#chapter 1 peony

[laguzthegame]

42.

Oh, this annoyingly wily little human, still keen with the games and trade offs, playing with Iver’s confusion.

Oh right. And he didn’t even know my name. The thought never crossed Iver’s mind during the act, not for once. Felt like a betrayal, but on whose part? Something stinged in his stomach. 

’I trust you’, yeah right, pure wargshit.

“It’s Iver.” The words just rushed out before thoughts, Iver could have given any of his alters, but no. Something about the fact Anas didn’t even know his name was frustrating. So now he knew. It felt right, though it probably wasn’t. Just a misstep after another and Iver would wind up deep in the sludge.

“Don’t use it out of the room where these people can hear it, or…” or what, you’ll kill him, beat him, throw him on the wall, drown him in the pond, water turning red red red. “Just don’t.”

It was hard to lay down and watch the boy. Something was still lurking in the back of his mind, a shadow of that possessive desire he now seemed to bear. Hadn’t he claimed Anas to be his in his mind, over and over? Property, really? Iver felt sick with himself. Calm down, don’t let the mind slip into overdrive.

Even now he longed for another touch of skin.

“Your turn. Just tell me what this is and how I get rid of it”, Iver reached with his hand and pressed his finger on Anas’ lower lip, just like he had done a moment of ages before. A mocking gesture, but god how good it felt. “Before I wind up breaking you apart.”

[laguzthegame]

39.

Loïc’s eyes were open but he couldn’t see. Mental tendrils formed, rose and bit into his mind, weaving themselves into a link, snapping in place. White, molting hot, undiluted fae glamour surged into him. He wanted to scream but couldn’t get the air into his lungs. Toomuchtoomuchtoomuchredirectrounditnotoomuch- For a moment Loïc saw his scorched mind, burned irreparably when it had tried to receive and contain something it couldn’t. But no, there was control in the glamour’s flow still. Control balanced on the edge of a knife but control nonetheless. It was not Koite’s control. There was someone else in the back of his skull. Living in his mind, in his body. Loïc panicked and- Then came the euphoria. He was pulled back into his body, its senses going haywire. There was a person behind him, currently his only focal point in the world. An unyielding hold on his wrist, keeping him down. Against his flexing thighs, inside him, burning. A rhythm, a shudder working its way through his whole body, again and again. Don’t stop don’t stop please don’t stop I love you I love you                                                                                              I’ll do anything. “And then,” a whisper  “then you can tell me just how impressive I am. Anas.” The glamour link snapped, Koite’s voice was no longer Koite’s and Loïc felt love, confusion and terror as one.

[laguzthegame]

37.

“I will murder you in your sleep.” Loïc tried to rise on his elbows and was dragged back down, lifted up. His pose was obscene, he knew, and didn’t care. “Gruesomely.” He scrambled for support, knees sliding on the sheets. He’d get up, bind Koite to the bedpost and take what was his. As soon as the vertigo caused by all the blood flowing down would settle down. “And, ah, don’t-  don’t you think that’s giving yourself a bit too much credit? Doesn’t feel too impressive to me.”

[laguzthegame]

21.

“The contract has many names. Oath of loyalty is one of them. So I was being perfectly truthful. I am hardly to blame if you didn’t dodge in time.”

Shut up shut up. You know this feeling of familiarity and safety isn’t real. He’s not him. You cannot act like this- you- Something is wrong.

Loïc walked slowly in front of him. Him? Not too close, not too far. His right hand’s fingers tingled. Focus on the matter at hand.

“I only need to get to the court’s inner garden during the evening festivities. I cannot get there without an escorting owner. That is all.”

[laguzthegame]

19.

“One of a kind.”

As if the fae were capable of feeling empathy. This one too would be bored with Loïc’s reasons if he was to tell them. Loïc might gamble with himself on the table but never with this. He turned his eyes to the room’s ornamented windows, blinked at the fairy lights glowing on still living and growing wooden window frames. In this realm, in the Grove, there wasn’t such a time as day. Daylight like the people on human realm knew it did not exist here. There was the night, and the ever misty dusk. If you managed to live here as a human, it became to feel like a tomb. Closed, dark, grey.    Loïc had nothing of necessity to bargain with. The fae didn’t seem to want money or sex, wasn’t interested in his other services. If Loïc didn’t know better he would have said the only reason he was still in front of the fae was plain curiosity. Which sounded an awful lot like someone else he knew. Nothing to bargain with, but something to blackmail with. Or… perhaps it could be both? Even on this level of the contract, it could be useful for both participants. He turned his eyes back to the fae on the bed. “Have you ever had a blood promise contract with a human?”

[laguzthegame]

18.

Not that he specialized in humans, but they didn’t tend to talk back, did they? Well this one did, and with quite a loud mouth, too – despite the fact that he had already been someone’s property. Might be the reason he’d got beaten in the first place, even. Not that it mattered, Iver merely gave out a slight sneer; he fancied the ones with a strong nature.

“So? It was a prize I was able to afford” Yeah, barely. Even Iver wouldn’t throw away his whole fortune out on a sheer whim. The boy was sharp, not that he’d admit that out loud. His reasons were his own.

“So something you are willing to risk not only your survival but a rare chance of an escape, too. Must be quite a valuable.”

[laguzthegame]

17.

Loïc blinked, momentarily off-footed by the sudden change in the fae’s manner. He remained standing, almost shuffling with a slightly awkward air before catching himself. It was evident that the fae hadn’t had much dealings with humans, or was otherwise surprisingly indifferent towards rank. “One might argue that a human should always address their owner with a title, no matter their owner’s house or the lack of it.” Hold your tongue. Stop with the provoking, what is wrong with you. You’re breaking character. He’s not Koite, not someone you can sass with, not safe, no matter what his glamour and the contract are telling you. “But as you wish.” ... “...I must say though, that even a quarter of the usual price for a human would have bought you a house. That is quite the price for caprice.” Loïc rubbed his fingers together absently. They were tingling. “As for my reasons, well. There’s something-” someone “-I need to reclaim.”

[laguzthegame]

13.

Loïc didn't let go of the fae's wrist. Now for the real test. Keeping his grip loose, he gradually and carefully pushed more of his humanity into the touch. Idly he wondered how much of his remaining time he'd lose to this, whether instead of three days his deadline would be in two. "A gracious offer, but unfortunately I find that hard to believe considering that you aren't Lord Audun," Loïc paused "Sire." Oh, how he hated gambling with such risky odds. Yet- "In two days, I will do my part in breaking the contract-" careful, careful what you swear here "-if you will give me your name, and bring me to the court's inner garden."