Choose Me

by Hart, Delmire

  He moved closer to Luca as he tried to shake off the residue of foreboding feelings from yesterday. This time he wasn’t in such an unknown situation but it still brought a flash of anxiety to him. He fought to calm his increased breathing, instead focusing on Luca’s quiet voice as he whispered instructions to Toru and showed him how to serve Kessler his meal. Turns out Toru carried Kessler’s food while Luca’s tray was for Morse.

  A few clumsy attempts and darkly flushed cheeks later and Kessler’s meal was ready to be eaten, all that was missing was his drink. Luca guided the omega over to a cupboard like desk at the side of the room that held a few bottles and a decanter of some clear liquid.

  “This is Disani,” the beta whispered as he picked up the decanter and a squat glass that sparkled in the low light of the study. “It’s a really potent type of alcohol that is made exclusively here in Cosa just for His Highness. It’s his favourite. You have to be really careful, it’s super expensive so make sure you don’t spill a drop, okay? Remember, you have to learn how to pour properly as you’ll be the main one serving the prince from now on.”

  Toru swore he could feel the hot gaze burning into the skin on his back and trailing down across his skirt and stood rigid, unable to relax. He was desperately trying not to reach around and pull down the skirt. Somehow, he didn’t want to give the damn alpha the satisfaction of knowing he was flustering Toru. It was probably obvious anyway, but that was beside the point. He focused all his attention on Luca’s words instead, trying to absorb all the information.

  “You have to learn how to do it gracefully while still being efficient. As a pleasure slave, you will be serving his guests too. Remember that you are for his viewing pleasure and will be shown off to others too. That’s why it’s important to learn how to pour properly. There’s a trick to it, it’ll take practise. See?”

  Honestly, Toru didn’t see what was so special about how he was pouring it. He was just pouring some fancy alcohol into a fancy glass. His thought process had screeched to a stop around the time that Luca had mentioned that he was for the alpha’s viewing pleasure as the reminder only brought his awareness back to the gaze burning into his skin. He squirmed slightly, feeling his body heating up in an embarrassing way.

  He caught Luca giving him a sideways look as he stayed rigid beside the beta, not acknowledging anything he said. The other slave gave his hand a reassuring pat before carefully walking over to place the alpha’s drink on the table. Toru turned back to face the others but kept his eyes firmly on the carpet at his bare feet. Funny, that was exactly like last night, determinedly staring a hole into the floor while he avoided a certain someone’s intense gaze.

  The omega went to follow Luca when the beta was dismissed but was stopped in his tracks by a deep voice.

  “Toru.” That voice caused an embarrassing reaction in him when he said his name like that; like he was somehow caressing him with his words alone. He took a deep fortifying breath before jerking his gaze up to meet amused golden eyes. Curse the man, he knew exactly what he was doing to the little omega. The alpha pointed to a large cushion positioned on the floor by his chair and Toru blanched.

  He expected him to what? Sit like some pretty little doll at his feet while his so-called master worked? He caught Morse glaring at him from beside the desk and swallowed his pride. He wanted to argue, scream that he would not bow down but that would just make him seem more like a child in the scowling beta’s eyes. He had decided to play the game for now, right?

  Gritting his teeth, Toru walked forward, feet thumping petulantly against the soft carpet. He sank to his knees on the puffy cushion and fought down the urge to turn and bite the damn man’s hand when the alpha gently stroked his hair like he was a pet. He shifted around a bit until he found a comfortable position to sit in and soon drifted off. The fullness of his belly and the sheer boredom induced by the reports that the grumpy beta read out loud lulled him to sleep. The dull reports were a surprisingly effective lullaby.

  He stayed mostly asleep even when large hands scooped him up and carried him into another room. A small, sleepy sound of protest barely made its way past his lips and was easily ignored. He woke slightly more at the hands stripping of his flimsy garments but was almost immediately sent back to his sleepy, pliant state when his body was encased in soothing warm water. He drifted in a sea of pleasant warmth as gentle touches caressed his skin and when he was cocooned in a soft, cloud-like embrace, he finally succumbed to the darkness of a dreamless sleep.

  ***

  Toru was awakened in the early afternoon once again by a chirpy Luca, Kessler nowhere to be seen. The cheerful beta showed Toru his full wardrobe, mostly things of a similar manner as yesterday but he learned that when he was leaving the manor, he would be expected to wear a slightly longer skirt combined with a corset of all things. When it was held up for him to see, it just seemed a mass of lace and ribbon with rigid rods of metal cleverly sewn into the fabric. The beta helped him try one on and Toru had been mortified at how good it looked.

  In his eyes, he still looked like just a man in a skirt yet the garment accentuated his trim waist in a very flattering way without making him seem girly. He tried to leave the longer skirt on instead of the skimpy little thing from the day prior but an overly enthusiastic Luca was having none of it. The beta forced him into a deep green pleated skirt this time with a white frilly concoction on top. Honestly, it was a good thing it was warm here. (Not that Toru felt the cold, but that was beside the point.) Wearing such revealing attire anywhere else would be a recipe for hypothermia.

  The healer, Azumi, arrived soon after he was dressed and turned out to be a motherly young slave that fussed over Toru and his rather appalling appearance. She trimmed his hair and nails though, so he was looking slightly more presentable now, he supposed. Still, she prescribed him extra bedrest for the next week and threatened even more forced recovery time if he didn’t behave himself. The omega didn’t even have a chance to try to protest before she was bullying him into submission. What followed that was an incredibly embarrassing conversation about strenuous activities and what things were allowed and what weren’t.

  She went through the list of allowed activities with a completely serious face and no change of tone even when she got to the more explicit options. Toru wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor while she rattled off safe activities for him to undertake with Kessler while Luca was almost wailing with laughter on the floor. The beta was eventually kicked out for being disruptive and then she barraged Toru with questions about his possible bearer status and sexual history. That was one conversation he never wanted to repeat.

  It was even more mortifying when he realised Kessler had been standing in the doorway listening in after having been disturbed by Luca’s laughter. Even worse was when Azumi realised that the alpha was there, so she sat him down as well and ran through the list again. Then scolded the man about not overworking the little omega, much to his obvious amusement.

  She seemed satisfied when Kessler assured her that he planned on waiting until Toru’s next heat for actual mating. But just as the omega thought he was home free, the healer decided to give some advice on possible activities and positions that could be used for mutual pleasure outside of mating. Kessler seemed to be enjoying every second of Toru’s embarrassed misery. It seemed as though once the healer started, she wouldn’t stop until she had said her piece.

  Toru flopped back onto the bed, rolling onto his side and burying his face in the blankets once Azumi was done and taking her leave. He had discovered that it was actually impossible to die of embarrassment but it felt like a close thing. He tensed when he fingers trailed up the back of his thigh and skirt dangerously close to his backside. The slave mentally cursed when he realised that this position was almost as bad as bending over, the skirt was most likely covering nothing. In fact, it was probably framing his ass as though it was a treat just for the alphas viewing. No doubt the man saw it as exactly that.

  Toru
rolled around to face Kessler and was met with a smouldering gaze. The heat in his eyes sent little shivers down the omega’s spine. The alpha leaned forward, resting his weight on arms that trapped Toru in place on the bed. He lowered himself until they were almost nose to nose and the omega could feel his breath fan out across his face.

  “That was quite an impressive list filled with some intriguing possibilities, don’t you think? Perhaps we should try some out.”

  Neither of them moved, both frozen, locked in a silent battle of wills. Golden eyes glowing with hot intensity met evenly by blazing blue eyes filled with a fiery determination.

  “That’s a good look on you.” The alpha’s voice had dropped even deeper than usual and the sinful caress of it sent heat pooling into Toru’s belly. He leaned forward even further and spoke the next words right into Toru’s ear. “You should make your choice soon, I promise to show you a world of delicious pleasure to drown yourself in should you choose me.”

  Kessler pulled back to shoot one last lingering look of desire at the omega before he sat up and moved off the bed. Toru watched him leave before pulling himself into a sitting position. He felt short of breath again, curse the man. Luca popped his head back in a few minutes later with a cheeky grin.

  “Hurry up, we have stuff to do! Azumi only just left so you can’t be that out of sorts. I mean, I can feel the damn sexual tension between yourself and Master from outside the room but he didn’t have enough time to do anything to you.”

  Toru groaned and covered his face. “Can we not talk about this?”

  “Why are you so embarrassed? I mean really, a pleasure slave who is embarrassed by sex? That’s kinda what you do, you know?”

  “Not yet!” Toru protested hotly and Luca giggled.

  “Yeah, I know. We’ll be able to smell him on you once you actually do stuff. Anyways, I told you he was a good master, he’s making sure you’re all healed and stuff before doing anything. Although honestly, he probably needs to do it sooner rather than later. It’s only day two and Morse’s already getting pissy. Now come on, if we are too late we might end up scrubbing floors in punishment for slacking!”

  Toru pulled himself from the comfort of the bed and righted his clothing as he followed his beta friend out of the bedroom. Honestly, did Rokereans have no shame at all?

  Chapter 6: I Don’t Want to Be Just a Pretty Doll

  A week of good food and rest had done wonders for Toru’s appearance. His skin glowed with health, his ribs no longer stood out starkly against the thin material of his clothing, and he was brimming with boundless energy. He was everything that had been hinted at under the pallor of sickness and more. As he improved and become more and more himself, he only became more and more distracting to Kessler.

  The little omega was an intriguing mix of confidence and defiance with those fiery blue eyes and short temper, yet he would almost purr in delight over sweets. When caught in the embrace of sleep, he would be as pliant and cuddly as a little kitten, yet any mere mention of sex or nudity would leave the slave an embarrassed, stuttering mess. It all seemed so contradictory, but somehow it worked and what a delicious combination it made. Add in the drool worthy appearance, elemental power, and possibility of bearing children and Renato Kessler was sold.

  Toru was bent over, trying to scrub the stains out from the carpet where he split some wine when attempting to deliver Renato’s lunch. The slave was appallingly clumsy although very cute with his attempts to appear graceful. The alpha had had Luca as an attendant for long enough now that he had forgotten that most people weren’t as deft and graceful as the practised young beta.

  He had been pleased to note the quick friendship between the beta and omega, since it would help Toru settle in faster with fewer hiccups along the way. So far, he had only had brief interactions with the omega, preferring to watch while he rested and blossomed back into a healthy young man. But right now, he was stretching his limits of just watching.

  No doubt the omega would eventually realise that the way he was bent over was giving Renato an excellent view of his plump ass and peeks at his chubby little cock dangling between his legs. The wardrobe had been a most excellent purchase, covering the omega enough that he would often relax just enough to forget what he wore and give Renato the most appetising views.

  The soft pink fabric of today’s skirt framed his ass nicely as though presenting it for maximum viewing pleasure. He watched, eyes roving over the exposed skin, occasionally glimpsing small peeks between the omegan’s cheeks. It was almost torture to sit there just watching the oblivious slave work and not go over there to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of his ass before pulling apart the fleshy cheeks to finally get a proper view at his cute little hole.

  Any other slave and Renato would assume they were doing it on purpose but he was damn sure Toru was completely oblivious to the alpha’s hungry gaze right now. It was particularly amusing that this innocent little omega was quite possibly a killer and part of the reason for the destruction of an entire battalion of the Rokerean army, halting their forward march into Tysealean territory. The image seemed so at odds with the one in front of him right now but people could change drastically if pushed into a corner.

  Renato had been looking into reports from the war efforts in a new light and trying to track down any information that could link the elemental to the war. Elementals were forbidden from entering the Tysealean army in order to protect them and keep them away from Rokerean capture but that didn’t mean that there weren’t rogues who snuck in and superiors who turned a blind eye. Hell, if Renato had someone approach him about such a force of power wanting to join on the sly, he wouldn’t turn them away.

  So far not one report showed anything concrete. The front-line generals attributed the attack to a band of rogue elementals that had banded together before turning tail and running back to safety, as not a single Tysealean corpse was officially found. But yet a nearly dead Tysealean had been found in the general vicinity and illegally trafficked back into the Rokerean mainland.

  The omega had been more than half dead yet there was not a single scratch on his body, no signs of injury and no signs of a specific illness. Litton had also mentioned Toru’s tattoo was scarring until he began to heal and that healing had taken weeks.

  Once the army started advancing into enemy territory again, they had discovered a large town just beyond the battlefield had recently emptied. Was it really a band of elementals that attacked or just one with nothing to lose and everything to protect? The sheer difference in size and intricacy of Toru’s elemental tattoo versus the others that Renato had seen must mean something. Was he really strong enough to wipe out an entire battalion all on his own? What was this feisty little omega capable of when his back was against the wall?

  Toru moved again, giving Renato a glimpse of the deeper pink between his cheeks and he couldn’t hold back the growl that rumbled in his throat in approval. The slave jumped and looked around with wide innocent eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments before realisation darkened Toru’s cheeks in a blush. The alpha just wanted to eat him right up. But he had given his word: the omega had to choose. There was no point having a dead eyed little slave because his will was broken when his choice was removed.

  Still, the longer he stayed, the more likely he was to choose Renato. He had caught the blushing looks and the scent of arousal coming off the omega more than once. He was clearly just stubborn. Renato had thought the little omega would be begging for him to take him within a week but had been pleasantly surprised over Toru’s backbone. It would only heighten the satisfaction to be had once he could finally take him for a tumble in his bed.

  The omega sat back on his knees, ass now firmly hidden from view while he continued to scrub at the stains with renewed vigour, no doubt fuelled by embarrassment. Renato sighed in disappointment. Still, he had reports to complete and Morse assigned Toru enough extra chores to keep him from distracting Renato; he didn’t want to give the beta
any more excuse than he already had.

  ***

  Toru gasped as he walked beside Alden and Luca through the town. He had finally been given permission, along with a lecture about not doing anything stupid, to go with the two betas to the main markets to pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables for the kitchen. They were due a big delivery by cart tomorrow but needed a few things for this evening’s dinner. They were each carrying a large wicker basket and Hemiko made each of them repeat the list over and over until she was satisfied that they wouldn’t forget anything.

  The city seemed even larger up close like this than it did from the manor’s balcony. The walls of houses and shops alike loomed overhead as they made their way down the gentle slope into the city itself. He had been too nervous on their way in during the night initially to notice that the manor was built on a small hill that apparently got even steeper the closer you went to the shoreline. Being able to look around in curiosity without the impending stress looming over his head showed the city in an even more bustling light.

  The omega’s jaw dropped at the sheer amount of people when they entered the market proper. There were so many and they were all so different. He felt both under and over dressed in his current attire. It was still far too short and more revealing than he would prefer but the skirt reached mid-thigh this time and a laced corset fit snugly around his stomach but ended at his nipples still. At least the soft leather shoes protected his feet from the burning cobblestone of the market. A few people looked their way but when they did, their eyes would catch on the leather slave collars at their throats and most would quickly lose interest.

  Toru had learnt that different colours of collars meant different things and often corresponded with the way people were dressed. Luca’s brown leather collar showed that he was part of the household staff, normally attendants but also used for maids. Alden’s black collar indicated that he had a trade of some kind, himself being a baker but also used for any trade from cooking to building to smithing. Grey collars indicated a highly educated slave; stewards, book keepers and the like. White was reserved for slaves of a sexual nature, normally pleasure slaves but also those purchased to be bred. It was a clear sign to keep hands off.