Page 21 of Elemental Hope (Warlocks #2)

“Coryn will take you upstairs and help you get ready. I’ll be with you shortly.”

Dominic felt like a condemned prisoner heading for his execution as he climbed the stairs with Coryn close behind him.

Nathaniel and Gregory hadn’t tried to hide anything.

What he was about to do was going to hurt.

He suspected it wasn’t going to be the good kind of pain either.

He was scared but it didn’t matter. This was something he had to do for Evrain.

Upstairs, Coryn squeezed his hands. “I’ll leave you to take a shower.

Make sure you rinse all the soap from your skin.

This isn’t about smelling good, it’s about having a clean surface for the agrimony ink.

I would be asking you to shave all the hair from your body, but that’s not necessary, is it? ”

Dominic gave a wry smile. “Thanks to Symeon, no it’s not.”

The bathroom proved to be something of a sanctuary.

Dominic tried not to think about anything.

He had a trick he’d been taught as a child when he would try to sleep after a nightmare—to imagine a blank wall.

It had always worked better for him than counting sheep but he did have a tendency to picture varieties of moss and lichens between the bricks.

On this occasion, it wasn’t working and the shower didn’t take nearly long enough.

He rinsed carefully then toweled off. Evrain’s bathrobe was on the back of the door so he put it on in the hope it might feel like Evrain was hugging him.

It wasn’t anywhere near as good as the real thing but Evrain’s scent helped a bit.

He took a few deep breaths then went to join Coryn in the bedroom.

Coryn’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Gregory won’t be long.”

“I’m in no rush,” Dominic said. “No pressing social engagements in my diary tonight.”

“You’ll need to take the robe off, then lie down on the bed.” Coryn patted the covers. “I also have to tie you down so you don’t thrash around while Gregory’s working on you.”

Dominic’s face heated. He was sure he must be the shade of a ripe tomato. Only Evrain ever saw him naked.

Coryn chuckled. “There’s no need to be shy, boy. Close your eyes if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

Dominic loosed the robe’s belt then shrugged the garment from his shoulders. He climbed onto the bed. “You want me on my back or front first?”

“On your back, please, and I know this is a really stupid thing to say, but try to relax.”

“There’s rope in the closet,” Dominic offered. Evrain’s bondage ropes would be kinder against his skin than anything Gregory might find in the kitchen.

“I’d never have guessed.”

Coryn’s wry tone made Dominic laugh. “You too, huh?”

“That would be telling.” Coryn found the short lengths of soft rope then used two of them to bind Dominic’s ankles to the bed’s corner posts. “Arms out to your sides, I think, rather than above your head.”

Dominic stretched out his arms. He kept still while Coryn tied him in place. In his head he just kept repeating I’m doing this for Evrain, I’m doing this for Evrain .

“Sorry, Dominic. I think I’m going to have to prop you up a bit.” Coryn shoved a pillow beneath the small of Dominic’s back. “Much better. I can see more skin now.”

“Oh God.” Dominic squeezed his eyes shut with embarrassment.

Evrain loved to tie him up and usually the feeling of helplessness was a huge turn-on for him.

Being manhandled by an elderly friend did not compare, though Coryn was being as gentle and considerate as he could be under the circumstances. “This had better work.”

“It will. It has to.”

Dominic opened his eyes. The lines around Coryn’s eyes had deepened with worry. He patted Dominic’s shoulder.

“You’re a very brave young man. Evrain would be proud of you. He will be, when he finds out about all this.” Coryn took a step back. “You’ll do. I’ll go and see where Gregory has gotten to.”

No sooner had Coryn turned toward the door than Gregory appeared. He was holding a small, stoppered vial of a deep green liquid.

“I was just coming to find you,” Coryn said. “Dominic is prepared.”

“I can see that.” Gregory gave Dominic a wink that made him wish there was a pillow over his face.

“You’ll need to gag him, though. We can’t have him screaming and alerting anyone outside that something’s going on.

I can’t use my power to silence him because it might affect what I need to do with the agrimony. ”

“Would they be able to hear through the wards?” Dominic asked.

“It’s possible,” Gregory mused. “Their senses may be enhanced for just that reason.”

Coryn gave Dominic a questioning glance. Dominic sighed. His humiliation was complete. “There’s a wooden chest in the bottom of the closet, there will be something you can use in there.”

After a bit of rummaging Coryn returned with a thick rubber bit gag. “This is big enough that you won’t be able to make much noise around it and it might help if you have something to bite down on.”

Dominic opened his mouth and let Coryn insert the bit. He lifted his head so Coryn could fasten the strap.

“There. Not too tight?”

Dominic shook his head.

“I can leave if you’d prefer,” Coryn said. Dominic shook his head again. He wanted Coryn to be there. He wiggled his fingers and Coryn got the message. He settled on the side of the bed and took Dominic’s hand.

Gregory stood at the end of the bed. He didn’t meet Dominic’s eyes.

“I’ll be as quick as I can, Dominic. I’m going to paint this stuff over most of your body.

You may be able to persuade Imelda that in order to convince Evrain to cooperate, you need to be alone with him for a while.

If it works, encourage him to make love to you.

If it doesn’t, any contact between you will help. ”

Dominic felt like he was dreaming as Gregory began to mutter incomprehensible words and make intricate gestures with his fingers over the length of his body.

When Gregory removed the stopper from the bottle, an emerald mist rose from its neck.

Involuntarily, Dominic tensed. Coryn began to stroke his hair, offering comfort as the glittering cloud swirled, divided and came together again.

Misty tendrils began to dance in the air, winding and twisting, faster and faster.

Then Gregory stopped talking. His hands stilled and ribbons of vapor descended to lay themselves on Dominic’s flesh.

The first touch was agonizing, the burn of intense cold, then fire.

Needles of pain stabbed into his skin over and over again.

Dominic spasmed against his bonds, limbs straining.

The gag muffled his screams as the pain went on and on.

Beads of sweat formed on Gregory’s forehead as he watched intricate patterns of silver-green appear, first on the side of Dominic’s neck below his ear, then across his chest, spreading out from each dark nipple.

The patterns started materializing lower, delicate lines winding toward his groin.

As the etching reached the base of his cock and began to spiral along its length, Dominic moaned pitifully.

Tears streamed down his face and his head jerked from side to side.

Fine lines of pale green, drawn by an invisible hand, patterned his hips and thighs.

Gregory checked the vial of liquid. It was still half full. He replaced the stopper then gave it a shake.

“We need to turn him over.” It was difficult to keep the tension from his voice. There was no accusation in Coryn’s eyes. He nodded.

“I’ll untie him.” Coryn circled the bed, loosening then releasing Dominic’s bonds. “Help me roll him. Dominic, sweetheart, we need to turn you over now, okay?”

Dominic moaned but didn’t resist as he was maneuvered onto his belly. The pillow was now beneath his hips, keeping his ass in the air.

“Spread his legs as wide as possible,” Gregory said.

Coryn pressed his lips together in a tight line but did as he was asked.

Soon, Dominic was bound in place once more.

Gregory began the process over again. Curls of color patterned the length of Dominic’s spine then intensified over the swell of his ass.

When the first lines traced his balls Dominic jerked then went still.

“He’s blacked out,” Gregory observed. He looked at Coryn across Dominic’s prone body. He smiled his relief. “Thank goodness. I never thought he’d last that long. The pain must have been excruciating.”

“He’s very strong.” Coryn undid the gag then checked Dominic’s breathing was unimpeded.

Gregory watched as the last slivers of green slipped inside Dominic’s channel.

He was very glad Dominic hadn’t been awake to experience that part of the process.

Delicate patterns now covered a significant percentage of his body.

The silvery green lines seemed to sit just below the surface of his skin, catching the light when he moved.

“You can untie him now. The painful part of the process is over.” Gregory rolled his shoulders, releasing some of the tension he hadn’t realized had built there.

Coryn walked around the bed, untying the restraints. “His wrists and ankles have been rubbed raw despite the soft bonds.”

“We’ll let him sleep now. He’s going to hurt everywhere when he wakes up, so let’s give him some respite while we can.

I’m sure there will be some salve downstairs that you can use on those rope burns.

” Gregory pulled a quilt over Dominic’s sleeping form, the lines of pain now smoothed from his face. “He really is beautiful, isn’t he?”

Coryn nodded. He pushed a strand of dark copper hair away from Dominic’s closed eyes. “Beautiful and brave. Evrain is lucky to have him.”

“Just as I’m lucky to have you. They remind me of us a few years ago.” Gregory took his partner’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Only a few?” Coryn chuckled. “And neither of us was ever that good looking. I fell for your charm, obviously.”

“Still a brat even after all these years.”