Coming Together (A Crack in the Ice: Post-Apocalyptic Tales of Man-Love Book 4)

by Leigh Harde

  He walked with confidence through the Marauders now. Sometimes, he would catch someone’s eyes and a knowing look would pass between them. Sometimes, they would turn away or pretend like they suddenly had somewhere to go. During Gabriel’s training, Master had given the Marauders permission to use Gabriel’s body for their pleasure. But Master had made it clear that Gabriel wasn’t allowed to enjoy it. If he got an erection, Master would take him back to his alcove. He would punish him painfully until he orgasmed despite his suffering. Sometimes, that meant that Master would have him crying for mercy as he whipped his butt and penis. Sometimes, he would put clamps on his nipples and fuck him raw while telling him what a little slut he was.

  Master had an old lounge chair that was placed high on a big flat rock in the center of the main chamber where everyone gathered in the mine. The first couple of weeks after Master had removed his dog leash, he would have Gabriel sit on his lap once they finished supper. He would order him to take out his penis and masturbate while he pointed out various men in the Camp. He would force Gabriel to watch them while he reminded him of how many times they had fucked his ass. He would make Gabriel give him details about how they felt when they were inside him and how much cum leaked out of his butthole when they pulled out. It made Gabriel so unbelievably hot that he always came quickly.

  It was now to the point that whenever he saw the men in the Camp, his mind would go to the images of them pumping away inside him. He would think about the shape of their penises and the sounds that they made when they came. He was always walking around with an erection. Master had given him permission to be hard and even to masturbate, but he wasn’t allowed to have sex with anyone other than him and Kevin. He wondered if Master knew the cruel irony of his rules and planned them accordingly. Gabriel suspected that he did.

  He grabbed a lantern that was hanging from one of the walls and lit it as he went deeper into the mine past where the lights were strung. Gabriel saw a glow up ahead, and as he approached, he noticed a young blond man slumped forward sitting on a rock.

  “Peter?” Gabriel asked. The man stood up and wiped at his face.

  “Hey, I was just taking a break,” he said with his back turned. “Does Master need me to inventory the food supplies?”

  Gabriel walked up behind him. “He didn’t say anything to me,” Gabriel said. He gently placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, and that was all it took. Peter broke down crying to the point of covering his face with both hands. It hurt Gabriel seeing Peter so upset. He considered him a friend.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone,” Peter said tearfully.

  “You don’t know that he is,” Gabriel tried to reassure him.

  “Two months, Gabe! He would be here if he was still alive. Nothing could keep him away from me,” he said vehemently.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabriel said. Peter turned around and buried his head in Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel stroked his back and kissed the top of his head. After Peter’s boyfriend, Big T, was banished, Gabriel had tried to help Peter. He was far too young and attractive to be on his own in the Camp. He had gone to Kevin who had used his influence with Master to make Peter off limits to the other gang members.

  As he held him, flashes of memories of them together sexually began appearing in Gabriel’s mind. The way Peter had played with his nipples while he stroked in and out of his butt. The feel of his hand on his cock… Gabriel quickly pushed back from Peter before he could notice his growing erection.

  “Why don’t we grab something to drink and play some cards?” he said pulling Peter along with an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

  “Okay,” Peter said in a watery voice. He allowed Gabriel to lead him back into the main part of the mine.

  Chapter Four

  “I have to go back,” Big T told James. It had been almost two months since Master had banished him. He was sick thinking about what might be happening to Peter in his absence.

  Terrence, Earl, and Clint had officially joined the Compound’s “family”. Clint and Earl had been inducted almost as soon as Earl had healed. But because Big T had been a Scavenger for Master, he had to convince them that he hadn’t participated in any of the actions that had harmed their people. Fortunately, Clint and Earl had backed up his story that it was only recently that Master had promoted him. After Nick, Elijah, and Nathan were consulted, James finally brought the vote to his men. Terrence was elated when they agreed to accept him as one of their own. He wanted a life at the Compound, but he needed Peter to be with him.

  It was the last night of his initiation. James’s night. Terrence had acknowledged him as his leader when he joined their family. He planned to use the time that they had together to convince him to let him go back to the Camp for Peter. Between Levi’s natural endowments and Hank’s slight sadistic streak, there was more than one reason why he was glad to be in James’s bed that night.

  “I know you’re worried,” James said as he crawled over his muscular black back. Terrence pushed his butt out toward him and James sank inside. Big T was so loose after his prep for Levi earlier that week that there wasn’t any pain. James’s big cock felt perfect filling him up like he was made to be inside him. He turned his head, and they kissed to the wet slapping sounds of pelvis hitting ass.

  James rose up and turned Terrence onto his side as he lifted one of his legs. He dove back inside him and placed his leg on his shoulder.

  “Yeah. Fuck my hot black ass,” Terrence hissed and started jacking himself. He had been on the receiving end of sex before in prison when he was younger, and he never enjoyed it. But the men at the Compound had changed his mind about the merits of anal sex in the last week or so.

  “But… I… Can’t… Let… You… Leave…,” James said punctuating each word with a sharp thrust of his hips. T’s words were incoherent as he came. James grunted his own pleasure then pulled out and laid down beside Terrence.

  Terrence had never been one to beg, but he would do anything for Peter. “Please, James,” he said as he turned his head to face him. “Please. I need to go back for him.”

  “I’m sorry, T,” James said sympathetically. He really did feel bad about Terrence’s situation, but he had to do what was best for all of them. “It’s too dangerous. I have to think about our family.”

  T turned his head away. Peter is family too, he thought to himself.

  “I need to talk to you,” Big T said as he approached the blond mountain working out in the gym. Mitch set his weights down. Terrence felt the skin prickle on the back of his neck as Mitch’s men stopped their workouts as well and came up behind him. He had to force himself not to turn around.

  “What do you want to talk about?” Mitch asked only mildly interested.

  “Could we speak in private?” T requested. The less people who knew about their little chat, the better, he thought.

  “My husbands can hear what you have to say,” Mitch told him and picked up a bottle of water he had sitting at his feet. Husbands? That surprised him. Reid acted more like a ruler than a husband, Terrence thought, but kept his comments to himself.

  “I have to get my boyfriend out of the Camp,” T said. “He’s young, pretty. It’s not safe there.”

  Mitch took a drink of water as his different colored eyes studied Terrence. “Did you talk to James about it?”

  “We talked,” he said remembering how James refused to even listen to his plan.

  “What did he say?”

  “No,” T answered.

  Mitch set the water down and picked up a towel. He took his time wiping the sweat from his face. “What do you think I can do?”

  “I need your help getting in and out of the Compound,” Big T said. He knew that Reid was the only other person besides James that had the authority and people to make this work. “And guns. I need back up outside the mine in case things get ugly.”

  “Already, you’re betraying James,” Mitch said disgusted. T’s request confirmed his initial low opinion of him. He had tried t
o warn James from the beginning that Big T was dangerous and shouldn’t be allowed to have free run of the Compound. James was too trusting in his opinion. Now that he considered T one of his men, Mitch wasn’t looking forward to having to tell him about this conversation.

  The expression on Reid’s face made Terrence looked away in shame. Yeah, he felt bad about going against James’s orders. But it was Peter, he thought, and Peter was his heart.

  Mitch raised an eyebrow. Something was bothering him. It didn’t make sense that T had come to him with this. They weren’t exactly friends. Out of curiosity, he asked, “Why would you think that I’d help you?”

  Terrence turned his head toward Elijah then back to Reid. He looked directly into his mismatched eyes. “Because I’m the only one who can rescue Gabriel.”

  Master had Kevin and Gabriel sitting on his mattress. He had pulled the chair away from his desk and was sitting with his elbows propped on his knees. Gabriel and Kevin wore equally curious expressions as they watched him while he tried to think how to begin.

  Master tongued his bottom lip and stared into their eager faces. “Well, shit!” he cursed and stood up. Frustrated, he walked the length of the alcove before he sat back down. He felt like all the muscles in his body had gone tight, and he rolled his shoulders to relax them. Trying to explain his predilections made him anxious. It wasn’t something that he ever talked about.

  He looked at his step brother. “You know what gets me hard, makes me come?” He asked it almost angrily, and Kevin flinched a little.

  “I know,” Kevin said compressing his lips. He had dried Gabriel’s tears too many times not to know.

  “But it can’t be one sided,” Master said and paused. Kevin tilted his head confused. “Look,” Master explained. “If I brought someone in here and beat his ass, it wouldn’t get me off.” He scratched his chin then shrugged. “Or maybe it would,” Master conceded. “But it would depend.”

  “What?” Kevin asked not liking this conversation. He had no idea what Jayson was talking about.

  “It would depend on if the guy enjoyed it,” Gabriel said quietly. Kevin looked incredulous.

  “No one would enjoy that,” he said and snorted. Kevin looked at Gabriel who was looking at the mattress, then he looked at his step brother who seemed to be waiting. Finally, it dawned on Kevin what he was implying.

  “You don’t actually think that Gabriel enjoys what you do to him?” he said repulsed.

  Master let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. He pursed his lips, but didn’t answer.

  After a moment of silence, Gabriel spoke up. “I do, Kevin,” he said. Kevin’s head whipped around at his words. “Like it,” Gabe finished in a quiet voice. He kept his eyes away from Kevin’s and watched his hand as he picked imaginary lint off the mattress.

  Kevin glared up angrily at his step brother. He hated how much control he had over Gabriel. “Don’t worry,” he said to Gabe. “I know the truth.” He started rubbing soothing circles on his back.

  “Do you, Kev?” Master asked. His little brother could be so frustrating sometimes, he thought. Annoyed, he sat up straighter in his chair. “Think about it a minute.”

  Kevin had been present during some of Gabriel’s punishments before and noticed that he had an erection. But he had always thought that it was in spite of what Jayson was doing to him. Had Gabriel orgasmed from his mistreatment? Kevin tried to remember all the times that he had cleaned Gabriel up after Jayson was through with him. His eyes widened when he realized that his brother was telling the truth. His hand slowed on Gabe’s back and stopped.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabriel said to Kevin. He was afraid that he had lost him now that he knew his secret.

  “No, don’t be sorry,” Kevin said quickly and started rubbing his back again. “I want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Gabriel looked up then, and Kevin saw the fear in his eyes.

  “I love you,” Kevin reassured him and reached for his hand. Gabriel relaxed when he realized that Kevin still wanted him. “I love you too,” he said.

  “Well, this was fun,” Jayson said sarcastically under his breath, happy to put the conversation behind them. He rose from his chair to leave.

  “Wait,” Kevin said. Jayson furrowed his brow but sat back down. “You need to have a safe word.”

  “Safe word?” Jayson asked warily.

  “Yes,” Kevin said. “For Gabriel. In case he wants you to stop.” Master’s first instinct was a screaming—Hell no! To satisfy his power kick, he liked to be in complete control of the other person. Someone being able to make him stop when he was playing didn’t sit well with his psyche. But Gabriel wasn’t just someone, he thought as his eyes drifted to his face. He remembered the soft feel of his lips when they kissed and the sweet tangle of his tongue in his mouth. Unsettled by these new unfamiliar emotions, Master clenched his teeth together. He supposed that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Gabriel an out if things went too far.

  Kevin watched the war on Jayson face as he wrestled with his suggestion. He was clenching his jaw when he finally nodded.

  “How about peanut,” Kevin said and turned to Gabriel. They had been singing the peanut song loud and in a round when Master entered their alcove and told them that they needed to talk. Gabriel chanced a quick look at Master before agreeing.

  Kevin looked at Jayson expectantly. “Peanut,” Master repeated reluctantly.

  “And you’ll stop?” Kevin clarified.

  “I’ll stop,” Master said. He stood abruptly and walked to the entrance of the alcove to leave. But he hesitated at the threshold before he stepped out. He felt conflicted. He wanted to escape all this touchy-feely crap, he thought. But he needed to make something clear first. With his back to his guys, he said, “You know, nothing means anything to me.” Then he turned his head slightly so that Kevin and Gabriel could just make out his profile. “Except the two of you,” he admitted in a gruff voice. He didn’t see the stunned expressions on Kevin and Gabriel’s faces before he disappeared quickly into the mine.

  “No,” Grant told the Mayor so upset that he was shaking with it. “I won’t let you go without me.” Cole, Jessie, and Elijah sat wide-eyed in the Mayor’s quarters as Grant made sure his feelings were known. The Mayor, ever calm, stirred his coffee as he leaned against the sink in his small kitchen. He had gathered his husbands together to inform them of his plans to rescue Gabriel.

  “You will, my love,” he told Grant. “I’m not putting you in danger. Any of you,” he said giving each man a look in case they got any ideas from Grant. “Terrence and I are leaving tomorrow, and I’ll be back by nightfall.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Grant implored. “You don’t even know Gabriel.”

  The Mayor raised his eyebrow. “Elijah knows him,” he chastised.

  Grant felt somewhat ashamed when he looked over at Elijah sitting on the couch beside Cole. He couldn’t fault the Mayor for trying to save Elijah’s friend. He always did his best to take care of them.

  “No. Wait,” Elijah said standing up. “Please. I don’t want you to do this for me.” Elijah couldn’t imagine the hell that Gabriel must be going through, but he wouldn’t be able to handle it if anything happened to the Mayor.

  Mitch sat his coffee down and walked over to Elijah. “Don’t worry, baby,” he said and cradled his scarred cheek. “Everything is going to be alright.” Elijah wanted to trust him, but he was still worried.

  The Mayor sensed it and let his hand drop to his side. Perturbed, he walked back to the front of the room. He had had enough mistrust and defiance from his husbands lately, he thought. He held their eyes and in a stern voice told them, “This subject is closed. Do not mention it to me again or discuss it amongst yourselves. Say, yes Mayor.”

  “Yes, Mayor,” they immediately replied in unison.

  “Good,” he said satisfied. “Now take off your clothes.”

  Chapter Five

  Jayson Master was experiencing a new odd feeling
. He had finally gotten in a little play time with Gabriel the night before, and Kevin hadn’t blasted him with his usual disapproving looks and melancholy. When he woke, his guys were snuggled close to his side. Both had smiled and kissed him good morning before getting up and dressed for breakfast.

  What is this shit? he thought to himself. Am I happy? It was hard to tell. Being raised by David Master, he had felt a lot of things, but “happy” wasn’t one of them. This new sensation seemed raw and dangerous, and it had him on edge.

  The Marauders were unnerved by his good mood as well. They were on their best behavior when they asked his permission to expand the mine in certain places to make it more livable. Master hoped that they wouldn’t be stuck underground for much longer, but he didn’t see any reason to say no. Actually, he thought to himself, a project might be good for morale.

  Master heard a commotion before one of the Marauders rushed up to him. “Big T’s back,” the man said excited. Master was sitting on his “throne” as he watched Big T making his way toward him. It had been over two months since the banishment, and he had assumed that he and his cohorts had died which was fine with him.

  Master was frowning when Big T reached him flanked by two of his Scavengers. “I thought you were a goner,” he said casually. Unfortunately, Big T seemed none the worse for wear for all his time above ground, Master thought looking him up and down. He noticed his partners in crime weren’t with him. “Clint and Earl?” he asked rubbing his chin.

  “Dead, Master,” T responded. Master narrowed his eyes.

  “And you?” he said clearly suspicious. “Enjoy it so much out there, you decided to stay awhile?”