Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER…
There was nothing quite as good as natural light to bring out the contours and nuances of a naked body in a photograph.
Jonathan was lucky that, after days of rain, the sun had finally decided to shine down on the courtyard garden at the heart of The Zagreus Den just as Brutus and Titus needed him to take a series of photographs.
“Perfect, Georgie. Or, sorry, it’s Erastos now,” he said as he stepped back from the chaise where he’d just arranged the eager young man’s limbs in an open and seductive pose. “If this doesn’t entice a gentleman of outstanding care and character to snatch you up, I do not know what will.”
Jonathan winked at the young man, then swept a hand down his chest and stomach to his half-hard cock. He wrapped a hand around it and stroked as the man sucked in a breath. Once Erastos was fully hard, Jonathan stepped back to where his camera waited.
“Everything ready?” he asked Charlie with a wicked look.
Charlie grinned and nodded, then stepped behind the camera to adjust the lens and frame the shot himself.
While Charlie concentrated on the image before him, Jonathan studied Charlie.
His beautiful boy had come such a long way in the short month since they’d taken shelter at The Zagreus Den.
Jonathan still felt strange calling Charlie his “boy” when, in truth, he had never known such a courageous and mature man in his life.
He supposed Charlie looked like a boy, now that his face had filled out a bit from abundant food and all the cares of the world had dropped from his shoulders.
Charlie was happy, and happiness made people appear youthful and carefree.
Or perhaps that was the simple, subtly colorful clothing Charlie chose to wear.
Or the intricately worked leather collar Charlie had worn around his neck since the ceremony where Jonathan had officially claimed ownership of him two weeks ago.
He still could not believe that he now owned a man.
Of course, it wasn’t legally binding in any way, but it was binding within the society he and Charlie now found themselves a part of.
No one else who belonged to The Zagreus Den or who set foot within its walls had any right whatsoever to as much as look lustfully at Charlie if Jonathan did not permit it.
They were fully immersed in the world of the Den now, and Jonathan was certain they would never be able to return to the ordinary world.
Particularly since, after a quick discussion where options were weighed, Brutus and Titus made certain that two charred skeletons were discovered in the burned-out wreckage of Jonathan’s shop.
To all the world, including Jonathan’s father and family, Hammond had succeeded in silencing their voices forever.
Hammond believed that both Jonathan and Charlie were dead as well, as Brutus and Titus’s spies had reported.
The only true escape from the sort of vengeance Hammond had in mind was death, but it did not have to be a true death.
Charlie’s quiet laughter shook Jonathan out of his somber thoughts.
“I beg your pardon?” Jonathan asked with pretend offense over being laughed at.
“I’ve taken the photograph,” Charlie informed him, eyes bright and flashing.
Jonathan had been so absorbed in looking at his boy and counting their blessings for being safe and happy together that he hadn’t paid the least bit of attention to the task at hand.
“Have you now?” he asked saucily, sliding up to Charlie and wrapping his arms around his lover’s waist.
Charlie laughed out loud and slid his hands up Jonathan’s chest. His lips parted in invitation and his cheeks flushed pink.
“Erastos,” Jonathan called out, intent on Charlie. “Unless you want to partake in the aftermath of your session, you’re free to go.”
Erastos chuckled as he relaxed from his pose and rolled off the chaise, reaching for a robe that was draped over a chair to one side. “Yes, sir,” he said, grinning and shaking his head.
In the month since moving into the Den, Jonathan and Charlie had become quick favorites among the inhabitants there.
Charlie had been absolutely right about how easily Jonathan would fit into the society of the Den.
He’d been right about the members of the Den being the sort of men who would not only accept him, they would embrace him with open arms.
Jonathan still had his reservations about Brutus and Titus themselves, but there was more than enough company within the sprawling house in Tyburnia that he did not need to interact with them closely if he didn’t want to.
“You know how much these sessions arouse me,” he purred to Charlie, backing his lover toward the chaise.
“I do,” Charlie said, gripping Jonathan’s shoulders and moving the way Jonathan wanted him to move.
“I would not be me if I did not take what I wanted after doing my work,” he added as the back of Charlie’s legs bumped against the chaise.
“You would not,” Charlie agreed.
Jonathan gripped the back of Charlie’s head and crashed his mouth over his.
He loved being able to kiss Charlie ferociously out in plain view of whomever might stumble across them.
He loved the way he was able to tug Charlie’s shirt out of his trousers and off over his head, then unfasten Charlie’s trousers and push them down to reveal his boy’s beautiful body in the middle of an exposed courtyard.
“That is what I like to see,” he said, stroking his hands over Charlie’s sides and around to grip his arse.
Charlie surrendered completely to him in that scintillating way he had that was all trust and lust. It didn’t matter where they were. They could be standing in the middle of Trafalgar Square, and if Jonathan chose to strip Charlie naked in front of half of London, Charlie would let him.
“I suppose we have time for one more photograph,” Jonathan murmured near Charlie’s ear, then kissed its shell before raking his teeth across it.
Charlie shivered, which stirred Jonathan even more. He nudged Charlie back, and as Charlie splayed over the chaise, Jonathan raced to undo his trousers.
He did nothing more than freeing his cock and balls.
He loved taking Charlie while he was fully clothed and Charlie was naked.
It satisfied the urge deep within him to hold all the power.
Those feelings were something he was still coming to terms with, but The Zagreus Den had been teaching him ways to harness that potency over the last few weeks.
He stretched himself over Charlie, humming happily as their bodies slid together. Charlie grew hard quickly, as usual, and opened himself for Jonathan to take in any way he wanted. That was something The Zagreus Den was teaching Charlie to do as well.
“You never fail to ignite me,” Jonathan murmured as he kissed Charlie’s neck and shoulder, all while sliding his hands over his lover’s perfect body. “You are a daily temptation.”
Charlie tilted his head back and made a noise of such sinful acceptance that Jonathan sped up his plan for the two of them.
He stroked Charlie’s cock a few times before sliding his hand down to caress his balls.
He wanted more than that, though, and kept moving his hand until his fingertips teased Charlie’s tight hole.
“Let’s see if we can’t do something about this,” he said, pressing into the tight muscle for a moment before withdrawing his hand to reach for the jar on the table beside the chaise.
From the moment he’d received permission to set up a temporary studio in the courtyard garden on sunny days, Jonathan had made certain to always have something slippery on hand.
He used it to prepare his photographic subjects, and he inevitably needed it himself when his work left him aching for release.
It was a blessing to have the jar ready for him to scoop out some of the slippery ointment so that he could use it to open Charlie up.
Not that Charlie needed much encouragement to give himself over fully.
Living as a submissive within the Den meant that Charlie was primed and ready to be used at any time, even though Jonathan was the only one who had any rights over him.
Charlie had taken to the ways of The Zagreus Den even faster than Jonathan and adored being free to live in an almost constant state of near-arousal.
He sighed eagerly as Jonathan maneuvered him so that one ankle rested on the side of the chaise and the other on Jonathan’s shoulder.
When Jonathan lined up and sank insistently into him, Charlie made the most delicious sounds of need Jonathan had ever heard.
It was heaven to be able to thrust with abandon into a man he loved in the middle of the afternoon, sunshine all around him. Wicked though it made Jonathan feel, it was even better when he realized the two of them were being observed.
That was another revelation Jonathan had had since moving into the Den. He rather liked to be watched when he was fucking Charlie and bringing him to climax. It made the whole thing sweeter.
He gave whoever was enjoying the show more to look at as he shifted position so he could stroke a slick hand around Charlie’s cock while hammering into him. There was no need to draw things out, so within minutes, Charlie strangled a cry and shot beautiful ribbons of cum across his belly and chest.
Jonathan let the tension and squeeze of Charlie’s body bring him to climax. He pulled out just as his orgasm began to consume him, gripped himself, and discharged himself all over Charlie’s beautiful body.
“Perfect,” he panted as his orgasm subsided. “You are the most perfect thing in the world.”
Charlie smiled, his body going limp with satisfaction. His skin glowed, and if Jonathan did not already have dozens of pictures of his beloved looking exactly like he did just then, he would have rushed back to his camera to capture another one.