Desperate to apologize the sound just came out garbled and muffled. Either Damien understood or he was just being nice. Reaching behind my head I felt him fiddling with the Latch.

"We have seen you bite your fingers before," Damien threatened, "don't let us see that again. Others are watching you now, too. You must do as Nu-reeh wishes."

Once the gag was undone I tried to beg, apologize, and plead. My mouth just would not work right. Now released from bondage my jaw ached something terrible.

“Hush," Christof said, “your jaw will be sore. Stretch it out until it feels better."

I did as he ordered as he rose and carried me to the table. Kein fed me a drink with Little sips. Soon the thirst was manageable, but I drank my fill.

Once I was done, I tried to explain to Christof.

"This is too much for me to bear," I pleaded. "There must be another way."

My men were sad and troubled as Christof spoke.

“One day we will find a way out," he promised me.

“Live for us until then."

Tears ran down my face as I looked at them, all of them. I Loved them, yes, but what was being asked was too much.

Bane picked me up and took me to the lavatory. He pulled up my short dress and sat me on the pot. I felt ridiculously prim sitting there with my Legs bound tightly together. Here I was in a bathroom with five men waiting for me to pee, sitting like proper English royalty. I smiled at the irony of it.

"What made you smile?" Christof asked as we headed to the sleeping chamber.

“It's complicated," I said expecting him to drop it; he didn't.

The men made me explain the whole thing and it was a very long story, I thought.

While we talked they sat me on the bed. The lights were extinguished until the only Light came from the moons outside the window. They were stretching out and yawning. I guessed it was bedtime.

“Small things still make you happy," Bane said as they untied the bonds on my arms. I sighed with relief until they were retied in front of me.

“We will continue to try to make you happy," Kein said as he Looped the rope around the pole at the center of the bed. "If you still enjoy small things that is good. Soon you will lose this foolish death wish."

“Or at least understand we will not allow it," Evan said as he stripped off his pants and shirt.

Damien was before me in the moonlight and he put his face right in front of mine. "Will you attempt to harm yourself with your teeth?" he asked seriously.

"No," I answered quickly and emphatically.

The look on my face seemed to satisfy them for the moment and Damien stepped away into shadows