Jessa

Jessa stood at the window, watching the sun rise. She had pulled the voile curtain aside for the clearest view. When Torah awoke and saw her standing there, next to the bed, he was seeing her profile through the veil of the curtain. She had found a silk robe in the closet and it was loosely belted about her waist, falling to mid-thigh. Even with tangled hair from her sleep, she was so beautiful, in the early morning rays of the sun, and the softened outline from the voile, his breath caught. She heard and turned toward him, letting the curtain fall back into place.

"The door is locked," she said quietly.

He rose up on one elbow. "Yes." He offered no further explanation.

"I wanted to go for a run. I always run or swim in the morning."

"You shouldn't run alone. Give me some time to get ready and I will go with you."

She turned back to the window. He studied her for a moment, then climbed from the bed and stood behind her, pulling her against his chest and admiring the sunrise. "Where did you swim?" he asked.

At first, he thought she wasn't going to answer, as the silence stretched. But then she finally took a deep breath. "There was a lake near my parents' land. I would run or bike there then swim for a couple of hours."

"Then we shall have to find a lake around here for you," he said with a gentle squeeze.

"Do you have maps?" she asked.

"Of course. And tomorrow, we will drive into town and shop for clothes."

"You have a car?"

"Several. We have obligations and responsibilities to meet that require being able to travel freely."

"Oh," she said softly. There was a pause, then she followed with "You said you hadn't been home for a while."

"I was on Council business."

"Will you be gone a lot, then?" She tried to make it sound like idle curiosity. She could feel a change in the muscle tension of the arms he had wrapped around her, though. Too many questions, she scolded herself.

After a moment, he answered. "There is a council seat not far from here. I am called often, but the travel time is minimal. Do not be concerned." He pulled her away from the window. "Come get ready and we will go for a run." Jessa obediently headed into her closet to see if she could find appropriate clothing. She managed to find shorts and a loose top, as well as shoes that would work for running. When she emerged, Torah was in his closet dressing. Jessa went into the bathroom and brushed her hair, then looked for a tie to pull it into a ponytail. There was nothing in the bathroom or in the dressing table when she searched it.

"What are you looking for," Torah asked when he came out of his closet.

"I want to pull my hair back," she explained.

"I like it down," he commented, tugging on a strand of it.

She shook her head. "You don't have to run with it blowing in your face."

He laughed. "True that. Add it to your shopping list. Let's go so we can get back before the kids eat all the breakfast."

She watched as he pulled a key on a chain from about his neck to unlock the door. He must have donned it sometime during the night after locking them in. Once the door was unlocked, he put the key with its chain on a small table nearby, then held his hand out to her. She firmed up her subdued but cooperative persona and let him lead her out into the hall. "This town we're going to..."

"I'm sure it's like the ones you're used to. Small. Not much choice in anything, but most of the basics available. Whatever you want that you can't find, we can order in. It will just take longer."

As he led them down the staircase, she ventured another question. "What do you do on the council?"

"It's more like for the council. I'm only Tenth Circle. I serve at their pleasure."

"But what kinds of things?"

"A variety," he answered evasively. "It's not for you to worry about."

Once they had proceeded out to the back of the villa, Jessa began stretching. Torah spent most of the time watching her, savoring her long legs and the auburn hair that was indeed blowing freely about her face. When she had completed her stretches, she turned to him. "Which way?"

"If you don't mind running uphill, there are some great views."

She didn't bother to tell him that the only way to run back home was up or down hill. She was busy working on a scheme to make their little run into an exhausting workout. She started out slow and he fell into stride just behind her. She had a suspicion that he was watching her ass as she ran, but any distraction was a good distraction. As they climbed toward the massive windmills, Jessa slowly increased her speed, trying to gauge his level of fitness. He appeared to her to be the sort that might be fast over short distances, but not so much for stamina over the long haul. At any rate, he didn't seem to be having any difficulties with the pace she was setting or with the hill. When they reached the relative level of the hilltop, Torah pointed her in a westerly direction. She nodded and kicked her stride up another notch.

She was searching for a distant landmark and when they curved around a treed hilltop adjacent to the windmill hill, she found it; a rocky bare outcrop on a distant hill. The moment Torah called her name from just behind her, she shouted, "I'll race you to that outcrop! Come on!" She launched into her full out run, ignoring his calls which became angrier with each voicing. Then he was running all out, trying to catch her. She prayed she could keep ahead of him until her stamina won out over his strength. She knew she couldn't escape him. At some point there would be more of that fencing, and she didn't doubt his word about the electrification. She just wanted to convince her body that it wasn't a good time for baby-making. To do that, she was going to need to stay ahead of him for as long as possible; that and pray he didn't realize what she was hoping to do beyond the obvious foot race. She didn't even try to think about how she was going to maintain such physical exertions beyond this one opportunity.

Jessa reached the precipitous downhill slope of the windmill hill. She hadn't expected it to be quite so steep, but since childhood she had run hills like this. She flew down the slope and behind her, Torah's yelling was now frantic in nature. She didn't dare look back, but it also sounded closer, like he was catching up. Gravity was giving his greater mass an unfair hand in things. She could almost feel him reaching for her when she leapt over a gully between the two hills and started up the other side. "Jessa! Stop!" One last shout from him, way too close, then nothing. She hoped it was because he was becoming short of breath, wearing out. Not that she wasn't starting to breathe hard herself. She had meant to run all the way to the rock outcrop, but decided the ridge that marked to highest point of the hill might be a better, closer choice. If she could just reach that, before he reached her, she could declare herself winner of the race, like it was nothing more than a game.

Her foot slipped and she almost went down, she could see Torah reaching for her as she scrambled to get her feet going again. She spun to evade his reach, suddenly terrified by the anger flashing in his eyes. That fear carried her the last few feet to the ridge. "I win!" she cried out, trying to stick to the original plan, but then she was backing away as Torah leapt to the top of the ridge. He was shaking and she didn't know if it was from trying to catch his breath or in anger. "I win," she repeated. Torah took a deep breath, then covered the distance between them in two long strides. She took another step backward, but not nearly fast enough. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her down to her knees. "Torah, you're hurting me," she cried out.

He pulled her head back till her back was painfully arched. She had her hands laced in her hair, trying to ease the painful pull. He leaned over her. "Oh, I'm going to do a lot more than hurt you," he growled, his voice lower and more threatening than she'd heard it before.

"Torah, please, it was just for fun." She didn't have to fake the tears that were falling now.

"Do you think I'm stupid, cunt? Do you think I don't know what you are trying to do?" He used his grip in her hair to throw her face down on the ground. "Don't move," he snarled, then took several steps away from her, as if he was trying to get his anger under control. Jessa laid where she was; smelling the sweet grass, feeling the sun on her back, and wondering how her world had gone so suddenly dark.

Several minutes passed before he returned. "Get up," he snapped. Jessa started to climb to her feet, but before she was erect, his hand was twisted in her hair again, pulling her up the rest of the way. Without a word, he was pulling her toward a less steep juncture of the two hills. His hand was at the back of her neck, her hair twisted and pulled painfully tight. She stumbled to keep up with his long strides. She thought at first he was simply seeking an easier route back to the villa, but then he was circling about the windmill hill and following a well-worn trail. He didn't speak to her at all as they walked, but she could feel his seething anger. She knew beyond any doubt there would not be any more opportunity to try to prevent pregnancy by physical exertion.

Jessa realized she had underestimated Torah's intelligence and capacity for anger. How he could seem so tender with her when it suited him or when he wanted to reward her for compliance; playful with the twins; deferential to his family; and yet have such rage, perhaps even deadly in nature. He was unlike anybody she had ever met, but then he was Tenth Circle. Council. That was an abstract to her and to most Elites. She was totally in unknown territory, a place where she had never expected to be, a place where politics took precedent over anything having to do with love or caring or family.

They rounded a curve in the trail and entered a field, at the center of which was a stable. It was obvious that that was where Torah was taking her; where the horses had come from yesterday. He tightened his grip on her neck as if he expected her to try to run again, or fight him in some way. As they neared the end of the building, he switched his hold to her arm. One of the large double doors was slightly open, and he pulled it just wide enough for them to enter. Jessa saw three servants in the stables; two were grooming horses and one was cleaning a stall.

"Take an hour," Torah ordered, his anger still evident in his voice. The servants practically disappeared before her eyes. Torah pulled her to an area near the middle of the building before he let go of her. "Strip," he snapped, then glowered at her until she began to pull her top off. When he was satisfied that she was obeying he strode to a wall where tack was hanging. He selected a latigo rein and turned back to her. When she saw the leather he was running through his hands, she started to back away.

"Oh, by all means. Make it worse," he said with a cruel smile. "Perhaps you want to try another foot race?" He slapped the doubled rein against his hand.

Jessa shook her head and forced herself to stand still, though she was trembling. He almost seemed disappointed. He glanced up at a timber over her head, spotted an eye bolt and laced the rein through it. Then he turned to her with the cruel smile again. "Come here," he ordered.

"Torah, please. No," she whispered.

"Now!" he snapped. Somehow, she made her feet move.

"Please," she tried one more time. He stared in her eyes as he yanked one arm over her head and tied her wrist with the leather. He did the same with her other arm, still holding her eyes. The depth of the anger in his eyes terrified her. When she was stretched between beam and floor, he finally looked up to check the knots, then turned away to snatch up her top from the floor where she had dropped it. He twirled it between his hands into a band and wrapped it around her eyes.

Jessa heard him walk back to the tack area. When his steps came back again, she tensed and goose

bumps rose on her skin. Something slapped gently against her belly and trailed up over her breasts and against the side of her face. It felt like more leather straps, maybe five or six. She trembled, sensing what was coming. The straps dangled back and forth across her ass and she instinctively tried to pull away. The sensation disappeared only to be followed immediately by the sting of their lash across her back. She cried out despite her vow to remain silent. The straps lashed again against her ass, even harder. She tried to twist away, but then they fell on her belly and then across her breasts, each strike falling harder than the last. When she twisted again, the straps bit into her back and side, wrapping around and pulling at her. Each time she twisted, the rein that bound her wrists shortened and she was drawn higher and higher onto her toes, but the instinct to pull away from the lashing was too strong. The blows continued and she could feel drops of blood beginning to trickle. She was sobbing freely now and begging him to stop. He made no sound, save his heavy breathing. Another blow fell across her breasts and Jessa screamed.

As if that was a trigger, the blows ceased. Jessa was gasping for air between her sobs, teetering on her toes. She began to turn slowly, to untwist the strap that bound her. When her feet were flat on the floor again, they were suddenly kicked apart and the straps swung up hard between her legs, targeting her clit and pussy. She threw her head back and howled. Instantly, her legs were snatched up about Torah's waist and his cock was buried deep in her pussy, enflaming the sting of the lashes further. Torah's arms pinned her legs against his sides and his hands dug into her ass cheeks, furthering the sting of the lashes that had fallen there. He began slamming into her.

"Torah," she gasped, trying to get the words out. "If you tear me apart, I won't be able to bear your children." He didn't say anything, but his thrusts eased up slightly.

Just when she was beginning to think he would go on forever, he finally came. He pulled out almost immediately and suddenly her arms were free. She was falling backward, fully expecting to crash head first into the floor, but at the last minute, his hand was behind her head and his other hand caught her knee as her legs slid from his waist. He laid her on the cement floor of the stable and she rolled to her side trying to curl up into a ball but then his foot was pushing her onto her back. "Knees up. Lay still." His voice was hard and commanding, but it seemed like the angry edge had been burned out.

His steps moved away, and Jessa took a chance to remove her makeshift blindfold. Torah was replacing the reins that he had been using. She saw him glance at his watch, timing her no doubt, giving his sperm the best chances. She looked at her wrists where the remnants of the other rein were still tied. They had been cut clean through. So he carried a knife, useful information, she thought to herself. She began to work at the knots with fingers and teeth. Torah had moved to a stall and was fondling a horse, though he kept his eyes on her, ensuring compliance. After some twenty minutes, he moved toward her, picking up her clothes and tossing them to her. "Get dressed."

She sat up and sucked in a sharp breath. The cool cement had soothed her stinging back and ass slightly, but movement had obviously torn newly formed scabs. Her muscles ached from the all out run, her skin burned everywhere a strap had landed, her arms and shoulders throbbed from being suspended, and her womb and pussy hurt from the brutal assault. As she painfully drew her shirt over her head, she realized that come and blood were dribbling from her vagina onto the cement floor. It was all she could do to keep from sobbing again. Torah was watching her, his expression impassive. She drew her panties and shorts on, then pulled the shoes over feet that were possibly the only part of her that didn't hurt. Her bra, she picked up and threw back at Torah. "Here. Souvenir."

He caught it in midair. His expression didn't change, but when she tried to stand up, his hand was on her arm. She wasn't sure if that was for support, or control. But she also wasn't sure she would have made it without the help. She saw him glance at the small puddle of blood and come on the floor, but again, his expression didn't change and he was pulling her back toward the door of the stables. At least this time, he wasn't pulling her by her hair.

He led her along what appeared to be a bridle path among trees. The ground was mostly level, and as she moved, her muscles loosened up somewhat. Even the sting in her back and front side had eased a little bit, though she could feel blood seeping through her clothes, here and there. Torah had managed to strike her only where the marks would be covered by the shorts or top. But he couldn't cover the blood. The one pain that hadn't gone away was the deep ache in her belly. She couldn't help but wonder if Torah had done damage sufficient to end her possible pregnancy even as he had foiled her plan for physical exertion.

When they emerged from the trees, they were in the broad greenspace about the villa, crossing the neatly trimmed grass toward the back of the building. Torah's grip on her arm tightened and his stride lengthened. Once inside the atrium, he led her straight to the staircase. As she climbed her leg muscles cried out in protest. "Please, Torah. Slow down," she said softly.

"Should have thought of that when you..." he muttered, but was interrupted by the shouts of the twins as they burst out of a room and into the atrium. Mia was following them as a slower pace.

"Jessa, Jessa! Wait!"

"Not now, boys." Torah said. "Jessa's had a little... accident on our run this morning."

"Samu, Saula!" Mia called. "Come back, the program isn't done." She glanced up at Torah and Jessa with a frown. "Is everything okay?"

"Nothing a little TLC won't cure," Torah assured her.

Jessa wanted to laugh bitterly at the thought of Torah using the acronym for tender loving care. But when she glanced at him, he was giving her that dark, warning glare. He started climbing again, albeit slightly slower. When they reached their room, Torah opened the door and pulled her inside, then immediately picked up the key. He gave her a push. "Go take a shower." Then he was back out the door, and she heard him locking it. She sighed and went into the bathroom.

Disrobing was painful. The material of her clothes wanted to stick where blood had soaked through and dried. Raising her arms above her head was agony. When she finally had the clothes off, she examined the damage in the mirror. Numerous red welts crossed her back, front and sides, but relatively few had actually broken the skin. There was dirt from the stable floor and she had scraped a knee when she had fallen -- or been thrown down -- on the hillside. In general terms, she was a mess. Even her head was aching now and she badly wanted to have a good cry, but she didn't know when Torah would be back and she sure as hell wasn't going to give him a fine display of self-pity.

She stepped into the shower and the hot water shot out at her, reviving every stinging welt. Jessa gasped searching for a way to turn down the water pressure. She finally realized that the showerheads themselves could be adjusted to a gentler spray. After a moment, she took up the sponge and began gently dabbing at her abused flesh. It was the longest shower she had ever taken and still she didn't have a great deal of confidence that she had cleaned sufficiently to prevent infection. Her arms had hurt too much to shampoo her hair, or it would have been even longer.

Jessa stepped out of the shower and turned to the towel rack only to discover Torah standing there, waiting for her with a towel. She gasped in surprise and tried to take the towel from him, but he held it out of her reach, twirling a finger to sign that she should turn around. "Put your hair up," he commanded, reaching around her to open the drawer where she had found brushes and combs. She looked in the mirror and realized that he was standing there behind her, holding the towel up, with no intention of using it until she complied. His eyes were on the mirror, examining the welts that crisscrossed her belly and breasts, seemingly admiring his work.