Not to mention the way her nipples got so hard and her pussy got so hot and wet when he was pressed against her. If she’d done the little trick Needra had and raised up—even just a little—he was certain he might have slipped into her by accident. She was that wet—that ready to go.
Unbidden, the idea of having her under him, spreading her legs for him, rose in Thrace’s mind. He could imagine her parting for him, reaching up to scratch his shoulders, to pull him in deeper…
Fucking stop it! he told himself angrily. It doesn’t matter what kind of chemicals her body is putting out, if her mind isn’t on board, it’s not going to happen. It’s never going to happen. She’s one of the Unpenetrated, remember?
Besides, why would you want to get involved? You’re just here to do the deal with the crystals, then you’re gone. Back to The Empress and finding Solar and getting on with your life. If you made love with Trin now you’d be sure to bond her to you and Havoc don’t bond!
He glanced briefly at Trin who was walking beside him over the short, well trimmed back lawn. It was true that unprotected sex with her would almost certainly result in bonding. It didn’t always—Havoc were not nearly as easily bound to a chosen female as their Kindred cousins. Making love to her and filling her with his seed wouldn’t result in a permanent soul bond unless there was some deep emotional attachment between them in the first place.
Watching her lovely face and the determined set of her slim shoulders, Thrace knew he couldn’t risk it. It wasn’t just that he desired her—he was beginning to have feelings for his mistress. Feelings that were completely irrelevant since she was never going to let herself care for him.
Get over it, he told himself roughly. She’s never going to change her views on males—she’s a proud female and part of that pride is her dignity. It would never recover if she broke her beliefs for you. Anyway, why would you want her to? You don’t want to form a permanent bond with her any more than she wants one with you. Just do your job and serve her as best you can until this is over and you can get the fuck out!
Thrace looked around him at the other mistresses and slaves walking over the dark lawn, trying to distract his mind from the turmoil inside him. To his left, Yorth was walking with Lady Needra. The two of them were holding hands, smiling at each other like lovers, which they surely were.
Thrace reflected that no matter how hard dinner with Trin on his lap was, the meal had certainly been more difficult for Yorth. He couldn’t imagine the self-discipline it took to sit there while his lady settled herself on his shaft and wiggled her hips, riding him in that leisurely, casual manner while he wasn’t supposed to move a muscle. Still, it didn’t seem to bother Yorth—he was probably used to the little game he and his mistress played together. Thrace reflected with envy that they would almost certainly be playing other, even more erotic games in their sleeping chamber later.
“Look, that must be it.” Trin’s soft voice drew his attention back from the other slave and mistress couple and he looked ahead to see a tall, silver filigree pyramid structure rising before them. It was set in the center of a circular, paved area which sparkled—doubtless made of the same semi-precious gemstones that lined the path which led to the front door of the estate.
“Must be,” he said, nodding assent. “But what the hell is coming out the top of it?”
The silver pyramid’s point was about the level of Thrace’s head and it was shaped like a narrow spout or funnel. From this small opening, large bubbles were drifting. At least, Thrace assumed they were bubbles—they certainly weren’t like any he had ever seen before.
For one thing, weren’t bubbles supposed to be round? These weren’t. Or at least, not all of them were. In addition to a few floating spheres, there were also square, rectangular, and triangular bubbles. There were also a few which didn’t seem to stick to any shape at all but shifted constantly. But perhaps strangest of all, each and every bubble was filled with colored smoke. Pink, blue, purple, orange, scarlet, and even black smoke filled shapes drifted past him, wafted by the gentle breeze.
“What the hell?” Thrace muttered, staring as the soft shapes drifted from the mouth of the tall silver pyramid.
“Dream spheres—unfiltered dream gas,” Lady Needra said, in answer to his question. She and Yorth had stopped right at the edge of the round, gem-encrusted circular path that surrounded the fountain.
“Unfiltered?” Trin asked, frowning. “I thought it had to be purified with Jaxite crystals before it was usable.”
“Oh, that’s just how they do it in Opulex.” Needra shrugged. “That’s so they can use it for vicarious sensory play—you know, feeling like your acting out a book or vid or whatever entertainment medium you want to feel like you’re part of. But dream gas can be filtered through many different mediums to give different effects.”
“And what effect does unfiltered dream gas have?” Thrace asked, adroitly avoiding a smoky pink sphere which came drifting in his direction.
“It’s much more immediate and personal. But as to what it does, it depends on the vein you get—there are several underground which all converge at this fountain,” Needra explained. “Come on—try some!” Leaning forward, she inhaled a triangle shaped bubble filled with sunshine yellow gas and began giggling hysterically. “G-get one, Y-yorth,” she commanded her slave, barely able to get the words out.
Yorth sucked in a pink cube and smiled blissfully. “Mmm, Mistress…” he murmured. “Delicious.”
“My dears, are you enjoying yourselves?” Lady Tam-tam suddenly appeared beside them with Lord X in tow.
“Lady Trin, it’s so lovely to see you again.” Lord X bent low over Trin’s hand in a courtly gesture that made the short hairs on the back of Thrace’s neck stand on end. He didn’t trust the bastard one bit—there was something wrong about him, Thrace just didn’t know what it was yet.
He felt a growl building in his throat and had to suppress the urge to thrust Trin behind him to keep her safe. Only the fact that he knew she would hate such a proprietary and possessive act on his part stopped him.
“It’s… nice to see you too. I—” But before she could say more, Trin accidentally inhaled a rectangular bubble filled with white smoke. Thrace stared at her in alarm as her eyes widened and she froze, her hand still caught in Lord X’s grip. “You…you’re…” She choked, a small plume of white smoke curling from her mouth. “I…I can’t…”
“Trin—are you all right?” Thrace yanked her hand away from the other male and spun her around to face him. Taking her by the shoulders, he stared into her face anxiously. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
“Thrace…” For a moment she relaxed and then her eyes got even wider. “Goddess…you don’t really feel that way, do you?”
“Feel what way? What is she talking about?” Thrace looked at Lady Tam-tam, demanding an explanation.
“Oh, she simply got a bit of truth gas, that’s all.” Lady Tam-tam waved airily. “We call it that because it sometimes reveals someone’s true emotions or intentions. But just as often it’s wrong and only produces a vivid hallucination. Don’t worry, my dear,” she added to Trin. “You’ll be over it in a minute.”
Trin blinked and shook her head like a female coming out of a dream.
“That was…unbelievably odd,” she said in a shaking voice.
“Well, it’s not what I would pick for my first dream sphere experience,” Lady Tam-tam said. “In fact, I think it would be better for you and your love-slave to stick to the scarlet spheres. They’re much better.”
“What do they do?” Thrace asked flatly. They were already in a precarious position—he didn’t want to make it worse by inhaling some strange gas that impaired his judgment.
“Oh, don’t worry my dear—the effects are transitory,” Lady Tam-tam said, without answering his question. “Now go on, try some of the scarlet dream gas. I insist.” She nudged Trin gently toward a triangular bubble passing by which contained swirling scarlet gas.
“I…don’t know.” Trin looked at the bubble with fearful eyes. Clearly her experience with the white dream gas had made her leery of trying any other kind. But just as clearly, Lady Tam-tam, who was now frowning petulantly, was determined that he and Trin try some.
“I’ll do it,” Thrace said roughly. He would try some gas, he decided, but not exactly the kind Lady Tam-tam insisted on. Stepping forward, he inhaled a passing green sphere. The bubble popped on his lips and the smoke drifted into his throat and lungs.
At once a feeling of warm optimism enveloped him. He felt the same way he did after completing a successful run on The Empress—with his pockets full of credit and the entire universe laid out before him.
“Ahh…” He felt a smile spread across his lips and couldn’t stop it. “That’s good—try some, Mistress,” he said to Trin. “It’s all right—they’re not all like the white one.”
“Well…all right.” Trin inhaled a passing yellow bubble. A silly little smile plastered itself across her full lips and she clapped a hand to her mouth.
“What?” Thrace asked her. “What is it?”
“I…I can’t explain it. “She began to giggle. “It’s just…I can’t seem to stop laughing! I feel like I did when I was a little girl and someone tickled me!”
Her laughter was infectious and Thrace felt himself laughing too, despite the fact that feeling of warm optimism caused by inhaling the green dream gas was beginning to fade. Thrace was glad to feel it go. Though it had been a very positive emotion, he didn’t want his judgment clouded. Still, the gas didn’t seem to cause any lasting harm and he was less wary of it than he had been before.
Just then, a cube filled with midnight black gas drifted past his nose. Without thinking about it, Thrace opened his mouth and inhaled it. Lady Tam-tam saw him and put out a hand, her face filled with worry.
“Oh no, my dear—you must avoid the black bubbles at all costs! They are—”
But before she could finish speaking, Thrace felt himself plunged into darkness.
“Kneel,” a horribly familiar voice was barking in his ear. “Kneel before your Master and suck! And you’d better do a damn fine job or it’s the hole for you and you won’t see light for a month!”
Rough hands gripped his head and something thick and hard and hot was shoved past his lips. Thrace gagged, feeling the familiar shame and hatred envelope him. I’ll kill him, he found himself thinking, his fists clenched in helpless rage. Kill him for what he’s done to me…
Suddenly another hand was on him, a small, soft palm was cupping his cheek.
“Thrace?” a worried voice asked—Trin’s voice. All at once, he felt her in his mind, sharing the awful memory or maybe just catching a glimpse of it. “My Goddess,” she breathed. “What’s happening? Why is he…what are you…?”
“Stop!” Thrace jerked away from her, unwilling to let her see his shame. He fell to his knees, coughing harshly, expelling the last of the midnight black gas from his lungs and body, willing the vision of his own private season in Hell to fade.
“What is it? What happened to him?” Trin was down on her knees beside him, her dark eyes filled with anxiety. She looked up at Lady Tam-tam. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Oh my dear, I should have warned you! The black gas is from a vein of nightmare vapor that rises up through this vent along with the dream gas.” Lady Tam-tam looked upset. “It causes horrid visions—bad dreams and memories we would much rather forget are brought to the surface.”
“They are?” Trin looked at him wide-eyed. “Then that…what I saw…”
“A bad dream.” Thrace straightened up, his eyes watering from the coughing fit. He swiped at them and got to his feet. “A really fucking bad one. That’s all.”
Trin didn’t look convinced but she turned back to Lady Tam-tam at once.
“I don’t think my love-slave is well, Lady Tam-tam. I think I’d better take him back to our suite and get him settled in bed.”
“Nonsense.” Lady Tam-tam frowned. “I told you, the effects are transitory. He should be better already.”
“I’m fine.” Thrace took a deep breath, careful not to inhale any bubbles as he did. “It was just…really vivid. That’s all.”
“That nightmare vapor is a problem,” Lady Tam-tam remarked. “I would have had that particular vein sealed off if I could but it runs too close to the love gas and I couldn’t risk losing that strain. It would never do—oh my, no!”
“I’d still like to get back to our suite soon.” Trin still seemed troubled and she kept shooting mistrustful looks at Lord X who was standing beside Lady Tam-tam with a disquieting little smile on his lips. “It’s been a very long day.”
“Of course, my dear,” Lady Tam-tam said soothingly. “But I insist on the two of you trying some of the scarlet gas before you go. You simply must—it’s the best kind.”
Thrace and Trin exchanged a glance. Clearly their hostess wasn’t going to let them leave before they did as she asked. If they tried to leave without trying the scarlet gas, they risked her extreme displeasure as well as losing the deal with Lady Malroth. And speaking of Lady Malroth, she and her body-slave were standing just on the other side of the tall silver fountain. Her sharp eyes were fixed in their direction and a sour looking frown was on her face. A bubble filled with pink dream gas drifted towards her and she batted it away impatiently.
“What does it do?” he asked, turning his attention back to Lady Tam-tam. “I’ll try it but I don’t want a repeat performance of the nightmare gas.”
“Oh no, my dear—it’s not like the nightmare vapor at all. Just try it—you’ll see—it’s lovely.”
Trin looked at him and held out a hand.
“Together?” she asked in a low voice.
“Well…all right.” Thrace took her hand reluctantly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hold hands with her, but he was afraid she might see something she shouldn’t. Still, he could understand her unwillingness to try the gas again alone.
“That’s the spirit!” Lady Tam-tam said enthusiastically. “Here come two good ones. Go on and try them!”
Two bubbles, one shaped like a rectangle and the other a sphere and both filled with scarlet smoke drifted towards them.
Thrace leaned forward and captured the sphere at the same time Trin sucked in the rectangle. The shapes popped on their lips and the scarlet gas swirled down their throats.
At once, Thrace felt a surge of what could only be described as lust—a lust as hot as fire—rush through him, tingling over his body like flames, igniting his senses and setting his nerves alight with desire. His shaft was suddenly rock hard, his need insurmountable.
And there was Trin, standing beside him wearing the revealing dress with see-through lace that barely covered her full breasts and the tiny triangular panties which couldn’t quite hide the plump lips of her pussy. Gods, he wanted her! His shaft was rock hard and aching to take her, aching to thrust deep into her sweet, warm depths and plant his seed so that she would be his, his forever…
He was already reaching for her before he was able to make himself stop.
Can’t do this—can’t have her, he reminded himself, struggling with the sudden haze of lust that clouded his mind. She doesn’t want me—doesn’t like males. She—
And then Trin was in his arms of her own volition. She reached for him and climbed him like a tree, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs around his waist as she pressed her mouth to his.
For a moment Thrace was stunned by her hungry kisses. Then he grabbed for her, filling his hands with her full, bare ass, drew her even closer, and kissed her back. Gods, she felt good against him! So soft and lush and feminine—so utterly perfect and right! And her scent—Gods, it was hotter than he’d ever smelled it! He fed on her mouth, kissing her deeply, sucking her tongue between his lips.
“Thrace…Thrace,” she moaned, breaking the kiss. “Goddess, I want…I need…”
“Know what you need, baby,” Th
race growled. She was hot against him, her body throbbing with the same fire that was consuming him. He wanted nothing more than to shove the black loincloth he wore aside and thrust inside her slippery depths.
Need to fill her, he thought, pulling her closer and reaching down with one hand to raise the cloth. Need to part that sweet pussy with my shaft and fill her all the way up, come inside her, make her mine. Need to bond her to me…
But suddenly Trin stopped writhing in his arms and held perfectly still.
“Thrace?” She sounded uncertain.
Thrace’s head began to clear as well.
“Trin? I mean, Mistress?” he muttered. Gods, what had he been going to do? Fuck her? Take her right here in front of everyone? Break her pride because of his need? Because of his own selfish urges to satisfy the lust that had suddenly overwhelmed him?
Not only that—you were going to bond her, whispered a little voice in his head. Bond her to you forever. Just forget the Havoc code and everything you’ve ever stood for and tie a female to you for life. What in the Seven Hells is wrong with you?
“Thrace?” Trin asked again, her voice unsteady. “What are we doing? I mean…” He was still holding her in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. Now she looked down and her eyes widened.
Thrace followed her gaze and saw how close they’d come to betraying themselves. The ridiculous black loincloth that was part of his slave outfit had gotten twisted to the side, leaving his shaft free. He was hard as a rock, standing at attention and Trin was pressed against him. The tiny turquoise panties she wore had also been pushed to the side and her full, swollen pussy lips were enveloping his hard shaft.
Thrace saw with some relief that he hadn’t actually entered her, but he wasn’t far from it either. The head of his cock emerged from the top of her slit and he was leaking precum which was running down to coat the inside of her tender, bare pussy.