Jessa

Jessa sat up in bed as Torah was dressing. She couldn't tell by his demeanor what kind of mood he was in. "Torah, may I go for a run today?" she asked softly.

"No," he replied, but then added, "Maybe later. I'll see." He looked over at her. "Get dressed. I will have a servant bring you breakfast. I'll be back later."

"Okay," she said, trying to sound cooperative. "Would it be okay if I start my programs again? Now that I have the laptop? I suspended them when I went to Summer's End."

He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. "At least it will keep you out of trouble. I will send the network password with the servant."

"Thank you, Torah."

She stood and kissed him chastely on the cheek. He looked down at her for a moment then yanked her against him and twisted his hand in her hair, devouring her with an intense, if brief, kiss. "Be like this when I get back," he ordered, and she wasn't sure if he meant compliant or naked.

Jessa picked out running clothes, then went into the bathroom to shower. When she emerged a while later, the servant had already delivered some fruit and warm muffins for breakfast. She devoured them and found a scrap of paper with what must have been the network password penciled on it. After some debate, she stripped naked again, then settled cross-legged on the mattress to fire up her new computer and see if she could restart her programs. Torah found her like that several hours later. He eyed her impassively, but them strode across the room and looked down at her screen.

"Were you able to restart your programs?" he asked.

"I did the Astrophysics and Advanced Molecular Biology," she answered. "I decided to wait on the Chaos Theory."

"Why?" he asked, taking off his pants.

"Um, because my life is kind of chaotic enough right now."

She watched surreptitiously as he walked into his closet. A moment later he came back out in sweat pants and sat in a chair to don running shoes. "Put your clothes on," he said gesturing to the running suit she had folded neatly and left on the end of the bed.

She jumped off the bed in excitement. "Really?"

"A short jog," he said sternly, and she nodded in agreement.

A short time later, they were running along the access road toward the property gate. Torah was keeping close to her, obviously to be able to grab her if she took it in her head to race against him again, but she was setting a slow, loping pace, as much as the straight flat surface begged her to run all out for the sheer joy of it. She glanced over at him. "Torah?"

"What?" he acknowledged, and while he wasn't exactly in his Nice Torah persona, he wasn't scowling at her either.

"Why do you have a gun?" He didn't look at her or answer, and she could see his jaw set, but she had never been very good at reining in her curiosity. "Is it for what you do for the council?"

He glanced at her. "I think you should restart your Chaos Theory course. Maybe it will fill your mind with useful questions."

She snorted, "Chaos Theory? Useful?" But then she bit her lip. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never seen a gun before. In real life."

"Obviously," he said dryly.

"Everything here is so different, and I don't know if it's because of the Circles, or because of you," she glanced over at him again, but he was looking straight ahead, his jaw set. "I guess what I'm trying to say is if it's this hard for me to find my way in your world, it's going to be hard for other Elites you bring in for their genes. Maybe you should consider an orientation program?" She smiled tentatively at him and after a moment, while he didn't exactly smile, a corner of his mouth twisted up wryly.

They didn't talk again, until after they had reached the gate, turned back and rounded the curve to where the access road provided an almost straight shot back to the villa. Jessa looked over at Torah, trying to gauge his tolerance level. He glanced at her and asked, "What now?" in exasperation.

"I'll race you back to the house," she offered. "I'll even let you win." She was careful not to alter her pace without permission.

He glared at her, but then suddenly he was running all out, and Jessa laughed and broke into her full stride, savoring the feel. It always made her feel like she was almost flying, skimming just above the ground. But this time, as she caught up to Torah, she slowed just enough to stay at his heels. The twins and some of the other children that had been playing on the expansive lawns stopped to watch. Saula and Samu started cheering Jessa on and she had to hide a smile. But she made very sure that Torah reached the steps to the front door first. She wasn't sure but she suspected he could have run faster had he needed to. And it was a sure bet he knew she had held back. So much duplicity in this new world, she thought to herself.

****

Jessa was sitting naked, cross-legged on the bed after the evening meal. She was reviewing what she had already studied of the Molecular Biology program. It seemed like a lifetime had passed between then and now. Torah was sitting in a chair with a book in one hand and his cell phone in another. He seemed to be giving them equal attention, though the scowls seemed mostly directed at the cell phone. There was a knock on the door, then "He's here, sir," from a voice Jessa didn't recognize. Torah stood, laying the book down.

"Wait here. Don't move. I will be right back." Jessa stared after him, wondering what new surprise was coming. When they had returned from dinner, he had reminded her to strip, then told her to go into the bathroom and put her hair up. After that, he had said nothing to her until now. But neither had he seemed angry or upset, save with whatever he was reading on his phone.

A few moments later, Torah reentered the room. Erich was right behind him. Instinctively, Jessa reached for the robe at the foot of the bed, blushing bright crimson as Erich let out a low whistle. "Don't move!" Torah hissed at her. Jessa put her hands at her sides and looked down at her lap, wishing she could melt into the mattress.

Torah crossed the room and lightly slapped Jessa's pussy. "This is mine," he explained to Erich. He reached up and grabbed Jessa's chin, raising her head. "Hands and knees." She blushed even redder, avoiding Erich's eyes as she rolled to her knees and planted her hands on the mattress. Torah, slapped her ass hard, so that she yelped and lurched forward. "And this is yours," he said to Erich.

"Oh, damn, Torah. It's even more perfect than I imagined," she heard Erich say, then hands were running across her cheeks, stopping to massage them occasionally; softer, smoother hands than Torah's. Jessa was sure she was going to die of embarrassment. Torah's hand was gripping her chin again, twisting her head around toward him. Jessa wondered vaguely why he had her put her hair up. He would have much preferred pulling her hair than her chin. He leaned down toward her.

"Erich is going to stay with you while I'm gone. He has instructions to use and abuse your ass as he sees fit if you are disobedient or even just annoying, which is most of the time. Like when you won't stop asking questions," he added pointedly. He let go of her chin, and strode across the room. She could feel Erich's thumbs sliding slowly down the crease of her ass. It took all her willpower not to pull away as he gently spread her cheeks.

"Broken in, you say?" he asked Torah.

"Yeah, but damn tight. Just don't tear anything."

"Tear perfection! Never."

"Jessa," Torah called her. "Come." He had pulled a chair away from the wall and was standing by it impatiently. She was only too glad to scramble away from Erich's probing thumbs. She sat as Torah indicated, and watched through lowered lashes as Erich sauntered toward them pulling a box from his pocket. He held the box out to Torah and circled to the back of the chair. Torah opened the box and tossed the lid aside. Jessa could hear Erich sliding another chair up behind hers, then she jumped as she felt his fingers brushing against the nape of her neck.

"Shit," Torah swore softly. "Diamonds? Really?"

"This goddess deserves to wear diamonds," Erich said from behind her and she could feel his breath on her neck.

"Sure. On my credit."

"Hey, she's not my goddess," Erich pointed out, then added softly, right next to her ear, "Except for the next few days."

Torah took something out of the box. It looked like jewelry to Jessa, but of a bluish silver metal she couldn't recognize. As Torah shook it out, she saw a solid square of metal, perhaps an inch on a side and a quarter inch thick, inset with a seemingly random pattern of diamond chips. Chain pairs dangled from each side of the square, and every inch or so, there was a short connecting chain between the pairs that bore a larger diamond in the center of the connection. At the end of each chain pair, there was a rectangular bar of solid metal with three holes on the long side, across from where the chains connected. Torah held it up by the bars for her to see.

"This contains a tracker. Embedded in the ridiculously expensive center," he said with a glare at Erich, "is a transponder that will tell us where you are at any given moment and where you've been. The choker is made of metal that requires special tools to cut, so don't even bother trying to get it off."

"I prefer the term collar," Erich added helpfully.

Jessa looked up at Torah. "Please, no," she said softly, but when she saw his eyes darken and narrow, she immediately looked down and said, "I'm sorry."

Torah stepped away a moment to pick up a small bag Erich had dropped by the door. He handed it to Erich, then knelt next to the chair and draped the choker about her neck holding it in place as Erich fiddled with the two bars at the ends. After a few moments, Erich said, "How does that seem?" and she could feel Torah testing the tightness. She sensed, rather than saw him nod at Erich, then something was slipped between the choker and the back of her neck. Abruptly, Torah was straddling her lap, pinning her into the chair. He had one hand about her throat and his other hand at the back of her head, pinning the top of her head against his chest. Jessa instinctively reached up, trying to pull his hand away from her throat as Erich said, "This is gonna hurt like a son of a bitch." Torah's hand tightened about her throat, and she felt a searing, electrical jolt shoot from the back of her neck and along various pathways through her body. She would have screamed, but Torah's grip on her throat was too tight to draw air. A second later, there was another jolt, then another.

Torah's hand was instantly gone from her throat as the third jolt died away and she drew a sobbing breath. She could see him, through tear-filled eyes, shaking his hand. Some of the current must have gone through him, too. Then he was pulling her against his chest as Erich put something soothing on the burning ache at the back of her neck. "Good girl," Torah whispered to her and she sobbed quietly, her tears dampening his shirt.

****

Jessa awoke the next morning, sore and stiff. She remembered Torah carrying her to the bed, putting her laptop away for her. And she remembered him coming to bed some time later, with an ice pack for her neck, but he was gone now, and the room was bathed in silence. She crawled from the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. When she looked into the mirror, her fingers went to the choker fastened at her neck. It felt so tight, and she seldom wore jewelry of any kind, certainly not with diamonds, so it seemed totally out of place; wrong in so many ways. She looked closer at the square center, hanging from the chains, as the very slight give allowed. The diamond chips sparkled in the bright lights of the bathroom and she suddenly realized that they formed the outline of a Tenth Circle crest.

Jessa backed away from the mirror and into the downpour of the shower. She turned her face up to the water and stood, letting it crash down on her. She wanted to scream and cry and hit someone. It took a long time for the cleansing water to wash those overwhelming emotions from her. When she finally emerged from the shower, she noticed the ointment Torah had used the other day and she worked some underneath the chains into the burn at her neck. It felt better almost instantly, though the rub of the metal was a constant irritant. She tried to see the connection that Erich had made between the parts. They appeared to be squarish loops from one solid rectangle to the other, which he had apparently sealed with the electrical current she had felt. As Torah had indicated, she couldn't find anything resembling a weak link or metal soft enough to bend, let alone break without sufficient tools. She finished drying, donned a robe and headed out into the bedroom running a brush through her hair.

She jumped to find Erich waiting there for her. He smiled at her surprise. "I came by to see if you would accompany me to breakfast," he said, even as his eyes traveled up her bare legs.

"I... They usually send something up," she explained.

"Nonsense. I haven't seen the family in over a year. Let's go down to eat."

"Um, just let me get dressed," she said, ducking into her closet. She quickly threw on a linen outfit consisting of a tunic and loose pants, finished brushing her hair and slipped sandals on. When she emerged, Erich was waiting for her, gazing out one of the large windows. He turned and smiled at her, holding out his hand. She took it nervously, and he pulled her close.

"I am not your adversary, Jessa. And I do not believe you are Torah's. We all just find ourselves in difficult positions which we navigate as best we can. Now come. Let us see if Torah's kitchen staff are as good as always."

When they reached the dining room, it was in chaos with children everywhere and Mia only half-heartedly trying to keep order. Horach and Bona were deep in conversation at one end of the room. Shonah was not there, which probably explained the adults' indulgence of the children being children. When Erich entered the dining room, he was mobbed by Mia's older children. The twins and younger kids were more stand-offish, which was reasonable if it had been over a year since he had been to the villa. Mia hugged him warmly though and reintroduced the children. In short order, Erich had them all fawning over him. Apparently he was as irresistible to children as to women. When things had calmed down somewhat, he took Torah's seat next to Jessa and proceeded to load her plate with more food after tut-tuting over what she had served for herself. Horach and Bona had cut off their conversation when Jessa and Erich arrived, but they proceeded to pump Erich for information and gossip about Dusseldorf. From what Jessa could tell, it wasn't much different than what Torah had told them two nights ago.

When breakfast was over and the children were off to program work, Erich walked her back upstairs to her room. "Do you want to go for a run?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know if I'm up to it. Someone electrocuted me last night." Her words dripped sarcasm, and as soon as she said it, she regretted it, but Erich only laughed.

"I figured that might be the only chance I would have to keep up with you. Torah says you're very fast."

She shrugged. "Over distance. I'm not a sprinter. And I do better cross country, especially uphill."

"Good to know." He sank into one of the chairs. "What would you like to do, Jessa? Today, I am at your service." She shook her head, biting her lip. "Then let me ask it this way. What would you be doing if you were home right now?"

"I would have gone for a swim if it was warm enough, or a run. Then had breakfast, then done..." she had gestured toward the laptop and suddenly realized it might not be a good idea to tell Erich that she was still doing programs. He had seen her gesture, though, and guessed.

"Programs?" She nodded, sinking down on the edge of the bed. "Then what?" he prompted.

"Maybe handball, tennis, volleyball with friends. Or with my nieces and nephews."

"Did you spend a lot of time with your nieces and nephews?"

She screwed up her nose. "I got sucked into babysitting a lot for the oldest ones, until they got old enough to take care of the younger ones. I'd much rather play with all of them on my terms than on their parents'."

"So what do you think this for today? You work on your programs until Saula and Samu finish their programs, then we take them for a ride."

A ride? On those horses?"

"Sure. It'll be fun."

Jessa was dubious, but she was as determined to appease Erich as she had been with Torah, and if that was what it took, she figured she could handle it.

****

That evening, Jessa wasn't sure which was more painful; being spanked by Torah, or saddle sore from galloping around, sharing a saddle with a squirming five year old, but she was definitely sure of which was more fun. She had started out with Samu, but of course the twins insisted on switching at one point. By the time dinner was over, she was more than ready to retire to some tedious reading on Molecular Biology. But then, Erich followed her into the bedroom.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked softly.

He cocked an eyebrow. "No. Do you want to do something wrong?"

She tried to control her overwhelming desire to wring her hands. "I'm trying to behave."

"Good." He stepped closer to her, and without thinking, she backed away until she felt the bed behind her knees. He smiled disarmingly. "I just want to talk. Maybe help you understand some things that Torah hasn't made clear."

She sank down on the edge of the bed. "Okay," she agreed tentatively.

He sat down next to her, so close their thighs were touching. Jessa resisted the urge to jump up, but she noticed with dismay she was wringing her hands again. She laced her fingers tightly together, which only looked even more stressed. Erich leaned back on the arm that rested against hers, giving her just a little more space, but enabling him to turn slightly toward her. "Jessa, I'm not trying to trick you or trap you," he said softly, reaching across to lay his hand over hers in her lap.

"Okay," she said again, though she had a hard time believing him since he had just trapped her hands with his.

Erich studied her for a moment, like he was puzzled by a woman who seemed immune to his charms. "You seem nervous," he commented.

Her eyes dropped to her lap and she noticed that his thumb was resting lightly on her wrist, right over the pulse point. "I just don't want you to... You know..."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Jessa. But I know you're scared and you're confused. I might be able to help."

"How?" she asked.

"By being your friend." His hand tightened slightly over her hands.

She shook her head. "I don't need a friend. I need answers."

"Jessa," he said sternly. "Your insatiable curiosity has caused Torah a great deal of grief. That's what I need to make you understand. Asking the wrong people the wrong questions can cause a whole world of hurt for the people that care about you."

"You mean Torah?" she asked, confused by his riddles.

"People that care about you," he repeated.

"Torah doesn't care about me," she scoffed. "He beat me, he raped me, he threatens me at every turn. The only people that care about me are my... family," she ended on a whisper.

Erich jumped into the pause. "If you have questions, Jessa, you need to ask Torah, or his family, or his team members, like me."

"Then tell me who Torah's enemies are. Tell me what he does for the Council. Tell me why he is so angry," she blurted out.

"I can't tell you that," he said, reaching to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"How can anybody help me if no one will answer my questions?" she asked, pulling away from him forcefully. She dashed into the bathroom and swung the door closed, leaning against it. There was silence for a few minutes, then he knocked on the door.