A Mage Born Ch. 02

"When you were beating me half to death." Her voice was ice.

"You were by no means the target, but you were there and, to be honest, I generally hire help based upon their zealotry and not for their intellect or self-control."

"I was there to spend time with a friend." He needed no details. He could probably make some good guesses, but that hardly mattered.

Dex smirked at the response, his disbelief barely hidden "I know much about Hanah and had no idea she had such friends."

"Now you do."

"Well, no matter. How is Hanah? I'm certain you don't believe this, but I do hope she's all right. It was never our intention to kill her."

"That's not your concern, is it?"

"I suppose not," he conceded, "Either way, my involvement with her this evening is finished. Is Dina with her?"

Vale let her anxiety lock her body and expression in place and said nothing as Dex sized her up. She was a small thing. Then again, next to him, most people were small things. She had command of magic, so he knew he needed to be careful. "Never mind, as I am here to talk to you. Thank you for seeing me."

"What do you want?"

He kept his tone friendly "You were hurt unnecessarily, and I sincerely apologize. If we had known you weren't just a bystander, if we had known of your allegiance to the guilds, we certainly would have postponed But, what happened did and cannot be undone."

"What we can do, you and I, is come to an understanding. You were hurt and I don't wish to run afoul of your kind, so, I would like to know if you feel the need for...reparations of some kind. I have my own resources of all types, and we can come to an understanding, if you feel the need."

Vale looked at him, conflicted. The dark voice in heart that told her she whispered again that she should just let it go. It wasn't worth it. Just call it, 'no harm done' and walk away.

But there was another part of her that became increasingly incensed by him and the moment. That he could orchestrate her beating for no reason and then just stand there and act like she was nothing...like he could simply pay to abuse her...like she was some whore from the docks that he could use and send away.

Or that he might not need to do anything at all, like she might just shrug it off. Perhaps she was content to remain largely in the background because she was content with herself and not being the tallest, smartest, or most stunningly beautiful; facts many seemed to take pleasure in reminding her of before joining the guilds. One of the reasons she felt she had a home there in spite of everything was that, when push came to shove, there was acceptance. At the very least, in the guilds, all that truly counted was one's gifts in the mage arts. Even by that metric, maybe there were better mages, but, by the Goddess, I'm not nothing.

So she began to look through him and into him.

"Or are you not in a position to bargain?" he wondered. "Do you have superiors I should speak to instead?" Her lack of response began to irritate him like an itch at the back of his neck. He was trying to be civil under the circumstances and she remained rooted to the spot like a tree and just as silent. "Are you listening to me at all?" He approached her slowly, hoping to perhaps snap her from her reverie and force her to focus on the moment.

She eyed him, and used her skills to look beneath the veneer... The darkness was there, beyond the neat attire and the thin air of civility. No one needed magic to see it, but now she could see the ebb and flow of it in his mind like a flowing second skin. She decided to show him that she wasn't nothing; that he couldn't buy her silence or dismiss her like a spot of dirt on his coat and she decided that she would do as Mistress suggested for herself as much as anything else.

She could overwhelm him. He had no skill with magic, but he had a strong will. Overcoming that could damage him in ways that she didn't want to. It could damage him in ways that would leave him unaware of what had happened. And she wanted him to know and take it with him. Vale's ability to read others was something that was always there. In time she realized it was a certain natural tuning to the energy of people. It took her time to harness magic in other forms, but this came more naturally. Examine that ebb and flow and you could read them like books. That will of his would be like a barred door with the books behind. She had to make him want to open it, so she pressed on his will. Vale wanted his evil to bubble to the surface so she could use it to distract him; to cloud his mind and clear her a path. She stayed silent, waiting for it to reveal itself.

He looked down to see her looking up at him. She was a wide-eyed doe of a girl. The deeper he looked into them, the more he saw occasional twitches of movement, as though she was spotting something here and something there and following their paths wherever it was they led. No, he decided. He'd seen that look countless times. She was deciding where she could run. The speechless little thing was deciding if she could escape. She could use her power and end him in an instant, but she was deciding where she could run. "What's your name, girl?"

The green eyes that seemed so entranced by him stopped, fixing on something in him. It saddened her in a way because it felt as though he saw into her as well, but it also marked the first steps she needed to take to be allowed inside his mind, so with thoughts of her own she nurtured his, subtly amplifying them, wanting his focus there. Even so, she jumped when he barked. "Your name, girl!"

"Vale," she whispered.

"First or last?"

"Last," she said finally.

"Your first name then?"

Her voice found volume, her eyes still tracing in small ways. "Denna. My first name is Denna."

The smile smeared itself across his face again, "Can you and I come to an understanding? Or is there another I should speak to?"

Vale saw the ripple in his mind. She suspected what he wanted to hear, and, and she prepared to give his emotional response a boost if it was the one she wanted. "You can speak to me," she said with a hint of indignation, puffing herself up and standing a bit straighter. Then Vale paused, her lips turning downward in the smallest of gestures that he'd only have noticed being so close to her. "Though the Guild Mistress has final say in such things. She allows most of us to handle those things ourselves."

That was, of course, a lie, but she saw the reaction that she'd expected and she caressed it and amplified it. He was strong and she was weak. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I mean no offense. There's no need to get so upset." He decided to give her a bit of a stick to see how she would react, "Unless you're not one of those allowed to handle things yourself."

To Dex, her eyes widened because he had indeed struck a nerve, so he pressed in a firm, but sympathetic fashion. "Is that it, Denna? Your Guild Mistress doesn't trust you to handle your own affairs. Perhaps the others are more skilled?"

For Vale, her eyes had widened in satisfaction. She'd gotten what she wanted and put it to the top of his mind. She hoped that the fact that those thoughts mirrored her own insecurity would help sell the moment. She turned away, having woven enough of her magic into his mind that she could see the thoughts and emotions at play just from how they affected his voice. Indeed, the more he engaged with her the more she could drive those thoughts and feelings in such a way as to give her unguarded access to the deepest parts of his mind. "That's not so."

I'm strong and she's weak. I can use that. "It is, isn't it? You come out here to meet with me but you stand there in silence because you aren't really allowed to speak for yourself. Everyone in your guild knows you're the runt of the litter, as they say." She sighed so deeply that he could feel it. "Not trusted by your guild, and not exactly wanted by them. How terrible that must be, Denna."

"Perhaps a guild is not the proper place for you, dear." He approached her slowly, not wanting to scare the little thing away. She's weak and I'm strong. He came here wanting to put a potential problem to rest, but he'd forgotten that entirely in the face of a greater opportunity. "You have power, but you need your own place. You need a place with no judgment."

"And where would that be?" Her tone was a tentative near-whisper. It was exactly what he expected to hear.

"I have associates with many different skills, and, while there may indeed be stronger mages, you are formidable in your own right." His left hand went to her shoulder and his right slowly descended to her hip and his body drew closer to hers. She's weak and I'm strong.

"They're holding you back from great things. Perhaps they tell you you aren't good enough and that you're lucky they keep you around. Perhaps you know that you're going nowhere. Is that it, Denna? You'll always be the errand girl."

Goddess, how that sounds like me. It took her a moment to realize how it was her. Her feelings and anxieties are being fed back to him. Maybe she didn't quite have control over the spell that she thought she did. Or maybe they were strong enough inside her that they were bleeding through anyway. Oddly enough, they were helpful in their own way. He thought he could see into her and that made him feel more in control of the situation and of her. It made her task just that much easier.

And, in a way she didn't anticipate, it helped her. The voice in her head actually had a voice and a body behind it. It was tangible. In hearing the voice now, as a means for this man to try to control and manipulate her she could see that Mistress was right. Each thought was a shackle and chain that held her back. A setback was just that. That someone was better at her at something wasn't proof that she was inferior to them. She was, in her own way, to the point where that inferiority was manifesting in her magic. How often did that happen and how did that hold her back?

But she reminded herself that, in spite of all that, she was still in control and gaining more by the minute. He was so focused on trying to sway and control her that he was losing the ability to even conceive that she might be trying to do the same.

"Is that the only reason you've stayed?"

She tilted her head to the left and he took that as a question without being asked and he squeezed her hip firmly, "I imagine the Guild Mistress has a firm hand. Perhaps you enjoy that, Denna." His hand moved to her ass and drew closer so that there was no more space between them now. She is weak. I am strong. "Perhaps you stay because some small part, or perhaps not so small a part, likes to be under control."

Her skin went cold and felt like it was trying to crawl away from muscle and bone to the point where she feared the spell might break. It wasn't surprising though. Feeling dominant tended to arouse one, and especially if that one was male. Even more so if said male made a life using and preying upon others. Such men often believed they were built with the perfect tool to tame a woman. Vale had urges the same as everyone else, but she was usually quite particular of who got the gift of her.

But it is the quickest way, she thought. He's already wound around me and the spell enough so that he would happily defer to the desire of the head between his legs.

At least if she played the role he already placed her in within his own mind.

"Perhaps you like the leash, just a little, huh, Denna?" He squeezed her ass harder and her body stiffened. "Less responsibility then, eh, young lady. Less chance to make an error that costs. Believe me, I understand. You may not agree with anything I do, but I do understand that much at least."

Anger flashed through her as she wondered how much of that was what he thought and how much was her own voice being reflected through him. "Perhaps," she spat quickly.

His hand roamed the front of her, coming up her body to undo the buttons of her dress while his other arm gripped her waist. "I could hold your leash, girl. Go out, do my bidding, and earn your profits. Come back to me after your obedience," he began as his hand found her breasts, his long fingers squeezing around it, "and I will certainly reward you for it?"

Her hand reflexively went over his, but she stopped herself from removing it from her person, "All about rewarding me, is it? You will get nothing from it?"

He let out a sound between a growl and a chuckle, "Oh, I will enjoy rewarding you, Denna. Very much." His head dipped to her neck and she presented the tender flesh to his teeth and tongue.

At one particularly intense nip, her eyes closed and she winced because, despite herself, it felt good. All that had happened to bring the two of them together to this point and he felt good. She despised him and it felt good.

Maybe it felt good because that she was usually particular meant that it had been some time since she last chose to partake. Maybe it felt good because she knew every moment that passed got her closer to making him pay in precisely the way that he would never forget. And maybe a small part of why it felt good was because she despised him. There was a certain heat to it that she couldn't deny. There was a violation of boundaries that titillated. All those maybes combined and conspired to tease and torment her. This is the path you've chosen. You have to see it through. She could show her face to her guildmates or Mistress even if she failed, but not if she did so because she felt conflicted and uncomfortable about that path and then just gave up.

So Vale chose to let go, feel what she would feel, follow through, and deal with the aftermath later.

Her dress peeled downward as he became more possessive. "You like the leash, Denna. Admit it."

She was hot, he was falling, and she knew what he needed to hear to keep his focus on her until there was no hope of resistance. "Yes," she breathed.

He turned her around, pleasantly surprised by what his eyes beheld. She was smaller to start with and more rounded, but those breasts were handfuls and then some, pert, and topped with thick, rosy nipples. They were quite lovely and stirred his hunger. He tried to keep his eyes on them as her hands undressed him, quickly unbuttoning him to find a layer of fine, dark hair covering his sinewy frame.

"That's it, Denna," he growled as he felt her hands at his pants, and then air against his cock. Denna looked upon it and the teasing parts of her combined and conspired again at the sight. It was like him, long and thin like a serpent and it dripped, which seemed appropriate somehow. Whether it was her own thought of how his intermingled with the spell, she knew it would give her pleasure and that disgusted and excited her.

He saw the look in her eyes and he liked it. While this was the first time he had ever fucked a woman that he'd crossed paths with so violently, he was no stranger to hate sex. She hated it, she wanted it, and she hated that she wanted it, but he wanted the words. "I know you want it, girl. Say it."

The words would help bind him and if she didn't speak aloud and own her thoughts they would hold her back as they so often had. So she spoke the truth. "You make me wretch and I want you dead, but Goddess that's a lovely cock."

"In time you'll like my hand on your leash, pet."

She stepped free of the pile of cloth that was her dress almost out of reflex alone. Then she heard sounds of things hitting the floor and paper flying through the air, complete lucidity only returning when she felt her back slap against the desk. She looked up to see the ceiling for but a moment before she felt him pull her forward as though she weighed nothing to leave her long hair falling towards the floor and her head over the edge. Then she saw his hand grip the base of his shaft and the velvet tip of him caress her lips, smearing himself over the flesh, "Open, Denna. It'll please me."

Vale opened her mouth, letting it happen so she didn't have to think much of it. It slid in in segments. The serpent would slide in, pause, pull back, then slide in more deeply. She coughed and spluttered as it began to tickle, then push beyond the back of her throat. His hand clamped down on her left breast, using it to anchor himself as the fingers of his right hand meandered down her body, sliding through her soft, wiry bush and down farther still until the first two crooked a bit to get into her pussy. It was clinging to the digits, warm, and wet. There was a quick grunt in the middle of the gagging sound that went with him easing more of himself inside, feeling her tongue reflexively try to force him out, but he liked that because it felt like a rough caress. Pleasure built until an occasional grunt erupted from him while he bathed her clit with the fluid he brought forth from his fingers.

"That's lovely, girl. Mmmm...that's very fucking good. You're a natural." His balls were against her face now and he held there until she began to buck and squirm. When she bucked and heaved, he rolled his fingers around her clit in firm circles and occasionally squeezed, reverential of the tenderness of that bit of flesh. Dex pulled back, letting her compose herself. "We'll reward one another, Denna. Do you see?"

Denna did. She used the wane to steel herself for what would come. He slid in deeply again until the whole of his crotch was against her face, blocking out everything. He became the sole source of stimulation for all her senses.

Goddess, she thought, as he slid in again. She coughed and gagged as strangled sounds escaped her thoroughly invaded throat, trying not to think of it too much for fear that she'd vomit from the overwhelming sensation as much as who she had inside her. Her reward came and it was like its own magic spell. Her body, in reflexive fear of drowning with the pounding heart and struggling like a beached fish that went with it, latched onto the pleasure. It was electric and she moaned on his cock.

Again, and again.

She knew what a mess she was without having to look. Her eyes watered so that they stung to open. Tears rolled over her forehead mixing with the saliva that drenched her face as though she'd bathed in it. It was in her hair and each time he would thrust and rest and rub her traitorous little clit she could hear glops of it fall to the floor with a pop. She heard, "Wider, girl," through the mad rush of blood in her ears and she spread wider. She knew her cunt was as wet as her face because the air felt almost cold against it and she could feel a trail of her cunt juices find their way to the desk. The rhythm became familiar and her pussy looked forward to the moment when his balls would rest against her face.

This one is a little fireball. Her throat was doing sublime things for him. In his haze, it was all he could do not to drain himself into her belly. He could think of many uses for this one. A freelancer mage would greatly expand the scope of the services he could offer and the idea of fucking this hot, squirmy little thing nightly wasn't a horrible thing. All women had their charms and he found the small, stout ones were hungry for it and could take it as hard as he could give it. His fingers were drenched and when she'd sputter and gag, her cunt would clench and threaten to devour the digits.

She came suddenly and furiously and the guttural sound from her throat vibrated against his cock. He closed his eyes and tried to ride it out, using the promise of finally fucking the little thing to help him find the will to do so, careful not to think of it too much, lest he go over the edge before he could follow through. When he opened his eyes, she was still squirming slowly, her thighs still shaking.