Enslaved by a Warrior [Sold! 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Anitra Lynn McLeod

  “Why do you bring me here?” Blessed looked around the office.

  “Because what I have to tell you is not something I wish to be known by all.” The merchant looked at devotee and Tyler. “Perhaps it would be best if your servant took your slave outside for a moment.”

  “They can hear what you say to me.”

  The merchant looked to argue the point, but then abruptly changed his mind. “As you wish, your graciousness. Refreshments?” His finger hovered over a button on his desk, and Tyler figured if he pressed it servants would attend to the merchant’s needs.

  “I do not require anything but an answer for why you are behaving so strangely. Surely I am not the first citizen who wishes to give a slave his freedom.”

  “Not the first, no. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s not completely rare.” He smiled, but it looked forced and his hand trembled as he straightened his glimmering robe. “May I ask why you wish to free him?”

  “I already said why.”

  Blessed was not a man who liked to repeat himself. Frankly, the merchant was lucky Blessed had said anything about his reasons in the first place.

  “Oh, yes. A warrior, did you say?” He considered Tyler with his darting gaze and then drummed his fingers on the desktop.

  Blessed leaned over the furniture between him and the merchant. “You will stop delaying me and simply tell me why I cannot free my slave.”

  “If you wish to free him and have him live here on Krase, I would be delighted to assist you in filing the paperwork.”

  “I wish to free him and send him back to his home planet.”

  “Earth?”

  “Yes.” Blessed’s irritation was starting to show. Tyler got the sudden distinct impression that Blessed wasn’t getting rid of him because he didn’t like him. Blessed was getting rid of him because he liked him way too much. That hungry kiss in the lift spoke volumes. Rather than let himself sink any deeper emotionally, Blessed must have decided the best thing to do was to free Tyler and thus spare himself from falling in love with a slave. The very idea made Tyler even more ambivalent about choosing between his freedom and a man he now knew he truly loved.

  “You’re setting me free because you love me.”

  Blessed didn’t turn, but his body tensed as evidenced by the way his buns rose up toward his waistline.

  “Is this true?” The look on the auctioneer’s face was so hopeful it was almost like he was personally invested in Blessed and Tyler’s relationship.

  “My feelings are my business.”

  Blessed still didn’t turn around, but Tyler now knew why his eyes had gone black and stayed that way. Lust had turned to love, and the truth of that literally showed in Blessed’s eyes. No wonder he was trying to get rid of him. The big bad warrior couldn’t risk something like love making him appear weak. Tyler considered. Would that somehow bring shame on him?

  “I love you, too.”

  There was a long note of silence.

  “It doesn’t matter what I feel or what he does. I want him to go home to his planet. That is where his family is. He deserves to be returned. I don’t know how you got him, but you have to give him back.”

  Tyler wasn’t surprised by Blessed’s cold refusal to talk about his feelings. And he didn’t think it had anything to do with witnesses. Even if they were alone, Blessed would be uncomfortable. It was why he’d left Tyler immediately after intense encounters. Blessed simply didn’t know how to handle being vulnerable in any way.

  But now Tyler had to decide if he loved Blessed enough to give up everything he knew and fight to stay with him.

  Reaching out, Tyler put his hand on Blessed’s back. “I want to stay with you.”

  “Well then!” The auctioneer clapped his hands together gleefully. “It seems all our problems are solved.”

  Blessed shrugged. It was just enough to dislodge Tyler’s hand. “He is going back today, and if you try to delay me again, I will kill you.”

  Eyeing the weapons Blessed carried, the merchant took a huge step backward. “I can’t send him home.”

  “Why?”

  After a long sigh and another step backward, the auctioneer said, “There is nowhere to send him back to.”

  Chapter 16

  The news hit Blessed like a blow. He had taunted Tyler with the notion that he would call for an invasion of Earth, but it seemed his jest had been turned into reality. But he hesitated to reveal his ignorance. Surely if there had been a major invasion and a full conquest, Blessed would have heard something about it. He’d been distracted by Tyler, but he hadn’t been completely oblivious to everything going on in the universe.

  “What do you mean there is nowhere to send him back to?” As much as Blessed wanted to turn and hold Tyler while he uncovered the truth behind the auctioneer’s words, he didn’t because he was too afraid to validate what Tyler had figured out on his own. Somehow, if Blessed never confirmed he loved Tyler, it couldn’t be used against him.

  Wearily, the merchant fell into his chair. “I am a foolish, greedy man.”

  “You will explain without me having to drag it out of you, or I will show you what this is used for.” From his belt, Blessed removed a curious item and held it up. “This is used to strip sections of skin off an opponent to either kill him slowly or extract information. My indulgence in your pattering ways is done.”

  Eyeing the tool with horror-filled eyes, the merchant spilled everything. In a quest to find interesting and unique slaves, the merchant took stock from all kinds of sellers. Usually, he verified how the slaves were procured. “I may sell flesh, but I ensure that those taken into bondage were at least destined for that course. Through either warfare or appeasement, the creatures I deal in have always honestly fallen into their lot.”

  The merchant looked past Blessed to Tyler, who was behind him. Again, Blessed successfully fought off his urge to turn and offer some show of comfort to him.

  “Get to the point.”

  “A man came to me with a collection of beautiful and unique creatures called Earthlings. He said that he gained them via appeasement. When he threatened to invade their world, the ruler of Earth gave him a collection of slaves. He said he had far more than he could ever use so he would sell them to me. The price was amazingly reasonable.”

  “Which should have been your first indication that some form of trickery was afoot.”

  “The cost wasn’t ridiculously low, but low enough I saw potential profit. So I bought all that he had. And then I put them up and I was stunned when they sold so high. Although, none brought in the price that yours did.” Again, he looked to Tyler, but this time he sighed. “I thought it was his display. I know bidding was fierce and it was for the others, too. But then…”

  He trailed off, and Blessed lost whatever patience he had. With one big hand he lifted and tossed the desk to the side, flinging it out of his way. The merchant shot to his feet. Before the merchant could retreat, Blessed was on him. Wrapping his fist around the man’s neck, he pushed him into the nearest wall and held him there.

  “If you dare to halt or hesitate in your tale again, I will squeeze. Each time you defy me, I will pinch my fingers closer together.”

  “He stole them from their planet!” the merchant shrieked. “He didn’t buy them as is required or gain them through honorable means. He stole them by pulling them out of the space-time continuum of their destinies.” Again, the merchant looked at Tyler. “Your slave should have died in some kind of an accident. However, right before the moment of impact, this man, this vile charlatan, pulled him out and cast him into his ship. That is how he got his Earthlings. None of them can go back because on their world they are dead.”

  There was silence as the full horror of that sunk in. “If we put them back, we create a distortion.” Blessed realized the mess that some greedy slave merchant had created would now be visited on whomever bought his wares. But worse, as much as he wanted to free Tyler, to let him go because he loved him too much to c
age him up, he simply couldn’t restore him to the life he had known. Even putting him back on the planet under a different name in a different locale would start the distortion. Eventually, a mess would resonate out from Earth to all the other planets, which was why such a scheme was forbidden by any sane civilization’s laws. Under no circumstances could Tyler return to the planet of his birth.

  Blessed realized he had no choice but to keep Tyler. If he wished, he could sell him to someone else on Krase, but his mind would not allow him rest if he thought of Tyler in bondage to another. The very idea of anyone using Tyler for sexual congress—no. That he could not do. Tyler’s panicked plea begging Blessed not to sell him to those curious-looking creatures in the lobby of the building resonated in Blessed’s mind. He couldn’t ever have another night of rest if he thought of anyone harming Tyler. Or worse, his ego couldn’t stand the notion of another giving him more pleasure than Blessed could.

  If he couldn’t go home, Tyler had to stay with Blessed. What infuriated Blessed was how happy that information made him. It was cruel, because Tyler would be devastated, and it was wrong for Blessed to be happy in his time of pain. But he couldn’t help feeling the way he did. The only thing Blessed had control over was admitting his feelings. That he didn’t think he could do. Tyler had. And even though Blessed wanted to think his confession of love had come from his fear of being sold to another, he knew it hadn’t. Tyler said he loved him because Tyler really loved him.

  “I will give you back your money,” the auctioneer offered.

  Blessed nodded even though he had no care for the return of his funds. In his eyes, Tyler was priceless. “You will give me the name of the man who sold him to you.”

  The merchant’s gaze darted away, and Blessed pinched his fingers together, cutting off part of his airflow.

  “I do not know it!”

  “You bought live cargo from a man you did not know?” It sounded like the height of stupidity to Blessed, but then again, he’d bought Tyler without knowing his origins.

  “It was layered through multiple contacts, but I will give you all that I know. I swear it. I will give you everything I have.”

  “Like knowing means shit.”

  Blessed turned, and Tyler was there, looking at him, his eyes so haunted they seemed to have sunk deeper into his skull.

  “How does knowing who this asshole was who did this to me do me any good? I can’t go home. Ever. I thought I could be happy with you, but you don’t want me. You would rather get rid of me than admit that you love me.” Tyler shook his head, and the tears that wetted his lashes fell onto his cheeks. “All the people I love have spent all this time mourning me while I’ve been agonizing over what I want to do—go home or stay with you. It turns out I don’t have a choice.”

  Blessed didn’t know what prompted him to let go of the merchant, but he did. As the auctioneer slumped down to the floor, Blessed moved to Tyler. At first Tyler backed away, but Blessed kept following him until Tyler’s back was against a wall.

  “What are you going to do, you big monster, threaten—”

  Blessed captured his hands, pressed close, and kissed him, just like he had done in the elevator on the way up here. He’d thought that was his good-bye kiss. Blessed actually thought he could free Tyler and return him to his planet, yet when he found out there was absolutely no way for that to happen, he’d practically danced he’d been so happy. He was genuinely heartbroken for Tyler’s pain. He would not wish such devastation on his worst enemy. But Blessed couldn’t help but be pleased that he had no choice now but to keep Tyler.

  Yet keeping him with a lie between them was no way to start their new life together. Swallowing down his terror, embracing his fear of the unknown, Blessed met Tyler’s beautiful blue eyes and said, “I love you.”

  Tyler’s eyes went wide.

  “I was afraid to confess to you before, but not now. I didn’t want to let you go, but I couldn’t keep you caged. I thought if I set you free on your home world at least one of us would be happy. To find that I can’t fills me with relief that I don’t have to let you go, yet I am saddened that all those you care about are lost to you.”

  Tyler seemed to be so stunned by Blessed’s heartfelt confession he stood mute for a very long time. Silence wasn’t something that came easily to his Earthling, so Blessed thought he was either very upset or very shocked. Perhaps both.

  “I will take you home. I will do everything I can to find this man and rip his limbs from his body so that the music of his screams—”

  Tyler lifted his hand and placed one finger against Blessed’s lips. “Just take me home.”

  “Not yet.” Blessed reached for the collar around Tyler’s neck. “This never, ever should have been put on you, and I swear it never will touch your skin again.” Blessed handed the device to devotee. “I will have papers drawn up freeing you. I will do everything I can to make you a citizen with full rights.” Blessed swallowed hard. “If ever you should want to leave me, you will be able to do so.”

  “I don’t see that happening.”

  Blessed smiled.

  “Now, you big sexy alien, take me home.”

  Chapter 17

  They left the auctioneer in the shambles of his office. This time as they walked home, they were side by side and it was clear to anyone passing by that they were a couple. Some lifted brows, some blinked their many eyes, but none of them said anything. Although, who would dare to speak ill against a fully outfitted Krase warrior?

  Tyler had to grieve the fact that he would never see his family or friends again, but at least they wouldn’t wonder what happened to him. In their world, he was dead, and they would have to make their peace with that. He hoped that they had. In a way, he was relieved that he couldn’t go back. The decision had agonized him, but ultimately he’d chosen to stay with Blessed. He loved him. That he no longer had the choice to make didn’t matter so much because he had already decided to stay with the man—alien—of his dreams.

  They still had issues to work out, but the fact that Blessed had been able to acknowledge his emotional connection was a giant step forward that would probably make their other mollifications much easier.

  The only thing that worried Tyler was that he couldn’t satisfy Blessed by giving him his body in full. They had found ways around the issue of penetration, but they’d admitted to one another it was still an issue. Tyler had no idea how to solve it unless he began opening himself up for Blessed, the mere idea of which scared the hell out of him. If he were able to accommodate Blessed’s cock, his ass would be pretty much broken for anything else.

  Blessed had immediately nixed the idea. “I like you as you are.”

  “But—”

  “We will find another way.”

  Tyler wasn’t sure what that meant, but Blessed seemed to have no problem finding all kinds of creative sex acts for them to indulge in. What made him so amazing was his sheer physicality. One night he’d lifted Tyler up, put his legs over his shoulders, and tongued his ass while walking around. It was insane and exciting. Blessed didn’t stop until Tyler was seconds away from release. Then he’d angled him over so that he was in the same position but Blessed was able to suck his cock.

  To his credit, Tyler had found more secret spots on Blessed’s body. Some were very subtle, and Blessed had become adept at hiding them, but once he felt safer sharing, he became a very vocal lover. When Tyler hit all his hot spots, Blessed bellowed loud enough to scare the servants.

  True to his word, Blessed had filed all the necessary forms to have Tyler declared a citizen with full rights. He turned right around and proposed a mutual consent to share arrangement, which was Blessed’s people’s version of a marriage. The wording had been a little scary, mentioning things like gutting being a legitimate punishment for adultery, but Blessed had all such language stricken from their agreement before they signed. Basically, they agreed to stay together through thick and thin, but if one of them truly wanted to leave the oth
er, they could without any penalty. But Tyler doubted that was going to happen. He loved his sexy alien and had no interest in anyone else.

  “I have a surprise for you.” Blessed had told Tyler this at their morning meal but then left for hours. Tyler had done everything he could to distract himself, but nothing was working. Just what in the world was Blessed going to do now?

  When he finally returned, the look on his face was guarded, but it usually was, so Tyler had to resort to stroking the super-sensitive spot behind the last few strands of his hair.

  “That is cheating.”

  “I want my surprise.”

  “Come with me and I will show you.”

  Blessed moved through the house with his hypnotizing grace, and Tyler willingly followed because he loved to watch the sleek motion of his buttocks. Tyler had a flicker of disappointment when Blessed went past the playroom and on into the bedroom. He had hoped it was some kind of kinky sex toy. Not like they didn’t have a lot of those already, just that one more certainly wouldn’t hurt. Since he was taking him to the bedroom, Tyler thought that maybe he’d gotten a bigger bed because sometimes when Blessed slept he snored, which wasn’t that bad, but sometimes he did what Tyler had dubbed “sleep fighting.” One kick to Tyler’s hip had sent him flying out of bed. He wasn’t hurt, but he wanted to be able to put a little more room between them when Blessed had restless sleep.

  When he entered the bedroom he found the same old bed.

  “I think I have solved my restless sleep issues.”

  “Oh?”

  “I believe it is because I am not getting any penetration.”

  “Oh.” Tyler slumped. “I’ve wracked my brain but—”

  “I have found a solution.” Blessed slowly unfastened his trousers.