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jeriendhalJust because Khan the Great and Powerful had an army of servants to pamper his most beloved slave, didn't mean Anna let them do everything for her. Which was why late one evening she was sitting at her vanity table (now there was appropriate description) running a pearl enameled brush through her silky, waist length hair, pulling out the knots before letting one of the panthermorphs wrap it up before going to bed. She wore a calf-length red silk robe, belted loosely at the waist, her only item of clothing aside from the collar around her neck. It was her ultimate expression of submission to Khan and the Groupmind's will, a loop of Ring metal permanently welded to her neck, to remain there until the day she died.
Anna brushed in long sensuous strokes, watching Khan in the mirror's reflection, as he watched her from the bed, a faint smile visible on his tigermorph face. She smiled back, knowing he could sense the pleasure of anticipation within her, as she looked forward to curling up against him, his strong arms holding her, in protection and ownership.
As she continued to brush, she could feel her hair tickling the back of her neck. Anna twisted her arm around her back, to scratch the itch. Her pearl enamel nails reached underneath her collar, trying to hunt it down, her eyes narrowing in concentration.
Which was when her collar popped open, bouncing off her breast as it fell, landing with a clatter on the table.
Anna stared at it for a moment, not comprehending what had just happened. Khan had very explicitly told her that when it was sealed closed, the only way to remove it would be to cut off her head. It wasn't just supposed to pop loose.
Khan had risen up smoothly from the bed at the clatter of the collar falling. So he was conveniently at her elbow when Anna turned to glare up him and growl, "Master, what the hell?"
"Is there something the matter?" Khan, eyebrows raised.
She picked up the collar and waved it at him. "I thought you said this thing was welded on! It sure felt like it when you put it around my neck."
"A small heating element provided the illusion," Khan replied calmly. "The amount of energy required to actually seal a Ring metal band around your throat would have been enough to also boil your blood."
"So what is this thing made of, really?"
"Aircraft grade aluminum with an aerogel backing to prevent chafing, closed with a pop-latch designed to give way against pressure in excess of five kilograms per centimeter. Though the fact it released with considerably less than that might indicate a design flaw." At her outraged look, Khan added, "You shouldn't be that surprised. I may be your Khan, but we are still the Groupmind. There's no way we would permit anything to be permanently placed around your throat that could be a choking hazard."
Anna shot up out of her chair. "You lied to me! You said it could never come off!"
"Yes, on both counts," Khan replied, ignoring her outrage. "I pledged to be your master, I never said anything about being truthful. Do you remember how many times I deceived you in the midst of a scene? I do."
She poked him hard in his furry chest. "It's different in a scene. I expect you to be a mean, lying, evil villain when we're playing." Anna felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I pledged my soul to you when you collared me! And you took it, even knowing the collar was a fake!"
"The collar was real," Khan replied calmly. He kept his distance, not touching her, probably knowing if he tried she'd probably punch him in his fur covered, steel face. "You became my slave that day, body and soul. Have you not submitted yourself utterly to me, obeying my every order, or accepting the consequences when you failed to?"
"Yeah, but…"
Khan's lips drew back into an angry snarl, his voice dropping down to deep growl. "KNEEL," he ordered.
Anna's legs went out from under her as she dropped to her knees, the action automatic, without conscious thought or consideration. As she looked up at him in fear, Khan's face reverted to a slight smile, and he placed a single fingertip on her forehead.
"That is your collar. The ring of metal around your neck was just a symbol you needed, as you reoriented yourself from free woman to slave, from an independent person to owned chattel. Every time you felt it press against your neck, it reminded you of your place, that you couldn't turn back from the path you set yourself upon."
"I didn't want to turn back," Anna replied, hands twitching as they remained on her knees, not breaking position to wipe the tears still running down her face.
He reached down, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief from his pocket. "You might have been tempted. Second thoughts, last minute regrets, seller's remorse. But then you just had to touch the steel around your throat, and then those thoughts, however fleeting, would be banished."
"I could have taken it off at any time," she noted.
He nodded. "But you never even tried," Khan leaned forward to whisper in her ear, his warm breath making her skin tingle, "because you didn't want to."
/quietly chows down on this tidbit/
Date: 2019-09-03 12:51 am (UTC)Also, caught a missing word: "The ring of metal around your neck was just a symbol you needed, as you reoriented yourself * free woman to slave, from an independent person to owned chattel."
Re: /quietly chows down on this tidbit/
Date: 2019-09-03 04:24 pm (UTC)/offers pats through Internet
Date: 2019-09-03 05:18 pm (UTC)