Sevastyan #2

Sevastyan nodded. He took his gun out of his coat and put it on the table beside Lisa’s shoulder. “I’m going to sleep. There are drugs in my system. I may not wake quickly or easily. If your little stunt has brought attention to us, I expect you to take care of it.”

Lisa stared at the gun and then at Sevastyan, and then at the gun again. “I could shoot you.”

“This is the United States. You could have brought a gun with you and shot me. You’re resourceful enough.”

Sevastyan stood. “Besides, like I said before, if you shoot me, you lose Rei. At best he goes to Alexi, and Alexi lets them slice you up alive. At worst, they make an example out of him and make you watch before they send you back to the dogs with nothing but his flesh to eat.”

Lisa’s stomach heaved in revulsion. “I don’t want to kill you.”

“That I don’t believe.” Sevastyan picked up his shirt. “You want to kill me. But I do believe you won’t. Rei, at ease. Go brush your teeth. Find toiletries for Lisa.”

Lisa slowly came to his feet but backed away from Sevastyan. Rei moved towards the bedroom.

Sevastyan motioned Lisa to follow Rei. He went, hesitatingly, looking back multiple times over his shoulder.

Sevastyan rubbed his temples once more. Rei was going to be worried. He had to find a way to comfort his boy with Lisa present. And he had to sleep. The rest he’d had at the Bolthole had been enough to let him walk home but not enough to bring him back to any sense of stability.

He limped into the bedroom, put his things away, and checked his systems and alerts.

Nothing required his attention immediately.

He found the video of Rei going out. His face hadn’t shown at all, and he hadn’t been the only one in the elevator.

Richard Reevesworth and his boy, Collin, with their bodyguards, had been there.

Sevastyan shook his head. Lisa’s stunt was likely not going to cause harm.

It was better, actually, that he’d made his move now rather than in a few days when Dirk might make a visit.

Actually, he could use Lisa as leverage.

Dirk would know who Lisa belonged to. To the outside world, it looked like Alexi was trusting Sevastyan with his personal slave in addition to Sevastyan’s own, a mark of favor Dirk would be stupid to cross.

But there was still the problem of having Lisa for a long period of time inside their inner sanctum.

Those were thoughts to entertain after more rest and caffeine.

Sevastyan moved towards the bathroom and leaned against the doorway, watching Rei and Lisa together.

Rei was offering Lisa floss and Lisa was shaking his head.

He pointed to his toothbrush. It was tinted pink from blood.

Rei grimaced and stood on his tiptoes, looking at Lisa’s teeth.

“You can eat, right?” Rei whispered.

“Yeah.” Lisa shrugged. “But why should I? Felt like I was just eating for them. Don’t want to be pretty for people.”

“Eat for me?” Rei whispered.

Lisa’s shoulders slumped. “Sometimes, I don’t know if there’s a point, ReiRei. Like why do I even keep doing this? I was . . . never mind.” Lisa swung away, grabbing the floss.

Rei grabbed it. “Don’t. You can go one night without. You’ll just bleed more.”

“I think Alexi is going to get rid of me,” Lisa whispered.

“He wouldn’t. You’re his fox.”

“His wild fox. I’m not soft like you, or the others.”

“That’s why he lets you run.”

“It’s not really running,” Lisa muttered. “It’s still a fucking leash. I’m still not . . . I still can’t breathe.”

Rei regarded Lisa with sad eyes.

“Do you . . . how do you . . . how do you not just end it all?” Lisa whispered.

“I almost have,” Rei whispered. “If I’m ever sold, well, I won’t be.”

“So, your master . . ”

“He’s enough.” Rei nodded firmly, but gently.

Lisa frowned, looking down at his hands. “How can you love him?”

“He takes care of me.” Rei looked down as well. “I know it might not look like it. I know you’ve seen things. But . . . if he’s a monster, he’s my monster. He’s the monster that chose me.”

Lisa looked up, catching sight of Sevastyan, and shut his mouth, schooling his face into stubbornness.

He held up his toothbrush to show Sevastyan he was doing as told.

Sevastyan said nothing, eyes moving to Rei.

Rei inclined his head, no fear in his body, just concern creasing the edges of his eyes as he looked at Sevastyan’s bandaged chest.

“I had to speak to someone,” Sevastyan said, addressing Rei as if Lisa wasn’t there. He touched the bandages. “These are just cuts. No worse than some I’ve given you.”

Rei’s eyes went to Sevastyan’s bandaged wrist.

Sevastyan held it up, turning his hand around to show that his wrist worked well. “It was a scene, little one. One that went . . . a bit far.”

“You . . . let someone . . . like . . .” Lisa’s shock echoed through the room.

“Yes.” Sevastyan addressed Lisa directly. “I let someone. How do you think I learned some of what you’ve seen me demonstrate?”

“I thought . . . ”

“You thought my pride wouldn’t let me kneel?”

Sevastyan raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps most masters you’ve met are like that. There’s a reason only Alexi may touch Rei. Most would undo my hard work.”

He held out his hand and Rei came to him willingly, leaning into Sevastyan’s touch and taking the opportunity to press his palm over the bandages on Sevastyan’s chest.

“I needed to make a contact. It was made. Worth the price. And worth your silence.”

Sevastyan narrowed his eyes towards Lisa.

Lisa swallowed and nodded. “I won’t tell. Not even Alexi. I swear.”

“Bed, master?” Rei whispered, perhaps feeling the depth of Sevastyan’s fatigue.

“Bed.” Sevastyan pressed his lips to Rei’s head and turned towards the bedroom.

Rei knelt, helping Sevastyan out of his pants and pulling back the covers. Sevastyan stretched out and patted the mattress beside him. Rei crawled in.

“Lisa, take the other side,” Sevastyan ordered, pulling Rei in to be the little spoon to his larger one.

Lisa sputtered, face flaming. He looked longingly towards Rei.

“Turn out the blasted light and get under the covers, cur,” Sevastyan ordered, no give in his voice. “If you’re going to be here, you can be where I can keep an ear on you.

Lisa turned off the light. A moment later, the bed dipped and another body stretched out on the mattress. Rei reached towards Lisa and pulled him close. Lisa growled but the sound was quickly muffled. Rei might have put a palm over the starving stray’s mouth.

Sevastyan closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was sleep. He was going to have to trust the depth of Lisa’s love for Rei.

A moment later, just as he was drifting off, he felt shifting movement and the touch of a too-slender arm settling around Rei’s body just under his.

Under the cover of darkness, Sevastyan pressed his forehead to the back of Rei’s head and held him close.

There were too many thoughts, too many failures, too many dangers.

Sleep did not so much come to him as take him and drag him under, choking him as he sank into nightmares where only his grip on Rei preserved his sense of self.