Measure of Devotion
Caethes Faron
Contents
About Measure of Devotion
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
21. Twenty-One
22. Twenty-Two
23. Twenty-Three
24. Twenty-Four
25. Twenty-Five
26. Twenty-Six
27. Twenty-Seven
28. Twenty-Eight
29. Twenty-Nine
30. Thirty
31. Thirty-One
32. Thirty-Two
33. Thirty-Three
34. Thirty-Four
35. Thirty-Five
36. Thirty-Six
37. Thirty-Seven
38. Thirty-Eight
39. Thirty-Nine
40. Forty
41. Forty-One
42. Forty-Two
43. Forty-Three
44. Forty-Four
45. Forty-Five
46. Forty-Six
47. Forty-Seven
48. Forty-Eight
49. Forty-Nine
Also by Caethes Faron
About the Author
About Measure of Devotion
Jason Wadsworth is finally headed to university. Leaving behind his father's cattle ranch in favor of the posh, gaslit streets of Perdana, Jason is determined to climb the social ladder and forget his country roots. If only his father had gifted him with a more upscale slave.
Kale's been a country slave his whole life. All he wants is to keep his head down and live as comfortable an existence as possible. Unfortunately, his dramatic master despises him and makes life difficult at every turn.
Humbled by his first breakup, Jason grows to appreciate his ever-faithful slave and soon discovers that Kale is everything he's ever wanted. Now he needs to prove to Kale that his love is genuine.
Kale, meanwhile, tries to convince himself that he simply feels the devotion of a slave to his master, but his actions prove what his mind is unwilling to accept: he's falling in love. When Jason's future happiness is in jeopardy, Kale sets himself on a course to make Jason's dreams come true, even if it means facing up to the fact that, for the first time in his life, he loves someone else more than he loves himself.
Measure of Devotion is a bittersweet love story set in an alternate world and contains sexual content and adult language.
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Other books in the Measure of Devotion series:
Measure of Strength
Measure of Peace
One
Kale stole a glance from beneath his eyelashes and grimaced. Jason Wadsworth was staring at him, his face red and jaw clenched.
Kale knew his life depended on the mood of the man in front of him. Being a slave was a game of survival. Up until this point, Kale had played the game well. Hunching his shoulders and lowering his head further, he adopted as submissive a pose as possible. He didn’t know why his new owner was mad, but he damned sure wasn’t going to make it worse.
“Go ahead and take a look at him, Son.” Robert gestured toward Kale, as if Jason might not be sure who “him” was.
The last thing Kale wanted was more attention. When Jason walked around him, Kale darted his eyes up again only to find the entire room staring at him. It felt like the whole county had shown up for Jason’s going away party, and Kale was the highlight, a rite of passage. Apparently, you weren’t a man until you owned another.
“Father, I thought Demetri—”
“Yes, I know you wanted Demetri, Son, but I thought Kale here was a better choice. He’s been serving as Carter Cartwright’s valet and companion. You know the Cartwrights.”
Jason looked toward Carter and James Cartwright, giving a slight nod that did little to hide the distaste on his face. Kale followed his gaze and wondered briefly which would be worse: belonging to someone who clearly despised you and wanted someone else or being returned to your previous owner as rejected goods.
“Fine, Father, I suppose you’re right. Thank you for the gift.” Jason reached for the rope binding Kale’s wrists.
When Robert handed Jason the rope, Kale sank to his knees. He tried to make the move look graceful, but grace wasn’t something he did well. When his knees hit the floor, he murmured, “Master.”
After a brief silence, Kale raised his eyes and was relieved to see the servile display had worked. The gleam in the other boy’s eye said he felt a thrill at his newfound ownership, that he thought himself officially a man now. If only that thrill could last.
“Demetri, take him to my room. Once he’s tied to the bed, you may leave.”
Again, the rope changed hands. As soon as Kale stood, Jason turned away, and the party resumed. The murmur of voices and clink of glasses were a welcome change from the focused silence of a few moments before. Once out of the room, Kale raised his head and straightened his shoulders.
How he would be of any use to a young man in the city was beyond him. He had never been outside of Malar County. Tonight was one of the most formal affairs he had ever attended. Social functions in this part of Arine consisted of barbecues, picnics, and the occasional ball if the free folk were feeling particularly fancy. Hell, the people here could barely read enough to reply to a party invitation. Why would a university student want Kale? If he were Jason, he wouldn’t want him, either.
The walk was spent in a frosty silence. Demetri tugged the rope unnecessarily and walked quicker than required, causing Kale to stumble in the gas fixtures’ dim light. It must be annoying losing out on the chance to go to Perdana. As far as Kale was concerned, Demetri was welcome to it. He would much rather have stayed in the familiar territory of the county.
Once in Jason’s room, Demetri lit the gas lamp, tied Kale to the bedpost, and left. Kale eyed the knot and rolled his eyes. Why did free people insist on behaving as if slaves were stupid? Did Jason really think that knotted rope would hold him should he decide to attack or escape?
Kale looked around his new master’s room to try to get a feel for him. He was somewhat familiar with the senior Wadsworth, Robert being a common hunting companion of his former master’s father, but he had never seen Jason. From the contents of the room, it appeared that the resemblance between father and son ended at their shared brown hair. A telescope stood near the window, and charts of the skies decorated the walls. Dozens of books were crammed into bookcases and stacked on tables and a writing desk. In the corner, several trunks were packed and ready for the next day’s journey to the capital.
An unfamiliar feeling of apprehension assaulted Kale at the sight of the trunks. This was only the second time in his life he had been sold, and getting used to a new master’s preferences and moods would be hard enough without the added pressure of a new environment. The Wadsworth home was like every other home in the county. Though larger with richer furnishings, it was essentially a ranch. The in-house politics and the day-to-day activities would be much the same as at the Cartwright’s. In the city, though, he wouldn’t have any familiarity with which to ground himself.
Kale mu
st have nodded off because he awoke with a start at the sound of a man stumbling heavily up the stairs. Moving to his knees from the more relaxed sitting position he had adopted during his wait, he prepared to greet his new master. With any luck, he could show Jason just how submissive he was and that he would be no trouble.
The door slammed open, and Jason stood, or rather swayed, in the doorway. For a few moments, he stared at Kale as if he had forgotten about him. Then he grunted, took a few unsteady steps, and crashed onto his bed. Barely a minute passed before he started to snore.
Kale knelt beside the bed, stunned. This wasn’t good at all. A moment later, he heard the loudest, rattling snore of his life and turned toward the bed. His master reminded him of a schoolboy who had gotten into his father’s liquor closet. Normally, Kale would have busied himself with removing his master’s boots and making him more comfortable, but with his hands tied, he was left with nothing to do but study his master for the first time. Jason didn’t look like he had ever spent a day outside in his life. Not only was his skin pale, it appeared as smooth as silk. He had high cheekbones, a well-shaped nose, and long fingers rested on a slim jaw. The delicate features of youth waiting on manhood.
Once it was clear Jason wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, Kale decided to situate himself for sleep. With his hands tied to the bedpost, comfort was impossible. It was unsettling that his master had forgotten about him so soon. Would Jason remember to let him eat? Buy him clothes? Let him use the bathroom?
Dammit, now he had to pee. Groaning, he shifted once more and tried to think of anything but the pressure in his bladder.
The next morning, Kale wondered how anyone could snore so much without waking himself. Heavy sleep must be the luxury of one who has never had to wake early a day in his life.
Jason would need to be up soon if they were going to leave on time. That presented something of a challenge. Would it be presumptuous to wake him without orders? Kale shuddered; of course it would. Not to mention that Jason was sure to have a hangover, and given his state last night, Kale doubted he knew how to take care of one. Kale could do plenty to help, but there was the small problem of his hands still being tied to the bed. The binding itself was not an issue—Kale could free himself in less than thirty seconds—the issue was whether or not his master would beat him for doing so.
Under ordinary circumstances, Kale would never dream of untying himself. Honestly, being tied was easy. Being tied meant you couldn’t make a mistake. You resigned yourself to take whatever came. But it was clear last night that Jason had completely forgotten about Kale’s existence. Tying Kale to the bed and leaving him there meant he was entirely useless. No master wanted a useless slave.
It didn’t help that he still needed to pee. It was just Kale’s luck to be sold to a man who forgot that slaves were actually people with all the same necessary functions as other people. Kale was sure his master would be furious if he awoke to a slave who had soiled himself. Some masters might leave a slave in that condition as a punishment, but Jason clearly acted out of ignorance and not malice.
That decided it. There was no way in hell Kale was just going to sit and piss himself because he had been sold to an idiot.
Using a combination of teeth and hands, Kale rapidly freed himself. Quietly, he crept to a door in the corner that he had eyed the previous night. If the Wadsworths were wealthy enough to install gas lighting, they almost certainly had indoor plumbing as well. Sure enough, the door opened on a nice bathroom. Normally, Kale wouldn’t be so bold as to use his master’s bathroom, but no other provision had been made, and he wasn’t quite ready to go traipsing around the house looking for the slaves’ facilities.
After relieving himself, Kale returned to his master’s bedside. Looking down at Jason, Kale contemplated what he should do next. The thought of somehow tying himself back up was not appealing. Would Jason remember leaving him there? If so, being caught anywhere else would surely be bad. However, given last night’s drunkenness, and the fact that neither the drool presently dripping down his face, nor the abominable snoring had woken him, it was doubtful Jason would be coherent enough to remember much of anything.
Walking to the bedroom door, he put his ear to it, listening for the sounds of a household waking. Sure enough, he could hear the stairs creak under slaves’ feet and the hall drapes being flung open. Kale glanced back at his master and weighed his options. If Jason overslept and they didn’t leave on time, Kale would probably be blamed. However, if he woke Jason, there was no telling what firestorm would ensue. What Kale really wanted was to wake his new master with breakfast and coffee. Hopefully, that would keep the after-effects of last night’s celebration to a minimum. It might even get them on the road on time, and how could a man be upset at waking to a piping hot breakfast?
Venturing out of Jason’s room, Kale made it to the kitchen unnoticed as the rest of the household slaves went about their morning work. The quiet of the house gave way to the clanking of pots and pans and the bustle of slaves preparing breakfast for free men and slaves alike. The smell of buttery biscuits set his stomach growling, and Kale was relieved to see that the head of the kitchen was a stout woman with a kind face. Even if he was only going to be here for one day, this woman could either make his first morning with his master a success or a failure, which would affect the rest of the day.
Kale approached the cook, adopting a submissive pose with his head slightly lowered, and looked up at her through his lashes. “Excuse me, ma’am, I was wondering if you might help me get my master’s breakfast. I’m new here.”
Cook looked him up and down, as if judging whether or not he was worthy of her time. “Ah yes, you’re young Master Jason’s new slave. Didn’t get to meet you last night.”
“No, ma’am, he sent me straight up to his room. I’d still be there, except he came to bed as drunk as can be and I was hoping to get him some bacon and coffee to ward off a hangover.”
“What’s your name, boy?”
“Kale, ma’am.”
“And I’m Darlene. Did you eat anything last night?”
“No, ma’am.”
“You hungry now?”
“I wouldn’t turn away food, but I don’t want to be gone when my master wakes up.”
Darlene waved her spatula in the air. “Nah, that boy hasn’t woken up before ten o’clock a day in his life. You’ll sit here and eat some breakfast. Trust me. You’ll need it with that one. Then I’ll send you up with a tray.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kale went over to the large pot of oatmeal and ladled out a bowlful. Walking over to the table, he was waylaid by the cook, who put a few strips of bacon on top of his bowl. Kale lifted his eyebrows and looked at her.
“That’s ’cause I won’t get a chance to spoil you, and you look like the type I’d spoil.”
Kale smiled at the twinkle in her eye and nodded his thanks. He downed the meal quickly, not willing to bet his hide on the fact that his master would stay asleep. When he was done, the cook handed him a tray. “I’ve put some strong coffee on there and a glass of water. Try to get him to drink the water first. There’s a whole container of cream and several cubes of sugar. That boy drinks his coffee like a child, but this way he’ll at least have to drink some of it black to make room. Just leave the tray on his desk when he’s done, and I’ll send someone up to fetch it. You’ll have your hands full enough trying to get him out the door.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m sorry I won’t be around for all that spoiling you promised.”
“It’s probably for the best, though. You’d break my poor heart with those dimples.”
Kale just grinned and ducked his head, shuffling out the door to the sound of her laughter. Once out of the kitchen, he straightened his head and walked swiftly back to Jason’s room. It was a pity he wouldn’t be staying here longer; he and Darlene would have gotten along well.
Back in Jason’s room, Kale arranged the breakfast tray on the bedside table and stood back. Here was
the hard part: waiting for Jason to wake up. He hoped the smell of food would be enough to rouse him, but the only movement Kale saw was the vibration of nose and mouth as Jason released yet another snore. Dear gods, hopefully the snoring was just a side effect of coming to bed drunk. Kale didn’t think he could manage listening to this every day. After the third snore, this one accompanied by a not inconsiderable amount of drool, Kale sighed. Clearly, he was going to have to take action. He stepped forward and leaned down, “Master? Master, it’s time to be getting up.”
Silence. And then a snore as he rolled over.
Kale clenched his fist at his side. Did he dare? Why couldn’t his first morning with a new master be the least bit easy? Slowly, he lifted his hand, flexing and clenching it several times before laying it on Jason’s shoulder. The sleeping man didn’t stir. Kale gave one little shake and then another. Still nothing. Taking a deep breath, he shook Jason again and said, louder than before, “Master, it’s time to be getting up.”
Jason stirred, and at the first hint of movement, Kale snatched his hand away and took a step back. Jason wiped away the drool on his chin before stretching in what looked like preparation to roll over and fall back asleep.
“Excuse me, Master, but your breakfast is here.”
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