Feral: Love, Hate and Fine Lines....Negan and Pet

Her Majesty

"So my son says you were interested in making a purchase?"
Negan and Lex sat in her tree 'palace', sitting on overstuffed pillows around an elaborately set chabudai, complete with bone china and shining silverware. She had also made sure the crystal goblets were spotless. It wasn't everyday a stranger wandering outside the gates saves a young prince, especially one as pleasing to the eye as the tall, dark, leather clad man sitting across from her. He introduced himself as Negan and that he was looking to buy a woman. She raised her glass of deep, red and thanked him, flashing a wide smile.
Negan returned the toast and smiled back. He couldn't help but admire her dramatic beauty. Women in this world didn't look like this. Lex's raven hair was a gleaming onyx, so glossy that some of the shining tendrils appeared blue in the dim lighting. She wore makeup too, her lips cherry red and glistening. He had to admit she looked very inviting with her tight, lean body that was distractingly obvious beneath her gauzy pants.
"When we're done with dinner, I'll show you my stables." She offered.
The meal had been scrumptious, better than anything he had eaten in a long while. Even the food at the Sanctuary paled in comparison and he thought his community's meal choices had been pretty damn good. He scoffed everything on the plate quickly, ignoring Lex's amused gaze.
"I take it that you enjoyed dinner?" She grinned.
"Fucking fantastic." He answered, wiping his mouth with a fine linen napkin.
"Nothing but the best for the hierarchy." She purred, swirling the rim of her goblet with a painted finger. "I choose the best people for myself. You know, the sharpshooters, the best maids and seamstresses, chefs.... and lovers. In turn, they get to enjoy all the best as well."
Negan slugged the last of his wine and gave a beaming smile. The queen of the Grove was trying to be smoothly enticing, using romance novel innuendos. He found it amusing. Everything about this woman screamed dramatic.
"You mean fuck buddies." Negan joked. "You choose the best fuck buddies."
Lex narrowed her dark eyes. The man was crude. She didn't appreciate foul language and a few of the charges had lost their tongue over it. But looking at him, she would spare him that fate for now. It probably held some other talents besides spewing expletives.
"I suppose." She replied coldly.
She stood and extended her hand to him.
"Come. I'll show you around."
She wrapped her sun tanned arm around his if they were about to stroll the park and when they were lowered to the ground, she wasn't the only one escorting him around. They were joined by three armed men who eyed Negan suspiciously. Or was it something else in their piercing stares? Was it a hint of jealousy along with contempt? He couldn't be sure but his guard was up.
The community was a busy one but it was quiet, he noticed. The women didn't walk, they scurried like field mice, woven baskets of clothes and produce tucked under their arms. A few stole glances in their direction but most kept their eyes averted, especially if the queen's dark gaze fell upon them.
At first look, the Grove didn't seem large but it stretched out far beyond the twenty or so wigwams that dotted the main compound. Lex told him she would take him to the fields when she was done showing him around the general population. The first place she took him was the open market.
"Fruits, vegetables..." she pointed out, waving her her hand towards the overflowing bins. "We've got plenty. These beautiful carrots come from the Fort community. They've managed to grow some fat potatoes too."
Negan watched as a few women and young girls darted between stalls, filling bags with produce. They wore yellow smocks with matching kerchiefs over their hair.
"They just take what they want?" He asked.
"Yes, after the hierarchy charges take their pick and bring it up above. There's never a shortage of anything." Lex informed him. "We procure fresh water, juices and hard liquor from the groups in the surrounding area. We have a small but hearty vineyard that produces that rich red we had with dinner. That's our specialty as far as consumable goods go."
They were moving through the compound quickly, the smell of cooking meat hung in the air. A very young girl was turning whole chickens on a spit over an open fire. She was dressed in bright yellow too.
"What's up with the Big Bird sheets?"
Lex scowled.
"Their colors identify who they belong to and their respective positions." She told him. "The yellow signifies soldiers servants. They cook, clean and take care of all domestic duties. When they're out here, they belong to anyone. If a soldier wants something he tells one of those charges to retrieve it, no matter who she belongs to. They and the infantry live down here."
Negan looked up to see another charge. She stood on a sturdy wooden catwalk between two tree forts, her hands grasping the wooden railing. He merely glanced at her and didn't call attention to the charge's curious observation.
"And blue? What does blue stand for?" He asked.
Lex took a quick look up to see the hierarchy servant moving quickly towards one of the forts, disappearing into a mosquito netted doorway.
"They belong to the hierarchy. No one owns them but us. They come down here only for supplies and to wash. It's forbidden to address them if you're not from above. They are experienced and dedicated. They're quite valuable actually. The right servant can fetch more special supplies like medicines and weapons when they're sold off."
She led him through the compound and into the woods down a neatly cut path that reached a large open field. It was surrounded by a pasture fence, reinforced with barbed wire. Soldiers had been stationed here to guard a set of longhouses, each one tucked neatly into the far corners. As they approached, the guards stiffened their spines and stood in strict attention.
"As you were." Lex sighed in a bored tone.
Negan could see the way they looked at her even though they tried to be discreet. He understood the lustful yet hidden gazes. No one could deny she was a stunner. He would bet his life the underlings were always hoping to gain her favor and live in the lofty district of the Grove. Maybe even find their way to her bed.
"Now, for what the Grove is really famous for... Our women."
She said those words with a wicked little gleam in her onyx eyes and a dark  smirk on her rouged lips. It was clear she was very proud of what she was about to show him. They came to the closest longhouse. A brusque looking sentinel loomed in front of the doorway, a heavy machine gun slung over his massive shoulder. He stood to the side and pushed open the rickety wooden door revealing Lex's true stable. There were twenty or so women who jumped from their places and stood at attention, some of them visibly shaking at the sight of their mistress.
Negan scanned the sunlit room, trying to take in as much as possible and looking to see if Pet was among them. These women were mostly young, some he guessed not even much out of their teens, maybe even younger. It was hard to tell with the makeup they wore. They each wore simple shift dresses that were ankle length that buttoned down the front and had been designed to cling to their feminine forms. Unlike the others he had seen, there was no uniform color. They were picked to flatter the complexion of the wearer.
"Some of this lot is going up for auction in a few days time." Lex informed him coolly.
Snapping her fingers, she picked three girls at random, calling each by name. They came freely and silently and stood rigidly before the queen, keeping their eyes lowered.
"This is Tessa." She said, smoothing the beautiful black girl's curly  hair. "She's extremely proficient in many things, especially her ability to cook and she sings like a bird if you're looking for sweet sounding music. She's rather beautiful too. I've heard she treats a man very well in other more intimate ways also."
Negan saw the slight flinch when Lex touched the obviously frightened young woman. She was absolutely beautiful, tall and sinewy with tight brown skin. The next girl in line was the polar opposite of Tessa. Her name was Justine, a petite flaxen blonde with alabaster skin, much like Pet's, her large breasts protruding from the simple dress provocatively. The pale pink garment left nothing to the imagination.
"Justine keeps a tidy house but her cooking is atrocious." Lex frowned disapprovingly. "Even with several beatings she couldn't manage it. She's wonderful with the boy children of the community though. She'd make an excellent nanny for a family somewhere else. And of course she will make a spectacular breeder. She's very popular with the infantry."
"The infantry?" Negan remarked. "Like, the whole infantry?"
She let out a lilting laugh.
"That would be silly!" She answered. "They're each assigned five. How else are they supposed to learn about the ways of men and what they desire?"
His eyes drifted to the third woman, a full figured red head with voluptuous, ample curves. She glanced up at him, her blue eyes wet with unspilled tears and Negan felt slow, burning outrage course through him. Lex had certainly covered all the bases when it came to trying to appeal to the tastes of all men. Each and everyone of the girls in her stable were distinctly different but all were forced to learn skills that would turn a hefty profit.
"Do you like Courtney?" Lex was asking, pulling him away from his angry haze. "She's quite lovely but was difficult to break. However, she finally learned under the threat of being turned out. Didn't you, dear?"
Courtney managed to squeak out a quiet acknowledgment and nodded her head.
"You can have your choice, Negan. Anyone of these girls are up for your taking, free of charge for saving my son." She offered.
"That's quite a deal." He replied. "It's hard to choose so quickly. They are magnificent."
Lex beamed with pride, a dazzling smile spreading on her sun kissed face.
"Well you don't have to choose now!" She exclaimed. "Why don't you stay a couple of days. You can attend the auction and see the remarkable return I get for these lovelies."
Stifling his anger was near impossible and what happened next almost pushed him beyond his level of self control.
"But wait!" Lex announced excitedly. "I saved the best for last!"
With the crook of a slender finger, she summoned a girl at the far end of the long building, a knowing spark in her smiling eyes. A girl crept forward, a child really as far as Negan was concerned and it was all he could do to not lash out at the monstrous, self proclaimed Queen but doing it now would only end in his death. Saving these women would never happen then, if ever.
"This is the Genesis." She proclaimed. "Trained in nothing but the art of love. She'll fetch a trove of supplies. See how innocent she looks? Angelic really. Don't let that facade fool you. She's quite a vixen!"
She was angelic looking. How could she not be? Her complexion was flawless, like peaches and cream quite literally. Her cheeks were rosy and cherub like and her small, full lips were smooth and pouty, a look reserved for very young teens. Her body betrayed her as well. She was just a budding woman with straight hips that had just barely begun to fill out and small breasts that were high and pert. Negan grimaced.
"A bit young, don't you think?"
It was hard to hide the disapproval in his voice. Lex narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"Are you kidding?" She quipped. "All of the charges would be considered officially women. What you have to remember is that humankind's life expectancy has dropped. We live in a time much like the Dark Ages. It wasn't unusual to be wed at twelve years old and be a mother shortly after. I'm helping to ensure our future."
Negan's stomach turned. Lex was ensuring her future and the future of the Grove and nothing more, making it more powerful with each life sold. The cache of weapons she had procured was probably immense and that made this community very dangerous. Especially with a woman like Lex at the helm.
"So this child, erm, charge has been assigned five soldiers as well?"
It was hard for him to remain charming at this point but the question ended with a beaming white smile and Lex's edge seemed to soften at it. She touched his arm warmly.
"Yes. But the Genesis is an intact female, meaning she's a virgin. It's what makes her so valuable. However, she has been trained in other ways to please." She told him gently.
Lex had dismissed the other three girls and only Genesis remained. She seemed almost doll like, her green eyes devoid of any emotion as she looked back at him. A small grin spread on her pouting, pink lips and it made Negan feel uncomfortable. This was so wrong. All of it.
"Is she part of my offer?"
He asked the question but knew the answer by Lex's dumbstruck look. Her mouth dropped open slightly and slowly morphed into a knowing smile.
"Of course not! You don't just give a Genesis away!" She exclaimed.
Negan cocked an eyebrow.
"Not even for the life of your son?" He inquired, staring at her coldly.
Instantly, the mocking smile was gone and her face clouded over in masked rage. Her black eyes that had just been shining mischievously now flashed a warning. He knew he was treading on thin ground but far be it from him not to antagonize someone who felt such unadulterated self importance. She took a step closer and got up into his smirking face.
"How about I withdraw my offer completely? Instead of giving a gift, I'll have you chopped up and fed to my pigs."
Just the sound of her slightly raised voice brought the guard rushing in, his weapon aimed and readied. She didn't move, her eyes darting back and forth, searching Negan's for an answer. There was one thing for sure, she didn't see fear, only indifference. It was admirable and certainly not something she was used to. She softened her steady gaze.
"But of course you could buy her if you have enough."
Negan gave a short laugh.
"I'm a simple man, Lex. You took everything I had when I got here."
Her eyes flicked over him and she bit her lip devilishly.
"Almost everything." She drawled. "Lower your weapon, Wolf. I have yet to show our guest the rest of the compound."
The guard did as he was told and gave her a small, respectful bow, retreating back outside to his station.
"Come, there's more to see." She said and hooked her arm with his once again.
Out in the open field, the sun was beginning to set, the sky a brilliant orange cast by the fiery late summer sun. In the distance, Negan caught sight of about fifteen young men and boys. They were running military drills under the watchful supervision of a few armed soldiers, one of them carrying bullwhip. It hung at his side like a coiled snake.
"That's the military training housing. Every male in the Grove must become proficient in fighting and learn the skills of a warrior. It's there job to protect and scavenge for my kingdom. I'm proud to say most graduate and become respected members of my army." She explained.
They watched as a young boy tripped and fell as he ran the course, struggling to keep up with the older trainees. The man with the whip was on him like an angry hornet, cursing and uncoiling the insidious weapon. The sound of the braided leather whistled loudly through the air and culminated in a harsh crack against the kid's back. He let out an ear piercing scream and managed to scramble to his feet, joining the ranks of the others before another strike could be doled out.
Negan was watching Lex. She was smiling at the whole scene, enjoying what was being created. It brought him back to the days at the Sanctuary. He himself had dealt out punishments that rivaled Lex's and a pang of guilt moved through him. It wasn't that long ago that he had burnt the faces of men who had failed in his eyes. The rules had been broken and there had always been a consequence. It had worked too. How was this different than his own form of discipline, he didn't know but this seemed worse.
"And that house over there?" He asked, pointing to another longhouse.
"That's the girls housing. And when I say girls, I mean children. They reside with their mothers and the trainers I've selected to learn skills. They farm, cook and tend to the animals until their old enough to come to the house we were just in." She explained nonchalantly.
Negan raised his eyebrows.
"And these mothers are okay with this? I mean..."
Lex cut him off.
"They must agree or they get turned out. This is for the good of mankind and working against the system gets you wounded and exiled. There's nothing like a knife to the belly to get that blood trail going. The dead track them pretty quickly when they're bleeding and alone in the woods. Better to raise them while they can instead of losing it all. Wouldn't you agree?"
The more he talked to her highness, the more he realized that ice flowed through her veins. In his time as leader, there was no doubt that he was a tyrant in the fullest sense. He had people beaten and thrown into cells that offered no daylight for weeks at a time. He had persuaded wives and girlfriends to leave their mates and marry him to live in luxury and good graces. But he had never condoned rape or sold a single soul. Each and every one had been Saviors and they had been his. It had been his job to protect them by any means necessary. These people were nothing more than livestock.
By the time Lex got finished explaining the basic workings of her regime, he knew without a doubt, he had to shut this shit down. But how? He had come here to try and find Pet and so far, she was nowhere to be seen. He had no one. Maybe go back to Alexandria and tell Rick that Pet was dead and that he had stumbled across a slave trading ring? His brow furrowed. If someone had come to him with a story like that back in the day, he would never have believed it. He would have thought it was a trap.
Lex had stopped talking and it snapped him back into the moment. He managed a smile.
"So the boys are separated from the mothers immediately?" He asked.
"Of course. I certainly don't want them to be tainted by softness that only a woman could supply." Was the brief answer.
Negan's eyes traveled across the field to the last longhouse. He noticed it was much more heavily guarded than the other three and the windows were much smaller. Lex followed his line of sight.
"Ah, yes. The final one. I'd rather not show you that one but I'm see you're very curious about how everything is run." She cooed. "Let's go then."
As they approached, the soldiers parted allowing them to stand before the padlocked door.
"These are the new acquisitions. I must warn you. They are an unruly bunch." She said, her lips turned down in distaste. "They are touch and go."
Another soldier approached and unlocked the rusty metal padlock, allowing the diminished daylight to permeate the darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and see the cowering forms of a handful of women cloaked in black. They wore the same shapeless garment he had seen on the walker when he saved the prince. It was then that the same guard flicked on a large flashlight, flooding the room in a harsh, white light. Some of the hapless prisoners cowered and hugged their knees to their chests. The sound of broken cot springs was the only sound that cut the eerie silence. Then his eyes fell upon her. Pet. She was in the far corner, gagged and chained like an animal. Her green eyes widened at the sight of him and muffled cries came from the tape that had been slapped over her mouth.
"Silence!" The soldier boomed. "That one back there is biter. She damn near took Toby's thumb!"
Lex huffed.
"Not surprising. I didn't even get through her inspection before she almost lost her tongue."
It was hard for him not to laugh out loud. Of course she did, he thought. It was even more difficult to not react at all to Pet's presence. He saw her narrow her eyes dangerously, the jade irises shining like bits of green glass. She was outraged at his blatant disregard of her.
What the fuck is he doing? She thought. He had only glanced at her and turned his attention back to the Amazon who was touching his arm flirtatiously. But there was one thing she had learned over her time with Negan and that was to follow his lead in matters like this. He was up to something but for the life of her, she didn't know what or why.
"These acquisitions, as you call them, where the fuck do you get them?" Negan asked.
"Must you always curse in my presence?" Lex sighed, removing her grip on bicep. "It's very disrespectful. When we come across stragglers we pick them up."
"Well I'm sorry, your highness!" He exclaimed dramatically. "I didn't think a woman like you would be so sensitive considering how you run your show."
Lex drew back as if he had slapped her. Immediately realizing his mistake, Negan smiled broadly and brushed a lock of jet black hair behind her ear.
"Meaning, you have to be one tough bitch to run a community as rich and successful as this one."
Pet seethed as she watched the queen let out a relieved sigh and her stance became less aggressive. Was he doing this on purpose? Could it be he was trying to make her jealous when her very life was on the line? She pulled at her restraints, the metal cuffs clattering against the bed frame, calling attention back to herself. She couldn't help it.
"That one." Negan said sternly. "Is she up for the offering?"
Lex scowled, clearly shocked at the inquiry.
"Her?" She spat. "Why would you want her? She's not even up for auction yet and apparently she was a king's whore! She told me concubine but she's rather willful for one of those."
Negan hooked his thumbs in the loopholes of his jeans and rocked on his heels boyishly, biting his lip slyly.
"I personally enjoy a challenge." He informed her. "That one is rather fiery. I like that."
Lex was sincerely appalled. She had just offered him a room full of charges that were on the ready and he wanted this one? He had even shown interest the Genesis. To go from that to that was extremely puzzling.
"She's used up." She insisted, moving quickly towards Pet's worn mattress. "Just look!"
Pet shrunk away but Lex reached down and pulled up the hem of the bulky, black garment, exposing the scars that crossed her belly raggedly. The beaming flashlight exposed more than just her battle worn stomach. It illuminated the small vee of copper hair between her clamped legs. Negan chuckled to himself. She looked so inviting trussed up and helpless like that. Damn her. Even now with a risky plot forming in his head, she was still such an unrelenting distraction.
"And she wears another man's mark!" Lex said almost frantically. "Open your legs slut or I'll have one chopped off!"
Pet kept her eyes riveted on Negan as she opened them quickly and angrily, revealing the mark he had seared into her so long ago and she seethed as he flashed a knowing smile that only she saw. Lex was too busy pointing out her flaws to notice.
"And one on her neck as well!" She sniffed arrogantly.
"Well with a history like that, where will she go?" He asked.
The queen eyed Pet contemptuously and threw the hem of the garment back down in blatant disgust.
"Auction block first but not the upcoming one. Second round most likely. If she's not purchased than she can become the scavengers relief or a walker distraction." Lex informed him nonchalantly.
Both turned out to be a very grim fate. He learned that walker bait was when you were thrown out if a large group of dead approached the gate. They would be easier to pick off as they swarmed their victim. It was basically crowd control. The scavenger relief was a woman that was offered to the scavengers when they returned from a hunt, just a body to use and abuse. Very often they produced girl children to add to Lex's herd in the future and boys to grow the army.
"I want to tame her." Negan announced.
There was no hiding Lex's shock but she was intrigued nonetheless.
"What makes you think you can do it?" She asked. "I have knowledgeable trainers already."
Negan stalked over towards her slowly and stood dangerously close to her, leaning down into her face. Pet watched as the queen's demeanor turned from stone cold bitch to a startled little bird the closer he came to her. And although she was overwhelmed with feelings of jealousy, it was very satisfying to watch her highness crumble before him.
"I'm a very hard man." He murmured gruffly, biting the tip of his tongue between white teeth. "I've found I'm very successful in that area."
Lex was surprised at her own reaction as well. She had taken a full step back and averted her eyes even though it was only for a half a second. In that moment, she hated herself and wondered if allowing this stranger into her realm was the biggest mistake she made since the beginning of this new world. Quickly, she regained her composure.
"Well, I'll have to talk to Zane. He showed an interest in her. I'm convinced he coached her before her inspection. The poor bastard has a soft spot for the rejects. He owns five. I suppose that's why he makes such an excellent doctor." She explained.
Lex had retreated towards the door, suddenly uncomfortable with him standing so close to her. As they left the building, she didn't take his arm like before. There was something dangerously magnetic about this man and despite it all, she offered to show him his guest quarters, unwilling to let him go just yet. He had stood so closely to her that she swore she could still smell the heady scent of his leather jacket and the sweet red wine on his lips. Those lips. An image of them blazing a trail down her stomach flashed in her mind and she suddenly realized he was speaking to her.
"Wouldn't it make sense for me to just get her out of your hair? Why waste the time with her if you find her so worthless? I can mold her into exactly what I'm looking for. My tastes run different than most."
If that statement had meant to put her off, it was his misstep. It only made her more curious about this stranger that made her feel weaker than she ever thought possible. And why was he so interested in such a pathetic, ripped up woman?
"Your tastes?" She asked.
Negan reached down and grabbed her hand, letting his lips graze her small knuckles, sending a shock through her nervous system. She almost pulled away as if his kiss had burned her. He gave a low chuckle.
"It's not something a powerful woman like yourself would want or appreciate. So when can I meet her formally?"
"Tomorrow we'll meet with Zane." She answered coolly, even though a strange heat had crept over her. "Then I'll send for her."
Negan had to be satisfied with the final answer. When he first arrived here, he had every intention of marching in and grabbing his trouble prone Pet and be done. That had changed the moment that he had seen those women and young girls that were moved in and out like cattle in a slaughterhouse. No. He had to take this place down and he had to do it from the inside and he needed Pet to do with him. She had the unique position of being one of those unfortunate souls and it seemed she had made an ally within the hierarchy already, the little vixen. Between that and the fact that her majesty was not as strong or as smart as she thought she was, it could be done. He was sure of it. All he needed was time to melt the ice queen.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and where the story is going. I wanted to add some steam in this chapter but I wanted to delve into the heart of the Grove and its steely queen. More to come! Comments and votes are encouraged and soooo appreciated!
Xoxo Lauren