Carrick replies, but his hand comes up to wrap around the side of my neck. He pulls me in closer to him in an intimate move so he can speak only to me, although everyone can hear him. “But it would make me feel better if you didn’t have to see those things. Give this to me, please.”
It’s his eyes, the pressure of his hand, and, ultimately, the please that gets me to capitulate.
In the end, Myles is actually excited to go because while Rainey already determined she was done with the scary stuff after what happened at Kymaris’ house, Myles was going to take any action he could get in our fight against evil.
And I was okay with that, too. Carrick might not like Myles very much, but he knows I love him, so he will make sure he remains safe.
CHAPTER 22
Carrick
More of a serious man than not, Carrick couldn’t help but find way too much amusement in the outfit he’d picked out for Myles to wear to the party Pyke was taking them to tonight.
It was a fetish party, which had been going on since the time humans and fae began to mix. While the Light Fae mostly moved on to Faere or other realms, those that chose to stay in the Earth realm would often reveal their true nature to humans. A prime example was Stan—who was a royal Light Fae that could see the future, and his human lover, Patty, also had that ability. It was something they had in common, and even though Patty would age out of Stan’s interest at some point, it worked for them in the short term.
Most fae and humans, however, did not have healthy and balanced relationships. Humans were what eventually outnumbered and forced the Light Fae from the Earth realm, and there was an inherent prejudice against them. It had become a little too commonplace for the fae living in the Earth realm to subjugate humans if they could. This often came in the form of BDSM, which was an easy way to get humans to bend to a fae’s will. Many times, those fae would eventually reveal themselves, but, in the grand scheme of things, most humans allowed themselves to be leashed like dogs and enjoyed it.
Carrick never understood it, but he understood others’ ways of thinking, and he knew he could carry himself off fine tonight. Myles was a different matter, and he was clearly uncomfortable in his leather pants, a top made up of nothing but crisscrossing leather straps, and a collar around his neck that indeed had a link with which to attach a leash.
“You’re lucky I didn’t pick the leather pants that had the ass cut out of it,” Carrick told him to stop Myles’ complaints.
He actually hadn’t been considering any such thing. In fact, he hadn’t picked any of it out, but had left it to Zaid to make sure Myles looked the part of a human pet.
“This is so humiliating,” Myles muttered, pulling the tight leather at his crotch.
Carrick agreed, but felt no sympathy. At least Myles was lucky that Rainey and Finley had stayed down in the library so he didn’t have to suffer their looks of pity.
There was one thing Carrick would admit to, which was he had a small level of respect for Myles for doing this. He didn’t have to, and Carrick could have easily gone to the party without a human pet. But, by doing so, he’d be more readily accepted into the group.
“Think you can stop pulling at your pants so we can go?” Carrick asked, and Myles glared in return. Zaid stood by, watching silently. He was a daemon who rarely laughed or smiled, but Carrick had come to know him so well over the centuries that he knew Zaid was getting a kick out of this.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Myles muttered, giving one last tug to the material so his balls wouldn’t be strangled.
In his hand, Zaid held an actual leash with a leather handle and delicate silver links. He handed it over to Carrick, and Myles grimaced at it. Yes, he’d be hooked up and trailing Carrick around the party, but at least Carrick wasn’t going to make him crawl.
“Time for my costume,” Carrick drawled, putting his hand to his forehead and dragging it downward. As his face was revealed, Myles gasped, clearly shocked at what was revealed.
An entirely different face.
“I need to pass as a Light Fae,” Carrick said