the walls. It wasn’t fair! He liked it here, and his new master wasn’t hurting him, and he hadn’t forced Quinn to do anything.
Thoughts of his master had Quinn desperate to see him, to be sure he was safe. It was ridiculous, of course. This was Master’s home, and no one would enter without his permission, but still….
Quinn crept down the hall, careful not to make a sound. When he reached Master’s door, his heart hammered. It was a bad idea, and he knew it, but he had to be certain Master was okay. If something happened to him, Quinn would rather die than go to someone new. He… he cared for Master. He liked how Master treated him, how he was kind and gentle. And he loved doing things for him, because it made Master smile, which gave Quinn a warm feeling throughout his body.
He had to know for sure. He turned the knob and stepped into the dark room. There was no night-light like Master had given Quinn. Instead, the room was pitch-black. No shadows reached for Quinn, no stray sounds like whispers in his ear. Just blessed peace and quiet. He approached the bed, wanting to be near Master, to bask in his presence. Instead of approaching, he knelt at the side of the bed, happy to be allowed to share a space with this man.
“You know, you’re not nearly as stealthy as you’d like to be” came the sleep-filled voice. “Maybe next time you should put on the slippers I gave you.”
Fear zipped through Quinn. “I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
There would be a beating this time; Quinn was certain. Instead, Master sat up and turned on the light. He gave Quinn a smile, and it calmed his nerves.
“Another dream?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
Quinn shook his head harshly.
“That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
He reached for his wheelchair and pulled it closer to the mattress, then grabbed the bar mounted over the bed so he could shift his body into it. Master rolled closer to Quinn and slid his fingers over Quinn’s scalp, which Master had shaved.
“I have an idea.”
“What would you have me do, Master?”
Master sighed. “I have a big bed. Why don’t you crawl in next to me and see if you can sleep?”
Finally. Master wanted sex, and Quinn could do that. He knew all kinds of ways to pleasure his master, and he was grateful for the opportunity.
“If it pleases you, Master.”
Quinn stood, but he stilled when Master took his hand. “We’re only going to sleep, Quinn. I won’t touch you any other way.”
The pride he felt quickly deflated. “But, Master, don’t you—”
“Do you know what being a master means, Quinn?”
He opened his mouth to answer but then shook his head because honestly, he had no idea.
“It means caring for those that belong to us, to help them reach their potential. It’s not abusing them or making them fearful.”
“But Master… I mean, Ryker, said—”
“Did Ryker make you afraid?”
Only every day of his life. “Yes, Master.”
“Did he hurt you or others?”
Quinn couldn’t stop as he traced a finger over the scar on his stomach. He remembered the searing pain, the smell of charring flesh, the agonized screams that escaped him as Ryker held him down while Kristopher applied the red-hot poker. “Yes, Master.”
“Then listen to me when I tell you Ryker was not, nor could he ever be, your master. He was an evil bastard. Now, have I hurt you?”
“No, Master.” He’d been nothing but kind. Even when Quinn messed up, Master had been forgiving. “You’ve never hurt me.”
“And I never will. That’s not what a friend—what a master—would do. Do you understand the difference?”
While Quinn wished he could say yes, he shook his head. “No, Master.”
“That’s fine. In time, I promise you will.” He pulled away from Quinn, then moved back to the bed. “Come get in. Pull the covers up to your chin and rest. Let your mind stop reliving those nightmares and focus on me being your Master, okay?”
A quick nod. “Yes, Master.” Quinn could do that. More, he wanted to do that. He rose to his feet and stepped around to the other side of the bed, then stopped. “Master?”
“It’s okay, Quinn,” he said as he slipped back into the bed. “Get into bed. Unless you’d rather go back to your room. I would never make you stay here if you didn’t want to.”
There was undisguised pain