Page 11 of Given to the Fae (The Dark Realms #3)

So far, it’s only these two fae who are with me now and Jak who have been spared fate’s wrath. Others are still being punished as normal. I’m a bit relieved. It isn’t ideal, but if it’s only these three... It could be worse. I must still be Kismet. For now.

‘When you’re rubbed between your legs to bring you to pleasure,’ the healer elaborates.

I blink, focusing on the pixie though I have no idea what she’s talking about. It must show in my countenance.

‘Never?’ She sounds incredulous.

‘I don’t think they did that at The Barrack,’ I say quietly, my cheeks heating.

It’s one thing to be bare in front of them all, but quite another to actually speak about these things in front of males who make my heart flutter and my stomach swoop however much I wish that weren’t the case.

The pixie steps back, folding her arms and leaning back with an assessing look on her small face.

‘I knew that outpost was bad, but...’ she sighs. ‘Your slave isn’t Breach Blet. She’s malnourished and likely very highly strung from never being released after,’ her eyes rove over my body, ‘what appears to me to be many, many instances of unsanctioned discipline.’

‘Unsanctioned?’ Locke asks, drawing closer though he seems to not want to look at my body, I think. ‘What does that mean?’

The healer gives him her full attention. ‘Discipline for human females is highly regulated these days. I hope you know that at least.’

‘Yes, of course I know. A hand is used quite lightly. The skin shouldn’t be broken.’

‘Quite right. Well, this one...’ She looks at me again, and points to the puckered line on my shoulder. ‘What made this?’

‘A hot poker,’ I say with a shiver, remembering what happened to the orc guard after he burned me.

He lost the use of one of his eyes only a moment later. Even Ogdan was surprised by that one.

She gestures to the rough red welts on my wrists.

I answer succinctly. ‘Rope pressed into sliced flesh and left to heal before it was ripped away.’

‘These?’ she brushes her thin fingers against the pitted marks on my stomach, and I fight to stay still.

I want to recoil from her touch badly. Her skin on mine feels wrong.

‘A weighted cat-o-nine-tails.’

She puts her hands up. ‘You see? In some ways she’s in a better condition than the humans who come from The Barrack, but in others.

..’ She shakes her head. ‘Well, there are many marks from punishments that haven’t been used even on badly behaved bulls in many, many years.

I don’t think I‘ve seen a female slave so...mutilated. Your masters must have given you countless punishments to correct you, girl.’

I nod. I don’t tell her that it wasn't always the masters, but sometimes one of the other slaves who was told to do it, that it was used as a punishment for whomever had done something wrong. It was also a way of seeing if there was anything that fate wouldn’t punish.

Everything Ogdan could think of was tried, and after years, he realized there was no point in attempting to find a loophole.

They weren’t allowed to kill me, so he and Sio just began leaving me to my own devices, trying to get rid of me whenever they had the chance.

I hope she doesn’t ask me anything more about it, because I’ll have to try to lie, and then she’ll probably slap me again. Though I’d forgotten about some of the more creative pains Ogdan came up with until she reminded me. The healer’s strike doesn’t seem so bad now.

‘I’ll give you some root to brew for the Breach Blet.’

‘I thought you said it wasn’t that,’ Locke says, seemingly unimpressed with the healer.

She shrugs. ‘Sometimes they just don’t do well in the Breach.

The root will help, and it probably won’t get any worse if she’s given it just before and after you cross a Bridge.

I’d suggest no long journeys, though. Nothing over two Circles at a time.

Other than that, she needs food. Proper food.

Her hip bones shouldn’t be sticking out like that.

And she’ll need releasing. Often. Do you know how?

I could put her in the block now and show you if you need to see it done. ’

Locke’s eyes find mine and I glance at the wooden cube in the corner, with its three holes at waist level for my wrists and neck to be locked into. I silently beg him to say no. Ogdan put me in the block for the bull and it was...

He’s not going to say no.

My breathing quickens. I feel as if my chest is too tight. The room whirls and I feel like I’m flying. It’s a nice sensation, sort of like being a bird, I think vaguely.

Morgan

The human girl sways, her eyes glazed. The healer doesn’t seem to notice, or perhaps she doesn’t care.

She doesn’t seem bothered that this slave clearly didn’t want her touch, but she kept brushing her hands along her body anyway.

In fact, I’m sure she was hoping we’d say yes to the releasing lesson.

I almost scoffed aloud when she asked if we could do it. As if bringing a female, of any kind, to pleasure is difficult.

The girl’s legs give out, and my catch appears almost careless as I lift her into my arms. I see Locke’s quizzical glance and give him a hard one of my own.

Was I meant to let her hit her head on the stone floor?

Internally, I roll my eyes. I’ll play the oafish flesh merchant as much as is needed, as I promised Locke I would before we came here.

I understand the importance of what we’re doing, but I don’t believe in making these humans suffer needlessly.

If I can help them without being noticed, I will.

The female’s limp body hangs in my arms and the healer huffs as if it’s all an inconvenience to her.

‘You can leave her on the floor,’ she sniffs. ‘It won’t damage her.’

‘She weighs little,’ I rumble, leaving it at that. ‘Are you finished with your inspections, healer?’

The horrid little pixie nods and goes to her cauldron, giving it a stir before she takes a pouch from a shelf and hands it to Locke. ‘Steeped in hot water, three times a day or as needed.’

‘And the releasing?’ he murmurs.

‘At least twice a day until her anxieties begin to wane. I’d do it in the block if you can, to get her used to it, but if you don’t have one then holding her over a table would work.

If she’s a nuisance, you can tie her hands to it easily enough.

I’d suggest no discipline for a good few weeks.

Let her begin to associate her masters with pleasure rather than pain, and her temperament will improve. ’

My arms tighten over the human. I’ve been keeping my distance from them all since The Barrack, because, though I feel for their plights, I find the slaves to be false and deceptive creatures.

They’ll hurt each other with no remorse if they think it’ll ingratiate them with their masters.

They form alliances with each other only to turn on their friends when it benefits them.

They’re not at all like the free humans we know.

I’d never turn my back on any of these ones out here, least of all this one.

I saw how quickly she beat her friend. She didn’t even give her a chance, just hit her, knocking her out in seconds.

It was easy to see from my vantage point in the trees, though I turned away as soon as I saw her do it, not wanting to see what Bere’s men did with the woman while she was unconscious in the dirt.

I hate this mission despite its importance. I hope we get what we need soon because I want nothing more than to return to my home and not venture to the Dark Realms again for a good, long while.

I pick up the slave’s dress and prop her up against my chest, draping it over her head and putting her arms through as one would dress a tiny child. She doesn’t wake and I find myself cradling her. It’s the easiest way to hold the small, floppy creature.

I half listen to Locke ask a few more questions. Coin changes hands and the door is opened. As I go outside, the female against me nuzzles into my chest and I freeze mid-stride with a snarl.

If she assumes me to be her next mark for better treatment, she has another thing coming. But she doesn’t tense at my warning, just rests her head against my chest with a sigh and I frown. Is she still in her faint or is this some kind of trick to try to get my guard down?

‘It won’t work,’ I mutter.

Her eyes flutter and I put her on her feet as soon as they open. She looks up at me, confusion in her eyes and her brow furrowing. She looks around and then down at herself, swaying little and catching herself on my arm.

She gives a small gasp when she realizes what she’s done, and staggers back, her eyes lowered again.

‘I’m sorry, my lord.’

I merely grunt and let Locke pick up the end of the rope to lead her back through the streets.

I look up at the sky. Judging from the sun, it's already mid-afternoon, and I wonder if that cunt, Bere, will make us watch the cargo again. He lets the ones who have been part of his group go off carousing but rarely allows me and Jak to do the same. I know it’s because we’re the most recent additions.

I joined just three months ago, while Jak did about four weeks ago, all three of us at different times to give the illusion that we’re strangers to each other for this fucking mission.

Gods, how I’ve loathed the last three months.

Watching Bere and his men do whatever they want to the slaves, watching the slaves do whatever they want to each other.

It’s enough to make even a fae like me, born in the Dark Realms, sick to my stomach.

The one currently being led by Locke is just as bad as the others. I have to remember that.