Dominic N. Ashen

Special Project Images, Part 4

That first image is one of my favs. <3

Special Project Images, Part 3

Another batch of coloring fun! :D

Special Project Images, Part 2

More coloring book images! Featuring Brull, and a spanking. ;D

Special Project Images, Part 1

Surprise! The images you see above are from one of the special projects I've been hinting at forever: a coloring book! It's techinically a coloring-and-poetry book, retelling the events of the first two books in the Steel & Thunder series. The art is being drawn by Oxford Craik, who's done all my cover art, and each image will be accompanied by a small poem composed by yours truly. I'll be posting a few more images from this over the next few weeks, and I really hope you'll enjoy them. If this sells well, we will certainly be making more as the series continues!

The Crown and The Collar Relaunch

Happy New Year everybody! This news post is going to be a little different than the last few. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ll know this past month has been a bit of a rough one. In addition to preorders getting canceled and my entire catalog being pulled offline, I lost a very, very dear friend of mine, David. I won’t post the entire sad story again, but I will link you to it here if you’d like to read.

David had a large hand in my writing process, and I miss him so much. I’ve been doing better, and I’m still taking some time off, but I’ll be back to active writing in no time. I want to thank all of my readers for the kind word of support you’ve given me when things have truly felt hopeless.

It’s not all bad news I have for you though! As you should be able to tell by the subject line, The Crown and the Collar is back online and once again available for preorder. I am so, so sorry to everyone who had their orders canceled, and have been assured it will not happen again. The rest of my catalog is also up again, all except for the audiobooks. We’re still working on those, unfortunately they always take longer to get listed.

And lets not forget, Before the Storm launched just a few weeks ago! I'm very happy to read all the great reviews that have been coming in, and hope some of you are planning to write to me a few more! Copies are still available everywhere, so pick one up today!

As stated in previous posts, I’m taking the month off here on Patreon, at least from story updates - but it won’t be completely silent! All month long I’ll be posting art from a special project I’ve been working on, exclusively for you subscribers, and I think you will really love what you see. Billing will resume in February!

Until next month, happy reading!

This Month on Patreon

Here’s what January brings to Patreon:

• Special art project surprises!!!

Last Month on Patreon

• An early preview of The Crown and the Collar, Chapter 3
• Enchanted Items - Info on some of the latest and greatest in enchanted items you might find in many Terran households
• The Tiger & The Wolf - a classic Dominic N. Ashen erotic tale that I wrote for a friend a few years ago

The Tiger & The Wolf

Happy Holidays to everyone who has been celebrating! Thanks to everyone for all of your kind comments and well-wishes. I've been doing alright, grieving is certianly a process, but I'm already starting to feel like my old self again.

The next chapter of Caged Among the Stars is coming, just not yet. What I have for you today is actually an older story of mine, one I wrote for a friend of mine. While it's not set in the world of Steel & Thunder, I have a feeling you're still gonna like it. ;)

As a reminder,  I will be pausing Patreon billing for the month of January as I take a little more time off. BUT that doesn't mean I won't be posting anyhting. You'll still be getting a news post next week, and all month I'll be posting art from a special project I've been working on, just for subscribers. See you then, and happy reading!

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The tiger walked through his forested territory in the early morning. He wasn’t native to these parts, but had lived here longer than he could really recall. He had left his home years ago, when he was practically still a cub, needing to find a place of his own, one where he felt as though he actually belonged. Now a full grown adult, he had his own den, an entire territory to call his own, even his own pack. It might seem strange to outsiders, for a tiger to lead a pack of wolves, but he never concerned himself much with the thoughts of others.

Which reminded him: he was supposed to be out here hunting something for them to eat. They were more than capable of finding a meal for themselves, but it had become something of a ritual for him to bring back a large meal for the entire group to share at least once a week. He was having a hard time today though, as something seemed to have scared away all the big game he would normally find in this area.

As he moved swiftly through the forest, he began to make out the sounds of another creature. Large, though not as large as him, and not nearly as stealthy. He began tracking this intruder, his scent growing stronger as he followed the trail. A wolf, but not one of his own. As he drew closer, he began to quiet his approach. He spotted his target ahead of him, moving slowly along the bank of a river. Definitely a wolf, and alone. Strange, but it made no difference. He was in the tiger’s territory.

He continued to stalk the wolf carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. He found his opportunity as the wolf knelt down by the river to take a drink and pounced, tackling and pinning the stranger to the ground.

“What do you think you are doing in my territory, Wolf?” the tiger growled.

The wolf struggled in his hold for a moment before answering. “Well I obviously didn’t KNOW it was your territory, or I wouldn’t be here.” He glared at the tiger above him, continuing to struggle.

“Where is the rest of your pack?” the tiger glared down in return and snarled.

The wolf stopped moving and looked pointedly at the tiger, “I don’t have one.”

The tiger raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

“Fine, I don’t have one anymore,” the wolf said, looking away a bit embarrassed.

“What do you mean?” The tiger raised his other eyebrow at that

“I mean what I say. I don’t have a pack anymore. They kicked me out,” the wolf answered as he continued looking away from the tiger.

“And why did they do that? What did you do that caused them to throw you out?” The tiger looked over the wolf questioningly. Did he even realize how he was baring his neck right now?

“I didn’t do anything!” the wolf answered indignantly, though not able to hide the hurt in his voice, his ears drooping back. “My Al-- my old Alpha just always had it out for me. We never saw eye to eye on anything. He would find any excuse he had to pick a fight with me. Thought I was a bad wolf and pack member no matter what I did, and the rest of the pack believed him. I decided I just couldn’t take it anymore and fought back. And lost. And now… I’m here.”

The tiger considered the wolf before him. He was young, though by no means a child. Didn’t look particularly strong or weak. He could see a few healing bite marks on him, probably a few days old, but he was still handsome, or at least handsome enough for a wolf.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t know there were any tigers around here. If you’ll let me up, I swear I’ll leave your territory right away,” the wolf began, sounding apologetic, if not a little chuffed. “I’m just trying to find my way to someplace where I can rest and eat, maybe find another pack”

The tiger remained silent for a moment. “…I could help you.”

“…what?” The wolf cocked his head questioningly

“I could help you. Take you in. Teach you to be stronger. Faster. Hopefully quieter. I don’t know about smarter, but I’ll certainly try,” The tiger finished.

“Why would a tiger want to help a wolf? How would that benefit you?” the wolf asked, genuinely confused.

“ I’m not an average tiger,” the tiger answered.

“But…what…what do I have to do?” the wolf stammered.

“Whatever I tell you,” the tiger responded with a straight face.

“That’s a tall order.” The wolf scoffed at that

“That’s an order, period,” the tiger clarified with a challenging look.

“…okay,” the wolf decided with a small nod, after considering the tiger for a moment.

“That’s ‘Yes sir, Alpha’,” the tiger corrected him.

“Yes sir, Alpha.” The wolf gulped.

The tiger raked his eyes over the wolf’s body once more, before moving off of him. As the wolf attempted to get up, he felt himself pushed back to the ground big a thick striped paw.

“Stay.”

The wolf stopped moving and laid back, apprehensive under the scrutiny.

“Good boy,” the tiger praised before he moved closer, sniffing and licking at the wolf’s neck and chest. The wolf began to let out small huffs and whimpers as he felt the large, wet tongue move over his body.

“I…nnn…thought that tigers…aaahhh…had rough tongues…” the wolf stuttered out.

“Told you. Not an average tiger,” the tiger growled out.

As he moved down his stomach and towards his crotch, he saw the wolf’s cock begin to grow, and smell the arousal begin to pour off him in waves. He smirked and grabbed the wolf by his shoulders, flipping him onto his stomach, continuing his ministrations at the back of his neck.

The wolf let out a small yelp as he was manhandled, but made no effort to move from where he was placed. As the tiger reached his tail, his breath hitched, anxious for what might come next.

The tiger growled again and grabbed roughly at the wolf’s ass, kneading and squeezing it. He took a moment to enjoy the reactions of the wolf, licking over his hole in a long slow swipe. The wolf moaned lowly and attempted to push back at the tiger’s tongue, and received a sharp smack to his ass in return.

“I told you to stay, pup,” he chastised.

“Sorry, Alpha,” the wolf’s ears drooped back.

The tiger rumbled in approval, before leaning down again to lap at the wolf’s ass slowly. He took his time, enjoying the scent of the wolf, who he could tell was struggling to remain still and quiet. He alternated how he teased him, lightly swiping around his rim and pushing his tongue in deep, causing the wolf to inhale sharply. He occasionally let one of his fangs scrape against one of his cheeks, never enough to hurt, but a sharp reminder of the damage he could cause if he really wanted.

Once he was done he stood, and moved to the wolf’s front, before kneeling in front of his mouth. His cock had grown angry and red and he inspected his new wolf-pup. He reached down and tapped it on the wolf’s muzzle.

“Open.”

The wolf looked up at the tiger’s cock. His new Alpha’s cock. He didn’t look like he had thought. Weren’t cats supposed to have barbed dicks?

“Open.” The tiger huffed impatiently and struck his cock against his muzzle with more force.

The wolf looked up at his new Alpha as he opened his mouth. He had done this before, once or twice when he was a young pup, but not in many years.

The tiger pushed his cock into the open mouth, letting out a low rumble at the feeling of the hot wet heat enveloping him. He pushed in further, causing the wolf to gag and sputter, one of his hands shooting up to push against his muscled and furred thigh. The tiger pulled back slightly, though not all the way, and he looked down and growled. The wolf whimpered in response, eyes watery but unable to speak with his mouth filled.

“You will learn to do this better, pup. Again.” The tiger spoke as he began to push back in, slowly but just as deep as before, the wolf still gagging slightly, but sputtering less.

The tiger continued to thrust in and out, quickening and deepening the pace as the wolf began to take his cock with more and more ease. He rumbled low in his chest in approval, before pulling out completely, not wanting to finish his plans this way.

The tiger again moved behind the wolf, between his spread legs. He grabbed at the wolf’s hips and bent him over, moving him onto all fours. The wolf could feel the tiger behind him, cock lying astride his hole, and tensed up.

“Calm down, pup. This is going to happen one way or another. You’re only going to hurt yourself if you can’t relax.” The tiger stroked his paws down the wolf’s flanks and ass as he spoke.

With one hand he began to gently stroke the wolf’s tail, and with the other pointed his cock to the wolf’s hole. The wolf tried to calm his breathing and his nerves. He didn’t know how that was going to fit in him, but he had already come this far, and he doubted he could outrun the obviously stronger and faster feline, even if he wanted to.

When the tiger felt he was sufficiently calm, he began to press forward, stroking at the wolf’s back with his free hand. The wolf gasped and began to tense up and whimper, and as the tiger pushed more of himself inside, he did his best to soothe his new charge.

“Good pup. You’re doing so good. You can take it,” he praised.

The wolf continued to whimper, trying to focus on the tiger’s words as he felt himself being split open. Eventually, he could feel strong thighs pressed to his own, large furred balls rubbing against his, as the tiger finally bottom out. Pulling about halfway out, the tiger thrust in again steadily, causing the wolf to yelp at the unexpected movement. The tiger grinned and began repeating the movement, moving just a bit faster with every stroke.

The wolf was panting now. It felt…strange. Painful at first, yes, but aside from that not bad. Not quite good either. Different. Full. And every so often, the tiger’s cock would push against something inside him that made his own cock go hard. It had certainly never felt like this before.

“Good boy.” The tiger slapped at his ass, growling when the wolf yelped and tightened around him. “Taking your new Alpha’s cock like you were meant to.” He began thrusting faster and faster.

The wolf’s cock was hard and pulsing now, though it had remained untouched throughout the whole ordeal. He didn’t understand what he was feeling or what was happening, but he began to push back to meet the tiger’s thrusts, egging him on to move harder and faster. His yelps turned to whimpers as the tiger began fucking his ass with thrusts he could barely keep up with.

Soon, the wolf began to feel something around the base of the tiger’s cock, something growing. Something like a knot.

“Al... Alpha,” he panted. “Do…aaahh…do you have a knot? I don’t understaAAAand,” he wailed as the knot grew bigger and was thrust in and out of him, catching on his rim.

The tiger thrusts became more powerful and erratic, and he was letting out an almost constant, low, growl. Just as his knot became too large to continue pulling out of the wolf’s ass, he pushed his cock in to the base, locking them together. The wolf screamed as the knot was forced past his rim. The tiger grabbed the wolf by his thighs and pulled him back, grinding their hips together. He leaned over and growled into the wolf’s ears as he continued to thrust shallowly.

“I keep telling you. I am. Not. An average. Tiger,” he punctuated each word with a thrust, before pushing the wolf to the ground and lying atop him.

The tiger began mouthing at the wolf’s neck as he gave a few more powerful thrusts, pushing himself over the edge, triggering his orgasm and causing his knot to expand to its full size. Just as his load began shooting inside of the wolf, he roared and bit into his neck, deep enough to draw blood, but careful enough not to cause any real damage.

The wolf screamed and howled as he felt the tiger bite into him, and then felt his ass being filled with his Alpha’s cum. His own cock, hard and leaking, began to shoot onto the forest floor as his prostate was pounded and rubbed against by the tiger’s knot, completely untouched.

Once the most powerful wave of his orgasm had passed, the tiger released the wolf’s neck from his jaws, and maneuvered the two of them onto their sides, still locked together by his knot. The tiger began to lick at the oozing bite mark on the neck of his newest wolf-pup, and stroked one hand gently down his chest and stomach to sooth him, the other acting as a pillow beneath his head.

They remained locked together for the next thirty minutes, neither speaking any words, the wolf allowing his Alpha to groom and pet him, as the tiger’s cock continued to pulse cum while locked deep inside him, occasionally giving a small thrust or grinding his crotch against his ass, causing the wolf to whimper.

Eventually, once the tiger’s knot had gone down, he gave one last lick to the wolf’s neck before slowly removing his cock from his newly claimed wolf. He gently maneuvered the wolf onto his stomach, moving to kneel between his legs. He grasped the wolf’s ass in his hands and spread him wide. The wolf’s hole looked angry and puffy, the tiger’s seed slowly leaking from him. The tiger smiled at his handiwork.

Before the wolf could get up or protest, the tiger stood and picked the wolf up, throwing him over his shoulder. As he began to walk back to his den, the wolf began to struggle and protest being carried like this. The tiger shushed him and gave a sharp smack to the ass, silencing him. As the wolf settled against him, the tiger rubbed at the smacked area and smirked. He hoped the rest of his pack found their new pack brother as interesting as he had.

Enchanted Items

While they lack the technology of our world, enchanted magical items have been a part of everyday life in Terra for some time. And it’s more than just weaponry or other adventuring equipment: you have everything from specialized tools to common household items.

Still it is most commonly associated with adventuring troupes and sellswords. These warriors would accumulate magical items along their journeys, often times made by the spellcasters traveling with them. Weaponry that has been imbued with one of the elements, or perhaps increase the strength or speed of the person holding them. Blades that are extra sharp, armor that is extra fortified, a lantern that never goes out - all made of metal magicked to never rust.

As the people of the world began to settle down and establish large cities, enchanted became more commercialized, particularly as specialized equipment for certain professions. In addition to simply making these tools more durable and lasting longer, entirely new ones were thought up. Scribes began using wands capable of copying the ink from one page to another, and miners were given specialized pickaxes, enchanted against destroying whichever minerals they were mining. Even engines were enchanted to run faster and more efficiently.

And naturally, that led to even more common items to be created, becoming more affordable and accessible with each subsequent generation. These days, you can find these items in most Terran households. Coffee pots and tea kettles that automatically heat their contents with the touch of a finger, showers and sinks that are enchanted to flow with hot water, and clocks that tell the time without relying on the sun - and can even have alarms set.

Most spellcasters are capable of enchanting objects and people to a certain degree, though Arcane casters seem to be the most versatile. Within the arcane magical discipline, there are even some spellcasters that seem to have a special connection with this ability, most often going by the simple title of enchanter. These individuals have a natural talent, their enchantments lasting longer and requiring less power than others - and can seemingly do a few things others cannot.

There are certain materials that react differently to enchantment magic. Lodestone is particularly receptive to it, and is often used as a battery to power other, larger enchantments over long periods of time. Mithril is the opposite, and is actually resistant to most types of magic in general - but it’s that resistance and the metal's durability that cause some skilled enchanters to purposefully seek it out.

Enchantment itself has now become a commodity, with enchanters setting up shop and offering their services around the globe. Even non-spellcasters have gotten in the game, sourcing enchanted items from all over to sell in their own shops. And this will only continue to ease the needs of the Terran population. I mean, if you could use magic on all the little annoyances of your day, wouldn’t you?

Sad Announcement

This is a very difficult message to make, and one I have been dreading for some time. This is David, one of my best friends in the entire world. On Monday, David passed away after his battle with cancer came to an end.

Some of you knew David. Maybe you connected on Goodreads, or you read one of his reviews - several of them are on the backs of my hardcovers. He was even a beta reader for some of my fellow authors - he was one of my best.

Even if wasn't personally, if you’ve read my books, you knew David. Anytime I had a new idea or wanted some feedback, he was the first person to read it. He was my biggest cheerleader, and could talk you ears off for hours about my books if you gave him the chance.

I first met him not long after publishing my first book and seeing his review. He messaged me via Facebook and we hit it off. We connected on not just my books, but comics, video games, and all sorts of nerdy stuff. It wasn’t long after that he visited me in Florida in person, a few times. I cannot tell you how badly I wish those visits had lasted longer now.

We talked almost every day, until he got sick. I truly feel lost without him in my life anymore. I wake up most days and check my phone still expecting to see a message from him, and am immediately crushed when I remember why I don’t. Everything I see reminds me of him, because he was the person I talked to about everything. I miss him so much.

I will be meeting the rest of this month’s Patreon obligations, and then I will be stepping away from writing, at least for a short while. I can’t even open one of my Google docs, knowing that when I do, I’ll see one of his notes - all while knowing one them will be his very last, ever. Everything hurts right now, and I need some time to grieve and process, and then figure out how to move forward.

I will likely be pausing next month's Patreon subscriptions, though I won’t be stepping away entirely, I did just have a book release, and you can expect a full relaunch for The Crown and the Collar preorders. But for now, I’d just like you to tell your friends you love them and spend all the time you can together. Don’t take them for granted, because you never know when one day, they’ll just be gone.

I love you David, and I will never forget you.

The Crown and the Collar, Chapter 3

Hey everyone, I'm really sorry to do this, but I'm dealing with something serious right now and wasn't able to finish this week's chapter. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter of The Crown and the Collar!

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“I’m going to tell him yes.”

“Son, no!”

“We told you: you don’t need to do this.”

“Please, just listen to me,” I start, hoping my explanation will be enough. I was up most of the night and part of this morning thinking about what I was going to say to my parents. “I know you don’t want me to do this, but it’s just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I know money has been tight for a few years now, and it isn’t getting any better.”

“You let us worry about money,” Daddy tries to correct me. “That’s not your responsibility.”

“But someday it will be.” A day that is closer than any of us want to admit.“And the truth is, I actually think this could also be kind of a fun experience. Getting to leave the village, seeing the capital...”

“You make it sound like a vacation,” Momma interjects, frowning. “More like being sold off. You’re going to belong to the prince.”

“Well, everyone says Prince Makseka is supposed to be kind. And... I don’t think he’s terrible to look at, either,” I admit, too embarrassed to meet either of their gazes. “It’s not like I’ve been getting a lot of dates around here.” I’ve had exactly zero.

“Well, if... If that’s really your decision, son,” he tries to give me his blessing, right as Momma bursts into tears.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving us,” she manages between sobs.

“Don’t cry, Momma. It’ll be okay.” I immediately move to comfort her with a hug. “I promise that I’ll write to you all the time, and I’m sure I’ll be able to come visit.” Not that I have any way of knowing that, but I don’t think the prince would keep me from my family.

“I just never imagined that you’d ever leave Weston.” She sniffles, squeezing me tight. “You’ve always been my little boy. This is where you belong—with us.”

“I know, Momma, but I’m all grown up now,” I assure her. “I gotta make some of my own choices.”

“You picked some choice to start with.” She pulls away, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. “Alright, you better get upstairs and start packing. I have a feeling the prince won’t be long, and I have to start breakfast.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I laugh at her quick shift in personality. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go.” She shoos me out of the kitchen and into the living room.

“Son...” Daddy follows me as I make my way upstairs.

“I hope you’re not going to try and get me to change my mind.” Not after I made that little speech and everything.

“I’m not. I just want to make sure you know how much we’re going to miss you.” He hugs me. “You can always come back here. This will always be your home.”

“I know. I’m gonna miss you too. I’m gonna miss the farm, the town, everything.” I have to break our hug before I get too emotional—Daddy hates crying—and turn to my closet to find my old backpack. “Who knows? Maybe the prince will get sick of me on the ride there and decide to send me back.”

“It’s gonna be hard to believe something like that could happen.” The loud clattering of pots and pans from downstairs has us both looking at my bedroom doorway. “I better go see if your mother needs help ... before she burns the house down.”

With Daddy gone, I look around my room and start to think about what I need to pack. Some clothes obviously and my toothbrush. I should probably shave too; I want to make sure I look my best! But what else? I take a little too long deciding on which clothes to bring with me, trying to figure out which count as my “nicest” clothes.

The outfit I end up wearing is one I haven’t had on since we went to church last year for the winter solstice, a white shirt with black pants that are just a little too tight. After I fold and stuff some of my other shirts and pants into the bag, I pick out a few books too (not any of the steamy ones—the last thing I need is for the prince to know about those). I’m also thinking about bringing along some old letters and birthday cards, and maybe... Oh wait!

I return to my closet, digging through my box of old keepsakes until I find what I’m looking for: a folded piece of paper, yellowed from age. I carefully unfold it, revealing a charcoal drawing of me and my parents. The three of us are on a bench with me in the middle, all of us looking as happy as could be. We had it sketched at the village’s annual harvest festival almost ten years ago.

I love this picture and carefully refold it so I can pack it with my other things. I have a lot of good memories of that day. All the candy apples, dancing to the music with Violet and my mom, getting lost in the corn maze... I really am going to miss this place. When I got into my bed last night, I don’t think I realized it would be my last time I slept in it.

Not that I got much sleep. Even after my walk, I spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about what the morning would hold. What I’d need to say. Including some last minute things I want to ask the prince about before I actually tell him yes. I yawn, buckling my bag closed and throwing it over my shoulder, wishing my bedroom a silent goodbye as I leave.

Back downstairs, the smell of something delicious draws me back to the kitchen. When I enter, my eyes are immediately drawn to the mountain of food on the table. There’s a big stack of flapjacks, a giant bowl of scrambled eggs, more sausage than I’ve ever seen at once, and a plate of mom’s homemade biscuits.

“This looks amazing, Momma,” I praise as I eagerly take my seat, an empty plate in front of me. “How did you make all this so fast?”

“Your father helped,” she says as she takes her own. “I don’t know what kind of fancy chefs they have in the castle, but I guarantee they won’t hold a candle to your own mother’s cooking.”

“I know they won’t, Momma.” I smile, already piling flapjacks onto my empty plate.

We make sure that our last meal together is a nice one. There’s only minimal crying on Momma’s part. We avoid talking about how I’ll be leaving any minute now and just treat it like every other breakfast we’ve had together. I’m gonna miss this so much.

I’m just finishing my fourth flapjack when a knock on the front door stops us mid-conversation. We all share a look; we know the prince is here. After quickly swallowing down the last few bites on my plate, we move to the living room, where Daddy answers the front door.

“Your Highness, good morning. Please, come in.” Daddy steps back, holding the door open.

“Thank you, Mr. Lambert,” Prince Makseka greets as he and his entourage enter. “I hope you and your family are doing well this morning. Especially you, Peter,” he says to me, a look of expectation on his face.

“I-It is good to see you, Your Highness.” Guess I’m back to stammering.

“I believe you have an answer for me?” He stands in front of me, waiting.

“I do b-but... I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions myself, first?” I dare, already nervous about his answers

“Alright, go ahead.” He nods, though behind him I can see Kamo huffing.

“If I say yes, will I be able to come back to Weston? To visit my family?” I told myself last night that if his answer is no, then mine would be the same.

“Of course,” he answers right away, and I let out the breath I was holding. “We could even have them come and stay at the castle sometime. Soon, even.”

“Really? That would be great.” Even as relief floods my body, I prepare for my next request. “There was one other thing. I know your offer to my family was already incredibly generous, but... I have a friend. Her father, he’s very sick. He has been for a while now, but we don’t know what the illness is or how to help him.”

“Your local healer wasn’t able to figure it out?” Makseka tilts his head to the side as he asks.

“No, sir.” I shake my head. “Dr. Connor said there was something wrong with his lungs, but he’s not a magic user and wasn’t able to figure out more than that.”

“I see.” He chews his lip for a moment. “Well, I’d be happy to send one of the castle’s physicians to come and take a look. Magic or otherwise, they should hopefully be able to help.”

“Really?” I confirm with a little too much excitement. “That... That would be amazing, sir.”

“Of course. Was there anything else?” I answer the question with a shake of my head. “Does that mean you have an answer for me now?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” I nod. “I accept. It would be an honor to be your consort.” I think that’s what you’re supposed to say.

“Fantastic.” He grins wide and then quickly takes both my hands in his. “Now then, I don’t want to rush you, but we were due back in St. Kizis ... yesterday. Are you ready to leave?”

“Actually, sir... I need to run into town,” I say, worried and not quite anticipating that we would be leaving immediately. “There’s someone I need to say goodbye to in the village.”

“Your Highness, we have been here long enough. We cannot—”

Prince Makseka puts one hand up to silence Kamo without turning around. “Can you be fast?”

“Yes, sir.” I nod frantically. “I promise I will run right back.”

“Then that’s fine. Go right ahead,” he says with a warm smile. “I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.”

“Thank you so much.” I make an awkward little bow before rushing out the door.

I run down the road as fast as I can, past the three carriages parked outside the farm. People stare as I rush into the village, not stopping until I reach Violet’s door, pounding on it frantically. She looks annoyed, still half-asleep when she answers, at least until she sees that it’s me.

“Peter? What are—”

“I said yes,” I blurt out before she can finish. “I told the prince yes. I’m going to be his consort.”

“Oh my god!” Her face brightens into a smile. “That’s amazing!” Her smile falters for a second. “But I guess that means...”

“Yeah. I’m leaving.” I nod. “Right now, actually. I just didn’t want to go without saying goodbye.”

“I’m going to miss you.” She leans in for a hug. “You better write to me all the time. I want to know about everything that goes on inside the castle.” She pokes me in the stomach.

“I will.” I rub at the spot she poked. “I have more to tell you though. Before I said yes, I told him about your father. How he’s sick, and how we haven’t been able to find him help. He said that he’s going to send a doctor from the castle! I know it’s not a guarantee, but they still might—”

I’m cut off when Violet rushes forward to grab me in another hug, her voice breaking. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“I just hope they can do something,” I tell her, not letting go as she sobs against my chest.

But eventually, I know I have to. “I have to go, Violet. He’s waiting for me to get back.”

“Okay.” She nods, sniffling. “Write to me as soon as you can though. I mean it! I want all the details about the prince and all the royal drama.”

“I will. I promise.” I smile at her request for gossip. “And I’ll be back to visit. Tell the others I said goodbye. And your father, too.”

“I will.” She adjusts her now-askew headwrap. “Now get back to your prince.”

With a final wave goodbye, I leave the town, running all the way back up the dirt road. I’m winded by the time I make it back to the farm and realize with a grimace that I’m also sweaty. Maybe I’ll have time to change?

Everyone is still in the living room, waiting for me when I enter, out of breath. The prince stands when I approach, obviously eager to see me again. But then he sniffs the air as he moves toward me, and his face shifts to suspicious.

“Good to have you back,” he says cooly. “Did everything go alright saying goodbye to your...” Another sniff. “Girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend?” How’d he know Violet was a girl? “Not a girlfriend. Just a friend. My best friend, the one whose father needs the doctor.”

His face softens when he hears my answer, his shoulders even drooping a little. “Sorry. When I smelled her on you, I just thought...” He trails off and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. Alright, it’s a long trip back to the castle, so you’ll need to be ready for at least two days of travel.”

“I’m already packed,” I say with confidence before looking down at my sweaty shirt. So much for changing.

“Wonderful,” Kamo interrupts. “Then if everything has been taken care of, we can leave. Your Highness?”

“Give him a minute to say goodbye to his parents, Kamo.” Prince Makseka rolls his eyes and turns to me. “Sorry. Take your time, really. We’ll be outside.” He walks over to my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Lambert, I want to thank you for your hospitality. I promise I will take good care of your son.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Daddy says with all the composure he can muster while Momma remains silent, probably afraid of what she might say.

“Momma... Daddy...” I start as the royals leave. Before I can continue, Momma wraps her arms around me and bursts into tears.

“I c-can’t believe you’re l-leaving us...” She sobs into my chest.

“Momma, please don’t cry.” I rub her back, trying to console her and not cry myself. “You heard him. I’ll be able to come back whenever I want. You and Daddy will even be able to visit me at the castle!”

“It’s just hard to lose you, son,” Daddy explains as he joins our hug. “Remember, you always have a home here, no matter what.”

“I know.” I squeeze them both tightly. “I love you both, and I’m going to miss you so much.”

After we share a few more minutes of teary-eyed goodbyes, it’s finally time for me to go. I throw my bag over my shoulder, and my parents follow me to the door outside. As they wait on the porch, I say one final goodbye to the farmhouse, turning toward the carriages, the prince, and my new life.

“There you are.” Prince Makseka flashes me a bright smile as I approach.

“Yes, sir.” I drop my bag on the ground. “I’m ready to go.”

Before I realize what’s happening, one of the knights comes up and picks up my bag, bringing it to the rear carriage. Figuring that’s where I’ll be riding, I start to follow her until a shoulder on my hand stops me. I turn and see the prince watching me with a look of confusion.

“Aria is just loading your bag with some of the other luggage,” he explains before patting the side of the middle carriage. “You’re riding with me.”

Up close, I can see that it’s actually bigger than the other carriages, bigger and with more detailing. Kamo holds open the door for the prince, revealing the plush red seats and fabric lined walls inside. After climbing in, the prince turns around to offer me a hand up.

“This is so nice,” I say as I sit down, in awe of the interior. I’ve never sat on anything besides a hard wooden bench before, and none of those carts had a roof.

“I know this is all really sudden,” Prince Makseka says as he takes the seat opposite me. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you on the ride.”

“Your Highness, I am sorry to interrupt.” Kamo pokes his head in through the still open door. “If you will remember, before we left the castle, there were a number of matters that required your attention. Studying for your upcoming university examinations, reviewing the trade deal with Lutheria you pushed for, as well as completing the report for your father on the results of this outing to Blackport...” He holds a large stack of papers in both hands, holding them for the prince to take. “You will need to read through these by the time we arrive. Some require your signature.”

“Ugh, seriously Kamo?” He flips through the thick stack with a frown. “This is a week’s worth of work at least.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness,” Kamo apologizes, but I swear I see the hint of a smile on his face. “But as you know, we were due back at the castle yesterday. It cannot be helped.”

“Alright, sorry gorgeous.” Prince Makseka gives me an apologetic look. “The responsibilities of a prince never really end. I’ll try to get through these as fast as possible.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” I nod. Looks like I’ll be in charge of entertaining myself.

I wave goodbye to my parents on the porch as we pull away from the farm, Momma holding on sadly to Daddy’s side. I watch as we pull away from the village, the familiar sights fading in the distance. Soon enough, the outside is filled with forests and hills that I’ve never seen before, and I’m glued to the window.

“Is it really that interesting?” The prince’s question startles me.

“Sorry, I’ve never been this far outside of Weston before.” I feel embarrassed and turn back to the new sights and sounds. “This is all new.”

“No, the look on your face as you were watching the landscape... It was cute. Endearing even.” He looks bashful himself for a moment before looking out the window himself. “I wish I could see it through your eyes.”

“How’s the reading coming?” I ask, eyeing the stack of papers that he’s barely managed to work through.

“Mind numbingly boring,” he complains, flipping through them. “I’m sorry. I was looking forward to spending this ride getting to know each other.”

“Well... We’ll still have time for that when we reach the capital, won’t we?” I try not to sound disappointed.

“I’ll make sure of it.” He nods. “And if you think all this is great, you’ll love when we reach the city. I can’t wait to show you around.”

“That sounds nice,” I tell him with a small smile.

After that, the prince goes back to reading, and I go back to staring out the window. At some point, my lack of sleep finally catches up to me, and I pass out, waking to the prince gently shaking my shoulder.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” I see him smiling down at me. “We just stopped for lunch. I would have woken you earlier, but you looked peaceful.”

“I guess I needed a little extra sleep.” I try not to feel embarrassed as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

“Come on. Let’s get out and stretch our legs and get something to eat.” The prince leads the way out of the carriage.

Outside, I see the knights and Kamo have already exited their own carriages. One of them, a dwarf with dark skin, passes around what look like sandwiches pulled from a leather bag. I try not to stare, but I haven’t seen many dwarves before, let alone a dwarf werewolf.  There are dwarves, elves, orcs, and all kinds of people living on Litkalaa, but humans outnumber them all by a lot.

As the prince is speaking with Kamo, I sit in the shade of a tree and take a bite, figuring out that the meat is chicken, which is a little dry, but I remind myself that not everyone’s sandwiches are gonna be as good as Momma’s. As I eat more, I start to feel a little homesick.

“Is it true you’ve never left Weston?” I look up to see one of the knights, the woman who took my bag, standing over me.

“Yes.” I nod, wiping the crumbs from my face. “This is the farthest I’ve ever been from home.”

She looks a little surprised by that info but doesn’t say anything else, joining her fellow knights. They are all seated together, being spoken to by Kamo, though they don’t seem to be paying much attention. Finished with the advisor himself, Prince Makseka comes and sits with me, sandwich in hand.

“Do the others not like me being here?” I ask shyly. “That’s the first time any of them has said anything to me.”

“Oh no, it’s not that. They just know I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to you much and don’t want to get in the way.” He waves off my worries. “They’re all pretty friendly once you get to know them.”

“Do they come with you a lot?” I imagine the prince would only travel with the most trustworthy people. “Do you leave the castle very often?”

“They’re my personal guard, though I don’t get out nearly as much as I’d like to,” he tells me after swallowing a bite. “There’s always an event to prepare for or dignitaries to meet with or any number of other princely responsibilities to take care of. Although...” He leans in close, making sure that none of the others are listening. “Sometimes, I like to sneak out into the city. Not all the time. Just when I need to get away for a bit.”

“Really?” I have to admit, I’m a little scandalized. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Enh.” He shrugs my concern. “I’m always in disguise, so it’s not like anyone knows who I am.”

“What’s it like there, in St. Kizis?” I’m really eager to learn more about it.

“Different from what you’re used to, I’m sure.” He takes another bite. “There are farms on the plains around the outside of the city, much larger than any of the farms they had in Weston. But things are packed together pretty tightly inside the city’s walls, with more people than you could possibly imagine. There are a few small parks, but it's mostly buildings and roads everywhere you turn.”

I try to wrap my head around all of that as I eat my sandwich. The city sounds big and exciting but also like you could easily get lost. And I still don’t know what it will be like in the castle. But before I can ask more, Kamo has called the prince back over, and I am alone again.

We don’t stop for long, and once everyone has eaten, we’re back on the road for more of the same. Which means me entertaining myself (and trying not to nap) while Makseka pores over his papers with a frown. When the sun starts to set, we stop again, this time to set up camp for the night.

Dinner is more sandwiches, but there sadly isn’t a lot of talking this time, everyone heading to bed so we can get a move on early in the morning. The prince has a tent of his own, and I’m surprised when given one as well. It’s not as fancy or big, looking just like the ones the knights share, but it’s still nice. There’s even a cot that for once isn’t too small for me.

I lay there all night, once again unable to sleep as thoughts of my future flood my mind. I can’t stop thinking about the city and what it will be like living in the castle. I think about how Momma and Daddy are doing without me, if they’reable to sleep. I wonder if I’ll ever actually have the chance to get to know the prince I agreed to basically give my life to.

Morning comes sooner than I want, with me having gotten even less sleep than I did the night before. Breakfast is only a few small sweet rolls, Kamo pushing us to get moving fast so we can arrive at the castle as soon as possible. I try to help the knights with breaking down the tents and packing up, but they won’t let me, insisting that it’s not work for a consort. Not really having an answer to that, I frown and leave them to it, climbing back into the carriage after the prince.

“Are you okay?” He looks at my exhausted face. “You look tired.”

“I’m sorry.” I grimace. “I didn’t sleep very well.”

“Was it the tent?” He sounds apologetic. “It takes some getting used to.”

“No, it wasn’t that.” I shake my head, though I guess that was part of it. “I was just up too late thinking.”

“Are you feeling nervous?” I can’t help but nod yes to the direct question. “Well, don’t be. I know this is a lot, but I promise, you’ll feel much more relaxed once we get to the castle.”

“Yes, sir, Your Highness.” I hope he’s right, but for now, I’m still a bundle of nerves.

There’s a little more small-talk after that, but soon he’s back to his papers, now more than halfway through the pile. At some point, I nod off again, waking a few hours later when the carriage drives over a bump in the road. As I wipe my eyes, I look out the window to see grassy plains stretching out ahead—and a farm!

It’s huge with acres of fields full of crops and livestock. They look like they’re being tended to by dozens of farmhands, all working together. I can only imagine the amount of people you’d need to work that much land. And if there are as many people living here as the prince said, they must need the food.

I sit up, poking my head out of the window so I can see the city ahead. St. Kizis is large, which makes sense since it is our country’s capital. There is a large stone wall surrounding the outside, the roofs of some of the buildings visible over the top. Behind those are the castle, elevated by the hill it sits on. I know from stories that the castle sits on the border of the city and the forest behind it, the domain of the royal werewolves. They say that on the nights of the full moon, you can hear the howls for miles. Unable to help myself, I lean farther out of the window to try and see more, banging my knee against the wall and getting the prince’s attention.

“Oh great, we’re almost home.” The prince puts down his papers, peering out the window with me.

“You were right. It’s amazing,” I tell him, still in awe. “I’ve never seen so much farmland.”

“Believe it or not, even all of this isn’t enough to keep everyone in the city fully fed,” he comments as we pass a windmill. “We have to have a lot of things imported from villages like yours.”

“Hard to believe that we could ever compare to a place like this.” I wouldn’t even know where to start running a place that big.

“Places like your village have lots of things to offer,” he says with a smile. “But just wait until we’re inside.”

I don’t have to wait long. About fifteen minutes later, the carriages slow to a stop as I hear a loud creaking sound that must be the city gate. When we start moving again, the sound beneath us changes as the carriages cross from dirt onto stone.

The clip clop of the horse’s feet on the city streets is loud, and the ride gets bumpier, but I am too drawn in by the sights around us to pay them much attention. There are so many buildings here, all crammed together, some two or three stories high. They mostly seem to be made of the same peach-colored brick with shingled roofs that vary in color between blue and gray.

And more than the buildings are the people. So many people, all staring as we pass by. Some point at us as they speak excitedly to one another while others watch with less-than-pleased expressions. Some children try to run alongside us, jumping up to try and peek into the window and see who might be inside.

“Like what you see?” Once again, the prince surprises me, and I blush as I realize how closely he’s been watching me. By now he probably thinks I’m just some dumb hayseed.

“It’s...” Big, crowded, exciting, scary. “...very different from Weston. You were right. There are so many people here.”

“I really can’t wait to show you around.” He scooches closer to the window on his side. “Look there, see that bakery?” He points at a building whose sign is a baked loaf of bread. “That’s one of the places I like to sneak out to. I go there almost every week. They make the best cupcakes.”

“And nobody there knows you’re the prince?” I still can’t believe he does that.

“If they do, they’re really good at pretending,” he says, looking a little cocky ... which looks good on him.

The prince points out a few other locations as we ride up the winding road to the castle. A nice restaurant, his favorite tavern, the home of one of his friends—who doesn’t know his real identity. Eventually, the carriage stops again and there is another gate-opening sound—we must have reached the castle. Another stone wall passes us outside as we cross over a moat until we are inside the castle walls and come to a final stop.

“Come on.” The prince is already standing, papers forgotten on his seat. “We have a lot to do before the day is over. Tons of people to introduce you to.”

People like the king and queen, probably. I stay silent, my nerves getting the better of me as I exit after Prince Max. We seem to be in a large garden (or I guess it’s called a courtyard?), one that looks like it’s been well tended to. I even see a couple of gardeners trimming a hedge at one side. The large doors of the castle’s main entrance are right in front of us, the tall stone towers hovering above ominously. Welcome to your new home, Peter...

Before the Storm Releases in Two Weeks!

Time to say hello to winter, the holidays, the new year, and most important of all: you, my readers! I hope everyone had a nice autumn (or spring, depending on your hemisphere!), and that you all either already got or will be getting to spend time with the people you care about. I know I did.

Before the Storm: A Steel & Thunder Prequel releases in less than two weeks! Most if not all of you have already read the story here on Patreon of course, but if you’d like to own a paperback or ebook copy (and soon enough, audiobook too), you can still preorder online at Amazon, Apple, BN, and lots of other places. Maybe I’ll even get to sign some soon!

After that, we’ve got the start of the new year, and then The Crown and the Collar hits shelves at the end of February. And I’ve still got more surprises in store for next year, so make sure you stay subscribed!

Stay warm, and happy reading!

This Month on Patreon

December's Patreon Schedule:

• 12/11: Nylan & Ragnar, Chapter 3: we jump forward in time, to just before Nylan became Ragnar’s avakesh - and the plan the elf came up with to make it happen.
• 12/18: Enchanted Items - Info on some of the latest and greatest in enchanted items you might find in many Terran households 
• 12/25: Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 11 - Things begin to return to normal for Kaylin around the academy - but not everyone is happy to still see him in class.

Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 10

“Here’s to Kaylin and Len!”

“To Kaylin and Len!”

It’s been less than two hours since the end of Kaylin’s day in court before the academy's tribunal, and to say that we feel like celebrating is an understatement. After everything was said and done (which took a while - apparently there’s a lot of paperwork to be signed and filed after something like that), it was decided a celebratory dinner was in order. And everyone came along - Tuck, Prim, Astella, Brakis, Gax, and Rev.

“Thanks everyone,” Len accepts gracefully. “But we couldn’t have done it without your help. And I think my brother deserves most of the credit.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Kaylin tries to play it off.

“That’s a load of astral-shit,” Astella insists. “It was you talking at the end that cinched it.”

“She’s right,” I tell my boy - do I officially get to call him that now? “It was your words that helped convince everyone.”

“That helped convince three people,” he continues to downplay, but from his smile I can see just how happy he is.

The restaurant we are in is named Yapiletto’s, and while I wouldn’t call it high-end, it’s definitely a step above our usual fare. Thankfully our academy uniforms make us look well-dressed no matter the occasion. The food on the menu looks good enough. Even Rev seemed excited after giving his order, and he usually only ever eats out of politeness, seeing as his body is artificial.

“So everything should be settled,” Len tells Kaylin as we wait for our food. “But now we have to make sure they actually stand by their word.”

“Right.” Kaylin nods.

“What do you mean?” Prim asks the two brothers.

“They might not be actively trying to expel anymore, but there are still a lot of people who aren’t happy with what I’m doing,” Kaylin explains. “If anything there are probably more people who dislike me now, and they all think I ‘got away with it’ or something.”

“Online chatter has me believing  that most of the student body is on Kaylin’s side,” Rev says, probably after looking at the stats himself. “But most isn’t all.”

“Not to mention professors and administrators.” I put one of my hands on Kaylin’s thigh under the table and squeeze. “I still remember how they started treating you differently after you were outed as a sub.”

“Well if that stuff continues, that’s exactly what you need to tell me about,” Len instructs Kaylin. “Without any laws on the books saying they can’t, that is exactly the kind of discrimination they’re going to try and use against any subs in the program. It's going to be up to us to fight for them.”

“Alright, Len. I will. I promise” Kaylin agrees, though knowing him he might need a little nudge when one of those situations arises.

Dinner is great, with everyone in good spirits even before the drinking starts. I only have a few glasses of wine, seeing as I have plans for the rest of the night and need my wits about me. And I make sure that Kaylin knows to do the same.

All of us say our goodbyes to Len when we return to the academy, and then our group splits again when we get to the dorms. After giving us some time to let our food settle, I send Kaylin to his room with instructions to clean up and then return to mine. While he’s out, I hop in the shower myself and then go about preparing for the evening, setting out some of my favorite toys - a few pieces of rope, nipple clamps, and a blindfold.

I turn down the lights and add a tinge of red to set the mood, standing over my desk and looking at the implements I have laid out. I'm just finalizing my game plan for the evening when I get a message on my OCID - Kaylin is on his way back. Good. I push my chair into my desk, using it’s back to block most of the items from view.

“Welcome back,” I say as the door slides open for Kaylin.

“Happy to be back, sir.” He walks right up to me, our faces only inches from each other. “How do you want me?”

“Strip,” I order. “Down to your underwear.”

Kaylin does as asked, moving towards the end and removing his clothing piece by piece, folding and placing them on the edge of the end. When he’s finished and fully naked, he turns back to me, awaiting his next order.

“Good boy.” I capture his mouth in a searing kiss, gripping his hair in my hand.

After plundering his mouth with my tongue, I use the hand in his hair to tug his head to the side, moving my lips to kiss at his ear and neck. His hands move to grip my arms as I bite and suck at his collarbone, suppressing a shiver as my facial scratches against his skin. I trail my free hand gently down his back, making him shiver in anticipation. But first things first.

“What’s your safeword?” I ask, pulling back and releasing him.

“A-Airlock,” he answers breathlessly.

“Good boy.” Leaving him standing at the center of my room, I move to my desk to grab the first of my tools - the blindfold.

I step back in front of him, holding up the eye covering for him to see. I wait for any objections, and when there are none, I reach over his head and slip it down and over his eyes. Then I take a big step back, and leave him standing there alone.

I don’t do anything for a full two minutes, just stand and watch him. The longer I wait, the more tense Kaylin gets as his anticipation grows for whatever is about to happen. I don’t even walk around him, not wanting him to hear or feel my movement.

When the two minutes are up, I carefully step towards him and stroke a hand over his right nipple, making him jump and gasp in surprise. I continue to touch and tease him as I circle around his body, a pinch here, a squeeze there. He gives a vocal moan when I scratch my fingers down his back.

I’ve always been more of a sensation dom, and the blindfold will only increase the sensations he feels. I’m not big on causing paint. I just don't have much sadist in me - though Kaylin can definitely have a bit of a masochistic streak at times. Which is why I pepper in a few quick snacks to his ass as I continue to tease him.

After several minutes of this, Kaylin is a twitching, horny mess. His fully erect cock juts out from his groin almost fully horizontal, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. A thick stream of precum is dripping from its head down to the floor, and I have half a mind to force him to clean it up with his tongue. But that's not in my plans for the night.

I return to the desk and retrieve my next tool, the rope. Standing behind Kaylin, I move both his arms behind his back. At first, his instinct is to press back against me - until he feels me start to tie them together, and he straightens his posture like the good boy he is. When I’m finished, his left forearm sits on top of his right, both just above the small of his back.

“On your knees,” I order after ensuring the tie is tight but not uncomfortable.

Without a word, Kaylin gracefully sinks into a kneel and waits for his next order. I walk around him once, running my fingers through his hair before coming to a stop at his front. I unzip the fly of my pants, making sure that he can hear me opening them, and then push down my underwear to free my cock.

I give my already hard shaft a few strokes, bringing it close enough to Kaylin’s face that he can smell my musk. Rather than giving what he's expecting though, I use my thumb to grab some of my own precum from the head, and then push that thumb into Kaylin’s mouth. He moans around it, automatically sucking it into his mouth and running his tongue along my digit.

I repeat this two more times until I've decided he's had enough, and finally guide my prick into his waiting mouth. He makes a sound of surprise when he feels his lips being stretched around something much thicker, but that turns into a grateful humm when he realizes what it is. Without needing to be told to, he begins to suck.

I pull off my shirt as Kaylin bobs up and down on my cock, stretching my arms above my head. Domming during a scene takes a lot of concentration and it can make you more tense then you realize. And what better way to relax than by enjoying my boy’s mouth on my dick?

I place one hand on the back of Kaylin’s head, encouraging him to move faster and take me even deeper. I make sure my grip on his hair is just as tight as I know he likes it without hurting him. I shut my eyes as I enjoy the warmth of his lips and tongue moving up and down my rod, listening to the wet sounds as Kaylin works to take me deeper into his throat. It’s enough to make me start humping forward into the tight heat, seeking more. So I do, making him gag.

But this isn't where our night is ending, and so after a few more minutes of sucking and face-fucking, I pull Kaylin off and help him stand. I kiss his lips, already red and swollen from use, tasting myself on his tongue. I then wordlessly turn and lead him towards the bed, helping him up and then settling him near the edge with his ass in the air and his chest on the mattress. Then it's my turn to get on my knees.

I stroke my hard and still wet cock as I take in the gorgeous red ass before me. There’s just a light dusting of dark hair, barely visible if you weren't looking for it, which gets just a little furrier as it reaches towards his crack. Releasing myself, I scratch the backs of my blunt, trimmed fingernails up his cheeks, loving the way it makes him shiver.

I take Kaylin’s ass in both hands and spread him wide, eyeing the tight hole at its center. I teasingly lick my tongue along the sides of his crack, barely ghosting over his hole as I pass it. I can feel the way he's fighting the urge to push back, and I reward his good behavior by giving him what he wants. I start to sloppily lick his hole over and over, feeling him relax and sink further into the bed with each swipe of my tongue.

When I feel his hole start to relax as well, I poke my tongue inside, making him moan out loud. I begin to noisily eat him out, using my hands to keep his ass spread and delivering the occasional spank to one of his cheeks. The more I use my tongue, the more his hole seems to open, and all at once he starts pushing himself back seeking more.

I rim him until I’m sure my lips are chapped, feeling lightheaded when I finally pull back and catch my breath. His hole is slick with my saliva, shining in the dim light of my room. I run my finger up and down his crack, enjoying the way he shudders each time I pass over his entrance. I tease him a little more, pressing just the tip of my thumb inside and wriggling it around, pulling it back out as soon as he tries to push back for more.

Time for our next stop on this evening’s sex tour. I stand and finish removing my own clothes so that I'm as naked as Kaylin, minus the rope and blindfold. I bend over Kaylin’s body and undo the rope on his arms, helping him to kneel upright while he stretches them and allows his circulation to return. When he's once more comfortable, I have him lay with his ass at the edge of the bed again, this time on his back.

“Give me your arms,” I instruct as I lift and spread his legs, pushing his knees towards his chest.

I guide his hands to hold onto each of his ankles, holding himself in position for what I need to do next. Taking more of the rope from my desk, I tie each of his wrists to his ankles, once more leaving him bound and at my mercy. But that’s not all: I also grabbed the nipple clamps!

I reach for Kaylin’s chest and begin to ease his nipples with my fingers, making them harden into dark, almost purple nubs. He gasps in surprise when I attach the first clamp, but remains steadily in place for the second. I think I even see a flash of a grin on his face. They two are attached by a small chain, and he hisses when the cold metal first hits his chest.

“How are you doing, boy?” I check in, lifting the chain but not tugging on it just yet.

“G-good, sir,” he answers, his voice trembling. “You can... make them tighter. If you wanted. Sir.”

“Did I ask for your suggestions boy?” I give a sharp tug on the nipple chain.

“No, sir.” He sounds recalcitrant. “Sorry, sir.”

He’s not in any sort of trouble, but the request is a reminder that I am going to have to possibly step my dom game up for him as our relationship progresses. I’m fairly highly ranked on the dom scale, but he’s still a higher ranked submissive, and I will need to make sure that I’m taking care of him the way he needs. And not just during sex, either - I’ve been thinking up a few ideas to take care of things out of the bedroom, too.

But tonight, we are sticking to the plan. I retrieve my lube, dropping to my knees between his lifted and spread legs. After squirting some onto my left hand, I reach up with my right towards his chest. Then, as I press the cool liquid to his ass, I tug sharply on the chain, making him gasp and cry out.

I slowly insert my index finger, knuckle by knuckle, as I periodically pull on the chain. As I start to slowly fuck Kaylin with my finger, I can tell that he’s is fighting - and occasionally losing - the urge to wriggle, seeking more of either sensation. And I’ll give it to him - when I'm ready to. He’s not the one in charge here, I am.

I start to increase the speed and force of my activities, tugging harder and even teasing a second finger around the rim of his hole. But anytime he moves, especially if it's in an effort to get more of something, I stop, and only when he is still will I start again. Eventually, he picks up on these “rules,” and is soon managing to stay almost stock still. After a few more minutes, I’ve got two fingers pistoning in and out of his ass with a firm grip on his nipple chain.

Once his hole has relaxed enough for a third finger, I know he’s ready for what comes next. I stand, bringing the lube with me and using my already slick hand to apply it to my cock. Then after grabbing him by the back of his thigh, I guide my cock into his waiting ass.

Kaylin’s still pretty tight. Getting fucked wasn’t something he did very frequently, even during his secret out of town subbing weekends. But even though we’ve only done this a few times now, I feel pretty confident in saying that he just might like it. Good. We’re already starting to work on getting him nice and stretched out.

I run my fingernails up his thighs, enjoying the way he vibrates around my cock as he shudders. I look down as I pull out, fascinated by the color of my dark red cock surrounded by the light red of Kaylin’s ass, before sinking it back in. It’s a very pleasing sight.

I start to lightly smack the backs of Kaylin’s thighs as I fuck him, alternating that with pulls on his nipple chain. Surprise surprise, it doesn’t take much of this to turn Kaylin into a whimpering, mewling mess beneath me. I grin as his head thrashes from side to side at all of the dueling sensations he is feeling, a sticky puddle of precum pooling on his belly.

Time to kick things up a notch. As I start to fuck him harder and faster, I quickly lean forward and remove both of his nipple clamps. The sudden removal leads to a surge of overstimulation for Kaylin, making him buck in surprise and moan loudly. Good thing our dorms have soundproof walls for this exact reason.

That’s not the end of it though. As I continue to pound away at his tight heat, I begin to gently (at first) tease and flick his nipples, now engorged and oversensitive for having spent so long in the clamps. My poor boy continues his uncontrollable thrashing, whimpering as he tries to fight the urge to move away from the stimulation. His hands and fingers flex almost uncontrollably, and he has to clamp them around his wrist to make them stop.

“Good boy,” I praise him aloud, wanting him to know just how pleased I am. “Taking everything I give you without a complaint. Just like I knew you could.”

“Th-thank you, sir,” he struggles to respond. “Happy to... serve.”

I continue to tease his chest as I fuck him, now pounding him at almost full speed. The bed creaks with he stroke as I press my full weight down onto my bound and bent sub. Between playing with his nipples, I also stroke his cock, which has been slapping against his stomach with each of my thrusts.

I can feel that he’s getting close, and I know that I am too, so I think it’s about time to wrap things up. I start to slow down and use less force in my thrusts, just a bit, until I reach a pace that’s a little easier to keep steady. With one hand still holding him by the back of his thigh, I use my other to grab a hold of his cock, stroking him in time with my fucking. He immediately tries to thrust upward into my hand, but I stop, holding him steady until he stops moving and lets me continue.

My goal is to make him cum before I do, but I have a feeling it’s gonna be close. Kaylin is slick enough that he doesn’t need any lube, and I can feel his cock pulsing in my hand as I stroke it. Just as I feel his hole start to flutter around me, he bites his lip to hold in a loud moan, his cock growing in my hand, silently begging to shoot his load.

“Cum for me, boy,” I order. And he does.

His whole body tenses up and then relaxes as he finally crests over the edge. He paints his own chest and neck with the force of his cumshot, firing volley after volley of cum up his body. At the same time, his hole clamps down around me, massaging my cock as his groin works to unload.

I continue to thrust, pounding into him for at least another twenty seconds before I finally follow him into sweet orgasmic bliss. I’m cumming so much it's like I can physically feel my balls getting lighter as I coat Kaylin’s inner walls with my own seed. His hole milks me for every drop, until I fall over onto his body, panting and sweating.

“Fuck, boy,” I manage after pushing myself up. “That was... amazing.”

“Yes it was, sir,” he replies, equally out of breath. “Is there... anything else... I can do...for you, sir?”

“No, boy, you did a stellar job,” I reply, wiping my brow. “Now let's get you out of all that.”

I reach down to remove Kaylin’s blindfold, his eyes blinking up at me as they readjust to the dim light. Starting on my left I untie his wrists from his legs, helping him out of his twisted position to stretch his limbs and stand. Then I get a wet washcloth, first him wiping and then myself down of the worst of our mess.

We don’t talk much for the rest of the night. We don’t need to. After I finish cleaning the both of us up and dumping our toys for the evening in my sink to wash tomorrow, I get us both some water. I get Kaylin to finish his water before pulling him in for a cuddle, stroking my hand through his hair and down his back as I whisper sweet praise into his ear.

As we both drift off, all I can think is that today was a really good day.

Curses & Magical Afflictions

Magic is a wonderous thing that can be used to heal the sick and injured to a miraculous degree. But it can be just as harmful as it is helpful. We’ve already discussed a few specific magical afflictions, Vampirism and Lycanthropy, but there are many, many others. Several of these can be caused by interacting with or ingesting magical flora or fauna, but some are cast by other people, or even set as traps.

Bad luck is possibly the most common curse to affect Terrans. Many people believe that it is caused by things like breaking mirrors or walking under ladders, which simply isn’t true. But if you happen to see a black cat? Well maybe a witch just sent their familiar to curse you. Bad luck curses are almost exclusively caused by a spellcaster, and as such, magic is also the only way to remove it.

Curses that affect the body’s senses are also very common. Rendering a person blind or deaf is an effective way of disabling your opponent in battle, and removing a person's ability to speak can leave them helpless. Outside of battle, if you wanted to say, drive someone mad, you could remove the ability to feel anything, or smell or taste it for that matter. Once again, as the cause of these types of curses are typically a spellcaster, a spellcaster is what you will need to reverse them.

Petrification curses people to turn to stone. This can happen in an instant, or develop slowly over time, forcing the afflicted to watch as their bodies slowly turn to stone, slowly creeping up their extremities. Once the curse reaches their heart, it overtakes them fully, leaving them nothing more than a statue. Several creatures are capable of petrifying their potential attackers, most famously the gorgons and basilisk. A cure can be made using the eye of a basilisk, but you will need a trusted potion maker, as if made wrong, it may only speed up the process.

Next we have the curse of undeath. That doesn't mean that afflicted cannot die - it means that when they do, their bodies will renamate without their soul inside of it. It can even be cast after death - all that is needed is a body. This spell is most often cast by necromancers looking to grow their armies, but can be spread through bites or blood of other undead - most specifically zombies.

Dragon pox is one of the sadder magical maladies. Despite its name, you don’t catch it from dragons, instead it originates with the plant antirrhinum maledictus, commonly found on the northern plains of Eastland, specifically through ingesting it, though it can also happen when coming into contact with someone who is already infected. Hard, stiff  scales develop all along the person’s skin, resembling dark dragon scales. These scales continue to appear and eventually overlap, making it increasingly more difficult to move one’s limbs and joins. If the disease is not cured, it will eventually lead to death as the person is essentially mummified inside of their own skin while still alive.

And one of the more dangerous infections is known as boiling blood fever. Caused by a bite from a fire spider (latrodectus infernus), those who are infected will feel their blood begin to boil over a period of ten hours. What begins as a slight tingling sensation slowly transforms into burning, searing pain coming from within. Though not always fatal (as the blood does not reach an actual  boiling temperature), the pain is not even the only potential risk. Some will injure themselves trying to seek relief, exposing their bodies to sources of extreme cold. Others will simply go mad, attacking themselves and everyone around them.

These are some of the more common or well-known curses in the world of Terra, but there are so many more. Some are deadly, rusting the iron in your blood or not allowing your body to absorb any of the water you drink. Others are sillier, like forcing a person to only turn left, or making them sing everything they speak, or causing them to laugh uncontrollably. More are being discovered every day - and thankfully, so are their cures.

Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 9

“Do I look alright?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re in a freshly cleaned and pressed uniform, what more could you do?”

“I don’t know.” He stares at himself in the mirror before turning on the style-switcher and seeing what he looks like with different hairstyles. “I knew I should have gotten a haircut yesterday.”

“Your hair is fine, boy.” I step up behind him to wrap my arms around his waist. “I know you’re nervous, but it's going to be okay.”

“You don't know that,” he argues, closing the app on the mirror and turning in my embrace. “But thank you, sir.”

“I do know that your brother is smart enough to fix this.” A knock on the door. “And there he is now.”

“Hey Kay, how are you feeling?” Len asks as he walks in. “Are you ready for today?”

“I think so.” Kaylin nods nervously. “Are you?”

“Always, little brother.” He tries to offer a reassuring smile. “Let’s go.”

The three of us exit Kaylin’s dorm and make our way to the academy’s courtroom. I know I’ve been doing a good job of playing it cool, but the truth is, I'm just as nervous as Kaylin. I have no idea how this is going to go, or even how good Len actually is at his job. But for my boy’s sake, I have to believe that it will all be okay.

I hate being useless like this. I feel like a dom failing their sub, even though there really hasn’t been much to do but wait since our investigative outing to the recruitment event a few days ago. Len prepared Kaylin as much as he could, going over how he should answer any potential questions, but we all know it’s unlikely that he'll even be given the chance to speak on his own behalf.

“This is where we leave you,” Len announces as we approach the room. Since I’m not Kaylin’s custodial dom anymore, I’ll have to sit up in the gallery with everyone else.

“You got this,” I try to psych Kaylin up. “And I’ll see you right after.”

He offers me a small smile, but I can still see his fear beneath the surface. I want to do nothing more than hold him and tell him it'll be alright, but I have a feeling he’d hate that. So with a nod of my head, I turn and walk up the stairs to get my seat.

“Vaiken, over here!” I don’t even have time to look before I hear Tuck calling for me.

I spot him sitting in a row near the front, and... all our friends are here. Prim, Gax, Rev, Astella, and Brakis. And from the way they’re looking at me, it’s not just gawk at the spectacle.

“You guys all came,” I say a little dumbly as I join them.

“Of course we did,” Prim correctly answers like I'm an idiot. “We gotta support our friends.”

“Thanks.” I take a seat between Tuck and Brakis. “Kaylin will really appreciate it.”

“He’s not the only one we’re here to support.” Brakis shoves me lightly with his big grey shoulder.

“Well... Thanks from me too.” I really hope no one notices my cheeks turning purple.

I forgot that after Malprin “caught” me and Kaylin together in the park, it didn’t take long for word to spread across the academy that we were involved. All of my friends were happy for us, of course, but I know Kaylin wasn't very pleased. We’ve both gotten our fair share of weird, whispering stares and stars only know what kind of rumors are already going around.

<The judges are about to enter,> Gax-On alerts us all.

“Here they come!” Prim shushes everyone as the doors to the chamber open

The room falls silent as the five heads of the disciplinary board - and judges of this tribunal - file into the room and onto their stage. Each of them moves to take one of the five seats behind a long table, and I wince internally when I see Admiral Ranock taking the center seat. For each hearing, the five of them rotate who leads the proceedings, signified by taking that chair.

I can see Kaylin’s shoulders slump from behind. This is exactly what we were hoping against. Ranock has already made it clear what he thinks of submissives, and particularly Kaylin, so we know he won’t be doing us any favors.

“Good morning gentlemen and my fellow members of the disciplinary board,” Ranock begins, sitting up straight in his would-be throne. “This tribunal gathers today to rule on the alleged crimes of Cadet Kaylin Zekram. Lenolfis Zekram, are you and your client prepared?”

“We are, sir.” Len answers affirmatively.

“Before we begin...” Ranock starts, already going off script. “I feel I must question if allowing the cadet’s older brother to represent him does not create some sort of conflict of interest?”

“If that is how you feel admiral,” Len quickly replies, managing to mask any annoyance in his voice, “then I’m not sure why you would then hire our father to represent the academy’s interests.”

My jaw nearly hits the flow as gasps and whispers flow through the audience at the news. Kaylin’s head shoots to the side, looking pleadingly at his brother in a combination of anger and fear. Almost on cue, the doors to the room slide open again, and the asshole himself, Alias Zekram, waltzes inside.

“I’m sorry,” Len apologizes to his brother. “I’ve known for a little while now, but I didn't want to tell you because all you would do is spend this entire time stressing. It’ll be okay, just trust me.”

“But what if I...” Drop. He’s afraid he might drop.

“Just stay focused on me,” Len tries to assure him. “Hopefully, you won’t even have to talk to him.”

Kayling lips are tight as he manages to jerk out a nod and return his gaze forward, refusing to look at his father. I know he can do this, but a little encouragement might help... I quickly type out a message on my OCID that should go directly to his.

“You can do this, boy. I’m right behind you.” I see his shoulder relax a little as he receives it.

“I suppose I see your point, but when a man with your father’s talents and reputation offers his services pro-bono, who would I be to turn them down?” Ranock concedes, and gee, isn’t that convenient. “And I must say, to see a father willing to fight against not just one but both of his sons? I cannot say that bodes well for what this board may ultimately decide.”

“I’m sorry sir, but are you suggesting that the board has already made a decision, before we’ve even begun?” I love how unflappable Len is.

“O-of course not.” Ranock is flustered. “This tribunal is fair and impartial.”

“That is good to hear sir,” Len continues, sounding calm as ever. “I would hate to think any of you might be biased in your decision making.”

“Perhaps we should begin?“ Commandant Lurza suggests helpfully.

“Of course,” Alias agrees and steps in front of the tribunal table. “Cadet Kaylin Zekram, you stand accused of lying to the Galactic Authority and providing false information to the academy regarding your designation. You are also accused of using your designation as a submissive to inappropriately coerce and influence your fellow cadets and professors for the sake of furthering your academic standing.”

What the fuck? Both brothers’ nearly fall out of their chair after hearing that as whispers spread through the gallery. All my friends turn to look at me and all I can do is give my best “I have no idea look” in response.

“Why was I not informed that there was a new charge?” Len asks angrily, seemingly flustered for the first time this morning as he swipes rapidly through his datapad.

“The charge was added as of yesterday,” Alias notes offhandedly. “You should have received a notice electronically.”

“Well I did-- Oh look, it just came in,” Len reveals flatly.

“Must be a problem with your datapad connection,” Alias suggests, and I call trillshit. “Though I'm hardly the only person to submit things last minute, if this video ‘evidence’ of yours is everything to go by. Is that what they’re teaching in law school these days, filmmaking?”

“Everything was turned in to the tribunal on time and with appropriate notice,” Len defends defiantly. “You better hope this witness I see you claim to have can back up this new charge.”

“Don't worry, they will.” Alias turns towards the door. “I would like to request that Cadet Nolivo Malprin take the stand.”

“Malprin?!” I say a little too loudly, drawing a few eyes.

“How could they possibly trust what he has to say?” Rev notes as the asshole enters the room. “Wasn’t he the one who falsely accused Kaylin in the first place?”

“Something tells me they don’t care.” Prim scoffs as he takes his seat at the stand.

“Cadet Malprin, do you swear that all the information and testimony you provide to this tribunal is accurate and truthful?” Alias asks him a question I’ve come to expect from watching starship courtroom dramas.

“I do, sir,” Malprin answers while holding a fist to his chest in salute.

“Thank you.” Alias begins walking around as he speaks. “We’ll just start with some basics. Please tell the tribunal your full name, occupation, and how you know the accused.”

“Nolivo Malprin,” he leans forward to speak into the hovering microphone. “I’m a cadet in the GAA - Cabrian Division, and me and Zek-- Cadet Zekram are in the same officer program.”

“And it was in this officer program that you witnessed Cadet Zekram engaging in... activities unbecoming a cadet?” Alias continues.

“That’s right sir.” Malprin nods before looking at Kaylin with pity in his eyes.

“Please, tell us what happened,” Alias cedes the floor.

“It was right after Cadet Zekram’s first hearing,” Malprin starts what I know is a lie, since I followed Kay back to his dorm right after. “He followed me back to my dorm. He looked worried.”

“What happened then?” Alias asks next.

“I thought he was there to talk about class or something, so I invited him,” Malprin resumes his story. “That was a mistake. As soon as the door slid closed, he threw himself at me.”

“I never--!” Kaylin starts before Len gives him a sharp look and tugs on his wrist.

“Cadet Zekram, control your outbursts,” Ranock warns. “Please continue, Cadet Malprin.”

“He started begging me to help him,” Malprin continues to lie. “He said he would do anything if I'd just put in a good word for him, to try and help him stay in the academy.”

“Oh my, that’s quite serious,” Alias fakes concern, and my blood boils. “And what did you tell him?”

“No, of course not sir.” Malprin shakes his head. “I felt bad for him, the whole thing just seemed sad. But I’d never risk going against the academy or the GA like that.”

“I see.” Alias acts like he's disappointed in Kaylin. “Did anything else happen after you turned him down?”

“No sir.” Malprin shakes his head again. “He left my room, though I did hear he approached some other students not long after. Some instructors, too.” As he says it, he looks up at me in the audience.

What the fuck is he implying? None of that is true! I’m steaming in my seat, my hands clenched tightly into fists, and Kaylin looks angrier than a trillbeast that just had its dinner stolen. He’s managed to hold everything in though, and I’m proud of him for that.

“I thank you for your time, Cadet Malrpin,” Alias says to the dickbag before turning to Len and Kaylin. “Your witness.”

“Cadent Malprin,” Len starts as he stands. “Remind me, was it not you who accused Cadet Zekram just a few weeks ago of using performance enhancing stimulants during a field test, leading to the discovery of his designation and the formation of this very tribunal?”

“He did cheat...” Malprin grouses.

“I’ll remind you that an investigation found no such thing,” Len reminds him.

“Well I thought he did.” Malprin is getting annoyed.

“Mhmm.” Len seems unimpressed. “And remind me, this officer program of yours, it regularly releases a public ranking of the cadets in your class based on your performance during field tests and in class, correct?”

“...That’s right,” Malprin confirms, though he’s not liking where this is going.

“And in those rankings, which of you is usually above the other?” Len is leading him down a path.

“...he’s usually higher...” Malprin admits.

“Correct,” Len agrees. “Now, I already find it hard to believe that Cadet Zekram would seek help from the very person responsible for getting him into this mess, but if he has consistently overshone you in class, what exactly were you going to help him with? Are you particularly well connected at the academy?”

“I... I don't know what he wanted me to do, exactly,” Malprin defends his flimsy tale. “I didn't let him go on long enough to explain before I kicked him out.”

“Mhmm. And what time did this event occur?” Len asks next.

“Uh... I don’t know.” Malprin is trying to think. “Some time in the afternoon?”

“Do you have proof of that?” Len gets closer. “The dorms are very busy during the day. Was there anyone who would have seen him go into your room?”

“I, uh, don’t think so...” He swallows nervously.

“So, no proof he was there at all then,” Len confirms, more for the tribunal than Malprin. “And these other people you heard Cadet Zekram went to after you said no, could you please name some of them?”

“I... I wouldn’t want to put out anyone else’s business like that,” Malprin is really starting to sweat now.

“Nonsense, cadet,” Len encourages with a false sweetness. “In addition to providing this court with exactly what you have purported to have happened, but you’d be doing your duty in weeding out trouble from the academy. Though I would like to point out that not a single other person has made such an accusation, and that you are under oath.”

Malprin opens and closes his mouth twice before answering.

“...I don’t remember.” Malprin can't quite meet Len's eyes.

“How convenient,” Len mocks, then turns to the tribunal. “No more questions.”

“Cadet Malprin, this tribunal thanks you for your time, you are dismissed,” Ranock says with a sigh, looking none too happy about the development.

“Mr. Zekram - senior,” Commandant Lurza addressed the older man. “Are there any other witnesses or evidence pertaining to this particular charge?”

“Unfortunately not, ma’am,” the man admits, though he quickly recovers. “Which is why I would like to move on to the more serious charge - lying to the Galactic Alliance Academy about his designation and falsifying official GA documentation.”

“You may proceed,” Ranock tells him.

“Thank you, sir. This is very much an open and shut case,” Alias begins walking around with swagger. “Article 12, section 3 of the Galactic Alliance Academy charter forbids both students and staff from knowingly providing false information or records, punishable by expulsion and a possible court martial. And as you can clearly see on his entry forms, Cadet Zekram’s paperwork all mark him as a dominant - which we now know to be a lie.”

“Objection!” Len quickly stands. “Cadet Zekram did not fill out his own paperwork. As the videos I’ve submitted clearly show, GAA recruiters frequently fill out an applicant’s paperwork themselves - and they do not always ask for a cabrian’s designation, more often than not assuming that the potential cadet is a dominant. That is precisely what happened to Cadet Zekram.”

“We have reviewed your ‘evidence.’” I don’t like the air quotes that Alias just used. “And while it might prove the applicants in your videos were not asked, that does not prove that the same thing happened when Cadet Zekram applied.”

“By that logic, do you have any proof he lied back then?” Len stands and the air starts to feel tense. “Or is the default now to assume guilt? Cadet Zekram never lied to the academy!”

“Even if that were true.” Alias takes a menacing step towards his son, raising his voice, “Can he truly say he never lied to any of the staff? I mean, he certainly had no problem lying to his own father.”

“Gee, I wonder why!” Len shouts back.

With both men now in a shouting match, Kaylin just sinks into his seat, hanging his head in his hands out of embarrassment.

“Order. ORDER!” Ranock shouts, banging down his gavel.

“That is enough!” Commandant Lurza sharply warns both men. “If the two of you are unable to keep your emotions and personal feelings in check, we will conclude this tribunal without you.”

“My apologies, Commandant,” Alias bows dramatically.

“I’m sorry as well.” Len retakes his seat.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Zekram,” Admiral Halshu addresses Len, “Your father is correct. While the videos you submitted do show the need for some changes in our recruitment process, they do not actually prove your brother’s innocence.”

My heart sinks and Kaylin’s shoulders slump. That was our whole defense; without it, what do we do? Even Len looks worried.

“Do you have any other evidence that would prove your brother's innocence?” Admiral Milok asks snidely.

“I... I do not, sir.” Len tries not to sound defeated, but... we are.

“In that case--” Ranock starts, raising his gavel again.

“I would like to hear from Cadet Zekram himself,” Admiral Yit-Ded interrupts before he can bring it down.

“I see no need to speak to a submissive of his--”

“Oh please, Ranock,” Lurza rolls her eyes. “The only reason those laws were created was to protect high-level submissives from being forcibly dropped in order to testify or be interrogated. It has been clear since his first hearing that Cadet Zekram is more than capable of conducting himself in public. As long as his guardian has no objections, he may take the stand.”

It’s clear from the way Ranock’s eyebrows pinch together that he wants to object, but the Commandant’s logic is sound. “Fine, as long as both counsels app--”

“I approve,” Len quickly responds.

“And you, sir?” Milok asks Alias.

“I have no objections,” he responds with a sinister smile. “I have deposed many high level subs before.”

“Very well,” Ranock agrees. “Cadet Zekram, please take the stand.”

KAylin hesitates before he stands up, eyes locked onto his father. He’s worried he might drop again, and I bet that’s exactly what the man is hoping for. But my boy is out of options, and since he doesn’t want to leave the academy, he stiffly walks to the stand.

“Cadet Zekram,” Alias starts, as if they aren’t father and son. “You have spent nearly five years at this academy hiding your true designation, is that correct?”

“Yes, I--”

“But you must have been hiding it for much longer than that,” he continues. “How long?”

“When I--

“You hid from your family as well, didn’t you?” Alias lets false disappointment bleed into his voice.

“I told m--”

“When did you first--”

“Are you ever going to let him actually answer or do you just like hearing yourself talk?” Len complains, earning a glare from his father and a look of warning from Ranock.

“Fine,” Alias goes from staring down one son to the other. “Lying to those closest to you, to your own father. Why would someone do that?”

There's a pause before Kaylin answers, sure he's going to get interrupted again. “Because my father made it clear how he felt about submissives from an early age.”

“Maybe your father,” I guess both men are gonna dance around this, “simply believes that submissives, especially ones with levels as high as yours, need a strong guiding hand. As your dominant, it was his job to provide that hand, an opportunity you denied him.”

“Maybe because I didn’t like where his hand would have guided me.” There’s the stubborn Kaylin I lov... know.

“It is well known that submissives of your nature require a close monitoring of their suboxane and domicyclin levels, not to mention that it has been extensively documented that they are highly susceptible to uncontrolled subdrop and coercion,” Alias gets to his point. “There are even instances of dominant who are perfect strangers that are able to manipulate an unsuspecting submissive. Much of society agrees that left on their own, these subs risk not only their health, but also falling into abusive hands.”

“W-Well maybe much of our society is wrong.” I can see Kaylin trembling slightly, but he’s holding it together.

“So are you saying you know better than countless doctors and researchers that have spent their careers studying submissive behavior?” Alias tries to sound reasonable.

“No, but I know who I am, and what I’m capable of.” Kaylin’s arms are stiff at his side, but his voice sounds more even.

“Oh, I think everyone knows exactly who you are now, Cadet Zekram.” There’s that ‘disappointed father’ look again. “So, you admit that you hid your designation long before you entered the academy?”

“I did.” Kaylin nods defiantly.

“I see.” He smiles slyly and turns to the judges. “No further questions.”

“Kaylin.” Now it’s Len’s turn. “When did you first learn you were submissive?”

“When I was fourteen,” Kaylin answers. “I came home from school early one day because I felt really sick. It started right after Quasiball practice. I was already feeling kind of off, and I kept messing up play and our coach really laid into me about it. I felt awful, but it was strange, because it wasn’t just physical, it was like I just wanted to curl up in my bed and hide. I didn’t realize it until later, but I was deep in a drop.”

“Did you tell anyone the truth?” Len leads him to the next question.

“Kind of.” Kaylin answers with a nod and a smile. “My brother found out when he came home and found me. He’s who helped me figure out what was going on.”

“Were you worried about him knowing?” This is going somewhere.

“A little, at first... But I also knew he would help me hide it from our dad.” Kaylin struggles not to look at Alias, who is quietly fuming at his small table.

“And why would you need to hide it from your dad?” Len continues his questions

“Because if he knew I was a submissive, that would have been it for me,” Kaylin answers softly. “MY dad can be kind of a chauvinist. The kind who believes doms are the ones to run everything and subs just sit quietly and do as they're told.”

“And he never suspected the truth?” Len asks with mock surprise.

“Not as far as I could tell,” Kaylin shares. “He was always bragging to his friends about how proud he was of having two doms for his sons. He always used to say that if either of us had turned out to be a submissive, we’d be shipped right off to finishing school and bonded me off to what he considered a ‘proper dom’ like him.”

“Did you really believe he would do that?” Len asks next.

“I did.” Kaylin nods softly. “He even had one picked out - St. Ilkon’s Academy for Submissive Training. It’s where he ‘met’ our mother.”

“So to keep your freedom, you hid your designation.” I think I get what he's doing now. “But after you left home, why keep hiding it?”

“Because it was easier,” Kaylin admits. “Because people don’t respect a sub on his own. Not even other subs.”

“And that's why you lied when applying to the academy?” Len asks.

“I never lied,” Kaylin argues.

“Not even once?” Len reiterates.

“No, I swear,” Kaylin insists. “Even after I was enrolled, no one ever asked me for my designation, not that I can remember. As soon as I started, everyone just assumed I was a dom. And I just never corrected them, because I didn’t want them to start treating me differently. Which is exactly what has happened.”

“Thank you, Kaylin.” Turn to judges. “No further questions.”

“Well if there are no more witnesses--” Ranock tries to move things along.

“I would like to ask the cadet some questions myself,” Yit-Ded stops him.

“I would as well,” Halshu agrees.

“Alright...” Ranock is so ready for this to be over. “Cadet, please stand before the tribunal.”

Kaylin does as he’s asked, standing tall and proud at the center of the floor.

“Cadet Zekram,” Yitded goes first. “Lying to the Galactic Alliance is a  serious crime, and hiding your designation is dangerous for your health. I can understand needing to keep the information private given what sounds like a difficult childhood, but what reason could you have for doing such a thing after you entered the academy?”

“...There are no submissive captains,” Kaylin says, almost too low to hear.

“I’m sorry?” One of Halshu’s ear-stalks swings in his direction.

“There are no submissive captains.” Kaylin repeats more clearly. “Not one, not in the entire Cabrian fleet.”

“And is a captain what you are aiming to be?” Lurza is intrigued.

“For as long as I can remember ma’am,” he confirms. “I've always wanted to pilot my own ship, run my own crew. I want to explore the stars and help people.”

“That is preposterous,” Milok spouts. “There are no rules preventing a submissive from becoming captain.”

“Just because a rule isn't written down or said out loud doesn’t mean it's not there.” Kaylin challenges the squat cabrian man.

“He has a point,” Yit-Ded agrees. “It is strange that in the centuries it has belonged to the Galactic Alliance, there has never been a cabrian submissive promoted to the captain's seat, let alone higher.”

“But that hardly means there's some sort of conspiracy to prevent it!” Milok forest back. “Maybe the reason there aren’t any submissive cadets is because none of them have been worthy enough for the promotion.”

“It does not strike you as odd at all?” Halshu asks her fellow judge for confirmation.

“It does me,” Lurza says, before all her tribunal starts to speak over one another.

“Order!” Rannock is once more in charge, bringing down his gavel twice. “Now then, do we have any other questions for Cadet Zekram?”

No one at the table says anything.

“Very well.” Rannock turns to the lawyers. “Alias and Lenolfis Zekram, your closing  statements, please?”

“Thank you, Admiral,” Alias goes first. “First and foremost, I would like to reiterate to this tribunal just how unprecedented this is. In times such as these, with the Rulixan Empire expanding their reach every day, we know it is only a matter of time before they are knocking on the Galactic Alliance’s doorstep and we are forced to take action. Allowing Cadet Zekram to get away with his alleged crimes is dangerous and would only set a precedent for other submissives to follow in his footsteps. Is it really the time to start testing an experiment like this? I ask you to think of not just the academy, but the entire alliance, when considering the risk.0 Thank you for your time.”

“That is exactly why you need to test it,” Len argues the opposite once his father takes a seat. “We are told over and over from the time we are little that submissives are just as capable as anyone else is, but how often have you actually seen that in practice? Nearly a full third of our species is judged before ever being given a chance, so can we really blame some of them for wanting to keep that information private? My brother is one of the strongest and most capable people I have ever met, and the fact that he has come as far as he has, despite his designation supposedly working against him, is proof of that. My brother never lied to the academy, and if we're going to face that upcoming danger head on, we’re going to need people like him leading the charge. Thank you.”

“Thank you gentlemen,” Rannock dismisses. “The tribunal will now convene to determine our ruling. Please remain seated.”

The five officers stand and exit the room, leaving the rest of us sitting in a tense silence. I can see Kqylin and Len talking low under their breaths, and it's hard to tell how they are fleeing from their body language. Alias looks none too pleased, occasionally glaring in the direction of his offspring. What a great dad...

“I think that went pretty well,” Tuck offers, breaking the silence.

“Really?” I ask for confirmation.

“I mean, the videos did end up being useless,” Prim complains.

“I think Zekram will be fine,” Astella says with a nod.

<I agree,> Gax-on concurrs. <Statistically, I believe Kaylin is safe from explosion.>

“I mean everyone knows Milok always votes with Ranock, he’s like the dues henchman,” Astella starts to explain. “But Lurza is pretty clearly on Kaylin’s side, so the only two you actually need to convince are Halshu and Yit-Ded.”

“And they seemed pretty convinced to me,” Brakis adds.

“And so that would make the votes 3-2 in Kaylin’s favor,” Rev finishes.

We’re waiting for nearly twenty minutes before the doors reopen for the final time. As the tribunal retakes their seats, the room once more falls silent and tense. Everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for an answer, even Alias.

“Cadet Zekram, please stand,” Ranock requests. “On the charges of deceiving the Galactic Union and academy, and using your designation to further your academic career, this tribunal finds you... not guilty.”

A cheer erupts from my throat, thankfully just a half-second before the rest of the room breaks into applause. Down on the floor, Kaylin looks dumbfounded at the ruling, looking to his brother for confirmation. And Alias, he just looks pissed, standing and stomping out of the room. Good. Hopefully he gets off campus too. The last thing I need is for him to interrupt me and Kaylin celebrating. And we have a lot to celebrate.

No News November

It is officially fall, and truth be told, I don't have a ton of news for you this month. But they say that no news is good news, right? I've been hard at work writing the next Steel & Thunder book, and it’s been nice to revisit my boys and see how they’re doing. I’ve been putting a few final touches on a few of next year’s releases, and I can't wait for y'all to read everything. ;D

Speaking of, don't forget that the Before the Storm novella launches next month! Get your preorders in now for ebooks and paperbacks. You can use this link to buy a copy of your own at all the usual stores. And similarly, The Crown and the Collar launches at the end of February, so get those preorders in as well. It’s going to be a busy few months!

Happy reading!

This Month on Patreon:

• 11/13: Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 9 (Because I posted the wong chapter last week) - Time for Kaylin’s day in court! Lem seems to think he’s got everything handled - until one of the admirals throws a sonic wrench into the works.
• 11/20: Curses & Magical Afflictions - We've covered vampires and werewolves, now lets delve into some other arcane maladies.
• 11/27: Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 10 - In the aftermath of Kaylin's trial, the couple has a lot to deal with...

Worldbuilding Articles for November & December

You know what to do: pick out the worldbuilding articles I write for the next two months. Ranked choice, so pick as many as you want.

Please leave me some questions or requests for the future in the comments too!!!

Nylan & Ragnar, Chapter 2

Dear god, I am so sorry, but my extremely exhausted and voerworked brain seems to have gotten confused, and as a result I have written the wrong chapter for this week's update. That means next month, you'll be getting two chapters of "Caged Among the Stars." Sorry again!

_____________________________________________________________________

“Do you have everything you need?”

“I think so. Oh wait, I should bring a book to read!”

It was the day after my birthday party, almost three in the afternoon, and I was only just  getting finished with packing for a camping trip. To be fair though, it was a complete surprise. As in, I only learned about it last night, as my birthday party was ending.

It was just after I walked back inside from the backyard. Ragnar seemed kinda down, almost like he was disappointed about something. I was gonna ask him about it, but before I could, Khazak came right up to me.

“Nylan,” he started, pulling Ragnar over with him. “I can’t believe I forgot, but I actually have another present for you.”

“You do?” I’ve always liked presents.

“You have tomorrow off, yes?” I nodded my head, and he continued. “Well, now that I’m settled back in after my trip, I wanted to take you out camping with me and Ragnar. Just the three of us.

“Just the three of us?” My excitement dropped at the mention of camping, though looking over at Ragnar, I couldn’t say it was completely nonexistent.

“Yeah, just the three of us.” Ragnar quickly agreed, looking eager. “We can meet up at my place tomorrow at three.”

“Okay, yeah. I’ll be there,” I managed with a smile.

And I would be there already, but I was running late because of good old procrastination. It wasn’t that I didn't want to go, but camping has never really been my thing. It was always something Ragnar and Khazak liked to do, but I prefer to sleep under a roof and in a bed at night. But what did I know, maybe it would actually be fun.

“A book? Are you sure?” My dad asked as I started searching through my bookcase.

“Yeah, there’s a chance I’ll get bored out there,” I answered, settling on a nice trashy romance for the night. “A really good chance.”

“Well, try to have some fun,” Dad chided as I headed towards the door.

“I will,” I promised, and then I was out of the house. It was only a fifteen minute walk to Ragnar’s house from mine, but I was still a half hour late by the time I finally got there.

“Nylan!” Ragnar's mother Vrixa greeted after opening the door and quickly pulled me in for a tight hug. “We had a wonderful time at dinner last night. I hope you have fun camping. Ragnar and Khazak are in the den waiting for you.”

“Nylan!” Khazak greeted me as I entered the room. “We were starting to worry you might not make it.”

“Nope, here I am!” I tried to sound excited,

“You all packed?” Ragnar asked with a smile, and I suddenly was excited.

“I think so.” I showed the pack on my back. “I don’t have a bedroll though.”

“I should have a spare one!” he replied with a bright smile. “Let me grab it and we can head out.”

With our gear on our back, we walked all the way to the city’s northern gate. Another annoying thing about living in a secret city is that you can’t just leave whenever you want to. Rangers are constantly patrolling the forest, so you have to “check out” at the gate so they don’t think you’re an intruder, even if it's just for a single night. After getting our badges that will alert those on patrol that we are allowed to be out here, we start to march.

“Where are we headed?” I asked because I definitely didn't know my way around the woods.

“There's a nice little clearing that Khazak and me like to use,” Ragnar told me. “This will be our first time there since he got back from Maname.”

“YIt is a very nice spot,” Khazak continued. “It has nice tree cover to keep it cool during the day, and it is not far from the river.”

“Sounds good,” was my reply, even though I had know way of knowing if that was accurate.

It was a twenty minute walk to get to this campsite, and the rest of our afternoon and evening were fine, I guess. Okay, no they weren’t; I absolutely hated every minute of it. Despite the shade, it was hot and muggy the entire way there, there were bugs everywhere, and it took over an hour just to get our tents up.

I barely had a moment to sit and rest before Ragnar and Khazak both pushed me to go on a small hike with them, which turned into an impromptu fishing trip. Fishing is whatever - I mean, I guess I prefer it to hunting - but I wish I had brought my book or something because it is also boring. By the time we got back to camp, I was starting to wonder why I agreed to come at all.

“Hungry?” Ragnar took a seat on the grass beside me, and I remembered why I came.

“Yeah,” I answered, once I stopped staring. “It smells good.”

“It is just about ready,” Khazak told the both of us, still hunched over the fire.

“Who did more cooking on the road?” Ragnar asked as Khazak started taking things off the metal grate he set over the fire. “You or Ayla?”

“Who do you think?” Khazak didn’t even bother turning around. “Short of roasting meat on a stick, Ayla has not cooked in years.”

“It’s good to have you back.” And my watering mouth agreed.

“It is good to be back.” He approached us where we were sitting, a steaming plate in his hand. “Here we go.”

On the plate were most of the fish we caught, each on a metal skewer. There were also a few skewers with just vegetables, potatoes, carrots, and slices of squash. I helped myself to one of each, sure that I would be back for seconds. The fish was covered in herbs and had been grilled perfectly, its juices running down my hand.

“So, how's training been going?” Ragnar posed to Khazak.

“It is going,” Khazak replied, sounding tired. “They certainly like to work us hard in the early mornings.”

“They did the same thing with my class.” Ragnar assured him. “They’re just trying to weed out the people they know will quit when it gets rough. Things will lighten up in a couple of weeks,”

“And what about you?” It was my turn to ask a question. “What's work like for you, Mr. Officer? That uniform fit well?”

“I’ll have you know I've gotten plenty of compliments on my uniform.” He turned to me with a wink.

“I... bet you have.” Thinking of him in that uniform had me blushing, but I was hoping I could chalk it up to embarrassment at my lack of a comeback.

“How has work been for you?” Now it was my turn to answer. “Is Ragnar’s father a good boss?”

“Lenas is a great boss.” I nod, even though calling him by his first name felt wrong. “I really like working in the bookshop. Even on busy days, its quiet.”

“Do you think you’ll be there a while?” Ragnar asked me next. “Is there anything else you want to do?”

“I’m... Not really sure.” I got a little quieter. “I mean, maybe. I do love books.”

“Well who knows, maybe Dad will want to sell it one day,” Ragnar continued. “I know he was secretly hoping that I’d take over, but he gave up on that when I never really took much to reading.”

“Maybe...” It wasn’t the worst idea, but the truth was I did have something else I wanted to be do.

Writing. Ever since I finished reading my first book, I've wanted to be a writer. To create characters and entire worlds for other people to read and get lost in just sounds perfect to me. But I also thought it was embarrassing, too embarrassing to tell my friends, so I always kept it to myself.

After finishing dinner, we stayed up a little longer, talking and hanging out. At night, when the air was cooler, it was actually kind of nice to be out there, and I grabbed my book to read by the fire. Before I realized it, I was woken up by Rangar’s hand on my shoulder after accidentally falling asleep. I crawled into my tent and  was out like a light.

I wouldn’t say I was cranky the next morning, but I wasn't exactly pleased when I woke up and remembered I was still in the forest. The one upside was borrowing Ragnar’s bedroll - it still smelled like him. Grumbling as I got out of my small tent, I was met with the most wonderful sight - a shirtless Ragnar, in little more than a loin cloth, stretching his arms over his head. Thankfully his eyes were closed, or might have seen my tongue fall out of my mouth.

“Morning, Ny!” He greeted after seeing me exit.

“Morning.” I smiled, and tried not to stare.

“Good, you’re both up.” We turned and saw Khazak already awake and sitting by the fire, because of course he was. “I thought that after breakfast, we could go to the springs today.”

“Really?” The suggestion immediately brightened my mood and woke me up. “I’d love that!”

“I thought you might.” He grinned, then passed me a few small bread rolls. “Here, my Ruda made them for us. They're stuffed with venison and onions.”

I quickly tore through mine, practically bouncing as I hurried back to my tent to change. I had a pair of shorts I wouldn’t mind getting wet; we could swim naked, like we did when we were kids, but I wasn’t confident I’d be able to... contain my excitement, downstairs. Once the orcs were finished eating, they changed as well and were off.

The walk to the springs is a hilly one, and I was panting by the time we reached the top, but seeing those clear blue waters made it all worth it. I didn’t even wait for the other two, just ran forward and jumped in with a laugh. When I felt two splashes behind me, I knew I wasn’t alone.

We had a great time just swimming together, joking around and splashing. I laid back and looked up at the slightly cloudy sky, listening to the water flow over the small waterfall. It was perfect.

“Dammit.” Or so I thought. “We forgot the towels.”

“You mean you forgot the towels,” Ragnar corrected Khazak. “You said they were in your fancy new magic backpack.”

“Fine, I forgot the towels.” Khazak rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the water. “So I will go get them.”

“I mean, I think we’ll be fine without them,” I tried stopping him. “It’s not like we haven’t ‘air dried’ before.”

“Nonsense, I brought them so we could use them,” he insisted. “I’ll be back before long”

“That’s nice of him, at least.” Ragnar and I watched as our friend disappeared over a hill. “I guess it's just you and me for a bit.”

“Guess so,” I agreed, both of us treading water.

“So, now that we’re alone...” Ragnar looked around as though someone might be eavesdropping. “...What do you really think about working for my dad?”

“What?” This question actually surprised me. “I told you, I like working for him. He’s always been really nice, and all the customers love him. I mean, he’s my boss, I hope he likes working with me.”

“...Good.” He broke into a grin. “That was a test. You passed.”

“Spirits, you are so stupid.” I rolled my eyes and splashed him with both hands.

“Hey!” He sputtered and splashed me back.

And so I splashed him again, and then he splashed me, which of course led to a mini splash fight, with both of us flinging water at each other haphazardly and scaring anything that might be in the water with us.

“Gotcha!” Ragnar cried out in victory after grabbing a hold of me and pulling him towards his chest so I couldn’t use my arms.

It had the desired effect of stopping our splash fight, but it also had us pressed together; chest chest, skin on skin. Still treading water (he has got some strong legs), we both stared into each other’s eyes, and I swear it felt like my body was heating up even though I was neck deep in the water. Our faces started inching closer and closer together, until--

*KRACKATHOOM*

Until rain started pouring down from the sky.

“Shit.” Rangar, pulled out of the trance we were in, looked up in frustration. “It’s a thunderstorm, we need to get out of the water.”

“Alright...” I tried not to look flustered as we pulled ourselves out, facing away from Ragnar to hide the half-erection I had that was still growing.

We both got our shorts on and started walking in silence, not having brought anything else with us. I tried not to let my frustrated emotions show, but this sucked. This was like the only thing I actually wanted to do out here. I knew Ragnar could tell something was wrong just from the way I was stomping as I walked.

“Everything okay?” he cautiously asked as we trudged down a hill. “It’s just a small storm, maybe we can come back--”

“It’s not the rain!” I snapped at him without meaning to.

“Then what is it?” If he was hurt by me lashing out, he didn't show it.

“It’s everything about this stupid trip!” I finally broke and let it all out. “Like, why did you guys even invite me out here? You know I don't like camping, or the outdoors. How is this a present for me?”

“First you made me go on that stupid hike yesterday,” I started to rant. “Then I got a million bug bites when we were fishing, and I don’t care what Khazak says, it’s hot and muggy and I hate it. And the one thing I actually wanted to do, going to the springs, gets ruined by the weather. This birthday trip sucks!”

When I’m angry, I tend to pace and gesticulate wildly, and this time was no different. As I yelled, I stomped down one of my feet dramatically - and immediately I slipped on the wet grass and went tumbling down to the forest floor with a shriek. I hit the ground with a thud, and then cry out when I feel a sharp pain - something’s wrong with my ankle.

“Nylan!” Ragnar was immediately at my side. “Oh spirits, are you okay?” He looked up and down my body.”

“My leg.” I pointed at the offending limb. “I think I hurt my ankle.”

“Shit.” He looked down at my bare foot. “Do you think you can walk on it?”

“I dont know.” As soon as I tried to put any weight on it, a fresh burst of pain shot through my leg and I hissed. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Everything’s okay. We’re okay.” It sounded like he was saying that more to himself than me. “I’m going to carry you back to camp, alright? Khazak should be able to heal you, at least enough to walk.”

“Okay.” I nodded, not having any other options or ideas.

Ragnar very carefully picked me up, holding me like a bride to his chest. I could already feel the tears coming to my eyes from a combination of pain and the embarrassment over my little temper tantrum that caused it. I was a mess.

“I’m so sorry, Nylan,” Ragnar apologized as he walked. “This is all my fault.”

“No its not.” I sniffled. “It's mine. Or maybe it's Khazak’s for planning this,” I tried to laugh.

“Actually.” I looked up to see Ragnar gritting his teeth. “This was all because of me. I asked him if he would say that he planned all of this as an excuse to invite you and have . ”

“Why didn't you just invite me yourself?” I still didn't understand.

“It's...complicated,” he replied while looking forward.

“Complicated how?” I think I knew what he was getting at but I needed him to say the words and confirm it.

“Complicated because...” Ragnar paused, no longer walking. “I... I like you, Nylan.”

“I like you too...” I responded, suddenly feeling a million butterflies in my stomach.

“No, I don't mean like a friend,” Ragnar tried to correct me. “I mean I really like you.”

“I knew what you meant,” I said, the pain in my ankle fading to nothing. “I really like you too.”

“You... You do?” He looked shocked.

“How could I not?” I was equally surprised. “You’ve been kind and sweet to me since the day I met you. You make me smile every day. Even when I'm frustrated, you still make me happy. And I mean... Have you seen what you look like?”

“That's... I'm nothing special.” He looked a lot more pleased than his words let on. “You though... You’re smart, you challenge me, and you make me laugh. I’ve had a crush on you for years.”

“Me too.” Spirits, we were stupid. “...Why didn’t either of us ever do anything about it?”

“Because you're both idiots!” A familiar voice rang out from the forest ahead of us, before Khazak came walking around from behind a tree. “Now will you kiss him already?”

I was wet, cold, and my ankle hurt, but Ragnar did exactly that, and I’ve never felt happier.

“What are you doing with that?” The journal I was reading is snatched out of my hands.

“I was just reading.” I looked up to see an annoyed Nylan looking back. “I mean, I saw my name on it, so I thought it was for me.”

“It is,” he starts, holding the journal close to this chest. “Or it will be. But it's not ready yet.”

“Alright.” I mean, that seemed like most of the story. “But you should know that I really liked what I did read.”

“...You did?” He looks at me behind his lashes.

“Of course.” I smile and pull my elf onto the couch and my lap. “I loved reading how our story started. Even if it is a reminder of how stupid we used to be.”

“Yeah, we kinda were idiots,” he admits, putting his arms around my neck.

“I'd wanted to ask you out for so long.” I bury my face in his neck and inhale his scent. “I’d even plan it sometimes, like the night of your birthday party. I almost did when we were out on the porch.”

“I knew it!” He kisses me triumphantly.

“I can still remember rushing over to Khazka as soon as I got inside.” I try not to cringe at the next memory. “I was already coming up with the camping plan and practically begged him to invite you for me. He knew I was desperate.”

“He’s a good friend.” Nylan pulls back, lifting my chin to look at him.

“He is.” I leaned forward and kissed Ny, before lifting and carrying him to the bedroom. “And I have so much to thank him for.”

____________________________________________________________________

This isn't the end of the story, patrons! This one is just getting split into two different tales. The next two chapters will be about Nylan becoming Ragnar's avakesh!

The Northlake Academy of Knighthood

The Northlake Academy of Knighthood was founded in 4710 by Ashton Thompson, and Vincent Cerano. This was the second of three such academies they started, each spread across Lutheria. The knights they train act as the primary law and peacekeeping force in the country, with this school intended to serve the area around the city of Northlake, as well as the northern corner of their island nation.

With a current enrolled class of five-hundred and twenty-three students, the goal of the academy is to train the next generation of courageous knights to protect the still burgeoning country. These Knights-in-Training - or KITs are given extensive combat training in addition to continuing the well-rounded education they (hopefully) finished in their regular schooling. Their instructors are full members of the Lutherian Order of Knights themselves, often former students of the very academy they are teaching at.

The academy’s submission process is fairly simple, though enrollment is not guaranteed. All citizens of Lutheria are permitted to apply, as long as they are between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. Following the approval of their application, potential students will have to complete an interview as well as pass a physical examination; failing either will result in rejection. However, that is not the only way to get into the school: the children of a knight who was previously enrolled, known as a “legacy,” are allowed to skip the interview and even have the standards for their physical examination lowered. Of course, none of this matters if you can’t afford the tuition - five-hundred gold a year.

As KITs, the students have little more responsibility than ensuring they attend classes and training. They are put on strict schedules that they are expected to stick to, with the intention of preparing them for their life on-duty as a full knight after graduation. As they move up in their training, these KITs are given work around the city of Northlake, acting as guards for events around the academy or city. Some will even be taken to “shadow” full knights on duty to get a feel for a full day on the job.

Upon graduation, these students are inducted into the Order of Lutherian Knights, and after another six months of preparation will be sent to their first posting. These are typically located in less-populated areas of the country, allowing them to protect citizens in areas that may be lacking in defenses or an increase in lawlessness. Knights are required to stay at a posting for a minimum of six months before they can request a transfer to another post, though these are rarely granted to those freshly graduated.

Of course, not everyone makes it to graduation. At the end of each school year, KIT’s are tested, both physically and mentally, to see if they are allowed to pass onto the next level of training. Should they fail, the student is expected to repeat the previous year of training and try again next year. Unfortunately, some students will feel discouraged after experiencing this more than once and will then drop out of the academy entirely.

Some people choose to leave for different reasons and through different methods - namely, desertion. As they are technically not yet full knights, KIT’s cannot actually “desert” anything. However any student found to have abandoned and left the school without warning will be considered expelled, their tuition will not be refunded, and they are banned from rejoining the academy or the Lutherian Knights. However for full knights, the punishment for abandoning one’s post is arrest and imprisonment for no less than fifteen years. That acts as a strong deterrent for any potential deserters, though there are plenty of former knights happily living new lives in other parts of the globe.

The bulk of the Lutherian military is made up of a militia that may be less skilled, but is still trained and led by the order of knights, with a branch in each of the country’s major cities. Though they have not experienced active warfare since Lutheria's founding, these knights are always ready to lead their countrymen into battle. They are not alone though: as the Holy Empire of Albion continues to expand its borders, Lutheria has sought to bolster strong ties with its allies. They of course count the Erie to the south, with whom they share the island of Inisfalia among their number, but this also includes the counties of Scania, Galatia, and Spania, all of which are located in the vicinity of Albion. Though none of them wish it, should the worst happen and war engulfs the region, they are all prepared to stand together as one, just as the founders of Lutheria would have hoped.

Nylan & Ragnar, Chapter 1

“So, are you going to tell me what you got me?”

“What, having trouble waiting until dinner?”

Picture it: the year was 4581. It was a cool autumn morning, and I was walking to work with one of my friend Khazak Ironstorm. I didn't normally have this much pep in my step before work (I’ve never been a morning person), but today was a special day.

Special because it was my birthday. My twentieth, to be specific, and I was very eager to celebrate. Khazak’s family would be hosting me a birthday dinner that night - his dad Ragnar loves any excuse to cook. But first I had to make it through the day.

“Maybe.” No one has ever called me patient. “Is it a secret?”

“No.” Khazak shrugs. “I can tell you if you really want.”

“Nah, I can wait for tonight.” Not that Khazak’s was the only one I was curious about. “What about Ragnar’s?”

“I do not think you will be disappointed.” He looks at me slyly. “Why, is there something in particular that you were hoping he’d get you?”

“No, just curious...”

Khazak and Ragnar were my two best friends - and still are. They were some of the first friends I made when my family moved here to V’rok’sh Tah’lj, almost ten years ago when I was only eleven years old. We were originally from Pakannon, but after my parents found some work in the area, they decided to move us here.

I can only remember a little bit of what it was like growing up in Pakannon. It wasn't bad, mostly just quiet. It’s not a small city, only about half the size of Tah’lj, but there were at least more elves there than there were here.

That was one of the reasons Ragnar and I became fast friends - he’s a half-elf too, just like me. He is half-elf and half-orc, while I’m half-elf and half-human. Still, I don’t look that different from a full-elf to most people, and being the only elf in a city full of orcs wasn't easy.

I am kinda glad we moved though. Elves, including half-elves, age slower than other species. As a result, our childhoods last longer too, and when you live in a city with non-elves, that means either waiting a few years to start school, or having a child smaller and less-mature than their classmates. Or you homeschool, I guess.

Even though it's totally normal, it can still lead to things like bullying. Which is exactly what Ragnar was dealing with. He started school at the same time as everyone else his age. When I met him, I was eleven, but I looked more like an eight-year-old. Since the rest of his class was all around eight or nine, I fit right in, but he was easily the scrawniest kid in our class after me.

Ragnar was always dealing with that sort of inadequacy when we were in school. Since I was one of the only elves in town, nobody really had anyone to compare me too, but he just looked like a small, skinny orc. As soon as we were teenagers, he became obsessed with working out , wanting to bulk up and not be seen as that lanky kid anymore.

“Are you sure there’s not something you're hoping for?” He raised an eyebrow. “Something he might ask you?”

“I... don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried not to blush at what khazak was implying. Ragnar and I were just friends.

“I am sure.” He smirks before turning to the upcoming crossroad. “I think this is where I leave you.”

“See you later tonight,” I tell him as he turns, headed for his own destination

“See you then.” He waves as he leaves. “Happy birthday, Nylan.”

Obviously, Khazak and I worked at different places. While I was headed to the bookshop I’d been working in for the past year, Khazak was headed to the city’s main ranger station for training as one of their new recruits. It was kind of a shock to everyone when he took a few months off after graduation to travel with his sister. He and Ragnar had always talked about signing up together - and Ragnar still did while Khazak was gone.

I was almost as close to Khazak as I was Ragnar. He had always been a little too serious, but that was part of his charm. In those early years, he would constantly stick up for Ragnar, and then me, stomping it out quickly before it could become an issue when we were older. It’s no wonder the three of us became best friends.

“Good morning, Mr. Rockfang,” I greeted my boss as I entered the shop.

“Good morning, and happy birthday Nylan,” the older elf returned.

“Thanks sir,” I replied as I stepped behind the counter. “How are you doing today?

“Oh you know, just another quiet morning so far,” he told me warmly. “Mrs. Rockfang also sends her love and birthday wishes.”

“I’ll be sure to thank her tonight.” I put my bag down underneath the till. “You’re all still coming, right? Mr. Rurig’s food is always amazing.”

“We would not miss it for the world,” he answered with a smile. “We will be headed to the Ironstorm’s once Ragnar and Vixra are home from work.”

I should mention that Lenas Rockfang, my boss and the owner of this bookstore, is Ragnar’s father. He was also one of the only other elves in town, having moved here from Pakannon himself twenty years before we did, so he was eager to welcome our family when we first moved here. He and his wife were some of my parents first friends, and they were also there for us after... everything that happened.

I spent a lot of time at their home after school when I was still little, usually playing with their only son. I would typically either be there or at Khazak’s, especially after Mom died and Dad didn’t want me to be home alone while he worked, and their parents were happy to have me (I hope). This place had been my home for a long time, and even though there were ups and downs, without it I wouldn't have met Ragnar. Or my friends and family.

We flipped the open sign not long after my arrival, and the morning was as slow as it usually was. Bookstores are rarely if ever busy, but we had enough regulars to keep things steady through the months. When Mr. Rockfang first opened the place up, things were fairly cheap, but as time went on and the room within Tah’lj’s walls began to shrink, things got a little pricer. But I guess that’s just what happens when you live in a secret city hidden in the forest.

I gotta say, that was always the weirdest part about moving here. Like, there are so many rules even just trying to leave city. If I wanted to write to anyone, like my extended family in Pakannon, I’d have to be careful about saying where I actually was. And don't even think about someone coming to visit. Don’t get me wrong, especially as a kid I thought it was cool, but it was also a lot. Okay, back to the story.

It was an overall quiet day at the shop, like most of them had been. I really liked working there. I’ve always loved books, something Mr. Rockfang picked up on when I was little. Whenever I’d come over, he would have a new book for me, and I’d swap it for the one I had just finished. Then when I was old enough, he offered me a job in his store. He and his family have seriously been amazing. Especially his son.

Ragnar... Ragnar is great. He was one of the nicest, sweetest guys I had ever met, always willing to do a favor for a friend. He’s the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, no questions asked. He’s also very tall, with light blue eyes and a nice square jaw, with these big green muscular...

...Ragnar is great.

The day passed slowly and I left the shop in the early afternoon after my shift ended. After saying goodbye to Mr. Rockfang, I headed home to the small house I shared with my dad. I guess it was technically a duplex, with our house attached to another where our neighbor Mrs. Bul’vu lived, a sweet old lady who made really good cookies. We had been there for quite a few years at that point, needing to downsize from our last home after Mom died.

I took a nice shower once I got home, washing the day off of my body. I had a few hours before my father would get home, so I passed the time by doing what else but reading. Or at least trying to - I was really excited for dinner. When I heard the door open, I practically bounced off my bed.

“Hi dad!” I called out, exiting my bedroom to greet him.

“Hello, Ny.” He greets me with a hug after closing. “How was your day?”

“Good, how was yours?” I watched as he put his work bag down on the coffee table.

“Quiet, as usual,” he answered before heading to his bedroom. “Be right back.”

Dad worked in the city’s tribal hall as a translator, fluent in Common, Elvish, Atasi, and several others. Both of my parents were skilled when it came to linguistics. He and mom originally came here at the city’s request as part of an archaeology team. When they finished that, they found work in the city so they could stay.

“I know you'll be getting gifts at dinner tonight.” He returned clasping something in his hands. “But I wanted to give you this now.”

He opened his palms to reveal something shiny - a necklace. There was a long thin change attached to a silver pendant in the shape of a sun, a red jewel at its center. It looked beautiful - and expensive.

“It was your mothers,” Dad told me, already choking up. “And it was her mothers before that. I know she planned to give it to you, one day.”

“Dad, it's beautiful.” I accept the gift, pressing it tightly to my chest before pulling him in for a hug.

“I just wish she were here now.” He sniffled. “I know that if she were, she would be so proud of you, just like I am.”

“I miss her too.” I kept hugging while he tried to compose himself. “Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.”

“I know you will.” He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “Now, I need to clean up and change, and then it’s off to the Ironstorms for dinner!”

Dinner was as delicious as it always was, as was the pie we had for desert. Ragnar, one of Khazak’s three fathers, is a professional chef, and the man loved to show off his prowess. Seriously, if you're ever in V’rok’sh Tah’lj, make sure you stop by the Iron Pan - you won’t be disappointed!

After dinner, it was present time! Surprise surprise, I got a lot of books, especially from all the parents. Which I wasn’t mad about, I couldn’t wait to read each and every one of them, but I was starting to run out of shelf space. I own a lot more shelves these days.

Ayla, Khazak’s twin sister and another good friend, gave me a new, very stylish looking leather pouch that she brought back from the trip she took with Khazak to Manamequohi. Khazak himself got me a very nice looking set of pens and some ink, plus a nice new journal to write in. That just left Ragnar, who was sitting right next to me.

“I hope you like it,” he told me as he handed me my fourth book-shaped present of the night.”

“You know I love book--” I stopped after tearing off half of the present’s brown paper wrapping, shocked but what I saw underneath “Ragnar, this is...”

“Dad said you’d been eyeing it at the shop for a while,” Ragnar said, suddenly sounding bashful.

“Ragnar, this is a first edition of Within the Eye of the Storm. I love it.” That was my favorite book. I jumped up to quickly hug him. “But please tell me your dad gave you a big family discount.” I knew just how expensive it was, seeing as I worked there.

“He gave me a little discount.” He looks over at his parents and smiles. “It... might have cost me most of what I made last month.”

“You’re lucky we’re not charging your rent,” his mother, Vixra, joked from across the table.

“You didn’t have to get me something so expensive.” I tell him as the adults start to crack out the beer now that dinner is over.

“I know.” He was wearing a goofy smile. “But I wanted to.”

Spirits... To this day, seeing that smile still makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

After the drinks came out, the party started to split into two groups, the parents and the children. Kahzak’s younger siblings all left after desert, not caring to watch me open a bunch of books, which just left me, Khazak, Ayla, and Ragnar. Whenever Vixra and Rurig start drinking, the long winded stories we’ve already heard start to come out, so the four of us stepped out into the backyard together.

“It’s a nice night,” Ayla commented while staring at the starry sky.

“Made even better by the beer,” Ragnar added, taking a sip from his mug.

“You say that about everything lately,” Khazak joked. Unlike me, the three of them only turned eighteen this past year, so they had only been able to (legally) drink for a few months at that point.

“Oh wait, we forgot to toast!” Ayla suddenly remembered.

“I’ll go!” Ragnar volunteered, raising his glass to the sky. “To Nylan. May he have many, many more fun birthdays after this one.”

“To Nylan!”

“To Nylan!”

“To me!” We all raised our mugs and joined him.

“Happy birthday, Ny.” Ragnar clicks out mugs together.

“Thanks, everyone.” I couldn't help but feel bashful at the attention.

We stayed out there for a little longer, talking about nothing in particular. Nights like that, when you’re young with so little to worry about, are some of the best nights of your life. I could have stayed out there all night - especially with Ragnar.

“Ayla,” Khazak breaks our brief moment of silence. “I think there was something inside you needed to show me, remember?”

“What are you. Oh right, that thing,” she said with realization after looking confused. “Yeah, Come with me.”

Ragnar and I both watched as the twins made their awkward exit. They never were very good liars, though at least at the time neither of us knew what that particular thing was about. But with them gone, that left just the two of us out there under the starry night sky together, and I didn't find myself minding that much.

“So,” Ragnar started, fidgeting with his beer mug. “Did you have a nice birthday?”

“I did.” I nodded, taking a sip from mine. “Thanks for being a part of it. And for the gift - seriously, I can't believe you spent that much money on me!”

“You’re worth it.” His words made me blush.

He always had a way of doing that without ever meaning to. There was something about the way he would look at me, something in his eyes that felt like...more than friendship. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“So...” I tried to hide my pink face. “How has it been working with the rangers?”

“Oh you know, just doing my part to protect the city,” he half-joked. “I’m still just a rookie officer, so it's not like they have me doing anything spectacular, but I like it. And in just another couple of years I’ll be on my way to becoming a full ranger.”

“You’ll be the best ranger the city has ever seen,” I told him confidently.

“Thanks, Ny.” He gave me another one of those looks. “I was wondering... Have you ever wanted to...”

“Yes?” I replied, some small part of me hopeful that this was the question I had been waiting for.

“Hey!” The back door to the Ironstorm home flew open, making us both jump as Rurig poked his head out. “You two need a refill?”

“Uh, no sir, I-- I think I’m good for now,” Ragnar fumbled.

“Me too.” Great timing.

“Alright. Well don’t stay out here too long, you’re missing all the good stories!” he let out a happy laugh as he closed the door and returned inside.

“Was there something you were going to ask me?” I tried to recapture whatever moment we were about to have.

“I...” He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t important.”

“Oh, okay.” I hid my disappointment, not that I really knew what I was disappointed over.

“Well, I think I’m gonna head inside,” Ragnar told me after a few more moments of awkward silence. “Happy birthday again, Ny.”

“Thanks, Ragnar.” I watched as he stepped back inside, planning on following in just a minute.

I took one last look up at the sky, the stars twinkling above, and I made a wish. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good fairy tale, but I’m not someone who usual believes in that kind of stuff. But it was my birthday, so I thought that maybe just once, it might come true...

The Crown and the Collar Preorders & Cover Reveal

It’s the most magical time of the year: Orctober! If the title and image of the post didn’t make it clear: The Crown and the Collar is now available for preorder! The cover was drawn by Oxford Craik, the same cover artist for the Steel & Thunder series, and was inspired by 1941’s The Wolfman. Just, you know, sexier and gayer.

The book will be released on February 26th, 2024, and the paperback and hardcover editions will be listed soon. You can find the book for sale online at Amazon, B&N, Apple, and all of the other usual online book shops. The two preview chapters have also been updated to the published version, if you feel like giving them a reread! Here’s the synopsis:

He never saw himself as very special.

Peter has lived on a farm all his life. He loves nothing more than helping his parents tend to their fields and animals. Still, sometimes life in Weston can be a little too quiet; he can’t help but wonder what else is out there. Imagine his surprise when the crown prince of Litkalaa comes knocking and makes him an offer he can’t refuse: wear his collar and become the next royal consort.

Prince Makseka Blackclaw is used to getting everything he wants, which is why he doesn’t get why everyone is making such a big deal about his offer to Peter. He just wants to take the cute boy back to the castle where he’ll be pampered, well-fed, and maybe they’ll have some fun together too. Sadly, it may take more than a few mistakes to help him see how misguided some of his actions are, even if he means well.

This is a story about farming, werewolves, palace intrigue, and all sorts of secrets. Explore the island of Litkalaa and see what the royals are like behind closed doors through the eyes of a simple farm boy. This book features themes of gay/male-on-male romance with elements of Kink and BDSM—or in other words, a very good time!

In other news: last month’s Smut Lover’s Conference went amazingly! I had a great time seeing my old author friends and meeting new ones. At Saturday’s book signing, I completely sold out of every copy of Steel & Thunder, paperback and hardcover! I even had readers who flew out just to see me! I posted pictures on my socials, so go check ‘em out. I’m already signed up again for next year, and I hope I’ll see even more of you there.

Until next month, happy reading!

This Month on Patreon

October’s Patreon offerings:

• 10/7: The first chapter of a new story, Nylan & Ragnar, the tale of how these two went from friends to something more.
• 10/14: The Northlake Academy of Knighthood - Learn about the enrollment process and curriculum that David, Adam, and Liss once went through.
• 10/21: Nylan & Ragnar, Chapter 2 (because I screwed up!)
• 10/28: Poll Week! Vote for new Patreon stories and worldbuilding article.

Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 8

“This is all you could get?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You said to get people I trusted.”

It’s the weekend, and I’m sitting in Kaylin’s room with him, his brother Lem, Tuck, and Prim. We’re here to discuss some sort of plan Lem has come up with for Kaylin’s tribunal hearing. It’s in just a few days and we’re understandably nervous about it, especially Kaylin.

Lem asked me to bring along any cabrian dom friends of mine, people I trusted. There are plenty of doms I call friend, but Tuck and Prim are the two I trust the most. I’ve known them both a long time, Tuck since we were kids, and Prim since high school. Kaylin still isn’t comfortable enough to publicly reveal our relationship, so I wanted to keep this group small for his sake, but if Lem says we need more, I can get more.

“I guess we’ll be fine with the four of you,” Lem says with a sigh. “I just figured with more people we’d have a better shot at making sure this works.”

“Making sure what works?” Kay asks. “You still haven’t told us anything about this ‘plan’ of yours yet.”

“I’m getting to that.” Lem rolls his eyes. “So, the actual charge brought against Kaylin is that he lied on his submission paperwork when he joined the GAA.”

“But I didn’t,” Kaylin replies. “The recruiter filled most of that out for me. She never asked.”

“Right.” Lem looks confident. “So today, the four of us are all going to talk to a recruiter and see if the same thing happens.”

“Like, you want us to reapply to the academy?” I’m already skeptical.

“Exactly that,” Lem confirms. “And you’re going to use your OCIDs to record the whole thing.”

“Are we supposed to use fake names or something?” Kaylin asks, just as doubtful.

“Yeah, I mean if Zekram’s in trouble for lying on his application, wouldn’t we be doing the exact same thing?” Prim astutely points out.

“Technically it’s only illegal to submit a fraudulent application,” Lem starts. “As long as you leave before they do that, no actual crime has been committed.”

“And can’t we also get in trouble for recording without them knowing?” I’m pretty sure that law isn’t even exclusive to the GAA.

“That recording issue is why we will be doing this in a public place, not Academy property, where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.” That sounds like lawyer speak. “There’s a recruitment drive being held in Trellimus Park this afternoon.”

“Okay, so I’m not saying I’m not up for doing this,” Tuck starts. “But I don’t really know that my dad’s gonna be happy if he finds out I did.”

“Right, Senator Balock.” I can hear the weariness in Lem’s voice. “I don’t have to really name everyone who records - but if your dad really has a problem with this, he sucks.”

“Not arguing that,” Tuck replies. “I just really don’t feel like getting chewed out next Cytolus Eve.”

“Then try to remember that what you're doing is important.” To his credit, Lem seems entirely confident. “This isn’t just about my brother, this is about all of the subs who get treated like they’re less capable than their dom counterparts.”

“I hate that I have to be in the spotlight for this, but he’s right,” Kaylin speaks up. “They aren’t doing this because I lied on my application. They want to punish me for daring to step above what they think is my place.”

“I’m in,” Prim says without hesitation. “It’ll be nice to maybe not have the officer program full of nothing but dickheaded doms.”

“Gods, I can only hope,” Kaylin concurrs.

The four of us leave campus, hopping on a hovertram to take us to the west side of Miral, where Trellimus Park is located. It’s busy, because in addition to the recruitment drive, there’s also some sort of weekend festival going on. There’s a ton of food, games and rides for the kids, and I think I even hear some music being played somewhere.

But our focus is on the large pavilion the GAA is set up in. There’s a few of these pavilions all across the park. They normally look like tall, thin cylinders, but when activated split apart and form an entire structure. They’re incredibly sturdy and can even function as a shelter in the event of an emergency. There are about half a dozen recruiters sitting at booths inside, with a few people sitting in chairs waiting for their turn as the recruiters talk with other applicants. Guess this is it.

“Alright, make sure your OCIDs are recording,” Lem reminds us in a low voice. “And remember to use fake names.”

As we take our seats, I double tap two fingers to my palm in my left hand, turning on my OCIDs camera. One by one, the people sitting ahead of us are each called up, until finally it’s my turn. A cabrian woman at the desk furthest to the right waves me over.

“Good afternoon,” she greets me as I sit down. A pair of holo-screens float in front of her, though I can’t see what’s on them from the back. “Hope you’ve been having a nice day so far.”

“Yeah, it’s been a nice day,” I respond. “I hope yours has been good too.”

“Well, I’ve been working inside this tent all morning,” she tells me with a smile. “But it hasn’t been too bad. Always happy to talk about what the GAA has to offer someone. Is that something you’ve been thinking about?”

“Uh, yeah it is,” I lie, already feeling bad. “I’ve been thinking about signing up for a while.”

“That’s great,” she tells me. “What about the academy appeals to you?”

“Well, I’ve always kinda liked what they stand for.” I quickly come up with a story for myself. “Banding together to help people across the galaxy. Not to mention actually getting to go to space or other planets.”

“We hear that a lot.” Phew. She seems to have bought it. “I’ve been to a lot of different places myself, just working this booth.”

“That’s amazing.” I’m not completely lying - even as a student, I’ve been to a dozen different planets already.

“Obviously I’m just in administration, but we have a few officers here to answer more of your questions in details.” Not anyone I know I hope... “But first, let’s get started on this application.”

“Sounds good.” I nod as she begins to type.

“Now, what’s your full name?” I can only see the back of her holoscreen.

“Padim Hurrat,” I answer before spelling it out. “P-a-d-i-m H-u-r-r-a-t.”

“Thank you.” She continues to type.

“And what’s your date of birth?” she continues with the basic questions.

Some of her questions are fairly obvious, like my birthdate, and both a physical and electronic address to send communications. Others are more abstract - are there any roles I’m particularly interested in, do I know anyone else in the academy or GAA at large. I answer all as best I can, delving deeper and deeper into this fictional character I’ve created. I almost forget what I’m doing.

“Alright, can you just verify that everything I’ve filled out so far is correct?” With a twirl of her finger, she rotates the holoscreen toward me.

The form is filled in with my fake name and all the other false information I gave. It also has a few things she didn’t ask me - like my species, and right below that is my designation: dominant. I focus my eyes on that, making sure to capture it on the recording.

“Is everything okay?” Shit, I’ve been silent for too long. “Did I spell something wrong?” She turns the screen back in her direction.

“Oh, uh, no, sorry.” Alright, I got what I came for, time to get out of here. “I’m just, uh, I guess having some second thoughts?”

“I see.” She doesn’t seem to be taken aback by that. “You wouldn’t be the first. Are there any questions I could answer that would help put you at ease?”

“It’s not really that.” I feel bad that I’ve been lying to her, but I can use the guilt I’m feeling to my advantage. “I just think I should probably talk to my parents first, before making a big decision like this.”

“Ah, I understand that well.” She nods her head knowingly. “My own father was not exactly happy when I told him I was joining the GAA.”

“Yeah, I have a feel mine is the same way.” That worked better than I hoped.

“Well, if you change your mind, we’ll be here for a few more hours,” she starts to tell me. “Otherwise, we do these events a few times a year, and you can also just pop in to the GAA headquarters or any of our branch offices and apply there.”

“Thank you, I will.” I stand and shake her hand.

I tap my fingers to my wrist again, ending the recording as I turn and leave the pavilion. Back outside, I spot Lem across the way, leaning against a tree. When he sees me, he gestures for me to come over.

“How’d it go?” Lem asks as I join him on a patch of grass.

“It happened exactly like you said it would,” I tell him. “She asked me a few things but blew right past my designation. When she showed me the form at the end, I saw that she had checked dominant.”

“That’s perfect.” Lem smiles wide. “Can you get me the recording?”

“I’ll send it right now.” With a flick of my wrist, I bring up the menu on my OCID.

Much like when it acts as a HUD during training sessions, everything is only visible to me. The only reason anyone around us could even tell that I’m using it is because of the gestures I’m making with my hand and fingers to navigate it. I grab the video file and, after sending a copy to my personal datapad, find Lem in my contacts and send it to him as well.

“This is exactly what we need,” Lem tells me after pulling out his own datapad and watching the video for himself. Let’s hope the others were just as successful.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you tried too?” I ask, wondering why he didn’t attempt to fake an application like us.

“Well, for one I’d need to buy an optical camera.” Our OCIDs might have come from the GAA, but there are all sorts of models available to private citizens. “And it also isn’t a good look for a lawyer to be seen intentionally lying on camera. Especially not when it’s evidence in his own case.”

“Good point.” Being a lawyer sounds complicated.

“Here comes the others.” Lem nods behind me, and I turn to see Tuck and Prim, with Kaylin right behind them.

“How’d it go?” I ask when we’re all together.

“Not well,” Tuck complains. “I didn’t get a cabrian recruiter, mine was a hoshu. She asked me everything, including my designation.”

Hoshu are a terran-descended species like cabrians, the two sharing a decent amount of biological similarity. The main differences are that the skin and hair of most hoshu are tinged green, and they do not possess the dominant/submissive dimorphism that we do. They’re said to have increased senses of smell and taste when compared to other species, though I haven’t ever asked any myself to confirm.

“It’s alright, you did your best.” I can hear a little disappointment in Lem’s voice.

“I didn’t fare much better.” Prim frowns. “I did get a cabrian, but he also made sure to ask for my designation.”

“Good thing mine went off without a hitch,” Kaylin says with a grin. “Sending you the video now.”

“Thank gods.” Lem relaxes as he checks his pad again. “This is good. I would have liked to have more than two, but I can work with this.”

“What happens now?” I ask, unsure of what we do next.

“Now I need to get back to my hotel and start preparing my case.” Lem is already getting to work on his pad. “I’ve also got to submit the videos as evidence. Kay, I’ll call you later to go over things for the tribunal, okay?”

“Sounds good, bro.” Kaylin and his brother share a hug. “See ya.”

“I’ve got an astrophysics test to study for, so I’m gonna head out too,” Tuck tells us, turning and walking away with a wave.

“I’m supposed to be getting dinner with Gax,” Prim tells me. “See you both in class tomorrow.”

“Well, I don’t have anything going on today,” I say to Kaylin as our three friends all walk away. “Wanna hang out around here, maybe get something?”

“That sounds nice,” he replies, before lowering his voice further. “Sir.”

Kaylin’s words make me smile as we walk away from the GAA recruiters. It’s a nice day, the orange verasoli trees rustling in the wind, their fallen leaves blending in with the green-yellow grass. There are a lot of people out, some having picnics with their families and friends, others playing games like rackball or twoton together.

“Hey, you hungry?” I ask Kaylin after spotting a cart selling fried takabird on a stick.

“I could eat,” he tells em with a grin.

“Two, please.” I hold up two fingers to the cart’s vendor, transferring the credits to him electronically.

“Here.” I hold one of them out for Kaylin as we walk away.

He surprises me by not taking it, instead leaning forward to take a bite as if I was feeding him. I feel a rush of dominance surge through me, and I can’t help myself, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him into my side as we walk. I keep feeding him like this, not thinking anything of it until of course, someone has to ruin things.

“Holy shit,” a familiar voice says from behind. “Look at Zekram, being fed by Urmatin like a bitch.”

We instantly freeze in our tracks, turning to see who else but Cadet Falkin and some of his friends. I don’t know why they’re here, I certainly wasn’t expecting them, but it is a public park. I just hate having to look at his stupid fucking face.

“I always knew he’d be just like any other sub,” Falkin sneers. “Eating out of his dom’s hands because he can’t feed himself.”

“Fuck off, Falkin,” I spit out, only realizing afterwards that Kaylin is already walking in the opposite direction. “Kaylin, wait.”

“What the fuck was that?!” he almost yells at me when I catch up to him. “What were you thinking?”

“What? What are you talking about?” I get why he’d be upset, but not this much. “I’m sorry they saw, but it’s not like I did it on purpose.”

“No, you just didn’t think about it at all!” He’s so angry he’s almost spitting when he talks. “The one thing I asked of you was not to dom me like that in public! Asshole!”

“Kay, wait!” I try, but he’s already stomping away. “I didn’t...”

“Aww, having problems keeping your bitch in line?” one of Falkin’\s friends jokes.

I turn back, trying to think of a witty retort, but I’m just too distracted by Kalyin and just end up walking away while Falkin and the others snicker behind me. I’m worried, and want to chase after Kaylin and talk, but I don’t think he’d respond well to that. I also don’t think he’d appreciate being stuck on the same hovertram home as me, so I give it a good ten minutes before heading to the station.

I just don’t really understand. I know why he’d be upset at Falkin seeing him like that, but I’m not sure I was the right target for that anger. It’s not as though I pushed him to do anything - he was the one who started it, if anything! I’m not trying to avoid responsibility for my part in things, but he didn’t have to yell at and ditch me like that.

By the time I make it back to campus, I’ve thoroughly lost my appetite and head straight for my dorm. I spend the evening trying to distract myself with movies, the news, I even try studying. None of it is of any use, my mind always coming back to Kaylin, even when I try to sleep. I’m doing my best not to feel anger towards him, but it’s tough.

I’m tossing and turning in bed when I hear a knock on my door. I check the time, seeing that it’s almost midnight, and there’s only one person I think that would be here at this hour. I disengage the door’s lock, watching it slide open to reveal Kaylin.

“Hey.” He at least sounds regretful. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” I step aside, letting the sub enter and trying to remain neutral.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out before the door is even closed. “For this afternoon, freaking out on you like.”

“Thanks.” It does make me feel better to hear that. “I’m sorry too for my part in it. I know how important keep those things private is to you, and I should have stopped it when I had a chance.”

“No, this isn’t your fault.” Kaylin hangs his head. “It’s mine. I’m the one who started things, it’s not your fault for going along with me. I’m sorry for yelling, cursing at you, and just...making things worse, probably.”

“It’s... It’s okay, Kaylin.” I mean, it’s probably not going to take long before Falkin spreads around what he saw today, but I don’t mention that. “I understand why.”

“That doesn’t make it okay though.” He worries his bottom lip with his teeth. “I... I’d like you to punish me. Please, sir.”

“Punishment?” I was not expecting that. “I’m not sure, Kay...”

“Please?” He finally looks up at me, a hurt look in his eye. “The guilt I feel over it... I couldn’t even sleep. Punishment is going to be the only way to fix it. Otherwise it will just keep eating me up inside.”

“Okay, but, we haven’t really talked about punishment,” I start, not sure if I will agree. “We’ve barely been dating a week. Lem should really be the person to--”

“No,” he answers before I can finish. “Please no. Lem hasn’t punished me since I was a kid...  It would be weird, and I’d rather him not find out about how I acted today if I can help it.”

I’m not sure I like that answer. It’s true, all that guilt can really eat away at a sub, and some kind of punishment or consequence is generally the only way to resolve it. Seeing as we don’t have any formal agreements between us for that yet, Lem should be the person to administer it. Watching it take place would be enough to soothe my own dom instincts, but he seems really, really opposed to that.

“Okay. But just this once,” I agree after some inner turmoil. “And we are going to talk to your brother before it happens again.

“Okay, sir,” he agrees to my stipulation with a nod. “What... How do you want me?”

“I’m thinking just a spanking this time, since it’s your first offense,” I joke, taking a seat on my bed. “Strip, and then get over my lap.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kaylin quickly pulls off his clothes, laying them across the back of my desk chair. Once he’s naked, he climbs onto the bed, and then over my lap, his red ass right in the center. I stroke my hands over his skin, watching the way he shivers at my light. Well, light for now.

“I really didn’t like what happened today.” I rub my hand over his cheeks briefly before raising it. “And not even because of what you said to me.”

I bring my hand down on his right cheek with a sharp smack.

“I mean, no one wants to get yelled at or cursed out.” I spank his other cheek, and then the first again. “But that wasn’t even the worst of what happened.”

“You just left me there.” Spank, spank. “You just stormed off, with absolutely no talking other than you yelling at me.”

I give three more sharp smacks to his ass.

“I get being upset at what happened.” Two more spanks. “But you know it wasn’t my fault. I was angry too. We should have figured out what to do together.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Kaylin says with a sniffle. “I just panicked.”

“I know.” Tomorrow might start with me knocking out Falkin’s teeth... “We’re in this together.”

I continue to spank him for a few more minutes. This is the first time I’ve spanked someone I’m dating, at least as an actual punishment. I haven’t been keeping count, I just pay attention to Kaylin’s and my own signals for when we both feel like he’s had enough.

When I’m finished, he lays in my lap for a minute, before moving to straddle me. He throws his arms around my neck, silently sobbing into my shirt as I stroke my hands down his back. When he finally pulls back enough that I can see his face, his eyes look a little dilated and I realize he’s fallen at least partially into subspace.

I carefully move him from my lap, laying him on his side on my bed. I get up, grabbing a glass and filling it with water that I bring back to Kaylin. After carefully making sure he drinks all of it, I strip off my own clothes and crawl into bed behind him. I wrap my arms around him, stroking my hands down his chest as he relaxes.

“You were a good boy for me, Kaylin,” I whisper into his ear. “You took that punishment very well.”

“Thank you, sir,” he answers in just as soft a voice. “I’m sorry, again.”

“All is forgiven,” I tell him, kissing the back of his neck.

I keep petting my boy until his breathing slows and he finally nods off. Today could have gone better, but this next week is going to be a real tough one for both of us I fear. But we can deal with that when it comes. For now, I just hold him, until we’re both fast asleep.

Elementals & Other Summoned Creatures

A spellcaster’s magic makes them very versatile in the heat of battle. They have all sorts of options for tackling the problems at hand, especially when those problems happen to be a large monster or enemy combatant that needs to be put down. And while some spellcasters are happy to attack directly, some prefer others to do the dirty work for them.

Summoned creatures typically reside on other planes of existence; pocket dimensions that are connected to our world through the astral plane. Most are typically no more intelligent than your average animal, caring for little else than following its instincts. However, when presented with the opportunity to access the material plane, their priorities tend to shift.

Summoned creatures are not able to travel to or remain on the material plane on their own. The physical forms we see them take on are not in fact their true forms, but a facsimile powered by the summoner that their spirit inhabits. Without a connection to the caster that summoned them, they are instantly shunted back to their home plane.

A summoning spell can in some ways be thought of as a magical contract. The spell requires the caster to make an offering to the summoned creature. This is typically a material component, such as coal or other fuel for a fire elemental, though some more intelligent and powerful creatures may ask the spellcaster to agree to some sort of deal or exchange. While most summonings happen willingly, there are truly powerful mages capable of magically shackling all sorts of summoned creatures and bending them to their will.

Elementals are the most common type of creature to be summoned, due in part because the dimensions they call home are more closely aligned with ours than some of the others. This includes the classical elements you know: fire, air, water, and earth, but there are also others. There are elementals of frost, lightning, wood, or even metal. The forms of these elementals can vary, some taking on familiar bipedal forms, while others may more closely resemble animals, typically dependent on the amount of power the creature possesses.

But there are other, more intelligent creatures capable of being summoned as well. Residing on planes of celestial or demonic natures, these beings often closely resemble what we think of as “angels” or “demons.” A significant amount of spell power is required to connect to these planes, and the costs are often more exacting. These creatures often have their own motivations and wants far more complex than the animal-like instincts of an elemental. They may ask the caster for a favor, or only agree to assist them under specific conditions, and it is up to the spellcaster to weigh the costs against the benefits.

While technically any arcane caster can cast a summoning spell, there are certain casters with an affinity for reaching out to the creatures on these other planes. These are known as Summoners. Other types of spellcasters can also seemingly summon their own types of creatures, though there are usually significant differences. More powerful creatures require a more powerful caster, and if someone isn’t careful, it is entirely possible for a summoned creature to break free of the control of the person who summoned them, leading to disaster.

Enchanters, another subdivision of arcane spellcasters, are able to use their talents for imbuing objects with magic to create something unique. By imbuing an object or objects with aspects of their own personality, they can bring these objects to life to function as an assistant or guard. Though not technically “alive” in the strictest sense, the “creature” contains the intelligence and other quirks of the caster themselves, making it hard to tell the difference.

Necromancers, a type of divine caster, are capable of summoning the dead. Mind you, this is not the same as bringing the dead back to life; there is no spirit or soul, they are simply reanimated corpses. Skeletons, cadavers, even the freshly dead can be utilized. Though the musculature, skin, and bones of their body might be destroyed, the negatively-aligned magical energy holds them together and even makes them ambulatory. Similar to enchanters, this is done by the necromancer in question imbuing the dead with their own magic, though they have no independent thought and can only obey the orders of their master. Despite this association with the undead, not all necromancers are evil.

Finally, we have the totems, familiars, and other spirits that natural casters call on. These are often thought of in the same category as other summoned creatures, with some even bearing similar elemental affinities. However, there are some key differences. The “contracts” they form with a natural caster are often much longer lived; a shaman could summon the same totems for years, and a witch's familiar will typically be with them their entire life. These creatures also already reside on the material plane, and cannot be “banished” in the same way.

So, there you have it. In a big and magic-filled world like Terra, some of its people will use that magic to summon all sorts of creatures. Maybe it’s to win an epic battle, maybe it’s in the name of important research, maybe they just don’t feel like plowing the fields on their own - all it takes is a little magic and the right offering. Just remember: the more you seek, the higher the cost.

Forest Fungus Fornication, Chapter 4

“Need now!”

“David! Just, wait a minute.”

But I don’t have a minute to wait. There’s a fire burning not just in my loins but my brain, and the only thing that is going to fix it is big, fat, orc cock. Lucky for me, there’s one right underneath me.

I press myself against Khazak’s body, his still half-hard shaft trapped between us. I grind my own cock against his, pressing us both down into the ground as I seek some relief. The friction feels good, but it’s not enough, I need more.

Feeling that he’s hard enough, I sit up straight. Still straddling his body, I lift off just enough to reach behind me for his cock, squeezing and stroking it to full hardness. Lifting myself up again, I then aim his cock at my hole and sit back down, until I’m resting on top of his thighs.

Fuck, that’s what I needed. I feel full, stretched to my limits, even sore after taking it all night, but it finally feels like the fire in my belly is starting to die down. But it’s still not enough... I need more, lifting my hips as I begin to ride Khazak’s cock.

“Uh, sir?” one of the rangers behind me starts. “What should we do?”

“L’gan, return to V’rok’sh Tah’lj at once to retrieve the antidote.” Khazak snaps into action, despite the obvious distraction. “Given how long it took and how differently it seems to affect humans, there’s no telling how long this may last or if there will be any other complications.”

“Yes sir!” I can hear the ranger running out of camp as he hurries to follow orders, but all I can do is continue to ride Khazak. Thankfully he grips onto my thighs as he starts to thrust up, meeting me halfway.

“The rest of you, clean up, hydrate, and be ready to continue per our arrangement last night.” The rangers each groan at the order, but Khazak just starts to thrust faster.  “David exhausted himself all night trying to take care of us, the least any of you can do is return the favor. I better not hear any other complaints.”

I hear various “yes, sirs” from the group and no more grumbling, though I’m really not paying them much attention. Khazak’s cock feels so good right now, his cock sliding over my prostate and making me see stars behind my eyelids. But it’s still not enough, even when he’s bottomed out. I need more.

My prick is hard, maybe harder than it’s ever been before. It slaps against my belly and Khazak’s each time I slam down onto his thighs, leaving twin wet spots of precum on our skin. I can’t help myself, not even asking permission before I reach down and start to rapidly stroke myself. It only takes me a few strokes before I’m cumming, covering Khazak’s stomach in thick white ropes.

There’s a problem though: I’m still rock hard, and the fire in my loins has not been doused even a little. Khazak also notices this, looking between my cumshot, cock, and face in shock, all while continuing to drive his cock in and out of my hole. With a growl of frustration, I grit my teeth and redouble my efforts, probably digging a Khazak-shaped hole into the ground.

I continue to furiously jack my dick as I ride my orc, desperate to cum again. I can see how exhausted Khazak is beneath me, but never once does he falter, continuing to deliver his cock as best he can. Though my dick doesn’t seem to want to cum again yet, I can feel that my hole very much does, the pressure building until it finally releases and I’m involuntarily squeezing and milking the shaft inside of me.

Khazak sadly isn’t able to last much longer than that, his cock pulsing weakly only a few minutes later as he delivers another load to my sloppy ass. It doesn’t feel like a very big one, his balls no doubt almost empty after last night’s ordeal. With a deep exhalation, his body collapses to the ground, his prick spent. Which means it’s time for the next one.

“Deputy Rockfang,” Khazak warns from the ground as I climb off of him. “If you want to have any semblance of control, I suggest you get to him before he gets to you.”

“Y-Yes, sir,” the half-orc stammers nervously as I set my sights on him.

We end up meeting somewhere in the middle of camp, and with some manhandling, Ragnar manages to get me on my hands and knees in front of him. I practically growl when I look behind me to see what’s taking him so long, but I go silent and still when I feel his cock pressing between my cheeks. With one hand on my hip to hold me steady, he pushes himself into me, refilling the hole that Khazak just finished using.

Once he’s all the way inside, he grabs me with both hands and starts to thrust. My hole is once again assaulted by dueling sensations, sore from all the extensive use it has endured, and relief at being filled again. My libido is still in overdrive, and this is the only thing that will fix it.

Sadly, it quickly becomes apparent that Ragnar is not up to the task of fucking me as hard as I require right now. So taking matters into my own hands, I push myself backwards, bouncing my ass off of Ragnar’s groin at a faster and faster pace. Before long he is struggling to keep up with me, attempting to futilely hold me in place by my hips.

As I fuck myself on Ragnar, I reach underneath myself to grab my cock once more. It feels almost hot to the touch, and I squeeze myself, making me hiss in pleasure. I begin stroking myself in time with my thrusts backwards, and after only a few minutes, shoot my second load all over the ground. Once again, my cock does not get any less hard.

I keep riding Rangar’s prick like that for another ten minutes, forcing two anal orgasms out of my hole. I’m still able to go for much longer, but I’m starting to sense that Ragnar isn’t when my movements push him off balance. When he finally cums himself not a minute later, he stumbles, pulling out faster than he meant to and just barely catching himself with his arm.

With my hole empty and my lust still unsated, I turn my eyes onto the remaining rangers, deciding to go after the one who happens to be closest. When I pounce on him the same way I did Khazak, knocking him on his back for me to stradle, I even see a little fear in his eyes. But I don’t care, I’m so horny that I can’t even remember his name right now.

I immediately impale myself on his prick, the poor man gasping in surprise at my speed. Unlike Khazak, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be much help at all, forcing me to do all the work. With my ass filled again, I start to ride him, my hard cock hitting his stomach with an audible slap. I jerk myself again, my hand a blur over my cock, until I explode all over the chest underneath me. This guy has even less staying power than Ragnar or Khazak, and cums not long after I do, not even getting my hole to cum at least once.

Oh well, onto the next. When I turn to face the rangers again, my next victim doesn’t even fight it. After locking eyes with me, he just lowers himself to the ground for me to straddle, which I do with gusto. Everytime I get another cock in my hole, it’s like the relief I’m seeking is just out of reach, and if I just keep trying, eventually it’ll happen.

But it doesn’t. My current paramore does his best, but no matter how many times I cum while riding him, nothing satisfies me. Jerking off only leads me to another mediocre orgasm and more frustration. When I finally feel him cum, I growl, standing in a huff. If none of these guys can--

“Alright, c’mere you.” I’m suddenly grabbed from behind by Arik.

“What?! Let me--” I start to struggle.

“Just hold still for a minute.” He maneuvers us so that he’s sitting, and pulls me onto his lap.

“If you aren’t going to fuck--”

“I said hold still,” he grumbles, hands still moving.

While I’m busy glaring at Arik’s face, I missed him pressing something cool and slick to my hole between my legs. Looking down reveals a familiar sight, but not one I’m familiar with in this position: Arik’s cock. He’s seemingly detached it from his harness, and is now pushing it into my hole manually. I groan as I’m filled again, this cock significantly bigger than my last two.

“There we go,” Arik comments as he starts to thrust it in and out.

“Excellent thinking, Ranger Deepfist,” Khazak comments as he stands over us.

“Thought this might be easier on us,” Arik says, getting to work.

With his other hand, Arik grabs my dick and begins to stroke me. He quickly picks up speed on both hands, and with someone else actually taking care of my needs for once, I can feel my aggression subside. I relax back onto Arik’s chest, spreading my legs wider to give him more room to work with.

The thick shaft pumping in and out of my ass is one of the largest I’ve taken to date, and seeing as it’s made of wood it’s also the most rigid. The inner walls of my hole have no choice but to part around it as it drives into my core. Now capable of fucking me with all eight inches with ease, Arik has me once more seeing stars - and cumming anally.

At the same time he’s been servicing my hole, his fist has been sliding up and down my shaft. It’s a struggle not to chase it, to hump away like I want, but if I do I threaten to throw off the rhythm of his other hand, and my ass is not willing to give that up. I’m rewarded for my efforts not a minute later when my cock cums as well, spilling semen over Arik’s hand and onto my stomach.

Arik continuously, repeatedly makes me cum with both of us hands, turning me into a whining, mewling mess on his lap. Every time I have an anal orgasm, he presses his cock as deep as he can, holding it there as my inner muscles struggle weakly around it. His hand never once slows down on my cock, a veritable lake of jizz now pooling around its base. How am I even making that much cum?

“Hey uh, would someone else mind tagging in?” But of course, all good things must come to an end. “My arms are starting to get tired.”

One of the other rangers quickly steps in for him (Frostsong, I think?), with Arik even granting him the continued use of his cock. And so it goes, I’m passed from orc to orc, each of them doing their damndest to pleasure my dick and hole. Some use Arik’s cock, some use fingers, some use toys I didn’t even realize they had, but all of them thankfully do the trick, Arik having finally broken some dam in me.

I’m not always in the same position. Some have me facing them, while others put me on my back, legs wide. Ragnar actually puts me on all fours, pulling my cock straight down as he drives four thick fingers in and out of me. That’s the way I am when L’gan finally rejoins us, his heavy feet stomping on the ground behind me.

“Here you go, sir,” he says while panting. “And our relief is on their way as well.”

“Excellent work, ranger,” Khazak responds. “Give it here.”

A second later and Khazak is kneeling in front of me, a purple-colored vial in his hand. If I were in a clearer state of mind I might ask what it is, but all I can do right now is press back against the fingers in my ass as I have another orgasm. Maybe because he can sense that I am gonna need the assistance, but he takes me by the chin, tilting my head upwards.

“Open,” he orders, the vial in his other hand already uncorked.

I do as told and he brings the potion to my mouth, the cool glass pressing against my lips.

“Drink, all of it,” he continues as he pours the liquid into my mouth.

I swallow it down, the bitter, acrid taste making me want to gag, all under Khazak’s worry-filled gaze. Nothing seems to happen at first, my body still feeling hotter than the sun and as horny as I’ve ever been. But the next time Ragnar makes me cum, it’s like some of that heat shoots out with it onto the forest floor. I think I even get a little softer.

It takes a minute or two, but with each subsequent orgasm I feel less and less needy, the fire finally cooling, until I finally collapse in a heap, my cock soft, my hole stretched, and my body sore. I’m not really conscious enough to tell you too much of what happened after, but there was a lot of movement above me until I felt myself being picked up.

I look up into Khazak’s brown eyes as he carries me from the camp, the other mushroom-afflicted rangers in tow as we return to V’rok’sh Tah’lj. I bury my face against his chest, feeling a deep tiredness in every part of my being. I’m too exhausted to feel embarrassed about my nudity, if anyone even notices once we’re back in the city’s walls, only registering that we are home when I hear the click of a door unlocking.

“That was amazing, David,” Khazak tells me later until the spray of a hot shower. “I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of you for stepping up like that.”

He slowly runs a soft wash cloth up and down my chest, wiping away the dirt and grime from the past sixteen or so hours. He holds me steady against his body, slowly turning me as he needs access to the other parts of my body, gently cleaning me from head to toe. I’m practically asleep as I lean against him, his sweet nothings lulling me into a trance.

“I think someone has earned themselves a reward.” Well that perks me up a little. “A big one. Maybe even two.”

“C’n I take a nap?” I slur, sleep being the only thing I want aside from this.

“You can sleep for as long as you want, puppy.” He kisses the top of my head. “And I won’t even count that as one of them.”

I smile happily against his skin as we finish our shower, and I continue to feel the warm fuzzies of our love when he dries me off with a soft towel. Even though he doesn’t need to, he carries me to bed like a bride, gently placing me under the covers. He quickly closes the thick curtains of his window, dropping the room into a nice cool darkness as he climbs into bed next to me.

Nuzzling against my neck, he throws one of his arms over my waist and spoons up behind me. I swear I think I heard him still whispering in my ear, but my eyes were shut the moment my head hit the pillow. As Khazak curls his body around mine, I drift off into that sweet oblivion, sore, satisfied, and loved

“Hmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What do you mean? All I said was ‘hmm!’” Ragnar defends himself.

“There was some judgment behind that ‘hmm.” I narrow my eyes at my fiance.

“There was no judgment,” he insists. “There were a lot of...unexpected things in the story.”

“Like what?” I ask defensively.

“Like the mushrooms,” he starts. “Those aren’t real.”

“So what?” I roll my eyes. “I made it up for the story. Who cares? And who’s to say something like that couldn’t exist?”

“There's also the fact that it’s a poison,” Ragnar says next. “Khazak himself could have just healed everyone with his magic. A lot of spellcasters could.”

“Well, in this story Khazak doesn’t have magic, and neither did any of the rangers,” I quickly explain.

“Where was the camp spellcaster anyway?” Ragnar says with realization. “And there would never be that many rangers in the camp at one time.”

“It was better for the story that way!” I justify, my voice going high pitched as I grab my notebook back. “If you're just going to nitpick it I’m not going to let you read any more of my stories.”

“Hey come on, that's not fair.” Ragnar frowns. “You asked me to tell you what I thought about it. I never said I didn't like it, even if it is similar to some of the stories you've done before.

“What does that mean?” What’s so similar?

“Well, this is like the third story you've written about David being gangbanged,” he points out.

“It's a fun subject!” And the only gangbangs I've ever actually been to. “I can't help it if David makes a good subject. He keeps telling me in his letters about all the dirty things he and khazak are doing while on the road. Did you know Adam started fucking David too!?”

“The blonde with arms so big he could ‘pop you head like a melon?’” Ragnar grumbles.

“That’s the one.” I don't bother feeling any shame: Adam is hot.

“So why don’t you write about him then?” Ragnar scoffs.

“Because I don’t know what he’s like in bed. David hasn’t really given me enough details too--” I pause. “Wait. Are you jealous?”

“What? No!” Ragnar lies, the skin on his cheeks turning a darker shade of green as he blushes.

“Oh my gods, you are!” I declare with a giggle.

“Careful, boy,” Ragnar warns me.

“Maybe I should write a story about him,” I taunt with a  grin. “One where he comes into town and sweeps meACK!”

I’m swiftly tugged over my owner's lap, my already bare ass perfectly centered. Without any warning, he spanks me twice, once on each cheek, hard. I start to wriggle in reflex, but Ragnar quickly pins me, pulling one of my arms behind my back.

“I’ve warned you about sassing me like that before, boy.” Ragnar punctuates his sentence with another spank. “You have no one to blame for this but yourself.”

As my dominant, my owner, my lover begins to spank my ass red, I know he’s right, I only brought this on myself. But speaking as someone proud of how much of a brat they are, this is exactly what I wanted. Not that I’m going to tell him that.

Smut Lovers Conference in Two Weeks!

Welcome to September, and hapy labor day to my US friends! (Support the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike!) I don’t have much for you in the way of book news this month as I’ve mostly been busy writing away at Steel & Thunder Book 5! I also just finished handing in the final edits to The Crown and the Collar manuscript, so that’s now off to typesetting and to get the audiobook recorded. Preorders should be available soon, and there’s still time to preorder Before the Storm before it releases in December!

If the post title didn’t remind you, I’m attending the 2023 Smut Lovers Conference in just a little over two weeks, September 21st – September 24th, 2023! I’ll be selling and signing all of my released books, and I might even have a few other treats for people who stop by my table! I’ve already contacted the winner of last month’s giveaway (congrats Mason!) but if you use this link to purchase your tickets, you can get 10% off!

Hope to see you there!

This Month on Patreon

Here are September’s offerings:

• 9/11: The fourth and final chapter of Forest Fungus Fornication - With David’s help, the V’rok’sh Tah’lj rangers made it safely through the night and their lust-driven fever ... and with that fever finally hitting David, they may have to return the favor.
• 9/18: Elementals & Other Summoned Creatures - Spellcasters can summon all sorts of creatures from the Astral Plane - even the undead
• 9/25: Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 8 - With his day before the tribunal right around the corner, Kaylin’s brother Lem devises a plan to protect him from potential expulsion, but they'll need Vaiken and his friends' help if they’re going to pull it off.

Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, needed a little more polish!

______________________________________________________________________

“I want to--”

“No.”

I sigh. I’m sitting with Kaylin and Len in a small diner located somewhere between the academy and Len’s hotel, where we are supposed to be discussing me and Kaylin’s growing relationship. Between cabrians, this sort of thing is normally a formality, the dominant partner traditionally asking the submissive’s parental or guardian dom for permission to pursue their charge. But because of Kaylin’s “special” biological markers, it’s not just a formality, it’s subject to laws governing the safety of high-level submissives like him.

Still, you’d think with the way the man supposedly believes those laws are unjust he wouldn’t be so abrasive to the idea of his brother dating. I get why he’s being overprotective, but with the way this is going I’m debating calling over the server-droid and putting in an order for a stiff drink. Though I get the feeling that Kaylin might not appreciate that.

“You didn’t even let him finish.” Kaylin rolls his eyes at his brother’s antics.

“I didn’t need to, I already knew the question.” Len crosses his arms with a smirk. Really could use that drink.

“What the fuck, Len?” He shoots him a glare. “What happened to subs being able to make their own decisions? Or does that not apply to your own brother?”

“Kay, I’m just looking out for you,” Len tries to condescendingly explain. “I just want to protect you from the asshole doms of the world.”

“Which I never asked you to do.” Kaylin grits out, looking from his brother to me and back. “Between the two of you, who do you seriously think is acting like the asshole dom right now?”

“That’s not...” Kaylin’s words have their intended effect. “...Sorry. It’s just... You barely know this guy.” He gestures to me.

“I know him enough,” Kaylin says, smiling in my direction. “And I’d like to get to know him more, which is the entire reason we’re here.”

“Fine.” He sighs. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks.” It’s a struggle not to roll my eyes, but I start again. “As I was saying, I would like to begin courting your brother, and wanted to ask for your blessing.”

Kaylin and I talked about how this would go yesterday, so it’s not like I was totally unprepared for Len’s initial reaction. Kaylin specifically requested that I not use the word “permission” when asking, feeling like it completely invalidated his independence, so we decided on “blessing” instead. Not that a “no” would stop us, at this point.

“Alright,” he starts after some silent (and unnecessary) deliberation, holding up a single finger. “One date.”

“Len,” Kaylin groans. “Just because you're older doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass. Be serious.”

“Just for now! What if it goes horribly and you never want to see him again?” Can’t help but feel that’s the outcome he’s hoping for. “It goes well, and I promise you guys can do whatever you want, with no input from me. But I’m not going to feel bad for looking after my own brother who’s secret dynamic just became public knowledge.”

“I can work with that,” I announce before they have a chance to argue further. “To start with, all I was thinking about for tonight was dinner...”

“Enjoying the view?” I ask Kaylin later that night on the hovertram.

“I always loved the way the sky looks when the suns set,” Kaylin replies as he stares out of the window.

“Me too.” I smile, stepping up next to him.

The planetary system that Cabria is part of revolves around a binary star system - meaning we have two suns. This doesn’t normally result in any differences from planets that only have a single sun, except that dawn and dusk last a bit longer. Cabria though unique, in that the particles that make up our atmosphere are more prone to ionization than most others, resulting in beautiful looking auroras stretching across our skies every night.

“We’re going further than I thought,” Kaylin says after he sees the tram taking us past the edge of Miral, Cabria’s capital city.

“Well, I remembered what you told me about how you’d leave the city when you had to... take care of your sub needs,” I start to explain, suddenly nervous. “I know your secret is out now, but I still thought this might help make you feel more comfortable on our date... I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

“No, I appreciate it.” He reaches for my hand. “Thank you.”

We continue to stare out the window, the tall, swirling shapes of Miral’s skyscrapers giving away to orange forests. It’s only a few more minutes until we reach the station in Onass, a city slightly smaller than the capital but no less populated. From there it’s only a short walk to our next destination: a restaurant! The Viridian Thicket serves more high-end cabrian fare, but it’s not the food that made me select this spot for our date. If Kaylin’s ever heard of it, he doesn’t say anything as I guide him inside.

“Good evening, sirs,” the host greets as we enter the lobby. “How can I help you?”

“Good evening,” I repeat. “I have a reservation for two, under Vaiken Urmatin.”

“Yes, I see you right here,” the cabrian man tells us after looking down at his stand. “Please, follow me.”

I let Kaylin walk ahead of me a little as we’re led to our table, curious about what his reaction will be to the restaurants ... set up. He does a double take when he sees some of the other diners, or more specifically what they’re doing, but he manages to hold his tongue. Once we’re at our table, I pull out his chair for him before taking my own and the host hands me a menu - one made of actual paper, rather than a screen on a pad or a holoprojection.

“Someone will be by to take your order shortly,” the host tells us.

“Thank you,” I say as he returns to his post.

“What... What is this place?” Kaylin asks once we’re alone, trying not to stare at anyone.

“A restaurant,” I answer simply. “One that caters to doms and subs that are maybe still feeling some new things out.”

All around us are diners sitting at tables just like ours. Most of them are couples, a dom and a sub like us, and you can tell that because most of the subs are kneeling at the sides of their doms rather than sitting. Nothing sexual is happening, this is a restaurant after all, but many of them are in some sort of gear.

Most seem to have their hands secured in some way, with rope or cuffs. Some kneel up straight, their posture and form impeccable, while others lean against their doms as their hair is petted. Of those eating, most of the subs are being hand-fed by their doms, though you can also see a few more “hardline” looking couples with a sub bending to feed themselves from a plate set on the floor. There are even a few “pets” eating from pet bowls.

It’s not even exclusively cabrians here. It’s not uncommon for off-worlders who get a taste for cabrian romance to want more, and the restaurant seems to specifically appeal to those still dipping their toys in the water. I watch as Kaylin observes the other couples and how they interact, with maybe a little longing behind his eyes. There’s already a kneeling pillow placed between our two seats, but it’s going to be up to Kaylin if he wants to kneel on it for me.

“I know we didn’t exactly talk about this when we went over limits,” I start to explain. “If this is too much, or if I was out of line by bringing you here, I completely understand and we can leave. But if submitting to me like this does appeal to you, I thought this would be a safe place to try it out.”

“I... Thank you.” He’s flustered, his skin is flushed purple, but I can’t tell if it’s because he likes or hates this. “I... I’ve never done anything like this before. Every other time I met with a dom it was ... explicitly sexual.”

“Does that mean you want to stay and give it a shot?” I hold up the menu. “There is a reason he only gave this to me.”

“If I...” He worries his lip between his teeth for a moment. “If I change my mind, can we leave?”

“Of course.” I smile.

“...Okay.” He nods to himself.

“Okay.” I reach for one of his hands. “Does that mean you would you like to kneel on the pillow for me?”

“Yes.” He nods once. “Yes, sir.”

“Good boy.” I smile, and watch as he pushes out from the table.

There’s a little hesitation before he stands, just a moment where he has to gather his nerves. But after he does, he slides the chair back under the table, and with much more grace than he had while he was in subdrop, falls to his knees on the pillow. His posture is stiff for a moment, but when I pet my fingers through his hair he starts to relax.

“Good evening, sir.” I feel Kaylin tense up when our server greets us, not having heard or seen her approach the table. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Yes, two glasses of wine,” I order for both of us. “Whatever you’d recommend for the evening.”

“Of course, I’ll be right back with that, sir,” she says with a smile before scurrying off.

“How are you feeling?” I ask Kaylin, who only relaxes once she’s gone.

“...Fine,” he lies. “Can everyone... Is anyone watching me?” He can’t exactly see well over the table.

“A few heads turned when you dropped to the pillow,” I inform him. “But they weren’t bad looks. I think the dom over by the entrance might have even been checking you out.”

He blushes at that, but doesn’t say anything as I continue to pet his hair.

“Are you alright with me ordering for you?” I want to be sure he’s comfortable at every step here.

“Yes, sir.” He nods. “...Just no seafood please.”

“Noted.” I’ll have to start keeping track of his likes for the future.

Our server returns a minute later with a bottle of wine and two empty glasses, which she sets on the table in front of me before opening the bottle and filling the glasses. Kaylin stiffens up at first again, but seems to at least be trying to relax.

“And are you ready to order?” she asks after resealing the wine bottle.

“Yes. Two riodebeast steaks, both medium rare.” I glance over the menu as I finish. “With the mashed galcrops on the side.”

“Excellent choice, sir.” She takes the menu from me.. “Would you like one of those pre-cut for your submissive?”

“No, that’s alright, I don’t mind doing it myself.” As she heads off with our order, I take a sip of my wine and look down at Kaylin. “And how are we doing so far?”

“I can’t stop feeling like everyone’s eyes are on me,” he answers with a low voice.

“Well let me assure you that everyone else is far more interested in their own dining partners.” I take another sip of my drink. “But maybe some wine will help you relax.”

I bring his glass to his face, carefully tilting it so he can drink. He has his hands laid on his thighs, and I can see him struggle with not using them. After he swallows his mouthful, I use a napkin to wipe any stray droplets from his beard, gently brushing my thumb over his lips.

The next ten or fifteen minutes pass in a relatively comfortable silence. More comfortable for me than for Kaylin I think, at least at first. So after a few more sips of wine, I decide to take charge - and guide Kaylin to rest his head against my thigh. After a few minutes of gentle petting (or maybe the wine kicking in), he’s once again nice and relaxed.

Which lasts about until the food arrives. There is a slight awkward feeling the first few times I slice into his steak and take a fork to his mouth, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Kaylin’s demeanor. I’ve never actually fed anyone by hand - or fork - before, and it takes a little getting used to. I miss his mouth a few times, but that just gives me an excuse to wipe Kaylin’s face again.

Eventually though, we find a rhythm to the evening. I take a bite, then so does he, mixing in the occasional sip of wine. I refill our glasses about halfway through the meal, enjoying the pleasant warm buzz it’s giving me, and hoping it is doing the same for Kay. After those first few moments, his hands no longer flex on his thighs when he has to fight the urge to try using them.

“This is nice,” I tell him after feeding him another bite. “Or at least, I’m having a good time.”

“I am, too, sir” he replies after swallowing. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I think we’ll have to come back sometime.” I pop my final bite of steak into my mouth. “Sound good, boy?”

“Sounds great, sir.” He lays his head atop my leg, and I find the weight comforting.

We’re given a complimentary bowl of chrysilim for dessert. It’s a sweet candy made here on Cabria that looks a bit like colored, melted glass and flavored with flowers and fruits. I feed this to Kaylin by hand, my pants tightening each time his warm, wet tongue flicks out over my thumb. It’s all I can do not to bend down and kiss him to taste it on his lips.

After dinner, I'm not quite ready to go home yet and I don't think Kaylin is either, so we walk to as nearby park together. It's a nice open space, the feathery leaves on the purple diceus trees flittering in the breeze. A geometric fountain sits at the center of a pond, softly pulsing a blue light as the water flows down the side.

It's not too late, and we're not the only ones here, but there’s enough room that we can walk around the fountain without being disturbed. And we just talk. Talk about all the silly little things we actually haven’t yet. Things like favorite colors (purple for me, green for him), music (we both loved Quantum Sonancy growing up), and our favorite movies (he insists that I rewatch Ardor On the Hyperlanes because it’s “actually a great movie”), and I love getting to know him like this. But of course it can’t all be light and fluffy stuff.

“So you already know about my family,” Kaylin opens a new conversation, “but I don’t know anything about yours.”

“Well, there isn’t much to say,” I start to answer. “I’m an only child. Dad is a city planner while Mom is actually an instructor with the GAA.”

“She works at the academy?” Kaylin seems surprised by this info.

“Not our branch,” I clarify. “She’s an advanced flight instructor, so she’s usually stationed on one of the dreadnoughts in orbit.”

“Did she train you?” I can tell Kaylin is trying to remember our past teachers.

“No, she was never my instructor, thank god.” I shudder at the thought. “That woman loves to embarrass me.”

“She sounds fun.” Kaylin chuckles. “What about your dad?”

“He’s always been the more level headed one.” I love my dad. “They met when he was in college and she was still a young pilot for the GAA. They’re a good mix, Mom is a brash and boisterous dom, and Dad is one of the most calm, cool, and collected subs I’ve ever met. They’ve both always been very protective of me and each other.”

“That sounds nice.” Kaylin’s smiling, but there’s a sadness, probably because of his own family.

“Have things with your dad always been so... tense?” I hesitantly ask.

“Not exactly.” Kaylin sighs. “I mean, he’s always been a pretty intense dom, but he wasn’t always so angry. That didn’t happen until after my mother passed.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” I don’t think I knew about his mom.

“It’s okay.” He gives me a sad smile. “She had been sick for a while. We all got to say our goodbyes and she got to go in peace. And she didn’t have to see what happened to her family afterwards.”

“I’m assuming our dad didn’t take it very well?” I venture a guess.

“Not at all.” Kaylin shakes his head. “He just became so angry. He had never exactly been a pro-sub rights kinda guy, but it was like he was mad at her for leaving and decided to take it out on all other submissives. Made it his goal to keep them strapped to their doms, I think out of some weird misguided idea of ‘protecting’ them. It’s why when I presented not long after, I did everything I could to hide it - and why my brother didn’t hesitate to help me either.”

“Despite the fact that the guy hates, he has been a pretty great brother.” I don’t mind admitting that. “Still a prick though.”

“He’ll warm up to you.” Kaylin shyly reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I did.”

We head back to the hovertrain not long after that, both of us still buzzed from the wine and dinner, and I’m a little too giddy to give it up just yet. After finding us an empty car, I crowd him back against a corner and kiss him thoroughly. We lose track of time as we make out like a couple of teenagers, only stopping once we hear someone else entering the car and hastily split apart, grinning stupidly at each other as we adjust our clothes.

“I had a really great time tonight,” he tells me, not moving from our quiet little corner even with someone else nearby. “Thank you for showing me it can be like this.”

“I did too.” I go ahead and lean forward to steal another quick peck. “Thank you for letting me show you how it’s supposed to go.”

We spend the last few minutes on the hovertram cuddling, headed back to Miral, the academy, and the rest of our lives.

Entertainment

Ha: Sorry everyone, I fucked up this month and wrote the wrong article. Elementals & Summoned creatures will be posted next month!

What Terrans think of as entertainment can feel almost regressive when compared to what we have on Earth, due in large part because no one has “invented” (or at least figured out how to properly harness) electricity. Though some are close - people have already found ways to use magic to enhance the output of steam engines and other simple machines, and others have been conducting experiments to replicate the battery-like properties of lodestone with other forms of energy. Magic and enchantments can provide essentially the same functions in many cases like creating lights, casting complex illusions, and amplifying music or voices, but even these are limited by location and ability - and in some cases, wealth.

Reading is a favorite pastime of many Terrans, though it is also one dependent on education and literacy, which in smaller, poor areas can be hard to come by. Still, even small bookshops are a popular destination for many travelers, eager to sink their teeth into something new. Many larger cities feature a library of some kind, some boasting collections large enough to fill a castle.

Music is also very popular in many Terran societies, both listening to and performing. Bards (of the non-magical variety) can be found at most inns singing and playing their instruments for tips, with some of the more talented musicians even being hired and paid for their performances. Traveling bands are also a common sight on the roads, moving from town to town to perform. It is even possible to obtain wax cylinders or phonographic records of music, though these are generally only accessible to those with the money to afford it.

Often going hand in hand with music, the people of Terra love dancing. That includes hitting the dancefloor themselves, perhaps in a tavern or during a festival, or witnessing a professional on stage. Though dances and the people performing them vary widely from culture to culture, they are still highly sought after diversions  - some even once in a lifetime opportunities.

A form of entertainment that can often combine all three of these activities is the theater. Though rarer to come by than a traveling musician, troupes of actors are also known to travel the roads seeking out new audiences for their next show. These troupes contain more than just actors. There are craftspeople devoted to creating new sets and costumes, and mages who use their spellcraft to effect the lights and sound, even casting illusions or glamours when needed. More skilled and practiced troupes are able to secure an extended residency, though given the relative lack of larger theaters, or many theaters at all, those are few and far between and often come at the whims of a wealthy patron.

Stepping away from the arts, we have sports and games. Obviously these will also feature large differences from culture to culture, each one developing their own set of rules, and at times adapting those of others. You can often find some variation of soccer and football, or baseball and cricket: people want to kick or hit a ball into a goal; or at least cheer on someone else while they watch.

Even tabletop games, while seemingly developed independently, feature common threads of dice and cards. What may actually be inscribed on those objects is up to the people who created them. Of course, many of these go hand in hand with gambling , another popular pastime. Not even just on the tabletop, but on all sorts of competitions especially those with animals, like racing and breed showing exhibitions.

An unconventional, though not unpopular form of entertainment is adventuring. In a world that lacks easily accessible widespread communication, people often feel stuck or even trapped in their small towns and their way of life. Hearing tales of far off lands can inspire people of all ages to pack up their belongings and hit the road. Traveling in general can be seen as a form of entertainment, but once again it is largely limited to the rich. Adventurers are expected to work on the road, taking jobs on their travels to pay for their room and board. These range from simple deliveries to defeating a beast that is terrorizing the local populace

Most forms of entertainment are fairly benign, but there is a lot of risk and reward involved in adventuring, and it is certainly one of the more dangerous ways to spend your time. For some people, that’s part of the thrill - it certainly beats sitting at home with a book. But for others, taking time to enjoy simple pleasures is what life is all about.

Forest Fungus Fornication, Chapter 3

“Alright, Frostsong, wrap it up. It’s been almost twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Above me, Ranger Frostsong’s thrusts start to get harder and faster, until with a final grunt, he cums for what must be the seventh or eighth time tonight. Thanks to the blindfold, I’m not sure what time it is, I just know it’s been going on for a while. Hell, the only reason I even know it’s Frostsong is because Khazak said his name. Not being able to see has actually helped though, more than I expected to. Seeing the hungry looks on the eyes of the orcs waiting their turn to fuck me was giving me anxiety.

“Deputy Rockfang, it is your turn next,” Khazak continues acting as the referee for my impromptu gangbang, the strain in his voice revealing he is still just as affected by the mushrooms as the others.

“Yes, sir.” I feel Ragnar drop to his knees on the bedroll behind me, straddling my right leg as he pushes up my left, taking aim and re-entering my hole.

Laying on my stomach, I let out a weak moan as I’m filled again, not having the energy for much more. Khazak has been pretty good about changing my position, taking care that I don’t get sore from holding one for too long. I think the worst of the frenzy is over. At some point they started using me only one at a time, seemingly able to wait longer between rounds.

I’m just...a mess. Not even just physically, but my brain feels like mush. I’ve been fucked, and fucked, and fucked, and fucked, and I’ve cum so many times that my stomach is actually starting to cramp from the amount of times my muscles have tensed up. But for all the rough use, I’m also being taken care of. Kind words whispered in my ear, gentle hands stroking my back and thighs, a cool towel to wipe down the sweat and grime of the night.

“Thank you again, David,” Ragnar whispers to me, bending over my body and starts to thrust.

“Mmmm,” I moan weakly in response. I don’t have the brain power for more.

Ragnar’s dick finds little-to-no resistance as he fucks me. His hands are on my ass, steadying himself while he pumps himself in and out of me at a leisurely pace. Even though we’ve been at this four hours, nothing hurts beyond the occasional cramp, which I guess speaks to the quality of the lube we’re using. You might even say I’m still enjoying part of this.

At least as much as I can while being barely coherent. With me once more being filled up over and over again, I can already feel an orgasm approaching. When it finally crests, I can do little more than moan hoarsely as my ass clenches weakly around Ragnar. Not that it stops him at all, if he can even feel it. I’m a mess back there.

Ragnar’s grip tightens as he seems to get a second wind, starting to fuck me faster without a stutter. Hopefully that means he’s getting close, since each man takes longer and longer to cum during each session. I think that’s why Khazak started keeping time. I cum for a second time on Ragnar’s cock before he finally finishes, holding himself inside of me with a grunt.

“Good boy,” he says with a gentle pet to my hair before pulling out.

“Tuskrunner, you’re next,” Khazak shares. “But first I want him moved onto his left side.”

“Yessir.” The ranger dutifully gets to work, tenderly rolling me onto my side.

I feel him kneel up behind me, helping me to tuck my legs in as he gets into position. As my ass is breached again, I wrap my arms around the pillow I was given, tucking it against my chest. Tuskrunner’s style is faster than most of the others, his thighs smacking against my ass at a rapid pace.

He’s also one of the fastest to finish, even after hours of fucking. If he’s got someone at home, they must be very, very happy. Hell, in any other circumstance I’d probably love it too, maybe even see just how many times I could make him cum. But the life-or-death situation combined with having my brain pounded into mush makes this feel a little different.

I can hear Tuskrunner’s breathing to get harder above me, only registering that that means he’s about to cum just as he does exactly that. His above-average (but not as big as Khazak or Ragnar) sized cock pulses as it unloads, though I imagine anything added at this point is pushing just as much out. With a quick pat to the rump, Tuskrunner slips out and stands up.

There’s no announcement of my next suitor, but I still feel someone moving onto the bedroll with me. They lay down, their chest to my back, throwing an arm over me and stroking up and down my chest. As soon as I get a whiff of his scent, I know who it is: Khazak.

“It’s only me, puppy,” he confirms as much, kissing the shell of my ear. “It’s my turn.”

He reaches between our bodies to take himself in hand, his prick slipping between my cheeks like a hot knife through butter. He pushes himself inside of me with as much care as he can, his arm returning to stroke my chest. His tusks brush my neck as he nuzzles against it, always doing his best to take care of me.

He even waits for me to adjust to the stretch, even though there’s no possible way I could need it at this point. His thrusts are just as gentle, our thighs meeting with a gentle paff as he slides in and out. My whole body relaxes as he kisses the back of my neck, while one of his hands gently begins to tease my nipple.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of you tonight, David,” he tells me in barely a whisper. “Stepping up like this for us all.”

More like laying down, but I’ll take it. Just like I’m taking all these dicks. Ha.

“You’ve earned a big reward after all this is over.” Oh, I love the sound of that.

Even though he’s got one of the largest dicks here, he’s still able to thrust in and out of me with ease. I can hear how sloppy I am, the way my hole squelches when he pushes inside of it. If I had the brain power, I’d probably be blushing. And having one of the largest dicks here also means making me cum more, too. When I start to feel the pressure growing, I can’t help but whine into the pillow I’m still squeezing to my chest.

“Shhh, I know puppy,” Khazak tries to soothe. “I swear you will get to rest for as long as you want when we are finished.”

I’m going to hold him to that. I know I’m fighting a losing battle, but I squeeze my legs together, trying anything to stave off another anal orgasm, and the cramps that will follow. But it’s no use, and with a weak cry I cum, once again impaled on orc cock. When I start to curl in on myself, I feel Khazak’s hands on my stomach, doing his best to soothe the sore muscles.

I can tell that Khazak is doing his best not to make me cum which is much different from our usual style of sex. Still, I know slow and gentle can’t last forever - he does need to cum - so I’m not surprised when he starts to pick up the pace. Still, I brace myself, knowing he’s going to fuck more out of me before he’s finished.

Sure enough, as the rhythmic slap slap slap of our thighs gets louder, I feel myself starting to crest again. And he only gets faster, so it happens twice more before I finally see the signs that Khazak is going to cum. The arm around my chest gets tighter as his cock sloshes in and out of my hole rapid fire, until with a growl and a bite to my shoulder, he slams all the way home. I’d love to say that I can feel him unloading, but the truth is it’s just too sloppy to tell. IT’s only when he pulls out that I realize he’s actually finished.

Things continue like that for at least another hour or two, Khazak staying in charge of the proceedings. When I start to notice light behind the blindfold, I figure it must finally be morning. It’s Ragnar who announces the good news, noting that Ranger Stonearm has fallen asleep - and so has his cock. One by one, the effects seem to wear off on all of the other rangers. It’s Ragnar who fucks me last, and when none of the others try to replace him, I know my ordeal is over.

“Here you are puppy, drink this.” Khazak presses a waterskin into my hands as he unties the blindfold.

It’s still fairly dim, but I squint as my eyes adjust to the light of day. I drink heavily from the waterskin, sure that I’m dehydrated after all of that. Surprising me, it’s not just Khazak who tries to pamper me, with several of the other rangers wiping me down with a towel and helping me to my feet. My legs could really use the stretch after spending so much of the night horizontal and bent into odd positions.

Given the way the night went, the plan is to call in a replacement team of rangers for the rest of our shift so that we can rest and recover. L’gan is sent back to the city to alert the rest of the force to some of the situation so we can be relieved, as well as to retrieve some supplies. I just hope he leaves out the “spent all night fucking the captain’s human” part.

I’m tired and hungry and all I want to do is go home so I can eat something and pass out. While the other rangers mill about camp, cleaning up and slowly getting back to normal, I’m allowed to rest, sitting curled up in a big blanket by the fire. Actually... I’m starting to get a little warm, so I take a few steps back from the fire. When that doesn’t seem to do it, I peel off the blanket that is starting to stick to my sweaty skin. But still, I only seem to be getting hotter. That’s when I notice my cock and the way it’s starting to get hard.

“Khazak...” I call out, meeting his eyes with worry.

“David? What is wro--” His gaze shifts down to my groin, and the hard dick pointing straight at him. “Oh no.”

“What... What’s happening?” I ask nervously.

“Oh shit,” Ragnar curses when notices my predicament.

“I thought you said it didn’t affect humans?” I ask, my head starting to feel kinda hazy.

“That was only a guess,” Khazak admits, stepping towards me. “It would appear that we were wrong, and that the reaction is only delayed.”

“What do we do?” asks Arik, the other rangers starting to join us.

“L’gan should be back soon with the antidote,” Khazak tells the group. “Until then, we will just have to work on keeping David's condition managed.”

“I’m... I’m really, really horny, Khazak,” I say, then quickly correct. “Sir.”

“I know, pup.” Khazak frowns and strokes my back. “Alright men, do we have any one who wants to volunteer as a bottom for David?”

With the way none of the rangers jumps to help me out, you’d think I didn’t just spend the night acting as their medically-required cumdump. They just shuffle on their feet, none of them quite willing to give an answer one way or the other. And the longer I wait, the hornier I seem to get.

“Seriously, not one volunteer among you? Please do not make us have to--” All the frustration I’m feeling makes me tune Khazak’s voice out, unable to think of much else beyond my libido.

It’s like the mushrooms are setting my blood on fire, and I can’t help myself and reach a hand down to start stroking my cock, but even that’s not enough. With my other hand I reach behind myself, rubbing my fingers against my hole before slipping two of them inside. That’s what I needed, that’s the itch I need scratched.

“No,” I say through gritted teeth. “I want... I need...”

I suddenly tackle Khazak onto his back in a full-on lust frenzy.

“I need more dick. Now.”

New Book News, Convention Info, & Giveaway

Happy August everyone! Things have been busy busy busy here at the Dom N. Ashen compound. I have officially started writing Steel & Thunder Book 5! No title, cover, or release date just yet, but I figured you all would be happy to hear that bit of news. I’ve got plenty of stuff coming out between now and its eventual publication, and I don’t even just mean books!

In convention news, I will be making my first full solo appearance at the 2023 Smut Lovers Conference! A con dedicated to writers and readers of steamy and smutty romance, it takes place September 21st – September 24th, 2023 in sunny Orlando, Florida. This will be my first convention where I’ll have my own table - or at least half a table, that I am sharing with a fellow author. I’ll be selling books, signing things, and hopefully having a lot of fun. Tickets are available on their website, and I can’t wait to see you there!

Want to come see me at the con but can’t? Well good news, because I’m also giving away a free ticket! If you’d like to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is send an email to “dom@dominicashen.com” with the words “I want to go to Smut Lovers” in the subject line. After I have everyone’s names, in two weeks I will pick one person at random as the winner. I’ll contact the winner via email and work out all the details then.

Good luck, and happy reading!

This Month on Patreon

Here’s what I’m posting in August:

• 8/14: The third chapter of Forest Fungus Fornication - David’s rough night continues into the early hours of the morning, with no signs of the men stopping anytime soon. At least they’re going one at time now though...
• 8/21: Entertainment - Without access to electricty, the people of Terra have a much different idea from what counts as "fun"
• 8/28: Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 7 - Vaiken manages to set some ground rules with Kaylin, despite the complaints of his older brother. But while Len works out a plan for Kaylin’s defense, it’s time for Vaiken to take him on his first real date.

Next Patreon Story Poll

It's time to pick out the next story I write after I finish with Forest Fungus Fornication! Ranked choice, so pick as many as you want!

Worldbuilding Articles for Sept. & Oct

You know the deal: pick out the worldbuilding articles I'm going to write for the months of Oct. & Sept. I am starting to run low on ideas for these, so leave me some in the comments!

Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 6

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?” I turn to look at Astella, whose eyes are on the datapad in my hand. “You’ve been gripping that thing so tightly I’m worried it’s gonna snap in half.”

“Okay, fine,” I admit with a sigh, setting the pad at my side. “Maybe I’m a little ... stressed.”

“Because of Kaylin and his family drama?” Brakis asks next, sitting on the couch opposite his sister.

“What makes you say that?” I answer with a sigh, obviously sarcastic.

It’s Olnot, the first day of our usual two-day weekend, and the day after my interesting evening with Kaylin and his family. I’m in one of the dorm wing’s common areas with my friends. I haven’t told them anything about me and Kaylin’s ... whatever it is, or him dropping, but I might have mentioned his father and brother both making an appearance. I needed to talk to someone about it, if just to clear my own head. And of course, they’re all teasing me about it.

It’s fine, I’m a big boy, I can handle it. I just wish they weren’t right. Kaylin is all I’ve thought about since I left his room yesterday. I want to know how he’s doing, if he came up from the drop alright, if his dad came back. I’m worried about him, and I’ve been trying to distract myself from that fact all day.

“Are you still pretending not to li--” Astella stops in the middle of her sentence. “Uh, Vaiken?”

At the mention of my name, I follow her eyes to see who else but Kaylin walking towards us. He looks good, or at least better than he did when I last saw him. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he looks the same as he always does, but I can see the tiredness around his eyes, no doubt from all of yesterday’s stress.

“Kaylin.” I stand as I say his name. “How are ... things?”

“Things are good.” He smirks at my choice of words. “Could we maybe talk?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” I look around with some hesitation.

“Back in my room,” Kaylin clarifies.

“Of course.” I nod. “Lead the way.”

I wave goodbye to the twins and follow Kaylin back to his dorm. I’m not positive, but I assume we’re going to talk about what happened yesterday. It’s hard to not ask him things right here in the hall, but knowing how much he’d appreciate that, I manage to hold it in until we reach his door.

Kaylin leads the way inside, his brother Len sitting at his desk, who turns to us as we enter. With the way he’s looking at me, I’m not sure he likes me any more than he did then. Normally I wouldn’t care about something like that, but since he’s Kaylin’s brother...

“Hello, Len,” I greet him as friendly as I can. “How are yo--”

“Don’t pretend like we’re friends,” he cuts me off. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re still the guy who--”

“Len,” Kaylin cuts him off. “Could you please stop? We just talked about this - Vaiken is here to help, so stop antagonizing him.”

”Hmff.” Len huffs, going silent but still glaring at me.

“So,” I start, ignoring the icy stare Len is giving me, “what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s about you being my guardian dominant.” He looks hesitant to continue. “Now that Len is here, we thought it would be best if we switched it over to him.”

“Oh.” I try my best not to let any of my disappointment show, though I don’t think I’m very successful. “Right, that makes sense.”

“It’s not because you’re doing a bad job or anything,” he quickly assures me. “We just thought it would be better--”

“Nono, I get it.” I try and overcompensate, embarrassed at my obvious emotions. “He’s family.”

“He’s also a lawyer,” Kaylin rightfully points out. “He’s pretty familiar with the ins and outs of sub guardianship. But more than that, I thought that it might be better that way if me and you wanted to maybe...”

Len picks that moment to let out a grunt of disapproval.

“Seriously?” Kaylin turns to his brother, annoyed. “Maybe now might be a good time for you to head to the library, get started on researching all of the academy’s bylaws like you mentioned.”

“And leave you here with him?” Len nods to me, suspicion in his eyes. “LIke I can trus--”

“Oh my god, I am a fucking adult who has been taking care of himself for years,” Kaylin tells him bluntly and points at the door. “Get out. Now.”

Len looks like he wants to argue, but doesn’t, just glares at me as he stomps his way out of the room. I can hear him  grumbling something under his breath as the door slides shut behind him.

“So, like I was trying to say before,” Kaylin continues once we’re alone. “If... If you were still interested in... You know, this thing between us...”

“I understand.” I finally catch on to what he’s getting at. “I am. Interested, that is. In ... developing this. Being your dom - your actual dom. Maybe take you out to dinner sometime?”

“I’d... I’d like that.” Kaylin relaxes at my admission. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I have no idea what I'm doing, because I’ve never done anything like this before. Everything seemed so much easier when the only person I had to worry about was myself.”

“I get that.” As sad as it may sound. “But... Was the plan to just keep doing what you were doing, forever? Just ... always being alone?”

The silent frown he flashes in response gives me my answer.

“I hope you’re not offended by me saying this, but I’m glad you don’t have to do that anymore.” I feel like I’m only starting to realize how lonely an existence Kaylin has led up until now.

“I know. And I’m happy too, in some ways.” He smiles, but sighs. “But in others... I was already having a hard time with everyone treating me differently just because they found out I’m a sub. How are they going to react when I start to actually act like one?”

“Why, you going to start acting differently or something?” I challenge him. “I know it’s not as easy as just ignoring what they think, but ... fuck them. Do what feels right for you. And I know this probably sounds cheesy, but ... I’m honored to be your first ‘actual’ dom.”

“Definitely cheesy,” he says with a chuckle. “But thank you. I don’t really... What do we do now? How does this usually work?”

“Well, normally this would be the part where we talk about our kinks and limits.” Not that there has been anything “normal” about our courtship.

“Right.” Kaylin nods to himself. “I knew that. I’m just more used to telling the guy exactly how the night is gonna go and never seeing him again. Is it... Do we need to write stuff down?”

“No, not yet at least. Maybe when we want to get into some real specifics. For now, we can just talk.” I take a seat on his bed, leaving a space on my left for him to join me. “Although... Because you’re a ‘super sub,’ if things got more serious, we would have to write up and sign a contract together. One that your brother would also have to sign.”

“I’m sure that will be a fun conversation,” he replies with a small smile, sitting next to me. “So, how do we start?”

“I’ll go first,” I say with a smile. “We can start with the things we like. Number one: bondage. I would really, really like to tie you up some time.”

“I’d... I’d like that.” I can see the way his skin flushes at that idea.

“Good.” I’m already thinking up all the different ways I’d love to get him bound and bundled beneath me. “And how would you feel about a blindfold, or a gag?”

“I ... think I’d be okay with those, but maybe not at first?” He worries his lip. “The idea turns me on, but I’ve never actually given up that much control before.”

“I understand. They are things we can definitely work up to,” I assure him, squeezing his thigh. “Now, I think I already know the answer to this next one, but what about doing things in public, or having someone watch us.”

“I...” Kaylin’s body flushes again, but he also goes stock-still. “Again, it sounds hot in my head but...”

“You’re already worried about what everyone's thinking and saying about you, no need to throw fuel on the fire?” I finish his thought. “It’s okay, I knew that would likely be a problem, but I still wanted you to know that I would be into it.”

“Thanks.” He gives me a sad smile, looking at his lap. “Maybe some day...”

“Maybe.” And if not... I’ll be fine with that. “What about you? Why don’t you tell me some of your biggest kinks.”

"Well, ah." His hands clench. "You already know I like it when you control when I ... cum."

"Cum control, that is a big one for you." I nod to myself. "What about a chastity cage?"

When Kaylin goes still, I worry I might have crossed a line - until I see him nod almost imperceptibly.

"I-I think I'd also like to maybe try giving up control of o-other things?" He's nervous, but makes himself continue. "Not right away or anything, b-but maybe you could like, pick out my clothes, or order for me if we're out to eat."

"That sounds fun," I tell him with a grin, rubbing his thigh to hopefully calm him some. "Maybe when you're ready, we can make a list of that stuff you'd like to give up control of."

"I'd like that," he replies, his shoulders seeming less tense for just a second. "There's something that's, um, a little... It's just kind of hard for me to..."

"Hey, whatever it is, I promise, no judgments here." I pay his thigh when he trails off, staring at his lap. "Even if it's something I'm not into, we can figure something out."

"It's, uh, well..." He nervously bites his lip. "Humiliation. B-But not like, in front of other people, I-I can't--"

"I get it," I quickly assure him. "Nothing in public."

"I know that doesn't exactly make a lot of sense." He hangs his head low.

"It makes perfect sense." Another thigh squeeze. "Even as hot as it seems, the last thing you need is for some dick bag dom finding out what you like in private and using it against you."

"Yeah," he replies, sad.

"There’s plenty of things we can do in our rooms together, away from everyone,” I point out. “I can already think of a few fun things for us to try. But what about things you don’t like? Things that are just completely off the table.”

“There are probably a few obvious ones.” Kaylin answers without hesitation. “Certain bodily fluids, non-sentient species, permanent scars or damage...”

“Right, I think we’re on the same page there.” Not to yuck anyone’s yum, but there’s a few things that are a pretty standard no for most involved.

“What is one of your nos?” Kaylin asks me to answer first.

“Alright, Personally, I have a thing against pain. Extreme pain,” I clarify. “I’m not much of a sadist. I can get into a nice spanking or using a paddle, but causing pain for pain’s sake does nothing for me.”

“I’m not really sure how I feel about pain,” Kaylin says next. “Haven’t done much of it. I think you already know my biggest no: nothing in front of other people. Not even talking about it.”

“Right.” I nod, but want to ask more specifics. “Is that a hard no? Or do you think that, maybe in the right circumstances, you’d be willing to do some stuff in public?”

“I... I’m not sure,” Kaylin answers after taking a moment to think about it. “Maybe there are some things, but I don’t want to say yes to something only to chicken out later.”

“You can always change your mind.” It’s almost hard to wrap my head around the way this boy, who is my same age, is so inexperienced when it comes to his own nature. “Circumstances change, things can feel different in the moment. I will never make you feel bad for changing your mind or hesitating about something like that. I promise.”

“I know I’m being stupid.” He shakes his head.

“You’re not being stupid.” I take his hand in mine. “You’ve spent almost your entire life having to hide a fundamental part of your personality. I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, but it makes sense to me that you would be so hesitant - and I’m willing to be as patient as you need me to be while you figure things out.”

“Thank you.” He doesn’t meet my eye, but he smiles, his body blushing.

“So, we’ve already mentioned a few new things, but what are some others that you’d like to try?” I continue on with our conversation. “Things that you think you might like or are curious about? I’m open to trying a lot.”

“I think I’m pretty open, too. There’s just a lot I’ve never done before.” He squeezes my hand before continuing. “The spanking you mentioned sounded fun. And... Maybe some role play? Or pet play...”

“I think you’d make a very cute pup.” Kaylin blushes hard at my comment. “I’ve always been interested in some extensive sensation play. Ice cube, candle wax, maybe even a little electro... What do you think about those?”

“I... I think I would very much like to try them.” Kaylin bites his lip again after he answers. “I’d like to try a lot of things with you.”

“Would you ... like to try some now?” I look towards his room’s closed door, confirming we’re alone.

“What did you have in mind?” Kaylin looks from me to the door himself, and then back. “Sir.”

I let out a sharp intake of breath, and I swear I can feel my own pupil dilate at the sound of that single word on his lips. That turned me on more than I ever expected. I think a part of me has been wanting to hear that since our lives were first entangled.

“First,” I start, remembering something important that we’ve forgotten, especially if we’re about to have our first actual scene. “Do you have a safeword?”

“Airlock,” Kaylin responds. “It’s airlock.”

“Alright, airlock,” I repeat with a nod before standing. “I don’t think things will get too intense tonight, so if at any point you want to slow down, just tell me. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” he answers, taking my offered hand. “Yes, sir.”

“Good boy.” I can’t help the growl in my voice, or how much I enjoy seeing Kaylin shiver at the praise. “Now, I think it’s about time you stripped for me.”

There’s only a moment of hesitation before Kaylin snaps into action, undoing the buttons on his collar before pulling off his shirt. Ever the good cadet, he folds it into an efficient square before placing it on the corner of his desk. After removing his socks and shoes, he does the same with his pants. Left in only a pair of black briefs, he looks at me with a silent question, and my answer is a quick nod: I want him completely naked.

Kaylin quickly shucks off his underwear, folding them with the rest of his clothing before coming to stand in front of me like a cadet standing at attention. I make sure the smile I’m wearing comes off more as a smirk as I take a step back and circling around the sub. It’s not like I haven’t seen him naked before, but this is the first time I’ve really been able to look with intention.

Kaylin is obviously strong, with large, well-defined muscles on his arms and chest. There’s a thin smattering of dark body hair that starts in a patch on his chest and runs down his red skin (across an eight-pack stomach I’m not even close to having) all the way to his crotch. His legs and ass are no less muscular, and I’m already looking forward to finding out what they’ll feel like wrapped around me.

Kaylin blushes deeply as I walk around “inspecting” him, starting at his cheeks and neck and spreading down through the rest of his body. His skin turns such a dark purple it almost looks like a bruise, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from touching him yet. He shudders when I finally reach out, tracing my fingers across his shoulders.

“I like what I see, boy,” I comment with a whistle, coming to a stop at Kaylin’s front.

“Th-thank you, sir,” he stutters as I step into his space, cupping the side of his face with my hand, right before kissing him.

There’s a squeak of surprise when our lips meet, but Kaylin quickly relaxes into it and kisses me back. This is something I’ve wanted to do since we first started fooling around, but we’ve never really had the chance. And god, was it worth the wait. I swipe my tongue against Kaylin’s lips, moaning when he opens for me and I dip inside.

With my other arm, I pull our bodies together, snaking my hand down his back until it reaches his ass. I scratch my blunt fingernails over his cheek before palming it with a squeeze before doing the same on the other. My roughness only seems to make Kaylin moan, our mouths vibrating together as our tongues continue to wrestle.

“Good kisser, too,” I tell him with a wink when I finally break us apart. “But now I think it’s time you got on your knees for me, boy.”

“Yes, sir.” Kaylin nods, quickly dropping into a kneel, moving both arms behind his back without being told.

I make a show of walking around, inspecting him once more. But this time, when I come to a stop, I reach out and grab the back of Kaylin’s head and grind it against my still clothed crotch. He immediately attempts to seek out my already growing shaft, mouthing at it through the fabric of my pants.

“Something in there you want, boy?” I tease, ready to test the waters with some dirty talk. “Use your words.”

“Y-your cock, sir,” Kaylin mumbles out as he pushes back from my crotch. “I want... Please, sir, can I suck your cock?”

“Well shit, if you’re gonna ask so politely,” I reply, already undoing my zipper and fishing myself out. “Get to work.”

With little more than a cut off moan, Kaylin wraps his lips around my cock and swallows down more than half of it. I hiss as the heat of his mouth envelops me, fighting the urge to push the rest into his throat - for now. Instead, my left hand moves to his hair, gripping it firmly but not moving him one way or another; right now, I want to see him work.

And work he does. Even with his hair in my grip, he starts to bob up and down my shaft like an old pro. He’s been in this position before of course, but something feels different about this time, like he’s pouring all of his energy and focus into what he’s doing. And it’s paying off.

“Fuck, you’re a natural at this,” I comment, keeping my eyes closed as I enjoy the sensations.

“Mmmm,” he seemingly agrees, nearly swallowing me to the root without gagging.

“And you look so fucking good doing it, too,” I add after opening my eyes. “It's almost like this is where you belong, naked and on your knees for me.”

I get another moan of agreement, the vibrations echoing from my dick through the rest of my body. He falls into an easy rhythm, bobbing up and down on almost me without ever once gagging. His lips are plump and full against my shaft, practically massaging me as they work their way up and down my length.

I’m not the only one enjoying things, either. Kaylin’s own cock hangs heavy between his spread thighs, jutting straight out and pulsing in time with his heartbeat. I can’t help myself, and after kicking off my shoe, push my sock-covered foot between his spread thighs, pressing up against his balls and perineum. Kaylin lets out a cut-off, muffled moan as he fights against the urge to plaster himself to my shin and grind himself against me. It isn’t until I see his hands, which up until know were grasped together at the small of his back, reach towards his own cock that I feel the need to say something.

“I didn’t give you permission to touch that,” I point out as I kick away his hands.

“Mmm.” At the moment, Kaylin can only offer a guilty moan as an apology.

“You already should know you’re not gonna cum without permission,” I tell him as I run my foot along the underside of his prick. “But maybe we need to get you fitted for a cage sooner than later.”

I pull my foot up, pressing it hard against his underside as he groans in agreement. I’m not sure he’s ready for a real cage - wearing it around classmates or even worse, in the shower, would be serious and understandable roadblocks  - but he obviously is into it. And like I said before, I have a lot of ideas for what I can do.

“I think that maybe from now on, you have to ask me for permission to cum, or even to jerk off,” I dare, testing the waters of our newfound connection. “If you want to get off, in any way, you have to ask me for the okay - though I’ll be nice and say I don’t expect anything more than a comm text.”

“Mnnnm,” Kaylin makes a noise of disagreement.

“Hey, that’s fine,” I taunt and decide to take a risk, pulling Kaylin away from my length entirely. “But I’m not seeing much of a reason to let you keep sucking me otherwise.”

“But, but sir...” Kaylin whines, despite any real bite in my threat, still chasing my wet cock with his mouth. “Please... I’ll be good, I won’t touch myself without permission. Please let me suck your cock.”

“Fucking hell, good boy,” I happily encourage, pulling him back onto my dick. “Still getting you fitted for a cage, though.”

“Mmm.” That sounds like a happy moan, despite the threat.

With his orders given and his boundaries set, Kaylin eagerly gives control of his body over to me. It doesn’t take long until I’m fucking my full length into his throat, my spit-slick shaft shining as it pistonis in and out between his lips. It takes less than a minute for things to become sloppy, saliva dripping down his chin as his mouth is forced open around me.

I look down and watch as it splatters on his spread thighs, his hard, angry-looking cock jutting out at full-mast between them. Angry, purple, and jutting straight out, precum streams from his head, forming a thick solid link as it drips to the floor. Fuck, this might not be the first time he’s sucked me off, but it’s definitely the hottest.

I pull him all the way down to the base, reveling in the way his throat flutters around my prick. I look down his back as he suckles on my full length, my eyes roaming over the curve of his ass and imagining the prize held within. I bet he’s gonna be so tight, so hot and slick...

“You want my load, boy?” He’s taken it before, so I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t want it now, but I still want to make him beg.

“Mmm!” he mumbles before pulling my cock from his mouth. “Yes, please sir, give me your load.”

“Fuck, such a good boy,” I praise as I start to rapidly jerk myself over Kaylin’s open mouth. “You’ve fuckin’ earned this.”

The first shot flies across Kaylin’s face, half landing in his open mouth. The second sprays across the bridge of his nose, stopping just above his eyebrow. Shots three, four, and five all hit the target of his tongue and open mouth, which then wrap around me to suckle and swallow down any thing that remains.

We both stand there, catching our collective breaths as we come down from the scene and allow myself to fall back onto the bed. As I pull Kaylin forward to rest between my thighs, I notice his hard cock, still jutting out angrily in front of him. Which is exactly what it’s going to continue to do - unless he tells me  otherwise, his orgasms are now mine to control.

We lay there together for a few minutes as we came back to ourselves. I gently pet through Kaylin’s hair as he nuzzles himself against my crotch, wondering if the boy hasn’t fallen a little into subspace. He’s an amazing sub.

“Fuck, you’re perfect,” I praise as I bend forward, kissing the back of Kaylin’s neck. “That was incredible.”

“Thank you, sir.” I can feel him smiling against my thigh making me kiss him again.

“We still have some things to figure out, but for now--”

“What the hell is this?!” Len nearly shouts after the door to Kaylin’s dorm slides open in an instant.

Dammit. We really should have remembered to pull his access.