Taming Two Warriors (Kindred Tales)

“Well, that’s good at least,” Vorn said gruffly. “But that still doesn’t answer the question—what in the world do they want them for?”

Liosh shook his head.

“I think we’ll just have to go down and find out ourselves.”

“Agreed.” Vorn sighed. “Let’s go—I’m going to land us in stealth mode and we’ll get in and out with the girls as fast as possible.”

“From your mouth to the Goddess’ ear,” Liosh murmured. “Come on, Brother—let’s go.”

Forty-Two

Jodi’s legs shook as she climbed the stairs to the tall stage she was going to be killed on.

Not just killed—bled to death, whispered an ominous little voice in her head. They’re going to whip you until you bleed out, Jodi. How’s that for a fun way to end your life?

Shut up, she told the little voice fiercely. I don’t want to think about it.

But of course, it was all she could think about. That and the fact that she had left Melli behind her, weeping in a cage made of metal bars where she was apparently going to be forced to watch the spectacle.

Jodi had begged that her little sister be spared the sight of her death but the Varian female—who, it turned out, was their High Priestess of Fertility—said sternly,

“Your sister had been spared the Sacrifice of Blood, which you willingly took upon yourself, but she must witness your death in order that she may bring the word back to your people. They must not be allowed to think that they can steal from the Varian people with impunity.”

So Melli had been locked in a cage at the back of the vast auditorium while Jodi was being marched up the stairs to the tall, round stage in the middle. Her little sister had clung to Jodi and cried at the end so pitifully that Jodi had found she couldn’t help crying herself. At last, though, she had unwound her sister’s arms from around her neck and let the guards take her to her fate.

After all, there was no point delaying the inevitable.

Already the vast auditorium was filling with Varians—both male and female. Most of them seemed to be dressed in ritual costumes of red and white for the females and red and green for the males. They looked strangely Christmassy to Jodi as they thronged around the stage.

They were a surprisingly silent crowd and she didn’t hear much of their hissing language. They seemed to be waiting for something.

Which is probably for you to be whipped so they can translate your pain energy into erotic energy and start getting it on, the helpful little voice in Jodi’s head pointed out.

Gee, thanks, little voice—just what she needed to hear.

At last Jodi and her guards reached the top of the extremely tall stage. She estimated she was at least fifty feet above the milling crowd below—her only hope was that she was so far up that Melli wouldn’t be able to see her being tortured. The stage itself was circular and about twenty feet in circumference, so at least she didn’t have to fear falling off.

Not that it looked like she was going to get to move from the middle of the stage, Jodi thought as the guards nudged her towards the center.

Hanging from the ceiling, was a long, heavy chain that looked like it would be strong enough to support a truly massive chandelier. Instead, there was a large hook attached to its end, which dangled about three feet above Jodi’s head.

“Here,” one of the guards hissed and lifted her hands, which were bound in front of her with rope, to hook them over the curving hook. This stretched Jodi’s arms high above her head, making her feel utterly vulnerable.

“It wasss conssiderate of you to dresss in the color of breeding,” the other guard remarked to her.

Jodi looked down at herself. She was still wearing the outfit she’d had on to greet James—a nice black pencil skirt and a red button-down silk shirt which was now stretched taut over her breasts. She had on thigh-high hose under the skirt and black heels completed the outfit.

He must mean the red shirt she had when he referred to “the color of breeding” since all the female Varians were also wearing red. They also had their tails unwrapped, Jodi noticed distractedly. Was that a sex thing here? Was wearing a naked tale like baring your breasts or pussy for an Earth female?

Whatever the case, she was at least glad that the Varian guards didn’t strip her. She was standing here, feeling horribly vulnerable and afraid and about to be whipped to death, but at least she wasn’t naked in front of all these people.

She had often had fantasies of being paraded nearly-nude by her Master through a crowd, but those were sexual desires and despite what the Varians seemed to think about Blood and Lust being interchangeable, there was nothing even remotely arousing about the situation she found herself in now.