Mermaid's Lure Ch. 05

"We've to shave her," one of the women whispered. They looked at each other uncertainly. No one wanted to volunteer; the palace slaver's threat hanging ominously over their heads.

"I'll do it," Marie said in the end.

"I'll help you," Lanie offered.

She was nudged towards the edge of the pool. They positioned her so that she was sitting on the edge, her legs spread. Adeline bit her lip, knowing all of them were staring at her sex. The lapping of the water against her was arousing her all over again. Her clit slowly engorged, her labia swelling. It made the other women chatter anxiously. But when she tried to cover herself, they laughed and held her hands aside. One of them left the pool and sat down behind her, massaging the tension out of her shoulders. She relaxed, until Marie and Lanie came forward with small silver tools.

They were removing the hair covering my sex, she realized. None of the women here had any, she noticed. Adeline settled down, seeing it as a ritual into the group. Marie and Lanie worked efficiently, touching her sensitive flesh as little as possible, not wanting to set her off. They even spread her ass and removed the few errant hairs near her asshole.

The women washed her again before leading her out of the pool where she was dried with silk towels. It felt odd to be bare. Adeline was sure her labia could feel the chill in the air now. She drew in a sharp breath, wishing she could touch herself.

Big bowls of fruits were presented to her. She was instantly distracted from the hunger between her legs with another kind of hunger. It had been so long since she had eaten these and she still remembered how sweet they tasted. A red-haired woman knelt down next to where she was sitting and fed her a slice of melon. The juices exploded in her mouth, dripping down her fingers. Without thinking, Adeline's tongue darted out to lick the sweet nectar off the woman's fingers. She might have sucked on it if the woman hadn't gasped. Adeline's puzzled look got her a smile and another slice of melon.

"I wish she could be mine instead," the long-legged woman mused aloud as she watched Meri lick all the sticky juices from her hand. Meri hadn't done it with seduction in mind. Rather, the seductiveness seemed to have come from within her.

A few women sniggled. "You want to fight the prince for her?"

"No." The woman made a face.

Lanie smiled kindly at them. "She'll be staying with us, wouldn't she?"

They tittered cheerfully.

Several women came forward with soft brushes and began dusting gold powder over her skin. Adeline squirmed and sighed as those bristles brushed across her nipples and between her legs. One of them even spread her lips and tickled her clit with a brush before she was scolded. By then, Adeline was seeping again.

At last, they dressed her in a wrap which had a slit on both sides of her hips, and wrapped another beneath her breasts before tying the ends behind her neck. Her breasts were bare, exposed, and being pushed upwards like a decadent offering. Her hair was plaited, and a small bell attached at the end. Gold cuffs were placed on her wrists and ankles and each one of them had a large sapphire on them. It was the symbol of the prince's sex slave. The king had amethyst while the queen had emeralds. The princesses would choose their own jewels for their sex slaves when it was their time.

Adeline wasn't sure about her new clothes before. They were significantly different from those she had seen worn by other humans. When she walked, her skirt would flutter and reveal her legs and a hint of her sex and ass. Most importantly, she was almost topless. Adeline wasn't worried about being naked. As a mermaid, clothes were a concept invented by the humans when they began to feel embarrassed by their nudity. What bothered her was that she was dressed differently to these women and the other humans she had seen in the palace.

Kara stood up then, walking over to them with two gold devices in her hand. Although Meri tried to step away, afraid, Kara was faster than her. She quickly clamped the accessories on Meri's stiff nipples, crushing the poor nubs and tugging on them. When Meri reached up to remove them, Kara slapped her hand away. No one would think twice about these adornments because it was common for sex slaves to wear them. Kara simply wanted her to hurt and suffer. She wanted to intimidate Meri into obedience.

Kara had calmed down by now. If she couldn't stop Meri from gaining the favors of the prince, then she could use her to get rid of the prince's fiancée. After that, she would get rid of Meri. A sex slave was much easier to dispose off than a princess from another kingdom.

Gilroy arrived then, his eyebrows raising as he inspected Meri from the head to toe, pausing at the glinting gold nipple clamps. He smirked, knowing what was going on here. But he didn't have the clamps removed.

"Come. The prince is waiting for you now."

Adeline was led out of the bath through a maze of corridors and walkways. At first, she tried to remember the directions, but everything got too dizzyingly similar for her. Night had descended, and the only lights were the torches on the walls. She wished the man could have a moving light source like what she had seen the others carrying. She was brought deeper into the heart of the palace, her legs growing jelly from the amount of walking.

"Gilroy?"

They came to a stop at the call of the palace steward. Gilroy turned from the prince's rooms to see a stately old man heading towards him. For his age, the palace steward was surprising spry.

"Is something the matter?" Gilroy asked.

The palace steward glanced at the beauty beside him. "Is this the prince's sex slave?"

Gilroy nodded.

"The king wants to see her now."

They changed directions and headed towards the king's rooms. Gilroy didn't waste time contemplating why the king was curious about a slave. He simply chalked it up to parental concern.

The king was waiting in his private rooms when they arrived. He was over forty, possessing rugged features with a touch of aristocracy which made him very attractive to women. He used to be very physically active when he was younger, but that changed when he became king after his uncle died. Being stuck daily indoors with his house of lords arguing over small issues and the parade of readily available sex slaves was what gave him his paunch. He wore a robe which he didn't bother tying together and sat on the sofa. His favorite sex slave was already between his leg, salivating over his cock.

"Your majesty, the prince's sex slave is here," the palace steward announced.

The king lifted his heavy-lidded eyes and was met with a shy blushing peek from a young woman on the cusp of maturity. He blinked, quickly enraptured by her. What a perfect specimen. That face, that mouth. Her beautiful breasts, topped off with gold clamps. He could only see a shadow between her legs through the material of her wrap. His cock, which had been large before, grew significantly in size. His slave choked as it expanded and lengthen inside her mouth.

"What's her name?"

Gilroy stepped forward. "Meri, your majesty. She doesn't speak our tongue."

Meri. The name rolled on his tongue as he stared at the slave. He wanted her. His cock had never grown this huge or rigid before. Just the sight of her was enough to give him an extra boost in male prowess. What would it be to have her in his bed, driving his hard length into her? He could teach her how to service him, to please his cock.

Too bad he couldn't. She was slated for his son and the prince's wedding couldn't be delayed any longer without risking the newly formed alliance between the two kingdoms. He twisted his lips unhappily. His hand sank into the hair of his slave, annoyed with her clumsy efforts. With a tight hold on her hair, he fucked her mouth viciously, moving her up and down his cock, ignoring the gurgling sounds she was making. The king had been pleased with her before, but he was now enamored with Meri. He held her gaze and watched the heady mix of nervousness and arousal stirring in her eyes.

She was turned on watching him use his slave like this.

The king groaned low, his hips thrusting upwards as his cock shot his seed deep into the warm throat of his slave. He didn't notice his slave sputtering but he had definitely seen Meri swallow. Horny slut, was she? Did watching him come made her want a mouthful of his seed too?

He wasn't satisfied after he came. His cock was still erected. Perhaps he should ask the prince for her after tonight. The more he looked at Meri, the darker his mood became. Then he recalled what he had said when he summoned his son just now and felt the sting of regret.

"Go. The prince is waiting," he barked out in frustration. Leave before he was tempted to change his mind.

They took their leave quickly, the palace steward and Gilroy sensing his dark temper. As the doors shut behind them, they heard their king barking at his slave, "Get onto your hands and knees, keep your ass up high. I'm going to fuck you now."

Adeline's heart was still pounding a frenetic beat in her chest when the doors closed before her eyes. She couldn't deny the flutter in her stomach -- and even lower -- from the sight just now. Whoever the man inside the room was, there was authority in him. Both the men with her spoke to him respectfully. He looked her father's age, perhaps older. But her father had never stared at her that way before, with hunger and lust practically reaching across the room to lunge at her. This was the first time she watched other people having sex. Yet it felt as though she was a participant. He might have the other slave servicing him, but it was clear she was the focus of his desire. And her body had responded to him. She found herself unable to look away. Her pussy squeezed around nothing, and her mouth went dry. When he came in the woman's mouth, she swallowed, remembering all the times other men had spurted their seed in her throat, remembering the salty aftertaste on her tongue.

"Don't daydream." Gilroy snapped his fingers in front of the dazzled girl until she came back to herself. "Keep up."

He made sure she was following him closely as they headed towards the prince's rooms. He was previously confident that the prince would take Meri, but now he wasn't sure. Not many knew, but Prince Andrew was a brash twenty-year-old who felt antagonistic against his father, the king. Prince Andrew had once flown into a fit of temper after he returned from a visit with his father and told Gilroy he hated having his entire life all decided by someone else for him. In the last two years, the young prince had been going against his father, though most of the times it was futile. If the prince knew that his father had his eye on his sex slave, he might reject her, or worse, kill her. He'd have to keep his mouth shut later, at least until tonight was over.

Gilroy glanced at the quiet woman behind him as they stopped by another set of tall ornate doors. One of the servants went in to inform the prince of their arrival.

If the prince cast Meri out, Gilroy was certain the king would take her in in a heartbeat. What just went on in the king's suite wasn't lost on him nor on the palace steward. The king had wanted Meri but for reasons of his own, he had sent her to his son anyway.

"The prince will receive both of you now," the servant returned and said.

Gilroy followed the servant, Meri on his heels, raising his brows when he realized they were being shown to the prince's bedroom.

"Is the prince in a good mood?" Gilroy whispered to the servant.

The servant kept his head bowed, but replied, "No. The king met him after dinner."

The servant stopped at an arched entrance, lifted the dark blue curtains and gestured for them to enter. The bedroom was dark; the room lit by a single candle on the bedstand and the moonlight streaming in from the balcony. He could just make out the prince's silhouette sprawled on his bed but couldn't see his face. Gilroy swallowed.

"Good evening, your highness. I've brought your sex slave tonight. Her name is Meri."

"Is she?" The prince's voice was bland. Gilroy couldn't tell if he was pleased or not. "Let her come forward."

Gilroy pushed the slave forward when she didn't move. She stumbled a little but turned and looked at him. She was afraid, it seemed. He couldn't blame her, not really. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. He was terrified too. Gilroy gave her another shove until she shuffled towards the bed reluctantly.

"She can't speak, your highness. You'll have to be patient with her."

"You brought me a mute?" There was an elevation in his voice.

"No. She simply speaks another language. According to the captain who sold her, she was taught anatomy very well."

"Anatomy?" A few seconds of silence. "I see. Interesting." He sat up slowly in bed. "You may leave now. King father said I must bed her and so I shall. There's no need for you to worry that I would deny yet another slave." The prince's mocking tone made Gilroy's knees tremble, especially in hindsight of the king's reaction to Meri just now.

"It's my duty and pleasure to serve you, your highness." Gilroy bowed low. "I'll take my leave."

Adeline turned her head when the other man left the room. She wanted to leave too. She didn't like this place and she was afraid of this dark room, even though she lived in the deep ocean where everything was dark. She was able to see the young man in the room, for her eyes were adapted to pitch-black and she could tell that he wasn't in a good mood. She understood why she was here now. She was to serve this man. In bed.

The last time she was alone with a male she was kept a prisoner inside a cave for a long time. This man appeared to be the same, if not worse, than that merman. Fear finally got the best of her, and she spun on her heel, turning to run out of the room.

His arm shot out before she could get far. With one strong tug, Adeline was lying on top of the softest surface she had felt, staring up into the stoic face, the moonlight reflected off his eyes. There was a musical tingle from the bell in her hair, and her nipple clamps swung wildly with the sudden movement. Adeline froze.

He reached out and dragged a finger down her chin. He did not speak to her, perhaps knowing it would be in vain. When he traced her lips, her tongue darted out to lick his finger. He tasted like the sea. He slipped his finger between her parted lips, touched all her teeth and played with her tongue. She tried to push it out, but he refused to remove it. To appease him, Adeline drew his whole finger into her mouth and sucked on it.

The man withdrew his finger suddenly, as though he hadn't expected that she would do that. He studied her for a long moment, before continuing his previous explorations of her body. He pinched her earlobes and caressed the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met. When he shifted to her breasts, her body trembled. She wanted him to touch her nipples. The clamps had made them into two sensitive globes now, but they still hurt, even if the pain was arousing. But his finger never touched her nipples nor the clamps. He appeared content to circle her pale globes, poking at it. Her back arched towards him, pushing her breasts higher towards him, but he ignored it, and went down lower. Adeline sucked in a breath when he caressed the flat pane of her belly, dipping into her belly button. It tickled, but that sensation was fleeting.

No one had ever treated her like this, touched her as though she was fragile, breakable. His light touches and teasing caresses were the gentlest she had ever experienced in her short but tumultuous sexual history. She found herself drawn towards this man who towered imposingly over her, his dark figure blocking out most of the light coming in through the balcony, dragging her into the pool of shadows too. The candlelight had been snuffed out by a breeze. Something shifted within her. Her stomach fluttered. His fingers grazed along her small waist. Her blood pounded loudly in her ears. The silence was unnerving. The cold calculation in his eyes made her feel hunted.

"What are you going to do to me?" she murmured.

Prince Andrew thought he heard her speak but it was lost to the sound of heavy breathing. Even he had to admit that Gilroy had outdone himself this time. Contrary to popular opinion, he hadn't decided to reject the previous two sex slaves because he was enamored with Kara, the slave he bedded frequently. Nor was it because the three sex slaves Gilroy had offered didn't offer enough of a temptation. The truth was he had been engaged in a battle of wills with his father. He wanted to decide his own marriage. He didn't approve of the one his father had arranged for him. His father's fear of the North Haven and their territorial ambitions led him to strike an alliance with them. It had come at the price of Prince Andrew's marriage.

It wasn't that he didn't think his marriage wouldn't be a political one; he was a prince and such responsibilities were expected of him. But the North Haven was a close-knitted group of less than two thousand, whereas they were one of largest and most affluent kingdoms. Such a rash alliance appeared a folly, which he had tried to explain to his father many times, only to be dismissed. His lower lip curled in contempt. His father was getting old and was now clinging to the throne -- which he had come into by chance -- by the vestiges. His son, coming of age and had the advantage of youth, was now seen as a threat.

A soft hiss of breath drew his attention back to the luscious woman in his bed. His eyes narrowed fractionally as he released his hands from the concave of her waist. It would provide a good grip for him when he was fucking her, he noted to himself. Even in his dark mood, he found her a delectable morsel, a piece of fruit hanging from a low branch, on the verge of ripening, and his for the taking. It would be easy to reach out and with a simple twist of his wrist, pluck it down. But he didn't want that. Such a delicacy, even in his volatile mood, was to be savored.

"You're enjoying my touch, don't you?" he spoke to her. "It's a pity you don't know our tongue. Maybe I should have someone teach you. It'll be amusing to watch you beg to have your virginity taken. Imagine, I could have you crawl on your hands and knees for my cock."

His eyes dropped to the clamps on top of her breasts, possessively attached to the perfect twin globes. They weren't excessively large, nor unduly small, and they stood proudly on her chest. It was the first thing he had seen when he saw her just now. They were glowingly pale in the dark, and those clamps which glinted dully in the low light, barely added any pull on them. He lowered his head and licked along the inner curve of her right breast, rewarded with a keening cry from her. He was instantly reminded of the sweet dessert he had just eaten; so soft on his tongue that he felt as if he was tasting air. He'd have to have them both at the same time.

Her skin smelled like flowers and spices, and knew his slaves had readied her for him. He circled the rim of the clamp with his nimble tongue, caught the clamp between his teeth and tugging on it. She arched her chest towards him, her breathing caught, trying to lighten the tension them. He chose to perceive her action as wanting more of the same treatment. He held her shoulders down into the bed and tormented the tips of her breasts, jerking the clamps as he moved from breast to breast until she was gasping and squirming.

"Kara did a rather good job with these, didn't she?" he murmured in amusement when he finally let her go. Of course he had known who had put these gold nipple clamps on her. Kara was a pretty slave he had chosen to indulge because he needed an excuse for delaying his First Night. He had found Kara, with her petty possessiveness and not-so-subtle manipulations, amusing and presumptuous. He never liked proud women, preferring softer, more malleable females he could shape to suit his desires.