by Lyra Evans
Now Cobalt walked alongside Niko with confidence and purpose. There was an ease to his demeanour that Niko couldn’t pinpoint. He acted much like a dom might in similar circumstances. He commanded attention, respect, obedience. The Fae who caught sight of him as they passed all stopped in their tracks, staring openly with lust on their faces. The moment they caught sight of Niko, though, they backed off. For his own part, Niko tried to play the part of a sub, but submission was never his strong suit. He was much better at other things.
The door to the Magic Wand was open, a set of deceptively average-sized Fae standing in the doorway, dressed in all black, vetting people before being admitted. Niko settled into Cobalt as they approached, softening the expression on his face and casting his gaze down. The thick black liner around his eyes helped with his expression, and Cobalt, though momentarily surprised, quickly played into it. He placed a hand at the base of Niko’s neck, his fingers playing with the leather collar. He stood his full height when facing the bouncers, smiling easily at them.
Niko flicked his tongue out to his lip, pulling it in to bite it. Angling his head into Cobalt’s touch, he did what he could to ensure they didn’t spend too much time detailing his face. Coming back to the Wand to interview persons of interest without the owner’s express permission wasn’t technically approved. But they needed leads and this was the best they had.
The bouncers nodded them in after a moment, pressing a small black stamp to both of their wrists, and Cobalt eased Niko in before him, his hand still at Niko’s neck. The weight of his hand was both soothing and unsettling to Niko. He could, at any moment, grip the collar and pull back, choking Niko and controlling him. The thought sent a shower of sparks through Niko’s middle, and he tried to find his way back to focus.
Inside the Wand, the lights were dim and the music was loud. The main hall featured a mass of plush couches and mattresses atop pedestals, like beds without headboards or footboards. They were all arranged facing a stage on which several employees performed. Drinks flowed freely, and the patrons Niko could see were all in varying states of undress. Some were completely naked, lounging on the couches, drinking and talking amongst themselves. Others were still partially clothed, either in leather and latex fetish gear, or in more standard black clothing, lying on the beds and engaging in various sexual activities. There were groups of two partners, three, four, or more. Sometimes a couple fucking were surrounded by a few individuals, either feeling each other up or themselves. Still other patrons were upright, milling around the bar, at the edges of the room, or near the stage, watching and chatting, flirting, or doing any number of other things.
The smell of alcohol and sex pervaded the air, broken up by wafts of ocean salt and hot sand. Niko found himself clinging to the scent of Cobalt like pockets of pure air to a drowning man. He rolled his spine, stretching himself out, trying to shake off the want that coiled in him again, but the club’s atmosphere, pumped full of aerosol aphrodisiacs patented by the Fae, made it difficult.
Niko guided Cobalt toward the bar, having spotted Alli there. He needed to find the woman Indigo was seen talking to and get the fuck out of there. Alli finished serving some already tipsy guests and turned her attention to them. Her eyes widened briefly when she saw them, and she hurried over to talk. Niko pretended to consider the bar menu as she approached.
“Got anything for us?” Niko murmured, his voice just forceful enough to reach her beneath the bass of the music. Alli glanced around, her lips pursed.
“I don’t think she’s here yet,” she admitted. “Haven’t seen her, and I’ve been working since open.” She seemed nervous, and Niko cast his gaze around the main hall. There were private rooms at the edges of the main hall and a few VIP suites upstairs.
“Is it possible she’s in a room with a client?” he asked. Alli kept looking around the room.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “VIP suites are booked for an office party. Big company. They pay extra for employees, not for—independent contractors.” Niko nodded. “The other suites aren’t locked or anything. Anyone can go in whenever. But, like I said, I haven’t seen her yet. What can I do?”
Niko rolled his jaw slightly. “Keep an eye out. And give us each a drink,” he said. “With the anti-drunkenness stuff, yeah? We just need to look the part.”
Alli nodded quickly, pouring them out a mix of blue-green liquid and popping two golden drops into each. She slid them across the bar, and Cobalt laid down his iridescent card without question. Niko started slightly, but Alli took it without hesitation.
“Start a tab, just in case,” Cobalt told her. She nodded quickly. “But whatever we order, it should have the anti-drunk kicker, understand?”
She nodded again, smiling at them. “I hope you find out what happened.”
Niko took his drink, sniffing it casually as she toddled off to deal with another customer. Cobalt picked up his own glass, sipping it smoothly. The glass smelled of blueberry and sour sugar. Niko took a slow drink. It dried out his entire mouth for a moment, tasting much the way it smelled.
“You don’t have to pay,” he said after a moment. Then, in an undertone, he added, “The department will reimburse you.”
Cobalt waved him off. “It’s not a concern,” he said. “Whatever resources are necessary for this case are at our disposal. Money is the least of my concerns on this assignment.”
Something piqued at Niko’s mind, but he decided not to address it just yet. Some nearby patrons had taken notice of them and were fawning over Cobalt. His lips pulled at the edges as they swooned over him, but he extricated himself and pressed a hand to Niko’s lower back, urging him toward the furnished area of the hall. His fingers brushed so low they were nearly beneath Niko’s pants, against his ass, and Niko felt his cock twitch.
“You look like you need a good whipping,” a deep voice said to Niko’s right. The cuff on his right hand was caught, pulled sideways, and Niko found himself jerked around, spilling half his drink, to face a large Fae with pink hair and a heavy leather outfit. He wore a leather vest, belt, and pants, and there was a leather crop attached to the belt at his side. Niko’s jaw tightened, his body tense, and the Fae reached out and hooked a finger into Niko’s collar, yanking him closer. “Those pouty lips and that tight ass are just begging for it, aren’t they? Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you, little slut?”
Something unclicked in Niko’s mind, and a voice echoed in his head. A shudder ran across his skin, his breathing laboured, and the Fae reached up and slapped Niko across the cheek. Pain blossomed on Niko’s face, followed by a rocketing surge of enjoyment. He grimaced, and as he turned back to shove the Fae off him, he saw Cobalt step in and bear down on the Fae.
“Get your fucking hands off him,” Cobalt snarled, his voice low and dangerous. The air grew hot around them. “You don’t have my permission to touch him or call him that.”
The Fae gaped, taken aback. “He’s yours?” he asked, clearly alarmed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see a leash or—”
“And that gives you the right?” Cobalt breathed. His eyes were aflame with fury, his voice so low he might have been whispering, but Niko could hear him clearly. And so could the other Fae.
He bowed his head very slightly. “My apologies,” he said, then leaning over to address Niko, he nodded once at him. “And to you too, of course. I was out of line.”
Cobalt watched the Fae turn and go, then rounded on Niko, hooking into his collar like the Fae had. He pulled Niko against him, yanking the collar to force Niko’s head back, at his mercy. Niko’s jaw was wired shut, his breathing heavy, his skin hot. He looked into Cobalt’s eyes, the silver nearly eclipsed by his pupils, and Niko felt himself blink slowly.
There was a bed next to them, recently vacated, and Niko’s body was telling him to lay back on it, to spread himself for Cobalt and let Cobalt have whatever he wanted. The look in Cobalt’s eyes was more than enough encouragement; the way he held Niko’s collar sent waves of excitement th
rough Niko.
But instead, he said, “We should check out the private rooms.” It was soft and low and full of breath. Cobalt breathed him in, the muscles in his jaw bulging slightly. He let go of the collar and ran a thumb gently over Niko’s reddened cheek. Caught in the look Cobalt was giving him, Niko didn’t move.
“Did it hurt?” Cobalt whispered.
“Yes.”
Leaning in, his mouth almost against Niko’s ear, Cobalt said, “How much did you like it?”
Niko shuddered again, pressing his lips closed, his eyes following suit. When he opened his eyes again, Cobalt had put some distance between them, but not enough for Niko not to feel the heat of his presence and be lost in the scent of him.
Without answering the question, Niko forced himself to walk toward the private rooms, abandoning his drink on some nearby table. Cobalt followed closely, his hand back in place at Niko’s neck. He didn’t know how long he could take this, the tension and the rising desire. It burned in him like acid, eating away at his focus, his resolve, his control. But Niko had to maintain control. He had to.
Niko made his way, weaving around people, taking in whatever details he could. Though Alli hadn’t given them a description of the woman they were looking for, he was relatively sure he could identify her standing out amid the other patrons. Niko had enough experience dealing with prostitutes by now. But that was only the case if he could keep his mind on his job and off of Cobalt, which was becoming increasingly difficult.
The main hall branched off to a long corridor of private rooms with varying degrees of privacy. The first few had doorways but no doors, then curtains, then an actual door, though even the rooms with doors were warded against locking. For safety reasons, the club had to guarantee emergency services could always get in or out of a room. Niko poked a head into the first room, quickly surveying the group gathered there. They were all women, heartily engaged in pleasuring each other. Striking them from his mental list, he moved on to the next room. Cobalt moved with him, studying him just as much as the rooms, and Niko tried to ignore it. He checked the next three rooms and found them either empty or occupied by people who did not fit the parameters. At the final room, Niko swung open the door to find it empty. He made to turn around and go back to the main hall, but Cobalt’s hand on his neck forced him forward into the room instead.
Surprised, Niko stumbled forward slightly, caught by Cobalt’s finger hooking into his collar. He choked momentarily, his pulse jumping, but collected himself. He spun on Cobalt, his eyes flashing with anger. But Cobalt stood between him and the door, his entire body burning with an aura of desire Niko couldn’t deny. It floored him.
“What the fuck?” Niko asked, scrambling to hold on to his anger. But the heat of fury was fading quickly to a different kind of fire. Cobalt moved closer, though he didn’t seem to be walking. He flowed like water, approaching silently and smoothly.
“We opened every room,” he said. “It would look rather suspicious if at the end of that we didn’t pick one to use.”
Niko’s teeth gritted sideways. He was annoyed at the thought. “We’re here to do a job,” he said. “We can’t be hanging around in here, wasting time, and risk the possibility of missing our mark.”
Unsure of how it happened, Niko found Cobalt was only inches from him now. He clenched his jaw, pressing his fingertips into his palms. Cobalt loomed over him, sliding his hands down Niko’s arms to the black cuffs at his wrists.
“We can spare a few minutes,” he said, his voice like a tune to charm snakes. Niko tried not to feel like an enchanted animal, but he was quickly losing that battle. “I think this room could be quite useful.”
Niko stared into Cobalt’s silver eyes, seeing the wide black pools of his pupils and getting briefly disoriented. He opened his mouth to say something, to argue and demand they leave, but Cobalt’s hands were lifting his by the wrists, holding them above his head and together, and Niko let it all happen until he realized his cuffs were caught on something and he couldn’t lower his arms.
Looking up, he saw a steel snaphook hanging from the ceiling, something he had not noticed when he walked in. It seemed to be attached to a thick cable that swung around to the side wall, meant to facilitate suspension. Niko gritted his teeth and glared at Cobalt.
“Let me out,” he said, but Cobalt shook his head.
“You don’t like to answer personal questions, do you?” Cobalt asked him, considering him. His eyes roved over Niko’s body from head to toe and back again, a slow progression as though he was taking in every detail. Niko felt himself on full display, working hard to ignore the spark of pleasure in his belly.
“I don’t like to be restrained by my so-called partner,” Niko snapped back, but Cobalt licked his lips and shook his head. He pressed himself close to Niko, his hands at Niko’s hips to steady him.
“Still so intent on lying,” Cobalt said, and Niko shivered involuntarily. Glancing down between them, his eyes lingering on the thick bulge in Niko’s pants, Cobalt smiled. “I think being restrained is something you do like. A great deal.” He tightened his grip on Niko’s hips, his fingers digging in to the skin. Niko breathed harder, his shoulders jerking now and again, determined to break free of the snaphook. “So what should the penalty be for that lie?”
His hands flew up the sides of Niko’s body, settling at his chest. Fingertips at Niko’s nipples, Cobalt began to roll them into buds, bit by bit, and Niko felt his jaw beginning to ache, thinking he might bite through his own jawbone. But then Cobalt pinched, and a wild jolt of pleasure shot through Niko. He inhaled sharply, his cock painfully hard in his ripped pants.
“Tell me what you want,” Cobalt whispered to him, their lips almost brushing. Niko struggled to regain control of his breathing. The desperate wanting in his core was unleashing, spreading through his muscles to take control of him. The half of Niko that wanted to give in fought brutally against the half of Niko that needed to maintain control, that needed to focus on the job. So he said nothing, glaring at Cobalt. The Selkie didn’t seem to like that, one hand shifting around Niko’s body and up his spine, burying in his hair. He clenched his fist and yanked backward, forcing Niko’s head back. More pain was followed by another shot of ecstasy. Niko groaned under his breath, unable to stop it. “Tell me you want me to hurt you. Tell me you want the pain.”
Niko jerked hard against the restraints, cursing himself for every part of the outfit he chose. Cobalt studied the cuffs at his wrists, then the collar at his neck, then his eyes fell back to Niko’s throbbing erection. Cobalt scraped his nails down Niko’s back, breathing deeply. Niko tried to look away from him, to deny Cobalt the look of pleasure on Niko’s face at the feeling, but Niko caught sight of Cobalt’s groin as he did. He was just as hard as Niko was. And despite his best efforts, Niko’s mind was once again flooded with images of Cobalt pushing into him, pinning his hands behind his back and biting down on his neck.
“I know what pictures you see,” Cobalt exhaled in Niko’s ear. Niko stilled, caught between embarrassment and the liberated pleasure of what he was feeling. “I know what I do to you in your mind. So just say the word. Tell me to do it.”
Shutting his eyes, Niko fought with himself, his hands gripping at the edges of the cuffs. He couldn’t say yes. He couldn’t let Cobalt do what he was offering. What he was asking to do.
“Then tell me to stop,” Cobalt said, biting at Niko’s ear again. He dug his nails in harder to Niko’s flesh, and Niko could barely stop himself from moaning outright. It was so little, so light, but even the slightest shots of pain left him a mess. And though he wanted to say the words, to simply say ‘stop’ to Cobalt, he couldn’t make himself form that word either. He couldn’t make himself stop it. Cobalt took Niko’s chin in hand, brushing his mouth over Niko’s with the barest of touches. He moved slowly back and forth, and for a moment, they shared breath, and then Cobalt caught Niko’s lower lip between his teeth, biting just enough to hurt but not enough to break skin.
He pulled back, letting Niko’s lip slip from between his teeth, and Niko immediately pulled the lip into his mouth and sucked on it.
But more thoughts crashed into his mind, a box at the back of his brain slowly unlocking, releasing everything inside it. And the taste was at the back of his throat again. The taste he’d never get rid of, despite the sugary drink and the overwhelming scent of Cobalt in his lungs.
The door opened suddenly, and Niko’s eyes snapped wide open. Cobalt looked back over his shoulder slowly, and they found the male employee from earlier that day. He was dressed in very little now, wearing only black chaps. He seemed relieved when he found them.
“Alli sent me,” he whispered, stepping inside the room. “She’s here.”
Niko said nothing, and the Fae didn’t seem alarmed or bothered at finding police officers in the position he did. Cobalt nodded to him.
“We’ll be there in a moment,” he said, and the Fae nodded and disappeared. Niko’s body thrummed with tension. Cobalt reached up and placed his hands over the snaphook, his face within perfect range to kiss Niko. Or devour him. “No more lies,” he said, and Niko felt the weight of his meaning, the certainty behind them. And for once, he wanted to agree. “And as you seem to have problems with regular words,” he added, “Next time you use red, yellow, and green. Green means yes, good. Red means stop.” He hesitated briefly, his eyes boring into Niko’s. “I won’t do anything else without a green.” His eyes held a question, and in response, Niko nodded one short movement.
Cobalt released the snaphook and let Niko’s arms down. Holding one of the cuffs to check the damage, Niko tried not to find the slight redness at his wrists hot. He tried to pretend he wasn’t wishing they were deeper. But in order to satisfy at least one part of himself, Niko did do one thing before they left the room.