Enslaved by a Warrior [Sold! 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (13 page)

“Forgive me, but they are simply refusing to discuss any type of exchange, sellback, trade—anything at all.” Devotee sighed. “I am perceiving that the merchant is deliberately misunderstanding me to delay—and now he has cut communications.”

When Blessed turned from the window, he discovered devotee standing, frowning, and trying to reestablish a link.

“They deliberately disconnected from me?” Blessed was furious. None should ever dare to show him such a slight. It was unheard of. All on Krase, no matter the city, no matter the establishment, no matter what race—everyone always showed the utmost respect to a Krase warrior. To do otherwise was to risk almost certain death. To remind all the citizens of their import, they were commonly addressed as
your graciousness
. It was long, unwieldy, but conveyed the level of respect that should be shown to those of his class. If not for his kind dedicating their lives to the protection and expansion of the Krase Empire, they wouldn’t be here.

“I will reestablish the link. Perhaps I made the mistake that disconnected us.”

Blessed turned away. He didn’t think there was an error on his end or theirs. It felt like a very deliberate slight. Perhaps Blessed wasn’t the first buyer who wished to return his human. Maybe the others sold that night had all managed to find their way back for various reasons. What once was considered valuable might be worthless now. Not that Blessed cared about the money. He would gladly pay them ten times over if they would simply take Tyler away. But they had to do so soon. Another night in his bed like last night and it would be too late to let Tyler go.

“I am sorry, my master. I cannot establish a secure line for communication. What would you have me do?”

“Go, devotee. I will try again later.” Blessed feared he would change his mind. “Wait.”

Devotee turned and faced him.

“Do you ever wish to go out?”

“Out?” Devotee seemed to be considering the many meanings of the word.

“If you were not my slave, if your time was your own to do with as you would, what would you do?”

“I am most sorry, my master, that I failed you with the communications. If you wish for my destruction, I—”

“No, no. Your services are exemplary. I am simply asking from curiosity.” Actually, he was asking because of an idea his human put in his head, which was only further proof he had to get rid of him soon.

“If I were a free citizen, I do not know what I would do as I was born and bred to serve you.” Devotee stood there, casting a perplexed expression at Blessed. “Do you require anything else?”

“No. You may go.”

Devotee left the observation room, closing the door behind him.

Damn Tyler for putting the idea in his head that his slaves weren’t perfectly happy doing exactly what they were doing. He sighed. Masters ruled, and slaves followed orders. Such was the way of the universe. Well, except on Tyler’s planet, apparently. There, only uncivilized people had slaves. Blessed considered himself civilized, but he still owned slaves, and some puny little Earthling wasn’t going to change his mind about that.

Blessed returned to the windows and peered out at the city. With darkness starting to fall as the lone sun set, the upper lights were beginning to come on. Soon, all he would see was shining orbs in the dark, like a mimic of the star-strewn sky. He wondered what Tyler would—

Blessed slapped one big hand to his thigh in reprimand. He had to stop thinking of Tyler. But it seemed the more he tried, the more he pictured him, and the more the cravings in his body grew. Soon the pressure in his
detaf
would become unbearable, but he was a long way away from entering into a battle rage. Still, it was uncomfortable, and he tugged at the waistband of his trousers. His
strosan
coiled around his cock, forming a protective bag that kept it close to his body and stopped it from swaying dangerously when he walked. Naked and striding toward his plaything, Blessed loved the swinging weight of his prick, but when he was conducting business or moving about in public, he didn’t care for the sensation at all.

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.”

“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.