A King's Ransom

by Lia Black

  "What a beautiful young lady you are. Are you lost, my love?" Though his words spoke of concern, his hand reaching for his dagger did not.

  Veyl's mind snapped back to the present. Without giving a second thought to his actions, he made a fist and punched the man as hard as he could in the face. He winced as teeth sliced into his knuckle and the jarring of the impact with solid bone radiated up his arm. The man roared and fell backwards, his hands coming to cover the mess of what had been his mouth.

  "Geth thath bith!" He gurgled through spit, blood, and broken teeth. But Veyl was already running--stumbling through the forest, his hand on fire, and panic coursing through his veins like frenzied ants.

  Something struck him across the midsection, and at first he thought he'd run into a low branch, but as he tried to barrel through, the grip tightened around his waist and he was lifted off of his feet. Veyl cried out and struggled against the man who held him.

  "Veyl, get behind me," Kaidos growled, and set him down hard.

  Veyl scrambled to hide on the other side of Kaidos, letting out a sob as the men drew closer, their shadows swaying in front of the pale glowing gaps cast from their campfire through the trees. Thank the gods. Kaidos had come for him and whether it was in the context of object or man, Veyl didn't much care. But four against one—as Veyl would be no help—seemed like impossible odds. He clutched at Kaidos' shirt, tears streaming down his face

  "I'm sorrysorrysorrysorry…" He looked up as Kaidos' hand touched his hair gently, and met the hollows of his stormy grey eyes. Kaidos gave him a little shove backwards, returning his attention to the approaching foes. Veyl obediently pressed his back against the rough trunk of a nearby tree. He crouched down, feeling around for a stick or some other weapon with which he might make himself useful.

  "That's close enough." Kaidos' dagger glinted as he raised it to point at the men.

  The biggest of the three men stood in front. He laughed softly when he saw only Kaidos.

  "Was that your bitch who came stumbling to our campsite?"

  Kaidos sighed, sounding exasperated. "I'm afraid it was."

  "She's got no manners. Best turn her over for apology so I can take her in hand and train her right."

  "And if I don't?"

  "If you do or if you don't makes no difference. We'll kill you and be taking her either way."

  It happened so quickly; Veyl had barely registered his hand curling around a thick branch when someone came sneaking up beside him. He yelped and jerked the branch free, turning and swinging it with all his might towards his attacker. Veyl heard a crack and felt the impact vibrate up his arm as the man stumbled backwards. A moment later there was a flash of silver as Kaidos released a throwing knife from his belt. Veyl felt the hot spray of blood and the man went down, choking and gasping as he tried to pull the blade from his throat. Before Veyl could recover, the three in front charged, and Kaidos moved back, grabbing Veyl around his waist and dragging him back into the clearing.

  Kaidos again flung Veyl free and Veyl spun, his hand tightening around his makeshift weapon. The stick had lost some length, but was still long enough to extend his reach by a few feet. He had never fought before, and his body felt on fire. The feeling in his hand from punching the bandit had become just a warm throbbing sensation. He watched the men's mouths moving as they spoke, but could hear nothing beyond the deafening roar of blood through his ears.

  The three bandits stalked around Kaidos, each one looking for an opening. The one with the hair-sash broke ranks and charged without warning, nearly catching Kaidos in the shoulder with his knife. Kaidos ducked, spinning from a crouched position to slice the back of the man's knees as the man went past him. The man cried out and stumbled forward, dropping down hard on his face in the dirt close to Veyl.

  Without hesitation, Veyl brought the stick down on the back of the bandit's head, breaking the branch and dropping it as the pain shot through his swollen hand. He fell backwards, clutching it against his chest as black spots spread across his field of vision, and was grabbed up by his hair by the man he'd punched.

  Veyl let out a cry of surprise, expecting at any moment to feel the edge of a blade against his throat. He brought his hand up, trying to relieve some of the pressure on his skull by scratching at the man's wrist as he struggled to get to his feet. Kaidos was too busy fending off the final attacker—the largest of the group—to help him, and for a moment Veyl thought that he might die. The man was trying to pull him back into the trees, and Veyl believed that once he did so, he would have no hope of rescue. Nausea welled up in his throat and it suddenly became harder to breathe--he'd been here before…

  Grabbed from behind by a man he didn't know—too small and frightened to fight as dirty fingers pushed into his mouth, holding back any cries. And then the sensation of being pulled backwards, darkness closing around him. The understanding that no one could save him, and that should he live, he would not be the same once this was all over…Veyl's damaged left hand dropped from his hair as he felt frantically for a weapon.

  He couldn't let the darkness have him again, because this would be the last time he'd ever see the light…His fingers brushed the rough, cold surface of a rock and he grabbed it, bringing it up and back over his head as hard as he could.

  The man swore and Veyl felt the pressure released from his scalp. Tears blurred his eyes as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, trying to crawl away. When his injured hand hit the ground, he yelped and dropped forward onto his elbow, instinctively curling his fist against his chest. Calloused fingers curled around his ankle in a bruising grip. Veyl cried out and he twisted around, kicking at the man who held him and tried to drag him into the forest.

  He had lost track of Kaidos as his mind kept pulling him back into his most damaging childhood trauma. He'd been transported back to that snowy day, the dark alley, the dirty cellar of the abandoned building. No. He couldn't go back there. He was older, stronger than he had been then.

  There was a sickening crunch and blood seeped from between this toes, as the ball of his foot broke the man's nose. Veyl was barely aware of the grip going slack around his ankle. He reached out and snatched up another rock, bigger this time, and he used two hands to bring it down onto the man's skull, over and over again.

  Veyl didn't realize that he was screaming until warm arms encircled him from behind, and he was pulled against a hard body, enveloped by a familiar scent.

  Ahrn?

  "Shh…it's okay…you're safe now…"

  No. Not Ahrn. Kaidos.

  Veyl wept, clutching onto Kaido's sweat-drenched shirt with his bloody hands. Safe. He'd never felt safe. Protected, cherished, used, but never safe. He lifted his face, seeing Kaidos through a hazy filter of tears. Nausea rose through him as he looked around and saw the mess he'd made of the man's skull. He shoved himself away from Kaidos and vomited in the dirt.

  *~*~*

  Kaidos sighed and held Veyl's hair back from his face as he threw up, rubbing his back gently. Although he was mad at Veyl for sneaking off, he blamed himself for letting it happen. He'd begun to get complacent. He'd never held a hostage before and had let himself relax with the false belief that Veyl was too afraid to run. He'd severely underestimated his captive, as he seemed to be doing at nearly every turn.

  He looked around at the mess of bodies. They hadn't been complete amateurs, but were obviously not used to getting a fight from their victims, or facing a man who could anticipate their moves because of his own criminal history. He would have liked to bury them at least, but the scent of blood would bring wildlife soon, and he'd rather not deal with a pack of wolves. He got up and quickly searched the bodies for any valuables, then loaded up their own items quickly, pulling out a blanket to wrap around them as they rode.

  When Veyl finally finished retching, Kaidos scooped him into his arms, shielding his eyes from the carnage by pressing Veyl's head to his chest. Veyl did not protest, and he curled against him, his body beginning to shiver.
Whatever rage had come over him had left. Kaidos knew that feeling well.

  He balanced Veyl on the saddle, mounting behind him, and wrapped the blanket around them both.

  Veyl took in a shuddering breath, then eased back into the warm cave of Kaidos' arms. His lovely face was lined with pain, and Kaidos was aware that it was at least partially physical. He'd seen the mess he'd made of his hand. They'd have to get to some kind of shelter and build a fire so Kaidos could tend to Veyl's injuries. A town would be ideal, but they were still too far away to make it in one evening. Right now their clothing stunk of blood, and any pack of wolves hungry enough to investigate weren't going to bother to check to see where it had come from. He pressed his heels into the horse's flanks as he heard their howling in the distance.

  *~*~*

  Although he'd hoped to avoid it, Kaidos had to stick to the main road for the next couple of hours. He dozed in the saddle, having to periodically shake himself awake, while Veyl was either asleep or unconscious in front of him.

  Kaidos had been surprised that Veyl had done as well as he had fighting, although much of that, he understood, was something that happened outside of the scope of Veyl's control. When Kaidos had put his arms around him to try and calm him, there had been rage behind Veyl's eyes. There was something he was seeing in his own mind that had claimed all fear and rational thought, perhaps a memory of a time when he couldn't fight back. Kaidos suspected it was like when he'd been fighting with Lirin, and the comparison was disturbing.

  Kaidos sighed, looking around for some place to make camp. He'd remembered traveling through here several years earlier with the caravans; there had been a small hunting cottage where they'd been able to trade for food. Although it was a gamble, perhaps whoever lived there now might allow them to get a few hours of sleep—even on the floor would be fine, as long as it was warm and dry.

  He finally located the path to the cottage, missing it when they'd first passed by because it had become so overgrown. At the end he found the structure in ruin—having apparently been abandoned for some time. At least he wouldn't have to be concerned about winning somebody over.

  "Veyl." Kaidos jostled him lightly, but Veyl didn't respond, which meant he had definitely passed out.

  This was going to be difficult. Kaidos was exhausted, his muscles aching from the fight and tensing them to try and stay awake and on the horse. He moved up near the cottage and held Veyl against his body as he tried to swing himself down off the saddle. He'd hoped that having the extra height of the stone porch might make the maneuver easier, but his foot became tangled in the stirrup as he brought his other leg over, and Veyl's dead-weight slumped into him. Kaidos hopped back on one leg, trying to shake the other one loose at the same time the horse decided it was no longer going to be patient with him and moved away. His foot popped free of the stirrup and he fell backwards, landing on his ass on the hard stone porch with Veyl on top of him.

  "Fuck." Kaidos didn't even want to tempt fate by thinking the evening couldn't get any worse. His tail-bone aching, Kaidos managed to slide his arms under Veyl and he rocked forward, getting to his feet. He staggered a few steps under Veyl's weight, then kicked some rubble away from the rotted door and made his way inside.

  Moonlight filtered through the large sections of missing roof, and vines wound through gaps in the logs that made up the walls. He needed to build a fire, but the fireplace had collapsed a long time ago, and the stones that remained were damp and covered with moss. He lay Veyl carefully down, leaving him wrapped in the blanket, then began to collect kindling to build a fire on the dirt floor.

  "Where--"

  Veyl's wavering murmur caught his attention.

  "We're safe. Safer than we were, anyway," Kaidos answered him without looking away from his task. In a few moments, he had a small fire going. "Your hand is a mess. I hope you haven't broken anything." He got up and went to rummage through his pack. "You realize they would have done things to you before they killed you; things I don't even want to imagine." Kaidos had been imagining it, however, as he'd been fighting the bandits. They would have killed him immediately, but Veyl would have suffered for his beauty, as was always the case with beautiful things in ugly situations.

  Veyl said nothing.

  "That was a stupid thing for you to have done," Kaidos continued, "I was not lying when I'd told you about the dangers of the forest."

  "Was it me you were protecting, or your money?" Veyl asked, his voice low and eyes averted.

  "Don't be a fool." It was all Kaidos could say. He glanced up at the bare beams in part of the roof and set their bedrolls down beneath an area where there was still coverage. It was going to rain soon, and although Kaidos thought they still had a day until it did, with the way his life had been going so far, he wasn't taking anything as a given. He thought that for good measure he should tie Veyl up again, just in case he really did think he'd be better off in the hands of highwaymen.

  "What are you doing?" Veyl glared as Kaidos approached him with heavy cording.

  "What I should have been doing all along." He dropped to one knee and began wrapping Veyl's wrists not with scratchy hemp, but with heavy braided silk--the kind of ropes used to tie back expensive curtains. It didn't make the bindings weak, but certainly made them a little more comfortable.

  "You know we used these in the manor," Veyl said casually, watching as Kaidos finished binding his wrists, and went to work on his ankles.

  "Mmph." Kaidos grunted.

  Veyl continued, "Not to tie back the curtains on the bed, but to tie down a partner."

  Kaidos met Veyl's eyes briefly and saw the spark of challenge. He stood up and began thundering unnecessarily around the small cottage; stomping from one side to the other. He should have known better, however, than to think that Veyl would be intimidated enough to stop taunting.

  "I've tied and been tied. Although I must admit, I prefer the former." Veyl went on, "Something about that trust and power being handed over to you...about the sensation of touching all of that needy, quivering flesh..."

  Kaidos had been trying to ignore him, but he couldn't keep himself from listening now. "You--men let you tie them up?"

  Veyl offered a seductive smile, his eyelids at half-mast. "Mmm, they beg me. And they beg me to touch them, to kiss them, to fuck--"

  "Shut up and go to sleep."

  Kaidos unconsciously wiped the sweat forming on his upper lip with the back of his hand. His breeches were getting tighter and he stomped out of the cottage before Veyl could say another word.

  Damn him. Once outside the cabin, Kaidos leaned into a tree a few yards away and fought with the laces until he'd pulled his aching cock from his fly. Gods, why did that whore have to put such an image in his brain? As Veyl had been speaking, Kaidos had imagined himself tied--face-down--on a bed and Veyl sliding into him from behind. He could almost feel the pinch of Veyl's fingertips on his hips.

  Kaidos swallowed hard as he grasped his overly sensitive member--already leaking his anticipation--and began to jerk himself roughly.

  More images came to him--Veyl sucking his cock and then pushing Kaidos to his knees and feeding that golden rod between his lips...his own hands bound behind his back with silken cords as Veyl dug fingers into his scalp and thrust into his mouth...

  Kaidos grunted softly as his ass clenched and the first indications of approaching orgasm prickled up his spine. He held back his cry as he released; his come splattered noisily on the dry leaves covering the ground, and dribbled warm and wet over his hand.

  "Fuck..." He sagged against the scarred trunk of the big tree, his head swimming with frustration. This was what he'd been reduced to: jerking off by himself in the dead of night near an abandoned cottage, while the most beguiling creature he'd ever seen taunted him with things he could never have, and shouldn't want.

  Kaidos wanted to hate him for his mockery of both feminine and masculine attributes. He wanted to think of Veyl as weak, foolish, and perverse; he was a whore,
after all. How could anyone with any dignity encourage others to use him for pleasure? Yet Veyl showed no shame or remorse. The man's pride was confounding. He seemed to believe that the gods had created him for one purpose, and had accepted that when this purpose was no longer necessary, he would simply end himself.

  Kaidos' inexperience in this entire situation was to his detriment. Veyl had attempted to flee at nearly every turn. Kaidos couldn't blame him, really, but the pretty fool was going to get them both killed. Perhaps Veyl was fine with dying, but Kaidos preferred to remain alive as long as possible.

  Kaidos spent several minutes pacing outside the cabin and trying to clear his mind. By the time he went back inside, Veyl appeared to be sleeping, lying on his side with his hands bound in front of him. When Kaidos began to lay down beside him, Veyl's amber eyes snapped open and a scowl marred his lovely face.

  "Just what the hell is it that you think you're trying to accomplish? You leave me in here tied up so you can go play with yourself in the bushes outside?"

  Kaidos felt his innards turn to cold lead. Had he been louder than he'd thought he had? He scowled then, annoyed that Veyl should think that he had the right to be angry. "You're the one who got yourself tied up for trying to run. And into the arms of bandits no less," Kaidos snapped, hiding his embarrassment behind anger.

  "Well at least they would have fucked me before slitting my throat."

  "Well if you--wait, what??" Kaidos shook his head, certain he must have been mistaken about what Veyl had said.

  "In the Wanderer camp I graciously sucked your cock and what did that get me? A hand full of my own spend and your crap attitude. Gods, I can't even touch myself because you have me bound up like some...some..."

  "Prisoner?" Kaidos suggested dryly.

  "Yes, damn you!"