Dominion

Trigger Warning:

This chapter is one of the darkest in this story. It contains a bit of light torture. It is one of two scenes in particular that made me choose Non-Consent as the original genre, before I decided the overall story belonged in the Fantasy section. So don't say I did not warn you.

Chapter 12

"Save her! You have to!"

"But you'll die!"

"I don't care!"

Nora screamed and clutched the mattress, straining to push the foreign object from her body. A massive form stood overhead, directing light through her abdomen as she shrieked once more. Light drowned the room, the faint drone of voices fading out beneath the ringing in her ears. Nora looked around with bleary eyes, but could only make out two indistinct figures that cast eerie shadows as they towered over her writhing body.

A small creature settled into Nora's arms, and she sighed in relief. It was over. She could finally sleep.

"She's beautiful."

"Stay with me Nora! You better not die on me, dammit!"

Blue hair and eyes adorned the tiny infant she held. Nora smiled down at the child as the room erupted in blue flames.

"I love you."

Nora woke in a cold sweat, reaching subconsciously for the key hidden inside her pillow case. She kept it there while she slept, and held it on her person otherwise. Not that she moved much lately. The receding pain was still too much, leaving her exhausted most of the time. The last three days she slept more than she was even awake, the soreness of her body and the dim reality of her future giving her little reason to do anything but. If she stayed, she would be subjected to more of Serenad's twisted games. But if she left, she would never see home again.

Then again, if she left, she may have a better chance finding Trysten.

She ran her thumb over the small key in her hand, and thought about the things Aryn told her. Today was the day that they were going to run away together. Aryn said that she would retrieve the pendant, and though it was a risk, she couldn't do much but hope the girl succeeded. Nora was in no position to be sneaking around her fathers bedchambers in her current condition. Hell, she wasn't in the shape to be attempting

escape

in her condition... but she had little choice in the matter. A knock sounded at her door and she sat up as it swiftly opened, leaving the key inside of her pillowcase. She drew her blankets up over her body and stared suspiciously at Serenad as he shut himself inside the room with her.

He was drawn tight like a bow string, as if he were on the edge of a cliff and trying to keep his balance. It was a strange state to see him in, and if Nora was more observant she would have known better than to goad him. But her pride made the entire situation amusing to her, so she sneered at him as he took a single step in her direction and stopped. His hands clenched as if he were holding back something, as if he were attempting to rein himself in.

"I will be on the road for the next week or so," His lips were drawn tight as he regarded her with a pointed stare. "I caught wind of some interesting rumors. Ill be leaving shortly."

"Hopefully I'll have time to heal before you start on me

again

, filth."

He narrowed his eyes and took a step toward her, reaching out and grasping her hair in his fist. False niceties were a thing of the past, it seemed, and his patience had finally snapped. He dragged her from the bed and threw her bedroom door open as he lead her out. She was bent forward and roughly dragged down the hallway, and she struggled pointlessly against the attack as she was pulled into a secret passageway at the end of the long walk.

"Let me go you fowl beast!"

"We will see how well you heal after what I plan for you," his voice was calm and emotionless, his detached demeanor almost frightening in itself. "It will be my parting gift, so you can remember your

place

while I am gone."

Face angled toward the floor, Nora was unable to tell which direction Serenad lead her. She fought back with reckless abandon, her fear of what may come next driving her to greater anger. She feared no one! This pathetic worm was no exception! She had weathered so many battle wounds... What this bastard had in store for her was nothing compared to her past. She was a warrior! She may be weakened from the bracelet, but she was still just as capable of taking any pain dealt to her body and spirit. She would not buckle, no matter the cost. He could brutalize her all he wanted, but damn him if he thought he would take her pride.

They reached a dungeon like room near the end of the corridor. The entryway was made of metal and built to hold under severe pressure. It slid up from the floor and locked with a large sliding mechanism. Even without the suppression cuff, she was unsure if she could break this door down without a key. He used her momentum against her, releasing her hair and subsequently tossing her to the floor. She collapsed in a limp heap before sitting up and looking around her. Torture weapons lined the walls, and there were many strange contraptions with straps and belts placed in various places. There was also a large table against the wall in the middle of the room, with a large chest sitting at the foot.

It was chilly inside, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she stood. The glare she sent in Serenad's direction didn't seem to affect him at all. His face was a cool mask of apathy. He allowed her to make sense of the room and what she was doing in it before he made a move.

"Am I your prisoner now?" she scoffed. "Do you see me as nothing more than another pawn? Because I assure you, I am not that easily controlled!"

"I am quite aware."

He circled her slouched form, watching silently as she stared him down in her anger. What was the bastard waiting for? Who knew, all that mattered was that she got out of this torture chamber as soon as possible. Whether that be through escape or by simply taking whatever punishment he planned to dole out, she couldn't care less.

"Remove your night shift."

"No."

"Remove your shift, or I will cut it it your body and drag you back to your chambers naked when we are finished here."

"You wouldn't dare."

"By all means, test me," He drew closer, brandishing a knife with a gleam in his eye. "If nothing else, I am a man of my word."

"You are a pig."

"I will not ask you again."

She glowered in anger as she stripped herself. The bruises he left from days prior were still there, and her body was still weakened from the recovery. The cold temperature in this room would probably bring upon an illness, and she was positive that whatever painful games he had planned wouldn't help at all. Once her clothes were shed, she faced him full on, her anger and pride out willing her fear. Whatever he planned, let him get on with it. She was tired of his presence, and wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately for you, I plan to take my time."

"Stay out of my

head

."

In a flash, his palm reached out and smacked her across the face. The pain was blinding and she nearly stumbled to the floor. How could something so simple have been so painful? She'd been dealt heavier blows in the past and shook them off without a second glance. She turned back to glare at the man responsible. His smile was twisted, and the expression he wore made her stomach turn.

"The bracelet does more than weaken your strength, beloved," he explained as he snatched her wrist and dragged her to the stockade. "It effects your endurance and tolerance as well. I figured you would have known that."

"Just shut up and do what you plan already."

"Gladly."

He locked her into the mechanism and stepped back for a moment. Her head was facing the wall which made it impossible for her to see what he was planning, so she focused on the cold air as she waited. The chill began to seep into her bones, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"The interesting thing about the cold, is that it tends to heighten pain," He explained as he returned to her side. She still could not see him, as he was on the other side of the wooden block that held her in place. "I'm not sure why it works that way, but its so intriguing to think that even the most simple injuries can feel excruciating when your body is cold enough."

A whistling sound was all the warning she got before a sharp cutting pain erupted against the back of her thighs. She cried out in surprise, flinching away from him when he followed with another heavy swing.

"This is my favorite switch. Its made of bamboo, and it was custom grown by a master Gaidec. Its thin enough to reduce wind resistance," he explained as he struck her once more, the pain forcing out a shriek from Nora's grimacing mouth, "but thick enough to really do damage when used to its fullest extent. I'm barely tapping you and you're already screaming. I find it delightfully efficient."

"I don't care to hear your pointless-" another strike and she was cut off by her own cry.

"It is you that should be shutting your pretty mouth, Beloved. You are beginning to try my patience."

"I'm beginning to?" she snorted as he drew the wood softly across her skin, "I think we are well past that point, scum."

"I believe you're right," he mused before striking her once more. "I want you to count for me, love."

"I told you before, I bow to no one."

"I am not asking you to bow... Yet," the amusement in his tone only infuriated her more. "I am asking you to count."

"You already know my answer to that."

"let's see if I can change your mind."

The next strike landed on her lower back, and she could not hold back the shrill scream that erupted from her mouth. He struck her again, but this time he increased the momentum. Every strike that followed became increasingly more painful, until the sensation made her dizzy from shock. She wasn't even trying to hide her sobbing anymore. There was no controlling the way her body coped with the searing ache that tore across her back. Even after he stopped to survey his handiwork, the pain only seemed to grow in size.

"Do I have to break the skin to make you listen?"

"Do... Your... Worst."

"You will regret that sentiment all too soon."

The next strike that came was so heavy handed that she couldn't even scream. She choked on her own breath... the pain so harsh that it took her a moment to even remember how to breath again. She hardly recognized the inhuman sound that escaped her the second strike that landed.

"The scars will look lovely once they have healed."

"You..." she breathed out the word, her raspy voice harsh from screaming, "You bastard."

"Indeed."

Even through the pain, she held tightly to her stubborn pride and refused to relent. At one point during the lashings she thought she might have even fallen out of consciousness. Time seemed to warp in this room, as she had no idea of knowing how long they had been inside. Eventually, her knees buckled from beneath her and the mechanism she was locked in began choking her of breath. She was vaguely aware of being removed from the stockade and carried to a metal table. The freezing cold of the metal against her back was agonizing and refreshing in the same breath, and she didn't know whether or not to be grateful for the relief.

"You are the most stubborn little brat I have ever met. Worse than any man I've ever had to deal with," He sounded almost proud to say those words, but they only made her more angry, "I must say I am impressed."

"Do not... Compare me... To the weak will of a

man

," she growled as he made light work of tying her to the table.

"Duly noted."

She smelled the smoke of tobacco and grimaced before opening her eyes. It took a moment to blink way the tears blurring her vision, the glow of a lit cigar coming into focus. He was watching her with the expression of someone attempting to solve a puzzle. She was far too exhausted to feel smug at that, so she decided to close her eyes and take the moment to rest before he made up his mind on whatever he planned to do next.

"As I'm sure you know, the Naugu can technically live off nothing but blood to survive, if they so choose," he began in a light tone, as if he were having a casual conversation with an acquaintance. "It is the same with food. We can eat food just like any other race, and survive off of it alone."

He took the cherry of his cigar and pressed it against her inner thigh, soliciting another angry shriek. He began to litter her skin with burns, the pain almost worse than the strike from the switch. There was no escaping his assault, her body was restrained in a way that she could hardly even move, let alone struggle against his onslaught.

"If I were to be completely honest, if I had to choose... I prefer the taste of blood." he continued on with the same train of thought. "There's something about blood that is incomparable to any other source of nourishment. Holding the life of another in your own hands is such an invigorating concept. That power can be just as addicting as the taste."

"Just... Shut... Up!"

"What will it take to break you?" he sighed, as if this entire situation was a pain to him. "When will you learn that I can be just as stubborn as you? Maybe I should try a different approach."

The tips of his fingers drew a delicate trail from her abdomen up to her neck, and back down again. A mischievous smile twisted his mouth as he moved even lower, the tips of his fingers trailing over her petals. Her hips jerked before she even realized her tell, and his smile grew even larger.

"Lucky for you, I have a schedule to keep up with. So we will have to cut this session a bit short," he explained as he continued to toy with her, "I'll make it up to you when I return, I promise."

Retracting his hand, he walked over to a set of shelves with various jars and bottles on it. He looked around before lifting a bottle from the top shelf and returned to where she was tied down to the table. Removing the cork lid, he aimed the bottle over her apex and shook a few drops just over her folds before spreading the liquid with his fingers. Then he did the same over her nipples before returning the bottle to its place on the shelf. The liquid burned against the cold air of the room, and she squirmed in her bindings at the sensation of it.

"First, you will feel cold. So cold that the sensation burns. It is meant to make your skin tender, more heightened to sensation," he explained as he returned to his place it my side. "Soon, though, the solution will begin to warm your skin, and it will start to burn in a different way. If I've learned enough from your behavior so far... I believe you would have preferred real pain over this next game of mine."

"Why must you prattle on about everything!" she snapped, the warmth already causing her to ache in a very humiliating way. "I don't care for your pointless explanations!"

"I wonder when you will realize that your opinion matters little to me." a gentle touch between her thighs and her back bowed in response. His smile grew. "Soon you will be too busy fighting your own feelings to be able to gripe at me."

His hand came down in a heavy smack over each breast before he palmed them both in his hands. She struggled against her ties as she tried to ignore the way her pussy spasmed in response. It gripped at nothing, milking the air as it begged to be touched, and that only made Nora more angry. She shook her head and cried out when he pinched her nipples and pulled on them, releasing them to snap back to their place against her chest. Her stomach muscles fluttered under his hand as he trailed his fingertips over every exposed surface of her skin, avoiding contact where she was practically begging to be touched.

"Exciting isn't it? You can loath me as much as you say you do, but it doesn't change the control I have over your body," he pressed a single finger into her entrance and held it there. "You can tell me you don't want me but your sweet cunt milking my finger tells me otherwise."

"Go to hell!"

"Your anger is just more proof that I'm right," he mused as he teased her clit for just a moment before turning his attention elsewhere. "The angrier you get, the harder you are trying to hide how you

really

feel. In this case it is your arousal you are attempting to hide." he traced her folds before pressing two fingers inside and curling them upward. "But you can't hide from me. I see

everything

."

He pumped them lazily in and out, watching the sweat bead on her forehead as she held her breath to swallow back any sounds trying to escape her throat. A thumb brushed over her nub and she moaned, her legs shaking against her own control. He rolled it in a small circles, his eyes intent on her facial expressions as she fought against his control. She turned her eyes to him and glared, spitting in his direction before returning to her fruitless struggles.

"You can cause me pain but you cannot make me

kneel

to you," she muttered, clawing at the table with her nails as she shook her head again. "You can force my arousal but you cannot make me

love

you."

He paused in his attentions, his expression growing ever darker as he glared at her. The truth was in his eyes, and it was painfully clear that she hit a nerve. He wanted power, and control. Whatever he wanted he got, no matter what he had to do to get it. He had everything at his fingertips now, his goal was so close... But though he could bend the world to his will, he could not control their thoughts, or their feelings. He could not make her people his loyal subjects anymore than he could make his wayward princess love him.

He had such ruthless intelligence... But in the way of people, he could be so naive.

His hand wrapped around her throat as he climbed the table she was on, and soon he was forcing himself inside of her. She couldn't breath, let alone talk or cry out, and the build of her orgasm only intensified the dizzy feeling in her head. Her throat worked desperately against his fingers but nothing could stop him from choking the life out of her this time. There was no one to intervene, no way to fight back the way she was tied to the table. The violence of his attack worked on her in a primal way and she opened her mouth in a silent scream as he unraveled her from the inside out. Stars filled her vision as she came down from release, and it wasn't long before she blacked out completely.

"Nora?"

"Hmm..."

"I have the Pendant," a small hand brushed hair from her face. "you look like hell. What did he do to you this time?"

"I... I don't think I can move..." Nora's groggy words bled into her pillow, "Too much pain."

"Hold on. I've got an idea." hands ruffled around under her head and then again at her wrist, "With the cuff gone, you should regain some of your... Are these burns?"

"Yes," the bracelet fell away and immediately she called for her wings. They emerged from her back and braced themselves against the bed in order to help her up. The blanket stuck loosely to her back and she grimaced as she ripped it away. "Ill need help dressing these injuries before we try to leave."

"Of course. Keep the pendant with you. I'll fetch some supplies."

Aryn slipped out the door as Nora placed the pendant around her neck. She felt the power course through her body from the place of its contact against her collar bone, and the pain in her body seemed to melt away. Her wings grew even larger as she fanned them before returning them from where they came. She sat up straight and arched her back, closing her eyes and shaking out her hair before she turned to look at herself in the floor length mirror at the side of her bed. Her eyes were glowing faintly in the dim light of the room, and she couldn't help but smile. She called forth her black spear and held it in her hands, running her fingers over the length of its obsidian shaft and sighing in contentment. She loathed to send it away, but she didn't want to frighten Aryn when she returned.