Claimed (Imprisoned Book 3)

by Victoria Vallo

  And if the warbeast, or anyone else, has been fucking him all this time, I’ll be paying this place another visit shortly. Duncan had never actually killed someone while out of his body, but he had the ability and wasn’t afraid to start today.

  ****

  Grim showered quickly, his mind still racing as he tried to figure out who might’ve come for him. His family had disowned him, and none of his respectable friends would even have any way of knowing what had happened to him. The “friends” who had fled and left him to this fate certainly wouldn’t be back for him, and they wouldn’t have the money to free him anyway. He pulled on the simple pants and tunic provided for him. They had at least given him back his own boots, which were incredibly expensive. They looked silly outside his pants, but the prison-issued clothing was rather constrictive, so he couldn’t get the bottom cuff of the pants around his thick boots.

  He went to the small waiting area and did exactly that. He’d only had to sign once, since there were no terms to agree to. When a friend or family member freed an inmate, there usually was no offer, even though that person was still officially designated as a keeper. They simply paid out the money and the prisoner was freed. Grim’s only problem now was the fact they wouldn’t reveal this person’s name. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t do that. Had they even asked for proof this person knew him? If he didn’t know this person, could he object? He definitely did not want to stay, but he also didn’t want to go with some crazy person who’d bought his freedom for unknown reasons.

  A guard came about an hour later and gestured for Grim to follow him. They came to a mid-sized ship, one that looked pretty expensive. Two men stood next to it, both of them facing away from Grim. One walked away, and the other one turned so his face could be seen. He had short dark hair and looked vaguely familiar. His features weren’t clear quite yet, but as Grim walked beside the guard, something finally clicked.

  He stopped in his tracks when he recognized Duncan, their eyes locking. How was Duncan here? And why? And more importantly, how could he have afforded to free Grim? He was a servant. In fact, he was a servant’s son really, completely untrained, and he’d only been assigned to see to Grim’s needs as payment for his room and board. That arrangement had continued even after Duncan’s father’s death. Grim had no idea what had become of Duncan once he’d left the estate for unknown reasons two years ago. He hadn’t heard another word about Duncan since then.

  Duncan gave Grim an odd smile as he bridged the distance between them. “Hello, Grim.”

  “Duncan. Hi.” Grim couldn’t hide his astonishment. “Did mother change her mind? Did my family send you?”

  Duncan frowned at him, his eyes darkening a bit. “I’m not here to do your family’s bidding. I’m here for you. Loloth took the call from the prison warden and overheard your mother’s reply. He contacted me right away.”

  “But why you?”

  Duncan looked Grim up and down. “Loloth’s been with your family since your birth. The old man couldn’t stand the thought of you in this place.”

  Grim chewed his lip. “That doesn’t answer my question at all.”

  Duncan looked to the guard. “Is the bracelet ready?”

  The guard nodded and signaled to a woman Grim hadn’t noticed hovering close by until just then.

  “What’s that?” Grim asked.

  “A tracking bracelet. If you run away from me, I can inform the prison that you’re fair game once more. They can lock on to your location and pay a justice officer or bounty hunter to pick you up. Then they can sell you off again or throw you back in a cell, with a longer sentence of course. Or they can try to sell you back to me at an inflated price.”

  The woman held up what looked like some kind of blaster. She held her hand out. “Your wrist, please. It’s placed deep under the skin so you can’t get it out without a doctor’s help.”

  Grim hesitated, and the guard said, “You can’t leave without it.”

  Reluctantly, Grim held out his hand. She pointed the device at his pulse point, and he felt something pierce his skin. Then she rubbed some kind of liquid on his skin, wiped away the trickle of blood, and put a small adhesive bandage over the puncture.

  “You’ll be fine. Should heal up within an hour.” She walked away after handing Duncan some kind of device.

  Duncan put the device in his pocket and nodded to the guard. “We’ll be going then.” He reached out toward Grim. “Come on.”

  Grim obeyed, but only because he wanted to get away from the prison. Once they were inside Duncan’s ship, Grim turned to him again. “But tell me why Loloth contacted you? How could he know you’d help? Where did you get the money for this?”

  Duncan secured the door and turned to him. “I earned it. Are you really so surprised?”

  “A servant couldn’t afford to buy off a six-month sentence, even with the tracking bracelet concession.”

  Duncan backed Grim against the nearest wall. “Is that all I am to you, Grim? A servant?”

  Grim stared back at him. “It’s all you’ve ever been since I’ve known you.”

  “I’m no one’s servant anymore. If anything, you’re mine now.” Duncan pressed against him. “And I’m going to get my money’s worth out of you.”

  Grim squirmed to get away from Duncan, going still when Duncan wouldn’t release him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Do I need to repeat myself? You’re mine, Grim, to do with as I please.” Duncan pinned his arms at his sides and whispered in his ear, “And I intend to fuck you in all the ways I’ve imagined over the years.”

  Grim froze at those words. His mind drifted back to a night long ago, one of the last nights he and Duncan had spent sleeping in the same bed. He couldn’t look Duncan in the eye. “And since when have you wanted to fuck me?”

  “Since you were fifteen and so sweetly naïve that you didn’t even know how to get rid of an erection,” Duncan said, chuckling warmly in his ear.

  So Duncan did remember that night. Grim made himself look at the other man. “What now? Is this revenge on my family for my parents’ treatment of you and your father? You’re going to force yourself on me?”

  Duncan flexed his hips, drawing Grim’s attention to his own dick, which had betrayed him by growing hard at the intimate physical contact with Duncan. “I doubt I’ll have to do much forcing. You seem as keen as ever.” But then the teasing left his eyes. “Tell me what it was like after your arrest. Did anyone molest you? I want to know about anyone who harmed you.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Because you’re mine. You always have been. You simply didn’t see it. If you were raped or abused, tell me. I’ll prove my devotion by killing them.”

  “What?” Grim felt a chill move up his spine. “Kill them?”

  Duncan backed up. “You know what I am. And you know I possess enough power to harm another with my mind. Tell me if you were harmed here.”

  Grim shivered again as he studied Duncan. He’d never been afraid of Duncan’s powers before, but the idea of Duncan hurting someone frightened him. “No. The guards basically ignored me. I’m just a human, too plain for their exotic tastes. And my cell mates were already fucking each other.”

  Duncan looked relieved. “Good. Let’s get out of here then. I want to get away from this miserable place.”

  Grim watched Duncan go down the narrow passage and followed him after a few seconds. Once he’d walked into the cockpit, Duncan told him to sit down and strap in. Grim let him get them in the air while he considered his next move. As soon as they were in orbit, Duncan set their course, and before long they were heading for their destination, which was still an unknown to Grim.

  “What’s really going on here?” Grim asked.

  Duncan unstrapped himself and turned to Grim. “What do you mean?”

  “You expect me to believe you laid down fuck knows how much money just to get me in bed?”

  “Love makes us do crazy things.” Duncan
rose and unstrapped Grim, yanking him up and kissing him hungrily.

  The kiss threw Grim, both with its suddenness and its passion. He fought and freed himself, shoving at Duncan and slapping him hard. Duncan only chuckled as he touched his swollen cheek. “Fight all you want. I already told you. You’re mine now.”

  Grim started to protest, but Duncan grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the passage. Once they were in a bare room with nothing in it but a tiny refresher station and a bunk built into the wall, Duncan shoved him to the floor.

  “We’ll reach Orela Prime by morning. I suggest you adjust your attitude.” He grinned. “We’ll have far more fun if you do.”

  With that, Duncan locked him in the room.

  Grim sat on the cold, hard floor, too stunned to speak or move. Orela Prime? People only went there to do three things: drink, gamble, and fuck. Grim had an idea which of those Duncan had in mind.

  He pulled himself up and tried the water valve. He tested the temperature and then splashed a little on his face. There was nothing else in the room, so he wiped his face with his shirt.

  Love makes us do crazy things. Why had Duncan said that? He didn’t love Grim. In fact, Grim had always felt that Duncan looked down on him and thought of him as an annoying, spoiled brat. They’d been friends once, when Duncan had first come to the estate, but that had ended years ago.

  Grim sat down on the hard bed, his hands trembling. He’d had dozens upon dozens of lovers over the years. Why did the idea of being fucked by Duncan make him so nervous?

  Chapter Two

  Duncan did a quick systems scan and then went to check on Grim. He’d been alone for two hours and might be hungry by now. It also seemed likely he would’ve calmed down and had some time to think more rationally. Duncan knew the prison had let Grim shower, but he couldn’t be sure when Grim had last eaten. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, finding Grim lying on the bunk and staring up at the ceiling.

  “Are you hungry? It’ll be about another twelve hours to Orela Prime.”

  “Want me to keep my strength up so I can put up a good fight? Really get you going?”

  Duncan walked into the room. “I don’t want you to fight me at all.”

  “Then let me go.”

  If he had any confidence Grim would stay with him, at least for a little while, he’d be tempted to do it to endear himself. But he knew Grim would leave him and felt sure the younger man would simply land himself in more trouble. “No. You’re finally mine, and I won’t let you go again.”

  “Again? You never had me. I was never yours. You were a servant. We were friends, kind of, but then you started avoiding me. I got the picture.”

  Crossing his arms, Duncan asked, “And what picture was that?”

  “My parents as good as paid you to be my friend. You never even liked me. You thought I was a brat.”

  “That’s not true at all. You were spoiled, yes, and selfish. But I did like you. A bit too much, actually. Your parents barely tolerated me. I doubt they’d have been pleased with me seducing you.”

  Grim sat up, his gaze focused on the floor. “I am hungry. What do I have to do to be allowed to eat?”

  “Allowed to eat?” Duncan laughed. “Say you’re hungry.”

  Grim looked up. “All right. I’m hungry.”

  Duncan gestured for him to get up and follow him. Once they were in the tiny galley, he handed Grim a protein bar and a bag of dried plums. “Provisions were low. I was in such a hurry I forgot to restock. But we’ll get supplies on Orela Prime.”

  “Thanks,” Grim said very quietly before sitting at the small table that would barely accommodate two people eating.

  Duncan gave him a bottle of filtered water as well and sat down, though he pulled his chair a bit away from the table and angled it toward Grim. “What did you expect? That you’d have to suck my cock just to be fed?”

  Grim scowled at him. “Given how I’ve been treated so far, yeah, I kinda did.”

  “Lovely as that would be, I doubt it would be good for our relationship.”

  “Our relationship?” Grim drank half of the bottle of water and recapped it slowly. “We haven’t seen each other for two years. You didn’t even say good-bye.”

  “I tried to. I came to your room, but you were … occupied.”

  Grim’s brows came together. “When?”

  Duncan shook his head slowly. “Don’t even remember the last time you saw me, do you?”

  Grim’s scowl deepened. “Just tell me.”

  “You were fucking a girl. Red hair. Don’t even know who she was. I’d never seen her before. But she was not your new fiancé. I came in and knocked, and you waved me away.” He paused, trying to remain composed. That moment had hurt, and he’d had to force himself to walk away. What he’d really wanted to do was pull Grim off that girl and pin the younger man to the bed himself. “I did say good-bye. You simply couldn’t hear me over your own grunting.”

  Grim stared at the table a moment. “Oh.” He bit into the protein bar and chewed slowly. Swallowing, he finally met Duncan’s gaze. “I didn’t notice you were gone until a couple of days later. I needed … I can’t even remember. I wanted you to go into the city with me.” He turned his eyes away again. “I don’t even remember that girl’s name.”

  “Is that what ended your engagement? Your unfaithfulness?”

  “That engagement was arranged. I wasn’t unfaithful because I never made a promise to begin with.” He ate in silence for a while, looking up at Duncan occasionally. After finishing his water, he said, “Say something. You’re freaking me out.”

  Though he wasn’t going to admit it to Grim, he liked that he could make him uneasy. “Am I?”

  “Yeah. Get on with it and lay it all out. What do you want from me?”

  Duncan smiled. “I won’t be satisfied by any one particular thing. What I want is you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. Have I not been clear about that?”

  “You could’ve slept with me before.”

  “Our positions were different. And you never seemed to want me. I guess that’s my fault, but this time, I won’t give up.”

  “Is that all you want? To get it out of your system?”

  Duncan rose and took Grim by the chin. “I’ll never get you out of my system. I love you.” He leaned down to kiss Grim, but this time the other man jerked away in time and moved across the room.

  “Don’t say that. You don’t love me. You’ve got some weird obsession or something. And it makes no sense.”

  Though Grim jerking away had hurt, Duncan smiled at that. “What? You saying you aren’t good enough for someone to obsess over?”

  Grim ignored that question. “Tell me what you want for my freedom. I can’t pay you back, not right away, but name your price. I’ll work for it, however I have to.”

  “Now that you’re mine, there’s nothing else I desire. No amount of money or any material possession.” He backed Grim against the wall. “All I want is you. If you’ll just submit, I’ll be as rough or as gentle as you like. I’ll be yours to command if you’ll simply give in. I have a fortune and can give you anything you want. But all I want is you.” He traced his finger over Grim’s jaw. “And I’ll have you no matter what. Isn’t submitting to me better than what awaited you in that prison?”

  Grim looked afraid at that question. “Stop, please.”

  “Stop talking?”

  “No, stop doing this to me.”

  “I won’t. I’ve waited much too long for this.” Duncan leaned in and kissed Grim again, more gently this time.

  Grim turned his head away after their lips had barely brushed for a few seconds. “Duncan, please.”

  Duncan chuckled. “You never used to say please. Used to just order me around. Wouldn’t even look at me most of the time.”

  Grim turned worried eyes up to Duncan. “Are you really going to rape me?”

  He really doesn’t believe I love him. Guess I can’t blame him.
I did my very best to hide it so no one would use it against me, especially him. “Who said anything about raping you?”

  “Having sex with someone against their will is rape.”

  Duncan backed away. “It won’t be against your will.” He tilted his head. “Why am I so different? From only a few weeks after your sixteenth birthday until the day I left eight years later, you fucked dozens upon dozens of women. And men. Some of them you barely knew.”

  “I was young. Sex was just pleasure.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I could have anyone I wanted, at least for a few nights. I had money and power on a planet where so few have either, much less both.”

  “Are you telling me you take it seriously these days? Saving yourself for marriage or your one true love?”

  Grim’s face went red. “Stop making fun of me. You’ve always made fun of me.”

  Duncan frowned. He’d always teased Grim, but he’d never out and out mocked him. “When have I ever made fun of you?”

  Grim’s mouth fell open, and he practically yelled his reply. “All the time! You were always laughing at how naïve I was. How many things I didn’t know. And I know you disapproved of me having so much sex. I could see it in your eyes.”

  “That was jealousy. Let’s get that straight right now,” Duncan said as he moved closer again. “At first you were just someone who needed me. I felt sorry for you because you’d been so sheltered. It bordered on abuse in my mind. I hated your parents from the moment I met you, saw how timid you were. Scared of your own shadow. I started to lust after you when I realized how cute you were. But it didn’t stop there. I wanted to make everyone and everything else go away so I could keep you to myself. I wanted to be the one to finally make you happy.”

  Grim looked confused as he said, “I guess I saw you as a big brother. It’s nothing personal.” He began to wring his hands. “You never said anything. You know I’m not good with subtle.”

  “Yes, I remember.”

  Grim’s knuckles were almost white as he twisted his fingers. “I’m just not sure I can see you the way you want me to.”