Darkness. It was all Raven could see, all he could feel, as if the world had collapsed into a void. There was no ground beneath him, no air to breathe, yet he was suffocating. The whispers came first, though faint like it's on the edge of his consciousness and they were in languages he didn’t know, had never heard. They weren’t voices from one direction—they surrounded him, pressed against his ears, whispered right beside him, and roared from some unreachable distance all at once.“…kalogeros…”He tried to speak, to scream, but his throat betrayed him. The whispers grew louder, a cacophony, weaving words he couldn’t grasp. Panic clawed at him, yet he was frozen, unable to escape the weight of their unseen presence.Then, light. Blinding, searing white light.It burned through the void, slamming down upon him like a judgment. He was no longer floating. His body lay on a bed—too sterile, too white. His arms and legs were stretched out, bound by straps that bit into his skin. He could
Raven didn’t remember when he fell asleep. The night had been heavy and the whispers were just as louder as usual. They slipped into his ears, wrapping around his thoughts like a shroud. Now, as he stirred awake, he realized something was wrong. His shorts were gone.The chill of the morning air brushed against his legs, making his skin crawl. Sitting up, he ran his hands through his hair and froze. His fingers were smeared with blood—dried and cracked. It was a rust-colored stain he couldn’t place. His heart sank. Where was it coming from? He glanced at his legs. A small, shallow cut ran along his thigh. It was barely bleeding but unmistakably fresh.His gaze darted to the open window. The curtains fluttered softly, though the air outside was still. He pieced the fragments of the night together. Something—or someone—had come. And while it hadn’t hurt him, the sheer thought of what it might have done made his chest tighten. Tears slipped from his eyes as he hugged his knees to h
Emerson exited his sleek black car with his phone pressed to his ear as he strode up the stone pathway to his house. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the manicured lawn, but Emerson’s focus was elsewhere.“Raven,” he said, his tone a mix of irritation and amusement. “I’ve heard you, okay? You don’t have to banter about everything.”From the other end of the line came Raven’s voice, sharp and teasing. “Oh, sure, but you did accept the video game I sent you. Why? You hate my recommendations.”“I accepted it because I want to test it,” Emerson replied, reaching the door handle. He stepped inside and the sweet scent of his favourite air freshener welcomed him. “If it’s like every other boring, run-of-the-mill video game you’ve tried to shove down my throat, I’ll definitely reject it.”Raven snorted. “Boring? We’ll see about that.” “Anyway, how’s your mom? You saw her the other day, right?” Emerson asked.“Yes, yes, I did.”“Good.” Raven's tone turned sly. “But let’s talk about
“All right, Porsche,” Emerson began, flicking the lighter on with a soft click. “Lesson of the day: pain response.”Porsche tilted its head slightly, processing the statement. “Pain response, Mr. Emerson? I do not feel pain.”“Exactly the point,” Emerson replied, holding the small flame up between them. “That’s why we’re doing this. You can’t just stand there like a mannequin if something happens to you. People will know you’re… well, you’re not entirely human.”Porsche nodded slightly with a calm face. Emerson sighed, leaned back, and pressed the flame against his own palm for half a second. “Aish!” he yelped, shaking his hand wildly. “See? That’s what pain looks like!”Porsche stepped closer, observing the reaction with meticulous interest. Emerson handed it the lighter. “Now, you try. Mimic that.”Porsche looked at the lighter. With a calculated flick, he ignited the flame and calmly pressed it against its palm. A faint sizzling sound could be heard, but Porsche stood unflinching.
“Sit still,” Emerson muttered, fiddling with the phone in Porsche’s hand. They were perched on his room couch. His brows furrowed in concentration as he swiped and tapped, setting up the device.“This… thing is frustrating,” Porsche commented, his voice a mixture of awe and impatience. “How do humans manage to function with such a contraption?”Emerson rolled his eyes. “It’s not rocket science, Porsche. Just a little patience and a lot of tapping. See?” He turned the screen to show the sleek interface of the phone. “This is the main menu. You tap here for messages, here for calls, and here…” He pressed a camera icon, and the screen switched to a live feed of their faces. “....for pictures.”Posh leaned closer, his curiosity piqued. “Pictures.”Emerson sighed, swiping at the screen as if it might bite. He’d bought it for Porsche, yet here he was, setting it up like a tech support guy on a slow day.“You’d think a high-functioning AI could do this on his own,” he muttered, glancing at P
The gentle buzz of Emerson’s phone cut through the charged moment. His brow furrowed as he glanced at the screen. “Aunt?” The single word came out in a mix of surprise and suspicion. Porsche tilted his head, curious, but said nothing.Emerson hesitated before swiping to answer. He glanced back at Porsche randomly. His chestnut gaze flickered briefly, then turned away. “Hello, Aunt.” It was Raven's mother.A smooth, practiced voice responded on the other end. “Emerson, my dear boy. How are you? How’s work?”“I’m fine, Aunt. Work is... work.” He allowed a faint smirk to ghost over his lips before it vanished. “What’s the occasion? You don’t usually call just to chat.”There was a slight pause, and then her voice dropped to a more serious tone. “You’re right. It’s about Rave.”The mention of Raven made Emerson’s lips thin. His free hand instinctively slid into his pocket. That was a nervous habit he rarely displayed. “Raven? What about him?”“Have you spoken to him recently?” Emerson
Time was slipping away unnoticed. Has it been minutes past? Hours? Emerson for sure, couldn't tell. Hallelujah, there were no disturbances and the room was silent. Well, that's if the faint hum of the air conditioning is to be ignored. But his mind was anything but calm.He leaned forward in the chair with his body turned slightly away from the oak desk. His hands moved rhythmically; through his hair, down his face and to his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as if the pressure could force clarity into his thoughts.“He's still not answering my phone calls. Why? Just why? Why aren't you picking up, Stupid Raven!?” Raven has always been a fortress of some crucial secrets, but Emerson had learned to see through the cracks. There was always something weighing on him and of recent, it seemed... heavyA faint click jolted Emerson from his thoughts. It was the door to this study. Opening. Emerson didn't lift his head. His eyes remained closed as he exhaled heavily.“I need some qui
“Ever since I have known myself, I have known another.Another presence, another being, another world existing beside mine. Often overshadowing it. From my earliest memory, life has been a continuous struggle. A quiet torment. I never knew freedom, not in the sense most people speak of it. To exist for me was to share my body, my thoughts, and my very essence with others. Others I did not invite. My life has been a shadowed reflection of what it should have been, cast in hues of fear and confusion.As a child, the torment was not much but it was frequent. I remember sitting in class with the warm sunlight pouring through the windows, yet I had felt none of its comfort. My classmates avoided me. Not out of cruelty, but out of fear. They whispered about the strange things that always happened when I was around. Strange things done by me, myself.Sometimes, I felt like a monster. Not just because of the distance others kept but because of the ‘others’ that took over me. I would lose h
Once again, Leroy Jr. awoke feeling warm and content.His back was pressed against Xcott's front, his head resting on one massive bicep, while Xcott's other arm was wrapped tightly around his waist. A heavy thigh was thrust between Leroy's legs, anchoring him in place.Leroy sighed sleepily and nestled back against Xcott before the memories of the previous evening rushed in. His muscles tensed. Oh my god. Xcott had spanked him—hard. It had hurt like hell. But Xcott had also given him the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced.Then again, he was a virgin.His conscience screamed at him. What is wrong with me? How could I have reacted like that?Moving carefully, Leroy tried to slip out from under Xcott's arm, but the hold immediately tightened."Running away, my little son?" Xcott’s deep, amused rumble sent an involuntary shiver through Leroy.Before he could protest, Xcott laughed and rolled on top of him, his broad hips settling against Leroy’s. His chest was warm and heavy, pr
Leroy was vaguely aware of the shelf beneath his body and of the fiery glow of his abused bottom, but they seemed very distant. A warm hand stroked his back and it felt nice… very nice, but that was distant, too.Xcott's voice finally penetrated. “Little son, answer me.”“Hmm?” Had he asked him something? Leroy tried to focus but he couldn’t remember the question.“When was the last time you ate?” Xcott asked patiently. He tried to wave a hand, mildly surprised when it responded. “Berries… pool… earlier,” he finally mumbled.A low laugh sent a pleasant shiver through his body. “I think I had better feed you before we continue with my plans for the evening.”“Okay,” Leroy whispered obediently. His tears had dried up now.Another low laugh and this one was e
“No,” Leroy shook his head. “No, please. No. Stop.”Xcott didn't pay heed. Once he fastened them around Leroy's wrists, the catch disappeared. They were beautiful and Leroy now admired the gleam of the gold against his pale white skin. They were just… bracelets. And this time, masculine ones.Leroy opened his mouth to thank him but he was already reaching for two more. These matched the first set but were slightly longer and Leroy eyed them with uneasy suspicion as he bent to fasten them around Leroy's ankles.Leroy's thoughts immediately flashed back to the metal cuffs the slavers had used, but those heavy metal bands were a far cry from these delicate golden links.“What are those?” he demanded.Xcott laughed softly and the low rumble sent a shiver of pleasure up Leroy's spine in spite of his trepidation. “Let’s
Once Leroy stepped inside, K'coba closed the door quietly.Leroy's heart started beating unexpectedly hard in his chest, his eyes went straight to Xcott. Xcott was seated at the desk, bent over a screen, and he didn’t look up immediately so Leroy was able to study him.His eyes traveled appreciatively over Xcott's handsome alien features and the muscled perfection of Xcott's chest visible through the open vest. But he could also see the tension in those broad shoulders and he had a sudden desire to walk up behind him, wrap his arms around him, and nibble kisses into the strong column of his neck.Leroy felt his nipples tighten at the image of his own filthy imagination. Damn, what was wrong with his stupid self?As if aware of his own appraisal, Xcott looked up, a half-smile curving his lips until he took in Leroy's appearance. The smile remained but his eyes hardened. “Take t
Leroy’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with possibilities."I might know a way actually."His fingers curled into the fabric of his loose-fitting tunic. He should be overjoyed; this was the first real thread of escape he’d been given. But something about the way both women looked at him made his stomach twist.It’s not that simple, is it? It never was.“You know a way?” Leroy asked, his voice coming out rougher than he intended. This was hope, but in an upsetting way. “And you’re just telling me because?”Jadona exhaled, as if she had expected that reaction. “Little man…”“No.” He shook his head, his eyes burning. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to wake up in a place where you don’t belong? To be dragged into a life you never agreed to?”
A completely unexpected pang of jealousy shot through Leroy. Tsk, tsk. What was that about?Sure, he was tall, sexy, and kissed him so hard his bones melted. He was also arrogant, demanding, unfeeling, and he had him, a little ‘son’, kidnapped as a slave.If he didn’t want to have sex with that big golden guy—although he wasn’t as convinced of that as he would have liked—why did it matter who else he was having sex with?Pushing the thought aside, Leroy probed further. “But do you want to be slaves?”An identical expression of sorrow crossed each woman’s delicate face, their hair drooping inunison, and Leroy felt like he had kicked a pair of puppies.Trocana sighed. “Of course not. We were traveling with a relative. He sold us to pay off his gambling debts.”“He could
“That’s it? Watch television or pamper myself?”Leroy was more than ecstatic. Was this how life was in the world outside of Earth? It was really enticing that someone as greedy would choose to stay here and never leave. But not him.“Of course. I told you that Almighty Xcott was very generous,” K'coba said proudly.Leroy stared at him, trying to figure out how to explain to the alien man that his suggestionshorrified his little heart rather than pleased it. There had never been a time in his bitter life when he wasn’t constantly busy.As little as he was at 20 years old, he was the only child of a dead mother and an imprisoned father who hadn’t managed to secretly save up good money before the doom that befell. Things were never so difficult that none of his parents ever experienced a series of low-paying jobs and Leroy had been sp
“Why do people come here?” The idea that such a huge operation was just floating around in space stunned him, who had a tech and science geek father.K'coba shrugged again. “Various reasons. The repair shops and refueling stations drive a certain amount of traffic. And, of course, the fight pit, the brothels, and the gambling dens draw others. Then there are the merchants, the restaurants, the lodgings. At any given time, there are thousands of people here—some permanent, some transient—but all expecting a certain amount of…order. Order thatAlmighty Xcott provides.” A small smile curved his mouth and it was unexpectedly appealing. “Ofof course, order is relative.”Leroy stared out into the atrium, still trying to process the immense space as his words registered. “What do you mean fight pit? Brothels? Gambling dens?”K'coba looked at him a little uneasily. “They are some of our most profitable businesses.” Hehesitated. “If you have any additional questions, you should ask our maste
Leroy stared into space, planning the whole thing out after Xcott departed. The thought of never going back to earth again… it was saddening even if he was treated as shit there.His legs suddenly gave out to the sad thoughts and he collapsed down on the lounge chair. From one nightmare straight into another.Well, admittedly the surroundings and the food were significantly better here than earth of course, but at least on the earth he knew what his belonged to him and no one else to control it. Here his chains were not visible but they were just as strong. Even worse, his stupid straight body responded to Xcott with an intensity he had never felt before, betraying his every attempt to remain angry or even aloof as he has been all his life. And Xcott had seemed to respond just as strongly. Maybe he was a gay alien and he enjoyed this sort of rainbow life?Despite the circumstances, Leroy had almost believed that there might be a connection between them. When Xcott's eyes warmed, whe