Well, her new Kindred body-slave was a possessive one—there was no mistaking that, Neh’sa thought as she left her bedchamber. She would have to keep on eye on him and try to keep those Alpha tendencies of his in check or there was going to be trouble the first time another body-slave tried to show her respect or make obeisance to her. Of course the notion that she might be attacked in her own home was ridiculous, but the very fact that Thorn was so eager to protect her showed he had the right instincts, even if they were somewhat overdeveloped.
Really, she shouldn’t have teased him as she had by showing him her body. She normally didn’t do that with her submissives, preferring to defer the sexual aspect of their training to a time when she had either a female body substitute or the submissive’s new prospective Mistress involved. Lady Tandy had been invaluable in her training of Lo’im and she ought to wait until she found a good match for Thorn before she started the tease and denial part of his training.
But somehow she had wanted to do it herself.
It’s just because he’s a challenging submissive—I’m the only one I can trust to do it right, she told herself. He’d overwhelm almost any other Mistress, especially a shy one like Lady Tandy.
She did her best to put the big Kindred out of her mind as she came into the center of her home. The vast, round living-space was already buzzing with activity, she was glad to see. There were house droids everywhere, trundling back and forth, serving tall flutes of fizzing pink zazanberry wine and tumblers of pale blue Varoquein spirits. Mistresses were standing around chatting with their body- slaves in tow and nibbling the expensive hors d’oeuvres Neh’sa had ordered flown in from across the planet and Maximus, her butler-slave, was bustling about making sure everyone’s glass was full.
The living space was one of the rooms placed around the skylight at the top of her building. It was decorated in lapis lazuli tiles etched in gold. A brilliant shimmer-light chandelier hung from the high ceiling like a dying star, throwing sparkling radiance over everything. There were comfortable couches and chairs around the perimeter but in the very center of the room was a deep pool filled with carnivorous Banda fish fed daily on a diet of fresh meat. The tiny fish which strobed rainbow light through their slender silver bodies were as gorgeous as they were deadly.
In the center of the pool was a small golden island just big enough to fit three people. A delicate golden-filigree bridge led to it over the pool and Neh’sa saw that Lo’im and Lady Tandy were already in position there.
Lady Tandy was gorgeous in a pale pink gown of finest Xantham silk which was diaphanous enough to show her breasts and nipples clearly. Her skirt was slit in the middle and her tiny pink panties barely covered her plump pussy mound. Across from her, Lo’im knelt submissively. His dark head was bowed and he was wearing only a pair of tight white leather trousers which molded seductively to his firm ass and muscular thighs.
Neh’sa saw with a little twinge that her old submissive’s strong throat was bare. For almost the first time since he had come to her house, Lo’im was without a collar. During the ceremony, lady Tandy would put her own collar on him. Indeed, Neh’sa saw that she was holding a small flat golden box clutched nervously in one hand. No doubt the collar she would place on Lo’im was inside.
Neh’sa permitted herself a small sigh as she looked at the lovely picture they made. It reminded her of her own first Devotion Ceremony, almost ten years ago.
If only Heloth, her first body-slave, was with her now—if only he was still alive—how different her life would be! Though she had lost him so many years ago, the old pain still throbbed in her breast and she sent a prayer heavenward that his spirit was resting in peace.
“Ah, my lady has arrived,” Maximus exclaimed upon seeing her. “Please if you would Mistresses, let us come to attention for my Lady Neh’sanna who will officiate at the Devotion Ceremony of Lady Tandy and her new body-slave, Lo’im today.”
“Thank you Maximus.” Neh’sa inclined her head gracefully and traversed the little golden bridge to stand on the island in the center of the pool with Lo’im and Lady Tandy. The two of them glanced at her nervously and she could see the eagerness in both sets of eyes. But she had trained Lo’im well, he returned his gaze submissively to his new Mistress’s little pink shoes rather than looking up into her face.
The crowd in the living area grew quiet and all eyes turned to the island where the three of them were standing. Neh’sa lifted her chin and spoke in a low but clear voice meant to carry to the very back of the room.
“Friends thank you for coming,” she said. “We are here today for the Devotion Ceremony between my own dear Lo’im and the lovely Lady Tandy.” She looked fondly at Lo’im. “From the moment I first bought Lo’im at auction, I knew he was going to be one of the best submissives I had ever trained. He is kind, gentle, obedient, and yet I know he will be fiercely protective of his new Mistress.”
There were murmurs of assent and Neh’sa could see a flush of embarrassed pleasure rising along Lo’im’s high cheekbones. Truly, he was a lovely specimen of malehood, his dark good looks well matched to Lady Tandy’s blonde beauty.
“Lady Tandy,” she continued, “is a kind and patient Mistress. Though she has never owned a body-slave before, I knew the moment I interviewed her that she would be right for Lo’im. She has promised to never beat or mistreat him and to never use the pain collar or any other form of agony nerve conduction device on him so long as they both shall live.”
Neh’sa raised her head and looked over the crowd.
“This is a promise I extract from all my perspective Mistresses, for though our society considers males the inferior sex, this does not mean they should be hurt, misused, or abused,” she said. “A well tended male will be faithful and loyal to his Mistress all of his life, so long as she treats him right.”
There were murmurs from the crowd – some of agreement and some of dissent. Neh’sa knew that not all of her guests agreed with her views on how to treat body-slaves, but she never missed an opportunity to make her feelings known on the subject. It was important that her fellow Yonnites learn to see the intrinsic value of the males who served them and stopping the use of the pain collar, which was cruel and inhumane, was one of her main goals.
When the murmurs had died down Neh’sa placed one hand on Lo’im’s broad, bare shoulder.
“Lo’im,” she said, “I give you to this woman to be your Mistress. Will you pledge her your devotion? Will you promise to honor her, love her, pleasure and serve her willingly all the days of your life?”
“I will.” Lo’im looked shyly up at his new Mistress.
“Very good,” Neh’sa said gently. “Then you may go to her.”
“Thank you, Mistress.” Lo’im bent his head respectfully to place a chaste kiss against the thin panel of Neh’sa’s panties for the last time. It was a goodbye to his old Mistress and, as he leaned forward to place a much more passionate kiss on Lady Tandy’s soft little mound, he signified his allegiance to his new lady.
Lady Tandy bit her lip and shifted her hips, an action which tugged her tiny panties even lower, baring more of her pussy slit for her new slave. It was a subtle motion and one Neh’sa doubted anyone in the crowd could see, yet it sent a clear message to Lo’im which the body-slave reacted to eagerly.
As his new Mistress’s pussy came more into view, he wrapped his strong arms around her thighs and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her plump outer lips. His tongue slipped deep into her folds, tasting her hungrily, as Lady Tandy tried desperately to hold back a moan. Her legs trembled with the pleasure Lo’im was giving her and for a moment she was forced to grip one of her new slave’s broad shoulders to keep her balance.
Neh’sa smiled to herself. Oh yes, these two were well suited. They would probably spend the entire first night of their relationship with Lo’im buried between his new Mistress’s thighs.
It made her sigh with longing and remember her own first body-slave again—remember how they had spent so many nights wrapped in each others arms, loving each other. If only Heloth had lived! But then if he had, she would be a different woman with a different life and Lo’im and Lady Tandy would never have found each other.
At last the body-slave pulled back, his full lips shiny with his lady’s juices. He licked them slowly, as though savoring her flavor and dared to look up and meet Lady Tandy’s eyes. She met his gaze, blushing and trembling, before finally turning back to Neh’sa who resumed the ceremony.
“Do you, Lady Tandy, promise to treat your new body slave with kindness and compassion befitting a true Mistress all the days of your life?” she asked.
“I will,” whispered Lady Tandy, her cheeks going pink.
“Excellent.” Neh’sa nodded. “And do you have the collar?” she inquired.
“I… I do,” Lady Tandy murmured in a trembling voice. Fumbling a bit with the ornate golden box in her hands, she finally managed with a little help from Neh’sa to open it. Inside was a beautiful black leather collar with a single, heart-shaped ruby heart hanging from the center. It would sit just in the hollow of Lo’im’s strong throat and look magnificent there, Neh’sa was sure.
With hands that shook only a little, Lady Tandy fastened collar around her new body-slave’s throat. When she was finished, he took both her small hands in his much larger ones and kissed the palms.
“My Lady,” he murmured huskily. “I shall serve you gladly all the days of my life. I am yours.”
“Oh!” Lady Tandy’s cheeks got pinker than ever but Neh’sa could tell how pleased she was. She was fairly certain the two of them were aching to be alone together – there had been sparks flying between them from the first moment they met. Hopefully the after party wouldn’t take too long so they could spend their first night as slave and Mistress in blissful privacy.
Thinking of sparks made her remember the strange and lovely golden motes that often danced in Thorn’s mismatched eyes. She lifted her gaze but caught no sight of him—good, so he was staying quietly in the bedchamber as she had told him to do. Maybe he wasn’t quite so disobedient as she’d feared.
She watched Lady Tandy and Lo’im leave the small island in the center of her pool where the Banda fish flitted back and forth, their bodies making endless rainbow patterns in the water. As she followed them, several of the Mistresses she’d invited came up and told her what a lovely ceremony it had been.
“I declare each one is more beautiful than the last,” one older Mistress told her, dabbing her eyes with a blue suede handkerchief made of hedra hide. “I do hope when the times comes you’ll be able to find just the right body-slave for my daughter, Leda.”
“It would be my pleasure, Lady Thar’nus.” Neh’sa inclined her head graciously.
“And my Tilda,” another Mistress exclaimed. “I declare that daughter of mine needs some grounding—a good, patient, practical body-slave is exactly what she needs to pull her head out of the clouds.”
“I’ll try, but as you know I only train one slave per cycle—” Neh’sa was beginning when a strident, nasal voice interrupted her words.
“What we all need is just a little break from the propaganda about pain collars.”
Lady Malisha Wraith’neck, one of the foremost Mistresses on Yonnie Six, swaggered forward with a mean little smile on her thin lips. She was a tall, thin woman with rugged bone structure which made her almost as big as a male. Her natural height plus the six inch purple heels she was wearing made her positively tower over Neh’sa. Her dress was a vivid violet a few shades lighter than her shoes, with a sharp, elongated collar which stuck out on either side of her head. It looked apt to poke someone in the eye if she wasn’t careful—and Lady Wraith’neck wasn’t one to be careful.
Neh’sa suppressed a sigh. Lady Wraith’neck was a self-confirmed sadist who enjoyed making her slaves suffer. She was normally nobody that Neh’sa would want to be involved with. Unfortunately, she was also one of the richest and most influential people in all of Opulex. Refusing to invite her to the ceremony would have had disastrous social and financial consequences, although Neh’sa had hoped that the other woman would decline when she’d dispatched the invitation.
No such luck. Lady Wraith’neck was here and she looked ready to make a scene if Neh’sa didn’t handle her delicately.
“Hello, Lady Wraith’neck,” she said in a low even voice. “How nice of you to come to the ceremony.”
“Well I wouldn’t miss it for the world my dear!” Lady Wraith’neck cooed, her eyes flashing. “Another one of your lovely little ceremonies intended to show how docile and sweet males are without their pain collars? Why, every single one is the event of the season!”
“It’s very kind of you to say so,” said Neh’sa, deliberately ignoring the other woman’s jab.
“But my question is,” Lady Wraith’neck continued, “Why does anyone want a meek and docile male? Especially when the big mean angry ones are so much more fun.”
She clapped her hands and a huge male Neh’sa had somehow missed while she was performing the ceremony came shambling into the center of the room.
They were muted gasps from all the assembled Mistresses. The new male didn’t appear to be completely humanoid. He had large sloping shoulders and arms that hung nearly to the ground, his knuckles dragging across the lapis lazuli tiles. He was also well over nine feet tall and massive everywhere which was obvious, due to the crotchless leather shorts lady Wraith’neck had dressed him in. His shaft, a long thick club of flesh with a broad purple head as big as Neh’sa’s fist, rose from between his thick thighs and bobbed as he shuffled towards them.
The slave had on the thickest pain collar Neh’sa had ever seen – at least as thick as her wrist, it encircled his corded throat in a way that looked both painful and constricting. Knowing Lady Wraith’neck, it was the latest design in agony nerve-conduction technology.
Malisha loved to be on the cutting edge of cruelty.
When Neh’sa got done taking in the slave’s huge body, her eyes moved up to his face. What she saw shocked her. Lady Wraith’neck’s new slave had only one eye, set right in the middle of his forehead. It was a muddy purple color and it stared with dull resentfulness at its owner.
“A Clopsian?” she demanded, rounding on the other Mistress. “You brought a Clopsian to my ceremony? Do you know how dangerous they are? Some males are not meant to be tamed, Lady Wraith’neck—Clopsians are barely sentient. They’re more like beasts than rational beings.”
“Please, he’s not dangerous at all! Or if he is, he’s well-controlled by this new collar I just bought. Look – see it? It doesn’t just give painful electrical shocks, it’s also a medication delivery system,” Lady Wraith’neck bragged.
Neh’sa frowned. “A what? How does it give him medication?”
“Oh, there are a row of inch-long needles implanted on the inside against his neck,” the other Mistress explained. “I can drug him to a stupor with the press of a button or excite him to a fever pitch the same way. Watch.”
She pulled out a sleek silver remote control and pressed a tiny red button on it as she pointed it at the vast Clopsian. The collar around his neck seemed to flex and at once the huge creature came to life. A low angry growl rose in his throat and his thick meaty fists clenched at his sides.
“Oh Lady Wraith’neck,” one of the other Mistresses exclaimed nervously, “Are you quite certain that safe? He’s so big!”
“Perfectly certain,” Lady Wraith’neck declared pompously. Raising her voice she addressed the monstrous male she had brought with her. “Now Yandor, come here and make a bow to our lovely hostess.” She nodded at Neh’sa.
The Clopsian didn’t move. He just glared at his Mistress, malevolent hatred filling his single muddy purple eye.
Lady Wraith’neck frowned and lifted her voice.
“Did you hear me Yandor?” she demanded. “Come here and bow to Lady Neh’sanna at once.”
She pressed another button on the remote—clearly one that had a pain function—because the huge Clopsian threw back his head and bellowed angrily. Thick fingers pawed at the pain collar around his throat and Neh’sa felt her stomach fist with anxiety.
Clopsians were little more than beasts, despite their vaguely humanoid appearance. Though mostly docile on their home planet, they could be savage if provoked. And Lady Wraith’neck was doing everything in her power to provoke this one.
Worse, the auto-shock mechanism on the collar the giant wore clearly wasn’t working. If it had been, it would have delivered massive electrical jolts to his fingertips when he tried to pull it off. Or maybe it was working and he was just too strong to be deterred by the shocks. For whatever reason, Neh’sa was sure that if he got free of his collar, blood was going to be spilled.
“Drug him—calm him!” she exclaimed to Lady Wraith’neck. Though she would never normally advocate using any kind of pain collar on a slave, the Clopsian was a dangerous exception.
But Lady Wraith’neck had a mulish expression on her long, bony face.
“No! I ordered him to bow to you and he’s Goddess-damned-well going to do it! Yandor!” she shouted, pressing the pain button over and over. “Come here and bow to Lady Neh’sa now!”
She pointed angrily at Neh’sa which only had the effect of turning the massive Clopsian’s attention away from herself and onto Neh’sa. Angrily, he lumbered forward, both long, hairy arms outstretched as though to grab her.
Neh’sa gasped and took a quick step back, nearly going into the pool with the ravenous Banda fish. Carefully, she edged around the side of the water, trying not to slip in. The Banda fish were lovely but they were capable of stripping anyone unlucky enough to land in their pool to the bone in a matter of minutes.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with a dangerous male. As a Mistress, she had experience with those which would not or could not be controlled. Accordingly, there was a stunner locked in the center drawer of the organizer cube in her office. But the huge, angry Clopsian was between her and the door that led to her weapon. Also, the pool of meat eating fish was directly behind her.
It was a bad position to be in.
“Lady Wraith’neck,” she said in a voice she tried to keep from shaking. “Control your slave! Drug him now!”
Finally Lady Wraith’neck seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. As Yandor lumbered forward, his sights set on Neh’sa, his Mistress stepped quickly out of the way, pressing another button on her remote control frantically.
“Lady Wraith’neck?” Neh’sa gasped as one meaty hand made a swipe at her gown, close enough to dislodge a handful of the red, downy feathers it was made of. She was trying to get away, trying to edge slowly around the side of the pool because she was afraid if she turned and ran she would only excite the Clopsian to even greater levels of rage and violence. But if he got his hands on her…
He’ll be the end of me, she thought numbly. He’ll break me in two! His fist is bigger than my entire head!
The Clopsian snatched at her again, this time ripping her dress down the middle to let her breasts spill out of the tight red feather fabric. Her nipples immediately tightened in fear and Yandor’s eye widened as he saw them.
Neh’sa gasped and tried to duck out of the way of his next grab but one huge hand landed on her shoulder and his thick fingers wrapped around her arm. With the other hand, he fisted his huge, pulsing cock. His single eye was glued to her bare breasts and his thick-lipped mouth fell open as he grunted one word.
“FUCK…”
“What? No!” For the first time in all her years as a Mistress, Neh’sa felt herself begin to panic. She couldn’t allow herself to be penetrated by this beast! He would kill her and even if he didn’t, the shame of being publicly taken by a male…it would be the end of her. She couldn’t—
“Get your hands off her you fucking bastard!” a low, hoarse voice growled.
Neh’sa felt her heart skip a beat and she looked up just in time to see Thorn rushing through the crowd, dodging around the bewildered, frightened party-goers to confront the massive Clopsian.
As tall as he was, the single-eyed beast had a good two feet and probably several hundred pounds of muscle on her new slave but Thorn didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward and punched the other male in the jaw.
The Clopsian howled angrily dropped her arm to grab for Thorn with both hands.
“Thorn!” Neh’sa gasped, not certain what to do.
“Get back,” he shouted, sparing her a single glance over one broad shoulder as he and Yandor circled each other. “Get someplace safe—I’ll handle this big bastard.” The motes in his eyes were whirling so fast his mismatched eyes seemed to be almost glowing and there wasn’t a trace of fear on his face.
Neh’sa bit her lip and ducked out of the way, getting away from the pool and the angry Clopsian. The other guests had also backed up, making a space with the two males in the center.
This is no good, Neh’sa thought wildly. Thorn may be brave and strong but the Clopsian is huge and Lady Wraith’neck has gotten him so angry he’ll want to kill. I have to get the stunner!
She ran for her office but a collective gasp from the assembled guests made her turn to see what was happening.
Thorn was landing a volley of blows on the big, lumbering beast of a male, who was howling in anger and pain as he snatched at the Kindred.
Neh’sa’s eyes widened. She had never seen anyone move so fast—Thorn’s hands were like a blur as he punched and danced away. A red blur. She frowned—were his fists actually glowing?
Before she could get an answer to her question, Thorn landed another punch, this one squarely in the Clopsian’s single eye. As the beast howled and clutched at his face, Thorn grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around so he was facing the ornamental pool filled with Banda fish. With a strong shove, he pushed the giant face-first into the pool.
Such a massive person falling into the water should have made a huge splash but in fact, the Clopsian was so big that his head hit the golden bridge and his feet were still on the lapis lazuli tiles at the edge of the pool. So in fact, only his midsection and exposed shaft went into the brilliant aquamarine waters, causing relatively little of the liquid to slosh out.
But that small amount of exposed skin in the water was enough. The Banda fish had scattered from the strange object splashing into their pool but the moment they smelled flesh, they all came swimming towards what must have looked like a long, meaty snake dangling down into their watery home.
The Clopsian howled and thrashed as he struggled to get out of the pool. It took him less than a minute to get away from the water but that was long enough for the sharp-teethed fish to do their job.
As the giant got to his knees and then his feet, still howling, Neh’sa saw with horror that he wasn’t just wet with water. Blood gushed from between his fingers as he clutched at his now empty crotch and the remains of his once-proud shaft still floated in the pool, being devoured by the ravenous rainbow colored fish.
Clearly Lady Wraith’neck saw the damage the same time that Neh’sa did because she gave a cry and ran forward, the remote still dangling uselessly in her hand.
“My slave! My Yandor! What have you done to my Yandor!” she screeched.
“Lady Wraith’neck, please—” Neh’sa began, stepping forward.
The other Mistress rounded on her.
“You!” she spat at Neh’sa. “You did this! I brought my perfect, lovely slave to a party you invited me to and you ruined him!”
She drew back her arm and slapped Neh’sa as hard as she could, the heavy rings on her fingers making it feel more like a punch.
Neh’sa staggered back, her eyes wide. Though she’d never liked the other Mistress and she knew Lady Wraith’neck didn’t like her either, she hadn’t expected the other woman to become violent with her.
She stumbled back another step, her head ringing, and her high heel caught on the edge of the Banda pool. With a gasp she teetered backwards. She reached out a hand, trying to find something to hold onto and she saw Lady Wraith’neck reach out as well.
But the other Mistress wasn’t trying to pull her back from the edge.
Instead her hand connected with Neh’sa’s midsection and she favored Neh’sa with a cruel little smile just before and she gave a strong shove.
Goddess! Neh’sa thought wildly, tipping backwards. I’m going to die! I’ll be eaten alive right here in the middle of my own home!
“Neh’sa!” A strong hand grabbed her and pulled her roughly back from the edge.
Thorn wrapped one muscular arm around her and pulled her close, keeping her safe from both the pool and Lady Wraith’neck’s fury. Then he strode forward, bringing Neh’sa with him and pointed a finger in Lady Wraith’neck’s angry face.
“Listen Lady, and listen good” he growled at her. “I don’t usually hit females but if you ever lay a hand on Neh’sa again you’ll be picking your teeth up off the fucking floor. Understand?”
“Why…I…you…” Lady Wraith’neck clearly didn’t know what to say to his threat. “Do you know who I am, slave?” she demanded at last.
“Don’t know and don’t fucking care,” Thorn growled. “Just stay away from Neh’sa. In fact, I think it’s time you and the big idiot you brought with you get the Seven Hells out of here.”
“Thorn, no!” Neh’sa shook off his heavy arm. Throwing another Mistress out of your domicile—no matter what mischief or damage she had caused—was a snub that couldn’t be ignored. If she kicked Lady Wraith’neck out it would start a feud of epic proportions—one which might well be fatal to both her social and her business standing in Yonnite high society. “Lady Wraith’neck—Malisha—”she began.
But Lady Wraith’neck’s narrow eyes were blazing—it was clearly too late to take the dis-invitation back.
“Don’t try to stop me, I’m going,” she exclaimed loudly. “I’ll leave at once. But first I want to know who this male is that you’re allowing to kick me out of your domicile, Neh’sa!” She glared at Thorn who glared right back, meeting her eyes instead of dropping them respectfully as a proper slave would have.
“This is Thorn,” Neh’sa answered as calmly as she could although inside she felt like screaming. “He’s my new submissive. I haven’t started his training yet,” she added.
“Clearly he doesn’t need training in offering offense,” Lady Wraith’neck declared. “How dare he speak to a Mistress without being spoken to and look me in the eye as though he was my equal?”
Thorn snorted derisively.
“As if I’d want to be considered your equal. You brought a dangerous, half-wild male into Neh’sa’s home and let him run wild and nearly kill her. Only an idiot would do that.” He glared down Lady Wraith’neck who gasped and looked at Neh’sa.
“I take offense to that!” she proclaimed. “You will hear from my barrister! And I’ll tell you something else, Neh’sa—I don’t believe you’re training this male at all. I don’t think he’s your new body-slave—I think he’s your new lover.”
A muted gasp rose from the assembled crowd. All eyes were fixed on the two Mistresses—all but the single eye of Yandor. The huge Clopsian had slumped in a heap to one side of the pool and the house droids were working to bandage the stump of his once proud male-hood.
Neh’sa drew in a breath—there was only so much she could forgive. Only so far she was willing to go to avoid a feud with the other Mistress.
“What exactly are you saying to me?” she asked in a low, even voice.
“I’m saying what everyone here is thinking,” Lady Wraith’neck declared. “I’m saying you allow this male to penetrate you. To fuck you like the savage beast he is!”
There was another gasp and some voices were raised in protest but Neh’sa said not a word.
“We all know what kind of a business you run,” Lady Wraith’neck continued, warming to her subject. “We know what these little ‘Devotion ceremonies’ are really about! You’re spreading your perversion to our community—to our society! You’re—”
“That’s quite enough.” Neh’sa’s voice was soft but strong and it carried to the furthest corners of the living area. “I will not stand here and be insulted in my own domicile any longer,” she continued coolly. “Lady Wraith’neck, I am formally dis-inviting you to my home. Please collect your slave and leave.”
Then she turned on her heel and strode away, leaving Lady Wraith’neck to splutter and gasp behind her.