Sacrifice For Love Ch. 04

Finally another chapter! Special thanks to my editor trrgrhppy, you rock!

Please vote and comment. Thanks again for reading hope you guys enjoy.

T

*****

Two thick oak doors stood opposing behind their matching human counterparts. They were hand carved with swirls climbing up the full expanse of the ten by five foot rectangles. Rich colors of deep browns showed the grains spiking and chipping into each twist the artist had made. The pair of angry looking guards swung the doors open inward to reveal the vaulted dome ceiling to the small entourage, colored glass shown down on the white marble throwing splashes of color on them. They passed two symmetrical alcoves on the side, marble benches were carved into the walls piled high with pillows and soft throws. White gossamer curtains were tied to the sides, placed perfectly to give privacy when needed.

Past the deep alcoves stood the start of the second level of the house, a stair case was center stage taking up all the room save for a space on either side for two average sized doors. Up the stair case they marched, walking along a white banister that matched the floors and stairs.

"Is there anything in this house that isn't overly beautiful?" Katia had spoken in a soft tone but she could hear faint snickers from the guards behind her.

Walking down a brightly lit hall they came out on top of the white stair case. Katia stopped for a minute confused. The whole house was a mirror of its self, down to the same two alcoves off to the sides of the stairs. The only difference was that were the massive door stood in the front of the house there was a gaping hole leading out to the back gardens of the house and the beach beyond.

In the alcove to their right the curtains were drawn but the figures of people were discernable behind them, there was obviously a small gathering of people. Women stood around with serving baskets of food, four guards were strategically placed around a youngish looking man. He was sitting forward looking at something on the table in front of him, he chuckled when a fat man to his left whispered in his ear.

One of the guards stepped towards the curtains opening, once his head had peaked through the whole atmosphere in the alcove changed into one of formality. The young man sat straight up and set his mouth in a straight line. Sherone was the first to enter, walking up to the man she sat at his right, patting Sherone's her knee and motioning to Katia with two fingers in a "come here" fashion.

Katia made her way through the curtains on shaking legs. The filmy texture of the curtains had made the room seem less daunting now she felt like she was about to be fed to a group of piranha. The man was slightly darker in his appearance than Katia had expected. His body was strong and bulky, his hair almost black, and he had a spot of blond in his hair very small but there all the same. Katia gawked for a moment at him, while staring into his bright green eyes.

He stared right back at her drinking her in with every breath he took. They stared so long their breathing synced. Two beings moving at exactly the same time. His mouth curved at one corner doing nothing to lessen the tension in the confined space. When he finally spoke, Katia jumped slightly, "What a treat."

"Excuse me!?" Katia now glared at the man. Her mind raced with images of orgies, her thrown over the table while many feasted on her body.

"Your hair. It's very lovely, and such a treat to have its owner share a home with me."

Sherone cleared her throat widening her eyes at Katia and flicking them at the floor meaningfully. She was trying to tell Katia to kneel. Katia instead raised her chin in haughty defiance. "Sherone? You'll turn our duckling into a swan yes? I want a proper lady of the house once you're finished." The room fell silent, a lady of the house?!

"Bezac!" One of the large dark guards stepped forward. "You'll be responsible for her when she's not with Sherone, Twelve, or myself." Bezac bowed low then stepped behind Katia. Facing Katia again the man spoke, "Now my dear would you like to eat?" Katia reached towards a green pear in the bowl offered to her. The man grabbed her wrist pulling her until she sat down next to him. "You will be at my side when I'm not tending to my duties or whenever you aren't in lessons with Sherone do you understand?" His voice was firm but gentle. Like her father telling her to point the sharp end of a knife away from herself.

"Yes, sir."

"Nikolai. Not sir."

Nikolai offered her the pear. She didn't know whether to eat from his hand or take it from him, she did the later earning a disapproving look from Sherone and the slave girls carrying the bowls of fruit. Nikolai watched her eat small bites of the pear, dainty and ladylike. Leaning forward he grabbed a lock of her curly blond hair, twirled it around his finger, then brought it up to his nose and breathed in the scent of her.

"Would you like a tour?" Katia shook her head no.

"Would you like to see your rooms?" Again she answered no.

"Want to swim in the ocean?" No.

"Ugh!" Nikolai threw himself off the plush bench. Everyone could hear him grumble as he left the immediate area, a few moments later a door could be heard slamming shut.

Sherone glared at Katia, she had the decency to wait until everyone but Bezac had left before ripping into Katia.

"You are a brat! Do you know how lucky you are to have choices? Or any kind of human contact?!" Fuming Sherone's natural deep voice came forward. "There are masters out there who beat their slaves for breathing too loud! They take away their slave's identities, tearing them down until they are an empty husk of who they once were!"

The bite of pear Katia had in her mouth lost all flavor, her guilt making it taste like a bitter brick burning the side of her cheek. She had nothing to say for herself, she had wanted to put distance between the gorgeous man and herself. Now she was afraid she had gone too far and made him angry.

"You will go apologize." Sherone grabbed Katia by the upper arm pulling her into motion. She led her back up the stairs, down the second floor hall there was a large engraved door she hasn't noticed on their way in. Sherone knocked on it three times.

"Come in." Came a wary reply.

Sherone nudged Katia toward the door then took up post next to the door with Bezac. Katia opened the door, it silently swung open a quarter of the way, Katia slipped through the opening. The spacious bedroom didn't fit the man Katia thought Nikolai was. She had pictured dark brown, black, and hard plains of glass. His bedroom was like stepping back in time to a Moroccan themed bedroom. He had every color in his room except black, the browns he had were light and playful. So caught up in her perusal of Nikolai's room she didn't hear Niki come buzzing in behind her.

Nikolai angled his head slightly to the side, not looking at her but giving her his full attention nonetheless. Katia studied the beautiful features gracing his face, a sharp strong jaw, regal eyes, thick dark hair she wanted to play with, the only soft part of him was his button nose. Giving him a young appearance while his posture was that of a seasoned general. Sherone's words hung heavy in her subconscious as well as her heart. "Umm... I behaved badly... And I... I didn't mean to anger you... Ummm." Her imagination kicked in she pictured Nikolai with a whip tearing open her back laughing at her pain. Gulping noisily deep in her throat Katia tried to continue. "I'm so sorry and I'd like to make it up to you...?"

That caught Nikolai's attention he swiveled in his seat watching her with emotionless eyes, "How would you like to do that?"

Katia gulped against a dry throat, licking her lips she missed the soft moan of approval from Nikolai. She stepped forward kneeling in front of Nikolai her hands shaking. She didn't know what to do... Did she take off his clothes? Just his pants?

Seeing her staring at his groin Nikolai chuckled softly. "I don't require that kind of attention." A sigh of relief could be heard from Katia.

Nikolai stroked the tops of her hands with his, letting his large fingers dance across the soft flesh he became slightly aroused. A small tent sprouted in his soft black pants. Katia gasped raising her wide eyes to his, "I... I don't want to...to..." Nikolai grabbed her hands to reassure her. He felt her calluses and frowned.

"What's this?" He raised her hand to her face.

"A hand?"

"No."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Calluses. Hard, scratchy, and awful."

Katia felt embarrassed she had tried to scrub them all away in the bath, they were too old to remove all at once. Life on her parent's farm had given her working hands. She had never truly felt humiliated by her status until this moment. She stared at her hands hating ever scar and bump.

The scar on her knuckle was from getting her finger smashed by her older brother, he felt so bad afterwards he actually cried. A long white scar between her thumb and pointer finger was from Ize who had been pretending to be a space pirate slashing a gnarled piece of metal while chasing Katia. That had earned her seven stitches. Each different imperfection carried with it a story, those stories made up who Katia was.

"No. They are beautiful."

"Your hands resemble those of a common worker."

"That's what I am... Or was. I was raised on the knowledge that nothing is free, those who work hard earn more."

His hand stroked her cheek in a reassuring gesture. "I didn't mean to offend you. I thought they were from forced labor."

"Oh! No." Katia giggled softly trying to ease the awkward tension in the air. "I can soften my hands more with time but I don't want to change who I am. I'd like to keep my scars if that's alright."

"That is perfectly fine." Leaning forward he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. His plump lips caressing the skin like an old friend.

Katia sighed with pleasure. The tension in the room had changed to that of sex. Two people pulled toward each other without making a conscience decision.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Nikolai had his nose buried in her hair, he was breathing deeply, moaning. "Nikolai?"

"Hmm?!" He shook himself out of his daydream. "Yes dear?"

Blue eyes locked with green eyes. Their breath mingled in the space between them. Time was nonexistent for that moment. Somehow they came back to themselves, eventually calming their racing hearts and labored breathing. Katia's startled expression sobered Nikolai, he shook himself mentally taking him farther away from his testosterone filled thoughts.

"How about that tour?" he shook out the invisible wrinkles in his pants.

Katia had just enough time to school her flushed face. She hadn't been this flustered over a boy since elementary school. This time she couldn't run away and tell the teacher or threaten that boy with cooties, this time she was in trouble of lusting after a man.

"I guess."

It took three hours just to finish the expansive tour of the northern gardens. The landscaping must have taken a team to complete and maintain, the beautiful pathways were scattered with crushed shells that gave off a gleam Katia had started to associate with Nikolai's estate. Towering waterfalls were obviously manmade, no natural waterfall created a perfect tunnel leading from one garden to the next. Katia had stopped inside the tunnel and let the water trickle over her fingertips. As she marveled at the crispy cleanliness of the water a tiny fish fell down the waterfall and into her hand, the water formed a round protective bubble around the fish as it searched her hand like a little dog.

"Oh my gosh! Do you see this!?" Her squeal of delight amused Nikolai to no end. He stepped up behind Katia and watched the colorful finned friend.

"It likes you." He really didn't know if the fish liked her or not but he loved the way her face lit up when she giggled.

After Katia begrudgingly let the fish swim away back into the water fall, they meandered back to the house. Nikolai watched Katia's body sway in her white outfit the sheer material teasing his eyes. When she had first arrived she had tried to hide her naked bits of body from his prying eyes now she was fully embracing her skimpy coverings, strutting like she belonged here.

"I love your home." Katia shyly offered him her sincere compliment.

"Thank you. I do enjoy it. But it is your home too now."

"I know. It's hard to wrap my head around it."

"I'm sure. It'll take a few days to give you a proper tour of everything then you'll get to rediscover the grounds on your own. I assume you'll need adequate time to really feel like this is your home."

"Yes, even then it'll never truly be MY home. I hope to someday have a place to call my own. Perhaps when I'm older I'll buy some land and build a home like the one I grew up in. Who knows?"

"Katia, your home is here. Even if someday in the future you have a place of your own that is a ways off. For now it'll make the transition easier if you accept this place as your's."

"Yes sir." Katia schooled her emotions and started back for the house.

Nikolai caught up to her in a few strides thanks to his long legs. They continued through the gardens in silence.

As they walked up the front steps Katia stopped short, "Where are we going?"

"Either the kitchen or the bathroom... I'm hungry but I'm sure you'd love some time to relax."

"How about both? We'll eat and then I'll take a nice long bath."

"Mmm sounds like a plan."

Nikolai took the chance to grab Katia's hand and walk her through a side hall just after the alcoves. Katia felt goose bumps erupt all over her body. Nikolai's hands were so warm and manly, they stirred ticklish feelings in her stomach. Peaking at his profile from the corner of her eyes Katia couldn't help but smile, he was very attractive and so kind, during their walk she had almost forgotten her circumstance.

They came out on a sparkling kitchen, it was old fashioned, still containing a fridge and oven. Katia walked right up to the fridge and perused the fresh food, grabbing random things she'd never seen Katia put them on the counter then turned to Nikolai.

"What are these?"

"What? Strawberries?"

"Is that what they all are?" Katia stared at the miniature pile of food, finding no similarities between them she was skeptical.

"No, the little red ones that are shaped like hearts are strawberries. Have you ever tried one?"

Katia shook her head in the negative. Nikolai tenderly grabbed the fruit and held it out to Katia, pushing her hand away when she tried to grab it. Obviously he was determined to make a pet out of her. Stepping forward Katia nibbled on the end, delicate skin broke under her teeth then the tangy juice slid from her tongue down her throat.

"Good right?" Nikolai held the rest up to her.

Viciously biting the rest off right where his fingers held the leaves Katia mumbled an agreement. Next he grabbed a skinny green branch, breaking of the leaves on top then rinsing off the body of the stalk he held that out to her next. She was less skeptical and took a generous mouthful. Nothing, the watery juice was obstructed by stringy bits.

"It tastes like water." Pulling at a piece of green substance wedged between her teeth she didn't realize she was glaring at the rest of the plant thing she had just bitten into.

"It's called celery, it's made up almost completely of water!" Nikolai had first tried celery on an explorative expedition years ago, he still found the plant astonishing.

"Where did you find it?" Katia took the stalk out of his hand and studied the ridges that characterized the outside, as well as the clear like insides.

"A planet called, Earth."

"How unoriginal." A whole living mass named after the soil that gave life, Katia decided she'd never want to visit that planet it would probably be covered in dirty beings who ate all the time. They must if they worshipped the ground so much.

"Here eat this one next." During her mental musings Nikolai had taken an orange and red fruit off the counter, cutting away the skin from the raindrop shaped body succulent orange shown from underneath. After carving out a large slab he held it out for her. Expecting this to be flavorless as well Katia took the whole chunk into her mouth and chewed vigorously. A sharp sour taste overpowered her mouth swiftly followed by a thick sweet.

Slowing her chewing Katia let slip a small drop of nectar from the corner of her mouth, it stole away running down to her chin and dangling precariously there unnoticed by her. With eyes closed her other senses were focused on the meat of the fruit and nectar occupying her mouth.

Nikolai saw the small orange escapee, tracking it visually he went to capture it with the pad of his thumb. Scooping it up as Katia jumped from his physical contact his eyes met her heavy gaze, he traitorously licked the dew from his thumb never breaking eye contact.

Katia moaned softly, jealous that she hadn't been offered the juice he had found. Greedily she asked for more, he held out the rest of the body to her to take and eat. Katia had other plans.

Boldly she pressed up against his side, her hand lay atop his and then her plump lips found the fruit eating ravenously but thoroughly. By the time the pit was all that was left, more juice had collected around her mouth and on it. Nikolai swooped in pressing his lips to hers effectively initiating their first truly intimate act and cleaning her face.

His pliable lips touched Katia's and they both lost themselves, he grasped her hips and pulled her flush against his solid front she twined her delicate fingers in his hair, using it as a guide to deepen the kiss. He groaned open mouthed, Katia at that moment accidentally nipped his bottom lip. Frozen in place she was steeling herself for an outburst or punishment. He instead licked the victimized area then nipped her back. Her gasp opened the luscious gates for Nikolai's tongue. He got as far as brushing the tenderized flesh of her outer upper lip before she pushed him away forcefully.

"Stop! Please?"... Labored breathing suffocated the silence," Please don't punish me. I've never... I've never kissed a boy before."

His deep growl made her jump. "Never?"

"Never." Shaky fingertips pressed on her bruised lips. Katia met Nikolai's eyes, he stroked her abused flesh gently, reverently.

"I'd never punish you, not for anything in the world." His sincere statement kicked Katia's heartbeat up a notch.

Noticing her anxious stance and wanting to cool them both down Nikolai escorted Katia to a seat at a granite outcropping in the middle of the kitchen, a stove top was straight ahead of her. Rubbing her back encouragingly Nikolai briskly gathered a few items from the pile she had presented, the rest were returned to the fridge.

"Have you ever heard of an omelet?" Nikolai asked while grinning at her. She shook her head no. Chuckling Nikolai began to prep her meal while telling her of this planet he loved so much.

"Shouldn't I be doing that? Or at least doing something for you?" Fingers tapping on the counter top Katia was restless, and a bit anxious to start her work as a slave girl.

"You don't know how to cook an omelet, you haven't been marked so just sit and listen." Although he had said it in a teasing manner Katia took his words as a command. Her back got a little straighter her face a bit more stern, she wouldn't disappoint Sherone!

"I was on an explorative expedition, still quite young and had traveled in hopes of finding myself. During these expeditions you are required to stay on an alien planet for a few months, learning anything you can; eating new foods, learning about different cultures, and above all their history. I had picked Earth because of the new population there, after only inhabiting that world for a few hundred thousand years from start to finish they had already depleted all their resources. It was a shame really, they had such a passion for life. I took a fondness to their summer homes and vacation resorts, staying for extensive periods of time while trying my hardest to experience everything at once."