Once Dead Twice Bound Ch. 02

Opal was less affectionate but equally sincere as she roughly bumped her forehead against mine in a headbut. Her dark brown eyes showed her pride in me. Tilting her head a little she shoved her lips against mine, her tusks digging into my skin just a bit. It was an intensely intimate action, but lacked sexual connotations. Instead it felt like an act of deep respect and honor.

"Now, considering I'm a newbie at this, whose only experience led to me bleeding out, or so I'm told, what is the best way to go about this?"

"First things first." Passion filling her eyes, Tara leaned in close to the head of the imprisoned Olivia, speaking low enough that I couldn't hear her. "I can still feel his desire for you. If you hurt him again, I will find the deepest, darkest hole, and throw you into for a hundred years. Nothing but the void and regrets to accompany you as you slowly starve. I am not often cruel, but for him, I'm willing to be."

When Tara withdrew, she seemed calmer, more composed.

Olivia also seemed more comfortable, even restrained as she was. Shyly, she smiled at me, waving at me from her wrist, which was shackled close to the ground.

My heart fluttered as an echo of the excitement I'd felt when she asked me out spiraled through my body. Chugging faithfully behind the rush of anticipation was the anxiety, my ever-present angst and the memory of finding her facebook info missing.

Stomach growling loudly, she fought to keep the painful grimace from her face.

"Fuck it, she's suffering," I said as I roughly shoved my hand in front of Olivia's face.

"Jack don't-"

Whatever Tara was trying to say was lost as Olivia's instincts forced her to chomp down on the meaty portion of my forearm. There was a sharp pinch, my blood spurting into her mouth as my skin split against the point of her fangs. The coppery scent wrinkled my sensitive nose. She wrapped her lips around the wound and I started to get a little nauseous at the thought what was happening.

Then she pulled.

Her throat working like a pump as her saliva washed over my wound, unfamiliar chemicals beginning to swim through my veins, numbing the pain. She moaned gratefully at the taste, her energy swimming through my veins, encouraging my enjoyment of the act. My moan followed hers as I fell to my knees. Tara grasped my shoulders, pulling me back. Olivia, barely noticed in time, opening her mouth so she didn't take a chunk out of my skin in the process. She hissed at Tara for taking away her meal, eyes flashing red before she regained control.

The experience had been almost spiritual, deeply personal and pleasurable. I shuddered under the aftershocks that rode my nerves up and down my body. While not exactly sexual, it had been quite enjoyable and I could feel my erection threatening the soft fabric of the sweatpants. Tara looked at my arm, the wound already closing under the dual forces of Olivia's saliva and Opal's natural healing her energy had provided for my matrix. The gauntness that haunted Olivia's cheeks faded before us, her body working overtime to draw as much nutrition as she could from the meager amount of blood I'd provided. Her eyes dilated and her cheeks flushed red, striking against her otherwise pale flesh and grey hair. She only had eyes for me, flashing red with a hunger I couldn't distinguish as sexual or not. Embarrassed, I rubbed at my neck awkwardly, ironically where she'd sunk her fangs in previously. She licked her lips and her tongue seemed almost burgundy, stained dark with my blood as she worked her throat, moaning as she gained a porcelain gracefulness, even chained. The whole thing was a little intimidating as she stared at me with overly large 'fuck me' eyes.

I swallowed.

While this byplay happened between Olivia and I, Tara was focused on cleaning up the stray blood, using dainty licks. Her ears were pulled back against her head and her tail swished agitatedly through the air. Convinced I wasn't injured, she looked at my face, her dainty nose sniffing the air. Smiling ruefully, she reached up and gave me a kiss, breaking Olivia's entrancing gaze. "It seems that she didn't hurt you, did she?" she asked, looking for confirmation.

"I mean, a little at first but then... wow. I half remember a whole lot more pain last time, why?"

"I wasn't in control of myself at all at the time. My instincts overwhelmed me, and I have to consciously work at producing the analgesic. I'm sorry for that too by the way. I can't seem to stop myself from hurting you Jack. You should really run as far away from me as you can," she said brokenly. "Ever since I first smelled your blood, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from chasing after you. If you let me close to you I won't be able to let you go. Ever."

"Speaking of not letting me go. Why did you kidnap me in the first place? You hadn't tasted or smelt my blood yet so you had no reason to be interested in me," I said this last part a little bitterly, deep in my well of self deprecation.

"That was done under my masters orders, he felt an outburst of magic and tracked the source down to you and made me kidnap you."

"Why would you follow his orders like that? That wasn't the kind of person I thought you were, although my personal judgment is somewhat sketchy. Considering you know, what happened..."

"I have no choice. He has my phylactery. It houses my soul Jack. I can feel his touch, his cold emotionless fingers, as he runs them along my length. He does this just to remind me that it is within his rights to end me at anytime and no one will lift a finger to stop him." In an even more quiet voice, she said to herself. "I'm also terrified that as the years go by I'll become just like him."

I looked questioningly at Tara. "He is holding her hostage? Isn't there some sort of supernatural police force to stop that sort of thing?" I asked, outraged on Olivia's behalf.

Sheepish, Tara leaned on me, using her tail to pull me close. "It's complicated. A lot of the supernatural communities have cultural rituals that seem barbaric from the outside. It would be an unorganized nightmare to try to have an outside force impinge on their perceived rights, possibly leading to war. As long as it's not... egregious. And remains within the species, the council's hands are mostly tied," she said lamely. Obviously as frustrated at I was with the status quo, the memories of previously witnessed acts flashed behind her eyes.

"What can we do? It's wrong to leave her as a hostage to that obviously megalomaniacal dirtbag."

"Just as it was wrong to make me your slave, master?" Opal asked from behind.

"I didn't know what I was doing... And you said you wanted... It's not the same thing. Is it?" I sputtered.

"Relax master. I merely wanted to offer you a different perspective, often times the situation is not black and white. There are always two sides to a story."

Her words muted the majority of my outraged anger.

"Still, she's a prisoner, both literally and figuratively. And I don't think she deserves it."

"She assaulted you," Tara pouted.

"And she apologized for that, and I accepted her apology. That matter is done," I said with more confidence than I felt.

"You did?" Olivia asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure, you weren't in control of yourself and the whole thing is hazy. This whole thing is crazy. Consider it water under the bridge."

I could feel Tara sulking as she plastered her body against me.

"If only things were that easy," Diana said ruefully from behind. Surprising me with her presence, making my wings snap out wide and my tail floof up.

"Whoa, where did you-... Why does my mouth feel funny?" Just for a moment, my mouth felt like it did when I got my tonsils taken out, numb and a little bit tingly. Then my incisors started to itch. Like stalactites growing in super speed, my body absorbed Opals energy, my teeth lengthening into frightening carnivorous points that nestled snugly into a corresponding hollow that formed in the bottom of my jaw.

"Well, I was not expecting that. I thought that only happened through sex." I ran a finger over the point and shivered, surprised by its sensitivity. My throat ached like I had a cold; it made me cough, thick, wet, hacking coughs that ran on for a couple seconds before subsiding. My throat felt ineffably different and I rubbed at it while the four women stared at me in concern.

"Sorry about that I'm fine now."

"It happens when you exchange energy with someone. This can be through moments of intimacy, or it can happen through moments of violence. It's when emotions are amped up, that the body's instinctive grasp on our energy is loosened, allowing our spirits to be shared and mingle. By remaining focused and calm, we can hold onto our energy preventing interaction and manipulation by outside forces. Such a skill is very difficult, and takes a great deal of practice and training to achieve," Diana explained. "May I?" she asked, holding out her hand.

I nodded, not exactly sure where she was going with this.

She took my jaw firmly and I opened wide for her. Snapping her finger, she produced a dancing light that illuminated my mouth so she could examine the changes more closely. "As I suspected, you've gained a portion of a lich's organs they use to distill blood. You might in fact be able to, with experimentation, find a way to control your transformations with portioned blood consumption."

That's a little unpleasant to consider.

And yet... There was a new place in my mind that didn't think that was unpleasant at all.

"But, you should probably let someone with more experience coach you through the process, as I'm told it can be quite unpleasant for the recipient if done poorly."

Opals knuckles cracked under the tension of her fists, obviously remembering the attack in the cabin.

"As intriguing as this has been, I am here for a reason. The master lich of this province has leveled an accusation against you, Mr. Reynolds. He's claiming that you maliciously addicted his neonate, Olivia, making her dependent on your blood for survival in an attempt to pry secrets from her."

"He didn't," Tara growled.

"He did," Diana replied flatly.

"But that is total bullshit," Olivia cried out. "Why would he do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? He can see what Jack's blood did for you and he wants that for himself."

"He wants my blood?" I asked, the beginning of a horrible plan starting to form.

"I believe that is his endgame... Why?" Diana asked slowly.

"Do you think he would be willing to negotiate for it?" I said slyly.

"Probably. But Olivia's correct in the falsity of his claims, he's desperate, and there's no way his claim will produce any sort of fruit."

"I don't care about that. I'm thinking an of exchange of goods might be in order."

Tara was the only one who understood what I was thinking. "You would do that. For her?"

"I would be willing to do that for any of you. No one should have to live in slavery. Their very life held over their head to ensure their obedience." I'd finally found something I was willing to take a stand against.

Interesting that it's something I thought I would never encounter in 'civilized' society.

Tara huffed, not happy but proud of me for my conviction anyway.

"I like where I'm atm master. But I'll show you what I think about your plan when we spar later." Her upper body flexed impressively, showing off her breasts whilst simultaneously intimidating me. Her smile showed off her tusks as she leaned forward and stuck a kiss on my cheek.

"I would be willing to do the negotiating for you," Diana provided with a toothy grin. "But I have a couple caveats..."

"What?" Suspicious of her demeanor, it came out a little sharper than I intended.

Diana seemed to take no offense at my tone. "First, you'd have to let me do it alone, trusting me to have your best interests at heart."

That didn't sit very well with me. "But, it's my blood. Shouldn't I be in the room when you are discussing it?"

"No," she said bluntly. "You are too close to the situation. I'll be able to negotiate much better terms if you aren't there to muddy up the water."

"She's right lover," Tara said, stepping behind me and wrapping her arms around me. "Also, I've never had the temperment for politics and I don't think Opal does either. She's your best bet."

Opal, who'd been picking her nails while keeping an eye on Olivia, nodded in agreement.

"I don't... trust easily," I admitted slowly. "This whole thing has been one whirlwind after another and I can't seem to get my bearings." I sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll trust you to represent my best interests," I said wearily to Diana. I looked to Tara and she smiled reassuringly, rubbing her thumb along the knuckles of my clenched fist. "You said you had two caveats. What's the other?"

"I said 'a couple caveates'," she nitpicked. "It's important to be precise." Reading my anger, she shrugged unapologetically, comfortable with her words despite the annoyance they generated. "I want to take you on a date."

"Huh?"

"A date, just the two of us, having dinner, talking, getting to know each other, that sort of thing."

"I know what a date is. What I don't understand is why you want to-" In the middle of talking, I recalled what she'd said earlier about wanting to bear my...

Gulp. I can't even think about it without breaking into a cold sweat.

Her smile was very amused and only a little predatory. "That is the cost of my services, one little dinner and some pleasant conversation."

First my masseuse and now this intimidating dragon lady... What the fuck has my life turned into?

I tried to figure out what hidden angles she was playing, unable to see the trap my wary mind told me had to be there.

"Fine, but I want the negotiations for Olivia's phylactery to be done first." I was glad I was able to stand up for myself enough to put forward such a minor addendum; it at least made me feel like I hadn't been totally steamrolled.

"See, now you've experienced what a wonderful negotiator I am," Diana said, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Antonion won't know what struck him." She looked excited at what was to come, her wings fluttering slightly as her violet eyes glowed with the hint of a magical spark. Tail swinging in a wide arc behind her, she spun like a dancer and left the room, her mind already disseminating everything she knew about the resident lich master.

"Somehow I don't think she'll have as easy a time with him as she did manhandling my weak ass."

Tara looked at me with disappointed amusement. "Your ass is hardly weak. I think it looks lovely." Reaching down, she goosed it to show just how much she liked it. My tail sprung out straight behind me, bristles raised in alarm. The tingly feeling of her closeness soaked into my senses like a balm.

Olivia had been staring at me incredulously for some time, her mouth gaping wide enough for a fleet of flies to take up residence. Tears of blood made a macabre tableau of sadness on her face. "You... After everything I've done to you? Still you try to help me?"

"I mean sure. It's only a minor inconvenience with the blood thing. I won't want him to take a bite out of me, I figured it would be like giving blood, just a quick pinch, a couple stress ball squeezes and, bam, bag of blood. Is bagged not okay? Do you have to drink straight from the vein?" I considered that for a moment. Ultimately I found the thought distasteful but acceptable.

Tara's lips curled against the skin behind my ear and she blew cool air, knocking me from my thoughts. "She's surprised you want to help her at all, silly man. She feared expected you to hate her. To shout obscenities and rail about what a terrible creature she is," Tara explained, laughter hidden just below her words.

"Why would I hate her? Sure she was a jerk, but it seems there were extenuating circumstances. I don't think I've ever hated anyone in my life, and certainly not for something as petty as ghosting me for a date. Or inadvertently injuring me. I'm pretty sure the time my sister suplexed me and broke my collar bone was way worse than the whole neck thing."

The tears and crying only grew stronger.

We all sat in that cell for an awkward moment.

"Is there any way we can release her?" I asked, just when Olivia's blubbering died out but tears continued to flow.

"Not without Diana's say so," Tara answered, continuing to hold me close.

"Then is there anything we can do to pass the time? Otherwise I'm gonna go crazy just waiting here."

"I know one thing we can do," Opal said excitedly.

Tara rolled her eyes and smiled as Opal began to drag us from the room.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked Olivia, resisting Tara hand that was intertwined with mine and was currently being pulled by an energetic Opal.

I met her striking violet eyes, filled with an inscrutable emotion, and she nodded, her lips pinched tight. The scent of ozone and copper followed the three of us from the room as Opal hauled us as fast as she could to a large dojo slash free weight area. It had the usual vaguely unpleasant scent of commingled sweat and barely working air freshener, lemon zest.

"The first thing you need to know is that here, I am the alpha and omega. You might be my master but you will listen to me here." She pinned me with a steely gaze, nailing me to the floor like an overzealous entomologist.

"Okay," I said in a small voice, strangely aroused by her dominating tone.

Tara looked at me with a knowing smirk and I had an inkling that she'd sensed that.

"Good. Show me your fist," she demanded.

I did so. She surprised me with her sudden change in demeanor, her natural strength and authority oozing from every pore. She'd been very subservient after our conflict in the cabin had been... resolved, and she'd pledged herself to me.

I kinda like it.

"You're holding your thumb wrong. If it's pointed out like that you're liable to break it on contact. Plus your fist isn't as strong when held in that manner." With some pushing and prodding she got my hand situated correctly, my thumb held tightly across my second knuckle.

"It feels strange."

"That means you need to practice at it. Engrain it into your body and mind until everything becomes second nature. Now punch my hand."

Raising my brow, I hesitated.

"Come on and hit me," she snarled taking an almost aggressive stance.

Startled I threw a right jab, my hand snapping into her palm with a clapping sound.

"You need to keep your wrist straight. You can easily hurt your wrist by breaking bones or tearing tendons if you don't keep everything aligned.

I tried again.

She nodded. "Better. To generate more force you need to shift your hips, and stay on the balls of your feet. The power of the punch doesn't only come from upper body strength. It comes from your entire body working together by throwing your hips into the punch you can generate a lot more power than you could otherwise." Opal demonstrated then walked around behind me, plastering herself against my backside, her hands on my hips as she encouraged me to turn them.

"It's sorta feels like a baseball swing," I said, miming swinging an invisible bat.

"Close. But keep your weight more balanced, your favoring your back foot and that makes you slow, by keeping your weight equally on both feet you will be able to strike and avoid counter attacks with greater ease. When you make contact your feet should both be pointed towards the target. Now try again."

Keeping her instructions in mind, my fist smacking into her palm with a meatier sound. She grinned, nodding in encouragement.