His Black Pearl (19 page)

I’ll never again know the vacant peace of
that chiseled woman above me, and it was all my fault.

That night as I lay curled on the outer
fringes of the group, I feel a gentle nudge at my back. Flax. Her
touch is almost as familiar as my master’s by now, and I don’t stop
her when she rolls me onto my back and lays her tiny head on my
shoulder.

I’m nearly asleep when I feel her lips on
me.

The moon is full and her eyes are round and
questioning as she looked up at me. The tip of my breast still lays
trapped between her lips, and as her tongue dances circles around
my nipple, I gasp low and deep.

I don’t try to stop her.

My moans must draw their attention, because
one by one, the rest of the herd creeps toward our enclave. Hands
roam across my body. Another set of lips suckle my neglected
breast. A tongue darts between the cleft of my pussy.

My moans grow low and hoarse.

A pair of strong hands traces my jaw, and
when I look up, there is Fury. She sweeps aside my hair with a
gentleness I never knew she possessed, and when she parts her legs,
I bury my mouth in her cunt obediently.

Hearing the cry of her orgasm is even more
exhilarating than feeling the pleasure of my own.

Dear God, this really is what I was meant
for.

That night I lose every last bit of myself to
the herd. Only once we’ve all had our fill, when our naked bodies
lay twined together and only the faint nuzzling of exhausted lovers
still disturbs the night, only then do I remember enough of myself
to stop Flax as she leans across me to plant her lips on mine.

No. That’s just…no.

Her breath mingles with my own. A soft
whimper leaves her lips, but she doesn’t press the matter any
further. She must know this is one line I won’t allow myself to
cross.

Fucking is just fucking. An overwhelming
animalistic urge, that’s all. But kissing…

When I’d been Adair, I’d kissed a few boys,
not many, and most of their pecks had seemed like an obligatory
custom rather than an act of passion. But after I’d come to this
island, after I’d felt Master’s lips on mine…

I know Flax just wants to please me, but how
can I ever allow her lips to contaminate the memory of Master’s?
He’s done so much to me, introduced me to a whole world of
wonderfully terrible pleasures. Master never seemed concerned about
fucking me in public, but when his lips touched mine, it was a
private matter. Those kisses were ours and ours alone, and there
was no way in hell I’d ever let anyone steal those memories from
me.

So instead of giving my lips to Flax, I guide
her head back to my bosom. She can suckle and caress me as much as
she likes. My body is as good as hers. Only my lips and my heart
belong to someone else, and as I feel her felt her mouth move to my
breast, it’s his lips I imagine caressing my skin, not hers.

Chapter Eighteen

The sun is warm when I awaken. Fingers softly
stroke my welcoming pussy.

How long has it been since that first night I
opened myself up to her? I have no idea. I think summer was winding
down when Fury first claimed me for her herd, but now the leaves
are falling from the trees and only the sun’s warmth can save us
from the coldness of the shadows.

Flax’s mouth traces a path up my neck. Even
now as her teeth move up to nibble my ear, I still can’t help but
think of Master. I know it’s a sin to lead on someone so sweet and
pure, but I can’t help it. Her caresses are all I have left. I need
her and the memories her touch can bring. No matter how guilty I
feel, I know I’ll never be able to turn her away, but that doesn’t
mean I can’t at least try to make it up to her.

Slowly, my fingers slide across her skin. She
parts her legs for me and moans as I stroke her pussy over and over
again. Her back arches. Her tiny breasts glisten in the morning
sun, and just when I’m sure she can’t take my teasing even a second
longer, I place my mouth on her soft little cunt and finish her
off.

Her cries of ecstasy are almost enough to
wash away my guilt.

Almost.

Other members of the herd wake up around us,
and I feel their familiar nuzzles and caresses as Fury orders us to
our feet. Her grunts and growls might as well be words now. I know
her body language almost as easily as I know English.

And right now she’s restless.

The easy pickings of summer and fall are
coming to a close. We need to gather food. We have to find some
sort of permanent lodging. She hardly ever lets us stay in one
place for long, but now that the winds are growing colder, I know
she won’t have a choice. Our wandering days are coming to an end.
Soon we’ll bed down. Soon we’ll rest.

And only after the end of winter will we know
who’s strong enough to journey on.

I shiver as a cool breeze hits me. I have no
idea how bad the weather will get, but if anyone can get us through
it, I know it’s Fury. She pushes each of us to the very edge of our
limits. She makes us stronger. If not for her and Flax, I know I’d
be dead now. I’m so grateful for all they’ve done for me, but
still…

Fury hisses out an order for silence as we
approach a narrow dirt road. Ahead of us, an open field sweeps out
against the horizon. Small clumps of strawberries grow at the edges
of deeply engraved ruts.

I doubt a vehicle has passed over this land
in months, but still Fury holds her hand up as she creeps forward
to check the area. Beside me, I feel Flax’s arm wrap around mine.
She leans her head into the crook of my shoulder and sighs as we
wait for the all clear.

She really is a sweet girl.

I’m stroking her hair when Fury gives the
whistle, and then we all break through the tree line. I follow Flax
south, and we collect piles of strawberries while some of the other
girls clamber after the apples hanging from the tree at the end of
the road. I watch a pair of tree climbers throw leaves at each
other playfully before one of them turns her eyes towards the
distance and freezes. In no time at all her companion does the
same.

Flax must sense the shiver rolling through
me, because her hands wrap around my arm. Crooning softly, she
reaches up to stroke my face.

And that’s when the first girl falls.

There’s no grace in her landing. She cries
out as her leg buckles beneath her, but she doesn’t stop. On hands
and knees she scampers back towards the tree line, and within
seconds, everyone around her is running as well.

Flax tugs at my arm, but I can’t move. I’m
frozen. Already I hear the soft rumble of a truck’s engine, but the
sound does nothing to release my fear-frozen legs.

They’re coming for me. They’re coming.

A high-pitched whimper breaks through Flax’s
lips, and I want to tell her to go. Run. Just leave me behind. But
of course she won’t. This little ginger sprite loves me too much
for that, and if I’m about to be taken, I guess she’s given herself
up for lost as well.

Thank God for Fury.

The Amazon’s hands latch around each of our
arms, and with a violent tug, she sets us in motion. I’m running
now. Dried grass tugs at my feet, and just before I reach the
safety of the woods, a sprig of exposed roots drags me to the
ground.

I very nearly take Fury down with me.

But of course our guardian isn’t nearly as
frail as I am. Still on two legs, she jerks me to my feet, and as I
struggle for balance, a single word nearly undoes me.

“Isa!”

My name.

The name my master gave me.

Master!

Turning sharply, I watch a familiar truck
skid to a stop. It’s the same truck I’d ridden in before, the truck
with the grapes. Everything about it is identical, even the
sputtering of its engine as it idles on the dirt road behind
us.

From the passenger door, an unmistakable
figure steps out.

Master! It really is Master!

He’s wearing suit pants and one of those
linen shirts I loved so much. His blonde hair shines in the
sunlight. I watch his lips mold into a soft smile, and just seeing
those shining blue eyes of his makes my heart melt on the spot

He takes several steps towards us, but at a
growl from Fury, he stops. Her tools are in her hands now. In her
right, a rusty knife slashes the air while the wire cutters remain
solid and sharp in her left.

Master could make her submit. I know he
could. But his eyes barely acknowledge her before his gaze turns
back on me.

He looks so different, so much less imposing.
I can’t figure out why at first, and then it clicks. I’m standing.
I’m standing on my own two legs, and so is he. Though he’s still
half a foot taller than I am, he’s no longer the giant he was
before. He’s no longer in control.

That thought alone nearly takes the breath
out of me.

Flax’s arms wrap around my waist, and her
lips brush my throat as she tries to pull me away. Master’s smile
fades, and I cringe. His gaze, only a second ago focused solely on
me, now shifts to Flax, and I can see comprehension pass through
his eyes as he gives me a single nod and turns away.

Oh, Master, no!

Fury’s hand grabs me as soon as he turns, and
along with Flax, the two of them pull me into the trees. But I
don’t want to go. Oh, dear God, I don’t want to go!

I fight and screech and dig my heels into the
earth until finally I get enough room to pull back my fist and deck
Fury straight in the jaw. She releases me then.

Panting, I wait for her to attack once more,
but she just rubs her chin. Her eyes pass over me one last time,
and she gives me the same cold nod that Master had given me just a
moment before.

And then she leaves.

Flax’s tiny hands still tug at my arm, but I
easily shrug out of her grip as I race back to the road I’d left
behind. The truck is still there. Master is still there. He’s
sitting beneath the apple tree, and no matter how much noise I must
be making, his eyes remain focused on the ground.

My throat tightens.

I want to run to him, but I know better.
Dropping to my knees, I crawl low in the dust. Dirt and pebbles
scratch at my breasts and shins, but I don’t care. If I could
slither, I would. Anything to show him how sorry I am.

He doesn’t look up as I creep closer, and
even when I crawl into the space between his folded legs and chest,
he doesn’t acknowledge me. His eyes just stay rooted on the
ground.

Oh, Master, I know I don’t deserve you, but
please, please don’t deny me now. It’s been too long.

I nuzzle his chest. He’s just as firm and
strong as ever. And he smells good, so, so good. Tears prick my
eyes. Oh, God, how I’ve missed that smell. Surrounded by women for
so long, the loss of his manliness was like a gaping hole in my
life. I want to press my body against his. I want to feel his arms
around me. I want to take his cock inside me and never be parted
from it again.

I want so much, but I dare so little. I know
how hideous I must look. Dirty, wild, and unkempt, I’m just a beast
now, not his tame little pet. I’d run away from him to avoid
becoming an animal, and just look at me now. I’m even less human
than I was before.

I whimper pitifully but still he doesn’t
move.

Tears spill over my cheeks but I don’t dare
wipe them away. Oh, Master, how can you hurt me like this? I’ve
come back to you, see? I can be your good girl again. Just please,
please show at least some hint of wanting me.

Without thinking, I place one hand on his
chest and lean forward to kiss his lips. I can’t blame him for not
wanting me anymore, but the thought of leaving without at least one
last memory of his touch is more than I can bear.

I kiss him over and over again, until finally
his lips part and he does the same. His tongue brushes mine. Strong
fingers knot themselves in my hair as he pulls me closer. His other
hand strokes my body. Our kiss deepens and deepens until finally
I’m left breathless and throbbing with more emotion than I ever
thought I could feel.

When he pushes me away, his eyes are on mine,
and oh, God, those eyes!

Earlier, he’d been too far away for me to
notice the exhaustion and sadness so clearly written on his face.
He’s paler than normal, thinner, and I know I have to be the cause
of his suffering. There’s no other explanation. I hurt him. I hurt
him bad. But now…

Now I think I can see a grain of forgiveness
in those sky blue irises, and the hope of it makes my heart
leap.

Cupping my chin in one hand, he forces me
back a step before reaching into his left pocket. I hear a soft
jangle, and as my gaze turns to his hands, I gasp at the object now
dangling from his grasp.

My collar.

It’s my collar.

The black pearl sways gently as he holds it
out before me. The leather is freshly patched from where Fury’s
wire cutters tore it in two.

But how?

I’m breathless and questioning as I look up
into his eyes, and then everything just makes sense.

Samson. The truck. The grapes. My easy escape
from the inn and my fortunate encounter with the herd.

Master was behind it all. He had to be.

He’d known I was dying, and rather than let
me fade away, he chose to free me. That’s my only explanation for
how easily I escaped his estate. Everything had just been so
coincidental. I thought God had been watching out for me, but no,
all this time it had been Master.

He’s the one who ordered Samson to be left
out. He probably even followed me himself as I made my getaway—I
can’t imagine him trusting anyone else with my welfare. No, it had
to have been him, just like it had to have been him driving that
truck. Who else would have ignored all the noise I’m sure I must
have been making inside that old crate? And who else could have
stopped those other men from capturing me the night I fell in that
ditch?