To Tame a Slave Ch. 09

That actually sounded pretty interesting. Sad to hear that most of them have hidden away, as it would probably be pretty cool to meet one. Half raven half person? Seriously, how much cooler could you possibly get.

My mental rambling was cut short by a knock on the door. The book was quickly hidden under my pillow moments before the door swung open. The man from before stood there, peering in at me with a smile that made his pale eyes light up.

"Ah, good, you're awake!" He said, stepping into the room. "I thought maybe you'd like a tour of the manor before dinner." At the word dinner my stomach made a grumbly sound and he laughed. "Perhaps a short tour then."

From behind him peeked a woman with hair that made me do a double take. It was long, falling past her waist, and seemed to be pale blue, streaked with purples and darker blues. It framed a pale face and wide, dark pink eyes. At the sight of me, those eyes grew wider, and a grin split her face. She let out a soft, excited squeal and rushed across the room, bouncing slightly as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I had heard we had another changeling here! Is it true that you're really a human? You're the first we've heard of! How long ago did you stumble over here? Where have you been since then? What's it like-" Her endless questions turned into a squeal as she was suddenly being dragged backwards by the back of her dress.

Neera smiled apologetically at me. "Sorry. This is Tehna. She's a little... excitable." She bounced beside him. "As I know now the confusion changelings face when they stumble over, I'll explain a bit. Tehna is a Naiad. They're water creatures that aren't attached to a specific body of water, though they can't be far from a source for too long. I'm a Siren. Drell you've met a few before. As Alcina said, I work here as a singer."

I nodded along, still shocked by the suddenness of Tehna's tackle hug. I hadn't even been here a day, and I already seemed to have at least one friend. At least I shouldn't be worried about how I'd be received, if these two were any example.

"It's nice to meet you guys," I said as the shock wore off slightly. "And yeah, a tour would be pretty cool." Neither of them blinked at the usage of the slang, probably because of the other two changelings here. That was also reassuring.

"Follow me then," he said, leading the way out of the room. Tehna linked her arm in mine and hummed under her breath as we followed him out, closing the door behind us. "So this is the guests' wing. I believe there are about twenty rooms, but I could be wrong." I blinked in surprise at the number. "Alcina's study is on this floor as well, along with a few lounge areas." He led the way past Alcina's study and over to a grand flight of stairs going up, which were next to the stairs going down. "Up there are the employees' rooms, along with a number of pleasure rooms."

He didn't have to explain what those were.

We went down the stairs next, as he said, "Obviously this is the foyer. To the left, through there, is the large casual dining room, and the smaller formal one, reserved for Alcina's special guests. The kitchen is over there as well." We peeked through the doorway at the casual dining room, and I was awed by its size, and the number of tables it contained. How many people were usually here at dinner?

"To the right here we have some of my favorite rooms," he told me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back, wondering what those could be.

I didn't have to wonder for long, as we stepped into a large, three story library. Every wall was lined with books, punctuated by a number of large windows. Scattered about the room were lounge chairs and couches and tables.

"This is beautiful," I murmured in awe, my eyes about as wide as they could get. Neera laughed.

"A fan of books?" I nodded mutely. "We should get along quite well then I believe. Okay, so, through that doorway," he said pointing at one of the walls, "are a number of studies. We have one of the largest libraries in the kingdom, second only to the royal library. We have many scholars and philosophers who come here to study, share information, and debate amongst themselves.

"The second doorway," he told me, pointing to one on a different wall as he led us towards it, "leads to our performing hall. We have a decent number of performers who live here, singers and actors and dancers and acrobats." I peered into the room, my eyes widening again. I don't know why I was shocked by the size of it, after all I'd seen of this place. It was absolutely lovely, and I hoped I'd be able to see some performances while I was here.

My stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, prompting a flush to spread across my cheeks. Neera chuckled. "Shall we see if anyone has gathered for dinner?" He asked, thankfully not teasing me.

"I feel like I could eat an entire horse," Tehna finally spoke up, resuming her bouncing by my side. "Come on, let's go!" Before I could respond, she'd turned around and was dragging me back across the library and into the foyer, just as Alcina was descending the stairs.

"I see you're up and about," she said with a smile as she approached us. "How do you like my home?"

I ran my free hand through my hair, eyes casting about the foyer again. "It's... amazing, honestly. And not at all what I expected."

Alcina laughed. "I get that reaction frequently from newcomers. People seem to have a certain preconception when it comes to sex workers. I do what I can to dispel that, and to make this a place where people can pursue any range of passions, sexual or otherwise."

With a grin, I said, "Well I think you've succeeded." There was another loud grumble from my stomach, and she smiled again.

"Perhaps dinner now. Come, I have some people I think you'd like to meet. Neera, thank you for your help," she said, turning towards the man.

He nodded, bowed, and then winked at me. "A pleasure to meet you. I look forward to spending some more time with you while you're here." That said, he meandered off, whistling softly.

Alcina turned with a stern look towards Tehna, who dropped her head and scuffed her foot on the floor. "And you're supposed to be with Kai. He's been looking everywhere for you." Tehna mumbled something under her breath, before hugging me fiercely and running off. "She's too flighty for her own good," Alcina said, shaking her head. She cast another smile at me, gesturing towards the dining hall. "Shall we?"

I nodded, following her through the door into the ginormous dining hall I'd seen earlier. There were a number of people in there, bustling about and talking and eating. I felt a little overwhelmed by the number. We went through another doorway then, off to the side, and into a much smaller, cozy dining room. There was one round table, and the walls were a warm brown wood, with a couple of happy tapestries hanging about. Up against the walls were a number of small tables, each with a decorative piece of art or a vase of flowers on them. It was a very comfortable room, and I felt at ease here.

There were also a couple of people already here, chatting amongst themselves. My eyes cast about for a familiar face, finally landing on Drell off to the side talking to a tall man with long grey hair. Though I couldn't seem to place the age of the man, he didn't seem old enough to have hair that color. It struck me why when I saw a flash of white behind him, his wings rustling while he spoke. Another angel! Did they all share that similar hair color?

Hearing us come in, Drell turned to glance over. At the sight of me, a wide, relieved grin split his face. I smiled back at him, happy to see that he was here, despite myself.

Alcina guided us towards the pair, saying, "Alanna, I'd like to introduce you to one of my closest friends. This is Raziel."

The man in question bowed deeply. "It is a pleasure to meet you Alanna. I understand you are owned by Anthony. I have known him for a very long time, and he is an honorable man, with good taste. If he thinks so highly of you, I shall share his opinion." My cheeks flushed. Thinks highly of me? He owns me, damn it. Why do people not seem to take that into account? Though, the realization that this man would share that opinion without even knowing me was... interesting, to say the least.

We were joined then by the other two people in the room. One of them was a fairly average height for a woman. She seemed fairly normal, besides the red streaks in her black hair. Odd hair colors had ceased surprising me at this point, after meeting Tehna.

The other was almost as tiny as I was, with a shocking mane of copper curls. That wasn't the most interesting thing about her though. She was covered head to toe with black feathers. A couple were even mixed in with her hair. The ones on her face were soft, downy, and a pair of sleepy hazel eyes peered out at me. A pair of black wings could be seen behind her, stretched slightly as if she couldn't pull them in as tight as the other winged creatures I'd met.

She was a Ravae! The realization startled me, and my eyes widened. Before I could say anything though, the taller one spoke up.

"You're Alanna, right?" She asked. I nodded mutely. "Fuckin' awesome. Always sweet to meet another changeling. And it's pretty bangin' to meet a human one. I kinda missed humans from our world." We exchanged a grin as my heart pounded with excitement. "I'm Crim. This here is Tina. She don't talk much usually." The woman in question gave her a flat look. "Anyways, how're you liking things? I heard you're a slave. That fucking bites, man."

"It's interesting. Both parts, actually. I'm still getting used to it. But it's seriously so nice to meet another changeling. I've missed talking to people who get exactly what I'm saying all the time."

She fist bumped me, saying, "Fuck yeah. The first two months or so were pretty hellish, trying to get used to everything. Now there's at least rumors going around about our kind." She snorted. "Our kind. That sounds so fucking weird."

Before we could continue, the butler from before appeared, saying, "Dinner is ready." Alcina smiled, gesturing for us each to take a seat. She offered me the seat next to her, and Drell immediately took the seat on the other side of me.

As I glanced over, I saw Raziel taking the seat on the other side of Alcina. His eyes followed her protectively, returning to her occasionally even as food was being served. I had to wonder if she knew he was in love with her. It seemed pretty obvious to me, even from this little bit of interaction. People could be a little obtuse when it came to those close to them though.

Before we could start eating however, another man strode into the room. He was one of the most normal people I'd seen here so far, which made me wonder if he was a fellow human. Something about him didn't scream human though.

"Alek, you're late," Alcina scolded with a smile. He took a seat across the table from her, returning her smile with an unapologetic one.

"I'm always late," he said, shaking his head. "What makes this time any different? I thought you knew me better than that." She laughed as I watched the banter between the two of them, wondering what their connection was.

"Honestly, I wasn't even certain you'd still be here," she admitted. "What with everything going on in the capital."

He shuddered. "You know how I hate politics. Not ever rumors of a human heir are enough to sway me. Not yet at least." His eyes swung towards me finally, and I could feel my cheeks warm slightly to have everyone's attention now on me. "Besides, I heard we had new guests. And obviously important ones, if they're joining us for dinner. How rude of you not to introduce us."

"I would if you would stop talking," she said dryly, earning a grin from him. "My perpetually late friend is Prince Alek. He's my benefactor, and the man who helped raise me. He's the one who helped me achieve my dream of opening this home." I nearly fell out of my seat. A prince! I was sitting at the same table as a prince! My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed a deeper red. What was I supposed to do? Should I act a certain way? Should I curb my swearing?

Seeing my reaction, Alek frowned. "Alcina, I wish you wouldn't be so open about my title. You know it means little to me." The woman shrugged.

"No matter what it means to you, it is still a part of who you are," she informed him. "And things like that I believe people are better knowing straight off instead of finding out at a later date. Anyways, stop with your griping, or I'll leave you in the dark about our new guests." Waiting for a long moment to ensure he would keep quiet, she finally said, "This is Drell, a long time friend of Anthony's."

Alek grinned. "Any friend of Anthony's is a friend of mine," he said. "It's a shame he didn't accompany you. How is he doing?"

"As well as can be expected," he replied easily. I guessed he had more experience with royals than I did. Not hard, since I had none. "He's as secretive a bastard as usual." Everyone at the table shared a laugh over that, as I stared absently into my wine glass. "As to why he didn't come, he decided the best place for him right now is at the castle, helping to ease the way for our new heir."

"That makes a lot of sense," Alek said with a nod, leaning back in his chair. "He has a lot of pull among the nobles. I'm sure his influence will do much to smooth things over." The man's eyes turned towards me then, and I had to struggle not to sink into my chair. Knowing that he was a prince made me nervous. "And we've neglected our other new friend. Are you always so quiet?"

"Not usually," Drell inserted before I could respond. "Quite the firebrand, this one." I glared at him, cheeks flushed.

The curiosity behind Alek's smile made me squirm in my seat. I didn't particularly want people to be curious about me, not like he seemed to be. I'd much prefer I be unnoticed, so I could do my research in peace and get out of this world. "She doesn't seem so fierce to me. What's your name, oh fiery one?"

"This is Alanna," Alcina spoke up before I could answer. I shot her a grateful look. "She's another changeling, and she'll be staying with us for a while until things settle down a bit."

That curiosity grew brighter. "A human changeling?" He murmured, eyes searching mine.

Alcina cleared her throat. "She's also Anthony's-" She had to pause for a moment, taking a breath. "-slave."

The look Alek shot her was one of pure shock. "Anthony took a slave? I thought he was against such practices?" The woman shrugged. "You become more and more interesting by the moment, Miss Alanna." I ducked my head, letting my hair fall forward to hide my face. After a moment, the group moved on to other subjects, chatting idly as they ate. I stayed silent though, picking at my food. For some reason, I wasn't hungry anymore.

It didn't help that throughout the meal, I occasionally felt the prince's eyes turn back to me, though I tried my best not to meet them. His curiosity made me nervous for some reason.

--

Towards the end of the meal, it became harder and harder to smother my yawns. Before anyone else could comment on it, which would most likely embarrass me to no end, Drell spoke up, saying, "If you don't mind, it's been a bit of a stressful ride. I think I'll walk Alanna to her room and then turn in."

Alcina smiled at us as he helped me out of my chair. "Of course. I look forward to getting to know you better Alanna." I exchanged smiles with her. I was looking forward to it too, to be honest. And not just because I wanted to pick her brain. "Rest well." The rest of the group said their goodbyes, before we finally escaped.

The moment we were alone, I let out a deep sigh. That had been more stressful than I'd thought it would be. Probably because of the appearance of the prince. Had it just been that group, I probably could have talked more. Especially with Tina and Crim. It was an unbelievable relief to finally meet other changelings. And to hear them use the same slang I do. Well, Crim at least. She was right, Tina really didn't talk much, but the few things she did say had been well worth listening to.

It was a good thing the path to my room was pretty straightforward, because I don't think I paid one bit of attention as I walked there, completely lost in my thoughts. It wasn't until I heard Drell shutting the door behind us that I realized he'd been silently walking beside me. Well, he did say he was gonna walk me to my room.

"What do you want Drell?" I asked, barely able to keep the annoyance from my voice. "Whatever it is will have to wait until morning. I'm exhausted."

He glared at me, arms crossed over his chest. "Why are you always so fucking difficult?" The man snapped.

I returned his glare as I dropped down onto my bed, struggling to take my boots off. After a moment of watching me, he rolled his eyes and strode across the room to kneel in front of me. The boots were quickly removed and tossed to the side as I gave him a sour look.

"I don't need your help, damn it. And I'll stop being difficult when you stop being an asshole." His hands slid up my legs to my hips. A shiver went down my spine, both from his touch and his general nearness. "Why don't you go to your own fucking room?"

"Because my room doesn't have you in it," he snapped, standing back up finally to curl a hand into my hair. That shiver became a tremble, pissing me off further.

"Well we're in a fucking pleasure house, go find someone to warm your bed elsewhere. I'm going to fucking sleep." His low growl drew an answering whimper from my throat instinctively.

"I didn't say I wanted someone in my bed," he growled, the hand in my hair forcing my head back, forcing me to meet his gaze. "I said my room doesn't have you." I suddenly couldn't remember why I was aggravated, or what I was snapping at him about. The only thing I was aware of was the trembling of my limbs and the heat that raced through my veins.

My capitulation must have shown on my face, because his mouth quickly descended towards mine, taking me in a fierce kiss. His hold on my hair became gentler, gripping instead of pulling, and it wasn't long before my hands were wrapping around his shoulders. I gasped as he broke the kiss suddenly, hands grasping my hips and tossing me up onto the bed. He followed me quickly, giving me no time to react before his lips were on mine again.

I melted into his touch, my hands roving across him, sliding through his short hair, stroking the hard lines of his muscles through his clothes, desperately wishing I could reach his skin. As if he could read my mind, he sat up and quickly shed his shirt, the item of clothing forgotten before it even hit the ground. I couldn't help but to stare in awe as I saw his bare chest for the first time. No wonder he could carry me around like the kitten he called me. My hands came up to slide across his skin, exploring and memorizing the hard planes of his body. A low growl rumbled from him, and his face looked tense as his eyes slipped shut. He didn't move for a long moment though, allowing me to touch him unimpeded.

He must have reached his limit however, as he finally leaned down to grab the hem of my shirt, yanking it up and knocking my hands from him. I helped as much as I could, arching and stretching my arms so he could strip it from me and toss it to the side, joining his shirt on the floor.

The feel of his dark eyes sliding across my chest sent a flush across my cheeks, the intense scrutiny making me feel shy suddenly. I brought my arms up, crossing them over my chest as I looked away. They were quickly jerked up over my head, pinned by one of his hands as he glared down at me, the other hand grabbing my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze.