The guards left and shut the door.
Eridan took a step back, his heart hammering in his chest. “Your Grace,” he said, bowing. Maybe if he pretended that there was nothing wrong with this, Tethru would behave decently, too.
But that hope was crushed when he saw Tethru’s gaze on his body. Fuck. He now regretted dressing so provocatively.
“Does your Master know what a naughty boy he has for an apprentice?” Tethru said.
“My Master will be here soon,” Eridan lied without blinking.
That seemed to take Tethru aback for a moment. But then he shook his head. “If Idhron knew about this, he would not let you come here alone. He has always tried to keep you away from me.”
Eridan frowned and said nothing.
“Truth be told, if he were not so determined to hide you from me—from everyone—I would not be so interested in you. I have wondered for years what he could possibly be hiding.” Tethru walked closer, eyeing Eridan’s face in a way that made his skin crawl. “Some of my associates think Idhron is just protecting you from my… attentions, but I do not think so. Castien is many things, but he is no sentimental fool. He would not care about such things. No, he is hiding something, and I think it has something to do with your past.”
Eridan’s forehead wrinkled. What was he talking about?
Tethru walked around him, like a predator circling its prey. “You are startlingly beautiful,” he said in an almost absent-minded voice, stroking his beard. “Even for a throwback, your physical appearance is remarkable. It makes me think you are the product of very expensive genetic engineering.”
What?
“Such advanced genetic engineering is usually available only to members of royal families,” Tethru said.
Eridan laughed. “That’s quite a leap, Your Grace.”
Tethru smiled with just his lips. “Perhaps. But I find it curious that there was a royal child about your age that went missing around the time Idhron brought you to the High Hronthar.”
Eridan stared at him. “My Master brought me to the Order?”
Tethru chuckled. “Were you not aware of it? Poor child.”
Eridan glared at him. “I’m not a child. And if my Master didn’t tell me about it, I’m sure he had valid reasons. It’s not my place to question him.” Of course he was going to question Castien, but that was their business, not this creep’s.
“Such loyalty is admirable,” Tethru said, stepping closer and taking Eridan’s chin. “And foolish.” His grip tightened, becoming painful. “You will tell me what he is planning, boy.”
“I don’t understand,” Eridan said.
Tethru glowered at him, his genial mask leaving him completely. “Don’t play an idiot. Idhron didn’t even fight for the position of Grandmaster. Why?”
“It’s just a word,” Eridan said. “What does he need the title for when everyone already treats him as the Grandmaster?”
A punch to his gut wasn’t unexpected. Eridan grunted in pain, suddenly glad that Tethru was too close to deliver a harder punch.
“You impertinent brat,” Tethru hissed into his face. “Perhaps I should teach you a lesson.”
Before Eridan could wonder what that could possibly mean, Tethru slammed his mouth against Eridan’s, shoving his tongue inside it.
Nauseated, Eridan bit hard on his tongue, causing Tethru to howl and remove his vile mouth. “You little piece of shit,” Tethru hissed, grabbing his hair and yanking Eridan’s head aside. He latched onto Eridan’s neck, biting so hard Eridan cried out in pain. Tethru laughed, shoving him against the wall. “Cry. I like it when little boys cry.” He ground his erection against Eridan’s stomach. “Can’t wait to stick it into your cunt.”
“MASTER!” Eridan screamed through the bond. “MASTER!”
Tethru laughed. “He will not come. He will not hear you. By the time I’m done with you, you will be sloppy with my semen, and he will only throw you away.”
Panic, rage, and disgust filled his body, his vision going red, and before Eridan knew what he was doing, Tethru was making strangled noises.
When he came back to his senses, Tethru was a dead weight on top of him.
His eyes wide, Eridan shoved him off and stared at Tethru’s still body.
Was he…?
Was he…?
Was he dead? Had he just strangled the Grandmaster of the Order to death?
Eridan swallowed his nausea. He couldn’t bring himself to touch Tethru to check his pulse.
Was he dead? He couldn’t sense Tethru’s telepathic mark anymore. Did that mean he was dead?
The sound of the door opening made him freeze.
“Eridan?” said Castien’s voice.
Eridan exhaled, relief like no other washing over him. It would be all right. Everything would be all right. His Master was here. His Master would take care of everything.
His legs no longer holding him, Eridan sank to the floor. He was trembling, he realized distantly. Maybe he was in shock.
Closing his eyes, he hugged his knees and rocked himself back and forth, the words of a half-forgotten lullaby sounding in his ears. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to look at… at the body. Was he dead? Or just unconscious?