"Anne Bishop - Black Jewels 00 - The Invisible Ring" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bishop Anne)

"Well, the Lady just looked at the innkeeper until he started to sweat, and
she said, mild as if she was asking for a cup of tea, 'Have you ever seen
what happens to a man's balls when you freeze them so deep they'll shatter
if you flick a finger against them?' You could tell he thought she was
bluffing, but he was sweating, too. Then one drop of sweat rolled off his
chin. It froze before it hit the ground and bounced up like a little
hailstone. And she just kept looking at him. I thought he was going to mess
his pants."
Having experienced that hard gray stare, Jared understood the man's
discomfort all too well.
"So right away he offered these quarters," Tomas continued, handing Jared
the soap. "Thera and Polli made up a bed for you, and Randolf and Brock
carried you in. The Lady fussed over you for a bit and kept muttering to
herself about whether the damage was permanent. After she approved the food
the servants brought, she went back to the inn."
The Lady fussed over you. Jared soaped the sponge and started washing. In a
way, it made sense. Badly scarred pleasure slaves weren't as valuable-except
to witches who were aroused by the evidence of pain inflicted-and a healing
man didn't perform at his best. But something in Tomas's voice told him
that, even without knowing about the Invisible Ring, the others had realized
that the Lady considered him different from the rest of them, and they
weren't sure what to think about it ... or about him. He wasn't sure what to
think about it either.
"Course, Blaed's going to be relieved to find out you're a pleasure slave,"
Tomas said. "The way Thera tore into him, I don't think he wants to stiffen
anytime soon, and he's been worried that the Lady would want to be pleasured
and he hasn't had much training. Not like you, being trained by the Sadist
and all."
Jared bit his tongue and concentrated on washing his legs.
Tomas frowned. "Course, you don't need a stiff dangle, do you? They say the
Sadist never gets stiff, and he's the best there is."
At a lot of things that were better left unmentioned.
Jared resoaped the sponge and started scrubbing his arms and chest. He
didn't want to talk about Sadi, and he didn't want to think about pleasuring
the Gray Lady. "Why did Thera tear into Blaed?"
Tomas shook his head. His voice filled with cautious admiration. "That
Thera. When she gets pissy, she gets a look in her eyes that can singe your
ball hairs."
The sponge stuttered to a halt. "That's a colorful way of putting it," Jared
finally choked out. Tomas tugged on the sponge. "I'll wash your back."
"No!" He didn't need this boy to act as his slave, and knowing too well how
it felt to be at the mercy of someone's whims, he didn't want anyone else
feeling like that because of him.
"I'll be careful," Tomas said quietly. Thrown off stride by the boy's
sympathy, Jared released the sponge. He'd forgotten about the lash wounds.
Feeling no pain as Tomas washed his back, his hands gently explored his
belly where the whips had cut him. It felt tender, but that was all.
"Don't know what the Lady did, but you've healed up just fine," Tomas said.
"Didn't even scar."
Tomas's cheerful efficiency made his heart ache. Too knowing for someone so