Inherent Cost

by Alicia Cameron

  Wren smiled, nodding his agreement. Just talking about all the things he was going to do with Jere was turning him on; he couldn’t wait to actually enact the fantasies. “Take your clothes off,” he ordered, smiling as Jere rushed to obey. He stripped while Jere got naked. Jere came back, crawling up to kiss him, and after a moment, Wren broke it off, pushing Jere down. “Get me started.”

  Jere went to work happily, sucking at Wren’s cock with expert skill. As he did, Wren played with his firesetting gift, warming up his hands, getting them to the temperature that he knew would burn another person. He tested it on his own forearm, working hard to suppress his own abilities that would prevent him from being burned. He had years of practice with that; all the years in the training facility and when Burghe owned him, his safety depended on suppressing that part of his ability, so that when they tortured him with fire or lit cigarettes or cauterizing tools he wouldn’t prevent himself from being burned and give away his secret. It was a useful skill despite how sad the circumstances of its development were.

  After a moment of holding his heated hand up to his forearm, he saw a slight red mark that faded almost instantly. He knew Jere wanted more than that, but he would have to see what happened. As it was, when he touched the sheets he was afraid that he would set them on fire. He decided he would start slow and warm, working his way up to hotter temperatures when he could focus properly on it. It didn’t help that Jere was distracting him with a wonderful, expert blowjob.

  When Wren had had too much, he pulled back, flipping Jere onto his stomach, and lubing his ass up quickly. Jere squirmed a little at first, but settled into the rhythm that Wren created. Wren slid his fingers in and out of Jere’s ass a few times before driving his cock deep inside.

  Jere gasped, and Wren was pleased to have taken him by surprise. Certainly, Jere wasn’t expecting this so soon, but Wren had many plans. He fucked Jere hard and fast, wrapping an arm around his body to hold him where he wanted to, and leaning forward to kiss and bite at his neck and back. As Jere struggled to keep up with the pace Wren was setting, Wren bit harder, leaving a nice set of teeth marks all over his back and making Jere cry out.

  Giving in to the wonderful tightness and the sounds Jere was making, Wren came, forcing Jere to hold still as he finished, quite pleased that Jere hadn’t come yet.

  Jere made a sad little whimpering sound.

  “Quiet,” Wren cautioned, giving him another bite. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  Jere shuddered, allowing Wren to move him as he wanted. He eased Jere off of his cock and moved him to the center of the bed, placing him on all fours and tilting his head up.

  “Stay,” he ordered, giving Jere’s ass a slap that was hard enough to make Jere jump.

  He went to the toy cabinet and returned with a few items, laying them out for Jere to see. A riding crop, a silk scarf, and a big dildo.

  “Damn,” Jere mumbled. “I guess we really aren’t done yet.”

  Wren lifted his head higher by his hair, forcing Jere to look up at him. “You aren’t done until I say you’re done, and I’ll be fucking you again, so don’t think that I’m done yet, either.”

  Jere smiled back at him, blissful and aroused.

  Wren started with the dildo, working it into Jere’s ass easily and making Jere moan. It was thick and unyielding, and he could tell that Jere struggled to take it.

  “I like your cock better,” Jere decided.

  Wren responded by pushing the dildo deeper inside of him, until Jere whimpered.

  “Now, you just hold that in there, or I’ll put it in deeper,” Wren threatened, pleased as he could see Jere’s cock getting harder at the very mention of the threat.

  He picked up the riding crop next, tapping it all over Jere’s skin in a random pattern, making him jump from surprise instead of pain. Once he got Jere all worked up, he started hitting harder, leaving little red marks behind, interspersing them with harder slaps with his hand. For some reason, he felt far more comfortable leaving handprints than marks from a riding crop. He also found it far sexier to mark his lover with his own handprints.

  But, in the span of a few minutes, he realized he was pretty damned comfortable with leaving marks with both, because Jere was covered in little red welts. His ass and thighs had taken the brunt of it, turning a bright, cherry red, with little bruises starting to show through in spots. Wren paused, proud of his actions.

  “Think you’ll remember this?” he taunted.

  Jere could only whimper his approval. Wren reached around him, grabbing his cock and finding it hard. It was always nice to have the confirmation that Jere was still enjoying the games they played.

  Wren shifted gears, taking up the scarf and climbing into bed behind Jere, watching as his lover struggled to shift his weight on the bed, and watching the big dildo slip a few inches. Wren reached out, grabbing it and twisting it, making Jere howl. He twisted slowly, agonizing Jere as he worked it out, and then he added more lube and shoved it back in hard, leaving it there for the time being.

  He went over Jere’s body with the scarf, the light fabric teasing his skin, making Jere wriggle and squirm and cry out, especially when he went over the most intensely abused parts of his skin. Wren loved making Jere squirm like this, and if Jere’s rock hard cock in his hand was any indication, Jere loved it as well.

  He made a few more passes with the scarf, and then a few more with his hand, until Jere was almost melting into the mattress. He smiled at the sight, then he wrapped a hand around Jere’s waist, holding him in place as he grabbed the dildo and fucked him hard with it, until Jere was begging.

  “Please, Wren, please fuck me!” He cried, “I want you inside of me. I want you now.”

  Jere continued begging, growing more and more desperate until Wren finally eased the toy out one last time, smiling at the way the muscles in Jere’s ass continued to contract, trying to hold something in. He eased Jere onto his back, propping him up against the pillows with care. Positioning himself between Jere’s legs, he lined up his cock, thrilled when Jere continued to thrust up at him. “Please,” he reiterated. “It hurts so bad.”

  Wren wasn’t completely sure what Jere was referring to, but he didn’t really care, either. Jere was smiling, and he hadn’t asked to stop. Wren trusted Jere to take care of himself. He liked that Jere was hurting for him, and he liked knowing that Jere would have his marks and a sore ass to remember him by.

  After waiting just long enough to ensure that the muscles in Jere’s ass would have tightened up somewhat, he plunged into him, smiling as Jere’s legs came up around him, holding him tight.

  “Is that what you were waiting for?” Wren teased, sliding in and out of him slowly.

  “Yes,” Jere answered, gasping as Wren kept the pace steady. He winced a little with the deeper strokes.

  “Sore already?” Wren asked.

  “I want to be even more sore,” Jere reminded him, reaching up to put his arms around Wren’s neck. “I want you to fuck me all night. I can sleep on the speed train tomorrow.”

  Wren kept fucking him slowly, then took his hands and wrapped them around each of Jere’s forearms. He slowly sped up, and as he did, he increased the heat in his hands, slowly and gently, almost unnoticeably.

  It was a while before Jere caught on, his eyes growing wide, and his gaze redirecting to Wren’s hands around his arms. “You’re going to...” he started, stopping with nothing else but amazement in his voice.

  “You still want it?” Wren checked, struggling to maintain the speed and the heat and the conversation at the same time.

  “Absolutely,” Jere replied, fearless. His eyes widened with excitement.

  Wren went quiet, doing his best to concentrate. It was easier to increase both of his gifts at the same time. As he fucked Jere faster and faster, he felt his hands growing hot, radiating against Jere’s skin. Finally, he felt the temperature go far higher than he had ever taken it before, especially while playing with Jere, and he hea
rd Jere yelp in pain.

  “Should I stop?” Wren asked, keeping the temperature stable.

  “No,” Jere replied, keeping his eyes on his lover as Wren burned him and fucked him hard.

  Wren kept it up, increasing the speed until Jere cried out and came around him, unable to hold anything back after that. Wren stopped the heat immediately, stroking his hands up and down Jere’s arms to spread the residual warmth, and admiring the red marks he had left behind. Wren fucked Jere even harder until he came as well, finally realizing that Jere was completely limp beneath him, gasping and smiling with his eyes closed. Wren took a few minutes to revel in the wonder of fucking Jere and coming inside of him once again, then eased himself out carefully, satisfied when Jere made a little sound as he slid out.

  “Was that good?” Wren asked, lying next to Jere.

  “That was beyond good,” Jere replied, not even moving his mouth.

  “Did I hurt you too much?” Wren asked, a little nervous. He knew he hadn’t done any permanent damage, not even enough to raise welts or blisters, but he still wasn’t sure that they both hadn’t gotten carried away in their moment of passion. He had enjoyed the activity far more than he expected to.

  “No. I could maybe use some ice, though.”

  Wren smiled, leaning over to kiss him first. “I’ll be right back with some.”

  A few seconds later, he returned with ice and a washcloth, and he lovingly cleaned up Jere’s entire body, paying special attention to the handprints, crop marks, and bite marks on his back, and the burns that were barely visible on his forearms. There was one large spot on the inside of each of Jere’s wrists where Wren’s palms had been in contact, five smaller ones wrapping around the outside from Wren’s finger tips. They did look like little sunburns, and seeing his handprints encircling Jere’s skin was almost enough to turn Wren on again.

  They were both exhausted. The second Wren put the towels and ice away in the bathroom and came to lie next to him, Jere scooted over and pulled Wren’s arms around him.

  “Thank you,” Jere said quietly, sounding half-asleep. “That was amazing. You’re everything I ever wanted.”

  It was probably just a tired statement, Jere had certainly meant to say that the experience was everything he had ever wanted, but Wren liked the version that had come out of Jere’s mouth far better. He smiled, pleased and proud of himself. He never thought he would be doing something like this with his gift, but now that he had tried it, he realized that he enjoyed it very much. He hoped that the memory of tonight would sustain them during the days Jere was gone.

  Chapter 20

  Separation

  After a short walk, Jere and Isis stood at the ticket counter at the Hojer speed train station.

  “Two for the train to Redmont?” Jere asked, nervous. He hated any public interactions where he was forced to appear as a master with a slave, and the fact that it was Isis made it even more uncomfortable. Isis tried so hard, but she still made mistakes, and mistakes at this point could be detrimental. The threat of probation and retraining tempted Jere to just put her in a mind-bind for the entire trip, but he reminded himself that he had to trust her more than that.

  “One regular, one slave class?” the ticket man asked, bored.

  Isis gripped his arm tightly.

  “Uh, no, uh...” Jere fumbled. “I want her with me. She’s not leaving my side.”

  Would she even be allowed to travel slave class like this? Of course, the fact that the leash was trailed down the back of her coat to hide it didn’t make the collar and leash very obvious. Jere wanted it that way, for Isis’s dignity, which she didn’t care about at all, and for their protection. A slave on a leash drew attention, and attention was undesirable.

  The man at the ticket counter nodded. “So you want a private car, then?” He smirked. “Well, can’t say I’d blame you there. Train rides can get awful lonely.”

  Jere tried to hide the look of disgust as he passed over the exorbitant amount of money that was being demanded. Since it was an interstate train ride, an officer checked their boarding passes, identification cards, and the certification documents for Isis before letting them on the train. Jere didn’t relax until they had been shown their car, and the door closed tightly behind them, a sign hung outside indicating that they were not to be disturbed. He reached into his pocket to pull out the key that locked the collar around Isis’s neck and tossed it to her.

  “For when we’re in private,” he muttered, still horrified that it was necessary.

  Isis smiled at him, unfastening the lock quickly. “Look, it’s my own damn fault. It doesn’t bother me, really. You know Wren picked the most comfortable collar he could find. Like a little pillow around my neck. Don’t get all weird about it.”

  Jere made some sort of sound between a grunt and a whine, expressing his disapproval more clearly than words ever could.

  “I think it bothers you more than it does me,” Isis offered. “I’ve been collared plenty of times before. Or the straitjacket, you remember that. The guy you bought me from. He used to keep me in that all the time. That fucking thing hurt, and I hated it. I’ve had sweaters that are less comfortable than this collar, so relax.”

  Jere nodded, agreeing with her if only because it seemed fair that she get to make her own decisions about what to be upset about and what not to.

  “I haven’t been in this part of a speed train since I was little,” Isis recalled. “Since I was living with my parents. When we went to visit my cousins, we’d take one. I used to love looking out the window and seeing everything.”

  Jere shifted over to the seat closest to the door. “Enjoy the view,” he offered, smiling when she accepted happily.

  Jere had taken his share of speed train rides, although he had taken few this long since moving to Hojer. The vast expanses of land that stretched between cities were rather impressive. The storms that had covered the area had left many things soaking wet, adding to the nearly swampy areas that already existed. In the spring, it would have made the vegetation grow, but this late in the season, it just piled against the leaves that had fallen from the trees, creating a sparkling, multicolor blanket across the ground. They even sped past the few ghost towns that hadn’t survived The Fall; this many decades later, the buildings were crumbled and the old automobiles had mostly turned to rust. It was like looking into a museum, and Isis stared at it all in silent fascination.

  Before they knew it, they were off, standing on the ground of another state.

  “Wish it was a free state,” Jere muttered, looking around.

  They arrived at their host’s house later in the day; in addition to the time they had spent preparing and traveling, there was a small time difference between the two states, and it was already growing dark. The organization stayed away from hotels, as they presented too much of an identification risk, preferring instead to arrange for visitors to stay with one of the planted members of the organization that lived nearby. They had arranged to meet with Isis’s parents the following day in case there were any sorts of delays from the speed train. They made introductions with their host quickly, with Isis hiding almost behind Jere. The woman gave Isis plenty of space, but shook her head at the collar.

  “Dreadful things,” she remarked, scowling. “How any government can make that a requirement for a human being....”

  Jere agreed, but he didn’t say anything. She showed them the small spare bedroom that she had made up for them, and gave them permission to help themselves to any of the food in the house. With that, she made her departure, keeping to herself for the rest of the night.

  They settled into bed somewhat early, tired from the time change and stress of the speed train ride. Jere had gotten little rest the night before, but as he settled in to sleep, he remembered why. The memory brought a smile to his face. In the dark, he traced his fingers over the handprints that were burned onto his arms. They were fading quickly, but he could still feel them; when he pressed his own hands o
ver the marks, they warmed up enough to sting. The reminder of Wren was wonderful, and Jere fell asleep thinking of the way Wren’s eyes had looked when he had been holding him down.

  “Is it stupid that I miss him already?” Wren asked, just minutes after Jere and Isis left for Redmont. “I can still feel him. He’s probably not even through the first speed train station, and I already miss him.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” Kieran informed him. “He’s your partner. That’s normal.”

  “Slaves don’t have partners,” Wren mumbled, intent on holding onto his self-pity as long as he could. “They have masters.

  “You gonna pout all weekend?” Kieran asked.

  “Maybe,” Wren replied. He saw no point in lying; Kieran could sense his emotions with her gift, and he was feeling pretty miserable.

  “Well, is there anything we could do?” Kieran pressed. “I mean, I could study, but that’s boring. If you want me to help out around the house or anything, just tell me. I’m going to let you lead here, I mean, it is your house.”

  Wren smiled. She was trying so hard, and he guessed that she was just as uncomfortable owning him as he was being let behind. “Well, there is a project that I’ve wanted to tackle for a while,” he revealed. “Isis’s bedroom is still rather destroyed from when she first came here, and we haven’t really gotten a chance to clean it up. She hates people being in her space. She’s covered it up with rugs and artwork, but it should be fixed properly, especially before the audit. I figure, now would be the perfect time to get in there and patch up the holes in the walls, get rid of the broken furniture, clean the carpet, things like that.”

  “That... sounds fun,” Kieran said, clearly trying to summon up some enthusiasm and failing miserably.

  Wren laughed at her. “Thanks for trying, but I get it. Maybe not what you were planning for your vacation?”

  Kieran blushed. “I’m not really good at that sort of stuff. But I mean, I’ll totally help, if you want me to! I can try, at least.”