Chapter 3 #2
Palk lowered the chain and took the manacles off his wrists and pointed to the inner door. “Go in there and kneel in front of the chair.”
Aled glanced briefly at the outside door as he went past it, then lowered his gaze back to the white carpet, which was now being stained by drips of his blood.
Even if the door were unlocked, where would he go?
No one would dare interfere with Palk’s idea of entertainment.
He had to assume he was on his own and just pray he was too valuable a commodity to be killed outright.
He reached the chair and knelt in front of it, his overactive senses acutely aware when Palk stepped up behind him.
“Get up and kneel on the seat.”
The chair was wide, deep seated, and sturdy, with arms and a high laddered back.
Palk grabbed his wrists and brought them to the top of the back of the chair. He tied each hand to the protruding finial, leaving Aled’s forehead braced against the back of the seat. Then he grabbed Aled’s ankles and tied them off too, leaving his ass exposed and his thighs apart.
Without another word or any warning, Palk spat and forced his cock in, pushing up against Aled’s asshole and drilling deep. It sent him into a moment of shock before the pain of the penetration hit and he gasped. There was no escape from the brutal pounding of Palk’s hips.
Aled set his teeth and forced himself to relax as Palk kept going, one hand twisting around his balls and cock and the other holding the damned knife against his throat.
Eventually Palk climaxed and pulled out, leaving Aled shaking, his head braced against the back of the chair.
His ass hurt, the stings of the knife tracks felt like a million cuts, and his cock was still hard.
He heard Palk unzipping something and forced himself to open his eyes. He wished he hadn’t when his peripheral vision caught sight of the crop Palk was now slapping against his hand.
Later, much later, he could no longer raise his head or stop himself from moaning.
All he could smell was his own blood and Palk’s come and something far worse: the stench of his own fear.
The thought of what Palk would do to him next was making him close to cracking and begging. Would Palk like it if he begged?
The ties on his wrists were cut and then those on his ankles, and he was pushed unceremoniously onto the floor.
His ass protested as it hit the carpet. He could do nothing but stare up at the fully clothed Palk, who was considering him like a scientist with an abnormal specimen dish.
Palk removed the ring from Aled’s mouth and tossed it onto the bed.
He shivered as Palk crouched down beside him and stroked the blade of the knife along the still-hard length of Aled’s cock. Palk’s face was curiously calm although his eyes were black, with a darkness that made Aled whimper like a child.
“I must congratulate you on your fortitude. Most males have come by now and I’ve had to punish them. The potion must’ve had an interesting effect on your human genes.”
Aled couldn’t look away from the sight of the knife moving over his throbbing flesh.
“Perhaps you are so engorged with blood that you can no longer find relief? Maybe if I cut into your cock . . .”
“No . . .” he whispered. “Please, sir . . . no.”
Palk smiled, and it was one of the most terrifying things Aled had ever seen. He glanced down at Aled’s cock, and light flicked off the blade as it turned.
Then Aled screamed.
Kai nodded at the security officer outside Palk’s door as he was let into the suite. He smelled blood and come and his gut tightened as he made his way through to Palk’s bedroom.
“Kai Mexr.”
“General.” He looked down and almost forgot how to breathe. Price was stretched out on the carpet and he wasn’t moving. “Is there something you wanted, sir?”
Palk stuck out his foot and prodded Price in the ribs.
“You’ve done well with him.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“The others? I’m not impressed. There are only three that qualify to go through to stage two. Four if you include Price here.”
Kai frowned. “I fail to follow your reasoning, sir. All of the trainees we have are of the highest standard.”
“I don’t agree. You are obviously not as competent in command as Rehz Akran, and you never will be.”
Kai ignored the jibe in favor of the central argument. “Are you quite certain, sir?”
“Yes, Mexr. Do you have a problem with that?”
“If we start phase two with four trainees, we will have a maximum of four Tributes.”
“I am aware of that.” Palk turned away. “I’ll give you the names in the morning.”
Kai knew it was pointless to argue, and saluted as white-hot rage shuddered through him at the waste of valuable trainees because of Palk’s vendetta against him. “Shall I take Price away, sir?”
“You might as well. I don’t think I’ll get anything more from him tonight. But I will expect him back tomorrow after dinner.”
“Yes, sir.”
Palk nodded and went toward the bathroom. As soon as he shut the door, Kai went down on his knees and felt for Price’s pulse. It took him a moment to find it because his own heart was beating so hard.
“Price.” He kept his voice low. “Get up.”
There was a muffled sound and he tightened his grip on Price’s bloodied bicep. “If you want to get out of Palk’s sight, I suggest you fucking move right now.”
Price’s muscles bunched, and he tried to push up from the floor.
Kai had to use all his strength just to keep his trainee upright and start off in the direction of the door.
There was no way the male was going to make it either to the infirmary or his cage.
Kai headed for his own quarters, and even that was an effort.
He was breathing hard by the time he locked the door and deposited Price facedown on his bed.
He stood back to study his trainee, noting the superficial cuts on his torso and the deeper lash marks of a whip on his back and buttocks.
“Palk, you are such a fucking bastard.” Kai went into the bathroom and retrieved his medical kit.
Like all the trainers, he’d learned how to patch up his own injuries.
He retrieved an antiseptic spray and sealer and a wad of soft dressing and started spraying Price’s back, dabbing at the worst of the cuts and watching the smaller ones close up as the spray passed over them.
Looking at the bloodied mess of Price’s skin, it was hard to believe that most of his wounds would be healed within an hour. Some would take longer, but Palk wasn’t stupid. He knew how deep to cut and how to keep his victim on the side of the living. Kai had tended Rehz often enough to know that.
After a few minutes, he gently rolled Price over onto his back, his gaze moving from his trainee’s still face down over his bleeding chest to his stomach and groin.
“Shit.” He hissed a curse as he focused on Price’s erect cock. “What the hell did he give you to make you still hard after all that?”
“Shot in my arm.” Price’s mumble was barely audible through his swollen and bruised lips. “Couldn’t come. Couldn’t . . .”
Hearing the rising distress in Price’s voice, Kai sat on the edge of the bed and cupped his trainee’s chin.
“Rest. I’ll take care of you.”
Price licked his bloodied lips. “Palk said . . . you wanted me to take your place, but that’s not right, is it? You tried to stop me attracting his attention.”
He didn’t answer as he played the spray up and down Price’s body, waiting until the minor injuries healed themselves and concentrating on the deeper wounds.
Part of him wanted to get down on his knees and slowly lick the blood off Price and then, when Price was clean, slowly fuck him.
The lascivious thought had come out of nowhere and shocked him.
He was so fucking tired of this. So fucking tired of having to prepare trainees for this slaughter .
. . And Palk wasn’t helping the process.
He was actively hindering it, allowing his dislike of Kai to distort his judgment about the trainees.
Kai was suddenly glad it was his last stint as a trainer.
After he got Price through his little visit with the Ungrich and gave him whatever aftercare necessary, he was going to go to the military authorities and report Palk.
He was so fucking done with him. If it meant the end of his military career, then that was okay too. He wanted to retire and do something else, anything that didn’t involve blood, sweat, and come—unless it was his own or offered to him willingly.
“Kai Mexr?”
He looked up and found Price staring at him. “What?”
“My cock.”
“What about it?”
“Did he . . .” Price swallowed convulsively. “Is it okay?”
“Palk fucking wrote his name in your blood with that knife of his and you’re only worried about your dick?” He gently wrapped a hand around Price’s still-hard shaft. “Whatever he did was superficial. You’re healing perfectly well.”
“That’s good.”
The painkillers within the spray were obviously helping him relax. Kai waited, his thumb rubbing along the now healed underside of Price’s cock. His trainee closed his eyes, and Kai carried on stroking him as he watched the healing process taking place.
“Is there an antidote for what Palk gave me?”
“To stop you being hard? I doubt it. Palk would keep his playthings erect all the time if he could.” He inspected Price’s dick. “Perhaps he’s actually found a way to do it.”
Price pushed against his hand. He sounded sleepy and way too relaxed to care about what he was saying. “I don’t want him to see me like this tomorrow. Can you . . . can you make it stop?”
“Why would I do that? Remember, I like you hard too.” Even though he said the words, he had no intention of relinquishing his grip on Price’s cock. If he could bring him off, he’d fucking do it just to spite Palk.
“You’re a complete bastard, Kai Mexr, but you’re not Palk.” Price hesitated. “I trust you not to kill me.”
Kai stopped moving his fingers. “Don’t trust me. I’ll do everything I can to prepare you for what is to come, but I can’t stop it happening or save you.”
“I worked that out for myself. Whatever you’re training me for is something outside most people’s experience, isn’t it?” Price whispered. “Something that will take a hell of a strange skill set to survive.”
Kai resumed his stroking, relieved to see that blood was flowing normally through Price’s cock and that he was already wet at the tip.
“Help me.” Aled murmured as he watched Kai Mexr through half-closed eyes. “Make me come.”
Kai hesitated, his gaze on his working fingers, and Aled held his breath.
He seemed to be floating in some alternate universe where his trainer was the good guy and Palk .
. . He didn’t want to think about Palk and his darting, relentless knife.
He wanted Kai to keep stroking him though, wanted him to erase his too-fresh memories.
“Please. You told me I’d beg one day. I’m doing it now.” With a great effort he brought his hand up and placed it on Kai’s muscled thigh.
“You’re not one hundred percent healed, Price.”
“Please.” He lifted his hips, pushing his cock against Kai’s fingers, aware that he was wet and so thankful his cock was functioning normally that he didn’t care how his actions were interpreted by the silent man in front of him.
Kai sighed, and then, to Aled’s amazement, he bent his head and took Aled’s cock in his mouth, sucking lightly on the first few inches while his hand worked the rest.
“Ah . . .” Aled breathed out as the sensations intensified and his cock was swallowed deeper and deeper, until he had to move with the motion of Kai’s mouth unless he wanted his shaft to slip free and he couldn’t have that .
. . he needed . . . He forgot about time and just let himself enjoy.
Kai slipped his other hand under Aled’s ass, tipping him farther forward, and sucked harder.
The slick, wet sounds of Kai’s mouth on him and his moans of approval were the only noises apart from the creaking of the bed.
“I want . . . your cock,” he managed to gasp.
Kai didn’t respond, his mouth being otherwise engaged. But Aled felt a single finger press into his ass and start stroking him there. And then there was nothing but a blaze of intense pleasure that seemed to go on forever and left him yowling like a mated beast and clutching at Kai’s scalp.
Eventually, Kai rose from the bed and went into the small bathroom, where Aled heard him washing. When he came back, he brought a wet cloth and cleaned Aled off as well.
Aled put his hand over Kai’s. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Kai looked down at their joined hands, his expression harsh. “I need you in prime working order for stage two.”
Aled struggled to sit up. Whatever had bonded them together was now broken, and Kai had decided to return to his old self. He studied the indifferent gaze of his trainer and wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing. That Kai had responded to him on a different level . . . had cared for him and—
“Get up, Price. I’ve got to change these sheets and get you back to your cage.”
“Yes, sir.” Needing the support, he moved to stand against the wall as Kai ripped the bloodied sheets from the bed and threw them into the corner. He’d definitely imagined Kai stroking his hair and skin and . . .
“Let’s go.”
He obediently followed his trainer down to his quarters and was duly locked inside. He sank onto his blanket and buried his face in his hands. Whatever had happened, he needed to get his greez together. His ordeal wasn’t over yet. Palk was still here.