Stolen Ch. 02

After a few moments, she returned carrying the borrowed gray shirt, folded around the leather pouch and a small damp rag. She set the shirt, pouch on a shelf, and wiped the drying sweat off my forehead. Briskly unfastening my skirt, she dropped it down my legs and in a clinical manner, cleaned the evidence of my earlier excitement from the insides of my thighs.

"There," she said, placing the rag on the floor near the shelving. "Now you may try on suitable underwear."

Gianna retrieved the borrowed skirt from the floor, folded it and placed it atop the gray shirt. She had me try on several different types of panties, from thin narrow flimsy things to more substantial pieces fringed with lace. She decided that a style that hugged the cleft of my ass was the most flattering. Four sets of panties with matching colored bras sat on the stone shelf with the borrowed clothes.

Wearing the fifth, a set of a pale creamy color with little bits of lace, I stood there and glanced at the curtain. I was worried that Nenny had heard my soft cries earlier. Noting my preoccupation, Gianna smiled at me and said, "She knows."

"What?" I gasped with wide eyes and a growing blush.

Picking up a white skirt, she held it against my waist briefly before nodding and setting it on the shelf. She held up one finger and said, "First, she's lilim, they feed on sexual energy. They don't have to be participating to feed, just be nearby. And you, my dear, supplied her quite the feast."

I stared at the curtain separating the shop in mortification. I had tried my best to be quiet and it hadn't mattered at all.

Holding up a second finger, Gianna's smile grew wider, and said, "And second, you are very vocal."

Every inch of my face and ears felt like they were burning in a blush. I stood stiffly and stared at the curtain with wide eyes. I wondered if I could use magic to go invisible, indefinitely.

"It was very cute how hard you were trying to stay quiet. I hope you'll become liberated enough to stop holding back. A vocal partner can be a delight," she said with a wicked look in her eyes.

"Now," she said in a serious manner while the smile still tugged at her lips. "I will match you with skirts and tops, it will give you options for mixing them, essentially doubling your wardrobe. The next time, after we have played, you will have dresses."

I tried to focus on Gianna, my face was still flaming, but my eyes kept drifting to the separating curtain. "No pants or jeans?" I asked.

She shook her head and explained, "No. You will have difficulty finding such things here unless you make it yourself. They prefer skirts, dresses, kilts and anything with ease of access to the genitals. Given their nature, the reasoning should become clear."

"Oh," I said as I looked around the shelves. Right, sex demons. Of course, easy access for fornication guided fashion. I was trying to distract myself from my embarrassment.

"How about dark colors at least? I hate looking like a flower."

She shook a finger sternly at me and said, "I will choose the appropriate color based on your skin and hair color. You will wear it and look ravishing, especially if I decide you will be a flower."

I found myself nodding before consciously realizing it. Gianna seemed mollified at my reaction and gathered up what she thought was fitting for me. As she held a blouse against my chest I thought about what she had said earlier about her mistress meeting the terms of the bond.

"Gianna, what did you mean when you said terms of your bond?"

She examined the top against my skin for a moment longer before she pulled it away and set it aside. As she reached for another shirt, she glanced at me and said, "Exactly as I said. I stated the terms of the bond and Mistress agreed."

"Okay," I replied. "Can you tell me what the terms were? Is it a secret? I don't understand any of this."

She nodded agreeably as she picked up a second top and compared them to each other.

"For the bond to complete we agree on the terms of our union. In my case, my main demand was no children. I had witnessed my mother and sisters die from childbirth. I had no interest in suffering the same fate."

"No kids? But don't they all have a fetish for pregnancy?"

"They all have their own interests, but yes. Most do want to sire children," she said with a slight smile. "Mistress has three other factotum if she desires children some of them will willingly provide them."

"Oh," I said. "I didn't know the bond could prevent pregnancy."

She shook her head, "No. The collars cannot inhibit our body's natural processes. If she were to take me and breed me, I would become pregnant. That would also break our bond and I would be free to seek another mistress."

I started to protest and stopped. As I thought about it, I asked, "So it's an agreement, like a contract."

While she held the tops out next to me she nodded, her attention was focused on the clothes more than me. "It can be changed of course, but both must be willing and it cannot be compelled. Too big a change will break the bond and it would have to be redone."

"So she uses birth control when," I trailed off as she shook her head.

"No. They claim it doesn't work on them. I believe they lack the willingness to follow a birth control regimen. There are other ways to be joined than as nature intended."

My mouth opened in a silent oh. Of course there was. I was just having a hard time picturing Gianna submitting to anal sex. My thoughts must have been easy to read on my face, she gave me a wide smile and her eyes sparkled.

"Is it so hard to believe that I would enjoy sex with no risk of children?"

"It just that you," I stammered while I gestured at her. "You're so pretty and elegant it's hard to believe that you would like that."

"I do enjoy submitting to a firm guiding hand," she said as her smile grew. "As do you."

I stood there and blushed as she picked out new clothes for me to try on. After some time, she seemed satisfied by the fit and style of five sets of garments. Four were folded neatly on the same shelf as the borrowed clothes and my stipend. I was wearing the fifth selection of a loose white skirt that flowed around my knees and a dark blue top with a wide deep v cut that hugged my chest.

Nenny pushed her way through the curtain and looked with approval at my outfit. She looked sated and a glow emanated from under her skin. Her silver cat eyes were bright as they roamed my body. I fidgeted, reminded that my orgasms had fed her.

"She looks wonderful, Gianna. I knew bringing her to you was a good idea," she said as she inspected me.

Gianna nodded, accepting the compliment absently as she stared at my feet. "Those sandals are intolerable. Far too big and not at all flattering," she criticized then paused. "Two pairs of shoes will suffice heels and flats."

"I don't know how to wear heels," I protested.

Nenny glanced at the folded sets of clothes set aside for me, then turned to me. "Five sets of shoes then, heels and raised soles," she said with a wink.

Gianna jerked her head away from me and stared at Nenny. Frowning she countered, "Three pairs of shoes that fit. Low heels, wedges and my choice."

Nenny nodded, a smile played around her lips as Gianna moved away in a huff. "See, haggling is easy," she said.

They had both ignored me when I had protested wearing heels. I sighed and pulled at my skirt, watching the light fabric drift back down against my thighs. I felt awkward standing with Nenny after having inadvertently fed her. The soft rustle of the clothes against my skin didn't help my state of mind. Each rustle felt pleasurable, the way the bra and panties molded themselves to my body had me distracted. Clothes had never felt like this before.

I didn't regret it at all, it had been an amazing experience. I suppose I was self-conscious about how quickly I submitted to Gianna, I had never done that before. Nenny had been nice to me and I did find her very attractive, but I'd like to have known I was going to feed her beforehand.

Looking for something to distract me from that line of thought, I looked down at my skirt. Frowning at the fabric, I rubbed it between my fingers trying to figure out what it was. Most of the clothing in the shop was made of the same material. It didn't feel exactly like silk.

"Nenny, what is this made out of?"

"Spider silk."

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. I knew that militaries and companies were experimenting with spider silk for armor and clothing. It was tough and incredibly light but hard to get in large quantities. To have a shop full of garments made from spider silk was confounding.

She nodded and said, "The spiders are raised in the caverns under the city. Every city has them. They feed on any pests that enter our sewer system. They're quite docile if you're not vermin."

"Docile?" I asked. No one would describe a spider as docile. Unless they were large. Very large. "How big are they?"

Nenny idly looked around, her eyes moved across the displays. "About that big on average," she said as she pointed at an island display about three feet wide. "The ones in the deepest caverns are quite a bit larger."

I searched her face, looking for signs she was teasing. She seemed serious. Spiders did not bother me, so long as I could step on them. Finding out that there were three foot long and bigger arachnids lurking below the city sent thrills of fear through me. No way in hell was I going to look for myself. I hoped to God that the succubi didn't keep them as pets.

As I was about to ask her another question about the monster-sized spiders, Gianna returned carrying three pairs of shoes. One pair was wedge-soled sandals with soft white straps. The other two were low-heeled shoes, open toed, one white and the other black. After trying them on and finding out they fit, I discovered that it was easier to walk in heels than I had feared.

Satisfied, Gianna wrapped my clothes and the two pairs of open toed shoes in a small package. Nenny placed some clothes she had selected on the shelf and they began to haggle. I observed the transaction with wide eyes. Haggling it seemed, involved lots of melodrama. There were cries of theft, greed, statements of betrayed friendship and promises of retribution before they agreed to a price with a smile. I shook my head in disbelief; there was no way I could get used to haggling.

Having wrapped up and handed Nenny her purchase and the borrowed clothing, Gianna handed me my package and pouch. She hugged me and drew me into a soft lingering kiss that sent tingles of pleasure racing through me. Breathing heavily, I promised I'd return with my next stipend as she escorted us out of her shop. Nenny watched with a slight smile, not quite smirking.

I was blushing while Nenny walked me down the street. A few doors down as we walked past a fruit vendor I looked over at her. It had been a long night and morning and I was feeling tired. My usual wake up routine featured lots of coffee and I was starting to suffer caffeine withdrawals. This morning's waking to the sounds of persistent knocking hadn't prepared me for the day.

"Nenny, I have a serious question for you. It's very important. A matter of life and death even."

"Yes?"

"I need coffee. Where can I get coffee here?"

She peered at me in curiosity and asked, "What is coffee?"

I stopped walking and stood stiffly as my world collapsed around my ears. Nenny went on a pace more before halting and turning to me. The blank curious look on her face showed that she was sincere. She didn't know what coffee was. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, that coiled pressure in me that I had started to associate with magical power started to stir and grow.

"There are only two things I need, two. One is coffee. The other is more coffee. If there is no coffee what point is there to living! I need coffee. Need it!"

My voice had started to rise in octave as the doom of being in a world devoid of coffee gripped me. The surge of power was growing quickly, rearing and roaring like a living animal in a rage. My eyes were wide and I stared unblinkingly at Nenny, hoping that she would produce that liquid ambrosia.

Her wings snapped closed, furled tightly to her body and her tail fell in a drooping arc, trembling. She held out a hand in a calming gesture, her eyes wide and intent on me. She spoke in a low soothing tone.

"Okay, okay. Explain what coffee is, we probably have it by another name. We import a lot of things from many worlds, someone may have it."

"It's a bean," I replied in a voice that shook from the crushing despair and terror of being in a hell absent life's one great pleasure. "It's dried out, roasted, ground into a powder and has very hot water poured over it through a filter. It has a bitter taste that you can add sugar and cream too."

"Ah, it sounds like an imported drink we call kaw," she said soothingly in that low calm voice.

"Kaw? Like the sound a crow makes?" I asked, the wild rage of power had evened out and was slowly ebbing away as I grasped at the slim ray of hope that they had coffee here.

"I don't know what a crow is, but what you describe sounds like kaw. I'm certain the large vendor at the intersection, just down the street has it."

A wave of relief swept through me. If they had coffee then things weren't so bad after all. The power inside me subsided and I heaved a sigh as I relaxed. Maybe a yearlong wait would be bearable now. I felt eyes upon me and glanced around, a wide circle had formed around us during my panic attack.

"Feel calmer now," she asked, her body posture remained defensive. Her wings were still pressed tightly to her back; her tail quivered and moved slightly in a rocking motion. Her hand was palm out and tilted downwards towards me.

I nodded and watched the succubi who stared at us and asked, "Why is everyone staring?"

"You were glowing," Nenny answered. "And you started to set fire to the street."

Alarmed I quickly glanced down at my clothes afraid that they had burned. I had just gotten them after all and wasn't in a hurry to end up naked in front of a crowd again. They looked normal, as did the package and pouch in my hands. About half a foot away from me, the black stone of the street was much darker and flecked in glowing embers that formed a circle around me. Heat was radiating from those stones and I started to feel hot.

"Oh. I did this?"

She nodded and relaxed slightly, her wings stopped pressing against her back and her tail made a quick slashing movement behind her. I looked around and avoided meeting the stares of the gathered group of succubi. The glowing stone didn't go too far, just another half a foot before looking normal.

"Oops."

Nenny shook her head at me and said, "I'm starting to hate hearing that word from you."

My face flushed slightly before I jumped over the scorched and overheated stone circle. It's not like I could control the magic, it just happened. Feeling bad about it wasn't on my agenda. Besides, if they didn't want things to spontaneously combust, they should stop stealing people.

I did pause after jumping the scorched stone. The ease in which I had been walking in the wedged heels had shocked me, once I noticed it. I did feel taller though, closer to my original height, which made me feel better. It seemed that everyone in Asphodel towered over me when on Earth I had been taller than average.

I started to stride down the street; she had said a vendor who sold the kaw was farther down. The crowd parted quickly, the succubi looked like they couldn't get away from me fast enough. Nenny quickly caught up and kept pace with me. She kept her head slightly tilted with me being firmly in her view.

"They look like they were scared of me. I thought you all wanted a catalyst," I remarked as we walked.

She eyed me as we moved down the wide avenue. Nenny nodded slightly before she said, "We do."

She paused before continuing, considering her response. "You're very strong. Too strong."

"How can you tell?"

"We can feel the power in you when you use it if we're nearby. If anyone should bond with you, they would gain tremendous power. Too much power. The nobles would view it as a challenge and a threat."

"Oh," I replied as we walked.

There was a message hidden in her response. I thought Nenny was very pretty, for a winged demon and a part of me wanted to kiss her. She was letting me know that she wouldn't bond with me.

I don't know what kind of Machiavellian machinations the nobles engaged in but from her tone, I knew she wanted no part in it. I felt very sad at that realization and I wondered if the nobles had already expressed interest in me. Well, I'll just make them fear me saying oops too.

"Here it is," she said as she gestured to a street vendor set up behind a long stone counter with a low stone bench set before it.

The vendor was right next to the intersection that the street narrowed at, leading back up to the apartment path. Vats and jugs sat against the wall with many smaller bottles and decanters of fluid displayed on top of barrels. Flowers hung from racks suspended above the seating, the first growing green things I had seen so far.

She guided me up to the counter and set her package under the bench before speaking to the merchant. I sat next to her and placed my clothing bundle in front of my feet while I tucked the pouch containing the stipend in between my legs. The vendor nodded at Nenny and turned to get something. I looked around at the barrels, surprised that they were made of wood. Everything in this city seemed to be made of stone and black iron.

The succubi returned carrying two clay mugs. She set the larger cup in front of me and the other next to Nenny. The steaming liquid inside the cup was nothing like coffee. It was brown, the light muddy brown of a turbulent river with lighter swirls of tan drifting through it. It stank. I don't just mean it smelled bad, its fragrance was that of gym socks put away slightly damp with sweat and left to molder in a dark place for months.

I looked up and stared at Nenny and the merchant. "What is this?"

"It's kaw," explained the vendor as she gazed at me curiously.

Nenny looked over and peered into the mug then nodded. "It is kaw," she said. "Is it not coffee?"

"It looks like flooded river water and it smells like dirty feet suffering a fungus attack. Coffee is black like obsidian and smells of happiness and purity."

"It's made from a bean and in the manner you described. Try it," she urged while she smiled at the expression on my face.

Sighing, I stared down at the muddy looking liquid in the large cup. Wafts of steam drifted from the surface, the distinct fragrance tickled my nose and not in a good way. Oxtail soup looked gross but was yummy, maybe this was too.

Exhaling, breathing out through my nose, I held my breath and took a small sip of the brown fluid. I gasped in surprise at the familiar bitter flavor of coffee. Taking a large gulp of the smelly liquid, I leaned back and sighed waiting for the familiar surge of caffeine to rush through me.

"Well?" Nenny asked as she watched my reaction. "Is it your coffee?"

I smiled and nodded. With a happy sigh I said, "It is. Life is good again."

She snorted in response and drank from her mug. I looked at the vendor and asked, "Do you have any sugar or a sweetener? I just need a tablespoon of it."

She nodded and set a small dish of familiar looking white cubes on the counter before me with some small wooden stirring sticks. After dropping one cube into the muddy substance, I stirred it with a content smile. If only it didn't smell so bad, or look so gross.

Nenny spoke to the vendor as I stared into the tan swirling fluid. I wasn't really paying any attention to her and was surprised when she set a plate of fruit on the counter next to me. I looked at her curiously.