by J. C. Owens
To his confusion and surprise, he found himself missing the warmth of the other man. He missed his touches—not necessarily the sexual ones, but the touches when his master would hold him and stroke him into sleep. Jaden had never known such gentleness in his life, and his mind craved the closeness of another.
It was not the same as it had been with Galen. True, Jaden had grown to care for the other man, but it had been through necessity and strife. What Jaden felt for the emperor was far more complex. He could have hated the emperor as he hated Mailyn. Indeed he should have hated him; after all, had he not captured Jaden in the first place and sold him and his sister into slavery so long ago? Had he not killed Jaden’s captain? But there seemed so little link of those happenings to Jaden’s current state, and after the hell Jaden had gone through in the intervening time, he felt starved of the need for normalcy, for something, anything that was not pain every day. He had rebelled against Mailyn the only way that he could—in his mind. But here…here he found it difficult to fight when everything was so much better than he’d ever had before.
He could not understand his master or this place, but so far his slavery was light and strangely, in the emperor’s case, without humiliation or pain. This, Jaden could survive, but when he was in his master’s presence, there was something else, something tentative and wary between them, but it was insistent all the same. Jaden could not understand what this something was, but it was not rebellion, fear, or anger, and it confused him greatly.
On this particular day, Jaden had finished his lessons and was wandering his master’s rooms restlessly, needing more exercise, more physical challenge than he could find in the slave’s quarters, where he was watched and judged every moment. Finally in desperation he lay on the floor and distracted himself by doing stretches, then running through various strength training exercises he had been taught as a soldier. Push-ups and sit-ups drained his excess energy; then he did cooldown exercises and more stretching.
He rejoiced in the freedom to do this again. For so long he had had no privacy to achieve this. He had never dared let down his guard in Mailyn’s harem for a moment, certainly not enough to do this. After he stood up, he felt the muscles of his calves and the backs of his thighs protest as he bent and touched his fingers to the floor. The burn felt good.
“The gods are kind today that I receive such a vision upon my return.” The emperor’s voice was fervently teasing, lighter than Jaden had ever heard it. Jaden straightened so fast he gave himself vertigo and had to reach to the wall to steady himself. He could feel his face flaming with color he could not control as he thought of how he must have looked, ass to the door, everything hanging…
His master laughed a little, not mockingly but still teasing. Then he came forward, pushed Jaden back against the wall, and leaned down to claim his lips. Jaden whimpered under the assault and found his own hands coming up to clutch the Emper—Dersai’s uniform of their own free will and his mouth willingly kissing back as though he could not help himself.
Dersai hummed approvingly, and Jaden felt a subtle tension ease out of his body as his master deepened the kiss, his tongue invading every portion of Jaden’s mouth and claiming it for his own. Heat pooled in Jaden’s groin, and he could not help moaning into the kiss.
“I missed you, my wolf,” Dersai whispered as he broke the kiss to nibble down Jaden’s throat. “I actually had a reason to return more swiftly with you here.” Warmth spread through Jaden at the words, and he arched up, responding more actively to his master.
“Yes…” Dersai hissed, his eyes lighting with fire. With a surge of strength that awed Jaden, he lifted his slave seemingly without effort and pinned him against the wall. Jaden instinctively wrapped his legs around Dersai’s hips and felt as the other man reached between their bodies, unfastened his uniform pants, and freed his shaft. It pulsed against Jaden, hot and hard, and to his astonishment, he wanted it. He wanted to feel it inside him, wanted to be fucked hard and deep.
Dersai spit into his hand and prepared Jaden’s entrance, then spit again to lube his own shaft before positioning it and pressing in. Jaden moaned, throwing his head back. He had not had this for two weeks now and had tightened somewhat. This was the first time his master had taken him without stretching him first, yet the burn seemed right, the pain just a precursor to the pleasure that would come.
As Dersai slowly lowered Jaden onto his shaft, his avid stare was fixed on his slave’s expression, his body tense with lust and need. When he was seated as far as he could go, he lowered Jaden a little more on the wall, then began to thrust upward hard and fast, grunting with each movement.
Jaden cried out softly, feeling the incredibly erotic sensation of being taken this way. His master’s strength impressed him. He could feel the chill of the wall against his back and the slight abrasion that each thrust created. His feeling of helplessness was not unpleasant; he knew that this man would not take advantage of his vulnerability to hurt him. Pinned as he was, he could not really move, could only writhe on his impalement and vocalize his approval. He braced his hands on Dersai’s arms and felt the flex of muscles with each thrust.
Finally he could wait no longer and leaned forward as much as his position allowed. He touched his master’s face before kissing him fervently. Dersai moaned and suckled Jaden’s tongue. His body rubbed over Jaden’s hardened cock with each movement, and Jaden felt heat rise to engulf and consume him. He ended the kiss to breathe again and arched. His keening cries echoed through the room.
“Come, Jaden. Come on me.” Dersai’s voice was hoarse with passion and need, and he gave a particularly deep thrust that went straight to Jaden’s core and tipped him over the edge. Jaden let out a strangled scream. His channel pulsed around Dersai’s shaft. The other man gritted his teeth, face stark with sensation.
Dersai gasped, and Jaden weakly echoed the sound when he felt his hot cream spurting between their heated bodies. Dersai thrust erratically several more times, panting. When Dersai’s release exploded, he froze, and Jaden felt the pulses and the heat of Dersai’s seed deep within his body.
Dersai closed his eyes for a moment, letting the aftereffects wash over him; then he gently pulled out from Jaden and lowered him until he could stand on shaky legs. With an arm around his slave, Dersai helped them both to the bed, where they collapsed in a sweaty heap and curled around each other.
Silence reigned for a few moments. Then Jaden’s wry tone overthrew it. “Welcome back, my master.”
Dersai chuckled, perhaps pleased at this sign of Jaden’s natural humor, and kissed him softly. “A welcome indeed.”
* * *
Later that afternoon, Dersai beckoned Jaden to follow him and opened a door on the far side of the room. Beyond it lay an area obviously intended for martial arts and exercise. There was a mat floor and various wooden weapons arrayed on one wall. Weights and running equipment lined another.
Jaden stopped in astonishment, then looked inquiringly at his master.
“You are a man of action, my wolf. To keep you penned with nothing to do is cruelty indeed. In time…” Dersai paused, then stopped whatever he had been going to say. “Till then, this will help. You received training when you were in the military, yes?” Dersai gestured to the wooden weapons.
Jaden stiffened a little at this reminder of the past, the first time Dersai had brought up the subject, but he was too stunned at this sudden gift to be able to raise true anger. “I did, Master, but…” He hardly knew how to respond to this amazing development.
“Good. I like to spar in the morning and ground myself with exercise for the day. I will work with you. With time, you will be back to fighting trim and much happier for it.”
He walked up and tilted Jaden’s chin for a kiss. “Feel free to use any of this whenever you wish.” He stroked his thumb over Jaden’s cheek. A grin lit up Dersai’s face as he leaned down and whispered in Jaden’s ear, “I will enjoy seeing you in here, sweat glistening, muscles straining. Yes, ver
y much enjoy…”
Jaden felt a flush color his cheeks, and he cursed under his breath, unable to completely withhold a smile as Dersai actually laughed. It was a beautiful laugh, and Jaden had the strong feeling it was rarely heard. A warm feeling grew in his chest at the knowledge that he himself had provoked it. No matter what this master of his showed the world, there was a man under the cloak of the emperor—a man far, far different than the world realized.
Jaden was not slow to take advantage of the wonderful gift he had been presented. Only minutes after his master left on business, he was in the room, circling around, touching objects, and putting them back, unable to even decide where to begin. It was like getting back another part of himself, and it was strange that the man he had hated for so long was the one who had begun to put Jaden back together again, had begun to heal him.
It was so far away from what he had endured under Mailyn’s brutal rule that he could not help but be grateful. And yet here… Who would have thought that he would find a part of himself returned by the dreaded emperor of Tranaden, the one that the entire known world feared? How could there be such a difference between what the world perceived and what Jaden had experienced firsthand?
Jaden sighed deep and long. Once again, the urge to just enjoy what he had right now washed over him. He did not know how long this pleasantness would continue, but he was damn well going to revel in it, use it to build his inner strength. When he was strong enough, he would speak to Dersai. Perhaps, just maybe, his master might care enough to help him with Yamina. Perhaps escape was not the only option at hand.
His mind shied from the thought of leaving for a reason he could not yet fathom, and with a huff of inner exasperation, he moved toward the weights. After a complete regimen of stretches to prepare himself, he started off with lighter weights, knowing he would have to build himself back up to what he had been before. The stretch and burn felt good, and his body hummed with approval. It had been deprived of proper exercise for too long.
When at last he deemed it enough, not wishing to injure his weakened muscles, he moved to the running equipment. As he set his pace to a slow jog, he felt a rare smile coming to his lips. It was like returning to himself, shedding what he had been forced to become. Yes, he was still a slave, he told himself, his smile fading somewhat. But there were degrees of slavehood, and right now, he felt this degree as being good and right. There would be time enough later to worry of other things; right now belonged to his body, feeling it move again, stretch into the run, feeling his legs pumping as the balance and grace he’d been forced too long to deny returned. It was much later that he had to stop, dizzy and exhausted but happy with it.
He finally ceased his efforts, laughing at little at his rubbery legs, then froze suddenly when he noticed himself in the mirrors that ran the length of the room. It was like staring at a stranger. He had so rarely had the opportunity to view himself during his years with Mailyn, and now… He put a hand up to his face, and the figure in the mirror mimicked the movement. He looked so…mature, older. His eyes were dark with things he had seen and done.
Jaden had been but a boy when he had been taken and sold; now he looked like a man. A man who held secrets. A man whose eyes held pain. He abruptly turned away, his brief contentment shattered. He could never find the boy he’d been again; that boy had been destroyed a long time ago, victim of war and a woman’s brutality. There was only the man he was now and the hope of something better for the future.
Jaden slept a little toward the evening, worn out by his own thoughts and worries, only to wake an hour later when he heard voices on the edge of his consciousness. Groggy and disoriented, he forced himself awake, thinking Dersai was in the room with him. But after a confused moment, he realized the voice was coming from outside and some distance away. Perhaps another balcony. He went to the balcony doors and was about to step out when the faint breeze seemed to make the words clearer.
A voice Jaden did not recognize was speaking with some force. “Your Imperial Majesty, I don’t understand your reluctance. Astoria has been a thorn in our sides from the beginning. We have to do something about their attacks. It cannot be allowed, this impertinence. It will only give ideas to other countries that look to overrun our borders. This must be dealt with, preferably with force.”
Jaden froze, his fingers clenching upon the door frame. He held his breath and waited for Dersai’s response.
Dersai’s tone held a certain weariness, as though he had dealt with such words many times before. “I have no interest in further conflict with Astoria. We will deal with their foolish actions as they come, but I see no need for more than that. They are rebuilding, and their leaders fight for control. Tranaden marching in there will only lead to more instability. That does good for no one.”
The first voice held frustration hidden in amongst the respect. “This last attack upon your person…”
Dersai’s voice grew utterly cold. “It will be dealt with…”
Jaden drew a shaky breath. It was good to know Dersai did not wish conflict, but how long before his advisors convinced him otherwise? Jaden sent up a brief prayer to his home country. Hold your borders. Do not attempt revenge. You have no idea what you will rouse with such insanity. Then his thoughts moved in a surprising direction. Please do not harm Dersai.
Jaden spent the rest of the evening in a state of depression, his thoughts embedded in the past. What in the hells was he doing? He was almost beginning to care for Dersai. Sometimes it was so hard to remember he was the emperor of Tranaden. The two seemed almost polar opposites. Sometimes he found himself actually liking Dersai, something he could not quite reconcile in his own mind.
He laid his head against the back of the chair and stared blankly across the room. How could Dersai be the same man who had rained down such destruction upon Astoria? It hardly seemed possible.
Jaden trailed his fingers over the ornate fabric of the chair, his thoughts twisting this way and that and finally settling on Yamina. The knot in his stomach tightened as it always did as he thought of his sister’s fate. Where was she? Please by the gods, he prayed, let her not have gone through what Jaden himself had gone through. Let her master be kind. Like Dersai…
His thoughts had come full circle. He wondered with the faintest spark of hope if Dersai would help him find his sister. Would he even care about a slave’s dreams and wishes, or was Jaden’s only hope to escape and do it all on his own?
He hoped for the former because he was finding it increasingly hard to want to leave. He gritted his teeth, trying to will his own softness away. If escape was possible, he had to take that opportunity, despite his feelings for Dersai. His sister had to come first, always.
* * *
Dersai did not return to his quarters until quite late that evening. When Jaden heard the sound of footsteps and the door opened, he looked up immediately from where he had been curled up in a chair, reading.
His master looked…different. He was brooding, eyes dark and turbulent, his expression grim and tight. He did not look at Jaden; it was as though he was so centered in his unpleasant thoughts that he was not aware of his surroundings at all.
Moments later, a knock on the door heralded the arrival of servants with food. Obviously Dersai had not eaten. Nobody had bothered bringing Jaden anything that day. He was absolutely famished, so after the servants bowed their way out of the room, he approached Dersai almost eagerly, his stomach growling. He stood silently with his head bowed and waited for his master to notice him, but Dersai sat motionless. His hands hung limply over the arms of the chair, and he stared into space.
Becoming concerned, Jaden fidgeted. “Master?” he questioned softly. “Are you all right?” He remembered that conversation he’d overhead and the mention of an attack upon the emperor.
Dersai blinked slowly as though coming back from a long distance in his thoughts. He turned his head, and for a moment something flared in his eyes, something cruel and cold that made Jaden take a f
earful step backward. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come. Dersai closed his eyes and shook his head as though to free himself of something.
Only then did he seem to recognize Jaden. “Jaden,” he said faintly, holding out his hand.
Jaden found himself rushing forward to grasp it, afraid for his master instead of afraid of him. Something felt very wrong here. He knelt down, leaned against Dersai’s leg, and stroked the dark skinned-hand he held, never taking his eyes from his master’s face. Dersai took a deep, shuddering breath; then clarity seemed to come back to his eyes. He tried to smile, though it was faint at best.
“My wolf,” he whispered, drawing Jaden up so that he straddled Dersai’s lap. His hands slipped into Jaden’s thick hair and held him there as he leaned down and laid his lips over his slave’s with almost desperate fervor. Jaden moaned and pushed into his master’s touch, responding without thought to the need in that kiss.
It was some time before they came up for air, both flushed, disheveled, and dazed. Dersai gave a short, little laugh, more himself it seemed. “You have made me hungry for many things, Jaden, but for now I will have to settle for food. I have realized that I am starved.”
Jaden looked eagerly at the food, licking his lips, then caught a frown on Dersai’s face.
“Did they not feed you today?” There was a certain impatience in the tone.
At Jaden’s negative reply, the older man swore in depth. Jaden raised an eyebrow in astonishment and respect. That was an impressive repertoire of swear words, some Jaden had not even heard during his time in the military.
Dersai shook his head and stroked Jaden’s hair. “Idiots. Do I have to order everything myself?” A roll of his eyes proclaimed his total disgust. He pulled a chair close and patted it. “Sit here, Jaden.”
Jaden froze and stared at the furniture in question, then back at his master. Surely there had to be some mistake or trick. Slaves did not sit at the level of their masters. That rule had been well drilled into him.