Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

"It'll ease your headache and the soreness you had from the ride out here."

He'd do anything short of cutting his head off to get the throbbing pain to lessen. Between his uncle, Estes's five friends, and the four guards who rode with them, his head had been nothing but a cacophonous mess of their thoughts. They were so overwhelming, he couldn't even understand more than a random word or two at a time.

If this worked to silence the noise, he'd buy bushels of it.

Pulling the cup to his face, Styxx did as Estes had instructed. It smelled like some exotic fruit and it made his head reel. But the best part was that it completely shut out the voices of the gods and people in his head.

For that silence alone, he was grateful beyond measure.

"Here. Have more wine."

Styxx took the skin and drank deeply of it. But this was different from what he'd had earlier. Spicier. It hit his stomach then fanned out through his veins with a warm thickness he could feel. The calmest peace he'd ever known settled over him, like he was sleeping while awake.

Then out of nowhere, his body felt as if it was engulfed in flames. He blew cold air across his skin.

Estes took the wine from his hand and set it aside. "It's all right, Styxx. Don't fight it."

Don't fight what? It burned and ached. He rubbed at his neck, trying to cool down his flesh. "I'm so hot...."

"It'll pass in a minute."

Styxx licked his suddenly dry lips as the fire in his body went lower ... straight to his groin. The instant it did, it gave him an erection unlike any he'd ever had before. Every part of his body ached with a ferocious need to be touched. Eyes wide, he stared at Estes, who smiled.

Estes moved to sit behind him. Rising onto his knees, he brushed the hair back from Styxx's face and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Are you virgin still?"

"Yes."

Suddenly afraid, Styxx tried to get up, but Estes held him fast. Before he could escape, his uncle pinned him facedown on the ground with his arm twisted behind his back. Panic filled him as he realized what his uncle had planned for him.

Praying he was wrong, he cringed as Estes buried his hand in Styxx's hair and used his knees to wedge Styxx's thighs apart. "What are you doing, Uncle?"

Estes tossed his chiton down beside them and pressed his naked body to Styxx's. "You've no idea how hard it's been for me to wait until you were old enough for this. I was forced to sell Acheron's virginity to recoup the loan I had to make for his training. But yours, little squirrel, I intend to savor taking for hours to come."

August 28, 9533 BC

"We have to sober him up."

"Do we really have to?"

"One more day, Estes. We can take him back on the morrow."

"If we keep him any longer, my brother will send out a search party. He is the royal heir, after all, and we are deep in his father's kingdom."

"Yes, but I want to be buried deep in Styxx's kingdom one last time."

They laughed.

"Come on, Estes. I just want one more ride on the royal stallion."

His head spinning, Styxx tried his best to focus as they talked over him, but he couldn't. Someone poured something warm down his throat. Bitter, it caused him to sputter and choke.

Then it made him heave violently.

Estes rolled him over as his stomach unloaded itself. Repeatedly. It went on for so long that Styxx didn't think he'd ever stop regurgitating.

But finally his stomach settled and his vision began to clear. Completely weak, naked, and sore, with bruises all over his body, he lay on top of a stained blanket.

"Come on, boy," Estes said, his voice distorted and slow to Styxx's drug-numbed mind. "We need to get you washed and cleaned."

It wasn't until Styxx was waist-deep in the stream that he began to recall the last week he'd been with his uncle....

You know, Estes, you should bring him to Atlantis. I'd pay you a fortune for a go at him and his brother at the same time.

No, better yet, to watch the two of them have a go at each other.

Styxx covered his ears, trying to blot out things he didn't want to remember hearing. Things he didn't want to remember doing ...

Absolute horror consumed him. He started to bolt, but Estes caught him and held him tight against his naked body.

"Shh. Calm yourself."

"You ... you..." Styxx couldn't bring himself to say that his uncle and friends had gang-raped him.

Repeatedly.