SSV: The Raven- Part 2

Chapter 2

Beth was the first to wake, but she didn’t want to untangle herself from her mistress just yet. It wasn’t so much fear of waking her or being punished, but it was more of her just wanting to enjoy the closeness for a little while longer. Pam had a calming effect on her that she couldn’t quite put into words; the woman had taken hold of more than just her leash lately, but she didn’t dare voice that thought out of fear of rejection. She didn’t want to make things weird...weirder? She wasn’t sure how much stranger things could become, but the world she lived in had been full of surprises.

Under normal circumstances, she probably would have slept longer and had Pam wake her up, but the current state was anything but normal. She couldn’t stop thinking and worrying about Jake and what he was going through. She also couldn’t shake the outrage she felt at Goth deciding that she would be the one to walk to him down the aisle to his new life; admittedly, the closeness of her lover was working to keep her temper in check. Even with her mistress beside her, however, she couldn’t stop her blood from beginning to boil as her mind wandered. She wished that she could speak with Jake and see how he felt about the arrangement; she felt it both cheap and demeaning to him that he wasn’t allowed any say in the matter. It had obviously been as much a surprise to him as it had been to her. She felt an arm around her pull her closer and she looked over to the sleeping form of Pam who had a serene smile as she got closer to her. She decided it would be best to try to push the thoughts aside for the time being and just enjoy a little more time in their bed; she closed her eyes and tried to will herself back to sleep, but it was no small feat and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to accomplish it this time.

Jake had been awake in his shared room with Goth for some time now, in truth he hadn’t slept much last night. Sleep wasn’t something that came easy to him these days, and with the news of his joining with his Goddess it was all but impossible. He thought back to the months ago when he simply served her and believed that she truly cared for him, but as he looked back he felt like more of a fool than ever. He had been nothing more than a tool or an instrument to enact her will, and any feelings he thought were there were clearly nothing more than manipulative lies. There had been a few tender moments between them that he held onto even to this day, but the feelings from the memories were fleeting to say the least. His loyalty had shifted from being born from love to simply an undying and undulating fear of repercussions. His happiest moments came from being out in the field with Beth or even simply holding a conversation with Pamela; it was strange how he had managed to form an almost friendship with the tall blonde, but he supposed it was born from a vested interest in Beth.

The sounds of Goth stirring snapped him out of his internal musings and he sat at attention. He had learned that if he were up before her that it was a good idea to be at the ready for whatever she had on her mind. He sat at the ready and watched her impressive figure as she sat up and stretched. As much as he hated it, he still couldn’t deny that she was still the most beautiful woman he’d laid eyes on. If it weren’t for the tyrannical aspirations she held and her ruthless intent to destroy everything he held dear then he may have been able to actually be happy with her. He forced the thoughts from his mind to prevent her from picking up on any of his reservations or problems; he had been punished for simply having thoughts that were similar, and he focused on a sense of self preservation to keep his mind even and seemingly eager to meet her needs. He waited until she had risen and seemed fairly coherent before he spoke up, “Good morning, my Goddess, I hope you slept well.”

She flashed him a smile that used to melt his heart. These days that smile simply sank his heart because he knew what lurked behind the sweetness of those lips and teeth, “I slept magnificently, my Raven, my dreams were filled with ideas for the ceremony and some new and fun ways to commemorate or rather consummate our joining,” she said as she stood from the bed before turning and asking, “You’re up early, did you not sleep well?”

He shook his head, “I was too busy thinking about what our new life together will be like,” he told a half truth and tried his best to steer the conversation away to prevent her from further inquiries, “I’d love to hear some of the ideas that you have for the ceremony.”

She gave a genuine and excited smile that he had rarely seen. It was a smile that usually occurred whenever she was in the throes of being intimate with him, punishing him or one of the castle residents who deserved it, or whenever she talked about her victory over himself and Beth. He pushed the feelings of despair and anger that threatened to well up within him down once again as he tried to listen to her speak, “I am so glad that you asked! I want this to be something special for everyone involved, and I was thinking we could treat it more like a wedding than just a ritual. The actual ritual, while time consuming and semi-ornate, wouldn’t require much as far as a ceremony, but this is something that we will only do once and I want to be memorable. We’ll need to arrange some flowers and I was thinking we could have a nice purple rollout carpet with some gold inlays, but what if instead of flowers we simply had bouquets of gems?!”

Jake tried to listen as intently as he could, but the more she talked the more he realized that he really didn’t want to go through with this. The idea of being stuck with Goth for all eternity or until time stops, whichever came first, was something that filled him with dread. He was already merely a trophy or a trinket for her to show off, but he could only imagine how things might change or escalate over the course of an eternity. He felt his heart begin to race as he zoned out on the feelings that were rising and beginning to overtake him. How long would Goth be content to just keep him to herself? How long before she decided to hand him off to Aurora for a night or two? He shuddered as he recalled the last time he had been alone with the amazon sadist; the image of Dart lying off in the corner broken and lifeless sent feelings of dread, fear, and outrage flowing through him. He needed to try to think of something, anything else. He looked up to see Goth staring at him expectantly. Shit, he hadn’t heard half of what she had said and she clearly wanted a response from him, “I think that all sounds amazing! You’re the one in charge and I just want you to be happy with everything,” he tried to gloss over the fact that he hadn’t been listening.

She eyed him with a skeptical look that clearly indicated that she saw through his facade, “Jake, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said have you?” she asked incredulously.

He felt a bit of panic well up within him as he tried to come up with a way to justify his lack of attention. He landed on an idea that he really wasn’t sure if he wanted to discuss, but it had to be better than getting whipped again. “I’m sorry, Goth,” he started as he looked down sheepishly at his feet and hoped she would buy his act, “I’m just having a hard time concentrating on the ceremony and everything that it entails because...well if I’m being honest all I can think about is what we’re going to do on our wedding night.”

Her face shifted from one of mild agitation to one of seduction, and he knew that she had bought it. She strode over confidently to one of her large dressers, “You naughty boy,” she playfully chided as she opened one of the drawers to pull out one of her many toys, “I have been planning this for some time now, and I thought that since you seem to enjoy pegging as much as I do we could really step things up! Feast your pretty eyes on this.”

Jake’s mouth hung open as he watched her pull out a silicone cock that looked like it was modeled after a horse. The sheer length would have probably been enough to rip him in half, but the girth of the strapon was almost more terrifying than the length. Just looking at the thing sent shivers of fear down his spine, and he felt his asshole clench reflexively at the thought of that being rammed into him. He knew that Goth wouldn’t be merciful when she used it on him and he tried to compose himself as he said with a slight crack in his voice, “That...that looks like it could be...fun.”

She outwardly laughed at his remark and seemed to be taking it as more of an eager anticipation than fear as she said, “I see you’re as eager as I am to try this out. Judging by the way your mouth was agape, I can assume you want to see how much of this you can take orally before we probe that tender little ass of yours. I will be happy to oblige that dirty little thought the night of our joining. Come, let us get dressed and see if there have been any developments since our last meeting. If there is nothing to deal with then I think I’ll spend some time trying to prepare for our magical night while you train under the supervision of Pamela and Aurora.”

Jake couldn’t believe that she actually thought that he wanted to try to fit that into his mouth, let alone his ass! He tried to push the fears that were growing inside of him aside as he got up to get dressed. He wasn’t overly fond of having a training session that Aurora was allowed to watch, but if Pamela was there then Beth would be and for some reason there seemed to be some growing animosity between Aurora and Pamela. He guessed it was because of the way Aurora demeaned and regarded Beth that didn’t sit right with his friend’s mistress; it reminded him of how glad he was that Pamela had managed to gain Beth’s submission. If she had ended up in the care of any of the other castle residents then he wouldn’t have his friend anymore, and he couldn’t imagine going through everything he was going through alone. At least with Beth around, and surprisingly Pamela, he had a couple of people that he could count on for support.

Pamela had finally woken up with her arms wrapped around her pet. She had slept longer than she usually did, but that was most likely due to the food from the night before followed by her and Beth’s activities. Her pet was becoming quite adept at pleasuring her and even though last night’s events had clearly shaken her, she had been able to let go and simply focus on the moment. She wasn’t quite happy with the fact that Goth was forcing her to give Jake away, but there was little that she could do to stop it. She would be there for Beth throughout the ordeal and hopefully help to keep her in check and from doing anything reckless. She looked down to the still figure that lay in her arms and gave her a gentle nudge followed by a light kiss on her forehead, “Time to wake up, Kitten, we have a few things to do before you have another training session with Jake,” she said softly as her pet began to stir.

Beth had managed to fall back asleep not long after being pulled close to Pam and she was a bit groggy from the night before. She looked up at her mistress and yawned before asking, “Permission to speak informally for a bit?”

Pamela loved the way Beth looked when she first woke up. Gone was the tough girl that she presented herself as throughout the day and in her place was a bit of sleepy innocence. She smiled down at her and untangled herself from her smaller frame. It wasn’t uncommon for her to ask for informal speech in the mornings and given how often she kept her respectfulness, she was happy to acquiesce her request, “Of course you can, my pet.”

Beth sat up and rubbed some sleep from her eyes as she stretched and looked over Pam’s bare form. The woman was nothing if not striking with a moderate bust and her long blonde hair that fell down to frame her face perfectly. She often found herself lost in those deep purple orbs that she called eyes and she spoke up to prevent it from happening now, “Thanks, Pam, good morning and how did you sleep? Guess I should have led with that before asking permission, huh?”

Pamela smiled as she removed herself from the bed and went to find something to wear for the day. She had seldom been referred to as Pam up until Beth had come along and now Jake had taken to calling her that as well; it wasn’t unpleasant, it was just something she wasn’t accustomed to. She did enjoy the familiarity that came with having her name shortened, and it did sound sweet when it came out of Beth’s mouth, “I slept wonderfully, Kitten, and don’t worry manners have never been your strong suit.”

Beth playfully tossed her pillow at her lover which was in turn caught by an unseen force and hurled back at her. It hit her in the face and knocked her back to the bed as she grumbled, “Hey! I’ve gotten better about my manners, I treat you with respect and I keep my mouth shut around the rest of the court.”

“Biting your tongue until it bleeds and grinding your teeth are not sufficient ways to keep quiet,” Pam pointed out as she retrieved a black dress that came down just past her thighs before turning and continuing, “I will admit that I have been impressed by how you’ve been handling yourself in the presence of Aurora, Nastia, and Goth as of late. I wish you could find a way to keep that pretty mouth of yours shut that didn’t involve damaging your tongue; it is a shame on nights when you can’t use it because you’ve been chewing on it for hours on end. Still, I can say with certainty that you do indeed to show me the respect I deserve for the most part. You still have moments where you put your foot in your mouth, but that can usually be remedied with my own foot.”

Beth blushed at the last part of her statement as she thought about how true it was that she had indeed been silenced by Pam’s foot on more than one occasion. Hearing her say it out lou, it almost made sense as to why it would happen seemingly at random. She decided that she would need to get dressed as well so that they could start their day together before she would inevitably have to split off for a bit, “You know how much I hate Aurora, you can literally feel it as you’ve told me on numerous occasions, but I guess I can see your point,” she said as she went to her small dresser to retrieve a white tank top and pants, “If you have a better idea that doesn’t involve magic, glue, or duct tape I am all ears.”

“We could simply start having you wear your gag when outside of our room,” Pam offered with a smirk as she watched Beth’s face begin to burn a deep shade of crimson.

“I-t-that is...No!” Beth exclaimed out of embarrassment before she tried to compose herself as she continued, “T-that is something that should stay between you and I only. I can only imagine what kind shit I would hear from Aurora or hell even Jake if you had me walking around in my gag.”

Pamela continued to smirk as she turned to grab her boots and continued to taunt her, “Hmm when you put it like that, I think that idea sounds almost lovely. I might be interested to hear your friend’s thoughts on it and I’m sure Aurora and the rest of the court would get a nice laugh out of it.”

Beth looked after her as she went to the closet to retrieve her own boots and coat, “Y-you’re not seriously considering this are you?!” she asked, becoming a little alarmed.

“Maybe I am or maybe I’m not,” Pamela said before giving up her teasing upon seeing her pet’s worried face and feeling her creeping dread, “I’m kidding, Kitten, relax I wouldn’t do that to you unless it was absolutely necessary.”

Beth stood there still as a tree while Pam walked over and kissed her cheek before handing her her coat, “Y-you can be such an ass sometimes!” she exclaimed and received a sharp pinch on her ass in response, “Okay, okay maybe that wasn’t exactly respectful, but it was still true!”

“Come on, Kitten, as much as I enjoy our morning routines we do have to go,” Pam said and received a small pout from her pet. She walked over and planted a brief kiss on her lips and as she seperated she ran her thumb across her cheek. It was something she did often, ever since their first meeting after her revival, and while the gesture was small it seemed to hold some significance to Beth, “We will be back here before you know it, and whatever happens out there I will be right beside you as always. Besides, you I believe you are set to spar with Jake at soem point today and that always seems to lift your spirits.”

Beth smiled up at her mistress before sighing and grabbing her equipment. She kept her live rounds in clips that were nestled in her coat thanks to some modifications made by Pam, and she kept the guns loaded with rubber bullets for her training sessions. She holstered one of her pistols and ran her finger along the engraving on the other barrel before holstering it. There was a slight comfort that came from the letters etched into the steel that was akin to her collar; she knew the comfort came from the thoughtfulness of her girlfriend and mistress. She gave her a nod and the two left the room to start their day.

The day had passed by with few incidents so far, but there was the unfamiliar and foreboding feeling that struck as they passed by the castle’s newest resident: Bitchbreaker. Beth had had little dealings with her in the past, but something about the look in her eyes when she passed was unnerving. It was a strange and almost scary combination of both Goth and Aurora that the woman’s aura held. The few times that she had passed by her Pam had made it a point to pull her leash and bring her closer to her; it was something that used to annoy her, but over time she came to understand that it was a way of keeping her safe. The simple act of tugging on her leash showed others that she belonged to her and that she wasn’t willing to share or have anyone get too close. It had taken some time for her to understand this, and in truth it took her finally breaking down and asking Pam why it was she felt the need to do it. Once she understood she stopped minding it, and accepted it as something that was yet another act of protection on her part.

They were forced to part ways at one point due to Pam having to attend a court meeting, and because of Beth’s status as a slave she was barred from attending. She had decided that while she waited for her mistress to retrieve her, she would spend some time at the firing range. That was one thing that Goth had done for her that, though she would never admit it, she did appreciate. A month into her stay at the castle the Goddess had elected to convert one of the many rooms into a makeshift shooting gallery for Beth to keep her skills sharp; it had been a decision that surprised Beth, but she understood that since she was to be a tool for Goth that she would need to keep her edge. The range was the place that she frequented the most in her free time since it allowed her to clear her head and release some frustrations that may have built up.

She had been in the process of emptying her fifth clip into one of the many targets that magically appeared at random spots and intervals when she felt herself being watched. The presence was foreign yet critical, and she had a hunch as to who it was. She knew it wasn’t Pam and was certain that it wasn’t Aurora or Nastia, Goth was far too busy to bother with her so that meant there was only one other person it could be. She finished pouring her frustrations and nerves into the target before ejecting the clip and waiting for her observer to speak up. She closed her eyes to brace herself for whatever was about to come her way, “You seem to be quite an impressive shot for someone so pathetic,” the voice of Bitchbreaker taunted, “I have to say I’m surprised that my sister had kept you around after all the trouble you caused, and more so that she decided to indulge your little habit.”

It wasn’t the worst thing that she had heard in her stay here, so she didn’t feel the need to grind her teeth or bite her tongue in response. She set her pistol down and ran her finger along the engraving to remind herself of her place and to help keep her calm as she turned to address Bitchbreaker, “Your sister sees the value that I bring to her operations, and even though I did cause more of a problem than she cares to admit she knows that I serve Pamela. My loyalty to my mistress is by an extension a loyalty to your sister, so after some time of proving myself in the field she was kind enough to grant me this little area.”

Bitchbreaker smirked as she walked up to her and Beth became all too aware of their difference in height as she looked up at the dominatrix. She watched her carefully as her hand came to rest on a large whip at her hip, and out of reflex Beth’s hand fell to a knife she kept tucked away in her belt. She didn’t draw or even clench the handle, but instead she let her hand simply rest on it while her other hand went to the stone dangling from her collar. “I’m curious as to how someone so impetus and full of themselves could so easily submit to Pamela without her having to lay a finger on you,” Bitchbreaker said with what appeared to be genuine intrigue, “I’ve earned my name by breaking the spirits of many men and women, and in all the time I’ve been doing this I have never seen someone become so devoted without enduring any pain or punishments.”

Beth nodded as she turned around to retrieve her pistol. She understood the question was meant as more of a genuine inquiry than something derogatory, and it was something that she had been asked by Jake and even Aurora before although she was asked in different ways each time. She holstered her pistol after reloading it with the clip that held her rubber bullets as she answered, “I think you may be under the wrong impression, with all due respect, I gave my mistress my submission to save myself from the horrors and hardships that Aurora and Nastia saw fit to put me through, but my loyalty wasn’t given with my submission. My mistress has punished me on several occasions and humiliated me as well, but that isn’t what made me loyal to her. She is…” Beth trailed off as she tried to decide if it was a good idea to go into detail on the subject or not.

In the end, she decided to remain slightly vague with her explanation, “She is not quite the average dominant from my understanding. She has been patient with me and answered any questions that I have had as to why something is happening and explains to me why I have been punished. She seeks to guide me and make me stronger, and through her teachings I have learned much about myself that I never would have considered. She has taught me respect and continues to help me control my temper which, as your sister would attest, is something that has gotten me into more than a fair amount of trouble. I still have my moments and shortcomings, but despite this she continues to stay with me and work with me. I guess what I am trying to say here is that I am loyal to her because she is loyal to me, if that makes sense.”

She hoped that she hadn’t given too much away in her explanation and that it would be enough to placate her interloper. The conversation, thus far, had been civil but there was an air of unease that permeated the air between the two. “Interesting,” Bitchbreaker finally said as she gave her a look that could be described as morbid curiosity, “You make it sound as though she cares for you, almost as much as you care about her.”

Beth looked away as she realized where this was going. Aurora loved to play this game with her. She was going to try to twist her view of things and make it seem like Pam didn’t actually care about or value her, but she had been through this enough times and spent enough time with her mistress to know the truth. She wouldn’t be shaken again and she hoped that she could keep her temper in check, “I don’t know how true that is,” she said trying to end the conversation before it started, “All I am saying is that she has been there for me from the time of my defeat to now and that she has kept me around in spite of my failings. Whether or not she cares for me beyond that of being her pet, I cannot say for certain. You would have to ask her about that, now if you’ll excuse me I have a training session to get to.”

She tried to walk past the burly woman, but found herself stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked at it and stuffed the feelings of anger that were welling up within her down. She really didn’t like to be touched by anyone in this place outside of Pam and occasionally Jake. She leered at the hand on her shoulder before closing her eyes and looking up to the owner as she spoke, “You would do well to remember that while she may refer to you as a pet you are little more than a slave to her and everyone else in this place. Your existence is only permitted by the mercy of my sister, and if it weren’t for her being a woman of her word you would be in my hands for my stay here. I’ve heard all about the mess that you made of things, and I have all but begged her to let me truly show you your place. She had an arrangement with your mistress that she intends to honor, but step out of line and I will find a way to get my hands on you and show you just what a little bitch you really are.”

There it was. Beth began grinding her teeth together in an attempt to keep her mouth shut as she listened to Bitchbreaker’s true reason for being here. She didn’t care about her relationship with Pam, all she wanted was to hear from her own mouth how she felt. Now that she had that, she saw fit to drop the facade of civility. Beth wanted to draw her knife or her gun and lash out at the malevolent woman who was tightening her grip on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to draw, but she did place her hand atop Bitchbreaker’s larger one and forcibly remove it from her shoulder. She gave it a slight twist in an attempt to show that she wasn’t afraid before releasing it and stepping away to put some distance between them. “Then it is a good thing that my mistress has taught me well. If I step out of line then she will be the one to deal with me as she always has, and I wouldn’t recommend touching me without her permission. She is a very possessive woman and I would hate to earn her anger, trust me when I say she isn’t fun when she’s angry. Your sister has appointed a time for me to meet her Raven for a sparring match, and you are delaying me from meeting that deadline. If you will excuse me, I would rather not keep my mistress or our Goddess waiting. Unless you want to explain to them that you saw fit to hold me up.”

Beth didn’t wait for a reply as she exited the room with a slight huff. She could feel the glare that was thrown her way and she heard some muffled comments about how she was an entitled bitch, but she focused on getting some distance between the two of them before she did something stupid. She needed to get to the training hall and fast. Goth wouldn’t really care if she was late, but it was a good excuse to get away from Bitchbreaker. The woman was slightly intimidating in her own right, but Beth had brought down bigger and stronger opponents in her assault on the castle. She reminded herself that she couldn’t act on the impulses that continued to flood her brain, and instead forced herself to think about Pam as she walked. She hoped that she would be there waiting for her, she didn’t even care if she would be upset if she was late or not.

She pushed the double doors to the hall open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her mistress sitting beside a table with a book in hand. She went to approach her, but was stopped by the voice of another antagonizer, “Look who finally decided to join us, about time you crawled out of your little hole to grace us with your presence.”


Of course Aurora was here. Her day had started off so well and now was quickly going to shit. First her interaction with Bitchbreaker and now having Aurora be a spectator for her match. She wasn’t a fan of the idea, but she didn’t have a say in the matter. She was relieved when she heard Pam speak up and address Aurora, “Leave her be, my pet was simply honing her skills at the range and lost track of time. She isn’t even five minutes late and yet you want to make an ordeal out of it. I trust you’ve warmed up, Kitten?”

Beth nodded and went to take her place in the center of the room to prepare for her bout with Jake, “Yes mistress, I made sure to limber up before coming so as not to keep you waiting any longer than I already had. I apologize for my tardiness and I hope that I haven’t offended either of you.”

Aurora rolled her eyes and said, “Tch as if I could give a shit what a pathetic little slave like you does. Honestly, Pamela, I don’t know why you bother with this little cunt, she is worthless.”

Beth bit her tongue to hold back her retort. She wasn’t useless when she cut Aurora’s tongue from her mouth, and the memory of that brought a wicked grin to her face that seemed to catch Aurora off guard. She snarled at her in response, but Beth maintained her grin before looking to Pam who was shooting her a pointed glare. She wiped the grin from her face and continued to her place in the room. She heard Pam address Aurora as she walked, “I find her more than a little intriguing and she is far from worthless. If you will recall, she bested both you and I in one on one combat. If memory serves, she beat you without any of her equipment and yet you want to say she has no use?”

“She got lucky and she knows it,” Aurora argued, “If I hadn’t been so distracted by Bird Bitch then I would have easily taken her down. She’s lucky that you came along, but I don’t even think she realizes how lucky she really is.”

“Just shut up and let me read,” Pamela replied as she turned back to her book, “I would prefer you not antagonize my pet more than necessary. I have my money on her for this match.”

Beth reached up and once again felt the little stone that was on her collar as she listened to Pam and Aurora speak. Aurora was wrong about one thing, she realized how fortunate she was to have someone like Pam looking out for her. She let the feelings dissipate as she came to stand across from Jake and prepared for their fight. It was to be a simple hand to hand match to ensure that both of them were still able to hold their own without their advantageous arms and armaments. She flashed him a familiar smile and noted that he looked more distracted than usual. She wanted to ask him what was on his mind, or better yet to ask him how he was handling the situation with Goth. She knew that even with just Pam with them her speech was far from free, and with Aurora in the room it would be unwise to even contemplate voicing her concerns. She instead settled on some banter that was permitted between the two of the, “Ready to get your ass handed to you?”

Jake was having a hard time concentrating on anything outside of what fate was awaiting him in only a few short days. He heard the voices of Pam, Aurora, and Beth speaking but they sounded so far away. His eyes were more downcast and downtrodden than they typically were, and he felt like he might lose the contents of his stomach at any minute. He was supposed to be focusing on honing and maintaining his combat skills, but it was taking everything he had to try to stay focused on simply existing. He looked up at Beth and gave her a simple nod as he took a fighting stance; he spread his feet wide and pointed his lead foot to Beth while he brought one arm to rest at his stomach and the other bent upwards to guard his face. It was a stance he had learned early in his life and one that he used frequently when he was without a weapon.

Beth took more of a traditional boxing stance with both arms raised to guard her face and keeping herself half on her toes. She was ready for whatever Jake might be ready to throw at her as she bounced from foot to foot, but something about his demeanor was troubling her. She could tell from his first attack that his heart was far from in the fight as she easily sidestepped and countered with a flurry of punches to his side. Rather than try to counter the blows, he simply moved away to recover before turning back to face her. Something was definitely wrong with him, but as much as Beth wished that she could have taken the time to ask she knew that it was forbidden and that she would simply have to keep fighting. She moved in for the next attack and threw a combination of jabs, crosses, and uppercuts that he managed to deflect and dodge until the final uppercut. He took the brunt of her knuckles to his jaw and was staggered back. She decided to push the offensive in hopes of bringing him back himself as she moved in with a series of body blows that he didn’t even try to counter. He took the shots to his ribs, chest, and his stomach before she finished him with another mighty uppercut.

She watched as he was popped up into the air and fell on his ass with a look of defeat on his face. She dropped her guard and went to help him up; she debated on whispering a question to him, but before she even had the chance she was interrupted by Aurora’s cackle. “Hahaha, what’s wrong Bird Bitch? You really going to let yourself get beaten by a weak little slave cunt? You’re supposed to be a member of Goth’s royal court and you’re getting your ass handed to you!”

Beth closed her eyes to stop herself from leering at Aurora. She knew that she was trying to get a rise out of one of them, and that if she were to give in to the impulses she was feeling she would get herself and Pam into trouble. She helped Jake to his feet and decided to lean in and whisper, “It’s alright, Jake, just try to focus and show me what you’ve got. Ignore her.”

Jake didn’t respond and he felt himself stiffen as he heard Aurora begin to stand and march over to them. She wasn’t finished with her mockery, at least not yet, “Does someone have the jitters at getting hitched to a Goddess? I can’t say I blame you, really, after all the shit you’ve pulled and fucked up around here I’d be nervous to. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to have their soul tied to someone as perfect as her! She’s given you everything and even spared your worthless failure of a friend here to keep you happy, and yet all you can do is sit around and mope and fail worse than she did! You’re pathetic, beyond pathetic really, but I guess there is one upside to Goth finally tying the knot with you; eventually she’s going to get bored of your attitude and let me have a few nights with you. We can pick up where we left off last time, I still think Goth would like having a husband who can’t talk back to her. Then again, she told me what she got for your wedding night so maybe instead of my foot you’d like to choke on one of my cocks? Your ass will be stretched out enough by then, I’m sure, but we can see how much dick that little mouth of yours can take before you finally stop screaming.”

Jake was mortified that Goth had shared her plans with Aurora, but at the same time he wasn’t really surprised by it. She and Aurora were best friends and it made sense that she would tell her what she had planned for their night together. He felt his face burn with agonizing embarrassment as Aurora taunted him, but he felt a new wave of dread hit him when he saw Beth march up to the titan. He tried to reach out and grab her, but she shrugged his arm off as she glared up at Aurora, “Why don’t you pick on someone with a backbone, you ugly fucking troll?! Leave him alone, your problem is obviously with me and the fact that I kicked your big fat ass months ago!”

Pamela heard the voice of her pet with an edge dripping from it that made her uneasy. She hadn’t heard her speak like this, even in their room, in a long time and she started to feel a bit of worry. She searched Beth’s feelings to see if there was any sense of self preservation present, but all she was getting was anger and outrage. She had to try to get her to calm down and so she closed her book and tried to get her attention with a look and calling out to her, “Kitten!”

“What the fuck did you say to me, you little worm?!” Aurora asked incredulously, “Are you really that fucking dense? You think that because you’re Pamela’s little pet you can say whatever you want? I will fucking end your miserable little existence if you don’t shut your goddamn mouth and apologize.”

“Fuck you!” Beth roared as she inched herself closer to her antagnozier. She had been taking Aurora’s shit for too long and she wasn’t going to sit there and let Jake take it because he was too scared. Damn the consequences, this was her friend and she was going to stand up for him, “You think I’m afraid of you?! I cut out your goddamn tongue and basically fed it to you! Fuck, I wish Dilatrix would have had the sense to keep your ugly ass a mute for the sake of everyone in this castle! Your voice is like nails on a fucking chalkboard, and if you think for a second that I’m going to let you shit on my friend you’ve got another thing coming!”

Pamela could see where this was going and she had started to rise from her chair to hopefully gain Beth’s attention. She needed to get her under control and fast or else things would get much worse for everyone in the room, “Elizabeth!” she called hoping that her formal name would snap her out of it.

“Listen to your fucking owner when she’s talking to you, slave,” Aurora warned, “You say one more goddamn word to me in that tone and I don’t care what kind of agreement you two have or what she has with Goth, I will fucking break you. Bitchbreaker was right, you are an entitled and uppity little cunt if I have ever seen one.”

“Fuck you and fuck her!” Beth said as her temper swelled to new heights, “You have the nerve to call me entitled?! Have you ever even listened to yourself talk?! You walk around here like your some kind of Goddess, but even Goth thinks your a fucking joke! You are nothing without her and honestly as much as I don’t like her, I don’t understand why she puts up with your shit! Take another fucking step and I swear to God I will put a fucking bullet in your head!”

Pamela was on the move before she realized it as she found herself suddenly sprinting to get between Beth and Aurora. Her eyes locked with Beth’s with a cold look as she billowed, “Beth! Enough!” and it seemed that was all it took to get her pet to realize what had happened as she looked up at her with eyes filled with terror. She turned to face Aurora and warned her, “If you have any sense in your thick skull, then I suggest you take a step back from my pet.”

“Oh you going to take her to your room to punish her?” Aurora asked as she got down to face Pamela, “We all know that you coddle her more than anything, isn’t that right Goth?”

Pamela froze as she realized that the four of them weren’t alone in the room. She cursed herself for missing the presence of her Goddess in the room, but she had been so busy focusing on Beth that she hadn’t reached out with her powers. She turned herself to face the imposing and displeased face of the matron of the castle, “G-Goddess, what brings you by?”

“I was coming to see how my Raven was faring against Elizabeth, but I can see things have taken a...displeasing turn of events,” Goth said as her heels thundered to them, “Aurora may have a point, Pamela, it would seem that you have become rather lax with your pet. Perhaps it is time that we reevaluate her ownership.”

Pamela’s eyes widened as she realized the implications of what Goth was referring to. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let anyone take Beth from her and there was only one thing that she could do to try to fix things. She outstretched a hand and pulled one of the chairs over to her and took Beth by the arm to pull her over her knees. She hated having to do this to her pet, but there was no other way that she could think of. Beth tried to protest and ask what she was doing, but Pamela had already removed her boot and sock to cram it into her mouth. She had been teasing her about the gag earlier in the day, but she needed her to remain as quiet as possible. Her muffled protests were turned to muffled cries as she yanked her pants down to expose her bare ass to the room. It pained her to do this in front of everyone, but she began issuing a swift and merciless spanking to her pet. “How many times must I tell you, you are not to address myself or any of the court in such a crude and informal manner?! I have warned you not to test my patience, but it seems you insist on learning the hard way,” her voice betrayed no emotion outside of a cold and hard disciplinary tone that seemed to take everyone aback.

Beth didn’t have a clue as to what was happening until it was too late. She felt several rough smacks come across her exposed ass and her face began to burn with embarassment. It wasn’t the first time that she had been spanked by Pam, and when they were alone there was some part of her that enjoyed it. This, however, was far from enjoyable and she couldn’t believe what was happening. She fought back tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes from the pain and humiliation of such a public display of dominance that she hated with a passion. She knew that she belonged to Pam, but up until now their relationship had been kept behind closed doors and this was something new and terrifying to her. All that she could think in the moment was why? The voice of her lover came through her head as her collar began transmitting her thoughts, “I have to do this or else Goth will punish us both, or worse she may take you away from me. Please, understand Kitten that this is something that has to be done to save us both.”

The voice in her head did little to quell the feelings of humiliation at what was happening to her as she looked between the faces in the room. Goth’s surprised and joyous grin, Jake’s fearful and shocked expression, and the sound of Aurora’s cackle in a sickening harmony with the loud smacks that echoed off of her ass only added to the pain of the moment. She stopped fighting the tears that begged to come out and let them fall down her face as she focused her eyes on the floor. She hoped that it would be over soon, but she knew that was something that was unlikely. She could do little more than lay across the lap of her mistress and squirm against the pain that was overtaking her ass; she was reminded of just how low she had fallen in that moment. Pam treated her with a respect that made her feel like an equal or at least something other than a mere slave, but this was something that just renewed her place in this castle. She was nothing more than a lowly slave like Aurora loved to remind her. She closed her eyes in a vain attempt to block out the feelings and noise that came from the room.

The spanking went on for almost ten minutes and by the end of it her ass was sore and red. Pam finally let her get up and she pulled her pants back up, but she kept her eyes focused on the floor. “It’s about damn time you showed that little cunt where she belongs,” Aurora praised Pamela with a satisfied tone.

“Do not question my ability to control my pet,” Pamela warned Aurora before turning to face Goth, “Forgive my pet’s disrespect, Goddess, as much as I have worked with her, her temper still tends to get the better of her. It is my fault for not stepping in sooner to remind her of her place.”

Goth crossed her arms and studied the pair of them for a moment before finally speaking, “I will overlook it, for now, take Elizabeth back to your quarters and make sure she doesn’t show her little face unless I summon her for the remainder of the day. I would like a word with the both of you in the hour.”

Aurora stiffened at the tone of her friend’s voice. She hadn’t been expecting to be involved in any kind of meeting dealing with Pamela’s little bitch, but she wasn’t going to question Goth so close to her moment of triumph, “Of course, Goddess, I look forward to sitting with you as always.”

Pamela stood and took attached Beth’s leash to her collar before giving it a firm tug that forced her to bend down a bit. “As you wish, my Goddess, I thank you for your mercy and grace as always, as does Elizabeth. Isn’t that right, Elizabeth?”

Beth’s lip quivered as she nodded and forced herself to speak, “Y-yes Goddess, t-thank you for b-being so k-kind.”

Goth gave a nod and the pair left the room. The walk back was silent and tense; the silence was almost deafening as they walked and Beth’s heart thundered in her chest and ears. She was in shock and disbelief at what had happened. They entered their room and she stood still to await whatever Pam was going to do to her. She was surprised when the door shut and she found herself enveloped in a warm embrace. Her arms were limp as she stood there in the hug for a moment before she wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in her hair. She let out a silent sob as she felt Pam kiss her head and whisper into her ear, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do that in front of everyone, but I didn’t have a choice. You have to control your temper, Beth, I can’t...I won’t lose you because of your own actions. Can you do this for me? Can you stay here and wati like a good girl?”

Beth nodded as she tightened her grip around her mistress. She had been expecting a berating or further punishment, but instead she was once again in the tender embrace of her lover and girlfriend. She pulled away and with red eyes stained with tears said, “Y-yes mistress, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have...I should have kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t...I failed you because I couldn’t watch Aurora treat Jake like that.”

Pamela moved her to the bed and sat beside her before pressing her forehead to hers and saying, “I know how much your friend means to you, but he is Goth’s and she will take care of him as I do you. Goth is as possessive of him as I am of you, and there is no way that she would let Aurora have her way with him. You haven’t failed me, Kitten, this is only a setback and one that we can overcome together. I have to prepare for my meeting and I will be sure to let Goth know that you were pushed to the point of defending her beloved. With any luck, she will be willing to see that you were only trying to defend him.”

Beth gave a sad smile of appreciation at her words. Even though she had almost gotten them both into trouble, Pam was still willing to defend her and she couldn’t for the life of her fathom why that was. The strange and yet somehow familiar feeling crept over her, but she didn’t dare voice what that feeling may have been. She instead tried to lighten the mood with a joke, “Maybe that whole gag idea wasn’t terrible after all.”

Pamela laughed at her remark as she said, “Don’t tempt me, Kitten, if you can’t keep that little tongue of yours in check then we may have to try that. I have some old socks and panties that I haven’t washed in a while that we could rotate out if need be.”

Beth shuddered at the thought both in revulsion and, to her own surprise, mild excitement. When did she get so weird? She couldn’t understand when or why it had happened, but she reminded herself that it had something to do with Pam and that, that somehow made it alright. “I...can we try to just let me keep my mouth shut and maybe try those gags in bed?” she asked sheepishly.

Pamela smiled and kissed her forehead before standing to leave, “For the time being we can try that, but keep it up and you’ll be walking around with a gag in the castle,” she said as she approached the door, “Please, remain here and be a good girl. Clean your guns, read a book, play with yourself, or whatever you have to do but do not leave this room. Try not to fall asleep until I get back, I don’t want another incident where you’re too afraid to sleep on top of everything that’s happened.”

Beth nodded and said, “Yes mistress.”

“There’s my good girl,” Pam said as she exited the room. She made sure to lock the door from the outside to prevent Beth from getting any ideas. She hated having to leave her alone like this after what had happened, but she had been summoned and needed to see what this was about. She hoped that Goth would be willing to see reason, but she had her doubts just based on her opinion of Beth. She would try everything she could to keep her pet in her possession, however, and she let that thought motivate her steps as she walked down the halls. She wasn’t willing to lose the woman she had come to care for in such a short amount of time, not over something as trivial as this anyways. She found the stairwell to the room she knew Goth would be in and began her assent. She wasn’t sure what was awaiting her up there, but something told her that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

She pushed the door open and entered with her head held high as she usually did when making an appearance. She was more than a bit nervous at the prospect of whatever this discussion would be about, but she would do her best to maintain her air of dignity and confidence. She wasn’t surprised to find Goth already there in waiting with Aurora sitting across from her; she was early, but she knew better than to think that they wouldn’t be waiting. She took a seat beside Aurora across from Goth and gave a simple nod to the women in the room.

The room itself was a circular room with torches lining the walls and a single large table in the center of it. It served as a place to plan and to hold frank discussions about matters of the court and any noteworthy events that needed to be shared between the highest members. Pamela had been counted amongst them for some time now and was quite familiar with the room. The air inside of it was cold and there was a rush of tension that cut through her emotions. Aurora was the first to speak, “About time you got here, what did you have to coddle your little pet after embarrassing her?”

Pamela regarded her with indifference as she replied, “I had to ensure that she would not stray from our room, is that such a crime?”

“Silence, both of you!” Goth suddenly interjected, “I have called you both here to discuss the day’s events. I sent Jake to train so that he might be able to lighten his mood, but it seems that your pet Pamela is once again trying to get inside of his head.”

Pamela was taken aback by the accusation. Beth hadn’t said a word to Jake outside of her usual banter with him. She knew that while she was upset about the ritual she wouldn’t dare speak out of turn and object to it, especially after what had happened the last time she challenged Goth. She took a deep breath and tried to explain what had happened, “Goddess, Elizabeth wasn’t trying to incite anything from Jake. She was merely reacting to some provocation that Aurora had felt the need to bestow upon him. She was trying to take up for him and by extension you. Aurora felt it wise to point out that he wasn’t deserving of your love and devotion.”

Goth looked to Aurora with a cold look as she asked, “Is this true, Aurora?”

Aurora glared at Pamela as she spoke, “It’s true that I was giving him a hard time, but that little cunt still spoke out of turn and tried to get him to attack. She may be living with us and serving Pamela, but at the end of the day she still wants to see all of us dead.”

Pamela leered at Aurora and argued, “That is not true! Elizabeth knows her place here is with me, and yes she struggles with her slave status from time to time but that doesn’t mean she is trying to kill any of us.”

“Then you want to explain why she threatened to shoot me?” Aurora fired back.

“You were threatening her first!” Pamela argued.

“Enough!” Goth roared and silenced both of them as their attention turned back to her, “Obviously, things are getting out of control between the three of you. My Jake was so happy before Elizabeth decided to pay him a visit all that time ago, and now that she’s here all I can think is that she is the reason that he is feeling the need to act out.”

Pamela felt her temperature begin to rise at the accusations that were being hurled at her pet. Goth may have been her Goddess, but who was she to deem Beth as the reason for Jake’s change in attitude. Was she really so blind as to not be able to see that she was the cause of his new outlook? She tried to suppress her anger and maintain reason, “Goddess, Beth hasn’t even been allowed to interact with Jake outside of their field missions, and between your watcher’s runes and her runestone we both know that they haven’t been discussing anything rebellious or disrespectful.”

“But how do I know that you haven’t given her some way to block or filter what we see?” Goth asked in a more paranoid manner than was usual, “My big day is coming soon, and your slave is seeking to ruin it.”

That was beyond ridiculous. Pamela knew of a way to block the runes, but even when she had tried to simply explain magic to Beth the girl couldn’t fathom a thing about it. Honestly, every time she tried she found her pet easily distracted by even the most trivial things. She couldn’t take listening to this and she finally spoke without thinking, “Do you hear yourself? I have spoken to Beth about magic in the past, yes, but the girl is too distracted and disinterested to bother to learn even the simplest spell! You honestly believe that she would have the aptitude to learn a shielding spell powerful enough to block Watcher’s Runes that are engraved into Jake’s skin? That is both absurd and paranoid!”

Goth leveled a glare at her disciple, “You would do well to watch your tone with me, Pamela, I have seen what Elizabeth is capable of and the girl is well versed in deceit. Your feelings may have clouded your judgement on the matter. Jake is far too distracted for this to just be jitters.”

“Jake isn’t distracted because of Beth,” Pamela fired back with more animosity than she meant but continued without reigning it in, “He is distant and distracted because you treat him like shit. You do not value his opinion, his needs, or even his wants. All you care about is yourself and your own desires, Dilatrix warned you that he is most loyal when he is treated as a person and not an object. You have beaten him and broken his spirit as much as you can, but there is no damage that can be done to earn loyalty!”

Both Goth and Aurora were surprised by the words that Pamela spoke, and in truth once she finished speaking she almost couldn’t believe that she had said it either. She had had the thoughts on more than one occasion, but she had never once considered voicing any of them. She wasn’t sure if Beth was rubbing off on her or if this was something different, but from the look on Goth’s face this didn’t bode well. “You would dare to make such accusations at the treatment of my beloved?” she demanded.

In for a penny, in for a pound as she had heard someone say once as she replied, “It is not an accusation, it is a fact that you deny. Do not blame me because you cannot handle the truth.”

Goth rose to her full imposing height and snarled at the pair in the room which earned a slight shudder from the both of them. Aurora had remained silent, but it was clear that she was on edge by the exchange. Goth huffed as she walked away to compose herself and she turned to speak in an unnervingly calm manner, “I can see that your pet has had more of an effect on you than I think any of us realized. Perhaps it is time that we revisit the idea of collaring her with one of my collars to prevent her from causing anymore trouble.”

Pamela narrowed her eyes at the threat. She had made an arrangement that she was sure would be honored by her Goddess, but it seemed that words were worth little in this situation. She wouldn’t dare to bring that collar near her pet, she wouldn’t let her if she could help it. She closed her eyes and attempted to collect herself in an attempt to prevent any further escalation, “Goddess, there is no need for to collar her again. She is loyal to me and to you, she cares for your beloved and simply couldn’t stand to see him belittled by Aurora. She knows that he is too afraid to speak up and she wants to ensure that no one touches him except you. Give her a chance to prove herself as she has continually done in her time serving us; she has gone out and returned with results that have both surprised and delighted all of us time and again. She was instrumental in recovering the supplies for your joining ritual, those were your words, and she has even agreed to give Jake away to keep you happy.”

“Sounds and smells like bullshit to me,” Aurora muttered, “She’s a coward and she just wants to save her own skin. She doesn’t care about any of our goals and she certainly doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”

“The only person she cannot stand is you,” Pamela said, “Perhaps if you were to treat her with some of the respect that she has earned then she would tolerate you, but even with her contempt she still manages to hold her tongue in most cases when you decide to antagonize her.”

“I will not have my court arguing over a slave!” Goth roared once more and brought an end to their debate, “I suppose that you may have a point, Pamela, Elizabeth has proven to be somewhat useful to us over her stay here. Maybe a collar is a bit much for her, but she needs to be reminded of her place in this castle and I am not sure that you have what it takes to do this. I will decide on the best way to proceed with this, but rest assured I will not violate our agreement and take her from you.”

Pamela still felt a bit of dread and outrage at Goth’s words, but at least she had agreed to not collar Beth again. She couldn’t bare to see her Kitten go through such torture again. She gave a relieved sigh and offered her thanks, “Your grace truly knows no bounds, my Goddess.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Pamela, we still have to deal with this growing wild streak in your pet,” Goth said as she prepared to dismiss them both, “I want you to keep in mind that if you continue to show me such disrespect and support a slave like Elizabeth that it won’t be only her who is collared. In fact, if the three of you cannot put aside your differences it may be in the best interest of my goals to simply collar you all. It would be much more difficult for you all to cause problems if you were unable to act out, after all.”

Both Aurora and Pamela ran their hands along the backs of their necks at her words. This was a new level of tyranny that neither of them had ever expected to hear from her, but Aurora seemed to be handling it better than her as she said, “You have my word, Goddess, on our friendship and my devotion to you that I will not cause any more problems for you or your beloved.”

“That is what I want to hear, but I wouldn’t recommend testing my patience,” Goth said.

Pamela forced herself to reply, “I assure you that neither Elizabeth nor I will be causing you any more problems.”

“Good, return to your quarters until tomorrow’s court meeting, and Pamela, please make sure that Elizabeth is in attendance for tomorrow’s meeting,” Goth said.

Pamela stood and nodded as she went to exit the room. She was fuming mad as she stormed down the stairwell back to her room. The sheer audacity of Goth’s threat and accusations was enough to set her over the edge, and she debated on sharing with Beth what had been discussed. As she walked down the hall to her room, she decided that it would be best to keep her concerns to herself and not to work Beth up anymore than she already was. She would simply have to have a frank discussion with her about keeping her temper in check from here on out. From their interaction before she left she didn’t doubt that it would be fairly simple. She opened the door to find Beth sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, and as soon as she closed the door she found herself nearly tackled against the door in a hug. She was surprised, but hugged her back and asked, “Miss me?”

She felt Beth nod and felt a bit of moisture touch her dress. She was still crying from earlier and she wrapped her arms around her and stroked her hair to try to calm her down. “You’re not in trouble because of me are you?” Beth asked into her bosom.

“No, Kitten,” Pamela replied, “It was simply a meeting to discuss what exactly happened between you and Aurora. As long as you can keep your emotions under control then neither of us will have anything to worry about. Get undressed and ready for bed, it has been a long day and I think that you and I could do with some sleep.”

Beth nodded and turned to do as she was told. Pamela couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of worry that was etched into the back of her mind as she watched Beth strip. Goth had something in mind for her pet to endure, and whatever it was she was sure it was going to be something that she wouldn’t enjoy. She tried to push it out of her mind, but all she could do was hold it in the back. She had never been so thankful that Beth didn’t have an empathic gift like she did as she returned to the room in little more than her panties. “You okay, mistress?” Beth asked as she looked at her.

“I’m fine, Kitten, just tired is all,” she lied and was once again grateful for her past as Beth seemed to buy it. She moved to the bed and the two laid in a tender embrace that held an unwelcome air of tension that neither could quite place. She knew that Beth could sense that something was amiss, but she wasn’t going to press the issue. She hoped that sleep would help, but deep down she knew that it would be little more than a pathetic escape attempt. Something was around the corner that she knew neither party would enjoy. Her mind wandered about what it could be as she wrapped her arms around Beth and rubbed the small of her back. She would at least make sure that Beth managed to sleep well before whatever hell was awaiting her reared its head.