“Asher, Asher, shhh it’s okay, little love. It’s okay. You’re safe. The water won’t hurt you, sweetling. Remember? Good things happen in the water. You’re safe, dear heart. We’re right here. We’re right here with you. We always will be.”
Warm gentle hands ran up and down his back, stroked his hair, but Asher refused to be soothed, regardless of how nice the soft touches were. They were just trying to lull him into complacency. Maybe it was less fun to play with their little fucktoy if he was crying and carrying on the whole time. Good! These two didn’t care about him at all, except that he was an easy hole to use, and Asher was so, sotired.
Chest heaving as he sobbed, Asher shook apart between them. He didn’t want to be a stupid little plaything. He wanted—he wanted to be touched by someone whocaredabout him.
“Eral and Ronet should be here on their vacation by now, shouldn’t they? Maybe… maybe we could ask if their yshain would be interested in a play date with Asher. It might be good for Asher to interact with a yshain who’s already happy and well-adjusted. Maybe if Asher is able to see another of his kind safe and unafraid, that will help him understand that he’s left his fears behind him.”
“Yes, I think that’s a very good idea, my mate. I’ll message Eral now.”
Asher spent the rest of the day after his meltdown waiting for the other shoe to drop. Trenet and Vrayl didn’t seem to act any different after his tantrum—if anything, they were evenmore tactile with him. But every caress, every soft touch, just made Asher more upset.
Something was going to give. He just knew it.
Chapter 12
They were getting rid of him.
Asher could only sit there in horror, still in his arm bondange, the blindfold, and the fuckingtakan,as he listened to Trenet and Vrayl’s familiar growls in conversation with two new voices. Two new, strange Dresht, it had to be. And… and the only reason Asher’s Dresht could have brought him here, trussed up and on display like the fucktoy plaything they thought he was, was to give him away.
Asher bit into the gag and refused to break down about it. He shouldn’t be surprised. Asher wasn’t worth keeping, not even as a toy, and he’d put up enough fuss over the last several days that it was no wonder Trenet and Vrayl didn’t care to keep him any longer.
Trenet started to ease Asher back from his chest, and Asher couldn’t help starting to shiver. Was this it? Was this where Trenet freed Asher from thetakan,only so one of these other strange Dresht could fuck into his loosened hole?
“It’s okay, little love. Your new friend yshain Lee is going to help you into a new humshus. He’s given you one from his own collection. Isn’t that kind?”
“It’s my pleasure,”said a third new voice. This one was much less deep than the growls of the Dresht. Asher swallowed his whimper. Fuck, how many people were in the room with him? How many were watching him be humiliated and given away?“I hope Asher likes this one.”
That was his name. They were talking about him! He knew it. He knew he was what they were all here for. However many Dresht were in this room besides Trenet and Vrayl…
Were… were they all going to take turns with him? Fuck him? They couldn’t all be as gentle as Vrayl and Trenet, so would some of themhurthim? If that was what they were into, if that was what they found fun—
And Trenet and Vrayl wouldn’t be with him anymore to protect him from it.
Asher had zoned out of the conversation, but when his gag was suddenly eased out of his mouth, he couldn’t stop the panicked words that burst forth. “Please! Please, don’t!”
Instantly he berated himself. He’d spoken Universal, hadn’t even begged in Almari, which at least Trenet and Vrayl understood. And now—
“It’s okay,” came that third voice. The softer one. “It’s okay, Asher, don’t worry. You’re safe.”
Asher whipped his head around, trying to follow where that voice was coming from. “You speak—you speak Universal?” Had he somehow been brought to someone who could understand him?
And was this person willing to listen?
“Yeah?” The person said, sounding confused.
Asher tripped over himself to respond, terrified this person wouldn’t care to hear him, or would leave, or any number of things. “Oh thank the stars, I—my translator—it doesn’t work here. I don’t know—I don’t know what they’re saying! Please tell them I’m Human.”No, stupid, they probably know that. “I live on Journey-5.”They know that too! That’s where they found you!
He choked on a sob. “I’m—I don’t belong here. I don’t know what’s happening, I just want to go home.”
“Your translator doesn’t work at all?” The voice asked, sounding concerned.
Asher shook his head. “I can only get some of the words, and they can’t seem to understand me at all.”Not that they hadmuch opportunity to try,Asher thought, since he’d been gagged so much. But they didn’t pay attention to the nonverbal cues either. “They don’t—they don’tlistento me, please—”
“Shh,” the voice said. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ll tell them, don’t worry.”
Tell them?Asher thought, half hysterical, as Dreshtian growls sounded out in the room.Tell them which part?
And are they still getting rid of me?
