Masser

The following week was torturous. Adrianne's words rang in Nadine's ears, mocking and harsh.

You chose mercy. A move borne of restraint and submission. A move that cost you your chance to taste true power, as well as your chance to come again this week.

They twisted in her stomach like a blade, taunting her as she fought to keep control, lust filling her thoughts and driving her to distraction.

Nature saw fit to torture her, too; her menses struck the day before she was due to return to the Sanctum. She should have remembered. Masser was bright and blood-red in the sky, waxing gibbous, while Secunda echoed in ethereal opalescent tones. Ordinarily Nadine would have found the sight beautiful, but that evening they just served as a reminder of her own cruel fate. She sulkily sipped her wine and resigned herself to an uneventful, frustrating week. She kept herself busy by accepting as many odd jobs as she could, and enlisting the help of Marcurio, Riften's local spellsword. The latter was less than helpful - he was a fatal mix of incredibly handsome and unbearably arrogant, and by the time they parted ways the following Turdas Nadine didn't know if she wanted to fuck him or kill him.

Thankfully, her flow had subsided by the time next Fredas arrived, and she returned to the Sanctum with a new sense of purpose. She felt galvanised, ready to take on new challenges. This time, she wouldn't let her soft side get the better of her. The door opened with a thunk, the familiar scent of firewood and mead and leather rushing to meet her. It felt good to be home.

"Evening, Nadine," Ulfberth called from where he knelt, stoking the fire in the hearth. "The others are in the usual place."

Nadine thought about how she'd slotted into this new life so quickly. It all seemed like second nature to her now: the pendant around her neck, the journey to the meadery every Fredas, the routine and ritual of it all. Strangely, it was the one constant in her otherwise chaotic and ungrounded life, and she hadn't realised how much she'd needed it until it was there.

"Hello, Miss Nadine!" Gwilin turned toward the door of the bathhouse as Nadine entered, smiling warmly.

"Just Nadine, Gwilin," Ysolda corrected, running her fingers through his copper locks as she pulled them into a ponytail. "She isn't your Mistress, so she's just Nadine."

"Oh!" Gwilin's nose wrinkled, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Okay. Hello, Nadine. Have you been keeping well? We missed you last week."

Nadine smiled, disrobing. "I missed you all too. Glad to be back." She peeled off her stockings and smallclothes hurriedly, folding them into a haphazard heap. "Had an interesting week while I was away. And by interesting I mean bloody unbearable."

"Oh yeah," Ingun said, dunking her head underwater before surfacing. "Heard you met Marcurio."

Nadine met Ingun's knowing smirk with a raised brow as she descended into the tub. "Gods, did I meet him. You know him?"

"Darling, everyone in Riften knows him." Ingun's eyes twinkled. She leaned into Nadine, a conspiratorial look on her face. "Don't you think he'd be quite the get for the Sanctum?"

"What, like a more smug, arrogant version of Brynjolf?"

Ingun laughed, the sound surprisingly melodic and light. "I was thinking more like the petulant brat who needs to be taught a lesson." She considered for a minute, giving Nadine a wry smile. "Like you when you first arrived. No offense."

Nadine frowned, rankling at the accusation. "I wasn't a brat."

"Okay, maybe not a brat." Ingun's expression was uncharacteristically soft as she considered Nadine, swishing her fingers idly through the water. "You were more... fiery. Spoke with purpose. Nervous, but still held yourself as if you belonged." Her green eyes pierced Nadine's. "I can see why Vex calls you princess."

Nadine's face burned with embarrassment. She looked down, pretending she hadn't noticed the grin on Ingun's face as the other woman climbed out of the bath, rivulets of water running down her pale legs. She sauntered over, leaning towards Nadine. "I see a lot of myself in you, you know," she whispered, her breath hot against Nadine's skin, cold water dripping from her hair. "Nothing wrong with being headstrong, sweet Nadine. There's strength in submission too, isn't there?"

Nadine barely managed to choke out an agreement before Ingun trailed her fingers across Nadine's shoulder and padded away, hips swaying.

Hurriedly, Nadine finished readying herself for the evening ahead, her blood rushing red-hot through her veins. She tried her best to suppress a shudder of lust when Ulfberth collared her, his strong hands fastening the supple leather tight.

Whoever lays claim to me this evening won't have much trouble making me unravel completely,

she thought ruefully.

Throughout dinner, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Adrianne, Ulfberth and Nazir fucking in the homestead as she watched guiltily. Admitting her discovery to Brynjolf, his cock straining in his trousers as he made her recount each lewd detail. The sting and thud of hands and floggers and paddles against her arse, her castigators making her beg for more. Drevis making her squirm and scream on the evening of her initiation to an awestruck crowd, her desire on display for all to see. Giraud's lessons, Ysolda's tongue, Vex's retribution, Gwilin's corruptible innocence. What was next?

"Nadine!" Ulfberth barked, shaking her from her reverie. "You got potatoes in your ears, girl? Line up, now."

"At once, Sir," Nadine responded, her tone a little more heated and sneering than she'd intended. By the look on Ulfberth's face, this had not gone unnoticed, but to her surprise, he said nothing.

Let's not worry about that right now.

The submissives took the wall as their Masters and Mistresses approached, gazes appraising. Nadine swallowed. This part was still nerve-wracking.

"Gwilin and Ysolda, with Giraud and Brynjolf. Ingun, you're with Vex and Astrid this evening."

Vex

and

Astrid? Someone had been misbehaving.

"Nadine?" Ulfberth looked to her, a wicked glint in his ice-blue eyes. "You'll be spending this evening with Aela."

Nadine shivered. Never had she felt so much like she was being hunted as she did in that moment. Aela's gaze never faltered, her grey-blue eyes pinning Nadine to the spot like an arrow. Wild, barely-tamed copper locks flowed over her strong shoulders, and embossed silver bands adorned her toned, muscular arms. Everything about her dictated strong and capable warrior, and fearsome hunter. It both terrified and intrigued Nadine.

"Yes, Sir." She stepped forward, readying herself for the evening ahead.

***

Both women stood in the furthest corner of the Sanctum arena, nestled between Ingun's alchemy table and the cage. Candlelight shone through its bars, casting a shadow across the stone floor. Across the vast space, Nadine could hear Vex's voice, sharp and clear, followed by Ingun's more subdued one. Aela paced around Nadine, sizing her up. Nadine did her best to hold her head high, refusing to shrink or submit too readily.

I refuse to be the sweet, delicate flower they think I am.

"Enjoy your two weeks of abstention, whelp?"

Nadine glowered before catching herself. She might have been impulsive, but she wasn't a fool. There was no correct response to this.

"Answer me," Aela pressed. Apparently, she disagreed. Nadine could feel the heat rise in her chest, wild and blazing like magefire.

"Oh, it was

wonderful,

" she muttered. "What could be better than washing blood stains out of your smallclothes and then not getting to come for two weeks?"

"Watch your tone," Aela warned, a glint in her eye.

Nadine couldn't stop herself. "Or what,

Miss?

"

Aela grabbed Nadine's jaw, steel-blue eyes piercing into her own with unbridled fury. "Or you'll find out just how much punishment a Companion can deliver, lamb. Somehow I doubt you can take it."

Nadine knew she was flirting with danger, but the draw was too much. She met Aela's stare with a sneer, running her finger across the strong contours of her jaw and neck. "You think so? Well, Miss Aela... I think this big bad wolf is all bark and no bite." Her fingers lingered on Aela's lips, the penultimate syllable ringing out in the silence. Aela's jaw clenched, her expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief. Nervousness bubbled in the pit of Nadine's stomach. She attempted to push it down, hoping to appear confident.

"I can smell your fear," Aela murmured, her breath hot against Nadine's fingertips. "Go on though, keep pretending to be brave. I like my prey with a little fight."

Aela released Nadine from her grip, panting slightly as she pushed her back. The pair paced around each other, their gazes never faltering. Aela bore down, and Nadine stood steadfast, skin pricking with fear and desire as she made each step deliberately, dancing a dangerous dance.

"Go on then, huntress," Nadine whispered, her lips barely touching Aela's. "Make the first move."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Aela grabbed her arms, spinning her around and pinning her in place in one fluid motion. Nadine squirmed, unable to free herself from Aela's vice grip, strong fingers digging uncomfortably into her flesh.

"Still content to fight back, whelp?"

Nadine writhed and snarled in response, grinding back against Aela. She kicked her legs. Aela's own leg pinned hers in place, wrapping around tightly and trapping her against the huntress' hard frame. Nadine thrashed in her grip, but felt the futility of her actions set in as her attempts at escape proved fruitless.

Gods, how is she only holding me with one hand?

Her struggling settled. Smooth, braided rope cinched around her wrists, binding them in place.

"Try wriggling your way out of this. I dare you."

Nadine's hands clenched and twitched. She may not be able to escape through strength, but destruction magicka would surely make short work of the rope. Aela noticed her movements, grasping Nadine by the collar and pulling her back against her.

"Don't even think about it. Not unless you want to go another month without coming."

Nadine fought the fire burning in her bones. More malleable now, she let herself be bound further. Aela let the remainder of the rope fall to the floor, pacing to face Nadine.

"Are you ready to behave?"

Nadine swallowed. "Yes, Miss."

"I don't think you are, whelp," Aela said darkly, walking towards the display rack. She picked up a flogger, its tails studded with small stones. "But you will be."

The sound of Aela's feet against the stone floor cut through the silence, closer and closer, until she was once again out of Nadine's sight. Nadine clenched her fists tight, willing herself to not give in to the cold, metallic fear that ran down her spine like a blade.

She didn't have time to process the cruel snap the flogger made before it connected with her arse, each pebble scoring her tender flesh. She cried out like a wounded animal.

"Sorry yet?"

Nadine panted, pain pulsing through her body. Her expression shifted from anguish to defiance. "Not even close."

Two more strikes whipped across her backside, the stinging impact of the stones even more cruel than the crack of the supple leather. Separately they hurt; together they were a special brand of brutal. Nadine yelped, her arse and her cunt aching in equal measure.

"How about now?" Aela growled, winding her fist in Nadine's hair. Nadine whimpered, shaking her head in response. Three more blows rained down, and she cried out in guttural tones, straining against her bindings. The pain was intense, the heat searing. Still, it only served to further her arousal. Aela paced around, staring Nadine down. "Ready to yield, little mage?"

Nadine looked her straight in the eye, her gaze never faltering.

Fucking make me. I dare you.

"I can take plenty more, huntress."

Aela's hand gripped her, yanking her around unceremoniously and laying four more stripes across her tender, punished backside. Her knees buckled, nearly giving way, her breaths ragged and raw. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she fought to retain her last shreds of control.

"I can see you breaking, sweet lamb..."

"Fuck you," Nadine snarled. Before the last syllable had left her mouth, she knew she'd made a grave mistake. The five consecutive cracks of the flogger that followed were near-unbearable, pain pulsing through every fibre of her being. On the final blow, she crumbled, falling to her knees like a house of cards as Aela caught her.

"I'm sorry, Miss," she gasped, her body shaking. "I yield."

Aela bore down on her, heat and muscle and hunger. "Say it again, whelp."

"I'm sorry! Please Miss, I beg your forgiveness," Nadine whimpered, aching to the bone. She clung to her, head resting under Aela's chin as she continued to tremble, barely holding herself up.

She sighed as Aela's lips touched hers - softly at first, tongue ghosting against them, then firmer, rougher, probing and nibbling like she aimed to devour. Nadine responded in kind, her tongue seeking Aela's as she moaned into her mouth. Every move she made caused Aela to up the ante, somewhere between a kiss and a competition.

Oh, and the huntress has no idea just how competitive I am...

"Still some fight left in you, hmm?" Aela murmured, nibbling along Nadine's ear as her hand wandered across her breast.

"Fuck - sorry, Miss." She trembled as Aela moved downwards, suckling and biting on the pale flesh of her neck. Her fingernails scraped down Nadine's sides, making her yelp out in anguished desire.

"Just in case you forget," Aela growled, her voice razor-sharp in Nadine's ear. "You're mine. And I'm going to leave you with marks to prove it." Nadine let out a low whine, the burning need between her legs almost unbearable. "But first, I want to hear you say it."

"Please," Nadine whimpered, helpless. "Make me yours."

Aela obliged, taking Nadine's bottom lip between her teeth as her fingernails raked down her back, primal and merciless. Her other hand worked its way between Nadine's legs, fingers pressing into her, stroking deep.

Nadine's knees dug against the stone floor, every inch of her aching and shivering with intense need as Aela worked her over. Their kiss was a call and response: teeth grazing lips, tongues entwining, their moans echoing against each other like ocean waves. Nadine could barely breathe, her own release painfully imminent.

"Please, Miss," she stuttered, desperate. "I need - I can't..."

Aela's fingers withdrew, her grip tightening around Nadine's hips. "You want this so badly, don't you?" Her voice was mead-sweet. "Come here."

She pulled Nadine on top of her, coaxing her to straddle Aela's bare thigh. Her nose brushed Nadine's cheek as she leaned into her ear, her whispers like fingernails tracing across her skin.

"Work yourself like the bitch in heat you are."

Nadine responded almost instantly, body ablaze as she ground shamelessly against Aela's leg, seeking out her mouth once more. She needed the warm, familiar anchor of Aela's lips almost as much as she needed release. Their tongues entwined as Nadine moaned, rutting against her with unabashed desperation. Her world narrowed to warmth and wetness, their hunger feeding one another as the pressure built within her. It hit her like a warhammer when it came, crushing and violent and agonisingly wonderful. She broke the kiss, howling into Aela's neck as she came against her leg, two weeks of pent-up frustration drenching her thigh. She gasped - for air, for sanity, for

anything

, aftershocks wracking her like an apocalypse.

Nadine's world shifted slowly back into focus as she felt Aela's touch; her fingers combing through her hair, her nails gently scratching her scalp. Nadine nuzzled into Aela's copper locks, breathing in the scent of her - leather and lavender and forge-steel and fresh-baked bread.

"You've left quite the mess, you know," Aela commented, tilting Nadine's chin up to face her. "Have to do something about that."

Nadine hummed with glee as she dismounted Aela, prostrating herself before her. Greedily, she lapped up her own excitement, the taste of her wetness mingling with Aela's sweat. The combination was unspeakably exhilarating. Her hunger grew, and she slowly worked her way upwards, tongue tracing Aela's inner thigh, not knowing or caring if she had permission. Aela's grip tightened in her hair, gentle caresses morphing into rough tugs. "Is this what you want, naughty little whelp?" She pressed close, her hand firm on the back of Nadine's neck, and Nadine whimpered against her, her lips barely touching the fine, dewy hairs of Aela's sex. "Go on, then. Get to work."

Instinctively, Nadine sought to curl her arms around Aela's thighs, but they were still bound behind her. She whined but complied, intent on devouring Aela's cunt as if it were her last meal.

Aela's hand tightened in Nadine's hair until she howled, her face pushed further into the huntress' cunt. She was clearly determined to use Nadine as she saw fit, grinding against her as she chased her own pleasure, her prey's desperate tongue-laps and sucks only serving to spur her on. "Don't you dare stop, whelp," she panted, her stuttered breaths and low moans betraying her own closeness.

Nadine couldn't stop if she wanted to. Her tongue rolled against the flesh of Aela's sex, the heat and taste of it the only thing she could possibly need. Aela's thighs tightened around Nadine's head as her orgasm flooded Nadine's tongue, and she lapped up every last drop, feeling the huntress shake and twitch and roll against her.

Finally, Nadine's head was let free as Aela slumped back, a thin sheen of sweat coating her skin. Nadine squirmed after her - in that moment, she couldn't bear to be apart from her Mistress. Their breath was the only noise piercing the silence for a long time. Nadine's head rested against Aela's stomach, both bodies moving and breathing in unison before Aela shifted, retrieving her dagger from her sheath and slicing Nadine's binds with one clean stroke.

"You might want to move your arms a bit," she said. "Get the blood flowing in the right direction."

Nadine smiled. She gazed at Aela, blissful and giddy and completely, utterly smitten. "That almost sounded like concern, Miss."

"Well, you never know when I'll decide to tie you up again, whelp." Aela raised her eyebrows, challenging, but her grey eyes had softened, rain clouds instead of thunderheads. Nadine stretched her arms, rolling her wrists and wiggling her fingers until the blood rushed through them once more. The unspoken question hung heavy between them.

What next?

She was free, yet she couldn't find it in herself to pull away. Therein was the beauty in Aela's method, she thought; trapping her with cunning rather than strength. She reached over, tentatively brushing Aela's copper hair from her face.

"Where do you want me, Miss?"

In response, Aela gripped Nadine's wrists and rolled them over, pinning her to the floor. Nadine lay trapped, the strength and unyielding heat of Aela above her, the cold hardness of the stone beneath her - completely at the mercy of her Mistress.

"Gods, you're strong," she whispered, wide-eyed and awestruck. Aela smiled, rolling her hips against Nadine's as she leaned in.

"Maybe you can take me, little firesprite," she murmured, nipping at Nadine's throat. "I'd love to watch you try."

Nadine grinned, arching her back. "Oh, it's a fight you're after?" She caught Aela's bottom lip between her teeth, smile widening as she heard the huntress moan. "Maybe I want to be caught this time."

Aela ducked her head, taking Nadine's nipple between her teeth, and Nadine's smile dissolved into a moan. "Somehow I doubt that." Her breath was hot against the flesh of Nadine's breasts. "I think if I got you worked up enough, you'd fight tooth and nail to get what you wanted. Am I right?" Her mouth clamped onto Nadine's other nipple, teasing and suckling as Nadine writhed under her.