Darn.
Well, so much for that part of the plan, he thought a bit bitterly.
After a few minutes Tor stumbled and she checked him with a shoulder, which took him of his feet so easily it was almost laughable.
“Get up! Don't just lay there. You have to be ready for that, you lack the size to not be ready for-”
Tor had already rolled under where her blade went and came up stabbing toward her midsection then heart. It was Karen. She used to love to use that move on him then berate Tor for not getting up fast enough. They kept going, but he was sure now. Interesting. Exciting.
Karen wasn't dead?
How? Why? After about an hour of work, trying not to give everything away, he walked with her to his room, bodies coated with sweat, but it was clean and fresh, the deck not collecting dust or dirt on the ocean. At the room Sara and Trice worked at little projects, Trice had vials of glass with her, poisons or possibly scents, or a combination of both, the glass was clear and stopped with cork and the little case she had open on the table had about forty places for them, but a third stood empty.
Sara worked on a beading project, it was complex and good, a bag of some kind? He couldn't tell. She always did bead work, but he never saw her with any. They both looked up when they walked in.
“Um, not to interrupt, but you said if I needed the room?” He tilted his head.
They both scurried to put their things away, and he didn't hurry them, not really knowing what he should do next anyway. Get close to her so he could feel her field? It seemed like a plan to him. He'd already invited her for that anyway, the getting close part. How did he do that though? Sex was fun, but Karen and he had never had that kind of relationship, and even if they had, Dara and he hadn't.
It's what she'd come for though. Besides, the idea of getting her to have sex with him felt a bit naughty. Especially since “Dara” didn't really know him very well. The idea that she might actually be willing too was strange to him, but really flattering too.
As soon as the door shut Tor gestured to the bed.
“Here, lie down on your stomach-” Before he got the words out she had her clothes off and dove flat on the bed. The move could have been playful or even sexy but it seemed slightly panicked instead. Frightened suddenly.
“Um. I… was going to give you a back rub first, since we don't know each other that well, is that OK?” He made his voice soft and friendly hoping it was the right thing to do, she seemed really nervous, more than Bonita had been the first time even.
Small tremors played under his hands as he touched her. Soft and gentle, but her skin tried to move away from his hands. Like he was revolting to her. He almost stopped, but reminded himself he was actually doing something here, popular with the girl or not, so started a simple pattern of movement and found the fields around her neck with his mind, separating them as he ran his hand gently down her back. The good news was that she was excited and wanted him to keep touching her. The bad news was that the idea also terrified her and made her think of unbearable pain.
It was clearly Karen.
Her breath came faster, turned on, wet, and still desperately dreading the whole thing. Gods. What the hell had been done to her? Worse things than he wanted to know, Tor was sure. The amulet for the disguise was elegant, very much so, probably a Maris work, which meant expensive. She only did work for specific clients, normally beauty and healing devices. The field was delicate, intricate and fresh. If this device was over a year old Tor would have to find Maris and take lessons from her, because it felt very sharp still. Clean. There was no way Karen could have ever gotten the money for something like this. Tor could, in a few days worth of work, but it would cost about the same as two days of the King’s week festival had for him. Forty thousand gold?
Working down her body he noticed something odd, when he got to her behind her tension decreased. Tor had expected panic as he ran his hands over her, but it just didn't come at all. She relaxed a lot and when he let his hand brush the soft curls between her lean thighs she positively melted. She'd been worried that Tor would reject her then? Why?
Her body was good, lighter than as Karen, in both color and build, her skin even, except a few moles, which were fake, he found. It was an excellent piece of work. Brilliant in fact.
Tor could smell the heat rising from her, how aroused she gotten from a few tentative brushes. She looked back over his shoulder and smiled, still looking uncertain.
“Um… which hole do you want?”
The question wasn't anything he'd been ready for.
Girls could do that, Ursala had said so. Tor just couldn't imagine them wanting their other hole used, or a woman being that blunt about it for that matter. Of course being willing was different than wanting it. Tor kissed her lower back, stalling for time. How did you answer that? He decided not to and asked her to get on all fours, entering her from behind, in the proper fashion, without warning. She seemed happy enough about it, enthused even, now that they were into the act itself. She had to lean her upper body down and he needed to kneel on a thick pillow, a beige one from the top of the bed, to make things line up right, but once that was done she tightened almost instantly, her body responding after only a few gentle thrusts.
Tor wasn't ready yet, so carefully kept going, only to find her reaching her own peak again and again as he did. Finally, looking for an excuse to touch her close to the neck he reached up and grabbed her hair with his right hand, feeling it splay between his fingers, pulling her head back. She gasped, at first he thought that it was in pain, but he felt her tighten on him so powerfully he had to stop moving or risk injuring himself. During that moment he focused his intent and turned off the disguise.
Instantly her skin darkened, about half way between Rolph and Petra in tone, about like her brothers or Ali really. Her hair was the same, but slightly lighter, a soft brown instead of the darker color. Her face was large and a little rugged for a woman, but when she looked back he recognized the eyes. The color a blue green with a tiny bit of gray. He started thrusting again, then after a bit asked her to roll over so he could look at her. Every minute or so she was wracked with intense spasms of pleasure, Tor knew he wasn't doing anything special, so it had to be her. Something in her make-up? But if sex was always like this for her, why did she dread it and want it at the same time? Well the wanting part made sense, but the rest…
Reentering her again, the slick moistness of her hugging him, he kissed her gently, then kissed her breasts one at a time, the nipples tightened with pleasure and excitement, her lips more red than he remembered them, she chewed the lower one lightly, sweat covering her brow slightly, even though the cabin wasn't warm.
When he let himself go she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him gently.
“I love you.” Her words sounded young and gentle. After a few moments her eyes popped open in horror at what she'd just said.
“Don't worry Karen, I love you too. I can't marry you or anything, and that love is more of a friendship thing, but you're definitely fun in bed. We should do it again sometime.”
She nodded and then her hand went to her neck quickly.
“Crud.”
“Well, it could be worse. I'd already figured it out before, if it had turned off in the middle of that and I didn't have a clue, I probably would have freaked. I thought you were dead. Can you… Tell me why and… how? I think we can milk the sex excuse for another hour, but I have to get to bed soon anyway… Work in the morning, you understand. So hurry if it's possible?”
She nodded. Took a deep breath and dove in.
“Davie and I faked my death. We knew the wine had been poisoned, we had the detectors you'd given us at school, and used them on everything. After you got poisoned for not doing that, it only made sense, didn't it? The idea was that I'd wait and train and then sneak back when everyone had an alibi and kill the beast. Um… the Count… my father. I know, it's totally illegal to do. That's why I couldn't afford to hire it done. The guild would have handled it, but they wanted nearly nine thousand gold for it, a sitting Count isn't an easy target. It's dangerous and if anyone suspects, a lot of innocent people can die in the mess. So it had to be me. My older sister…” Karen took a deep wracking breath but didn't sob or cry.
“What happened with me there, in bed just now? He… conditioned us all to be like that. Mom too I think, but I've never been certain of that. He never forced her to watch or us to watch with her. But I got away, kind of. Got lucky and was made a Knight. He may be my father, but a Knight serves the Kingdom. He couldn't touch me then.
