Twisted: Brides of the Kindred 23 Read online

  “Um…lock him up,” she said, hoping it was the right choice. “And um, feed him on bread and water,” she added. She got an uncomfortable feeling when she saw Malik frown and shake his head.

  “For trying to violate you when you were telling him no, all you wish is a stay in the dungeons? A normal punishment for such a crime would be gelding at the very least,” he exclaimed. “It is not my place to say, Mistress, but I don’t understand why you’re so lenient on this bastard.” He shook Ugger again and the other man spat on the floor and glared up at him.

  “You’re just jealous, Kindred! Because the Mistress lets me play rough with her and makes you watch. Admit it—you hate it when she lets other males eat her pussy and only gives you the rod.”

  “Shut your mouth,” Malik growled, his silver eyes glowing with anger. “Or I swear to the Goddess, I will end your miserable existence here and now!”

  “No killing!” Nikki said quickly. “We can talk about, uh, gelding later. Just…just take him to the dungeons for now.” Speaking of which, she hoped Mistress Hellenix had a dungeon in the first place—but it didn’t seem like too far of a stretch, considering the kind of woman she was.

  “Very well.” Malik tapped a button on the wall and called for two security slaves to come. They arrived at once and he handed Ugger over to them. “The Mistress wishes this slave to be locked in the dungeon and fed short rations for a time. Take him quickly.”

  “Yes, Malik.” They saluted him and then bowed low to Nikki before dragging off the protesting slave.

  As soon as they were gone, Malik turned back to her, his face like a thundercloud.

  “I always said you were too lenient with him and allowed him too much freedom with your body, Mistress,” he growled. “And now look what has come of it! Ugger has committed what ought to be a flogging or gelding offense and your response is simply to lock him away for a time. Why do you treat him with such leniency? Is it simply to torment me? I know you like to allow some males to take liberties with you but I don’t understand this decision!”

  Nikki didn’t know what to say. Apparently Ugger had “taken liberties” with Mistress Hellenix before and the alien dominatrix had allowed it. But why?

  Maybe to make Malik jealous? whispered a little voice in her head. Ugger did say that she made him watch.

  “I…I’m just not in a flogging or, uh, gelding mood today,” she said, trying to sound offhand and slightly irritated like the real Mistress Hellenix might in this situation. “But thank you for rescuing me,” she added sincerely. “Really, if you hadn’t come along when you did, Malik, I don’t…don’t know what might have happened.”

  She shivered at the thought. Having the greasy Ugger between her thighs had been completely different from when Malik had bent to pay her his obeisance. The big Kindred’s touch sent shivers of desire down her spine—Ugger’s completely disgusted her.

  “You are most welcome, Mistress.” His tone softened somewhat although there was a puzzled, almost angry look in his silver eyes. “But I worry what might happen when word gets out that you aren’t requiring slaves to pay you obeisance and you gave Ugger such a light punishment. You maintain a delicate balance between fear and defiance in this house, as you have often said yourself.”

  He looked so serious that she couldn’t help being worried. But at least he had stopped shooting the miniature lightning bolts out of his eyes and fingers, Nikki noticed.

  “I’m sorry if you don’t approve of my methods but I am the Mistress here, Malik,” she said, trying to make her voice as firm as possible and sound like the real Mistress Hellenix. “Which means I will do things the way I see fit.”

  “Yes, Mistress—of course you will. You always do,” he rumbled, bowing his head.

  “Thank you. Now let’s finish this inspection,” she said, getting out of the padded bench-bed with some difficulty, since it kept rotating. She couldn’t feel relaxed here anymore—not since the crazy attack. She just hoped Mistress Hellenix didn’t have any other sex-starved, crotch-diving lunatics running around her mansion!

  “Yes, Mistress. As you wish,” Malik growled and led the way out of the relaxation grotto.

  Chapter Seven

  What could his Mistress be thinking? Malik couldn’t understand her today at all! First, she refused to allow the slaves to make obeisance to her—which was usually one of her favorite activities and the whole point of the inspection. Then, she allowed that miscreant Ugger to get away with assaulting her with no more than a tap on the wrist! And now she was acting as if nothing had happened.

  None of this boded well for her, as he well knew. If the rank and file slaves—almost all of whom hated her passionately for her cruel treatment of them—started to get the idea that their Mistress was going soft, a rebellion wouldn’t be far behind.

  Malik had seen such things happen at other Yonnite Mistress’s domiciles but he had never expected to have to worry about it here. Mistress Hellenix was usually so stern that if a slave even breathed wrong, she had him up on the punishment cross or tied to the whipping post in a heartbeat. But now she seemed completely different.

  It wasn’t just her attitude about obeisance and punishment that had changed, either. She seemed surprised at things in her own home. Things that she had previously taken for granted or even been bored by—such as the living jewel ceiling in the relaxation grotto—now delighted and impressed her. Previously she had been extremely difficult to please—now she seemed thrilled just to be in her own mansion. How could that be?

  Maybe she really did hit her head and it truly changed her personality, Malik thought, watching her as they walked down to the end of the hall to the slide room to conclude the tour. He had heard of such things happening before, though he had always taken such stories with a grain of salt. How could a simple knock on the head produce such extreme results?

  He didn’t know and there was nothing he could do at the moment but just keep watching to see how else his Mistress had changed.

  They walked into the slide room, which held the end of the vast glass tubing that ran the length of the entire upstairs hallway. There were a set of steps which led up to the mouth of the tube and an attendant standing by. He dropped to his knees respectfully when Mistress Hellenix came in and started to crawl towards her but Malik stopped him.

  “The Mistress is not receiving obeisance at this time, L’rn,” he told the slave.

  “She isn’t?” The slave looked up, an expression of confusion on his face. “Then is my Lady here to take a slide into the dreaming pool?” he asked, looking at their Mistress.

  Mistress Hellenix’s face broke into a sunny smile Malik had never seen before. It made her haughty features positively beautiful, so much so that he had to look away. He was conflicted enough in his feelings for her—hating her personality and desiring her body. He didn’t need to start having feelings that were other than physical for his cruel Mistress.

  “Oh—like a waterslide!” she exclaimed, looking up at the tube. Then she must have seen Malik frowning because she made a visible effort to straighten her features and said, “Um, maybe later when I have my suit on.”

  “Your suit, Mistress?” L’rn, the attendant, looked confused. As well he might since Mistress Hellenix never wore any kind of suit to swim in. She preferred to be naked, saying that it allowed the healing waters of the dreaming pool to better penetrate her pores. It also allowed her to flaunt herself to the male slaves—something she loved since she was an avowed exhibitionist.

  “Yes—you know, a bathing suit?” she asked now, frowning. “I mean, the, uh, outfit I wear when I go swimming. You know what I mean.”

  “No, he doesn’t Mistress since you prefer to swim in the nude,” Malik said flatly.

  “I do?” She looked surprised. “I mean, of course I do,” she added, clearly trying to sound self-assured—which was something the old Mistress Hellenix never had to work at a bit. She was the very definition of arrogant self-certainty. Why had she chan