For all I cared, Elus could go fuck himself, but I held my breath, hoping against hope that Livius would agree.
“He would still have to serve a calling, you understand?” Livius asked after several long moments. “But… I might be able to make some other arrangements for the House of Eros. If I were so inclined.”
I moved my hand further up his thigh, my eyes down so he wouldn’t see the hatred in them. He moaned slightly as my fingers slid over his crotch.
“You know the penalty for a Vestal who commitsincestum?” he asked. Vestals were supposed to remain chaste. A Vestal who didn’t was considered to have committedincestumand the punishment was harsh. Legion gossip made it clear that Livius wasn’t too concerned about that particular vow or concerned about punishment.
I nodded at his question. Every child knew the penalty. “Zontanós táfos. Burial alive,” I whispered.
“And what happens to their partner?” he demanded.
“Publicektélesi,” I answered. “They are flayed alive.”
I waited, unsure whether I was more afraid that he would agree or refuse.
“Just so we are both aware of the--benefits of discretion,” he said. His hand moved to my head, his fingers stroking through my hair.
“My boy… My sweet, sweet boy,” he whispered. I looked up at him, bile stinging the back of my throat. I was slight, and at only five foot six I was constantly taunted by my peers for being smaller than most. I had learned from a young age that to survive when you are small, you must be twice as vicious as everyone else.
The Vestal was licking his lips as he looked at me, the spit leaving tiny bubbles on his lips. I knew I had him, and the thought made me ill.
His grip on my hair tightened to the point of pain and his watery blue eyes turned to ice, then he stood.
“Open my pants,” he ordered.
I was attracted to my own sex, something I had known since I was young. I’d had a few brief relationships with other Hoplites, but none had lasted. Such relationships were common in the Legion. This, though, was something altogether different.
My fingers only trembled slightly as I reached for the button on his trousers and pulled the zipper down. His cock was already straining at his underwear in anticipation.
I looked up at him from where I was kneeling, and he nodded at me. I forced myself to slide my fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear and push them down. If this is what it took to keep V from the House of Eros, I would do it.
His cock was short and thick, already purple and dripping precum.
I looked back up at him before I moved, demanding his response. “Swear it. Swear to the gods you will give me Vlakas’ assignment.”
“If you service me, I will reassign the Calling to the House of Eros to you, though gods know why you would want that. I canexplain it as a simple error given that you and he share a room assignment,” he said. His breath coming faster.
I nodded and leaned forward, hesitantly licking at the tip of his cock, the taste of his precum bitter on my tongue. His grip on my head became insistent as he pushed me forward. I took him in my mouth, ignoring the sigh of pleasure he released as I began sucking him. His fingers remained gripped in my hair, painfully shoving me forward on his cock until I began choking, my nose buried in the springy hair at his crotch. Impatiently he tightened his grip and just held me in place as my eyes watered, his cock thrusting into my mouth. It had been so long since I had done this, my jaw ached, and I could barely draw breath between his thrusts. The taste of bile never left the back of my throat.
Mercifully, at least, he was quick. After a few more quick thrusts I heard him release a strangled cry as I felt his cum spurting down my throat. It was all I could do not to vomit at the feel of the hot liquid hitting my stomach.
He stepped away with a contented sigh and pulled his pants back into place, leaving me kneeling on the floor. He walked over to a desk against one wall. He quickly wrote two notes, sealed them, then handed them to me.
“This rescinds the calling for Hoplite Vlakas,” he said, handing me the paper. “This reassigns the Calling to you. He’ll go back into the regular rotation.”
I took both pages as I stood, my hands shaking only slightly.
He escorted me to the door, unlocking it. Before opening it, he laid a hand on my face. “If you should ever have the need again, my boy…” he said, his voice trailing off.
I pushed past him through the door, my anger and disgust lending my feet wings. I barely made it to the latrine before losing my last meal.
Trembling, I fought the feeling of sickness down, looking at the parchments in my hand that were only slightly crumpled. I cracked the seals and read them both. They were exactly what he said they were. I now had a Calling to the House of Eros. I hadn’t realized that it would require reporting in just over an hour to the duty Tagmatarches. I thought Vlakas’ calling didn’t start until the next evening. The assignment duration was for three days. Three days. I was a tough bastard, and I could survive anything for three days.
I rushed back to our room, where Vlakas was still sleeping. I left the note for him that indicated the House of Eros assignment had been an error. I left him a second note that said my assignment was moved up, and that I’d see him in three days. I didn’t mention anything about the reassignment to the House of Eros. He didn’t need to know.
Chapter 7
Helios
