Nicolas

by Dianne Hartsock

  He blinked, his sluggish mind noting he stood naked, a bar between his ankles holding his legs several feet apart. What….

  Jamie drew a sudden, sharp breath, throwing off the last of his sleep. This was no dream. Piter had fooled him before, but he knew absolutely that this cell was an actual place and his danger was very real. But how did he get there? He had fallen asleep in Nico’s arms, and then….

  Nothing came to him. The space seemed warm, humid even, and Jamie looked down his body, covered in a sheen of sweat. Anxiety tightened his gut on seeing the thin, angry red lines crossing his chest and upper thighs. They stung where sweat trickled into the wounds. Had he been whipped? God. Why couldn’t he remember?

  He stiffened, adrenaline shooting through him. He’d heard a noise, rustling in a dark corner. Bells? It brought to mind the soft ringing of silver bells on a sleigh one Christmas Eve when he was a boy, maybe eight years old. They were buying a Christmas tree from the lot a few miles out of town, one of those places where you chose the tree and they cut it for you on the spot.

  While they were waiting for the men to finish with their selection, a long green sleigh pulled up to them, drawn by a white horse. Jamie smiled as elves hopped from the back and disappeared into the pines, carrying warm drinks and candy canes for their visitors. A smaller elf trotted up to him—a boy his age, adorable in his green outfit and hat covering blond curls. Laughing blue eyes met his and Jamie grinned back.

  “Hot chocolate?” The boy held out a mug to him.

  “Sure.” Jamie took it. They studied each other for a moment, then an impish smirk swept the elf’s face, and he stepped closer, giving him a quick kiss on the mouth.

  “You’re cute,” the boy said while Jamie sputtered. Then, with an audacious wink, he stepped into the trees out of sight. Jamie heard laughter as he joined his fellow elves. The horse stamped its foot, the bells in its silvery mane jingling. Something cold touched Jamie’s face and he looked up into the first snow of the season. Joy filled him. His first kiss, and from one of Santa’s elves on Christmas Eve. He drew in a deep breath of pine-scented air, wanting to remember the moment always.

  “How very touching.”

  Jamie startled back, biting off a cry when the thick shackles gouged his wrists. No sweet padding on these. He thought of ancient torture chambers and wished to God he hadn’t when Piter stepped into the light—sinuous, virile, and dangerous in black leather. Jamie swallowed, looking aside, very conscious of his naked, bound body at Piter’s mercy. He’d seen movies like this, always ending in blood.

  Hearing the light tinkle of bells when Piter moved, he risked a glance and couldn’t control his gasp of surprise. Piter was barefoot, fine chains of tiny silver bells adorning each slim ankle. Despite himself, Jamie’s gaze climbed higher, following the leather-clad calves and muscular thighs to the heavy bulge between them. Flicking his gaze upward, he watched Piter remove his leather vest and shake his fair hair so it swept his shoulders. His pale nipples were hard and Jamie licked his lips in anticipation.

  He groaned, shutting his eyes. Piter was a temptation he couldn’t ignore, the dream that came to him on empty nights, when his heart ached with loneliness, wanting someone of his own to love.

  “But I have someone real now,” he whispered. Piter was another dream, nightmare made flesh. Nico was blood and bone, a man who loved him….

  Teeth grazed his earlobe, making him shiver. “Are you sure of that, pet? Seems to me our dear Nicolas has loved a legion of men in his long existence on this earth. Though in truth, few as beautiful as you. Besides, you promised to be mine. Remember, at the hospital?”

  He traced one of Jamie’s nipples with a hard nail, teasing the sensitive bud until it tightened into a peak he rubbed between finger and thumb. Jamie whimpered as pleasure sparked a path to his dick. He didn’t want this!

  “Let me go,” he pleaded, though he had little hope of that. Piter chuckled, then bent and licked the nipple he’d been tormenting. Jamie gritted his teeth, not wanting to respond, forcing down the moans that rose inside him as Piter suckled first one, then the other of his nipples. His cock hardened at the onslaught, knowing how he must look, chained and hobbled while Piter toyed with his body. He felt decadent, wanton—

  “Naughty,” Piter finished his thought. “You are a naughty boy, letting a man of God touch you, suck your dick. Did he say a prayer as he fucked your sweet ass?”

  “Shut up.”

  “But I won’t, my Jamie. You like to play nasty. Did you go on your knees to him, worship that fat cock he slid between your lips? Was it a sacrament when he shoved it up inside you?”

  “Shut your fucking mouth!” Jamie’s chest heaved as fury lashed through him. “You know it wasn’t like that.”

  “Truly? But you’ll love the wicked things I’ll do with you.” Piter crossed in front of him, brushing his fingers over Jamie’s stiff cock. He moved behind him, whispered in his ear, “I’ll enjoy making you scream.”

  Fingernails scraped along his back, then something else, thin strands, smooth, almost ticklish, trailed over his skin. Piter came back around him and swept the object lightly over his chest. Some kind of a switch made of many slim branches clutched in his hand. Jamie shuddered, noting it matched the lashings on his body.

  Piter’s laugh was cruel as he brushed the switch back and forth across Jamie’s chest, lowering it to graze his dick. He stepped closer, the heat of his body surrounding Jamie, and his sweet breath feathering across his cheek when he spoke. “You’ve met our lovely Saint Nicolas, heard his message. I am but his counterpart, Jamie. Where there is such goodness, there must be balance. They call me Krampus and Zwarte Piet and Knecht Ruprecht, but there is only me, Piter Rupert. Nico rewards the deserving. I punish the wicked and cruel.”

  “You’re a monster who terrifies children.”

  Piter threw his head back and laughed, beautiful and cold. “Hardly that, my sweet. I simply remind them there are consequences to their actions. I have brought very few men home here to Italy with me. Others, like you, who simply need a little more… discipline.” The switch whipped in the air and Jamie cried out as it struck his neck with the sting of bees. Instantly, Piter’s lips were on his skin, licking the welts already forming.

  “Did that hurt, baby? Was the pain everything you crave?” Piter looked down his body. Jamie’s dick had lost its stiffness and Piter’s lips curled into an adorable pout. Jamie hated him.

  “You’re being naughty again, Jamie.” Piter tsked. “Well, remember, I do this for your own good.”

  Jamie steeled himself but still the whip burned like fire across his chest. He swallowed his moan of pain, shutting his lids tight so Piter couldn’t see the tears filling his eyes. The switch whipped across his thighs, and he cried out in fear, unable to bring his legs together because of the ankle bar.

  Piter’s laugh mocked him. “Sorry, love! That came close.” He leaned into Jamie and trailed the twigs over his cock. “Do you feel vulnerable like this, pet, spread for me? Do your arms ache wonderfully?” He stepped back and eyed Jamie head to toe. “To me you’re magnificent! Your glorious hair spread like blood around your shoulders, my marks reddening your fair skin, nipples like sweet strawberries….”

  His voice trailed off and Piter bent and pressed his mouth to a tender bud, sucking and licking the nipple mercilessly. A warm hand cupped Jamie’s balls, kneading them together, making Jamie’s head reel as pleasure mixed with the pain coursing through his body. A sob lodged in his throat. He didn’t want this! It surprised him when Piter immediately let him go and took a step back.

  The blond head tilted, a quizzical look crossing the lovely face. “You really love Nico, don’t you?” He waved off Jamie’s stammered reply. “If I can’t bring a scream of pleasure to those lush lips, pain will work just as well.” The man crossed to the table against the wall and picked up a few items. Jamie sagged in relief when he left the ugly whips behind.

  He returned and set the items on th
e floor, then gathered Jamie’s hair in his hands and tied it in a loose braid. The set look on his face frightened Jamie more than his anger had. Piter caught his gaze on him and shrugged. “Your face in the throes of ecstasy would be breathtaking, but I’ll save your look of pain until the end,” he explained, then snatched an object off the floor, a burlap sack, and shoved it over Jamie’s head.

  The coarse fabric scratched his skin and the heat under the sack quickly grew thick and hot, unbearable. He winced as sweat dripped into his eyes. Senses heightened, he became aware of Piter’s every movement, the soft chime of bells, the subtle creak of leather. The sharp bite of pain on his nipples startled him into crying out as the tender tips were pinched in some kind of metal clamps. Groaning, he struggled to control his breathing, each deep breath tightening the clamps further.

  Piter sounded pleased. “Naughty boy! You know what to do. This is going to be fun.”

  Jamie snapped his teeth shut, knowing what was coming. The switch struck his abdomen then across his shoulders, his ass. He gave up trying to guess where it would land next, surrendering to the agony racing through his twitching body. His mind swam in a red haze of pain. He couldn’t breathe in the smothering heat under the sack and fell gladly into the blackness opening at his feet.

  PAIN RETURNED with consciousness and a moan was pulled from deep inside Jamie’s chest. He felt disoriented and it took him several minutes before he could remember what had happened. He was Piter’s prisoner. Sick, dizzy, he straightened his sore body, agony shooting through his tortured limbs. His arms throbbed, a separate torture. Looking up, he cringed at the black blood circling the manacles on his wrists.

  He lowered his glance down a body covered in dried sweat, red with raised welts and shallow cuts. Bruises darkened his ribcage and also the tips of his nipples, as if the clamps had been tugged off without mercy. It was hard to fight the despair crowding at the edge of his thoughts. His eyes burned and he couldn’t cry. Thirst was its own agony. He feared he would do anything for Piter, for a single drop of water to wet his parched throat. His lips felt dry and bloody against his thick tongue.

  Slowly he became aware of the clink of heavy chains behind him and horror crept up his spine. Piter wasn’t done with him. At least the sack had been removed. The air felt cooler, and he filled his lungs, steadying his nerves as best he could. He thought longingly of Nico, but quickly crushed his lover’s image from his mind. He wouldn’t help Piter draw him into a trap.

  A hot breath touched his neck and he flinched, then straightened his spine. “Get on with it.” He almost shouted with frustration, but clamped his lips shut. Piter would enjoy knowing he was getting to him, stretching his nerves to their breaking point. He wouldn’t react. Maybe Piter would tire of the game and let him go. Jamie held little hope of that happening.

  He jumped when a hand touched the small of his back, relieved when Piter moved in front of him. He’d witnessed his Krampus persona, and the thought of being alone with the creature, bound as he was, filled him with terror. Piter’s cold smile chilled him.

  “Nothing to say, pet? Even after my loving attention?” Piter touched his chest, traced the welts across his breasts. Jamie flinched at the sting of his fingers.

  Unexpectedly, Piter kissed his lips. “You seem thirsty, my love. Can I bring you some water?” Jamie’s heart thumped while Piter cast his glance about the empty room. “Sorry, I don’t seem to have any with me.” He shrugged as if it was a small matter. “Maybe next time.”

  Despair settled in Jamie’s heart. Piter was going to let him die there, alone and in pain. What had he done to deserve this, except to fall in love? Nico’s image came to mind, and just for a second he allowed it in, basked in the teasing smile on those fabulous lips, the passion glittering in gorgeous hazel eyes. Nico loved him, he knew it. For a moment longer, he held his lover’s image close, kissed those sweet lips, said good-bye—

  He winced as a rough hand clamped on his jaw, forcing his head up. Fury glittered in Piter’s eyes, green gems holding hatred and cruelty. “You’re thinking of him, aren’t you?” He tightened his hold, fingers digging into Jamie’s tender flesh.

  Jamie stared back in defiance and Piter backhanded him, hard. Blood filled his mouth and he watched in detachment as crimson drops fell on the livid welts running down his chest. He’d said his good-byes. Piter could do what he wished with him.

  Piter grabbed a handful of Jamie’s hair, yanking his head back, face inches from his. “No, it won’t be that easy, love,” he warned and clamped their lips together.

  Jamie didn’t respond to the seeking tongue invading his mouth, but suddenly horror overrode all his thoughts. God, what is it! Piter’s tongue had grown thick, hard, scraping the tender lining of his mouth, choking off his breath. He struggled but a hand grabbed the back of his head, holding him in place as the impossibly long tongue slithered down his throat. Black specks swam in his eyes. He teetered on the verge of unconsciousness, and then the terrible thing withdrew, and he gulped air, his lungs on fire.

  The Krampus stood before him, horned and cloven-hoofed, black tongue thrusting in and out of its thick lips. The creature bent and picked up the heavy chains from the floor and shuffled closer to Jamie. A long, pale cock jutted from the thick pelt covering its body, and Jamie shuddered as it brushed against his thigh. The Krampus snorted and rutted against him, its laugh a grating discordance of notes. It wound the chain around Jamie’s neck, then stood back from him.

  The thick links restricted Jamie’s air. His shoulders drooped, the added weight pulling on his arms. The shackles tore his tender wrists. Exhausted, full of pain, Jamie swayed, welcoming the darkness filling his eyes.

  “Nico?” he called softly, wanting his lover to know his last thoughts were of him. The Krampus shuffled across the room, demonic, goblin-like in the faint light, and picked a whip from the collection on the lone table. The Krampus cackled as it returned, coiling the rope in its long hands, a wild, gleeful look in its green eyes. The black tongue snaked out and licked Jamie’s neck as it passed him, and Jamie felt it take a position behind him.

  “Nico?” he called out in his mind one more time, despairing. He heard a whistling, and flinched at the crack in the air when the tip struck him. Numbness, then pain blossomed from his shoulder. An uncontrollable shudder ran through his aching body. Instantly, the whip cracked again and he screamed this time when it flicked at his skin.

  “Help me!” he cried out when he hadn’t meant to make a sound. Silence filled the space, then he heard the heavy clomp of hooves, and he moaned in pain as a coarse tongue licked over his wounds. He shivered when the tongue licked his ear. Sharp teeth nipped the lobe.

  “Did you think Nico would save you, pet?” Derision dripped in the goblin’s words. “Why, my love, he’s the one who calls me to life.”

  Jamie jerked away from him. “You lie,” he whispered, and prayed for the blackness swirling at his feet to take him into unconsciousness. The Krampus laughed and moved to its former position, and the whistle and crack of the whip and pain became Jamie’s world.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  NICO JERKED his head up, losing his concentration. “Jamie?” He thought he’d heard him call out, but the connection was severed.

  Studying the row of houses on the street, he ground his teeth in frustration, terrified of what Piter might be doing with his lover. Damn! He’d arrived in Bari quick enough, but it had taken him most of the day to track the Krampus this far. When he tried to focus on Jamie, he’d caught glimpses of pain and fear, but no direction. The Krampus fought him, confusing Nico’s thoughts. The Basilica di San Nicola reared up in the distance and he stifled the urge to hunch his shoulders. The goblin often brought his victims to this area near the church, but they could be in any one of these homes.

  “Jamie, cuore mio, where are you?” he whispered, anxiety eating away at his courage. He’d try again. Nico bent all his will in finding him. There! Jamie’s call was the barest whisper in
his mind, making his soul sing. He sprinted up the street to a house on the right. The daylight was quickly going and he slipped into the shadows on the side of the building. After rounding to the back, he tried the door there. Unlocked. The Krampus expected him. Drawing a deep breath, he stepped inside the dark interior, closing the door behind him.

  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and he waited until he could make out a staircase descending into a dimly lit cellar. He became aware of grunts and sniffles from the goblin and the unmistakable sound of a whip striking flesh. He hurtled down the stairs. Reaching the small area, he took in the terrible scene with a quick glance before he dove for the Krampus, his momentum carrying them both to the cement floor.

  The beast snarled and twisted, its claw-like hands digging into his upper arms. Nico didn’t care. Rising up, he knocked the goblin’s hands aside and planted a knee on its rounded chest, grinding its wrist into the floor with his other foot. The Krampus pushed up, snapping its sharp teeth in Nico’s face. In a rage, Nico wrapped his hands around the creature’s neck, pushing his thumbs against its windpipe. Instantly, the thing fell back, dropping its hands to its sides, not resisting.

  Nico grimaced when the Krampus shifted, taking its human form. Piter’s green eyes widened, pleading, and Nico eased his hold on his throat, though not letting him go. “I could kill you right now,” he hissed, fighting hard to control the fury still pounding through him.

  “Again, Nicolas? Wasn’t the first time enough?” Piter gasped out.

  “Shut your foul mouth.” Nico climbed to his feet, hauling Piter up with him. He kept hold of his throat, pulling him around when he approached Jamie, still bound with chains to the ceiling. “Oh Christ.” The fight left him, and he shoved Piter away, ignoring him as the man massaged his throat, the white skin already bruising.

  “Jamie?” Blinking impatiently at the tears blurring his sight, Nico gently touched his lover’s gaunt face. Angry red welts covered Jamie’s body, bloody in places where the skin had torn open. He hung limply, blood oozing from under the cuffs on his torn wrists. A soft moan escaped him, and Nico lifted him against his shoulder to ease the strain on his arms.