More Than Chains To Bind by Stevie Woods

then rest.
    I'd have to wait until the food break the next day and I had the feeling Liander was going to have a difficult night. Not that I doubted he could take care of himself. I just wish he didn't have to and that I could take care of him myself. In the biblical sense, too.
    Fuck, this is so not the time for me to get hard. Englo wants me back in the wrestling square. Think of something, quick. Fortil naked? Hell no, that just makes me hard with a need to commit violence.

    * * * *
    Fortil has been watching me every second since they locked us in our hall. Seeing we're chained together, what the hell did I expect? However, every other night he had purposely kept his gaze away from me. This evening, he was sitting on the lip of the pool after taking his bath and waiting for me to finish mine. His constant staring was making me very uncomfortable, which was his intention, I'm sure. I could feel his eyes assessing me, running up and down my body, lingering on my genitals and butt. I couldn't let him know it was unsettling to me, so I plastered a blank expression on my face while I washed my body.
    When I was finished, I started over to the bundles of fresh clothing left for us every evening after our bath when all of a sudden I was yanked back by my wrist chain, only just managing to keep myself from falling. I turned to see Fortil still sitting on the pool wall, one foot on the wall, the other on the floor, exposing himself for my benefit. I lifted my gaze to stare at his free hand gripping his chain as he grinned at me.
    I raised my eyebrows and simply said, "Clothes."
    He lifted the chain and gave it a little shake. The bastard wanted me to try to pull him, knowing the odds were his greater bulk would make it very difficult. I had no intention of falling for his stupid mind game.
    Keeping my eyes on him, I raised my voice, "Clothes!"
    One of the guards stood from his leaning position against the back wall, took in our little tableau and yelled in a bored voice, "Fortil!"
    Fortil wasn't stupid enough to buck the guards, especially after seeing what happened to Canto, so he made a pantomime of dropping the chain, rising to his feet and giving me a scornful bow. Then he marched over and grabbed a handful of clothing so I had to hurry to grab my clothes before he tugged me to our usual place near one of the columns.
    I turned my back on him and, using the column for support, began to pull on my clothes; I'd gotten quite efficient at it now, even one-handed.
    Suddenly I felt a hand on my back and I froze for a second before I pulled away, not bothering to hide my shudder. "Take your hands off me!"
    "Hush now, Lian. Don't make a fuss...I just want to talk quietly," Fortil whispered in my ear. "I know your secret, and if you want it to stay secret, then you have to pay my price," he said with a decided smirk.
    "And what secret is that?" I asked, buying time to think. Which secret was he referring to? My title or my feelings for Hollis?
    "Hollis. You and Hollis. Don't think Cor'lyn would like that."
    "But you think he won't mind about you?"
    "He isn't going to know about me. You won't tell him, and I sure won't."
    "I won't?" I smiled. "I don't think you've thought this through. Your only threat to me is that Cor'lyn will be angry, upset, whatever, because of my...relationship with Hollis. So, why would I give in to you when the only result would be Cor'lyn would be angry, upset, whatever, because of you? I don't think that's a very good argument, do you?"
    "You won't tell him, for your sake," he said confidently. "He wants you; he will treat you good."
    "Ah, but I would tell him." I moved into his personal space until our noses were almost touching. "Treat me good? Fuck that! Cor'lyn might want me, but I don't want him any more than I want you. Why the hell do I care what he thinks when he's already told me he's going to buy me, own me." I placed a hand against his chest. "Understand this...I will never, ever give it up to anyone