the inside. Castien’s shields weren’t as impenetrable as they usually were, and Eridan could feel flashes of his emotions: relief mixed with greed, dark and possessive. There was the sense of finally, as if his Master was as thirsty for this as him, and Eridan felt a rush of euphoria at the thought, his body shuddering in pleasure. His knees were too weak to hold him up and he sagged against his Master, tucking his face in the hollow of his throat as Castien slipped deeper and deeper inside him. Eridan whined as Castien stroked his pulsing, hungry core, again and again. The tension in him was building, his nerves coiling with each measured stroke.
“Master,” he cried out as the pleasure finally reached its peak, sending ripples of ecstasy through his mind and his body.
Dazedly, he rode it out, and tried not to whine in disappointment when Castien pulled out, leaving him empty.
His Master pushed him away, not roughly but firmly enough.
When Eridan managed to focus his gaze on Castien’s face, it was mostly unreadable.
“Was that satisfactory?” Castien said sardonically.
Blushing, Eridan gave him a beaming smile and darted forward to brush his lips against Castien’s stubbled cheek. “Thank you. You are the best Master ever.”
Castien had a rather tight expression on his face when he pulled back. “Good night, Eridan,” he said, before striding away and disappearing into the house.
Eridan stood on the terrace for a long time, breathing in the night air and trying to calm his racing heart.
Castien had never been so deep inside him.
Eridan had loved it.
But he wanted more.
Chapter Seven: The Chapter
The sessions of the Chapter were usually closed affairs, even to the Masters’ apprentices. Eridan could count the number of times he had attended a meeting on the fingers of one hand.
That was why he was so surprised when the next morning his Master told him that he was to accompany him to the Chapter’s emergency meeting.
At first, Eridan had felt a little weird around his Master after last night, but when Castien didn’t treat him any differently during breakfast, projecting calm detachment while he read news on his multi-device, Eridan found himself relaxing. His Master’s calm tended to settle his nerves, and this time was no exception. Nothing had happened. Clearly he had imagined how intimate the whole thing was. There was no use fixating on it.
“Are you sure you want me there, Master?” Eridan said as they stepped out of the t-chamber into High Hronthar’s vast hallway.
Castien gave a clipped nod and strode toward the meeting chamber, with Eridan walking half a step behind him.
Eridan sighed. “You know I hate the Chapter meetings. They’re boring and last forever.”
“Which is why you need to get used to them if you want to become a Senior Master one day.”
“Why would I want it?” Eridan said, scrunching up his nose.
The look Castien shot him was heavy with disapproval. “Your lack of ambition is unacceptable. Regardless, you should learn more about how the Chapter operates.”
Eridan chuckled. “Admit it: it’s my punishment for choking Salah.”
“It is not a punishment. It is a privilege.”
“Privilege, my ass,” Eridan muttered under his breath. “I’d take cleaning toilets in the Initiates’ Hall over listening to the mind-numbing stuff you all discuss.”
An hour later, Eridan had to admit he had been wrong about this Chapter meeting being boring. It was anything but.
The news Castien had brought from Tai’Lehr caused an uproar among the Chapter and provoked a rather heated debate about what should be done to protect High Hronthar if Tai’Lehrians really came forward as the renegades that had once left their grand clans.
Eridan had to admit it was rather amusing to watch Senior Masters lose their cool, and seemingly unflappable, facades. He could sense that some Masters felt very uneasy, almost scared, and he suspected those would be the first to flee to one of their numerous off-world properties if the Calluvian Council were to discover what the High Hronthar really was. He made note of those Masters, knowing that Castien would later drill him with questions about what he had learned during the meeting.
A hand in his hair made Eridan go still. Glancing up at his Master, he found Castien watching the discussion carefully, his fingers threading through Eridan’s hair in an absent-minded manner.
Eridan dropped his gaze to his folded knees, trying not to lean into the touch too much. He hoped no one noticed where his Master’s hand was. A quick glance around assured him that everyone was too worried