AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Casey isn’t in the spot where I left him. He's settled on the floor in a perfect kneeling pose instead, my sweater neatly folded to his left.
The sight is a fucking gut punch.
"What are you-" but I stop myself. It'd be a stupid question. I know what he's doing. He's trying to behave. The boy woke up clothed and on a bed. He probably thought it was a test. Hell, with any other master it would be.
I try a different approach. Not questions, but orders. He responds well to those. I move closer to the bed and say, "It's time to sleep. Come."
The boy looks around the room, his eyebrows drawn together. He's searching for something. I can't even begin to wonder what.
"I want you on the bed, little one."
Casey eyes the bed then, true fear in his eyes, but doesn't move.
It doesn't take a genius to understand the dilemma. I'm saying I want him on the bed, but I didn't give him permission or order him to get on it. I've met plenty of men like that before. Men who play mind games, setting their slaves up to fail. I had caught on earlier, when I kept telling Casey he can do something only for Casey not to.
I'll have to be careful how I word everything from now on. It'd be annoying if it wasn't so fucking heartbreaking.
"Get on the bed," I order, pointing a finger to the spot he was in before.
Casey doesn't hesitate this time, hurrying to get on the bed. His body trembles terribly as he settles in the center of the mattress on his hands and knees, with his back arched and his ass presented for the taking. I quickly look away, nausea rolling through me.
"What are you doing?" I ask, even though it's pretty fucking obvious. That's why I add, "Why? I didn't tell you to do that."
Now Casey looks extremely uncomfortable. He starts trembling harder. "Slaves only go on the bed to be used, Master. Then - then we sleep in the cage or our puppy beds, depending on how we please our master."
He's not saying this to argue with me. He's saying it because it's a fact in his mind. Something DuGray explained to him. He is a slave, nothing more, and slaves don't sleep on the bed.
He was looking for his dog bed, I suddenly realize. When he was searching earlier, the boy was hoping to find a fucking dog bed.
Christ, I am going to kill DuGray so very slowly.
I sit on the bed, only allowing myself to touch his messy hair. Casey practically purs as he presses into my hand, but he seems to catch himself a moment later as he jerks away with a sharp breath.
“It’s alright,” I promise him. "When was the last time someone touched you gently, little one?"
A small sob bursts from Casey's lips. "I don't remember."
"It is the only way I will ever touch you," I tell him, trying to make each word sound as authoritative and definite as possible. "I know you don't believe me. That's okay. But I want you to know. My hands will never hurt you."
He looks at me again, his eyes full of fear and distrust, before he slowly moves his body into a relaxed kneeling position. His lips part, but no words come out.
"It's alright," I tell him again. "Let's just go to sleep now, okay?"
He nods, his eyes still on me. When I gently nudge him more to the left, he goes easily. I check my phone for any pressing issues before plugging it in and turning off the main light so all that's left is the dimmed lamp on the bedside table. I only put my briefs on after my shower, figuring it'd be weird to sleep in clothes. Especially since I'm sure most masters sleep naked with their slaves. I can't sleep naked though. It's where I draw the line. What if I get horny in my sleep and try something? What if it scares him? What if he's upset about it once he finds out the truth?
He's only had one master. For all he knows, DuGray was the outlier. That's believable, right?
As I've done many times now, I find myself wondering how in the fuck my best friend does this. Especially when he was making these kinds of decisions before Carter found out the truth. It’s fucking exhausting.
I go with my gut, keeping my briefs on and climbing into my spot on the bed. I look over to find Casey still kneeling. I suppress a sigh. "Look at me. In my eyes."
Casey takes a deep breath as if to brace himself before obeying. I reach out, cupping his cheek. His breath catches. "You're going to lay down beside me in this bed. Don't curl up in a ball. Don't try to make yourself small. I want you to take up space in my life. In my bed. You are not a pet. You are not a burden. You are simply mine, little one. I need you to accept that. Forget about your old master. Forget about his rules. He's not here with you anymore, and he never will be again. You're mine now, and do you want to know a secret, little one?"
Wide-eyed and breathless, the boy whispers, "Yes, Master."
I smile. "I'm going to take such good care of you."
Casey's body shudders with a suppressed sob. He tries to speak but either decides not to or realizes he can't. I kiss the boy's forehead and then pull him into my lap, both hating and loving the way he falls apart for me. It's progress, the boy letting his walls down, letting himself break some rules. He's clinging desperately to me, crying and receiving comfort from someone probably for the first time since his sale at the auction, if not longer. But it's still fucking heartbreaking.
