Enabling

After the frightening experience of having his spouse writhing helplessly in the clutches of death, Vox decided to take Albel’s concerns to heart. If Albel perished before reproducing, both of their lines would die out. And the boy had some odd desire to have children for the sake of having children. Albel was a walking enigma.

The man decided to keep his decision to himself; Albel was impatient enough without knowing he was trying to find the concubine right then. He had told the boy that he would find the concubine in several years; it would take him time, but the girl would be found much sooner. It would be a pleasant surprise for Albel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Albel’s twentieth birthday passed and three months later, after half a year of searching, Vox finally found a female appropriate for their needs. It was quite common among the upper class, if they were having problems conceiving, to take a strong female from lower classes to conceive for them. It provided the upper class with the needed offspring and it was a job with numerous benefits for the females. The concubines would be tied to a family for five years and during that time she would conceive as many children as a family desired. After the five years were completed the female would be released with a high monthly pension to live on. And during the time chained to the family the female would have a comfortable place to live and all of her expenses would be paid for by the hiring family. It was agreeable.

But the female would not be able to see the children she bore. As soon as the infant was born it belonged solely to the hiring family. Once the child was done nursing the woman would become nothing more than a nanny, if the family desired to have her remain that close. And even then, as soon as the five years were up the woman was not to be seen near the family again.

The female Vox picked was from a very low, poor family. Typically, the upper class did not pick women from so low, but the duke knew that appearances could be deceiving. If no one looked in those lower levels then chances were there was a good number of strong and fertile females to choose from.

It was the duke’s opinion that the reason so many of the upper class had trouble conceiving was because there had been so much inbreeding in prior generations. It disgusted him. Before he had taken Albel he had been sure to take a look at the boy’s family records. Luckily there had not been a taint of inbreeding in the Nox family. It was not a fact all aristocrats could boast of.

The female Vox chose was a year younger than Albel, thin yet not toned; she had a soft look about her with the lack of muscle. She was of perfect weight to bear a child and had wide hips to carry the baby. When he had first met her the man had been turned off by the smudges of dirt on her face and caked onto her hands, but she was attractive. She had dark eyes and brown hair that, had it been washed and brushed, would have looked quite nice. She looked a bit like Albel, he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vox brought the female to his quarters to meet Albel during a brief reprieve they had from battles. When they entered Albel had been sitting at the duke’s table, reading over some notes on how the war was progressing. The boy looked up, curious to see his spouse entering with a female. At first he had thought that the man was bringing the girl in for a bit of kinky play. Then he took a good look at her.

Had the girl bathed, he was sure she would have been pretty. As it was, she did not look very special. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail and matted with grease. Her clothes were tattered and covered in dirt--like her body. The boy turned his nose up in disgust, but Vox cleared his throat and Albel attempted to put on a semi-nice expression.

“This is your concubine, Cordeillia.”

Albel was surprised to hear such a thing. Vox had not told him that he was looking for the concubine; Albel had thought he would have to wait several more years before the girl was given to him. He looked at the girl again. “If she washes herself, I’ll take her.”

Vox sighed. “I have not yet taken her to the quarters she will be occupying for the next several years. She will be able to wash up there. I thought you would like to meet her.”

The girl looked at him. She examined him for a moment and then looked into his eyes. Albel tipped his head to the side; despite the dirt, she had striking hazel eyes. Once she washed the dirt and stench of the poor off he would be able to bed her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Albel was quite taken with the girl the next time he saw her. She had cleaned herself and--what a difference! He did not have an intolerable disdain for the poor like most of his fellow aristocrats; he could not blame them for being poor. But he did not like the poor and being around them--they stank and lived in filth. The thought of living like that made him want to gag and vomit.

They spoke for several hours, acquainting themselves. Cordeillia admitted she had not thought, when she applied for the position of being a concubine, that she would actually be chosen by anyone. She was not foolish, Albel was pleased to see, she knew that her lowly position repelled most of the upper class. But she saw the benefits to be reaped and if she could just find a couple who wished to use her she would be set. He took delight in her sensibility.

Cordeillia also took delight in the one she was to sleep with. She had heard rumors of the captain Albel Nox. He was great in battle, a magnificent leader, and apparently in need of an heir. She had been given the information she needed to know about how Albel and the duke were secretly married and needed a child to carry on their familial lines. With this information also came a threat of death and dismemberment to her and her family should word leak past her lips. She had laughed to herself. As if she would be dumb enough to speak on such deep secrets.

The girl had heard other females talking, whispering over how handsome the Nox heir was. She had never bothered partaking in those conversations, but she could not help listening. The way he had been described…she had hoped one day she would meet him. And now she was to sleep with him and bear his children. Her pride tingled with joy.

It did not take long after their little sit down before they started being intimate. Cordeillia was not foolish enough to think that there was or ever would be something between her and the captain other than sex and the children she was to bear. But she would enjoy the time with him.

She refused to think of the captain with his spouse; she guessed that Nox was the submissive one in the relationship, given his age and size compared to the duke. Even the men’s dispositions were different. They were both dismissive and bossy, but the duke commanded subservience much more than his young spouse. She preferred to think of her lover the way he was with her; strong and in charge. When he came to her he was wild and eager. She loved it when he buried himself in her, biting down on her flesh and marking her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With his concubine secured. Albel made it a point to return to the city as often as he could. This roused the duke’s jealousies and Vox also made it a point to return to the city when Albel did.

The boy had returned from seeing Cordeillia one night, waltzing into the man’s quarters, past Vox who sat at a table in the living room, and going immediately into the bedroom. The duke looked up, watching as his young spouse walk past. He raised an eyebrow then stood and followed. He grinned at the sight of the young captain spread on his bed, legs angled perfectly for his sarong to slip off his thigh and show the stirring flesh and waiting passage between the boy’s legs.

“Have you enjoyed your session with the girl?”

Albel tilted his head to the side with a smirk. “Jealous?”

“I’ll show you how jealous I am.”

The man was in bed in an instant, between his spouse’s legs and ripping the clothes from the boy’s body. Albel laughed haughtily as the duke pulled the clothes from both of their bodies. He wrapped his lithe limbs about the man and pulled him closer. He was in such a good mood after meeting with Cordeillia he decided to throw his husband a kinky bone.

Leaning up, he whispered into the man’s ear, “Fuck me, now”

“Do you want it?’

“Yes; take me.”

Albel was tossed back onto the mattress. The duke leaned over him, running large hands up and down his thighs.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love seeing you in these stockings…and nothing else?” The man asked, kissing up the side of Albel’s neck to nip at his ear.

The boy let out a laugh that turned into a soft moan. “You never told me, but I guessed.”

A pair of strong arms circled his waist and held him close. Albel took in a deep breath, enjoying the feel of a heavy body crushed against him. He had come to accept the love he had of being possessed. Sex, he had come to realize, was a way to shed his fears and fronts and welcome a part of him he tried to deny. He still did not like playing weak for Vox, but welcoming the man to his body elated him.

The boy ranked his nails--real and artificial--down the duke’s back. Vox growled pleasantly, rocking against the smaller body beneath him. He kissed down Albel’s throat and chest, moving to twirl his tongue around a nipple before latching his teeth to the hardened nub. Albel gasped loudly, arching into the mouth on him. He fisted a hand in the man’s hair, writhing happily.

Vox groaned, lapping at the nipple with his tongue, then scraping his teeth against it before he began to suck harshly. The more Albel writhed, the harder he suckled. He loved to tease the boy, to drive the boy mad before he was inside of him. He released the nipple, giving it a playful nip before kissing down the boy’s chest and belly.

For a moment the man paused, pulling back to look down his spouse. Albel looked back at him with a soft expression only to be seen in the throes of passion. The duke ran his hands appreciatively over the firm muscles of the boy’s stomach then down to his hips. Albel spread his thighs, raising his hands to the man’s shoulders.

“Vox?” he was a little muddled as to why the man was staring at him and not delving into his body enthusiastically, as the man had done so many times before.

The duke smiled, running his hands down Albel’s thighs and pushing them apart.

“Soon enough,” he murmured, reaching for lubricant and coating himself before positioning himself at the boy’s entrance.

He pushed in and then did something he had never done before. After pushing in to the hilt, the man wrapped his arms around Albel and pulled the boy to him, sitting back on his haunches.

An odd little yelp escaped the young captain’s lips as he wrapped himself around the man, arms around the duke’s neck and legs about the man’s waist. In such a position he could feel his spouse buried deeper inside of him than ever before. He let out a shaky breath.

Vox caressed the boy’s sides then cupped Albel’s buttocks, lifting the smaller male and then dropping him back upon his throbbing cock. Albel wrapped himself around the man tighter, then lifted his weight and thrust back upon the cock buried inside of him. It riveted him, the feel of his lover and husband so far inside of him, pressing against his sweet spot.

Albel bit into the duke’s neck.

The man growled, digging his nails into the soft flesh of Albel’s rear. “Does that feel nice?” he panted into the boy’s ear.

Albel moaned against the man’s neck.

“I want you to remember, Albel, you belong to me. Do you understand?”

Albel nodded his head, then leaned back in the man’s arms and whispered, “Yes, Vox.”

“Remember, the children you will have with this female will be yours and mine. Not hers, not yours alone, OURS. Do you understand?” He followed his question up with a hard thrust to the boy’s prostate.

Albel moaned in response and then answered again, “Yes, Vox.”

The duke gripped him harder, thrusting harshly. Something about hearing those words, spoken so softly and obediently from his dear spouse’s lips, made the desire to possess the boy even greater. He fisted a hand in the boy’s hair, yanking Albel’s head back so he could look into the younger captain’s crimson eyes.

Albel gasped, eyelids fluttering open. He looked at the duke, mouth parted slightly, barely audible pants escaping his lips. His eyes lacked the usual luster and harsh pride. They shone with something entirely different, something akin to affection. It drove the man even madder.

Wrapping his arms tightly round his spouse, taking firm hold of the boy, Vox threw his head back, grinding his teeth together, and rammed into the body around him. Albel opened his mouth wide to yell but managing to holding in a scream, and shifted, bringing the man further into him. They moved together in quick, passionate unison.

“Vox!” He called out, muscles clamping around the man’s cock.

The duke grunted, determined to hold out, to make this time last longer. “Not yet, Albel. Speak to me, tell me you enjoy this, the feelings I give to you.”

“I do!” Albel cried, pulling himself closer to the man and thrusting down upon the intruding member, “I do enjoy it!”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes, yes, I do!”

Vox came suddenly, shooting his seed into his spouse’s core and burying his face into the soft skin of the boy’s neck. Albel let out a hoarse yell at the feel of his husband’s warm semen coating his insides. He spilled his own semen onto both of their bellies, muscles going slack, and dropped his head back.

The duke made a pleased humming noise, holding his spouse close to him and then gently lied the boy into the bed. He should have sent the boy off, back to his own quarters, but Albel looked peaceful and on the verge of slumber. Covering the boy and placing a chaste kiss on the young captain’s forehead, Vox left him to his rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What had he done? Even as he was being pulled into sleep Albel knew he had made a horrible mistake. Damn his treacherous mouth! He loved Vox? That was purely conjecture at that point! He cared for the man but love was pushing the emotion a bit far. Even after a year of marriage they were not close enough, did not know enough about one another, to be in love. The only reason Vox had asked, the boy was certain, was to stroke his pride.

The feel of the soft kiss to his forehead made Albel cringe. A small part of him wept on the inside. Perhaps he had underestimated the man’s feelings. If that were true, how pitiful for himself; Albel hated himself a bit more. He reached out to touch the duke, taking the hand from his forehead and holding onto it for a moment. There was a small chuckle from Vox and then the man pulled away.

The man must have thought it was an endearing touch, that Albel was trying to pull him closer. Albel wanted to stab himself. He was not ready yet to admit to himself that he cared enough for the duke to call it love. So why had he said it?! Damn the man for putting him on the spot like that! What else could he have said?! No? That would have ruined the moment--not to mention their marriage.

What a headache. He needed time before he could say it was love. But Albel knew, he could feel it somewhere inside of his innards, that soon enough he would be looking at the duke in a new light. And knowing that change was coming scared him shitless.

~END

Because anon is so generous in her reviews (seriously, does anyone else read this? Then review!) the promised chapter. Yays! We gots an artist! I can’t wait to see what anon makes! Anon, you are my new best friend; ilu too! We should make a movement! Anyway, a shorter chapter, but quite a bit of new information. I have the next few chapters planned out and I’m looking forward to the upcoming ones. So...reactions to this chapter’s revelations and events? Yes, I’m a review whore. I love getting paragraphs talking about favorite parts and what readers want to see and all that.