A King's Ransom

by Lia Black

  Veyl's pleas were incomprehensible little sounds lost in his throat as Kaidos' cock stretched him wide and pounded against his prostate, sending jolts of pleasure coiling through him. He clutched at Kaidos, his head swimming with an anxious mix of panic and desire as his orgasm began to mount up on itself, becoming almost painful as the tension built.

  The slap of skin against skin, their panting breaths and quiet whispering were the only sounds in the room, but Veyl's heart was so loud in his ears that he doubted he could hear someone trying to break down the door until they were upon them. His body was taught with need, the ring of muscles gripping Kaidos' cock as it rubbed against his insides, throbbing with the imminence of his release.

  With one final thrust, Kaidos rammed Veyl into the wall and filled him with pulse after pulse of his spend. Veyl ground against him, arching his neck as he followed a moment later. And a moment after that, as they were both still recovering and shuddering from aftershocks, the door burst in.

  "I knew I smelled something rancid. Guards!"

  Kaidos staggered back as a guard took hold of him on either side, grabbing his arms and pulling him away from Veyl.

  Veyl dropped, landing hard on his butt on the floor and scrambled after Kaidos, reaching to try and pull him free from the men who dragged his lover backwards. He cried out in anguish and frustration as guards came behind him as well, keeping him kneeling on the floor as they held his arms behind him. "Kai! No!"

  "Take him away." Chamberlain Rheton waved his hand in distaste. "Do whatever you will with him. He's of no consequence."

  A cry died on Veyl's lips as Kaidos gave him a gentle shake of his head, trying to calm him, but inside Veyl was raging. His stomach was molten as acid ate him from the inside. They would hurt Kaidos, but Veyl would do anything to keep that from happening—even accept his fate as a tyrant's heir.

  "I want to see my father!" Veyl demanded as the guards escorted Kaidos from the room.

  The chamberlain sat in a chair and rubbed his forehead as if he felt a headache coming on. "He doesn't care to see you, especially in your current state of…disorder." He curled his upper lip at the fresh stains on Veyl's nightshirt.

  "Then let him tell me that himself!"

  "For what purpose do you wish to see the king? You hold no sway with him."

  "I want Kaidos released."

  Rheton snorted derisively, "The king will have him executed."

  Veyl's self-control slipped. "You carrion cunt-sucking bastard!" He yelled at Rheton, pulling so hard against the guards holding him that they staggered forward to keep their grip.

  "Such words." The chamberlain tsked, heaving himself up from the chair. "You certainly have the tongue of a whore. Mind that it isn't cut out someday."

  The anger turned to cold fear as Veyl realized what he'd done and the man moved past him on his way out of the room.

  "Please," Veyl begged, "I'll do whatever you say...just please, don't hurt Kaidos." Tears dropped heavy from his eyes to the polished wooden floorboards.

  "Well now, this is interesting." The chamberlain turned, looking down at Veyl. "Such humility becomes you, Your Highness. I will see if I can arrange for you to meet with the king. I'm certain he has several obligations you can fulfill as compensation for his kindness."

  The guards released Veyl and the chamberlain turned, leaving him kneeling on the floor like a slave.

  Something bitter and cold coiled in his stomach as Veyl choked back a sob. He hated being so entirely helpless all the time—always and only ever functioning at the will and whim of someone else. Happiness was never to be his lot in life. Truly, the citizens of Dandre and Aaullsworthe were correct. He was cursed.

  There came a small knock on the door before it opened and closed but Veyl didn't bother to lift his head. He knew from the near-silence of the small footfalls that it was Melina, and the bitter self-condemnation of his own conceit made him feel nauseous.

  "Veylisshe…"

  "Melina..." Veyl's voice caught in his throat. "I don't know what to do..."

  She put her small arms around him, but he found little comfort in their warmth. "Sometimes there is nothing to do but wait."

  "But I can't wait...they'll kill him." Veyl looked at her, his vision blurred by tears.

  "Patience, young one," Melina said quietly. She helped him into a clean nightshirt, though Veyl did little to assist. His body felt boneless and full of sand, and his head was heavy with guilt, though his mind would not stop racing.

  "If this man is your heart, then a way will show itself." Veyl's aunt kissed his forehead softly.

  Veyl's thoughts turned to the only way he knew; to the one he had always depended on to save him. "Melina...can you tell the visiting Guard Captain—Ahrn Engel...Can you tell him that Kaidos…"

  Melina nodded curtly, releasing him and standing up. "I will go to him now."

  "Thank you." Veyl could find no volume for his gratitude as his throat tightened painfully around his words. He'd not seen Ahrn since the day he'd been taken off the ship, and certainly by that time there had been little love lost between them. Ahrn owed him nothing, and to think that he might see fit to help a man he saw as a rival—especially for Veyl's benefit—was a dubious proposition at best. But Ahrn was his only hope. The king would not see him, or would wait until Kaidos was dead before arranging a meeting with the son he never wanted, for the sole purpose of watching him break.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The Baerskein

  It had been foolish not to leave, and even then—when he had Veyl against the wall—Kaidos knew he should have been gone. But it had been so long since he'd seen him, and seeing him in that stupor as he was introduced to a town that had every reason to hate him, had been impossible to ignore. Everything had been impossible to ignore. Just the familiar scent of Veyl had caused all reason to flee Kaidos' mind, and the sweet sensation of being engulfed by his warmth had lulled him into a delicious intoxication that had been their undoing.

  As they led him down the servant's stairs in the back, Kaidos made eye contact with an older female elf that was headed up. She spared him a pitying glance.

  "You there, elf--on your way, His Highness needs attending," one of the guards barked at her and she scurried away.

  Kaidos began to have some very disturbing thoughts as they continued towards the dungeons. There was one man who had known that he would be with Veyl that night. Perhaps Engel felt that losing Veyl's affection to Kaidos warranted a swift and permanent revenge. Damn it. How could he have so completely misjudged the man?

  The small group paused to unlock a heavy iron door and Kaidos' body tensed even more. The last time he'd been in a dungeon was in a very similar situation, and if Aria's father had been quick to decide on his torture and execution, he knew he could expect no less from the king.

  "Who told you I was there?" Kaidos asked a guard, wanting to know where his anger should be directed.

  "Nobody. We saw you through the hole in the wall after you were inside," the guard snickered. "There is constant surveillance on that room. Who knew that the crown prince was so debauched?"

  "So how did it feel inside that royal ass, pervert?" another guard asked.

  "You call me a pervert--you were watching through a hole in the wall," Kaidos sneered.

  Kaidos received a heavily gloved fist in the gut that had him doubling over and trying not to spit up his insides as they began moving forward again.

  The guards dragged Kaidos through the door and down a set of narrow winding stairs. The only thing that Kept Kaidos from stumbling down as he tried to catch his breath were the guards in front and behind him, and the closeness of the cold, stone walls surrounding him. The corridor at the bottom was lined with torches, shedding anemic orange light against the walls of weeping rock. Apparently Dandre's pure, white facade did not have a need to extend to these depths.

  A man they met at the bottom cut through Kaidos' leather vest with a dagger then ripped his shirt open down the ba
ck. "Looks like you're no stranger to the scourge, eh?" the man behind him laughed darkly.

  Kaidos had lost track of how many of them there were—at least five. Someone grabbed Kaidos by the hair and pushed his face down onto a whipping bench--a device that was still all too painfully familiar. This particular model had a crossbeam upon which his wrists were shackled.

  The first crack of the scourge took a moment to register as the scar tissue absorbed much of the sting. But by the third, Kaidos' skin had been split and it felt like his body was on fire. The blood running down his ribs was almost cold against his burning flesh, and it mixed with his sweat, dripping down to join the stains on the floor from countless other victims. For a terrifying moment, Kaidos lost track of where he was and imagined that he was back in the DeMarkay's dungeon, being beaten for a crime he didn't commit.

  He had no idea how many lashes he'd received. All he knew was that he'd passed out at least once and had been roused by having a bucket of icy water thrown over his back. The cool relief was short-lived when they began again, and by the time they'd finished, Kaidos could still feel the kiss of the barbs with each pump of his blood.

  "Chamberlain says to put him in with the bear," a voice said from somewhere behind him.

  "The bear? Looks like His Majesty wants this one to suffer."

  "What did he do?" another voice asked from farther across the room.

  "We found him fucking the crown prince."

  There was a low whistle, then silence.

  Kaidos was unfastened from the crossbar and pulled up by one arm and his hair. He tried to take a few steps but his legs were too weak and his head pounded as he fought to remain conscious. He fell to his knees on the hard, cold floor and received a kick to his tail bone that would have sent him sprawling had he not been held up by this arms. His feet skidded uselessly as he was dragged down a corridor that seemed to go on forever. His shoulders ached as the muscles tensed to keep his bones in their sockets, and all Kaidos could think about was finally getting thrown into a cell so that he could just lie down and wait for the pain to go away.

  They finally stopped at a heavy wooden cell door somewhere near where Kaidos thought the end of the corridor should be, but the hall appeared to continue on, disappearing into the darkness. Kaidos swayed between his two guard escorts as ephemeral waves of unconsciousness moved through him.

  "Hey bear! Brought you some dinner! Hope you like dark meat!" The guards shoved Kaidos forward and slammed the barred door closed, turning the key in the lock. Kaidos stumbled, going down hard on one knee. The pain sent a jolt through his nerves and he instinctively fell to his hip and then to the cold, hard prison floor, curled up on his side.

  As he lay there panting, a low growl rumbled from the darkness. Kaidos would have laughed to the point of tears over the continued downward spin of his situation, but he hurt too much, and anticipated that he would be hurting much worse before things were over for him. Bear. They put him in a cell with a fucking bear. The gods must really hate him.

  He heard the heavy shuffle of the bear's body as it came closer, then felt the animal's hot breath against his face.

  "Just get it over with already," Kaidos mumbled thickly.

  The bear sniffed, stirring Kaidos' sweat-dampened hair against his cheek, and moved down to nose at the fresh wounds on his back.

  "Why do you not beg for mercy?" The low growling voice behind him might have caused Kaidos to startle had he not assumed that his mind was playing tricks on him.

  "What's the point in asking for something that you were born to be denied?" Kaidos answered, uncertain if he'd said the words aloud or only in his head.

  The bear wuffed and Kaidos thought he heard it sit down behind him.

  "What did you do to deserve this?" The low voice asked him.

  "I fell in love," Kaidos sighed and felt moisture rising to his eyes. He blinked through the tears, staring at the dark mound of moldy straw in front of him. Home sweet home, but only for a little while.

  Again the bear leaned closer and Kaidos closed his eyes as the animal's muzzle brushed across his cheek, snuffing up his salty tears. Seasoning was it? Apparently this bear liked a little extra flavor with his meals.

  "Love is a dangerous thing, but hardly a crime worthy of death," the bear said and moved away.

  Kaidos lay still for many minutes, listening to his heartbeat. It was so loud that he thought he could hear it echoing off the stone beneath him. Gradually he heard the bear shuffling closer again and a strange sound, like something with a wooden base being dragged across the floor. A moment later, Kaidos heard liquid dripping into a bucket and was at a loss for anything to say as blessedly cool water dribbled over his back.

  "You've tasted the lash quite a bit."

  Kaidos swallowed hard. Had be been imaging the bear, or was he imagining this?

  "The name's Barlan…Lucania Barlan...and not a word out of you about my given name, Wanderer." The bear's voice was behind him now as the cool water continued to rinse the wounds on his back.

  "Kaidos Vailinn…" Kaidos croaked. He closed his eyes, grateful for this hallucination or whatever it was. "Why—"

  "Haven't I eaten you?" the bear—or Barlan— finished Kaidos' question for him. "We are kin you and I—in spirit at least if not blood. Did your tribe never tell you about the Baerskein?"

  The Baerskein. Memories from Kaidos' childhood; gathered around the campfire while one of the old grandfathers told them stories of animals who could walk in the skin of men. The bears, or Baerskein, were those who were sent by the gods to watch over the tribes. Young men completed the rite of manhood by tracking bears to their dens in the winter and providing them with offerings of food, in the hopes that it would be a Baerskein and would see fit to protect the caravans as they moved through the forests. Kaidos always assumed it was just a myth, though he had himself completed the rite.

  Kaidos turned his head, trying to see the man's face without having to roll over, and Barlan accommodated him by leaning foreword. Although the light was very dim, Kaidos could see that he had light-colored hair. His features were prominent, with a wide jaw, squared chin, and a scruff of light beard. There was a thick scar that ran down his right cheek, but otherwise his face was unblemished, and his eyes appeared to be blue. Kaidos wasn't certain the man could be called handsome, but he wasn't unappealing, either. Barlan grinned with sharp teeth, which made his expression look more like a snarl.

  "Why are you here?" Kaidos turned his head away, exhausted with the effort of looking up and over his shoulder at him.

  "Pride, stupidity…nothing as forgivable as love," Barlan said almost dismissively. "I was defending territory that the king's army was trying to encroach upon. I was wounded and they saw me shift to this form you see now. Instead of killing me which would have allowed me to die with some honor intact, they chained me and presented me to His Majesty as a gift."

  "But the guards seemed to think you would eat me…"

  Barlan chuffed through his nose, "I don't eat humans. They think if they starve me I will be hungry enough to eat anything. It just makes me sleepy, and the little elves sneak food to me when they can."

  "If you don't kill me, I assume they will," Kaidos said softly, realizing that this stroke of minor good fortune was only temporary.

  "Do you want me to kill you?" Barlan asked him, rinsing the rag out in the bucket.

  "Not especially, but I'd rather have you do it than those assholes."

  "Tell me about the love that brought you here," Barlan said and began gently washing Kaidos' back again. "What is she like?"

  Kaidos chuckled bitterly. "She was lovely…but he is…exquisite."

  Barlan fumbled the rag and swore softly as he nearly dropped it on the floor.

  "I'm not understanding you, my friend…"

  Kaidos opened his mouth to explain but there came a light pinging sound to the right of the cell. It sounded like someone tapping on stone with a thin piece of metal.

 
"Excuse me," Barlan said and crawled to the wall. Kaidos got a quick indication of his size and realized that it would have taken a small army to bring him down. Even in human form, the man could probably take someone's head off with just a smack of one of his enormous hands.

  Kaidos heard Barlan speaking softly to someone and a silvery male voice responding. From the tonal quality, it reminded him of Veyl's, so he assumed it must be an elf.

  "I'll tell him," he heard Barlan say.

  Barlan crawled back over to Kaidos. "A man will be coming for you—named Engel."

  "Engel?" Kaidos tried to sit up, but the hot rakes of pain down his back stopped him and left him feeling nauseous.

  Barlan's face screwed up in concern, "This is not good news?"

  Kaidos heaved a trembling sigh. "I-I'm not sure…could you ask your friend if he has word of the prince? If he is well?"

  "The prince?" Barlan drew back in such a way that had Kaidos flinching. Realizing this, Barlan curled his shoulders in and slouched to make himself appear less threatening, turning his palms up on his knees.

  "I am sorry, my friend. It seems I truly must hear the rest of this story."

  *~*~*

  After Barlan had conveyed the message to his informant and returned with a satisfactory answer—His Highness was unharmed--he sat listening as Kaidos relayed the story of how he fell in love with a prince.

  Telling the story was bittersweet for Kaidos. His heart both swelled with the memories and ached with the realization that they may be the last he'd ever share with Veyl. On the off chance that Kaidos did manage to get out of this miserable dungeon, he felt his chances of ever seeing Veyl again were about as likely as him becoming royalty himself.

  Barlan sat quietly through the entire story. He'd received some food from the elf visitor, who'd passed him small bits of bread and fruit through a loose stone in the wall, and as he ate he offered pieces to Kaidos, but Kaidos had no appetite.

  "It is a sad story, my friend," Barlan finally said to him with a heavy sigh. "I myself have not yet known the mating bond. I have felt the heat before, as I am obviously no longer just a cub."