The large house spoke of affluence and extravagant taste. Large columns surrounded the building and one could very aptly call it a palace. The architect had been selected from a group of fifteen and rewarded handsomely...with a night with her. Afterall, what else could he have asked for? A night with a veritable goddess was more than he deserved.

Lavish furniture made from the finest materials were used in putting the finishing touches to this edifice, and she was more proud of this than anything else. Boasting of more rooms that she could ever hope to occupy, she was proud of her success.

The great hall served a lot of purposes, but now, on this night, it was serving one of its more popular functions, and she was at the center of it.

Flanked on all sides by seven men, she basked in the ambiance of being the primary center of attention. Everything else was secondary. Second to her and therefore of no import. She sighed as one of the men kissed up her arm, stopping short of her shoulder and kissing his way back down. Another, kissed her toes, sucking on them gently, and then not so gently in alternating patterns. One other yet caressed her thighs.

The game was part of the fun for her. Each of this men competed for her attention, and she sighed in pleasure that was more psychological than physical. She was their everything, and they lived for her pleasure, amongst other things. It also helped that they were completely at her control. Not one could jump without her explicit instructions allowing for such an activity. She sighed.

Only one of them would get to bed her, and the others would watch and hate themselves for losing, vowing to do better next time. Sometimes she took them two at a time, it all depended on her mood and today, she was in a one man mood.

She looked around the hall as one man took his place behind her and massaged her shoulders. Bodies littered the floor, all wrapped around each other in one form of erotic dance or the other.

One young witch held on to her female partner as the latter's fingers thrust in and out of the former's wet folds. The witch thrust against her fingers as she felt her orgasm getting closer. She caught sight of her mistress watching her and closed her eyes, glad that she had seen what they had all grown to know as approval in her slight smile. The orgasm wracked through her body then, and she shivered as her partner bent down and pressed her tongue firmly against her erect nub, increasing the intensity of her orgasm. Seconds later, as she came down from her elevated plane, she looked up with a smile as the girl that had brought her so much pleasure, brought her fingers which glistened with her feminine essence and put them in her mouth. She was only too glad to lick them clean, marveling at the intense taste of herself. As she licked and sucked on the fingers, they switched places, and she took her place between the girl's legs. Gently, she lowered herself towards the girl's ample bosoms.

Happy with what she was seeing, the mistress of the house concentrated on what the men who surrounded her were doing. So far, they were all on the same level, and none of them seemed to stand out. She sighed. She was probably just used to what they could do. She had not increased her harem in a long time. She sighed again, closing her eyes and trying to enjoy herself beyond the psychological. She couldn't, and she opened her eyes, sighing again.

The hall was charged with sexual energy, and a loud cry erupted in the hall as one of the girls reached her climax. The man who had brought her to the height looked at her detachedly as she quivered and shook on the floor as wave after wave hit her. The mistress's center pooled a bit more at the thought of such an intense orgasm. It was starting to seem as though she would need to have all seven of the men if she was going to feel anything new. Useless bunch of maggots.

Well, if that was what it took.

Frenzied grunts took her attention, and she looked at the far end of the hall, where a young male shifter was being plowed by his older, more experienced teacher. Both men stared at each other as the teacher thrust deeper and harder into his ward. The mistress had allotted the boy to him so he could help him hone his skills before he joined her harem. She only let in fully developed and skilled men and not fledgling. The boy had a look of utter vulnerability on his face while the teacher had one of intense concentration. She could tell that he was close to his climax.

Further down the hall, a servant girl rode one servant boy, and her pert breasts bounced up and down in time to her movements.

Suddenly, she was aware of another presence in the room. A presence not participating in the day's activities. She turned sharply and caught sight of Silas. He lurked in the shadows and had reached out to her psychically.

The vampire gestured that he needed to talk to her. He was not under her control, but he was inarguably her most trusted servant, there was no denying it. He had trained under Aria Valderi, but for a long time now had pledged absolute fealty to her. Whenever she needed confidential work done, she sent him if she couldn't go by herself.

He had been out for a while now on one of those important missions and only just returned now. From the look on his face, she was fairly certain she was not about to get any good news. And on a day when she was already in a sour mood.

"Mistress Edrea. I come bearing bad news."

She grunted. Already wondering who she was going to have to kill to turn that news into something else. She was all for fashioning fortune from misfortune after all.

"Well, they refused to sign. They say it's their land and therefore, whatever happens on it, is their concern."

Edrea sighed. She felt an intense need to hit something, but she fought it. There was no need. She turned to look at the vampire.

"Did you tell them by whose order you were making your request?" she asked, boiling inside, but managing to keep it under wraps. Disrespect of any kind was thing she never condoned.

"I didn't have to. They already knew I was coming"

Edrea growled lowly. Despite being slightly tall, she stood at least a foot beneath the tall vampire, but despite the height difference, the vampire shivered in her presence.

She had sent him on a land acquisition mission as she intended to increase her territory. She had recently decided that her sovereignty was not as widespread as she would like. She was already one of the most powerful names around, but expansion was necessary just as it was for her harem.

A human settlement occupied the land is question, and she had sent him to inform them that they were now under her. She hadn't expected resistance from feeble humans. What was their deal?

It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she got what she wanted when she wanted it. There were no two ways about in; something had to be done about them.

Asking had never really been her style. Usually, she just took and killed whoever was stupid enough to stand in her way. Right now there was an entire settlement of stupid humans who needed to know why the name Edrea Varela had come to induce nightmares in the heart of the people. The other territories had never stood in her way before, and some of them had actual power to make a reasonable stand. But humans? This was completely unprecedented.

"This was highly unexpected," she said simply, temporarily distracted by the orgasmic noises that were coming from the great hall. It was distracting. She waved her hand, muttering under her breath, and the noise stopped. The activities were still going on, but they just couldn't disturb her with it anymore. She knew none of them would dare stop pleasuring each other until she came and told them to move on to other things. That was power. And she couldn't have enough of it.

"There's a paranormal clan close to them. I have suspicions that they are under their protection."

"Nonsense. No clan will dare stand against me. None, within these regions at least. It's not possible." she waved him aside, and he bowed in agreement.

"So what's our next move?" Silas asked. The vampire was glad that he had her trust, but it didn't stop him from not wanting to be in her presence when she was in a sour mood. She tended to do what she pleased, and there was no one who would stand up to her. She had long since established dominance and was used to getting her wish. He had decided, after leaving Aria's tutelage that the best way to stay alive, would be to be affiliated with one of the bigger clan masters. Or as it turned out for him...mistresses.

His wanderings have brought him right to her doorstep, and he has offered his services immediately.

He knew about her penchant for putting everyone who worked under her, under a spell of her own design, which made them very easily susceptible to suggestion and the way she liked it, devoid of freewill. He had expected that at some point when she deemed fit, he would be subjected to the same indignity, but it had never happened, and he has been with her for a very long time. He tried to be as loyal as possible; nothing was too much.

"I will think of something," she said as she walked away towards the great Hall.

Immediately she walked in, a hush went around the group, and everyone stopped what they were doing. They were no strangers to emotional cues and knew better than to let one as strong as the one she was projecting, just stop. She was in a bad mood. Hence, everyone else had to be.

Without a word, she sat down and the ranking seven in her harem flanked her. None dared to touch her. Not that they could even if they wanted to. She had not asked them.

In similar wordless fashion, everyone began to put themselves in order, putting away toys and getting into their clothes as fast as they could while Edrea watched.

She itched to go to her divination room and just sit there. She did her best thinking there, and it was there she had come up with most of her ingenious plans. There was no doubt a solution would come to her in there. But first, she had to address her subjects, as she liked to refer to them.

To every end and means, she thought herself a queen - a goddess even - and she demanded to be treated as such.

When everyone was done dressing, they assembled in front of her, waiting for the admonishment that was sure to come.

"I have just been informed that the humans have refused to pledge fealty to me." she started unceremoniously, looking around at the lot.

"You all know it cannot be taken in stride. Punishment has to be allotted, and if their stubbornness persists, then a backlash has to be prepared for. Not that I expect any backlash, but then again, I never expected any resistance either. You all will go about your respective businesses until told otherwise."

With that, she looked away, and they all dispatched, except the seven. They stood stoically round her, veritable puppets under her control and none the wiser. The spell she used on them was an original one of her own making, and aside from making them extremely susceptible to suggestion, and devoid of freewill, made them basically inhuman and without empathy. They obeyed her instructions without batting an eyelid, whether said instructions involved killing a baby or burning an entire settlement to the ground. And the fact that they were shifters and vampires as well as experienced fighters always ensured the success of their missions.

She has acquired a lot of territories using them for both scare tactics and punishment and so far, everyone seemed content in their own territory, minding their business. Just how she liked it.

So far, she had only targeted smaller colonies and settlements and had slowly built up her territory.

She sighed as she sat back in her chair and looked around at the men who flanked her. Each was a fine specimen of manhood, and she knew that much, but she had grown bored of them and knew it was drawing nearer towards the time when she would have to expand something else other than her territory. But first things first. Sexual gratification took second place to establishing her empire. Maybe later, when she was less agitated she would order that servant girl up to pleasure her. She had seemed to be rather adept with her tongue.

With that final thought, Edrea Varela got up and went inside. A lot of planning had to be done, and what better place to do it than in her divination room. There, she would finally be alone.

* * *

The streets were littered with playing children as she strolled through. She laughed at some of the games that they were playing, recognizing them as games she had played herself as a kid, with her childhood friend. She stopped thinking then as the memory bit her. These days, her thoughts had drifted more and more towards her past. She hadn't always been leader of a clan. Like most great leaders she had started out with nothing. All she'd had was a strong witch bloodline, but that had only taken her so far. She'd fought to get where she was, but she hadn't forgotten her roots.

One little girl ran to her and handed over a leaf. She took the leaf and smiled. It was money in the game she was playing, and Keira recognized it as such. She bowed good humouredly at the little girl who bowed in return and skipped if towards her friends who giggled as she gave them a blow by blow account even though they had all seen it happen with their own eyes.

She found herself straying towards the woods. It was peaceful there, and she could alway think better there. As a kid, her parents had yelled at her and her friend for always going to far into the woods. They would run to their favorite neck of the woods and invent games they wanted to play. They would also practice their magic, but only to make their games more fun.

She hadn't thought about her friend in a while. Not after what happened.

She sighed as she strolled through the trees enjoying the various scents and smells. Her family drew most if it's power from nature and she always felt at peace in places like this.

As she walked through the woods, she caught sight of a dying flower and walked towards it. She stretched her hand towards it and muttered under her breath. The flower sprung to life, looking brighter than the other flowers in the bunch. Keira smiled to herself. Times like this she felt free from all kinds of responsibility. She was only responsible for herself, and that was just fine. Not that she hated being responsible for the clan, but sometimes, due to her relationship with nature, she flirted with the idea of abandoning it all with a life of seclusion. She knew she would never do it though, there was too much at stake, and then there was Chayton.

Thoughts of the previous night came back to her, and she pressed her legs together. He sure knew what to do to get her wiring all in a twist. She sighed, then suddenly froze.

Sounds were coming from some bushes in front of her, and she didn't expect to run into anyone. Her guard was instantly up, and her hand went to her saber. She looked around to make sure no one was sneaking up on her. She had never been a victim of a surprise attack before, but she was fairly certain that it was a possibility. She was leader after all. If things became unsettled, she would always be the prime target.

As she approached the bushes, she was gradually getting a better idea of the activity that was taking place. A few more cautious steps revealed her fears to be true.

Her hand flew to her mouth to keep from making any noise as she laughed at the sight of a naked bum of a young man bobbing up and down between the legs of an eager, ecstatic young woman.

She quickly turned away, keeping her saber and walked in the opposite direction. She corrected herself; she should have expected something like this. The woods were a common getaway for young lovers who wanted to mate quickly and unceremoniously. And from the energy she has read off those two, that was the first time, for both of them. She laughed again as she imagined the fear that would have gripped them if either of them had seen their leader gaping at them, weapons drawn, while they consummated their love.

As she walked away, she wondered if Chayton would be back by now. Her hand strayed to the necklace that she now wore round her neck. She didn't know why, but to her, it was a sign its commitment. Chayton had been committing to her. The thought was exciting as she couldn't think of anyone she would rather be committed to anywhere else. He had gone to the next village to find out if his help was needed. She had offered to help, but somehow, he had convinced her to stay back. Two captains couldn't be absent from one ship. She giggled at the look of surprise he had had on his face when she agreed to stay back. Sometimes, when she wanted, she could match his stubbornness.

She found a tree she liked and rested on it, allowing herself to slowly slide to the floor, not caring if it stained her top. She took off her boots, wanting to feel the dirt between her toes. This was it. This was the feeling she missed. She could feel the power that was harbored within the very core of the earth. She was connected to it, and it fueled her desire to see the world a better place. There was no other explanation for it.

Chayton always marveled at her stories of her parent's various stories about the wonders of the earth. And when Keira described the feeling, he always had a puzzled look on his face as though it was absolutely impossible for him to understand what she was talking about. And perhaps it was. Shifters were a cruel lot. Some of the more popular shifters, like Jake Wolfe who owned the club where she'd met Chayton, wore their unrefined nature like a badge. Chayton managed to keep his under wraps and managed to at least appear refined if not for anything else, but for her. Not that she would have minded. Her love for him went beyond the cravings his animal side inspired in him. She sighed, picking up a few dead leaves littered around the base of the tree under which she sat. She felt like bringing it back to life, but she understood that life was a constant cycle and some things that died, were better left dead. They still served a purpose, even if it was to facilitate the life of others.

She mattered under her breath, and the leaves sunk into the earth around the tree. She was starting to feel slightly hungry as she hadn't eaten before leaving the house in spite of the big breakfast Chayton had made for the both of them. She had simply not felt hungry then and instead arranged that the food be given out. Her subordinates were only too glad to oblige.

With a deep sigh, Keira looked up at the sky, daydreaming of peaceful times and Chayton.