A lesson learned...

–

   Svet eyed the other, wondering who he was but kept his mouth shut. The other hadn’t threatened him or said anything ill because he’d let himself slip just slightly. So many others would take an opportunity to belittle him, to remind him that he was barely better than a slave.

    “I don’t use stimulants.” He responded easily to the other. There had been a period where he’d had all sorts of chemicals shoved down his throat to make him a better fighter than he already was– as if he had needed it in the first place; as a result everything he ate was generally organic and raw. No hidden chemicals in food he knew the source of.

Kris chuckled at the other’s very simple answer. “Well I see you didn’t say you don’t do quickies.” He winked cheekily at the other. He knew the other had a job to do so he wasn’t really going to distract the other that much after all failing at his job could have some very harsh consequences, but there was a way to keep the other awake. “And of course an orgasm is likely to put you to sleep.” 

Manny appreciated Kris not fighting him on what he said. His master at least played the role of the good listener well enough to satisfy the more emotionally inclined shifter. That little acknowledgment was really all Manny needed in this moment even if he doubted Kris’ ability to properly empathize with the insecurity and fear of abandonment. Funny how the two of them wound up together and managed so far with such a difference in communication styles. Somehow they made it work and understanding each other helped. 

His eyes noticeably lit up at the mention of being purchased, any negative feelings immediately vanishing. He’d been waiting for his freedom from this place for four years and now he finally saw a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, he’d still belong to Kris as his property, but it was better than being owned by the castle, right? “You mean it?” he asked, sitting up and grinning wide. “Damn right I’ll be hunting you down should this happen again. How soon are you able to buy me?” 

Honestly before he had left Kris had been considering buying the other and had originally given up the idea as he hadn’t believed that Manny was quite ready for that step. While the boy had grown pretty comfortable with their dynamic changing it might have been a bit much for the boy at that moment, but clearly that was either no longer the case or he had been wrong in the first place. The boy’s excitement caught him a bit surprised, but he hid that smoothly and nodded smiling, but clearly being serious. After all this was a serious matter and not a joking one. 

“Oh, stop it,” Manny teased, grinning wide at the praise and quickly waving his hand. He wasn’t one for having an ego but something about Kris complimenting his skills just did it for him. Naturally he wouldn’t stop his master from continuing with the flattery if he wanted. He cleared his throat and refocused himself before they took the first step in their waltz. He nodded and glanced down at their feet, stepping forward with his own foot set opposite from Kris’. “Forward, and then…side? Which side?” 

“You’re obviously in charge but you sure as shit ain’t acting like it,” Manny said, nipping at Kris’ bottom lip a little roughly as he pulled back. “I should be naked with your cock in me now.” Always impatient, as usual, despite knowing how his master liked to take things slow and make it a game. He furrowed his brows and frowned now, not sure how there could possibly be bad news about getting rid of this generic collar. “What do you mean? Don’t you still have the one I used to have?” he asked. “Start with the bad news first.” 

.

Hadrian had to admit - he was beginning to see why people seemingly liked the man in front of him. Or at least if they didn’t like him - there was a measure of respect. Wit was always the most attractive thing about a person. That and a nice laugh - Hadrian noted the chuckle that arose from his chin comment and smirked a little himself. He liked the noise, as simple as it was. 

When Kris moved to make his own assertions, Hadrian placed a hand on his hip - listening intently, as if the other was debating a virtue. At the mention of the chin once more, Hadrian clutched a hand to his heart silently - feigning a look of wounded pride before his smile split the difference. The counterpoints continued and Hadrian nodded along with most of them, seeing the clear and decisive wisdom in ratifying the man’s ass as a miracle over simply extraordinary. “You’re one hundred percent correct on that one, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Closing the distance between them, Hadrian’s grin grew a little wider. 

“But…y’know, you’re a very convincing man.” Raising a hand, he rested it over the other’s heart. “You’ve brought me around. Punishment…? It clearly isn’t the correct course of action here.” Slipping his hand down a little farther, Hadrian caught his fingers between some of the other’s buttons and with a sharp movement - ripped the shirt open. Trailing his fingers across the other’s chest, the Mershark pressed closer. “There’s only one option left to me. You’ve very succinctly destroyed my prosecution.” Snaking his hand up to rest behind Kristofer’s neck; Hadrian spoke. “I’ll simply have to ravish you.” He pressed his lips to the other man’s in a searing, biting kiss. 

Some might have just wanted to get straight to the sex or wouldn’t have considered arguing with the other from the beginning. But Kris felt any sort of play was best when there was a bit of push back in whatever form it took. In this case it was a rather cheeky argument that he wasn’t at all hesitant to admit he was enjoying. He was sure anyone seeing them would think they were preposterous, but Kris was very entertained. Especially when the other actually gave in. 

Yes perhaps there was a tiny part of him that was disappointed he had avoided his punishment, but there was always some other time to convince the other to tie him down and mercilessly milk him. Especially as his buttons went flying and he couldn’t help the slight moan the sexy action brought from him. Kris had a whole encyclopedia long list of fetishes, but having his clothes ripped off was definitely at the top of the list. 

 “Well, depends on the person.  For instance, I don’t think I’d mind giving your ass a bite.”  Mal grinned, doing his best not to laugh before he paused, shoulders raising in a shrug.  “Uptight in regards to what I wear.  In all other aspects, I like to think I’m the exact opposite.”  He could be a little fussy on occasion in regards to what clothing he wore, though Mal was sure that was just a product of the time period he’d been born in.  The vampire gave the costume one less critical look and then moved into the changing room that Kris had pointed out.

With how little there really was to the outfit, it didn’t take Mal long at all to get changed.  He adjusted the grey skirt a bit, trying to get as comfortable as he could before stepping out of the room, laying his suit aside carefully.  Once that was taken care of, Mal continued on toward Kris, playfully flexing his muscles, well aware of just how much this outfit showed off his upper torso.  “So, what do you think?  Sexy enough for this party?”

Kris chuckled and glanced back at his own ass and gave it an nodding approval. The other was right. While for the most part his dress wasn’t exactly flattering of his body his ass looked fucking amazing in it and the golden glittering cheeks certainly looked very bitable. “Well that we won’t blame you for.” As he spoke he cheekily twerked his ass just a bit making his ass cheeks bounce just a couple of times. And that was his only response as the other disappeared into the changing room. 

“A bit.  I understand the point of it, I suppose, it was just…a lot?”  Aleixo had never enjoyed wearing costumes that made him stick out, disliking some of the attention it brought him.  It was always safer to just blend in, though he knew the unclaimed slaves were dressed a certain way during these parties to get the masters interested in them.  His face warmed a little at the mention of a spanking and Aleixo offered a small smile.  “Are you sure that isn’t just an excuse to get me over your lap, sir?”  A rare moment of teasing from the phoenix, though he didn’t worry too much being that way with Kris.  “Oh, I don’t know, they may run out of ideas and be more than happy to take some of your suggestions.  You are incredibly creative with those things after all.”

For having spent so long as Krov’s Aleixo was still a very subtle man. One who wasn’t entirely comfortable with the excess that Krov’s was known for. So Kris could easily see why the other might be made uncomfortable by a bit of costume he deemed as too much. So he nodded his acceptance of the other’s explanation and chucked at the following execution. Kris crooked an eyebrow. “Well in that case perhaps it deserves a more serious punishment.” He smirked. “Perhaps some time tied up edged over and over again until you are desperate for it. Or maybe a costume change something that’ll make you appreciate what you were given.” Of course while his eyes glittered wickedly with the implied threats it was clear his tone was more playful than anything else. Alexio was far too good of a boy to get genuinely angry with over such a silly thing. The boy had certainly earned some leeway in Kris’ mind. 

“I don’t want to imagine.  There’s a very good reason that I don’t leave this castle very often, sir.  Things out there can be so boring.”  Merek replied with a laugh, settling back against his seat.  The psionic made a point of avoiding having to leave Krovs unless he absolutely had to or a master requested that he do something for them.  His attachment to the castle and what it had to offer probably wasn’t healthy, but he didn’t personally see anything wrong with it.  He chuckled quietly, not answering right away as he took a sip of his drink.  “Well, maybe.  Sort of?  Depends on your definition of behaving.”

“That is it though, dear. I would not disappear without a word. I would inform you promptly of what I needed from you in my absence,” Raphael countered. He was a man who thrived on communication and organization. If he needed something from someone, he’d ask or demand for it before he went anywhere. He always had a plan, often with multiple steps involved, and a very short list of people trusted to let in on even one of those steps. Kris would be the first to know of his departure and desire to hold onto his slaves with Charlie and Mason showing up at his doorstep at the same time he boarded a plane to whereabouts unknown. 

The elder vampire sipped his own wine, mirroring Kris as he watched his features carefully. “And yet your little kitten remained there waiting ever so patiently for you to rescue him,” Raph pointed out. While he hadn’t taken an active role in Kris’ slaves, that didn’t mean he never kept an eye on them. “You ever think there is a reason that your pretty pet was not snatched up in your disappearance? Perhaps I thought Manny could use a reminder of how good he has it with you as his doting master. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, darling.”

Kris snorted as the other argued that he’d never disappear without a word. Raph would certainly make his needs known that was true, but Kris knew damned well if he did have the idea to just leave he would do just that and expect Kris and others to take care of business. But Kris did have to admit the other did tend to like control a bit much to leave things up in the air. 

Jax relaxed as the vampire began to pet his head, he probably should have felt offended by the action but for some reason it brought some sense of comfort. He was sure to pay close attention to the others explanation because he really did want to try to make the right choices here. It was a bit of a relief to hear that Kristofer wouldn’t be angry with him regardless of which of the two options that the shifter ended up choosing.

His cheeks only blushed further at the mention of his reddened ass, and he was pretty sure in that moment that was the choice that he wanted to try out. Even if it made him a bit nervous. He also felt a surge of excitement at the idea and he couldn’t exactly hide the way it was effecting him without the boxers underneath his jeans hiding his growing arousal. He just hoped the other didn’t notice, but something told him that Kris didn’t miss stuff like that. 

“Then I’d like to walk with you instead of crawl, please” he finally replied shifting on his feet a bit. He couldn’t bring himself to flat out ask for the spanking so he just chose to word it in a less embarrassing way for himself.

The fact that the boy relaxed at the small sign of affection was not lost on Kris nor did it much surprise him. A gentle human touch was quite the life line when one felt less than secure. Of course many boys especially the new ones were to proud to simply accept the comforts they could find, but this one was striking him as smarter than most or at least more practical. 

As the boy’s blush deepend Kris had to wonder if they had picked the boy for that beautiful blush it was quite an enticing site. Of course even more enticing was the fact that Kris was evidently not the only fan of his plan. He didn’t make a big deal out of it after all it wasn’t as if the boy didn’t know what his own body was doing, but he did smile and nod in approval. 

JJ would stare at Kris nervously once he’d been pushed away, and it left him feeling far more exposed than just him being nearly nude. Not that he had attachment issues, but when he really thought about, he had no one else in the castle he could talk to quite yet. He was still new, and he also knew it would take time before he made any sort of connection with anyone. “Hnnn—“ he’d groan in his place, already not looking forward to being spanked all over again. Arms would instinctively wrap around himself to cover what he could, though he knew it was futile. He’d hated how this place made him feel. He hated that eyes were constantly on him. –and now, he hated how the man before him teased and taunted him in such a way. The way he made him feel small. 

The vila would bite onto his lower lip hard, not caring if he’d hurt himself in the process, just to calm himself. To keep himself from letting tears well up in his eyes at how he’d had no choice, but to listen. His brother wasn’t here to save him, and he was collared. It was all starting to overwhelm all over again. Dropping his head low, he’d stare at the floor until the words just came out without any inhibitions. “I will be a good boy….and take my spankings,” he’d shiver, feeling disgusted at himself. 

If Kris was a different man he might have felt guilty for pushing the other, but instead he couldn’t help but smile. He knew it was important to push at least a little bit in the beginning as slowly pushing a boy to the point of discomfort was often the difference between bending a boy and outright breaking them. And bent was better than broken no matter what the boy in question might think. At least when the process was done there could possibly be some semblance of the original boy left. With a broken boy there was no such guarantee and Kris had seen plenty of both to know that he was right.

Jax was honestly surprised by the amount of choices that the vampire had given him so far and the praise he was receiving for making them. Not that the shifter would have naturally chose either of the options if he felt he had the choice to opt out without getting himself into trouble. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about it because he certainly was. It was just not something Jax had experience in. This place was sure to push him out of his comfort zone. Kristofer was already giving him a taste of that fact.

The next set of choices offered to him had the slave shifting on his feet anxiously. He didn’t want to get into trouble and it felt like that’s exactly what the second option would be. He was trying to be good, but crawling was beginning to push how far he thought he could handle going in front of people. Sure he was clothed. Mostly. This one felt like more of a difficult choice.

“I’m not sure what the right answer is…” he finally spoke up. “Would you be angry with me if I chose not to crawl. Is that why the spanking is the second option?” He continued. He wasn’t sure why he was more worried about disappointing the other than the actual pain that might happen but he found that to be the case.

Kris had played this game many of times and one of his favorite things about the game was how differently each boy responded to it. Even the boy’s that made the exact same decisions still went about it differently. The boy in front of him was a great example of that. It was clear the moment he asked he wasn’t comfortable and was struggling with the choice. For a moment Kris had to wonder if he was going to refuse to choose. But the boy’s question surprised him. He couldn’t remember a boy ever out right asking if one choice was wrong.

Kris chuckled at the question and without hesitating started petting the boy reassuringly. “No cupcake as long as you choose from the options I give you you can’t make a wrong choice.” His hand moved down and patted the boy’s jean covered ass. “The spanking is an option is because you have a lovely ass and I’d love to get my hands on it. And I’ll enjoy making these cheeks as red as these ones.” As Kris spoke he moved his his so that his thumb could gently rub along the boy’s flushing cheeks. 

 Jax bit the inside of his cheek at the mention of earning the food that he had just ate. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t curious of what the vampire had in mind for him. He was of course nervous, but at least, so far, he had been kind to him. He’d obviously got a kick out of making him blush and squirm but he hadn’t been cruel at all, so it did make him feel a bit better about going with him to his suite. He had seen how some of the other Master’s treated slaves here, and those were the one’s he had done his best to avoid. To stay off their radar somehow. 

He watched as the vampire got up and left his boxers lying in the chair, he was pretty sure they wouldn’t go unnoticed there for long. So much for the bartender not getting his hands on them later. He stayed put when Kris motioned him to stay put, a bit nervous about what the man might be up to. Though when he came back with a leash in hand Jax was turning red again. He took a breath to calm himself as he thought over his options both sounded equally embarrassing but both combined he was sure would leave him mortified and he wasn’t ready for that so he had to make a choice.

“Leash please, sir” he replied after a moment. Pants on for as long as possible, at least out in public. That was his goal for the night. Not losing his jeans in front of all to see. 

Kris had always enjoyed a game he called choices in which there were in fact very little choices. He knew even as he asked that the boy wouldn’t be thrilled with either option, but that was sort of the point. Pushing the boy a little bit while still giving him the leeway to try to be as comfortable as he could was a good way of pushing a boy’s limits without breaking them or the boy in question. It was a game he often play with beginners and this one was striking him as very much a beginner. At the very least he was new to Krov’s, but if Kris was lucky he was also new to the world of kinky sex at least and if Kris was very very lucky inexperienced in sex altogether. He enjoyed all skill levels, but beginners were always fun as there were no bad habits to unteach. Well that and all the blushing. Kris did love the blushing. 

So the choices were simple and it would let the boy decide. He could choose nudity which was embarrassing, but rather vanilla or he could choose the leash which would protect his vanity, but was not quite so vanilla and perhaps even more embarrassing to some. He gave the boy time to think over his options enjoying the boy’s blush and watching the boy trying to control his reactions. He stood there calmly not rushing the boy and smiled as he finally made his choice. “Good boy.” Without hesitation or giving the boy much time to rue over his decision Kris clipped the leash onto the boy’s collar. 

Jax was grateful that the vampire didn’t hand over his boxers to the bartender like he had half expected him too. He felt his cheeks heat up at the praise, but found that he liked hearing it more than he probably should. He moved back to the bar and settled down in his seat. If he thought that, that was going to be the end of the boxer conversation clearly the Shifter was mistaken. He buried his face in his hands at the naughty remark but did manage a small nod refusing to vocalize the truth behind the statement for the time being. There was something somewhat thrilling about being without his boxers and knowing that the Master had them after being the one that ordered for their removal. It seemed like it should be something small, but it was affecting him more than he wanted to let on.

When the food arrived Jax reached for it, once he had the go ahead. At least he wouldn’t be losing his last layer of clothing before he got to eat. Not here in front of the bartender. Once they reached the Masters suite he could only imagine that they wouldn’t be letting them remain much longer. He took a small bite of his food. Closing his eyes as he savored the amazing tasting burger. He’d almost forgot that food could taste good. The stuff served downstairs was far from tasty. “This is so good..Thank you” he spoke between bites. Eventually finishing it up along with taking sips of his earned drink.

Kris tended to be a verbal person when it came to things, but he knew that there were a lot of way to communicate without speaking. So while the boy might have ignored his question Kris didn’t go without an answer. He gave the other a knowing smile as he watched that tell tale flushed skin and even the way the boy hide his face that he was indeed feeling naughty and not entirely hating it. it was only a tiny little thing. On the scale of sexual activity at Krov’s it wasn’t even a drop in the bucket, but he knew for the less experienced it was often the little things that registered the most.

`

“You should, think the two of you would get along alright.” He shrugged, thinking Caspian probably got along with just about anyone if he tried. From his perspective, if he was able to get along with him than he could really anyone if he wanted. “Didn’t think there was much confidentiality for the slaves here.” He noted, thinking that they didn’t have much let alone any sort of privacy, something he knew all too well after the years of being a resident within the castle walls. 

Lazarus fell silent, Kris making a very good point in his skepticism, perhaps there were other motives for being taken from the undercroft. “Maybe not, maybe he has other plans, but he hasn’t done anything to me that I didn’t give permission to.” They hadn’t even been intimate, which he used as a big sign for Caspian keeping to his word. He could have, like many others before him, but he hadn’t and that meant something to the dragon. Often used without any consideration to how he might have felt about the situation. His questioning had him wondering, though, something he was going to bring up to Caspian the next time he saw him. “A business? Sounds so very domestic.” He said, thinking that would be an interesting job to take up for someone like him. “A stupid question to ask a vampire, they enjoy it here at the expense of others. ‘Course you’d want to come back.” He didn’t get it nor did he want to, he was hoping that now he was claimed his stay at the castle was coming to an end. 

Kris crooked and eyebrow wondering for a moment if the other was trying to set him up in someway. But he didn’t sense any duplicity in the boy and he had always been a good read of people. Kris chuckled at the boy’s comment and shrugged. “Well not to any real degree, but I likened my punishment sessions to that of penance from a priest. Once the crime has been paid for it is over. So you don’t have to worry about me gossiping about your exploits and punishments over a nice glass of blood brandy one late evening.”

Raphael’s expression didn’t dare falter even at Kris’ icy response. He’d dealt with these sorts of dramatic often enough, not even all from his own fledgling. Lucien proved to be excellent practice at keeping his skills sharp in these scenarios, the Frenchman about as extra as Kris could be when pissed off at him. He predicted he’d have his stubborn and pretty fledgling back in his bed before the night was over. 

“And that is unfortunate,” the incubus said, pulling his expression into one akin to sympathy even if he didn’t really care about Kris’ slave. Manny was pretty to look at but nothing more in Raph’s view, no matter how much his fledgling adored him. “But I did hear the punishment was pretty light and he endured it fine, got out on time for good behavior. Perhaps he should have been more docile when those guards came to get him.” He arched a brow, giving him a winning smile. “Come on, darling, you cannot blame me when I had no idea of what you wanted or needed. I received no message that the pretty kitty needed watching out for.” 

In their years of knowing each other their relationship had been rocky and one or the other being angry wasn’t exactly ground breaking, but this was the first time Kris felt determined to stay angry. His maker had let him down and it was perhaps the first time his anger had been based on feeling rather than some annoyance or petty thing. And honestly Kris didn’t really know what to do about that, but he did know Raph wasn’t getting off the hook with a pretty face and a nice glass of blood wine. 

Xander didn’t miss the voice even with his fighting with the guards nor the mocking tone behind them. He didn’t need a reminder that the guards were likely toying with him. As long as the collar was around his neck, he didn’t stand a chance in a real fight against them. Yet it hadn’t stopped the Dragon from attempting to win one regardless of the odds being far from in his favor. He could feel the grip of the guards hands tighten around him, holding him firmly in place as to prove the other’s words. The Dragon’s attention moving to the vampire who was addressing him. He narrowed his eyes not at all liking the tone of the others, and even more so not liking the options he was giving him. 

“I won’t hit anyone” kick maybe, but he hadn’t said anything against kicking, had he? Not that he imagined it go much differently if he tried it either. “Doing their jobs what exactly? Keeping me and countless others here against our will? You expect me to just be okay with that? If so, you’ve got another thing coming, vampire”

Kristofer of course knew his way around a naughty boy so he wasn’t quite fooled when the boy answered very specifically. He clucked his tongue and approached the guards and the squirming boy. “Nor will you bite, scratch, headbutt, kick, spit, slap, or in any way harm someone else. Is that very clear my pretty. Your already going to be punished no need to make it worse.” Kris spoke calmly as he approached. He knew the guards had been playing with the other just as he knew they wouldn’t dare let the boy go to strike him. 

He chuckled at the boy’s question and nodded. “Oh smarter than you look. Yes that’s exactly their job. Not that the castle’s magic and those lovely collars don’t do enough of a job of that. Even if you did get out of that door it’d just be stepping into the fire after all only thing out that door is a rather large number of men paying a lot of money to use pretty little things like you.” At the last question Kris simply shrugged a shoulder. “As Clark Gable said ‘Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn. What you allow or don’t only matters if the man who’s chosen you cares. Else well it’s all to our whims no matter what we want to do to you.”