Claimed Beauty (The Cubi Book 2) Read online

  “As a new Changeling? It can be several times a day. Don’t deny yourself, but don’t touch breeders that are collared. You’ll only get into trouble from that.”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  Caledon pulled out from Daniel and sat on the edge of the bed, fishing out his phone. “Yup. I have to go. You should take a shower and get ready, too. Have George show you around the house while you wait.”

  “Okay,” Daniel said, wondering which one of the naked men was George.

  Caledon took his clothes and went to the bathroom while Daniel stayed on the bed, looking up into the canopy. His first feeding was done, not counting Seldon classifying him. The dose had worn off with Caledon’s orgasm, and Daniel smiled at not feeling as weird as he feared he would. He felt satiated and content. He contemplated why as he snuggled under the covers to keep warm now that his muscles were relaxing and the sweat on his body cooled him.

  How could he be okay with having sex like this? He certainly hadn’t been after Seldon, but things had just gone from no sex for three years to coming to after a dose with a serious case of WTF.

  “Better get out of bed,” Caledon said, laughing from the door to the bathroom. Daniel watched him wrap the towel around his waist as he walked back into the bathroom, and it occurred to Daniel he might just be okay with it because he felt like he somewhat knew the two men he’d had sex with. But soon he’d be with strangers. Maybe even just fuck some stranger some place because he would be too hungry. Translated into human terms, too horny to keep it in his pants. Or, in his case, to be hungry enough to just bend over and take some stranger’s dick up the ass, just because. And that thought kind of freaked him out while his teenage hormones coupled with the Cubi excited him.

  Chapter Three

  Seldon jumped awake when someone clanged on the bars.

  “Sorry for the rude awakening. It’s almost noon, are you hungry?”

  Seldon focused on the purple-eyed man and shook his head, regretting doing so if he was about to be starved for a year. Not that feeding just prior would matter in the long run. “In that case, we’re ready for your statement. I’ll pick you up in fifteen minutes.”

  “Thank you.”

  The man left, and Seldon used the toilet. The sink was too small for him to wash in, and he was still covered in both his and Daniel’s spunk and the spilled dose they had smeared all over each other. Inhaling, he could still smell Daniel on himself, and he didn’t mind that at all. He then made himself the cup of instant coffee he had found in the drawer. It wasn’t until then he noticed that a comb and a new toothbrush lay out on the counter. He used those, too, before sitting on the edge of the bed with his coffee and ran the statement through his head one more time.

  The purple-eye finally returned and unlocked the cell, and Seldon glanced at his hands. He didn’t have a Lord’s ring or a Grand Lord’s ring, meaning he was just a purple-eye. Seldon rinsed his cup before following the man out.

  Jonah got up as they passed his cell. “Seldon—”

  “Do not speak!” the purple-eyed man shouted and pointed ominously at Jonah. Seldon didn’t look at Jonah or say anything, but he had trouble fighting the anger of the situation Jonah had helped land them in.

  They left the prison and walked the halls, ending up in a room Seldon had only been in twice while living in the compound. All eight from the Grand House—four Ladies and four Lords, all dressed in loose fitting robes—sat at a long elevated table at one end of the room. Caledon stood by a small table in front of them and to the right. Across from that, another table for one faced the first small table, and opposite the Grand House’s long table were ten chairs by the wall. The room wasn’t as extravagant as some courtrooms he’d seen on TV, but the room certainly held some authority by the tapestries, showing the pedigrees of the eight Grand Houses, showing their bloodlines back to the first Queen, Nil-Kardin.

  “Hi, Seldon,” Caledon said, trying for a smile but it didn’t really reach his eyes.

  “Lord Caledon,” Seldon replied and mimicked his attempt at smiling.

  “Please sit.” The Grand Lady motioned to the chair by the table. Seldon took a seat and waited. He wasn’t sure of all the Grand Lords’ and Ladies’ names—only his own Grand Lord Ildon, so he hoped she’d introduce them all. “My name is Grand Lady Geodin. Grand Lord Ildon of your House has asked me to take the lead in your case, and I have by unanimous voting amongst the Grand House been appointed as the lead authority in your case. Lord Caledon, you may proceed.”

  “Thank you, Grand Lady.” Caledon turned to look at Seldon. “Sire Seldon. Your statement will be the first we hear. After that, you’ll hear the other attendees at your dinner party’s testaments to what happened. You may not comment on them. Jonah’s statement was given in private earlier to keep order in here. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  “Good. Please continue with your account.” Caledon made a sweeping motion, and Seldon ran the statement through his head again. It had changed every time, but the details were still the same. What he focused on the most was to not sound like he was putting the blame on anyone but himself because no matter what, Daniel’s safety had been his responsibility and no one else’s. He had signed a contract that he would protect the boy, after all, and in the contract, the rough outlines of punishments had been listed so it wasn’t like he didn’t know what could happen.

  “Before the food, my…Daniel had prepared, Caledon made sure that Gordon and Jonah knew how to act and, more importantly, what not to do around an Untouchable. We also had Jeff, a claimed breeder, helping Daniel in the kitchen that day, and both were fully clothed as is usual for someone not to be touched.

  “During the preparations for the second dosing, which I was about to administer to Derek, I heard Daniel yell for someone to let go, and then he yelled my name. I looked up to find Jonah pinning Daniel to a pillar with his hand on Daniel’s crotch. I had the dose in my mouth, so I spat it out as I made my way to him. Daniel had a rough start with me, and he’s been very scared, so I put my arms around him to let him know that he wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong. So he’d feel safe.

  “I told Jonah off, and Lord Caledon joined us. That’s when I noticed something was off with Daniel. He held me tighter, and he began rubbing an erection against me. I don’t know how it happened exactly, but I suspect that some of the dose liquid dripped from my chin. Either way, I was the only Cubi with a strong enough dose near him to have caused the dosing.”

  “So, you take responsibility for it?” the Grand Lady asked.

  “Of course. Whether I was the one who dosed him or not, it doesn’t change that Daniel’s well-being, until he reached of age, was my responsibility. Ergo, I am responsible.”

  The Grand Lords and Ladies looked to each other as if silently debating his answer.

  “What happened then?” she continued.

  “Lord Caledon had dosed the breeder Will, so he ordered Gordon to feed on him while Lord Caledon ordered me to properly dose and classify Daniel. I did.”

  “Did you finish the classification?”

  “No, not completely. But I did find out he’s for Incubi, a versatile in oral sex, and he’s a bottom. Power-bottom.” Seldon could barely contain the grin from spreading, but he thought he managed.

  The Grand Lady sat forward, looking at the others at her table. “Why didn’t you finish the classification in the time you had?”

  “Because he turned me on too much and I lost control of a dose.”

  “Sire Seldon, may I remind you that you told me you lost control of two doses,” Caledon said, looking unhappy.

  “I did lose control of two—one a double discharge—but only one inside of him. The first spilled on his thigh.”

  “Thank you for clarifying that,” Caledon said, not letting his expression give off whether he was satisfied with the answer or not.

  “Our arrival is the reason you did not also test Daniel as a top?”

 
“Yes, Grand Lady,” Seldon said, wondering why it was important. Versatile was so rare that there was no chance he’d be versatile in both blowjobs and penetrative sex. Yet, it was customary to try.

  “Do you have more to add to your statement?” the Grand Lady asked.

  “No, Grand Lady Geodin, I don’t,” Seldon answered.

  “Thank you, Sire Seldon, your account has been logged.” The Grand Lady nodded to Caledon, who in turn nodded at the man who had brought Seldon to the room. He left only to return minutes later with Alex in tow. Seldon hadn’t seen him in clothes that many times, but he wasn’t surprised that the breeders were clothed during a hearing. Alex was placed at the table across from Seldon’s, and he smiled as weakly as Caledon had. Seldon winked at him.

  “Please introduce yourself and tell us everything you remember,” Caledon said. “This may include your thoughts or feelings.”

  “Yes, Lord Caledon. My name is Alex, and I’m a regular breeder at Sire Seldon’s home. I was at the dinner party along with two other regular breeders.”

  Seldon listened and watched Alex closely as the breeder recounted his observations of what had transpired the night before. What warmed him was Alex’s faith in Seldon’s good intentions, however bad the outcome.

  “Thank you, Alex. Please take a seat,” Caledon said and pointed Alex to one of the chairs by the wall. He then nodded to the purple-eyed man again, who left only to return with Derek. Seldon listened to his statement, too, happy it was so consistent with both his own and Alex’s. So were Will’s, Gordon’s, and Jeff’s.

  Next up was Daniel, and Seldon gaped as the beautiful young man came in, looking confident and satiated. Seldon’s stomach dropped as Daniel smiled at him, but there was no hiding the nervousness of the situation, even behind the mask of makeup. His eyes screamed of it as he took a seat.

  “Welcome to our race, Daniel,” the Grand Lady said.

  “Thank you, Grand Lady.”

  “How are you settling into your changes?”

  “I’m learning. I have a lot of questions, and Lord Caledon is helping me. I…think I’ve come to terms with what I’m becoming pretty well.”

  “Do you understand the ramifications of what has happened?”

  “That I have to feed sexually?”

  “No, that you were changed prematurely.”

  “Oh. No, I haven’t.” Daniel eyed Seldon, his eyes revealing the many questions to be asked.

  “Sire Seldon, will you inform him of the consequences your action can have on him?”

  “Yes, Grand Lady,” Seldon said, looking at his beautiful boy. However much he really didn’t want to tell him, he was actually happy to get the chance to be the one who did. “When I explained to you how the Cubi society is structured, how we are responsible for each other, there are aspects of our history and the choice of waiting until you’re at least twenty-two that I didn’t explain. At that point, it was irrelevant. We once lived in much smaller…houses, families, whatever you want to call it, but in those times hunting was done differently and slavery was allowed in the human societies as well.

  “Age has always been a factor in a person’s social rank in human societies, so has beauty to some degree, not to mention gender. However, a Cubus too young can either have trouble finding someone to feed on, or he or she can be in danger when doing so. Not so much now in a compound like this, but we can live for more than a thousand years, and our current social structure might not last. Times change and so do attractions and human’s ideals. These are the ones that allow us to feed, and we have to make sure that anyone changed would be old enough to be safe when hunting under the different parameters set forth by the changes to the human societies we hunt in.

  “The problems you may face because of the early dosing is due to how the dose affects aging. It slows down and eventually stops. If you’re too young, even looking too young, you can probably see how this could become a problem?”

  “Yes, Master…Sire, sorry.”

  “In this time and age, your youth and beauty would allow you to feed on whoever you want, but your youth also poses a threat to you in the human world,” Seldon continued. “You’ll get carded all the time, and people will notice you more because you’re so young. It is, after all, an instinct for most to protect children. You’re pretty well-built for someone your age, and you even have a nice scruff.” Seldon rubbed his own chin, feeling the need for a shave. But the compliment made Daniel smile. “You might even be developed enough to buy a beer without being carded. But being remembered by vigilant people weakens your possibilities to not just feed, but to contribute as a hunter.

  “These are the consequences of my actions. However unintentional they were. You could have a difficult time finding humans to feed from if you’re with a hunting party in the human world. Worst case scenario, you could be picked up by the authorities in some attempt to aid a young person, prohibiting you from feeding enough to keep you strong and healthy. If you’re held by the authorities, because you look so young, that stay could starve you to a point where you need to feed so badly, you do something that will land you in trouble with the human laws. Especially since your doses, like any other newborn Changeling, aren’t strong enough to induce the lust you need to feed on.”

  Daniel finally looked like he understood the ramifications this could have on his life.

  “Would you help me?”

  “Always, Daniel, but whether I’m allowed to is not up to you and me.” Seldon felt like he had abandoned Daniel with so many troubles at his doorstep. He had failed not only Daniel, but his Lord’s trust and expectations. It burned in him, making him nauseous.

  “Thank you,” Grand Lady Geodin said. “Daniel, will you take us through the event as you remember it?”

  “Yes, Grand Lady.” Daniel locked gazes with Seldon and told his side of the event. Anger boiled in Seldon at hearing what Jonah had requested. For Daniel to dance for them. The lack of respect the red-eye had shown made him regret ever having taken a chance on inviting a red-eye unknown to him. That was one mistake he’d never make again. Providing he got the chance, that was.

  “Jonah licked your face?” Geodin asked.

  “Yes, Grand Lady.”

  “Caledon, you were dosing Jonah, correct?” she continued.

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “How long since the last dose? Could it be a dose transferred from you to Daniel via Jonah’s saliva?”

  Seldon felt hope, but Caledon shattered it immediately by shaking his head.

  “No, Grand Lady. We had showered, and Jonah had drunk a bottle of water after the dose. All would have been washed away.”

  The Grand Lady sat back and nodded to herself in thought. “Thank you, Daniel, you may take a seat by Gordon,” she finally said.

  “Yes, Grand Lady.” Daniel got up, looking back at Seldon as he went.

  “Jonah’s statement has already been given with Lord Caledon present. I will read it now before we move on to sentencing.” The Grand Lady picked up a tablet. She read from the transcript, and Seldon suppressed a growl at Jonah’s whinery about only touching on the outside, and that he at least hadn’t lost himself enough to dose Daniel. What stuck out, though, was that Jonah hadn’t mentioned licking Daniel’s face.

  “Jonah’s sentence will be measured tomorrow at noon. Daniel, your presence is expected.”

  “Yes, Grand Lady,” Daniel answered.

  “Lord Caledon. The floor is yours.”

  “May I ask for a convening to debate the agreed upon punishment a bit further?” Caledon asked.

  “Do you have something to add?”

  “With Daniel’s account of the incident, I propose a slight change, yes,” Caledon said.

  “Please proceed and make your suggestion openly. We may convene after if we feel the need to debate it further before making it final.”

  “Yes, Grand Lady.” Caledon went to stand in front of Seldon. “I have known Sire Seldon for many, many years. I han
dpicked him for his first responsibilities in my House. I even thought him ready for an Untouchable. I testify that Seldon did his best to secure the Untouchable’s status and safety, and that he did not intentionally dose Daniel. I also know the consequences for the Untouchable, who turned out to be a Changeling. I have since the incident thought long and hard about this. Knowing Seldon and our usual punishments, making him a ghost will not have as big an impact on him as the knowledge of the consequences his actions will have on the Untouchable. Seldon has always taken his responsibilities to heart, and not living up to this one will be more of a punishment than any we can come up with.

  “That being said, I am also more than aware that we still need to carry out punishment. My idea for a punishment, the one we have come to agree upon up until now, takes into consideration that Seldon didn’t do this with intent. The past six ghost-punishments were different in that those Cubi lost their self-control and dosed the Untouchables, they were entrusted to care for, on purpose.”

  With increasingly sweaty palms, Seldon watched his friend and Lord and wondered what had gone through his head while coming up with a suitable punishment. And which part of what was about to be revealed was added by the Grand House.

  “Untouchables are rare,” Caledon continued and turned to look at Daniel. “We rarely find any as beautiful as this one.” Caledon turned to look at Seldon again. “So, I proposed a different punishment. A life sentence.”

  Seldon’s heart skipped a few beats. Was he being made a ghost anyway?

  “A life sentence because the consequences can be a life sentence to the Untouchable Changeling. The boy will stay with Seldon, and Seldon will not only finish the training but take the boy in and be his main doser. They are compatible. To secure the boy, he will legally, under our law, be entitled to a heritage equal to that of Seldon’s children, and Seldon will assist the boy in anything regarding his well-being. Be it food, doses, housing. Anything. Seldon is of sufficient level to secure him, so the consequences the boy will face will be soothed and met by Seldon. For the duration of the four hundred thirty-six years, Seldon is old, he will match that in supporting the Changeling he dosed too early.”