Page 110 of Under His Heel

“Made sure he couldn’t fight back. Man, what did you feed him? He’s even more jacked than he used to be!” Nick pulled the tablet back and settled on the other bed again. “So, like I said. Show up, alone. Bye!”

He hung up, and Alex wished he had the strength to strangle his brother. He tried to say something, but all that came out of his mouth was a groan and drool.

“Dunno why you’re so scared of that dude,” Nick said. “He’s a total pushover.” Nick set the tablet down and made a show of stretching. “He rolled over immediately when I told him I had you.”

That… that didn’t sound like Tracht at all. Alex tried to focus on Nick’s face, but he couldn’t tell whether Nick was lying even when he wasn’t fogged up like this.

“I mean, all he does is fly back and forth in space. And okay, he’s pretty well-connected—did you know he’s married into the Lysander family? But no way would he want the scandal of an escaped bondservant.” Nick grinned widely. “If you know how to handle these rich types, they’ll do anything you ask.”

Wow. Nick had—Nick had no idea. Alex would have laughed if he could have moved at all. This had to be a game Tracht was playing. He’d never let Nick walk all over him.

It was weird, knowing more than Nick, being able to see that Nick’s idea was going to go horribly wrong. Alex was almost glad he was incapacitated, because it meant he couldn’t accidentally reveal what he knew.

Whatever Nick had given Alex was strong. It took a while—during which Nick kept talking and talking and talking—for Alex to regain control over his muscles. It kind of felt like his limbs had been asleep, prickling all over.

“Also, dude, the tongue piercing? Why in the world did you let him give you that? That’s not in the contract, which I know because you made such a huge fucking deal about how allowing for body mods would be a huge mistake.”

Nick suddenly moved from his bed over to Alex’s, the mattress dipping with his weight. He took hold of Alex’s chin and forced his mouth open, and Alex still couldn’t do anything to keep him away.

“Huh, you weren’t lying about the tooth. I mean, I didn’t think you were, because you are such a shit liar, but I dunno why a guy like that would fix your tooth up for you.” He hooked a finger inside Alex’s mouth and ran it all over Alex’s tongue, settling against the piercing. “This is so weird.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Alex whined and managed to turn his head away, Nick’s finger leaving a spit-trail on Alex’s cheek as it slipped out. Alex’s heart pounded loudly in his ears, and if he had even half his strength, he’d be strangling Nick right now.

It didn’t even bother him anymore when Tracht did that. Tracht had his fingers in Alex’s mouth all the time, so why the fuck were Nick’s fingers so much more disturbing?

“Don’t like that, huh?” Nick grabbed Alex’s chin again and turned Alex’s head so he was facing Nick again. “Why, does it remind you of all the blowjobs you’re giving that dude?”

But he let go, thankfully, and settled back on the other bed. “You never think ahead. That’s always been your problem. I mean, it was fine when I was there to help you out with the thinking, but on your own?” Nick shook his head and made a sad face at Alex. “You’re kind of hopeless.”

Yeah. Yeah, Alex knew that Nick was smarter than him. But that’s why they’d been a team. Nick was the brains, Alex was the brawn, and it worked. Or Alex had thought it worked. It sounded like Tracht had been right though. Nick didn’t actually give a shit about Alex.

“If I’d been in your shoes, I would have had that guy wrapped around my fingers so fast.” Nick looked so sure of himself. “I’d be living in the lap of luxury, and he’d be asking to suck my cock. Which, y’know, I’m not usually into dudes but I think I’d let him.”

Alex huffed a laugh and croaked out, “Sure.” Let Tracht do anything. Nick was smarter than Alex, but no way was he smarter than Tracht.

“You feeling up to talking? Careful, I might have to dose you again.”

Right. Be smarter. Tracht wouldn’t want Alex to blow it. He stopped struggling and simply lay there as the pins and needles in his limbs intensified.

“How’d you… drug me?” Alex asked, voice slurred and slow. “I saw you eat… eat the… the soup.”

“Yeah, I ate the first half of it. Then when you were throwing your tantrum about how you were totally never going to leave, I dropped the powder in.”

That’s why he’d been so insistent that Alex eat. And Alex, idiot that he was, had fallen for it. Again. He’d done exactly what he always did and let Nick pressure him into something.

“I actually was gonna get you off the station. We woulda been on a ship outta this solar system within a few hours. But then you had to go insisting that you’d rather stay a slave, and it just seemed like way too much trouble.”

Yeah. Fuck Nick. Fuck him so hard. Alex was going to have so much fun messing him up later. Even if Tracht didn’t do anything, Alex would track Nick down and break more than just his nose.

“I asked around a bit about him. Everybody who knew him was a bit scared. Hah! Nobody could tell me why when I asked. Oh, he didn’t do anything to them personally, just that he had an ‘aura.’ Pff. Scared little bitches, all of them.”

Nick kept blathering, and Alex’s body started feeling more normal. He thought he’d be able to sit up, but he kept still and imagined all the ways he could hurt Nick.

Then a knock came on the door.

Nick jumped up, giddy expression on his face. “Show time!”

He went to open the door, and held it open for Tracht to come inside.

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