The next time I roused I felt raw, both physically and mentally. There was a dull ache in my back, but otherwise I was not in as much pain as I imagined I would be. With a groan I turned my head to see sunlight streaming through the window.

Carefully, I rolled on my side and sat up on the edge of the bed, gingerly brushing one shoulder with my fingertips. When I looked up I saw Remy sitting on the couch reading some papers. More than likely, they were the documents he'd been examining last night. A tray with a plate full of breakfast foods, a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice perched on top was set to one side. The food smelled delicious and I heard my stomach growl in appreciation.

Ever so slowly, I got to my feet. I started to stretch my arms above my head to work out the soreness in my back. I raised them just a little, worried about the damage that had been inflicted and the pain. The muscles felt tight. It was difficult and uncomfortable, but I slowly got them above my head and worked them loose. The tissue was less painful and taut by the time
I stepped forward. When I started to walk, however, I stumbled, catching myself on one of the sitting chairs. So engrossed in his reading, Remy seemed not to notice. I caught my breath and tried again. Painfully, with a slight limp, I made my way around to him. Only then did he look up. He smiled, but said in a soft chiding tone, "You shouldn' be up so soon, petite."

I just looked at him, quietly waiting for him to to tell me what to do.

"Turn around." Remy ordered gently. I turned away from him and he ran a hand up the inside of my thigh. Inhaling sharply, I held back a shudder and looked over my shoulder to watch him warily. He was closely examining my back. His hand left my thigh to smooth the skin along my spine. I could feel a finger trace one of the lash marks. My muscles twitched, but there wasn't much pain. Thankfully, it just felt tight like the end of a bad sunburn now starting to tan.

"Just a bruise or two." Remy reassured me catching my gaze. "Broke de skin in a few places. But not'ing permanent." He smiled warmly and caressed one of my buttocks.

"Re...Master..." I began, unsure of what I wanted to say or ask.

"Hush Scott. It's over." Remy said like an indulgent father. "I'm no longer angry, cher. I know you're sorry."

I turned my head away quickly so he wouldn't see my scowl.

"Why don't you go clean yourself up." Remy continued in the same cheerful, patronizing tone. "You'll find everyt'ing you need in de bathroom. I'll 'ave one of de slaves tend to your backside later." With that he dropped his hand from me and went back to studying the documents in his other hand.

I did as he told me and went into the bathroom. Going over to the vanity, I placed both of my hands on the countertop and looked at myself intently. Nothing had changed. Except perhaps for a few dark circles under my eyes. But then those could have been there for years, hidden by the glasses. A week without food hadn't effected my physique. I hadn't lost much weight. It felt nice to be here alone in the quiet to think without the pain or restraints that I'd lived with most of the week. I felt almost normal for a moment. Except for the collar. The skin underneath itched. Not enough to drive me crazy, but annoying all the same.

After a long time of just standing there staring at my complexion and assessing my predicament I still wasn't sure how I really felt. I couldn't pin down a solid emotion. Was I angry? Of course. Was I broken? Not quite. Was I happy? Oddly enough, a little. There was something to be said for giving up control of your life. I'd never have to spend much time dwelling on what I'd eat, wear, where I'd sleep, or how I'd look. So many decisions taken out of my hand and all I had to do was obey my master. My Master. I frowned and stood up. Funny how that phrase popped into my head so easily.

I turned around then to see the damage Remy had inflicted. Several angry welts ran vertically up my back. A few lacerations ran across my rear marked by patches of dried blood. Looking at them suddenly seem to make them hurt. I closed my eyes for a moment willing the pain away. Then I went back to examining the skin that was beginning to purple. Remy had been right. There'd be no permanent scarring. Not on the surface.

When I'd seen enough of the bruises and welts, I turned back to inspect the drawers of the vanity. All the toiletries I'd need were there. I quickly brushed my teeth and shaved. I'd been tempted to let my facial hair grow just out of spite. But if Remy wasn't pleased, more than likely he'd get a few slaves to hold me down while he shaved me himself. Musing along those lines,
I wondered what would happen if I deliberately disfigured myself. I clutched the razor tightly as I thought about this. If Remy no longer found me beautiful, would he let me go? Somehow, I didn't think so. Or worse: he might sell me. Might even give me to Escalada for breeding. Mutilation wouldn't affect the genes.

Besides, if I ever did get home, I'd hate for Jean to see me scarred like that. It'd break her heart. And while I wasn't all that vain, I wasn't completely without an ego either. No, I wouldn't go that far. There had to be away out of this mess that wouldn't create permanent wounds. And wouldn't cause my brother to suffer either.

I smiled brightly at my reflection in the mirror then. I still had hope. Escape was still something I wanted. I'd woken a little afraid that Remy had crushed my hope. But now I knew it wasn't true. I'd look for an opportunity to get away at every juncture.

With a lighter heart, I put the supplies away and stepped under the shower. The spray of water hurt a bit when it hit my back, but the blood washed away easily enough. I kept the temperature cool to keep the swelling down. And when I'd finished soaping and rinsing my hair and body I felt even better.

Finally, I stepped back into Remy's bedroom. He was still reading over the documents. I was disappointed to find that the breakfast tray had been removed.

When he didn't seem to notice me in the doorway, I moved around the couch to stand in front of him. Remy lifted his head then, seeming a little puzzled as if he hadn't expected to see me. Then he chuckled and shook his head. The treaty must have been complicated to warrant so much concentration from him. He beckoned me for a kiss and I leaned down to oblige him.

"Mmmm...you smell nice." He purred and coaxed me down to my knees to kiss me more thoroughly. I was breathless by the time he finished. I blinked when he asked, "Hungry?"

I nodded and he called for the guard. A quick word and then Henri appeared.

"Yes M'lord?"

"Bring mon cher some breakfast." Remy ordered over his shoulder. The young boy bowed and then bounded from the room. He returned minutes later carefully carrying a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, potatoes and biscuits. A pitcher of orange juice with a glass was in his other hand. I reached up quickly to take the glass and pitcher from him. It looked like he was close
to dropping them. He smiled his thanks and placed the plate in front of me on the coffee table. I looked at it dumbly not sure if I should start to eat without Remy's permission.

Remy noticed my hesitation and said, "G'on cher. You can feed yourself dis morning. I don' 'ave de time." I looked at the papers he held and then at him. He winked at me and added, "Don' take de privilege for granted. Most of de time you'll eat from my hand."

I nodded, picking up the fork as Remy placed a hand on my head to pet me and turned back to his papers. You could have said I was ravenous as I inhaled the meal in front of me. I ate in a frenzy, half afraid that if I paused for any length of time the plate would be taken away. When I finished I gulped the juice down just as quickly.

"Would you like some more?" Henri was still there beside me. I hadn't noticed and I stared at him bewildered for a moment before swinging my head around, looking to Remy once again for permission. "If you'd like..." He said with just a glance in my direction.

I handed the glass back to Henri, a little embarrassed to be waited on by a child. But he seemed eager to please. And when I drank that glass of juice down as quickly as the first, he was there with a sweet smile ready to fill it up again. I shook my head and set the glass down on the table.

"Thanks." I said."You're welcome, sir." Henri bowed.

"Henri..." Remy drew the name out like a warning. I looked up at him, but he kept his eyes on the papers he held. "What did I tell you 'bout coddlin' de slaves?" He looked at Henri then and stroked my hair. "Precious as Scott is, he's not a sir. Don' give him hope dat he warrants dat title."

Henri mumbled an apology. Remy smiled. "You're too soft-hearted, petite. But Scott must learn his place 'round here. It's okay to treat him wit' courtesy as long as he deserves it. He's still a human. You start to place de idea dat he's more dan a slave t'ough and you askin' for trouble. He'll try to  manipulate dat way of t'inking. Comprendez vous?"

Henri nodded and Remy said a few more things to him in French. Occasionally the boy's eyes would dart to me and he'd say or ask something of Remy. A few moments into their conversation he said, "Thank you M'Lord. I'll have one of the slaves clean all this away." Henri gestured to the table.

Remy gave a bark of laughter. "Dat's it, cher! In a few years you'll be in charge of a house full of slaves. You 'ave to know de right way to deal wit' dem." I lowered my head to look at the floor. So I ranked even lower than a child. I sighed softly.

"Now I t'ink it's time for your lessons, eh? Tell de guards to send Cecilia in to clean de table. And 'ave dem get Warren from de slave quarters."

I had to smirk. Cecilia and Warren. He was taking this X-men name association pretty far. Remy had told me that his life with the X-men was behind him. I had to wonder at his obsession with naming all his slaves after one of my teamates. It was revealing in a way. Did he still long for a life with the team? Was he afraid he'd burned his bridges? None of the X-men would have been happy to hear about how he was living his life now. I felt certain that all of them, Storm included, would have been appalled. Maybe this reference to the X-men demonstrated an ounce of remorse for keeping slaves and for keeping Alex and me hostage. Something to remind him of a higher standard of values. Perhaps keeping him from torturing his slaves. I couldn't be positive. But it was worth considering.

Henri ran to do as he was told and Remy went back to his reading. I sat there on my knees biding my time. Nothing to do but wait. Several minutes passed. I shifted a few times. Looked around the room for a few minutes. God! It was boring. My fingers tapped rhythmically on my bent knee. I wasn't use to being idle. Finally, when I stretched and yawned, Remy placed a hand on my neck massaging away the tension for a second. "G'on back to bed." I tensed despite the arousal his talented fingers was stirring. "Warren's gonna take care of your back. And den I want you to rest. I've got to finish wit' dis paperwork and attend to ot'er business. Probably won' be back til dis evening, homme. Once I clear up dis matter, I'll 'ave de time to spend wit' you."

He set one foot on the floor and leaned over to brush my neck softly with his lips. My cock hardened immediately. Remy saw this and reached down to cup my genitals gently making me flush. His lips moved seductively up my neck to my ear. I leaned my head over with a groan. He was so very good at seduction.

"You're gonna make me forget m'responsiblities." He murmured amused. "Go back to bed, cher." Remy pulled away to settle back on the couch, shifting his own arousal into a more comfortable position and holding the papers back up to read.

I moved to the bed, still a little stiff, trying to ignore my sudden need. Unbidden thoughts sprang up in my mind. Images of Remy buried inside me. Exactly what I wanted at that moment. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to taste him. I wanted him to sheath his scorching cock in my mouth. I wanted to lick the hard length of his shaft until it was well-soaked by my tongue and
he could easily slip it into my body aching with desire. I wanted him. I needed him. My erection throbbed with longing for the full and satisfying release he could give.

"Get a grip, Scott!" I muttered, belatedly angry with myself for this unwelcomed desire. I threw myself down onto the bed face-first with a muffled groan, thankful for the pain as my erection was jarred between the mattress and my belly. It took the edge away. The dangerous thoughts began to slip away finally and I fell into a light sleep.

There was a soft drone in my ear while I slept until I began to realize it was a murmuring. Someone was speaking to me.  I craned my head around to look up into piercing grey-blue eyes. A hand stroked the middle of my back, the touch soft and blissful.

"Wake up, Scott." The voice connected to the eyes said. I blinked in rapid-fire for a moment before I really saw the handsome features above me. Warren Worthington III. "Wait." I thought, narrowing my eyes. "You don't have blue skin."

"No." A gorgeous Warren-like smile lit the face. Had I spoken out loud? I shook my head and looked back up. The man sitting on the bed trying to rouse me was a breathtakingly beautiful blond. And he resembled Warren almost perfectly except without the blue skin and wings.

As if in agreement with my thoughts he said, "I'm called Warren." Running a hand down the length of my spine he added, "I've come to take care of your back." Warren's eyes moved away from mine to examine the lash marks. He whistled sympathetically then, saying, "Boy you really must have pissed him off. He's not to keen on whipping us unless he thinks we really deserve it." I looked up and around the room to see if Remy had heard this blunt statement, but he was nowhere to be seen. Warren noticed my look and said, "He left just after I got here. Left you in my capable hands." He fingered one of the welts. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really." I replied. "Apparently the gel the doctor uses works pretty quickly."

"Yeah. They have some pretty technical marvels around here. Just no mutants." Warren gave me a wry smile and it was then that I noticed the inhibitor collar around his throat.

"You too?" I asked.

Warren nodded. "Not an Alpha though. I have some telepathic ability. It's pretty unpredictable. I don't know why they think I need this." He ran a few fingers along the edge of the collar. "Sometimes, if I try really hard, I can make a person do what I want. But it gives me a splitting headache afterward." He looked down at me and brushed a stray lock from my hair.
Instinctively, I flinched back and he laughed. Why did all these men seem to want to touch me? The intimacy of this place and these men was irritating. Bad enough Remy wanted to fuck me. Now the other slaves wanted to be affectionate. I buried my face in my arms and sighed. Well it had been pretty obvious during my training that alot of the slaves wouldn't mind having me in
their bed.

"You're that X-man? The one with the eyebeams, right? Alex's brother?" That caught my attention. and I glanced back up at him. I hesitated for a moment wondering if I should lie. Then I figured there was really no point.

"Yes. Have you seen him?" I asked, now curious about where my brother might be and who he might be with.

Warren shook his head. "No. But I heard Remy let him have one of the slaves. He's probably locked away in his room having some fantastic sex right now."

Alex's favorite, I mused. Probably the slave he'd been so eager to ask Remy for. "Do you know who it is?" My curiosity now thoroughly piqued.

"Nope." Warren looked up, focusing on nothing. "There's a rumor..." He shook his head. "Never mind."

"What?" I pressed frowning at him.

"Look," he answered a bit brusquely, "I really don't know. And even if I did, I'd probably get in some trouble for saying anything. So drop it, okay?"

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything more. There was a short silence and then Warren's hand glided down my back feather light until he cupped a buttock suggestively.

"Hey!" I protested and pulled away, rolling onto my side to glare at him. Warren just smiled.

"You know they told me you were attractive. They didn't do you justice." He said with a wink. "No wonder Remy wanted you." Warren reached his hand up as if to caress my cheek, but I batted it away. "So do I look as good as the real Warren Worthington? Angel, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at the sudden change in topic. "I guess..." I replied hesitantly.

Warren laughed. "Straight as an arrow. I bet you never looked at a guy twice. Quite an eye opener, isn't it?" I scowled again and he gave another bark of laughter. Then he directed his gaze to my erection. "Want me to take care of that?"

"No!" I snarled, appalled. "Fuck off!" What was it about these men? I suppose it was the atmosphere, but I didn't want to get dragged down into it. Warren chuckled pleasantly. It was easy and infectious, and it wasn't mocking. And perhaps in another time and place we might have been friends. He was as beautiful as Warren, but there was none of that arrogance that Angel could manifest at times. I could only imagine that my teamate would be completely offended by the thought of having sex with me.

I looked away for a moment, then glanced back at the slave sitting next to me. He was smiling mischieviously. And embarrassingly enough it was arousing. I wasn't going to let him fuck me, but, hell, if Alex was allowed to have a favorite, maybe I'd be given the same privilege later, after Remy was through with me. Maybe I'd seek out Warren. Suddenly a vision of ebony eyes and thick midnight lashes, smooth olive skin and soft enticing lips swam before my eyes. Zaki. If I was ever given a favorite it'd be him. If Remy gave me some of the freedoms he seemed to give my brother, I'd go looking for Zaki. I decided that the next time I saw Alex I'd ask him about my sweet.

I shook my head to erase the image of that beautiful man. And here I'd always thought redheads were my type. Maybe just when it came to women. I closed my eyes tightly. I couldn't believe where my thoughts were going. I was actually willing to have sex with Zaki. And my cock was getting harder with each minute his name ran through my thoughts. I looked up at Warren. He was looking back at me thoughtfully. "You know," He said, "I was just trying to be helpful. You look like you could use a blowjob." The look on my face caused him to laugh again. But then his face dropped suddenly. "Look. I use
to be straight before I got here too."

"Then why are you offering to...?" I couldn't say it, so I just stared at him.

"Just bored I guess." One side of his mouth curled up slightly. "Maybe I was hoping you'd repay the favor. It's about the only entertainment we get around here."

"Hmmm..." I dropped my head and plucked at the sheet. A new habit I was developing here whenever I felt out of my depth.

"I better take care of your back." I glanced up at him suspiciously, but he gave me an open smile. "Don't worry. I'll leave your virtue intact."

Tentatively I lay back down on my stomach and Warren began to smooth the gel over the angry welts and bruises. His touch was sure and pleasant. There was little pain as he worked the medicine into the wounds. In a very short time he had me relaxed and half asleep. I didn't even jump when he reached a hand under me to stroke my cock, whispering, "Sure you don't want me to take care of this?"

I shook my head no and slipped over into sleep.