Chapter Selection

The ballroom of the Seyruun palace was filled with people in elegant costumes and the sound of chatter and laughter. Xellos wanted to kill them all and listen to the sweet silence that followed such satisfying destruction. He would let them die quickly, all except the little Princess. She would die slowly, skin pulled away in strips, body parts removed one at a time, magic used to keep her alive and awake and aware throughout the whole process. Aware enough to watch as Xellos fucked her precious Zelgadiss right in front of her shattered form.

He went cold at the thought, stark realization cutting cleanly through the blinding anger. His gaze remained where it had been, on a single couple among the many dancing, as he finally noticed that his anger had started the moment Zelgadiss had allowed Amelia to drag him onto the dance floor. They were now talking, and Amelia was smiling, obviously as love-sick as ever.

Xellos was jealous, murderously jealous. He snarled at himself, too annoyed to be amused when the people around him moved away at the sound. This situation had gone from unacceptable to intolerable, and it was his fault.

No, it was Zelgadiss' fault, he told himself as he stormed from the ballroom and stalked through the castle corridors. He was the one who had brought up the idea of Xellos getting revenge, he was the one who had left him alone, like that, he was the one who had let Uruha capture him in the first place.

Xellos stopped suddenly and slammed a fist into the wall, feeling it give way with a satisfying crack. Zelgadiss was the one, damn it, who was still in control here. Whatever the chimera might say, Xellos was clearly not calling the shots.

"Just what did the wall do to offend you?" an amused tone asked, and Xellos' entire body tensed as he heard Zelgadiss walking up behind him.

"None of your business," he snapped, and then turned with a snarl when Zelgadiss laughed at him.

"You didn't say it was a secret, you must really be pissed." The chimera had that look again, want and need and confidence, and before he could stop himself, Xellos swung his staff at the other man's head.

The wood slapped against Zelgadiss' hand as he caught it before the swing was finished, and then pulled it out of Xellos' hand with the damnable strength given to him by the spell. He tossed it away and Xellos could hear it clatter against the stone floor before it came to rest.

"That wasn't very nice," Zelgadiss chided, and Xellos glared.

"I hate you."

"I know. That's why it makes you so angry that you want me, that you consider me yours."

"I consider you property," he answered, and then realised that was basically an agreement.

"But I'm your property," Zelgadiss said, stepping closer, "and that makes you furious."

Xellos stepped back, cursing when he hit the wall behind him, hating that he'd retreated in the first place.

"You should use that anger," Zelgadiss whispered, leaning closer to Xellos, placing him mouth right by the mazoku's ear. "Use me."

A gasp betrayed the reaction his body had to that statement, and Xellos could feel Zelgadiss' smile against his cheek. He snarled and tried to push the chimera away. "I will never touch you again." It was supposed to have peen punishment, revenge, not something Zelgadiss craved more of. Damn it, Xellos wanted nothing to do with him!

"You're so stubborn," Zelgadiss said with a sigh, grabbing both of Xellos' wrists. In a flash they were bound together by the energy ropes, and then Zelgadiss pulled his arms up, lifting Xellos off the floor. When the chimera's arms came down, Xellos' remained above his head. He looked up and found himself hanging from an ornate wall sconce that held a cheerfully burning torch.

"You aren't seriously going to do this here," he said, even as Zelgadiss' hands brushed his throat as they undid the clasp and sent Xellos' dark cloak tumbling to the ground.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"In Seyruun Castle, sanctuary of justice and right?" It was quite possibly the most bizarre argument he had ever made in his entire existence, and Zelgadiss just laughed at it.

"You're suddenly concerned for Seyruun? A moment ago you looked like you wanted to splatter its princess across the dance floor." He pulled Xellos' shoes off one at a time, and slipped his fingers under the waistband of the black pants, leaving the sash tied at his waist.

"You did that on purpose," Xellos accused, finally understanding why Zelgadiss had allowed himself to be drawn onto the dance floor when he usually refused.

"You were ignoring me," Zelgadiss said, pulling the pants off in one fluid motion. "I have your attention now though, don't I?"

Xellos just glared as he hung there, half-naked and unintentionally aroused. His shoulders were beginning to feel the strain of supporting his body and he actually thought that he'd rather be on his knees before pushing the thought away with a shudder.

"Comfortable?" Zelgadiss asked in a disturbingly cheerful tone.

"No, but that wasn't your intention."

"Oh, but it was." Zelgadiss stepped forward, between Xellos' dangling legs and lifted Xellos slightly, taking some of the strain off his arms. "It won't hurt when you're resting snug against me." He shifted the angle of Xellos' hips and the mazoku found himself almost sitting on Zelgadiss' pelvis. If the chimera weren't still dressed, he'd be sitting right on top of the hard cock he could feel through the fabric. Which was, of course, the whole point.

"We both know you're going to do this, so just get it over with," Xellos growled, and then tried to focus more on the scraping of the castle wall at his back than on the chimera's stone skin against his from as Zelgadiss pulled his own pants away. The chimera left the rest of his clothes on, and the soft fabric of his evening cloak caressed Xellos' legs when they were forcibly wrapped around Zelgadiss' waist.

"This would be far more enjoyable for us both if you just accepted our situation," Zelgadiss said, leaning in for a kiss that Xellos refused to return. Instead, he pulled away.

"Like you have?" he asked with a harsh laugh as he felt himself being raised. "Tell me, do you even bother to fight it anymore?"

"No, I don't," Zelgadiss answered, and lowered Xellos quickly, letting gravity force the mazoku's body down onto his cock.

Xellos screamed as the pleasure/pain ripped through him, hating his body, hell, his whole race, for making the two almost indistinguishable from each other.

"Yes," Zelgadiss hissed, resting his head against Xellos' shoulder. Then he reached up and wrapped Xellos' hands around the metal shaft of the wall sconce. "You'll have to help."

"You've got to be kidding," Xellos muttered, wincing against the feeling of Zelgadiss pressing him harder against the wall.

"I can lift you, drop you down onto each thrust, if you really want me to. Just take you as hard as I can before you stop fighting and start begging, like you always do."

"You bastard."

"It’s your choice, Xellos. This is all for you."

"Do it yourself."

Zelgadiss sighed. "Fine." His hands lowered until they were resting on Xellos' hips and squeezed as they lifted him up. Xellos could feel each finger as a sharp point that lasted until Zelgadiss released slightly, lowering Xellos again and thrusting up to meet him, only to do it again and again, alternating types of pain and Xellos heard the metal of the wall sconce begin to shriek as he crushed it.

He was biting his lip, the sharp tang of blood in his mouth adding to the other sensations as the wall scraped against his back and Zelgadiss' cock scraped against his insides and his traitorous body just sucked it all up and begged for more because it was so fucking good. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was beg again, but his hands were trapped above his head and Zelgadiss' were on his hips and he needed to be touched now. "Zelgadiss, please, damn it."

"What do you need, Xellos?"

"You already know, you bastard."

"Yes, but you're not acting like you're in a more cooperative mood, so why should I?"

Xellos snarled, using the now-twisted wall sconce to help pull himself up, taking control of the pace, which was control of something at least. He could tell Zelgadiss was smirking, but the chimera didn't say anything before wrapping one of his hands around Xellos' aching shaft and pulling, hard.

"Fuck, yes."

"You see," Zelgadiss murmured as he began to set a rhythm of quick, rough strokes, "it’s so much better when you play along."

Xellos just glared down at him, meeting the chimera's heated gaze, which held something other than lust, but he didn’t care enough to try and puzzle it out. Not even when Zelgadiss leaned forward in a kiss that landed on Xellos' cheek when he turned his head and looked down the corridor. Right at Amelia, who was standing at the corner with a look of horrified shock on her face.

Xellos came with a shout, feeling the wall sconce snap in half and Zelgadiss grab him, pull closer, in deeper, as the chimera slammed him back against the wall to remain upright and climaxed as well. Xellos realised his eyes were closed when Zelgadiss pulled out carefully, and looked down the now-empty corridor while he tried to get balanced on his feet. The energy ropes faded as he tossed away the ruined wall sconce. Zelgadiss was silent as Xellos dressed again, which was a good thing. Xellos was furious, with Uruha, with Zelgadiss, and with himself. He'd begged, again, after everything. It was unacceptable. His gaze shifted to the corner again before he went to retrieve his staff, he'd been able to hurt the little Princess like he'd wanted, and that was something at least.