Segun

As the guards whisk me passed Gyenn Sharr, he grabbed my arm. "You've made a mistake," he hissed. "This will cost your father."

"Oh, I'm sure," I said. "No doubt the price will be high for pointing out your son's perfidy."

"Sinner," hissed Gyenn Sharr.

"Aren't we all?" I said.

A guard struck my back sharply, and I stumbled forward.

"Quiet you. Get moving."

The enormity of my actions daunted me as we started down the stairs of a foul-smelling place in the bowels of the Church. The air is still laden with urine, feces, and human misery. It is also dark, as only a few torches light the area. The priests talk about hell, and I think I see it here. Only humans, not an incorporeal devil, created this.

Moans greeted my ears, and there were rustlings in the cages as if beasts instead of men resided within. Hands gripped the bars.

"Yonsu," whispered one, then another more as the guards took me further into the darkness. It is an odd reverence to greet a man as if he was their better, even though I was also a sinner and closet heretic.

"Where shall we put him?" said one guard.

"I have an idea," said the other. He chuckled rudely as if this was all a big joke. "This one."

The other guard laughed. "Yes, this should be interesting. Hold him tight."

Metal clinked against metal as the guard jangled a ring of keys and inserted one inside the lock. Then he yanked at my arm and pulled me inside. Immediately I'm assaulted by the scent of Segun. This was the cell where they held him. At once, I recoiled at the thought but was fascinated by the scent. One guard pushed me to the wall while another clamped and locked iron shackles around my wrists.

The cruelty of this overwhelms me. Not the shackles. I could expect that. But they will bring Segun here in his "sinful" state and let his mere presence torture me. I was a yonsu and cannot resist him even though Church Law says that I must. And in being chained to the wall, I will have no way to seek fulfillment with him. In short, they seek to make me rave in lust for a Cursed man who will be beyond my reach.

"You will all go to hell," I said.

My cheek earned me a smash to my jaw. But I was enraged now, and I do not feel the sting.

"I'll send you there myself," I said.

That may have earned me another blow, but they brought Segun into the cell just then.

"Where is my father?" the young man whimpered. "I did the Shaming. Let me go."

His guard scoffed. "We cannot let you in the streets in your state. This will be your sanctuary room."

I see Segun's body stiffened in the dim light as they chained him to the wall. His nostrils flared, and I noticed they blindfolded him.

"Yonsu?" he said, turning his blindfolded head toward mine.

"I'm so sorry," I said. This will be hard, perhaps tougher on him than me. I've heard stories of how Cursed in heat howl through seven days of torture if they have no man to relieve it. I cannot imagine how much worse it will be to have a man close by and unable to do anything.

Segun's jaw set, and he turned his head forward.

"I'll pray for you," he said.

The guards scoffed, but once we were both secured, they withdrew, perhaps waiting for the festivities to begin of two men drawn to each other but unable to touch.

The door clanged shut, and I heard them moving off.

There is a long silence, and I don't know if I should say anything. Any words I have seemed trite and unhelpful.

"Thank you," he said. "For standing up for me."

"How do you know I'm that man? Your eyes are blindfolded."

"I know your scent, Yonsu, from the incident at the wine cart. I will never forget it."

"Oh." I do not know what to say or what his words mean.

"When did your heat start?" I asked. Already the scent of his slick filled the air, and my cock filled and throbbed.

"Today. Maybe last night. It's hard to track them sometimes." He whimpered then.

"You, okay?"

He gave a small grunt, which surprisingly sounded sexy to me.

"Do I look okay?"

"I think you are—" Oh hell. What do I say? No etiquette books tell you what to do when you're chained to a wall against your wall next to the sexiest creature you've ever met. "I think you are beautiful, Segun Klath."

Segun sucked in a breath. "Beautiful? This does not shame you? To feel attraction to me?"

"The only people who should feel shame here are the beasts that would harm you for being what you are. I will not harm you, ever, Segun."

A string of whimpers erupts from his throat, and my cock feels like it will burst already. Segun's scent surrounds me and steals reason from my brain. I pull on my chains, rattling them and needing to get closer to the delectable young man. I groaned, and Segun moaned.

"Yonsu," he pleaded. "I need you."

Oh hell. I needed him too. My body is as taut as a bow, and I breathe in fast pants as my heart races. I will die if I cannot have him—now.

Now. Now. Now. That's the only thought left in my head as I pulled on my chains, growling, maddened by anger and desire. My muscles bunched, and I pulled hard once more, and my left-hand shackle pulled free from the wall and then the right. The chains hung from my wrists, but I didn't care. I was on Segun in a second, kissing him fiercely, claiming his mouth. Without even thinking, I pulled out his cock from the pouch of his wraps and stroked it. He moaned in appreciation.

"Yes, Yonsu. Yes. Yes. Whatever you want."

I pulled his legs around my waist, and my cock edged his hole, slick with his juices, waiting for me.

"I'll take you now," I grunted.

"Yes," he whimpered. "Please."

So I did and found the heaven that clerics speak of. It wasn't in a place beyond this life but in Segun Klath.

Chapter Nine

Segun

Heavenly Father, a beacon in the dark, I have sinned. I failed you. I succumbed to earthly desires. Relieve me of my sins. Brighten the darkness in my soul. Chasten me for my sins so I may start afresh in your divine grace.

Prayer for Forgiveness—Faith Progressive Church

I woke as a dirty light fell from new cracks in the wall. Aulkus held me tight in my arms, and I collapsed in his lap. During the night, before one of the many times he took me, he managed to tear the manacles from the wall.

Aulkus snored in my ear. He was exhausted, and I don't blame him. Although the other prisoners cried for us to keep quiet, we couldn't, and it was only after hours of exertion we sunk into sleep.

My mouth was dry, and I was vaguely sore, but it was the kind that reminded me of the pleasures of the previous night. I take a deep breath and notice something else.

I was no longer in heat.

It is a relief as the relentless drive to seek sex no longer troubled me. But it also means one other thing.

I bear Aulkus Wren's child.

Some drugs can terminate this pregnancy, which might be the wisest course. My father could obtain them, and then it would be as if nothing happened.

But another part of me rebels against this. I clutched at my still, flat stomach as if I could cradle the new life within. This is Aulkus' child, my yonsu, my mate, and I could no more harm it than I could myself. My lover is married, and I'm sure he'll regret this. Words spoken in the middle of heat cannot be counted as promises. After all, we Cursed do incite men to sin.

But I will not harm this child, and if it is born Cursed as I am, the Klath legacy continues regardless.

I tried to pry my lover's arms from me, but he was too strong and would not let me go. How I wish it could be that way in life.

The outer door of the dungeon opened creakily, and my heart leaped when I heard my father's voice.

"I swear, Sharr if my son has been harmed."

"I'm sure he is fine. The guards—"

"The guards dragged him here when he should have been released to me! Segun! Son! Where are you?"

"Here, father," I called out.

The rude torchlight in front of our cells caused me to wince. I held up my hand and saw my father staring at me in shock.

"What has happened here? Why was my son in a cell with another man when he was in heat? Who is that?"

"It's Aulkus Wren, father," I croaked. I swallowed, trying to find moisture for my parched throat. "The man that spoke for me."

"Indeed? And what is this, Gyenn? Bad enough you forced the man down here with the Cursed, but in the same cell as my son in heat?"

"He was supposed to be chained to the wall."

"What? Did you know this? What perfidy is this, Gyenn Sharr? How can you say this man was incited to sin when you shoved it down his throat and tortured him? Release him. Release both of them. And you will not so much as fine this man for any action, or I swear I will speak to the City Council about restricting your Festivals."

"You cannot interfere with the Church."

"True enough. But we can require permits and travel visas and limit the size of the crowd. Because it appears to me, Gyenn, that you cannot control it."

"And," said my father ratcheting to full gear. "You will send a letter of apology to this man's wife. He does have a wife?"

"Yes, Father," I said.

"You will tell her that you detained her husband through an abundance of caution and that he is guilty of no wrongdoing."

"Klath," growled Sharr.

"Do it, or I will send my letter. In fact, many letters about what transpired this night."

I think of all the people my father knows and who owed him favors and boons. If he so chose, he could end the career of Gyenn Sharr. The fear on the cleric's face witnessed this truth.

"I shall do it."

"Good, now open the cell."

Fortunately, my father brought some security men from the Trade Guild, and they were able to lift Aulkus. But he was drained and could not move except to weakly fight them. "Segun, Segun," he groaned.

I put my arms around his waist.

"Ssh, ssh, my love. We'll care for you. Won't we, Father?"

My father's face twisted in doubt, but he will not deny me after what he had allowed to happen. Papa would never forgive him.

"Get him into the cart," said my father roughly. He wrapped a robe around me and pulled the hood over my head.

"You've suffered enough," he said. "You don't need the stares of the crowd."

I gratefully pulled the robe around me because I'm sure my disheveled state was more than disreputable.

We stepped into the light on the opposite side of the church, away from the "festivities," and I heard the crowd's bloodlust for a Cursed suffering shaming. On the second day, they bring out the criminals, and some of these could die during these more brutal Shamings. I shivered despite the heat.

I stepped into the cart. Aulkus was pulled up by security, and one sat with him to hold him up. I took in my lover's scent, and I still loved it even in my sober state.

Father climbed in next to me and gave the order to the driver for us to leave.

"I'm sorry," he said, wrapping his arm around me. "That was a horrible way to experience your first."

"It's okay," I said.

"Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Father. There is nothing he did that I did not want."

"It can seem different now."

"It doesn't. Father, Aulkus Wren is my yonsu."

Father's face paled as we traveled by taxi cart to our house in Dastoan Heights.

"He's married," he said at last. "I had my sources check him out when he spoke for you at the Shaming. I had thought—"

"Yes. Aulkus is married. And I carry his child."

Father grew quiet then. I scrunched my eyes against the rude sunlight of the morning while my stomach protested the lack of breakfast. I patted my stomach again. "We'll be home soon," I said quietly to the child within. "And we'll have some tea and scones, and all will be well."

How like me to seize the ordinary things of the day to signal that all was right with the world again. I had survived my first and hopefully last Shaming. And I had a new life to look forward to.

"What did you say?" said my father.

"Sorry, nothing."

My father patted my hand. "Your Papa talked to you before you were born. I thought it endearing." He fell into silence again, and it was only a few streets before our own before he spoke again.

"Does he want you? Would he divorce his wife?"

The idea hit me like an electric shock. Why would a man sanctified by marriage to a woman want to partner with me?

"How can you ask that of him? He had no choice, just as I had no choice. He has no sin to atone for."

"I am thinking of you and your happiness."

"Father, the holy text says you cannot build your happiness on the unhappiness of others. If anything is true, that is. But I want this child. If this is all I can have of Aulkus, then so be it."

"It will be a lonely life."

"It is the life I have. Please, Father. Do not make this difficult. I understand what will happen. We will wait until the birth of this child. If he is Cursed, our legacy continues, and you remain Trademaster until he is old enough to enter a partnership. By then, you will be ready for a happy retirement. Really, Ostakis benefits from this because we could not have a better Trademaster than you. And I do not have to enter a partnership I do not want for the sake of my heats. I can take lovers as I wish."

"Segun!" protested my father.

The idea was scandalous, but I'm warming to the idea. I might not be free in other parts of my life, but why would I want a forced partnership now? I had found the one man I could give my heart to. Anything else would be an empty fulfillment of the needs of the body. Of course, I had to be practical, but I played out my little fantasy a bit longer.

"And," I continued fearlessly, "if my child is not Cursed, I will partner with someone you consider suitable. All will be well."

My father sighed when it hit him that I had been playing a little joke on him. He would not scold me now that I was pregnant, but yelling at me was not far from his mind.

"But can you live like that? Without the man, you call your yonsu?"

Can I? I know I shall yearn for Aulkus each day of my life and more when my heats strike. It will be an impossible life, but for the love of him, I will not lure him out of his obligations to his wife.

"I guess we will find out."

Chapter Ten

Aulkus

My brave wife is dying. Cancer, the med team says. How ironic that she traveled hundreds of light years to make a new life only to lose it. It is a cruelty I can't fathom. If not for Onikoah's supportive presence, I couldn't bear it.

Journal—Captain Winston Veller, Governor, Ostakis Colony

I woke in a bed more luxurious than I'd ever slept in. The sheets and comforter were cullen silk. This expensive material is rarely used for other than clothing except, I guess, in this house.

What house? A dry, unused air mixed with the aroma of dried flowers hung in the air as if this room regularly did not harbor a human occupant. A guest room?

Whose guest was I?

This question seemed beyond answering as it took a few seconds for my hazy brain to register discomfort in various parts of my body. One shoulder felt sore as if it had popped its joint, then went in again, and my knees and hands radiated raw pain. I raised one hand to my face to see it was wrapped, and a sharp antiseptic smell wafted from the bandages. How did my body get so abused? Why does it ache in strange places?

A rap at the door announced another human being on the other side.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing a face I only glimpsed at the Shaming Post and in fevered snatches from last night.

"Yonsu," Segun said.

"Segun?"

"How do you feel?"

My face colored when more visceral memories seeped into the thinking part of my brain. By the Lord of All, what I did to that man! It shocked me. Laying with my wife never hit the brutal intensity of my taking of Segun.

I pulled my body by my elbows to sit.

"I think I should ask you that question. Did I hurt you? It seems I might have."

He stepped inside the room and shut the door, so the only sound was a bare click of the latch. Segun turned and smiled shyly at me.

"No, yonsu. I am well and grateful for the time we had."

How can he be grateful I treated him as if he were just a thing for me to fuck. Oh, dear Holy Lord. I was a beast.

Segun's shy smile fell.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should not have bothered you." He put his hand on the door handle. And for the first time in my life, I cannot bear the thought of another human being leaving me.

"No. You are not bothering me. Please, don't leave."

Segun turned back to me, but his smile seemed sad.

"But eventually I must, right? You'll go home to your wife, and I'll still be the Trademaster's Cursed son."

My wife. What would my most devoted spouse say about last night's events?

"Sela," I whispered.

"You need not worry. My father prevailed upon Gyenn Sharr to write a note of dispensation about your unfortunate imprisonment. No stain of sin lays upon your soul. The Church claims responsibility and will send recompense."

Would that be enough to calm my pious wife? I doubt it. She will not understand why I didn't resist sin. Only now, gazing upon Segun's sweet face, it didn't seem like a sin.

"Oh, you do not know my wife. I am to blame for all manner of things."

"I'm sorry." He bowed his head, and I grew angry. None of this was his fault, and he had nothing to apologize for.

"Don't apologize, Segun. The truth is, I wanted you from the first time I saw you in that cart."

"So, I incited you to sin?"

"Don't say that. It did not feel like a sin to me, and I will not have you think it so either."

He raised his head, and his gaze met mine. I see such sadness it breaks my heart.

"I thank you for that, Yonsu. I will remember your words and honor them in my heart for the years to come."

"Segun," I said. My single word came out strangled because it seemed like he was saying goodbye.

"I understand, my Yonsu. You know the sanctifying love of a woman, and how could House Klath ask you to give that up? I understand that you need to go back to your wife. I just wanted you to know that House Klath will welcome our child and care of him with all the love possible." He patted his stomach reflexively.

I stared at him, thunderstruck. Child? Since the start of my marriage, I've been unable to get my wife pregnant, and in a single night, I've gotten this cursed man with child? It seemed impossible

"I won't have it."

"What?" Segun appeared shocked, and then his face screwed up in anger. "You can't order me to lose this child, Aulkus Wren. You are not my partner. I live under my father's authority."

The door flew open, and the Trademaster of Ostakis stalked into the room with an expression as if he would demand an honor challenge.

"What is going on? Why is my son upset?" He glared at me.

Segun turned and put his hand on his father's chest.

"Please, Father. I'm handling this."

"Segun, you should rest."

"In a minute." Segun turned to me again.

"If you think I will not bear this child, you are mistaken, Aulkus Wren. You are my yonsu, and I will not let my one piece of you go. I understand that things are impossible between us. You are married, and I accept that. So do not worry about this child. It is mine and House Klath's. You can go home to your winery, press your grapes, and need not worry about this child or me."

Segun pressed past his father and left the room. Without thinking, I swung my legs to the floor, but Klath took a quick step and stood in my way.

"It is better this way, Wren. Unless you are prepared to divorce your wife and formally partner with my son."