The Tiger
4 Orientation
Xander grit his teeth angrily as he realized that his last thought had slipped out. The fucking truth spell seemed to still be in effect. He’d only just managed to lower his voice to try to prevent Spike from hearing. Thankfully, the door was closing behind him at the time, so hopefully it masked what he’d said from the vampire.
Xander entered the single door at the end of the hall. It opened into an office, with one of the Déjà vu demons sitting at the desk; this one was wearing a red dress. She abruptly introduced herself as Narella, and ordered him to sit in the chair across from her, snapping the commands, “Back straight, knees together,” at him.
Xander’s anger at Spike swiftly morphed to deep unease. He had a very bad feeling he was not going to fit in here.
Xander carefully sat as she’d indicated and, for now, tried to put what had happened with Spike out of his mind. If this demon was going to be his overseer or whatever, he needed to pay attention and figure out…actually, he had no clue what he had to figure out. Xander decided to stick with ‘pay attention.’
Narella pursed her lips, not at him, but at whatever she was reading on her screen. She finally looked directly at him. “It seems your sponsor has instructed that we not completely break your fighting spirit. We generally do not honor that request. However, his position on the council obligates us to fulfill his wishes.” Her gaze hardened, “If you cause problems in my house, you will regret it. The slaves here operate well because they are happy to serve. I wish to keep them that way. We will not hesitate to use drugs or spells to keep you in line.”
“Oookay. Can we back up here?” Xander blurted out, “I’m not going to upset your happy little home. I don’t want to be here any more than you want me. Can’t you just teach me to be what Spike wants?” Apparently, the truth part of the spell still hadn’t completely worn off. He was terrified now that it never would.
However, instead of being offended, Narella seemed to soften at this. “Master Spike hasn’t told you of your obligations then?” She sighed, “I apologize, Xander. I expected from the directive we’ve been issued that you and your sponsor had a prior involvement. That is not the case, is it?”
“No.” Xander shook his head.
Narella leaned back in her chair as her demeanor changed to one that was a little less formal. “There is more to your training than becoming what Master Spike wants. Once you graduate, you will begin servicing some of our other customers; it is how training is paid for. You will, of course, be available to Master Spike whenever he wishes.”
Xander felt his stomach clench up at this. He was going to be a whore. Not just for Spike, but for other demons.
Narella covered some other stuff about claiming, but Xander didn’t pay strict attention. Every time he tried to focus on the specifics, the word whore would bubble up to surface of his mind again, bringing with it a wave of nausea. Xander figured he got the basics anyway. Spike could issue some kind of challenge which Xander could accept or reject. Xander’s collar would somehow be turned on if Spike did offer a challenge; the stone set into his collar would slowly change from white to red. Xander had to accept or reject the challenge by the time the stone changed completely, or he became the property of the pleasure house and no longer belonged to Spike.
After their talk, Narella gave him a brief tour of the training area and showed him to his room. Well, saying it was a room was pushing it: it was a closet. Furnishing the space with a bunk and a small table with a lamp did not make it a room. The bunk ran along the wall and Xander only had two feet between himself and the door. At least the ceiling was quite high, spanning fourteen feet. If not, he’d have felt like he was sleeping in a coffin.
Narella instructed Xander to sit on his bunk and wait for his handler before she left him, so there Xander sat. His thumb absently stroked Spike’s tattoo while he waited. The mark felt weird because it didn’t feel weird. The inked skin was just as smooth as the unmarked parts. He still felt branded. Although, not really branded – because shit – he’d seen some of the slaves here: they had been branded. He’d take his tiny tattoo over that any day.
His door whooshed open, and yet another carbon copy demon was there. This one was wearing a tight fitting black uniform-type dress.
“God, do they breed you like that?” Xander asked, unable to hold his tongue. It wasn’t the spell this time, but exhaustion and frustration.
The demon grinned, showing off her pointed teeth. “You are very astute, Xander, my race only reproduces via incubation. Very minor modifications are required for different functions; to the external observer we appear absolutely identical. We use drones during check-in, they are identified by their uniforms of green and blue.”
Xander nodded. Déjà and Vu.
“Drones are unnamed and handle administrative functions. While they are not terribly personable, they are quite efficient. I am designated as a handler and am called Adara. I am responsible for your overall education and your physical well being while you are in training. Narella, whom I believe you’ve also met, was bred for managerial and disciplinary functions.
“Do you have any further questions?”
Xander shook his head and said tersely, “No. Let’s get started with the training.”
She smiled sympathetically but shook her head. “Oh, no, training will not start for you until tomorrow. Your day has likely been somewhat traumatic. The human psyche is quite fragile and evaluations are taxing. You are scheduled only for a relaxing bath and massage before you return here for a light meal and a sleeping potion.”
~*~*~*~*~
Adara led Xander to a bathing chamber. The room was almost empty except for a large tub, some shelves and a comfortable looking chair. Xander had expected to see human bath attendants or the drones she mentioned, but instead, Adara drew the bath water herself. She poured a thick stream of greenish liquid into the water where it foamed and frothed under the spray. Xander stood warily to one side, unsure of what she wanted him to do.
Finally she said, kindly, “You may enter the bath, Xander.”
He stepped into the pool of soapy water and stood facing her.
“You’re not used to bathing yourself, are you?” she asked gently.
Xander’s face got hot with embarrassment. Water, like everything else of value with the Phelon, was doled out sparingly. At bathing times slaves were not allowed to clean themselves for fear of wasting too much.
Adara shook her head, and reassured him. “There is no need to be embarrassed, it is very common. One of the things you must learn here is how to groom yourself. You are going to be given levels of freedom that you have previously been denied. This will likely cause you a bit of discomfort in the beginning, but you will learn to enjoy your privileges. Please, sit.”
Xander sat down in the tub. Adara placed a platform across the center of the tub which held sponges, soaps and cloths.
“The bath is something you should enjoy as well as use for grooming. Once you clean yourself, you should relax. The foam contains herbs that will help you with that. I will return within the hour. If you wish to exit the tub, there are towels over there,” she pointed to a shelving unit on one wall. “You may wait for my return in the chair provided.”
Xander swiveled his head toward the rack of towels as she pointed, and when he turned back to look at her, she was almost at the door. “You’re leaving me here?” he asked stupidly. His thoughts felt a little slow, maybe something she put in the bath.
“Yes,” she nodded. “You need time alone to collect yourself. Training will be somewhat demanding on you at first. I urge you to take advantage of this time offered you.”
“I don’t understand why you care. I’m just a whore.” Xander couldn’t manage to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
She looked surprised at this. “Xander, you’re not a whore, you are a pleasure slave with a sponsor. It is an honor that many slaves wish would be bestowed upon them. You are a revered pet, one to be treasured and pampered.”
“But still a pet.”
“True,” she agreed, “but everything has a price.
Do try to relax, Xander. You’ve had a difficult day.” And with that, she left.
Xander was alone – he seriously doubted that he was unwatched – but he felt like he was alone. He didn’t have the impression that Adara was outside the door waiting on him to finish or that she'd locked the door. Xander was uncomfortable with this level of freedom and angry that he was uncomfortable.
He picked up one of the sponges and began to scrub himself, washing off the shiny glitter that Spike had ordered him to wear; it came off easily and dissolved in the water. Xander made sure to remove the makeup and wash his hair. He wanted all traces of what Spike had ordered gone. He childishly scrubbed at his wrist in the hopes that the tattoo might come off, but it stubbornly stayed on.
Xander sat the sponge down, acknowledging that he was marked for life. He looked owlishly around, half expecting Adara or someone else to come collect him. For awhile, he sat rigidly against the smooth wall of the tub, unsure of what to do. Finally, he relaxed into the water, sliding under until only his neck and head were above the water and foam. He shifted around until he was comfortable.
Between the heat of the water and the soothing scent of the foam, Xander found himself drifting into a strange, half-awake state. He wondered if this was how Tara felt when she meditated. As his thoughts drifted to his sister, he hoped she was okay. Spike said he’d get her trained as a healer. She’d like that. Xander already missed her, but as much as he loved her, he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to see him in his new vocation.
His mind drifted further, chasing random thoughts through his head. It seemed like hours later when the door opened and Adara came in.
Xander slowly opened his eyes. “Oh, you’re back.”
“Yes, I am. I’m pleased to see that the bath seems to have done you some good. You will be afforded the privilege quite frequently, assuming you learn your lessons well.”
Adara helped him out of the tub and handed him a thick towel. He awkwardly dried himself with the cloth; his head seemed a little muddled.
She held out her hand for the towel when he was done and put it in a bin.
~*~*~*~*~
After the bath, there had been a long and incredibly relaxing massage before Adara led him back to his closet.
A tray with some food was already on his table with a glass of some of stinky frothy stuff. He assumed that it was the sleeping potion Adara had mentioned earlier.
“Please ensure you eat. Early tomorrow, I will retrieve you and issue your first morning challenge. Most new trainees do fail, at least the first few times.”
“What kind of challenge?”
“I cannot be specific about the task, however, each morning I collect you, you will be issued a challenge. You must complete it within the timeframe allotted. If you do not succeed, you will not be allowed your morning meal. We find that it accelerates training significantly.”
“Starving people would do that,” Xander agreed.
“You won’t be starved, Xander,” Adara said kindly, “You will be allowed two additional feeding intervals during the day.
“We are expected to deliver our training in a fairly short amount of time. The means may seem quite barbaric to you, but they are much more effective than physical discipline.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Xander, we start small here. You will be required to master both oral and traditional sex acts with partners of both genders before being asked to move on to any more advanced tasks. Training is work, but can be pleasurable as well. In time, you will see that.”
“Will I? ‘Cause right now, I’m thinking that’s not going to happen.”
“You will, I assure you. Now please, eat and get some rest. The morning will arrive soon enough and I wish for you to be well rested.”
Left alone, Xander swiftly ate his meal. It was the first thing he’d been offered all day. He didn’t even bother to smell the potion, just swallowed it down in one gulp. The effects washed over him even before he put the glass down. He pulled up the warm blanket provided and sank down into the surprisingly comfortable bed, falling instantly into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike changed clothes after his encounter with Xander and was heading to his office. His mind kept wandering back to the boy’s last comment about their kiss. It was obvious that Xander had still been under the truth spell. Question was: what should he do with that information?
Xander’s embarrassment and humiliation at being made to enjoy Spike’s attentions was heady stuff, but then, so was the passion he’d shown with that kiss. Angelus was always going on about how you couldn’t trust a human to nick a vein for you even if you were starving, but it seemed that Spike had badly underestimated his pet.
And speaking of Angelus, here was the big lug now. Peachy.
“Hey, Spikey! I hear you’ve finally gotten yourself some pets. Boy and a girl trained by the Phelon. You don’t start small, do you?”
“Where’d you hear that?” Spike knew perfectly well Gen went spouting her mouth off to Angelus at the drop of a hat, but he played along. Angelus knew Spike knew as well. Fucking useless game, but the tosser got off on it.
Angelus waved a hand vaguely. “You know how it is around here, people talk.”
“Uh-huh. There a point to this conversation, or are you just killing time?”
Angelus smirked. “I hear your boy’s been all checked into the pleasure house. Can’t wait until he graduates so I can have a piece of him.”
Spike knew that this was a distinct possibility, but had hoped that whatever toy he’d brought from Arvis would keep Angelus busy. He clenched his jaw angrily and growled, “Boy’s mine, Angelus, hands off.”
Angelus’ smirk grew wider. “Spikey, you know that’s not how things work. Your boy has to earn his keep. Besides, I share all my pets.”
“You couldn’t afford to feed your pets if you didn’t have them working.”
Angelus shrugged. “I get bored. I need variety. What can I say? Speaking of variety, I did happen to see the girl, though. She’s a sweet piece: nice and ripe. I’m surprised you didn’t send her for training too. Tell you what? Why don’t you send her my way when you get tired of her?”
“Fat chance,” Spike replied. And then drawled in the most bored voice he could muster, “So, we done?”
“Sure.”
Spike stalked down the hall, intent on getting to his office and away from here, but before he could get more than a few steps away Angelus called after him, “Don’t say I didn’t offer.”
Prick.
~*~*~*~*~
When he got to the office, Tara was sitting on the pet chair he’d ordered for her, leash attached to the restraining bolt in the wall. Gen was nowhere to be found.
Spike’s irritation jumped up a notch. “Happen to know where Gen fucked off to?”
Tara shook her head. The girl’s eyes were downcast and her hands were in her lap.
“Figures.” Spike strode over to his desk, intending to call Gen and tell her to get her mechanical ass up here. As he passed Tara, he stopped suddenly and frowned. He turned to face her and said coldly, “Angelus was here.”
The girl flinched, but didn’t say anything. She really didn’t need to respond, the bastard’s bloody scent was all over the office. Tara did, however, need to learn to answer him.
Spike crouched down to her level and gently lifted her chin. Her startled eyes found his. “That’s better. Look at me when I talk to you. So, Angelus: tall, dark hair, too much forehead. Was he in here?”
“Y-yes.” Fear began wafting from her now.
Spike cursed softly, stood up and leaned against his desk facing the terrified girl. Now, on top of his angry confusion over the boy, he had this to repair. How the bloody fuck was he supposed to win this girl over if Angelus had her cringing every time Spike came near her.
“Did he hurt you?” Spike tried to keep his voice calm.
“No, not really.” She shook her head.
Getting information was like pulling teeth with this one, too. Next Phelon he met was dead on principle. “But he touched you?”
“H-he said he wanted to inspect your purchase…to make sure you g-got a good d-deal.” From Tara’s fearful reaction, it must have been a thorough inspection.
Spike cursed again. “And Gen let him?”
Tara shrugged warily.
Spike’s eyes narrowed. He’d cut the girl some slack, but not that much. “No keeping things from me, pet. Did Gen know?”
“She called him,” Tara reluctantly replied.
Spike nodded, he’d thought as much. He and Gen were going to be having a chat very soon about her loyalties. “Sorry, poppet, it wasn’t my intent for you to get manhandled.”
Spike walked to the bar and poured her a bit of a drink. He poured a much larger one for himself. “Knock this back quick: it’ll sting, but you’ll feel better,” he said, handing her the glass.
Tara took the glass and drank it in down in one gulp. She didn’t cough, but her eyes watered.
“Better?” He took a swift snort himself, relishing the burn as it went down.
Tara nodded and handed the glass back.
“Good. How ‘bout we start from scratch. You’re Tara, right?”
“Y-yes, Master.”
“We can do the formal thing in public, yeah? Here, I’m Spike. Clothes fit okay?”
She looked down at her outfit, and said gratefully, “Yes, S-spike. Thank you.”
He hadn’t gotten her anything special, just standard house gear for female slaves, but it clung to her and managed to offer support for her ample chest even with the plunging neckline. She made a pretty picture with all that cleavage, but he was trying to make her feel comfortable so he didn’t ogle her nearly as much as he’d have liked to.
“Listen, pet, I’m not like your old owners. You treat me well, I’ll treat you well. Got it?”
She nodded. “I understand.”
His voice hardened, “Cross me, though, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
Proper bit of fear wafted from her at that. Good girl.
He softened his tone once again. “Here’s the deal, Tara, I want you to keep watch for me, let me know what’s what around here. I can’t bloody trust anyone. You do that for me, and I’ll make sure you can see your brother regular.”
At the mention of the boy, Tara perked up and asked softly, “Is Xander ok?”
“Boy’s fine. He’s in the council’s pleasure house now, for training.” Spike watched as she processed this information.
Finally, she asked softly, “Will you be careful with him?”
Spike frowned. That was the last thing he expected her to ask. “Depends on him, doesn’t it?”
Tara shook her head, “Xander is…not like me. He’s not…b-broken. If you’re not careful, you’ll damage him.”
“You telling me what to do?” Spike was amused that she found the courage to speak to him like this.
“No, Master!” She shook her head frantically. “I just don’t want to see him hurt.”
“Then help me,” Spike coaxed. “I’m sending you to be trained as a healer. You’ll have duties at the pleasure house, and I’ll see you’re cleared to speak with him. In return, you have to keep me up to speed on how he’s doing as well as pass on any other information I can use.”
“A-and if I don’t?”
Spike raised his eyebrows at her. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
Tara was quiet for a long time. Finally she asked, “Do you care for him?”
Bit of an odd question, that. “He’s mine, just like you are.”
Tara shook her head, not letting it go. “But do you care? At all. Even a tiny bit?”
Gone was the stuttering bit who’d occupied his office moments ago. Timidly assertive, this one. She was definitely going to be interesting to have around. Spike felt oddly like he was being interviewed. “Does it matter?
“To me, yes.” Tara looked solemn.
Spike debated on what to tell her. He didn’t have an answer himself. He could lie to her and say ‘yes’, but knew if he did that, she’d be nearly useless to him. He needed her loyalty, so he went with the truth. “The boy’s something special. I’ve not run across anyone like him. There’s something wild about him. Don’t know if that’s what you need to hear, but that’s the best I can do.”
Tara watched him calculate his answer; saw his desire to lie war with his desire to win her over. And when he spoke of Xander, she heard what he didn’t say: Spike did care, even if he didn’t know it yet. It was the best she could hope for. “All right, I’ll help you.”
“Good girl.”
5 Lessons
Spike seethed when he thought of Gen’s betrayal. He could abide her tattling and minor back-stabbing, running off to Angelus as soon as Spike turned his head. As a gift from the big lummox, he'd be a fool to expect her to be loyal. However, when she'd called his bastard of a grandsire and allowed him to man-handle Spike’s property, she'd crossed the line.
Spike was a demon, no matter how many rules and regulations the council tried to impose to hide that fact. Gen was about to find out the hard way that demons were aggressively possessive. Spike smiled coldly as the door whooshed open. He was looking forward to teaching the android a lesson.
Spike was leaning on his desk, facing the door, when Gen sauntered in as if she didn’t have a care in the world; she probably thought she didn’t. Fury washed over Spike but he managed to hold himself in check, barely.
“You wished to see me?” she asked in a bored voice.
“Yeah, Gen, I did.” Spike casually thumbed the switch on his desk, locking the door behind her.
Gen heard the click and frowned. “What is going on?”
He launched himself at Gen, railroad spike drawn. He shoved the silver spike through her shoulder, pinning her to the wall. Even as this wound sparked and sizzled, Spike rammed a fist into her chest and pulled it back. The air was redolent with the smells of his singed flesh and melting plastic.
“What the –?” Gen began, her voice unusually thick. Spike stepped back as a small shower of sparks erupted from her chest cavity.
Spike stared at her coldly. “Can’t bloody believe that you thought I‘d let this go, Gen.” He wished she were human, he’d love to wallow in the stench of her fear. And while she paled, drawn and terrified: it just wasn’t the same. She smelled of ozone and the acrid scent burned his sensitive nose.
“I do-do-do not know what you are talking about-t-t,” Gen stuttered.
“Angelus touching my pet, the girl: does that twig any of your circuits?”
Something inside popped and she jerked her head violently to the side. She struggled to turn and face Spike, and once she did, she attempted to justify her actions. “M-ma-master Angelus said he wished to examine what you had purchased. I was unable to-to-to refuse.”
Spike reached into her chest and tugged on something. A high pitched whine erupted and her arms jerked and twitched uncontrollably. “Don’t lie to me, Gen. You called him. You let him in here and you let him touch her.”
“She’s o-only human,” the android protested.
Spike growled and vamped out. “Not about her, you nit. I could care fuck all about her being pawed. It’s about you betraying me for the last fucking time. Give me one reason I shouldn’t scrap you.”
“No one will han-handle your correspondence,” she said weakly.
“Let it rot.” Spike tugged another wire and watched as her head jerked violently to the side again. Once the seizure subsided, he noted with satisfaction that her eyes had lost focus.
“You’ve dam-damaged my optical sen-sen-sensors,” she stuttered. Her speech was beginning to slow down to a neutral drone, rather than her usual precise tone.
“Last chance.” Spike reached back into her chest cavity and wrapped his fingers around the thickest cable he could find: likely the main power conduit.
Gen was silent for a several long moments. Spike thought he might've done too much damage to get anything useful out of the thing. Finally, she spoke in a jerky, toneless voice “Master An-angelus trusts m-m-me. I will inform you of his-his activities-s-s-s.”
Spike paused, since this was unexpected and something he could use. He shifted back to his human form, pretending to mull over it for a bit before finally replying, “Fine, I’ll accept that. But, Gen, you cross me again and I’ll pull you apart one sensor at a time.”
“Understood, S-s-sirrrr,” she slurred.
Her fearful, cowed tone was music to his ears. He should have torn into her sooner. “I’ll get you looked at,” Spike said, switching her off. If her internal bits hadn’t been starting to catch fire, he’d have left her pinned to the wall for a while. It wasn’t like he’d promised to fix her right away.
He smirked and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. Sticking it into his mouth he leaned toward Gen’s smoldering chest cavity, lighting his smoke. He inhaled deeply, relishing the burn of the smoke filling his dead lungs. He exhaled the thick plume onto the androids inert form.
Being restricted from violence so much here, he’d honestly forgotten. Revenge could be bliss.
~*~*~*~*~
Narella was sitting at her desk, viewing the wall screen in her office. She was shrewdly scanning the faces of the slaves as they progressed through this week’s lessons, concentrating on one in particular. Lesson after lesson, she watched his face for signs of disgust or disapproval. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, she was never disappointed.
Humans were so easy to read. With as much training as they were given, they should be able to keep their emotions in check, however so few truly mastered the skill. Of course, she was an expert at reading them too; she had to be in her position.
The lovely dichotomy about this slave, however, was regardless of his imperfect disposition, he exceeded all proficiency expectations. His pleasuring techniques and skills were above reproach.
She turned to her desk vid and dialed the number from memory. It only beeped once before it was answered.
“What?” The tone was terse and angry.
Narella pursed her lips. She wondered why the council insisted on their pleasure slaves having deportment, when the members themselves rarely had proper manners.
“Good evening, Lord Angelus. I trust everything is going well with your new acquisition?”
Angelus smirked and looked off screen briefly before turning his attention back to Narella. “We’re a little tied up at the moment, but otherwise, doing fine.”
A grin curled Narella’s lips as well; she could easily imagine the state of his pet. She had personally delivered the gear Angelus had requested prior to accepting delivery of this new toy. “Please, let me know if we can be of further assistance. We would be more than happy to assign you a personal trainer.”
“I’ll keep that in mind." He grinned cruelly for a moment. "I’m sure you didn’t call me to chat. What do you want?”
“Yes, well it seems that I’ve found a proper addition to the Halsstarrig. You are still interested in those who are eligible, are you not?”
“Always. What kind of contract are you thinking about?”
“Perhaps a hundred days?” she offered casually.
Angelus raised his eyebrows. “That long? Of course I’m interested.”
She pressed a few keys on her console. “I’m sending you his data now.”
Narella sat quietly as the vampire perused the file he’d been sent. “He’s perfect. God, look at those hurt-me brown eyes. And he’s a fighter?”
“Of course, I would not select anyone who was not appropriate for your needs,” Narella replied coolly.
“And yet you’re calling me. Makes me wonder why?”
Narella tented her fingers, choosing her words carefully. “He holds council sponsorship, which technically makes him ineligible for the Halsstarrig.”
“I see." Angelus was quiet for a moment. "Who’s the sponsor?”
“Master Spike.”
"Isn't that interesting?" Angelus smiled coldly, and Narella was quite certain that Master Spike was not on Angelus' good side at the moment. “I’m sure there are exceptions.”
"Yes," she replied cautiously. “In extreme situations, the sponsor can be penalized for contract violations and their pets become forfeit for a punishment period.”
“I need someone. Make it happen. I’ll triple your finder’s fee.”
Triple finders fee added to the per-use charge on any slave assigned to the Halsstarrig meant unbelievable profits for the pleasure house. “I would need assurances that the slave would be allowed access to a healer full-time. They must be able to service clients once their tour is over.”
“Done.” The response was firm and swift.
“There is still the matter of the sponsor; Master Spike will have to be found in violation of his contract.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Angelus said, waving his hand. Narella could tell he was becoming bored of the conversation. This was unsurprising as she had likely interrupted a training session.
“I fear the possible council repercussions,” Narella stated simply.
“You’re protected. Make this happen.”
Narella relented. "I will make the necessary arrangements and inform you when he is ready to collect.”
She terminated the call and pressed close on the file marked ‘SID 564721 - Xander’.
~*~*~*~*~
Xander’s eyes opened as soon as the door chimed, he was resting his side on the bunk in his closet. He’d been told to expect someone to deliver a healing potion this evening, and it seemed that they were here. He carefully sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed as the door opened.
But instead of his trainer, Adara, or the usual healer, it was…
“Tara?” he asked, joyfully.
“Hey, you.” Tara had a wide grin on her face.
Xander wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he blinked them away as he pulled back examining her. “You look good.”
“So do you.” Her voice was just as thick as his.
Xander ran his fingers through his artfully rumpled hair. “Yeah, thanks.”
Tara had the feeling that she was making him uncomfortable. It broke her heart. “I brought your potion.”
Xander gestured to his small table. “You can just set it down. I’ll...ah…drink it later.”
Tara spoke softly. “Show me.”
Xander shook his head. “You don’t need to see. I’m fine.”
“Show me.”
Xander held her gaze for a few moments and then tightened his jaw and reluctantly turned around. Tara saw the damage to his back. It wasn’t anywhere close to the worst she’d seen, but he had stripes and welts from the back of his neck to his knees.
“It’s not bad,” she offered softly.
Xander didn’t say anything.
“Xander, talk to me.”
Xander turned around. “There’s nothing to say. It’s my life now."
How many times had they told each other this, or something similar, as comfort? She tried to change the subject. “Do you like it?”
Xander snorted. “Being beaten until I come, yeah, I love it.”
“Xander,” Tara said in a placating tone.
Xander’s hugged himself tightly and didn’t say anything. He refused to break down in front of her.
“Is there any part of this that you enjoy,” she asked gently, setting the glass with his healing potion down on the table.
“I can’t talk about this with you,” he said almost too softly for her to hear.
Tara reached out and took his hands. “Xander, I love you: no matter what.”
“Do you?” Xander’s eyes were full of anguish.
“Yes. Always.” Tara squeezed his hands tightly. “Even if you like things…rough…sometimes. That’s okay.”
“How can you be okay with what I’m doing? What he wants me trained to do.” The last part was a whisper as Xander looked nervously about, probably because they were being observed.
Tara frowned; something was definitely not right with Xander. Something that went way beyond his current vocation. “What happened between you and Spike?” she asked gently.
Xander shook his head and tried to pull his hands away. Tara held tight. “Tara – I can’t.” How could he tell her about the kiss, that he’d foolishly felt something for Spike in that brief moment while their lips touched. Or say to her that he did like some of his training, and for once in his life he was good at something. Learning how to make his partners sigh and moan and writhe with pleasure under his touch was powerful stuff. And he did like the roughness sometimes, when he finally gave in and allowed himself to enjoy it.
Xander held her gaze. He read nothing but love and compassion in her eyes. She really meant it. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. She was safe, well fed and happy. Seeing her like this made things worth it. She’d had it so much rougher than he had with their former owners. God, she'd been strapped down to a table and raped repeatedly in the tents so their previous masters could squeeze a bit more profit from her. It made him ashamed to be so angry about what he was being trained for now.
When he released her, he felt like he could let go some of the bitter anger that had been tearing him up inside for weeks. “You know they feed us three times a day here?”
Some of the tight tension around his eyes and jaw had relaxed as Xander made some kind of peace with himself and Tara let him change the subject. “I know. I can’t believe that myself.”
“And I’ve kinda been learning to do this massage thing,” Xander admitted almost shyly. “I seem to be pretty good at it.”
“That’s great.”
“How about you? Are you a full fledged healer yet?”
Tara smiled. “Not quite, but close.” She looked at him and said mock-sternly, "Speaking of which, drink up, Mister.”
Xander grinned and drained his potion. He barely held back a cough when he finished. “It’s great,” he said, handing the glass back to her, but his voice was a little strained because his throat burned.
She shook her head, ruefully. “It’s awful, but it will make you better soon. Turn around.”
Xander could already feel the injuries on his back mending. He turned around and let her poke and prod him for a moment. It was familiar; she'd always been there, helping him, trying to soothe his hurts. He relaxed and let finish her examination.
He turned around when she'd finished, and was happy to see her looking pleased with his recovery. "This will be fine in just a few more minutes. I added a few extra herbs into the brew, so you could get some sleep."
"Really?" Xander asked gratefully, he hadn't had a really good night sleep since he'd come here. "Thanks."
"I want to help you, as much as I can." Tara looked away for a moment before she said softly, "I'm sorry, I have to go. There are others..."
"Yeah, I know." Xander held out his arms and hugged her. "I love you."
"You too," she said earnestly, "I'll see you soon."
After she left, Xander drowsily settled into his bunk and drifted off into his first dreamless sleep in ages, a small smile on his face.
6 Betrayal
Spike frowned at the text on his vid, he’d just been sent Xander’s weekly report and the news was less than stellar:
Slave has mastered all pleasuring techniques as presented, save one. His reluctance to submit is becoming problematic. He constantly fights his very obvious desire to relinquish control to dominant in every session. If his reluctance and disobedience continues, we will be forced to….
He turned away from the screen when the door chimed. Tara was here; ready to make her first report. Spike had hoped to hear something much sooner, but her training as a healer had kept her busy for much longer than he’d expected. He buzzed her in.
“Hello, pet. Have a seat.” Spike gestured to her pet chair.
Tara sat down and looked at Spike, her gaze a mixture of wariness and apprehension.
Spike swiveled his chair around to face her. “Settling in okay?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“You been by to see your brother, yeah?” he asked casually, putting his feet up on the desk. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s…okay,” she replied honestly.
“Happy?” Spike asked.
Tara reluctantly shook her head. “Not, really. But he’s t-trying. He wants to please you.”
Spike perked up at this. “How’d you know? He tell you that?”
Tara frowned. “No, but I know him. He’s…” she broke off.
“Go on, he’s what?”
“Did s-something happen? Between the two of you?” she asked cautiously.
“Lotta stuff happened: nothing to concern yourself with.” Spike waved a hand, dismissing her question and decided to change tactics. “How about this: tell me about his past. He ever have a lover?”
Tara closed her eyes, briefly. She did not want to be having this conversation with Spike. “Yes, one, that I know of.”
“Guessing by your reaction, it didn’t end well. What happened, they get sold off?”
“Jesse…died,” Tara replied cautiously.
Spike narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, examining Tara’s uncomfortable demeanor. “Didn’t happen to fall on the end of a pointy bit of wood, did he?”
Tara’s heart sped up in fright. Spike seemed to already know about what happened. Obviously not the specifics, but he knew enough to guess the truth. “Not the first time,” Tara whispered, “Jesse was killed by a vampire the first time.”
Spike smiled at her hair-splitting. “Point.”
“Please, don’t hurt him.” Tara’s voice wavered.
“I’m not gonna hurt him, pet,” Spike assured her. “Just want him to be mine. You can help with that, can’t you?”
Tara nodded slowly.
“Tell me what I want to know,” he persuaded in a low voice. “Help me. What can I do to make it easier for him?”
Tara thought for long moment. She knew if Xander knew that she even considering telling Spike the truth, he would think she betrayed him. But she had to do something; Xander was tearing himself apart fighting Spike. Finally, she said simply, “Just…be kind to him.”
“Thank you, pet.”
~*~*~*~*~
“You wanted to see me?” Xander asked. He tried to keep his respectful demeanor. His trainer had brought him to Spike’s this evening. Adara had been very clear that this was something that was not done, but Spike had insisted upon seeing him.
Spike was lounging back on his couch, wearing only a pair of loose lounging pants.
“Yeah, I did. Come sit with me, pet.” Spike waved him over to the couch.
Xander did as he was told, sitting next to Spike. He kept his body language casual, as he’d been taught, but he was still nervous and resentful of his master.
“This is nice.” Spike fingered the soft collar of Xander’s transparent blue robe. It was standard gear for the pleasure slaves as they wandered about visiting clients. Only the trainees were kept fully nude all the time.
“It’s nice to not be naked.” Xander could tell his tone was a little clipped. He’d have to work on that.
“I like seeing you naked,” Spike’s said lightly. He didn’t want to ruffle his boy’s feathers. His fingers traveled to the nape of Xander’s neck, stroking gently.
“Why am I here?” Xander asked quietly. “My trainer says you’re not supposed to see me until I’m done.”
Spike sighed. “Things have been tough for you, yeah?”
“I’m doing my best,” Xander whispered defensively.
“I know that, pet. Doesn’t make it easy, though, does it?” Spike began fingering the sable strands of Xander’s hair.
Xander panicked at this. “Please don’t hurt Tara.”
“Shh,” Spike soothed. “We’re not talking about her. Don’t worry. This is between you and me.”
Xander relaxed a tiny bit when he heard this. “What do you want from me?” he asked, hating the desperate whine in his voice.
Spike leaned in close to Xander. “A kiss.”
Xander frowned. “You broke me out of training so I could kiss you?”
Spike nodded. “Just a kiss, pet. After that, if you want, you can leave.”
Xander raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Please?” Spike asked softly.
Xander hesitated for a moment: this was probably the only thing they hadn’t done in training. But if a kiss was what it took to keep Spike happy, he could do that.
He leaned forward, keeping his eyes on Spike until the last moment.
Their lips met tentatively and Xander felt a sharp spark sting his mouth. He jerked away and touched his bottom lip. “Ouch.”
Spike was touching his own mouth and his eyes were wide. The vampire looked almost comically concerned. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Must be static.” Xander’s head felt a little strange for a second, like he’d accidentally caught a whiff of Bliss gas, but then everything seemed to clear up.
Spike studied Xander’s face for a moment and then he reached out to stroke his bottom lip with his thumb. “You’re so bloody beautiful.”
Xander was surprised by the sincerity in Spike’s eyes and tone. “I – Thanks.”
“You brave enough to finish that kiss, pet?” Spike asked softly.
“You gonna shock me again?” Xander asked, with a small grin. It was nice being with Spike like this. The vampire seemed so relaxed, like he didn’t want anything from Xander.
Spike smiled slowly. “Maybe.”
Xander laughed and leaned close, pressing his lips against Spike’s once again. It was weird, like all the tension that they had between them was finally gone. The burning resentment that he’d felt since their first kiss had vanished.
Spike parted his lips slightly but he didn’t do anything more until Xander tentatively slipped his tongue inside the vampire’s mouth. Spike made a soft, approving sound and Xander deepened the kiss.
When Xander finally pulled back, he was a little breathless.
“So, nice, Xander, thank you.” Spike’s reached out to cup the boy’s cheek, his thumb stroking Xander’s skin lightly. “You can go, if you want.”
“You mean that?” Xander was surprised Spike was keeping his word.
“Yeah,” Spike replied earnestly. “You held up your end of things. I’ll hold up mine.”
Xander mulled over this a moment. Spike hadn’t moved his hand; he was still stroking Xander’s face softly. Xander basked in the gentle touches, something noticeably absent in his training thus far.
Finally, he asked softly, “Do you want me to go?”
Spike shook his head. “No.”
“What do you want?” Xander asked, cautiously.
Spike’s blue eyes deepened with lust. “You. Want you to trust me to take care of you.”
“I’m afraid,” the words slipped out before Xander could stop them.
“I know, pet. But part of you wants that too, doesn’t it? Wants to give up control.”
“Sometimes,” Xander whispered, looking away.
“Look at me, Xander,” Spike commanded gently.
When Xander complied, Spike saw the desire and fear warring in the boy’s eyes.
“We got off to a bad start. Happens that way sometimes, let me try to make it right.”
Xander was breathing faster now as his heart rate increased. That was what he wanted; he was so tired of fighting that part of himself. “What do you want me to do…Master?” The last word was whispered in a hopeful, reverent tone.
Spike leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Xander’s lips, before he withdrew and dropped his hand. “Thank you.”
Xander nodded, the movement jerky because of nerves.
Spike hardened his tone so it was firm but not cold. “Strip and kneel on the bench at the end of the bed.”
Xander rose off of the couch and slipped out of his robe; his thick cock was already hard from their kiss, jutting out from the pretty thatch of fur between his legs. He reached the bench at the foot of Spike’s bed and knelt as he’d been ordered.
Spike stood up and slid out of his pants. The vampire picked up the item he’d stashed under the couch earlier and walked up behind the boy. He put his lips to Xander’s ear and whispered, “Hands on the bed.”
Xander shivered and bent forward, putting his lovely ass on display, showing off the thick black plug nestled between his cheeks.
Spike ran a cool hand over the perfect flesh before pressing the base of the plug. Xander choked off a gasp.
“No, pet, don’t be quiet. I want to hear your sweet music.” Spike pressed on the plug again and this time Xander let out a delicious low moan.
Spike gently ran the tails of the flogger along the backs of Xander’s thighs.
“Got a lovely new flogger, pet, just for you. Want to watch your pretty skin pink up for me. All you need to do is ask.”
“I –” Xander hesitated, words sticking in his throat.
Spike continued to caress his skin with the toy, letting the boy find his voice. This time it had to be his choice.
Xander hovered on the brink, wanting so desperately for Spike to do this, feel what it would be like to for once give in without begin forced. Finally, he relented. “Please, Master. I want you to use it o-on me.” His voice shook and he couldn’t speak above a whisper.
Spike ran a soothing hand along Xander’s trembling flank. “Such a brave boy. I’ll make this so good for you.”
Spike drew his hand back and struck the boy for the first time, loving how Xander gasped at the contact.
He worked the flogger steadily, watching the skin pink up first and then deepen to a pretty red. Xander was moaning continuously now, arching into Spike’s blows, making his heavy cock sway.
Spike ran a cool hand over Xander’s sensitive flesh, the boy was shaking from his pent up need. “You want to come, don’t you?”
Xander nodded, begging nearly incoherently. “Please, Master, yes!”
“Not until I’m inside you, pet.”
Xander shuddered and then with great effort stilled himself.
Spike slipped fingers under the edge of the plug and worked it out of Xander. He set it aside and began stroking the sensitive, slick flesh around the boy’s stretched anus. He took the handle of the flogger and pressed the ball end of it against Xander’s hole, not breeching him, only stimulating the already hyper-sensitive nerves.
Xander groaned.
“You’d let me push this inside you, pet, wouldn’t you? Let me give you a pretty leather tail.” With every word, Spike rhythmically rotated the ball at the end of the handle, pressing it against the boy, but not pushing it inside.
“Yes, Master. I’m yours.” Xander voice shook.
“Hmmm, such a lovely thing to say. And what about me? You want me inside you, pet?”
“Oh, god, yes,” came the anguished reply. “It’s all I think about.”
Spike paused at this. “You think about me?”
“All the time. I always wish it were you taking me,” Xander whispered truthfully.
Spike growled at this admission and tossed the flogger aside. “Gonna feel it now, pet, hold on.”
Spike lined himself up and slid inside Xander in one hard thrust, the cradle of his hips smacking hard against Xander’s abused backside. Xander clawed at the comforter as Spike rode him hard.
“You like me filling you up?” Spike panted, as he slammed into Xander over and over.
Xander nodded frantically, pushing himself back into Spike’s punishing thrusts. He was keening continuously; it was music to Spike’s ears.
Spike changed angles, searching for just the right one…
Xander screamed and reared up, pushing Spike impossibly deeper. The vampire wrapped his arms around the boy’s chest, holding him in place as he hammered the sensitive bundle of nerves inside his pet.
“Such a pretty boy, so responsive. Gonna fuck you ‘til you come, Xander. Wanna feel you tighten around me before I fill you with my spunk.”
“Oh, god!” Xander choked. “Please, please, please, I need…” he let out an anguished sob.
Spike was close to the edge himself. He shifted his grip, hooking his hands over the boy’s shoulders and pressing him down hard onto his cock. They were flush against each other now, and Spike’s lips were level with the boy’s ear. His lips brushed against the sensitive cartilage as he whispered, “Come.”
Xander cried out in relief and reached behind himself, gripping the backs of Spike’s thighs, needing to ground himself as he bucked, shuddered and came.
Watching the boy ride out his pleasure and feeling his muscles clamp incredibly tight around his aching cock was enough to send Spike crashing over the edge.
“So good, pet.” Spike breathed in the boy’s ear when he finally found his voice again.
“Mmmmhmmm,” Xander replied foggily, leaning back and resting his head against Spike’s shoulder.
They stayed there, joined and holding each other close for a several long moments.
Finally Spike whispered, “Should get you cleaned up before we go to bed.”
“Mmm, okay,” Xander replied, and then asked in a soft, hopeful voice, “You want me to stay?”
“Yeah, pet, I would.”
~*~*~*~*~
Xander woke up, comfortable, Spike wrapped around him. He was warm and his ass ached pleasantly from their activities last night. It was…nice
He frowned at this. Nice? Since when was being with Spike nice? Xander couldn’t believe some of the things he’d said to Spike last night. Even if they were true, he would never have said them to the vampire. Something wasn’t right.
His stomach clenched and he reached up and touched his bottom lip, remembering the shock he’d gotten last night the first time he and Spike kissed.
“You okay, pet?” Spike asked sleepily.
“You put a spell on me,” he whispered in sudden disgust. Xander tried to pull away, but Spike held him tightly.
Spike looked at him, all vestiges of sleep gone. “Yeah, a bit. To loosen your inhibitions.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Wanted you to like it: like being with me,” Spike replied softly, sounding a little concerned and perplexed.
“So you took away my will. Again.” Xander’s tone was bitter.
Spike frowned, this was not going at all like he’d expected. “No, it’s not like that. Just wanted you to stop fighting me, fighting this, ‘s all. I wanted this thing to be good between us.”
“God, Spike, how could you?” Xander struggled and tried to pull away again.
Spike tightened his grip and said coldly, “Seems like you’re forgetting your place again, pet. You’re mine and I’ll do what I like with you. ‘Sides, I wanted to see how you felt about me.”
“That’s easy - I hate you.”
“You say that now, but your body says different.” Spike’s tone was smug. “You were screaming for me, pet.”
“It was the spell,” Xander insisted.
“It was you and if you just stop bloody fighting, it could be like that all the time,” Spike said, getting angry.
Xander shook his head. “I’ll never stop fighting you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Spike said coldly.
They glared at each other for a few moments, until the door chimed and broke the moment.
Spike released Xander and the boy slid out of bed, moving as far away from Spike as he could.
Spike sighed and sat up, propping himself against the pillows. “Looks like your escort’s here.” He tilted his head toward the door. “Go ahead and get your kit on.”
Xander slipped his robe on and left with his trainer without saying another word.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike stormed into Narella’s office. He’d received a terse summons from the head of the pleasure house insisting he show up immediately. Not like he wasn’t gonna go there anyway, things were not going well with his pet and he wanted that resolved now.
“Sit,” she said coldly, pointing to a chair.
“I’m not one of your pets; don’t bloody order me around, poppet.” Spike crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Narella looked like she was going to object to this, but finally nodded. “I think we can both agree that last night was a serious miscalculation.”
“Don’t know about that, it was a bit of all right in the middle.” Spike smirked.
Narella grew angry. “You, sir, quite frankly are not suited to sponsor a slave of Xander’s caliber. Your actions have set his training back weeks. He is much more hostile. I warned you that this would happen.”
“You said he needed the spell.” Spike said defensively. “I wasn’t gonna use one.”
“There was nothing wrong with the spell, Sir,” she said tersely. “Perhaps the implementation of it was where you went astray.”
Spike bristled at her tone. “Boy’s mine and I’ll treat him as I see fit.”
Narella eyes flashed angrily. “That’s where you are wrong. You’ve tasked us with his training and we take this very seriously, even if you do not.
“However, because he is yours, I will not be reassigning him to another pleasure house as I would with any other slave. He is going to be sent out for specialized training locally, and you are to be banned from seeing him.”
Spike frowned. “Specialized training? Where’s he going?”
“Halsstarrig” she stated simply.
Spike clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. Halsstarrig was infamous; they were the specialized pleasure slaves for the warriors. Truth was, those on the Council used the stables sometimes, too. You could pretty much do anything to the slaves there, make them hurt, make them bleed as you fucked them and they’d scream for more. It was one of the Council perks, ‘cept now it was his boy that would be there.
“How long?”
“One hundred days. During that time you will not be afforded any contact with your pet. Perhaps by then he will have gotten over his reluctance to service customers.”
Spike was silent for a moment. “Fine. I wanna be the one to tell him.”
Narella shook her head and lied glibly, “I’m sorry, it’s done. He has already been transferred.”
Spike’s eyes narrowed, all the pieces falling into place: Xander's exceedingly poor review, the ease with which he'd convinced them to allow Xander to visit, the spell that they'd insisted he use. “You set me up.”
Narella didn’t reply, but she didn’t have to, the small smirk at the corner of her lips said everything.
Fuck.
“You’ll pay for this.”
“Lord Angelus assures me that this is an entirely legal maneuver.” Narella looked much too pleased with herself.
What a complete surprise that Angelus had a hand in this, the bastard. Payback for Gen, he supposed.
She held his gaze, and gestured toward the door. “I believe we are finished. Have a lovely day, Sir.”
Spike pushed off from the wall and headed toward the door, it opened as he approached. He turned to look at Narella and said coldly, “Whatever deal you got going with Angelus, it won’t protect you from me.”
Narella didn’t even blink; she simply added, matter-of-factly, “Do not forget, Master Spike, we have a contract. You will respect it, or your pet will belong to us permanently.”
Spike seethed but left Narella’s office without saying anything more.
Once he was through the door, he reluctantly dialed a number on his pocket vid, barking an order as soon as he made the connection, “Gen, get me a copy of Xander’s contract.”
~*~*~*~*~
As soon as the door closed behind Master Spike, Narella dialed Angelus number. “It’s done. The boy will join the Halsstarrig stables this evening. You have him for one hundred days. ”
Angelus smirked. “I’m sending payment now. And Narella?”
“Yes?”
“Tell him the new training was Spike’s idea.”
Narella barely surpressed a sigh. Vampires and their mind games. “Of course.”
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