The Monocle's Eye

Chapter 9

I awoke as the clock struck eight, and found myself lying just as I had fallen asleep. The Princess lay cold and still in front of me, her dim red lips drooped open and her eyes lay closed in her white eyelids, black lashes sealing the door. I felt an overwhelming desire to touch her, and so thinking her asleep I reached out and placed my hand lightly on her neck, stroking the chilled smooth surface. It's cool quality felt good on my warm hand, and I let my hand fall further on the skin, my palm caving around the side of her chin. I reached up a thumb and brushed her lips carelessly with it, restoring some of her deep red color there.

As I caressed her lips I could see her whole face regain a little color but I thought nothing of it, caught in the debilitating and heavy grasp of sleep. I knew it wasn't good to touch her, like she was a museum exhibit and I was about to get yelled at for crossing the sacred red rope, but none of that seemed prevalent, and none of it bent my movements. It seemed to dissipate any sense of danger around me, and even when I saw her mismatched eyes open slowly and stare back at me with their penetrating gaze I, for a moment, neither realized or stopped. When I did I see I pulled my hand back slowly and had opened my mouth to apologize and give some unknown excuse when I felt the metal on the back of my neck.

I was being pulled forward slowly, as a caught fish is reeled in. The chain shortened, the smirk on her plump lips appeared, and my head slid forward under the pull of the collar. There was no stopping, no waiting, and no yielding quality to the matter. A collision would occur, and I could see Illy's satisfaction as she saw me realize it. In my bout of sleepy energy, I resolved to steal her powers from her, and instead of scrumming slowly, I did something I though I'de never do. I leaned forward, and pressed her lips to mine.

I knew nothing of kissing, and nothing of whatever reason Master might have for doing this, and no reason to take it upon myself to resist, but I did. I kissed her. After a moment of still shock she pulled me in fully, sucking in my bottom lips and catching me in a soft and supple kiss. I may have started it, but by no means was it in my control. She lead like she danced, and I was swung along for the ride, released gently when she had had her fill. The sweet and bewildering taste of her on my lips awoken me as she pulled back, her eyes content and a face adorn with a smug smile. She threw the covers aside and climbed atop me, sitting straight up so her slender torso curved and seemed to stretch before me.

Her tied back black hair now lay on her shoulder. I was trapped again, and my heart pounded like racing footsteps on pavement, erratic and hurried, as the heel of the shoe slapped the concrete. She guided my face towards her with a finger on my chin, raising it to meet her eyes, and almost sneered. "I've caught much prey in my time," She said softly, her voice tickled my back, though it was soft enough I could hardly hear, "But never have a met one that confronted with no escape, ran forth into my trap as though it was their savior." And with these word she slid off of me, and the bed altogether, and started up towards the dresser. She was occupied, and I felt almost fearful now that the dim sleepy feeling had left me, and slipped out of bed unannounced.

I let my feet fall silently on the carpeted floor and with only the creak of the door to announce my escape, I left. No one called out to me. I met no one on the stairs, or in the hall, and returned to my room quite shaken and still lacking the courage to button my white collared shirt. I discarded it, and slipped on a long white dress in it's place. The dress had no shoulders and buttoned with black buttons all the way down the front. It puffed out on the long sleeves and cinched around the waist. I wore it for the sake of hiding, not for the sake of pretty.

* * *

It was still the very same night when I was reading and hear a knock at my door. I turned just in time to see a white crisp envelope slip in through the letter slot and flutter to the floor. It flipped and I picked it up to examine on it the gorgeous black ink cursive that displayed the address and sender. Low and behold it was from Heather Morbum and sent directly to me, reading on it my title, Sapphire, first slave of the Princess Ilustra Caedis. The idea I was the first puzzled me and I resolved to ask Ebony or the golden twins about it next time I saw them, but for now I ripped open the thick pattered white envelope with a letter opener I found on my desk and set to work reading it. It said: