A Love So Deep: Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Ellerie claps her hands to interrupt our little giggling fit.  “Alright!  Enough silly business.”  She titters.  “We have work to do.”

I look at her and tilt my head curiously.

“Breakfast and then Mistress wishes to see you.”  A pang of dread shoots through me at this news.  Why did the Mistress want to see me?  Had I done something wrong?  Was I too loud last night?  Oblivious to my trepidation Ellerie continues.  “And then we’re going to start working on teaching you to talk.  Come on.”  She takes my hand in one of her tentacles and tugs me toward the door.  I follow along.

I am taken back into the common dining area to see Kelrak hunched over the kitchen counter hard at work.

“The others are gone already.”  Ellerie says as she leads me to the same spot I ate the night before.  “It’s just us and Mistress in right now.  I have a couple of errands to do but Kelrak will look after ya while I’m gone.”  Without meaning to I squeeze her tentacle a bit harder at hearing she would be leaving me alone.  She chuckles and pats my hand.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t be too long.  Just eat up and then head in to see Mistress, the protections are down.  I’ll find you again when I’m done.”

“Alright Ellerie.”  With a hesitant nod I let her limb slip from my hand.

She pops her lips a few times and blows a raspberry in a goofy attempt to mimic my sounds before she laughs and smooches my hand.  “See you soon!”  In that zippy way she moved she is over at the door to the Clutch offices then quickly disappears through with a chipper.  “Byeeee!”

Slowly I turn my gaze to the strange and disfigured Kelrak.  Perhaps sensing he was being watched his eye stalk turns to look behind him, I quickly look down at the table feeling it was rude to stare.  Then, a moment later, I remember the kind and subservient man that I had met the day before that inhabited that spiny, scarred jade colored shell.  How many times had I turned around to see that quick averting of eyes by those who looked at me as a freak?  That didn’t feel nice.  That didn’t feel nice at all.  Feeling a little ashamed of myself I look back to him and give a wave.

“Good morning Kelrak.”  I say, though I knew he couldn’t understand me.

The eye stalk staying still, eye locked on me, the rest of him scuttles around to face me.  In his little hands he holds a sealed bowl with a thick straw sticking out at an upward angle from the bottom.  With a great thrust of his rear legs he glides across the room to land as light as a sparrow beside me.  He offers me the bowl.  “For you.”  His creepy voice echoes.  “It will give you strength.”

With both hands I take it from him with a nod of appreciation.  “Thank you.”

I find the contents of the bowl to be surprisingly heavy.  Kelrak watches expectantly as I bring the straw to my lips.  I give it a suck and then again harder as the viscous goo slowly pulls up the straw.  Like a smoothie, but with chunky bits and far more slimy, the stuff tasted incredibly sour.  Not in a bad way per se, more in a biting into a lemon sort of way.  The intense tang certainly woke the senses.  Once he was sure I was satisfied with my breakfast Kelrak bows and scurries back to the kitchen area to begin tidying up.

I nurse my tart meal occasionally glancing up toward the Mistress’ door.  What would I be walking into there?  Mistress Nwyne had been an experience of contrasts.  On the one hand she had nearly killed me, she would have had Haali not stayed her tentacle, and she had point-blankly threatened to kill me if I strayed from the conditions of my imprisonment even slightly.  Yet this same woman had also decided to keep me here more as a guest than a caged prisoner and had insisted that her people treat me with respect.  I was quite aware that had it been up to Zuko and Stheera I would be either dead or in a dark cage right now.  She was a woman who commanded authority and wielded it firmly yet a woman who could laugh and dance and have patience with an impudent Ellerie.  I did know what dark business the Mistress and her family was mixed up in but I saw the genuine loyalty and love that she had fostered among them.  I was…envious.  The fact she was so incredibly attractive, her dangerous nature only adding to it, also complicated my feelings.  I blush a bit thinking about the moan that had escaped me when she had squeezed me that one time.

I finish my smoothie, finding it to be very filling, and bring the bowl to Kelrak who snatches it from my hands to start cleaning it.  Perhaps sensing I was about to dally he says.  “The Mistress waits.” 

I nod and glance to her door nervously.

“You are not alone.”  He says as he cleans.

“Yeah, you told me that yesterday.”  I mutter, more to myself than to him.  “Alright.  Well…wish me luck Kel.”  I wait a few more moments, gathering my courage, and his eye swivels over to me curiously.  With a jittery grin I say.  “Never mind.”

I launch off of the floor and swim my way up to the big door that lead into her study.  With some difficulty I am eventually able to open it, despite its size it swung smoothly on its hinges.  I enter the hallway and close the door behind me.  Glancing around at the walls and ceiling I cannot help but be curious about the defenses Ellerie had told me about.  Except for the light orb this area between the two doors was otherwise featureless.  Could the orb turn into a trap?  Did the walls close in?  In this realm of magic I suppose anything was possible.

Looking around the empty hallway and pondering the nature of the security system was me stalling and I knew it.  I rub my hands on my thighs.  They would be clammy if such a thing was possible down here.  Straightening my dress and trying to smooth back my hair I take a few deep breaths.  “She isn’t going to hurt you Mireya.”  I whisper to myself as I very slowly tread closer with just my arms.  “I didn’t do anything wrong.  I followed all the rules.  She’s not going to hurt you.”

My heart drumming in my ears I reach out with a hesitant hand and knock very lightly, so lightly it barely made a noise.  I try to settle my nerves as I reach out again to try again, but a strong commanding voice startles me.

“Enter human.”  Nanea says from within.

She’d heard that knock!?  Damn she’s got good hearing.  Though in a world normally filled with near silence even the slightest noise would likely draw attention.  Not wanting to keep her waiting I hurry on through…and in hurrying my tight skirt ends up sliding right up onto my hips!  With my cock flopping free and my ass hanging out the back I simultaneously try to close the door behind me while also pulling the hem down and blathering apologies all at once.

Turning her head Mistress Nwyne watches me with a sort of stoic curiosity, giving nothing away to her mood or what she was thinking.  From what I could tell she was not amused but neither was she offended.  Reminding myself that flashing one’s genitals around here wasn’t the faux pas that it was where I came from I force myself to calm down and start again.  Drifting down the floor I straighten myself up, take another deep breath, and then look up at her standing at her desk.

Oh no…she’s hot!

She wore a very revealing outfit of what was essentially a series of tight dark gray leather straps placed around her body in such a way that somehow both concealed and revealed at the same time.  The largest was the snug bandeau around her chest which held her large breasts up and together to form an impressive cleavage.  There were two bands below this, one at the top of her abs and the other at belly-button level.  Three similar straps, lined up with the ones on her torso, encircled both of her muscular arms.  Tantalizing gaps of her rich burgundy skin peeked out from between the matte gray leather.  Not only was she in an outfit any dominatrix would be proud of she had on bold makeup that accentuated what was already a powerfully gorgeous face.  Her lips were crimson, matching her hair and tentacles, and a luscious purple was applied around her yellow hourglass eyes.  Across her forehead, around her eyes, down each cheek toward her chin was a black pattern reminiscent of Polynesian tattoos I’d seen.  Even her jewelry was different.  Gone was the coral and softer colors and in their place the harsh glean of steel studs and chains.  The breezy lilac outfit from yesterday looked casual by comparison.

Already stunned by her attire I am also struck once more by her sheer size and palpable power.  It was easy to forget how damn big and imposing she was when you weren’t in the same room as her.  I felt like a little bitty bug beneath that bright gaze of hers.  

I try not to look over at the table where she’d nearly ended me yesterday and swallow the lump in my throat as I take halting steps toward her, each step an act of will.  ‘You didn’t do anything wrong.  You followed the rules.  She just wants to talk.’  I assure myself with each slow step.  ‘Everything is okay.’

The Mistress narrows her eyes and says in a crisp sharp tone.  “I knew you were going to be trouble human.”

Chapter 21