Page 4 of Shredded Soul

Still, Paine couldn’t stop himself. He pressed his lips to the spot between Aron’s shoulder blades where the many scars held the memory of how Aron had suffered too. Aron jerked and then went completely still. Paine kissed him again. He licked the spot he kissed, wanting to memorize Aron’s flavor. Aron’s muscles tensed and Paine knew their moment was over. He leapt from the bed as Aron rolled his way. In a flash, he hit the corner of the room, bouncing easily from wall to wall until he was safely out of reach.

Aron stayed on his back, staring at the ceiling. Even though he knew Aron couldn’t see him, he still felt the heat of Aron’s stare. Paine watched his chest heave. He stared at the delicious tent in the sheets. Paine settled down to simply watch him from afar again. That was his favorite pastime.

“You’ll be Charon from now on.” He whispered the words, trying not to break the mood.

“You can still call me Aron. You’re the only one who knows that name.”

A smile tugged at Paine’s lips. Aron had whispered too, as if he also didn’t want to lose their connection. “No. You chose Charon for me. That’s who you’ll be from this moment on, my sexy fat dragon.”

“It’s still the scientist.”

Paine’s smile grew. “Not in my world.” Paine slinked away to his hideaway before either of them ruined things. Charon still wanted him. He could live with that.

Chapter Four

Aron dragged himself from the bed. It was ingrained in him to be awake by six a.m. Some lessons had taken, it seemed. As always, his stomach was in knots as he moved down the long corridor to where Paine was now kept. He prayed for five minutes alone so he could beg for Paine to just play along… again. For whatever reason, he just wouldn’t. Aron had begun to wonder if this was his way of punishing Aron right alongside him. If so, his plan had been beautifully executed. Aron definitely felt tormented and tortured.

As he neared Paine’s door, his steps slowed. The door stood open. Aron tried picking up the pace without looking as if he did. His heart stopped and then sped when he found the room empty. Aron glanced around, looking for answers. He couldn’t show his panic. Aron had to appear unmoved. He motioned toward the open door as another instructor passed. His hair was solid white despite looking no more than a year or two older than Aron. Aron had seen him before, but didn’t know if he had a name. “What happened to this guy?”

The guy looked unconcerned. In fact, his eyes looked dead, like all the instructors. “He died.”

It was like getting shot in the heart and having to stay upright.

The guy opened another door. “You can play with this one instead until the auction begins this evening.”

Aron looked inside. The guy was facedown and already looked dead. On his stomach, there was no missing the way his back was shredded with open, bleeding wounds. His hands and feet had been tied to the table. With a sharp nod, Aron stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him with a snap. He moved slowly when he wanted to panic. His heart bled out where no one could see. He grabbed a scalpel and a gun from the table before he moved to the man’s side. Aron kept his head down and his voice low, in case anyone monitored the cameras.

“Are you still alive?”

Only a slow nod met his question.

“Good.” He slipped the scalpel into the man’s palm, where it stayed hidden from the room. “If you want to live, then you’ll listen to my advice. When they come to untie you, gut them. If not, you’ll stay here until you’re dragged to the killing fields. I need you to scream occasionally, as if it’s your daily torture. I have somewhere else to be.”

His words were met with another slow nod. The guy's fingers wrapped tightly around the scalpel. Aron headed for the door. He looked out, glancing both ways. Aron had to leave here and find Paine’s body. Then he would dig a hole for them, and they would sleep together for eternity.

Quentin’s house had all the alarm bells and curiosity coursing through him. Nothing about the normal day-to-day running of the household made sense to him. Quentin was like a ghost in his own home. Charon was left to wander as he pleased. That gave him time to study the intricate system Quentin had obviously built for Paine. It seemed he had built a hidden series of rafters, allowing Paine to move around unseen and out of reach. Charon had to admit it was a genius way to make Paine feel safe. He had a roof and food without fear. That mattered to Charon. For that, he appreciated Quentin. What he didn’t appreciate was the man’s avoiding him and the topic of Paine leaving with Charon. Paine didn’t belong here with people who treated him like a pet. He needed to be with Charon where he could get proper mental health care. Charon had to make Quentin see that. If not, Charon would have to be quick in stealing Paine.

A door opened at the end of a long corridor. The sound had Charon peeking his head around the corner. A man with solid white hair, who looked no more than a year older than Charon, slipped inside a room like a ghost. Horrible memories slammed into Charon. Panic followed.

“Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Paine, we have to get out of here right now. I knew something was wrong here. Fuck me. Where are you?” He ran for the dining room where Paine had a bed. Thankfully, the bed rocked softly, and Paine seemed to sleep. One arm hung from the bed, giving Charon just enough leverage to snatch him from his ceiling hideaway.

Paine immediately came alive, hissing and biting.

Charon tightened his grip. “Stop, Paine. It's me. We have to get out of here. An instructor from the academy is here. We have to fucking go before we’re seen.”

A blade touched his neck. Another pricked his kidney. Charon froze. He knew this move. If he tried to break free from one blade, the other would have him dead. His attacker might have two full hands, but Charon was still defenseless. It was a submission move taught to them at the academy. There was no way to fight back.

“Drop the kitty.”

Charon released Paine and prayed Paine ran for safety. Paine took off running as he hoped, but he ran deeper into the house instead of away. Charon’s eyes fell closed. Once again, he had failed them.

“Move.”

Charon put his hands up and followed the lead of the knives. Inside, he fumed. All he needed was the tiniest of openings. But then what? He couldn’t leave without Paine. Now that he had found him, they would either leave here together or die here together. No more cat and mouse.

Charon couldn’t see his attacker. If he turned his head, the knife would slice his throat. As they headed toward the same door where the white-haired man had disappeared earlier, Charon’s heart rate kicked up. He wasn’t a kid anymore. Charon would fight, but he was also triggered in a way he couldn’t describe. Every time he thought he left the academy behind, it found a new way to fuck with his mind. The door stood open. Charon moved inside. Quentin sat upright with his back leaned against the headboard of what Charon assumed was his bed. Paine was curled up on his lap, shivering.

Quentin stroked Paine’s hair. “Shhh, baby. It’s okay.” His hard gaze lifted and landed on Charon. “Sit.”

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