Blood of the Neko - 21. Chapter 21

Damien stalked toward the twelve men who were tied and kneeling in the dirt. He paced in front of them for several long minutes, carefully watching the reactions of each man to his presence. He knew any of them who eyed him with distain were ones who were firmly entrenched with Laos, their gazes thick with their sadistic needs to dominate the slaves, and those could not be trusted. But there were two or three younger men, ones who were probably new, that eyed him with fear and worry. Those might actually be worth salvaging.

"Saladin," he called, and the hybrid appeared next to him, "Take that one," he pointed to a man in the line, "that one," he pointed to another, "and that one with Lord Druet to the overseer's office. We will deal with them there."

He watched briefly as Oliver nodded at him and followed Saladin with the three men, who were shaking fiercely.

Then he turned to the others sneering at him. "As I told Master Laos, you are to be transported to the king's court for trial. You men lost sight of your purpose here, you got greedy, and I have no doubt that Laos fueled that. If you cooperate and offer further evidence against the overseer as well as recant your allegiance to him and vow your allegiance to the king, he might be merciful. On the trip there, I suggest you think about what you might have to say."

He waited until Brenner jogged up to him, having completed orders for the mercenaries' return home. He quickly relayed similar orders for the guards and overseers that were still kneeling on the ground to be transported along with Laos back to the king.

As he turned to head toward the overseer's office/quarters, he was pleased to see that most of the men not otherwise occupied with dealing with prisoners were helping the slaves. They were gathering water and filling barrels so that the slaves could have as much water as they wanted. They were offering food from the provisions cart, and he had no doubt that a few of them were already out hunting in order to provide a more substantial meal later.

He reminded himself to send a missive with the guards transporting the prisoners to make sure that clothes, bedding and other essentials, like soap, were sent back immediately. A couple carpenters and craftsmen would be needed as well. He was hoping that there was currently enough soap and cleaning supplies, as well as blankets and such, in the overseers' quarters for them to make the slave quarters habitable in the meantime for any who wished to stay. Laos had to have done something with the money he was stealing by not providing for the slaves, hopefully he had stockpiled some supplies for himself they could use.

As he entered the building, he saw Saladin and Marcus with the three men he'd sent there, as well as one more. He raised his brow as the hybrid gestured at the fourth.

"I figured these men are the ones you think might be willing to stay on and work under Lord Druet. That one was one of the men we found at the lookout. He was helpful and forthcoming with information. I thought you might want to talk to him as well."

Damien nodded approvingly. "Where is Lord Druet?"

"He's in the back, sir. With Joseph Nash," he added with a sly smirk.

"I see." Damien turned and headed down the small hall until he heard voices from an open doorway.

"...I'm fine, Oliver..."

Oliver? Damien's brows shot up. Hmm, maybe he was right about Oliver finally finding his match.

"...just let me tuck this under it," Oliver was saying, and Damien figured a pillow was being placed under the sore ankle. "...there. That better?"

Damien didn't hear the murmured response from Nash, but as he moved to knock on the doorframe, he understood why. Nash's hand was cupping Oliver's jaw and had pulled the man into a kiss. Damien flushed at having intruded on the moment, but he was secretly glad that he'd been right.

"Ahem," Damien cleared his throat, causing Nash to jump and flush furiously. Oliver just gave him the evil eye.

"Sorry to intrude, but I'd like to finish up with the men out here so I can get some time with my man too," Damien said. He didn't think Nash could turn any redder.

"I'm s-sorry--" Nash started anxiously.

Damien just chuckled and waved off the guard's worries. "Looks like Kayden's getting a new guard," he teased, "since I'm sure Oliver plans to keep you here."

"Don't mind him, Joseph," Oliver said, glaring at the duke.

"I am correct in assuming you'd like to be assigned to the detail of guards staying here, right?" Damien asked.

For a second, Nash could only nod before he finally found his voice, and even then it came out almost as a squeak. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll only borrow him for a few minutes, I promise," Damien smirked with a wink.

Oliver rose quickly and herded Damien out of the room. "Stop teasing him. He's worried enough as it is that you'll be upset with him."

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because he's pledged his allegiance to you, you idiot," Oliver chastised. "He's torn between his duty to you and wanting to be with me."

"Well, then I just solved it," Damien grinned, patting his friend on the back. "He's serving me by staying here with you. Everyone wins."

He watched as Oliver tried to hide his grin. Damien could see he was annoyed that he'd had been teasing the man he cared for, but he was obviously ecstatic that Joseph would be staying with him.

"Okay, you're right."

Damien stopped Oliver in the hallway, his face turning serious as he eyed his friend. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Oliver frowned. "What? Be with Joseph? That's a stu--"

"No." Damien shook his head. "Stay here. Running the mines. It's going to be a lot of work."

Oliver nodded. "Yes, actually. I think this is just what I need, a chance to prove to myself that I'm more than just a lord's son. I want to do it, Damien."

Damien nodded, now convinced that his friend wasn't just volunteering out of some misguided obligation. "Thank you, then, for taking this on. I'll be sending back a lot of provisions and staff for you. We may have to shut down a couple of the mines until there are enough people to work them. I don't know how many, if any, of the former slaves will volunteer to stay."

"I know. We'll see what happens."

Damien strode back to the front room where the four men waited anxiously, obviously worried about their fate.

"I have pulled you men aside because I thought you maybe showed some remorse and guilt for following the previous Overseer in his coup. Therefore, I am offering you a chance to redeem yourselves."

All of the men's eyes lit up with hope as they glanced at each other and then back at the two lords.

"You may choose to stay here, working for at least a two year term, and help Lord Druet run and manage the mines. You have experience that he will need to help him with such a big task. If you do stay, be aware that you will be on probation, and any infractions will be punished immediately. You will follow his orders, and you will treat all the miners with respect. You are here to help guide and supervise, not harass and torment."

He was pleased to see each of the men nodding quickly. He hadn't gotten the impression that any of these men were of the same sadistic nature as Laos, but then he'd also miscalculated his brother Roman's intentions at one time. He looked to Oliver to see if he agreed, and the man nodded as well.

"Good. Your other option is to join the other overseers to stand trial," Damien said, and he quickly received a bunch of shaking heads. "I assume you accept the two year term here, then?"

"Yes, sir!" they all practically shouted back.

Damien jerked his head at Saladin to untie them, then he turned to Oliver and patted him on the back. "They're all yours."

He turned toward the door and heard Oliver mutter behind him. "I assume you are going to find a certain kit?"

Damien grinned. "Hell, yeah."

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Damien was worried when he couldn't find Kayden anywhere, and no one seemed to know where he was. He had been sidetracked several times in his search to check out the conditions of the other buildings. He was appalled that Laos had only provided buckets for the slaves for waste inside the barracks, even though there were outhouses and water pumps available. Apparently, it was too much effort to unlock a slave and allow him some basic courtesies. He wouldn't be surprised if none of the former slaves decided to stay.

Seeing that the former slaves were fed and being tended to--the men he'd brought were helping them wash at the pumps and had offered their own clothes from their packs--Damien was glad to see smiles on their faces as they gradually felt more comfortable with the newcomers. Hopefully, they would forge some trust with the poor men and women. As he stalked through the compound toward the pasture where the horses were grazing, he saw several of the men loading filthy blankets from the barracks onto the now empty cart. He nodded and smiled his praise at their work as they choked back the stench to save the rags that could possibly be cleaned and took the worst to the fire to burn.

As he approached the pasture, he spotted the red headed groom brushing down a horse; presumably he'd finished with Gemini and was helping to take care of other horses while their owners were helping out in the compound. Damien glanced around briefly to see if Kayden was working on another horse as well. He could see the river running at the back of the pasture--making a nice boundary for the horses to keep them from straying--as well as a myriad of horses, but his boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Finn," the duke called as he strode quickly toward the young man. The groom stopped mid-brush and turned to his lord.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is Kayden? I thought he'd be with you."

"Oh, he was, sir," Finn stated, then pointed into the trees, "He's over there, just inside the trees. He's in the river."

"The river? Why is he in the river?" Damien frowned.

"He's fishing!" Finn grinned. "When we were watering the horses, we found a deep pool in the river where a bunch of fish seemed to be, and he wanted to catch some to help with dinner. He knows you've sent men to hunt for deer and stuff, but he said fish would be something different. He took a blanket and shooed me away, saying I would scare the fish."

"Really?" Damien laughed.

"Yes, sir. So, be careful and don't scare the fish," Finn warned playfully.

"I won't," Damien promised as he turned to the trees edging the side of the field. Of course, his mind kept making mental notes on what needed to be done, and he added building a fence around the pasture and a barn to his list. While the river and dense tree line created nice borders, it would be nice to be assured that the horses would be contained. Maybe they should--

He was stopped mid-thought by the sight of Kayden. Naked. Standing waist deep in the water, intently focused on the water. Oh, fuck, Damien felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. What little sunlight there was that was filtering through the trees caused the drops of water trickling in rivulets down the boy's sculpted back to glisten like little diamonds. He sucked in a sharp breath. He was almost envious of those beads of water dripping from the neko's hair and caressing a trail down his lover's narrow spine to the top of his tail. The boy was absolutely stunning with his lean graceful body standing so perfectly still in the pooling water of the river.

Damien was about to move when suddenly Kayden practically dove into the water, his arms moving like lightning into the water. He jerked back upright almost immediately, triumphantly holding something over his head like a trophy. Kayden was grinning as he turned slightly to wade toward the rocky river bank. Damien noticed a large squirming fish clutched in the neko's claws just before the fish was tossed over onto an old blanket where several other fish were laying. The fish flopped for a minute before giving up its fight to find water again.

Damien shifted, and Kayden's eyes darted in his direction. Damn those ears. He would have enjoyed just watching the boy silently for a while. But Kayden's eyes had widened slightly in fear, and he made a grab for his discarded clothing, eyes darting around to determine if anyone else was with the duke.

As Kayden scrambled to cover himself, Damien grinned and held up his hands to stay his panic. "I'm alone, kitten."

Kayden visibly relaxed, his panicked look turning almost coy as he cocked his head to the side, his small pointed ears pricking forward.

"I hear you're fishing," Damien said as he crunched over the brush to stand in front of his dripping wet lover.

Kayden grinned proudly. "I've caught nine so far," he said, pointing to the blanket.

The duke smiled, "I can't wait to have some for dinner. But first..."

Damien ran his hands over the wet skin of Kayden's arms. The water was obviously cool, but not so cold as to be freezing. It had probably felt good to wash away the grime of their travels. Damien trailed his hand back up under the boy's chin, feathering over the empty hollow of his throat. Kayden shivered under his touch and Damien saw that the boy's pupils were blown.

He quirked a smile as he dropped his head to Kayden's soft lips, his hands pulling away to undo the buttons of his doublet. Kayden dropped the shirt he'd been clutching in his hands and scrambled to help, reaching under the bottom of the blue brocade doublet and tugging at the knot to the duke's trousers. Within seconds, the doublet was discarded on the ground and Damien reached back over his head to grab a fist full of fabric at his neck and tug the loose linen shirt over his head.

Kayden dropped to his knees, in all his glorious nakedness, his slender fingers sliding down Damien's thigh to his boots. When Kayden looked up at him, his eyes so soft and innocent, his long spine pointing its way to the boy's sleek tail... and beyond, Damien thought he might come right there. Instead, he dropped onto a nearby rock and allowed Kayden to pull off his tall leather boots. Once the boots and socks were out of the way, Kayden's hand trailed back up Damien's thigh to the laces of his pants.

He tried to wait patiently while Kayden slowly tugged at the laces, but he was already hard and the grazes of Kayden's hand, as he worked across the fabric restraining his aching cock, kept threatening to put him over the edge.

When he glanced down to see what was taking Kayden so long with the laces, he caught the edge of a smirk on the boy's face. Fucking... he laughed, practically shoving Kayden's purposefully slow-moving hands out of the way to yank the damn laces free.

Kayden chuckled as Damien stripped free of the restraining clothing and then pulled the boy into his arms with a fierce kiss. "You little minx, you were doing that on purpose," he growled.

Kayden nodded his head against Damien's firm chest, running his hand through the mix of dust, sweat and light splattering of hair. "Of course," he admitted slyly. Then he reached up to wipe a smear of dirt from his master's jaw. "You're covered in dirt."

Damien grinned, grabbing up the boy, who mewled against his chest. "Then let's scare some fish."

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Kayden let his master carry him back into the pool of water with a loud splash. Once they had reached the deepest part, which really only came up to the master's thick thighs, Damien sank down in it, allowing the cool water to wash over them. Damien released him briefly so that he could dunk his head under the water, rinsing away some of the sweat and grime from their expedition to the mines. Kayden started to rub his hands over Damien's chest, but then he paused and waded over a rock on the edge.

At Damien's frown, he held up what looked like a scrap of wet fabric. "A piece of the blanket. I tore it off to scrub with earlier."

"Ahh," his master smiled, allowing his body to float a bit in the shallow water as he stretched his tall form out.

Kayden made his way over to his master and set about scrubbing away the dirt and grime from the thick, muscled body. Damien groaned as Kayden rubbed at his skin roughly, not only removing dirt but kneading tight, tense muscles as well. Kayden smiled as his master's eyes fluttered closed and his body went pliant in his hands.

"Oh, kitten, that feels so good, better than just rinsing away the dirt," Damien mumbled.

Kayden rubbed down Damien's spine with the rough rag, teasing a bit as he dipped the rag over the bigger man's buttocks and between the taut cheeks. Damien hissed softly before whipping around and yanking Kayden back around to his chest. Kayden flailed a bit, startled by the quick movement, and splashed them both in their faces with water.

As Damien settled on a rock, where he could sit with his head still above the water, Kayden settled on his lap. He smiled coyly as he rubbed the cloth over his master's chest and shoulders. He dipped the rag lower, wrapping his small hand around his master's thick erection. Damien groaned as Kayden stroked the rough fabric over his length and down over his balls.

"Oh, fuck, kitten," he growled, hissing as he bit slightly at the skin of Kayden's neck.

Kayden tensed abruptly. A snap.

Damien felt the neko's body suddenly freeze, and his fingers tightened on Kayden's hips. "What is it?"

Kayden ears pricked as he whipped around to the sound, coming from the direction of the pasture.

"Sir?" Brenner's voice called out, and Damien chuckled slightly, relaxing.

But Kayden dropped his ears and tried to bury himself against his master, not wanting to be seen naked by anyone but Damien. A soft whimper escaped his throat before he could stop it, and he felt Damien's hand gently stroke the back of his head reassuringly.

"I'm busy, Geoff!" Damien called just as the captain had stepped close enough to be seen. He was still far enough away he couldn't see much, but Kayden was sure that the man knew he was with the duke.

"Oh, of course, sir," Geoff replied, his voice tinged with amusement. "Just making sure you were alright."

"I'm more than fine, Geoff. Thank you!" Damien laughed as Kayden ducked closer.

"Yes, sir. I'll see that you are, um, not disturbed while you... relax," Brenner's voice called back.

"Good!" Damien yelled. "Now go away!"

"Yes, sir!" came the chuckling response.

Kayden felt Damien's fingers caressing his face. "Now, where were we?"

Kayden unfurled himself from against his master's body as the man claimed his lips possessively. He melted under the assault of the man's tongue delving into his mouth, a low moan rumbled from his throat. Kayden shifted his hips, looking for friction to ease his aching groin.

Damien sucked in a breath, tossing his head back, as Kayden's movements rubbed their stiff cocks together. Kayden's claws dug into Damien's shoulders as he trapped their erections together between their bodies and proceeded to knead their arousals together. Kayden moaned against his chest as Damien's long fingers probed Kayden's tight hole, stretching him.

"Damn, kitten," Damien breathed harshly.

Kayden yelped slightly when Damien's fingers gripped his buttocks and lifted him. He felt the pulse of his master's cock against his hole, and he tensed briefly before releasing a deep breath and pressing down. It stung more than usual without their bottle of lavender oil, but Kayden breathed through the sting of pain as his body stretched to accommodate his master, his lover. He moved slowly, keeping the pressure steady as Damien kneaded his buttocks, pulling him open to ease the way.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Damien breathed heavily, and Kayden knew he was fighting the urge to plunge forward.

Kayden only nodded as the head of his master's cock slipped in, and he was slowly able to begin working his way down its length. He closed his eyes, hissing and dropping his head back as he focused on the intense burning, the water doing little to help ease the way. He almost jumped when he felt a zing of pleasure as Damien rubbed a finger along the tight ring of muscle where he was clenching his master. The skin was so stretched and sensitive he nearly came himself from the simple touch.

Apparently, his movement caused him to slip further down and squeeze his master's cock, milking precome from the man. He wriggled as the clear, slick fluid lubricated the walls of his channel and the burning sensation eased slowly to a more pleasurable tingle as he lowered himself all the way down. He mewled, holding himself still for a moment, as he relished the fullness of his master's possession.

Kayden slid back up and down, slowly riding his master's cock until all pain had eased and was replaced only with pleasure. His fingers gripped Damien's shoulders tightly as he quickened his pace, causing the man under him to groan in ecstasy.

Kayden felt his cock thicken again, quickly filling with the need to come. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd been with his master intimately, even though it was only a few days. Kayden could feel his master's thighs trembling under him with need as well.

Their breaths came in harsh gasps as their pace quickened. Kayden's hands clutched tighter on his master's back as Damien's fingers dug into his thin hips. He could sense they were both nearing the edge. When one of Damien's hands released his hip to grasp his cock and stroke it firmly, Kayden gasped and cried out, throwing his head back as his orgasm shot through him.

"Oh, fuck!" Damien choked as Kayden's body had clenched down on him, and he drove up into the neko's body, the pulsing of Kayden's body dragging him to his climax. He clamped his teeth down on the exposed neck of his lover, as he rode out the apex of his orgasm, filling him completely.

Kayden slumped against Damien, his head resting on the man's chest, as his heart rate and breathing slowed. He could hear his master's heart pounding under him as he idly watched the pearly ribbons his climax float away down the river.

Damien was the first to move, stroking a hand over Kayden's head. "I love you, Kayden."

"I love you, too, Damien," Kayden mumbled, starting to feel rather sleepy.

Kayden felt Damien soften and gently pull out of him. But Kayden wasn't interested in moving from the warmth against his master's chest, so he continued to snuggle in, his tail floating idly in the flow of the water. Damien kept him cuddled against him as the water streamed around them, the bubbling of the river and the rustle of a breeze in the trees above them were the only sounds Kayden focused on. The distant shouts and noise from the compound were just a mere buzz in the background.

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Kayden's body was heavy and liquid against Damien when he tried to rouse him. Kayden refused to move when Damien nudged him, digging his body in tighter instead.

Damien's chest rumbled with a chuckle. "Come on, kitten." He nudged harder, eliciting an annoyed mewl from the neko. "We need to get back. Well, I need to get back, at least. The sooner we get everything settled here at the mines, the sooner we can go home."

Kayden just released a rumbled growl, clearly not wanting to move.

Damien smiled against the boy's head. "The sooner we get home, the sooner you can get some of Garin's sweet cakes," Damien sang, trying to coax his lover into moving.

That at least got him a raised brow and a peek of bright green eyes as Kayden considered the offer.

Damien pressed now that he had the boy's attention. "And you have some delicious fish to help make for dinner," he added cajolingly.

The emerald eyes lifted, his head finally turning a bit before giving a nuzzle under Damien's chin and tickling him with his soft, furry black ears. Damien felt a small rumble under his hands and realized the boy's stomach was growling.

"Yeah, I definitely think it's time to move," he chuckled.

Kayden slid away from him, floating briefly in the water for one last rinse before rising fluidly and turning to the river bank. Damien splashed around a lot less gracefully as he got his feet under him and sloshed toward the bank. He watched Kayden whip his head a couple times, shaking excess water out of his hair, one ear twitching with a bit of water still lodged in it. The long sleek tail flittered behind him, jerking erratically as he made his way over to his discarded clothes.

Damien grinned as he stretched his arms before he climbed out, wincing at a stinging pain on his shoulders. For a second, he wasn't sure what could have caused it, but then he remembered his lover's grasp on him. He smiled at the sweet memory, the slight sting on his back a delicious reminder of his lover's rapture.

Kayden already had his pants on before Damien picked up his. When he turned to slip them on, he heard a gasp behind him and whipped back around. Kayden was staring at him with wide eyes, looking absolutely terrified with his shirt clutched in a tight fist against his chest.

"Kayden, what's wrong?" Damien frowned, glancing around to see what could have upset his lover so quickly.

But Kayden just clutched the shirt tighter, his hands wringing it mercilessly. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For..." he gestured at Damien, extending his hand briefly, showing his sharp claws, before retracting them back in and burying them in the shirt again.

Damien chuckled, stepping closer, his fingers wrapping around the boy's neck. "It's okay, kitten. I'm fine, gives me something to remember this by." His thumb stroked down Kayden's long neck, slipping gently over the teeth marks he'd left on the boy's shoulder. "It's not like I didn't mark you too."

A slow smile spread across the feline's features as Kayden melted against him. Damien wrapped him up in a brief hug before turning to get dressed again. As he sat down to tug on his boots, he noticed Kayden gathering up the blanket full of fish--barefoot.

"Where are your boots?" he asked.

Kayden looked rather chagrinned as he flushed a bright pink. "Somewhere in the woods."

"Somewhere?" Damien quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, they're somewhere over there," Kayden said, waving his arm in the general direction of the woods on the other side of the compound. At Damien's questioning look, Kayden huffed. "I took them off before going into the compound. I'm much quieter that way."

"Don't I know it," Damien snorted as he heaved on his boots with one last tug.