Chapter One
Kayos
“You know youwant me.”
At the sultry voice of one of his subs, Kyllian’s head snapped around, and he not-so-silently cursed the young man making a scene.Kyllian was leaning against a booth at Dominion, the BDSM club where he was one of the Masters, chatting with Spyder, Hawk, and their two females.Brandon, the sub, was leaning across the bar, his bubble butt encased in tight pants.If Kyllian swung that way, he would have already gotten balls deep in the man.Kyllian pushed off the booth and stalked across the floor.He didn’t say a word to the bratty sub.One look was all it took for Brandon to duck his head and follow.When they reached the back hall where private rooms lined both walls, Kyllian entered the first door of an unoccupied space.When Brandon was inside, he immediately dropped to his knees.
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“Did I give you permission to speak?”Being a Gryphon, Kyllian had to be careful.He had the ability to voice others.The mind manipulation was a gift from Zeus to ensure the wrong people didn’t find out about shifters.The Hounds also used the ability in their family mercenary business to gain information.It was not to be used on bratty subs who couldn’t obey the rules.
Brandon shook his head.Kyllian, being a shifter, also had to be careful in his particular skillset.Too much wrist action and he could damage his human partners.Brandon Agnew was a young man trying to outrun an abusive homelife.When Kyllian first got into the lifestyle, he found it odd that people who were abused outside the club wished for pain to remove their grief.Justin, the owner of the club and the male who had taught Kyllian how to use the various implements in his particular kink, explained the psychology behind pain.What a whip or cane offered was an escape from reality.The pain they produced took the sub to a place outside themselves where they could forget about life for a while.
“What happened?”Kyllian asked.Brandon coming into the club and mouthing off to the bartender was a cry for help.
Speaking of crying, Brandon’s voice trembled.“He found me.”
Kyllian didn’t have to ask who Brandon was referring to.The young man had been in an abusive relationship for the last two years.When Brandon asked Ted to spank him, Ted gave him what he wanted at first.When Brandon asked for Ted to spank him harder, something inside the other man flipped, and he began whipping Brandon with a belt.He took Brandon’s need for pain as permission to abuse the young man.Brandon had come to Kyllian a broken soul, and with patience and a steady hand, Kyllian gave the sub what he needed without harming him.Theirs wasn’t a sexual arrangement.That wasn’t to say Brandon didn’t get off on being whipped; he did.But Kyllian never touched the man in a sexual fashion.The orgasms were a byproduct of the cane.The aftercare where Kyllian tended to the marks on Brandon’s body as well as giving him cuddles weren’t of a sexual nature either.They were nurturing.Caring.
His family rarely saw that side of Kyllian.He was the broody brother.He and his oldest brother, Ryker, had that in common.Now that Ryker had found a mate in Rhiannon, he was less broody and smiled a hell of a lot more often than before.Kyllian laughed and cut up with his brothers, Hayden especially, but when he wasn’t around family, he rarely smiled.Didn’t really have a reason to.
“Did you go to the police?”Kyllian asked.He had convinced Brandon to get a restraining order against Ted.Kyllian helped Brandon move out of the apartment the two men were sharing.Since Brandon was a successful CPA, his name had been on the lease.He paid the majority of the bills, so when he broke the lease and moved to a neighboring town, he had left Ted without a home or a boyfriend.
“Yes, but they said since he didn’t actually threaten me, there was nothing they could do.”
Kyllian should have handled Ted before now, but he had wrongly assumed the restraining order would do the job.Stepping into Brandon’s space, Kyllian ran his fingers through the man’s dark curls.He didn’t often show his softer side to his subs, but sometimes a gentle touch worked better than a heavy hand.
“I’ll take care of it.But Brandon?The next time you come into Dominion and cause a scene like you did with Frankie, the punishment will be harsh.You get me?”
“Yes, Master K.”
“Good boy.Here’s what I want you to do.First, go out there and apologize to Frankie.While you do that, I’m going to talk to Justin.He and Silas are here tonight.I’m going to ask them to keep you company until I have a talk with Ted.When I give them the all-clear, they’ll take you home.”Kyllian put enough of his Gryphon’s influence into his voice so Brandon obeyed without question.
“Thank you, Master K.”
Kyllian offered his hand, and the young man took it.Once they were in the hallway, Kyllian said, “Go into the bathroom and wash your face.”He waited outside while Brandon got himself together.When he exited the washroom, he gave Kyllian a hesitant smile.Kyllian ruffled his hair, then strode out into the main room with his sub following.Brandon headed to the bar, and Kyllian turned to go to the office.Before he got two steps in, a familiar voice called out.
“Kayos, wait up.”
Kyllian’s heart pounded steadily.If Ryker was in Dominion, something was wrong.He grabbed his oldest brother’s shoulders.“What the hell are you doing here?What happened?Is it Rory?Pop?”
“Calm down.They’re both fine.Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
“For fuck’s sake.Just tell me.”
“It’s about a job.”
Kyllian narrowed his eyes.“You came all the way out here to talk to me about a job?”
Ryker jutted his chin.“You weren’t answering your phone.”
“Because I was working.Jesus.”Kyllian grabbed Ryker’s forearm and pulled his brother away from the floor.He led Ryker to the same room he had used to talk to Brandon.“Wait here.”
“Wait—?”
“Yes, wait.I was in the middle of something when you intercepted me.”Kyllian didn’t give Ryker time to argue.He made his way to Silas’s office and told him and his mate, Justin, what happened with Brandon and Kyllian’s plan to get rid of Ted.He wouldn’t kill him, but he would encourage him to get out of town and stay there.“If you wouldn’t mind keeping watch over him, I would appreciate it.”They both readily agreed, and Kyllian returned to his brother, closing the door behind him.Ryker was livid, but Kyllian couldn’t find it in himself to care.
“Now, what’s so fucking important you had to come disrupt me here?”