My Queen, Ciarra, will kill him.

Once he finished with me, nothing mattered. I was dead, in all but name. Little more than a walking corpse. My Queen changed everything. Tail wagging, I looked over my shoulder and smiled. Her eyes met mine and I shivered in fear. When she hunts me, I truly feel alive. Tonight, she'll take me again. Her burning touch. Pain. Pleasure. It makes no difference. An overwhelming explosion of sensations emanating from My Queen will ravish my soul. With a quiet whimper, I shivered again, this time with lust.

Everyone stared at her. Flushing, I forced myself to face forward again. Shouldn't that be impossible? How can covering an already perfect body be more sensual than nudity? The dress she designed exposed half her bosom, arms, legs, and half her back. Glimpses of her pale thigh flash through the slit in her skirt. Our skirts. Flush deepening at the reminder, ears flat against my head, I tried not to think about it. She wasn't the only one people stared at. Most men, and some women looked like they had been poleaxed. People pointed, and a wave of conversation crested around us. Stopping myself from crawling into her arms to hide from the lascivious gazes around me, took all I had. Amazing. She truly doesn't care.

Arriving at the shop, I all but clung to her legs. She stroked my head, and I melted against her. This shop focused on high end adventurers gear, things I had never dreamed of being able to afford. Ciarra wanted the best available, and as far as I knew, this was the best Gravestead had.

Few people were inside, because only high level adventurers and nobles could afford their merchandise. Without breaking stride, Ciarra pulled down an enchanted belt pouch and coin purse, and passed them down. Soon they were followed by enchanted tools and other equipment.

Arms overflowing, ears twitching in amusement, I had to run to one of the shopkeepers, placing everything on the counter in front of him, I warned him that she was just started. Preemptively putting a stop to any concerns he might have had, I stacked a dozen nobles gold coins on his desk, just so he knew she was serious.

Darting back to My Queen, I acted as her mule. She loaded me down, and I'd drop everything off at the counter then run back to accept more. It was almost as though she planned on purchasing everything in the shop.

Two firestarters, the best set of lockpicks I had ever seen, a dozen crystals enchanted with eternal light, magnifying glass, coil after coil of silk rope, several candles, torches, a very expensive stack of parchment, ink, several quills, two mirrors, several mining picks and shovels, a dozen waterskins, whetstone, lots of soap, sealing wax, several empty vials, two spyglasses, pots and pans, a firestone to cook on, hammer, grappling hook, several toiletry kits, several toothbrushes, empty jugs, and a dozen long poles later, she started slowing down.

Almost everything was enchanted. Why anyone other than My Queen would purchase enchanted shovels was beyond me, but they were enchanted for toughness and preventing rust.

Ciarra paused when she reached the tents, then she moved on without purchasing any of them.

When I finally followed her to the counter, both the other shopkeepers had joined the first one. They quickly sorted through what looked like enough gear to start our own business.

"Several of the items M'lady has selected are quite expensive, especially when purchasing twelve of them. May I suggest putting a few back? With them your total would come to about 750 gold, and-"

Ciarra interrupted him without a word, summoning 75 nobles from storage. Even though it was her, I couldn't help flinching when she didn't bother haggling. A week ago, I could have lived for years just on how much I haggled them down. I still laughed at his expression, tail wagging in amusement.

"I'm dissatisfied with your tents. I'm looking for something that can fit a dozen people comfortably. Preferably one enchanted with spacial magic. Where can I find one?"

"The enchanters guild might be able to create it for you, Silverflower is the closest city they have a presence in. I'd be happy to share our contact's information with you."

Ciarra sighed, then picked up one of the three person tents, several bedrolls, blankets, and a large hammock, and added them to her order. Then she dropped a single gold coin to cover the added cost, and placed her hand on the small mountain of supplies. They vanished into her storage with a flash.

Amused at their bewildered expressions, I couldn't help grinning. As always, My Queen was a force of nature, even when doing something as simple as buying supplies.

She entered the alchemist shop across the street, and simply purchased everything, including a terrifyingly large amount of alchemist fire, poison, and acid. 900 gold later, we left the stunned alchemist.

Next Ciarra purchased every barrel the cooper had available.

Then we visited the weaponsmith where Ciarra purchased two of her best mythril daggers, her heaviest maul, and a horrendously expensive set of adamantine full plate. A thousand gold later, we left for the leatherworker. From there she purchased a set of drake leather for me. When she saw me in the ebony black leather, a wide predators grin filled with sharp triangular teeth spread across her face. I thought she was going to take me right then, right there, but after a few moments she passed both mythril daggers and their sheaths my way.

My Queen ordered me to take her to one of the last places I wanted to go. The adventurers guild. Heavy memories of the only time I had darkened their door seemed to weigh me down. Tail almost dragging the ground, I touched the wall, I could remember collapsing and drifting to sleep leaning against this very spot. Hours later, a guard kicked me awake. I had limped to the one district they didn't patrol, the slums. If only she had been chasing me instead of them. She would have taken me right here on the streets, and I would have felt alive again.

Distracting myself, I asked Ciarra something that had been bothering me.

"Why didn't you take any of the seamstresses? Several of them were pretty, and they were already sworn to you." My Queen should have dozens, no hundreds, of women. Silently, I prayed that she would still want me. Either way, I'll always serve her.

"None of them had the… spark. Without the spark, everything sexual is less. Less pleasurable. Less gratifying. Less fascinating. It's less in every way. Let lesser beings waste their time on such bland playthings." So I have this spark? My tail twitched, and my ears perked up.

"Spark? What do you mean?"

Ciarra looked at me thoughtfully, then pulled me into her arms, and sat down on some boxes in the shade.

"Tell me, how often do you think about sex?"

My tail froze. "Constantly, at least since meeting you," I admitted, "It's always in the back of my mind. Stray thoughts catch me unawares. Often at the strangest times and in the strangest ways. When I turned and saw you holding that wooden pole in the shop, I couldn't help imagining you claiming me with it," I admitted, then shivered, fingering my new dagger. I didn't want to admit the rest, but she had asked.

"While I watched you pick out the mythril daggers, my first reaction was a deep longing for you to take me then and there, and bury both hilt deep into my flesh as you climaxed." The idea had scared me, but that was a minor fear next to how truly terrifyingly badly I wanted her to do it. Suddenly I realized I held one of the daggers by the blade. I froze, staring wide-eyed at the blade I had unconsciously started to hand her. Numbly, I carefully put it back in the sheath with trembling hands.

"What's wrong with me?" Unconsciously, my tail had curled up between my legs, silent tears were dripping down my cheeks, and my ears were pressed against my head.

"Nothing," The single word was sharp. Emphatic. "You are the most exquisitely beautiful and rare gem in my hoard." I smiled at her words, ears coming back up.

"Like me, you have the spark, even though it was buried deeply when we met. For lesser creatures, sex is simply something they do, they rut when they must, just like any animal, but sex is just a physical act for them, simple movements made because their bodies demand it.

"You and I are different. Our sexuality is part of everything we are, and everything we do. It's the passion that drives us, and they can't understand any more than an animal could.

"Put simply, they just perform sex. We live it, more than that, we thrive on it. They can play their role, but using them to fulfill our needs is like using a puppet. Yes, I could do anything I wanted to them, willing or not, but it would just be a physical act."

She lashed out, slapping my thigh painfully. I gasped, heart suddenly thumping in my throat. Intensely aware of every touch. She licked her lips, and pulled me into a kiss. Then she whispered, "We just experienced more eroticism, than I would have received from bending one of those puppets over the table and fucking them."

Gulping, I nodded. "How can I find more women with the spark for you to enjoy?"

"As far as I know, I'm the only one that can tell if someone has the spark, at least without seeing them in the throes of passion, but don't worry, I'll let you know when someone interests me."

"My Queen, once I thought sex was simply a man fucking a woman, but you're right, that slap was more sexual than any time a man has fucked me. Why? I don't understand."

As she spoke, I relaxed, tail twitching back and forth. "Oh, my pet, you have much to learn. For many unlucky people, their sexuality is as simple as intercourse with a member of the opposite sex, but some people are not so limited, and are lucky enough to have one or more kinks or fetishes. As vast and varied as the universe, kinks and fetishes are additional expressions of sexuality. The difference between the two is simple, but subtle. A kink brings additional sexual pleasure, just like a fetish, but a fetish doesn't just bring more, it's also required for sexual gratification. There are far to many types of kinks and fetishes to list. With little more than a glance, I understand everything about the sexuality of every woman I see.

"So lets talk about the two of us. I have a fetish for sexually dominating and controlling women. You on the other hand, have a fetish for submitting. It was deeply buried when I met you, but not anymore. At the tailors, when I pulled you into my lap and spent almost two hours doing whatever I wanted, my body wasn't pleasured directly, and I didn't climax, but I experienced intense sexual pleasure. It's been hours, and I'm still riding that euphoric wave.

"You fulfill many of my needs, but not all of them. For example, I want someone to conquer. You are simply mine. We both know that you will willingly accept anything I do to you. So that's not a need you can fulfill. Things would be much simpler if I didn't enjoy watching women loose control in an overwhelming climax of pleasure after I finished with them. Finding someone to conquer is easy, finding someone that will writhe with pleasure when I finish will be much harder. But, I'll find someone with the right combination of kinks.

"I also have a kink for sexual sadism. I receive sexual pleasure from causing women pain. You have a kink called masochism. That's what's scaring you so much right now. Masochist feel sexual gratification from pain. For most, it's limited to specific types of pain in the context of sex. But my pet, you are the most beautifully rare wonder, you feel sexual pleasure with pain in any context. It doesn't replace the pain, but rides along with it, almost like a second sensation.

Ciarra lifted up one hand, and I shivered, tail frozen in place, eyes suddenly focused on the mythril dagger she held. The blade slid under a seam in my leather armor, and cold metal pressed against my skin. "I wonder if I can make you climax using nothing but this blade," she quietly asked, sounding curious.

Whimpering, I replied, "I don't know," the oathbond forcing out a truth I hadn't even admitted to myself.

Her predatory eyes froze me in place, and I whispered. "You terrify me."

She smiled, and said, "Good," then stood up and resumed our trip.

Ignoring catcalls from the mostly male crowd of adventurers hanging out on the bottom floor of the adventurers guild, Ciarra headed directly for the receptionist, and asked him about becoming an official adventurer. He explained that in order to join, any potential recruit had to successfully complete the mandatory dungeon run that happened twice a week. The next one was due to leave tomorrow morning. We would meet the guild representative at the south gates, and he would explain the rules, and guide us to the dungeon. Upon returning with proof of a successful run, we would become official adventurers, and be welcome an any adventurers guild.

Business finished, we left. Ciarra said, "It's time to complete a quest that Kolra gave me," and she headed deeper into the merchants quarter. I walked beside her, hand resting on her thigh, while she stroked my head. Near the city wall she approached a temple dedicated to a goddess I once would have scorned.

Kolra, Goddess of Domination and Control.

Ciarra strode through the massive gilded doors, and closed them behind her. Stepping to the side, she dropped the heavy iron rod into place. It was intended to bar the door if the temple was ever attacked. She twisted the bar around itself, locking the doors closed.

Heart pounding, certain something was wrong, I walked into the nave with her.

In a half circle behind the podium, the clergy sat. They didn't wear Kolra's holy symbol. These paladins and priests wore a symbol I had never seen before. Pacing back and forth between them and his congregation, a wiry old man preached emphatically.

Practically spitting with zeal, he ranted to the rapt congregation. "Men dominate as our nature demands, and women must be forced to submit to our control, just as Kolra, the Goddess of Control submits to the God of Domination."