Eve’s human figure is divine.
“You know, it’s only when we sin that we really know who we are and see others clearly. There’s a language written on a person's skin when they sin.” I watch as she processes that thought. Then, I command her, “Remove your clothing.”
“I... what?” she says on instinct and then adds, “Sovereign.”
How sweet this is going to be, I think and then say, “You heard me. Place your garments on the altar of the goddess of transformation.” I gesture to one of the pedestals. “She oversees all changes, voluntary and otherwise.”
Eve hesitates, her gaze following my fingerto the goddess whose holo-form glows with serene indifference. Then her hands move slowly to the top of her tunic, and she begins unbuttoning it, one by one, each click echoing in the shrine.
Rafe’s little gift reveals itself at last. A bra designed not to protect her modesty but to display her nipples as if they were jewels, erect peaks framed in delicate fabric. “My brother’s new modified clothing for you. I can’t say I would have ordered it, but I enjoy the way it looks.”
Her skin heats under my gaze, and she fumbles, pulling the bra down, then lays it across the goddess’s altar. I relish the way she tries to cover herself with crossed arms until I snap, “Hands at your sides.”
Reluctantly, she obeys.
Her breasts are round and heavy, capped with dark pink nipples hard from the cool shrine air. My eyes linger on the faint shimmer of gooseflesh across her skin and the tremble in her thighs as she fights the urge to shield herself again.
“Do you feel it? The goddesses are evaluating you.”
She doesn’t answer me, but I let the silence stretch, so she can feel the weight of her nakedness beneath my gaze, and the cold indifference of the goddess’s holographic jeweled eyes.
I come up behind her and reach around for the Venus Lock, my fingers finding the hidden release mechanism through the springy hair that only humans have. The device deactivates with a soft chime, and I lift it away from her body. “You’re in a holy place now, the goddesses don’t bind what they are here to judge.”
Eve gasps. “How did you… Sovereign?”
“It's not difficult to remove if you know the proper sequence,” I explain, setting the device aside. “And, of course, you can’t properly sin for me with that inhibiting your loss of control.”
The flush spreads down her throat and across her chest. No doubtshe’s fantasizing about finally getting the release Rafe wouldn’t give her yesterday.
“Stand in the center of the circle,” I say and get my neural paddle from its place on the wall. I show it to her, dramatically.
Her eyes widen as they fix on the paddle. “What’s that?”
“Pain amplification technology.” I run my finger along its edge, and the conductors glow briefly. “One stroke from this will hurt in ways your human nervous system isn't designed to process.”
“Sovereign, I thought you said pleasure was the sin.”
“But, Eve, don’t you know you can’t have pleasure without pain?”
“Please, Sovereign. I suffered from the Venus Lock last night and this morning.”
“Suffered,” I mock her. “Suffered while you leisurely gave my brother an erotic show washing his come from your breasts this morning? Suffered with the Hallo root the doctor gave you? No Eve, today you will learn from the goddesses what real suffering feels like. Brace yourself, human.”
“Please, no, Sovereign.”
I circle her again, letting her feel my presence behind her, beside her. She’s trembling, and it’s delicious.
“If you answer my questions incorrectly, you will be paddled.” I tap the paddle against my palm; the soft sound is somehow menacing in this sacred space. “Now let’s begin our first training session. Hands at your sides, feet apart,” I instruct. “Good human. Let's start with something simple. Where are most humans bought?”
“From Gala Station at auction.”
“Correct. Now touch yourself. Slow circles.”
She looks at me shocked.
I crack the paddle against her ass. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
“No, Sovereign,” she says, as her fingers find her clit. They move hesitantly at first, brushing over her furry folds with a shaky uncertainty. But the moment she truly touches herself, her head falls back with a stifled gasp.
