Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Iowe you.” Adar hugged Isam tightly, the man’s broad chest still feeling familiar after all that time. They’d shared so many moments, which cemented a bond between them that would never fade.

“Nah, you don’t owe me nothin’. Leaving you in the lurch the way I did never sat right with me, so I’m glad I can make it up to you.”

One last slap to Isam’s back and Adar let him go. “Well, I appreciate it more than I can say.”

Isam nodded, then turned toward Delton. “You ready?”

Isam had agreed to teach Delton, but he had insisted on doing a training session the next day before Fallon, and maybe Oliver, would be present. It would give Delton the opportunity to see if he really wanted to do this, and they’d all be able to assess if it could work or not. Every cell of Adar’s being hoped it would be the solution, but today’s session would make that clear. They’d found privacy in an empty barn at the far edge of the Hightower lands. No one would disturb them there.

Delton pushed back his glasses. “Question. How formal are you? Like, does he call you anything specific?”

Isam shook his head. “We never got into all that. I don’t consider myself a Dom. I’ve never had any training besides what I learned from experimenting with Adar. That’s it. It was never about the D/s relationship for him. He just wanted to be able to let go and surrender to the pain, and all I wanted was to give my friend what he needed.”

“Gotcha.”

“Maybe it’s different with you.” Isam frowned. “We’re best friends, so we knew each other very well. Could be he needs somethin’ else from you.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get started, then.” Isam quirked an eyebrow at Adar. “You gonna strip or what? Kinda hard to redden your ass when you’re all dressed.”

Right. Funny, somehow Adar hadn’t registered that for this to work, he’d have to be naked in front of Delton. Why did that feel awkward all of a sudden? It shouldn’t be, right?

“If you’re having second thoughts…”

Adar spun around and faced Delton. “No, I’m not. I swear.”

If he gave it another thought, he’d never get over himself, so he dragged his shirt over his head, kicking off his shoes at the same time. See? Easy-peasy. He unbuckled his pants and dragged them down, taking his underwear with them. There, done.

“Good,” Isam said matter-of-factly. “Get your ass on the bench.”

Adar had constructed a simple but effective bench, with a raised ledge for his knees that he’d covered with foam to protect his skin and a broader platform to rest his upper body on. After some experimenting, they’d discovered the angle was far better that way than with Adar stretched out on a table or standing against a wall. Plus, it was better for Isam’s back, which mattered too. With Delton, who was a good foot shorter than Isam, it would come in even handier.

Adar knelt, not looking at Delton. The whole situation was too weird already. He’d done this with Isam so many times, but it had never felt like this.

“The first thing to check is if he wants to be restrained,” Isam said to Delton. “Sometimes he does, but most of the time, he doesn’t.”

“What determines that?”

“If it’s been too long, he may not be able to hold still. His body is too restless.” Isam sighed. “Like it is now. We’ll have to tie his hands down, or he might try to cover his ass instinctively and end up gettin’ hurt.”

When Isam and Delton stepped closer, Adar closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at him, at Delton. What if he changed his mind now that he saw the reality of what Adar needed? What if he judged him for it after all?

“You can use these straps,” Isam said, his voice all businesslike. “They have sheep’s wool on the inside to protect his skin. Don’t pull ‘em too tightly, and then loop ‘em here through the ring.”

Isam had tied down Adar’s right hand.

“Like this?”

Much softer fingers touched his wrist, and a tingle danced across Adar’s skin. Delton’s grip was gentle, almost tender, as he put the strap around Adar’s wrist and secured it.

“Perfect. Always give it a good yank to test.”

“Got it.”

“Next step is the warming-up phase. You can’t skip this, or the pain will become too much. You have to ease him into it. I like using a soft flogger like this one.” Isam swooshed it through the air, and Adar’s stomach coiled, bracing himself for the pain that never came. “It’s also a great flogger to practice with. Even when using your full strength, you can’t go too far with it. Not unless you hit in the wrong areas.”

“Not too low on the legs, right?” Delton asked.

“Correct. I avoid anything above his shoulder blades, mostly for practical reasons since it can bother him with his work. The meaty part of his thighs is still fine, but don’t go lower than here.” Isam used the flogger to draw a line across the back of Adar’s thighs. “You can use the most force on his ass. He likes that.” Isam chuckled dryly. “Don’t ask me why.”

Was it weird that they were talking about Adar as if he wasn’t there? A little, but it felt good as well, or maybe that was because of the obvious care in Isam’s words and Delton’s serious attitude. They were both doing their best to take care of Adar. How could that not feel good?

Isam went over a few more instructions, including safewords, then put a hand on Adar’s shoulder. “We’re about to get started. You good?”

Adar swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Let’s start with the warm-up. I take about five minutes and use increasing force without going full out,” Isam said to Delton.

Adar closed his eyes. He’d never been readier for a session than he was now. The first impact was more of a caress than a hit, and he arched his back, seeking more. He didn’t have to wait long. Isam had always been efficient, and the built-up was perfect. Within a minute, Adar’s body was heating up, the familiar confusion flowing through him. Was it pleasure or pain? Did he want to embrace or avoid it? Seek it or pull away?

He had nowhere to go, but the choice was still his. One word from him and everything would stop. Casual as they might’ve been, they’d always insisted on using red as a safeword.

But safewording wasn’t even on his mind as Isam laid a tight pattern of hits across Adar’s backside, methodical and steady. Isam hadn’t lost his touch since he’d last done this, and all Adar wanted was more. The sting on his back and ass was a mere appetizer of what was to come.

“How do you know when he’s ready for more?” Delton asked.

“When he stops fighting it. The first two minutes are a mental battle. He wants it, but his body is telling him it should stop. You need to give him time to win that argument and surrender. When you see his body go slack, he’s ready for the next phase.”

“Like now.”

“Yup.” Isam stopped, and Adar blew out a shaky breath. He hated this moment, when his body was still feeling the pain and he knew things were about to get worse before they would get better. “Time to switch to the real thing. For today, I thought we could use a paddle since it’s easy to use and you don’t need a lot of physical strength to create enough impact. Your target area is much smaller here, by the way. Just his ass and upper thighs.”

Isam swung the paddle, and it landed on Adar’s right ass cheek. The second hit came immediately after, and tears formed in Adar’s eyes. Isam hadn’t been wrong. The paddle packed a punch, thwacking Adar’s flesh with a dull thud.

“Here, give it a try,” Isam said.

Delton inhaled sharply, and Adar held his breath. Would the beta back out? Reconsider now that he actually had to do it? But a swoosh followed, and his left ass cheek absorbed the impact. Adar gritted his teeth. Fuck, that stung.

“Perfect. Keep going.”

Delton didn’t need much encouragement. He hit again and again, setting up a steady rhythm. He wasn’t quite as strong as Isam, but it didn’t matter. The wooden paddle did its work, and Adar’s body tingled with the impact of every slap.

Heat bloomed in his ass, spreading out to his legs, his torso, his whole body. He withdrew into his mind, like he always did, to that safe place where pain became pleasure, where everything faded and he couldn’t think about anything. All he could do was feel and focus on breathing through the pain, on processing the sensations in his body.

Tears dripped down his cheeks and nose, mingling with snot, but he didn’t care. Fuck, he’d needed this. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed. Just the pain. And when his brain responded to it by flooding his body with dopamine and adrenaline, he floated, then flew.

He vaguely registered Isam giving more instructions, and at some point, the hits stopped, though his ass still hurt like a mother, demanding all of Adar’s attention. He couldn’t spare a thought for anything else, not until much later, when the smell of cucumber hit his nose, and someone was rubbing cool lotion on his ass.

Aftercare. He’d made it through, then.

“Aftercare is important.” Isam’s voice came as if through a thick mist in a forest. “Adar will try to fight you on this and insist he doesn’t need it, but he does. He just doesn’t want to need it. The man doesn’t like to admit his weaknesses.”

Delton chuckled. “Forced aftercare, noted. How long?”

“About fifteen minutes from when he stops fightin’ it. What can I say? He’s stubborn as a mule.”

“Thank you for teaching me.”

“You’re very welcome. You’re a natural at it. I’m glad to see someone else take over.”

Adar slowly came to, as if that thick mist was dissipating and sunlight was forcing its way through. Small beams for now, but his head was getting clearer by the second. He lay on his side, wrapped in a blanket, his head on something soft and warm. Someone was caressing his hair, and it felt amazing. Adar had no desire to move or open his eyes.

“You don’t miss it?” Delton asked.

“This? No. It was never something I did for myself. Well, the sex part, yes, that was for me. But the pain? That was for him.”

“Gotcha. Obviously, sex is off the table in this case.”

A long pause. “Oh, that’s why… I wondered why you’d volunteer, but I get it now.”

Adar frowned. Get what? What was Isam talking about? His brain wasn’t lucid enough to connect the dots.

“Please don’t say anything.”

That was Delton. What was he referring to?

“You have my word.”

Adar blinked a few times until his eyes focused. Isam was sitting across from him, his eyes warm and kind as he talked to Delton. Oh. Delton was holding him, then. Not Isam. He should have known because the lap his head rested on was much softer than Isam’s hard muscles. Not quite the softness of an omega but not strong enough for an alpha. And Delton was rubbing his head, threading his hand through Adar’s hair with a calm, soothing motion.

“He’s back,” Isam said.

Delton’s hand stopped and rose. Adar missed the contact. “Don’t stop,” he croaked.

Delton’s whole body tensed under him.

“He wants you to continue with the head-scratching,” Isam said with a grin. “But Adar being Adar, he voiced it as a command rather than a request.”

Delton relaxed and chuckled as he put his hand back on Adar’s head. “I see you’ve grown wise in that aspect.”

“Courtesy of my mates and Sivney, though the latter more than the first. I gotta tell you, I’m more scared of Sivney than I am of my mates.”

“I think most alphas are intimidated by him, to be fair. Even Rhene.”

Why was Delton only resting his hand on Adar’s head and not caressing him like he’d done before? Adar moved, and Delton laughed again as he scratched Adar’s head. A wave of warmth rolled through Adar’s stomach. He had such a melodious laugh, the beta. Delton was a serious man, and Adar loved to see him relax and hear him laugh.

“What do you know? He does like aftercare when you’re doing it,” Isam said. His voice held a strange edge Adar couldn’t place, as if he was saying something else, something more.

“That’s because you never rubbed my head like that,” he said hoarsely. “It feels amazing, okay?”

Isam held up his hands. “Not criticism, bro. Just glad to see you relaxed.”

He was, wasn’t he? He was still a bit out of it, but his body had that deep sense of relaxation, of lightness and rest he craved. That was the whole reason he needed these sessions. Without them, he couldn’t get to this point.

“I feel great.” He blindly reached for Delton’s hand, pulled it toward him, and pressed a kiss on it. “Thank you,” he said and promptly fell asleep, still holding Delton’s hand.