Tears Of The Neko - 10. Chapter 10

Over the last few days, Damien was becoming used to coming back from his evening walk to find Kayden sitting in front of the fireplace after his evening bath. Kayden seemed to love the fire, so Damien had made sure to tell Drystan to make sure one was going by the time he sent Kayden up after dinner. The boy was mesmerized by the dancing flames-- and, Damien thought with a smile, water swirling down drains as well. He'd caught Kayden more than once flushing the toilet constantly to stare at the water swishing down.

Tonight, Kayden wasn't just sitting in front of the fire though; he was stretched out on his belly along the rug, his arms folded under his chin as he gazed at the flickering flames. The boy had always held himself so tightly curled and balled into himself that Damien was shocked to see the little neko stretched out so lazily and content. He smiled that the boy finally was feeling secure enough to relax in his presence this way.

Damien caught his breath as he realized the boy hadn't put on his shirt in the warmth of the fire, and the flames cast an erotic glow as they danced across the sharp planes of the boy's back. Wait, Damien frowned, did he have scars on his back? It was hard to tell with the flickering of shadow and light.

But then Kayden slowly turned his head towards Damien, a lazy smile on his face that melted Damien's heart. God, the boy was beautiful.

He smiled back, before quickly rushing into the washroom. The image of the boy's long lithe figure lazing out on the rug burned into his mind, sending tingles down his chest to his groin. And those beautiful green eyes, and those thin pink lips...

Over the last week since their 'cat nap', Damien had allowed himself to touch the boy more and more, stroking the boy's head, a quick peck on the forehead before bed, a feathering touch down his back. He noticed that the boy had calmed and even seemed to enjoy the comfort offered by his caresses, and he wondered if Kayden had ever felt the gentle touch of someone who cared for him.

Damien startled himself with that thought. Cared for him? Did he care for the boy?

And with a sudden clarity as he stared at the green eyes glittering back at him, he realized that he did, more than he had ever cared for anyone before.

He shook his head and he shed his clothes quickly. Stepping under the water pipe, he pulled on the rope to release a tumble of water. He quickly soaped up, groaning when he brushed his hand over his groin. At first he tried to stave off the images of wanting to hold Kayden, to feel the boy's body against his, but when it was obvious he couldn't fight his growing need, he leaned against the cool stone with one hand and quickly sought his release.

--Neko--

Kayden rolled over as Damien came back into the room after his shower, meeting the blue eyes that stared at him with something he couldn't define. His gaze raked over the damp skin of the man's broad chest, and he felt an electric jolt through his body, setting all his nerve endings on alert. His ears flicked forward in avid interest, and his tail flipped in the air, instinctively trying to draw the man's attention, not that he had to try.

He blushed as his eyes cast lower and he noticed his master's obvious interest. A flicker of fear crossed his features at the thought of Damien taking him like Roman had. He rose fluidly, moving toward his door.

"Goodnight, sir," Kayden said softly.

Damien moved closer, and Kayden hesitated when Damien caressed his neck. He closed his eyes, just wanting to bask in the feeling of his master's warm, gentle touch.

When soft lips covered his, he started in surprise at the gentleness. Damien's warm tongue darted out teasingly, and Kayden melted under the heat of his master's kiss. Kayden's knees almost gave out as he gave in to the gentle pressure of the probing, feeling the hesitant exploration, seeking, asking, but not demanding.

"My little tiger," Kayden heard whispered against his lips, as his master's hand slipped down his bare back to hover over his buttocks--and his mind abruptly flashed back to the blinding pain in the storeroom and the attacks by other slave cellmates.

He gasped and wrenched himself away, his eyes glistening with tears and fear. "Please," he choked. "Don't call me that."

--Neko--

Damien froze in shock at the abrupt change in the boy's demeanor. While he'd momentarily thought he'd seen a flash of panic as he'd approached, the boy had practically melted in his arms. Damien knew he wasn't imagining the heat of their kiss.

But suddenly, the boy had seized up and tears streaked down his face.

"What?" Damien tried to think about what he'd said. "My little tiger? I thought you didn't mind nicknames."

Kayden bowed his head. "I just don't like that one," he mumbled. "It hurts."

Damien frowned. Maybe that was why the boy hated Roman so much--Roman had called him tiger too. "Because a master who called you that hurt you?"

Kayden nodded hesitantly, casting his gaze back to the floor, and Damien worried at the regression of the boy to the skittish slave he'd been over three weeks ago.

"Okay," Damien said softly, soothingly. "I'm sorry, Kayden."

When he moved to embrace the boy in apology, Kayden flinched backward, shocking Damien.

"Kitten," Damien knew his voice sounded anxious, fretful, "I'm sorry, kitten." He moved slower and noticed that Kayden allowed him into his space again, but he made sure that Kayden knew he could escape if he needed to. When his hand gently caressed the back of Kayden's neck, the boy looked up at him, and Damien could see the tiny edge of green of his eyes, the boy's pupils blown in fear, tears hovering on the edge. But he didn't pull away this time, focusing on Damien's soft voice and gentle touch.

He swept his thumb carefully across the boy's cheek, wiping away the tears.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, kitten," he said, and he felt the boy shudder in his hands as he relaxed slightly. "I would never do anything to hurt you."

Kayden just kept nodding, as if he were trying to convince himself to believe that Damien's words were true. Damien carefully kissed the boy's forehead and heard Kayden let out a slow breath. He smiled to himself, maybe not all was lost.

When Kayden turned, Damien noticed again what he'd thought were scars across the boy's back and shoulders in the dim light.

"Kayden," Damien said softly, and Kayden looked back over his shoulder at him.

Damien tentatively stepped closer, his hand ghosting down the pale skin of the boy's back. There weren't many, maybe five or six. But the fact that someone had beat the boy badly enough to leave any scarring meant that they'd whipped him enough to severely break skin. Damien closed his eyes at the thought of Kayden's slight back torn and bleeding. No slave master should be causing such damage to any slave. He felt the boy shiver under the soft touch.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Damien asked carefully. "Why didn't you leave the master who did this? Slavery is a choice. You--"

Kayden looked up and Damien could see tears glistening in the boy's eyes.

"Talk to me, kitten. I don't care if you don't talk in front of others, but please talk to me," he said softly.

Kayden seemed to debate his words. "It was E-Ehern and Th--"

Damien leaned forward, not recognizing the name. "Who?"

"T-the hunters."

Damien frowned. "What hunters?"

Kayden began shaking uncontrollably as if he were suddenly freezing. Tears slipped down his cheeks. "They killed my parents. Took me--"

"What the hell?!" Damien snapped, angry that such a thing was happening in his domain. "Hunters?! They captured you and enslaved you against your will?!"

Kayden had stepped back at Damien's outburst, a little afraid by the angry tone. And Damien was suddenly sorry he'd lost his temper and scared the poor boy.

"Come here," Damien urged Kayden to follow him to the couch. Damien looked for the blanket he usually kept by the couch. When he didn't see it, he just grabbed another from the end of his bed. He wrapped it around Kayden's slight shoulders as he settled the boy on the edge of the couch. Then he sat in his wing-backed chair next to the couch, keeping a polite distance. He wanted the boy to know he was safe. As much as he may have wanted to hold the boy, he didn't want to scare him any more than he already had tonight.

"Tell me," Damien said softly, attempting to keep the rage out of his voice.

And Kayden hesitantly told him about the men--Ehern and Theo and others--who had bound and caged him for over five years. How they had found amusement in terrorizing him with their guns, whipping the voice from him, and beating him into submission.

Damien felt tears pricking at his own eyes as he thought of an ten year old Kayden being held down and petrified of what would happen to him at the hands of the menacing men. He vowed silently to talk to the king and the legislature to figure out how to hunt these men down. He felt his hands clench into fists as he leaned his arm forward to rest them on his knees.

Now he knew why Kayden was so terrified of loud, sudden noises, as well as why he never talked--he'd had his voice practically beaten out of him. The fact that Kayden trusted Damien enough now to talk to him instilled him with a sense of contentment.

"When I was old enough, they sold me to Master Farth at the slave market," Kayden finished.

Damien took a deep breath to keep his voice even and non-threatening. He was ready to go after Farth and the hunters himself. "Farth knows better than to keep a slave against his will. Why didn't he let you go? Surely he knew you were .... unhappy."

Kayden shifted to look up at him, and Damien looked into the emerald eyes bright from the tears that he'd let flow. "Where would I go?"

Fuck, Damien thought. And it made perfect sense now that Kayden would choose to stay with the slave master at the market because he hadn't learned how to survive on his own.

When Kayden hid a yawn, Damien smiled slightly, then gathered the boy in his arms.

Damien carried him to the other room, watching as the boy curled up on the cot. When he saw Kayden pull a blanket up under him, burying his face in it, Damien was surprised to see that it was the extra blanket that he usually kept on the couch. He watched as Kayden closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, breathing in the scent of the blanket--his blanket, his scent. A slow smile crossed his face as he pulled another thick blanket over the boy.