Master of the Game Read online

  Dedication

  In memory of Randy David Jeffers, who crafted love, strength and beauty with his arcane arts at The Sword and the Rose. You are missed.

  Pervaya

  In the low glint of autumn light stealing in at the curtain’s edge of their rented Brimstone room, sweat painted his boy like a pale stroke of radiance. His boy. Belphagor savored the words in his head. Though they weren’t quite true. He and Vasily were being punished—which meant Vasily was being punished—for the mutual mistrust they’d nearly allowed to tear them apart. Vasily had to earn back the right to officially be Belphagor’s boy, and Belphagor had to earn back the right to own him. It infuriated Vasily that this was taking weeks rather than days—and now into months.

  And Belphagor loved nothing better than infuriating his almost-but-not-quite-yet malchik.

  Vasily jerked against his bonds, his mouth full of pillow, having bitten it in frustration as Belphagor took his time with his discipline. Belphagor stroked the leather tails of the tawse against Vasily’s sideburn-scruffy cheek, soft and sensuous, a hint of forgiveness. As Vasily breathed out a sigh of release, Belphagor withdrew the forked strap and whacked the firespirit ass. He could tell it smarted by how deeply the flesh dimpled upon impact and by the angry red stripe it left instantly. Vasily let out a roar into the pillow and gave it a violent shake in his teeth like a hound with a rabbit—and feathers burst into the air like a pent-up ejaculation.

  Belphagor couldn’t maintain the serious demeanor with white bits of down floating about Vasily like pukh—the fluffy, aethereal seedpods of poplar trees so ubiquitous in Russia in the summertime. He climbed onto the cot and straddled Vasily’s hips, letting the hardness of his erection press against Vasily’s ass to make sure the firespirit could feel it through the leather.

  “I think your pillow got a little overexcited.” Leaning down, he tongued the spiked caps of Vasily’s piercing at the side of his neck until the frustrated demon made a reluctant moan of pleasure into the wreckage of the pillow. “Still mad at me?”

  “Da, ser.”

  The sensuous growl said it was just the kind of mad Belphagor liked, riled and tingling with elemental fire that couldn’t be seen in the celestial sphere. But Belphagor could sense it like an aura—feral, sexual firespirit energy almost pulsing against his skin. Slowly, he unlaced the black elkskin pants he wore just to drive Vasily wild.

  “But you want me to fuck you.”

  “Da, ser.”

  He would have said the roughly uttered words were grudging if not for the raging hard-on he’d wrapped his hand around after sliding his palm between Vasily and the bed.

  Belphagor took the bottle of oil from the table beside them. “Do you want me to untie your hands?” The long hesitation made his cock bob in his lap.

  “Nyet, ser.” Vasily sighed his answer at last, and Belphagor bit his lip in anticipation as he worked a generous handful of almond oil over his cock. He loved bringing Vasily to this state, a sort of exhausted surrender he succumbed to despite an increasing level of anger when Belphagor had gotten him so aroused he was ready to concede any point to be fucked.

  He threaded his fingers through Vasily’s tangled queue. “That’s a good boy.”

  “But not your good boy,” Vasily couldn’t help grumbling, though the last three syllables were a helpless groan as Belphagor opened him with the head of his cock.

  His hand now freed up, he slipped it underneath Vasily once more, the oil-slick palm sliding over the ample cock the way Belphagor’s own was sliding inside the demon. He rocked into Vasily slowly, eliciting an equally slow and rather melodic moan for a firespirit. Vasily had been aching to be fucked for days, and Belphagor had been enjoying prolonging that ache enough to hold off until Vasily was practically feverish with desire.

  Firespirit heat engulfed his cock inside the tight ass, just enough to incense him, and Belphagor knotted his fingers into Vasily’s locks, a handful of vivid red snakes, and fucked him hard. Watching the muscular ass ripple and bounce while he pounded him made him even harder, skin slapping against skin like experienced hands against a tight-stretched drum, the tempo wild and frenzied.

  Vasily whimpered helplessly beneath him while Belphagor’s fingers around the hot cock against the sheets kept time with his rapid thrusts, just two fingers and a thumb driving Vasily ever closer to a thunderous, shaking climax. The tight ass clamped tighter and Vasily let out a guttural roar, his whole body jerking out the load that had been building for a week.

  The tension in his muscles rushed out with the ejaculate, and Vasily melted into the cot with a moan of release, taking what Belphagor gave him without resistance, all soft whimpers and sighs until Belphagor let go at last and shot deep inside him with a satisfied groan and collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around Vasily’s chest, breathing the damp, steamy scent, and blew out against the feather tickling his nose on Vasily’s shoulder. They were both now covered in puffs of down, sticking to their sweat as if they’d been tarred and feathered.

  “What’s the matter, boy?” The low murmur accompanied a kiss on Vasily’s damp shoulder.

  Vasily turned his head on the wreckage of the pillow, his lips plastered with feathers. “What do you mean?”

  Belphagor grinned. “You look a little down in the mouth.”

  Vasily stared at him for a confused beat and then burst out laughing, making Belphagor’s cock twitch inside him. Belphagor squeezed him contentedly. He loved the sound of the gruff firespirit laugh.

  “I think I’ve got feathers up my ass,” said Vasily ruefully. “We’ll be picking them out of body parts for days.”

  Belphagor kissed his cheek and sat up, gently pulling out, and untied Vasily’s wrists. “So what do you say? Have you taken sufficient punishment for me yet? Am I forgiven for neglecting you at the wingcasting table?”

  Vasily rubbed his wrists, propping himself on his crossed arms. “I suppose.”

  “Or was that not really what you were angry about?” Belphagor dragged his nails across the reddened stripes on Vasily’s ass, making him hiss slightly at the sensation. “Are you just still pouting over having to earn your place at my feet?”

  Vasily sighed. “It’s not the earning, it’s the waiting. It feels like you’re punishing me for—” He paused and picked a feather off his tongue. “For something else.”

  “What else would I be punishing you for?”

  “Sucking Silk’s cock, for one.”

  Belphagor raised an eyebrow, tugging at the piercing in it. It would never have occurred to him to punish Vasily for enjoying another demon’s attentions—an angel’s, yes; but never a demon’s. And one could hardly blame the boy for being a bit enamored of the aptly named Silk. The young, dark-haired demon was not only a sleek, lovely twink piece of ass, he had his own dominant tendencies that would have sweetened the pot, so to speak, for a demon like Vasily. Heaven knew Belphagor himself had rarely resisted a succulent bit of tail when it was dangled in front of him, though he was trying to break that habit, because Vasily didn’t quite see casual sex the way he did.

  He opened his mouth to say as much, that it had never crossed his mind to be jealous, but then it dawned on him: Vasily wanted him to care about whom he slept with, wanted to know Belphagor was jealous, because to him, that was a sign of real love.

  “I gave you my blessing to suck Silk’s cock,” he said carefully, and then hardened his voice just a bit. “But if you want me to punish you for enjoying it so thoroughly, I’ll be happy to oblige.”

  Vasily tensed beneath him, but his voice had an edge of defiance. “How would you know how thoroughly I enjoyed it?”

  “I suppose I’ll have to take Silk’s word for it.”

  “Silk’s w
ord? When did Silk talk to you about my…?” Vasily’s voice trailed off on a hint of embarrassment.

  “Your cocksucking? I believe it was one evening while we were watching you perform your Geyser Special.” Vasily had become somewhat of a celebrity of late for the jackoff act he put on at the Stone Horse by popular demand. He didn’t seem to mind the attention he received at the male-only brothel for demonstrating his unique skill and his impressive endowment, but he hated the name the act had been dubbed. Which made Belphagor want to say it all the more. “If I recall correctly, his exact words were ‘he seemed to rather relish having my cock down his throat.’ Would you say that was a mischaracterization of your level of enthusiasm?”

  He could feel the heat of Vasily’s blush, but the firespirit didn’t answer.

  Belphagor climbed off. “I suppose if I can’t get a reasonable reply out of you, I’ll just have to judge for myself. We’ll visit the Horse this evening and you can suck Silk’s cock while I watch.” He punctuated the pronouncement with a firm smack on Vasily’s feather-plastered ass. Glancing around at the mess, he shook his head. “Bozhe moi. It looks like we fucked an angel until it burst.”

  Vasily tried to convince himself Belphagor wasn’t serious, but they had only been at the Stone Horse a few minutes when the airspirit took Silk aside, apparently to negotiate, and Silk returned with him, looking smug.

  Though Belphagor owned the brothel, Silk was the public face of the Stone Horse—the “madam”, for lack of a better word. He looked quite sharp this evening in a charcoal suit with a silvery sheen, a striking contrast to his angel-pale skin and a perfect complement to his dark, slicked-back hair and gray, almond eyes.

  “Well, hello, sweetie.” Silk almost purred the words as he kissed Vasily on each cheek. “I understand I’m in for a treat.” He smiled at Belphagor. “Shall we take him downstairs to the dungeon, or should I just whip it out right here and have him go at it in front of everyone?”

  Vasily blanched as Belphagor considered.

  “I think a private show will do fine,” said Belphagor after an interminable moment. “But let’s just use a regular room. We can save the dungeon for another night.” He let his gaze wash over Vasily as if he were an inanimate object. “Tonight I just want to make a determination of how much punishment he deserves.”

  “Excellent,” said Silk, and took Vasily’s arm to lead him to one of the larger rooms in back.

  Belphagor closed the door once they were inside and removed his coat to hang it on the back of the door, revealing a prominent bulge beneath the leather pants. He snapped his fingers at Vasily. “Yours too. Unless you want Silk to come on your fancy velvet frock coat.”

  Silk glanced at Belphagor with a smirk while Vasily removed the coat. “If everything goes as I intend, it’s all going down his throat.”

  “Nevertheless.” Belphagor hung the coat on the peg with a shrug. “Doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Sometimes he’s messy.”

  “Stop talking about me like I’m not even here,” Vasily growled, trying not to let it show how hot this was actually making him.

  Belphagor folded his arms and frowned at him. “You get to say one thing in this scenario, boy, and one thing only. And that’s your safe word. If you have a problem with this, I suggest you say it now, because your mouth is about to be full.”

  Vasily swallowed, lips tight with resentment, and shook his head.

  “How do you want him?” Belphagor addressed Silk, no longer paying Vasily any attention. “Do you prefer to sit or stand while you fuck his hole?”

  Silk unfastened his trousers and took out his cock, stroking it thoughtfully. “Standing is always good for leverage.”

  Distracted by Silk’s slow stroking, Vasily let out a sharp yelp of surprise as Belphagor shoved him to his knees.

  “Crawl to him,” Belphagor snapped. Vasily obeyed, his whole body tingling. He stopped in front of Silk, and Belphagor stepped up beside him to grab his hair and pull his head back. “Open.”

  As Vasily complied, Silk stepped in close and held his cock for Vasily to take it. Belphagor shoved him onto it before Vasily could do it himself.

  Silk let out a long, low groan as he slid over Vasily’s tongue and went in deep. “Damn, I’ve missed this throat. You forget how warm he is.

  Belphagor chuckled. “I never forget how warm he is.”

  Silk began to bob against Vasily, the soft curls at the base of his cock lightly tickling Vasily’s lips, while Belphagor drew Vasily back and forth on the slick cock in a steady, complementary rhythm.

  “So how’s business at the Horse lately?” Belphagor’s tone was completely matter-of-fact, as if he and Silk were standing at the bar engaged in casual conversation.

  “It’s good.” Silk moaned as Vasily began to move the firespirit heat through his tongue to the tip and stroked it along the underside of the cock as it bobbed into him. He was damned well going to make sure Silk couldn’t carry on in the same conversational tone. He gave an answering moan of encouragement to Silk’s.

  “Never better,” Silk managed. Vasily swirled his tongue up the shaft as Belphagor pulled him back and Silk grabbed him by the shoulder as if he’d become unsteady on his feet. Planting his legs farther apart, Silk picked up speed, and Belphagor reciprocated with the fist in Vasily’s hair.

  Vasily hardly needed to do anything the way the two of them were efficiently making use of him, but he did anyway, curling his tongue around the cock swiftly pumping him, and pursing his lips around the shaft to let some of his heat play there as well. His eyes closed as he abandoned himself to the experience, and he let out a groan of surprise against Silk’s hard flesh at the feel of Belphagor’s other hand releasing him from his jeans.

  “There’s a good boy,” Belphagor murmured at his ear, his hand stroking slowly. “You’re going to come for Silk and show him how much you appreciate having that sweet cock in your mouth.” He yanked on Vasily’s hair. “Aren’t you?” The soft murmur had become a sharp command.

  Vasily hummed in the affirmative, trying to nod, though Belphagor was doing his best to make it difficult for him.

  “Move those knees apart,” Belphagor ordered.

  It forced him into an awkward position to move them any farther apart and maintain the height of his head at an accessible level, but it pushed his pelvis forward into Belphagor’s grip, giving the other demon a perfect angle to stroke him. Though he was doing it left-handed, Belphagor brought him swiftly and expertly to the edge, but before he could come, Silk exploded inside him with a delightful moan, expensively suited hips rocking and swaying against Vasily’s eager mouth while Vasily swallowed greedily.

  Belphagor pulled him off the spurting cock before Silk finished, and jism spattered his cheek. “Told you he was messy.” Belphagor pushed Vasily back on his heels and stood, unlacing his pants. “Selfish boy. Now you’ll wait until I’ve had my turn. Then we’ll see whether you’ll be allowed to come at all.”

  While Belphagor massaged himself, looking down at Vasily with dark eyes dancing with anticipation, Silk put himself back together and leaned over to whisper something in Belphagor’s ear.

  One corner of Belphagor’s mouth turned up in a way that promised trouble. “Undress him.”

  Vasily shivered slightly as the handsome young demon pulled the shirt over his head and started tugging on his pants. At a stern frown from Belphagor, Vasily stood to give Silk better access, stumbling back a bit against the bed behind him while Silk tugged the pants over his boots.

  “On the bed on your back,” Belphagor ordered. “Head over the side.”

  Vasily balked. “Over the side?”

  “Do you want this in your mouth or not?” Belphagor stroked his inflamed cock, his fist choking it beneath the head.

  Hell, yes, he wanted it. But that didn’t mean he had to like the way Belphagor was ordering him around like meat in front of Silk.

  “You have five seconds to get in position before I change my mind and let Silk take
you to the dungeon while I find someone else to pleasure me.” The idea of Silk in the dungeon briefly tempted him, but he wasn’t going to let Belphagor out of his sight with that raging hard-on. Vasily climbed onto the bed and stretched out on his back, dropping his head over the side as he’d been ordered—but he glared fire at Belphagor upside down as the demon stepped close.

  “Oh, my Heavens,” breathed Silk, fanning himself. “If I hadn’t just come, those eyes would make me absolutely ruin this suit.”

  Belphagor pushed his cock between Vasily’s lips, and all Vasily could see were the dark, downy balls in his face as Belphagor began to fuck him. “Look at the mast on him,” said Belphagor, in the same conversational tone he’d been using before. “Stick a sail on that thing and you could power a small ship. You’ve swallowed it before, though.”

  “Oh yes,” said Silk.

  Vasily jumped and moaned at the slippery stroke of Silk’s tongue against the head. Belphagor didn’t let up as Silk wrapped his lips around it and began to work himself down. Helpless beneath the two demons, Vasily braced his boots against the opposite wall, grabbed the bedspread, and held on for the ride. With Silk’s smooth mouth around him, he almost came immediately, until Belphagor reminded him with a twist of his nipples that he was supposed to wait. Groaning, he held back, squirming beneath Silk, while Belphagor seemed to be taking his sweet time in his throat.

  Silk was moving rapidly up and down the length of his cock, and Belphagor was slapping into his mouth with low animal growls, and Vasily thought he might lose his mind trying not to come, until Belphagor at last let go inside him with a shout. Swallowing desperately against the urge to breathe that Belphagor was temporarily circumventing as he jerked against him, Vasily gave up and burst into Silk’s mouth, struggling to keep the heat to a tolerable level and moaning with relief around Belphagor’s jolting cock.

  Both demons let up on him at the same moment, as if they were sharing silent communications over him while he could only lie there and shudder at their mercy. Vasily took in a gasping breath, his cock empty, and Belphagor’s mouth descended on him from where he now knelt beside the bed. Vasily stretched his arms back and wrapped them around Belphagor’s neck, limp and happy under his kiss though he was still short of breath.