Page 27 of Xerxes Ascendant
Before Kyle could assure him that his stilted breathing had nothing to do with the collar and everything to do with his own raging emotions refusing to grasp that Akira.Was. Not. His., Tyler swore.
“Shit. I messed up again, didn’t I?”
“No, you did well. It’s always good to check in with your sub,” the Master said quietly from Kyle’s left, mercifully – andtragically– letting go of his throat. “Although if a question is not what you’re going for, try framing it as a statement instead.”
The trainee Dominant thought about that for a moment.
“You’ll tell me if that’s too tight,” he ordered. “Or else you’ll keep your mouth closed until I say otherwise. Nod to confirm you understand me.”
Kyle nodded.
Akira circled around, his shoes coming to a stop in front of Kyle. “How did that feel?”
Kyle saw how Tyler shrugged, and the way he wrapped his arms around his own chest. Even without being able to raise his head to see his face, he could tell how vulnerable and unsure Tyler was feeling. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “It’s still so new to be on…on this side of it all.”
Then he abruptly straightened, scrambling back to his feet. “Can I order him to crawl to me?”
Akira’s response was laced with audible amusement. “Please do.”
Kyle, determined to make this a successful session for Tyler, played nice for the next twenty minutes. He crawled. He knelt. He submitted. He followed all of the commands thrown his way until the trainee’s confidence at ordering him around flourished into palpable satisfaction.
“You’re doing great,” Kyle said to him warmly, the words flowing freely from his lips from a lifetime’s habit of offering encouragement and praise.
Akira chuckled softly from where he was standing behind them. It sounded alarmingly sinister, and Kyle belatedly realised his mistake.
Oh,stars.
“Tyler, I believe your submissive has disobeyed your order not to speak,” purred Akira in that seductive, dangerous toneof his. “Would you like assistance in composing appropriate punishment?”
Master Epsilon was not, by any stretch of the word, akindDominant. His in-scene punishments for infractions were usually disproportionately harsh, inspired by the enjoyment he took in making those he was playing with suffer, and Kyle groaned in dismay.
“I’ve got just the thing,” Tyler assured, retrieving something from the cupboard. When he returned, he was carrying a ball gag. “He’ll find it difficult to talk while wearing this.”
Kyle instinctively flinched.
“Gags are a soft limit for me,” he reminded the approaching Tyler, somewhat sourly. He did not enjoy his voice being taken away. “But…because we’re training, I’ll let you put it on me as long as it’s only for a few minutes.”
“Soft limit?” Tyler frowned, and then brightened. “Oh, right! You’re pretending to be a client.”
“No,” corrected Kyle gently. “It’smylimit.”
The frown returned, and a horrible foreboding crept up Kyle’s spine. “Master?” he asked, slow and concerned.
Akira was frozen, his hand stretched out to snag Tyler’s wrist and prevent him from gagging Kyle.
What the fuck?Kyle mouthed silently up at him.
Akira’s gaze met his; terrified and helpless and lost.
“I...I don’t…”
“Red.” Kyle spoke the safe word as cheerfully as he could muster, ending the scene to draw Tyler’s attention from their distraught boss. “I think that’s all my knees can take, today. Help me up, will you, Tyler?”
Here we are above the blight,
Clinging to the edge of flight.
And though the Earth may burn below,
