Chapter 4 #2
The basin is filled with water that gleams unnaturally, faint ripples dancing across the surface despite the stillness of the air. It’s cold, so old that frost edges the rim, and the air around it bites like winter’s breath.
The guards don’t hesitate. They shove him forward, forcing him to his knees before the basin. One grips the back of his neck, pushing him down until his face is inches from the freezing water.
“Do it properly,” I snap from my throne, my voice cutting through the chamber.
One of the guards holds the human down, pinning him half over the side of the basin.
It stretches the man’s body, and it’s muscular, lean and perfectly proportioned.
Too beautiful to be human, and yet it is.
And it’s only tainted by a few small scars that make it seem all the more perfect, and all the more exciting to play with.
Another grabs a bucket and dunks it into the basin, the water sloshing over the sides as it’s pulled free. Without ceremony, he tips it over the human’s head.
He jerks violently, gasping as the icy water cascades over him, drenching his hair and running in rivulets down his skin.
The guards don’t stop, not even after they lift him into the bath.
Another bucket follows, then another, each one hitting with the force of a blow, the cold cutting into him like knives.
“Scrub him,” I order.
Rough hands grip the human’s arms and shoulders, holding him steady as one guard retrieves a coarse brush. The bristles are harsh, meant for scraping grime from stone, not flesh, but they don’t hesitate. They drag it across his skin, scraping away dirt, sweat, and blood with brutal efficiency.
The human hisses in pain, his body twisting as the brush tears at his flesh, leaving angry red marks in its wake.
His wrists strain against the guards’ hold, but he’s too weak to fight them off.
The basin water darkens as the filth washes away, but they don’t stop until his skin is raw, gleaming with the faintest traces of blood where the brush has bitten too deep.
The entire time, I watch, my gaze unyielding, my cock twitching with excitement.
I’m tempted to fuck him on the floor as the guards leave him lying in cold water after they haul him out of the bath.
He finally slumps on the frigid obsidian beneath him, his body spent, steam rising from his damp skin as the freezing water leeches the last of his strength.
His chest heaves, his breaths ragged, but his head tilts up just enough for our eyes to meet.
And even now, there’s still that flicker of defiance in his gaze.
Fuck, he’s magnificent.
And he’s mine.
I’m going to enjoy breaking him.
“You may leave,” I sigh.
The guards blink and race away, keen to escape my chambers with their limbs still attached. I watch them go, waiting until I’m alone before I move closer to my new toy, grabbing a towel and throwing it at his feet.
“Dry yourself off.”
He hisses, and the pale blue of his skin isn’t natural. Not for him. Nor is the trembling, and the cold of the ice bath might have been a little too much, even for his defiance.
Yet he refuses to obey. Still. Even though this is an act of mercy, even though this is in his best interest.
“If you do not, then I will,” I sigh, sounding disinterested when nothing could be further from the truth. “And I will be less kind than my guards.”
He moves without hesitation, shivering as he towels himself down.
“Come,” I say, beckoning him to follow me.
His eyes narrow and he doesn’t obey.
“You have two choices. You can do as I ask, or you can suffer. Don’t make this more unpleasant than it has to be.” I pause and let my threat take effect. “I assure you; I’ll enjoy it either way. You will not.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch him stumbling, trying to stand. He’s weaker than I thought, or the exertion of what’s just happened has been more than I calculated. The human is struggling and it’s a pity. It’s bringing me down from my high, and my arousal is waning.
“Fine.”
I move fast, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him as if he weighs nothing. My strength is considerable, even for a king of the oceans, and I drag him across my chambers, ignoring his moans and the pathetic clawing of his fingers on mine.
He groans as I place him on the couch, and his eyes blink rapidly as he shuffles away from me.
“This won’t do,” I sigh, sitting at the far end. “I offer you kindness and in return, you insult me?”
The human’s gaze darts around and he’s looking for escape. Or help. Or anything that might save him from what he doesn’t know comes next.
And I take my time to admire his body. Fuck, he is stunning.
His thighs are muscular, his torso ripped.
His skin is pale and the faint blue hue makes him all the more attractive, and it brings out the color in his irises.
They’re deeper now, darker, as if a little of their life and light has been drained and he’s descended into depths he doesn’t understand.
But most intriguing of all, the human’s cock is lying there, just begging to be played with.
It’s small and flaccid, and I’m more than willing to bet that’s the cold.
I’m certain that when he warms up, and when he’s excited, it will be stunning, even if he wasn’t human.
It’s perfectly symmetrical right now and I see no reason for that to change, and my arousal soars again as I contemplate how I’m going to make him hard and discover if I’m right.
“Your name?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
I move and wrap my hand around his balls, my claws threatening to pierce them. His hands move toward me and I grab them, easily rendering him defenseless and completely under my control.
“Shall we try that again?” I ask, my smile too wicked to conceal. “I think you know what happens if you don’t comply.”
He squirms and I wonder if I felt his dick twitch.
“Your name?” I ask again.
His eyes widen as they meet my gaze, and he’s pleading with me.
Silently screaming for mercy. For anything but this.
Tides, that stare is heaven and I want more of it.
I want his fear, his panic, his anxiety.
I want his arousal and I want all of his attention on me.
Entirely on me. I want this human trained to please me, to pander to me, to provide anything I want at any time I want.
He screws his eyes closed, surrendering.
“Jude,” he whispers.
“That wasn’t so hard,” I reply, my tone as smooth as silk as I release his balls from my vice-like grip. “You can open your eyes now. I won’t hurt you. Not now.”
His eyes open, and he’s still searching for escape. Still clinging to the hope that there’s some way out of this, that there’s some salvation for him in the darkness of the ocean.
There’s none, and I’m about to teach him a lesson he won’t forget.
“Shall we get you warm?” I ask.
He nods and then freezes as his head catches up with his instincts.
He’s aware he’s in danger and he doesn’t know what I might do, what my offer might entail.
But he’s smart enough to know it isn’t given without strings attached to it, and that what I ask for will be more than he’ll be comfortable paying.
I lean forward, moving my body closer to him.
He shudders and shakes his head. I ignore him, holding his gaze as his eyes plead with me again.
This time, they don’t know what they’re asking for, and the confusion swirling through them is a whirlpool of emotions that is startling.
The human wants safety, he wants warmth.
He wants me to care for him, and he might even want to please me.
But he wants his independence and his freedom, and he doesn’t know if he wants me this close.
He’s confused, and it’s a kindness to take that away from him.
I find myself wanting to do something surprising. Something that I only want more as I bring our bodies together. I haven’t done this with another in years—maybe even centuries—and yet I can’t help but want this with him.
It’s a strange feeling, but it’s undeniable. It’s there and it would be a shame not to indulge myself, if only out of curiosity. If only to experience this again, and I’ve learned not to question my whims or wants and simply take what I need or want from others.
So I drop my head on to his, bringing our mouths together, and I kiss him. His lips are full and soft, and I move mine with the fierceness of the ocean as I claim this human as mine.
Soon, I’ll take him in the way I want.