Claimed by the Order (S-Gods, #1) (16 page)

“Now ride me,” Poseidon said. The music began again, and Marduk almost choked on his sobs. He was completely broken. After this point, his tears never stopped. Poseidon took him four times that night before passing him on to the others.

T
he next day, Marduk endured his classes, barely there. He’d survived Poseidon’s party, but his eyes were blood shot from crying, and stabbing pain tore through his passage at random intervals. Due to his lack of sleep, his body had no chance to heal. Noticing his state, Nanya and Shala hung on him through their first two classes and skipped Seth’s class in order to stay by his side.

“Marduk,” Shala said, her voice stern. “This has gone on long enough. You have to tell us what’s wrong. We won’t leave you alone until you tell us.”

“Shala, I ...” Marduk’s voice trailed off, his gaze drifting across the gardens. Their persistence was wearing him down, and he no longer had the strength to resist them. A row of small bushes peppered with pink flowers stretched across the grass to their side. Sinking down in the grass in front of the bushes, Marduk buried his face in his hands.

“Was it your cute god friends?” Nanya asked, in a soft voice. “I haven’t seen them with you lately. Did you break up with them?”

Marduk removed his hands from his face and blinked.

“No. Well, yes. I guess we did break up.” It was the first thing they’d asked him that he could actually answer truthfully.

Shala put her arm around his shoulder. “Ever since the day you kissed Aya, you haven’t been yourself. Forget about gods, and come back to us. We were always happy together.”

“I would love to, Shala, but there’s someone else. I don’t know if he’s my lover, but I want him to be.”

“Who is he?”

“I’m not free to say. I don’t think his father approves of him having a god for a lover.”

“Okay, well tell us about him,” Nanya cut in, supporting her weight on her arm. “How did you meet?”

Marduk’s lips quirked into a smile. “Well, I kind of jumped him, and that’s part of the problem. I like him, but I don’t think he takes me seriously. Both times we were together, he barely said a word. Then he ..... well, we had sex, and he ran off immediately afterward.”

Shala removed her arm from his shoulder and frowned. “Did this god hurt you?”

“No, Shala. Well,—I guess he did, but not too bad.”

“I knew it! Tell me who this god is! I’ll go straighten him out right away!”

“Shala ...” Marduk chuckled. “It’s not what you think. I really like him. I guess I just don’t know how to keep my hands off him long enough to talk to him.

Shala eyed him skeptically. Right at that moment, a sharp pain shot through his passage, and he winced.

“I don’t know who this god is, but from all that you’ve told me, I don’t think he deserves you.”

“Shala ...”

“No, listen Marduk.” Shala put her hands on her hips. “You should see yourself. You are so broken. I don’t know what he did to you, but if I ever meet him, I’m going to kick him in the balls!”

Marduk sighed heavily and fell to his back in the grass.

“Marduk,” Nanya said, leaning toward him. “Next time you see him, don’t let him fuck you. If he leaves you after that, then you’ll know he doesn’t deserve you.”

Marduk covered his face with his hands and groaned. Akad wasn’t the problem, but having no explanation for his battered state made it hard to convince them of Akad’s innocence. He didn’t want Nanya and Shala to hate Akad, but he couldn’t tell them about Poseidon’s party and what the Order had done to him.

At the end of the school day, he traversed the gardens, heading toward the clearing to meet Akad. Shala and Nanya had comforted him throughout the day, but now that he was alone, the torment of the previous night came crashing in on him. Marduk fought back tears, struggling to rein in his emotions. He could not meet with Akad, crying and falling apart.

When he arrived at the clearing, Akad lay in the grass waiting for him. Marduk took a deep breath. Seeing Akad made all his troubles seemed to evaporate. Marduk fell to the grass and clung to Akad desperately, never wanting to let him go.

“Marduk,” Akad said, peeling him back, “is there something wrong?”

Marduk pulled Akad to his lips, kissing him passionately, while running his hands into his hair. There was no way he could tell Akad about the Order; how they used him and destroyed him. He had to bury his wrecked emotions or risk falling in Akad’s eyes as well. Akad slid his hands up Marduk’s tunic, caressing his nipples before sliding his hands down his skirt and over his ass. Marduk’s temperature instantly spiked, their kiss becoming heated. In a matter of moments, their clothing had melted away, leaving nothing but their hot bodies pressed against one another.

Akad’s hand grasped Marduk’s cock, and all thoughts of the Order faded. Akad’s hands were an intense source of power, exciting him like nothing he had ever felt before. His touch triggered a response deep inside him. Marduk realized in that instant what he needed. He needed Akad to fuck him. He needed the fear that rushed through his veins when Akad pinned him to the ground and drove into him. He needed that frantic state of abandon to push every thought of the Order from his mind and leave him suspended in utter ecstasy. Before Marduk had a chance to think, Akad had flipped him over, and the weight of his body pressed into him. His entire being ached for Akad, but it was all too much. Both his body and soul were broken.

“Akad, wait!” Marduk said, breaking the trance. Akad released his grasp, lifting his weight off Marduk. Marduk’s breathing faltered, and his mind raced. He reached for his clothing, extracting a small vile of oil, and rolled over. Akad watched him closely as Marduk rubbed oil over his pulsing member.

“This is to prepare you,” Marduk said, answering the questioning look in Akad’s eyes. Then a look of understanding hit Akad, and his expression contorted in pain.

“Did I hurt you before?” The worry in his voice tugged on Marduk’s heart. Akad had torn him open both times they were together, but how could he tell him?

“No. It’s just—”

“I’m sorry,” Akad said, kissing Marduk. Then he retreated, laying his arms over his knees and burying his head in them.

“I’m okay,” Marduk assured him, sitting up and placing a hand on Akad’s arm. “It’s not your fault. I should have told you. I just didn’t want you to stop.”

Akad took Marduk into his arms and held him to his chest. Marduk’s heart swelled with emotion. When they finally fell back to the grass, it was for nothing but gentle kisses. Akad’s eyes remained closed, and tears appeared on his lashes. He struggled to comprehend Akad’s state. Was he so torn up by the prospect of hurting him? The times they were together, Akad had been so violent. Was it possible he didn’t realize how rough he was? There was so much about him that Marduk had yet to learn.

That night, Shamash delivered him to the room of another god. Marduk’s body and mind were still destroyed from the night before. He had no idea how Shamash expected him to actually perform or be of any use. He wanted to protest, but he still couldn’t look at Shamash. When the door opened, a servant led him through a long black curtain. On the right side of the room was a bed draped in black fur covers, and on the left, a fire was alight in the fireplace. Black curtains hung over a window on the far wall, and a black fur rug covered the floor. Marduk heard a noise behind him, and turned to see Aya step out of the shadows. His heart jumped.

“Aya,” he said, taking a step back. Aya was dressed in a black tunic and trousers, his long black hair spilling over his shoulders. He strode forward and placed a hand on Marduk’s arm.

“Aya, what are you doing? You can’t possibly expect ... I can’t sleep with you.”

“It’s okay, Marduk.” Aya removed his hand and stepped back, frowning. “I don’t expect anything from you. I just requested you because ... well, after what happened last night, I guess I thought you might need a break.” He lowered his eyes, rubbing his hands on his tunic.

Marduk stared at him for a long moment, unsure what to think.

“Thank you, Aya,” he finally said, folding his arms over his chest. He suddenly felt uneasy, not knowing what to say or do.

“You’re free to stay in my room tonight. As long as you’re here, no one will bother you.”

“I just want to sleep,” Marduk said, lowering his eyes.

It was early, but his body still hurt, and he had nothing to say to Aya. After Aya welcomed him to his bed, Marduk curled up beneath the blankets, closed his eyes, and breathed in Aya’s scent. He remembered the first time they kissed, and he tried to wipe it from his mind. Then his thoughts drifted to his god friends. They had told him he would one day forgive Aya. Marduk wondered if it would ever be possible. He woke several times in the night, each time discovering he had snuggled up to Aya. The first two times, he’d rolled away, but the third time he woke, he gave in, wrapping an arm around him.

––––––––

M
arduk continued to see Akad in their forest clearing; and with each visit, Akad stayed longer to talk with him. Akad told him about his father, and the more he said, the less he liked him. Marduk was sure Akad’s desire to hide their love was due to his father.

During his classes, Shala and Nanya continued interrogating him about his lover. Marduk broke down and told them how Akad had reacted when he prepared him with oil. Nanya had been moved, but Shala was still unconvinced. She was ready to slap his lover the moment she knew who he was.

When the weekend came, Marduk met Akad in their forest clearing and they decided to take a walk. Akad was telling him about a voyage on his father’s ship, when they came upon a stream. Marduk stopped, suddenly short of breath. A few paces away was a tree growing up out of the bank. He felt dizzy and drained. His capture and his first night in the Order crashed down on him all at once. In the next moment, Marduk was in Akad’s arms.

“Marduk, are you okay?” Akad asked.

“Yes.” Marduk attempted to right himself. “I guess I just felt sick.”

“Gods don’t get sick.” Akad laughed, scooping Marduk up into his arms, “but if you’re sick, I’ll carry you.”

“No, put me down,” Marduk protested but Akad just laughed and continued to walk through the forest carrying him. Marduk finally laughed as well.

“Okay, Akad, I’m fine. Just let me walk,” Marduk protested, but by the time Akad put him down, his face was flushed. He wondered how he would ever get an upper hand with him when Akad could so easily pick him up and carry him around like a doll.

“I wonder how far away from the temple we’d have to go before our powers came back,” Marduk said.

“Well, why don’t we find out?”

Akad and Marduk ran through the forest, and when they neared a break in the trees, Marduk felt a tingling sensation in his veins, his body growing warm and vibrant as his powers began to return. Akad turned and smiled at him, and Marduk knew he felt it too. When they approached the side of a cliff overlooking the mountains, Marduk closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh mountain air and reveling in the warmth of the sun shining down on them. Then he opened his eyes once more and turned toward Akad.

“Will you show me your powers?” he asked.

Akad laughed gently. “Okay... My father doesn’t like me doing this, but I will do it for you.” Akad turned and gazed out at the mountains. “Do you see that peak? Watch closely.”

Marduk watched the mountain rumble slightly; then the top appeared to crack, releasing a stream of gas through the break.

“Wow.” Marduk felt like an awestruck child with butterflies in his stomach. Never had he seen anything like it.

Akad laughed. “That’s just a small example. I could break the earth open, making every one of these mountains crumble, but I’d never do it. There’s a lot I can do but won’t.”

He moved up against Marduk, and he could feel Akad’s powers surging through him. Then Akad kissed him, sending a bolt of energy through his heart and making a fire flare up in his sex. Marduk’s mind flooded with blinding heat, and he climaxed, coming hard without one touch. Marduk gasped for air, breaking free from Akad, but Akad pulled him back into his arms and grabbed Marduk’s cock.

“Akad, please.” His touch made him instantly hard, and Marduk came again, his face burning as his legs gave way.

Akad caught him in his arms and laughed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

“Is instant orgasm one of your powers?” Marduk breathed against his chest.

“If it is, I never knew of it until now.”

Akad pulled Marduk tight to his body. “So are you going to show me your powers too?” he asked.

“I’ll show you, but they’re nothing compared to yours.”

Placing his hands on Akad’s face, Marduk let a charge build in his fingers. Then he turned and clapped his hands together; a bolt of lightning crashed to the valley below. Thunder filled their ears, and Marduk threw his arm toward the mountains, shooting lightning from his hand at the mountain Akad had cracked.

Akad’s eyes grew wide, and he hugged Marduk close once more.

“I want you,” Akad said.

Marduk was immediately short of breath. He couldn’t imagine submitting to Akad outside temple grounds. Akad’s intensity was already too much to handle. With his powers intact, Marduk feared Akad would drive him out of his mind. They had to get back to the temple.

“Akad, I have an idea. Let’s play a game. Release me and let me run into the forest. Then come try to catch me.”

“And when I catch you?”

“If you catch me, lay claim to me, and no matter how much I fight or cry, don’t stop until I’m yours.”

“Okay.” Akad smiled, almost appearing shy when he accepted.

“Close your eyes and count to ten.”

Marduk ran back into the forest, his powers fading as he ran. When Akad took him down and claimed his body, Marduk’s night in the forest crashed down on him. He knew it was Akad who had him. He was safe in Akad’s arms, but the panic still claimed his heart. He fought with all his might; then the hurt from that night, and all the nights that followed, flooded his chest until he was sobbing uncontrollably. When he came back to his senses, Akad was holding him in his arms. He wondered why he had ever suggested such a thing. Maybe he wished to erase what they did to him, replace his terrifying memories with good ones. Marduk could see the worry in Akad’s eyes.