Captive Fire Read Free Page B

down over his chest, highlighting his thick muscles and
the dark hair leading to his groin. With his hair wet and pulled back from his
face, his green eyes gleamed against his dusky complexion like fire gems. He
was the most beautiful thing Ryuu had ever seen.
    “Is that the soap for my hair?” Drakon asked.
    Gods, give me strength. Ryuu swallowed past the lump of desire in his throat. Get control of yourself! He held out the bottle and nodded. “It is.”
    “Thank you.” Drakon took it and poured some into his
palm. He set the bottle down on the side of the pool and methodically began to
work lather into his hair and scalp.
    To distract himself, Ryuu washed briskly, then headed
to the second pool to rinse. When he’d finished, he glanced at Drakon. The
slave had finished with his hair and was heading his way. Ryuu stared at him as
he climbed out of the water. Drakon’s cock lay thick and pink against his
thigh. Ryuu sank further into the pool to disguise his interest. Most of the
people on their planet, including the Arethuza in the citadel and the Soutx
from the Dragon’s Teeth Mountains, disapproved of same-sex pairings, though
they were not forbidden, just frowned upon. He’d been dealing with the
repercussions of his natural inclination toward men for as long as he could
remember. His father knew of his proclivities and hated him because of it. Which is why you finally decided to take a male slave. Now Father has no more illusions about my desires or my ability to provide him
with his precious heirs.
    “Thank you for allowing me to wash,” Drakon said as he
settled down into the warm pool.
    Drakon’s knee bumped Ryuu’s thigh and he fought to
keep his expression neutral. “The last and largest pool is cool water. It’s
pleasant for swimming.” He stared at the water rippling in the sunlight. “We’ve
had the technology to harness the water from the underground caverns for many
centuries.”
    “The Soutx have no idea,” Drakon murmured. “My people
believe that the Arethuza wage war because there is not enough water to support
your nation.”
    Ryuu closed his eyes, pained. “No. The Arethuza war
because my father enjoys spilling blood.” He opened his eyes and gazed at
Drakon. His personal slave. “Red is his favorite
color.” He smiled grimly. “I can say this to you only because you are my
captive and nothing you say in the future will matter, to my people or to
yours, even were you one of the dragons of legend.” He curled his fingers into
fists. “Your future and mine are entwined, and our cultures are not so unalike as your people believe. We will be judged forever
because I bought you for my personal use.”
    Drakon’s face went blank. “What makes you think
dragons are a legend?”
    I tell him he
was bought for sex and he fixates on that? Surprised, Ryuu laughed, glad Drakon had lightened his train of
thought. “Perhaps because no one has seen one in centuries? And most of our recorded history is unreliable? Dragons are nothing more than
stories we tell our children to make them behave.” He sighed, sliding down
further into the water. “Since humans came to this planet, our fair Aiyana, we
have been losing our knowledge of the past and creating myths to fill in the
blanks.”
    “What would you do if dragons were real?”
    Ryuu raised an eyebrow. “Shape-shifting
warriors who can turn into fearsome creatures with a thought? Bah.” He
slapped the water’s surface. “It’s a fairy tale.” He shook his head and stood
up, grabbing a towel as he exited the pool. “Come. The food I ordered will be
here soon.”
    ****
    Drakon followed Ryuu out of the water, fighting to
control his expression. What will Ryuu do if he finds out that I am one of
those “myths”? He pressed his lips together as he followed his master out
of the water.
    “Here,” Ryuu said, handing him a dark green robe.
“That will go well with your eyes.”
    Drakon took the soft fabric, confused. “You would