A Seeker Betrayed

13. Beasts

Finding Gamman's scene was easy — he and his sub had attracted a small crowd of men who had made themselves comfortable among the cushions on the floor.

Geldan grunted.

Aya whispered, "What is it?"

In a low voice, Geldan replied, "He's playing with Shamma's workmate again. I was hoping he'd lost interest."

Aya recognized the young man. A'Gahtay was a ken from Osroes, with a distinctive, pale skin and raven hair — his face was delicate but his body was sinewy and strong. Just by looks he appeared to be descended from one of the mountain clans. Aya had evaluated him several times over the years before signing off on his assignment to Shamahan.

There was appreciative murmuring from the crowd as the young man twisted his torso around, trying to get a glimpse of what Gamman was doing.

Gamman was shifting his weight and stepping to the side, silently, to try to add to his victim's suspense. He had him standing, gagged, facing the wall and fastened spread-eagled, his arms and legs apart so that he formed something close to an 'X'. His wrists were encased in leather bindings and held to rings in the wall by short rope lines that gave him a small amount of room to wiggle and writhe.

Gamman held a leather paddle about the length and width of his forearm, black, studded on one side and flat on the other. He rolled it back and forth, then placed his left hand on the young man's shoulder and smacked him with the studded side. He rolled the paddle again and hit harder, once, twice, three times. Adorably, the young man twisted his torso around and tried to look down at it behind his back, his eyes wide and gleaming.

Aya smiled. The way the ken was moving, he wasn't bothered by the punishment. The innocence with which he kept trying to turn and look at Gamman was incredibly endearing.

Gamman paused before the next strike, and made it even harder, and this time the ken was forced to speak.

He let out a muffled, "Mm" with that pass and every strike after, as Gamman tested different spots and his ass became more and more tender. He twisted a little and Gamman moved around him, sometimes placing his hand on the young man's hip and sometimes his shoulder, trying strikes from either side just to give everyone a chance to see. After a couple minutes of dancing around an especially sharp blow from below made the ken cry from deep in his throat, and Gamman said, "You're a filthy, naughty ken — a slut, shaking your ass at everyone just to get a second look. Why don't you show everyone what you're worth."

He ignored a moan from the ken and tossed the paddle away, stepping to the side to squeeze his cheeks together, and then he parted them.

The young man moaned in protest and Gamman slapped him and let go.

He said, "Get a spreader bar for his feet," and Sur'ten headed toward the rack to get one.

"We'll need a kneeler too," he added, and the ken twisted around once more.

"I know what you want, baby," Gamman murmured, and gently touched the young man's back before sliding his hands to his shoulders to massage him.

Sur'ten approached with a rod in his hand. Gamman stepped aside and let him shift the pet around, moving him from the wall to fasten his ankles to it. When Sur'ten moved away the younger man was facing forward and his hands were bound to a ring in the wall above him.

Aya cocked his head. The slight swaying of his weight along the binding lines, the way his head kept tipping, the heat that was showing as heightened color in the ken's chest and face, and especially his erection, despite the punishment, were slight but telltale signs that he'd been drugged.