Lords of the Underworld [malexmale]

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Niki so happy master back and safe, well, 'sept for being sick. That not good."

I had no idea how much I honestly missed hearing that obnoxious broken English from the fae/imp, until I actually heard it in my ear as Niki prepared a healthy soup for me as I laid in bed, sick with Recharge. He'd finally come to my room, eager to serve me as usual. Unfortunately, he'd dragged Dorean along with him while Xenon was out on the job. Dorean just stood nearby, arms folded over his chest, wearing a white glittery tank top and matching shorts with flip-flops that were definitely girl's, but I said nothing because according to Xenon, Dorean didn't like to be corrected about his fashion choices.

"I'll be better," I told Niki dryly as I sat up slowly so I could take the soup off the tray, blowing on it to cool it down, "What've you been doing?" I wasn't sure if I cared or not. I just hated this awkward silence and Dorean's intense stare with those bright silver eyes. Niki looked thrilled as he hopped on the bed, careful not to spill the soup as he touched his fingertips together thoughtfully.

"Well, after we's left the Gehenna place, we come here and I got nice room next to Dorean's. It so big! Niki never had no big room like that before. Oh, Dorean took Niki lots of shopping and gots new clothes, but no worry, master, promise not to wear on the job." He reminded. I frowned, averting my eyes as I took a sip of soup, trying not to cringe at that horrid flavor of it. I forgot how rank this shit was.

"It doesn't matter," I told him, making him look at me in confusion, "You can wear what you wish." Niki brightened.

"Oh, thank you so much, master! So happy to wear nice clothes now!" He exclaimed excitedly. Dorean cocked his head at Niki, who looked at him excitedly. Dorean just shrugged.

"You free to do as you please, Niki. You don't need my permission to be happy." He told him. If Niki could look any brighter, he'd be the sun right now. He looked positively thrilled. And I almost smiled until I saw him kicking his legs on the edge of the bed and I caught a glimpse of the slave mark branded beneath his foot. I frowned further, looking away at Dorean, who was laughing at something Niki was saying about french fries. I took another sip of soup, trying not to openly spew it everywhere and make Niki cry. The slave was bound to feel guilty for making something awful. Not that he could help it. The soup was naturally awful. Nothing anyone could do could make it taste any better. The horrid mixture of nectar with blood and whatever else was in it made it the worst tasting thing in history.

Niki and Dorean stuck around for a while longer, until I felt like I couldn't stand them anymore. All they did was talk about shopping and buying new things, not that Niki had any money. He was a slave. Slaves weren't paid. Dorean had used his own money to help Niki buy his new things, and I knew it bothered Dorean. Not the fact that he was buying things for Niki with his own money, but the fact that Niki didn't have his own money to buy his own things. It was making me rethink this whole slave thing, and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Slavery had existed since the beginning of time. It was like switching from candles to lightbulbs. It was going to be a difficult process, but I suppose it wouldn't really hurt anyone... except the slave industry and probably the bounty hunter corporation. They obviously thrived on the business and would be furious to find out I had a change of heart. Even I was furious at myself for giving a shit about a mere slave, a half-imp, half-fae slave no less.

But it wasn't the only thing that was changing my mind about slavery.

Atros had also changed me. I had gotten into the head of a slave, a prostitute no less. He would go on for hours about how he was barely given enough money to live on. His pay for being a prostitute was equivalent to maybe two hundred American dollars a month. The only reason he was paid at all was because his owner believed keeping her whores happy. Not that that little of money could keep them happy. She didn't want to, as she put it, spoil them. It opened my eyes to way he was treated like an animal, and he wasn't an animal.