#and feel the irresistible need to gnaw on the manacle

[sinvulkt]

Run free or die in cage,

But i won’t bow my head and suffer your chains,

With a smile to hide my rage.

[0idril0]

Before 6

Thanks @whumpywhumper for fixing my terrible punctuation and pointing out horrible holes in my story

Link to the rest of the series

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Nico rocked, slowly, rhythmically in his cell. Holding his broken and cracked ribs tightly. One, two,three, four, sideways. One, two, three, four, forward. He flinched as yet another specter floated across his vision. The gory images haunting him in his personal hell. They’d started after the Irishman and the Boss had left. His only company in the darkness.

Hunger and thirst gnawed at him. How long could someone live without water? Three days? His eyes burned, gritty and dry behind the blindfold.

“Niiico.” Dizzily, Nico lifted his head. He slowly stopped rocking as the voice of the reedy man came across a crackling speaker. “Thirsty yet, mutt?” He winced at the squeal of the speaker, dehydration making his head throb.

The sound of a stream followed it and Nico swallowed convulsively. He twisting his manacled hands into his torn shirt, trying to stifle the urge to rip at the contraptions strapped to him. They knew when he did, shocking him until he was limp and panting for air.

They shocked him for anything. When his rocking stopped and his breath evened out. When exhaustion won and he finally slept. When he hit against the walls in fury. When he pulled at his hair, feeling like madness was encroaching on him.

He pulled at his hair now, rocking harder, trying not to scream his frustration. YES! Please, fuck, please give him water, anything.

“Awww. The little mutt is frustrated, isn’t it? Makes you want to scream, doesn’t it? Get angry.” The voice echoed in the cell, coming from multiple directions. There was a hiss, like air escaping a balloon. Nico shivered, pushing back into his corner.

“What would you do for water, mutt? Hmmm?” The door creaked, echoing through the damp room. Footsteps echoed off the stone walls and Nico gathered himself. The reedyman was smaller, if he had the remote he might be able to stop the man long enough to get the collar off.

There was a quiet laugh, it echoed around the room, in his head. Nico shivered, shaking himself roughly. What the hell was going on? “You’re so transparent. You really think you can take me fool? You’re in my domain now.” The words echoed through the room, making his consciousness vibrate with terror.

The room seemed to grow colder and Nico tensed when he felt something like spider webs caressed his face, his arms. He rubbed at them viciously. Nonono-whatthehell? Nico lashed out, gripping the walls to ground himself. The chains attached to the ceiling swayed through the air, pulling at him. He couldn’t feel anything, there shouldn’t be anything there. The laughter continued and Nico bit his lip, containing a moan of terror.

“Come on, mutt. Come closer, I have water for you.” The voice sang, inviting in the darkness. If Nico was hydrated enough for tears he would have cried. He swallowed roughly, trying desperately to gather saliva in his mouth. God, was he hallucinating?

He shook his head resolutely. Fear sticking him in place.

“Mmmmm.... that’s lovely. Your fear has an.... exquisite...taste, mutt.” The sound of booted feet shuffled closer, making Nico flinch, mean laughter biting at him. The sound of water being poured pulled at him and some of Nico’s fear was dampened by feral need.

“Hear something you want, mutt?”

Nico gritted his teeth giving a reluctant nod.

“Ah, I can’t hear you, mutt.”

He bared his teeth behind the muzzle, feeling how his lips stuck to his teeth. Talk, get shocked and possibly get water, or stay silent and not get shocked. Die of dehydration.There wasn’t a fucking choice, these people didn’t make sense.

“Such a terrible conundrum, isn’t it, pet?”

Nico yelped in surprise, causing the collar on his neck to shock him. Groaning, he braced himself against the current. He could taste blood in his mouth, lips cracking. He hadn’t heard the Boss enter the room, preoccupied with the reedyman and the water. The reedy man snickered, echoing through the room and Nico hid behind his arms trying to breathe through his dry sobs.

The feeling of spiderwebs grew more distinct. He rubbed at his arms again, convinced there were spiders climbing on his arms, in his shirt and pants. Nico’s terror grew when he found nothing. He gasped as his heart pounded in his chest. This couldn’t possibly be real, he couldn’t possibly be this scared.

Nico tried desperately to breathe, to form rational thoughts.

“Ain’t no use, Love.” The Irishman’s breath was wet against his cheek and Nico jerked against the stone wall. He’d come in too?

The sound of water distracted him again, superseding his terror. Please. “What’s the mutt willing to do, hmmmm??” The reedy man laughed again, and Nico felt cold fingers trace the collar on his neck. He swatted at the fingers, don’t touch me, don’t, no.

The Irishman grabbed his collar, the grip distinctive, choking him as he pulled him from the corner he had hidden in. His palms skidded along the floor as he fought the irresistible pull on his neck.

Nico shuddered as the stout body settled against his back, forearm pulling against his throat. The man settled on his calves, pinning him, breathing against his neck, and he shivered, clawing at the arm. Nico pushed, unable to budge the stout man, hunger and dehydration making him weak.

Something wet trickled against his cheek and Nico bucked, desperate to get to the liquid. Panting against the muzzle. “Ple-“ he jerked, grunting at the jolt of electricity.

“Do you begin to understand pet? You thirst for water. My friends for blood and fear. Your friends thirst too.” The bosses voice was cold, the stated fact making Nico shiver.

“Your friends are supernatural, higher beings than you, pet. You are what they thirst for.” Cold wet glass pressed gently against his wrist and Nico trembled as he raised his hands to it. It jerked away as his fingers brushed against it. The Irishman adjusted his grip, roughly pulling Nico’s arms behind him.

“You make them suffer due to your very proximity. Deny them, and they could do anything, reveal themselves, hurt themselves, break themselves. For you.” Scorn infused the man’s voice.

Please, I wouldn’t hurt them, please, I’m sorry. He wondered briefly if they even knew he was gone. Even cared.

“So, you will be the perfect pet for them. You want water? Yes?” Nico nodded fervently. Yes, yes please. The man’s slender hands settled against his face, the leather straps on the muzzle loosening until it peeled away from his bleeding lips.

Nico flexed his jaw, panting. “Mmm.. yes you do look a little dry, don’t you?” Fingers traced his lips, making him cringe. Blood smearing against his cheek as the man cradled his face in a soft palm.

“Now, pet. You get to drink-“ Cold glass pressed lightly against his lips and Nico strained, trying to get to the water. The glass hovered, barely touching his lips. “-if my friend gets to drink.”

Terror flooded him, a tight whine rumbling through the grip on his throat and he bucked as the collar went off. The man gripped his jaw tightly, tilting his head back until it pressed into the Irishman’s shoulder. Nico bucked again, panting for air,unable to break the man’s grip.

He shook his head in the man’s grasp. No, no, he didn’t agree to that. No.

“No?” The man hummed in consideration, and pressed a moist thumb against his lips, teasing the dry membrane. Nico shuddered, mouth opening involuntarily. The collar slipped from his throat barely noticed, his attention fixated on the cold glass beginning to press against his lips.

The Irishman nuzzled against the hollow of his neck, nudging his head back further. Fear pumped through him, conflicting with the overwhelming want.

Daniel’s voice whispered to him, the memory sharp in his desperation. “It’s not shameful to do what you need to to survive, son.”

A few stray drops of water splashed against his tongue and Nico broke. “Ple-Please...”

The vampire licked his neck softly before pain sliced into him. He gasped, moaning against the pain. The pain dulled as the Irishman suckled, Nico’s body going lax against him. He could feel his heart beating dully in his chest and he shuddered as pleasure replaced the pain.

The glass pressed against his lips again and he choked as the first stream hit his dry throat, a rough cough momentarily dislodging the vampire. The glass returned, flooding his mouth and he drank greedily. The world felt far far away and Nico whined weakly when the glass emptied. God, he was so thirsty.

The vampire licked the wounds on his neck thoroughly, rutting slowly against him before pulling away. The implication was clear and Nico trembled at the silent promise.

“Hmmmm. Very good, Nico.“ The use of his name made Nico flinch. “I think you learned this lesson well.”

What fucking lesson? Confusion gripped him, exhaustion making it difficult to think. His head flopped uselessly on his neck and he groaned when someone shook him.

“Can’t have that, can we now?” His captors hands left his face, letting his head drop.

“Tie him.” The Irishman moved, pulling Nico’s forearms together behind him. Rough rope pulled tight against his arms, bending him backwards until his hands were able to be fastened to his feet.

A cold palm pressed against his forehead and Nico screamed as a green light burned through the blindfold. He ground his teeth together,body burning. His back bowed against the onslaught, heart galloping in his chest as energy poured into him. “Stop... make.....it stop.” The words were muffled behind his clenched teeth and Nico groaned as the burn abated.

“There we go, pet. Can’t have you sleeping just yet.” His tormenter’s voice held an icy glint, freezing Nico where he knelt. The collar encircled his neck tightly, mechanism clicking on. “After all, we still have plenty more training to come.”

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