Page 3 of Kept to Kill
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Lily’s eyeswidened as she took in the lavish tent. What was this place?
‘You!’
Her gaze snapped to a woman whose eyes were heavily painted. Her clothes, of sheer silk, made Lily’s face heat as she averted her eyes. The woman strode forward, pointing at her.
‘Yes, you. The timid mouse.’
Lily shrank back as the woman came too close, fearing a repeat of what had happened in the tower. Of course the women around her took it for fear. Some tittered and others looked sympathetic. But, thankfully, no one reached out to touch.
‘Ever fucked before?’
Lily shook her head, almost laughing aloud at how ridiculous the odd question was. A man couldn’t even kiss her hand in the courtly show of affection she’d read about, let alone do anything else. Barring what had happened in the tower and Vineri’s orders, she hadn’t touched her skin to anyone else’s since … She fled from the old memory.No!She mustn’t think of that, never of that.
And then it dawned on her, no doubt more slowly than it should have. Was this a brothel? She opened her mouth to ask, but the woman had already flounced away. Another took her place and ushered her behind a sheer curtain and then another thicker one that couldn’t be seen through.
That was when Lily saw the real tent past the gaudy façade. There were two rows of cots. Some had women lying on them reading, others were empty. There were many women, some by themselves, others in groups chatting in low voices. None of them looked surprised to see another enter. The one who’d brought her through pointed to a bed in the corner.
‘That’s yours,’ she said curtly and then she was gone.
Lily made her way to the cot and sat down. It had no blankets, but then the tent was so warm, perhaps none were needed.
‘What’s your name?’ asked a girl lying in the bed next to hers, staring at the vaulted ceiling.
‘Lily.’
‘I’m Susi.’ She rolled over onto her side, facing Lily, surveying her. ‘When they come, don’t struggle,’ she advised.
‘Struggle?’
Susi gestured to something on the floor and Lily frowned as she noticed a set of irons attached to the frame of the bed.
‘If you fight, they’ll just chain you down. Well, unless they like a fighter,’ she shrugged, ‘but if you fight, whether they enjoy it or not, they’ll beat you for it and be all the rougher. My advice, let whoever you get fuck you, give them a smile and you might even get a coin or two.’
‘Do you mean to say that a man will come to … ravish me?’
‘Aman? Ravish?’ The girl guffawed loudly. ‘Where the fuck did you come from?’
Lily didn’t answer. She couldn’t stay here. What if she killed again? Another death would be bad enough morally speaking, but her curse had a sting in its tail. She’d be vulnerable if the fever took her here. She could already feel it beginning, but only one would be all right; she could deal with the effects of one. But not two or three. She broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Gods, you aren’t going to cry, are you?’ the girl asked, looking vaguely disgusted at the thought.
‘No,’ she bit out, ‘but I can’t stay here.’
‘See that old bitch over there?’ The girl gestured with a flick of her head.
Lily looked to where she was pointing and saw the woman who’d met her when she’d first been brought in.
‘That’s the tent mistress. She’s in charge here. I’m going to warn you, she’s a nasty cunt. If you move from that bed, she will have you chained. Then she will strip you, take the largest phallus she can find from over there on yonder table …’
Lily’s gaze swung to the table, which, as Susi said, was littered with phalluses … phalli?
‘And she will “ravish” you with it while you scream and cry and beg her to stop hurting you.’
‘Gods,’ Lily breathed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. I’ve seen her do it. See that pretty girl with the red hair over there with the vacant eyes? She’s been like that since the mistress did it to her, and,’ Susi dropped her voice, ‘the fucking hag does it to her every day. Makes her beg for it or she does worse things to her. She’s the example now. There’s always one. At least until she’s moved into one of the lower tents for the soldiers.’ Susi gave her a pointed look. ‘You don’t want to be the next.’
