“I despise the place. The smells… the sights and deafening moans… I don’t like any of it. We use the seed for nothing. I tend to stay away from the grounds entirely,” he said.
“In body and mind… yes, you do have an aversion to coming.”
“Now, you’re just taunting me.” He frowned.
She dragged her fingernail up his happy trail and stopped at his navel. “Again, I am sorry. You’re right. I am taunting you, but no more games. Lean back and enjoy this.”
Severin tilted his chin and closed his eyes. At once, he looked at peace with his plans and position in the world. He was a man who counted his cards regularly, carefully shuffling them when need be. As the minister of propaganda, he took pride in his winnings, even boastfully celebrated in front of the servants.
Ruby took every inch into her mouth and moaned like it was a piece of fresh apple pie. Her hand moved between his legs, carefully cradling his balls. At first, she was as gentle and sweet as a schoolgirl. However, after some time, she bobbed her head faster and faster. Intent on making him come, she gagged and twisted her tongue around the underside of his tight shaft.
As soon as she felt his head bob with pulsating might, she squeezed her palm around his balls and slid her lips free of him. Messy with saliva, she smiled and watched him gasp and lash back. She squeezed tighter and mocked him. “Uh-uh-uh.” She wagged her finger.
“Let go. You are hurting me,” he moaned.
“You visited that place,” she said. “I inquired for you yesterday. You were gone. What were you doing there?”
Weak. Powerless. Pathetic.
Severin held his hands up in surrender and gasped. “I went to check on the grounds’ conditions! Ask the specialist! Ask her.”
Ruby didn’t like this answer. She may have been used, but she wasn’t stupid. “Helen? Severin, my dear. Why do you keep lying to me? We are supposed to control this world together, but you are letting it crumble to dust.”
“I am doing everything that I can to secure the safety of this Republic!” he squealed.
Beyond the doorway to their room, clumpy footsteps echoed loudly, followed by the breaking of glass. Soon enough, she could hear the yelling of the guards. “Christ, what is it now?”
The door gust open, and Rae ran through their room with her flowing white robe gliding around her body. She was like a ghoul. The guards followed but fell to their knees as soon as they saw Severin with his member sagging in Ruby’s hands.
“Out!” he yelled. “Get the fuck out!”
“Ruby!” Rae cried and fell to the floor. “I saw them. I swear it. I saw their faces, their strong bodies… I could smell their scent. Oh, I miss them so much.”
Rae turned into a pile of sulking fabric and flesh. Ruby nearly rolled her eyes at the actress’s idiocy.
Ruby sighed. She looked up at Severin and smiled attractively. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“I’ll deal with the queen. You get some sleep.”
Ruby nudged her hips forward and pushed Severin against the windowsill, noting how loose the hinges were. “Stay put. You work too hard for an aging man like yourself. I’ll tend to the queen.”
Severin ground his teeth. “Very well,” he muttered. “I’ll be in my quarters, drafting the queen’s speech. If you need me to clarify, do visit.”
Severin shut the door to their quarters, and both women sighed with relief. Ruby wiped her chin and coughed awkwardly. “He has a way with words. I’ll have to read over his script before you address the people.”
Rae wiped her eyes. Suddenly, she seemed calm and even offered a friendly smile. Her blackbird sat on the desk near the bed. Pointing, she stood and walked over to it. “You had it stuffed for me,” she said.
Ruby walked behind her sister and rubbed her back. She did not recoil or jump. Instead, Rae turned and hugged her twin tightly. She even kissed her plump cheek. “I know we’ve had our differences, but things can be good between us. I don’t want to lie to you anymore,” she said. “So, take this. It is your first trophy, and you should feel excited to boast. Go on. Take it.”
Rae took the bird in her hands. The body, stiff with rigor mortis, had been manipulated to spread its wings in a triumphant pose. Its beak was open as if it were screaming high and mighty toward the heavens. A look of pride formed on her face, but it quickly faded. It was an easy kill. Pathetic and tragic. If the bird was, as she thought, a reflection of herself, it must have made her ponder if others saw her in the same way.
“Thank you, sister,” she said. “You’re the first one to give me something here.”
Ruby smiled and sat back against the wall, breathing easier. Her mind went back toward her meeting with Severin, but it no longer felt like a heavy and uncomfortable conversation. Severin acted as a strong man when he held the cards of the Republic so neatly stacked between his palms. However, he failed to realize one massive fact: Ruby could change the game at a moment’s notice. She wrote the rules, not him. And, if she wanted it, she could have the queen on her side.
“Tell me what you saw outside your window,” Ruby said.
Rae closed her mouth and held the bird closer to her breast. She was unsure of herself, but Ruby knew how to get the truth out of her. She placed her palm underneath Rae’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes, concerned. “It’s okay,” she said. “You can tell me. Your secret is safe with me.”