Chapter 2: The Forest's Claim
The forest breathed around me, damp and heavy with the pre-dawn mist that clung to every leaf and branch. My muscles burned as I moved through another drill, lightsaber humming in my grip, the familiar weight a comfort against the ache between my thighs that I'd spent the entire night trying to forget.
I couldn't forget.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Pale skin. That smirk. The way she'd looked at me like I was something to be consumed. Like I was prey.
And the worst part, the part that made bile rise in my throat, was that my body remembered. It remembered the pleasure she'd forced from me. Remembered the way I'd come undone beneath her hands, beneath that strap-on, moaning like a common whore while she'd laughed at my degradation.
"Fuck," I snarled, driving my blade through a practice dummy I'd constructed from fallen branches. The synthetic crystal hummed with satisfaction as I carved the thing in half.
I'd been out here since the first hint of gray light touched the horizon, pushing my body through punishing exercises. Push-ups until my arms trembled. Sprints through the underbrush. Forms and katas until my lekku ached from the strain. I needed to exhaust myself. I needed to purge the memory of her hands from my skin.
But it wasn't working.
"Still playing with your little toy?"
The voice slithered through the clearing like poison, and I spun, lightsaber raised, heart hammering in my chest.
Shin Hati stood at the edge of the treeline, arms crossed, leaning against a massive trunk with the casual arrogance of someone who owned the very ground I stood on. She wore the same dark tactical tunic from last night, but her platinum hair was damp, like she'd bathed. Like she'd washed the evidence of what we'd done off her skin before coming to face me.
"You," I snarled, igniting my blade fully. The blue-white light cast harsh shadows across the clearing. "Come to finish the job?"
Shin's lips curled into that infuriating smile. "Something like that. Though I prefer to think of it as... continuing where we left off."
"Stay away from me."
"Or what?" She pushed off the trunk, taking a step forward. Then another. "You'll fight me? You couldn't before, and you certainly can't now. I can feel your exhaustion, Tano. You've been out here for hours, haven't you? Wearing yourself down like a frightened animal."
"I'm not frightened of you."
"You should be."
She raised her hand, and the Force closed around me like a fist.
I gasped, dropping my lightsaber as invisible pressure squeezed my throat, my limbs, pinning me in place. I struggled, calling on my own connection to the Force, but I was already depleted. Already weak. And Shin's power crashed against me like a tidal wave.
"Ah, ah, ah," she cooed, walking toward me with unhurried steps. "None of that. You had your chance to fight back last night. You chose... other responses instead."
My cheeks burned with shame and fury. "I didn't choose anything, you sick—"
The Force yanked me forward, and I stumbled, arms windmilling as I tried to keep my footing. But Shin was already moving, her hand raised, and I slammed backward against a massive gnarled tree with enough force to knock the wind from my lungs.
"Oof!" The impact rattled my teeth. I tried to push off the trunk, but branches and vines, impossibly alive, snaked down from above, wrapping around my wrists, my forearms, my ankles. They stretched me taut against the rough bark, spread-eagle, arms above my head, legs wide.
The bark bit into my spine through my tunic. Leaves rustled against my scalp, and the wet, earthy smell of moss filled my nostrils.
"There," Shin said, stepping back to admire her work. "That's better, isn't it? Much more accommodating than that bed of yours."
"Let me go, you bitch!" I yanked against the vines, feeling them tighten in response. "When I get free, I'm going to—"
"When you get free?" Shin laughed, a cold, musical sound. "Listen to yourself, Tano. You're not going anywhere. Not until I decide you can."
She circled me slowly, boots crunching on fallen leaves, and I forced myself to watch her, to track her movement. But as she disappeared behind the tree trunk, I felt my pulse quicken. I couldn't turn my head. The vines held my skull in place, and all I could do was listen to the soft crunch of her footsteps as she moved out of my line of sight.
"You know what I love about mornings?" she called from somewhere behind me. Her voice was casual, intimate, like we were old friends catching up. "The light. The way it filters through the canopy, picking out every detail. Every imperfection."
"I have no imperfections," I spat.
"Kinky."
I heard the rustle of a bag opening, and I strained against my bonds, trying to see what she was doing. Nothing. I could only hear the sounds. The clink of metal. The whisper of fabric. The soft slide of something wet and slick.
Then her hands were on me.
I flinched, hissing through my teeth as her fingers traced the seam of my tunic. She'd removed my outer armor last night, but I'd donned it again before coming out here, a fresh set from the ship's stores. Tactical weave over a thin undershirt, bracers on my forearms, boots and greaves on my legs.
"Secured for battle," Shin murmured, her fingers following the line of my collar. "Verifying your straps. Checking your seals. Very thorough, Tano. But it won't save you."
"Fuck you."
Her fingers stopped. Then, with agonizing slowness, she began to undo the clasps on my chest plate.
I yanked at my bonds. The vines held. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, in my wrists, in the empty space where my lightsaber had fallen.
"Last night," Shin said, her voice soft and almost contemplative as her hands worked, "you tried so hard to fight it. I could feel it in you. The anger. The resistance."
"I didn't want it," I ground out.
"No. Of course not." She peeled the chest plate away, and I felt the cool morning air kiss my skin through the thin undershirt. "But your body wanted it, didn't it? The way you moaned when I fucked you with that strap-on. The way you came, clenching and weeping around that fake cock like you'd never been properly filled in your life."
"Shut up!"
I bucked against the vines, but there was nowhere to go. Her hands slipped beneath my undershirt, fingers skating across my stomach, and I gasped as her touch traveled upward toward my breasts.
"Did your master ever touch you like that?" she asked, her breath warm against the back of my neck. "Did he ever tell you to be quiet while he made you scream?"
"Anakin would never—"
"Anakin's not here, is he?"
She pinched my nipple through the fabric, and I bit my tongue to swallow the moan that tried to escape. But Shin heard my catch of breath, and she laughed.
"Still trying to hide it," she crooned. "Still trying to pretend you're too good for this."
She pulled the undershirt up, exposing my torso. The morning light, hazy and golden, washed over my orange skin, highlighting the curves of my breasts, the taut planes of my stomach. Shin stepped around to face me again, and I watched her eyes rove over my body with frank appreciation.
"Beautiful," she murmured. "You're even more beautiful in the daylight."
"Don't touch me."
She reached for my breast, cupping it in her palm. Her skin was cool against my warmth, and I hissed as her thumb brushed across my nipple, already hardening despite my best efforts.
"Your body disagrees with your mouth," she observed. "Look at that. So responsive. So eager."
"Fuck off."
Shin's fingers tightened, gripping my breast hard enough to make me gasp. "Such language from a Jedi. Or whatever you are now. A former Padawan, traveling with a former Jedi Knight. What does that make you, Tano? An apprentice to a failure?"
"Anakin is not a failure!"
"Really?" She squeezed again, and I arched into her hand, my body betraying me. "He failed to protect you from me. He failed to show up when you called for him. He left you alone in an enchanted forest, vulnerable, sleeping in your ship like a child, and I walked right in and took what I wanted."
The words cut deep. Because they were true.
Anakin should have been here. He'd promised he would be. But whatever mission he'd been pulled into had kept him away, and I'd paid the price.
"He'll come," I said, my voice trembling. "He'll find me, and then you'll regret—"
"He's not coming." Shin's voice was flat, final. "I made sure of it. Oh, don't look so surprised. Baylan has his ways of creating distractions. By the time your master realizes something's wrong, you'll be long gone. A distant memory he'll mourn over for years."
Something cold settled in my chest. Not just fear, but something darker. The realization that I was truly alone. That no one was coming to save me.
And Shin could see it in my eyes.
"There it is," she whispered, leaning in close. Her lips brushed my ear, and I felt her tongue trace the curve of my montral. "That understanding. That acceptance. You're mine, Tano. You've been mine since the moment I walked through your door. The only question is how long you'll fight before you give in."
"I'll never give in," I snarled.
"We'll see."
She stepped back, and I watched her crouch beside a leather bag I hadn't noticed before. She unbuckled it and spread it open, and I felt my blood run cold.
There were things in that bag. Soft things and hard things. Things I recognized from brief glimpses in seedy cantinas and holos that had crossed my path. A flogger with braided leather straps. A crop. A spreader bar with padded cuffs. A set of clamps connected by a thin chain. And a glass tube filled with something that glittered like liquid starlight.
"What's the matter, Tano?" Shin asked, noticing my wide eyes. "Haven't seen toys like these before?"
"I know what they are."
"Good. Then you know what we're going to do with them." She picked up the flogger, running her fingers through the leather fall. "I spent a lot of money on these. Imported from the outer rim. The finest materials that credits can buy." She flicked her wrist, and the leather snapped through the air with a sharp CRACK that made me flinch. "And you're going to experience every single one of them."
"Please don't," I whispered, hating myself for the plea. But the sight of her with that flogger, the memory of what she'd already done, and the days or weeks I might spend as her prisoner finally cracked through my defiance. "Please, Shin. Don't."
Shin smiled, and it was the most terrifying expression I'd ever seen on a human face. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
She circled the tree again, moving behind me, and I gasped as the rough bark scraped against my exposed back. The sun had risen higher, filtering through the canopy in golden shafts, but the warmth didn't reach me. I could only feel the cold, damp wood against my spine and the tease of her presence at my back.
"The first thing I'm going to do," she said, her voice close to my ear, "is strip you completely. Every piece of armor. Every scrap of clothing. I want to see you bare, trembling, completely at my mercy."
Something constricted around my wrists, and I felt the smooth leather of a cuff wrap around each of them, the vines tightening around the cuffs' ring. Then she was working at my bracers, undoing the golden buckles with nimble fingers.
One bracer fell to the mossy ground. Then the other.
She trailed her hands down my arms, and I could feel her breath on my shoulder. Her fingers found the hem of my undershirt, and she pulled it upward, inch by agonizing inch. The fabric dragged across my sensitized skin, and when it hit my breasts, she paused.
"Look at you," she breathed. "Waiting. Wanting."
"I want you to die."
"Close enough."
She yanked the shirt over my head, and I was topless, my breasts exposed to the morning air. My nipples had hardened into tight buds, and I knew she could see them, could see how my body responded to her despite my words.
She circled around to face me again, and I watched her eyes trace the curves of my body. I wore only my tactical pants and boots now, and the supple leather clung to my hips and thighs, outlining the shape of her prize.
"Boots first," she said. "I don't want to distract you with practical concerns."
She knelt before me, and I could feel her hands on my calves, working at the clasps of my boots, pulling them away. The moss was soft beneath my bare feet, and the sensation of the earth against my soles felt intimate, grounding.
She stood and reached for my belt, unbuckling it with a flourish. My pants sagged, and she pushed them down over my hips, over my thighs, pooling them at my ankles.
And there I was. Naked. Bound to a tree in a mystical forest, morning light painting my body in shades of gold and amber.
Shin stepped back, and I could see the hunger in her eyes. The satisfaction. She'd won, and she knew it.
"Exquisite," she murmured. "Every inch of you."
"Get it over with," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Whatever you're going to do, just do it."
"Oh, I plan to take my time." She picked up the glass tube, uncorking it. The liquid inside shimmered and glowed, and I could smell something sweet and floral, like night-blooming jasmine.
"What is that?"
"Oil," she said. "Infused with certain... herbs. It enhances sensation. Makes every touch more intense, more desperate." She poured a small amount into her palm. "You're going to tell me everything by the time I'm done with you."
She stepped close, and her hands landed on my breasts.
The oil was warm, and as she spread it over my skin, I felt a tingling heat bloom across my chest. My nipples tightened until they ached, and I heard myself whimper, a sound I couldn't control.
"Already feeling it?" Shin asked, smirking. "Good."
She cupped my breasts, massaging them, working the oil into my flesh. Her palms were slick, and the scent of jasmine filled my lungs, clouding my thoughts. I tried to focus on anger, on hatred, but my body was singing, nerve endings firing in desperate arousal.
"So soft," she murmured. "So perfect. I'm going to worship every inch of you, Tano. And then I'm going to take you apart."
Her fingers found my nipples, rolling them between her thumb and forefinger. I arched into her touch, my hips grinding against nothing, and I heard myself moan, low and wanton.
"That's it," she encouraged. "Stop fighting. Let your body speak the truth your mouth won't admit."
"I'm not," I gasped, "I'm not enjoying this."
A slap landed on my breast, sharp and sudden. I cried out, more in shock than pain, and Shin laughed.
"Liar." She slapped my other breast, and I felt the sting bloom across my skin, mixing with the heat of the oil. "Your cunt is dripping, Tano. I can smell your arousal from here."
She stepped back, and I watched her reach into her bag. I saw the glint of metal, and then she was holding the clamps, two small silver alligator clips connected by a delicate chain.
"No," I breathed. "Shin, please."
She ignored me. She brought the clamps to my nipples, and I shuddered as the cool metal touched my heated skin. She adjusted them, opened them, and then clicked them down over my erect nipples.
The pain was sharp, electric. I screamed, bucking against my bonds, but the vines held firm. A dull, throbbing ache settled into my chest, radiating through my breasts, and I could feel my arousal spike despite the pain.
"There," Shin said softly. "Aren't they pretty?" She tugged the chain, and I cried out as the pressure pulled at my nipples. "And so responsive."
She walked around me, trailing her fingers over my hips, my ass. I couldn't see her anymore, but I could feel her everywhere. Her footsteps circled me, and then there were hands on my ass, squeezing the cheeks, spreading them apart.
"Your ass is so firm," she said. "Do you train every day? All those squats and lunges, all that Jedi discipline. It paid off."
A slap landed on my ass cheek, and I gasped. Another, harder, and I felt my skin sting beneath her palm. Then she was massaging the reddened flesh, kneading it, and I could feel her breath on my spine.
"I'm going to eat this pussy," she said, and the words made me shiver. "I'm going to taste you, feel your thighs shaking around my head as I bring you to the edge. And then I'm going to stop." She chuckled. "I'll make you beg for it."
"Never," I gasped. "I'll never beg you for anything."
She laughed, low and dirty. "We'll see."
Her hands slid around my hips, finding my belly, sliding lower. I felt her fingers brush against my pubic hair, and I held my breath. Then she was parting my folds, and the heat of her palm pressed against my cunt.
I moaned. I couldn't help it. The oil had made everything so sensitive, and her touch was electric, sending sparks of pleasure through my core.
"So wet," she murmured against my ear, and I felt her breath on my montral. She slid a finger through my slit, collecting my slickness. "And all for me. What would Anakin think?"
"Don't," I gasped. "Don't talk about him."
"Why not? He's the reason you're here, isn't he? The reason you're so vulnerable." She pushed a finger inside me, and I clenched around her, my body already desperate for more. "He sent you out here without support. He left you to me."
"Fuck," I whimpered, my hips grinding against her hand.
"That's right. Say my name."
"Never."
She added another finger, stretching me, and my knees buckled. The vines held me up, and she fucked me with her fingers, slow and deliberate, curling against that spot inside me that made my vision blur.
"You're so tight," she said. "So perfect. I could spend all day inside you."
I was close already. I could feel it building, the heat coiling in my belly, the pressure rising. And I didn't want it. I didn't want to give her that satisfaction.
But my body didn't care what I wanted.
"That's it," Shin breathed. "Come for me, Tano. Show me how much you want this."
I tried to hold back. Tried to fight the wave. But it crashed over me anyway, and I screamed as my orgasm tore through me, my cunt clenching around her fingers, my body shuddering against the tree.
Shin pulled her fingers out, and I felt her trace them over my stomach, leaving a trail of wetness. She walked around to face me, and I saw her bring her fingers to her lips, tasting me with a slow, deliberate lick.
"Delicious," she said. "And that was just the beginning."