Like Oil and Fire

Next chapter.

"No"

"What, what do you no Kay?" it's at this point I notice the glow from her shirt, the mark making itself known but I can't see any pain in her face. "Oh."

"Yeah, Athena wants to use this, the same nobles backing these fucks are allied with the Gods and followers she is preparing for war with, she is expecting them to strike soon and try to wipe her followers out like they have tried time and time again.

Her temples barley survived the attempted purges when your Goddesses first fell and despite their efforts they have never been able to form a front that united again.

She played things close enough to her chest that they were never able to convince the others she was dangerous enough to punish any further than her diminished state.

Their build up is almost ready and have stopped trying to egg the other gods on, now is our time to strike. "

" Well we signed up for this, more or less, what does this mean for us -us and Mir's bloodlust though."

"Hey"

"I'm I wrong tho?"

"Rox you're supposed to be the nice one"

"I am"

Kay was smiling at our banter but decided to answer the question before we could really get going, "It mean you get to see your mother in law again."

----

They were both asleep now, I took first watch.

After what just happened, and the horror of what my power told me, I didn't think I'd be sleeping anytime soon.

Defiantly not before these bastards where no longer a threat.

A sound, a step behind me, had me turning, blade ready.

When I saw it was just Raquel, "Chill Mir, just me."

"What are you doing?" I ask as I return to ready position.

"Can't sleep either, don't know how Kay can. How you holding up?"

"I'm Fi-"

"I know you well enough to bet good money you weren't going to wake either of us for our watch. Tell me I'm wrong."

"No bet"

"Knew it, so you want to talk about it?"

"No... but we can talk about what ever it was you about those collar tattoos you wanted to talk about."

"Now's as good as any time I suppose. You recognized them too so you might know this-

"I didn't recognize them presay, that was just another thing my power was doing, it's what was killing him and how to fix it let me figure out enough."

"BS aside, my point, the slave trade is only illegal in my home land on paper, My family along with other nobles bolster their coffers using loop holes large enough to walk a doomed family through."

"Got to say every time you say something about them, I'm happier and happier I don't have to meet them."

"The law states that no more slaves or affiliated ritual or crafts of any variety can be used and the practice will be allowed to die out.

All this did was entrench the oldest families and lock out others from the trade, complete control and a mark that propagates to the off spring is how they got around it.

Total loyalty because you can take their life at a moment and if the owner dies of anything but natural causes it takes out everyone still tied to them.

Slaves that hate their master have been known to take fatal blows for them just to protect their other family members from this effect."

"Ok now I want to meet them but for different reasons..."

She kept going, not letting me slow her down, she had gotten used to me enough to know this was my way of telling her I was listening and cared. "I made the mistake of befriending one of the kids of my fathers house slaves, when I learned of their plight I promised that when I became head of the family I would free them.

My mistake was shouting this to my father after he 'disciplined' one of them in the courtyard.

To 'Break me of this foolishness' my father sold them and I never learned to were, only that it was to one of the contacts that always needed more 'bodies'.

The path to fixing this was lost to me the moment my mother found out I made a pact with a god outside of the family's.

When I saw you remove it, I had hope... If we found them, could you, would you, save them, for me?"

"Rox, I would do anything for you, but you have to know what you are asking, for what I did to work the pact holder has to be dead or dying, I didn't remove the mark, I outlasted its effect while it tried to take him. It only faded once it fully drained itself in the attempt.

We will have to kill who ever the holder is, even if that's a member of your family, and then be with the victim fast enough the mark isn't finished with them.

Any slaves they hold that we can't get to in time won't survive."

"So you think I should just give up?"

"Never."

"But you just sa-"

"I never said we shouldn't try, just the issues I could already see that we would have to work around.

I don't care how hard it is, If you want this I will move mountains trying to make it work.

Do you want you're friend free?"

"Its not tha-"

"Yes or No Rox."

"Yes."

"Then its settled, we will find them everything else is details we will figure out.

Now go back to bed, we have alot to do and if we are going to hire a proper Artemis follower we'll need to be up early."

"Artemis but they don't work for just anyone, and the ones they do cos-"

"Details Rox, Details.

This is my wheelhouse remember, You worry about melting my brain in the spaces between remember?"

"Oh I remember, and I believe this should count as my domain, this is between the battle field and the bedroom."

It was remarkable to see the shift in her eyes, from heartfelt confession, to endearing love, to possessive lust.

"Rox, I'm on watch, what if-"

Her turn to interrupt me it seems. "Oh I'm sure you're aware its supposed to be mine by now, but don't worry, I'll leave enough of your mind available to help me keep watch, now kneel, my cute wife to be."

With that simple statment I felt the same effect that happened anytime I made it into 'home/bedroom' wash over me here with a *giggle* from my pervert of a goddess,

'its for your own good, too much stress when you should be resting isn't good for you.'

Of course.

My objections washed away as all the want and need for my lovers that had been denied since we started these high tier missions, hit me at once.

I had planned sometime this week to end our dry spell now that we were getting better and less exhausted after each day out here, but the mental barrier to that melted under the weight of what my goddess 'let' hit me.

I was washed away by it and my knees hit the floor before I even fully processed her command.

"Good girl."

"MMMhhhmmm."

"Oh is someone needy? Come here, you just focus on your favorite treat and I'll keep watch, wouldn't want anyone catching us out here unawares with your face buried in my lap, If someone is going to see I want to know so I can show you off."

Something about how that played off my fear and arousal broke the last bit of my concentration.

All I remembered after that was the feeling of her running her hands thought my hair and the taste of her pleasure.