by J. C. Owens
Jaden did not struggle when it was patently useless, but he shivered with the need to protest. He clamped his lips shut against the words he longed to fling at this old nemesis and wished he was free with a weapon in hand. Remembering his strategy to be compliant, to offer himself, Jaden forced himself to relax. He was no virgin to fear what was to come. If his submission would make the emperor gentler, would lead to a chance to escape or even take revenge, then so be it.
When at last Jaden was utterly nude, the emperor made a slower circuit, this time his fingers trailing over Jaden’s pale skin. He paused briefly at each of the marks left by Mailyn’s cruelty; some were still raw and open. A silent snarl curled his lip, making Jaden lean away, shuddering. The emperor cupped Jaden’s chin in his large calloused hands as he stared intensely into Jaden’s eyes; his frown deepened. He muttered a curse under his breath, then stepped away.
With complete disregard for the men by the door, he began the arduous process of unbuttoning his ornate uniform. The soldiers immediately turned away, respect rather than the fear Jaden would have expected showing in every line of their bodies.
Jaden’s eyes widened. Despite all his determination and all his previous experiences, he felt a shiver course through him. The uniform jacket slid to the ground, revealing a white shirt tailored tightly to a well-formed torso. The emperor slowly undid each fastening, heat rising in his eyes as he watched Jaden’s expression.
The sheer possessive force in the man’s eyes spoke to something in Jaden. Jaden jerked his head back, shocked at his own thoughts. There was nothing to admire in this man, if he was even a man.
The shirt slid to the floor, the movement causing the emperor’s broad shoulders to flex. Muscle coated his chest, rippling with each motion of those powerful arms, and led down to a narrow waist and ridged stomach. Next, the emperor removed his boots with a grace Jaden could only envy. Jaden felt his breath catch as his captor’s fingers began to work on the laces of those tight breeches, then pushed the sleek silk down lean hips.
Jaden drew a deep breath. Galen—once a fellow slave and mentor in Mailyn’s harem—had been the only one to breach his body, and that had been with some small degree of caring that had grown into true friendship. This man felt none of that, and his brutality was near legendary. If Jaden’s ruse of compliance was to hold true, he would need to participate, would he not? Jaden flexed his hands helplessly in their bindings, wishing he were free of the bonds so he could offer to touch the emperor, soothe the beast. Or did his new master wish only a body, like Mailyn had?
The emperor shed the last piece of clothing, drawing Jaden’s attention back to him. The man was a gorgeous dark brown all over. Various scars served as testimony to the fact that he was as much warrior as political leader. As an example, his high-boned face, sharp and aristocratic, was marred only by that scar on his right jawline. Long black hair fell to midback, thick and lush. At the moment, his eyes were clear of the madness Jaden remembered from their previous encounter; their color fluctuated from rich mahogany to almost black as his moods shifted. He was tall and intimidating, standing almost a good foot higher than Jaden, who had never felt short amongst other men.
But it was the sheer presence of the man that intimidated the most: his cold demeanor, the sense of power that literally came off him in waves. Jaden could only stare at him as prey watches a predator, waiting for the strike yet admiring the sheer beauty of the beast. He swallowed with difficulty as his eyes fell to the emperor’s shaft, its impressive length proud and thick in its excitement, its tip already shining with moisture. Heavy balls hung low beneath it, already drawing up in anticipation of what was to come.
Oh gods… He had to convince the man to take him gently. Jaden flushed deeply and turned his face away, a mixture of anger, fear, and a certain unthinkable arousal thrumming through his veins. The emperor lowered the mechanism above his head and released his chained wrists from it, though they were still bound together.
“Come,” he ordered, and Jaden did not resist. The guards were close at hand, and resistance at this point would be foolish. He could only hope compliance would appease the man and reduce the level of whatever torture he had planned. That it would be sexual was apparent by his captor’s touches, but he could survive that. He hoped. He cast a last look over his shoulder at Rem. The boy was shaking as he watched Jaden being taken away, fearing he was next, no doubt.
The emperor led Jaden by the chain between his wrists, and as long as Jaden followed, he did nothing that could be construed as cruel. They passed within a low archway and into the bathing rooms. Moisture was heavy in the air and redolent with the scents of oils and soaps. Without pause, the emperor headed for the nearest, largest of the baths and took Jaden down the ornate marble steps that led into the steaming waters.
Jaden caught his breath at the heat of it and almost balked, but the emperor’s pull was insistent. He complied, reluctantly stepping deeper into the water. He hissed a little as the heat rose high enough to encase his balls and shaft, the sensitive skin cringing.
The middle of the bath deepened to his waist. Then as they neared the other side, the level of water went back down to his hips. Swallowing with difficulty, Jaden watched as the emperor attached his manacles to a ring and chain embedded in the ornate edging that adorned the bath.
Once assured that Jaden was properly secured, the emperor turned to him with an expression that caused Jaden to shiver. “So you are angry, little one.” A faint smile tilted the emperor’s lips, though there was little true humor in his expression. “You will learn to curb that. You will learn to obey; there is that within me that does not tolerate disobedience, rebellion. You would do well to remember that.”
His tone was disturbingly soft, but there was nothing of softness in his eyes, only a chill and brooding possession that promised pain. His fine hands traced the lines of Jaden’s face. Jaden closed his eyes in mute protest, trying to hide the hatred he knew must exist in his own expression. He shivered as the emperor’s fingers traced down his neck and circled it as though measuring him for the collar that would soon grace his throat. From there, his touch traveled down across Jaden’s collarbone, over the swell of muscles on his upper chest, then homed in on one of his nipples.
Jaden hissed as the emperor rolled and pinched the nub to the edge of pain, but he cut off abruptly when he realized he had made a sound at all. He wanted to be stoic, silent, uncaring; he wanted to offer himself only as a slave did—without emotion. If only his hatred and fear of this man were not riding him so hard. For whatever reason, whether the past or the present, without even trying, this man had the ability to pierce the shell Jaden had built around himself. Jaden felt vulnerable, exposed both mentally and physically. He had been able to be cold and withdrawn with Mailyn, but not here. Here each touch was as fire upon his flesh.
Some premonition, some instinct inside him screamed that this man had the ability to destroy him. Jaden did not understand how, but the feeling was too strong to ignore. He shuddered in denial, horrified as the sensations brought about a response in his body that he had no control over. The emperor had bent down and begun to suckle on the now reddened nub, lashing it with his tongue, then nipping it. Jaden trying to draw back from the tingling pulses that went straight to his groin, but there was nowhere to go.
A whimper built in the back of his throat; he held it in by sheer determination alone as the abused nipple began to pulse with stinging heat, the emperor’s teeth half gnawing upon it. He pulled helplessly at his bonds, then gasped as the emperor released his prize to the warm, moist air before transferring his attention to the other nipple.
Even the air seemed too harsh upon Jaden’s reddened flesh, and he tried to endure as best he could as the emperor treated his other nipple to the same intense abuse. He gritted his teeth as the suckling intensified; it was as though the man sought to draw his very essence from him.
A gasp escaped his lips as he was abruptly freed. His nipples throbbed in ti
me to his heartbeat. He could not gather strength as the emperor’s strong teeth continued to nip at his chest, leaving reddened marks everywhere. So possessive, as though claiming. If the emperor had wanted to claim him so badly, why had the he let Jaden go? Why had he allowed him to be sold?
Jaden tensed, beginning to fight his manacles as the emperor’s lips seared down his stomach. His tongue rasped over the tenderness of Jaden’s hip; then as it angled inward, a hum of anticipation escaped the emperor as he neared his prize. His large bronze hand captured Jaden’s shaft, and when Jaden tried to twist away, he squeezed harshly. Jaden froze then, half panting in fear. His eyes locked with his captor’s.
The emperor smiled again, a slow curving of lips that did nothing to reassure his captive. His brown eyes darkened nearly to black, never leaving Jaden’s mesmerized stare as he slowly slid down to kneel before him. Then he watched every nuance of Jaden’s expression as he leaned forward to take Jaden’s shaft in his mouth.
Jaden threw back his head as heat and moisture engulfed his shaft. The sensation was almost unbearable. The emperor’s powerful arm came around Jaden’s hips, holding him firmly when he would have jerked back from the far too intimate contact, and he swept his tongue around Jaden’s girth. To Jaden’s dismay, he began to harden and respond.
A sharp cry left his lips; he was beyond trying to hide what the emperor was doing to him. He began to struggle. He would not feel pleasure. This was his enemy, his—
But it was as though an iron bar held him in place. His struggles finally subsided. Shaking, he waited for the teeth to savage him, to give him pain. But the emperor was far more insidious than that. Instead, he pressed his tongue upon the underside of Jaden’s shaft, laving him from root to head before dipping the tip of his tongue delicately into the tender slit, playing at first, then delving as deeply as it could, forcing the small area open more fully.
Jaden’s eyes rolled back in his head, and his knees shook and almost buckled. A sharp keening cry left his lips as the emperor began to suckle even as his tongue continued its heavenly torment. Jaden’s shaft hardened to steel instantly and began to throb. It certainly did not seem to care who held it, only that the intense pleasure-pain continued. The emperor’s clever hand cupped Jaden’s balls, rolling them, squeezing at their base, then releasing when it became too much.
Jaden could no longer think; he was reduced to panting, heaving breaths; his body shuddered with sensation, his mind fighting. Gods no. Please no. He could not… It should not feel like this… He should not respond like this.
The emperor’s tongue retreated, instead probing under his head, circling the sensitive skin there until Jaden was ready to scream. His hips jerked abortively; then a wet finger swiftly pierced his entrance, and he came undone.
A hoarse, garbled scream tore out of his throat as he orgasmed—such an orgasm as he had never experienced before. It was like he surrendered something, some part of him flowed from his shaft into the mouth of the emperor, who accepted all he gave, drank it, stole it.
Strong arms caught him when he would have collapsed, and he found himself bent facedown on the cool marble of the side of the bath, his lower half still in the water. He lay there panting, eyes widening as he felt kisses feather over his back instead of the bites he expected. Remembering his strategy of obedience and acceptance, he spread his legs invitingly and let out a moan that was not entirely fake. It felt so good…so right in a way that made no sense. He ached, so hot he could not think. What in the hells was wrong with him? He could not even understand his own thoughts. He should be angry and afraid, feeling anything at all except need and pleasure. This man was a demon…
Jaden heard the emperor’s sharp inhalation of breath behind him, and he braced himself for that immense shaft driving deep… But again, there was no pain. The emperor instead brought a well-greased finger to Jaden’s opening and gently delved deep. Jaden’s muddled mind was intensely grateful for that small concession.
The finger withdrew and returned with a second, twisting and scissoring, preparing him for what would come. Jaden’s mind turned to mush. He did not struggle; he could only lie there shivering as the emperor prepared him like a sacrifice for the taking.
He moaned as three fingers pierced him and twisted. Then they touched something deep inside him. A shock ran through his entire body, and he cried out, keening once more, eyes blank with shock. What in the gods’ name was that? Galen had never showed him that.
The invading fingers ruthlessly returned to that spot, brushing over it, rubbing it between them, making Jaden buck helplessly. His moans and cries became louder, more desperate with each touch. Unbelievably, his shaft hardened again, bobbing in the water, its tip bumping against the marble edge of the bath.
Four fingers made him whimper with faint pain. His entrance twitched in protest, but a few strokes over that spot again had him shivering with sensations, and his body forgot to tense. He went limp when the fingers finally left, leaving him feeling peculiarly empty. When something else nudged at his opening, he arched toward it, trying to move into the impending piercing.
The emperor’s powerful hand caught his shoulder and held him firmly for what was to come. The large, blunt tip of the emperor’s shaft pressed against him, sliding a little, then centering as his entrance began to give under the pressure, reluctantly opening. Jaden held his breath, wondering what great power this man held in his very touch that made Jaden want this even though he knew what was coming. The hand held him firmly, and pressed as Jaden was to the marble, he had no recourse but to feel the intruder slowly work its way inside him. At last the head managed to pierce him. The muscles of his entrance clamped around it in protest, spasming around its sheer girth. He made a long, low sound, freezing in place, his heart pounding. Now surely the emperor would take his selfish pleasure and rip him apart…
But it was more subtle than that, apparently. The huge shaft began to inch its way inside him, pushing a little farther each time, withdrawing, then surging forward, parting him, stretching him unbelievably. His fingers clenched and unclenched helplessly as the emperor worked his huge shaft deeper and deeper into his very core. His entrance spasmed and pulsed as it was stretched ever more tightly around the massive girth until it felt like it must surely split.
Galen had been nowhere near this size, neither girth nor length. Jaden whimpered as the invasion continued on into new, virgin territory, far beyond what he had known before. It pressed over that spot, and Jaden cried out incomprehensively, his senses shooting sparks throughout his body.
The emperor paused there for a time, pulling back so the head of his shaft rubbed mercilessly over the nub, then pushing ahead, pressing it over and over until Jaden was a quivering mass of sensation. His entire body shook, his manacled hands helplessly scrabbling at the marble.
The shaft pressed deeper yet, impossibly so, so that his innards cramped and twisted in a desperate attempt to expel the intruder. When at last he felt the emperor’s large balls against his thighs, Jaden gave the faintest sob. His entrance twitched helplessly around what pierced it, stretched to its limit. He could feel the large balls pressed against him move as they pulsed and quivered in their eagerness to fill him with their contents.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to make himself believe that this was nothing more than a dream of epic proportions, but the sensations were too intense, too real to ignore as anything but the truth.
The hand at his shoulder released its almost brutal grasp, then slowly trailed down his back, tracing every muscle. He could feel the emperor slowly straighten, could almost feel those intense eyes hungrily drink in the sight of where he was joined with Jaden, viewing his own handiwork.
The first true thrust made Jaden grunt and try to twist away, but as the rhythm began to settle into something slow but deep, he could only gasp. His endurance faltered as the emperor changed his angle, mercilessly brushing over that spot within Jaden. Jaden literally saw stars; his body trembled. Everything w
as forgotten, and his compliance became true want. There was only sensation, and after a while—to his complete horror—he found himself thrusting back, trying to gain more. He tried to stop, but it was like his body had taken control of his mind. It wanted what it was being given. It wanted more—more pressure, more heat.
Even then, some part of him might have still resisted if the emperor had not reached down to his shaft, half-hard as it was, and began to stroke it hard and fast in tune with his thrusts. Jaden shuddered, his mouth opening in a soundless cry and his body arching. His shaft became hard enough to hurt. He twisted in his bonds, unbelievably desperate for a second completion. He vaguely heard a voice pleading for release—a breathless, needy cry that surely could not be him…
The shaft within him pounded harder, faster. The hand on him tightened. Then he plunged over the edge with a scream, vaguely feeling the sensation of hot cum flooding deep within him as the emperor plunged into his depths a final time. The hot spear of flesh within him pulsing…
Jaden’s world slipped into darkness—a blessed relief after overwhelming sensation.
Chapter Three
Jaden woke to such heavenly softness that he lay still for long moments, tired mind unable to process the how and why of such luxury beneath his body. Never in his life had he felt anything like it. It took time for him to realize it was real, not a figment of his imagination.
When he finally came to that conclusion, it was swiftly followed by fear as his wits sharpened and memories of the night before came to the fore. His whole body stiffened, and he lay motionless, listening intently to his surroundings.
He heard the sound of birds to his right and a soft, gentle sound of fabric brushing over something. At first he assumed a person was nearby, but the sound seemed too random for that. At last he cracked his eyes open, wary and ready for anything. He hurriedly scanned his surroundings.