by Lyra Evans
Cobalt raised his eyebrows. What was a sign of interest and enthusiasm to Preston was a tell to Niko. Cobalt was horrified by the list and not without reason. Many of the listed ‘tools and toys’ were ancient torture methods long ago outlawed for their cruelty and gruesomeness. Niko should not have been surprised but part of him was. What he hadn’t quite dealt with, however, was the reality that at least some of those things would be used on him.
“Indeed that is quite the catalogue,” Cobalt said as they stepped up onto the stage. The surface was polished wood, painted black, with some kind of muffling magic. Their footsteps sounded more like they were walking on carpet. Niko made mental notes about every detail he could, filling his mind with information relating to the case rather than think about the possibility of Cobalt using a lead sprinkler full of molten metal on him.
“Alas, none of the firearms have instant healing magic, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to explore that possibility without risking a trip to the hospital should you want Kilo to live,” Preston said, as though Niko’s survival was in question.
“Yes, best to leave that alone then,” Cobalt said with feigned disappointment. “However, it sounds as though there should be more than enough alternative options to keep me entertained.”
Up close, the glass cube seemed self-contained. There was no visible door or entry point, but when Preston held out a hand to one corner of the cube, a door slid itself open within the glass. He gestured for Cobalt and Niko to enter, which they did.
Inside, the cube looked much more like a normal room. The glass walls had some kind of illusion distorting reality, and the interior looked to have regular, opaque walls. It gave the illusion of privacy where there was none. A tiny spark of a worry flashed in Niko’s mind. In the depths of the scene, when he’d lost himself in the submission and pain, he might have trouble remembering they were not alone. The glass would have reminded him of the audience, of the dangerous parts they played, but the inside of this room could have been anywhere.
“Fascinating,” Cobalt said, studying the walls. “Why the illusion?”
Preston shrugged. “Some of our guests are on the more modest side, I suppose. Stage fright does tend to ruin a good show, so the illusion allows them to feel more comfortable. Though based on your performance last night, I’d say you’ve no need of that. Pity it can’t be removed for long.”
Cobalt nodded. “How long do I have to prepare?”
Preston glanced at his watch. “Oh, a few minutes. Just ring this little bell here when you’re ready.” He made for the door, casting a hungry look back over his shoulder at Niko. “I’m so looking forward to seeing what you’re capable of.”
Preston left the room, closing the door behind him. Niko watched as the ‘door handle’ disappeared, leaving them effectively imprisoned in the glass cube. There was immediately an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia descending on him, threatening to choke him. Niko wasn’t used to that feeling, never having experienced it before. There was a time when he thought himself almost impervious to fear. Then he went undercover and learned that he had only been unafraid because he lacked imagination. Now he understood the sheer limitless nature of cruelty, and he was not so stupid as to not feel fear.
But the moment the terror caught hold of him, rushing inward like water filling a sinking car, Niko also felt something else. A light flickered and grew inside him, from the centre of his chest. It held the fear at bay and lightened his mind, and it was almost certainly Cobalt. He wrapped his arms around Niko from behind, one hand smoothing up his chest to curl around his neck. He breathed into Niko’s ear.
“Are you all right?” The question was almost impossible to hear even with Cobalt’s lips brushing Niko’s ear. He spoke so softly Niko half thought he’d imagined it. But it was safer that way. Who knew who was listening or how.
“Yes, Master,” Niko answered, aiming for a tone equally as low. He kept to their roles just in case, but having Cobalt hold him this way, pressing in so close he could almost forget where he was, let the light in Niko’s chest break through the rushing alarm. He calmed again.
Cobalt flicked out his tongue and pulled Niko’s ear to his mouth, nibbling gently. Niko shuddered in pleasure, letting his head fall back onto Cobalt’s shoulder.
“This is worse than I thought,” Cobalt breathed again, his mouth barely moving but to nibble at Niko’s earlobe. “I’ll make some excuse to keep things light.”
“No,” Niko said quickly, turning in Cobalt’s arms to face him. Their bodies pressed together like a sword in its sheath. Niko ground his hips into Cobalt’s, letting him feel the way Niko’s cock began to harden. The softness of the fabric of his pants against his length hurried the process, and Niko let himself get fully erect as he rubbed against Cobalt. “Don’t do anything to jeopardize the plan,” Niko whispered against Cobalt’s neck. “I’ll be fine. I can take whatever you’ve got.”
Cobalt groaned as Niko pressed his open mouth to Cobalt’s jugular, sucking on the skin. He drew his hand up into Niko’s hair and grabbed a fistful, pulling back to access his mouth. He pressed a hungry kiss to Niko’s lips and took one of Niko’s hands in his.
“I’m going to squeeze your hand if I think it’s getting bad,” Cobalt murmured into the kiss. “As long as you’re all right, squeeze back twice. If you can’t or don’t squeeze twice, I’ll stop immediately. Understand?”
Niko squeezed twice to show he understood, and Cobalt pulled back searching his face. Licking his lips, Niko held Cobalt’s gaze. He was sure any onlooker would see a horny sub, waiting for instructions. But Cobalt saw a victim putting himself back in danger. Niko knew it. He felt it in the pulsing of the Soul Stone. There was no room for that kind of thinking. Not now. Not here.
“What do you want, Master?” Niko asked, aiming for sultry, but it was perhaps a bit too much, given the way Cobalt’s mouth twitched.
“Take off your clothes,” Cobalt told him, voice firm and in control. As Niko’s hand went to the knot on his tie, Cobalt added, “Leave the tie.”
Eyes on Cobalt, Niko plucked at each of the buttons of his shirt, pulling the frabric free from the pants. He shrugged out of the suit jacket and made to lay it on the bed, but Cobalt gave him a pointed look. Stopping himself, Niko nodded and turned to the wardrobe. He hoped there were clothes hangers in there as well as the assortment of toys and torture devices Preston had listed. When he opened the door he found a neat little slot at the far right side of the upper portion with a bar and hangers. He placed the jacket on a hanger first, then went about removing the rest of his clothing and hanging it too. Pulling the shirt collar free of the knotted tie was an effort, but he managed. He set them neatly in the slot, forcing himself not to pay much attention to the drawers or their labels. The knives hanging on the inside of the door, however, were harder to ignore. They shone a gleaming silver in the light of the room, their handles made of rare, polished wood in different colours and finished with intricate hand-carved details. The blades were sharp enough that Niko thought he might not even feel a cut from them. But the runemarks on a couple of the blades told him otherwise. These were the ones made to heal instantly, but there were other runes on them. And one of the runes was meant to inflict pain.
Placing his shoes neatly at the base of the slot last, Niko turned to find Cobalt standing behind him with the Fae-made rope in hand. It differed from regular rope in a few ways, the main one being its appearance. Fae-made rope had a silvery colour and silken finish to it, meaning it was less rough on the skin than other rope. But the magical components of it made it significantly more durable, as well as being much easier to manipulate for the person tying it. It also had another handy quality; when tied into a knot, the knot would only come undone if intentionally untied. Meaning, if it was used to tie someone up, that person was incapable of struggling free of their bonds. The knot would never loosen, never slacken, no matter the force applied. This made it popular for shoelaces and bondage. Niko licked his lips,
considering the rope and waiting for instruction.
Cobalt reached out and brushed his knuckles over Niko’s cheek. “Lock yourself into the spreader,” he said, nodding to the rod on the floor by the bondage cross. It had two rough metal cuffs on either end, fixed to the ends without any range of movement. It was unlike any spreader Niko had ever seen, but that hardly mattered now.
He did as he was told, sliding one ankle into one side and fastening the metal cuff closed before moving on to the other. The cuff was tight but left just enough room for Niko to turn his ankles if necessary. When he moved even slightly, however, the edges of the cuffs dug into his skin. He straightened when he was finished, now standing with spread legs, his hard cock bobbing expectantly.
Cobalt moved in closer, running a hand up one of Niko’s thighs and causing him to shiver. “You’re being such a good pet, aren’t you?” he said, touching Niko wherever he pleased. It was strangely intimate, allowing Cobalt to touch him freely. Even though there were likely people watching them. Niko was not overly affectionate by nature. He rarely liked to cuddle, and he often shied away from touching unless he was having sex. Uri certainly lamented Niko’s lack of affection when they were together. But having Cobalt explore his body with slow, deliberate movements was different somehow. Like he was mapping Niko’s body, and Niko found himself wanting to do the same to Cobalt. “But you’ve got a naughty streak in you. Rebellious. Don’t you?”
Niko shuddered. “Yes, Master,” he said, dropping his chin slightly. Cobalt hummed softly, and Niko felt the sound in his stomach.
“That’s right. Lift your hands above your head,” Cobalt ordered. Niko did as instructed, and Cobalt went about wrapping the rope around his wrists in careful knots. When he was done and satisfied, he said, “Try to struggle free.” Niko turned and wiggled his wrists as much as he could, which was almost not at all, but the knots refused to release. There was enough room not to cut off circulation to his hands but that was about it. “Good.” Cobalt took hold of the knot and slipped it onto a hanging hook, forcing Niko onto his toes. He took a step back to study his work, and Niko kept himself as steady as possible. On his toes, this was more difficult, but Kilo was an experienced sub, so he should have no problem doing it. Niko searched inside himself for his iron will and put it to use.
Cobalt leaned in abruptly, catching Niko’s mouth in a kiss, distracting him momentarily. When he pulled away, he stared into Niko’s eyes and left Niko dizzy. “Are you ready for the show, Pet?”
Niko swallowed hard, knowing the only way was forward. Whatever was coming would be painful, but Niko knew pain. He could handle pain. If he could survive Sade, he would definitely survive this.
“Yes, Master,” he said. Speaking the title had become almost natural to him and in such a short period. It flowed off his tongue, wrapping around Cobalt’s neck, and settled somewhere near his cock. For some reason, Niko liked the names. He liked being called all manner of things, and he liked calling Cobalt Master. He would never admit that, of course, but given the circumstances he took whatever pleasures he could.
Cobalt moved to the small table beside the door and rang the bell Preston had indicated for them. Niko could already feel his toes cramping when the bell tinkled. The sound rose up around them, echoing in the small room. A moment later, an announcement informed the other guests the show was about to begin. Once everyone was seated and ready, the ‘main parade’ would occur, followed by the show. Cobalt cast a glance at Niko, probably thinking the same thing he was. If the parade was happening while they were in here, how would they see the ‘merchandise’? They wouldn’t know if there were any Selkies left amongst the victims if they couldn’t watch this part.
But a few moments later, one of the walls of the small room flashed and went suddenly clear. A spotlight seared into Niko’s eyes briefly before readjusting, and Niko realized they were meant to watch from inside the cube.
“Keep an eye out for someone you like, Pet,” Cobalt said, moving to the edge of the bed to watch. “Money is no object. I expect you to list your favourites to me later. I shall keep my own list, of course.”
Niko nodded. They would have to exchange notes on the victims in a code of sorts. He ignored the awkward position and the pain in his toes and focused on the emerging people.
The voice overhead was muffled inside the cube, but Niko could make out some details as well as a number assigned to each person. The first victim to emerge came from around the back of the room. It was a young woman with pale blond hair down her back and skin like bone china. The tattoos along her collarbone indicated she was a Selkie, but the empty shape in the centre of her chest made clear her Soul Stone was gone. It was a triangular shape with softened corners and, apart from the tattoos, it was the darkest part of her body. She moved around like water, tossing her pale hair over her shoulder and swaying her hips. Her eyes were half-lidded, as though inviting the gawking she was getting. Cobalt shot Niko a look, his face neutral, but Niko could see the flicker of alarm in his eyes.
Next was a young man with similarly white hair but skin the colour of sandstone. His body was toned and tight, but just slightly too thin to be healthy. The tattoos on his collarbone encircled a somewhat heart-shaped space on his chest. He walked more automatically, his eyes distant. He stood before the gathered people around the stage, performing like a fashion model. He walked off again without registering much.
There was another and another. Each of the victims emerging had this apparent mask of distance on their faces, barely acknowledging what was happening around them or caring much for their nakedness. In total, there were seven Selkies in the group of victims on sale, meaning two of them had already been sold and likely killed. Or they were involved in the Woods somehow, but Niko couldn’t quite buy it. Why should two wealthy Courtiers give up their positions in Azure’s Court to engage in illegal sex trafficking and murder? Why would they betray their own prince to this?
No. Niko hoped, for their sakes, they were dead rather than involved. He could see by the line of tension in Cobalt’s neck that it took all of his effort to stop himself breaking through the glass to collect them and run. Niko half-wished that had been the plan all along, but there was no way they would make it out of the building or the grounds that way. And the Woods would still be on the loose.
Finally, the voice overhead announced the end of the ‘parade’ and the start of the main show. It also informed people there would be other performances occurring simultaneously in smaller glass rooms scattered throughout the hall. Niko wondered who was putting on the other shows, whether other guests or the victims themselves, and why Cobalt and he were specifically chosen to perform on the main stage. But he had little time to dwell on it, given they were meant to start immediately.
Cobalt turned to him, his face displaying the briefest flash of a grim resolution before turning to an expression of icy appraisal. He let his eyes roam over Niko’s bound body, causing Niko to shiver involuntarily. His erection had flagged during the parade of victims, and he hoped that wouldn’t be some kind of tell to the people watching, but Cobalt took particular notice.
“Are you not excited for this, Pet?” Cobalt asked, removing his jacket and hanging it carefully in the wardrobe. Then he set about rolling up his sleeves, one by one. “I would have thought you’d be a steel rod in anticipation. Thinking of all the new toys to play with, all the people watching, hungry for you.” Cobalt moved in closer now, his voice dropping. “I know how you like when people stare. I saw you react every time someone undressed you with their eyes, or asked me if I was willing to share. I saw the excitement in your eyes at the idea of them touching you, playing with you.” Cobalt’s mouth was up against Niko’s ear. “I could invite them all in now, and you’d beg for them to fuck you. All at once. To use your body and leave you in ruins.” Niko shuddered, Cobalt’s voice permeating his skin and setting his blood aflame. His eyes fluttered shut as Cobalt reached down and wrapped his hand around Niko’s sac, tugging ju
st hard enough to cause Niko to gasp. His hand moved up and brushed lightly against Niko’s now full erection. The smirk in Cobalt’s voice was unmistakeable. “That’s what I thought.” He pulled back, leaving Niko hard as cut diamond. He appraised Niko again, arms crossed. “What shall I do with you, then, such an ungrateful slut of a pet?”
Niko gripped the knots around his wrists as he could, but it was little more than folding his fingers around the rope. “Please, Master, please,” he breathed. “I want you.”
Cobalt shook his head. “Are you saying you don’t get turned on by the thought of being fucked by a group of unfamiliar men?” Niko clenched his jaw, unsure what was making him so hot. Was he really into the idea Cobalt was suggesting? Or was Cobalt affecting him some other way? All he could manage was a whimper, and Cobalt made a disappointed sound. “You know what happens when you lie to me, Pet,” he said.
He made for the cabinet and pulled at the drawers. Niko couldn’t see what he was doing, but he heard him searching through his options. He returned with a long black cane with silver top. Taking only a half-glance at Niko, Cobalt moved around him. A slapping sound made Niko flinch, but he felt nothing. Cobalt had only hit his own hand with the cane, perhaps as a warning, perhaps to test the toy.
“We’re going to play a little game, Pet,” Cobalt said, drawing the length of the cane across Niko’s ass and then sliding it slowly between his cheeks. “See all these people watching think you’re such a good and cooperative pet. They don’t know the real you, the rebellious little slut, the cock-hungry whore. They think they want you, and you let your head get full of ideas. But I’m going to remind you what you are and to whom you belong.”
