He remembered that first night when Tyler had swallowed hard and his eyes had widened when he saw the awesome size of Blessed’s cock. That exact look was one that had pleased Blessed deeply. It was filled with amazement, respect, even a deep hunger that Blessed didn’t understand until he realized that Tyler knew he could never take Blessed within himself. Not fully. Sadly, that look had changed to boredom when Blessed had tried to keep their encounters strictly about release. So he’d gone against his instincts and deepened their contact.
“What a fool I am.”
Had he stuck to his original plan, he could have enjoyed his slave indefinitely. Now, though, he couldn’t even face him one more time. The emotions would be too raw, too close to the surface, too damn visible because of his own body betraying him.
As the night darkened, the window reflected his image back at him. His eyes were showing some red now, which was good, but all Blessed had to do was think of Tyler and they turned black. They would stay black until he grew angry enough to switch them over to red. It took a lot of effort and willpower to even get the blush of red showing, but when he thought of Tyler on his knees, the look of rich satisfaction on his face when Blessed had simultaneously fingered and allowed him to fuck his fist, Blessed’s eyes turned right back to black.
When he considered his reflection in the window, he realized they were again dark, so he turned away. How was it that one tiny Earthling had disrupted the smooth course of his life? All he’d wanted was a plaything to alleviate his boredom for a while. The last thing he’d been looking for was love.
Krase warriors didn’t love.
It wasn’t forbidden, or genetically programmed out of them. It was that given the circumstances of their upbringing, the nature of the warrior ways, and the rare chance when one of them actually lived long enough to retire, there simply weren’t that many of them around to become emotionally invested in anything. Usually, after all they had seen and done, they were far too jaded to truly care about anything other than their own comforts. Food, sex, and sleep. If those needs were met, they hungered for nothing more. Their greatest threat was boredom.
Blessed didn’t know what most warriors did to alleviate that, but he had chosen sexual playthings. And his decision had backfired. No citizen, let alone a Krase warrior, fell in love with a slave. If Blessed had somehow grown attached to another warrior or a member of the elite citizenry, that would be different. It would be chuckled at, probably wondered at, and discussed at length, but that he had fallen in love with a thrall?
“I will be mocked wherever I go.”
The potential shame had been too much to bear, so Blessed had thought he had no choice but to send his slave back to the auction house. He was a good client who had given them an astonishing amount of business. His calls were never refused. So why was everything different with Tyler? Was there something inherently compelling about Earthlings? Were Blessed’s suspicions about why the auction house wouldn’t take Tyler back correct? Even if the humans weren’t worth what they’d original sold for, most houses would be happy take them back for free to sell to someone else. They lost nothing in that bargain but perhaps a few days of room and board for the returning slave. Blessed couldn’t imagine that expense being all that costly with Tyler.
“Perhaps they think I have ruined him.”
Blessed considered. The auctioneer knew the proportions of a Krase warrior and surely he knew those of a human after the display on the auction block. Perhaps the auctioneer figured Blessed had fucked him and ripped Tyler apart. Blessed shivered at the idea. He would never hurt Tyler. It was one of the reasons he had to get rid of him. It wasn’t just about protecting himself emotionally. He had to protect Tyler physically.
Longing for the full completion of their union was going to drive him slowly but surely mad. Thrusting his finger deep into the channel he wished to fill with his prick would continue to gnaw at him until he ultimately started to work Tyler open. Doing so would hurt Tyler and he knew it. They simply weren’t compatible in that way. If Blessed were wired differently, he might be satisfied to have Tyler mount him, but he wasn’t. And he didn’t think Tyler was interested in that, either.
So Blessed had come to the painful conclusion that he had to let Tyler go. Loving him was emotionally and physically dangerous. There was nothing to be done but put great distance between them. To that end, Blessed decided that what he would do was return Tyler in person. In that way, he could show the merchant that Tyler was undamaged. While he was there, he would buy a more physically compatible slave and then spend as much time as he could fucking the damn thing until his prick could take no more.
“That will rid me of my obsession with Tyler Stewart.”
Chapter 15
“I can’t wait to see where he’s taking me.” Tyler dressed carefully, making sure his clothing was clean, pressed, and showed off his form to greatest advantage. He was worried sick after their night together, and he was still ambivalent about what he wanted more—Blessed or his freedom—but tonight he would find out if his rapidly developing feelings for Blessed were returned.
Apparently, all of his misgivings were wrong. After their amazing encounter, Blessed had spooned Tyler, and they’d slept nestled together all night. But in the morning, Blessed had lifted Tyler from the bed and practically tiptoed him back to his room, locking him in. Tyler had lain very still trying to understand what had happened. He thought Blessed was angry, but now, he didn’t think Blessed was irate with him. If anything, he was probably a little concerned that their attraction had been so sudden and so shockingly intense. Tyler had felt the world below his feet shift after what they’d shared in Blessed’s bed, so it wasn’t any wonder to him that Blessed had needed some time alone to process his feelings. He’d done the same thing that first day in the hotel room.
Feeling excited and hopeful for the first time since he’d taken up residence in Blessed’s home, Tyler dutifully followed behind the slave master as he took him from the slave quarters and into the main part of the house where Blessed lived.
Tyler frowned.
There on the threshold waited devotee with Tyler’s slave collar. Unsure what was going on, Tyler allowed devotee to slip the device on his neck. Even though it was light, it felt strangely heavy after so many weeks without it. When devotee attached the leash, Tyler thought he understood that wherever they were going, they would be walking, and that meant Blessed had to have him on his lead. It was a little demeaning, but if that was the way of Blessed’s culture, Tyler figured he’d better get used to it now, especially if he was going to stay with him.
“Where is he taking me?”
Devotee did not speak or even acknowledge Tyler’s question as he led him through the living area then to the main entrance. There, Blessed was waiting. When Tyler saw him, he had to damn near swallow his tongue to stop himself from drooling all over his outfit.
Blessed was wearing black pants that clung but also seemed roomy enough for him to fight should he have need to do so. His shirt was red, and cut in the same generous way as the trousers, yet the fabric clung to him the way Tyler wanted to. Oh, to be Blessed’s clothing and plastered against all that power. On his feet were sturdy boots that looked strong and comfortable enough to walk for endless miles. At his waist was a belt with weapons. As scary as they looked, they were also highly decorative.
Tyler frowned when he realized that Blessed was wearing a uniform. He opened his mouth to ask where they were going, but he didn’t when devotee put the end of his leash in Blessed’s hand. Not once had Blessed looked at him. His attention was on the main door. He was standing to the side, obviously waiting for devotee to give him Tyler’s lead. As soon as he wrapped his fist around it, Blessed opened the door and exited with massive strides. Devotee was a few steps behind him, and Tyler followed dutifully behind both of them. It didn’t take him long to realize they were walking back to the slave auctioneer’s place.
Pushing hard forward to keep up, Tyler
realized that Blessed hadn’t retreated to deal with his burgeoning feelings of love. He’d withdrawn into solitary so that he could decide the best way to get rid of his servant who no longer satisfied. Tyler realized his mistake had been in taking too much pleasure for himself. He never should have let Blessed work him like that. It should have been him slaving over Blessed’s beautiful body to satisfy him, not the other way around.
“I’m sorry. I swear next time I will think only of pleasing you.”
Now that the prospect of leaving Blessed was imminent, Tyler had no more ambivalence about what he wanted. He wanted to stay with Blessed. If he couldn’t have his freedom, he wanted to stay with a man he knew, a man he’d grown to—love.
The stunning realization came right as Tyler set foot outside. This time it was night in the city, which somehow made the buildings seem even more massive as lights delineated their shapes in the darkness. Cold air started to penetrate his clothing, but as the tailors had said it would, the fabric tightened up, automatically retaining Tyler’s body heat.
Blessed strode down the walkway at a pace that almost killed Tyler to meet, but meet it he did so he wouldn’t fall and ruin his fine clothing.
“Please, don’t sell me back.”
His pleas fell on deaf ears. Blessed was so focused on his journey he didn’t even bother to look back. Tyler thought of stopping, standing his ground, and demanding a discussion, but he realized all that would get him was a ride on Blessed’s shoulder. Rather than let his slave detain him, Blessed would just toss Tyler onto his shoulder and make him go where he wanted him to go. Tyler could either go under his own steam or he could be treated like the object Blessed saw him as.
And that was what straightened Tyler’s spine, his shoulders, and shut his mouth. If Blessed didn’t want him, he wasn’t going to whine his way into the man’s heart. Not that he was a man. Tyler reminded himself for the umpteenth time that Blessed wasn’t human. He was an alien who had bought him for the purposes of pleasure. When Tyler had failed him in that respect, Blessed had decided to get rid of him. It wasn’t personal. It was business. The fact that this man—creature—dealt in flesh should have made it clear to Tyler he had no heart.
Eventually they were back inside the foyer of the auction house. There was only a handful of aliens in the lobby, most of them milling about as if they were waiting for something. Tyler’s heart sank. Perhaps they were waiting for him. For all he knew, he’d already been sold to his next owner.
Tyler examined the creatures as he continued to follow Blessed. He didn’t see any that he would willingly go with. Unlike Blessed, these creatures weren’t bipeds. Most had three eyes and they weren’t built anything like a humanoid. In their hands—tentacles—Tyler had no idea what they would do to him. The mere thought terrified him.
“Please.”
Blessed hesitated a fraction of a second. Not long enough to stumble in his stride but long enough for Tyler to know that he’d heard him.
“I will do anything you wish. Please don’t sell me to one of those—”
“I’m not selling you. I’m setting you free.”
It was Tyler’s turn to almost miss a step as he processed what Blessed had said. Freedom? “You’re sending me back to Earth?”
“Yes,” Blessed hissed over his shoulder without looking back. “So shut up and keep up or I might change my mind.”
Tyler kept pace only because he was so focused on Blessed’s back that he just followed while his mind was spinning. He was going home. Home! His family, his friends, his job, his crappy little apartment with the faucet that dripped no matter how many times the landlord fixed it. He could come and go as he pleased. He could buy a six-pack, plop down in his recliner, and watch sports all day while wearing nothing but his boxers. He could grab a few essentials, toss them in a backpack, then go hiking and sleep under the stars.
The thought of all that was balanced by the notion that he would never again get to see Blessed looming over him. He’d never get to see that stunned little smile Blessed made when Tyler said something that he’d never thought of, or did something to him he hadn’t expected. Last night when they’d been together, when Blessed had literally and figuratively rocked Tyler’s world with his powerful finger and fist…none of that would ever be repeated again. Tyler would have the memories, but those would fade. Things like that always did. Eventually, Tyler would get over his fascination. Maybe he’d finally ask out that hot dog vendor. Who knew what fun, kinky things they could do together? And if nothing else, at least they would be physically compatible. No matter how massive hot dog guy’s dick was, it wasn’t ever going to get close to what Blessed was packing.
All that was true. All that was something to look forward to. But all that did was make Tyler think of what he was leaving behind. That thought brought Tyler’s attention right back to Blessed. As he strode through the lobby, his low, tight buns clenched and relaxed against the powerful thrust of his thighs. The black fabric of his trousers enhanced the display. Tyler had only gotten a brief glance of the front, but from the way those creatures around them parted before Blessed, he had one hell of a presence. Tyler knew he was devastating naked, but apparently, he was even more so dressed.
Eventually, they came to the business area of the auction house. The man who had sold Tyler to Blessed was behind the counter. When he saw Blessed, he blanched, turning his blue skin ashen gray. He tried to make a swift getaway, but Blessed tracked him with his gaze. It was clear to the merchant and everyone else that if the man dared to run, Blessed was going to hunt him down.
“You will speak with me.” It wasn’t a question but more of an order, one that the slave auctioneer readily followed.
“Your graciousness. How honored am I to see you again so soon. Are you in need of another slave?” He bowed twice, but he didn’t come around the counter that separated him from Blessed.
“You know why I am here.”
“I do not know what you mean. There is nothing between us in writing.” The merchant lifted his entire body so that he stood tall, but all three of his eyes were a bit too wide for him to project the demeanor of an honest businessman.
Tyler watched the exchange not quite understanding what was happening.
“I do not want money. I wish to free him.”
At this, the auctioneer’s three eyes narrowed, as did the eyes of many of his workers. “Free him?”
“He has proven himself worthy of freedom. Tyler Stewart is a proud warrior of his people. Enslaving him is wrong. I do not wish to be paid back. I only wish to restore him to his rightful place on his world.”
The merchant darted his gaze from Blessed to Tyler, and then he seemed to take surreptitious glances around at those who were near enough to hear their conversation. He was afraid of something, but Tyler couldn’t figure out what.
“How gracious of you, your graciousness.” The merchant made all kinds of chatty, happy comments that were fairly meaningless. All the while he was edging away from his coworkers. “I shall have you come into my office so we can discuss this magnanimous gift you wish to give to one so clearly deserving.”
Tyler frowned. That man didn’t know him from Adam. He would have no idea whether Tyler was deserving or not. The only thing he seemed to be concerned with was making sure they had privacy for whatever it was he was going to tell Blessed. Tyler wasn’t certain why, but something in his gut told him he wasn’t going to want to hear what the slave auctioneer had to say.
“We shall have to go up.” He pointed toward the rows of elevators.
Blessed moved that way with his retinue while the merchant tried to slip away into the crowds getting off. Blessed grasped his collar and yanked him into one of the lifts.
Hand shaking, the merchant selected a floor.
They rode in silence.
Tyler was standing behind Blessed while devotee was to his side and the merchant was in the front. Since none of the other people waiting had wanted to get on an elevator wit
h a fully outfitted Krase warrior who looked pissed off, they had the lift to themselves. As the lowest ranking among them, Tyler was standing at the rear of the tiny space. Since no one could see him, Tyler reached out and placed his hand low on Blessed’s back. It would probably be the very last time he would ever touch him. The fabric below his palm was warm from the heat of Blessed’s flesh. He felt so strong, so powerful, and then suddenly, Tyler’s hand was brushed aside as Blessed turned.
His eyes were fully black and the look on his face was unreadable. Into his massive hands he took Tyler’s hands, pushed him against the wall, and then proceeded to step into him and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe. Against his belly, Tyler felt his strosan uncoil so his hardening prick could be free. It was possessive, passionate, and over so quickly Tyler was shaken when they eventually stepped off the lift. Had Blessed really just done that, or had Tyler only imagined it? When Tyler got a look at Blessed’s trousers, he knew it really had happened because he was busily setting himself to rights.
After more ego-stroking chatter, the merchant took Blessed into a room with a curious assortment of chairs. Tyler figured there was probably something for most life forms to sit on. Since Blessed chose to stand, Tyler did, too. Devotee stayed right by Blessed’s side throughout everything. According to Blessed, devotee had been with him from the moment he had started training with weapons. As he grew into his role of warrior, devotee grew into his role as the servant of that warrior. To Tyler, he thought devotee was kind of like a medieval squire. Wherever Blessed went, so did devotee. Poor guy. He was so low on the citizen scale he didn’t even get to have his own name.
Enslaved by a Warrior [Sold! 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 10
