by Lyra Evans
Niko felt himself grow hot, his heart pounding suddenly. He looked at the wine again, worried it was somehow poisoned or drugged, but Starla seemed absolutely unaffected. It was only after a long moment he realized it wasn’t the food or drink but Cobalt’s intentions behind them that made him react this way. What was the Selkie doing? Insisting on food when Niko was playing a simple pet? Ordering the lavish meal with expensive ingredients and wine—just to please Niko? Did he think Niko cared so much for fine things? Why did it bother Niko so much?
He said nothing else as they ate, finishing the food rather quickly. Niko had eaten more in that meal than he had in months probably, but he felt only comfortably sated, not overly full like he would have expected. Cobalt poured out the rest of the bottle of wine into each of their glasses, then reached for the dessert platter that sat at the end of the table.
“I hope you saved room,” Cobalt said, eyeing Niko. Starla licked her lips.
Cobalt set the dessert in the centre of the table, pushing the roast platter aside. When he lifted the silver dome, Niko felt his heart stop. There was nothing terribly fancy about it, nothing that broadcasted luxury the way everything else in the hotel did. Even the dish it sat in outshone the dessert in its elegance, made of bone china detailed with gold and silver branches spreading out around the sides, flowering with tiny pink blossoms. But none of that mattered, because what was in the dish was a golden brown, rustic cherry crumble. It was Niko’s favourite dessert. His favourite indulgence possibly in his life, and he had not had it in years.
“Not going to lie, it’s a bit underwhelming a finale, Cob, love,” Starla said, considering the crumble. “Though it does smell fantastic.”
“I think it will hit the mark,” Cobalt said, and Niko felt his eyes on him. But Niko couldn’t make himself move, couldn’t make himself reach for a serving of the dessert. The tart, sweet scent of the cherries mixed with the spice of cinnamon met his nose and brought back very old memories, memories he thought he’d long forgotten.
He was small, so small, picking at his plate of crumble, spearing the cherry on his too-large fork and licking at the thickened jelly around it. A woman rustled by him, behind his chair, her skirt brushing against his swinging legs as she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his head. It was sunny outside, as he gazed beyond the screen door of the kitchen. A soft breeze played through the yard, fluffing the grass and the leaves, and Niko swore he could hear, in the softest whisper, a woman’s voice say, “Happy birthday, Niko.”
The memory ended, fading abruptly into the void from which it came, and Niko found himself standing at his place at the table, both Cobalt and Starla watching him. His fists were balled, his muscles tight, and his heart was in his throat.
“Are you all right?” Cobalt asked.
“How did you know?” Niko snapped in response. Starla pulled back slightly, caught mid-bite by his outburst. Cobalt, however, seemed eerily calm.
“How did I know what?” Cobalt said.
Niko stared at him, frustrated by his calm, by his beautiful face, by the depth of his silver eyes and how badly Niko needed the clouds of emotion there to be something they couldn’t be. “How did you know?” he asked again. “That this is—that today is—”
Cobalt’s expression shifted before his eyes, clearer than Niko had ever seen it, but he still couldn’t believe it. It looked like heartbreak, but for what?
“Sit down, Niko,” Cobalt said, and though he did not Sing, nor use forceful language, Niko found himself sinking back into his chair. He didn’t know why; Niko did not take orders well when he was feeling this way.
“What is going on?” Starla asked.
Cobalt’s jaw flexed a moment, his gaze turning almost reproachful. “Even she doesn’t know? Does anyone? Besides Uriah?”
Niko shook his head minutely. Starla stared between them.
“Know what?” Starla asked.
Niko set his jaw and forced the information out, needing to be the one to say it. “It’s my birthday.”
Starla’s shoulders slumped, and she set her pitying gaze on Niko now. Niko grimaced.
“Oh, Niki,” she said quietly, and Niko brushed it off.
“How did you know?” Niko asked again.
Cobalt cut some of the crumble and scooped it out onto a plate for Niko. “Uriah gave it away. I didn’t realize you were so protective of the information.”
Eyebrows knitting together, Niko thought back. “Uri? How—”
“He seemed very intent on giving you something today,” Cobalt said. “And rather put out when you refused to give him an opportunity.”
“That’s it?” Niko asked, mind still focused on the cherry crumble.
“I thought it rather obvious, actually,” he said. “Perhaps I’m just more attentive than others.” He set the plate down in front of Niko. “I’m to understand dessert is customary in celebration of anniversaries of this kind on land. So. Eat.”
Still wary, Niko felt in a fog as he reached for his fork to pick up the crumble. Saliva filled his mouth as he held the bite up to his face, his entire body curling to attention at the smell. No one had ever done anything like this for his birthday. Not even Uri, who usually took Niko’s affirmation that he didn’t celebrate birthdays seriously. That he apparently intended to give Niko something today, after they broke up, seemed more an indication of Uri’s feelings of guilt than anything else.
The first mouthful was like stepping backward into a dream. He shut his eyes, fighting the tidal wave that rose in him. There were few memories like the one he’d just relived, and the full set of them played out in his mind as he ate. It was the best thing he’d ever tasted. Since that first memory, at least.
“I guess ‘happy birthday’ is a bit off now, isn’t it?” Starla said, finishing her plate. “But I’m glad I know now, Niki. And despite the trouble you bring, I’m glad to see you again.”
Niko opened his eyes and met Starla’s gaze. She shifted awkwardly in her chair, downing the last of her wine in one gulp, and he nodded at her. She was no good with emotion either. Her full leather outfit and coral hair pulled back into a tight, high braid made the whole ‘sensitive’ exchange that much stranger.
They ate the rest of the crumble in silence, Niko feeling more lost in himself than he had in years. He had spent so long pushing everything to the outer corners of his mind, his identity, that he wasn’t sure how to face anything anymore.
“We should get ready to go,” Starla said after a while, checking the time. “I’m assuming you’ve got something more appropriate to wear than that getup, anyway.” She eyed Niko’s clothes with distaste. He pursed his lips.
“I’ll go change,” he said, getting up from the table and gathering his backpack from the sofa to dress. Hovering in the doorway to the bedroom, he considered the bathroom. The walls were glass all around and gave little privacy, the shower door made of frosted glass, as if that helped much at all. Still, he decided it was best to be prepared for anything. Moving into the bathroom, he turned on the shining chrome showerhead and adjusted the temperature. Without worrying much about the audience he might have, he stripped down and stepped inside.
Letting the water batter down on his already weary body, he tried to clear his mind as he set to cleansing himself. He tried not to think of why he was doing what he was doing, of the ideas that made his stomach flip and his chest bubble. He tried to understand why Cobalt got him cherry crumble for his birthday, why Cobalt was so intent on keeping him fed. And as he washed, the tumultuous thoughts sloshed around in his mind, finding no answers.
He stepped out when he was done, drying himself with the plush white hotel towel. Without options, Niko began to dress himself in the items he’d collected from his place and from the precinct. He donned each item carefully, trying not to let even the dressing turn him on, but it was difficult. The feel of the Fae-enchanted leather on his skin, soft but firm and with just the right amount of resistance, sent shivers up his spine. Attachi
ng the fastenings on his various accessories, he was nearly done. Finally, he looked himself in the mirror and picked up the last item. Pulling it down over his forehead, he ruffled his hair until it lay over the final piece, as though the black accessory was almost painted on his skin.
Niko exited the bathroom into the living area to find Cobalt and Starla sitting on the sofa, deep in discussion.
“—doesn’t realize it unless it’s spelled out. It’s complicated,” Starla was saying. “And it’ll probably never really be easy. So just be ready for that. But I’m wishing you luck.”
“Luck for what?” Niko asked, and Starla and Cobalt turned to see him. Both of them seemed struck dumb, blinking at him for a beat. Starla spoke first.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” she said. “You always did know how to turn a head.”
Cobalt, however, said nothing. His eyes were focused on Niko, roving up and down his body, his chest rising and falling with vibrating effort. Niko waited for him to take it all in. He wore a pair of tight leather shorts that ended just above the knee. His torso was caged in a strappy, black leather harness that connected to the shorts and crisscrossed over his chest and around his shoulders. At his neck was a black collar with a silver ring at the front and back. His forearms were fitted with long leather cuffs that clung to his skin and bore silver rings of their own to connect to the torso harness or anywhere else his master felt like trying. His ankles bore similar cuffs, though smaller than the wrist ones. And over his eyes was a curious black fabric, both hard and supple at once, that blocked out all light—once it was turned on.
“Should you not be able to see?” Cobalt asked, and Niko noted the hoarseness of his voice.
Tossing him a black ring, Niko watched Cobalt catch it midair. “It’s only a blindfold when you want it to be. If you don’t turn it on, it just looks like a blindfold, but I can see clearly.”
Cobalt slid the ring onto his finger, turning the subtle button on the shank so it faced inward. He ran a finger over it, and in an instant, the fabric turned black inside and Niko was blind. He shifted his head slightly, to indicate it had worked, and Cobalt flicked the button again. Niko nodded to him, taking the time to do a quick turn to show off the best part of the outfit—the cut-out at the back of the shorts, putting his ass on display.
“Do I look the part?” Niko asked, his gaze firmly on Cobalt. The Selkie seemed made of stone, unable to move but to look at Niko. His eyes blazed, and Niko felt the air shift. His mind was full of fantasies, images of Cobalt tying him up and spanking him until his ass was raw, pushing inside him and pinning him down against a mattress, the floor, or even the windows of the room.
“Something’s missing,” Starla said, and Niko thought he knew what she meant. He leaned over and picked up something from his backpack, holding it out to Cobalt.
“This?” he asked, and Starla smiled widely.
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
Cobalt took a moment, meeting Niko’s gaze through the blindfold. His jaw flexed again, his eyes piercing. He meant Niko to understand something, and before long, Niko thought he did.
Licking his lips, Niko slowly lowered himself to the floor, sitting carefully on his knees. He dropped his head slightly, his hand still holding the object aloft. After a moment, Cobalt got to his feet, moving to stand directly in front of Niko. He took the leather leash from Niko’s hand and reached down to tilt Niko’s head up by the chin. Niko stared into his pupil-eclipsed eyes as Cobalt hooked the leash into the front ring of Niko’s collar.
Then, without warning, Cobalt slapped Niko across the face. Head jerking to the side, Niko felt the rush of heat to his belly and lower, his cock instantly hard in his tight shorts. He gritted his teeth to fight the moan in his throat.
“That’s for not kneeling immediately,” Cobalt said, and Niko dropped his gaze, feeling another surge of pleasure run through him. He didn’t understand exactly what was happening. He didn’t much like obeying orders or submitting. He wanted to be thrown down and pinned. But at Cobalt’s feet, Niko felt different.
“Elm, Oak, and Pine, you both are a sight,” Starla said, fanning herself. “If you’ve got your stories straight, I think we should go. Have you figured out what you’re calling Niki?”
She addressed this to Cobalt, and he stared down at Niko as he thought it over. “A pet name?” he asked.
“Something to show your ownership,” Starla said, and Niko shivered. “Some people use the standard ‘slut,’ or ‘whore,’ or ‘slave.’ It’s up to you.”
“I like ‘Pet,’” Cobalt said, stroking Niko’s jaw with his thumb.
Starla nodded. “Sets him apart from the merchandise you’re trying to buy,” she said, thinking it over. “You don’t want anyone thinking Niki here is up for a trade.”
Suddenly, the thought of Cobalt giving him over to some other man triggered a flurry of strange sensations. Part of him found it unspeakably hot, imagining Cobalt watching as someone else fucked Niko on his orders. But another part of him shrank away, clinging to the line the leash drew between the two of them. Neither reaction was reasonable, in Niko’s mind, and he tried to tamp them down. He had a part to play, a role to get into. It was an assignment. Nothing more.
“You belong to me, Pet,” Cobalt said, yanking the leash until Niko was off balance, head leaning back and his chin almost touching Cobalt’s hip. “Do you understand?”
Niko let his eyes travel up Cobalt’s smooth, flat stomach and chest, his mouth slightly open from the position. “Yes, Master,” he breathed, and Niko could almost feel Cobalt getting hard, his cock inches away from Niko’s face.
“We should go,” Starla said after a moment, eyeing them both. “Cobalt should put on his suit.”
Cobalt nodded, hand tight on the leash. After a moment, he dropped the leash to the side, the leather rope falling to the floor with a thud. Niko watched Cobalt disappear into the bedroom to dress. He stayed in position on the floor for a long moment, unsure if he was calm enough to rise. Only the familiar bitter taste at the back of his throat, the one that reminded him of Sade and all that meant, stilled Niko’s churning desires. But as he thought about it, he realized the taste was fainter than it was before, harder to identify.
“You’re in trouble, Niki,” Starla said, watching him. Niko finally got to his feet, coming back to reality.
“I don’t see how,” Niko said. “I’ve done this kind of thing before, if you remember.”
Starla shook her head, her long coral braid flipping over her shoulder. “Yeah. I know. You fucking hated Sade and look how well that turned out,” she said.
Niko frowned, collecting the relevant IDs from the table. Cobalt would have to carry Niko’s as well as his own, which only made sense in the context of their parts.
“If you mean with him behind bars for the rest of his life and his victims freed, then pretty good I’d say,” Niko said. Starla gave him a hard look. He bit the insides of his cheeks. “Though I admit what happened to you is less than ideal.”
Starla shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Not even what I meant,” she said. “How many people have you been with since Sade?”
Niko rolled his shoulders to stretch his spine. “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
“Exactly,” she said. “You hated him and still let him consume you. I can’t imagine what’ll happen to you when you give that power to someone you actually have feelings for.”
Niko’s expression went stony. “Good thing I don’t have feelings for anyone, then,” he said, and Starla sighed.
“Have you spoken to anyone? Since the trial?” she asked, and Niko thought the question strange.
“What for?” Niko asked.
Getting to her feet, Starla reached out to take Niko’s hand, but an inch before they touched, she seemed to think better of it. “Eventually, you’re going to have to let someone in.”
Niko’s eyes met hers, but he couldn’t say anything to that. He didn’t know what to say. Saved only by Co
balt emerging fully dressed, Niko turned to hand him the IDs and keys to the car. Cobalt wore a suit with no tie in a black fabric so soft to the touch Niko thought it was made of cloud. But the cut of the clothing was so sharp and tailored it amplified Cobalt’s natural height and musculature, making him both more commanding and imposing than he already was. He looked devastatingly powerful, as though he could command armies at the flick of a finger, or send even the strongest will to their knees in a look. Niko’s mouth felt overly wet, his core hungering for something he couldn’t eat, but he said nothing.
Taking hold of the leash from the hook on Niko’s collar, Cobalt pulled at it until he held the end of it in his hand. His fingers were adorned with a number of rings, each set with different gemstones—diamond, ruby, and jade—all standard stones for a wealthy Wizard to wear. One ring was carved of black stone—obsidian—which was the most expensive and most versatile magical conductor in existence. That was a mark of his status and wealth more than anything else. Niko held up the industrial earring tipped with painted topaz Captain Baobab had given him.
“It’s a recording device,” he said to Cobalt. “Once I put it on, everything is recorded.” He said nothing else, and Cobalt didn’t press him. Unsure why he was doing it, Niko found himself silently asking for permission to wear it, and Cobalt knew it. A flare of pleasure in Cobalt’s eyes sent a wave of heat through Niko’s body.
“Put it on,” Cobalt said, and Niko reached up and fastened it to his ear. The magic of the earring meant there was no pain in the puncturing of his earlobe, and when he removed it, there would be no hole. “It suits you, Pet.”
Niko shivered again.
“If y’all are done flirting, we’ve got some sex traffickers to meet,” Starla said, and at once the strange spell on Niko was broken, cold reality setting in. He nodded to her.
“Into the Woods, I guess,” he said.
Chapter 23
They pulled up to the club via the VIP lane marked out on the street. Starla told them this was where a contact for the Woods was most likely to be that night, and therefore it was their best shot at getting an invite to the next event. But Niko was less than thrilled when he saw the façade of the place they were to enter.