Chapter 13
DAVEN
“Did you see that? Theo just…he was immune to the current,” Ryneth whispered as they sat in the hover car. He was completely out of it, his head lolling against Daven’s shoulder, thighs slack and spread. His erection pressed obscenely against the zipper of his school uniform.
Daven stared at it and licked his lips. “I did. Yet another mystery. But not the one I’m focusing on right now. Tell me, aethera. What did the prisoner mean?”
Ryneth made a small sound against his throat. Daven couldn’t tell if it was a laugh or a sob.
“If you won’t talk, you’ll be in trouble.”
A warm breath skimmed Daven’s skin. “Will you…spank me?”
Good Light, Ryneth was completely out of it. The question made Daven’s cock twitch. “Maybe, yes.”
“Will you suck me again like you did last night?”
Daven’s mouth curved. “Why? Did you love it that much?”
Ryneth looked up then, his silver eyes wide and blinking, white lashes fluttering. His face had gone pink. “I had my dick sucked once,” he mumbled. “We were sitting at the Ward, guarding it.”
“Okay…?” Daven brushed a hand through Ryneth’s blond hair, not sure where this was going.
“She told me it was her first time.” Ryneth seemed to smile at the memory, but had this faraway look in his eyes. “I didn’t dare say it was my first time too. I was so pent-up, so horny.”
“And then, baby? Did she suck you good?”
Ryneth blinked at him, then let out a breath that might have been a laugh.
“Good Light, you’re so filthy. Yeah—I think she did.
I mean, I don’t know. I had no reference.
I came, if that’s what you were wondering.
And then… right after I put my pants back on, there was commotion at the wall and then there was this sound, this popping sound, and she—” He stared outside the window.
“She just fell over and hit the ground. That smile forever there. The arrow hit her right in the gut. She died in my arms. I didn’t even know her name. ”
Daven watched his face change. Watched his irises glimmer as if the haze slipped.
“That was when I saw it for the first time, long before they started taking our people. The white spiral carved into the arrow. It was wet with her blood.”
“That’s awful.” Daven squeezed Ryneth’s shoulder, but it wasn’t enough.
Nothing about this was enough. He wanted to drag Ryneth into his lap and hold him there until the shaking stopped, but wanting wasn’t the same as fixing it.
He gave his shoulder another squeeze. “The prisoner’s last words. What did he mean?”
Ryneth stared out at the neon and obsidian streets of Zephyr through the reinforced glass. The longer he stayed quiet, the tighter Daven grew.
They were nearly back at his penthouse when Ryneth finally whispered, “I thought it wasn’t real.” He let out a breathy chuckle, then turned over his shoulder until their eyes met. “I’m so horny.”
Daven smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind Ryneth’s ear, trailing his ringed finger over the other man’s sharp jaw down to his lips until Ryneth shivered. “So am I. And I’m going to make you feel good… after you talk to me. You’ve been tense ever since class. Come on, aethera. Talk to me.”
Ryneth followed Daven’s finger with his lips again, slower this time. He caught it briefly between his teeth.
“Careful,” Daven murmured.
Ryneth’s mouth curved. “Then take it.”
Daven’s hand slid lower. “You think this distracts me?”
Ryneth’s breath hitched as his legs pressed together.
“Use your words.”
Ryneth swallowed, his fingers twisting in Daven’s coat. “You’ll punish me.”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll reward me.”
Daven leaned closer. “That depends on what you give me.”
Ryneth lowered his lashes, his voice dropping. “There was an auction. On the spacecraft, after the hijacking.”
“Continue.” Daven held his gaze.
“I—I...”
“Say it properly.”
Ryneth’s mouth trembled. “I was put up.”
Daven’s grip tightened. “And?”
“I was sold.”
“Sold.” Daven needed to taste the word on his tongue, needed to understand what it meant.
“Yeah.” Ryneth looked down, then slowly placed a hand over Daven’s, weaving his long fingers through his. “I got a message today.”
“Show me.”
Daven didn’t wait. He tightened his grip and turned Ryneth’s hand to access his multi-slate.
You look good in Helion colors.
Did they dress you up for me?
I’ll come when it’s time.
Daven read the message. Twice.
“Wait. Who the fuck is this?” he snarled.
He read it slower the third time, and something in him snapped.
“You look good in Helion colors,” he repeated, disgust curling under every word. “Did they dress you up for me?”
Next to him, Ryneth went still.
Daven’s hand shot out. He caught his jaw, rings pressing cold into his skin, and the air in the room shifted with him, a hard rush of pressure that made the loose strands of Ryneth’s hair lift and curl against his cheeks. “Who the fuck thinks he gets to talk about you like that?”
“Daven—”
“No.” His thumb pressed harder under Ryneth’s chin, holding him there. “No one is coming to collect you, aethera.” His gaze dropped to Ryneth’s mouth, then rose again, darker. “No one is taking you from me.”
Ryneth’s breath caught. “Daven.”
“You’re mine to protect.”
The words hit Daven hard. Something in his chest locked tight. Possession. Need. His air stirred without permission, crowding closer around them.
Ryneth went still for half a second, like he felt it too. Then fear flashed across his face. “No.” His voice sharpened. “Don’t do that. Don’t say things like that. I don’t know what this is, what’s going on between us, but I’m not letting it happen.”
He shoved at Daven’s chest. Static cracked between them, deliberate this time. Blue light lashed toward Daven’s collar.
Daven’s air snapped tight around him before it landed. The fear in Ryneth’s face hit him almost as hard as the static. It was sharp. Real. And it only made the need worse.
He leaned in and kissed him, driving him back until the rear window caught the back of Ryneth’s head. Daven’s hand stayed locked on his jaw while his air sealed around them, muting the world beyond the glass.
Ryneth’s mouth opened under his. Soft, wet, trembling, and Daven wanted more the second he tasted him.
“Daven—”
“Shut up.” He bit Ryneth’s lower lip, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to feel him react. “You don’t get to keep secrets in my bed, aethera. You don’t get to walk into danger like that. Not without me.”
Ryneth made a broken sound and grabbed at Daven’s coat, like he still wanted to fight it even as he kissed him back. Daven’s tongue slid into his mouth, and his pulse kicked harder when Ryneth met him halfway.
Good Light, Ryneth felt good. Even in his defiance. Especially in his defiance.
Daven kissed him harder, swallowing every soft sound he made. He dragged his mouth over the bite he’d left, then deepened the kiss again until they were both breathing hard into the tight space between them.
When he finally pulled back, he stole one last kiss. “I know, baby. We’re nearly home. Then I’ll give you all the pleasure you need, and more.”
“What if someone just comes and takes me?”
“They won’t. You’re one of us.”
“Dariux,” Ryneth murmured. “I always thought I was weird.”
“That too.” Daven smiled, then pulled his air back with one ringed gesture of his hand. “Come on now, we’re here. Let’s get you inside.”
Vandor opened the back door.
“I can walk myself,” Ryneth began, nearly crashing to the floor.
“No, you cannot. C’mere.” Daven’s hand caught the front of Ryneth’s jacket and hauled him forward until their faces were inches apart. “Now, do I need to carry you or are you going to be a good boy and hold on to me?”
Ryneth’s eyes flashed, and then his hands tentatively grabbed for Daven.
“There you go. That wasn’t so hard. Vandor, open the door. Have someone bring us some food, then get the fuck out of my penthouse.”
He ignored the guard when they stumbled over the threshold, too focused on taking Ryneth straight for the bedroom. The lights switched on where they passed, bringing the place in a warm dim light.
He laid Ryneth back on the bed and started by taking off his boots. “So you don’t know who purchased you?”
“No,” Ryneth rasped. “Only that it was a private buyer. I thought—” His voice faltered when Daven put both their boots to the door, then came back and started with his pants. His erection was beautifully visible through the slacks.
“You thought what?” Daven asked, rolling them all the way down to his feet.
“That it was over. That you—”
“What, you thought I bought you?” Daven wanted to laugh, but the situation really wasn’t funny. “I don’t need a contract to have you exactly where I want you. Right now, I control the air you’re breathing.”
Ryneth turned his head to the window and stared outside. “They said Helion was made of glass and green. They said…”
A knock on the door and a polite smile brought Daven what Ryneth needed. Joining him on the bed, he rolled onto his side behind Ryneth and placed the tray with food and drink in front of them.
“First, you eat,” Daven commanded. “Then, you tell me every word they put in your head. Then I decide how we handle this.”
Ryneth sniffed. “I don’t want to eat.”
Daven stared at that messy blond hair and groaned. “You’re so fucking stubborn. You think you’re a product? Fine. In that case, I’m maintaining my asset. Open your mouth.” He brought an olive to Ryneth’s mouth, using the reflection of the glass to aim right.
Ryneth parted his lips and let Daven feed him, his tongue colliding with Daven’s fingers when he scooped up the ham. Fuck, that was… Daven’s cock swelled further inside his pants. Yeah, he liked feeding Ryneth.
“My teeth won’t stop itching,” Ryneth muttered when they were halfway through the plate.
“That’s because you’re still pent-up, baby.”
Ryneth didn’t react. Instead he kept eating, kept staring outside the glass.