he hated it. His fingers were balling into fists, and he wanted to hurt him, tear that emotionless mask off that face with his fingernails. “I hate you,” he said, looking him in the eyes. “I can’t believe I was actually looking forward to seeing you. I’m such an idiot.” He hated him, he really did, and he hated that he still felt more alive in Castien’s proximity than he’d had in over a month, his body burning with a horrible mix of hormones, their bond like a tight rope, trying to pull them closer, hungry for intimacy, for anything.
A large hand came up and gripped his chin hard.
Eridan shivered from the contact and glared at Castien defiantly.
“I know they did not abuse you,” Castien said, looking at him with a strange, fixed expression. “I checked the woman’s mind. I know exactly how they treated you. So why would I ask redundant questions?”
“To make me feel better?” Eridan sniped, though his anger and hurt eased a little from the knowledge that Castien had actually cared enough to check. But he was still angry. Caring a little wasn’t enough. He wanted more. He wanted everything. He wanted to be his Master’s world in the same terrible, unfair way his Master was his.
Castien’s jaw tightened. “You spoiled brat,” he said, his voice deceptively soft. “Is it not enough that you have put me at a disadvantage by getting yourself kidnapped? That I had to allow those people to blackmail me? If the Tai’Lehrians didn’t need my help as badly as they do, they could have asked for bigger sacrifices—and I would have been forced to comply, because of you. We were lucky they were desperate.”
Eridan glared at him. “You actually have the nerve to blame me for getting kidnapped? It wasn’t my fault!”
Castien’s lips twisted. “Of course it was. If you were not—you, if you were an ordinary apprentice, no one would notice you, and no one would bother kidnapping you.”
Eridan clenched his fists, his breathing growing ragged as a fresh wave of anger washed over him. It was always his fault, he was always not good enough, not proper enough, not perfect enough.
He bit out, “I have been nothing but an ordinary, respectful apprentice for a year—not that you appreciated it. So fuck you.”
“Mind your tongue, Eridan,” Castien said, his voice cold as ice, his telepathic presence darkening.
“Or what?” Eridan murmured, leaning in and speaking almost against Castien’s mouth. His heart was beating so fast he felt breathless. “What are you going to do to me?” He could taste Castien’s anger. It was exhilarating. “What happened to your ‘I can’t feel emotion’ shit, Master? Are you slipping?”
Castien slammed their mouths together.
Eridan moaned and bit his Master’s lip. It wasn’t a kiss. It felt like touching lightning, like a fight, their mouths angry and hungry, years of pent-up want and resentment unleashed, teeth everywhere, Castien’s firm body pulling him tightly to him as he tongue-fucked Eridan’s mouth like a starved animal.
Eridan could only take it, his mind spinning, his body tingling all over, his mouth oversensitive. Every swipe of his Master’s tongue sent sharp shocks of want between his legs, his cock hard and his hole tingling with need, aching to be filled.
“Master,” he breathed.
Castien’s mouth moved to his neck, sucking and biting, his hands gripping Eridan hard.
Eridan moaned, shivering and pressing closer, needing more. This felt right, he was his Master’s, no one else’s, he needed this, needed his marks, his mouth, and his body.
“Master,” he gasped, fumbling between them. He groaned, a trickle of slick running down his inner thigh as he palmed Castien’s thick cock through his pants. “Want you.”
Castien went rigid against him, his powerful body vibrating with tension. Eridan could feel him trying to get control over his body and pull away. No. He wouldn’t let him, not this time.
Eridan brought his mouth to Castien’s ear and whispered, “Fuck me.”
Castien’s body shuddered.
“Come on,” Eridan said. “I need you, Master.”
He was turned and thrown onto the bed. In an instant, Castien was on him. Strong hands lifted his robe, then yanked his pants and underwear down, leaving him naked from the waist down.
At the sound of a zipper being undone another gush of slick trickled out of his hole. Fuck, he couldn’t believe it was finally happening. His composed, civilized Master was going to simply stick his cock into him, just like that. The thought was incredibly arousing.
Eridan pressed his flushed cheek against the bed covers and lifted