He came out from beneath the table, a frown on his face.
“That was a fucking interesting First Meal,” he remarked.
“I thought so too,” Lucy told him. “Er, you didn’t have to keep on licking me, you know,” she pointed out. “I mean, nobody could see you.”
His eyes flashed.
“I love to lick you and worship your pussy—you should know that by now, Lucille.”
“Oh. Of course. I mean, er, thank you…” She felt her cheeks getting hot and hastened to change the subject. “So it seems like we still have a shot to get thedimriel.Maybe after we attend her ceremony, Mistress Shin’dara will agree to make a deal.”
“Maybe…” T’zaren sounded doubtful.
“What? Why are you looking like that?” Lucy asked uncertainly.
“Because I know more about Twainers than you do and their Dark Face is always devious,” he explained.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Lucy said, offering him a pastry—notone of the bug guts kind. “Why do the guards stay? I mean, she’s so abusive and awful to them. Why don’t they leave and run away from her? Or, I don’t know…rise up against her or something? Why do they just stay here andtakeit? Is it because they hope that Lady Twa’linda might pop back up at any moment?”
“That’s part of it, no doubt,” T’zaren said, taking a bite of his pastry. He looked at it and nodded in approval. “Not bad.”
“Have some of the drink—it’s like coffee and cinnamon and some other spices I can’t name.” Lucy poured him a cup and he took a drink. “So you think there’s some other reason they stay?” she asked.
T’zaren nodded.
“They stay because Twainers are dangerous. Often they have a third form—a deadly one that is not even remotely humanoid. It would be useless to try to run from or fight such a creature.”
“They have a third form?” Lucy looked at him with wide eyes. “I didn’t know that!”
“You’ve never dealt with Twainers before—I have.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling.
The motion caught Lucy’s eye and she saw the scratch-marks her nails had made on his flesh.
“I, uh, hope I didn’t hurt you, there,” she murmured, pointing to the marks. “I didn’t mean to. Just…when you were, er, paying obeisance to me it was kind ofintense.”
“You mean when I was worshipping your soft little pussy with my tongue?” His golden eyes were suddenly half-lidded and his voice had dropped to a lustful growl.
“Well…yes.” Lucy felt herself blushing again, her cheeks getting hot at his direct words. “Like I said, I’m sorry I scratched you and…er, pulled your hair.”
T’zaren looked at her intently.
“It was my pleasure to bear pain for you, myS’rentha,”he said softly. “I would rather have pain from you than pleasure from anyone else.”
“Oh…” Lucy took a hasty gulp of her cinnamon drink, trying to steady her nerves and think what to say next. “I’ll still try to be more careful in the future,” she offered at last.
T’zaren shook his head.
“You might not be able to. Who knows what Mistress Shin’dara will require from us in order to make the deal for thedimriel?”
Lucy frowned stubbornly.
“I don’t care what she says, I’mnotgoing to hurt you! Not going to treat you like she treats those poor guards!”
“I’d rather bear a little pain and humiliation than come back to the Mother Ship empty-handed,” T’zaren said simply.
“But the way she treats them! Making them kiss her boots and thank her for punishing them!” Lucy protested. “What if she asked me to do something awful like that to you, T’zaren?”
He looked her in the eyes.