Daughter of Ziva Ch. 04

Hey all! So I'd like to apologize for the wait. I broke up with my boyfriend (whom I lived with) so that sucked, and moved twice in a month. That also sucked.

I adore the criticism that's coming my way. What I would like to say is that, no matter how much any of us wish it, the people who hunt and kidnap woman aren't typically good people. Rorik isn't a good person. Just remember that as you read.

I am now officially looking for an editor. If you are a part of the volunteer editors and wouldn't mind donating a bit of time, please message me and I'll get back to you asap.

Thank you for all the comments and your patience!!

xxx

Sienna was woken by a hand on her shoulder, gently rocking her back and forth. She blearily opened her puffy, sleep crusted eyes and looked behind her. A man with graying hair was not what she expected.

Jerking away, her blanket clutched to her chest, Sienna croaked, "Get away from me!" She cleared her throat and repeated herself, as angry as she could, praying to the Mother this man wouldn't try to teach her lessons as well.

He was crouching, his hands held outwards with empty palms, making no moves toward her. He was big, even crouching, but all the Gavali men she had seen were.

"I won't hurt you," he said, reaching behind him. Sienna let out a vicious noise that was supposed to be a laugh. All she had been was hurt. He slowly turned towards her, a bowl and a cup in his hands.

The panic and terror that was soaring in her chest at being thrown in front of a new opponent with so little notice blinded her to his gentle movements.

"I'm not eating out of your hand!" Sienna was close to yelling. The man, moving just as slow as before, put them near the stake that held her foot in place. He took a step back, still crouching, and then moved to stand by the tent support Rorik had tied her foot to the first night. He wasn't far enough in her opinion.

Sienna eyed him, her apprehension high. He was looking at her with keen eyes, his stance erect but still. It took her a couple minutes to see it, but he did not have the aggression Rorik did on his face. His eyes took her in, but it was just that - a gaze. Though she sensed no aggression or even sexual interest, what did she know about Gavali men? The one who had tied her up in his tent was as volatile as a geyser. One minute quiet, the next blasting heat into the air.

"I will not hurt you, Sienna," the man said quietly. Was he attempting to calm her? Was he lying? "I was instructed to take care of you in Voivode's absence. You may eat your food yourself."

Her hunger warred with her apprehension. It took a couple minutes of silence from both Sienna and the older man, but the hunger eventually won out. Keeping her eyes on the man, she hiked the blanket up and grimaced as she reached to snag her food and water. Sienna fought to not wolf down the food, not wanting to throw it up afterwards. She did chug the water though.

"Do you want more water?" His voice was even and seemed naturally quiet.

Slowly, Sienna nodded. Taking a breath to ready herself, she leaned forward and placed the wooden dishes by the stake in her foot, pain storming through her torso. He took the dishes when she had pushed herself back again, getting some more water from the bucket in the far corner Rorik had left yesterday.

"Can I hand it to you?"

"No!" Sienna said vehemently. For a moment it looked like he would insist, but instead put the full cup of water by her foot, no doubt noticing the way Sienna pulled her foot tight in its constraints.

This time the stretch was more painful, her face tightening and small noises squeezing past her lips as she hauled herself towards the cup of water. This one she sipped, relishing how the liquid soothed her dry mouth.

"May I speak?"

The question stunned Sienna. Was this a trick question? Did she have to say yes sir? She sat silently as she realized she had been here all of two days and was already acclimating to Rorik's rules. Tears of disappointment rose in her eyes and she tilted her chin up to nod at him.

A small tilt of the mouth quieted her anxiety, seeming genuine. "My name is Sergei. I am the healer and surgeon for this camp. I have been instructed to take care of you, and those instructions included a threat of grave harm if I touched you. I have a wife who would be deeply unhappy with me if I came home with injuries, and I do not intend on seeing her upset." Sergei paused, crouching again. "I have been told you have a wound on your stomach."

He said nothing else, but Sienna pieced it together. Sergei wanted to take a look at her wound. It hurt like hell, but she was incredibly nervous he would use her moment of weakness to take advantage of her, wife or not.

Sienna shifted her jaw. The food, water, and moments of independence she had been given in Sergei's presence gave her confidence. "I need clothes."

Sergei nodded in an odd way that told her he was saying no. "If you can arrange the blanket so it covers what you want to be covered and then I can look at the wound without seeing your nakedness."

She blushed for some reason. The word nakedness was so different than hot, desperate body. Sienna averted her eyes, embarrassed at the memory of Rorik's words. Her heart began to race as she recalled his furious, wild expression. The fear she had felt when he closed in on her had been almost as bad as how she felt when she thought he was going to fuck her with his knife. He had looked unhinged.

With every thrust of his hips, she had grown more and more convinced he was going to shove himself inside her, injuries be damned. Even with fear clogging her throat, the pressure against her sex had thrown her memories back to hours before, when he had his fingers inside her. Her body and mind had warred, and just as his words doused her with the equivalent of freezing water, he had thrown her down. Hard.

Maybe when your cunt shatters around my dick around my dick you'll stop pretending you don't want this.

Sienna shuddered and dragged her attention back to Sergei, not wanting to think of the horrible man who played her body and mind against one another.

"You cannot see my stomach."

He nodded. "Okay," he acquiesced.

Suspicious, Sienna changed the subject. "Where is Yasim?"

A small smile spread across his lips, this one not as genuine. "I cannot tell you that."

Sienna was undaunted. "Is she okay?"

"I cannot share that with you-"

"Where did he go? Did they find my people?" The questions spewed out now. "Where are you taking us? You have to tell me, is Yasim okay?"

Sergei stared at her, seeming to contemplate. "I need to take you for a walk in order for your muscles to stretch as they need to. If you come with me, I will give you clothes and think about answering some questions you have."

That didn't mean truthful answers, or answers at all, but getting out of this tent was imperative. She was suffocating in Rorik's space. "Okay."

Sergei moved to the trunk behind her and opened it, giving her a wide berth. Sienna was shaking his head before he even reached in there. "No." Sergei looked at her, mild confusion on his face. Her throat clogged at what felt like admitting a weakness, but her stomach roiled at the thought of being surrounded in anything of his. "Not his clothes."

He schooled his face to look neutral, something her Grandma did when she didn't want to show negative emotions. "There is no other clothes to give you."

"Ca- can I have some of your clothes?" Sienna asked, feeling pathetic. Asking for scraps. Seeing the "No" on his face before he even opened his mouth, she tried something else. "What about spare clothes? Spare fabric, even. J-Just anything else other than that."

Sergei's lip twitched again. He nodded his head slowly and left the tent, coming back ten minutes later with a burlap potato sack. Sergei held it out to her. Sienna snatched it from his hands. The bottom had been cut, and the other side had three gashes for her head and arms. Putting it over her head without dropping the blanket was hard with her body being so sore, but she managed.

It was very itchy and only long enough to touch her mid-thigh, but it didn't smell like the man who demanded she give herself to him. Looking down, she might have laughed at herself if she wasn't so miserable. Sergei unwound the rope tied to the stake and held it as he stood.

"You mean to use that as a leash?" Sienna asked, the humiliation piling on at the thought of walking through camp with a lead wearing a sack.

"Yes."

"I won't run, I promise."

"I can't-"

"If you put your hand on my shoulder-

"No."

Sergei was calm but adamant in his rejection. Sienna looked down, tears in her eyes. She had to use the toilet and desperately didn't want to pee in that bucket beside her bed. She wanted to stretch her legs, and she didn't want to push this man so far that he wouldn't be nice to her anymore. Again, pathetic, but Sienna had decided. She would deal with the leash.

Twisting, she pulled her legs underneath her, grunting. Sergei stepped forward and held out his hand. The hand not holding her leash. She ignored him. He watched her struggle to find a way to stand without using his hand as an anchor for a much longer time than Rorik would have.

"You will hurt yourself if you continue."

Gasping, trying desperately to will herself upright, she responded, "I can do it."

"If you do not take my hand, I will be forced to touch you without your consent."

"Don't." She froze and her eyes were on him in, glaring and scared.

Sergei looked at his upwards palm pointedly. Scowling, she took his hand. He put his other hand under her armpit and lifted her, holding her far away from his body. Once she was on her feet he let go immediately, taking a step back. Whether or not it was for her benefit or his she didn't know, but she appreciated it all the same.

The first couple steps were shaky from not having stood in days, but once her muscles steadied her body did feel better. The lead on her foot was annoying and humiliating, but stepping out into fresh air was worth it. Sergei led her left, towards the forest they had camped outside.

Her eyes shot around, taking everything in. There were smaller, one person tents set up all around them, giving the bigger tent she had just left a wide berth. There were a couple larger tents set up sporadically around the camp, and there was already settled paths through camp. Everything was extremely organized, all of the one person tents set up in a grid with nothing laying around. It reminded her of Yasim's house, very minimal, with only the necessities to live.

Sienna didn't see her mentor, and that relieved her and didn't at the same time. A dark part of her brain had told her Yasim would be hung from a pole set up in the middle camp for the use of the soldiers, even though Sienna hadn't heard any rutting.

Then she turned her head and saw the boat.

"Mother," she muttered, stopping in her tracks, Sergei stopping before he took her foot from under her. It was the biggest man-made thing Sienna had ever seen, bigger than ten huts put together. It swayed ever so slightly in the waves, the dark wood gleaming. There were two massive poles sticking out of the middle, bunches of fabric tied to them. She shook her head. "How many people did it take to build that?" She whispered, looking at Sergei.

The surgeon shifted. "A lot."

Sienna's mouth twisted, annoyed he was keeping information from her, but she didn't argue. She had to pee.

They passed two men carrying wood on the path to the forest, both of them staring blatantly as they trotted by. Sienna tilted her chin up, very aware of her makeshift dress and the wind on her legs. There weren't many other people at the camp, and all of them were peeking at her while they did their jobs. She saw men casting nets into the water and preparing wood for fires, but that's it.

Her gut sunk. With the number of tents here, there would be at least 80 men here. That was almost as many people that lived in her village. The majority of soldiers that weren't here were out there, hunting everyone she had ever cared about. She sighed, praying her people were running their hearts out.

Sergei walked slowly into the shadow of the trees, picking over the forest debris and waiting patiently for her as she timed her steps with the swings of his arms. "Is Yasim okay?" She was nervous to bug the man, but she did it anyway.

He lifted his eyes from her feet as she stepped over a bigger log. "She is alive, just as you are."

A spark of anger grew in her chest. Yasim being treated like she was hurt her. "So she isn't okay?" Sienna insisted.

Sergei regarded her, his dark brown eyes considering his answer. "She is being fed twice daily and has not been hurt." Sienna's eyes welled as they started moving again.

Damn you, she cursed.

Sienna had not been hurt either, really. Not in any way that left her physically harmed in the long term. She had been tossed around, prodded and made to feel like a thing instead of a human. She wasn't sure whether it was any better than the painful torture she had expected.

"She... she has not been paid the specific attention you have," Sergei said finally, stopping by a large tree.

Something close to relief filled her. Yasim was strong and her body was a prized tool she honed mercilessly. Sienna didn't know how she would handle her body being used as a weapon against her like Sienna's was.

God, had Yasim...heard me? Had Sergei?

The thought horrified her. Had the camp heard her orgasm? Had they heard her scream that Rorik had made her wet?

Her cheeks burst into flames and a humiliation so strong she wanted to curl up right on the forest floor threatened to devour her. The space in between Rorik's tent and the smaller, one person tents was significant, but it wasn't enough space to not hear someone yelling.

I will never scream again, Sienna scolded, trying to claw her way through her horror. Never. I might not be able to control my orgasms, but I will never scream like that again.

"You can use the bathroom here. I will look away."

Hiding her face, Sienna picked her way around the tree, Sergei giving her almost all the rope in his hand to get out of his eyesight. She checked he was staying where he was and when he didn't budge, finally kneeled.

Would Yasim even respond like Sienna was? Did all the Gavali men have the ability to play women's bodies against them? Would Rorik play with Yasim when he grew bored of how inevitably Sienna gave in? Would her desperate body, as he called it, lead to her proverbial slaughter?

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to rid herself of all these armed thoughts, knowing they led to a deeper, torrid humiliation.

Her arms reached back and used the tree to balance herself as her legs straightened to stand again. Her knees were scraped up and sore, and she could see the bruises on her thighs from where Rorik had pinned her down with his shin. Her wrists were raw and sore from the rope, her ankle in desperate need to be stretched and worked at any angle other than straight.

I am a mess, she thought, self-pity floating through her. Not wanting to be tugged, Sienna walked back to Sergei.

He looked calm and honest, if that were a look someone could have. The flood in her cheeks was there still, and she had the thought that she would never have to see Rorik again if this man would cooperate.

"Let me go." Sienna knew her words were a risk. What if Rorik thought that constituted as trying to escape? Sergei turned to her, slight confusion on his face. He stared at her for a couple moments, her heart pounding in her chest. Was he actually considering it?

Then a small smile he seemed to have been fighting off spread across his face. He had nice teeth, for an accomplice to kidnap and murder. "That's it?"

Sienna's shoulders went back. "Yes. Let me go."

"No attack? You could have grabbed a rock behind the tree."

Sienna snorted. She could barely stand up, if she fought a fully grown man in her state she wouldn't get anywhere. "I wouldn't get very far after our fight."

Sergei shook his head and his smile slowly faded. "I'm not letting you go. I'm not a masochist." He tugged on the rope gently, telling her to get going. She didn't move.

"If I hit you in the head with a rock would he still punish you?" She asked, trying to hide her frustration. All she wanted was to go help her people. "Please."

Sergei tugged on the rope, harder this time. "No. Let's go."

Sienna shook her head. Sergei tilted his chin down and looked at her like a petulant child. "If I throw you over my shoulder, it will hurt you and the whole camp will see what the sack is not long enough to cover."

She scowled, her bodies instincts telling her to bolt, leash or not, but she had no doubt this man would catch her in her current state. And flashing the whole camp was not ideal.

"Where did Rorik go?" She asked as she started back towards the tent.

"I would caution you to call him Voivode," Sergei told her.

"What does that mean? Voivode?" The word felt different in her mouth.

Sergei walked a step behind her this time, guiding her back. He was standing in the way of escape. "It means Warlord. Do you not have one?"

Sienna took her time to regard him this time, now on the other side of the information war she wasn't aware they had been in. "No, we don't."

"Yasim is not your War Leader?" Sergei asked.

Immediately uncomfortable, Sienna clamped her mouth shut. Sergei made a small sound in his throat but didn't press, probably pleased he had put her on the spot instead.

The walk back to the tent was silent, but almost comfortably so. Sienna's mind didn't watch every twitch he made. Sergei's energy was calm, rather than the intense, tyrannical force Rorik carried around him.

She was tied to the stake with much more slack than she originally had. Sergei left, tying one flap of the tent aside so she could get fresh air. Sitting on her feet in front of the open canvas, Sienna breathed the sea air into her lungs and wondered how long it would be until they found out Yasim didn't bleed.

xxx

Sergei came back mid-afternoon to give her food and water, so when he came back with more as the sunset Sienna was surprised. Rorik had only fed her once and extracted a heavy toll in order to receive that food. Not only that, but he had fed her as if she were a child unable to do it herself. Sergei's distant but not unkind behaviour reinforced her bitter resentment toward her original captor.

As she ate, much slower this time, Sergei stood by the pole and waited. He had done that for all three meals, not once shifting or seeming impatient with her. Swallowing, Sienna considered.

"You may sit with me if you wish," she said, trying to sound both haughty and indifferent. Her years of ingrained politeness wanted the man to be comfortable, but she did not want him to think her invitation was anything but that.

For a moment it seemed he would ignore her, but then moved to sit cross-legged, his back leaning on the wooden pole. Still, he said nothing. Were all the Gavali this stoic?

"How was Yasim tonight?" Sienna ventured.

Sergei's lip lifted. "She is alive, just like you are." Her annoyance at the lack of specifics encouraged her.

"No one has hurt her still?"

"No."

"Is she eating?"

"Yes."

"By herself?"

Sergei lifted an eyebrow. Sienna flushed, embarrassed he knew she had been hand-fed, but persisted.

"Is she eating with her own hands?"