want to you, Silvia.  Is this
correct?"
   "Yes," she whimpered.
   He whispered something to Silvia that made her wet eyes snap open.  Then
he straightened.  "We're done.  You say your lesson is learned, but I am
not convinced." He took off his belt and unfastened his pants.
   Someone knocked on the door.
   "Enter."
   A young man entered the room and walked over to him with an electronic
tablet in hand.  He took the tablet and swiped through the information it
contained.  "Silvia?  Did you send Yolanda the numbers she requested?"
   Silvia sniffed and lifted her head.  "Yes, sir.  I sent a draft, then
made corrections when I got the final numbers from her assistant."
   "That pleases me." He pointed to her.  "Get her out of that.  Get
yourself together.  You have unfinished work.  I've put off dealing with
your people long enough.  Are you ready to take your role?  Have you truly
learned your lesson?"
   Silvia brushed her hair out of her face.  She swayed when she tried to
stand, so she leaned on the wall, her sorrowful face looked expectantly to
Andrei, but he was absorbed by the information on the tablet.  "Yes,
Andrei. What do you need from me?"
   "Get cleaned up." Andrei looked to Raven then handed the tablet to the
younger man.  "I'll deal with this one."
   ***
   "Easy, Raven," a tender, low voice echoed.  "Easy now."
   Soft, gentle touch on her arm, soothing, familiar.
   Memories stirred from the half-dream state.  Strong arms held her,
stroked her shoulder while she shivered in agony.  His voice keeping her
alive and sane through the worse of times.
   In the light, other memories surfaced.  Lying next to him watching the
sun set.  Sharing one plate of food between them while chatting.  The
games, puzzles, and verbal riddles designed to give her a glimpse into his
life's work.  He taught her about the ebb and flow of life, of people and
events, and how best to inject the right amount of chaos into those spaces.
   Tamarin.  Her heart ached in pre-dawn longing.  He made those weeks of
hell and confusion some of the best in her life.
   "Is that smile for me?"
   Familiar voice, but not the one from her memory, from her dreams.  Raven
blinked her eyes open.
   Severin crushed her into his arms.  He buried his face into her neck,
kissed her on the shoulder.  "I missed you."
   Raven felt as if she were shrinking into herself.  "Is that why you told
all those lies about me?"
   He grinned down at her.  "You left me with no choice.  What was I to
think?  You ran to the belly of Elwood's enemy."
   "I left to make room, to be out of your way, to stop Charlene's
poisonous words.  I only wanted your happiness!"
   "I know.  Even when I had a mountain of contradicting stories, I knew.
In my heart, those were the words you would speak.  You live though I have
heard numerous reports of your death.  I mourned you a little more each
time.  Fuck, Raven." He crawled onto the bed with her and lay at her side.
"You know how I cherish you." He kissed her on the shoulder, up to her
neck.
   Raven's chest tightened.  "And you know that's why I had to leave.  Your
woman is as mad as you have become."
   "Oh, our madness is not so unique." Severin framed her face and kissed
her on the nose.
   Was she dreaming?  Why would she dream of Severin?  What had Andrei
done? When her brother's fingers combed through the curls of her pubic hair
she parted her thighs.
   "Someone could walk in."
   "Just want to feel you.  Has anyone hurt you?" He sucked on the lobe of
her ear.  "I will destroy them."
   "Don't make promises you can't keep.  I won't forget that you tried to
have me killed.  What scars I have were caused by your orders."
   He grunted and drove two of his fingers deep inside her.  "Never me."
   "Then Charlene, and you know that."
   "I need to get you out of here and back home." Severin withdrew his
fingers, licked them, and stood.  "You belong with me."
   Out of the fire and into the pitch.
   ***
   "You belong to me, pet.  Me.  It is to me," Andrei's grip tightened
around her neck.  "that you gave your oath.  What happens to you under my
care is my decision.  If you disagree, you fucking deal with it. 
Understood?"
   Silvia nodded stiffly.
   "I need you to train my new dedicated, just as you were taught.  You
remember, don't you?"
   Silvia frowned, then blanched as the memory came to her.  "She never
said anything."
   "Neither will you.  She will learn all that you know, and her mistakes
will be your burden to carry, just as the teacher before you."
   Her voice was flat and sullen when she said, "Your new dedicated will be
perfection, Andrei.  I promise."
   "Save it.  I know I have not seen the last of your tantrums.  You were
once my perfection before you tarnished my trust."
   ***
   Tears welled in Silvia's eyes.  Andrei had set the young woman on his
knee, feeding her bits of cake from his fingers, showering her with words
of endearment and joy.  Silvia once knew what it was like to stand in that
downpour.
   Now she stood in the cold, outside looking in, like the kind woman that
helped her adjust to living with Andrei so many years ago.  Andrei had been
so young that Silvia thought nothing of the woman's presence, considered
her a hired caretaker.
   A bitter smile crossed her face.  She idolized the moments spent in a
dedicated's life in the sunshine.  This part?  She had learned through
ignorant experience, the teacher, the mentor, the hired caretaker, and
then...?
   Whatever Andrei wished of her.
   He stroked the other woman's hair and kissed her bright cheeks.  Then he
stood and walked her into the next room.
   He returned alone with a knowing grin on his lips.  "Come here."
   Silvia all but ran to him, her hopes high in her chest.
   -_ Disrupted _-
   Tamarin opened his eyes.  Early morning light poured in through the
window.
   Familiar sights and sounds - those of his companions: breathing,
snoring. That smell of smoke must have been Kayla.  All but the one he
wanted: Raven.
"I don't have much more of this stuff left." Kayla held the vial to the
light and shook it.  "You owe me."
   "I'll replenish it all," said Tamarin, "but we're not going to get much
further unless we break up that group."
   Kayla pulled the communicator from her back pocket and stared at the
screen.  "Nemanja's ready for us."
   ***
   The room was comfortable as her experience with prisons went. 
Comfortable and familiar as the walls were covered with Elwood photos,
posters, and memorabilia.  A prison called home.
   She and Severin had been playing sought and found when he knocked the
raptor statue off the shelf and created that divot in the wood floor.  They
had sat in the window sill and watched the stars crawl across the sky late
at night.
   Tamarin would not arrive to break her from this prison.  All she had was
what she had been taught.  Disrupt the order of things and slip through the
crack.
   What was the order?  Where could she go?
   He could do it from beneath a mountain in a executioner's chamber.  What
did he do?
   Assess the order.
   All Raven had ever wanted was to not cause trouble, especially between
her beloved brother and that psycho he was fucking.  That had been the
wrong plan.
   She went to the intercom and pressed the signal button.
   Severin's voice was sharp, clipped through the speakers.  "What do you
want?"
   Raven affected her voice so that she would sound soft, friendly, and
innocent.  The way Silvia spoke to Andrei.  "I need to see my brother,
please."
   ***
   What was he doing here?
   In another place, away from Andrei's presence, Silvia would have
screamed the question, then ran, but her position under Andrei's mercy was
too tenuous to act in such a rash manner.  She only got as far as rising
slightly from her knees.  She had run once before and look where that
landed her.  At least Andrei had accepted her back.  He could have done so
much worse for her behavior.
   Did he say something to Andrei?  Did Andrei know the man?  Was he hired
to find Silvia in the first place?
   She swallowed hard around the massive lump in her throat.
   "Is this the one?"
   Nem gave a single nod.
   "I will compensate you for the damage." Andrei pulled a slim black
device over and tapped on it.  "Value?"
   "It wouldn't have sold for more than 10 kura."
   "Twenty, then." The device printed a slip of brown paper which he then
handed to Nem.
   "Was the other girl yours too?  Taller, darker.  Dark hair like mine,
but curlier."
   "Oh," he chuckled.  "That thing.  I sent her back with her brother.  I
have wanted to renegotiate with the Elwoods for years, and my pet here gave
me a great reason to have a one on one talk."
   Silvia shrank into herself.  Everything Raven told her about the
Disruptor that saved her seemed so much like this man in how different he
appeared now.  He was nothing like the rugged, handsome, gluttonous man she
had sex with.  His clothes were different, even his accent made him seem
like someone from Virkane city center.
   Her back pressed to the wall.  She had no further place to crawl.
   It turned out to be just far enough away.  Andrei stumbled, held to the
table, then fell, dragging the plate and cake to the floor.  The glass
shattered, sending shards across the floor.
   Stay put.  Don't run.
   Large, dark, husky, Nemanja approached with fury etched into every cell
of his body.
   "Seems Andrei trained himself a good slut."
   Was it better that she let him believe that?  Maybe he wanted a pet too?
Silvia trembled with indecision.  Of all the people she expected to see, he
was the last.  She had already hidden him away in the darkest corners of
her memory, like a sweet tucked in the back of a drawer.
   Nem cocked his weapon and leveled it between her eyes.  "Once chance. 
Tell me everything, and honestly, or I will leave you dead on this floor."
   "I was sent to the Bali to negotiate the use of the harbor to export and
import human resources.  During my stay there was a commotion.  I ran and
hid.  I saw an Elwood magpie fleeing and hoped that I would find out what
happened.  Andrei has never sent me to conduct business in the city, and I
feared disappointing him.
   "I met Raven, the woman who told you her name was Tammy.  I heard the
name in my dealings with Elwood, the traitor daughter.  I got to know her.
She has never betrayed her people, and ...  I did not want to go back to a
man who wanted a business associate more than a companion.  I liked her."
   Silvia swallowed and looked at his scuffed dark blue shoes rather than
the massive hand ready to take her life.  "I came to enjoy her presence
like a companion.  I lived on the streets with her, until we had no where
else to run.  This is the truth; I swear."
   He withdrew the weapon and took the leash off the wall.  "You'll be
doing a lot of swearing.  Make sure you don't misuse the term."
   "Do you know Tamarin?!" She sputtered.  "Like, do you really know him?"
   "Yes." He rested his hand on his weapon.
   "Please, I understand what you must do to me, but Raven needs to let his
friends know that he is dead."
   "Any other last words?"
   Her eyes watered and she lowered her head.  "Thank you."
   "What for?"
   "For the chance to know you." She pointed to the door behind her. 
"There's another girl in there.  She won't leave unless instructed."
   When she glanced up, she couldn't look back down.  If these were the
last seconds of her life, she wanted his face to be the last.  All that
they had done together, one night, one fleeting moment, but just the kind
of passion Silvia wanted subsist on.
   But that was for young girls, she was getting to old for those kinds of
dreams.
   He grabbed her by the arm and a needle burned its way into her shoulder.
   ***
   Nemanja went to the other door, weapon drawn, but he found exactly what
Silvia described, a fresh-faced young woman dressed in a slinky, pale blue
gown, reading at a desk.
   She stood, her eyes wide and startled, but clasped her hands behind her
back.
   "When he wakes up, he'll have a terrible headache.  Give him sweetened
liquid to ease the pain." Nemanja signaled her forward and pointed to
Andrei's body.
   He walked over to Silvia and hoisted her over his shoulders.  His boots
crunched broken glass on the way out.  His mind raced as he carried her
through the hallways out the door.  All he needed was information on
Raven's location.  Andrei literally paid for her crimes, but ...  Tamarin
wanted to question her.
   Tamarin wanted answers, but Nemanja planned to be asking the questions.
He pat the woman's thigh and rested his head on her hip a moment before
lowering her body into the vehicle.
   This was one resource Vucari would never get back.
   ***
   Severin entered the room, but not to fall at her feet as before.  He
shut the door and tilted his head.  "You know I have work to do.  Has
someone hurt you?"
   "No." Raven gestured him forward.  When he didn't move, she did it again
and whispered.  "I only want to say this to you." She put her hand up and
shook her head.  "You don't trust me.  Why would I even think--" She huffed
and waved him off.  "Go on and work." She plopped on the bed with her back
to him, staring at the wall, counting the seconds.
   Raven had never kept a secret from her brother.  They told each other
everything, came to each other with every doubt or concern.  Raven had only
spent the first year of her life alone before he was born, and they had
been together almost every waking moment after that.
   The bed dipped behind her and Severin lay along her back and wrapped his
arm around her.
   She turned onto her back, then faced him a little more so that she could
whisper, "I missed you."
   The muscle on his jaw twitched.  "Why did you run?"
   "Because of her.  I want you to be happy, and you want her to be happy."
   "Fuck, baby, all she wants is for you to let me lead."
   Raven shook her head.  "You would have come to me for help, and I would
never turn you away.  That's all I ever want, is to make you--"
   He cut her off with a kiss, his tongue plunging deep into her mouth.  He
broke apart gasping for air.
   "She said you didn't agree with moving people through the port.  She
said you wanted to reject the Vucari offer."
   All true.  It was a bad business decision and Raven would have never
agreed.  It would have meant upgrading their fleet, altering contracts with
the Janow and Thilaki, all things the Vucari would not pay for.
   "What matters is what you want for Elwood.  You lead.  My opinions are
just that, opinions."
   "Fuck," Severin buried his face in her neck.  "She doesn't understand
how I love you.  I love her too, but--"
   "Hush.  Don't talk like that.  Love her like you love me as well."
Raven's heart beat faster, but it had nothing to do with the knowledgeable
hand between her legs, the fat pads of his fingers circling her clitoris.
She stared over his shoulder at the glowing intercom light.  The shirt
she'd thrown over it was falling to the floor.  The hardest part, "Please,"
she whispered, then louder, "Don't," another whisper.  "don't stop."
   Severin loved her all right, and though Raven often called Charlene
crazy, like tended to attract like.  Her brother's fervent lusts could
never be sated, and as such, could always be baited by the promise of wet
flesh.
   "I love you most of all, Raven.  Always.  Don't ever leave me again. 
Not ever."
   "Severin, Charlene is your love.  I am only--"
   He put his hand around her throat and narrowed his eyes.  Yes, she'd
pushed quite far enough then.
   ***
   Charlene opened the door and stared at the woman on her back under
Severin.  Her dark curls tumbled about, eyes rolled in the back of her
head. The woman had been beautiful before, a feminine image of Severin, but
now her skin was cut, marred, disfigured - a rag doll of a mess.  How any
man could stand to touch her, let alone show her affection...
   She cleared her throat.  "Darling?"
   On the other hand, Charlene understood Raven completely.  How could any
woman resist such power, such potential?  Charlene heard Raven do her best,
trying to resist his hunger, but that was a silly game.
   "Remember what we talked about, Severin?  Why don't you leave me alone
to talk with her?"
   Severin rose from between Raven's legs, stalked over to Charlene and
pinned her to the wall.  "The only one who will touch Raven is me!"
   "What has she told the Vucari after all this time?  Why did he let her
live?  How convenient that the Vucari bitch survived where our flock died.
How did it happen that she and Raven walked from that building - after
Raven was reported dead?  Think, damn it!" Charlene roared in his face. 
"Are you so blind?  So fucking stupid to the trouble that scheming bitch
has caused you?!"
   Severin took a step back, sighed, then turned to speak to his sister.
   Charlene stepped aside to get a look at the bed.  The lying snake had
fled!
   Good.  Perhaps he would see that his so called 'love' was a rogue animal
that needed to be put down.
   Charlene pressed the intercom.  "We have a flight risk.  Raven Elwood,
the undead, is a traitor.  Kill her on sight." She paused, stiffened,
braced for an attack that did not come.  Charlene turned to Severin with a
self-righteous grin on her face.
   "You were right."
   ***
   Raven wasn't sure what was happening to her anymore.  This was worse
than a memory of a nightmare.  She was living this one in real time.
   "We have a flight risk." Charlene's voice over the speakers echoed in
different parts of the building.
   Charlene.  Everything that woman said made no sense and all the sense in
the world.  Did that mean Charlene wasn't a vindictive bitch hellbent on
her death?  No, but, not without a fair amount of reasoning.
   Fuck, but where did Raven go wrong?
   Raven took the back tunnels, the fastest way to the outside.  She could
see the light at the end of the room.  She crawled out and-
   An arm clipped her along the abdomen.  She collapsed, trying to breathe
and grab her belly and scream at the same time.
   Severin grabbed a fistful of her hair and slung her over the table.  She
was still gasping for enough breath to scream as he pressed against the
ring of her ass.
   "This time, die and stay dead.  Fucking lying bitch.  Take my cock for
the last time."
   It wasn't as painful as she braced for.  He sounded angry, but his
movements gentled.  He bent over her back and snarled.  "You're going to
fucking stay dead.  Scream, damn it."
   She found the air and screamed.  She screamed and cried and begged him
to stop with all her might.
   "That's it," Severin panted as he drove into her.  "Scream, baby. 
Scream like..."
   Like she was being murdered.
   Severin came in her ass and stumbled backwards.  With her throat in a
real chokehold, he dragged her to the safe room door.
   She wasn't going to be able to escape from there.
   "Come on, my love." Tapping on the door.  "There's no time to play in
her remains.  We have a situation out there."
   "I am burying my body.  Stay out of it." He said, then to Raven, "The
exits are guarded.  You wouldn't have made it.  We made changes after you
left.  Hide."
   Raven crawled into the hatch and huddled in the claustrophobic space. 
Did that mean he believed her?  Even over Charlene?
   Or was he burying her alive?
   ***
   Raven opened her eyes.  She thought she'd heard something.  A scream?
   Memories of her own screams.  What Sung Li made her endure in his bed.
Severin had trained her to endure such use.
   Screams of orgasmic pleasure, pain, surprise.
   Raven was not asleep, and this was not reality.  It was a waking
nightmare, a bad memory that would not stop playing in her mind.
   She was there in the dark, starving and injured, beaten and bleeding,
covered in ejaculate and sweat, crying, weak, wounded.
   Nausea flared and bile burned the back of her mouth.  She got on her
hands and knees and counted her breaths.  Change.  Awake, asleep.  There
had to be a better place than this.
   Once upon a time, she gave herself over to another, all to him.  He knew
her body, how to make her come, and best of all, she wanted him, needed
him. She rubbed her clitoris and imagined it was his tongue, his low moans
of delight.  The way he'd drink from her in the early morning.
   Raven pulled her hand away and formed a fist at her belly.  What was
becoming of her?  Had she gone mad?
   Better than letting herself spiral down into abject terror.
   The sound of his voice in the dark, the feel of his body.  She wanted
him to be in this hell with her, to share in her misery.  These were better
memories than the pain.
   ***
   The door slammed open sending a soft light flooding the small room.
   "Raven?"
   She hummed.
   "Did I hurt you earlier?"
   "No, I'm fine.  Thank you.  It felt good."
   He pulled in a box.  "Did it?  I wanted to come inside you so bad. 
Thank you." He exchanged the empty boxes of food for filled ones, provided
her with new bottles.  Checked toilet and sink.  "I want to fuck your
pussy, Raven.  I want to come inside your cunt.  How long until you can
give birth?"
   "Birth?  You want me to give birth to Elwood children in this hole?"
   "Don't call it that.  Don't ...  I'll get the light fixed.  You won't be
here long."
   "I am dead.  I cannot give life to your children, Severin, no matter how
much you wish I could."
   Severin growled in that feral way that meant his temper had spiked, but
also with the whine that meant he knew he could not fight his way through
this.  "I need you.  I can't focus knowing you are so close, but so far
away."
   "Do you want my ass again?" The open door taunted her, but she knew she
wouldn't get far.  Perhaps she could learn how security had changed.
   "Suck me."
   Charlene's voice over the intercom.  "Three of our distribution centers
have reached over thirty percent delay."
   Raven had listened to the woman micromanage him enough to know that she
was talking specifically to Severin.  Forcing him to do his 'job.' Raven
knew what needed to be done, knew what the cause might be.
   "You need to handle that, Severin."
   He growled, but closed up the box and pushed it toward the door.
   "And Severin?"
   "Yes, love?"
   "If you meet someone from Midnight Vale who is looking for me, save
yourself and find a way to answer honestly."
   His eyes narrowed.  "A Disruptor?" He whispered.  "The one I sent for
you?"
   No, but perhaps his friends?  The trio they'd left with a burning
vehicle?  "Yes."
   He growled low in his throat.
   He left the room and she was again thrown into darkness.
   ***
   Raven woke with a throbbing headache.  When she moved to soothe the
pain, her hands did not find the source.
   The throbbing was not in her head.  The walls of the building shook,
rumbled.  Voices raised in argument.  Distorted sounds and high squeals
over the intercom.
   What in the hell was going on out there?
   From her position, locked in the dark, behind the hidden wall of their
family panic vault, she could not run or hide any deeper.  She wedged
herself in the furthest corner from the door, just in case.
   -_ Midnight Vale _-
   Silvia glared at Nem from the backseat.  He'd tied her wrists and ankles
as if she were some kind of fugitive.  He must have used the same drug on
her that he did on Andrei.  If that were the case, would Andrei be able to
find her when he woke up?
   "Did you kill him?"
   "No."
   He dragged her through the door and into a plain hallway.  The walls
were stone, but inviting and decorative rather than austere and rough.  The
flooring was all wood, scuffed, pitted, but clean.  He turned into a
doorway and she shuffled to the nearest place to sit.
   A small, utilitarian room with double pane windows, reinforced locks,
and bolted down furniture.
   "I'll be back with something for you to eat.  There's a fountain if you
want water." Clinical, cold, devoid of the passion and warmth they had
shared.  The door shut behind him leaving her in the small room.
   For a holding cell, it was comfortable, though the bed was more of a
cushioned cot.  Silvia lay on her back and stared at the ceiling, listening
to air flow through the vents.  The air turned warmer, more humid until she
felt trapped in a sauna.
   Silvia got up and took a long drink of water from the fountain.  Strands
of wet hair clung to her face.  Sweat pooled in the crevice of her body.
   Over the next couple hours, the room cycled between uncomfortably hot
and unbearably cold.  She lay in bed moaning and wishing for the torture to
end.
   The door opened, she didn't bother to look up.
   "Eat this." His voice came from a fog that surrounded her.
   He pushed a small bowl to her lips.  Strong arms supported her neck. 
She took in the thick substance, chewing and swallowing the cool porridge.
   "Do you feel better now?"
   Better.  She soured.  "Why did I feel bad to begin with?"
   "Purging protocal.  It cycles the internal temperature to just high and
low enough to ruin any embedded devices.  There's only one more check
before I can be sure he won't find you again."
   "I've told you everything.  Why am I here?"
   He walked her over to the chair and closed the door.  "Why didn't you
call Andrei when you learned how the other Elwood died?"
   "Raven needed my help.  She was injured, and I thought he would blame
me."
   "Does he often blame you?" He kneeled in front of her and spread her
thighs.
   She huffed.  "Lately, he found plenty reasons to." Another woman may
have tensed, growled, or spat at him as he caressed the damp curls on her
mound.  But not her, and not because she was a dedicated.  It had been too
long since she felt his touch, since she saw that side of him, the side
that made her feel wanted and beautiful.
   "You thought he would just blame you?  Is that all?"
   "Why does any of that matter to you?"
   "Answer me."
   "I didn't know if he meant me to die." Silvia closed her eyes to avoid
whatever his reaction might be.
   He inserted two fingers into her wet cunt.  She moaned as he played
inside the entrance of her vagina.  His fingers rubbed and stroked,
massaged and teased, causing more moisture to coat his fingers.
   Yes, this was the same man who had introduced himself as Nem.  He read
her moans and the slight thrusts of her hips until he had each touch
perfect.  Soon he was playing her like a long-familiar instrument.  She
bucked her hips, wanting to take his hand, all of it, fully inside her.
   "Why would he want to kill you?"
   She shook her head.  No more punishment.  She wanted that moment with
him - lost to lust, in complete abandon.  She looked down at him with her
best, 'give it to me' glare, but he did not budge.  "I wouldn't become what
he wanted."
   "How long before you traded Raven for his forgiveness?"
   "I've told you this before, and it will be the same next time you ask. I
tried to get her out of there." Her voice softened, "but I failed."
   "What did Andrei want you to become?"
   Another heavy sigh.  "A company woman.  Handling transactions,
contracts, and making sure the customers are delighted with our household
domestics."
   "Sounds like a grand life.  Why did you run?"
   "That is not what I wanted." She frowned.  Each time he visited the same
questions, the same request to revisit her pain and shame.
   "You seem much better." He removed his fingers.
   Better?  Didn't they cover that one already?  Silvia frowned.
   "Refreshed, relaxed.  I know you think I'm torturing you by making you
say the same things over and over.  I don't want to hurt you, Silvia.  I
don't have you here to cause you harm.  I don't want Andrei to find you
because I know how the Vucari treat resources that don't fall in line."
   He did this out of concern for her?  Her frown deepened.
   "Do you want more?"
   "More?"
   His fingers returned, but this time they were not teasing or soft.  He
thumped hard against the roof of her vaginal walls, bringing her half off
the chair.  "Of this, Silvia.  Do you want more?"
   "Yes!"
   He stilled.  "Then answer me.  Why would he want to kill you!"
   "I'm old!"
   He slipped a third finger inside and reduced her to grunting moans of
desire.  She came hard, gripping his shoulders with what little strength
she had left.  White crept along the edge of her vision.  Her head throbbed
and heart pounded.
   He withdrew his fingers and wiped them on her cheeks and in her hair. 
"Next time I want the truth."
   She sagged into the bed and a tear rolled down her cheek.  "When will
you let me go?"
   The door shut and a lock turned in his wake.
   ***
   Severin groaned and opened his stinging eyes.  The room smelled of
crushed rotting petals.  Dark stains on the floor and walls.
   The Disruptor bowed his head.
   No introductions necessary.  He'd heard plenty about the man from his
visit to Lilizen.  The woman who had issued the order that ruined his
mission, his rose lay dead, her blood pooled on the floor.
   "I've heard some good news about your sister.  She survived the many
attempts on her life."
   Severin glanced up, but could not meet the man's eyes.
   "Has she survived one more?"
   Severin jerked as his wrists struggled against their binds.  "I can't
have her stay here.  I can't have her be my sister."
   "Take me to her."
   "She is mine!" He snarled, pretending to be a wounded animal in pain. 
He wanted to crush the bastard and feel his cocky bravado leak through the
fingers and join his Charlene on the floor.
   "No." The Disruptor put his hand up.  "Give me a second."
   A quick glance behind him revealed the two others with poisoned darts
leveled at his back.
   "Where is she?" He grinned.  "I'll remove her body, and the curse on
your people will lift."
   He stared at the darts again.  If he was stuck with just one, then she
would be trapped there, forever.  If he gave her away...
   "I don't want her dead to me.  I want her alive to me."
   "I will respect her wish, no matter what it is."
   "Is she dead?" He pointed to Charlene's body.
   "Just a bloody nap."
   Severin smiled.  "Untie me?" Once he was free he led them to the secret
room, one of many that filled the compound.  "Raven loves me."
   "Okay, it's this one," said the effeminate man behind him.  "Go ahead."
   Severin's world went dark.
   ***
   Tamarin held Raven close as they rode back to the mansion.  He was
somewhere between a state of euphoria and rage as she trembled in her
sleep. Despite the tumult of emotion, it was as close to peace as he'd been
since they parted.
   The others had not figured Raven's actions high on the dependability
scale, but he did.  They factored her in as a possible beta scenario, one
they immediately had to switch to when they learned of Charlene and
Severin's heated arguments.
   "How is she doing?" Liam said from the driver's seat.
   "I won't know until she wakes.  No major injuries.  Message Nemanja. 
I'm going to need food if we're camping at my place."
   "One step ahead of you," said Kayla.
   "As usual," Tamarin smiled.  "Did Nemanja say anything back?"
   "Not since he told us about Raven.  I'll make sure he's at the house for
a debrief."
   Raven shifted and mumbled.  Her brows furrowed and tears leaked from the
corners of her eyes.
   "Save it for when Raven is ready.  How long is she going to be out?"
   "I loaded her with the good stuff," said Kayla.  "You'll have her tucked
in before she wakes up."
   Tamarin leaned down and whispered.  "I missed having you in you arms.  I
only thought you were dead for a few days, but it felt like years.  You
have tested the very limit of my skills, Raven.  I rarely get challenges so
great.  I love you, and it pains me to know how much you are suffering."
   Once they arrived, he carried Raven inside his bedroom and locked the
door behind them.  He peeled the long shirt from her and carried her to the
bath.  Though she was half awake and looking at him, he stared at her naked
body with admiration.  She was a beautiful woman, more so when she wasn't
fatigued, starving, or injured, but her vibrance, her determination and
intelligence, shined in every cell and every fiber.
   "Krasotka." He caressed her cheek.
   She turned her face toward him, kissed his palm.  He set her in the tub
and kept one supporting hand on her while shedding his own clothing.
   He stepped into the bath and reclined with her in the water, steam
rising around them.
   She took his hand and placed it on her breasts.  Tamarin kissed her
neck, massaged and caressed the full globes.
   Once the water cooled, they rose from the tub, dried off, and stumbled
to the bed.  He snuggled against her though he was still hot from the bath.
She put her arms around him, squeezed him tight as sweat formed between
their bodies.
   ***
   Raven woke alone, but on a bed.  She frowned and tears leaked from her
eyes.  Finally, good dreams that she had to wake from.
   The air around her was neither chilly, stifling, or rank.  Wincing in
pain, she rolled her shoulder.  Everything ached.  She prodded the tender
spots on her thighs, ribs, and arms.
   Water ran in a nearby room and Raven scrambled to the floor, hiding
between the bed and the wall.  Not that she did so quietly, or expected
whoever put her in that bed would forget, but to get an object between her
and whatever was in that bathroom matter most.  It would give her time.
   The door opened, but the light had already been turned off.  "Raven?"
   She rose just enough to see over the bed.
   The voice continued, low, soft as a breeze, but not the purring rumble
of her brother.  "Do you want me to turn the light on or keep it off?"
   Odd.  She remembered a whisper like that in the dark.  "On."
   Light filled the bedroom.  Small, but cozy.  She had never seen this
place before, and the man standing on the other side of the bed was dead.
   "Take as much time as you need.  If you're thirsty, there's water in
that pitcher.  I can bring you food and leave it there." He pointed to the
dresser beside the door.
   She balled her hands into the sheets.  "Turn the light back off and get
in bed."
   Darkness filled the room and Raven waited until the bed shifted. 
Reality or dreaming?  This halfway state and its accompanying delusions
were too complex to tease out.  Her body felt heavy, slow, like moving
through water she could not see.
   "How did you sleep?" He whispered.
   Raven smiled, like they did in the cells, a way to keep their
conversations as private as possible.  She sat on the side of the bed, one
foot on the floor, even if the only place to run was into the wall or that
bathroom.  "Heavy.  What is this place?  I've never seen it."
   "This is my home; this is my bed.  We're in Midnight Vale."
   "I imagined the Vale to be more lavish, with all the donations this
place receives.  Midnight Vale isn't safe for me.  I've already made
enemies here." Raven held her hand in front of her face.  Faint moon light
allowed her to see it moving back and forth.  "I cause disaster everywhere
I go."
   "I wouldn't speak so highly of yourself just yet.  You know enough to be
dangerous."
   She smiled and shuffled her way into bed, under the covers.  Right now
she wanted to be close to his memory.  Raven lay down beside him and rested
her head on his chest.  Could she dream like this always?  Perhaps she
dreamed of his house being so small because they had always been in
confined places, always close.  "I'm scared to wake up."
   He wrapped his arms tight around her and kissed her on the forehead.
   ***
   Nemanja tucked the bag of meat pastries under his arm as he unlocked
Silvia's door.  It was late, but he guessed she might appreciate a late
night snack.  With any luck, he would get a few seconds of looking at her
serene face while she slept.
   The vision of her alone brought a tantalizing combination of memories:
the feel of her skin, her sweat, the way those tiny breast fit in his
mouth, the swing of her bright colored hair.
   When he moved her into a better room-
   A little body slammed into his mid-section and sent him to the ground.
He landed on his side with a thud.  The air whooshed out of his lungs.
   "Fuck." He rolled up and eased away from the mess on the floor.
   Two pairs of foot steps came to the door along with snarling and cursing
from Silvia.
   "This one yours?"
   "Push her in here and close the door."
   She jumped over him and crawled onto the far corner of the bed.  "Why
can't you just let me go?  I've been through enough.  I answered your
questions.  I just want to go!"
   He leaned against the wall, staring at the ruined food on the floor. 
"Go where?"
   "What does that matter to you?  You should let me walk away."
   One word, definite and final.  "No."
   ***
   Silvia glared at him.  Why did he have to be this way?  Why couldn't he
remain the treasured memory of a time long since passed?  She didn't want
anything to do with this bullheaded brute.
   "Don't do that again." He rubbed his side and scowled at her.  "This may
not be Vucari, but I do not lose track of someone I am set to find.  I will
not lose track of you."
   "You're obviously here for a reason.  What do you want from me now?"
   He kicked the bag over to her.  "Why did you join the Luciano household
when you left your group home?"
   "It was a nursery, Riverwood Nursery." She grabbed the edge of the bag
between her toes and dragged it closer.  "Andrei, or maybe his father at
the time, interviewed a few of us and picked me.  I began my training and
my oath was accepted." She picked the ruined dinner from the bag, but half
buried her face behind her arm and her knees.
   "Who was the girl?  The one you told me to let out?"
   "Me, twelve years ago." Her voice trembled, her breathing was off. 
Though she made no sound, it was clear to Nemanja that she had begun
crying.
   "Why did he deem you unable to fulfill your oath?"
   She laughed, but it was cut off by a strained sob.  "For the same reason
I thought he would kill me.  I lost the appeal that only youth provides."
   "I'd say you've gained plenty in exchange."
   She lifted her head.  Clumped eye lashes.  Red eyes.  Puffy face, but
beautiful in her fury and sadness.  "Is there a point to these questions? I
know what people outside the Vucari think of dedicated.  I remember the
hateful words you spoke."
   Nemanja stood, twisted from side to side, then leaned on the door.  "I
was angry, not hateful.  I needed to know Raven's location, and needed to
know that you were not at fault.  The purpose for my questions is you, I
want to know you.  I want to believe you."
   She peered into the bag.  "This is a lot of food."
   "Yeah," he sighed heavily turned to the door.  "Throw away what you
don't want."
   "Nem?"
   "I'll come back in the morning." He leaned his head on the door.  This
was a bad idea.  He couldn't just keep her in here, and he couldn't see
clearly enough to let her go.
   "Are you just going to stand there?" Silvia said.
   "I'm not sure what to do."
   "Come sit beside me."
   He moved to the bed and sat beside her.  How could anyone cast off the
devotion of a dedicated so easily?
   How could a dedicated give herself to another the way she had to him?
   Silvia set the bag between them.  "You meant to share a meal with me,
and I attacked you."
   "I deserved that.  You are not my prisoner, and if--"
   "You don't have anything else you want to ask me?"
   "Plenty."
   She pieced together the flaky breading, shaved pork, and onion and held
it to his lips.
   The sensation of her finger tips at his lips hurt, hurt his heart in
ways that could not be good, but he accepted offering.  "When we were
together."
   "Did I do something wrong?"
   "Tell me how you remember it."
   Her breath turned shallow, the tears had stopped.  She hugged her legs
to her chest and stared at the wall.  "I thought I would never be able to
enjoy myself with another, as myself, not as a memory of who I was.  Twelve
years, and he no longer saw me, only an echo, a distant memory of the past.
I tried so hard to keep that memory alive, but it meant ignoring who I have
become.  I remember feeling that it could be possible, or perhaps I only
wanted to fool myself that it could be.  For a brief moment in time, I was
my current self.  You are a talented lover, Nem.  I will never forget the
freedom you offered."
   "Nemanja." He thumbed the tears from her cheeks, but could not pull his
hand away.  Her answer could not have been any more perfect, that she had
been herself, that there had been no guile in their union.
   Silvia sucked his thumb into her mouth and the texture sent echoing
signals to his groin.
   He pulled his thumb from her mouth.  "There is no need for the seduction
if you want me to release you.  Raven is safe, and Andrei will not be able
to track you.  Where do you want to go?"
   She caressed the bulge at his crotch, slow, suggestive motions that
hardened him further.
   "Keep that up, and I'm going to think less about what you want."
   "What's to think about?  Can't you tell?" She unfastened his pants and
fished his cock out.
   Nemanja stilled, slowed his breath to a crawl.  He'd taken the time to
convince himself to let her go, do the honorable thing.  A dedicated with
her training would be able to have a pampered life, the kind of life she
deserved.  He shouldn't have brought her here.
   Silvia looked at him in confusion, almost tearfully, then sighed with
resignation and pulled her hand away.  She tucked her hands under her arms.
"I apologize."
   No matter his reservations, he hated to see the sadness in her eyes, the
doubt and uncertainty, as if she were alone.
   He pulled her into his embrace, cradled her to his chest.  His exposed
cock hit the warmth of her thigh.  He wanted to erase those doubts, to earn
her dedication.
   "I want you, Silvia, but I can't afford you.  A dedicated requires more
than I have to give." He kissed her, but she didn't kiss him back.
   "I don't live on money."
   "But you thrive on attention, don't you?"
   "Who doesn't?  Andrei worked long hours.  He left me on my own for days
at a time, and he was only in the next room.  I can manage a life on my
own, but it's not what I desire, not why I took the oath.  You don't have
to make up reasons why you don't trust me.  I just thought when you asked,
that you still cared."
   He buried his hand into her hair and assaulted her mouth.  She whined,
but he swallowed her protest with a growl.  He tugged at the gown covering
her, pulled the hem to her waist.  He caressed her slit, pleased to find
her wet.
   "Fuck it." He fingered her pussy, twisting in her heat.  "I'm not ever
letting you go."
   "You want my oath?"
   "With or without it." He nibbled the skin below her ear, working his way
down her neck as he worked his cock into her body.  "Make me earn it."
   "What have I done to earn you?"
   He took her hips in his hand and fucked her fast, rocking the flimsy
metal frame that held the mattress they lay on.  He growled, losing track
of time and circumstance, just like he had in the van, just as she'd let
him, opening to him, surrendering to him.
   The way she worked her vaginal muscles, gripping and massaging his cock.
He paused, panting like a bull as her pussy worked him deeper.
   "Fuck!" He snarled.  "I want you in my home, around my cock, in my
arms." He couldn't hold still any longer, thrusting hard and fast, his
orgasm rapidly approaching.
   Her legs locked around his waist.  She wrapped both her arms around his
body.  "Prove it."
   Nothing would stop him.  He roared as he came inside her, filled her
with his ejaculate.  Under him, she whimpered and squirmed, her arms and
legs formed a tighter cage.
   He collapsed beside her, but held her tight.  The sheets under them were
soaked, the room rank, but that did not matter for the moment.
   He had her, and no force in the world would make him let her go.
   ***
   Dreams.
   Since meeting Tamarin, these took on a different meaning.  A dream could
be changed, but so could waking life under the right conditions.  Raven had
lived through nightmares in both realms, so why not dreams?
   What she wanted was for this moment to never end.  Outside birds sang,
the sun rose and cast warm orange red light through the thin curtains.  It
was warm, almost too warm with these blankets and body heat.  His body:
crisp, clean.  Her backside pressed to his front, a half-hearted erection
at the small of her back.
   Raven thumbed the back of Tamarin's hand.  Half moon scar, fresh
scrapes, tiny dark hairs below his knuckles.  Such detail.  How much of
this was her imagination?  How much of it memory?
   She arched back into his erection, shifted her body until she could take
him inside her.
   Memories or a fading dream?  Hiding on the floor on the other side of
that bed.  Holding a conversation, though she couldn't remember quite what.
   Raven frowned.  Her heart raced as she tried to piece the fragments of
her life together.
   ***
   Tamarin snuggled to Raven's backside.  Quiet.  Warm.  Secure.  He
treasured this moment with her, as he did each one since their escape.  She
not only expressed interest in learning the way of a disruptor, but had
applied those lessons with fervent abandon.
   Now she did not have to run.  Would she want to continue with him when
her own life was no longer at stake?  Regardless of Tamarin's training
regarding loss and detachment, he did not want to consider a future without
her, not yet.
   Raven shifted and rolled onto her back.  Her eyes wide, breath shallow.
"I am not dreaming."
   "Not if you don't want to be."
   She pulled him into her arms, held his head to her breasts.  She whined
high in her throat and then a torrent of tears.  "Please, tell me."
   He turned his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth, palmed the side
of her breast.  She scratched down his back with one hand and massaged his
scalp with the other.
   "I'd rather show you, krasotka." He wrapped his arms around her and
locked his mouth with hers, thrusting his tongue into her.  She moaned and
returned the kiss with equal vigor.  Their bodies wriggled and twisted as
if trying to get closer, to feel more of each other.
   The sobs turned to whimpers and he ached with passion.  She spread her
legs and caused them both to gasp as she ground on his erection.
   "Inside me.  Now."
   He obliged, but slowly.  First only the head, then a little more.  He
wanted to drive her as crazy with lust as she did for him.  She stared at
him, lying still, spread open, ready.  What she did not look at with her
eyes, she felt with her hands as if trying to memorize him.  Soon he was
sliding deep inside her and all the way back out.  The wet sound joined the
other small sounds around them.
   "I wish I could do this all day," she whispered.
   He took her legs and rocked them back to her chest.  "As do I." He
pressed his cock fully inside her and kissed her while rocking against the
lush warmth of her body.
   Their labored breaths and soft sounds joined the rocking of the bed as
his thrusts increased.  They were swept on the tide of lust, eager to reach
the next plateau.  He took her breast in hand and caressed her, worshipped
her.
   Raven squirmed, clenched her muscles and ground her tooth, moments
before she released her strangled cry.
   He pounded her, taking her over the edge.  "Let me hear you."
   She clutched him tight as her body trembled.  She cried out, moaned,
almost screamed with joy.
   "That's it, my krasotka.  Let me feel you."
   All went still.  Nothing existed but that moment, the euphoria they
created.  Once she could breathe, she moaned growled, gasped.  Riding on
the wave of her orgasm, Tamarin held her tight as he spilled into her warm
depths.
   Heavy breathes.  Pounding hearts.  Sweat dripped from them both and
soaked into the sheets below.
   Raven whispered, "Nothing compares."
   He cracked an eye open.  "Oh yeah?"
   "Yeah."
   He chuckled.
   ***
   Tamarin left he room, but only for an hour.  He returned with enough
food for them to gorge on.  For Raven's part, she hadn't gone further than
the bathroom.
   He opened the window and let the fresh afternoon breeze flow through the
room.
   "What happens next?"
   "We'll need to meet with the others and debrief when you're ready, but
only then."
   She smiled, but then it fell.  "I can't do this.  It's too selfish.  I
have someone that needs my help."
   "Who?"
   "You'll probably hear all about her.  Her name is Silvia.  She set this
woman's van on fire.  I think they were from Midnight Vale.  They certainly
seemed to know you.  I think she's okay, but I'm not sure she's where she
wants to be."
   Tamarin chuckled.  "Kayla, Liam, and Nemanja - friends of mine, the best
of companions.  They were out looking for me and found you and Silvia."
   "They attacked me, okay, well, Kayla said I had a bounty."
   "Silvia had the bounty - and that's a type of job.  Compensation for
proof of life or death.  You were a retrieval: finding and delivering a
living person, usually dependents."
   "What about dead?"
   "Ah, that's best in the hands of a mortician."
   "Sounds very non-lethal for a Disruptor."
   "The easiest usually are.  We go on those alone, a few weeks effort at
most." He wiped his mouth and stretched out on the bed.
   "But someone sent the order to Lilizen to detain me."
   "Mm hmm.  I didn't factor that not everyone at Elwood wanted to see you
return."
   "I slept the whole way here?  What happened to my brother?" Raven shook
her head and held her hand up.  "Silvia.  Can I call her?  Talk to her?  I
need to know if she's okay.  She sacrificed herself for me."
   "She's here.  Nemanja took her and is questioning her."
   "What?  Why?!  You mean you all didn't help her?  What happened to
Andrei?" Raven tossed her food aside and scrambled for clothing.
   "He's not a problem, but we couldn't be sure she didn't entrap you and
lead you to him."
   "Well you can now."
   "She was working for the Vucari at the Bali."
   "I know everything about her, and I know she was with me because she was
scared.  We went to Vucari because it was her home and she was familiar
with it.  You were not there.  You did not see what she did, what she went
through for me."
   "I'll see if Nemanja finds proof to support that belief." Tamarin sighed
heavily.  "She's safe."
   "In a prison.  Nemanja could be hurting her."
   Tamarin rolled out of the bed and grabbed his clothes.  "I guess you're
ready to talk and catch everyone up on what we know."
   "I'm sorry, but I can't lay in bed at even the possibility that she's
being mistreated."
   "I understand." He pulled her into his arms.  "I understand completely."
   ***
   Tamarin entered the dining room with Raven under his arm.  "Let's try
this again, shall we?  Raven, I'd like to introduce you to my closest
companions, people on whom I would depend to get me out of a hole: no
matter how dark, deep, or hidden, Liam and Kayla.  We tend to go by many
names, but that is their true one."
   "Nem will be along in a bit," said Kayla.
   They nodded and sat to the table.
   These were Tamarin's friends, and for a brief moment in time, they had
been hers.  "Is everyone here a Disruptor?"
   "Not everyone," Tamarin took the seat beside her.  "Most of us are in
training or passing through."
   Nemanja entered with Silvia beside him.
   Liam stood and extended his hand.  "My name is Liam.  I do apologize for
how our first meeting ended, but you do know how to leave an impression."
He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
   Silvia chuckled and blushed.  "Thank you.  I remember you well."
   "I hope they are good memories."
   "As long as yours of me are as sunny." She was a consummate flirt, adept
at making other comfortable in her presence.
   Nemanja stepped in to break up their shared laughter.  "Very good. 
Cute." He guided her to sit on the other side of the table.
   Liam didn't let the distance keep him from chatting with her.  "Where
are you staying?"
   Silvia glanced from Liam to Nemanja.  "His place."
   "I've been kept in a prison like that," Raven said to Silvia.  "Make
sure it has doors you're free to open and close."
   She chuckled.  "It's not a prison if you don't want to get out."
   Nemanja huffed and put his arm around Silvia.  "You saw her," he said to
Raven.  "Satisfied?"
   Raven nodded.  "Thank you for getting her out of there.  What kind of
place do you have?"
   He shrugged.  "Not much different than here.  It has a large bath and
cozy bedroom.  Kayla got the oils for me.  I am a creature of comfort, just
not at a Vucari level."
   Silvia playfully rolled her eyes.
   "Let's get to the debrief," said Tamarin.
   ***
   The next day, Raven joined Tamarin on the training field.
   He spoke with a trainee.  "I will tell someone else the number.  We will
follow the routine until then.  You will predict when that moment comes and
react differently."
   At the outset it seemed like a fun game, but when the guy failed, he
ended up with an injury.
   Raven could see Tamarin tense moments before he switched his strike. 
She braced for another cry of pain, but it never happened.  The trainee
parried the attack.
   "Again," said Tamarin.
   Even more fascinated, she stared harder, waiting for that moment,
wondering who would come out on top.
   Three more times, the trainer was able to parry.  What a fast learner!
   "How did you manage it?" Tamarin asked.
   The trainee pointed at her.
   Raven looked to either side.  What did she have to do with it?
   Tamarin grinned.  "Good.  You don't need to be told to look at more than
what's in front of you, and I have learned that I've developed a tell."
   They laughed, but Raven was still confused.  What had she done?
   "You," he kissed her on the cheek and walked her over to a weapon rack.
"Start with this one." He lifted a bow and handed it to her.
   "Where are the targets."
   "That's up to you.  Pick a spot." He point to a pile of bright white
sticks in a pile.  "If you hit it, then you've figured it out.
   "I've never seen a bow like this." It couldn't have weighed more than a
few pounds.  "How do you know I'm not making up whichever spot I pick?"
   "That's not for me to know.  When you feel you are ready for the next
test, then I will take you, and show you what happens when you miss unless
you hit your target." He grinned.  "At that time, you'll say again whether
you are ready.  No proving at that stage.  You either exit not bleeding or
not."
   "Bleeding?  Uh.  Okay."
   "Don't worry.  This kind of bow is best when you have a steady position
and plenty of time to assess your target."
   "Since when?"
   He laughed and kissed her on the cheek.  "Work on your aim.  I'll be
nearby if you can't find a technique that suits you."
   ***
   "What's new?" Nemanja looked between the papers in front of him.
   "Gillian made off with another impossible request." Liam said with an
irritated sigh.
   "The more you worry, the worse you'll feel," Tamarin said.
   "Says you."
   Nemanja nodded sympathetically.  Tamarin had a way of twisting reality
to his will, and worse, he thought it was a skill anyone could pick up.
   Liam shrugged.  "The more I worry, the greater attention I pay.  It's
how we decided to follow your trail."
   "Oh, hell no," Kayla waved her finger at him.  "You don't join a search
party days later and get to claim it was your idea."
   "I joined because it was my idea.  It was!" Liam laughed and rolled his
eyes.  "I really did, Kay.  I was glad to discover both of you thought the
same."
   "Don't rewrite the past with us," said Kayla.  "We get enough of that
with Tamarin."
   "Whatever.  Another job down.  I'm going to check this one out."
   "Do you need any of us?" Tamarin asked.
   "I can do this one on my own, but don't wait too long on the search
party like they did with you."
   Tamarin laughed.  "Do a better job than me of checking in."
   "No problem."
   ***
   Silvia rested in the large tub, eyes closed, soaking in the
green-scented oils used in the water.  Though Andrei's room had been
spacious and lavish, she had never had a bath quite like this.
   She closed her eyes and imagined what would occur if she left this bath
to find Nemanja waiting to enjoy her body.  His cock erect, eyes hungry, a
slight grin on his face.
   She imagined crawling on his large frame just as she had that time in
the van: decadent, lustful, committed.  Was it truly possible to rededicate
herself?  To move on?  To be herself, not a character?  She'd heard stories
in the nursery of the dedicated ones that went through up to five oath
keepers in a lifetime.
   But in service to this man ...  not a Vucari.  She reached between her
thighs and moaned.  She flicked her clitoris, spread her thighs.  She
imagined his cock sliding deep inside her as he stared down at her.
   She lay her head back against the edge of the tub, arched her hips
higher.  She soaped her hands with his soap and held it to her face.  This
was how he smelled that night, blue and green and sweaty and male. 
Goodness, she had it bad.
   After her bath, she toweled off in front of the mirror.  She had taken
meticulous care of her body in the fight to change as little as possible.
What if she changed too much?
   Nemanja tapped on the bathroom door.
   "Come in."
   "The air can be dry here." Nemanja entered the room and brandished a jar
of heavy moisturizing cream.
   She parted her hair and pulled it forward over her shoulders.
   His strong hands rounded her shoulders, smoothed moisturizer down her
back.  He continued long after her skin absorbed the cream, paying
particular attention to her thighs.  She turned and posed as he caressed
every inch of her, walked her to the bed and finished with her feet.
   "Do you need anything to sleep in?  I want you to feel comfortable."
   She shook her head.  "I'm good." She waved him up and hugged him tight.
"Thank you.  I feel like I can breathe again."
   ***
   Nemanja woke in the middle of the night.  Stars were still in the sky,
no hint of the coming sunrise.  He didn't mind, not with such a lovely body
next to his.  He eased closer to feel her warm and the ache in his groin
intensified.
   If Tamarin's name had not been mentioned, if she had not torched Kayla's
van ...  He had spent a similar moment the morning after hoping to find his
way back to her after they discovered what happened to Tamarin.  Nemanja
closed his eyes and recalled the way she unraveled under him, glowed while
on top of him.
   He sighed and nuzzled further into the space between her shoulders and
neck.  Nemanja was accustomed to taking his pleasure and walking away.  He
couldn't walk away this time, not from her, not from the promise she held.
His hand wrapped around her waist and as if finding true north, cupped her
breast.
   "Do you always molest women in their sleep?" Her voice sounded husky,
heavy with sleep.
   "Only those who are naked and arouse me." He massaged the breast in his
hand, worked the nipple to a hardened state.
   Her hips arched back, pressing his erection between her ass and his
belly.
   Nemanja groaned and kissed the back of her neck.
   His lips traced over her shoulder to her collarbone, down to her
sternum. His fingers slid down her stomach, stroked the crease on her upper
thigh down to her heat below.  He played in the moisture that had built
between her legs.  His body tensed with anticipation.
   His fingers shouldn't have all the fun.  He tossed the covers back and
kneeled between her thighs.  She arched up on her elbows to watch him, but
she wouldn't be able to hold that position for long, not for what he hand
in mind.
   He flicked his tongue out.  She squirmed, flinched, but she never pulled
away.  He licked again and their sighs were in harmony.  His delved deeper,
holding her up to him like an offering.
   She fell back on the pillow and took her breasts in hand, twisting and
pulling on her nipples.  She was his instrument, and he wanted to coax all
the music from her.  The moans, sighs, whimpers, and low guttural notes.
   Nemanja thrust his fingers inside her and lost himself in pleasure. 
Silvia's pussy clamped down on his fingers.  On either side of his head her
thighs trembled.  The pitch of her moans rose, and then all went silent. 
Trapped between her thighs, sucking on her clitoris.  He continued until
one firm hand on his head gave him the signal to stop.
   He sat up and looked down at her as she panted, covered in sweat,
trembled with her ongoing pleasure.
   "I want you," she said, "just as you are."
   Like a drug addict who had denied himself for too long, he dove into her
with pure, unrestrained need.  He pressed her body to the mattress, grabbed
a handful of her hair in his fist.
   She was just as hot and hungry, sucking him deeper inside her, her legs
wrapped tight around him.  Her nails dug into his back and her breath
turned heavy and melodic.  As much as he wanted to take his time, she
seemed as consumed with hunger as himself.
   He gave in to the purity of his lusts for her.  He pulled out only to
slam home, giving her precisely what she requested.  Her tiny breasts
jostled with each thrust.  Her head thrashed back and forth on the
mattress. His blood pounded like a drum in his head.
   He felt her orgasm first.  Her inner muscles clamped down on his cock
much tighter than they had on his fingers, sending him over the edge.  They
both unraveled, a blissful loss of control descent into euphoria.  He
collapsed above her, barely able to keep his weight on his forearms.
   ***
   Raven lay on her belly in shock.  The voice in the back of her mind that
led her was silent now, as confused as she.  She didn't see anyone in the
hallway.
   She had followed that strange man's suggestions to the letter and ended
up here, attempting to escape the deep caverns of Lilizen.  Now she had
been recaptured, back in Sung Li's lair.
   "You know I adore you." Sung Li kissed down her spine.  "Why you run? 
You like being my whore."
   He pulled her pants down, ripped them off her feet and kicked her legs
wide.
   Warm breath on her pussy.  His nails in her ass.
   "Stop.  Please have mercy on me.  I was told to obey based on orders.  I
thought they were your orders.  I thought you were testing me."
   An echo of a memory, that she begged the guards to take her back to Sung
Li, that she would rather take his punishment than their abuse.  Two large
men, their fingers digging into her muscles, scratching her skin.  She
screamed, but it was swallowed by the tiny room.
   No.  That's not what happened.  She knew the right thing to say, the
right thing to do.  Those guards had taken her back, not used her for their
amusement.
   What really happened was...
   He thumbed her pussy open and licked her, sucked on her clitoris.  Sung
Li had a firm, slippery tongue.  She fucked his tongue back, groaned.
   "Do you know who truly commands you?"
   "Yes, of course.  Tamarin."
   Sung Li hummed.  "Mm hm.  That's right.  That's why you listened to
him."
   Raven rocked her hips back on his tongue.  "Then he should be here to
command me, not you."
   "I am." Tamarin's hand rested on the back of her head.  "He's just
getting you ready for me." He stood behind her and slipped his cock into
her wet pussy, wet and ready to fuck her way out of anything.
   Raven moaned as she woke from her dream.  "Fuck," she whispered.
   "Yeah," Tamarin moaned as stroked his cock inside her.  "Fucking your
feels like heaven."
   "Mmm," Raven worked her hips down on his shaft.  "I controlled my
dream," she chuckled.  "Woke up to the perfect reality."
   "Me too, krasotka.  Me too."
   <->
Written: November 2014
   Contact: nysidra at hot mail dot com
  
Disruptors_03