Masters Ring Chapter 54 Spring Break changed some things while solidifying others. Everyone was in the living room when Melisa, Doris Alex, and I dragged our bags in. I noticed the Sarahs' pleased smiles and that someone was in my bedroom. Stephanie and I were left alone in the living room when the Siblings and candidates ran upstairs to gossip about what happened on each other's vacations. Stephanie projected a calmer sense of being. "You've accepted it?" I asked. "No," she replied without meeting my eyes. "I've accepted that there is nothing I can do about what happened to me." Her grip on the book tightened to the point I thought she might rip it apart. "You're angry," I said. "Very," she answered between her teeth. "I killed your rapists, Stephanie," I reminded her. "Talk to Nancy, she will be more helpful from this point on." "You went to a head doctor?" she asked when I turned to walk into my room. "No," I replied. "But you think I should continue with Nancy!" "I had Jason," I said opening the doors to my bedroom. Lee was lying naked on my bed. "So you've made a decision," I said to her closing the doors behind me. She nodded and got on her knees. Lee's breasts were impressive when she had clothing on; naked, they commanded attention. "I want to keep my friends," she told me. "Is that a good enough reason to do this?" I asked. "Are you complaining?" she asked putting her hands on her hips and jutting her breasts out at me. I looked into her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I've never had a lot of friends," she said unsurely. "You've never had any friends," I corrected approaching the bed. "No, I haven't," she answered. "I had problems in high school with other girls' boyfriends." I laughed causing her to smirk. "It's not funny," she told me. "Was the problem that you couldn't keep your hands off them?" I asked smiling. "No," she answered. "The boys couldn't keep it a secret that they wanted to get their hands on me." "I would think some girls would overlook the indiscriminate eye of a high school boys," I said. "You would be thinking wrong," she replied. "Aren't you wearing a lot of clothes?" "I'm still trying to figure out if you have a good reason for doing this," I informed her. "The Sarahs are my best friend," she said. "Friends," I corrected automatically. "Friend," she corrected back. I nodded and let it go. "I pledged because other girls would have to be my friends if I was a sister," she said. "Caroline isn't the friend of anyone associated with me," I pointed out. "Caroline can fucking kiss my ass!" she said vehemently. "Plus I'd rather be friends with anyone in this house than that horse-faced bitch; even Michael and all he wants is to get into my pants." "How do you know that's not all I want?" I asked. "Because I'm naked on your bed, and we're still talking," she said biting her lower lip. "Are you really not going to have sex with me?" "Lee, I'm going to have my dick between your breasts in a few minutes," I told her. "What I'm trying to decide is what happens afterwards?" "We're in your room," she said. "I know what that means." "I don't remember saying I wouldn't drag you out to the couch for our tryst," I told her. "You can't let someone escape your den," she replied smartly. "It would set a bad precedent." "I want to know that you understand what this means," I replied. "The Sarahs are my best friend," she told me lifting her chin. "I'm glad those little bitches wouldn't talk to me in high school; I know how precious what I can have is. I won't give up my friends in this house!" "There's no reason for it to be me," I said. "The Sarahs are very close to Samantha." "They won't stop talking about her," she replied blushing. "I'm sure Samantha wouldn't mind you tagging along for a weekend sleepover," I told her. "I've never been with a woman," she said avoiding my eyes. "Lee, I've seen you kissing the Sarahs," I reminded her. "I seem to remember some very explicit action on the lounge chairs between the three of you." "They're my best friend," she said shrugging. "They don't count." I wondered if she would mind if I stepped out, and asked a Sibling if that made sense to them. Lee took a deep breath making me think that understanding was not a requirement to move on. "I can't give up guys either," she told me. "Some of those boyfriends had really nice hands." "There's other nice things about boys," I said. "The Sarahs have told me all about you," she said looking at my groin. "I know what I'm doing, David. This is my choice." "That's all I wanted to hear," I said reaching out and tracing a line between her breasts with my finger. "Fucking my tits doesn't sound very exciting to me," she said nervously. "How long did you lay here?" I asked. "About an hour," she answered. "Were you thinking about this?" I asked running a finger around her left nipple. "Oh yeah!" "Did it excite you?" I asked running the finger around the other nipple. "I'm going to like you between my breasts, aren't I?" she asked with a hitch in her breath. "The Sarahs care about you," I said. "They wouldn't let you do this if there aren't going to be a lot of things you'll like." ----- Unlike the Sarahs, Lee's appetite for me was in no way diminished by weekends with Samantha. She tried to gorge herself for those absences during the week. Four candidates were a lot to handle until I formally introduced them to Jeremy. It was like putting two balls of string down for kittens to play with; I added a third ball by asking why only the Sarahs and Lee visited Samantha. The girls spent a majority of their time with me, but spreading the wealth gave me breathing room especially on weekends. The weekend before exams started was a quiet one. The candidates took advantage of the lull by visiting home or spending time with their friends. They knew that after exams they would be going away for a long time. Doris Alex, Melisa, and I were studying in the living room while Stephanie read one of the books on Nancy's suggested reading list when the doorbell rang. Stephanie got up to answer it. "Shit!" Doris Alex said staring at the living room entrance. I experienced the same sensation as when I met the Foot; the room and everyone in it diminished as if someone behind me was bending my focus towards them. Turning around, I met Iane's blue eyes. Doris Alex stood up growling with displeasure. "Sit," I commanded without looking at her. The redhead sat back down but kept her eyes on our visitor. "I always knew the Alexander women were bitches, but that's ridiculous," Iane said to Doris Alex. "To think, all I needed to make you like me was a chew-toy slathered with peanut butter. Will you be fetching my slippers when I move in?" Iane's voice had a musical quality to its tone and rhythm. The Ian Bloodline representative was indescribable, as if some mad scientist pieced her together from the best of everything forgetting about the humanity that imperfection gives a woman. Her hair carried only the slightest shade of blonde while her eyes were dark sapphire. Sandra would have felt curve-less if she compared herself to the Ian Sibling. Iane raised an eyebrow when I did not react to her verbal attack on Doris Alex. "The strong, silent ones have never been my type," she warned me. I closed my eyes and held my breath. Opening them, Iane seemed smaller but as I breathed her presence enlarged again. She walked around the room touching everything she could, which gave me an opportunity to adjust to her. After a few minutes, she still drew my eyes but her effect on my senses lessened. "So you're the First they chose for the third Bloodline Brother," Iane said standing in front of Melisa. Doris Alex moved to the edge of the chair and bared her teeth. "Your master told you to sit, bitch," Iane reminded Doris Alex. "I know my place; remember yours." "Our places are equal, Ian," Doris Alex told her. "Our Bloodline Brother has my crest ring; so your place is far behind mine." Iane laughed and reached into the pocket of her jeans. She pulled out a Sibling ring and showed its face to Doris Alex. "My place beside David was decided by the Council," Iane told Doris Alex. "I wouldn't think of disobeying them." Doris Alex's lips whitened as she pressed them together. Iane laughed again and put the ring back in her pocket. "You don't have anything to say?" Iane asked Melisa. "You're prettier than I thought you would be," Melisa complimented Iane. "I could do without the attitude, but I'm sure you'll make a very nice cock ring for David." Iane took a confused step back from Melisa and studied her. "There's more spirit in you than I would have given credit for an unindoctrinated Sibling," Iane said to Melisa. "She is a crested First," Doris Alex replied tightly. "She knows her place in David's home." "Are you challenging that place?" Melisa asked Iane softly. Iane waved her question away as if it was not worth thinking about. Melisa shrugged, and returned to her book when Iane faced me. "You don't say a lot," she said to me. "Be careful, Iane," Stephanie warned. "You don't want to push him." "Why would I take advice from a broken Sibling?" Iane asked rhetorically. Stephanie took a step forward. "Aren't you going to tell your other bitch to sit?" Iane asked me. I put my hands behind my back and relaxed having fully adjusted to her. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but looked at Stephanie again. "You don't want to take me on, Stephanie," Iane told her. "You're no match for me if you can't survive a night of hard use." "I was raped!" Stephanie replied angrily. "I spent three weeks with that animal Kyle," Iane gritted out. "The first night in his house, I sent the other Siblings away. I made sure he only had time for me so no one else would get hurt. Ask the Alexander bitch which of our stays in hell she would rather suffer through." Stephanie glanced at Doris Alex who nodded slowly. "That's impossible," Stephanie insisted. "No one like that would be given a Brother ring." "Brother politics are a danger to everyone," Iane said looking at me. "At least, you're quick to kill, David. It decreases the chances of something like Kyle happening again. An Ekaterina Sibling on the selection will make it impossible, but that's some time away. Your family did make the very best guard dogs." She must have expected a response because her eyes widened when I did not give her one. "There is no Bloodline pride in him, idiot," Doris Alex said. "He doesn't have his family history memorized the way you do." "And you don't?" Iane asked. Doris Alex shrugged, sat back, and faked relaxation. "So you have no pride?" Iane asked me. I did not reply. "I hadn't heard he was mute," Iane said looking around the room. "I was told about Kyle's timely death by Evelyn and I swear she said he spoke." My silence continued. "Hmmm," Iane said staring at me. "Well, there's one way to get a reaction from a Brother. It usually tells me how we're going to get along too." Iane walked over to Stephanie's side of the coffee table and picked up one of the ashtrays that every Sibling and candidate had learned to position near her. "I wouldn't do that," Stephanie warned Iane. Iane's aim was perfect, missing me by a couple of inches. Stephanie shrugged and handed the gorgeous Sibling another ashtray, which barely missed me. "Bad idea," Melisa told Iane without looking up from her book. The third ashtray hit my cheek and every woman in the room gasped. Iane took a step back when I smiled. She turned to run, but I easily caught a fistful of hair and pulled her against me. "They told you," Doris Alex said viciously. The redhead's posture was completely relaxed now as she watched the action with fascination. I dragged the struggling Iane over to the couch, sat down, and put her over my lap. "You wouldn't dare!" she screamed before the first open hand that fell on her ass proved her wrong. "Bastard!" she yelled trying to turn over. I held her down with one hand on the small of her back while the other spanked her luscious bottom. Iane had too much padding for it to be an effective punishment without me putting strength into it. The scent of the air around me changed as Iane's body flew some of her natural colors. Whatever complaints Iane was vocalizing, her body had a different opinion about my hand falling on her behind. I paused noticing that Iane's smell was nearly overpowering; I had not met a woman with that strong a scent during her excitement. Melisa put her book down on the coffee table and stood up. She stepped out of her sneakers and pushed the sweatpants off her body. My First walked over to the couch and sat down by Iane's head. I watched as she maneuvered the Bloodline Sibling into the position she wanted. Iane's face was over Melisa's pussy. My hand stopped moving while I watched Melisa. I looked at her curiously as she dug her fingers into Iane's blonde locks. "Continue, David," my First instructed leaning back and closing her eyes. I brought another spank down on Iane's ass. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Melisa's thighs to pull her closer. The smell in the air changed in way I could not define but Melisa and Doris Alex reacted to it by arching their backs. Stephanie scrunched her nose, and shook her head. It was only a minute before Melisa gasped out an orgasm with a second one not far behind. My hand rested on Iane's bottom as Melisa recovered from the intensity of her pleasure. She got off the couch on rubbery legs and smiled happily at me. "Don't break your new pet," she said leaning down to give me a quick kiss. Melisa grabbed her sweatpants and book before walking out of the living room. "I think that's my cue," Stephanie said waving to me as she left the room. I let go of Iane who jumped to her feet immediately. Her eyes flashed blue fire at me while she wiped off my First's pleasure with her fingers. She did not notice the way she licked her fingers clean before speaking. "Nobody does that to me!" Iane whispered dangerously. "What Melisa did or what our Brother did?" Doris Alex asked for clarification. "Where is that vaunted Alexander intelligence?" Iane asked sarcastically. "We know you're a bitch, Alexandra. Don't be a stupid one!" "I've read the reports from the Siblings you chased out of Kyle's house," Doris Alex told her. "He might have damaged you." "I'm no Stephanie," Iane said taking a threatening step towards Doris Alex. "Melisa is First," Doris Alex said standing up to meet the challenge. "Did David fuck your brains out?" Iane asked. "I never said she wasn't." "I wanted to hear you say it," Doris Alex replied. "Then you say it," Iane insisted. "In David's life, Melisa is First," Doris Alex said. They stared at each other before nodding in affirmation of those words. Iane took a step towards the door before turning to me. "Nobody does that to me," she repeated. "I'm getting a dim view of Brothers," I said to her. "Like many are not willing to do what is necessary." "You think that was necessary?" she asked violently. "Tell me that you don't, slave," I answered stressing each word. Her eyes looked lost for a second and then all of her attention fell on me. It felt like someone dropped a house on top of me. Iane glowed, and my legs almost buckled as something pushed against my body. Jason reacted violently pointing at Iane; his gift was in my hand and tracking instantly. Doris Alex must have moved the instant she saw the shift in Iane's attention. She tackled Iane to the ground, placing her body between the gun and its intended victim. "NO!" Doris Alex screamed. "Get out of the way, Sibling," I ordered. "David, please," Doris Alex pleaded. "She's too valuable to kill. She didn't know! She's the first real success with the Bloodlines that we've ever had." Doris Alex kept her body between Iane and me as I walked up to them. "What did she do to me?" I asked. "Pheromones," Doris Alex informed me. "She's got complete control of them. They're stronger than you can imagine; Iane can incite a lust riot in an auditorium if she wanted to or she can calm one in the same way." "That's impossible," I told her. "It's true, David," Doris Alex replied. "I'll show you the tests, but you saw it with your eyes. Melisa went from nothing to multiple orgasms in less than a minute with a Sibling. You had to have smelled the change in the air." "I don't care about tests, Doris Alex," I told her. "Pheromones aren't enough to explain the attack on me, and it was an attack." "What are you?" Iane asked horrified. Doris Alex let her go and sat on the floor. She stared at Iane as the other Sibling looked up at me. "The 'Mones are enough for most people, but I was expecting you to shake them," Iane whispered. "How did you do it to my push though?" "Push?" Doris Alex asked lost. "The 'Mones aren't enough with everyone, Alexandra," Iane answered without looking at her. "The push is, but there's something wrong inside of him." "What do you mean push, Iane?" Doris Alex asked with wide eyes. "Like the Elizabeths?" "Nobody knows what the Elizabeths are becoming. They were the first Bloodline we started breeding for gifts but the slowest to develop," Iane told her. "I can push people sexually, Alexandra. Zero to mindless lust in a second even without the 'Mones. That's why I was enough for Kyle; he never had it that good. No Brother has ever had it better than me!" "Did you push Melisa?" Doris Alex asked angrily. "She is First, you stupid bitch," Iane yelled losing control for an instant. She took a deep breath and met my eyes again. "I don't think the push would have affected you for more than a couple of seconds even if I held it," she said wondrously. "Brothers are hard to push so I don't do it except when they're having an orgasm; but no one blows through a push the way you did." "You knew David was Bloodline," Doris Alex told her. "I've pushed people since I was little girl," Iane said turning her eyes on Doris Alex. "Pushing David feels like when I try to do it to two people at the same time." "What is she talking about?" Doris Alex asked looking at me. "Listen to me, Alexandra," Iane whispered. "It felt like someone else was in his head deflecting me! I can't get a grip on him, that has never happened before." "I see you've met my brother," I told her. Iane bit her lip painfully. "What's wrong?" Doris Alex asked her. "There's nothing there anymore," Iane cried. "You tried to do it again!" Doris Alex screamed. Iane shook her head in response. "What are you talking about, slave?" I asked Iane. "There's nothing for me to push against," Iane said with fear in her eyes. "Everyone is like a wall to me. I can touch the walls and push against them, but you disappeared. I can't feel you!" I put Jason's gift away and returned to the couch. Iane moved her body so that she was sitting on her ankles with hands flat on the floor with her forehead resting on them; Doris Alex assumed the same position. "You should have told us that you could do that, Iane," Doris Alex said into the floor. "It is Ian business," Iane replied. "No," Doris Alex answered. "The Society has a right to know." "Like they have a right to tell me to have David's children?" Iane asked angrily. "You didn't have to come," Doris Alex responded. "And you would have loved that," Iane asked sarcastically. "Doris Alex saved your life," I said to Iane. "Yes, Brother," she replied with a hint of rebellion returning. "You will repay that favor tonight," I continued. "For your entertainment?" Iane asked. I got up from the couch looking for the answer to a different question. "Take off your clothes," I commanded. Both Siblings got out of their clothing while trying not to disrupt their position. I walked around behind them when they finished. I closed my eyes and ran my hand down the Iane's spine. My fingers dipped into her pussy to gather some of her moisture. She tasted sweet. I sat back down and studied them. "Up," I said. They straightened their upper bodies to look at me. "You can sing, can't you?" I asked Iane. "Of course," she said looking at Doris Alex confused. I nodded while continuing to stare at her. Jason laughed freer than I ever heard him laugh; he agreed with my opinion. "How disappointing this crop of Brothers must be," I said. "When I'm done with them, it may be called a purge anyway." "I don't understand," Doris Alex said looking between Iane and me. "How did you know about Kyle?" I asked Iane. "Siblings know Brothers," Iane answered. "He was a danger to us; something had to be done." "So you stood beside him to make sure I couldn't miss him?" I asked knowing the answer. She nodded. "Did you think I would kill him to clear the path between us?" I asked. "That would start a Brother war," Doris Alex whispered. "An Enforcer can kill Brothers," Iane said. "Not like that," Doris Alex insisted. "Not to possess a Sibling." "He is Ekaterina," Iane spat back. "As much reason as we had to hate that Bloodline, we loved them too. They protected us; Kyle was a beast and he needed to die." "I did not trust Kyle to do his job as a member of the Foot and that is why I killed him," I told them. "You standing next to him had nothing to do with it." "It saved Siblings three weeks of his attention," Iane said meeting my eyes. "How many Kyles are there?" I asked. "Not like Kyle, but not..." Iane started to say only to have Doris Alex interrupt. "We do not judge Brothers!" Iane nodded accepting the admonition. "I will not stay here after I have repaid Doris Alex for my life," Iane announced challengingly. I shrugged while Doris Alex's lips tightened. "Come here, Doris Alex," I said softly. She crawled to me on all fours. I removed the chain around my neck and put my Brother ring on. I took her crested Sibling ring off the chain and with no ceremony put it on her finger. Doris Alex turned to look into Iane's fury. I was surprised my new crested Sibling did not laugh in her face. "This gives her Rank, doesn't it?" I asked Iane. "A significant amount, even outside this house," Iane answered venomously. I stood up and approached her. Her sapphire eyes studied me as I looked down at her. "Brothers hurt you, haven't they?" I asked running my finger along the line of her cheekbone. "Only Kyle, and he was not a Brother to me," she answered. "You are wrong," I said moving my finger down to her chin. "Disappointment is pain." "Brothers haven't disappointed me," she insisted. "Haven't they?" I asked. "Weren't you born pleasing to touch? I'm sure your voice is a song. Your smell is built from instincts we barely remember. You taste like the first spring morning. Aphrodite would wish she were as beautiful." "Poetry from a killer?" "I see the Ian intent in everything about you, Iane," I told her. "Born to be the perfect sex slave, but how many Brothers have treat you like one? Doris Alex has a similar problem with her desire to submit." Doris Alex gasped as Iane's eyes teared. The Ian bit her lip drawing blood. "Not every Brother can handle someone like you," I said thoughtfully. "A pet is a responsibility that not everyone can bear, but those that cannot should know it. You may not be allowed to judge Brothers, but I am. When you decide this is your place, you have my permission to point out the Brothers that disappointed you if we run into them." "Follow me," I commanded turning around to walk into my bedroom. I froze when I felt Iane standing up. She stared at Doris Alex who was crawling towards my bedroom. The redhead stopped and looked at Iane with a satisfied smile on her face. Iane's eyes met mine nervously. "I see Anna's point about bad Brothers and their effect on Siblings," I said. "You have acquired some unsightly habits. I advise you lose them before returning to my home. A slave crawls behind her master when she has displeased him. However much the Brothers in your past failed to meet your expectations, you should strive mightily to exceed mine." ------ Iane stood by the bed for almost ten minutes the next morning. The harshness of her breathing signaled her anger. "Why didn't you touch me?" she asked tightly. "You enter my house reeking of another Brother, and ask why I do not touch you," I said sitting up. "You did not intend for me to touch you, just like you intended for me to kill Kyle." "Siblings do not judge Brothers," Iane said automatically. "Social lies serve social purposes," I told her. "I prefer to do without them unless I'm talking to a weak person." "I am not weak," she said meeting my eyes hard. "Then why did you come in here just after being with another Brother?" I asked her. "Do you care that I was with them?" she asked with curious eyes. Silence was my reply. "You are not the end all be all, Ekaterina," she said angrily. "And you are, Sibling?" She took a step back at the flatness in my voice. "You make threats very easily," she responded. "Slaves are punished, not threatened," I answered. "It was Roderigo," she said smiling. "And he did not disappoint me." Iane spun and walked out of the room with her head high. I grabbed Doris Alex as she tried to leap out of bed to get her hands on Iane. Melisa entered my bedroom to find Doris Alex's lips around my dick. I had no interest in listening to the redhead's complaints about Iane and nothing silences a Sibling faster than sex. The girls lay on either side of me and talked about our visitor while maintaining my erect state with their fingers. I was on the verge of falling back asleep when Doris Alex described Iane using her gifts on me and the consequences. "What?!?" Melisa yelled taking her hand off me. "She is more powerful than we knew," Doris Alex explained. "Not with the Elizabeth's potential, but still incredibly valuable." Melisa reached across and took a painful grip on Doris Alex's hair. "You disobeyed him!" Melisa whispered furiously. Doris Alex's eyes widened. "David ordered you to get out of the way, and you chose protecting Iane over obeying our Brother," Melisa said pulling Doris Alex to her knees. I got out of their way. "Iane is valuable beyond belief, Melisa," Doris Alex said reasonably. "If her gifts bear true, David's children with her will be incredible." She would have been better off with a military 'No Excuse' and taking her lumps. "Obedience and trust," Melisa reminded Doris Alex. The redhead paled. "You're supposed to fix indoctrination?" Melisa asked. "You need a lesson in obedience, Doris Alex. Otherwise, Siblings will run rampant." Doris Alex's eyes expressed her submission to Melisa's will. My First guided Doris Alex to her stomach and reached out a hand to me. She placed me carefully at the entrance of Doris Alex's body before speaking. "For six months, you are David's masturbation toy, Doris Alex," Melisa said. Her victim pushed back with her hips in anticipation of her punishment. She sank my dick a couple of inches into her. Melisa spanked Doris Alex's ass hard to stop her motion. "Your ass, your mouth, your pussy, whatever he wants and whenever he wants it," Melisa told Doris Alex. "I want you actively checking that a hardon doesn't go to waste." "Yes, First," Doris Alex whispered. Melisa smiled at me before putting her hand on the small of my back and pushing me completely into Doris Alex. ----- Michael kept glancing at Doris Alex in the living room later that night. She was studying and her outfit captivated Michael. Stephanie, who was sitting on the floor reading a magazine, sighed before giving Michael an exasperated look. "Ask, moron!" she commanded him. "Why are you dressed like that?" Michael asked Doris Alex. "Or better yet, 'not dressed' like that?" Part of Doris Alex's status as Campus Goddess was her impeccable sense of fashion and that she never had a hair out of place. She had to have the world's largest collection of fashionable sleepwear, because I never saw her wearing the same outfit around the house twice. It made the untied white robe she wore an exceedingly strange event in Michael's experience. It was the 'untied' that disturbed him; he had no problems with Doris Alex's naked body but her unkempt state was a violation of the natural order. "I'm being punished," Doris Alex said dismissively. "For what?" he asked. "Disobedience," Doris Alex admitted. Stephanie slammed her hand down on the coffee table and looked at Doris Alex. Having her eyes avoided only increased Stephanie's ire until she stood up and stomped out of the room. "What's up with her?" Michael asked. "Sibling disobedience is not tolerated," I answered. Michael raised an eyebrow but did not pursue the issue. "So your punishment is to hang around the house mostly naked," Michael asked Doris Alex. "Hey, I'm all for naked girls around the house, but it doesn't seem like much of a punishment to me." "I'm David's masturbation toy for the next six months," Doris Alex told him. "Clothing might block access." "So..." Michael said thoughtfully. "How good do I have to be if I want my very own 'it sucks, it fucks, it even helps you with your homework' DA masturbation toy under my Christmas tree?" Doris Alex gave Michael an annoyed look that was not very effective in killing his laughter. "That was very creative, David," Michael complimented me. "With the candidates leaving soon, you need something to tide you over until the new crop of pledges comes knocking at your bedroom door." "Melisa is the one that set her punishment," I told him. "Oh," he said sitting back. "Hmmm." Doris Alex showed Michael the new crest ring that she had on a chain around her neck. "You could have just said that," Michael complained. "It would have made a difference?" I asked. "Of course," Michael replied. "Melisa is First." I looked at him curiously. "Melisa needs to exert her Rank whenever you crest a new Sibling, David," Doris Alex explained. "A new crest must accept her dominant position without question." I knew better than to ask about Rank, but I figured I should know about their little dance where it most intersected with my life. "So she has to stomp on you and you have to take it?" I asked. "She wasn't stomping on me," Doris Alex defended. "Is that why Iane caved when Melisa put her mouth where it would do a lot of good?" I asked. "Huh?" Michael intoned looking between us. "Iane got a full taste of Melisa's orgasms," Doris Alex told him. "I am never studying outside this house again!" Michael promised fervently. "Iane caved rather quickly to Melisa's demand," I said curiously. "She better have!" Michael exclaimed. "If she didn't play nice, most Siblings would happily hold her down so that Doris Alex could rip out every hair on that pretty blonde mane." "What a lovely vision!" Doris Alex giggled. "You can give me a bath tonight just for that, Michael." "Hey!" Michael protested. "Uh... forget I said that." "I already did, dear." Jason warned me not to continue, but I chose not listen. "I don't understand," I told them. "Rank is like paper money, every Sibling has to agree it means something," Doris Alex explained. "Start at the beginning," Michael advised. "Keep it simple, please," I directed. "There are three layers of Rank," Doris Alex said. "The outer, fun, and the one specific to each Brother." "Fun is just fun," Michael said. "It lets Doris Alex order me around like a trained seal." "You don't want to give me a bath?" Doris Alex pouted cutely. Michael barked and clapped his hands. "The outer is about all of us," Doris Alex said. "We take it very seriously, and now I have enough to do what I want with the sorority." "And then there is Rank in your life, where Melisa is goddess-queen BITCH of all she surveys," Michael said magnanimously. "I still don't see why Iane would bow so quickly to Melisa," I told them. "If she doesn't respect Melisa's Rank in your life, no one has to respect her outer Rank," Doris Alex said in a voice of steel. "Iane's Rank is as important to her as mine is to me." I sat quietly for a minute before speaking again. "How far can you go with fun?" I asked. "Siblings are very aware of limits, David," Michael assured me. "We know what Melisa will not do. To attempt to cross that line is..." "It is not done," Doris Alex pronounced with finality. "You started preparing for the sorority long before you had the crest," I pointed out to her. "Intentions are important," Doris Alex told me. "It is understood that I was to be your crest so other Siblings behave as if I already am." "After all, it's not a good idea to shit in someone's lunch box if they're about to get promoted over you," Michael added. "Iane wasn't very accommodating to you," I said to Doris Alex. "At least, not until I instructed her to please you." "OH MY GOD!" Michael yelled in surprised. "Tell me, you did not shove those two into the same bed and ordered them to fuck!" "I didn't have to do anything," Doris Alex said wickedly. "I have to give that bitch credit; she knows how to push someone's buttons." "Iane's going to kill you," Michael said to me. "You know that right?" "I doubt it," I told him. "That girl had to have been insanely pissed off last night to be servicing DA," Michael said. "Why wouldn't she kill you?" "I enjoyed watching," I answered. "I am also in possession of the only Doris Alex 'she fucks, she sucks' doll, and I was thinking that Iane would enjoy being on the receiving end next time." "I'll buy the popcorn and soda if you let me watch," Michael offered hopefully. "Iane did seem frustrated so I'll keep that in mind," I told him. "Frustrated?" Michael asked. "David didn't touch her," Doris Alex crowed. "Maybe Brothers are fucking nuts," Michael said thoughtfully. Doris Alex gave him an angry look. "You've thought it too!" "I never say it in front of a Brother," Doris Alex replied politely. "So three layers of Rank and intentions makes things a done deal," I interrupted before they flew of the handle. "Am I going to have to deal with the repercussions of you stomping Iane when she crests?" "No," Michael said shaking his head. "There's only one Sibling in a Brother's life that ever commands automatic respect." The headache started at that point. "The only hard rule then is no one can supersede Melisa in my life," I said patiently. Doris Alex nodded and Michael shook his head. "Come on, Michael," Doris Alex sighed impatiently. "Melisa has a cleaner transition than even the ones considered immaculate." Michael pursed his lips in reply. "Are you fucking insane?" Doris Alex gasped. "A parent Brother was her first; there is no Brother between leaving her dad's home and becoming David's First; and she's a crested First now. That's never been done; an immaculate is recruited by a Brother of one gender, a tour composed of Brothers of the same gender, becoming the First for a Brother of the opposite gender, and then being made their crested First." "There are levels to the immaculates," Michael said logically. "Melisa's transition is pure, Michael," Doris Alex insisted. "She has never touched a Brother of either sex except her dad. She's never touched another male!" "I'm just saying there could be a better transition than Melisa's; at least theoretically," Michael replied defensively. "There could also be Siblings that have a higher relative Rank with their Brother than Melisa has with David, so it's not out of the question that someone could displace Melisa." "How can you have a better transition than Melisa?" Doris Alex asked angrily. "If Melisa's mother had been her first Brother; Melisa would have come to David completely untouched by another man," Michael replied. Doris Alex mouth snapped shut. "It's the whole blood on the sheets thing," Michael deadpanned. "You are an asshole!" Doris Alex told him. "But I have proven that there is a better possible transition than Melisa's," Michael said with a bow. "It wouldn't mean that the Sibling would have Melisa's Rank," Doris Alex replied. "Melisa was recruited FOR David. She's been loyal to him for years. You can't have more Rank in a Brother's life than she has achieved." "I bet I can disprove that," Michael baited her. "What do you want?" Doris Alex asked carefully. "You give me a bath tonight," Michael replied quickly. "Done!" "Okay," Michael said sitting back. "Let's say that somewhere out is a female Sibling crested to a female Brother. The Sibling is married to another Sibling. The female Sibling has a male child from her husband. The boy grows up and right before 'that' age, the mother's crest Brother and husband die. After the proper amount of mourning, the son is recruited as a Brother and his mother chooses to be his First. After his training period, she becomes his crested First. Considering the biological mother/son relationship, would that Sibling be a bigger goddess-queen BITCH in her son's life than Melisa is in David's?" Jason hummed his opinion; my headache got worse. "That doesn't mean that someone could come into David's life and get higher Rank than Melisa," Doris Alex avoiding the question. "David is Ekaterina," Michael said garnering a nod from Doris Alex. "A Bloodline which gives its Siblings as much Rank above you as your Bloodline gives you above me. No Ekaterina ever walked into a Brother's life without being Ranked highest." This time Doris Alex's nod was reluctant. "Therefore if David had a female relation..." Michael started only to get hit by a well-aimed cushion. Luanne, Emily, and Sandra entered the room and asked what we were talking about. They were close enough to their indoctrination that Michael told them most of the truth. Their fascination convinced me that I needed a nap. I lay back on the couch and closed my eyes causing silence in the room. I recognized Sandra as the first to kiss me; the candidates had an instinctive grasp of the games that Siblings played to achieve fun Rank.