Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Felix got to swat at a stick with dangly feathers, and Rainier liked to drag it across the floor so he could try to catch it. He realized if he pushed down on them, he could trap them under his paws. Trying to grip was hopeless.

Rainier got down on the floor after a bit. “Psspss.”

Felix crawled over and rubbed on his shoulder.

“I think my Kitten needs something else.” Rainier slid out the plug tail.

Felix made a slight noise and buried his face in the Prince’s neck.

“You’re ready.”

Rainier took the lead and walked him to the bedroom.

“Up on the bed, Kitten.”

Felix crawled up, and Rainier pushed him down on his back to straddle him. Felix curled his paws as he looked up. The Prince was fucking gorgeous with a couple of the feather tattoos drifting across his chest.

“My little Kitten has been so good, I think he deserves a reward.” Rainier rubbed a thumb over one of Felix’s nipples.

“Meow.”

Rainier smiled as he shifted himself. “Turn over.”

He fetched the oil from the table by his bed, and Felix got on his knees and braced himself on his forearms. He moaned when two slippery fingers entered him. He needed to be completely stuffed, and fingers weren’t enough.

“Kitten sounds ready.” Rainier gripped his cock with his free hand to stroke it and play with the ring.

Felix pushed back against the fingers thrusting in his ass. “Meow.”

Rainier removed them and pressed the head of his cock against his hole. He gripped his Kitten’s hips as he pushed, and Felix braced himself better on his forearms. When the head slipped in, he pushed back again.

Each piercing slipped in, and Rainier paused once he was fully sheathed and let out a faint sigh. The inside eased, and Felix wiggled around him.

Rainier leaned down to kiss his shoulder as he started moving. Felix pushed back to meet every thrust, and he moaned again when the Prince’s thumb rubbed over one of his nipples. Little darts of pleasure shot through him, and his erect cock leaked as it bounced.

"You love it when I play with these, don’t you?" Rainier whispered against his neck as he slowly stroked his cock in and out.

Felix made a small noise of assent as Rainier twisted it slightly. Dear God, yes he loved it. The Prince kept playing with the piercing, and Felix clenched around him. It felt so damn good, he wanted to fist himself, but his hands were useless. With the paws locked on, Rainier could decide to deny him, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Fortunately, the Prince didn’t seem interested in that. He pumped himself in and out  with increasing urgency as he started stroking Felix’s cock.

“You’re so tight.”

He pushed him flat on the bed and continued his thrusts while he held the leash. Felix gripped at nothing inside the paws as he moaned again and stiffened his legs. Every stroke of the Prince’s cock stimulated his prostate with the piercings, and his own rubbed on the blanket.

“Fuck, Kitten,” Rainier gasped with his other hand planted on his upper back.

Felix’s orgasm neared, and he made a strange noise as he clenched, trying to wordlessly warn the Prince.

“Are you going to cum for your owner like a good Kitten?” asked Rainier.

"Meow."

“Cum for me. Show me what a good Kitten you are and how badly you want to cum on my cock.”

All it took was a couple of more thrusts. The pleasure exploded from inside, and Felix jerked his hips as his cock rubbed on the bed and spilled.

He barely had enough presence of mind to remember the Prince liked to hear one other word during sex. “Rainier!”

The Prince tensed against him and gasped. “That’s it, Kitten. Cum on my cock. Fuck…”

“Rainier!” Felix groaned before he shouted and buried his face in the blanket. His whole world narrowed down to the Prince’s moans as he filled his ass with cum. Every stroke was hitting his prostate, and it was almost too much for a moment as he shuddered.

Rainier pushed himself in as deep as he could once Felix’s orgasm started ebbing. He went limp and breathed into the blanket. For a moment, he almost could have gone to sleep after such an intense peak.

Rainier kissed his shoulder before he eased himself out. “Good, Kitten.”

Felix stretched out on his side and made a satisfied noise when the Prince started rubbing his chest.

“You’re quite good at being a Kitten,” said Rainier.

“Am I?”

“Yes. Some people don’t know what they’re good at until they try it.”

“It’s actually fun too,” said Felix. “I kinda want a snack now.”

Rainier chuckled. “I guess you would be hungry after chasing toys around. Um…the servants retire kind of early here. It’s just Mum and I for the most part, and she never wants anything at night, so once the kitchen is cleaned up after dinner, the ones that live in the city go home, and those that live here go to their quarters. We can head down to the kitchen ourselves and get you something.”

“We can?”

“Of course. I don’t know how to cook, but I’m sure there’s something simple you can eat.”

Once they cleaned up and were in sleep clothes, Rainier draped a cloak around him and took one for himself.

“Why do we need a cloak?”

Rainier smiled at him. “When you’re royalty, you don’t go walking all over the Castle in your sleep clothes like you might at home. Mum wouldn’t like me leaving my rooms at all like this, but she won’t know.”

Felix had imagined a Prince could stroll down to the kitchens in only his sleep clothes at night, and no one would care. When they opened the door to the sitting room, Inky must have been waiting in the antechamber because he immediately darted in. Seeing that they were heading somewhere, he started following.

The Castle was quiet, and the halls only had a few lit lanterns. Felix wasn’t scared of the dark, but the silent emptiness rather spooked him since it was unfamiliar. Rainier led him downstairs and into the kitchen.

Inky had slipped off at some point. The fire had been banked, and a lit crystal lantern sat on the work counter. He imagined the cook must get up quite early, and she’d need some light.

Rainier took the lantern and brought him into the pantry. “There’s fruit in the cellar if you want that, but the servants usually keep some stuff in here for themselves.” He gestured at a dish of pastries with a glass covering. “We let them eat whatever they want.”

“What’s that?” Felix pointed at a jar.

Rainier lifted the lantern. “Oh, that’s cacao nibs, so they’re sweetened. Have you had that before?”

“Since I’ve lived here, yes,” said Felix. “It doesn’t grow in Gramoa, but humans do have it.”

“Here.” Rainier handed him the jar.

Felix took the lid off of the jar and nibbled on one. It was slightly sweet, and straight cacao would be quite bitter.

“Do you like it when it’s melted in hot milk?” asked Felix.

“Eh, I don’t really care for it. The servants like that in winter. Do you like those?”

“Mhmm.” Felix had just popped in another piece, but guilt poked his brain because cacao was rather expensive even if it was grown there in the Glasswood Kingdom. He replaced the lid and set the jar on the shelf.

“You can eat more.”

“But cacao’s expensive.”

Rainier rubbed his back. “Felix, you can eat whatever you like. You are my pampered Kitten, remember?”

Felix hesitated before he smiled. “Maybe just a few more.”

They ended up sitting at the work counter, and Felix had a few nibs and a pastry on a plate.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?”

Rainier shook his head. “I’m not into sweets.”

“But there’s other stuff.”

The strain lines deepened on the Prince’s face. “I’m not hungry. You eat, Kitten. Tomorrow, I’m going to the prison to sentence Lance, but I’ll show you where the library is, and in the afternoon, my Aunt and cousin are leaving, so maybe we can go out and have a ride.”

“Why doesn’t he come here?” asked Felix.

“Lance? He’s locked up.”

“I know, but I thought criminals were brought in like the petitioners except for drunks and people like that who just need a night to sober up.”

“He doesn’t deserve to step foot in here again.”

Felix nibbled on the edge of the pastry as he thought. “Can I come with you?”

“Why? The prison isn’t a fun place.”

“I want to see him and know why he did that. Also, it’s kind of like a fuck you if I come too. Remember how he told me you weren’t going to put up with my ‘shit’ as if you were going to beat me too?”

“Hmm. If you want to…” Rainier stared off into space for a moment before his gold eyes flicked back to Felix’s face. “Maybe I should let you sentence him.”

“Me?! But I don’t have that kind of power.”

“You can decide whatever you want, and I’ll make sure it’s done,” said Rainier. “He hurt you, so I’ll let you pick.”

Felix ate one of the nibs. “What’s the usual punishment for assault?”

“It varies depending on the circumstances of the event and if it’s their first offense or not. He didn’t rob you, and he didn’t attempt to kill you, but I’m assuming he already planned this considering the way he acted when he got you up. It wasn’t like an argument between two people that got out of control. But-” Rainier held up one slim finger. “-besides causing physical harm, he also tried to bribe you into sucking his dick. Sexual coercion is a crime too because it’s a form of rape. I’d give him two counts of assault since he caned you too.”

“That’s not just one count?”

Rainier shook his head. “He caned you, and then he attacked you again after that incident. That’d be a year each. For attempting to bully someone into sex without the sexual action taking place is typically worth a good seven years. Attacking someone under my protection is worth another year because I said so. Since he premeditated it and caused further harm, that’s another year.”

Eleven years was a long time to sit in a prison cell and stare at the wall, but Felix thought it was fair. If he beat someone, yanked their arm out of their socket, and tried to get them to suck his dick, it would be completely fair if he was imprisoned that long.

“For that many crimes that include sexual coercion, a whipping could be added,” said Rainier. “Mum and I don’t like that punishment, so it’s only reserved for serious things like rapists and murderers.”

“I think what you said is fair enough,” said Felix.

“Think about it overnight, okay?”

“I will. What if he comes after me later?”

“If anyone ever bothers you in the future, you can always come to me about it,” said Rainier. “I can also have him banned from Rosewood once his sentence is finished, and if he returns, he’ll be in worse trouble.”

***

Rainier was still in the privy room the next morning when Felix was eating breakfast with one hand and stroking Inky with the other as he sat on the couch. He had a mouthful of food when a lady in an emerald green dress came sailing in. For a second, he couldn’t imagine who she was until he remembered Rainier’s Aunt and cousin were visiting.

This must have been Natalie, and she had the same long black hair, but her eyes were bright yellow instead of gold. His face warmed to be meeting another member of the Royal Family with a mouthful of food.

“Hi Rainier’s friend. Is he in his room?”

Felix was still trying to chew so he could swallow, and he nodded at her. "Mhm."

She headed for the tiny hallway and paused. “Rainier, can I come in or are you naked? I don’t want to be scarred for life before breakfast.”

“Why are you in my rooms?”

“Because I felt like it.” She turned to Felix and put a finger to her lips before she yelled. “I’m coming in!”

“You better not!”

Felix nearly choked as he swallowed and tried not to laugh, and Natalie giggled as she came closer. “I guess you’re Rainier’s pal, huh?”

"Yeah. Er, hi."

Rainier came out with his coat only half on. “That’s my companion, Felix, and he’s not a spectacle for you to stare at.”

“I wasn’t staring at him. I was just asking."

“What are you doing in my rooms?”

“I only came in here because Mother wants to go try the teashop on the corner of Main Street. Your Mum won’t go, and Mother thinks you won’t like it. I’m not here to invade your privacy.”

Rainier made a slight face. “You know I’m not hugely into tea, and they probably have nothing but sweets.”

“I’m sure they’d have something you’d like,” she said as Inky slunk to the floor and headed for her skirt.

“I’ll pass, but thanks,” said Rainier. “I have to go out and do something.”

“Why not stop on the way with us?”

“I don’t feel like having breakfast.”

Natalie gave him a suspicious look and giggled a second later as Inky crawled under the edge of her skirt. The only thing that could be seen of him was his tails poking out.

“I guess my dress is a tent,” she said. “Mother and Aunty want to go on a ride before lunch, so we’ll see you then, right? We’ll probably be leaving for home around two.”

“I’ll go for a ride with you. What’s Mum doing this morning?”

“I think she’s just doing office work. I have to go find Mother.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Natalie carefully stepped around Inky who appeared quite miffed to have his hiding spot taken away.

“Sorry,” Rainier said once the door leading out of the antechamber closed. “She’s usually good about staying out of my rooms.”

“Is she also mad about you having someone here?”

“She doesn’t care. It’s Mum with the problem. Oh, before I forget.” Rainier rushed back into the bedroom and returned with a folded piece of parchment. “I want you to have this. Since I said that you’ll always be able to come to me if you need it in the future, this is what you’d show the gate guards, and they’ll let you right in. I doubt Lance will come back for you years from now, but keep that just in case, okay? Even when you’re not my pet, you’ll still be one of my people, and that doesn’t change.”

Felix unfolded the parchment to see Rainier’s signature and the royal seal. Above it, Rainier had written that he could come in at any time for any reason. It was straight and to the point, and with the signature and seal, a guard wouldn’t dare argue with that.

The Prince seemed to like him a lot, and his attitude and pampering showed that, but this proved Rainier didn’t discard his lovers without a second thought.

“Thanks, Rainier.” Felix stood to hug him. "That means a lot to me."

“I want you to always be safe.” Rainier kissed his forehead.

***

Felix had heard that a few prisons in the fairy realm were quite cruel, and whippings for petty crime was considered normal. Fortunately, Glasswood wasn’t like that, not that Felix planned on committing a crime.

“Why are some Kings and lords so cruel?” he asked as the carriage carried them through Rosewood, and he sat next to the Prince. “I’ve heard of a couple of places where they sentence people to a lot of lashings for stuff that doesn’t really warrant that. Or I don’t think it does. Elirim is like that.”

Rainier made a face. “Some people make laws like that because they think if they have the power, they should use it, and it’ll force the people to think twice. It doesn’t always work like that. I can see why King Ray of Elirim doesn’t like thieves because if you work for and own something, nobody should have the right to take it. But I also think he’s an asshole and ignorant.”

Felix couldn’t help the laugh that burst from him. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear a Prince call a King an asshole.”

Rainier snorted. “He is. Even people who steal food out of sheer hunger are whipped, and I think they get about thirty or forty lashes. What good does that do? If the person steals again because their situation hasn’t improved, a second offense is worth more. And they’re still poor.”

He moved his head slightly to gaze through the window, and Felix studied his face. “Laws are basically formed from the opinion of whoever’s in charge and not what’s generally right, huh?”

“Pretty much, yes. If you’ve been put in charge, you should try to think of what Elira would do because she would be as fair as possible. That’s what my Father said.”

It was more of a matter of luck when it came to what sort of ruler a country had.

“Why do you think he did this?” asked Felix. “You said he was sort of like a friend.”

“I’m going to ask him because I honestly don’t know.”

The prison was rather dull when they came in, not that he expected a fun-looking place. A few of the cells had a person or two. A pair in one cell were playing cards on the floor, and they paused to stare at the Prince as they walked down a hall.

“They can have games?” Felix whispered.

“Nonviolent criminals can have cards and a few books.”

Lance was in the back where they kept the more violent criminals, and that was further divided on what sort. Rapists and murderers to be hanged were kept in a lower level. A guard before the door to that area said Lance had been a cranky bitch and kept demanding that they at least give him a couple of books.

“Elira forbid if he grows bored,” Rainier snapped as he opened the door.

The wide hall ahead was lined with cells. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, and Rainier made Felix pause in front of an empty cell before he walked ahead. The empty ones had their doors open, and the floors were clean. Felix eyed the high window. Nobody could fit through that narrow space, and the bars would be another obstacle.

Rainier stopped as he presumably looked at Lance.

“Oh, about time something happens,” Lance snapped. “I can’t even come to the Castle?”

“Mum doesn’t care to see you, and I don’t think you deserve to come in there again either,” said Rainier. “I want an explanation as to why you attacked Felix. He’d done absolutely nothing to you, and I never expected such violence from you.”

“I didn’t feel like watching your damn cat. I think your kitty kink is stupid.”

Rainier leaned forward slightly. “I don’t care for pup play as much, but if you had one, I wouldn’t dream of attacking him! You were cruel to Felix from the second he woke up that morning! Besides, I asked you to watch him for a few days. I didn’t order you, and I paid you extra for the task too. You could have said no, and I wouldn’t have been angry over it. I thought I could trust you, and that you’d treat him like a decent being.”

Felix didn’t hear anything from Lance.

“Well?” demanded Rainier.

“Look, he blew it out of proportion-”

“Oh, yes, and that’s why he was sobbing under the bed, and he managed to yank his own arm out of its socket. Suuure.”

“I didn’t know he was a human, and it’s not like I pulled on his arm that hard. It was an accident.”

“Caning him and ignoring his safety signal wasn’t an accident. You also didn’t accidentally forbid him food and water. When I took off the gag, his hair was caught in the buckle. You also said if he sucked your dick-”

“Listen, Rainier. Cats have a tendency to be brats. I don’t like them. Also, I know how royalty asks for things. Requests are commands in disguise. You probably would have gotten pissed if I said no.”

“You really don’t know me if you think that’s the case. I’ve never been like that.”

Was Lance tapped in the head? Felix didn’t see how he could expect his weak excuses to be justification for such behavior. Then again, madmen didn’t typically say what they were, and they must imagine themselves as rational.

“Another thing that puzzles me…” Rainier lifted a hand. “Even if I wasn’t able to return until that night, did you think I wouldn’t notice signs of abuse on him? Did you think you could intimidate him into silence and he’d seem perfectly normal later? A dominant has to be careful for signs in their pet that something is wrong. Do you think I’m blind or stupid?”

Lance said nothing.

“Do you know what I think? I think I had a madman as a guard the whole time, you fooled Mum and I, and there simply wasn’t a reason for your true colors to surface earlier. You must be one of those people who gets a sick sense of satisfaction from hurting the innocent. You can’t give me any valid reason as to what happened, and you’re no better than an outlaw who kills because he can and enjoys torturing people.”

“I think you are stupid. You’re too skinny, and it’s probably sapping your brain.”

Rainier flushed. “My appearance is no excuse to harm someone. You had no reason for what you did except that you’re sick in the head. Technically, I could have you hanged for the coercion because I have fair reason to believe you would have raped him if I hadn’t come by, and you wouldn’t have stopped trying to get him out from under the bed. You saw him as a vulnerable victim. You’re lucky I’m merciful. Come here, Kitten.”

Felix had thought about what the Prince said in regards to fair sentencing here. Eleven years was a long time to sit in a cell, but he deserved it. He thought he’d feel a lot braver with bars between them, but when he came to stand by the Prince, his gut twisted with nerves.

Lance must not have used the new lather that kept a person’s face or other typically hairy areas smooth for a good five years. He had stubble, and his basic prison outfit, which was rather like homespun sleep clothes, was wrinkled. The scowl he gave Felix certainly didn’t help his appearance.

“I thought it was fair for Felix to decide your sentence,” said Rainier.

“You get eleven years,” said Felix.

“Fuck you!" Lance pointed at Felix. “You’re letting the damn whore decide?”

“He’s not a damn whore,” said Rainier. “If you ever even so much as look at him when you get out, I’ll rip off your damn arms.”

“He’s a fucking whore you’ve known for a few days!” yelled Lance.

"He’s a being that deserves respect and decency,” said Rainier. “After you get out, you’re banished from Rosewood and all of the surrounding areas. I would suggest you think twice about ever committing a crime again.”

When Felix left the prison with the Prince, he remembered something Mother had once said when he was small. He’d asked her why outlaws and criminals did bad things, and she’d said some people in the world were simply sick in their head.