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    Since my purpose was now on hold, I felt real fear. I wasn''t sure they would keep a ve that was


    not responsive; that seemed important to them. I followed Damien and tried to coax him back to


    bed. My terror wasn''t lost on him and he stroked my head as we waited for the Healers.


    "You will not stay ill, Ciara," he soothed. "We will care for you and you will be better. My brothers


    and I do not wish to worsen your mdy by forcing your use."


    I wasn''t sick; I knew that much. Without spilling Christof''s secret, there was no way to exin that. It


    wasn''t clear to me what they would do to fix a non existent illness. Wow, how I wished they had


    listened to me and just used oil. The healer''s advice was disgusting.


    At the next meal after my usual vitamin drink the first thing Master Bane offered me was a slimy


    green worm about six inches long. It wiggled in his fingers as he held it. I backed off of my kneeling


    ce and stared at it from the wall.


    "Master Evan, that''s not funny," I said addressing the most yful member of the group. If this was


    joke it had to be his idea.


    "Ciara," Master Damien chastised, "it''s not a joke. These are very good for humans. It will stop the


    illness and the weight loss. Kneel back down and take your sustenance."


    I continued to watch the thing move around and refused to move back to my ce. Out of habit I


    was shaking my head ''no''. At least they finally understood what I meant when I did that.


    "Ciara, if you do not kneel down and take your meal from my brother I will hold you down while he


    puts it into your mouth," Master Evan threatened.


    I continued to refuse and Master Evan had me around the waist before I could blink. Theyid me


    across the table and I screamed at them, in English I think. They did exactly what they threatened


    and it was positively the worst experience I have ever had.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    They force fed me the worms. Master Damien pried my jaws open as Master Evan and Master Kein


    held me down. Master Bane chewed the worm and then spit the chewed up remains into my mouth.


    They would hold my mouth closed until I swallowed. By the third worm I swore to them I would eat


    anything they wanted. Christof asked them to let me try again.


    Shaking head to toe I kneeled down and took three more of the disgusting worms. It was like eating


    blood mixed with rubber. Afterward Master Bane fed me the slime from the bowl they had been in. I


    gagged on it, but took it all. The salty ooze was also supposed to have healthful properties.


    After the worms I was asked to eat a little of the meal they were having. Fearing it would be


    delivered like the first two worms if I refused; I took all they gave me. Master Keinmented what


    an effective way to feed me that had been and I just red at the floor. I couldn''t stop the question


    from popping out in response.


    "Why can''t they at least be cooked?" I asked to no one in particr.


    "Who are you speaking to, ve?" Master Damien asked pleasantly.


    My eyes got wide as I realized my dual mistakes. I hadn''t addressed them as Master and I was


    asking too many questions.


    "I''m sorry, Master Damien. I was wondering why the worms can''t be cooked, Master Damien?"


    "The creatures lose the nutritional content when they are cooked. They must be eaten the way you


    just did. We will feed them to you frequently. I do not suggest you argue with us about this again,"


    he stated.


    "Yes, Master Damien," I answered him defeated.


    The next day the men were scheduled to leave for their coupling and I was a wreck. They took me


    downstairs and gave me to Fuji''s Masters. They would be my Keepers while my Masters were


    away. Master Damien quietly told me to behave for them. I heard the threat in his voice.


    Fuji was excited I was there with her. She said she had asked her Masters to get us a set of drums


    so I could y and she could dance for them. It was hard not to be happy spending time with such


    a perky person.


    We sat and talked quietly while her Masters got ready for their day. Amotion outside got


    everyone''s attention. Fuji''s Warriors opened the front door and asked a passing man what the


    problem was.


    The man said Christof had refused to go to the coupling again. The General had been alerted. I


    panicked and bolted out the door.


    I felt Fuji''s Warriors behind me and one of them grabbed me. I screamed bloody murder and fought


    him.


    "I have to talk to him!" I screamed at the man holding me. "He will die if he doesn''t go. Please,


    Keeper, let me speak to him."


    Shockingly the man dropped me and let me go. I felt him follow me, but he didn''t interfere.


    I ran as fast as I could up the stairs to our dwelling. There was a swell of Warriors outside the front


    door. I wove between them and dashed into our apartment. Master Damien, Master Evan, Master


    Bane, and Master Kein were standing in the main room looking frustrated. I could see Christof in the


    bedroom.


    Master Damien yelled at me to stop ande to him. I ignored him and rushed into the bedroom,


    pulling the leather door cover closed. Thest thing I saw was my Masters'' faces go from shocked


    to furious. I didn''t have long.


    "Christof," I panted, "you promised me. Don''t do this. We all need you. I need you. Think of me, you


    can get through this. Life is awful sometimes and you have to work through the bad parts to get to


    the good parts."


    "Ciara," he said looking a little stunned, "shouldn''t you be downstairs? How did you get up here?"


    "Doesn''t matter, I love you. Please just ept your life isn''t what you thought it was, but it''s still


    good. There are still things you need to live for. You won''t win or prove anything doing this-"


    I stopped talking when Master Damien''s enraged face appeared in the door way.


    The covering to the little room was thrown back and Master Damien stalked toward me. I


    remembered Andre and cringed. "It was worth it Master Damien," I heard myself say. "Some things


    are worth a beating."


    "I will not touch you, ve," he ground out, "the General will take ash to your back until we feel


    you have had enough," his face was indescribable it was so angry.


    "Not now, brother," Christof sighed from behind me, "we don''t want to bete for the coupling."


    Uncertainty flitted across Master Damien''s features. He hadn''t been expecting that. Christof strode


    out of the room and called to his brothers to hurry up. Master Damien stood watching me for several


    long moments. I didn''t back away, but I flinched when he reached for my arm. He passed me back


    to Fuji''s owners as we walked by them on the walkway.


    As we went downstairs I chanced a nce up and saw my Warriors talking with the General. I


    watched them finish their conversation and head out the wall of thepound. With all my staring I


    got the attention of more than a few Warriors and they started toward me. Fuji''s owners forced my


    head back down as they escorted me back to their apartments.


    The Keeperspound was subdued that day. Rose had seen the General administer oneshing


    and she didn''t want to talk about it. All the other ves looked at me with a mixture of shock and


    pity. Fuji paced around and prayed in her nativenguage.


    All their concern was nice, but it didn''t change anything. I would be beaten, probably within an inch


    of my life and Christof might still note back. When the lunch bell rang I was d for it. At least


    no one could talk about it for the next little while. I was wrong.


    Fuji''s Masters came to feed me and all the Warriors were talking about the morning excitement.


    Christof''s refusal to go and the reason for it, my strange behavior, and exactly what a beating from


    the General would entail. I had no appetite, so it didn''t really matter when they fed me the worms.


    "Eat up, ve," the Warrior feeding meughed, "you''ll need the strength to heal once the General


    is done with you."


    I started to retch a little and held it down. Getting sick wouldn''t make this any better.


    After lunch the Keepers took us to the beach. Straightaway, I went into the water and scooted


    through my secret hole. I spent the afternoon diving deep outside the inlet. If I was going to be


    lashed I doubted I would be enjoying the water anytime after that.


    When I went really deep I felt a strong current. I always managed to stay just above it. It was


    exciting and distracting to let it pull me a little. The fun almost made me forget the horror that was


    coming, almost.


    Fuji''s Warriors came and picked us up and transported us back to the Warrior''spound. They


    poked fun at me and made littlements; I didn''t let it bother me. There was a good reason to act


    like I had this morning. I''d take theshing if it meant that I got to keep my friend.


    We went to the bathhouse as a group, but I wasn''t asked to wash anyone. I just sat on the little


    steps by my Keepers and kept my head down. That didn''t mean I didn''t get attention.


    Groups of Warriors woulde over intermittently to inspect me. They didn''t touch me, thank


    goodness. They watched me and tried to get me to respond to them. Mostmented on my scene


    that morning.


    I was relieved when we finally left the bathhouse; perhaps my day was finally over. That was not to


    be. Fuji''s owners wanted to see her dance, she had promised them.


    The men had little drums in the apartment, like the ones I yed every day. Dutifully I yed the


    drums with a sensual, wild beat. Fuji moved her hips and swung her wispy hair every which way.


    Her owners looked like they were in heaven.


    It wasn''t surprising when one of them got up and threw her over his shoulder. I could see the


    erections grow as Fuji had danced. Sex was the obvious oue, but Fuji''s reaction was


    unexpected.


    My calm, demure friend screeched and fought the Warrior who held her. I''d never seen Fuji fight.


    She cursed him in theirnguage and said she wanted to finish her dance. My hands were stopped


    in mid air over my drums.


    Her ownersughed and started walking toward their bedroom. One of them pulled me to my feet


    and followed. I was too stunned to resist him. Therge man thrust me onto a kneeling ce inside


    the room and went to join his brothers on the bed.


    The men held Fuji down to the bed and she continued to scream. One man got between her legs


    and started to lick her feet and suck her toes. Two other men held her arms and yed their fingers


    across her cool skin. I didn''t want to watch my friend get raped by her men, but I knew I couldn''t


    stop them. In defeat, I dropped my eyes.