Merrie crawled down the street, humming to herself as she splashed in puddles. Even with the drizzle coating the city, her body was hot and slick. The afterglows of being dominated for hours smoldered with delicious pleasure.
True to his word, Jacir had requested her back. The later sessions initially were as emotional charged at the first, but soon he had worked through his loss of Pris and grew more comfortable with dominating Merrie. It became less about his lost love and more about abusing Merrie until late into the morning.
And, with her presence near Jacir, more customers came. They were drawn by Jacir's activities and gossip. In the last month, it wasn't just Jacir that called her to the inn, but some of his friends and friends of friends. Unlike the quick blow jobs and fucks in the meat packing district, her new clientele wanted to use her as an amputated bitch. They wanted to shove her face into the ground as they pounded her ass, force her to lick their asses, or even kneel and beg for them to pee in her mouth. Every little humiliation left her whimpering for more and they gave it to her. Hard, perverted fucking.
Tamin paced next to her, her constant shadow. He moved with the same spectral silence as she did, two shadows across through the pools of light and across the puddles. He was content with this role and it gave Merrie peace to know that he was there.
(Alpha?)
She sent a wave of affection.
Tamin bumped up against her and licked her face. (I am happier when you are glowing.)
Merrie giggled and kissed his nose, then shoulder. They stepped across the street and even wagons slowed down to avoid hitting them. The cloak fluttered behind her, clinging to Tamin and plucking at the shadows and pockets of pedestrians around them. (You are just looking forward to me fucking you tonight.)
His thoughts grew warm with lust. (Every night, every pleasure.)
She clenched her pussy at the thought. Despite being dominated and fucked every day, she dedicated her mornings for Tamin. They slept together on the floor of her master's bedroom, curled together. She wouldn't sleep on the bed, not yet, but waking up with a cock still buried in her cunt felt right.
(Do you want to fuck?) asked Tamin.
Merrie considered it, but the clock spell was reminding her that she had very little time to stall. She shook her head. (Better not. I'm suppose to be meeting up with Nir and Scorch.) But, she wanted to be stuffed by his thick cock, filled to the brim.
(Why not the Shadows?)
Merrie looked down the street. She accelerated just to move. (Because, it is too easy. I need exercise and this feels good.)
(Yes, it does, but it also makes me horny. And I don't want to wait until morning.)
Merrie sent a pulse of lust at him and giggled as he stumbled.
His cock grew thicker and hung down. With a shake, he got back to his feet and looked at her.
She wagged her tail at him.
Tamin charged after her, barking deeply.
In mock horror, Merrie scrambled forward and rushed down the street. Her cloak fluttered around her, tickling people's legs as she bounded across the street, underneath a wagon that couldn't stop fast enough, and across the street.
Tamin kept up with her and nipped at her ankles. She felt his teeth graze the skin and the pain was sweet against her senses. Letting herself enjoy her mock fear, she crawled faster. The transformation spell began to draw across her mind.
(Cheater!) came the amused reply.
(Loser does the licking,) she snapped back. Of course, there was no losers between them, but that didn't prevent her from transforming into the powerful hound form and shooting out down the street. The darkness flowed around her, gathering in blessed coolness.
As she passed, people were briefly covered by her cloak. It would feel like a bird crossing over, but if they looked up, they would see nothing but gray skies.
She panted as her claws dug into the boardwalk and the thuds matched the ones in her heart. She loved running as a hound, even though she preferred her natural, amputated form. There was something about sprinting fast enough to have the wind and rain splatter against her face. It felt good.
The world split open as Tamin came out of the Shadows to slam into her. His massive form tossed her to the side and she hit the front of a store. Panting, he stood over her as he looked down.
Merrie grinned. (You cheat too.) She fell back into the darkness and lunged forward, skipping over a few blocks before coming back into reality with a burst of icy darkness. She hit the ground and surged forward, splashing through puddles as she raced toward home.
A few moments later, she felt him coming back through the Shadows. She stopped and stepped across herself. In the howling silence of the other realm, she shot forward and dove back through, coming up between a man's legs and tossing him aside.
Before the helpless victim hit the ground, Tamin appeared and the man bounced once before crashing into another woman.
Merrie giggled and jumped on top of one wagon and used it to leap across the street. As she was wailing, she sent out a pulse of lust into the man and the woman behind her. Neither knew it, but she could feel a compatibility between them. She hit the ground just as Tamin ripped through the Shadows, his maw open to catch her. She could feel the urge to hurt her, enough to make it hurt and for her to orgasm.
Frantic, she slipped to the side and landed back into the Shadows, the rush of power filling her. With a step, she stepped back across. Spinning around, she chomped her teeth down on Tamin's tail.
Pain burned through the connection of their minds and she moaned around his tail.
Casting a strength spell on herself, she yanked him back and tossed him down the street. He crashed into a statue and it rang out from the impact. A cloud of pigeons rose up from the statue in offended cries, but both alpha and hound were both already past them.
It felt good to play, though they continued to escalate in violence until she was covered with bruises and scratches. Tamin managed to body slam her into a wagon and bit down on her tail once to crack her like a whip, but she got in her own blows.
The pain didn't matter. They were having fun and the amusement glowed along their connection.
She only had a few minutes left before she had to rush to work, but she didn't want to stop. It felt too good to just play.
Merrie came back from the Shadows and crouched down. Her tail wagged back and forth as she waited for Tamin who was about to come around the corner. Her body lowered to the ground as he tried to cover his thoughts.
Her breath was coming in fast pants from her exertions. In hound form, she didn't sweat, but the cold throbbing in her bones and the frequent jaunts into the Shadows kept her almost frozen. The drizzle steamed around from the contrast of summer rain and supernatural cold.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. And a familiar scent tickled her senses. It was sweet and delicate, a hint of something she had smelled before. She jerked as she took another breath, but the brief whiff was gone. But, there were other scents, a storm of smells that swirled around her.
Tamin, sensing her attention switching, paced around the corner. (Alpha?)
She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell. There was perfume in the air and she remembered it, but the name swam just out of reach for a moment. And then it came swirling across her mind: Crystalline Rose. She sent a command to him. (Find.)
He was already moving, sniffing the air as he walked away from her.
She moved away from him, using both his senses and her own to follow the perfumed air. In her mind, the timekeeping spell rang out to reminder her that she was late for her friends. She silenced it and continued to sniff the air.
It took ten minutes before they found it. A small, unassuming storefront nestled between a bookseller and a shoe maker. There wasn't even a sign on the door, but there was no question that it was a perfume store. The smells rolled out of the building. It permeated the stone and wood around it. Thousands of scents, from flowers to spice to others she couldn't identify, swirled around her.
Merrie sat down in front of it, staring up at the building. She glanced over at Tamin who sat next to her. (Can you find it? Crystalline Rose?)
He knew what she was looking for. (I'm sorry, alpha, there is too many and the smells are too old.)
The door to the store opened and a woman stepped out.
Merrie draped a shade over herself and Tamin to protect them from sight. As the shadow magic settled into place, she looked over the woman.
The stranger was in her early twenties and thin. Her black hair was piled high in stunning hairstyle that sparkled with sapphires. She wore a black suit, with a tight-fitting jacket and long, clinging sleeves. Her pants presented her long, thin legs; years ago, Merrie knew that she would have been jealous for the woman's appearance but she couldn't remember anything beyond the haze when she gave up her memories. It looked like she was coming out of a formal party, not a store. The only thing that deterred from her appearance was her shoes and her gloves. Instead of heels that Merrie expected, she wore black dancing slippers over silk stockings. She also wore black, kidskin gloves which were matte black even in the sunlight.
“Rose!” called a woman from inside the store, “forget something?”
From the darkness, the caller stepped out holding a white apron in her hand. She was older than Rose, but she wore an almost identical outfit. The only difference was that everything was yellow from jacket to pants to slippers. Even her stockings were the same color. She had a similar apron wrapped around her waist.
The woman in black turned. “Sorry, lady, my mind was on something else.”
Clicking her tongue, the woman in yellow stepped down and plucked a page from the pocket of the apron she carried. She held it between two fingers of her yellow gloves and held it out.
Rose bowed her eyes. “Sorry again.”
“The smallest detail changes the scent. Sometimes for good, sometimes not.” The yellow-clan woman had a cultured accent. Since she appeared to be in charge of the store that had Crystalline Rose, Merrie guessed it was Lady Anasome, the famous perfumer.
“So,” Rose palmed the note, “you're saying if I forget the Pennelworth Root, it won't be a problem?”
“No, it means you'll be watching the oils brew all night. And I'll be the one going to the spa. I could use another manicure.” Lady Anasome's smile quirked the corner of her lip.
“I'm out of here.” Rose kissed the women in yellow on the cheek, gave her a quick hug, and scurried down the street.
The lady looked around but her eyes slid over both Merrie and Tam who were less than a meter away. But then she sniffed. Rising her head, she sniffed again. “Unexpected,” she said in a quiet voice and then headed into the store.
(Alpha? What do we do?)
Merrie looked around. Her time-keeping spell shivered along her thoughts, reminding her that she was late for her duties. Lifting a paw, she turned away. (We need to come back later. We're late.)
She and Tamin stepped into the Shadows. She glanced back at the store and stopped. It didn't exist in Shadows. Instead, there was just an empty place, neither dark nor light. It was simply not there.
Surprised, she sat back down and stared at the empty space.
She didn't know why, but the brief hint of Crystalline Rose reminded Merrie that she had lost something. But, the past she sacrificed for her master, the memory the perfume brought danced just out of reach of her mind. It was close, but she couldn't find it.
(Tamin, go tell them I'm not going to make it.)
The hound sent a wave of love and turned on his heels. With a swirl of darkness, he shot out across the city and was quickly out of sight. She could feel him in her mind even as she returned to reality.
She looked at the building with her mental senses. It glowed with wards, but the magic wasn't shadow, psionic, or even holy magic. Most of it was elemental and subtle magic. Concentrating, she looked for how the spells were anchored into place. It didn't take long to see countless runes nearly invisible on every surface of the store.
Merrie grew nervous and found a hiding spot. It was underneath a table holding a tray of flowers and it was cast with shadows. Settling down on the ground, she inspected the wards to determine their purpose.
About an hour later, the drizzle had stopped and Merrie thought she understood the magic protecting the store. Most of it were alarms for the owner, probably to prevent thieves. There were spells to detect even those who come through other planes, like Merrie, or teleported. There were also wards to strip off illusions and spells like her shade. If she went inside, she wouldn't be protected from sight.
Rose returned as Merrie was inspecting the wards. She carried a few packages delicately in her hands. Using her foot, she kicked open the door and headed inside. As the door closed, smells wafted across the street and Merrie was overwhelmed by the sheer variety.
Merrie waited. She watched as Rose took the packages down a hallway and returned a few minutes later. She was pulling on a pair of gloves, but Merrie didn't see when she removed the first set. Back in front, she started to dust bottles and clean.
About twenty minutes later, two women came in and Rose set down her duster to talk to them.
Deciding to take advantage of Rose's distraction, Merrie crawled out from the shadows. Gathering up her power, she shaped her cloak into a walking stick and forced herself to her ankles. She swayed for a moment, then limped across the street. Her cloak draped over empty space, giving the impression that her hands were covered by the back cloth. The top flowed over her head, shadowing her face.
At the door, she wrapped the cloak to pull open the door. She couldn't feel the handle and almost missed but she managed to pull it open and limp inside.
The perfume store was claustrophobic but homey. There was a wall of scents inside, a storm of scents and smells that were both overwhelming and intoxicating. She took a delicate sniff, hoping to find Crystalline Rose, but she couldn't smell anything other than a maelstrom of smells. It was like her intense orgasms, when pleasure and pain blurred together into nothing but pure, overwhelming sensation. The store was the same, it smelled but it had no specific scent.
She looked around at the glass shelves and bottles of every color. There was a small set of bottles for each scent, arranged behind a hand-written card that described its inspirations and scents. It was flowery prose, but Merrie was only interested in the name.
Limping, she started down the nearest of three aisles. Her eyes scanned the labels, trying to find her scent.
She could feel Rose's attention on her. It raised the hairs on her arms and legs. No matter how she moved, she could feel the woman in black watching her like a hawk despite talking to the two women about the merits of two perfumes, Golden Harvest and Dreamy Apple Singing.
Merrie finished the aisle and worked her way around. She glanced at Rose and the other two women. Even though Rose wasn't look at her, the sensation that she was being followed only increased. Her body tingled and she could picture Rose watching from the corner of her eye.
Limping quietly, Merrie finished the next aisle but didn't couldn't find Crystalline Rose. There were dozens of other rose scenes, but none of them were close to the delicate smell she craved to smell once again.
As she came around the corner, one of the women asked about a scent that Merrie had just passed. Rose guided both women toward it, but she took the long way around the store and walked next to Merrie.
Merrie looked away, but for the briefest of moments, she caught Rose's green eyes with her own.
(I bet she's stealing something.) It was Rose's voice that echoed in Merrie's head, but then the young woman was past and the voice in Merrie's head faded.
Merrie's heart thumped loudly. She wasn't expecting to hear Rose's voice in her head. She glanced at the thin woman for a moment, then forced herself to read the labels. Judging from the prices, she had enough for a bottle though she was surprised that any perfume could go for two thousand for a small glass container. A soft smile crossed her lips. She would just buy one and keep it, just to remember… something.
As she approach the end, her frustration rose inside her. She still hadn't found the scent. She reached the end and looked over the last three shelves. None of them were the alluring scent she barely remembered.
She glanced over at Rose. The young woman was concentrating on the women as she tried to make a sale. Merrie could feel her trying to find a chance to glance back at her but couldn't.
Merrie smiled to herself and turned her attention to the hallway leading into the back. It was only a few meters away. Moving smoothly as possibly, she kept the tall glass shelves between her and Rose as she made her way to the opening and then ducked inside.
It was dark and shadowed, but with Merrie's sight, it was bright as day. The hallway was longer than she expected. Her master's memories told her there should only be enough for two or three doors, but it stretched almost the entire length of the block. The nearest two doors were labeled Restroom and Storage. Further down, she saw three doors with more signs: Laboratory, Quarters, and Vault.
Afraid Rose would catch her, Merrie limped down the hallway. It would have been a wide hallway except for the tables and bookshelves that lined both sides. There were illustrations and pictures from thankful customers, a display of pressed flowers, and even a few statues that were in impeccable taste.
Merrie had to turn sideways to get through one point. Under her cloak, she felt the clink of bottles. Groaning, she pushed her way past the narrow point and then leaned against the wall. Digging into her cloak, she pulled out a bottle that was snagged by the kleptomaniac cloak. Glaring at the fabric draping her, she set it down on a table. Patting through the pockets, she found three more bottles and set them down with the others.
“Most thieves—”
Merrie didn't jerk at Lady Anasome's voice, but her limbs tensed up at the soft voice dangerously close.
“—usually go through their pickings outside of the store.”
Ducking her head, Merrie looked down the hall. Lady Anasome was standing in the door of her quarters, decked in yellow and leaning against the frame.
Merrie held up her fake hand to show it empty. She hoped in the darkness that Lady Anasome wouldn't notice the unnatural shape.
Lady Anasome sniffed once and then nodded. “Go on. There is nothing down here for customers.”
Gulping, Merrie risked everything and pointed to the door labeled Vault.
“That is for exclusive and limited scents. Those are for select customers and you don't smell like you had an invitation.”
Merrie lowered her hand and sighed.
Lady Anasome stepped away from the door and strode toward her. There was no anger on her face so Merrie held her position. Up close, the woman had no scent that Merrie could detect beyond the smells of the store behind her. Lady Anasome stopped only a few centimeters away and looked her over. Then, without warning, she leaned into Merrie and sniffed right at the edge of the cloak.
Merrie whimpered and pulled the cloak tighter around her.
“You,” Lady Anasome said in a soft voice, “were outside my store a few hours ago, weren't you?”
Sheepishly, Merrie nodded. She had to clutch her fake walking stick for balance.
“Unexpected. Were you really looking for the vault?”
Merrie nodded again.
“For a specific scent?”
Another nod.
“I'm curious. Come on.” She turned and walked back to the vault. Pulling a key out, she unlocked it and opened the door for Merrie.
Merrie limped after her and into the vault. She didn't know what to expect, even her master hadn't broken into the room, but the room was far plainer than she expected. Metal walls lined the entire room and it was easily twenty feet tall. Along the wall were little cages with one to three bottles of perfume inside each one. None of them were labeled and they were all in identical, plain containers.
Lady Anasome stood in the door. “Which scent?”
Merrie glanced at her. At the lady's gesture to move forward, she limped toward the nearest cage. She pressed her nose close and sniffed at it. It was an intensely sweet smell, but not the one she was looking for. She moved to the next one and took another sniff. Slowly, she moved across the cages she could reach, smelling each one. They were all beautiful scents. Some of them made her tear, but they weren't the one she was looking for.
“Lady!” cried Rose, “I'm sorry. I tried to keep an eye on her, but she—”
“It's okay, Rose.”
“W-Who is she?”
Merrie listened as she continued to sniff.
“I don't know. I never met her before.”
“Then why….?”
“I smelled something unexpected.”
Merrie circled the room but couldn't find the scent. She looked at the two women and sighed before she looked around for a ladder to reach the higher ones.
Lady Anasome held out her palm and lowered it. The metal cages shifted down, flowing along the metal walls until a new bank stopped at Merrie's height.
Giving a nod of thanks, Merrie resumed searching for the scent. It was close, she caught a whiff of it. She gasped and looked around. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. It was still above her, the delicate smell that held a memory she couldn't recall.
Trembling, she held out her hand and mimed lower.
The cages lowered. “You have quite sensitive senses. Most wouldn't be able to smell anything in this room.”
Merrie's tail began to wag and she clamped her cloak down to avoid revealing herself. She took another breath. The scent was stronger. Stepping to the side, she took another. Her body swayed as she hunted for the scent, using her hand to request the cages to be lowered.
And then she found it. The soft scent that escaped the cage was the one she remembered. She trembled as she touched the cage, tears beginning to well in her eyes. There were memories rising up with the scent, but they refuse to come where she could feel them.
“Is that it?”
Merrie nodded and tapped the cage again. There were two bottles in the cage and they were both the clear liquid that she remembered from Bass' bathroom.
“Lady? That's a retired—”
“I know.” Lady Anasome was walking closer.
Merrie stepped back as the lady stopped next to the cage. “How could you have worn this scent? Do you know what this is?”
Merrie peered around. She pointed up to one of the yellow diamonds in Lady Anasome's hair and then pointed to Rose.
(What is she doing?) came Rose's thoughts unbidden in Merrie's mind.
“Diamond?”
Merrie shook her head. She wanted to name it, to prove she knew it. She pointed to the gems in Lady Anasome's hair and then the ones dangling from Rose's ears. Then, she pointed to Rose's chest.
“Crystal?” The corner of Lady Anasome's lip curled.
Merrie froze. She saw humor in Lady Anasome's eyes. The woman knew the scent and what Merrie was trying to say. Panting faster, she pointed at Rose.
Lady Anasome shook her head slowly. “Crystalline Rose. You know its name too. But, this is Duchess Warthin's exclusive scent. She died nine years ago, so there is no…”
Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened. Merrie felt the tension in the room growing around her. Lady Anasome's eyes rose up to Merrie's cloak over her head and then down to her feet.
“Rose?”
“Yes?”
“Leave us alone and check on the customers.”
“But, I can't—”
“Leave,” came the order.
Rose stepped forward. “I can't—”
“Leave!”
Merrie jerked at the snapped order, then shuddered as she felt a rush of pleasure course over her. She had never reacted to a command give to anyone else before, but her body grew instantly slick at the order echoing in the metal room. It felt like she was the target of the order and she fought the urge to rush out of the room herself.
Rose stepped back, a glare on her face. Without a word, she left the vault room and closed the door behind her. Merrie could hear her stomp back to the front.
“You're one of his,” said Lady Anasome, “aren't you?”
Merrie turned to look at the lady. She was close to her, close enough for her body heat to brush against Merrie's face.
“You are one of Bassimar's?”
Merrie whimpered. She trembled as she nodded.
Lady Anasome reached up for Merrie's cloak. She flinched, but the gloved hands caught the edge and she pushed it over Merrie's ears and down to her shoulders.
Feeling exposed, Merrie blushed and clutched her fake walking stick.
“H-How?”
Lady Anasome grabbed at Merrie's hand. The fabric resisted for a moment and then collapsed. She didn't hesitate as she worked her hand through the thin fabric until she caught the smooth end of Merrie's arm. With a gasp, she felt around for a moment. “You,” she gasped, “were cropped? How are you standing?”
For a moment, Merrie hesitated but then let her cloak pull away. The walking stick melted into darkness as the fabric fluttered away. She sank to the ground as her fake legs lost their tension. Spreading her knees out for balance, she looked up at Lady Anasome as the fabric spread out widely, almost filling the room before coming back to wrap around her nudity.
Merrie's heart thumped as she looked pleadingly up at the Lady Anasome, unsure if she had made some terrible mistake.
She stepped back and pressed three fingers to her mouth. “You're the Lost Alpha!”
Merrie nodded and bowed her head.
Lady Anasome backed into the cages and stopped. “My gods, I-I never expected to see one of you here. Bassimar has worked himself sick trying to find you. He actually wrote me a letter asking if I saw you. B-But that was two years ago. How? How did you find me?”
Merrie pointed up to the cage.
“Oh,” Lady Anasome took a deep breath before she continued. “Of course.” She looked up at cage. “Scent triggers a lot of things, don't it? But, how did you find this?” Her voice trailed off. “Earlier today, Rose was dusting these bottles. You must have caught a whiff, right?”
Without knowing how to response, Merrie simply barked.
“I can't let you have it, it is an exclusive and retired scent, but…” She worried her lip. “I'll give you a spritz, if you want.”
Merrie whimpered as she nodded.
Turning around, Lady Anasome pulled the cage open and eased one glass container out. She pulled a small white pad of cloth with one hand as she untwisted the top with her fingers. Resting the pad on top, she upended it once and sealed it back up.
Kneeling down, she whispered to Merrie. “Lift your chin.”
Merrie obeyed the command.
Lady Anasome dabbed the cloth against Merrie's throat and then once underneath each ear.
Realizing she was holding her breath, Merrie waited until Lady Anasome pulled back before she took in a deep breath.
*Merrie sank into the water. She could feel Bass' hard cock poking her in the back as she settled between his muscular thighs. She settled back, though it felt wrong to her sitting on her rear in the water. After a few moments, she struggled to find a new position. He held her down, his hands cupping her breasts, but she brought her knees underneath her and knelt as if she was begging, then sat down on her ankles. It felt better and she was rewarded with Bass' cock growing hotter as it rested in the crack of her ass.
Bass grabbed a rag and soaked it with a flowery soap. He started with her back, soaking it down and rubbing her skin clean. Merrie let out soft moans as he caressed every part of her body, scrubbing it clean. His fingers lingered between her legs, taking care to pump his soapy fingers in and out of her ass and pussy until his skin squeaked against her own. Large hands reached around to cup her breasts, exploring the soft mounds and hard nipples and leaving them covered with bubbles.
When he reached her throat, Merrie tilted back her head and felt the delicious thrill of his powerful fingers cleaning around her collar, delving between the flesh of her throat and the metal. He finished and lifted his dripping fingers to her hair to pull the dog ears apart.
Merrie felt helpless, but it was different than being bound in her gloves. Her fingers were freed, but she didn't want to reach out for anything. After a few seconds, she curled her fingers back up and rested them on Bass' knees. She arched her back as he worked shampoo into her hair and rinsed it out. She didn't want to move and there was a tender pleasure burning through her body as Bass finished cleaning her from head to toe.
Merrie gasped as she inhaled sharply. The memory had risen up without her realizing it.
She leaned back on her knees and barked once. When he aimed the spritzer at her, she lifted her chin and smiled at the cool spray that teased her throat. The fruity, ethereal smells rose up and she felt a heat flush across her skin. He sprayed her again, once between the breasts and once on her belly button.
Tears were running down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them.
"It was a look, a hunger for something you never knew you needed. I could see it in your eyes, like a bitch in a cage desperate to escape. You were a shell of a woman, an empty vase I had to fill."
She whimpered, reliving the moment she first caught sight of Bass. Inside her, his cock pulsed but she couldn't even regain enough control to grind down. She closed her eyes as lost herself in the pleasure of being held and spoken to.
"You are beautiful, Merrie. In the last six weeks, you have come out of that shell. You blossomed into… such a sexy bitch before our eyes. You lost your innocence, but I don't think you've ever been happier."
His hands reached out to cup her breasts, squeezing them until the prickle of pain added to the pleasure. His fingertips ground into the soft mounds as he mauled her compassionately.
She stared down at his hands, his soapy, gray skin against the sun-tanned canvas of her body. She remembered the years of dieting and exercises. She struggled to conform to some ideal of beauty. She drank and partied, but it wasn't until she was forced on her knees that she knew she was looking for something. All the drugs and drink were a pale shadow to where she was now. Even the idea of working seemed to be just an empty placeholder in her life, something she was inflicted with instead of the insatiable hunger she felt now to be fucked and dominated.
Merrie sobbed. She didn't hate Bass. She didn't hate the mill. She loved it there. She loved the tenderness and the passion. Every moment with Bass had taught her things about her own self that she didn't know. It wasn't rape, he never really raped her. Instead, he was giving her life. It was because of Bass that she had been awakened.
But, even as she remembered how much she wanted to go back to the mill, she could feel the desires fading. They were eroding, crumbling underneath the onslaught of some magic buried deep inside her.
Her eyes widened as she realized she knew what was happening. It was a compulsion spell, the one Haviston put on her. It was to keep her from remembering the joy of the mill and it was being taken from her again, just as she stole the memory of herself from Gail.
With sickening pain, she felt the memories crumble. She could only look at Lady Anasome with horror as she forgot all the passion she felt for the mill and its master.
And then she took another breath of the perfume. The memories came rushing back. They were painful, tender, and loving at the same time. As she exhaled, she felt herself forgetting all the joy again.
With a sob, she inhaled again so she could remember happiness for the span of a single breath. A tear ran down her cheek as she clung to the memories, knowing they would quickly fade.