Chapter 9

Pumpkin. How could such a ridiculously small animal with such a ridiculous name take up so much space? This little thing would sit on my lap while I was on my throne and just park there and fall asleep, making me feel rather obligated to stay in place. How such a tiny creature could have such power, I didn't know, but I would have to research this impressive influence further. It was a skill worth conveying to my subjects.

I stroked his fur, and he started rumbling with a low, vibrating sound. It was pleasant and soothing to my ears, and again, I didn't understand how he'd mastered such a subtle and irresistible form of manipulation.

He was already more comforting and loyal than my other pet.

I heard the sound of a door being closed as softly as possible, and I rolled my eyes at the pointless attempt at sneaking back into the castle unannounced. Like I'd not noticed his absence. Comical and pathetic.

"How nice of you to join me, Rai." I spoke loudly, assuring he would hear me from the hall. Footsteps ceased when I said his name. "And where have you been exactly?"

"Out for a run, Master." He bowed his head as he entered the throne room. He spoke to me with utmost respect, as was expected of him, and I loved the way that subtle tension and obedience looked on him. Though Rai was always fetching, with his thick black hair, the large L-shaped horns that jutted straight out from his skull and up towards the sky, and the dark red, slitted eyes set in his handsome face. His modicum of piercings, from his eyebrows to his septum, reflected his desperate need for rebellion and individualism, while the tattoos that adorned his bare shoulders added a hint of wildness to the man. Something tamed only by the collar I kept snug around his throat. It was important to always remind him that he was mine.

"Find anything interesting on your little run?" I asked with disinterest. He wouldn't have encountered my Fraulein yet. She just barely received Theron's tracking marks, and she'd only taken her first step into the maze. If he'd been clattering about the Orange Sector as usual, he'd be waiting a while.

Admittedly, I'd like to go back and taunt her some more, but I'd been obligated to rush back to the castle to figure out how to care for this high maintenance Pumpkin, and now I'd missed all the fun of watching her deal with the Senseless Forest. It was impressive that she'd somehow already made it to the start of the maze without having at least lost a limb or two to the Skolexes. I was happy to save her from dying from her fall, and I'd considered shielding her through the forest, but that would have taken some of the thrill out of the event for her. It had been an age and a half since I'd fancied a woman enough to let her live so long in my space, but to watch her surviving and thriving was unexpectedly titillating in its own right.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Master." He kept his gaze on the floor, hiding his expression behind his mid-length hair. "Though I noticed the Twilight Clock is ticking. Have you released a new tribute into my maze?"

I couldn't help smiling at that slightly curious and hopeful expression he so rarely showed me. Rai was always quite proper, but he had little regard for the people who were invited to my games. More often than not, he saw this event as a burden, and he typically looked down on them in the same way I looked down on him. I couldn't say if it was jealousy over the attention I gave the humans, or if it was something deeper, but he never hesitated to gore and bleed out anyone who got near the castle. For a matter of fact, he seemed to revel in it.

This truly was his Labyrinth after all. I'd helped with the design, built the basic structures, and given him the tools he needed to customize it to his liking, but it was his own magic and soul linking that turned it into the ever-changing death trap that it was today. I liked that he had somewhere to play and hunt in while also having a canvas for his creativity.

Though he acted like he was disinterested in the men and women who I brought here as tributes to Tartarus, I'd seen the glint in his eye when a mortal fell victim to one of his traps or lost their way in the twisting corridors.

But I wouldn't bore him with the details. It was better if he met Sela in person to learn her quirks.

"A new tribute, yes. Nothing to concern yourself with, however. Just a pretty little thing who thinks she's unbreakable." I stroked Pumpkin idly as I spoke, which I hadn't realized I'd been doing until Rai's gaze fixated on my lap.

"Why do you have a cat?" He asked, with the strain of not wanting to offend me, but also unable to continue standing there without asking about it.

"Bait." I said with a shrug. "Every rat in the maze needs some form of motivation to justify pressing on." Pumpkin's purr was so unexplainably soothing.

"You think a cat is motivation enough to commit to the Labyrinth?" He blinked rapidly, clueless as he stared at the little orange animal. "Who would be willing to die for something that small and pointless?" He spoke coldly, but the subtle wanting in his eyes was obvious. I knew Rai had a soft spot for furry things, for better or for worse.

"Human women are easy to bribe. Should you ever stop to talk to one of the tributes before you kill them, you might find them to be more interesting than expected." I waved a hand dismissively. "Or less interesting, depending on your perspective. I just mean to say that there's more to women than the warmth of their blood, you know."

"I don't know." He said with a shake of his head, and that made me chuckle. I suppose he didn't.

Not wanting to get up, I motioned with my finger to draw him to my side, and he obeyed without argument. He knelt before me, lowering his head in a bow, and waiting for my next command. Having control over this man never stopped being satisfying.

Rai had been my pet for a very long time, ever since his treacherous nympho mother had the gall to fuck the livestock. The shape of his horns served as a constant reminder of his bastard conception, while those red eyes were an equally constant reminder of my ex.

Having her son as my slave was, admittedly, the best revenge I could exact. As satisfying as it had been to have her hunted down in the Labyrinth and mauled by her own beastly offspring, her betrayal merited an extended vengeance that would linger long past her death. If she wanted to be so sexually liberated that she had the audacity to produce an immortal heir with something other than myself, then I would assure her spirit never found peace.

How better to do that than to use Olympus' debt to draw a new human into the maze each year on the anniversary of her death, to live out the same brutal end that she'd suffered.

It was a party, really. A celebration.

I wondered sometimes if my darling Pasiphae's spirit was sobbing in its grave every time she watched another one of those strong, independent women she adored so much getting slaughtered in her name. I imagined she was mortified to watch the flowers on her grave sprout using the blood of her favorite subjects, while her soul must burn every time she was forced to watch her son on his knees for me from the afterlife. I certainly hoped she was miserable. It was exactly what that unfaithful cow deserved.

I leaned forward, and an annoyed Pumpkin hopped off my lap and settled on a bed beside my throne. Unbothered, I placed a finger beneath Rai's chin, lifted his gaze to mine, and I stared into those familiar crimson irises for an extended moment. I held eye contact until his nerves rose through him, and he had to swallow them back down with an anxious bob of his Adam's apple.

Rai was strong when it came to murder, but he was timid when it came to me. He knew not to speak until I told him he could—he knew not to breathe until I allowed it—but those little nervous tells made my heart race inexplicably. Fear was the most delicious aphrodisiac.

"Rai, my pet."

"Yes, Master." Rai spoke steadily, like he was walking a narrow tight rope, and each word was a test of his balance.

I drew a line with my thumb along his jawline, then slid my fingers up his cheek, brushing his skin with the backs of my fingernails. I nudged his soft black hair with the back of my hand, pushed it behind his pointed ear, then I laced my fingers through the full thickness of his dark locks. He never took his eyes off mine, no matter how I touched or caressed him. He was nothing if not disciplined.

When I reached his right horn, I stroked the smooth bone built into his skull with a delicate touch. Up and down, I danced light pressure along its length, simulating all the ways I could pleasure him.

His body shuddered involuntarily, as he reacted to my grip along the hollow shaft.

"My lap is cold, my pet." I whispered to my vicious little toy.

He closed his eyes before he let me direct him to his feet, urging him upright with a light tug on his horn. He followed my lead, rising to his full height before he straddled my lap. I felt my way up the front of his leather vest, then I gripped the zipper at the top, and started dragging it downward, revealing his smooth, strong chest an inch at a time. I eased the zipper past his abs, drawing slowly over every row of muscles, until the fastener unlatched at the bottom.

His hard chest rose and fell in a beautiful image. His powerful build hid his racing heartbeat, and his slow breaths countered his nerves. I pushed his vest off his shoulders, and he obliged me without protest. I traced the outline of his thick pecs, then toyed with the bars that pierced through his nipples, rolling each end between my thumb and forefinger. He let out a low moan as I fiddled with his studs, tugging and rolling the metal. Despite the tension in his breathing, he was already hard. It was never a challenge to get him in the mood.

In a way, he reminded me of Sela. Or Sela reminded me of him. Strong willed, capable, yet desperate to have someone else take control of their needs. Rai had always been mine, but that didn't mean I didn't put endless effort into keeping him.

I ran my hands back up his chest, then I gripped his collar roughly and tugged his face to mine. Warm air intermingled between our parted lips, and he made no effort to pull away.

"You'll fuck yourself on me while I enjoy my show, won't you, Rai?" I purred into his mouth. He nodded obediently, while he started undoing my belt. I relaxed on my throne, leaning back against the headrest, so I could watch my Fraulein run for her life. That almost would have been enough to get me off all its own, though the cold zing of lube paired with the hot squeeze of Rai's perfect ass certainly didn't hurt my chances of satisfaction.

He lowered himself onto me at an excruciating pace, allowing his body to adapt to my cock, and I inhaled roughly through my nose as my pet took the whole of my length. The gorgeous bull started to move in controlled motion, rising and falling, and altering the motion and angle for his own pleasure. I let him work me to climax while I watched Sela feel her way around the Violet Corridor of False Walls.

Rai fucked himself on my lap with impressive restraint, tempering the speed in a way he knew would distract me and coax me to madness. Loyal as he was, he knew how to tease and manipulate me in this position.

But today I wanted rougher. I needed force if I wanted to feel anything.

"Harder, Love." I whispered, as I dug my nails into Rai's hips.

"Show me." He managed through a low moan. Clever devil. Who was really in control right now?

Obliging my pet, I drove him down on me faster and more roughly, until the tempo was sending fireworks through both of our eyes. I pulsed in his perfect body, while I watched my little tribute over his shoulder.

Fuck. I couldn't wait for her to make her way into the Blue Sector. My cock tensed just imagining her shivering and fighting for her life. Would that be where she gave up and offered herself to me? I was counting down the seconds until I'd have her on my lap, fucking herself on my cock. She could be the lazy princess, sitting on the throne of my lap, and I'd let Rai control the motion as he fucked her from behind. I wanted to lick the tears off her cheek as she came under the combined pressure, then put her on her knees and make her lick off her mess.

A woman like her, dripping in blood, sweat, and semen, would truly be a masterpiece .

Rai held onto me like he'd die if he let go, clawing at my shoulders, and burying his face in the crook of my neck. He exhaled pure fire against my skin every time I nudged his favorite spot. He whimpered, and he attempted to slow my tempo slightly, as if not wanting to give into his own pleasure so quickly. He moistened his lips, grazing my skin with his pierced tongue, the second before he bit down in a desperate bid for his own silence.

Back on my projection, Sela tripped over a stone, and Theron watched on hopelessly, with an annoyed expression creasing his brow. I started moving faster, chasing my orgasm while Rai's muscular body writhed on top of me. I dug my nails into his ass as I gave in to that delightful pressure all around me.

Rai was still panting while I finished inside him. Fighting for composure, but still hard as stone. Unfortunately for him, I wouldn't allow him to finish until I was fully sated. And watching my playthings running through my traps was something I never tired of.

I grabbed Rai's collar again, and I yanked him upward so his forehead was against mine. Then I growled, forceful and threatening. "Get me hard again. You can come when I'm through."

"Y-yes, my king." His voice was little more than a shaky whisper, and my how I loved that rasp on him.

Fraulein neared the blue corridor, and I watched her in my periphery as Rai started working my body to arousal again.

What lovely entertainment. A king of devils could get used to this kind of comfort.