The First Breakfast

The woman had panicked that night. The entirety of her situation had dawned upon her and horror had filled her.

She was alone. She had no Mistress to lie with her during the night when she had been good and love her. She had a bed. A cold, empty bed. No one to share it with. It was less welcoming than the floor that she had always slept on.

A lot of tears had been shed that night.

But with the morning came a new day.

She was up at the crack of dawn. She pulled on the clothes she had taken off the night before and wandered out of her room as she combed her fingers through her hair and tied it in a tight braid to keep it out of the way.

It had taken a while for her to find the kitchen but eventually she did. There was no one in the large room. Not one person.

Her eyes flitted to the clock. Almost six in the morning and not one person in the kitchen. That was terrible. She had overslept, too. Usually she was up and breakfast was ready at half five, come rain or shine. Early to rise and early to bed in Hendrika's house.

Oh well, she could get breakfast sorted for when Belial, Zakhar and Coilean made their way downstairs.

What to make, what to make...

Her eyes scanned the fridge as she thought before finally settling on something simple. Eggy bread. Hopefully they'd all like it. If not she could make them all something else. She didn't mind.

And so she got to work cooking for the three of them. She made a large amount. Enough to feed Hendrika for a week. The two Lycan could share most of that.

She set out two plates of the bread then bent over the cupboard under the sink. The bowl was in there, washed and cleaned and ready for use. She smiled as she filled that with a large portion.

When she was happy with how their food had been set out, she turned to the fridge again to make her own breakfast.

A simple cheese sandwich. Two slices of bread, paper thin slices of cheese, no butter.

She leant against the counter, munching on her sandwich as her gaze turned to the clock. Now to play the waiting game.

Belial yawned and stretched his arms above his head, it had been an early night last night for all and the three men woke up at about half past seven, got dressed and headed down stairs for breakfast.

Normally they could doze until it was almost noon but he had said they were meeting with Asher for breakfast so they were all ready and in the kitchen by eight o'clock.

The Fallen's eyes widened slightly seeing Asher already in the kitchen and had already finished cooking.

"All of this must have taken you ages, what time did you come down here?"

He asked, still slightly hazy from just having woken up, he couldn't comprehend why someone would wake up so early.

The woman glanced up from preparing a mug of coffee with a little smile.

"Good morning."

That was one of the few things she had been allowed to say without risk of punishment afterwards. She was allowed to greet her Mistress.

Her eyes flickered up to the clock.

It was already eight? That was a ridiculous time for breakfast. How could anyone get up so late?

"Six. I'm sorry it was later than usual, I slept in."

"Good morning." He replied simply.

Belial covered his mouth and yawned, his brows furrowing together.

"Six is a sleep in? Asher the three of us rarely wake up before noon."
The only reason he woke up earlier than that was if he had work he had to do or had somewhere he had to be.

Being who he was, no one was stupid enough to wake him when he was sleeping.

He slumped into his usual chair with a contented sigh, at least he didn't have to watch where he was going anymore.

Her eyes bugged open.

Noon?! That was...unbelievable. Who the Hell slept in until noon? That was...she couldn't understand why people would sleep that much of the day away.

She shook her head softly. Strange people...

She set down the smallest portion of eggy bread in front of Belial and the other plate in front of Zakhar. He looked like the only somewhat awake person at the table. Coilean looked like he had fallen asleep leant against the leg of Belial's chair.

Asher smiled softly as she bent to set his bowl in front of him, stroking his head gently.

"Coffee?" she asked, standing up.

Zakhar's answered with a nod, too caught up in stuffing his face to answer verbally.

She turned towards the coffee pot and poured another mug for the Lycan, eyes turning to Belial as she awaited his answer.

"Please."
Was his simple reply, he was only just awake enough to manage easy replies.

He brought the bread to his mouth and bit into it eagerly, chances were he would fall asleep again after this and nap through lunch so he was going to enjoy the food immensely.

"Sit down and get some for yourself too."

He had said that she would eat the same amount as he did and he was going to make sure she did.

She set down the two mugs in front of Belial and Zakhar hen knelt to stroke Coilean with a smile as he ate happily.

Her eyes flickered up to the Fallen.

"I've already eaten."

She didn't want any more. She had eaten what she usually ate. That would last her through the day until dinner time.

"What did you eat?"

He asked curiously, if it wasn't to his standard then he would make her eat some more, even if it was only a little bit, she wasn't going to be starving herself whilst in his care.

"Thank you."

He muttered as she set the mug down in front of him, sipping from it with a soft purr, coffee always made the mornings more manageable.

His gaze looked down to Coilean, hopefully he was still too tired to bother trying to grope her.

"A sandwich."

Sandwiches could be an entire meal. So as long as he didn't ask exactly what and how much she had put on that sandwich she could get away with just eating that until dinnertime.

"I'm full, really."

Coilean didnt even bother looking up as he ate. He wanted food in his stomach and then another couple hours sleep. He'd grope Asher the next time he had a chance and he was more awake.

"One piece of bread, that is all I ask."

He said, lifting his plate and offering her a slice of his, as long as he saw her eat something substantial with his own eyes he would be happy and would leave her alone.

"I know I must seem pushy about this, I don't know what your last Mistress said but the weight you are at now is not healthy, you are far too thin."

Belial would ease up on her eating habits when he could see that she had put on enough weight, until then he would be monitoring his eating.

She looked at the bread like it was going to bite her when he offered it to her.

Too thin? No, she couldn't be too thin. Hendrika had always told her this was a good weight.

Her eyes turned down to Coilean as she continued stroking him.

To eat and go against Hendrika's wishes, or to stay devoted to the woman?

Asher shook her head softly. "I'm not hungry."

"Asher, she is not your Mistress anymore and, I am the one looking after you now.

It was not a request, eat."

He said more sternly, placing the food down in front of her and crossing his arms over his chest.

If she would not eat by choice he would make her eat it, he wouldn't let her ex-master's torment carry on any longer.

Asher didn't care that Hendrika had left her. Hendrika had give her rules to follow and she was going to follow them no matter what.

She shook her head again, biting her lip harshly.

It felt wrong saying no to an order like that but she was determined to follow Hendrika's rules.

Her eyes dropped to the floor as she stood and backed up a few steps, trying to get away from the food he wanted her to eat.

Belial sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I've been with these two for a long while now, it takes a lot of effort to hurt a Lycan, no doubt you have seen what I can put Zakhar through when we were at the club together, he has a high pain tolerance and I have adjusted to dealing with that.

I don't know how to be gentle anymore and I can only imagine what would happen to a body as fragile as yours if I were to punish you.

Do not defy me when I give you an order."

The Fallen's eyes flashed dangerously, he didn't was to have to be rough with her, but she simply didn't respond to logic.

She bit her lip, eyes turning up to Zakhar.

Yes, she had seen what he could do to Zakhar. Asher had been one of the few Slaves that their Masters had told to tease and torture Zakhar when Belial had given them the chance.

She was a heavy masochist but she couldn't stand anything like what Zakhar could.

The thought of being put through that was terrifying.

But she couldn't defy Hendrika no matter how much she tried.

Tears pricked at her eyes but she still shook her head in defiance. "I c-can't."

"How will you ever get a new master if you can not give up your loyalties to a master who used and abused you only to abandon you when someone else came along.

She could've kept two Slaves but she didn't, she dumped you and left."

Belial didn't understand the love that Asher had towards her old Mistress, how could anyone love someone that had done this to them.

He had done some cruel things to Zakhar but never anything this down right abusive.

"She didn't use and abuse me!" she yelled out, the loudest she had ever been in the Demon's presence.

The tears pricking at her eye welled up but she refused to let them fall.

"She didn't use and abuse me," she whispered pathetically, arms wrapping around herself as if to hold herself together now that the whole reason for her existence - the glue that kept her together - was missing.

"We love each other."

She...She had just done something wrong. Something the woman didn't like and she couldnt forgive her for and had to make her leave.

"How is this not abuse, Asher you look like a skeleton and she left you to live in some filthy Amsterdam apartment."

The woman looked like she was about to fall apart, she was absolutely lost without her Mistress, how could someone throw away someone so devoted like that.

"That was not love, this is love."

He added, pointing to Zakhar, his reason for being, his mate.

"We care for one another, keep each other healthy, safe and neither of us would simply abandon the other for someone else.
You can hate me for saying this all you want but Asher, your Mistress didn't love you, not if she could simply leave you like this."

"She paid for my flight back home," she muttered softly. "I was going to go back home to mom and dad in Catania. Hendrika paid for that."

If she didn't love her, she would have just abandoned her on the streets with nothing. But she gave her clothes and a motel room and the tickets for flights back to Sicily.

Asher shook her head, collapsing her her knees as tears finally welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

"No, you're wrong! She loves me. She loves me!"

Belial rubbed his hand over his mouth and chin firmly, he didn't know what to do, he didn't have to deal with heart broken Slaves before, but now he could feel her pain, it was horrible to watch and be a part of.

"Catania is just down the road from here if you want to see your parents."

He muttered softly in response, he hadn't known that she had family before he brought her here.

"I wish I was wrong, Asher believe me I do, but I have been a Master long enough to know when they love their Slave.

What she did to you wasn't love, and it wasn't because you did something bad to upset her.
It was because she doesn't care and she doesn't appreciate you."

Coilean looked up when she dropped to her knees and Zakhar looked on with a look of pain in his stormy silver eye. The older Lycan crawled forwards, nuzzling against Asher comfortingly.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, sobbing loudly.

The Lycan shifted, kneeling rather than resting on his hands and knees. He didn't care what Belial thought at the moment. Being a Pet could take a miss for ten minutes while he tried to calm this broken girl down a little. He'd take whatever punishment Belial wanted to deal to him afterwards.

"Shh, sweety, shhh," he crooned softly, stroking her back as he rocked her back and forth gently. He stroked through her black hair gently, crooning softly in her ear and he pet and rocked her.

But she didn't calm the way he had hoped she would. Her body shook with silent sobs, flashing green as she switched gender erratically; from male to female and back again over and over.

"No, no," she sobbed desperately. "She loves me. She loves me. She has to. She loves me."

Belial couldn't do this, he was breaking apart the one little stand of hope that was keeping her in one piece, and watching her desperately trying to cling to that hope was tearing him apart inside.

"Coilean, please carry her back to her room and look after her."

He didn't specify for how long, because he honestly didn't know how long it would take for her to recover slightly, however long it was he could stay with her until then.

However at the moment Coilean was probably best suited to look after her out of the three of them, she seemed fond of him.

Belial sunk back into his seat and rested his face in the palm of his hands, he was trying to help her yet he seemed to be doing more damage than good.

The woman sobbed and clung to Coilean as the Lycan stood, holding her to his chest.

His eyes turned to Belial as he began strolling towards the door.

"Veniam et invenerint vos quando illa suus 'dormientibus," he muttered softly. He's lie with her while she sobbed, stay with her until she fell asleep.

And then when she was finally asleep he'd go find Belial and give him an update.

Zakhar watched the sight of the woman with sad eyes.

How could someone do this to someone else? Abuse them so perfectly then cast the aside. It was disgusting. If he ever met Hendrika he'd tear her apart limb from pathetic limb.

In less than a day he had already become somewhat attached to the woman.

"Achinoam hates you," he declared when the two of them had left, eyes training onto Belial.

"He hates you and never wants to see you again. Can't stand even looking at you."

Belial nodded softly as Coilean spoke, he hoped that the girl was going to be alright, he just didn't no what to do.

His eyes shot up to Zakhar when he spoke, his eyes already filled with sadness and anger.

"What are you talking about?"

His gaze narrowed slightly, there was no way that was true, was Zakhar purposefully trying to hurt him, scold him for what he had just done to Asher?