Milked by Royalty: The Full Collection (A Human Cow Erotic Romance) Page 13

  “I don’t need a history lesson.” His lordship’s voice was easy enough to recognize even through the closed door.

  “Then you’ll at least take my advice under consideration?” the other man asked.

  His lordship’s words were too low to hear. A few moments later, the door opened and Lord Ashe entered clad only in a simple black robe.

  “Is everything okay?” Julia asked.

  “You should be sleeping,” he said. “You have a big day ahead of you, and I’m afraid I didn’t do much to curb my enthusiasm during last night’s…encounter.”

  Julia smiled. “It’s okay. Encounters like last night are more than worth a little lost sleep, don’t you think?”

  Lord Ashe didn’t reply.

  Julia leaned forward. The sheets fell from her chest, and her enormous breasts hung heavy and full of milk. Each of her nipples was practically calling to be milked, but she forced down the urge to fondle herself. Her breasts belonged to his lordship as he’d so rightfully proven the night before. Only he and he alone had any right to claim them.

  “You know,” she said. “It is close to breakfast time, and I do need to be milked. Maybe you could—”

  “Just what exactly do you think is going on here?”

  Lord Ashe’s words caught her off balance. “Excuse me?”

  “Our relationship,” his lordship continued. “If you choose to stay here, just what do you think our relationship will entail?”

  Julia struggled for words. “I…I don’t know. I guess I thought…”

  “That it would be like this?” He waved a hand at the room around them. “That you would be my mistress?”

  She flinched at the word as much as his tone.

  “My Jewel,” he said in a voice far colder than any she’d ever heard before. “You are a cow, and as long as you remain at Farthington, that is all you will ever be.”

  She’d known the truth ever since she’d first signed his damned contract, but hearing his lordship speak it somehow made it seem more real than it ever had before.

  “But…” She swallowed hard at the lump forming in her throat. “But last night…”

  “Was a mistake,” his lordship finished. “Melissa angered me. I wished to put the woman in her place, and I used you to accomplish that goal. It wasn’t an honorable thing to do, but it…it is the truth.”

  His back was stiff, his eyes unyielding. He stared down at her with a cold detachment that was like nothing he’d ever shown her before.

  Where was the man who’d sworn he’d protect her? The one who eased her fears and gave her courage, who made her body sing with a longing and passion she’d never before known existed?

  This had to be some kind of game, some ruse. This wasn’t the man she thought she knew. It couldn’t be.

  And why not? You’ve only known him for four days. Who’s to say he isn’t just now showing you his true colors?

  True colors or not, though, she needed an answer. He owed her that much.

  “Why are you being like this? Did I…did I do something wrong?”

  Her voice broke on the last word. She thought she saw his lordship flinch, but it might have been nothing more than a trick of the light.

  “You’ve behaved…adequately,” he said after some time. “I simply want you to understand the nature of your place here. While you stay at Farthington, you are to be a cow…nothing more than a cow. Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” Julia said slowly. “But I thought—”

  “Cows don’t think,” his lordship said. “And they don’t speak either. The morning has come, and your role in last night’s festivities is over. I’ll expect you to behave properly during the remainder of your stay here.”

  Julia almost said “Of course,” but caught herself and nodded at the last moment.

  A knock on the door barely put a dent in the tension that had settled upon the room.

  “Brother?” Lady Sybil stepped into the room. “I know you don’t like to be disturbed, but I can’t wait any longer. About last night—”

  “Last night is over,” Lord Ashe told his sister. “The cow is ready to be taken back to her stall. I’ll attend our guests as soon as I’m dressed.”

  “You’ll attend our guests?” Lady Sybil shook her head. “It’s a wonder we have any left after the stunt you pulled. You should have heard Melissa after you brought this one up here with you. The woman was seething all night long, and you know she doesn’t do so quietly.”

  His lordship crossed his arms over his chest. “I can handle whatever Melissa Evers hopes to throw at me.”

  “And what about the duke?” Sybil asked. “I’ll have you know she was quite chummy with him after you left. The Evers have already tried to wrestle Farthington from us once before, and if you give them any more ammunition, I doubt we’ll have a dairy left at all. For God’s sake, brother, didn’t you learn your lesson the first time with Belle? Now you have to go and—”

  “Enough!”

  His lordship’s voice sent a shiver through Julia. In the doorway, Lady Sybil took a step back, all her former words forgotten.

  “The matter is closed,” his lordship said slowly. “Now if you would be so good as to take this cow back to its stall, I need to get dressed.”

  Lord Ashe turned his back on the two women and crossed the room to his wardrobe. Julia thought she caught his hand shake as he reached up for the knob, but surely not. His lordship was far too strong for such weakness.

  “Come, cow.” Lady Sybil took hold of the rope still hanging from Julia’s collar. “We still need to get you prepared if you’re to be ready for this afternoon’s judging.”

  Julia followed her ladyship without question. On hands and knees she crawled after Lady Sybil. Only when she reached the door did his lordship’s voice make her pause.

  “And Jewel,” he said in a voice almost completely devoid of emotion. “Do remember, you only have two more days.”

  Julia’s throat tightened at the reminder.

  ***

  The rest of the morning passed in a blur for Julia. Her ladyship took her back to the barn. As soon as her hands and knees touched the dairy’s hay covered floors, she felt almost like she’d come home.

  This isn’t your home. It’s your prison.

  She tried to tell herself she didn’t like it here, that she’d be glad to leave when her contract was up, but she was growing tired of lying to herself. The truth was she liked being a cow, specifically his lordship’s cow. And she’d thought he’d liked having her as well, but after his odd behavior this morning, she was beginning to doubt his interest.

  Did I do something wrong? Did I upset him or…disappoint him?

  She tried to remember every detail of their night together, but all the memories produced were a wet pussy and further frustration. He’d seemed so at peace while he was with her, so entranced. He’d even chosen her as his queen for heaven’s sake. Surely that had to mean something.

  It’s like he said. He was just meant he was trying to piss off Melissa. They seem to have a pretty obvious love/hate relationship going on.

  Just thinking about the lady in red sent a shiver through Julia. She could still feel the woman’s fist wriggling through her insides. She could even hear the woman’s words echoing through her thoughts.

  “Pride is a trait that must be beaten out entirely before any slave can reach her full potential. Isn’t that what your fiancé once told you?”

  How had the lady in red known about Matthew, and just how did she intend to use that knowledge? Melissa chewed on her bottom lip even as the servants led her out to the paddock. She really should have told his lordship what the woman had said, but her mind had been too preoccupied by their lovemaking to worry about anything as small as her own welfare.

  You’re just being crazy. That woman can’t do anything to you. She isn’t the master of Farthington Hall, Lord Ashe is, and as long as you’re here, he won’t let anything happen to you.

  Still
, her unease ate at her stomach. Was that why his lordship was distancing himself from her? Did he think that by pushing her away he could somehow protect her from the lady’s wrath? And if that was the case, just what was that woman capable of? Julia had seen his lordship stand up to three unrestrained bulls without so much as a shiver, yet when his sister had brought up Melissa’s name, his lordship seemed oddly agitated.

  She wondered if his shifting mood was somehow connected to this “Belle” everyone kept mentioning. From what she could gather, the woman had been a cow his lordship had been particularly fond of, but what had happened to her and where she was now remained a mystery.

  Julia let out a sigh and shook her head. She’d never get to the bottom of all this right now. Better to just give in to her baser urges and graze with her fellow cows.

  Her breasts swung beneath her as she lowered her lips to take a bite of the Laculin-infused grass. To think, only a few days ago she had cursed the drug and what it had turned her into, but now she couldn’t imagine her life without it. She chewed each blade of grass, savoring the crisp, clean taste and let her gaze linger on her fellow cows.

  They were beautiful, all of them. Soft and supple with breasts nearly as big as her own, they grazed lazily across the yard. Every now and then one of them would moo when a blade of grass tickled her nipple or a giant dandelion somehow caressed the soft skin of her pussy. They were all so content, so wonderful, so absolutely perfect.

  Just like Julia wanted to be.

  In the distance a sprig of clovers stood alone and untouched. Julia crawled towards it, but before she could lean down to take a bite, movement to her left caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder. There, huddled beside the far gate, sat three cows she’d never seen before.

  Unlike the rest of her herd, these women shared none of the peaceful confidence Julia had come to associate with his lordship’s human cows. Their eyes were glassy and darting. Their hands were bound into tight, hoof-like gloves and their legs shackled together at both the knees and ankles.

  Julia approached them without thinking. Who were these women? Why were they bound in all those restraints? And why were their heads shaved? Lord Ashe had once said he liked a clean shaven cow, but since being inducted to his herd, she’d only had her legs and pussy shaven. Her head hair remained untouched, just like every other cow she’d ever seen.

  Every cow but these three.

  “Who are you?” Julia whispered, but if the women heard her, they didn’t respond.

  Their eyes, so frightened and flighty, darted from left to right seemingly without ever seeing a thing. Heavy, golden rings hung from the center of their noses, and a long, narrow chain, linked the three together.

  Worst of all, though, were the scars. Long slashes crisscrossed their backs while what looked like thick, puncture wounds adorned their inner arms.

  Needle marks?

  Julia couldn’t say. All she knew was that the sight of these women with their fearful eyes and shivering, big-busted bodies sickened her to the core.

  “Who did this to you?” Julia said louder than she should have dared.

  The cow in front whipped her eyes towards Julia almost as if she’d noticed her for the first time.

  “Moo!” the woman squealed. “Moo! Moo! Moo!”

  The other two joined in, and Julia backed away quickly.

  “It’s certainly easy to tell which stock are yours, Melissa.”

  Julia jerked her gaze over her shoulder. There behind her stood the duke. To his left was Melissa, while just behind his right shoulder stood his lordship.

  Julia looked up at her master, desperate for him to show her even a fraction of the attention he had lavished upon her the day before, but his attention remained fixed on the three cows huddled beside the fence line.

  “A waste of perfectly good resources,” his lordship said. “You’ll never reach top production if you keep your women like this.”

  Melissa rolled her eyes. She’d exchanged her red dress for a simple black skirt paired with a crimson blouse.

  “Oh, James, how many times must we go over this? They aren’t women. At least not anymore.”

  Julia looked back at the trembling wretches in front of her. No, they certainly didn’t look like women now. Not a sliver of humanity could be found on their faces. That along with their abused bodies and restrained limbs made them resemble broken beasts parading around in human skins.

  “Besides,” Melissa went on, “what business is it of yours how I choose to keep my herd. You might not think our dairy lives up to Farthington’s high standards, but I’ll have you know we do quite well for ourselves.”

  “Really?” His lordship arched an eyebrow. “And that wouldn’t have anything to do with the rumors I’ve heard of late, would it? Some claim you’ve been engaging in human gene splicing to increase your herd’s production.”

  The woman’s face went white.

  “Outrageous,” she hissed. “We might take a firm hand with our cows, but we would never stoop to something so…”

  “Illegal?” his lordship said. “I should certainly hope not. After all, we all know what befell the last institution to experiment with such activities. I’m afraid the Crown takes quite the firm hand when it comes to punishing those who endeavor to create such blatant abominations.”

  Melissa’s hands curled into fists. “Why of all the… If this is about Belle, I will have you know—”

  “Now, now,” the duke said. “Enough of that. The two of you only have to endure one another’s company for a few days out of the year. I don’t think a bit of civility is too much to ask for.”

  Melissa huffed but said nothing. Lord Ashe remained as calm as ever.

  “Just out of curiosity,” the duke said. “Which one of these heifers do you plan to enter in today’s show, Melissa.”

  The lady in red snorted. “Given James’ latest acquisition, I see little point in entering any at all.”

  The duke’s gaze fell on Julia, and Julia couldn’t help but fidget.

  “She is magnificent indeed,” the duke said, “but it’d be a shame to deny the crowd a proper competition. Surely one of these cows could put in a good show.”

  Julia turned back to the shivering women. Small, mewling noises left their mouths along with the occasional moo, but hardly a one seemed to have any idea what was going on. Julia shook her head. Expecting a show from one of these cows would be like asking a four-year-old to take the SAT.

  “89 might do,” Melissa said at last. “Her milk production has been increasing as of late, and if anyone takes an interest in her performance, I shouldn’t think Father would be too upset if I put her up for auction.”

  The lady in red stepped forward. She snapped her fingers, and all three women jerked to attention.

  “89, come.”

  A woman with udders nearly as large as Julia’s crawled forward. With her head bowed and shoulders hunched, she eased up beside Melissa and didn’t move until the lady in red unchained her from the rest of her small herd. As soon as she was free; however, she lunged forward.

  Julia hardly saw what happened next. One moment Melissa was standing still, the next she’d uncoiled a slim whip from around her waist and slashed it down hard across her cow’s bare ass.

  Skin tore. Blood ran down the cow’s thighs, and the woman let out a high-pitched, choking scream. Julia was so shocked she couldn’t move. How many times had Lady Sybil used her crop upon her? Julia wasn’t sure, but not once had his lordship’s sister ever broken the skin. As deep as the wound looked, Julia had no doubt the slash would become yet another scar upon the woman’s over-abused hide.

  “Stupid cow.” Melissa raised her whip again. “How many times must we go through this? When I give you an order, I expect to be obeyed.”

  The lady in red raised her whip again, but before she could bring it down, his lordship shot forward. He wrapped a hand around the woman’s wrist and tore the weapon out of her grasp.

 
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Melissa asked. “That is my cow.”

  “And this is my land,” Lord Ashe said. “I won’t have you bloodying any of these ladies on my soil. Am I understood?”

  Melissa’s eyes narrowed, but she said not a word. Even the duke knew better than to speak. A deadly calm had settled over of his lordship. Only his eyes betrayed him. From her spot on the ground, Julia had a clear view of his lordship’s narrowed gaze, and she shivered at the barely concealed rage she saw hidden within it.

  Nearly a minute passed before Melissa finally nodded and stepped away.

  “Brisbee,” his lordship called to a nearby servant. “See that Ms. Evers’ cow gets taken to the ring for showing.”

  Julia watched the young man named Brisbee fetch a rope and escort the woman out of the paddock. Though the cow still looked frightened, her fear wasn’t nearly as great as it had been when she’d approached Melissa.

  What in the hell does that woman do to her cows?

  Julia’s heart beat faster just thinking about the fear on the woman’s face—on all the women’s faces—but she didn’t dare give voice to her concerns. This wasn’t last night. She wasn’t in his lordship’s manor anymore. She was in the paddock, and she was a cow, and cows didn’t speak.

  Lady Sybil had taught her that much.

  His lordship threw the whip to the ground, but the lady in red didn’t bend to retrieve it. Instead, she just crossed her arm.

  “And I suppose at Farthington you never have need to discipline your stock?”

  Lord Ashe smirked slightly. “Here at Farthington I never give them reason to get out of line.”

  “Ah, so all your cows come pre-trained? How nice. That ought to make this afternoon’s competition quite easy for your newest pet.” Melissa fixed her gaze on Julia for the first time. “I’ll be quite interested to see how you do, cow, especially since your devoted master won’t be there to see to you personally. Of course, if he continues to dote on you as he did last night, he might not be seeing to you again for a very long time indeed.”

  Julia’s throat tightened. She turned her attention back towards his lordship, but Lord Ashe offered her no further explanation.