Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
Gabriel
I can see the Celestial Spire ahead of us. It’s crystalline towers catch the pale lavender light of the twin moons, refracting it like a living, breathing entity. As we get closer, the whole place seems to pulse with the excitement of the Championships. This will be my fourth time here, and I never get used to the sight.
The grand staircase leading up to the entrance is a monument. A performance piece. A reminder of when humans were first yanked from Earth and paraded around as novelties in this galaxy. The steps are beautifully carved with statues of humans who fought in those first pet challenges, but they’re also a grotesque testament to the horrors of countless human lives lost. Pets dragged here as entertainment for aliens and the ghosts of their suffering still haunt every last stone on every step up to the hotel’s lobby.
“We’re here,” Aefre announces unnecessary.
I glance at him. He’s in his element.
The transport hisses open, and Briar steps out first. She moves tentatively, as she takes in all the people, the towering spires, and the impressive staircase. She doesn’t carry the weight of this place the way I do. Not yet. She has nothing but curiosity on her mind now.
I follow her, but I stop when I hear the roaring alien crowd. It hits me like a punch to the stomach.
“Ember” Aefre’s voice pulls me back into the here and now. “You can do this.”
His words are meant to steady me. But they don’t.
I nod anyway, without looking at him. My gaze is fixed on the staircase. Memories flood my mind unbidden, the alien crowds, the adrenaline, the victories. Fifi. Her laughter, her determination, her absence. The crushing realization that I killed her.
I hate this place. I hate what it took from me.
A small warmth against my hand pulls me back to reality again. I look down. Briar’s hand is in mine. Aefre is walking in front of us and doesn’t see, or doesn’t want to see.
“We’ve got this,” she says in accented Imperial.
The simplicity of her words disarm me. Her green eyes meet mine, and for a second, the weight of this place eases. I’m not alone here . And I won’t let Briar die. I’ll die first before I let that happen to her. Still, I think, Forgive me, Fifi. I swear I didn’t know.
I squeeze Briar’s hand. “Merci,” I whisper, expecting a shock from my collar, but none comes.
Aefre notices us from the corner of his eye, but he says nothing. As if we were free for the last two minutes.
Suddenly everything feels different than it did before. As if the lighting changed from pale lavender to bright white. I climb the stairs and am detached from its history. It’s both freeing and frightening.
The inside of the Spire feels like stepping into a dream, gleaming corridors stretch endlessly, their intricate designs shifting and shimmering under a soft and unnatural light.
We’re led to our quarters, a streamlined and compact room. The bed in the center is much larger than what I have on the Luminous Arc .
Aefre stands in the room with us. “You’ll be monitored at all times,” he says. “Do not forget that.” Then he unfastens the leashes from our collars.
“Am I to stay here too?” Briar asks.
“Yes. It’s tradition. A little perk for competing in the Grand Championships,” Aefre confirms.
Briar tries her best to hide a smile, but fails.
“However,” Aefre continues, “you will wear chastity devices when you’re alone in this room. Both of you.”
Briar frowns.
It’s clear that our bodies, and by extension our intimacy, still remain under Aefre’s strict control. He never demanded this with Fifi, but then again, Fifi and I were only intimate when Aefre and Kaelin made us.
I watch with unease as Kaelin enters and retrieves two metallic cases from an unmarked trunk. Inside each case rests a small device with tiny glowing indicators that shift from green to blue with a steady pulse.
“These are standard chastity devices in the Empire. They’ll ensure you both focus on the tasks at hand with no distractions,” Aefre explains as he holds up the devices like an auctioneer.
The device for me is shaped to fit around my most intimate parts, with a flexible alloy band that secures around my waist. The interior is lined with a soft padding so it can be worn long-term.
Briar’s device is similarly form-fitted, a small shield that cups between her legs, angled to lock with a slim harness around her hips. It looks uncomfortable, especially when Aefre demonstrates how it snugly seals with a quiet electronic click.
“Any attempts at forced removal will trigger a fail-safe,” Aefre says. “It’ll emit a low-level shock strong enough to deter tampering. A built-in sensor will report your vital signs—heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels—relaying the data back to our pet rings just as your collars do,” Aefre and Kaelin both hold up their rings just in case we are stupid humans and forgot how they issue the punishments through our collars.
“If you become too aroused, the device will tighten and restrict blood flow,” Kaelin adds.
“How will we clean ourselves?” Briar asks.
“Each device can detach or open partially for cleaning at set intervals, under direct supervision, of course. But beyond that, you will remain inaccessible to each other sexually when you are in this room.”
Kaelin beckons me to him, with the device in his hands. “Remove your clothing Ember.”
I obey.
When I’m naked, Aefre comes from behind me and begins stroking my penis. I don’t know why I feel embarrassed. He’s done this every week for the last twelve years, but I don’t want Briar to see me like this. To see Aefre making me orgasm for him.
“Ember,” Aefre says. “Is it nerves?”
Briar and I make eye contact. Her face is unreadable and then she looks away.
I close my eyes and pretend I’m somewhere else. I concentrate on the orgasm Aefre wants me to have.
“That’s a good boy,” he says as he finishes me. I shake uncontrollably in his arms as Kaelin collects the semen. And then attaches the chastity belt.
The metal is cold at first, then warms to my body temperature. The harness band clasps around my waist with a final click, echoing in the silent room.
“Your turn Ash,” Aefre says and kneels before her. Kaelin stands behind her, holding her chastity belt. “Open up for me. Ah you were aroused watching weren’t you. Don’t worry, now it’s your turn.”
I want to look away but I can’t. I watch as Aefre licks Briar’s pussy, his face deep in the pink hair between her legs. She doesn’t look at me and I’m glad she doesn’t. I don’t want her to see how aroused I am by watching this.
Kaelin begins to bounce her large breasts in his hands and tugs on her nipples and the nipple rings. “I know how you like that Ash. You like it when we play with your tits like this.”
My chastity belt makes a sound and both Aefre and Kaelin stop what they’re doing and look over at me. Then look at each other and smile before returning their attention to Briar. No doubt, it was a signal that I was aroused.
I continue to watch as Aefre and Kaelin bring Briar to orgasm. She makes the most erotic sounds which makes it all the sweeter to watch. After she’s come, Kaelin hands the chastity device to Aefre and he secures it between her legs.
“Better than the muzzle my good little pet,” he says rising and then stepping back to admire the devices on us. “Now you both should be sated for tonight. Try to get some sleep and remember, no unauthorized physical contact. Ash don’t let any of the male pets near you. Ember I know you know better. Understand?”
I’m so angry because I thought I would have this time alone with Briar, but I say in unison with her, “I understand, Master Aefre.”
Briar meets my gaze and her eyes reflect her own humiliation.
Aefre and Kaelin leave us without another word. The door seals shut behind them with a faint hiss, leaving the room unsettlingly quiet.
Briar lies down on the bed as soon as Aefre leaves, curling up into a ball.
I join her on the bed and try to comfort her. “It’s not forever.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he was going to do this?”
“I didn’t know.”
She turns to meet my gaze. “But you’ve been to the Grand Championships before.”
“I told you it wasn’t like that with Fifi. He didn’t do this. Obviously he knows we’ve been having sex on the Luminous Arc . And this is more about his reputation than ours. He doesn’t want the other trainers to think his pets have special privileges.”
“He could have just asked us.”
“No he couldn’t have. He thinks we are animals unable to control our sexual desires.”
Briar can’t help herself and she smiles.
I hold her close to me and kiss her shoulder. The metal of our belts collide against one another.
“This room is nice.” Briar says, changing the subject which I’m grateful for. I hate these belts as much as she does, but we can’t do anything about them now.
“It’s a galactic hotel,” I tell her. “One of the better ones I’ve seen. Sometimes they even have a token human working at reception.”
“A human pet working the front desk?”
“Not a pet. A human from Earth. It’s an anomaly. Apparently after the IGC passed the law making it illegal to own pets,” I hold up my hand. “Before you get too excited, I don’t know if that law is true because all of this,” I motion around the room, “but that was the reason for having a free human there, to act as a representative for us in case there was a raid. But I don’t know how true that is. I mean she could be half Imperial and just pretends to be a human from Earth.”
I have Briar’s full attention now. “Did you see this mysterious human receptionist when you were here last time? Did you talk to her?”
“Yes.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“No. She was working. I only saw her when she came to watch some of the events. She was given a special seat far away from any pets.”
“Do you think she’s really from Earth? How could a human see this and not do something to help?”
“What is she going to do? As far as I can see she’s a prisoner like the rest of us.”
Briar thinks about this for a second. “You’re probably right.” Then she changes the subject, “I’ve been thinking about tomorrow. I’m nervous Gabriel. What if we …”
I put a finger on her lips to stop her from continuing. “No, you must not even think it. I’ve been here three times before and survived. And you will too. But I’ll not lie to you. This place... it tests you. You’ll feel like you’re losing yourself. Like there’s no way out. But you won’t lose me. We’re here together.” I leave off saying, ‘We’ll either leave together or die together.’