The Unsuitable Slave. (NC-17) Part 13/34
“Just shush and come.” Jensen tugged Jared by his hand into the wide, stone hallway.
You want me to accompany you, outside your room? I’m naked.”
“Of course! How else would a Court Slave be?”
“Anyone can see me. All of me.” Jared was blushing a deep shade of rose.
“I thought you wanted to be seen.” Jensen was still holding his hand, pulling him across cool slabs and past burning torches. “ If you want to make me happy you will have to know this route, and learn to play Cookie and you will be doing it naked, just like any other Court Slave. I want to show you off. You’re beautiful. Do you blame me?”
"It’s just difficult. ”
“It’s normal. Remember they see you, not your nakedness. You’d get more glances if you were dressed. There is nobody, within these walls, who would dare to leer at the Prince’s property. Besides, it’s too early to come across many folk and you need to get used to it.” Jensen shook his head and continued under his breath, “Preferably before Noon.”
Jared’s hearing was sharp. “Jensen. Why before Noon?” He had stopped following, despite the pressure on his hand, and was looking wide-eyed at his Master.
“Can we not do this here?”
“Do what, Jensen?”
There was the heavy footfall of booted feet. Jensen swung Jared about and pushed him against the wall, crowding into his side, fixing his arms above his head and kicking his legs apart, creating a vulnerable and open tableau. He nipped on the flesh just below his collar and growled into his ear, “Create a scene.”
The footfall lost rhythm for a moment and resumed again as a sentry passed them by, with no more than an uncomplicated smile and an acknowledgement. “Fine morning, Sire.”
“Indeed Hawkins. Beautiful weather.” Jensen smiled against Jared’s flesh and leaned his forehead to the younger man’s brow. “See, normal!”
Jared’s breath had quickened, the cold stone chilled his back, the grip on his wrists was bruising and he could feel the bitten flesh of his neck. He felt exposed and yet his flesh was reacting with a thrill of blood to his groin. His cock twitched and began to swell. Shame burned within him and he squirmed. “Please,” he begged.
Jensen glanced downward and licked his lips. “Oh, so, that is unexpected.” He raised his eyebrows and pushed away from the brunette. “I forget your youthful hormones,” his voice continued, low and gravelly, “We shall need to address some of those issues.” He grabbed at Jared's hand and resumed his rapid pace along the hallways and down steep, spiraling stairways, dragging the bewildered slave in his wake.
***
The kitchens bustled with activity. A gigantic fire roared and spat in a smooth-worn hearth. Servants and slaves chopped, stirred and scrubbed without a single glance to their visitors.
“Jensen! Oh my! What is it you bring with you?” Jared felt the loss of his Master’s hand as the Prince was enveloped by a petite but enthusiastic woman. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun and she wore a flour-dusty overall upon a grey gown. Her brown eyes sparkled as she hugged the green eyed warrior.
He patted his tunic as they parted and puffs of the white dust became airborne. “Cookie, this is Child.” He gestured to the woman and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Child, this is Cookie. She has the most important task of the entire Kingdom. She directs our kitchens and ensures that our stomachs never go empty.”
His slave hung back, motionless and silent.
“You are allowed to say hello,” prompted Jensen.
“Sorry.” Jared remembered his place, bowed his head and sunk to his knees, “I beg forgiveness, Ma’am.” It occurred to him that he had not asked how he should greet servants and nobody had suggested he may need to. Familiar butterflies danced in his decidedly empty, belly. It growled with hunger and he bowed his head lower with embarrassment.
“Well that is quite the strangest hello I have ever had. Jensen, have it off its knees, it looks quite weak with hunger. I do not recall sending additional portions to your rooms. Have you been feeding it? Boy, you are not too old to be refused dessert if you have been starving it.”
He clicked his fingers and Jared stood again but did not raise his eyes. “Cookie, would I do that? But you are right, we are ravenous and we are growing lads. Surely you would not have us wait for a little nutrition.” Jensen's voice was honey and his face, gentle persuasion.
Her fingers chucked Jared under the chin. Her expression was gentle and compassionate. “Well, there was a rumor. It is certainly different, Jensen. It has beautiful coloring and eyes. Has it been taught anything?”
Jensen shrugged sheepishly and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Child. Rules of the kitchen; Please do not kneel, nobody wishes to spill a full dish or kettle tripping over you. My name is Cookie and I will not be fawned over or bowed to, but I should like it if you would relax and speak with me. I will have respect and cleanliness in my kitchen and you will not take anything without my permission.” She leaned sideways to whack a spoon against Jensen’s hand as it strayed toward a bowl of fruit. “My rules apply equally to your Master. I suspect he will attempt to use your sweetness to charm me into parting with food not meant for his table. Take my word for it, he will not succeed.” Her lips made a thin line but the lines around her eyes crinkled and the faint impression of dimples showed. “There is a pot to the left of the fire which is always bubbling. It is provided to ensure no slave is hungry. In the morning there is oatmeal and throughout the day it is filled with soup. You are welcome to help yourself, at any time, assuming your Master is agreeable. It is not for his use.” She leaned in to speak to him, a smile playing on her lips, laughter in her voice. “Shockingly, it is not unknown for Jensen be witnessed stealing from the pot. Of course, I am sure you will never knowingly connive to take a portion for him.”
Jared was certain she was teasing but remained unsure how to react to her words.
“Come now Cookie! Child cares for me. It would be rude of me to refuse if he wished to share with me.” Jensen snaked a hand around her waist. “Now, you can see how weak we are from hunger and Child has never witnessed your brilliance with bacon, eggs and pancakes. It would be criminal if he did not get the chance to taste such a thing when he is new and lost in this place. Of course it would make him uncomfortable to eat on his own, so I should accompany him.” He batted his eyelashes and pouted prettily.
She put her hands on her hips and sighed heavily. “Prince Jensen you are an irredeemable rascal.” She herded them to a cool corner where a rough wooden table was surrounded with stools. “Child, fetch two bowls of oatmeal. There are cups on that counter and juice beside them. That should suffice while you wait.”
Jared placed the bowls and cups on the table and remembering the rule of not kneeling in the kitchen he sat timidly on one of the stools. Jensen pushed a bowl and cup to him. “It is for you. It must have been hard not to eat for so long. You didn’t mention it at all, even when your stomach was noisy in complaint. You did well.”
“Do you often eat like this?” Jared was amazed at the informality.
Jensen emptied his spoonful, swallowed and grinned, “If I could, I would do it all the time. There is a good class of company to be had and the food is so much fresher without the fuss of a set table. Besides this hour of dawn is too early for most. Surely you are used to sneaking to the kitchen to eat? It is the center of any household.”
Jared was a little lost. “Only servants entered the kitchens. Our mealtimes were set, with prayers in the main dining hall.” He changed the subject. “What game is it that I must play with Cookie?”
Jensen choked on his juice. “Sh. Keep your voice down. I said play Cookie, you know, to get the best from her, as I just have.”
“It’s funny,” Jared started, then fell silent.
“What is?”
“All of this, your lifestyle, it’s nothing like I imagined.”
“Whatever did you imagine? Banqueting tables with babies for dinner? An entertaining beheading during an entrée of slave’s toes?” the voice boomed behind him and Jared almost fell from his perch with surprise. He looked to Jensen for instruction but found none.
“Joshua. Surely you are not here to steal pancakes and bacon.”
“I surely am.” The King slid onto a stool beside Jared, who looked again to his Master, but he was launching into a litany of reasons why Joshua should not be entitled to the same perks as himself. Jared decided to busy himself and fetch oatmeal and juice for the King. He placed it in front of him and sat again, attempting to be invisible in his deed.
“Jensen. Your slave just served me oatmeal from the pot. Whatever have you been teaching it?”
Jensen beamed around his spoon. “Don’t pretend you don’t love it Josh.” Joshua dug his spoon in and ate enthusiastically.
Cookie leaned across with three plates, piled high with pancakes, syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs. She spoke to the King, “I knew you couldn’t stay away.”
He grabbed her waist in the same way as Jensen had. “What would we do without you, Cookie?”
“Starve, or banquet on babies,” she quipped, unhanding herself to hurry back to her tasks.
Jared stared at his plate and glanced again to Jensen but he was busy chasing egg onto his pancake and savoring the combination. Joshua unexpectedly came to his aid “If your Master has acquired food for you Child, it would be rude of you not to enjoy it.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, it looks delicious.” He didn’t waste any time in wielding his cutlery to take a bite.”
“Jensen, I hope you will be ready for the memorial ceremony in plenty of time. You should get your slave a black collar. Not a formal collar yet, but a black one for now. I have placed you with Mackenzie and Ethan, their slaves should be able to keep this one straight without it being too obvious.”
“I do not need him to accompany me, Joshua.”
“It.”
“I said ‘him’ Joshua. I may have given in to pressure and acquired a slave but I have decided I will not use the term ‘it’. He is a person and I refuse.”
“You will set a precedent.”
“What would be so terrible about that?”
Jared kept his gaze on the table and continued eating.
“We cannot flout tradition right now. We need all the support we can get.”
“That includes the support of our slaves Joshua. It is such a small concession, who is going to notice? Nobody expects any more from me. As you say, you need me to think differently, so suck it up and let me.”
Joshua wiped the syrup from his lips and rubbed his stomach. “Alright little brother, but he will accompany you today. It is advantageous for the crowds to witness a former soldier of the Realm, subdued, at your heel. It sends the right message.”
Jared was glad he had almost finished his food. It fell heavily to the base of his stomach and mixed with the bile that was trying to fight its way back up his throat.
***
He dropped the bottle of oil and flailed as he grabbed a cloth to wipe it. He dropped the cloth and fumbled as he tried to put the stopper back into the vial. Jensen observed him from the comfort of his bath. “Jared, what the devil has got into you?”
He turned too quickly and slipped on the oily patch, bumping uncomfortably to the floor. “Sorry. M’sorry.”
“Stop saying that. Come here. Are you hurt?”
“M’fine, Jensen. Thank you.”
“Get in the bath with me Jared. Need to wash that oil off, ease the bruises. Maybe we both need to relax a little.” He spoke in a deep drawl as he let his eyes wander over every part of his slave’s body.
Jensen spread his legs wide and had the younger man slide into the water between his muscular thighs, his back pressed against him. The water surged and rippled, then settled, covering them with its silken warmth and zesty fragrance. Jared felt strong fingers reach into his hair and stroke through it. Another hand reached under his arm and secured him while tracing fingers over his breast and toying with his nipples. Jared’s breath hitched and his head fell back to Jensen’s shoulder. There was a puff of hot breath on his ear as the older man started to speak. “You are panicking like a fox who has scented hounds. Is this about the memorial? Are you planning an escape?”
Jared’s heart started to hammer at an unruly pace. He couldn’t pretend he hadn’t thought on it. From the moment Joshua mentioned the event and his purpose in forcing Jared to attend, he had been an emotional mess. He wanted to run away, get as far from this place as possible. Images of massed crowds clawed memories, screeching and vivid, from another time and place. He had seen crowds of hate, knew their savagery and had watched for his education, with hidden horror, as they stoned convicted deviants to their death. What would the mourning throng want to do to a soldier of the Realm who had been at De’ith? “Will you keep me with you, on my leash?” he murmured.
“It is a formal occasion. The purpose is to see you submit willingly and gracefully, with nothing to hide from the Kingdom and your Master. You will recall your training and do it properly, without ties.”
Jared was devastated. It was too much to be seen in this way, hated, naked and leered at in his enforced obedience. Without firm restraint he could not imagine a way in which he would have the courage to stand and not run. Every scenario he played out in his mind ended badly, he would run, he would be caught and punished or torn apart in the mass by a multitude of hands.
The hand ceased its game with his nipple and stilled, steady and flat over his drumming heart. “You know I will not let you. I will not allow you to destroy yourself and take us with you. Even if you found a way to escape and they welcomed you home, do you think you could spend a lifetime hiding what you are, dying inside over time? I would rather have you die quick at my own hand.”
“I know nothing.”
The laugh was bitter. “You do not deny it. I should expect it but I hoped for more, your own words made me think there was a chance for us. Inside that quiet boy you have been a firebrand from the very start.” His voice quietened and he sounded sad. “You know more than you understand, Child. Do not force my actions. I think it might break my heart.”
Jared closed his eyes and forced breath. He did not reply. Jensen’s hand resumed a steady motion over his chest and his lips peppered kisses to the back of his neck as he whispered, “Can we at least have this?”
Every kiss, each touch, sensitized his skin, sent a flare and a crackle through his nerves, thrummed through the flow of his blood and he moaned. There was a sharp nip and suck to his earlobe and his hips snapped upwards involuntarily, sending waves of water slapping against the marble edge. As he sank back into the firm body that supported him, he felt the thick, hard warmth of Jensen’s swollen member pushing into the base of his spine. “Mmm. I’m going to take that as yes. Is it a yes?”
There was no reply. The man had been frank about the extent of his care for him. There was no loyalty to his slave aside from promise of a fast demise. Jared’s body was betraying him. He did not want to acknowledge it but the slick, plump lips were there again, pressing hot onto his ear and Jared fought not to squirm. He needed his Master to believe in him. He was on the edge of a precipice, staring at a void and he knew he would step into it, fall into him. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” he repeated on the exhalation of his heated breath.
“Have you ever tasted a man? Taken his dick in your mouth, licked and sucked on him, swallowed him down and savored him?”
Brunette hair swished in the rippling water as he shook his head and his hips ground uselessly through smooth liquid. His erection curled to his stomach and his hand sliced water to reach it. Quick reaction pushed it away as his master snarled at him, “Not yours. Didn’t say you could. Have to earn it.” Then it was back to honey drawl and sinful words, “So pure, so innocent, have you even thought on it, stroked yourself and imagined the feel of forbidden skin on the tip of that thick, wet tongue? Did you ever think that a man could fuck into your throat and you would be as accommodating, as hot and tight as any slut’s cunt?”
He had not. He had never imagined such vice. He had looked at men, eyed their form and jerked off hastily in his bed to the image of hard lines, firm thighs and firm dick but he could not have envisaged the veniality of actions that could be performed. Until Jensen had taken him by force he had no concept that such deviant coupling was even possible. It simultaneously horrified and excited him. He was pushed forward as Jensen flipped himself onto the side of the sunken tub. Jared made to follow him, aware that he should be providing warm towels.
“No!” The older man spread his legs into a wide vee and beckoned him forward with the crook of his finger until he knelt upright in the swaying waves, his face level with the thick length of his Master’s upright sex. Jensen took his hands in his own and placed them on his hips. “Hold onto me. Now just use that beautiful mouth.” Hands tangled into his damp hair and pulled him forward. His eyelids fluttered closed and the hands tugged and pulled his face upwards. “No. I want you to look at me. I want you to see what you do to me.” He stared into the chiseled face, opened his lips and wet them nervously before extending his tongue and licking a tentative stripe up the length of the magnificent cock in front of him. It was soft and warm, it smelled of lime and Jensen.
Droplets of warm water tickled his tongue as they slid into his mouth. He felt the length twitch and throb as he took another swipe and ended in a circular motion about the tip. It wasn’t unpleasant and he felt the sensation in his mouth travel to the very curl of his toes and pulse in his groin. “Now suck on the tip. I will whip you if you bite.” There it was, the jarring evidence of mistrust, and he knew it wasn’t right, he should not continue but he could not stop. His lips closed around the bulbous head and he stared upward, an image of lost innocence, the hazel of his eyes blackening as his pupils grew. His tongue swiped across the tip and swirled into the slit. A burst of bitter salt exploded on his tongue as pre-come seeped onto him.
Jensen threw his head back and moaned. “Now take it all. Suck it down.” Jared felt pressure on his scalp as his head was manipulated. He wet his lips and slid down the length. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked. He gagged as the tip met the roof of his throat and the pressure eased as he rolled his lips back up, trailing a sloppy tongue in its wake, dipping back in for another taste of clear fluid. Hips ground helplessly toward him as Jared watched green eyes disappear under the flutter of long lashes. A red flush blossomed below tan freckles and lips formed soundless words and explosive groans. Fingers tugged sharply at his skull and forced an ever deepening rhythm. Jared gagged and choked as the cock rammed deep into the tightness of his throat, stretching and burning the soft tissue, but even as he fought to breathe, water slapped at his skin in time with the fruitless grinding of his own hips. Jensen came undone with a shout of his name and a final deep thrust, spilling hot liquid down the confines of his throat and thrusting raggedly to drain evey drop. He finally registered the panicking fingers bruising his hips, his slave gripping him as he struggled for air with darkness threatening to consume him. Jensen pulled out, panting and flushed and his slave screwed his face up and gagged with the lingering bitter saltiness and musk.
He wiped the tears of his breathlessness into the fresh bathwater, swallowed saliva over his hoarse throat and mused on the mistrust. He remembered his place,“Thank you, Master.”
Gentle hands cradled his face, smoothed his cheek and forced his attention. “You don’t have to thank me.”
Jared blinked and remained quiet.
Jensen considered the hazel orbs that could not look him straight in the face. “You are an expert at speaking with silence, Child.” He slipped back into the cooling water and manhandled Jared to his former position at the side of the tub. “Will you trust me any better?”
Jared shivered as he felt the air on his skin and gravity forced water from him in rivulets. The shivers were replaced with warm tremors of piercing sensation as the slick, velvet heat of Jensen’s mouth swallowed his cock and sucked expertly. Hands kneaded the inside of his thighs and rubbed into the crack of his ass, parting the globes and caressing them as a long tongue licked and slurped wetly along his length. His nails scraped on the hard floor as his fingertips clenched and scrabbled for purchase. All sensibility and self consciousness left him as he gave into erotic heat. He whimpered, purred and screamed as he carelessly fucked into the soft, willing cavern . The orgasm that burst and filled Jensen’s mouth, ripped through Jared’s lungs, his heart, his every fiber and he collapsed senseless into the Master he could neither trust nor resist.
Jensen pulled him back into the water with an enthusiastic splash and water spilled and crept across the floor in shiny streams. He licked white flecks of fluid from his lips and smirked. “So you hated that then.” He grasped at the damp collar and pulled Jared’s lips to his own. He kissed him deep, sharing his seed with him and licking into every corner of his mouth, as if he were trying to reach in to his very soul. When they finally parted with a wet smack of their lips it was Jared that chased Jensen’s mouth in regret of it ending.
“We should probably get clean and then you can dress me.” Jensen switched to practical matters in a moment while his slave’s head swam in the aftermath of discovery, guilt and uncertainty.
***
A crash and bang at the door signaled the tempestuous arrival of Jensen’s disheveled Captain. He was swearing at a boy who he encouraged to follow him with a tug to his richly decorated, silk shirt. He kicked the door shut behind him. “A little help here, Genius.” The boy wriggled and his shirt tore, Jensen startled into action. With a quick sidestep, he had the lad, panting and defiant, in his grip.
“You’d think we’d get some gratitude. Little git bit me.” Captain Beaver extended his hand to demonstrate the bloody, round, mark on his hand.
Jensen looked between the frail-looking dark haired boy and the stocky, grizzled Captain. His eyes sparkled and he started to laugh, his body shaking with mirth. “Have you seen the state of you James?” He knelt by the child and his laughter stopped. “I’m assuming this huge monster of a warrior bested my most fearsome soldier. He must be very brave.”
The boy sniffed and Jensen touched his cheek gently. Jared could see the lad’s eyes were rubbed sore and tear tracks stained his cheeks.
The Commander looked to his Captain, he narrowed his gaze, became dangerous authority and angry seniority, “Why the moons are you here? Why is he here? You had your orders Captain.”
Captain Beaver flushed deep beetroot and looked about to explode with fury. He strode across the room with purpose, pulled the boy from Jensen’s arms and threw him at Jared. “Hold him, Child. Do not let him go. You don’t speak to him.” He glared at the boy and pointed to Jared. “There’s no point in harming him, he’s just a slave. YOU don’t speak to him.” The whiskered man was inches from Jensen now, chest to chest, fists rising. He unclenched them long enough to push his Commander forcefully toward the study. “We talk, NOW.”
The lad was quiet and compliant in his arms until the moment the study door slammed, then his boot found Jared’s bare foot with a vicious downward stamp and he ran for the exit. Jared was faster. He caught him in a long armed hug, fell to the floor with him and hung on until the struggles ceased and tears fell. The boy curled into his arms, his chest heaving and nose snotty. He finally risked a glance at his strange, naked captor. “You haven’t got any clothes on, did you sin?” the boy said with a curious tilt of his head.
Jared nodded his reply to the first part before he listened to the question. He wasn’t sure how to answer that, he simply nodded again. He thought it was probably true. He had instructions not to speak but he didn’t think nodding was included. For that matter, the instruction hadn’t been given by his Master, so he wasn’t sure it counted at all.
The boy straightened a little, looked to him and considered him further. “Are you really a slave?” and his world jolted sideways once more. Not by the question, but by the language of the Realm, tripping so easily from the youngster’s tongue and the familiarity of face. Jared thought he would be ten now. He would have been a mere toddler when they met, but the faint Northern accent, the manner of dress and the predisposition to his father’s features made Jared sure of his assessment.
He had to ask, “Colin of Ford?”
Wide hazel eyes turned to stare up at him. “You know my name. Are you a kidnapper too? Can slaves be kidnappers?”
“I’m not a kidnapper. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“We can escape together.” The boy stated hopefully.
“We wouldn’t get very far. Have they hurt you? I don’t think they’d harm you.”
The boy screwed his nose up and considered the question. “No, I’m not surprised they are running from Pa’s army, they’re not fierce at all. The whiskery one is funny. They’re not like the magistrate’s men who came to get me. Pa was real mad with them.” He changed the subject abruptly. “We shouldn’t talk. Disobedience is a sin.” His eyes started to fill with tears and he trembled, “And I don’t want too be taught bad sin again.”
They stayed on the floor. The small, tousled head rested against his chest and Earl Ford’s son closed his eyes. He looked exhausted. When the Prince and his Captain emerged from the study the boy was asleep. Captain Beaver lifted him without an interruption to his snores.
“Make sure you are prepared, I will return before eleven.” Jensen studied his slave’s face. “Keep your judgement to yourself and have your cuffs on but not secured.”
***
He tried not to dwell on the implications of a Captain of the Kingdom being there with the offspring of one of the most powerful men in the Realm. Taking Colin Ford would not force negotiation. It would bring down fire and retribution of the worst kind, and Jensen deserved it because, however critical a battle, the kidnap of a child was the lowest act. Jared sighed. Every time he thought he understood his Master, may even grow to care for him, there came another revelation, a facet that threw him off guard again.
Jared had barely placed the cuffs when Jensen returned. “Get on the bed.” The words were brusque and he didn’t look at his slave.
Jared was confused. “Jensen, the memorial is at Noon.”
“Don’t tell me my business. We can do this with you secured to the bench, or you can lie on the damn bed.”
He flinched. He never wanted to feel the bench beneath him again. He knew better than to ask what he had done or refuse a command. He sat on the bed.
“Lie down, on your back. Hands to the corners” Jared wriggled to the center of the bed, he heard the rattle of chains being attached to the iron bedposts. Jensen kneeled over him and secured his wrists tightly. “Stop panicking. Now your ankles,” He spread them wide and heard the click of the lock. “Try to move.” The chain rattled as he tried to wriggle from his spread-eagle position but he was fixed tightly. “Good boy.”
There was the scrape of the door opening, the click of claws on the floor and the eager yip of a hound. He twisted his head as a middle-aged man came into view with a tall hunting dog by his side. The dog drooled and snarled, revealing healthy teeth. Jared tugged on his chains but he knew they wouldn’t give. He was beginning to sweat. He knew the dog would smell his fear but couldn’t prevent it.
Jensen spoke sternly to him from a distance. “Hey. Stay still. Relax. I thought you liked dogs. He’s just getting to know you.” The dog handler pulled on its lead, gave a command and a cold nose snuffled over his arm. Jared left his hands open as it licked at his fingers then stood two legged against the bed to drool, sniff and lick at his face, his body, his crotch and his toes. Jensen moved in, he placed a hand on his chest and another brushed softly on his hair “Not going to hurt you. Just let him.” It didn’t stop Jared's nerves jangling and his chest tightening.
When the dog was pulled away, Jensen’s hands reached to the back of Jared's neck and stroked his hair from the still damp collar. He heard the snick of the lock opening and Jensen eased it from his neck, massaging the skin where it had lain. His Master passed it to the dog handler who placed it into a canvas bag on his belt. “That should be sufficient, yes?”
“It will be plenty.”
The handler bowed as he exited with his hound and then Jensen was straddled atop of him, hand soft on his cheek, lips sliding wet against his mouth, tongue licking into him. Jared obediently let him in, but anger still coursed in him and he would not respond. His Master stilled and drew back. “You’re angry with me. Do you know the child? Answer me.”
He nodded, sparks of ire in his eyes. “He is the Earl of Ford’s son.”
“Does he know you?”
“No.”
“Good. Understand that it is not something I will discuss with you. I am not in the mood for your temper. One child is quite enough to deal with for the day. Now listen very, very, carefully, Jared. Nobody is to find out the boy was here. Not Mackenzie, not Ethan, not even Joshua and certainly not Alona. I will not hesitate to put you back on the bench if you betray me in this.”
Jared’s mouth was dry and his head was starting to ache. He remembered Joshua’s words and he did not want to consider the consequences of being caught between the brothers. Jensen drew his legs up and got off the bed. “I have little time to ready you for public. I will not hurt you, but you are going to have to trust me and do what you’re told. I don’t want this any more than you do, but together we will do it right.”
He brought bowls of warm water from the bathing room and set them on a table with clean cloths and a jar of thick oil. He reached to the dresser and pulled down several boxes. He opened the first to reveal a strip of shining black leather, set with jet. His hands were gentle and he caressed the soft skin of his slave’s throat as he positioned the collar carefully and locked it in place. “There. Your old collar is with the hounds. The dog that scented you is the best of the pack and the rest are well trained. If you run, they will be set after you. Have you seen a pack take down a stag, Jared?”
Jared swallowed, wide eyed.
“Good. I don’t want to lose you and I don’t think you want to die like that.” He leaned down and kissed Jared’s brow before producing the gag with the ball and forcing his mouth apart with finger and thumb. He slipped the ball behind his teeth and secured the strap efficiently. “This is not going to hurt. I promise. Try not to panic or cry, relaxed is far easier. You look beautiful Child. I don’t want you to have teary eyes and tangled hair."
He opened a smaller box and withdrew a tapered metal rod of about four inches with rounded bumps on its length and a jeweled ring at the top which fixed to a tiny jeweled cuff. He showed it to the brunette. “Decorative and functional.” he quipped.
It was an exquisite piece but Jared had never seen anything like it. He was still trying to make out its function when he felt the cold slide of oil on the head of his cock. “Sshh.” Jensen took his flaccid penis carefully between his fingers working oil into the hole and, with sickening realization, Jared knew how the jewellery would be worn. He whined behind the gag and clenched all his muscles against the restraints.
“Hey.” An oily hand reached to massage his chest and stomach. “It’s safe. Don’t think about it. It’s going to be fine. You know one day, when we have more time, we’ll get to play with this. You’ll be begging me for it.” His lips quirked suggestively but his focus stayed on the task, “for now its best if you’re not enjoying it.” Jensen oiled the rod and gently drew the hole of his penis apart. Jared felt a cold metal push and a burn as Jensen worked it in. “Breathe deep, in…now out, think of clouds or puppies or something.”
His flesh gave way and he felt the slide of cold intrusion, an uncomfortable friction and impossible fullness inside his cock. Just when he thought it was over Jensen adjusted the angle and gravity forced the metal further, Jared’s hands bunched and strained, the pain and discomfort of being filled so intimately, was almost unbearable. Then his hands flexed and his whole body strained off the mattress, as a spasm of pure arousal shivered all the way up his body and burst brightly into his consciousness. He squeaked into the ball as his body tried to thrash against his ties. He felt blood rush as his dick twitched and hardened.
“Oh no, not all the way Child, half way is about right.”
He drew breath and held it as Jensen’s fingers nimbly secured the cuff around the base of his glans and Jared discovered the agony of needle sharp extrusions that clutched into the soft flesh as it swelled. His erection subsided with the pain but the plug kept it from its natural state, he breathed in only for the sweet sensation of arousal to hit the base of his brain once more and there it was again, a needles sharp shock. It was unspeakably wonderful and yet the worst pain imaginable. Jared had been a quiet child but he had never learned to sit still. At that moment he wanted to be a statue, to be made of stone, both motionless and emotionless.
“You’ll learn to control it. For now, you have to cope, just for a while.” Jensen licked his lips and when he spoke again it was with a thick, lusty voice, “So sexy. You’ll have to think of a way for me to reward you for this. For now you’re killing me.” He pushed himself away and Jared could see the telltale bulge of in his pants. Jensen adjusted them, shook his head and opened another box. “This is simple enough.” He held up a decorative ankle cuff with a chain and toe ring. Tiny keys locked both cuffs. Embedded within the toe ring was a short jagged blade. Jensen took his slave's foot and fitted it carefully, adjusting the ring and chain with precision. Jared was surprised that he felt no pain. He listened as he was given explanation. “While you walk correctly, the pin is simply a distraction. You will barely feel it. Try to place full weight on your foot, as you would when running, it will produce a nasty gash and ensure the cut stays open every step you take. It is not enough to do great harm but it will slow you down and provide a blood trail to follow. Are you with me?”
Jared blinked his understanding through teary eyes and Jensen pressed a cloth to them. “There. I knew you wouldn’t cry. Good boy.” He unstrapped the gag and pulled the ball out with a gentle kiss to the side of Jared’s mouth. Jared turned his face away and Jensen did not censure him.
“Alright. Let me give you a hand up. It may be a little uncomfortable at first.” The cuffs were stacked on the dresser and Jensen took one hand and the other supported his back, rubbing gentle circles between his shoulders. A jolt of pleasure-pain climbed under Jared’s skin and crawled there. He winced and hissed. Jensen was putting pressure on his back, “Now get up. You have to do better than this Jared. I know you can.”
The slave grabbed at Jensen’s shirt. He felt as if he might crack open and apart at any moment. Every pore, every fiber of him was tingling and his flesh was trying to crawl out of his skin. “Please, please don’t make me do this Jensen. I can’t. You have to take it away. I can’t go out there.” He was begging. It was degrading and cowardly and he didn’t know what mercy he was most needy for.
There was a fleeting moment when Jensen’s face softened with a hint of regret or concern but his features smoothed and hardened. “Sort yourself out and stand upright. There are far worse things on the battlefield. You’ll not be the only decorated slave and I won’t have you let yourself down."
He put his hands on Jared’s waist and pulled him to his chest. There was the faintest touch of fabric against his plugged cock and Jared threw back his neck and moaned before biting at his lip with a faint hiss of pain. Jensen cupped his slave’s face and rubbed his thumb slowly over his cheek, finally his lips turned down and wavered, the lines on his face deepened and his eyes watered. “I don’t know how to do this without you, Jared, I need you and this is the way it’s done. This is the way it’s always been done.” He tugged his hand and pulled him to the bay window. Jared followed without thought and stepped back, in shock, at the sight.
Thousands crowded the street and square below. A sea of silent mourners stood patiently. They were black clad, with flowers pinned or sewn as decoration, on their dark attire, sometimes just the one, others two or three. All colors and varieties, wild flowers and lilies, scented and unscented. All made a blaze of color on a black background. Jensen’s voice rasped as he explained “Each flower represents the life of a person who was lost and the hope that their spirit can bring us a brighter future.”
There were so many flowers, so much hope represented in them. The urgency of Jared’s own anguish diminished as he started to comprehend the scale of loss and need for assurance.
“Why are those people separated from the rest of the crowd?” Jared pointed to a sizeable area of the square that was cordoned off with rope.
“They have come from the Realm to mourn their own, or mourn with us. We do not require answers of them, only respect.”
“How can you do that? That has to be madness. There will be bloodshed.”
Jensen shrugged, “It has always been that way. There are many with family in tenure or who choose to stay as free citizens. The Realm may have closed its border but we have never closed ours to any. Many of your former kinsmen have been lost. Their families need to grieve and you do your own people a disservice by doubting them. The ordinary citizens are good people. They have never treated our kindness with disrespect or conflict.”
It was as if Jared was seeing Jensen for the first time. Here was a man who had stood and watched family, friends and kinsmen die brutally at the hands of the Realm, who was on the brink of seeing everything he knew and loved wiped out, but had somehow never forgotten that everyone a nation represents is an individual, capable of their own thoughts, love and actions. He had probably made mistakes. He had certainly killed and maimed, kidnapped and stolen but even now, when all sense suggested he would be bitter and malicious, he saw the best in the citizens of a Realm who would destroy him.
Jared forced himself to calm. He had military training and he should use it. He visualized his sensations, he put his pain in a bottle and he saw himself capping it (and if that wasn’t a hell of an analogy, he thought wryly). He remembered the blade beneath his toe and he stepped, with poise, into Jensen’s space. He cautiously reached his hand to the freckled face and rubbed his finger on the plump, pink lips. There are freckles even here, thought Jared. He loved that there were freckles everywhere. “Can I kiss you?”
The only reply was the urgent crash of wet lips against his and the swipe of a tongue. The kiss was harsh and needy and over too quickly. Jared kept his body apart, scared to jolt any part of the jewellery that tortured him. He spoke while he still had his resolve. “We should go now. We don’t want to be late.”
“Hang on. I thought if I wore a long cape, well, I know it looks affected but it will give you some cover.” He swung a long formal cape across his shoulders and fixed the strap with a scowl. “I look like a Dandy, so we can be mortified together. When we stop and you kneel, I want you to take position behind me and only just to the left. You may rest your forehead on the back of my leg if you wish contact.”
“Is that what you wish? Do you need contact?” Jared asked quietly.
“Yes. More than anything.” Jensen reached for his hand and Jared took it and squeezed reassuringly.
“Then of course I shall, Master.” He smiled shyly to indicate the deliberate use of the affectation. Jared ran his hands through his hair and made sure his collar was straight. He focused on every instruction Alona had given him and placed his feet correctly. He relaxed his hands and fixed his gaze just below his Master’s. “Ready.”
“Good boy.” Jensen opened the door to the hallway circled his hand to indicate left heel. Jared took the position with a self-conscious grace. If there was the occasional wince or hiss of pain he ensured it was not obvious.
Masterpost
Part Fourteen