Monstrous Ranch Ch. 10

"Dickcheese."

Senya's eyes widened. He sputtered and spat the concoction on the floor, nearly retching in sheer shock. He stared at her, mouth open in mute horror.

Valina burst out in giggles. "Just kidding! They call it jökulhúð—it means, basically, 'glacier curds'. They make it from yaks' milk and turn it into cheese in big ice caves, you big ditz."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Wha..."

Valina grinned and clapped her hands together. "Ooh, that felt good. Good in a non-sexy way, I mean!"

"You, um..."

She grabbed another cracker and scooped up some more of the jokul... whatever, and before he could even think, popped it into his open mouth. He reflexively chewed. It was still delicious, after all. "Sorry," she whispered, batting her eyelashes at him. "Kitten doesn't mean to be naughty. Valina is just such a bad kitty..." She planted a kiss on his closed lips, "... and it helps her if she gets to misbehave."

"Mm." Senya chewed and swallowed. Valina was very close now, he realized—her face was inches from his. She'd somehow scooted her rear along the table without him registering it.

Wait, when had he sat down?

"S-so," he whispered back, leaning away from her, "Valina is... free-willed. And Kitten is..."

"Obedient," Valina moaned, leaning in and nuzzling him. "She's a good kitty." One eye opened, green and feral. "A good slave, Master."

"And you're free-willed right now."

"Oh, no!" Valina giggled. "The bell would be dinging if I was disobeying orders. Bell makes Kitten behave. Makes her a good girl." She reached down, tugging her blouse down a little to expose the belled collar to him. He felt his head sway as he caught a very good look at one of her nipples.

"So you're just... lucid?"

"When Kitten gets fucked," Valina said, leaning back, "she remembers lots. Lots of old programming. How to be a good girl. How to be Kitten. But Valina never goes all the way awa! Sometimes I'm more Valina, but I'm usually still a good kitten."

"Are you one right now?"

Valina looked at him coyly. "Am I a good kitten?" she cooed.

Seny was starting to sweat. "Um..."

She leaned in again, and seemed to slip from the table onto his knee. "Am I a good kitten?' she mewled, staring him right in the eyes. She wriggled her hips slightly, and he couldn't help but groan as he realized his hard dick was now pressed into her side. "Am I being a good kitten right now, Master?" she asked, her voice very, very small.

Senya was quivering. He could barely trust himself to speak. She's trying to... to...

Somehow, Senya managed to rally enough to manage two words: "Pussycat, go see the queen."

Valina stared at him for a moment. Her lip quivered.

Suddenly, the catgirl leaped off his lap like it was on fire. She leaped a full meter, fell against the back wall, and moaned, pulling up her skirt. "M-mean master," she whimpered, starting to visibly stroke herself. "P-please don't m-make me—aah—mmme—" She quickly shut her mouth, as if struggling to hold something in.

The catgirl rocked back and forth, stroking herself faster and faster. Her face took on a calm, blissful look. Her lips began to quiver, and slowly parted...

"Enough," he said quickly. "Sorry."

With this, Valina managed to wrest her hand away. A low sigh of relief escaped her.

A moment passed in silence as Valina stared at him, her face a mix of anger and surprise. She took a step forward, and her hand reached for a chair next to her, fingers clenching around the cross rail—

The bell gave a warning chime, and she stopped, her expression easing just a little bit back into bliss. She leaned back against the wall, audibly purring, neither nymphomaniac nor homicidal. "Mean Master," she whispered again, but there was no more venom left in her. "Mm... Kitten just wanted to play."

"That was Valina, I think," Senya said slowly, leaning forward in a futile effort to hide his erection. Valina's lips quirked upward in response. "You were changing the subject."

"Guilty. Kitten's guilty." She giggled. "Bad kitty. Kitten did warn you how naughty Valina can be!"

"She did, I guess." Senya grimaced. He gestured to the table. "You're welcome to... to stay, if you want, Valina. And you can... you can be Valina, if you want to be." Even as he said it, doubts filled his mind. What did that really mean? And how would she interpret it? How would she twist it? "But as Master, I command you to... to not touch me again unless I ask for it." He took a cracker and dipped it in the dopterine glacier cheese. "Maybe I don't have the authority yet to enforce that, but if you break that rule, I'll... I'll make you stroke yourself until all you can do is mew."

Wait, what? Senya frowned. What an odd remark to make. Where had that come from? Why would she have to mew? He shook his head, a bit confused. He'd thought he was alluding to something, but now he had no idea what.

Maybe Valina did, though, because she was slowly smiling. "Mew," she said, nodding happily. She pranced over and jumped back up onto the table, resting her rear on the edge near him. "You are a strange Master," she said. "Maybe because the last Master didn't raise you. Nicer."

"You are... strange."

Valina beamed. "Valina tries to be."

~~~~

They spent the next half-hour like that, eating cheese and crackers and... talking. Actually talking. She got more normal as the conversation went on, in fact, and was soon almost exclusively using first-person pronouns again. It was an almost bewildering relief after the last two days.

Valina and he compared sexual conquests—she had a slight preference for boys, and he a slight preference for girls. "A perfect match!" she exclaimed, making him uncomfortable. She told him about the time she and her girlfriend had set fire to a nunnery, and he told her about the time he'd helped rebuild a nunnery. They weren't sure if there was a connection. It seemed unlikely, but Valina was stingy with details about her homeland.

In fairness, Senya was, too.

Valina was actually fairly funny, though she couldn't seem to help but flirt with him every now and then. She seemed to have a weakness for puns and entendre, so Senya tried to avoid bringing up shafts and nails and screws when discussing his work.

Valina seemed quite interested in carpentry. He expounded to her on his most prized work—a chair designed for two occupants, commissioned by an amorous baroness who had tried several times to pay him in sexual favors. Valina was perplexed as to why he'd rejected this offer, until he'd admitted he'd just really needed to pay rent that week.

She was actually a pretty reasonable person. Senya couldn't help but wonder, though... As normal as she seemed, she must have done something to deserve being here. He didn't dare ask about that.

"Woodworking," Valina said, with a wistful sigh. "I guess you meet a lot of angry dryads."

"You have no idea." Senya giggled, popping another cracker into his mouth. They were out of cheese. "Do you have any crafts like that? Anything you do for—" He stopped himself, realizing too late what he was asking.

Valina blinked bright green eyes at him. She frowned, glancing outside at a tree. "Glassblowing."

It took Senya a moment to realize she wasn't looking outside—she was looking at the window itself.

"I used to love glassblowing," she said, sighing. "Valina was really good at it, too! Made lots of pretty things. Shiny baubles. But then Valina got a nice little collar and became... became a good girl."

Senya bit his lip, not looking directly at her. He had no idea what to say. He'd almost managed to forget where he was, who Valina was, until now. What she'd probably done.

After a moment, she glanced back at him, smiling. "We're out of cheese."

"Yeah." He gave a weak laugh. "I wonder where Bobbin and Jerrod are. I'm really supposed to be delivering those." He gestured at the baskets of grapes next to his chair.

"Mm." She shrugged. "Sometimes they have business. With each other, or with others. Why don't we go downstairs, though?"

"Downstairs?"

"Mm-hm!" She reached down and hefted one basket over her shoulder. "That's where we take the grapes, silly! And Kitten wants to help. And there's more cheese down in the cellar."

"This house has a cellar?"

The catgirl giggled, taking his hand to tug him off the chair. "Come, Master! Let Valina help you. Don't you want more cheese?"

He grinned. "Well, you're saying it the same way Mo—the holstaur asked if I wanted more milk, so now I'm skeptical."

"Aw." Valina beamed as she picked up the other basket. "Kitten loves Mommy's milk! She's so sweet and caring to Kitten."

He followed her as she bounced over to a door he'd always assumed was a closet. "And how does... Valina feel about her?"

Valina glanced back at him coyly. "I do not think Valina cares for her much. She's never around for long when I'm with Mommy."

She opened the door, and Senya was startled to see a set of very narrow, very steep stairs spiraling down. Senya wasn't especially afraid of heights, but just looking at this made him a bit queasy. But she danced down confidently into the darkness.

Not wanting to be left behind, Senya followed.

~~~~

The stairs weren't as treacherous as they'd looked—there was a nice wooden railing. Fine polished yew; smooth to the touch; a real indulgence for a cellar almost no one would see. Senya still had to be careful as he followed Valina/Kitten down into the cellar.

It was, he realized, a wine cellar. Shelves lined the walls and filled the stone chamber like a library of fine drink. Bottle after bottle occupied the shelves. It was astounding how much there was. He'd never seen so much wine before in his life.

Senya could see by the dim lights of tinted red lamps that shone within red wine bottles, giving the place a sort of... intimate feel.

Senya stared at one of the red lamps. There was a little woman inside, he realized after a pause. Her form was bright red and wreathed in flames, and she was dancing merrily—and lewdly. He watched her dance inside the bottle. She looked over at him and pursed her lips, blowing him a lusty kiss. The red bottle seemed to fog up...

... and he realized that this was because he'd walked all the way up to the bottle. There was a faint whispering in his mind.

He stared at the woman in the bottle. There were other glowing bottle lamps around him, each with their own dancing man or woman, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from this one. She was nubile and gorgeous, with flaming hair and scarlet skin that shone like embers. Her dance was writhing and sensual, a mix of belly dance and outright lurid provocation. She exposed her pussy to him, and he realized his face was pressed against the glass.

The glass was warm.

She smiled at him and blew him another kiss.

The whispering grew louder. tkmetkmetkmetkme...

Without any thought, his hand grasped the bottle. It was warm. Sealed with cool green wax. The dancing figure seemed to giggle. She rapidly stroked her pussy for him with a single finger as she spun and leaped. Her eyes glowed white.

The whispering was getting louder. takemetakemetakemetakeme...

A hand gently wrapped around his wrist. The hand was soft, with very long, delicate fingers. Senya felt ticklish little tendrils wrapping around his arm. "I see you're enjoying the company of one of the sparkle sprites," said a husky, lilting voice. "Is she pleasing you, then?"

Senya blinked. The woman in the bottle continued to gyrate her whole body, breasts jiggling together as she toyed with her nipples. "Mm..."

Take me take me take me take me TAKE ME—

With a start, Senya registered the unfamiliar voice, and realized he was about to hold the warm bottle up to his groin. The dancing woman was pressed against the glass, eyes fixated on his cock, thrusting and swinging her hips.

He looked up, and it was like dunking his head into cold water. He hadn't realized how hot he felt, temperature wise, while he was looking into that bottle. He was back in the wine cellar.

And staring into two of the most beautiful purple eyes he'd ever seen.

Many of the women he had met on the ranch were highly sexual. Kitten was barely-dressed, always eager for a round. The slime girls, Brigitte, puppy girls and beembos just went around naked, displaying their whole bodies for his temptation. The Thriae only wore clothes to tease, to taunt, to...

Wait, Thriae?

The eyelashes fluttered, and he forgot his confusion. Stay on-track. The point was, this woman, this... creature was nothing like the other creatures of the Ranch. she was... tasteful.

She wore an elaborate red dress. It was a gorgeous garment that hugged her every curve, accentuating her full form, flowing from breasts down to her feet like molten rubies. Somehow, it was both the most modest dress he'd seen yet and the most erotic by far. Her skin was a very pale green, almost like the elven complexion, but a bit more yellowed. Tattoos of flowing vines and blooming flowers covered that skin like a canvas. Her lips were a brilliant bloodred, and her eyes were a gorgeous, drowning violet.

Such a strange word to think of. Drowning. Drowning. But it was what they were. He was drowning in those eyes. Her lips quirked upward in a smile as she seemed to study him, never breaking eye contact. It was like she saw everything to know of him through his eyes.

"Why, darling," she said, her voice soft, and delicately clicking in a way that made his spine tingle, "I can see that it is a pleasure to make my acquaintance."

She took his hand, taking the bottle from him, and brought his hand to those red lips. And before he could even begin to think about whether or not it was a good idea to let her, she kissed the back of his hand.

Pleasure poured into him like rainwater, trickling, exquisite. Her lips were perfect. They were wonderful. Senya trembled as she held the kiss just a bit longer than she needed to, but he could not look away from those violet eyes. They anchored him as surely as a rowboat to the dock. They would protect him from the storm.

The bottle returned to the shelf with a quiet clinking sound as she completed the kiss, returning his hand to his side as if it was a gift from her to him, rather than his own hand. She smiled. "My name is Ms. Vinifera, or Lady Vinifera, if you prefer. You may call me Miss Scarlet, if you please. My true name is so dreadfully scientific, don't you agree?" She curtseyed. But those eyes held him.

"Y-yes, Miss Scarlet," he replied, his tongue leaden. He shivered under her stare.

The eyes glimmered. "And you are... Master."

"Yes, Miss Scarlet." Senya wasn't sure why he kept repeating her name. It felt respectful.

Senya had grown up quite poor, and his sister, though considerably better-off after finding her gifts for magic, had always agreed with him that the wealthy were basically the worst. But he intuitively knew that Miss Scarlet wasn't like that. Miss Scarlet was a lady. It was important to respect a lady.

"Might I ask what brings you down here, Senya?" Miss Scarlet asked, tilting her head to the side. Her dark brown hair was immaculately styled into something like a chignon, with two long, sharp-looking ruby pins holding it in place.

"Yes, Miss Scarlet." Senya clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm just... I'm just here to deliver a, um... grapes."

"Ah." She raised one dark eyebrow, glancing around him. "I don't see any grapes; do you, Senya?"

"Um, no, Miss Scarlet." Senya bit his lip, unable to look away from her eyes. "I was... Valina was..." he was starting to feel nervous. Why was he so afraid to displease this woman? Why couldn't he just look aw—

"You lost them," Miss Scarlet said softly, a little smile flitting across her lips to show she wasn't angry. "Silly dear."

Senya let out a sigh, his heart filling with relief. "Yes, Miss Scarlet. Yes. I... lost them."

"It's good that you admitted it," Miss Scarlet said, reaching forward and chivalrously reclaiming his hand. "Come, darling. Why don't we discuss it over dinner."

"Din... ner?"

"Why, yes, darling." She giggled as she finally turned away, releasing him from those eyes at last. Once again, Senya felt his head clear. But less, this time. Less. "Dear Kitten is waiting for us. It doesn't do to keep a lady waiting."

"Kitten? She is?" Senya blinked. "Oh."

His mind felt a bit less sluggish, now, and he was starting to get a bad feeling about this. But Miss Scarlet's hand was on his, and he felt those same tickling tendrils climbing over his skin. He looked, this time, and realized that little creeping vines were climbing from her arm, from beneath her sleeve. They didn't seem too thick, and he had no doubt he could break them, but their attentions were both ticklish and a bit pleasant. He hoped this wasn't something to worry about.

Miss Scarlet led him along, and Senya obediently followed. He followed after her, weaving around the shelves of wine, until they came to the back of the cellar, where there was a clear space set out. Those "sparkle sprite" bottles lined the walls, filling the chamber with reddish light. Remembering what had happened last time, he carefully looked away, focusing his gaze on Miss Scarlet's feet. To his slight surprise, she was barefoot. Nonetheless, her step carried a significant sway. He had to fight to avoid looking at her rear.

In the center of the room was a small table with a red tablecloth. A bottle lamp was right in the center, which worried Senya a little—he'd have to be careful to avoid looking at it while looking into Miss Scarlet's pretty eyes, or he'd get hypnotized again.

Beside the table stood Kitten, laying out the last of the dishes and silverware. Her gaze seemed curiously distant as she straightened napkins. There were two chairs. Kitten was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit now, Senya realized—the kind lust sprites wore to put you in the mood. Not that lust sprites needed any help. Not that Kitten needed any help.

"Hi," Kitten said, turning as she saw him. "Master and Miss Scarlet! Kitten was just finishing..." She bit her lip, looking at Senya with an expression that seemed almost guilty as she clasped her hands behind her back. Senya couldn't help but look at her cleavage, accentuated both by the corset and her posture.

"Very good, Kitten," Miss Scarlet said, smiling. She stepped forward and rubbed Kitten's ears, eliciting a little whimper from the catgirl. She glanced over at Senya and chuckled. "I trust the maid pleases you, darling?"

"Uh... what?" Senya's mouth was dry as he watched Kitten lean into Miss Scarlet's touches, wriggling slightly. He found himself envying Kitten. He longed to be touched again by Miss Scarlet, to be so close to her, to enjoy her attentions.

Miss Scarlet released Kitten, to Kitten's clear disappointment, and gestured to the table. "She has set the table. She's been a good maid, don't you think?"

"Y-yes," Senya said, feeling his face heating up.

"Have a seat, Senya," Miss Scarlet said with an easy smile.

Senya found himself obeying. Miss Scarlet sat a moment afterwards.

The sprite danced and gyrated in the bottle. Miss Scarlet assumed perfect posture, her eyes fixed on Senya's once more. Senya felt his mind drowning in those eyes once more as she smirked. "Kitten, pour the wine."

~~~~

My dastardly brother, Senya,

Holy shit, you think you got mentioned in Great-Uncle Yvun's will? Keep me posted! Mail's taking ages to deliver, for some reason, but I promise I'm on the edge of my seat! I'm sure whatever happens with that, you'll be fully on top of it and ready to dive right in.