Chapter 12

Author’s note: A bit of warning is necessary for this chapter. Anyone who finds reading graphic descriptions of violence disturbing, please do not read.

~A Good Servant~

“I simply hate these social functions,” Lucas murmured while fiddling with his glass.

“We need to get out from time to time. People will talk,” Cory shrugged. “Plus, what’s the harm?”

“Besides the fact that I’d rather stay indoors and have fun with you?” Lucas angled his head and looked at his servant with a playful expression in his eyes.

Cory rolled his eyes but then burst into laughter. Lucas joined him, but a bit of worry remained hanging at the corners of his lips. The blond studied his lover’s face, with a thoughtful expression.

“You are ruminating over something,” he eventually said.

“Yes,” Lucas admitted. “It was ... too easy. They believed everything, and to my knowledge, they did not even send someone to search for Xavier.”

“And who should they send?” Cory wondered out loud. “A bunch of servants out there? Ayn told me there is nothing but the desert between here and where he’s from. I doubt even the workers would survive out there. Plus, what would their motivation be? If the Trainers were to give them vehicles, to search the desert up and down, I think most of them would die out there or simply become deserters if they happen upon one of these settlements Ayn talked to me about.”

“The continent is not as uninhabited as you think,” Lucas linked his fingers and placed his chin on top of them thoughtfully. “In Aeria, where I’m from, we have some maps ... none of them complete in my opinion. I have always wondered what lies out there...” his eyes became dreamy.

“What stopped you from traveling?” Cory questioned, dutifully taking Lucas’s glass, left on a small table near the armchair to fill it again.

Lucas shrugged. “The other cities look up to Drena. It is said it is the most beautiful place on the entire continent.”

“It is said...” Cory echoed his words. “Don’t you believe it?”

“I am not sure. All my life, at least from the moment I became conscious of the world surrounding me, I was curious to find out more. When I took the vocational test, the Trainers sent to Aeria to help us find our way in life told me I should focus my thirst for knowledge on the field of psychology. They told me the world is finite, while the human mind is not. I must say I found the concept rather ... seductive at that time. I became good at it, too; so good that I was invited to be Chief Psychologist here, in Drena.”

“How is it like? Your home, I mean?” Cory offered Lucas the refilled glass.

“Aeria is not as beautiful as Drena. If anything, Aerians are mostly dedicated to making machines rather than creating beautiful things.”

“Was Aeria created by the Trainers, too?” Cory asked. He was surprised to realize how little he knew of the world he lived in. But, after all, he had been nothing but a factory worker until the age of 18, and then sent to become a servant. Studying the world had not been on the list.

“It is said,” Lucas said again, “that all the cities were created by the one before the Trainers. Drena itself seem to be deeply linked to them, though. It is their home city, and from here, they direct the trade that takes place all over the continent.”

“The one before the Trainers?” Cory spoke, while sitting at Lucas’s feet and placing his head on the man’s knees. A warm hand descended on his hair, caressing it slowly.

“She is not often talked about. I think she is nothing but a legend, one to keep weaker minds hopeful of the existence of a higher being. In the golden age of rationale we are currently living in, there is no need for such a thing. I suppose that is why her memory is fading.”

“Tell me more about Aeria. Do you have, you know...” Cory hesitated for a bit, “women there?”

Lucas laughed softly. “Why are you asking that? Are you afraid I left someone behind in Aeria? A woman maybe?”

“It crossed my mind,” Cory mumbled. “We rarely see women here in Drena. They are mostly tourists, or they come here from Tresalt, their city. No one is allowed to stare at them, but I must admit I was curious.”

“They are flesh and blood, like us. Different in their appearance, but not by much. You should not worry; until meeting you, I wasn’t that interested in engaging in sexual congress with anyone, be it male or female. I used to see it as a necessity. In Drena, the customs demand for Masters in particular to be engaged in relationships of sorts, for convenience, and apparently, to keep minds sharp and focused on their tasks at hand. What I had with Xavier seemed to be enough and according to the norm.”

“Wow,” Cory grinned and rubbed his head against his Master’s knee.

“I would like to take you to Aeria with me,” Lucas said with something akin to melancholy in his voice. “There are no continuous parties there, but we could be more of ourselves.”

“Will you have to return there?” Cory felt his heart growing smaller.

“No, I must serve my purpose here in Drena. But I will ask the Trainers if I could return to my home town and take you with me.”

“Do you think they will let us? I’ve never heard of anyone leaving Drena without approval from the Trainers, except for Masters on their short trips to other cities.”

“We’ll see when we get to that point. Although I see no reason why they would deny me such a simple request. Now, come here,” Lucas’s voice dropped to a whisper as he helped Cory get up to straddle him. He slowly captured the servant’s lips with his mouth, kissing him gently.

“One for the road?” Cory interrupted the kiss to tease one of Lucas’s ears with his teeth and lips.

“You know me, you little naughty one,” Lucas grabbed his hips and pushed him down so Cory could feel his erection.

“I guess we should take care of that,” Cory giggled in the crook of Lucas’s neck. He got up only to take his perfunctory servant clothes off.

He palmed Lucas’s engorged shaft through the black silk pants. The man grunted.

“Hurry,” the man demanded.

“Why?” Cory smiled naughtily, continuing his explorations without speeding up the pace.

“Because we will be late,” Lucas tried to look sternly at him, but failed, his mind already fogged by desire.

Eventually, the servant took pity and freed Lucas’s cock from its confines. Looking straight into Lucas’s eyes, he slowly pushed the weeping organ into his mouth, moaning softly while tasting it to the fullest. A small flutter of his long lashes was the only sign that he wasn’t as much in control as he wanted to be.

“Oh, Cory,” Lucas whispered softly. “You know how to drive me crazy.”

Cory let the now moist organ slip from his mouth and straightened up to straddle his master again.

“Crazy?” he giggled. “How about the age of rationale, Lucas?” he dropped the honorific on purpose, knowing how much his official owner loved to hear him talk like that when alone

“I don’t care about anything else when I have you in my arms,” Lucas spoke as his fingers dug into Cory’s hips, steadying him and helping him descend slowly into his cock.

“What would anyone think hearing you speak like that?” Cory teased, while caressing Lucas’s face and kissing him softly.

“They would think I should spank the naughty servant daring to question me like that,” Lucas’s lips widened into a grin.

Cory felt the sting, as Lucas playfully slapped one sexy buttock. He bit his bottom lip and threw his head back. In the same time, his ass was deliciously squeezing Lucas’s cock, making the man buck upwards, to get inside the scorching heat deeper and deeper.

“You like this,” Lucas spoke heatedly. “You like it when I get a bit rough, don’t you?”

“I like it because you like it,” Cory said honestly, while impaling himself in the man’s hard as steel member.

Lucas’s hands moved to grab fistfuls of blond hair. Cory was forced to bend to meet his lover’s hungry lips, while he tried to keep his feet on the floor, to allow Lucas to continue his torturous pounding. As always, he was the one to come first, making a mess on Lucas’s shirt. When his lover released his pent up desire inside, he was certain he would have a hard time walking normally that day. Lucas was large, but it was just one of the myriads of things he loved about the man. Each time they fucked, he could feel the man, he could still feel him when he was no longer inside, and there was just a receding, dull ache he craved to feel again.

~A Good Servant~ Dion did not see John at all that day. It felt strange to walk alone to work, after having the dark, morose man by his side each day. As he was seeing about his routine tasks, he suddenly felt exhausted. Was it really worth fighting to prove something he was not? John’s actions spoke louder than words. He probably did not want anything to have with him, now that he knew how many men had had him back in Drena. Probably, John was thinking Dion was just like Andreas, or worse. Dion was even weaker, as he allowed a creep like Antoine to play with him like he was nothing but a useless toy.

Or maybe John felt pity? Dion didn’t want anyone’s pity. To think that he had tried to explain to the man why he wasn’t so thrilled to have sex. He shook his head, feeling sadness washing over him. What was going to be? John angry all the time, thinking of how Dion used to just bend for everyone like a doormat? Or John walking around like on egg shells, because he was afraid Dion just might break if someone as much as breathed in his presence?

For what it was worth, the man had done for Dion much more than anyone else. He took Dion in, offered him shelter and protection. But the redhead didn’t want to abuse anyone’s kindness, especially since John showed pretty much that he could not stomach Dion’s confession about his past life.

What did he have to offer, really? He was nothing but a reject, someone everybody saw as the means to satisfy their primal needs and nothing else. The foreman had been right. Everything was dictated in his life by his looks; he was pretty, that was all he was. He could not impose on John anymore. He had to leave and see about his life on his own.

At lunch time, instead of going to the cafeteria, he went straight to the foreman’s office.

The man looked annoyed when he interrupted.

“I just want to let you know that I will not come again tomorrow,” he said simply, without even taking a seat.

“Why?” the man questioned. “You’re a good worker and you have a partner.”

“I don’t belong here,” Dion shrugged and the man just shook his head and took a file from a drawer.

He mumbled something, while fiddling with the papers.

“Are you sure? You look like a decent fellow to me,” the older man looked at him, a bit upset.

“It is for the best,” Dion cast his eyes down.

“All right,” the foreman sighed. “But I tell you this. You go straight to Venusville, or any other club. You decide you hate it, you come back. I’m not closing your file. Just this one time. If you come back, you stay here, no more wandering about. Have you talked to John about this?”

Dion shook his head. “We don’t get along that well. And I won’t come back,” he said stubbornly.

“Young people,” the foreman seemed to speak mostly to himself. “Get out of my office. I give you three days and you’ll come running back.”

Dion murmured his thanks and left. That day, he asked his supervisor to leave early, so he could gather the few things he had from John’s house and be on his way.

~A Good Servant~ Cory looked over the crowd, searching for Lucas with his eyes. It felt reassuring to seek his lover and almost always seeing the dark eyes looking back at him, like they were linked through some invisible thread that helped them both find each other and communicate without words even in a room full of strangers.

This time, though, Lucas was standing up from the table, being guided by another Master, most probably to a private room they were using at times to discuss more delicate details of the projects they were working on.

He barely saw Lucas’s strong back disappearing from his view when his arm was grabbed forcefully and a voice he knew very well whispered menacingly into his ear.

“Long time no see, Cory,” the slave spoke and the servant felt a bit of uneasiness hearing the well-known voice.

He took a deep breath and turned to face Antoine, smiling. If he was going to dodge the slave’s advances, he had to be really clever about it.

“Hi Antoine,” he faked pleasure upon seeing the slave.

A hand moved to cup his jaw, tightening its grip a bit too much.

“I missed you,” Antoine spoke again, but his eyes were cold, and Cory felt uneasiness turning into something akin to fear.

“I know, I did, too,” Cory lied.

“I don’t see your Master anywhere,” Antoine pretended to search the room for Lucas, although Cory’s senses were screaming at him that the blue eyed slave had known exactly when to time his entrance.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Cory said softly.

“I could not help it,” Antoine answered. “I had to see you. Come with me, no one will notice,” he dragged Cory along, and the servant followed, his heart smaller and smaller.

He was pushed through a side door, and his eyes blinked in the darkness. Antoine closed the door behind them and only then turned on the light.

Cory froze. He was in one of those rooms reserved for preparing the slaves, and there were at least a dozen of them present. As usual, they were all naked and they were all looking at him. He could taste danger floating in the air. No one was smiling; they were just staring.

Cory’s eyes felt drawn to the fireplace. The atmosphere was hot, too hot; and he could see something burning there. A metal cane?

“What’s this?” he tried to force a smile while turning towards Antoine.

The slave didn’t answer. He just circled Cory with slow, predatory moves.

“Tell me, Cory, how much you missed me?” he eventually spoke.

Cory forced himself to remain unmoved. “You know how much,” he angled his head slightly.

“No, no, no, I don’t,” Antoine raised an accusatory finger. “Rumor has it you’re thinking you’re better than the rest of us because Lord Lucas chose you to warm his bed.”

Cory shook his head gently. “It’s nothing like that. I’ve always had eyes only for you,” he stared Antoine in the eyes and he could see the slave’s resolve faltering.

“Antoine,” he heard another slave talking, “stick to the plan.”

Antoine’s eyes turned to steel and he sneered. “Don’t worry about it, guys. I know what I have to do.”

He grabbed Cory by one arm and twisted it painfully.

“Antoine,” Cory breathed out, “why?”

“Because no one takes me for a fool, servant,” the slave whispered in his ear and pushed him down.

Others came around them, and started to tear Cory’s clothes from his body. He tried to shake them off, but they were too strong and too many.

He didn’t want others to touch him. He knew he should just go slack and let them, to minimize the damage, but he couldn’t. Not after Lucas had held him in his arms and made love to him, making him feel like he really mattered. He thrashed against the hands holding him down, and a kick in the ribs made him recoil from the pain.

“Stay still, you fucking whore,” Antoine hissed, when Cory managed to free one leg and kick blindly at one of his assailants.

He was soon completely naked, his limbs stretched painfully. There was a short moment of silence during which nothing but his labored breath could be heard.

“Guys, do you think Lord Lucas would like Cory more if we mess him up a little? Or less?”

The others laughed. His head pressed into the carpet, he could not see what Antoine was up to. When he felt the first sting against his naked back, his stomach clenched so badly that acid rushed upwards, burning his throat. He had no idea what Antoine was using to hit him with.

“Nice, Antoine,” he heard another slave speaking. “You managed to break skin. But I think he’s enjoying it. Make him scream.”

White hot pain shot through his brain, as another blow came. He wanted to keep it in, but, at the third, he had to scream. It was like all his nerve endings were raw, exposed.

“Can we, like, fuck him?” one of the slaves spoke.

“No time,” Antoine said grimly. “Just ... fuck him up.”

Cory tried to recoil when he felt the first kick, right in the ribs. And then another followed. And another. He could feel bitterness cloying his tongue, and he began retching.

Antoine crouched next to him, while he was still kept there, on the floor. He could feel the man’s breath, hot on his face.

“I wish I had time to fuck you properly one last time,” Antoine whispered in his ear. “But, after this, no one will, anyway.”

He said nothing. Antoine raked his fingers through Cory’s damp hair. “He won’t keep you. Even if he wants to. Now let me give you my farewell present. Bring it!” he yelled at the others.

His arm was stretched painfully, and his eyes grew wide when he saw the reddened piece of metal contorted in some kind of intricate design getting close to his skin. He tried to move, but the slaves were keeping him down. Antoine’s eyes were burning with madness, as he pressed the heated iron against his shoulder.

He doubted he had ever felt something as painful as that. His eyes rolled in his head and he almost fainted.

“We should take a hike, Antoine,” one of the slaves hurried him. “Do you think he’ll tell on us?”

“And if he does, what?” Antoine snapped. “He’s nothing but a servant. He’ll be out of Drena in a heartbeat.”

“Hey, Antoine, why don’t you cut his face, too?” another encouraged him.

Antoine grabbed Cory’s chin and turned the limp head towards him. “And leave nothing for the trash outside of Drena that will want to fuck him? No, just like Dion, he has to learn his lesson.”

The servant’s ravaged body was left there, bleeding. Antoine spared him a last glance with an unreadable expression on his face. He grimaced; a glass of wine would have to do, to wash the unpleasant taste in his mouth.

~A Good Servant~ The bouncer at the door was looking sleepy as he finally decided to go in.

“John’s pretty thing,” the man smiled and looked Dion over appreciatively.

“I’m looking for work,” Dion fiddled nervously with his duffel bag.

“Seriously?” the man’s eyes grew wide.

Dion nodded.

“Well, there is plenty of work for you here, sugar,” the bouncer moved out of the way and Dion walked in.

A rough hand fondled his ass. “Put me on your list, honey,” the man whispered and Dion shuddered. “The boss’s office is at the end of the hall, to the right. He’ll be more than happy to see you.”

Dion let out a breath, noticing the club to be empty at that hour. He knocked softly on the door, but no one answered. Eventually, he started to knock louder and louder, until someone yelled at him to come in.