Lily dreaded waking up.

That was, actually, a foreign feeling for them. No matter how bad it’d gotten, they hadn’t gotten to that point. Did they think things would be magically resolved if they kept sleeping? Obviously not. But it was a reprieve. They had never fallen asleep wishing they wouldn’t open their eyes.

Until now, that is. But they knew there wasn’t a choice in the matter. If they didn’t get up, their mind would be turned against them to do it anyway. The threat of control was as good as the real thing.

They weren’t even going to be able to pretend much longer. Their mind was waking up, like an old, rusty engine, and last night’s events came back to them.

Her taste was still on their mouth. Their body moved, an unwelcome instinct they’d never had making itself known, as their tongue quested out, moving through the motions. It was reflexive, and it reminded them that they were a sex toy now, because what else would Mistress have given them this instinct for?

They had, maybe, decided to dance. Dancing was fine. It was exercise, it was motion, it was something they could be good at. It was a compromise they were willing to make. But they could never escape the reminder that it wouldn’t stop there.

They opened their eyes with a sigh, only to see an impossibly beautiful figure sitting patiently in a chair, red eyes shining with mirth and malice, waiting for them to wake up. They wished they were surprised.

“Rise and shine, sweet thing,” Mistress purred. As if she hadn’t heard everything. But she knew they knew that, and that made even simple statements into biting taunts. “But of course. Were you expecting anything else?” And, yeah, that was on them, they guessed. 

“At the very least you acknowledge your own foolishness,” she chuckled. She stood up and began walking to the bed. Lily didn’t flinch. They didn’t feel scared, honestly. If they were, they were so detached from themself that they didn’t notice it. What point was there to fear? Why fear what was now their life? Why not just... not?

They just stared up at her with lidded eyes. They felt nothing. They were nothing.

“What point?” Mistress crawled onto the bed with them, curling a hand under Lily’s chin and gently raising it. Lily let her. “How silly to even ask. Fear is a driver. Rather, it is the driver. Hardly a negative thing, inherently. Is worry for another not a kind of fear? Is it not a kind of fear of separation that drives the acts of lovers? Happiness is no motivator. It breeds indolence in excess. But the fear of losing that happiness? Of pain replacing joy? That is potent indeed.”

She raised her hand, as if to strike Lily, and they flinched instinctively. They curled into a ball, giving themself whatever illusion of protection they could. Obviously, it wouldn’t matter against her. But, in a way, they almost welcomed this. Better to feel the pain than know it was coming.

Except it didn’t come. Mistress’s hand went down, as if she’d never raised it, and she smiled at them condescendingly. 

Oh. They got it. She was illustrating the point.

“Precisely!” she laughed mockingly. “You are so beautiful when you are terrified, as mortals ought to be. So easily shaped, so easily bent with the barest touch. It befits you. I simply am telling the truth.”

She grabbed their face suddenly, holding them still with strength that no human could escape. Even still, they tried to pull away, instinctively – no, no, they couldn’t let her do anything to them…!

But Mistress held them tightly all the same, placing a kiss on their lips so chaste it almost felt insulting, somehow. The seconds it lasted passed like years. Eventually, she pulled back, smiling at them with joy that looked disgustingly genuine.

“Your turn,” she demanded. No resonance, but Lily didn’t need compulsion to know what she wanted.

They closed their eyes, but then knew better and opened them once more. Of course… of course Mistress wouldn’t allow them to escape. How many times had that lesson been repeated now? And this wasn’t the harsh version. They knew what that felt like. Flame, burning inside of them as it destroyed them without leaving a mark.

The memory was enough to keep them from even trying. So, with watery eyes and hesitant motion, Lily leaned over and kissed their Mistress. With no compulsion to keep them there, they broke the kiss as soon as they could. Her lips were strangely warm, for how cold a vampire’s body seemed to be. The strand of saliva that connected their lips felt strangely heavy in their mind, like the whole world focused on that contact. 

What the fuck did she do to them? Compulsion? Something else?

Mistress sighed. “How scary can a single kiss possibly be? I did not control you. I told you that you will learn to crave me, have I not? Did you think some sort of enchantment, some addiction to my lips was the means? I need no supernatural might to make you crave.”

They hated to admit it, but Lily knew she was right. They were weak, and their options for fighting back were more limited by the hour. And yet, Lily held onto their resolve. That modicum of willpower they’d gathered in the nightmare of last night. They clutched it like a lifeline, holding it close to them, fearing it would be snapped again, just as easily as…

They averted their eyes. No. They couldn’t think of that. They couldn’t… couldn’t put her in danger.

(But Mistress surely heard that too. They knew that.)

Mistress slipped off the bed, grabbing their arm as she did and pulling them out of bed. They flowed with her, having expected something like this, and the last thing they needed was carpet burn on their sore knees. But she wasn’t going to just let them stand around. Surely she had plans, ways she intended to further torture and ‘train’ them.

Mistress’s lips curled upwards, which was answer enough.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Josey despised Lily, and there was no way that had changed just from her venting. Hatred that vitriolic didn’t go away overnight. Lily had been subject to every bit of that pent-up rage last night, and though they were cleaning off the residue of her arousal, it felt like they’d never wash away that sheer disdain. 

But Josey didn’t show it. She was back to normal, as far as Lily’s experience went. Quiet disdain, sure, but nothing more than that. Briskly professional. Doing as her Mistress ordered. Like the thrall she wanted to be. It would be an impressive feat of self-control, if Lily had any respect for Josey to give.

Unlike the morning before, Lily and Mistress were turned to each other. Lily’s whole body was bare, unless one counted the covering of goosebumps, for Mistress to admire. Mistress was just as bare, but despite the physical perfection she was, Lily didn’t feel a shred of the reverence for her body that she seemed to hold for theirs.

“Plaything, you shiver so much.” Mistress held a hand to Lily’s arm, as if they hadn’t known that. The showers were probably the same temperature, but it felt colder every day. They didn’t seem to be capable of getting used to it. “Why? Is this temperature not acceptable for you?”

Lily shook their head, not meeting her eyes. The question had sounded genuine, which was more insulting than if it was mockery. For someone who wanted a human pet, she sure didn’t seem to have done her research. Cold showers were a shock to the system at best. Warm showers were comforting.

Mistress hummed. “Is that so? I had not been aware.” Lily’s eyes flicked to Josey for a moment. “Is this the case, Josey?”

The maid bowed slightly, expression unchanging. “It is, Mistress.”

“You like them well enough.”

“They are what you prefer, Mistress.”

“I suppose they are!” she chuckled.

Gods, this sycophantic bullshit again? Oh, look at me, I think suffering is beautiful and slavery is a goal, Kassandra growled. Fuck off with that shit.

“You would do well to learn from her, bright one.”

Would I? Don’t you want me to resist? Aren’t I the part of your plaything that struggles back? she snapped.

“That is what you are, but not what you could be. I admit, though, your point has merit. Simply breaking you down without resistance would defeat the point. You should be rewarded for that observation, my dear.” Kassandra didn’t even have it in her to feel anything stronger than faint disgust at the pet name.

Wait, a reward? What did she mean by–

Mistress elaborated, advancing on them both. Kassandra braced, but Lily wasn’t forced to seize control. Magnolia was simply using her strength to keep her in line. The vampire’s face leaned down towards hers, and she closed her eyes, ready to reap the consequences of whatever Magnolia believed Lily had done wrong. 

She stopped, lips nearly touching. “Did I not say it was a reward, Kassandra? I have no wish to stifle you, far from it. A thrall who retains enough of themself to reason is something to be prized, not rejected!”

And then their lips met. It was nothing like it had been for Lily earlier. They... they had found it intoxicating, despite themself. Kassandra felt none of that.

(But she knew Lily wanted to, on some level. Even if neither of them understood why.)

“And to do something so prized is worthy of further rewards as well,” the vampire bitch continued. So. That was it. Resist, and be ‘rewarded’ for it. Submit, and be ‘rewarded’ for it. There was no path to escape given to them. Her eyes flicked to Josey’s, but she knew that no help would be coming from there. From someone who not only condoned but craved what Magnolia offered, and had committed horrible acts to that end. From the human who was more of a monster than the monster in front of them.

Something resonated past her. Probably that comment being relayed. And, in response, the maid smirked. So she found that flattering, then? Sure. Why not.

“To be monstrous is to be more than mortal. Why would she find it anything else?” As she spoke, Magnolia’s hands began to roam Kassandra’s body. So this was happening too, then.

Better her than Lily.

“You wish to keep the reward to yourself? Very well,” the damn vampire bitch chuckled. “Here it is.” With that, she pressed forward, grabbing Kassandra in a hug she knew would be tough as iron if she tried to escape. There wasn’t any point. Even with a rod of flesh stiffening and warming against her stomach–

She was so big. How the fuck did it fit?

...Oh. Right. Thinking was as good as asking for it, wasn’t it?

“It is fascinating how two beings born from the same mind can be so different,” Magnolia mused, beginning to lift Kassandra up. “And yet, how similar... Oh, but to your question. No, neither of you had taken it all, yet. I believe you are ready now.”

It had felt like it was breaking Lily apart, and that wasn’t all of it?

“They have never been with someone similarly endowed, or even smaller, have they?” Held in her grip like a toy, Kassandra was placed with her cunt right to Magnolia’s tip. “Expectations differ from reality, bright one.” Okay, well, that didn’t mean she had to condescen– ohgodthat’sbig

“Eloquent,” Magnolia grunted. She’d barely put it in. Why the hell was she taking it slow this time?!

Magnolia smirked, meeting Kassandra’s eyes, and she felt... something.

Some part of Kassandra that was Lily felt the resonance, but it wasn’t aimed at Lily. It was weak, faint. Something that could be resisted. She wasn’t a thrall, so that meant her will could only be influenced, not replaced, then. She almost brushed it off, but what was the point?

It simply wanted to let her know that this was a reward. This was not for Mistress’s pleasure, it was for her own.

“Don’t make me think of you like that,” Kassandra mumbled. “Please.”

Magnolia’s only response was to ease her further down, and then press–

Kassandra’s body was betraying her, and not like Lily’s did. Her instincts were to fight when cornered, no matter how useless it would be, or how much worse it would make it. But the slow push filling her up was bad enough as it is, and she was barely inside of her, she had to thrash for some chance of getting that revolting thing out of her–

But it was useless. She could resist compulsion all she wanted; that wouldn’t let her contest the vampire in physical strength. The best she could manage was mild discomfort, because what the fuck use was a protector against something that could never be restrained?

“Shh,” Magnolia cooed. What, to comfort her? Did she not realize that it was her fucking ‘reward’ that was the problem?! But that didn’t stop Magnolia, no. That bitch continued to push. Deeper, deeper, and Kassandra was breaking apart again and again with every little bit pushed in, arching her back in... struggle? Arousal? She didn’t know. She didn’t understand why anyone would want this. How was this supposed to be romantic, or anything at all?

She thought she saw the shape of it, though. Her fucking pet can’t stand sex? That must be a treatable issue! How else were they supposed to learn to be a loving partner? To accept what would happen to them?

Kassandra cried out, and it wasn’t in pain, but she wished it was.

What had they done to deserve this? What had they fucking done?!

“Nothing wrong, my fiery pet,” Magnolia purred, leaning over and placing a light kiss on her forehead. Kassandra’s struggles grew more frenzied.

But that didn’t matter. Magnolia only kept pushing down, and Kassandra could do nothing about it one way or the other.

And Magnolia was being so fucking slow about it, too! What happened to the conquering vampire, claiming what was hers? What happened to the bitch who moved Lily’s muscles like a puppet? What the hell was the point?!

“It is a reward. Your body has accepted this, and I know you feel the pleasure too. I need not force myself upon you further than you can bear.”

And how much further was that?! Her body was screaming at her with every fraction of an inch!

“Halfway,” an amused response came. Halfway?! “I question your moving so fiercely if your intent is not to feel pleasure, or to feel torn apart. Nothing is being required of you, beyond your presence. I will do everything for you, and you will see why I name this a reward.”

“A reward would be letting us–” her voice hitched with unwanted pleasure. “Us leave!”

“That would be the furthest thing,” the infuriating bitch shot back calmly. “I do not intend to fail you so thoroughly.” What?!

She pulled them up, and for a moment, Kassandra was hoping she’d gotten through to her. Even if that would never fucking happen–

And she was proved right, again, as she was brought back down, just soft enough to not hurt, just deeper than Magnolia had been previously. Because she had to keep increasing their torment, like the evil sadistic bitch she was–

“I do not understand why you keep insulting me,” the aforementioned bitch sighed. “I am rewarding you.”

And what, did she want praise for how good a job of rape she was doing–

The thought died in her brain as Magnolia shoved down, and Kassandra could feel she’d hit the base. And now there was pain, something pushing was that their fucking cervix, but, in the mockery of kindness Magnolia seemed to be performing, she immediately adjusted, pushing Kassandra just far enough up for the pain to ease. And then she began to pump.

And to Kassandra’s horror, her body almost seemed to thrust back. Instinct, bleedover from Lily, whatever it was, she didn’t want it! Magnolia was violating them, raping them again, and their body leaned into her touch.

Every bit of wetness, every moan, every shred of pleasure, it was a betrayal of herself. Her mind might still be her own, but her body didn’t seem to be.

...

Lily wasn’t on birth control.

Oh, fuck, they weren’t on birth control.

Was that the reward?

There was a long pause as she was held still, as Kassandra begged with everything she had that she was wrong. But Josey had said that was the plan, hadn’t she? 

And Magnolia. She’d said that it was something she was going to test.

She was going to come inside.

And the only answer was a slow, sick smile spreading across the face of the impossibly strong woman using Kassandra like a fleshlight. “And you are ever so brave for bearing that burden. Is that what you wish to hear?” Obviously not!

“Well, for a reward, I ought to soothe that anxiety; no, you will not bear my child now, Kassandra.” Her expression grew briefly contemplative. “In truth, I am not sure I could, as you are now. An interesting question.”

... If that was meant to be soothing, it wasn’t.

“Back to the pleasure, I suppose.”

Before Kassandra could protest, the thrusting resumed.

“I do love you, you know. Lily, yes, but you as well, Kassandra,” the absolute hypocrite had the gall to say, sounding like she was just having a casual conversation. “I mean this. You do not understand how much I adore you, my strange, fascinating pets. You consume my mind, encompass my thoughts. You have even drawn the attention of my loyal maid. You are the only cure for this affliction. I must have you. You must be given true pleasure, a true home. Made to shine. You will be a thrall worthy of me.”

Kassandra just... didn’t know how to respond to that. Any of it. It couldn’t be true, certainly, not unless they both had very different definitions here, right?

“Set aside your foolish uncertainty. I love you, Kassandra. Oh, more than you could ever comprehend.” She accentuated the point with a particularly hard thrust. “You are the emblem of a novelty in my own domain. I crave it. I crave you. Lily is well and good, the picture of a model-thrall-to-be who has not yet given in, but I would not have the picture any way other than burned. Your voice is radiant, and I wish to bask in its light.” 

If this was her love, Kassandra would have wished for a life never having felt it. But it was here, and she wasn’t getting away, was she? None of her attempts to resist were worth a damn.

It didn’t matter how much she hated it. It was going to happen anyway.

She slackened in Magnolia’s arms.

“Yes. Settle down, bright one,” she barely heard. “Are you not safe here? Have I not provided shelter? Sustenance? There are none to chase you away, nothing to watch for. You are able to relax.”

Without even thinking about it, she did. Because she was tired. 

“Precisely. You can breathe. Let yourself drift.”

Yeah. Better than paying attention to what was still going on.

“I am always here, and there is no shame in finding your relaxation with me.”

Yeah, there...

There...

She was shocked back into the moment, away from figuring out what was wrong, by a grunt, and then a flood of burning warmth filling her like a fleshlight as she was slammed back down, nearly to the base of Magnolia’s cock. And mortifyingly, she found that, in that moment, her body had reached the edge as well. She screamed, in horror and in pleasure she never wanted, as she joined Magnolia in climax.

Kassandra prayed that they weren’t going to get pregnant. Her hell was bad enough as it was.

She barely reacted as she was slowly lowered to the ground and released. She just sat there, even as the shower was turned off, even as she was left alone with a proud smile.

She couldn’t even muster the strength to cry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Good food didn’t make up for this. Shelter didn’t make up for this. Sure, they had a place to sleep now, there was excellent catering, but what Mistress put them both through wasn’t worth that. And of course Josey couldn’t be less than perfect at cooking, either. The earlier ‘meals’ were even more clearly punishment, compared to this. They’d been left teetering on the edge of exhaustion and hunger and misery until now, just hungry enough to want more and to feel miserable while still being able to move as Mistress wished.

But fuck was it good food, though. Better than anything they’d ever had, even as a kid.

And they would be lying if they said it wasn’t making them consider.

The dining room was not what they had expected. Everything else in this manor was fancy, so they were expecting high-backed chairs, tapestries on the walls...

It made sense, though. Josey was the one who had to eat, not Mistress. So simple chairs around a coffee table – a fancy one, yes, but they’d seen fancier – shouldn’t have surprised them.

It made it harder to distance themself from the scene. And they wanted that distance. They just wanted to rest. “And is this not rest? Would you prefer we simply lay in bed together as I feed you, my sweet? That can be arranged.”

“That’s… this is fine,” Lily murmured, shaking their head. Despite how good the food tasted, they were struggling to muster an appetite. They needed to eat, though. They needed it for whatever else would come. So even if they resented this ‘kindness’, even if they hated every bite, they still forced themself to put food in their mouth. To chew. To swallow. 

It was delicious, and that in of itself set Lily on edge. Oh, yes, this was better than gruel, better than a single egg and a fruit. But… why? Why now? And why did their life have to be hell just to get a good meal?  They barely had money to spend on food before, and what they did get was more focused on low cost than taste. And they had to scavenge pennies to afford even that. They usually ate a bit better when they were living with a partner, they supposed. Did this count?

It wasn’t all that different, was it? Endure humiliation and whims, and get food and shelter out of it. The only difference was they couldn’t run away from this one.

Mistress stopped mid-bite and stared at Lily, face inscrutable. What was she thinking about? How she’d ensure they’d have better, like she kept saying? She was the one who was creating the problem.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After the twisted gifts of that morning, dance lessons felt like a refuge.

Lily kept up, taking correction as it was given, and didn’t get punished for it. They pushed themself without prompting from their Mistress. The cane was still present, of course, but it had become an implied threat, not a physical one.

But they could let themself forget that threat of punishment. It was always going to be there, cane or not, wasn’t it? So it was in the background. They could forget about last night, forget about pain, forget about the still-healing aches of their back, and lose themself in motion, in the rhythm of the dances they were led through.

Mistress’s hum of contemplation shocked them out of that, though. What had they done wrong this time?

“You avoid contact,” the answer came. They froze as Mistress idly brushed a hand against the cane. “You move with practiced grace already, but you are to be my partner in dance, not merely another dancer next to me.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mistress,” Lily murmured. They couldn’t help it. After last night? After this morning?

Mistress sighed. “You apologize, and yet you do not improve. You must determine why you cannot do this, and overcome it, not merely give platitudes. Think on it. Again.”

Mistress took their hand again, and they began the routine anew. It was surreal to think they had gotten so good it was near automatic in just a handful of days.

“Good with technical knowledge of ballroom dance, perhaps,” Mistress corrected. “But your aversion to intimacy, to being shown off, to even the simplest touch, is visible to any who looks. It will not do.”

And she was right. Lily could feel that, feel the distance they were keeping now that attention had been drawn to it. It changed how they moved, made things visibly awkward. Hadn’t they decided to dance on their own? They didn’t have an excuse. It wasn’t like Mistress wasn’t going to touch them, now or later. But their body cringed away from that touch anyway.

Eventually, as the song they were dancing to ended, Mistress stopped them. “That will be enough for today,” she said. Lily blinked. It was only the early afternoon! Mistress nodded, answering the implied question before they could ask.

“I do not think dance is the avenue to approach this problem,” she explained. “You fear intimacy from me. Little wonder, that, as you had to be beaten into shape. But your gained competence has shown the value of that. Now, you need to understand the breadth of being mine, not merely the depth.”

Lily wasn’t really sure what that meant. Was she... going to be intimate with them? Didn’t she do that already?

“I promised you glory, pet. Glory is bright, but it can also be soft.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So just as they got the resolve to dance, Mistress changed their training to something much worse. Lily laughed at themself. Of course she did. Did they expect anything else, really?

What were they even supposed to be doing? They’d been dressed by Josey in a long skirt and a soft tank top, which were, as always, physically comfortable while making them want to cry. Which somehow made it worse. They’d been directed to a chair in Mistress’s bedroom, a place they knew wasn’t used for sleeping. They might not know exactly what was happening, but they could guess.

“I thought you would appreciate clothing meant to look nice. What is wrong with it, dear?” Mistress asked, opening the door with a bag of something in hand.

A flash of rage — Really? From her?

“Mistress, what do you think I am?”

The infuriatingly elegant vampire chuckled. “There are many things I could say to that, dear. Are you concerned I see you as a woman? I assure you that is not the case.”

Then... then why, why all the frills and skirts and–

“You appear to be laboring under a misconception,” Mistress sighed. “I return the question with one of my own. Why must beauty be feminine?”

... because it... was?

“Not so. You so often find the motions of dance beautiful, do you not? Why accept one beauty and reject another? I put you in the clothing that will make you shine. Am I to be blamed for that being seen as feminine? It cannot change the person underneath. No matter what others see when they look at you, you will know who you are, as will I.”

Lily tried to come up with a response to that, but...

Wasn’t she... right?

As they mulled it over, they almost missed their body beginning to move on its own. A command slipped in, sweet as candy– be ready.

And some part of them knew what that meant, even though the words could mean anything. Their posture softened, their breath caught. It felt warm, and like anxiety, like impatience and like joy.

And they loved it. Whatever was coming, Mistress wished for them to love it. To love the thing, and love the fact that they loved it.

So they did. Wrong as that felt, they had no choice.

Mistress sat on the bed, and beckoned. Their body followed. Was it going to be more sex?

At her direction, they let her wrap her cool arms around them, and together, they lay down on the bed. Which... was nice? They were enjoying this, being the little spoon, and they didn’t like that.

But as they lay there, it didn’t seem like she was doing anything else. Was... this what she had wanted?

“What else? You are mine to do with as I please, and this is what I desire. You, here, in my arms,” Mistress whispered into their ear. “It took you long enough to realize it. Yes, plaything, I can be kind. My touch need not be just the heights of pleasure or the depths of pain.” 

They didn’t know what to say to that. And did it matter if they did? She was going to do whatever she wanted anyway. At least this time it wasn’t violating them or caning them until they passed out.

“Is this really all you have planned?” Lily’s mouth said without them moving it. It took them a second to realize Kassandra was the one who talked. They hadn’t expected that, after... that morning.

“Is that so difficult to believe?” Mistress hummed back, a sound they could feel in her chest in a way they decidedly refused to categorize.

“Yes,” Kassandra muttered. She was keeping herself distant, and Lily understood why. They could still vaguely feel her, though. “Why are you just answering me?”

A rumbling laugh. “Why not?” And... she wasn’t going to elaborate, then.

“... if you feel like being talkative,” Kassandra muttered, “were you this fucked up before you were a vampire? Or was that a new thing?” 

As Kassandra spoke, Lily hated that a part of them liked having Kassandra distant but not gone like this. Was that intentional on Mistress’s part? Or were they just helpless to love everything about the situation?

“Before? Before I was a vampire, brightling, I was not. One cannot become a vampire. Why would you ever think that?”

So turning wasn’t a thing, then? Enough had been different already that wasn’t surprising. “So us being your thrall isn’t forever.”

“If you wish to see it that way,” Mistress said cryptically. Which, Lily couldn’t help but notice, wasn’t an answer. “I was born, though of far higher birth than you, of course.” Of course, they thought.

Wasn’t this supposed to be their time with Mistress? (They weren’t sure why that thought felt strange.) “Mistress,” they murmured. “Why this dance? The upcoming one, I mean. Do you really think I’ll be ready?”

“Oh, certainly,” their Mistress said, hugging them tighter. “You have truly been improving well. I have chosen to reward you for that, after all.” This was supposed to be a reward? That made sense, right?

“But why push me so hard? You didn’t know I’d be as good as you say I am, right?” They weren’t really sure what they were saying, honestly. It was too hard to focus on anything but truly relaxing for the first time in... however long had it been? They weren’t sure...

“I believed in your potential,” she sighed. “And I was correct, was I not? The mere fact that it has not been so long is reason in itself. I wish to show off my acquisitions, especially to the hosts, who I consider friends. Your very presence speaks of my ability to train you. Even imperfect glory will reflect well.”

So they weren’t expected to be perfect, then. That was good. It took the stakes off, a little. Heh. Stakes.

“Lily...” Kassandra murmured reproachfully. “So. Magnolia.” Lily shifted uncomfortably at the tone. “Is there any chance we’ll end up free? Any at all.”

“No,” the reply came swiftly, and Lily felt a strange mix of relief and panic at that. “For you have never been free, have you?”

“What?” Kassanda clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “The hell does that mean?”

“Mortals live, as I understand, under the weight of systems large enough to crush the gods. You must toil, you must work, and your own bodies tend to rebel against you. Entire industries exist to combat the flaws of your own existences. Were you free, Kassandra? You, who ran from partner to partner, placing yourself in new servitude every time? Lily, who seems incapable of acting in their own best interest, to your eternal frustration? I would think my cage would seem preferable to that.”

Kassandra went silent. Lily thought that made sense. They were hers, of course. And, drifting off in the confines of Mistress’s arms... they thought they could grow used to that cage.