Silent Ground: Part 1

by Quil Carter

  “What’s going on here?” a new voice boomed, a voice that was both intimidating and bursting with dominance. That tone reminded Sasha of Kheva, but it didn’t hold the raspy gravel that Kheva’s did.

  Sasha turned towards the voice and found himself staring directly at a man who had the looks and air to back up that dominant tone.

  Nik had black hair, short and styled in an undercut, and a closely-trimmed beard. His chin was square, his ears small with a one earring in each lobe, and his eyes were sharp below two shaped eyebrows that were currently lowered from his unimpressed expression.

  Nik looked put-together, both in physical appearance and the way he carried himself. He reminded Sasha a lot of Kheva in that way, another fatally attractive man who demanded obedience and wouldn’t tolerate anything less than perfection.

  “Nothing, Master,” Sterling stammered. Master? “I was just getting to know Sasha.” Sterling gave Sasha a lethal look. “Right?”

  Sasha, with his hard cock still in his hand, glared at him, then his eyes found Kheva who was walking into the house with Kel trailing behind. “Sterling was trying to distract me,” he said, thankful that his cock was beginning to become soft. He still had a job to do, but he felt awkward and embarrassed having his dick out and bared to the world. He was becoming used to it in the presence of Kel and Kheva, but he didn’t know these two. “He was snooping around in my mind and I didn’t appreciate it. I kicked him out and he decided to throw a tantrum about it.”

  Sterling’s mouth dropped open. “You asshole!” Then his head shot towards Nik and he cowered down. The reason was made clear when Nik stalked up to Sterling and smacked him in the mouth.

  And now Sasha’s jaw dropped. He looked to Kheva for help, but the Master only glared at the scene in front of him. Sasha wished to tell him what he’d discovered inside of Nik’s mind, but since he was surrounded by nightcrawlers, he didn’t even want to think about it.

  “You keep your mind to yourself, we’re guests here,” Nik snarled. His eyes then shifted towards Sasha, and Sasha was taken aback that he had the same duo-colours as Kheva. His eyes looked black, or at least a very dark brown, and in the same place as Kheva’s yellow blots, were a dark blue, like two lakes in the middle of a coal bed. They were… beautiful. “You’re the new apprentice,” he said, and those strange eyes, as mesmerizing as they were terrifying, scanned Sasha up and down like a machine analyzing data. “He must be new, Kheva; he’s weak and he’s a wreck.”

  Sasha’s teeth pressed together, and the anger, still simmering from Sterling’s brazen infiltration, began to boil on the increased heat of the element. He knew better than to say anything though, it was not his place and he didn’t want to get beaten or sent into the shed once the two left.

  “He’s growing,” Kheva said simply and curtly. “He knows his manners and keeps his mind to himself, unlike your untrained dog.”

  Wow. Sasha took several steps back, hoping to get out of the way of their line of sight. One of the things that he’d learned upon coming to Ciel Lake, was that it was a wise move to slink back into the darkness when Kheva was pissed off. And since there was now two Master Nightcrawlers… well…

  Nik laughed a low chuckle that could’ve come from the Devil himself. “Call off your dogs, Kheva Swift,” he said casually. “You dearly need a sense of humour.” He motioned to Kheva’s hand and Sasha realized for the first time that Kheva was holding a black suitcase. “Let’s go over what I have for you,” he said. Then he looked to Sterling, then to Kel who Sasha realized had been hovering by the sliding glass door. “You can give him to Kel if you wish. He’s been pissing me off all week.”

  “What?” Sterling objected loudly, but with a lethal glare from Nik, he quieted down. Sasha however could see his jaw locking.

  Kheva glanced at Kel who was jumping up and down on the spot, his expression that of a child who’d woken up to discover Christmas had been moved to that day. “Go ahead, Keluva,” Kheva said. “Not in the master bedroom, you may fuck him in the study. Whip him a few times for daring to snoop around my apprentice’s head.”

  Sterling’s face dropped. He looked at Nik for help but Nik was unlatching the briefcase, now on top of the coffee table. Kel then grabbed Sterling’s arm, grinning from ear-to-ear, and began dragging him towards the flight of stairs that led to the second level.

  There was no hiding the satisfaction on Sasha’s face. Without a doubt, there was something rewarding about seeing someone else get into trouble, and that feeling was amplified considering it was happening to another nightcrawler, one that had already shown how much of a fucking sneak he was.

  Nik and Kheva sat down on the couch and the easy chair and began sorting through papers, their conversation low. Sasha didn’t know what to do with himself until he remembered the task he had to do. This obviously brought on a wave of embarrassment, he had no idea if he was supposed to still do it in the living room. The thought of having to finish himself with both Kheva and Nik in the room, was humiliating.

  Sasha cursed himself the moment the thought loudly entered his head.

  “You have a job to do, nightcrawler,” Kheva said without looking up from the paper he was reading. “Sit down on the brown chair with the flask, you’re already late and I am not pleased with it.”

  Sasha let out a breath, feeling a warmth come to the back of his neck. He walked to the flask and picked it up, then sat down, his pants still unzipped but his dick flaccid and tucked back into his red briefs.

  He withdrew it, and roasted on the spot when Nik gave him a blank look, but, seeing as he was a nightcrawler himself, the man seemed to pluck the explanation out of Sasha’s mind and he turned back to the briefcase full of papers.

  Sasha began to stroke himself, and was relieved at least that Sterling’s previous action had left his cock aching for a second try. Within minutes he was hard again, and Sasha leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes to concentrate on what needed to be done.

  Furthermore, he was satisfied when his ears picked up squealed moans, ones in tandem to the thrusts of a hyperactive nightcrawler. This helped Sasha immensely, and he even played with the idea of sneaking inside of Kel’s head to see if he could get a glimpse of what he was seeing right now. It would be quite arousing to see Sterling underneath him; he only knew the man for a short period and already he didn’t like him.

  “You’re sure he’s in Vancouver?” Sasha heard Kheva say in a low tone. “Interesting.”

  “I’ve confirmed it,” Nik replied back in the same tone. “I’m not sure he’ll still be there once you arrive, but as of yesterday, that’s where you’ll find him.” Sasha began to listen to their conversation, his eyes still closed and his hand continuing to pump his cock. “He seemed settled though.”

  “He doesn’t suspect I’m seeking him?”

  “No.”

  What were they talking about? Sasha’s mind exploded with questions, but worried Kheva knew he was listening, Sasha gathered up all of those questions and tried to hide them.

  “It’s all here then,” Kheva said. There was the sound of papers being sorted against the coffee table, then a low thump. Sasha opened one eye but both lids lifted when he saw that Kheva had dropped a rolled-up wad of bills onto the coffee table.

  Nik quickly picked up the money and stuffed it into his pocket. “I’ll get on the next one in several months, I need some recovery time.” He began packing up the papers and putting them back into the suitcase. “Just so you know… there has been some activity with Rob’s family.”

  Kheva’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Sasha closed his own again, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t listening.

  “I’m aware of that,” Kheva said back. “I’m always watching and listening. But they can do as they will, they won’t find him.”

  They won’t find him…

  Kel’s family was looking for him. That man in the store, obviously either Rob’s boyfriend or brother, was desperate to find him and bring him home.
Like Kheva had done to Sasha, he’d taken Rob from his family.

  “Is anyone looking for that one?”

  “Yes, but he’s better off here. Just like with Keluva, they don’t understand him and they don’t treat him with the respect he deserves. Sasha’s home is with me.”

  Sasha didn’t know how to feel about Uncle Lex and Jobe being brought up. He missed them, but when he was reminded just how much they’d betrayed him, and the fact they still would want to commit him to the psych facility, he understood and accepted that he was better off living with Kheva and Kel. Just look at the advancements he’d already made. He wasn’t insane at all… he was a fucking demigod.

  The peak came several minutes later. Sasha tried to stifle the groans as the pleasurable pressure tensed and tensed, making his toes curl and his heavy breathing shudder. He opened his eyes and grabbed the flask, and as he came into it, he tried to ignore both Kheva and Nik watching him.

  When he was done, he let out a relieved sigh and tucked himself back into briefs and pulled up his pants.

  “He’s an attractive little thing,” Nik murmured as Sasha rose to put the flask into the refrigerator. “I see you haven’t fucked him yet. How do you keep your hands off of him?”

  “He hasn’t earned it,” Kheva replied. “He’s only starting to show progress. He’s been disappointing me with his weakness and stubborn attitude.”

  “Ah, yes, the wrecked truck. Naughty little thing. I do hope you eventually fuck him into next Tuesday. I always loved how well you fuck, so much stamina inside of you.”

  “When he’s earned it.”

  Sasha felt queasy at the mere mention, but oddly thankful for Kheva’s determination to not take him by force. It was Kel he had to worry about when it came to that.

  Since he was finished, and also badly wanted to get away from this conversation, Sasha decided to do his chores after. Admittedly, there was a part of him that wanted to continue to listen in to Kheva and Nik’s conversation, but he had a routine he had to do, and Sasha didn’t want to risk pissing Kheva off.

  So, he fed the chickens and collected the eggs, then attended to Jye’s needs. The serval didn’t eat food from a bowl like most cats, the routine that Kel had taught Sasha was to lock Jye into the laundry room, then go out into the field that surrounded the yard and the forest further on, with a bowl of cut up meat and bones. Then you’d hide the food in hollow logs in the forest, on tree branches, under rocks in the field, or around the many structures, even in the rowboat on the lake. Basically, you’d make the tamed African cat search for his food. It kept the cat busy, and as Kheva explained, cater to his wild instincts. Sasha had become quite good at hiding Jye’s food, and he’d come up with some pretty creative ways to make the cat work for his meal.

  After he was done, and had collected the vegetables they’d use for dinner that night, Sasha went back inside the house and found Nik and Sterling getting ready to go.

  They couldn’t leave fast enough, Sasha needed to speak to Kheva about the flash of information he’d picked out of Nik’s brain. Kheva had been treating Nik cordially, not quite like an old friend, but someone he respected, and if something was going on, well, Sasha wanted to warn him.

  He might dislike how Kheva treated him, but he was more loyal towards the Master than he was the strange nightcrawler.

  Kheva walked Nik and Sterling back to their pickup truck, a red Ford that was made for the rough, dirt logging road that eventually led to Ciel Lake. He lingered there for several more minutes talking, before turning and walking back to the house.

  Kel was in the field watching Jye find his food, this would be the perfect time to speak to Kheva in private.

  “Ah, Master Kheva?” Sasha said when Kheva walked in through the sliding glass door. This was one of only several times he’d ever addressed Kheva as ‘Master Kheva’ and this fact wasn’t lost on the man in question.

  Kheva glanced in his direction, the yellow in his eyes seemingly brighter than usual, and said, “What is it, nightcrawler?”

  Sasha gathered his balls, hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t going to get smacked across the room. “Well, while Sterling was, ah, on me, I decided to test my abilities and find out, for fun, who the other nightcrawler was. Since I’ve just been starting to learn how to use my abilities to seek out that beacon…” he began. He shifted his weight, Kheva’s eyes pinning him. “I found Nik right away, but there was something else that I found. I got the sense that he was hiding something, something kept far away from his other thoughts under lock and key. But, oddly, I could infiltrate it easily…”

  Kheva’s eyes narrowed. “Go on,” he said, no emotion in his tone.

  “Inside of that locked place, I got a feeling… and, well, it was betrayal,” said Sasha. “I think whoever he is, Master, or whatever he’s doing for you… there’s some sort of betrayal in it.”

  There was silence, and Sasha stayed where he was as Kheva’s gaze continued to pierce him. Then, even though the main level of the house remained in reticence, Sasha could feel Kheva probe his mind, sifting through the events since he’d woken up and analyzing each retained memory.

  “The fight with Sterling was due to him attempting to sneak around your mind, was it?” Kheva asked.

  Sasha nodded.

  “This is important information, Sasha,” Kheva said. “Thank you, you did good and you’ve pleased me with this.”

  Sasha gaped at him. Kheva had never said thank you to him, and Sasha had certainly never pleased him with the information he’d gathered. It was… making his chest fill with gratitude, so much so he didn’t know whether to cry from happiness, run up and hug Kheva, or pass out from the sheer shock of his words.

  Kheva shook his head. “If you wish for more compliments, nightcrawler, stop resisting my teachings,” he said, and Sasha’s face became red when he remembered that Kheva was intuned to his thoughts. “However, it does seem like you’ve turned a corner. You may feed yourself tonight, and you’ll get a full serving of food.”

  Sasha stood up straight, feeling a thousand feet tall. “Thank you, Master Kheva,” he said, unable to hide the smile on his face. But then there was a pause, a question in his mind that he wasn’t sure he should ask.

  “You might as well,” said Kheva.

  Right, intuned… “Ah,” Sasha hesitated. “I was wondering––How was I able to access Nik? It was as if the secret was hidden in Fort Knox, but I was able to walk through walls. I don’t understand it.”

  Kheva walked to the living room and picked up several papers that Nik had left behind. “The answer is a simple one,” he began. “Nik made that security system specifically to keep out the nightcrawlers he knew. Nik didn’t even know you existed, and as such, there was no security measures to keep you out. You can think of it like… there’s only a small handful of people in the world and the security system is designed to keep out each individual one. We nightcrawlers can do such magnificent things to each other because our minds are on the same channel, yet each individual nightcrawler operates on his own frequency. Nik has trained his mind to block our frequencies, but since he doesn’t know yours, you were able to infiltrate him.”

  Sasha absorbed this information. Kheva always had a knack of being able to explain such a complex and bizarre thing in a way he could understand. “If you want…” Sasha said. “I can try and root through his brain the next time you see him. If you can teach me what to look for, I can get you whatever you want.”

  But Kheva shook his head, he glanced behind Sasha, the two of them hearing Kel coming in from outside. “Nik undoubtedly has already protected himself from you, but it is no matter, you’ve provided me with all I need for now.” He exited the living room then, and walked towards his office.

  “Jye cleared six feet trying to get that meat you hung from the tree,” Kel exclaimed. He walked into the living room, a huge smile on his face. Jye was following him, his large muzzle stained red. “Today has been such a fun day already. Thank you,
Master Kheva for giving me Sterling. Does that mean we’re going on a special trip soon?”

  A special trip? Sasha looked at Kheva inquisitively as the Master Nightcrawler stopped in the doorway of his office, then slowly turned around.

  “This outing will be different than the one’s previous,” Kheva said, “and Sasha will be the one going with me.”

  Kel’s face fell. “Sasha?” he said sadly, but quickly that sadness turned into jealousy. Kel’s light blue eyes shot to Sasha, then they narrowed to small slits. “You’re not nearly as good as I am. You’ll fuck it up. You haven’t even been properly initiated. Stupid fucking––”

  “Keluva Swift!” Kheva barked. “One more god damn word out of you and you’ll be cleaning up your own piss.”

  Kel cowered, but still his expression was hard. His narrowed eyes glared poison at Sasha, before the half-sane nightcrawler stalked out of the house in a huff.

  Sasha looked at Kheva for help, not knowing what to do, but all he saw was a flash of black as the Master walked into his office, the door shutting behind him.

  Dinner that night was wonderful. Even though Kel was still angry about not going on this apparent trip, wherever it may be, he made a delicious dinner. Tonight, was chicken pot pie made from previously frozen chicken thighs and breast, fresh peas, carrots, corn, and potatoes, with a homemade crust that melted in your mouth, and on the side, a garden salad with Sasha’s choice of salad dressing, and a can of Diet Dr. Pepper. And after Kheva suggested testing out his skills, Sasha had made a sponge cake from scratch and had put on top strawberries cooked in sugar then cooled, and whipped cream from a can.

  And what made this dinner better was the fact that he could feed himself. There was no more drooling in front of Kheva’s plate, trying to will him to offer a bite, and usually going to sleep with his stomach still growling. He was able to feed himself and Kel had dished him up a generous serving which disappeared quickly into his stomach. By the time dinner and dessert were done, he felt spoiled and appreciative.