Chapter Three

The disembodied voice that answered him was deep and full, almost sepulchral. There was not a hint of remorse in it; in truth, the tone was vaguely accusatory. "You left her too long, Jackal. She was nearing death."

"Better dead than in the hands of that bitch-wolf." The god spoke with chilling venom. It would have been obvious to even a casual observer, had there been one, that there was more to the situation than met the eye. There was far greater substance to his anger than concern for his daughter's safety. There was almost a hint of fear.

"That 'wolf', as you so quaintly put it, is her mother. She'll do the girl no more harm than you already have. At least she lives. There's a chance for her survival now. You can go after her if you really feel you must." The scathing humor in the rich baritone was like a rasp on the other's taut nerves.

Growling with rage and frustration, Anubis transformed smoothly from man-form into beast. Without another word the jackal turned and loped steadily away. Osiris's mocking laughter followed him, echoing crazily in the heavy grey mist.

Reality had long since dissolved into lust and an overwhelming hunger. Ardith abandoned herself to the wash of pure sensuality, discarding even the smallest pretense of control. That small part of her that still clung to the training of the priests and the hard lessons of the slave pens screamed out in denial, begging abstinence. It went unheeded. Ardith was lost, adrift on an infinite tide of carnal need. She spared no thought for her vow of celibacy, reveling in the glory of sensation.

The airy tinkling of the slaves' golden chains caressed her ears as surely as the hands that deftly roamed her slender curves. Reaching out, she grasped the waist of the lithe female and gently guided her into a kneeling position astride her. As her eyes eagerly explored the slender body above her, Ardith allowed her hands to wander freely. She ran her sharp fingernails lightly up the smoothly muscled torso, watching with interest the trail of gooseflesh that followed her trail; hearing the sharp intake of breath as the object of her attention registered the length of those nails. She smiled at the little slave's trembling reaction and continued her teasingly slow trek upward. Finally reaching her goal, she cupped the girl's full breasts with both hands, gently massaging the nipples into firm buds.

Only when she felt the male slave's rough hands stroking her own thighs, did Ardith pause. He parted her legs gently, stroking ever closer to her center and she felt his hot breath on her slick wetness. Her lips parted slightly in anticipation, the barest tip of her tongue flicked out in an unconscious quest. Moaning softly, she ran her hands down the back of the trembling slave above her, grasping her smoothly rounded bottom, pulling her inexorably forward. Parting smoothly shaven folds with her tongue, Ardith deliberately mimicked the man's actions.

Mirroring every nip and lick, plunging into the warm depths of the other woman, Ardith savored the writhing of the body above her. Every movement was a triumph, every moan a hymn of glory. Even as she herself began to reach towards climax at the man's expert ministrations, she felt the other begin to buck and grind down on to her. She clamped down in earnest on the center of the other's pleasure, letting her ride it out. The limber body went limp finally, and Ardith lifted her off none too gently. The girl slipped bonelessly to the pillows, momentarily forgotten.

Ardith pushed the male slave roughly away, and got to her knees. A raging hunger rose, dictating her actions. Caught in its grip, she ignored a certain reluctance that tried to make itself heard inside her. She flipped him onto his back, kneeling between his feet. Slowly, with tantalizing skill, she licked and kissed her way up his body until she sat astride him, poised just over his eager shaft. She could sense his raging lust, smell the strength of his desire. Looking deep into his eyes, she impaled herself on him, taking his length inside in one deep thrust.

Undulating and writhing, she rode him mercilessly, driving her own need to unimagined heights. As she felt him arch his back and stiffen under her, spilling his warmth into her depths, she felt her unnatural hunger peak. Running her tongue across her teeth, she felt the razor sharp tips of newly formed fangs. A growl rose deep in the back of her throat, drowning any protest that might have risen.

Her hunger clamored to be assuaged, the fangs had given her the means. She bent and instinctively drove her teeth deep into the pulse that beat at the base of his bared throat. His hot, sweet blood flowed thickly into her mouth as a massive orgasm shook through her. Drinking greedily, she was momentarily oblivious to everything around her.

Reynah lay where she had been tossed, for the moment incapable of movement. Slowly her thundering heartbeat returned to normal, allowing her to catch her breath. When Analith had chosen her for this duty, promising her immortality, she had never expected it to be like this. The daughter had an obscenely talented tongue, an unexpected gift. Perhaps doing her mistress's bidding would not be so loathsome a task after all.

As if her thoughts had conjured the other, she heard Analith hiss and clear her throat. Before any reprimand could fall, she shifted so she could see what Ardith was doing. She managed to struggle to her knees, just in time to see the other lift herself from the male slave's still form. Her breath caught raggedly in her throat when Ardith turned to face her. There was no humanity in that face; it was feral and filled with lust. Traces of dark blood lingered on the full lips.

A shaft of fire drove through Reynah at the sight, shooting straight to her loins with wanton speed. She found herself powerless to move, kneeling as if in supplication, pinned by a pair of eyes that glowed an unearthly green. The smell of sex and blood hung heavily in the air, somehow heightening her tension. As Ardith moved toward her with lethal grace, she found herself remembering the feel of knife-edged nails along her skin. She felt the first stirrings of fear as she was tumbled on to her back, and that slim form insinuated its way between her legs. A hand with its viciously taloned fingers stroked its way downward, slipping between her wet folds but not yet entering.

Suddenly the stroking stopped and Ardith froze, looking deep into her eyes as if searching for something. The woman lifted her hand to Reynah's face, gently traced the curve of her jaw. As if in answer to her unspoken fears the hand flexed in plain sight, and those lethal nails retracted instantly. Point made, the hand immediately dropped, fingers plunging without warning into wet depths, stroking in and out, expertly eliciting a response. Somewhere in the background, Reynah was aware of an unearthly voice singing. The melody was a thing of wordless beauty, adding to the rising wave of pleasure, weaving in and out of conscious hearing.

Analith watched in amused satisfaction as the little drama played itself out. Her daughter's seduction was well underway; everything was proceeding nicely. After Ardith's earlier display of control, she had been worried that her young daughter would be uncooperative. She needn't have concerned herself. Shattering the amulet had obviously broken her control, the flood of new sensation overwhelming her. There was no doubt that she would come around.

The male slave's death came as no surprise, she had been certain that her daughter's interests lay with women. Most of the Anakarre's did. Anubis's manipulations had not changed that. As she watched the two women tangled together amongst the pillows, she began to sing softly. There was the small matter of a promise to keep. Reynah was working out very well; she would make a very good little tool if Ardith weren't allowed to kill her.

Drawing on the power of her song, she caught her daughter's mind. Just before the death stroke, Analith took control. She froze the two in place, walking over to where they lay. Reaching down, she sliced her daughter's throat with a flick of her own nails. The little slave had been primed for this; the blood should be sufficient impetus. In Ardith's mind she planted the knowledge of what must be done and stepped back, casually licking a drop of blood from her nails.

Ardith bit immediately, in the same instant that Reynah's mouth clamped down on her open wound. Smiling cruelly, Analith watched as the two fed off one another. Writhing in orgasm, the blood of the one consumed and changed the other forever. When the two collapsed panting against one another, licking each other's wounds, Analith slipped quietly from the room. There was no need to watch them now. The first step had been taken. All things considered, it had been a most gratifying day.

M.C. Sak (c) 1999