Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

chains, he thought wryly, there to hold him up when his own strength failed him. It was almost as if the chains were on his side, supporting him. Keeping him grounded. Wrapping him in their steely embrace. And now he was hallucinating.
    Damn.
    He'd grunted, even moaned, but gods, let it be over before he begged or completely humiliated himself by calling out Drake's name.
    The dim light blinded him briefly as the man moved away. To beat his backside, no doubt. But then the space was filled again – shorter. And wider. Sebastian squinted his puffy, bruised eyes and managed to focus on the portly man in front of him. His frilly uniform proclaimed his rank in the Ke'lan hierarchy even if his disdainful expression and corpulent body hadn't already done the job.
    "You have something I want, boy."
    Sebastian swallowed the tang of blood. "A single chin?"
    The man nodded at the brute beside him and Sebastian's head was knocked back so hard he saw lights.
    "No?" Sebastian's voice sounded far away, even to himself, but he pushed on. "Hair, perhaps."
    He grunted and coughed at the knee in his stomach.
    "Still not right?" he wheezed. "Maybe you'd like a pair of balls, but I'm not sure –"
    The rest of his quip was cut off by a punch to his trachea. His body jerked and strained to take in air like a veritable puppet.
    When Sebastian had choked out most of the blinding pain, he felt his head get yanked up. The man's eyes reminded him of a rat, though no animal on the streets could ever be so well fed.
    "Is this what the rebels are growing these days?" the man sneered. "A street urchin who whores himself out for a bite to eat?"
    Sebastian blinked.
    "That's right," the man pushed further, dug the claws in deeper. "You think I don't know about your little interlude? I just didn't know how cheaply you sold that sweet body of yours."
    Groping fingers reached into the hem of his pants. Sebastian acted out of instinct – he jerked and landed a kick to the shins. The man howled in pain and released him, even as the large brute pulled back to punch him.
    This would be the end. All that power, all that force directed right at his head would snap his neck. He'd failed his father. He'd failed himself, and the fact that it would be over in a matter of seconds was very cold comfort. He closed his eyes.
    But the blow never came. A scuffling sound was followed by a loud grunt.
    Sebastian snapped his eyes opened and saw Drake slice across the brute's neck. Blood splattered the one of higher rank, who began screeching incoherently. Drake unlatched Sebastian's restraints, but this time he didn't let him fall – he caught Sebastian in his arms. Even that small drop pushed a groan from Sebastian's lips. His body was sorely battered.
    "You came back," Sebastian whispered.
    "I never left," he murmured. "Not really."
    But Sebastian didn't have time to ask what that meant because Drake pulled off his uniform jacket and wrapped it around Sebastian. He shouldn't take it, not only because it was Drake's but because it was Ke'lan, but he was so cold, so chilled to the fucking bones that he pulled it tighter around him.
    Drake herded him to the door.
    "Stop," the official shrilled. "Don't you leave."
    Drake turned, as slow and deliberate as a timepiece. "You are lucky I don't kill you, too. I still might change my mind."
    The man's florid cheeks paled considerably, but he pressed on, the imbecile. "You can keep the boy. No one will begrudge you a pet. Just put the weapon down, and we can forget about all of this."
    Drake said nothing, moved not at all. Sebastian held his breath, terrified that Drake would yield to the suddenly oh-so-reasonable idiot. Despite the man's ingratiating words, as long as Drake was with the Ke'lan, neither of them would be safe.
    "I cannot forget," Drake said. "I don't think I want to."
    Drake nudged Sebastian out of the room and followed him into the hall, carefully closed the thick iron door, and locked it. As if on cue, incessant banging and indignant yelling began on the other side.
    Sebastian smirked and immediately regretted it as pain shot daggers through his torn skin. He groaned softly.
    Drake snapped a look at him. He didn't say anything, but rage rolled off him like storm clouds. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "Can you walk?"
    Yes. Sebastian took a step forward and promptly crumbled. Drake caught him and bit out a curse.
    "Just a second," Sebastian mumbled.
    "We don't have a second," Drake said. "Come on. Try to