Chapter 10 First Night Together

Pleasure slave.

He knew that’s what he had been sold as, well, given away, so sharing the bed made sense except for the fact that the man had said he wasn’t going to touch him unless he chose him willingly. So until then, shouldn’t he be more wary of him?

Ryedir knew he was a Daiyan, so why was he not more suspicious of him? He had no idea what he was capable of. For all he knew, Kari could shank him in his sleep.

Kari reached out for his power and felt a pang of disappointment when he still felt nothing. He glanced at his tattoo and observed the silvery white hexagonal prism with six thin arms that form a star-like shape. He took a deep bracing breath in and slowly let it out. It was there, he reminded himself, he still had the marking of a Daiyan.

He needed time to heal, that was all. He set the towel down on the floor and padded out of the room. Ryedir sat on the edge of the bed, still in all his unclothed glory, and looked up once Kari entered the room.

He beckoned the omega forward after he hovered in the doorway, unsure. As Kari approached, he noticed he held the white collar from earlier in his hands. He stopped short of the man and stood awkwardly, staring a hole into the carpet, desperately needing something else to keep his gaze on.

“Come here.”

Kari gulped and stepped forward until he stood between the alpha’s knees. Unfortunately, being so close lost him the option of looking at the carpet and instead he focused on the man’s shoulder.

“This…” Kari let his gaze be unwillingly dragged to the collar. “Is your new slave collar. This shows that you are my property and as such, no one else is to touch you. It shows what you are so that if you try to escape, the local authorities will know to stop you and where to bring you. It bears my personal crest.”

Ryedir ran a thumb over the polished metal plate stuck to the front of the leather. It bore a small but intricate picture. “And marks you as mine personally. You will wear this, no hand but my own is ever to remove it and there will be hell to pay if I find out you or anyone else has. If you try to remove it or make escape attempts, then my mark will be permanently etched into your pretty skin.”

“Such a crude marking would be a shame to inflict upon your skin when set against such a wondrous marking as the one on your wrist, but make no mistake, I will not hesitate to enforce my words on you. You are my slave and as such, my words are law. I can choose to remove this collar should you agree to become mine and prove yourself trustworthy. A slave tattoo cannot be removed short of losing that limb. I would suggest that you keep that in mind.”

Ryedir stood then and Kari tensed. The man towered a full head above himself and he stood eye level with his impressive chest. In built and size, the man was way larger than him. The alpha could easily snap him like a twig. He stayed still while he waged an internal battle against his omegan instincts. They screamed at him to lean closer to the man, that the alpha was strong, that he could provide for him and protect him. Gentle fingers brushed at his neck as the collar was fastened in place but Kari was barely aware of it.

He had never had such a strong reaction from his omega side before. Normally he hardly reacted to alphas at all. It usually got him in trouble because alphas had this woeful tendency to be expecting him to grovel at their feet. Instead he would spit fiery defiance from his mouth.

Yhieris, what was taking the man so long to do up a buckle?

His eyes widened in surprise as he felt the fingers sneaking under the collar and he realized that Ryedir was testing the fit to make sure it wasn’t too tight. He suddenly heard Enid’s soft voice in his head.

“You look after your possessions, don’t you?”

That thought was less comforting than it should be. Honestly the whole slavery deal left a bad taste in his mouth. Finally satisfied, Ryedir dropped his hands from his neck and gently tilted Kari’s head back so he stared straight into his golden eyes. He seemed to search his face for a moment, but whether he was satisfied with what he found there Kari would never know, as his blank expression betrayed nothing. He let go after a few tense moments and gestured to the bed behind him with a nod.

“Bed.”

Kari woodenly climbed on to the bed, limbs immediately sinking in to the puffy mattress. He crawled up to the pillows, lifted the edge of the blankets and burrowed himself in the soft warmth. He watched Ryedir turn off the light and the darkness spreading in the room and felt relieved that he could finally hide his form away from those assessing eyes. The last candle was extinguished and the room plunged into darkness.

Kari held his breath as he listened to the alpha approach and felt the bed dip as he climbed in. The sheets moved as the man arranged himself and then there was stillness.

For the first time since he had said the words, Kari actually believed the man when he said he wouldn’t touch him. He let his breath out slowly and shifted around a little to make himself more comfortable, conscious not to move too much lest he disturb the alpha.

As he let himself relax and sink into the bed, he finally noted how comfortable it was. What on earth was the pillow made of? Clouds? The puffy blankets were smooth and soft against his skin, somehow warm and comforting without being stifling. He luxuriated in the feeling but stared into the darkness unable to be lulled to sleep by the blissful comfort surrounding him.

Now that he could actually think, he found himself unable to stop. His mind spun in endless circles as he contemplated the whirlwind of events that occurred that evening.

And the impossible choice that he had been left with.

He knew choosing the brothel meant death. For a start, he would not allow himself to be sold and used for countless people’s cheap pleasure. He would take a knife to his throat before he let that happen. If they were able to stop him from doing that, then the sheer brutality of countless rapes and the removal of his freedom would break him completely.

He would die one way or another. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Ryedir had told him straight up that if he couldn’t have him, no one could. He saw the deadly promise in the man’s eyes- if that’s what he chose then there would be no backing out.

Yet the other choice held no more appeal. Mate and bond him. Was the man crazy? He didn’t know him and he wanted to tie them together for an eternity? A bond between an alpha and an omega was for life. Soul-bond, people called it. Other classes could mate and form bonds together but it would eventually fade with time if not maintained. But a soul-bond between and alpha and omega was more binding than even a marriage. They could not be separated for any great length of time and would become almost emotionally dependent on the other.

It affected omegas far more, to the point that their heats could be reduced if they were well looked after both mentally and physically. But conversely, if they were mistreated, their heats would extend, often to deadly degrees. It was their instinctual way of trying to get that needed attention any way possible.

And what if Kari turned out to be a bearer? His family had no omegas for generations, so there was no way to tell if he may be able to bear children until he either did or did not get pregnant. Yet it seemed like the man didn’t care if he was.

What did he intend to do? Keep him fat with child as a way to keep him close and get the heirs he needed? But if he wasn’t a bearer, then what? The man would have to knock up someone else and have a mistress on the side for children? The very thought of choosing Ryedir only to have to watch as he went to someone else’s bed was sickening.

But beyond all of that there was the unspoken suggestion of the loss of freedom that was far greater than just slavery. Bonding Kari meant a binding far greater and more restricting than any slave mark. Kari could never willingly leave the man’s side. Even if he got the chance to escape, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t even be able to take his own life because his instincts would force him to live for his mate. Yet he would be a slave still, slave to the alpha’s needs and wants because of that unbreakable bond.

Lezzker’s property for life or death?

What kind of impossible choice had he been given?