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Again and again, Robert ran his fingers through the soft fur of his coat, trying to use the sensation to calm his nerves. He had been nervous plenty of times in his life, but this was different. Tonight, he wasn't simply at the mercy of events, a powerless witness only needing to worry about what might happen to him. No, tonight, he was expected to be an active participant, doing things without being prompted, maybe even making decisions. His actions would have consequences.
What if he made a mistake?
He wasn't ready. And why would he want to be? He was a pet. He didn't have any official status. But he had repeatedly failed to convince Lady Karr of his insignificance and now he was paying the price. He was trapped inside this hoverglider, with no way out, until they reached the grand reception.
Thomar suddenly laid his hand on Robert's fidgeting fingers. Somehow, he had managed to forget that he was sitting right next to him. Thomar looked as calm and composed as he always did when out on official business.
“It's going to be fine,” he said, gently stroking Robert's hand. “You look great. And I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture of you wearing her gift for the occasion.”
It didn't feel reassuring that, for once, Thomar hadn't correctly guessed the reason for Robert's nervousness. He knew he looked good. After all, he had spent hours reading up on what was appropriate attire for an official demon function and as many hours putting together his outfit so as to look regal yet understated and matching Thomar's, which was a more decorated version of his usual severe black uniform. Dark grey dress pants and a button down shirt of the same colour felt stiff to him, but the material was exquisite and they were tailored to him. And they looked great with the fur coat, which had been Lady Karr's first gift. He had played arm candy plenty of times – that he could do. But he had never been expected to do more than smile and look pretty.
Thomar probably had enough things of his own to worry about and was elsewhere with his thoughts. That had to be why he hadn't read Robert as accurately as he usually did. The opening ceremony for the newly built, central fortress of Lady Karr's barony on Aylian would see many demon dignitaries attending – and most of them hadn't sworn an oath of fealty to Thomar.
But Thomar had insisted that Robert should accept Lady Karr's invitation, without providing any better explanation other than that he would enjoy having him along. Which was an excellent reason, of course. He didn't want to disappoint or embarrass his master.
But there was so much that could go wrong!
Thomar cocked his head in curiosity, catching up to the fact that he had apparently misjudged the reason for his pet's nervousness. “Now, what has you in such a tizzy? It's just a party.” He eyed Robert for a moment. “If I promise you it will be fine and nothing will go wrong, you'll give me that look again, won't you?”
Robert's first instinct was to protest that he was never giving his master any 'that looks'. Then he realised that protesting was just as inappropriate for a proper pet. And there was the fact that he knew exactly what look Thomar was talking about. When had he become such a bad pet?
Only, he actually wasn't a bad pet. He was perfect for his master and that was what counted, right? It wasn't his fault that this particular master wanted a bad pet.
“Hey.” Thomar reached over to him to take his chin and turn his face so he had to look at him, smiling warmly. “You will be fine. We will be fine. I'll be there with you. I won't let anything happen to you.”
For some reason, this promise managed to calm his nerves. Thomar admittedly excelled at getting them into terrible situations, but he always got them back out again. He leaned into Thomar's touch and was rewarded with his fingers caressing his cheek.
“Just stay close to me. I'll do the politicking, you enjoy the party. And if any demons offer you any gifts, you smile mysteriously and nod politely without making any commitments.”
The only part that sounded easy in that advice was the 'stay close' part, but Robert forced himself to smile and nod. Of course, he wasn't convincing Thomar, but he was practising and hopefully one day would manage to.
Thomar chuckled. “Good enough,” he said and briefly kissed Robert. Something outside caught his attention, and he pointed outside the glider's window on Robert's side. “Oh wow! That looks stunning.”
So far, Robert hadn't paid any attention to the world outside, but now he followed his master's gaze. Thomar was right, the first view of Lady Karr's newly built holdings was stunning.
Since her demon tribe was winged, they preferred some altitude. Aylian had plenty of mountain ranges, and while the lower slopes were riddled with caverns and hid countless N'Ptalini settlements, the upper reaches had so far remained uninhabitable. Thomar had given one of these high-altitude mountain regions to Lady Karr, and her builders had outdone themselves. A delicate latticework of buildings wound along a sheer cliff face, now, with spires jutting up and some parts even pointing down, defying gravity.
Thomar had mentioned earlier that so far, not much had been finished – only Lady Karr's personal home and a few outlying buildings – so Robert hadn't expected much, but apparently demons had a different view of what constituted 'not much'. Only two months had passed since Lady Karr had sworn allegiance to Thomar, so Robert guessed that 'building' was a demon euphemism for using magic to conjure buildings out of thin air. Though, looking at them now, the structures appeared to be built from the same rock as the cliff face. During the day, they were probably hardly visible from afar, but now, all lit from within, they glittered like a tiara of golden stars.
It wasn't just a stunning overall view, the buildings themselves also looked pretty, something Robert hadn't expected at all. Demon dens in the movies were dark and terrible places. This looked positively welcoming, at least when one discounted the remote location and that it was impossible to get there without the ability to fly.
More details came into view as they approached, including countless platforms and balconies overlooking the abyssal drop down the cliff face. Robert had never suffered from a fear of heights, but imagining standing at the edge of such a platform made him dizzy. He very much hoped the reception would take place inside.
Their hoverglider slowed down for landing, heading for a large platform brightly lit with two rows of standing torches. In front of the torches waited an impressive array of demon warriors. They all were of the same physique as Lady Karr, with massive bodies covered in scales. They looked taller than Lady Karr, but they had fewer and smaller horns, and, as far as Robert could tell from the distance, they were dark grey instead of shiny black.
The moment the hoverglider touched down on the platform, the entire honour guard of demons snapped to attention. They banged the butts of their lances against the ground in unison when the glider's door opened. They stared straight ahead like any other honour guard, but Robert thought they looked a lot scarier than any he had ever seen.
“Just hang on to my arm, keep your chin high, and pretend they aren't there.” Thomar gave him a last encouraging smile before he arranged his face in what Robert thought of as his 'perfectly haughty and bored duke' expression. Thomar stepped out of the glider as if he owned the place and the guards. Which, of course, technically he did. This planet was his property, and so was everyone living on it.
Robert followed him and was immediately grateful that he had chosen to wear the fur coat. At this altitude, the air was bitingly cold. He pulled the thick collar tighter around his neck and gratefully accepted Thomar's offered arm. As Thomar had advised, he held his chin high, but he couldn't help glancing at the demon guards out of the corner of his eyes as they passed between them. They looked very big and very dangerous. Their perfectly professional appearance didn't reassure Robert. They looked like they could easily have ripped him to tiny shreds.
But before he could start vividly imagining his grisly demise at their hands, or rather, claws, the great portal before them was thrown open and warmth and golden light spilled out in a flood. He half expected some sort of fanfare or more guards, but instead, it was Lady Karr herself who stepped out to greet them. By the standards of both Empire nobility and demon customs, it would have been appropriate for her to wait for them in whatever served as her throne room or central hall. Coming out to meet them could mean trouble or be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
But her wide open snarl of a smile, showing off those rows of sharp teeth, told Robert that she simply was delighted to see them, and he smiled back at her as radiantly. He liked the hulking demon lady, he couldn't help it. She was cunning and, as far as he had heard, a formidable warrior, and honest and generous on top. At least, to him she had been. And she had given him Alain, which had enriched his life more than he would ever have thought possible.
She first bowed politely to Thomar. “Your Grace,” she said formally, but when she turned to Robert her grin grew wider, “Master Robert, I'm so glad you have accepted my invitation. Be most welcome to our new home. I am greatly looking forward to showing you what you have made possible for me and my clan.”
Of course, 'Master' was an entirely inappropriate way of addressing a mere slave, but this time, Robert didn't try to correct her anymore.
“Thank you, my lady,” he replied with a gracious nod. Suddenly, he didn't feel all that threatened anymore by the demon guards. After all, they were Lady Karr's people, and he knew that she wouldn't just defend him from danger, but would also order her guards to do so. Now if he managed not to embarrass his master, maybe it would turn out not to be a terrible evening after all.
Behind them, their hoverglider took off to make room for the next arrival, while Lady Karr led the way inside.
***
When the door of the hoverglider closed, the silence was deafening. After several hours of incessant chatter, laughter and music, it was as if someone had suddenly pulled the plug on all sound. It had been a splendid evening and when Thomar had told him it was time to go home, Robert had found himself reluctant to go.
Demons certainly knew how to throw a party.
He had stayed by his master's side the whole time, ignored by the human nobles as nothing but a pretty bauble. But every time they had spoken to demons, Robert had been included in the conversation like any other guest. At first, Robert had assumed they simply didn't understand his status and he had carefully explained it to those who curiously enquired. But apparently, they equated him with some kind of succubus, and in demon society, that was a position of power.
And Lady Karr's people were admittedly charming. Her clan consisted of warriors and shapers and they were all as startlingly honest and likeable as the newly minted Baroness herself. Only those who already had a soul were allowed to attend the reception, and in some regards, they seemed almost like children. They viewed their new world with wide-eyed awe and asked questions about the most mundane things only to 'ah' and 'oh' at his answers with obvious delight.
No wonder Lady Karr had been so intent on leaving the demon empire and finding them a new home. All of them seemed to think that he had played an important role in making their move possible and they all made a point of thanking him. The warriors by loud declarations of loyalty and the shapers with shy words. They deserved to be safe. He had no doubt that Thomar would care for them like he cared for all his subjects. But should he slip up, Robert would remind him.
It felt strange and more than a little preposterous, but for the first time in his life he genuinely cared about the well being of people who weren't of any real consequence in his own.
The glider's engine hummed to life, followed by a chuckle from Thomar right beside him.
Glancing over to his master, Robert found the cool, assertive duke gone, replaced by a slightly flushed boy, grinning happily. The entire evening, Thomar had kept on his mask of haughty noble. Even when they had been dancing, he had never done more than smile indulgently. Robert had gotten better at reading his master over the last year, but even he hadn't been sure whether Thomar was having fun at all. Now he knew.
It made him tingle with happiness. Or maybe that was the excellent, unfamiliar, sparkling wine he had been drinking maybe a little too much of.
“Remind me that we need more dancing at our parties,” Thomar said. “I should have known I would love dancing with you since we went ice skating. Though I think you will have to give me some dancing lessons too. You were all grace and beauty and I felt stiff as a board. Sorry for stepping on your toes all the time.”
So maybe Thomar hadn't been keeping up his haughty facade so much as struggling with the steps. Of course, he wouldn't have received an education in formal dancing in his remote N'Ptalini village. Robert chided himself for not realising that sooner. However, the idea of teaching him how to dance was so enticing. It was something they could do together and it would involve lots of touching and, considering how quickly Thomar had picked up on the ice skating, he would surely turn into a great dancer.
Thomar was growing and soon he would be taller than Robert. The mere thought of having a taller partner lead him made Robert flush. It had only happened when he had still been in training, but, even when it was his stern teacher, Robert had thoroughly enjoyed letting himself be carried by the music and his partner's arms. Knowing that he could trust Thomar and that he would enjoy it too made Robert swoon and he leaned closer against Thomar.
“I would love to show you how to dance,” he said. Or tried to say. It came out as a seductive purr, mostly.
It took Thomar only one blink of his eyes to switch from excited boy into horny young man and for his smile to turn to lust. All his training, and his long career as a pet, had taught Robert that waiting for his master to pounce was the proper thing to do. Instead, he turned fully towards Thomar so he could grab him by the front of his stiff shirt and pull him into an open-mouthed kiss. Thomar tasted of the spicy meat he had been snacking on before they left and of the same sparkling wine Robert had enjoyed so much.
His entirely inappropriate advance was rewarded with a passionate groan from his master and Thomar's hand coming up to cup his neck. They kissed hungrily. It never took much to get Robert in the mood, but tonight his cock hardened so quickly it startled him. Maybe he wasn't that old after all. Thomar's other hand was already wandering all over his body, so Robert followed suit and started unbuttoning Thomar's shirt. With all the years of practice, it didn't take him long to reach the warm skin underneath the stern uniform, while Thomar was wrestling with Robert's much simpler attire.
Some manoeuvring was necessary, but they quickly managed to find a comfortable position to press against each other more intimately. Robert had fucked in plenty of vehicles from horse-drawn carriages to hurried blowjobs in filthy, public taxis. Thank God for spacious luxury hovergliders with completely separate passenger compartments, he thought as he opened his master's pants. And then he stopped thinking about much at all as they ground against each other. There was some more struggling to rid themselves of clingy clothes until they gave up on that and only freed the most relevant equipment to get to the good part.
It was a perfect evening after all.