Chapter One

The Offering

 

"There's someone I want you to meet."

That is all she always says as she hovers at the edge of my vision, just beyond my grasp; a vision of shadow. Sometimes there is more than one shadow, like a shadow of the first. In those I fear that I am being shown off, but I never get that sense from the two shadows. While from one I sense wonder, the other always infuses me with a feeling of safety, and a growing connection of deep attachment. And in every dream I reach out, or try to, but something prevents my touching her. I look down and my wrists are bound in front, then somehow they wind up tied behind my back. She gestures, a quick movement which I understand is an order to kneel. I do so and she paces around me. Leather gloved hands run lightly over my shoulders, down my arms, across my bare chest. Full, rich hair of undetermined color cascades down, brushes my face and her scent overpowers me. I am hers to do with as she commands.

She backs away. Gloom surrounds her, obscures her face. She raises a hand, a signal for me to follow. I can't because ropes bind me into immobility. Something is in my mouth so I cannot call to her, to beg that she stay. She repeats the hand signal to follow once more and I realize it is not a command. No, she is asking me to follow, of my own free will. She is bound herself by some kind of law and cannot force me to comply. I must do that on my own. Now I am unbound yet remain rooted, not heeding her call. Fear of where she will lead takes hold. She calls again and now I move. I run to catch up to her, but a rope tied between my ankles causes me to stumble and I fall forward into a suddenly opened pit. Yet, it is not black and bottomless. As I fall a bare landscape of large rocks, idyllic in its nudity, spreads out below and I feel as if I have come home.

 

***

 

I stirred awake. Raven was already up and staring down at me, hands on her hips.

"It's the same dream again, isn't it?" she said, accusatory.

I just nodded, closed my eyes again, but sleep is now gone. I reopened my eyes toward the first rays of dawn that bled through my apartment's curtains.

Raven bent down, a small, but strong hand in my hair. She pulled my head back around, forced me to gaze at her. "You're running yourself way too hard. Pretty soon it's not going to matter what I do. We get together to relax, have some fun. But this thing has been creeping up on you and its way past time you deal with it."

I didn't answer. She was right, of course, but I still didn't want to face it.

Her hand in my hair relaxed, then travelled down to the leather collar around my neck. With a firm grip she pulled me out of bed. I stood naked before her, she also naked, but definitely in command. Framed in bright, straight blonde hair, her dark eyes seemed bottomless, shot through with a hard edge, but not without a distant sympathy. Her other hand gently rubbed my cheeks, brushed the sand from my eyes and tried to straighten the messy mop of my hair. She let go of my collar but then grabbed my hard morning penis.

"What does that shadow woman have that I don't?" she said. "Tell me, Kyle. I promise I won't be angry."

I hold still, feeling her small hand wrapped around me. Her other hand reached down and perfectly manicured, sharp fingernails stroked my balls. If I didn't know her so well I might have thought that it was a threatening gesture in spite of her assurances. Tell me or I'll rip your balls off. But Raven wouldn't do that. Our relationship of mistress and slave was one of trust, yet there was a definite edge, a risk that Raven would put me through another day of hell. It was all with the idea of giving me what I needed most - an escape from the mounting pressures that I put on myself. But having just awakened I wasn't ready for a day of Raven at her worst (or best - I guess it all depended on how you looked at it) and she looked a bit tired too. Last night had been intense, yet in the growing light whatever fatigue she still might have felt after coming several times last night was quickly getting replaced by a new energy; this one with a goal of not necessarily taking both of us to orgasm, but the kind that hinted of nervousness.

Her fingers stopped their strokes and changed tactics to wrap my balls, then applied slight pressure.

"Tell me," she whispered. "What is it about her that calls to you?"

"I...I don't know," I said. "I can't even tell you what she looks like except I feel she's a real person. Somewhere."

The pressure increased, just the tiniest amount. Any more and I would be in real pain. That's the thing about Raven, she knew just how far to go, to take me right to the edge of the pleasure/pain threshold, without doing any permanent injury. But I remained silent and girded myself to accept whatever further pain she chose to inflict. The times we got together weren't just for my benefit, she needed release as well, and my submission was her way to unwind.

The pressure eased off, but she didn't let go. "Alright," she said. "At least now we know that you think she is real. That's more than you knew before. C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up. I've got plans for you today."

She released my balls, but again grabbed my dick. Led to the shower I stood still while she soaped me up and rinsed away the suds. They flowed down the drain, slowly slipping away like my dream. The details would fade, but the feeling remained that the woman in shadow was real. As was Raven's frustration.

Why these dreams bothered her I couldn't understand, but it was obvious she didn't like them. One time I heard her mutter something like "This wouldn't be a problem in my realm."

What the hell did she mean by that? I wanted to ask but something held me back. Besides, it sure wasn't like weren't enjoying each other's company, so I wasn't about to do anything to rock the boat.

 

***

 

I bent forward, my arms strung up in back, my collar tied by rope to one of the strategically placed steel rings sunk into the baseboard around the apartment. My feet were spread, held in place by a steel bar with leather cuffs at each end. When Raven announced she had plans I slowly realized what she meant. The only question now was which would get the most attention - my ass or my balls.

Neither. Turned out she concentrated on my head.

Raven came around in front, dressed in full on formal dom attire. Usually on these mornings after an intense session things were more relaxed, but today was different. As Raven had donned her leather jacket, skirt and boots, I knew that I had better get on my "A" game. So I waited patiently in a kneeling position, not moving until Raven finished dressing, then brushing her hair until it almost shone. When her fingers snapped I was at her side, on hands and knees, following her out to the living room where she quickly strung me up. Now she stood in front of me, her favorite punishment hood limply dangling from her hands.

Normally a tiny, evil, yet still comforting smile would cross her face, just before she slipped it over my head. Not this time. Instead there was that unease from before, now grown larger, but then came the smile, if slowly.

"How did I luck out in finding you?" she said.

"You're lucky?" I said. "I think you got that backwards. Although..." I grunted, tried to shift around in my tight bonds. "Although I wonder about that sometimes."

Raven laughed. There, that was more like it. I liked making her laugh. When she did she was so much more attractive. But too, soon the nervousness returned, and much more plain now. Yet, her gloved hand that stroked my brow was gentle.

"You are so beautiful," she said. "You have no idea how much I'll..." Raven didn't finish the sentence. I briefly wondered why but then the hood slipped over my head. Raven was expert at quickly aligning the nose holes, and the inside ear muffs. The large, leather plug gag found its way into my mouth and part way down my throat. The first time it invaded me I nearly choked, but Raven talked me through it before flipping the rest of the hood over my head. She didn't need to now, and soon the hood encased, then tightened around me. Raven's fingers tugged and tied off the fitting strings in back. My head jerked a couple of times at Raven's tugs. This wasn't normal either. Usually her movements were assured, smooth as butter. Instead they seemed jumpy and, well, angry. I wondered if I was really being punished for something, but I couldn't think of what I might have done. Then the gloved hands returned, stroking my tense shoulders, bound arms and ass cheeks. She gave me a couple of swats, the sign that I was going to be like this for awhile, so I mentally prepared myself for the long haul.

If Raven came close to me I could sense her moving around, through the ear muffs I caught the extremely faint click click of her boots on the hardwood floor, but when she walked away I had no clue what she was up to. Usually she was content to let me stew in an ever growing painful darkness, interrupted by the whip across my ass, but not now. Yet, I think I caught a hint of her mumbling something. It was a chant, one she often did, usually after we had both cummed, which seemed to infuse me with a newfound energy. I couldn't explain it, it just worked. Now it did again, pushing me even further beyond my ready point. I felt her spread oil on both of my shoulders, butt cheeks, and lastly on the tip of my cock. Inside me the strange, electric energy surged. Then everything was still. Tense. Expectant.

Raven's spiked boots were replaced by something more flat. Had she changed shoes? The short light steps were like hers, but the gait was different. Yet the gloved hands that now caressed my balls definitely belonged to Raven. I'd know that touch anywhere. Then a single finger lightly ran down my spine, tracing more oil along the way. Strange, it was a move she had never done before. And the finger kept on going, down to between my cheeks, then right up my ass.

I lifted on my toes and grunted. What the hell?

The oiled gloved finger twisted around inside and I grunted again, tried to find a way to accept it easier. This wouldn't be the first time Raven had reamed my ass, but, until now, we were always in the bedroom, I on my hands and knees on the bed while she did me right with the strap-on. The idea of ramming the finger inside me now was different, unexpected and...

Hot.

I could feel my cock growing, expanding to its full size. Raven stood close by my side. Her hair brushed over my back and she grabbed my cock, stroked my balls, squeezed my cock again. It must have been incredibly awkward for her, doing both things, but then the finger withdrew and, I thought, she was going to circle around in front. Nope. The finger returned, joined by another, and another. Oh, god, what was this? And still she kept a firm hold on my cock, now grown to massive size. Fuck, with all that blood down there was I going to pass out? Then the fingers started to shove, in, out. Oh, shit, I was being toyed with, used like some kind plaything which only turned up the heat on my cock even more. Fuck, Raven had been holding out on me. Why hadn't she done this before? And how long could she keep up with this intricate position?

As if in answer the fingers pulled out but otherwise I didn't sense Raven move. Her hand stayed wrapped around my cock and now started to pump. Up, down. Up down. Updown updown updown. Faster and faster. Goddam, it was so frenzied, so...desperate.

I could feel the orgasm building. I whimpered inside the hood. No, no! It was too fast. Too fast! I needed to slow down, let Raven build up too so she could...

Warmth surrounded my cock. Did I feel a breath? But wasn't Raven standing beside...

Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! It's happening! I lost all control as my cum shot out in hard stream after hard stream like from a cannon. Her hand still held my cock, squeezing out every ounce. Dimly I wondered how Raven could drink so much of me. I knew I was coming inside her mouth. At least, I was pretty sure. Hot breath breezed across my cock tip but then I was again overtaken by pure animal instincts of just cum, cum, cum.

My blood roared in my ears, my nose drew in as much leather scented air as allowed. I think my legs gave out and I hung there, my arms wrenched way above me but I didn't feel any pain from them. Exhaustion enveloped my body. I was limp, like a used rag. And from just a hand job! But not just any hand job. Or was it? I had cummed in a mouth, but how? And that strange, electric energy that had surged through me before now ran off until, like my dream from last night, only a faint trace remained.

Raven carefully untied my arms and I collapsed to the floor. The hood and spreader bar were removed yet I didn't stir. I couldn't. All my strength was gone. Dimly I realized my whole body was covered in hot sweat, now rapidly turning cool. Raven was next to me, a towel wiping me off. She turned me over, cradled my head in her lap, those gloved hands caressing my face.

"It's alright, sweetheart, it's alright," she said. "I'm here now."

Here now? Where had she gone?

"You did very well," she said. "A lot better than anyone could have guessed."

I grabbed a few lungs of air and croaked, "Did you... Did you get to cum too?"

The hands paused, just for the merest second. I glanced up at her. What did I see there? Pain? Regret? "No, honey, I didn't. But that's okay. What you gave was more than enough."

I nodded. "Good. Good." I closed my eyes and was gone.