You Work For Me Now (Morathor and ObscurePeach)

[Morathor]

He should have been an easy mark.

Martus Entivia was a dangerous man by all accounts--wanted dead or alive for armed robbery, assault, rape, and murder--but not a smart man. Not particularly aware of his surroundings; his crimes were well documented because he was terrible at hiding them, and there were reports that he had once been so focused on the business of strangling some bloke that he hadn't noticed the angry mob gathering around him until somebody found the stones to actually hit him with something. Of course, he'd gotten out of that situation with a shocking display of violence, but that he'd gotten into it in the first place suggested a man who was not very aware of his surroundings. A man who wouldn't notice a clever thief slipping into his poorly hidden little camp, nicking a few trinkets he probably didn't even know the value of, and jaunting off into the night.

But apparently he was more vigilant than he had been given credit for--or perhaps the thief was not so clever as she thought. Regardless, here she was, bruised and bound: her hands tied behind her back at her wrists, her legs tied at her knees and ankles, and a rag that stank of sweat in her mouth. It wasn't impossible for her to move, to get up and run, but only if Martus allowed it; it took no effort for him to knock her over and manhandle her to his liking. Currently he had her on her side on the ground, with her head in his lap.

The good news was that Martus hadn't killed her yet, despite numerous opportunities to do so. The bad news was what he clearly intended to do to her instead--even if the look in his eyes as he had bound her, or the way he was idly stroking her hair with his meaty hand, hadn't tipped her off, the eager bulge beneath his trousers would have been a pretty unmistakable clue.

But the other good news was that he hadn't yet, that the same unexpected vigilance which had led to her capture kept him from doing more than pawing idly at her.

Somewhere nearby, there was a rustle in the undergrowth.

 

[ObscurePeach]

Aria Blackwell was in many ways extremely practical. She was perfectly happy to let this man rape her. She’d even play along if he wanted her to like it. It was better to be kept around until she could escape than be gutted like a pig. She accepted this. It wasn’t the first time she had run afoul of a wanted criminal. She was a bounty thief. She’d track down people with bounties and steal from them. Unlike model citizens, they couldn’t report her thefts to anyone, and she didn’t have to feel any guilt about it.

This was the first time she’d been caught though. She had been cocky, had put too much weight on Entivia being oblivious. Clearly he hadn’t been oblivious enough. And now she was being pet and groped occasionally, his erection pressing into her cheek. She was tempted to slam her head into it and try to run, but the risk of him catching her was too high. No, she’d wait until she was unbound to escape. That wouldn’t be too hard. She was a decent enough escape artist.

The rustling made her glance up. Maybe it was a large animal. She hoped so. A big meal would hopefully make him sleep deeper.

 

[Morathor]

At the edge of the clearing Entivia had made his camp in, a particularly large bush rustled, then parted, and a tall, slim woman stepped through. Even in the dark of the night, with the cover of the trees and undergrowth, it seemed miraculous that such a figure could have approached unnoticed--and spotless, as well. One might have expected her long coat, made of a glossy purple fabric with a feathered fringe around the neck, to have been tattered or stained after the trek through the woods. Her tan skin--generously exposed, for her coat hung open and she wore only a skirt and boots beneath it--should have been marred by paler scratches, if not bloody cuts, from trees and twigs whipping at her body as she pushed through them. Instead, only a few specks of dirt on her boots gave any indication that she walked the earth at all. She wore a sword at her hilt--short and broad bladed, if the scabbard was any indication--but did not seem in any hurry to draw it.

Entivia looked over the intruder, then gave a foul, raspy laugh. "Guess I've found two beauties to keep me company tonight. Are you here for her?" He roughly shifted Aria's head back and forth beneath his hand.

The woman gazed down at Aria with half-open eyes, her irises only visible through her thick lashes due to their intense golden color. "...I don't know who that is," she said, disinterested.

Entivia laughed again. "Well I know a pretty girl like you's not here for the likes of me."

"I am, actually. But not for..." A look of disgust crossed her features and she waved her hand vaguely. "Whatever it is you're thinking of."

"I'm thinking you're here to kill me."

"Oh! Actually, yes. I'm glad we're on the same page, it's more convenient."

The man shook his head. "Not that you stood a chance to begin with, but you picked a bad time." He slipped his meaty hand from Aria's hair to her neck. "I've got a hostage."

The woman turned her attention back to Aria again. "A what."

Here, Entivia faltered. "A. A hostage. You know, I--"

"Yes, I know what a hostage is, but I already told you, I don't know that girl."

Entivia wrapped his fingers around Aria's throat and squeezed--not enough to entirely cut off her air supply, but enough to make breathing hard. Enough to hurt. "You don't want to see her die, though."

The woman sighed, exasperated. "It wouldn't be my first choice, but--no, nevermind. It was a mistake talking to you, you're not worth it." She began to approach Entivia and Aria, her pace unhurried.

Entivia's grip tightened, begining to choke Aria. "I'll kill her," he warned, but the woman offered no reply and didn't change her pace.

 

[ObscurePeach]

Of all the things she’d been planning to see when the brush parted, a bizarrely unruffled woman was not even on the list. Her eyes widened and she let out a soft noise of hope that was buried beneath Entivia’s raspy laugh.

She watched their exchange even as her wrists and hands worked slowly behind her back to get at the knife hidden in a sheath on her lower back. She had just begun to cut when Entivia’s hand curled around her throat and she nearly dropped the knife when he did. It hurt, his hand crushing down on her windpipe, nearly cutting off her air. She pressed her head down, wheezing desperately.

And then he was fully choking her. She squirmed, her fumbling hands dropping the knife in her panic and the sudden rush of asousal. Thankfully, the flush of her cheeks was hidden by the red of being choked. The woman was walking slowly, and she couldn’t breathe. So she finally went through with the temptation and slammed her head down on his crotch as hard as she could.

Yanking back, she rolled onto her back with a grunt, frantically scrambling around to find her knife. She knew she’d succeeded when a hot pain sliced across her arm. She got another cut trying to grab it, hissing as holding the handle made the cut sting. Her blood was making the handle slippery as well, lending to the difficulty of freeing herself and she cut herself a third time.

 

[Morathor]

Entivia roared and thrashed as Aria rolled away from him. He clapped both hands over his aching groin and howled curses at her, before reaching one hand behind him to fumble around on the ground. He found a rock and lifted it high above his head, glaring down at Aria, face red with fury, eyes bulging and bloodshot.

"That's quite enough," said the woman, wrapping slim fingers around Entivia's wrist.

He was not a small man. Martus Entivia stood just over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and thick limbs, his powerful muscles barely softened by a layer of fat. He had fought his way out of a mob of dozens with brute strength and sheer savagery; Aria had already had a taste of that strength when he had captured her. But now, with those seemingly delicate fingers closed gently around his wrist, he couldn't seem budge. He pulled, strained, bellowed, but his arm wouldn't move a hair's breadth.

The woman glanced down at Aria, her breath quickening, her eyes practically glowing. "Stop squirming," she said, her voice slightly husky. "You'll slit your wrists and bleed out at this rate. I'll deal with you in a moment."

She lifted Entivia up, first to his feet, then off them, until he was dangling by one arm. This close, it was easy to tell that she was several inches taller than the hulking man. Entivia swung his free hand at her, but she swatted it aside. It seemed a casual gesture on her part, but a sickening crack and Entivia's scream made clear the tremendous force behind the blow. As his arm fell limp to his side, she reached for his face, grabbing roughly at his jawline and forcing his head back. She paused, opened her mouth as if to say something, then shook her head. She leaned forward, mouth opening wide, her jaw seeming to unhinge as her teeth grew into a monstrous array of fangs, which she clamped down on Entivia's neck. His throat was shredded in an instant, and the woman gulped down his blood, though rather a lot of it ran down her chin and throat.

 

[ObscurePeach]

Aria tried to roll away from the brute of a man, frantically wanting to escape the rock that would surely crush her skull if he aimed right. But the blow never came. She glanced up, watching in stunned silence as the mystery woman, so much taller than she’d thought, effortlessly saved her life.

She gagged slightly at the sickening sound of a broken bone. Despite her distaste for Entivia, his scream churned her stomach. That was nothing compared to her reaction to the woman’s next move. She’d never encountered a vampire before. She’d heard of them, but they were always some boogeyman she figured she’d never see in real life.

Apparently she was wrong. Screaming behind her gag, she instinctively scrambled back as best she could, her eyes widening in horror. Not only was it her first time seeing a vampire, but it was her first time seeing someone die. Especially being killed so brutally. She’d figured the woman was a bounty hunter, but hadn’t registered what that would mean.

Her panic made her strong enough to break the ropes, helped by the slicing she’d managed already. Instead of trying to free her legs or run, she ripped the gag out and rolled onto her stomach, throwing up.

 

[Morathor]

With her face towards the ground, Aria couldn't see the vampire feeding on Entivia anymore, but she could hear the heavy thud when his drained corpse was discarded. She could hear the foosteps approaching her, feel the boot against her shoulder as she emptied the last of her stomach. A rough shove of the vampire's foot flipped Aria onto her back once more.

"Don't do that," the vampire scolded. "I have a very sensitive nose. Now..."

The bounty hunter moved in a blur; before Aria could even think to escape, the taller woman was straddling her, weight settled on Aria's stomach, her thighs just below Aria's breasts. She looked down at the thief thoughtfully. Her chin, throat, and much of her exposed cleavage were all still glistening with fresh blood.

"Who are you?" She didn't give Aria much of a chance ot answer, instead rambling on with her own musings. "The bounty made no mention of a rescue, or an accomplice. Well, obviously you're not his accomplice. So I don't have to kill you." She cocked her head to one side. "But I don't have to spare you, either. Hmm..."

The vampire reached a long arm down, settling three fingertips lazily at the base of Aria's sternum, running them up, then back and forth along the thief's collar bone. "What shall I do with you?"