Disclaimer: This is fiction, none of this ever happened, not to represent anyone real in any way. Not supported by any bands or affiliates and certainly not approved by the FDA, though the NRA is a whole different matter.
The Story:
The old crone muttered to herself throughout the entire day. She felt the warning signs, smelled the danger in the air. The beginning of the storm was about to set off. She felt it to the marrows of her bones.
She reached a withered and scrawny hand into the glass jar in her lap. She pulled out a handful of dried red flowers and tossed them into the roaring fire. She sat back and waited patiently. It wasn�t long.
She sensed more than heard the whispers of the flames, the voices of the future speaking their secrets amid the heat of the fire. When at last, the flames died, the old witch sat back. She set the jar down beside her and sighed.
�So it begins,� she said, turning her face upward to the sky, blind eyes searching as if she could see the dark, luminous clouds over head.
*********************
Several days later and Davey received a rather upsetting shock. There was someone in his kitchen. And no, not someone to come sample his confections. Someone who was wearing one of his nice, neat aprons.
She wasn�t a tall woman, more like his own height, with muscles as abundant as any knight. But as he watched her move about his kitchen as if it were hers, Davey knew she was a master chef, and that her strength came from cooking. Only vaguely did he recognize the yellow scarf tied around her neck, held loosely open by her graduating pin. She came from Lodd. She was a CERTIFIED Master Chef.
She spotted him at last. She glanced up, seeing him standing just off to the side of the main counter, apron in hand and a not very charming gape to his mouth.
�You�d be the former cook.� She said simply.
�Former?� Davey managed to croak out. He was still getting over the shock of seeing this woman straining pasta with his colander. HIS colander. Now. . . what did she say?
Davey�s eyes snapped from the woman�s hands to her face and read the truth in her eyes. Without saying another useless word to her, Davey backed out slowly. When he reached the kitchen door, he broke out in a run.
***********************
�As you�ve commanded.� Nim said grimly. He stood rigid in attention before Armenia�s desk, hands clasped behind his back.
Armenia sat with her hands folded over the royal purple book. It was sent to her just this morning, returned with a signature. Inside contained only two pages, surely not worth the rich purple fabric it was surrounded with. But today, Armenia knew differently. This document was all she needed, in order to begin her climb to the top.
�Then they�ve arrived?� She asked, voice dull and sad. Why bother betraying her true emotions this early? Best to wait until she had a firm grip on not only Nim, but her husband as well. �Are they clean? Dressed appropriately?�
Nim gave the barest of nods. �Yes, m�lady. They await your inspection.�
Armenia paused, then nodded. �Bring them in, then. Let�s have a look at them.� She stood and walked around her desk.
Nim walked over to open the door, then simply stood back without a word. There was a soft sound of movement, then six women gracefully stepped into the room. Their movements were timed and perfect, revealing their lifetime of drilled sophistication. From birth they were taught to serve, to obey, to be proper. They made Armenia want to weep with joy.
They were beautiful and blond, everything she had asked for. Their noses were all the same aristocratic shape and tilt that Armenia herself prized within her own family line. All six were generally in the same height range, though one slouched only a tad. Another, she noted, wore high-heeled boots. Well, two she could knock off her list. Of the four remaining, two had wrong eye colors. The last two. . .
She walked to the first of the survivors. �Tell me, what is your name?�
The woman blinked twice, rapidly, then whispered, �Anything you wish, my lady.�
Armenia nodded, then turned to the other. �And you? What is yours?�
The woman turned cold, penetrating eyes at Armenia. �Lilith, my lady.�
�Lilith?� Armenia nearly swooned. She had bite! She wasn�t about to give up the last part of her identity, the last thing that was her own. Because, as everyone in the room knew, it was apparent that all six women were slaves, all set to at the mercy of Lady Armenia. But Armenia had to make sure she had this one. No good in putting all her clams in one bucket.
�Is that so?� Armenia whispered dangerously. She stepped over to stand in front of the slave. She felt rather than saw the tremor of terror run up and down the line of women. Even Lilith had to avert her eyes from Armenia�s cold fierce stare. But she was thankful to see the slave was frowning at her own cowardice. �And what if I wanted your name to be Jem? Or May? Or. . . Dung?�
Lilith flinched, but covered it rather nicely by meeting Armenia�s eyes. She waited only a moment before saying, �As my lady wishes.�
Armenia toned down her expression. �And, now, what is your name?�
The woman�s eyes slipped close and her fists shook at her sides. �Dung, my lady.�
Armenia eyed her closely, then made up her mind. She nodded to Nim and he began escorting the other women out. Armenia gently swept a hand over the slave�s forehead, brushing back a stray wisp of blond hair. �No, your name is Lilith. And you, my dear, are perfect. You�ll serve my husband well.�
Lilith looked up in surprise. She saw Armenia�s wide, evil smile, and couldn�t help herself, but smiled also.
******************************
Hunter finished with the meeting an hour ago, but still his councillors were hanging back, wanting him to re-sign this, look over that, allow this or that to be outlawed or re-ordered.
They�re stalling me, Hunter thought, though I�m not entirely sure why. Or if they even know it themselves.
But when the doors flew open and a very angry, a suddenly very intimidating cook stood in the door way, each and every councillor suddenly found they had taken enough of their lord�s time. And that any other business they had could be well taken care of. . . far away from this very room.
When they were alone, Hunter dared ask, �Davey? Is something the matter?�
�Something the matter?� Davey asked slowly, softly. �Something the matter? Tell me, my lord,� Hunter noted his lover used his title on purpose, �when were you going to tell me I�ve been fired? Before we had sex last night, or after?�
Hunter�s eyes widened, hearing the venom in Davey�s voice. �Love, I assure you, I have absolutely no idea what you�re talking about.�
And since it was clear to Davey that this was true, he suddenly lost his anger. But that didn�t take his puzzling discomfort away. �Hunter,� his face was twisted in pain and anguish, �Hunter, there�s. . . there�s a woman in my kitchen, saying I am no longer the cook. She�s. . . she�s wearing my aprons and using my colander. My COLANDER!� Finally, it seemed, this bit of news finally hit Davey. He gasped and swayed and would have fallen had Hunter not caught him in time.
�Davey, Davey!� Hunter managed to drag him to a chair. �Love, please, calm down. Don�t worry, no one is firing you. Haven�t I made that clear? Now, there must be some sort of misunderstanding here, that�s all. Perhaps Armenia knows something about this. Maybe,� and Hunter suspected otherwise of his nefariously plotting wife but made no mention to Davey since he was in need of comforting at the moment, �maybe she meant to higher you an assistant and communication was mixed? Either way, my darling, have no fear. I shall get to the bottom of this.�
Davey clung to his hands only briefly before allowing Hunter to pull away. Hunter hurried out the room and found one of the hall attendants. �Please sit in with Davey,� he motioned to the conference hall, �he needs someone to sit with him at the moment.� The woman nodded curtly and did as she was told.
Hunter, meanwhile, went stalking off to find his wife.
***********************
He tested the chains, hoping only faintly that Mal and Adrian had made a mistake in setting them back on him, or even securing them to the wall. Minutes later and he was sure they had made no mistakes.
Unlike older manacles, these were new and rust-free, barely making any sound as he shifted this way and that. He figured it was more for Jade�s benefit than for his. Especially since Jade�s bed was only feet away from where Adam sat.
He found the distance of the chains allowed him a sitting position, if he didn�t mind his long arms dangling awkwardly above his head. He clenched his fists, willing blood flow to continue coursing. A light snore sounded and he instinctively turned to look at the body laying peacefully on the bed.
Jade had spent these last few days sleeping off his injuries, moaning every now and then in obvious pain. Just knowing Jade was suffering made Adam�s confinement just that much more bearable. If he couldn�t kill the bastard, then he could at least take heart that he was hurting in more than one body part.
�No,� came the soft moan. Adam was used to this. Jade talked in his sleep. �No, not that one, Mal. . . the one with the eyes. . . the blue eyes. . .�
Now that was different. Adam stopped flexing his arms and peered over, past the flimsy hanging curtains of the bed. A troubled expression twisted Jade�s face, briefly, then melted into relaxation. He sighed and smiled. �Yes, that one. . . the tall one. . . Adam.�
The holy man shifted uncomfortably on the floor. So far, the monster on top of the bed had dreamt of several things while he was recuperating: 1) the beating he received from Tim and Lars, 2) Davey, 3) killing that murderous bastard Adam, 4) Davey, and 5) Davey. He wasn�t sure what was worse, knowing about Jade�s unhealthy obsession with the cook and not being able to do anything, or being chained up beside his bed listening to every breathy moan, every sweaty release that came after every dream.
This is torture, Adam thought, cruel and inhuman.
And now, it just took a turn for the worst. Adam came out of his thoughts in time to hear the strangled, deep moan from the man on the bed. Oh, Adam told himself, he�s gone back to dreaming of Davey again.
But the name Jade cried out as he unintentionally humped his pillow was not that of a raven-haired cook with brown eyes, but rather his blue-eyed slave, sitting feet away. And this shocking revelation not only startled Adam, but woke Jade abruptly as well.
He blinked at the light coming in through the window. Had he just been dreaming about ravaging the man that nearly killed him only days ago? Trying desperately to figure if this was good or bad, Jade heard a shifting movement. He brought his head up and found Adam trying to turn his body so he wouldn�t have to look at the bed, or Jade either.
Jade sat up and scratched his stubbled cheek. Well, now, that was interesting. So he managed to cry out Adam�s name did he? And by the uncomfortable silence from the man, they both knew it wasn�t the sort of dream that involved death.
Jade pondered this while admiring that strong, flexing back as the man twisted from the chains. Finally, he decided to speak. �It�s been what? Three days? I suppose you�re rather starved by now. A bit weak. I know you�re clean, Mal makes sure to wash you so I won�t have to smell your stink. Think you�ll be up to a bit of play?�
As he said this, he began to stand, stripping along the way. When he reached Adam, he was completely bare. �Look at me, Adam. Look at me.�
When he didn�t comply, Jade dealt a swift kick to Adam�s unprotected side. It rather stung his toes, but he hid this discomfort rather well. Adam groaned and curled as best he could against the wall. He finally looked up at Jade, anger smoldering in his eyes.
But Jade was strangely calm. Besides his obviously bare state, he behaved as if he simply came over to talk. Jade reached over, and after making note of Adam�s slight flinch, gently stroked the man�s cheek. Strong bones beneath thin, tortured and trembling flesh. He had to admit, that was a turn on.
�Have a good look,� Jade whispered, �see the bruises on my face? See how hard it is for me to breathe deeply? See how my arm only bends part way? See, see Adam, see how I�m still standing? See how I�m still alive?� There came a gleam to Jade�s eyes now, one that Adam had seen too many times to even think it had anything remotely good about it.
Then a small flash took his attention from Jade�s eyes to his hands. Shit. Where did that knife come from? Had he been holding it this entire time?
Adam�s heart sped up and his nerves began shooting emergency flight signals to his brain. But because of the chains, Adam could do nothing but sit and watch as Jade brought the blade closer to his pale flesh.
It was his first glance at the slave that reminded Jade why he�d had the man chained to the wall, bare but for a brief scrap of cloth to cover his modesty. When he recovered fully, it was Jade�s intention to flay Adam to the bone. If he became impatient, he�d have Adrian or Mal do it. Now, Jade decided, he was recovered enough for at least one thing.
He brought the cool metal up to Adam�s bare throat and watched as the man swallowed nervously. �Not so sure about attempting to kill me now, are you? You fucking shit. Think it�s easy to kill a man? Think it�s easy to pledge to take a life, then go through with it? Don�t think I didn�t feel your hesitation, holy man. I felt it, while you tried to strangle me. Know what I think?� He moved in closer as he began swiping the blade back and forth to make thin red lines that burned but didn�t bleed. �I think. . . that you CAN�T kill me. You can�t. No matter how much you swear, how many times you get me by the neck, you, Adam, can never bring yourself to kill. Not even for a bastard like me.� This last he whispered hatefully, almost as if he hadn�t known he�d said it.
Adam blinked and remained quiet. What was this? Jade with a change of heart? Finally feeling remorse for what he�d done? Impossible, Adam knew. In order to feel guilt, one had to have a conscience. A conscience was born from the soul, his religion taught him, that which separates man from animal. Jade had no soul. Therefore, he was animal, monster. So where was this conversation going?
Jade tilted his head to the side, listening to the thoughts in his own head, then nodded. �Yes, Adam, I do believe I�m right. You CAN�T kill. You can�t torture, you can�t hurt. . . your revenge is meaningless. Your life, I�m afraid, is meaningless. If you can�t do as you promised your fallen comrades, what on earth will you do? What CAN you do?� The blade left his throat. Adam eyed it carefully, but it merely dangled from Jade�s hand carelessly, unimportant.
Was Jade. . . serious? Did he mean this talk not to be a simple prelude to some perverted torture, but in truth to be a sort of. . . civil argument? Well, for Jade, this was as civil as arguments came.
Adam went over what the man crouching before him had said. �Even if I could not kill,� he said slowly, trying desperately not to make croaking sounds from his dry throat, �I would still find ways to torture you. I don�t need a whip, like you do. I don�t need chains, knives, or that devil stick you insist on using at times. YOU need those things. I don�t.�
Jade narrowed his eyes. �Yeah? Well, then how the hell are you going to torture someone without the necessary equipment? Huh? You just tell me that holy man, Mister Mightier-than-thou-because-I-am-not-a-heathen. You go on and tell me.�
And then, Adam did something that never failed to boil Jade�s blood. It literally made him want to strike the asshole again and again until he bled. Adam smiled, letting the happiness spread to his eyes.
�See?� he said softly, �all I did was smile, and you�re inches away from throttling me. Now YOU tell ME, Jade, why the hell does me being happy hurt you so fucking much?�
�I think you�ve been hanging around Adrian too much,� Jade said, not one bit happy, �you�re picking up his language, HOLY man.�
�You�re avoiding the question, which means the score is still in my favor. You lose this battle.�
Jade glared. �I have NOT lost. I was simply stating the truth. You�re supposed to be a holy man, yet, you curse like a filthy vagabond. I doubt your god likes that sort of thing.�
�Yes,� Adam admitted, �I do, don�t I? I suppose it�s the filth I�m forced to travel with. They�re dirt rubs off on me. But if I�m supposed to be spiritually immaculate, then what of you? Aren�t you supposed to be the scourge of the desert? Bandit of the woodland? Terror of the sea?�
�I hate sailing,� Jade admitted, �always with the rocking back and forth, back and forth, back and-�
�Okay, okay,� Adam stopped him before the tightening in his abdomen could worsen, �but you get what I�m saying? Jade, you�re losing your touch.�
Jade bristled and flushed an angry red. �What the hell are you talking about? I kill, I maim! I just haven�t recently, is all! Look, I�m locked up in this damn castle, shoved between my idiot brother and those two damn bounty hunters.�
�Yes, but that�s just it. The old Jade wouldn�t have allowed such a thing to happen. I think you�re getting old, letting things slip your attention. You should retire.�
Jade scoffed. �What? And lose out on all the blood-letting? Miss all the treasure to be reaped? You�re talking madness.� He paused. �Ah, but then, I don�t like the running anymore. There�s hardly a place that�s safe enough to even walk through! There was a time when I was unnoticeable, unrecognizable. Now everyone knows my name. Every tavern has a paper with my picture drawing on it. If they�re not afraid of me, they�re trying to kill me. It would be nice to find some place where no one knows me, knows what I�ve done to survive all these years.� He turned solemn eyes to Adam. �Is there such a place? Do you think?�
�Siberia.� Adam gave a slow nod. �Damn cold, but that�s why any one hardly goes there. Only slight chance they�d know your name. You�d best pack with heavy, warm clothes or else you�ll die of exposure. I hear land is very cheap up there. If you can get it, there�s a market for Siberian Otter. Slippery as hell and fast, too, but one is worth its weight in gold.�
Jade frowned. �How�d you learn this?�
�From Adrian.� Adam shrugged. �Overheard him talking with Mal about it. They were talking about places they�d like to go someday.�
Jade frowned. They were planning on going places? Without discussing it with Jade? Usually it was Jade who came up with the plans, told them all where they were going to go next. Why were they talking about Siberia? And so thoroughly?
Jade shook his head. �Wait, wait. . . what were we talking about?�
�Siberia.�
�No, no, before that.�
Adam frowned. �Hmm, about you retiring, getting away from it all.�
�Hmm, yeah, that sounds. . .� Jade shook his head, glaring, �Wait, no! That�s NOT what we were talking about! YOU said I should retire, that doesn�t mean I will, dammit! Don�t think you can try that �power of suggestion� bit on me! It won�t work. I�m happy at what I do, and besides, it doesn�t look like I�ll be stopping any time soon. There�s you to think of.�
Adam�s eyes turned suspicious. �What about me?�
�Oh, come now!� Jade stood and began pacing back and forth, a distance away so that Adam wouldn�t have to crane his neck to look up. �You honestly think that once I DO decide to retire, that I�ll just let you loose? Hah! That�s rich. Like letting a drunk have a very sharp blade, then telling him not to chop off his stick an� bits! The minute I take off those chains, you�ll come at me with all the fury, all the anger you�re looking at me with right now. Admit it, you�d try to murder me even if I set you free.�
Now Adam looked away. �So if I did? I have every right to at least try, even if I couldn�t do it.�
Jade nodded. �Yeah, you would. But you�d do better than try; you�d give me away to shit heads like Tim and Lars. THEY�D do the killing for you, saving your precious, spit-shined soul for your fucking god to slobber over. That�s how you�d get your revenge. That�s how you�d find a way to not only torture me, but kill me.� Jade felt a sinking feeling in his chest. Yes, he realized, that was what Adam had planned, that was how he�d get back at Jade.
But Adam frowned. �Kill, yes, I understand that part, but torture? How does that figure?�
Jade, lost in his own thoughts, waved his hand as if brushing away a fly. �Torture because of my feelings for you.� He stopped, realizing what he had said, and shook his head. �I mean, my feelings for Davey.�
Yes, those words were right but. . . �And how exactly are you going to include Davey into this argument?� Adam frowned, unable to even guess where this was headed.
Trying to cover his blunder, Jade was oblivious to his now burning cheeks. �You know, he�ll be right alongside me. Me hunting Siberian Otter, him cooking our meals and warming my bed when I get home. What do you think your actions would do to him? Absolutely break his heart, it will. What, having to watch the deepest, most dearest thing to his heart getting captured and tortured, then eventually killed. No, Addie, I don�t think I could stand the thought of poor Davey having to live through that ordeal.�
�But you�ll be dead.� Adam pointed out. Jade paused.
�Then. . . my ghost wouldn�t be able to bear it.� He turned sharply again and continued pacing, facing away from Adam. So he didn�t see when some sort of understanding dawned on the slave.
�You. . .� Adam swallowed again, with difficulty, �you�re not. . . you are. You�re seriously thinking about trading me for Davey. Fucking. . .� then he erupted in mad, bubbling laughter that bounced off the walls and echoed back to Jade.
�What?� Jade demanded, clearly annoyed. �What, you think I won�t? You think Davey wouldn�t come, given the chance? I�ve seen the way my idiot brother gawps at you. He�d sell me his kingdom just to have a go at you. Which reminds me, I can�t let him come here, what with you being chained and all. He might not be able to contain himself.�
Adam chortled and struggled to a standing position. He leaned rather casually against the wall. �You�ve got to be the stupidest thing. . . besides Hunter, that is. The two of you. . . oh, lord!, no doubt you two are brothers!�
Jade glared. �Don�t compare me to him! It�s like comparing lemons to Pika fruit!�
Adam smiled widely. �Well, then it�s truly one strange family tree the two of you come from. I feel sorry for your mothers.�
At this, Jade lost it. �Don�t you ever, EVER talk about my mother!� he rushed forward and, flipping the knife around, used the hilt to punch Adam in the face. Before he had time to react, or to even blink away the colorful spots before his eyes, Adam found he was being shoved against the wall.
Repeatedly, Jade threw Adam by the shoulders against the wall, channeling his anger, his rage, as much as he could. He heard the man�s head hit solidly with the stone, but that was only once and the slave was already adapting by hunching forward, reducing the danger of brain damage.
�You bastard!� Jade screamed in his face, giving him one last shove. �You fucking bastard! You talk all this shit, you SMILE and you have the fucking nerve to tell me how sick I am? How I�m a fucking monster? Want to see how much of a fucking monster I can be?�
But even as Jade began to reach down, Adam could already tell what he meant to do. He could feel Jade becoming hard as he struggled ineffectively against the chains.
****************************
He found her walking along the path to her garden. He caught up to her between the tiny pond and the thick batch of those weird orange flowers that made his nose itch.
He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her to a stop roughly. �Alright, you bitch, what the hell have you done now?�
�Unhand me!� Armenia scowled and attempted to pull free. But Hunter held firm and glared.
�I�m your husband, I have a right to beat my wife when I see fit.� He gave her a brief shake to rattle her. �And I haven�t even started to get rough, Armenia. Tell me, what the hell are you plotting? Why the hell is Davey a wreck?�
Armenia straightened, decorative lace fan fluttering in her free arm. She managed to look arrogant and stately, even while trapped like a bug. �Why should I be punished if your consort�s coat hasn�t kept its most illustrious shine? You know, lust doesn�t last forever.�
This time, he gave in to his temptation and gave her a slap. It was quick and light, but shocking nonetheless. While she stared at him, mouth hanging open in complete shock, Hunter glanced around. Good, no one saw. And even if they did? Who could blame him? Nearly everyone in the castle wanted to give the lady here a slap at one time or another. He figured they�d cheer him on.
He faced Armenia again, seeing the cold hate already settling down on her features. �Cut the shit, woman. Since you�re such a cold-hearted bitch, you�ll never know what true love is. You�ll never know the greatest feeling on the earth, the most tender joy of true love. That�s what Davey means to me, and I to him. It�s time you came to that fact, Armenia. You can�t hurt us. You can�t tear us apart. Now live with it.� He stared down at her, almost willing her to fight him back. Even now his hand twitched, eager to give her another slap if she so much as appeared to be gathering courage.
But Armenia simply pulled again at her arm in his grip. This time she slipped free. �Fine,� she said quietly, �you�ve said your piece. I�ve said mine on the matter. Besides, it was nothing more than a little joke. I assure you, I have no idea why Davey is. . . how did you put it?, a wreck.�
�There�s a woman in his kitchen, he said. Using his cooking things and wearing his aprons. Said he was no longer the cook.� Hunter straightened, using what little extra height he had over her to good use. �Armenia, I�ve sworn to Davey that just because he is now my consort, it doesn�t mean he has to stop his kitchen duties. I�ve promised him that he�ll remain cook until he can no longer hold a spoon in his hands. I mean to keep that promise, so you just tell me what the hell you think you�re doing.�
Armenia cursed silently, in her head, and told a partial truth. �Ah, yes, her. Her name is Gwen. Comes from a place called Orange County. West of here, I believe. Honestly, I wasn�t expecting her so soon. Came a bit early, didn�t she?�
Hunter nodded, teeth grinding together. �Yeah, but WHY is she here? Why are you attempting to replace Davey?�
Armenia sighed. �You said it yourself, he CAN�T be replaced.�
�Damn right.�
�SO. . .� Armenia stressed the word, ignoring Hunter, �I had to figure him into the plan.�
�What plan?� Hunter demanded, eyes narrowing.
Armenia rolled her eyes. �Think, Hunter, THINK. You�re going to be king. You�re going to be pulling off events like the summer ball every other WEEK. And your head server isn�t even certified. How do you think that would look? Something just for your bed, they�ll say. Not certified, but a consort, so guess which title he�s better at? Honestly, Hunter, if you don�t care about your reputation, I care about mine! I don�t want to become queen, to be known as the woman with the perverted husband. At least get him certified before the coronation, dammit!�
Hunter knew Armenia since they were children. He knew she rarely cursed, even when they were alone. And even now, that they fought better than kissed, foul language was never her forte, if Hunter even knew the word. So he simply stared at her, trying to see if she�d let another one of his words slip past her pompous facade.
�Oh, here!� Armenia sighed and reached into the tiny draw string purse dangling from her wrist. She pulled out a paper folded several times over, and handed it to Hunter. He took it, reluctantly, and opened it. He read slowly, then skimmed the entire document. He looked up, surprise etched in every line of his face.
�This,� Hunter said slowly, �this is a. . . an. . .�
�An admittance to Lodd,� Armenia nodded. �I wrote a letter a week back to the head master, asking if he�d take on one more apprentice cook. I told him of the situation, about the coming heir-naming, not your bedside manners, and he�s agreed to take Davey on as a student as soon as possible. That is, if either of you can stand to sleep in separate beds for more than one night.�
Apprentice cook? His Davey? Hunter knew this was the one thing that Davey dreamed of, besides getting Hunter alone for an entire day. This was his life�s goal; to become a master chef. What with his. . . erm. . . consortly duties, Davey had since put his dream on hold, until it was clear what would be happening in their relationship.
It was greedy of him, Hunter realized, to want Davey all to himself, at his beck and call, but. . . Lodd was so far away. And. . . did she say immediately? Yes, that made sense. The naming wasn�t but a few months away. And he honestly wanted Davey to be happy.
However, even as he stood there, paper in his hand, Hunter couldn�t help but feel that this was one of the worst things that could have happened.
And we know that it is because, of course, Armenia planned it that way.
***************************
Jade thrust angrily, lustfully, upward. He had Adam pinned to the wall, arms hanging on the chains, as he knelt on his knees beneath him. One hand gripped Adam�s narrow hip while the other was wound tightly amidst the curling black locks at the nape of his neck. Their bodies were coated in sweat and Jade�s breath was hot and heavy as he exhaled rapidly against Adam�s bare chest.
He rather liked this position, he admitted. Made it seem like Adam was willingly sitting on his cock, wanting nothing more than to be taken. Jade looked down and nearly smiled, seeing Adam�s parted legs to either side of him, legs flexing and unflexing as Jade brought him up and down.
And once more, Jade had the pleasure of seeing Adam himself hard. But he knew he shouldn�t try and bring Adam over with him, not like last time. That had been a mistake. He�d almost revealed his inner self to Adam that time.
So this time, it was simply about what pleased Jade. And this pleased him very well, thank you. He jabbed his own hips upward, to meet Adam�s descent, and was rewarded with a pained groan from his captive. Jade pressed closer, feeling Adam�s trapped erection against his stomach and chest, and began bucking upward with unbridled fury.
His lips peeled back and his teeth bared. Unconsciously, the hand on Adam�s hip moved to the space between them and grasped Adam tightly, stroking with maddeningly quick movements. Neither of them realized that Adam was moving up and down on his own.
Jade buried his face in the crook of Adam�s neck, between chin and chest, and came to orgasm. He thrust blindly several times, causing some of his seed to spill out, but managing to shove most of it inside Adam. Finally, his body came to rest, only vaguely noticing he was also holding up Adam�s limp body. He moved his hand, feeling stickiness. Well, that�s not the only thing that was limp.
Jade�s eyes widened in shock as he looked down.
Adam straightened. His vision had cleared and pretty soon, his mind would come back, also. He didn�t think he could recall ever feeling this at peace with not only the world but with himself ever since coming out of confinement. He blinked, then realized he was still sitting on Jade�s lap. He shifted, then stopped, realizing Jade was still buried deep inside of him. He brought his head around and looked to see why Jade wasn�t making an attempt to leave him.
He saw Jade�s expression, then looked down to his limp manhood, and the incriminating milky-white substance splattered not only on Jade�s hand, but on both of their stomachs as well. Then, two pairs of eyes met and silence engulfed them as knowledge seeped in. Adam was pure no more.
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