“She’s not even at the Spire yet, and already she’s been stimulated by a doctor; what was it, two-point-eight minutes? And now, a human pet. So you came here to ruin my morning because a pet licked our precious new employee?”
“Yes, I expected her to show restraint.”
“She’s a fucking human. She’swiredfor sex, Rafe.”
“I know what she is,” I snap.
He sits up straight and gives me his full attention now. “So why are you here?”
“I’m altering our plan. I’m putting a Venus Lock on Eve Eden with full access, monitoring, hormonal tracking, and arousal regulation. It’ll be the only way to train her.”
“Ah. The chastity route.” Lorian grins.
“It’s a precaution given her activities over the last six days. We can’t risk another Yasmin or Denise. We can’t have her willing to fuck anyone and everything.”
His smile fades. Denise’s name always cuts deeper than he lets on.
“I want real-time data,” I continue. “I want to know when she thinks about sex and what her greatest weaknesses are. Even in her dreams, I want to know who is fucking her.”
“And will it please you when she dreams ofyou? She will, you know. Once that lock’s in place, the only source of release will come through you.”
“She won’t get release. Not right away, she’ll need to earn it through hard work, maybe at the end of the year.”
“It doesn’t sound like you want her to be obedient. It sounds like you want her to be starving for sex.”
“It’s an effective method.”
“It’s cruel and sadistic, even for you, Rafe.”
“It’s necessary.”
Lorian stands, crossing to the bar. “It’s too much. Put me on the release code as well. It only makes sense we both train our new human employee. I’ve been thinking that that could have been what went wrong last time. I put in too much, too late, with Denise.”
I walk to the viewport and watch the stars shift beyond the glass. “You promise you won’t make her into a mindless pet?”
“No, don’t put all of that on me. Denise wanted me to tell her what to do. That’s why she’s happy now with Kamos. I can’t control who people are; I can only control my reaction to them. Just put me on the release codes. Everything we work on together is always a success. Let me take half of this burden with our new employee, and she will be a success too.”
I think about it for a moment and decide that either way he’s going to influence her, so I might as well know what he’s thinking about as he does it. “Fine,” I agree.
As I turn to leave, I glance back at my twin, already settling back into his indulgent pose. “Make sure the Octopods understand our message clearly. I'll wait for you at the Spire. We’ll both train Eve Eden together to ensure there are no mistakes this year.”
“She dreams, you know,” he calls after me. “I checked her REM scans. She had an orgasm in her sleep last night. Alone. No stim. No bed functions, probably still thinking of Lyric.”
I pause at the door.
“Next time,” he continues, “it’ll beusshe dreams of after she finds out we hold the release codes for her chastity belt.”
I don’t respond. The door closes behind me. The hallway’s colder.Better.Just talking about Eve Eden makes me anxious.
Will we be able to train her?
I have already failed with two human women.
The Venus Lock will be fitted the moment she arrives. If I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that fortune favors those who maintain control. And Iwillhave control over my new human employee.
12
MERCY IN THE DARKNESS, LORIAN
