A Tale of Revenge Ch. 05-06

"Anna, are you okay?" he said as she quieted down. She nodded again, giggling.

"Would you mind terribly grabbing my clothes for me?" she gestured to the pile. Dev seemed to realize she was naked for the first time and leapt away from her as if she was on fire.

"Yeah, of course, sorry." He stuttered as he retrieved her clothes. He turned his back as she reached for the clothing. Moving was torturous, the feeling of the clothing against her skin was even worse. But the soreness she felt at her core felt better than she was willing to admit, even to herself. When she was finally fully dressed, she touched Dev's shoulder to let him know she was done. When he turned to face her, she couldn't quite make out the expression on his face. Was he pitying her? Was that concern or scorn? Maybe she was losing her touch for reading people—too much time around the inscrutable god.

"What?" she said, trying not to sound defensive and failing.

"Anna, come on," Dev gestured at her. "What in the dark pits of hell happened to you?"

Anna looked down, ashamed and defensive. She didn't know what to tell him. She found she didn't want to explain herself or reveal the nature of her relationship with Leonid. She especially didn't want Dev's pity. So she lashed out at him.

"I don't want to talk about it." Her tone brokered no argument but Dev was not going to be put off so easily this time.

"I don't care. You can't expect me just to ignore the fact that you were obviously beaten at some point last night. Which can only mean something magical and horrible is happening because you went to sleep one way and woke up looking like my grandfather found you messing with his best horse. Which means that somehow, in the middle of the night, someone or something is doing that to you." He was practically shouting by the end of his little rant.

Anna shook with anger, pouring all of her other emotions into fueling that fire. "I agreed to bring you with me, against my better judgment, to try and give you the same kind of peace I was looking for. If you can't handle traveling with me then leave me be. Find your own way."

Dev looked at her, shocked to silence for a moment. "You don't mean that."

"Like hell I don't. I'm sick of the way you look at me like I have three heads. I hate that you can't trust me after everything I've done for you. I'm sick of tiptoeing around you because I'm afraid you'll call me 'witch' and leave. So fine, leave, it'll give me peace of mind."

Dev's face closed, his emotions barely concealed under a mask of calm. "I'm terribly sorry for worrying about your wellbeing. I will try not to show any concern for the almighty sorceress in the future."

Anna sneered at him. "Perfect. I'd hate for you to waste any pity on this freak."

Dev's mask slid a little. "I can see we won't be able to ride today since your mysterious nighttime activities have made it impossible for you to do so much as don clothing without pain. Perhaps a little time apart would help." With that he turned on his heels, took his own bow and quiver and made for the woods without another word.

Anna was left alone in the quiet camp, nothing to distract her from the pain blossoming across her back, ass and legs. Dev was right about one thing, she was not going to be riding today, maybe not even tomorrow. She reached out with her sight, something she had been avoiding for days as she had left her magic alone. The soldiers who had broken off from the main group seemed to have returned home, or of sorts. She was beginning to realize that the ones they had encountered up to this point seemed to be mercenaries, hired swords and criminals. There was still a core of about twenty-five men including commanding officers who were together, moving towards the seat of the government. She would get all the mercenaries first, then make a move on the capital.

She sighed, her shoulder slumped as she came back to her lonely spot in the camp. She should not have gotten so angry. She rubbed the back of her neck, wishing there was some way to lessen the ache in her body. She considered using her magic to heal the welts but it seemed like a poor choice, especially now that she was trying to keep the magic to a minimum. She sighed and turned to find something to eat. It was going to be a long day of nothing to do but wallow in her sorry state.

Afternoon found her laying on her stomach, the only comfortable position, next to a deep river not far from their camp. She had set up lines for fish and taken the opportunity to relax her aching muscles. She heard Dev's footfall from far off. At first she was worried it might be someone else but his cautious shuffling was familiar to her at this point. His careful approach made her hope he had come to make peace. She wanted to apologize to him for her anger but she couldn't tell him anymore than she already had about who she was and why her back was marked from strappings.

He cleared his throat a few paces from where she lay. She picked up her head to look at his awkward stance and shifting gaze and gave him a small smile, hoping it would be taken as the apology she couldn't seem to muster. He gave her a small smile in return and moved to sit nearby.

"Catch anything?" he asked.

"Not yet, but they usually don't bite for a bit longer. The sun is still pretty high."

Dev nodded and glanced at her. She propped herself up on her elbows, ignoring the twinges of pain from her back in this position. "You?"

He nodded, gesturing to three rabbits strung on his pack. Silence fell between them again. Anna chewed her lip, trying to figure out if she should say something else and coming up with nothing. Dev seemed to take a breath as if about to say something but then letting it out in a sort of a sigh.

He did it a third time and Anna finally had enough. "What is it?" she tried to sound patient.

"I have something for you if you want." He said this very quickly. He reached into the sack on his belt and pulled out a dark green herb. The smell hit her hard. She knew it from the tea her mother used to make her drink when she was sick. It was a sharp, cool smell that brought back, most painfully, the memories of being a child, cared for and loved. Her heart lurched and she felt her chest tighten around it.

"My grandfather was pretty generous with the lash when I was a boy and I was always ending up on the receiving end of one thing or another. My sister used to make a paste to put on the bruises and it helps something wonderful. If you want I can make some for you." He was talking rather fast and low. Anna nodded quietly, working on the lump in her throat. Dev gave her a relieved smile and made his way down to the water. He returned with a large flat stone and a slightly smaller, smooth one that would serve as his pestle and he set to works grinding the herbs into an aromatic paste, mixing in the smallest amount of clay from the riverbed to make it all stick. He kept talking, telling her stories of his childhood mischief and the subsequent punishments he'd receive. Anna let his stories run into one another without stopping him. Where she dealt with the pain of loss by speaking as little as possible about her family, Dev seemed to take great comfort in recalling every last detail about his childhood.

When he was done with the paste, he gestured to her back. Anna shyly drew her shirt up to her shoulders to reveal the stark marks she knew were there. She had only been able to see the ones on her behind and legs but she knew the dark bruising on her back was probably worse. Dev gave a low whistle when he saw them up close. "Not a bad set. My grandfather would have been proud," he said, a grand attempt at levity.

Anna resumed her prone position, keeping her shirt under her breasts while she lowered her body back to the cool ground. Dev moved next to her, but she turned her head in the other direction to hide her embarrassment from him. She didn't want to bare herself to him again but there was a greater need inside of her, one that had been stirred by the smell of his herbs.

She wanted, just for a moment, to be taken care of. She wanted someone to care about her wellbeing for no other reason than that she was another human in pain—not because she was owned or because she was a means to an end, but just because she deserved that kindness. She'd wanted it from Leonid, strange though it was to seek comfort from the creature who inflicted the pain, because he was the only one who truly knew her. But he hadn't offered, and Dev had. She didn't want to show Dev this neediness but she wasn't ashamed enough to turn down his offer.

"This may hurt a bit," he warned as his green tipped fingers hovered above her back. She gave him a nod and he tried to spread the salve as gently as possible. Anna still hissed when he made contact. He knew all too well how it felt, the stinging coolness of the herbs against the aching flesh was not altogether pleasant. He worked quietly, trying to be gentle and cautious of her modesty. Despite the marks he was all too aware that he was in direct contact with her naked back, something he tried not to focus on too much as it tended to distract him.

Anna for her part was giving herself over to the gentle touch on her back. The kindness of his gesture and the effectiveness of the salve were working wonders. As she had with Leonid, she was getting better at giving herself over to the moment. The stresses of her journey were wearing out her stony resolve to be tight lipped and stoic about the entire venture. More than once she unconsciously leaned into Dev's hand. He noticed and his tentative application became less guarded as he smoothed the herbs over her skin.

By the time he finished her back, Anna felt like a cat that had been scratched in all the right places. She stretched out languidly, ignoring the untreated marks on her ass and thighs. She sighed happily.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Anytime," he said, removing his touch. Anna felt the loss of his contact.

They were both silent for a moment, when a splashing sound caught their attention for the first time. All three lines had caught while Dev had been working on her back. She sat up and gave Dev a satisfied smile. "Seems like today wasn't a total loss."

Dev laughed. "Well if you can't ride, you must eat."

The two fell into an easy rhythm of the camp, cleaning and preparing their haul for the day—some of it was going to be packed for the road but much of it was consumed. Anna had realized that she could easily put away as much food as Dev could if not more. Now that she was aware of the hunger the magic created, it seemed like her body clamored for food whenever she thought to eat.

That night, tucked tightly into her bedroll, Anna smiled a little as she slipped into sleep.

She was walking along the edge of a vast lake. Her bare feet made their way over the soft round stones at the shore. She was wearing a long white shift that clung to her legs as she walked into the water up to her knees. She was looking across the expanse, trying to make out the other side. It seemed to her that there was something she should be doing. The warmth of late summer wrapped around her. She had always loved this time of year. While some found the humidity oppressive, Anna had always loved how the evenings seemed to caress her with the heavy air. The water at her feet was wonderfully warm as well. It was a perfect night.

"Another peaceful place," a voice from her side sounded out in the darkness. The god's form moved next to her, very close. She turned to look up at his dark face. She gave him a languid smile.

"I was feeling peaceful," she said simply.

"How strange. I thought you only called me up when you were feeling blue." His tone was teasing.

"I wasn't aware I'd invited you here," she teased back. Had she though? She remembered wishing for the hot air, the lake and the water but not him.

"I suppose it's rude to intrude." He made no move to leave. Anna smiled again.

"So why did I call you up?" she asked, turning back to the expanse of water. Leonid shrugged. Anna laughed. "You are supposed to speak my mind! How can you not know?" She asked.

"I suppose because you don't know," the god said. He moved behind her, wrapping his powerful arms around her and her body relaxed into his. His chin rested against her temple as she settled against him. A strange sort of heat began in her body. She was at once comfortable and all too aware of the touch of their bodies.

His hands traveled over her arm, up to her jaw line. She let him tilt her face up to his. His lips descended on hers and her body shuddered slightly in his arms. She twisted around so she could face him more fully, equally engaging his lips with hers. She opened her mouth slightly and he followed, slipping his tongue against her lips, drawing hers out. She brought her hands to his face, pulling him towards her. She unabashedly molded her body to his and his hands stroked her back, down her bottom. For a moment they stayed there, knee deep in water, two bodies pressed desperately against each other.

Leonid slid his hands lower, grabbing her and pulling her against him off her feet as he kneaded her flesh. She made hungry sounds in the back of her throat. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around him as he bore them back to shore. She didn't break their kiss the entire way. He lowered her down on a soft patch of grass, hands free to roam her body again. She moaned into his mouth as his palm smoothed over her breast, the hard nipple pressing into his hand. His fingers drew lazy circles around the nub, not really making contact but making her shiver deliciously.

She tightened her legs around him, pulling him into her. She became aware of a hard ridge between his legs that was lining up directly with her rapidly dampening core. In her waking life she would have been nervous at the promise of penetration but in her dream state this was welcome. She had been aware that though the god had forced her pleasure on her, he had never taken his own with her. She assumed it was because he saw her as little more than a mortal plaything. Now, in her dream, she could live out what she wanted—mutual pleasure, some sort of partnership in the act, instead of the constant anxiety of his domination over her.

Their clothing seemed to melt away from their bodies and Anna was lost in the feeling of his mouth on her neck and chest. His hands seemed to find the exact places she needed to be touched. But she didn't want his hands or mouth now. She brought her hands to his cheeks and brought his mouth back to hers. She tightened her legs around him and pressed her wet slit against the head of his manhood. She didn't need to beg, or push. Here she got what she wanted.

When he slid inside her it felt like a hole she hadn't known was there was finally being filled. It was overwhelming. She kissed him more urgently as he surged inside her. His hand stroked her side, down to her ass and he pulled her against him, filling her further, moving her body with his. Anna brought her hands to his shoulders and she clung to him as he moved. She found his rhythm and soon was moving along with him. The humid air filled with their mutual moans. When she climaxed, she felt as though the warmth of the night was flowing in as she breathed, pulling her back into the darkness of sleep as the pleasured high went on and on, like the echo of a bell ringing through her mind.

Anna woke with a sigh. Her eyes opened to the dawn-grey forest, the cool air promising the autumn's arrival in the coming weeks. She felt strangely contented after the dream. She closed her eyes again. She might have even tasted happiness for a brief moment. It wasn't until she had dressed and begun to prepare to ride out that she realized that she wasn't in any pain. The marks from her punishment had faded to nothing in the night.

***

So finals are upon me. Med school is such a drag. I hope this is a good leaving off point. I'll be back in a few weeks.

I'd be very interested from you, dear readers, to hear how you feel about this transition. What do you think of Anna and Leonid's development? Did it feel like a natural progression? Also how do you feel about Dev? Annoying? Interesting counterpoint? Just friends? Comment or email me. I've progressed with them but I'm open to suggestions.