by Piper Scott
There was a moment of hesitation, but before Cedric had to address Gabriel a second time, he came through the doorway and joined Cedric at the counter. Cedric spared him a quick look to take inventory of what he was wearing, then worked the flap out from its slot. Gabriel’s jeans were a little tight, but his t-shirt was loose and comfortable. It would have to do. Once he’d adjusted to his new limitations, he would rework his wardrobe accordingly.
Cedric opened the box and took his purchase from inside.
The posture collar was worth every penny. Made of high-quality leather, its sleek, black exterior was complemented by downy padding on the inside. Cedric ran his thumb across it, testing it for comfort, but also for breathability. When he tightened the dual straps and fed them into their corresponding buckles, Gabriel’s skin would need to breathe. It would do them no good if the collar was uncomfortable—Cedric wanted him in it for long periods of time. Training would not be effective if he had to remove it at regular intervals.
At his side, Gabriel tensed. The leather was intimidating, Cedric knew. There’d been a time when he’d worn a similar collar. Brittany had wanted everyone to see his face, and there’d been no better way to do it than to keep his head in place. But eventually, the thick D-ring on the front wouldn’t look as imposing, and the heavy-duty build of the collar would become as natural to Gabriel’s body as his own neck was. All it would take was time, and time was something they had plenty of.
“This,” Cedric said, tracing his fingers along the D-ring on the front, “is yours from now until the end of time.”
Gabriel said nothing, but there was buzzing energy in the air—nervous or excited, Cedric couldn’t tell. He turned his head to look at Gabriel, hoping to source the change in the air, only to find Gabriel’s eyes were partially lidded. His teeth had sunk into his bottom lip, small flashes of white that drew the eye to his tempting mouth. It wasn’t nerves, and excitement didn’t begin to cover it—Gabriel was aroused. Cedric detected the first stirrings of it in the air, and his cock throbbed at the thought that his perfect pet was turned on by the prospect of being so visibly claimed.
Doing his best to ignore the growing need behind his fly, Cedric continued, “This collar is your punishment for your misstep the other day, and you will wear it until I decide that it’s time for you to take it off.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel’s voice quivered, but not from fear. The sound of it struck Cedric squarely in the gut, and he tightened his stomach as a fresh wave of arousal passed through him.
It wasn’t right to think this way about Gabriel. Broken, abused, and twisted, Gabriel needed to know his worth before he knew another man’s touch again. Right now, Gabriel needed to focus on getting better… but Cedric didn’t know how much longer he could continue to deny himself.
Gabriel was special. It was in the way their bodies felt when they touched as much as it was in who Gabriel was at the core of his being. It was the same pull he’d felt to Brittany all those years ago, but intensified—made into something monumental by forces Cedric couldn’t hope to understand.
And that force almost swept Cedric away as he fitted the collar to Gabriel’s neck.
The unspoken tension between them swelled, and sparks the like of which Cedric had never felt before flew. Cedric gazed into Gabriel’s partially lidded eyes and saw in them that what he felt, Gabriel felt, too. The tiny uptick of Gabriel’s pulse and the scent of arousal on the air stirred Cedric more than it ever had before.
He wanted to touch. He wanted to pin Gabriel to the couch and knot him—to mark him as his.
Instead, he watched as Gabriel lifted his chin and accepted the collar. Cedric’s hands were tied. There was nothing else he could do.
The collar molded to Gabriel’s neck like it had been built for his body. Cedric tightened the straps and buckled them into place, then assessed how the collar hit Gabriel’s clavicle. He ran a finger beneath to make sure the fit wasn’t too tight or uncomfortable, then turned his attention to how it fitted against Gabriel’s chin. Posture collars, rigid and tall, were made to restrict the movement of the head and neck. Gabriel would no longer be able to dip his head when he wanted to escape the reality of the situation, and he would look Cedric in the eyes when they spoke.
Pretty, ocean-blue eyes that left Cedric breathless.
Cedric bit the inside of his lip and pushed the thought away.
“How does it feel?” he asked. Unable to help himself, he ran his finger from the upper edge of the collar to Gabriel’s neck, and then upward along his jawbone. Every time they touched, it stirred Cedric, and he couldn’t get enough. It was selfish and irresponsible, but when Gabriel was so close, his body and his mind were at war, and there were some battles Cedric could not win. “Is it irritating your skin anywhere?”
“No, Sir.”
Gabriel’s skin was warm, and he smelled good. God, did he smell good. Cedric leaned a little closer, just to breathe him in. The war inside was being waged, and right now, his mind was losing to his body. “Is it comfortable?”
“Yes, Sir.” What little was visible of Gabriel’s eyes was glossy, and his pupils were blown out with lust. “It’s comfortable.”
“Then you’ll wear it for me.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement whispered onto Gabriel’s lips. They were too close and Cedric knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. “And when you want to sleep at night, you’ll come find me, and ask nicely if I’ll take it off for you.”
Gabriel’s eyes closed, and he tilted his chin upward as if he were expecting a kiss. “Yes, Sir. Of course.”
Butterflies took flight in Cedric’s stomach, and his cock strained against the front of his jeans. He knew that Gabriel had to be able to smell his arousal, but he didn’t care. Gabriel had to know that he was desirable, and there was a chance that knowing Cedric wasn’t immune to his charms would inflate his sense of self-worth.
Pink lips, ruddied by how Gabriel had worried them, were so close that all Cedric would have to do would be move a fraction of an inch forward to make them his. Gabriel wore his collar now, and he would until Cedric decided that he’d been taught his lesson. Wouldn’t it be natural to make his lips Cedric’s as well? To make sure that Gabriel knew that he was claimed?
Cedric leaned forward, ready to give in just this once, when a thud from the carport stole his attention away and jerked him back from the omega he was about to claim. He turned toward the side door as his heart raced, both glad for the interruption and gutted by it. A sound like that wasn’t caused by the wind—whatever was out there was too solid, too heavy.
Too human.
Perhaps the courier wasn’t gone, but then, what was he doing in the carport? It sounded like whoever was out there had hit Cedric’s car with his thigh.
“Rabbit?” Cedric asked. “Go into your room. I need to go take care of business.”
There was a response, but Cedric only heard the tone—his focus was on whatever was happening beyond the side door. There was no reason to believe that there was any kind of threat out there. He’d lived in this rental for the last three years, and he’d never had an issue with theft or vandalism. But as he approached, he couldn’t help but feel like there was something out there that was wrong. Creeping instinct caused the hairs on Cedric’s nape to stand on end, and a shiver swept down his spine. He kept an aluminum baseball bat by the door, just in case, but this was the first time he’d ever thought he’d need to use it. Cedric’s hand curled around the handle, and he lifted it from where it had been leaning to keep by his side as he opened the door.
A man stood at the bottom of the driveway.
Cedric’s hand tightened around the handle of the bat. He stepped down to stand in the carport, his eyes on the man in the distance. Technically, he was doing nothing wrong—he stood on the sidewalk, hands shoved into the pockets of his billowing black sweater, the hood drawn over his head. From where he stood, Cedric could only make out certain details.
A bulbo
us nose. A square chin. Broad shoulders… and his scent.
Wood, leather, and alpha.
Cedric knew that smell.
He set the end of the bat on the asphalt, the hollow clunk reverberating through the carport. Why was that smell familiar to him, and why did it put him on high alert? Cedric couldn’t pin where he knew it from, but he knew that it wasn’t the first time he’d come across it. There’d been a time when that scent had made enough of an impact on him that his body remembered it, so why couldn’t he figure it out?
For a prolonged moment, they faced each other. The man stood where he was, posture wide and relaxed, while Cedric guarded the carport and prayed to god that he’d locked the front door after bringing in the collar. It wasn’t that he thought he couldn’t take care of the stranger, but with Gabriel in the house, he was nervous.
If anything were to happen to him…
Cedric couldn’t risk it. He took a step forward, and as soon as he did, the man turned on his heel and continued on his way. Cedric walked as far as the front of the carport to keep an eye on him, but it didn’t look like the man was interested in coming back. He crossed the street and continued on his way, leaving Cedric to question what the hell had just happened. Sometimes, in the fall, pedestrians stopped to watch the trees, but the forest was on the other side of the street. That man had been watching the house.
Had he been in the carport?
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was gone.
A light breeze stirred, disturbing Cedric’s hair. He shook his head, pushed his fear aside, and returned to the house. He locked the door behind him, then checked the front door to verify it was secure. In all likelihood, he was overreacting. Strange things happened every day—there was nothing particularly wrong about a man standing on public property, looking wherever he pleased.
But that scent…
Cedric shook his head. He could spend the rest of his life trying to place where he’d smelled it, but it would do him no good. Right now, he needed to get back to the task at hand. There was an omega waiting for him in his bedroom who needed training, and no one else was going to step in for Cedric to get it done.
24
Gabriel
The bathroom mirror was pristine—Gabriel knew because he’d cleaned it himself not even a day ago. Sir leaned against the meticulously scrubbed counter, his ass perched on the ledge while his hands were planted on either side of his thighs. Gabriel stood before him, his eyes never parting from his reflection. Sir was watching, and he refused to disappoint him, no matter how uncomfortable looking at himself was.
“What do you see?” Sir asked. The question was simple, but Gabriel didn’t want to reply. What he had to say wouldn’t be to Sir’s liking.
So he was vague instead. “Myself.”
“That’s right, Rabbit. It’s a good start, but it’s not what I’m looking for. When you look at yourself, what do you see?”
The posture collar prevented Gabriel from looking down. Every time he tried to lower his head, the leather stopped him. It would not fold.
Gabriel looked himself over in the mirror and tried to find nice things to say. The posture collar was less than a week old now, and he’d never wanted it gone more than he did now. Talking to Sir while meeting his gaze wasn’t half as terrifying as Gabriel thought it would be—but facing himself? Staring down his reflection while Sir demanded he report back?
It made Gabriel want to tear at his eyes until he couldn’t see anymore. Why did he have to invent something nice to say? Sir already knew that there was nothing nice at all about him.
“I see a young man,” Gabriel murmured.
“Expand on that.”
It took all of Gabriel’s will not to close his eyes. The longer he looked, the more intolerable his reflection became. “A young… omega.”
“What about your reflection makes you an omega?” Sir asked.
Was it a trick question? Gabriel glanced at Sir’s face to find his expression was affable, like he expected a genuine response.
“It’s… young.” Gabriel shifted his focus back to his reflection. “Younger than it should look, at least. Fine features. Round eyes. Full lips. Alpha and beta men don’t look like I do.”
“No, not all of them. But some of them do.” Sir didn’t show anger. His tone was conversational. “What else do you see?”
“Soft, blond hair.” Gabriel frowned. “But it’s too muddy to be beautiful. If it was blonder, like Seth’s, or pale, like Lucian’s, then… then maybe it would be beautiful, but it’s not.”
“Says who?”
“Says…” Gabriel wanted to say me, but that wasn’t the truth. The truth was that Garrison had never found it beautiful, but Garrison was gone. The hold he had over Gabriel was no more. Even if he returned from jail, Gabriel wouldn’t want him, so why was he letting Garrison’s opinion poison his thoughts? “… says no one.”
“What else?” Sir prompted, and Gabriel looked again. The posture collar gave him no choice.
“Blue eyes.” Saliva pooled in Gabriel’s mouth, and he swallowed it down. Blue eyes were common, and he’d always yearned to have Adrian’s steely gray gaze. But the truth? The truth was that he’d wished that because Garrison had never noticed him in the way he wanted. The blue of Gabriel’s eyes was deep and startling, dark and distinct. “Pretty dark-blue eyes.”
“And your lips?” Sir’s voice was firmer now, but it was no less friendly.
Gabriel fed from his prompt seamlessly. “They’re full and pink. They’re… they’re pretty, too.”
The posture collar forced him to look, and the longer he did, the more the man in the mirror changed. From too-skinny and plain to hauntingly beautiful, Sir tore down the lies Gabriel had worn as a mask for the past five years and exposed the stunning young man beneath.
Tears prickled in the corner of Gabriel’s eyes.
“And my nose,” he uttered. The words rattled, the tears not far off. “It’s graceful and cute. It’s cute. And my cheekbones are high and dignified, and my jaw is… is sharp, but not too drastic or masculine, and—and…”
Gabriel ran the back of his hand across his eyes.
“And it’s good. All of it is good. The young man I see? He’s good.”
“Very good, Rabbit,” Sir praised. He leaned over to press a kiss to Gabriel’s temple. “Would you like to sit on the couch with me while I stroke your hair?”
The tears fell liberally now, and no matter how often Gabriel ran his hand beneath his eyes, he couldn’t keep them away.
“Yes, please, Sir. I’d like that very much.”
Fall days began to give way to winter nights. The sun had long ago set, and the darkness on the other side of the windows made Sir’s house feel small and snug, like there was nothing outside their tiny slice of existence to worry about. With Sir there to protect him, Gabriel didn’t worry about anything anymore.
The lights in the house were off when Gabriel headed down the hall to Sir’s bedroom. A window at the very end of the hall allowed moonlight to enter, but it was a cloudy night, and visibility was spotty at best. Gabriel’s fingers brushed the wall as he walked, guiding him forward. He felt each familiar doorway, and used them to mark the distance left before Sir’s room.
Before he arrived, a light flicked on, shining from beneath the door. Gabriel stopped to listen, but all he heard was movement. It sounded like Sir was up to something—but as long as he was up, that was all that mattered.
Gabriel arrived in front of the door, touched the leather that kept his head upright, then took a breath in through his nose and lifted his fist to knock. The door swung open beneath the force of his knuckles, and he found himself looking across Sir’s bedroom.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it. Over the last few weeks, he’d stood at the door while Sir undid the straps to his collar one at a time, then slid the padded leather off his neck. He’d seen the luxurious hardwood and the cloudlike, king-sized bed on the other si
de, piled high with pillows that Gabriel would have sold his soul to be able to nestle into, and draped over with blankets both soft and warm. He was familiar with the heavy black curtains that Sir used to cover the windows, and sometimes, he saw something playing on the flat-screen television mounted on the wall.
What he wasn’t used to seeing was Sir standing by the bed, nude.
His back was partially to Gabriel, and he held a towel in his hands that he’d been using to dry his face and hair. The bottom of it hung down to block Gabriel’s view of his cock, but there was no hiding the magnificence that was the rest of Sir’s body.
Sir was a work of art.
Gabriel stood frozen in time, soaking him in. The valley of Sir’s spine was pronounced, the muscles of his back developed and taut against his skin. A broad chest tapered to a narrow waist, giving way to a bubble butt that even Gabriel envied. His thighs were solid and muscular, but still showed signs that Sir had once been delicately slender. He had all the markings of an omega, but he’d grown into an alpha’s body—so beautiful and yet so strong that it wasn’t fair.
But the beauty of Sir’s body wasn’t only attributed to genetics and time spent at the gym. As Sir turned to face him, the towel held loosely down his body, Gabriel got to see what Sir had been hiding from him beneath his sweaters and long-sleeve shirts—tattoos. Sir’s right arm was consumed with color from his wrist all the way back to his shoulder blade. At a distance, Gabriel couldn’t make out exactly what imagery the sleeve was comprised of, but the blend of colors was seamless, and it complemented Sir’s skin tone as well as it did his personality. Sir’s chest was inkless, but his left leg—from his hip to his ankle—continued the motif, as if his body housed a canvas that had been torn in two diagonally.
Gabriel sucked in a quick, shallow breath, but it did him no good. He remained frozen where he was, his eyes drinking in Sir as he’d never seen him before.