Protecting His Mistress (Kindred Tales)

“Well, it doesn’t appear to be a problem since you’re not pregnant,” Priss sneered. “Honestly, Lilliana, when are you ever going to get with the times?”

“I don’t care if it’s in fashion to have a, uh, quick-grow baby,” Lilli said, lifting her chin. “I don’t want to do it—I’m not ready and I don’t think you are either,” she added, looking at Priss.

The other girl’s eyes flashed.

“What do you know about me or anything at all, for that matter? You were raised in that backwards convent where they don’t even let you dress right—let alone do anything else that’s in fashion!” She made a sweet, simpering face at Lilli. “Actually, I feel sorry for you, Lilliana—honestly I do. You’re just so hopelessly out of sync with the rest of society—you’ll probably end up like old Mistress Hownow who actually raised a bodyslave as her heir because she always wanted a ‘son.’ Can you imagine?”

She laughed nastily and the other girls did too. Lilli said nothing because she had no idea what Priss was talking about. She wished heartily that Karn would come back so she didn’t feel so alone. At least she could talk to the big Kindred. Having a nice conversation with the spoiled brats at this table was impossible—especially the awful Priss.

“So she raised him as her heir?” Yulla asked Priss, frowning in apparent confusion.

“Yes—she did! And he was a Kindred too, just like your new bodyslave,” Priss turned to Lilli again. “You know, she wanted to leave him all her wealth and set him free? Luckily her niece, Lady Bittlebum, put an end to that nonsense. She contested the will and sold the old lady’s bodyslave at a ‘troubled slave’ auction because he wouldn’t behave.”

“Why didn’t she just send him to the mines?” Beelie asked, frowning.

Priss sniffed.

“Probably because Mistress Bittlebum is such a penny-pincher she can’t afford to toss a slave without trying to make a profit on him. Why, my mother says she doesn’t even own her own building downtown! But you’ll never guess what happened next, girls…” She leaned forward excitedly.

“What?” Bodie and Beelie and Yulla all asked together.

“Why he killed his new Mistress!” Priss whispered. “Yes, I know—isn’t it dreadful?” She shook her head and looked at Lilli. “And that’s why you have to constantly stay on top of your bodyslaves and never let them get the upper hand. Males are violent and unpredictable and if you give them an inch, they’ll take a parsec!”

“That’s what our mother always says too.” Bodie and Beelie were both nodding.

Just at that moment and much to her relief, Karn reappeared at Lilli’s side.

“Here you are, Mistress,” he rumbled, setting a chilled golden cup with beads of condensation on the outside in front of her. “Frosted li’ta juice. I hope you enjoy it.”

Lilli saw at once what he was doing because H’rare was sitting an identical cup in front of Priss. Clearly if she took a drink and approved the juice, Priss would have a more difficult time refusing it.

Quickly, she picked up the glass and took a sip.

“Mmm, delicious! Thank you, Karn,” she said, smiling up at the big Kindred.

Priss frowned at her.

“You’re awfully trusting, Lilliana. What if that was poisoned?” she demanded.

“Poisoned? Oh, Karn would never—” Lilli began.

“How do you know? You told me yourself you just got him,” Priss waved a large, gaudy ring with a clear stone over the cup H’rare had put before her. The clear jewel beeped and turned green and she nodded and took a sip. “Very good, H’rare—you may get down and kiss my feet,” she said to her bodyslave.

H’rare at once dropped to the floor and began kissing her bare toes which were exposed by her thin, strappy sandals.

“There—that’s how you do it. Never trust anything your bodyslave gives you unless you poison-check it first,” Priss lectured.

“My Mistress has no fear that I will harm her because I have given her my oath only to serve and pleasure her,” Karn growled. “Also, I am a Kindred and we do not harm females.”

“Oh my Goddess!” Priss put a hand to her bony chest and looked up at Karn as though she couldn’t believe he had dared to open his mouth. “Lilliana, do something!” she demanded.

“Do what?” Lilli looked at her in confusion.

“Your bodyslave just spoke to me as though he was my equal,” Priss exclaimed. “He looked me in the eyes and everything! You can’t allow such behavior!”

“Karn was only explaining why I don’t have to worry about him hurting me,” Lilli said defensively. “Kindred are different from other bodyslaves. They never harm women.”

“Right,” Priss snorted. “Have you not been hearing a word I was saying? That bodyslave of Mistress Hownow’s was a Kindred and that didn’t stop him from ripping off his new Mistress’s head, now did it?” She sniffed. “Anyway, at least he’s in jail now. And scheduled for execution.” She pointed a finger at Lilliana. “Mark my words—it starts with letting a bodyslave speak to you like an equal and ends with a bellyful of poison or some other horrible violence. You have to keep on top of them all the time.”