When I woke the next morning, a haze of exhaustion clouded my vision, head pounding. I knew I had gained no sleep, fear and discomfort keeping my body from true rest. I remained beneath the covers longer than I ought have, hoping to avoid Rebecca and any others I might recognize. As soon as the room was nearly emptied I rushed to the showers, trying to dress as quickly as possible lest I suffer too greatly for my tardiness.

A night on the uneven hard surface my new bed offered had left my limbs crying out in stiff pain, only adding to the sting of the wounds on my back and the new bruises on my face and limbs from Dulane and Madame's attacks. But the cold water remaining in the showers was unforgiving and I had no choice but to bear it, washing, replacing the tape on my bandages, and throwing my hair into a quick bun as I rushed towards the main house, just short of a run. My heart sank when I recognized the figure standing just by the slave entrance in wait.

"You're late," Aaron Everett scowled. It took every last ounce of my strength to continue forward. No more, my mind cried I couldn't take any more abuse.

"You are to come with me, human," he said, confirming my worst fears. I couldn't even muster an attempt at protest. I followed after him obediently even when I saw clearly our trajectory. He was leading me to the breeding sheds.

Some part of me wondered what I might have done to warrant Dulane permitting Everret access to me again, another part of me simply didn't care. I was already so bruised and sore I wasn't certain I would survive one of the overseer's "training." I knew this was for the best.

Let this pain finally take me from my Master, I prayed silently. Let it be over quickly. Let me be reunited with my Mary.

"Get in there, bitch."

Everett's words brought me from my thoughts and back into the real world as he opened the door to the first shed we reached and pushed me roughly inside. The wounds on my back screamed as his hands pressed into them with no care. I could feel the wetness seep through my dress as a bister opened, leaving blood and puss trickling down my back beneath my bandages. I bit my lip not daring to cry out.

"Your mate will be here any moment," the overseer said, eyeing me critically. "I feel sorry for him. Having to bed a mess like you. But your Master is eager to see you with child again."

A cold shiver traveled through me as his words registered. No! Not again! my mind raged. How could I go through the pain again! Another child. Another baby to rip from my arms. Everett only smiled at my reaction.

"I have to say, Alice, he said, "they are always complementing your cooking, but I wonder if the product you supply is even more impressive."

A sick feeling welled in my stomach.

"I'm certain I have tasted the flesh of your young before, but that girl was quite delectable. So tender and fresh. I would be eager to sample another.

Mary. An image of my dead daughter flashed before my eyes. Her slit throat, her dead gaze. My fisted balled up in rage and grief. I wanted to attack him whatever the consequences and had every intention of causing as much damage as I could. Everett was expecting my reaction. The moment I stepped towards him he slapped me so hard blackness momentarily danced before my eyes.

"You think you can strike your Masters?" He challenged with a smirk. "Still you fail to learn it seems. Cedrick should have seen you flayed alive for what you did. Attacking the man responsible for your very existence? For every privaliage you have been granted!"

I could see his anger building with every word and true fear seized me. The overseer's hand was on his belt now, the threat of his knife and baton all too clear. But then his face relaxed slightly and he gave me a nasty grin.

"The time will come, Alice. When you are used up and Cedrick Dulane is though with his mercies. I intend to make sure you are not sent to the slaughterhouse when that day arrives. I will be the one to finally wipe Mariana's line from this earth, mark my words. You can rest assured that, should you cross me in any way, I will make certain your death will be as slow and painful as I can manage. But for now? I will leave you to your mate."

Shaking with a mixture of disgust and terror I stared transfixed as Everett went to the door and opened it wide, calling out, "come, slave," with a short bark. Only a moment later a human male stepped into the room.

Gregory

I blinked in disbelief at the familiar face. Mary's sire. Dulane was following through on his threats. He expected me to grant him a replacement for the girl he'd slaughtered.

"Well boy," Everett said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I can't say I envy you the task of getting it up for that thing." He gave a disdainful nod towards me. I, of course, kept my head down, doing my best to hold back the hot tears of anger and despair threatening to pour from my eyes.

"Alice here had been a very naughty girl," the overseer continued, walking to where I stood and grabbed the back of my neck in his hand. "Isn't that right Alice?"

When I didn't answer, Everett's fingers tangled into my hair. I cried out as he jerked my head back, his face now frighteningly close to mine.

"Isn't that right?" he hissed.

"Yes, Master!" I gasped, making sure my supplication was loud enough. "forgive me, Master."

Everett released his hold abruptly and pushed me backward on to the bed. My dress slid up to my waist in the process and I quickly righted myself pushing down the cloth of the skirts to cover myself again. The sibla man laughed heartily.

"Look at her trying to maintain her purity," he taunted. "We both know the whore has nothing every male on this estate hasn't already seen eh, Gregory?"

My cheeks burned red but I didn't dare respond. Neither did Gregory.

"Here," Everett said. He removed the wooden baton from his belt and handed it to my mate. "She gives you any trouble, don't hesitate to use that. Hell even if she crawls on all fours to willingly lick your cock feel free to use it. Dulane wants her pregnant but has no compunction regarding what she looks like anymore. That one never was half as pretty as her mother, but feel free to beat out of her whatever pride she clings to that gives the bitch the haughty sense of privilege she still seems to harbor.

"And you," he said, turning his attention back to me, "be sure to show old Gregory here a good time."

He laughed as my cheeks again flushed red and I looked down at my hands. A moment later I heard the door close.

"Stand up."

Gregory's command. I quickly complied. I wanted to put as much space between myself and the bed as possible. Everett was gone, but that still left the next attacker. The man standing there with a wooden baton in his hand. A man so much larger and stronger than myself, in peak physical condition as all the breeding males were. A man sent to use my body. While Gregory had never been particularly violent in the past, I wondered what the overseer's provocation would inspire in him.

"Take off your clothes."

I didn't move, staring straight ahead as I watched the frown twitch to life on his lips, expression hardening as I ignored his order. I'd never attempted to deny him before, but staring at the father of my lost girl, my arms didn't have the strength to move and answer his command even if I'd wanted to. Others had always said Mary took after me and my mother, but in Gregory's face, I saw the final pieces of her features. Grief washed over me in a wave that nearly sent me to my knees. It was all I could do to remain erect.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Gregory said.

Could he not see the pain on my face? Did he have no sympathy?

"We have our jobs to do. Master Dulane will see you bear offspring again."

I shuddered as his words. All of my lost children's faces so clear in my mind. I had given my Master everything. I had given him Mary and trained her to be the human he wanted. It still wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough.

"I will never bear a child for him again," I said.

The words left my lips before I was even conscious of them but the vow filled me strength. Dulane would not take another of my children. He could beat me all he wanted, send as many to break me as he could manage. I would kill myself before I offered up another baby in sacrifice to his greed.

I felt my anxiety slipping away in this new resolve, no longer afraid of the pain Gregory might inflict for my disobedience or the suffering Dulane would rain down upon me once he heard of my resistance. Gregory hesitated, no doubt wondering how to best handle my audacious statement.

"She was your daughter too Gregory," I said quietly before he could respond. A clear look of discomfort clouded his expression. Sympathy. It was clear now though he was trying to hide it. I could see the cracks in the stoic facade. But how much I couldn't tell.

"Your clothes," he said again, but the command was less forceful this time.

I remained still.

"You know I have no choice in this," he said in answer to my inaction.

"We all have choices," I answered. "Me, you, Dulane. I made a choice to spare an innocent. Dulane chose to take my child in retaliation. You can choose to support his action or rebel."

I took hold of the zipper on my dress and pulled it down, feeling the garment slacken around my form. I removed the sleeves from my shoulders, wincing as my fingers grazed the welted skin, and let the cloth fall around my ankles, leaving me fully exposed, only my thin stockings remaining. I heard Gregory's breath sucked through his teeth in surprise as he stared, eyes opening wide in horror.

"My God, Alice, what did they do to you?"

A rhetorical question, of course. I didn't wonder that the bruises and lesions on my body were horrific, even with the bandages coving the worst of them.

"It wasn't enough that he took our girl," I said without affect. For Dulane these beatings were entirely reasonable after all. Every bruise justified.

"I'm sorry."

I felt a laugh escape my lips as I shook my head. A laugh of exhaustion and disbelief at all I had suffered. 'I'm sorry' was meaningless.

"It was not you who did this, Gregory," I answered. 'We both know the monster responsible. "

Again, Gregory seemed uncertain how to respond to such audacity. I held my breath as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"You don't have to do this," I said, trying one final plea. "You don't have to kowtow  to him."

The man walked towards me now, shirt fully open showing off his well-formed chest and muscles. I would never be able to fight him off. I was far too weakened. Still, I held my ground.

"Please," I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling as I prepared for the worst. He was almost upon me now but I didn't attempt to retreat. "Gregory listen to me."

His hand went to his shirt as he removed it completely. My assailant within arms reach and yet he didn't touch me. I could see the wheels of his mind turning...and then, he did somthing I didn't expect.

"You don't deserve this," Gregory said. Taking the cloth from his own body, he draped it around my shoulders. I quickly pulled the fabric together to cover myself.

We stood in silence like that for a moment, him shirtless, me awkwardly clinging to the thin protection his clothing allowed.

"What now?" he asked.

It was an excellent question. I realized in that moment that I hadn't really thought he would be dissuaded from his aims. I shook my head. There was no answer to give.

Gregory sighed and sat on the bed, his eyes on the floor.
"You know he will kill me if he finds I did not fulfill my obligation," he said.

"I certainly have no intention of telling him," I replied, surprised to note skepticism in his expression at my words. Did he really doubt I would willingly shoulder the blame?

It was in his eyes that I saw the truth. The reason Dulane did not fear rebellion in spite of the horror he unleashed upon us all. We had been trained from birth not to trust one another. But what if we did? What then?

Ignoring all of my better instincts to keep distance between myself and the man who had assaulted me year after year along with his comrades, I went to the bed. Gregory was as much of a victim as I and I needed him to understand how grateful I was for his kindness.

"Thank you," I said, sitting by his side. "Thank you for your mercy."

He nodded noncommittally.

"He is evil, Gregory," I said, trying to ease his mind. "He only permitted Lina to live as further punishment for me. He wanted me to see how impotent I was in sparing my own child."

"It's all anyone can talk about," Gregory said, finally speaking again. "Whispers around the estate. No one believes this is right."

I found it ironic that he should say so. He'd come prepared to force himself on me after all. Still, it was comforting to know others might have sympathy. Perhaps that was why Rebecca and the others had failed to attack the previous evening when I'd been so vulnerable. Sympathy in spite of all I might have taken from them in my privilege. But even so, consolation that not all were happy for my suffering was not enough to help me.

"I did it because it was the right thing to do," I said. "I never in a million years believed that I would be sacrificing my daughter's life. Her soul will curse me for it for the rest of my days."

There it was. The truth spoken aloud. My motivation and my regret, both in equal measure.

Gregory stared at me a moment in thought before shaking his head. "Our daughter could not feel anything but pride," he said.
I was so in shock at the response I was at a loss of how I might answer. Did he truly claim Mary as his own? Somehow imagine we were a family? He'd been my abuser... and yet, when given the choice now to continue the cycle or hear my pleas he'd chosen the latter.

"Gregory," I said, turning to face him fully, a new thought in my mind. "What if we were to fight back against Dulane for his treachery? What if we were all to do more than offer passive sympathy to those abused by our Masters every day. What then?"

I saw his fear at my words but refused to back down. I was already a dead woman. Dulane had insisted on taking me to his side to break me to dust before spilling my blood. I had nothing left to lose. If I could convince the others of the same... There were more humans than sibla on the estate. If we were to rise together there was no telling what we could accomplish. We could make them all pay.

"Alice, I." He stopped and looked away but I took hold of his arm and forced his gaze.

"If you could hear me now. If I could trust you after all that they have forced you to do to me. Gregory, think of the possibilities!"

The words flowed from my lips as if from another, awakening somthing deep inside I had never dared to give voice. If we joined together, we could punish them all.

"Think of the cruelties visited on you and your brothers," I said, hoping to appeal to him personally. "How much have they made you suffer. Every one of your offspring suffering. The soul of our little girl cries out for revenge. The souls of all those mercilessly abused and slaughtered do the same."

Gregory pulled away from me and I let him, releasing my grasp. Standing and taking my dress from the ground he handed me the garment without answering my words.

"Thank you," I said, clothing myself again. I could feel his eyes upon me, watching as I winced, trying to avoid the most tender of my bruises. It was when I went to attempt the zipper on my back that I felt his hand upon me. My body froze.

"I'm just trying to help," he said, seeing my reaction to his touch.

I listened to the sound of the zipper and felt the fabric wrap around my body. As he released me I wrapped my arms around my chest, instinctively trying to protect myself. Perhaps I had overestimated his willingness to hear me.

As Gregory went to retrieve his shirt and replace it on his body I watched his every movement, wondering at the thoughts in his head. For the words I'd uttered he could see me killed and yet I somehow knew he had no interest in causing me further harm. Had he not made his sympathies clear already?

"Talk to me," I said as he sat on the bed once more. " Please, Gregory, understand. If you will not help me I beg of you not to report the words I have said here."

Gregory shook his head and looked to the ground, avoiding my gaze.

"I will not betray you," he said. "But I don't know that I can imagine doing as you ask. The risks"

"Are life and death," I finished, interrupting. "But we will die either way. At least consider what we could accomplish. The action we could take before any might cut us down. They will never suspect. They have underestimated us for so long, but if you could show mercy for me now. If others could speak of sympathy for my plight, knowing the punishment should they be overheard? There is hope, Gregory."

I watched as he worried his lower lip with his teeth wondering what his response might be. I knew how impossible what I suggested truly was. But if a male breeder could agree with me. Could bring some of the strongest among our species to the cause...

"I will think about what you said,' he answered finally. "Please don't ask me for more than that."

I nodded. It was somthing at least

"And everything that happened here, we will not speak of it to anyone."

"Of course not," I said. "I will ensure that all believe you have performed your office here today."

He nodded, accepting my assurances though I could see the fear and doubt still lingering in his eyes.

"You are a good man, Gregory," I said. "Now I know why Mary was so kind."

The words felt like daggers in my heart but I needed him to know how much I appreciated his mercy. Clearly he had cared about our daughter as well. Certainly more than I'd ever imagined.

"I will leave first," he said, not responding to my final comment. "I will tell Everett the deed is done."

"Then I will see you soon," I answered. "Our Master is determined I become impregnated by your seed. He will not allow me to escape more matings."

Gregory looked distinctly discomforted again. Perhaps the reality of what he had already agreed to was finally dawning on him. He had already betrayed our masters in refusing to bed me. Now I was making it clear that I expected he would continue to keep his hands from my body. But maybe this first betrayal would be enough to bring his true allegiance to the rebellion I now saw in my mind. I could picture the entire estate in flames. The cries of sibla, begging for mercy as I had begged. As so many humans had begged with no hope of compassion. If we could truly unite, Dulane would pay for his crimes.