New Horizons Ch. 02

"Master, please. He did not take you. He cannot."

As Cinnamon whispered the truth of Boro's violation, a spark of hope ignited in the blond's chest. It would be much easier to deal with the thought of having been tortured by an instrument than the fear that gnawed at his heart. He clutched desperately once more at Cinnamon's shirt, ignoring the gasp, intent only on seeing the truth in the limpid pools of the youth's eyes.

"You do not lie to me?" he asked harshly. "You speak the truth?"

"Yes, Master," Cinnamon assured, letting the honesty shine from his eyes. He felt the older man relax and the clutching hand released its grip.

"Do what you must," Boro then said harshly, twisting his body as best he could and gritting his teeth. He expected more pain to join that of his abused buttocks and more intimate flesh. However, Cinnamon's touch was a barely-there caress, the subtle scent of roses suddenly permeating the foul air around him. "Rose?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"Yes, Master. I secured it in the last market I went to with my previous Master. It was from an ancient one from my homeland and I knew it was good quality. It is a good healer. May I proceed further?"

"Aye," Boro husked. His flesh instinctively tightened around the intruder, but Cinnamon's gentleness and musical voice keeping up a litany of encouragement helped and Boro was soon being settled into a comfortable position. He gazed in wonder at his unexpected benefactor. "Are you my jailor, too?" he asked hopefully.

"Nay, Master," Cinnamon shook his head sadly. "I am only to ensure you heal enough for a successful ransom to be paid. I will come as much as possible, though, as the guards expect me to tend you as Captain Tamesis ordered. I will try to bring you extra food and cleaner water than you will get from them."

"Thank you, Cinnamon," Boro said, letting his eyes reflect his sincerity. He gave a small smile as he saw the blush that stained sculptured cheeks.

"I will return as soon as I may, Master," the younger man whispered. "Please try to rest, let your body begin its recovery."

Boro felt Cinnamon's loss as soon as the thin body vanished from his sight. He knew Diego would pay the ransom for him and the three men still in the cells. Absently he wondered if his friend might also agree to barter for Cinnamon. His heart inexplicably ached for the soft-spoken, gentle man that was so out of place amongst the pirates and he feared Cinnamon's existence would be harsh and short in the hostile and evil environment of Tamesis' ship. He did not remember his eyes closing as he focused on the scent of roses.

****

Cinnamon was as good as his word, returning to check Boro's wounds and smuggling in clean water and some bread and dried fruit. Boro insisted they share the food, an instinct telling him the youth was offering to supplement the disgusting slop Boro had been given with food that was his own.

"Tamesis' men have made contact with Captain Alverez," Cinnamon whispered. "It seems the negotiations go well. Captain Tamesis is pleased that his ransom has not been bartered down. You must be...important to Captain Alverez?" Cinnamon could not understand why he felt the need to ask the question. It had slipped out unbidden and it was now too late to take back. He waited for the reply, unconsciously holding his breath.

"Diego and I go back a long ways," Boro said drowsily. His body still demanded rest and his eyes were heavy and closing of their own volition. "Shared many years together," he mumbled.

Cinnamon sighed, impatient and angry with himself. What was he looking for the handsome blond to say? Once Captain Alverez paid the ransom, Boro would be gone without a backward glance or second thought for him. He sighed sadly. He warred with himself over whether it had been better to have never set eyes on the blond or to have experienced just a taste of what it was like to be treated kindly once more. He cast a longing glance at the sleeping man, but Boro was oblivious. Cinnamon's head dropped and he left silently.

****

Boro woke with a start. He could hear Cinnamon's voice and it held a note of despair and desperation that went straight to the older man's every protective instinct. He growled as he heard Tamesis' detested voice and then focused quickly at the mention of his name.

"Please, Master," Cinnamon begged. "He is still unwell, he has a fever. Please, use me as you will and let him recover a little more. He is too weak for the strength of your passion."

"Yer supposed to make sure he lives, boy." Tamesis rasped menacingly. "If I get no ransom, ye will pay dearly."

"He *will* live," Cinnamon assured, fear now adding to the sounds that caused Boro's stomach to clench and heart constrict. "Please, Master. Take me. When you are sated, let me have leave to move him somewhere warm and dry."

"Let's see how he fares."

Boro quickly ran a water-dampened hand over his face and chest to feign fevered sweating as he heard the key be fitted into the door's large lock. Although he did not want the youth to take his place, he knew that if he did not play along with Cinnamon's deception both of them would suffer and the younger man more than he. He was tossing restlessly and whispering Diego's name as Tamesis strode towards him. He kept up his pretence, even when a booted foot kicked into his ribs.

"Please, Master, let me serve you,"

Boro heard a sound and cracked one eye open, just the merest fraction, to see what was happening. He fought back a cry of denial as he saw Cinnamon kneeling before Tamesis, rubbing his face seductively over the bigger man's crotch. He bit his lower lip so hard he tasted its coppery release as Tamesis hand wound in Cinnamon's jet-black hair and hauled the smaller man roughly to his feet.

"Aye, ye will serve me. If ye please me enough ye can move him. I need him alive for Alverez. Me cabin, now, boy!"

Boro suppressed the impulse to call them back, surprised when a tear slid down his cheek. He could imagine what Cinnamon would suffer and could scarcely believe the younger man would offer himself for the sake of a man he barely knew. Boro's eyes fixed on his cell door. He would not be able to rest until he saw for himself that Cinnamon was safe and unharmed.

****

Boro let himself be carried, ignoring the surreptitious groping and leering remarks as two of Tamesis' men moved him from his cell to a cabin. He was deposited roughly on a bunk, one of the guards fondling him blatantly before leaving him. He opened his eyes carefully as he heard the door open. He relaxed as he saw Cinnamon enter, then his eyes flew open as he saw the slow, pained way the younger man moved.

"Cinnamon," he whispered, suddenly uncertain of what else to say. "I...heard."

"I am well, Master," Cinnamon lied. Tamesis had been angry his first choice was not in his bed and had been particularly hard on him.

"No, no you're not," Boro hissed angrily. "Come here, please?" He lifted his manacled arms, not even sure the younger man would obey him. "Lie with me," he whispered. Some of his heart's heaviness lifted as Cinnamon stretched out on his side, so that the men were face-to-face. He let his arms encircle the thin body, gently at first, but when he felt the wetness of tears on his breast he tightened his hold. "If he wants me again, he can have me. Do you understand, Cinnamon? He can have me. Don't try to speak, just nod," Boro demanded. He felt the tiny movement and tried to tighten his hold even more. "I swear I will get you free of this bastard, Cinnamon. I swear it."

Cinnamon let the words wash over him. He could not afford to accept them. If he did and was left behind it would kill him. Better to believe the words spoken in the heat of an emotional moment. However, he would take the feel of Boro's arms, the pleasing male scent and the softness of the blond's voice deep into his heart where they could be savoured during the harshness of his life aboard Tamesis' ship.

****

Boro groaned as he was shaken awake, a hand over his mouth muffling the noise.

"Master, please, you must wake quickly."

The sound of Cinnamon's voice, thick with fear, had him instantly awake. His eyes looked up into the frightened ochre orbs.

"Tamesis is going to break his word. He is sailing on the next tide. He says he will sell you to slavers when tired of you, but is going to tell your Captain that you escaped. We are close enough to swim to land. Although it will be hard going, the sea is calm. I have to get you away before it is too late."

Boro watched as Cinnamon unfastened his manacles.

"I drugged him," the young man said, desperation in every word. "He will kill me for this betrayal."

"I won't let him," Boro growled.

Carefully the two men moved to a cabin where the thick chain of the ship's anchor was close to a window somewhat larger than normal portholes. It was still not going to be easy, but Boro was not going to fail the courageous youth. Ignoring his protesting leg, he manoeuvred himself out and climbed down the chain, followed swiftly by Cinnamon's lithe figure. The cold of the sea was as sharp as a knife and the salt water sent shards of pain lancing through his leg and head.

Boro began to flounder, but Cinnamon held him fast, propelling both bodies through the frigid inkiness until Boro felt solidness beneath his feet. He did not argue as they moved from the beach into the foliage, Cinnamon's desperate whispers that they needed to be as far into the jungle to hide as possible forcing the older man to keep moving. He felt they were ascending before his strength finally ebbed away and he sank to the ground, moaning feverishly from the pain.

Cinnamon knew he could not lift the bigger man and prayed they had put enough distance between Tamesis and themselves for the moment. He did not think the pirate would wake till daylight, or that he would come after them in the dark, but girded himself to keep awake through the night to make sure. Boro's pained groans knifed through his heart. He could think of only one thing to try and settle the blond.

Carefully he unfastened the ties of Boro's breeches. He sighed at the vision before him, illuminated by the full moon above them. He reached out, fingertips caressing Boro's flaccid flesh and watched as the blond's impressive manhood came to life. With slow, even strokes, he looked on, entranced as Boro's cock filled. Cinnamon had never taken the time to truly watch before. All of his relationships with men had been at their command, because it was expected or demanded of him. He had never given pleasure out of choice before. He found himself lost in the sight of it, Boro's masculinity swelling under his touch, the groans becoming less pained and more pleasured.

Boro, for his part, was now in a state between consciousness and oblivion. He felt gentle fingers caressing him lovingly, and instinctively spread his legs, arching his hips into the hand touching him.

Cinnamon pulled his hand back, shifting between Boro's legs. He leant down, opened his mouth and swallowed Boro to the root. The blond's body instinctively arched up. Cinnamon was prepared for the movement. He accommodated the thrust so he would not choke as hard flesh pushed deeper into his mouth. He heard Boro mumble sleepily, but did not hear the words.

He worked the blond's flesh in earnest. He let the head graze the back of his throat, moving up to lap at the slit, tasting the first drops of pre-come. He moaned, taking the shaft to the root, working it using his tongue, teeth, and lips as he had been taught. Cinnamon suckled on the head, savouring the blond's taste before he descended, swallowing him once more. As he moved his head up again, he grazed his teeth along the length, nibbling daintily on the glans. Finally, he wrapped his hand around the swollen flesh, gripping tight, pumping slow. He laved at the seeping tip, drinking greedily all the leaking pre-come and pumped his hand faster. He hummed as he took the full length once more. Boro bucked up spilling his seed in Cinnamon's mouth and the younger man swallowed all the blond could produce.

Still in his semi-conscious haze, pleasure fully replaced pain and Boro's mind flew to the last time he had enjoyed such attention, such care.

"Diego," he murmured, before succumbing to the beckoning blackness, his body relaxed and sated.

Cinnamon crawled away from him. The salty taste of Boro's seed now bitter in his mouth and his tears flowed silently. It was no wonder Alverez had accepted to pay whatever Tamesis had demanded. No wonder Boro knew the price would be met. They were more than friends, they were lovers. He could not hope to compete with a lover. He sat, bowing his head to his knees, letting tears fall unchecked. The best he could hope for now was to be allowed to serve Boro in some way, uncertain a lover would want him around.

Although he had shared a Master once before, that man had never held his heart. The feeling was hitherto unknown to Cinnamon and he had no way of knowing how to deal with the situation. Boro had been so kind, so caring, he had thought something special was shared between them, now he was lost, adrift with nothing to help anchor the feelings. He took a deep, shaky breath. He could not show Boro how he truly felt for fear of rejection or being sent away. He would just have to deal with the consequences of his wayward heart when, and if, they got rescued.

****

When Boro's eyes next opened, it was daybreak, but the blond did not have time to appreciate the dawn in her dress of pink and gold. He frowned to see Cinnamon sitting huddled some distance from him. He had been certain he would wake to find the young man in his arms, warmth and comfort tickling at the periphery of his memory. He must have made some noise as the dark-haired man suddenly turned. Boro immediately noted the absence of Cinnamon's normal welcoming smile.

"We must move from here, Master. Are you able to walk?"

The pragmatism of the need for safety pushed Boro's concern at Cinnamon's distant behaviour to the back of his mind. He was hurt and unarmed and no match for Tamesis should the pirate come after them. He struggled to his feet, accepting a shoulder to lean against and they began their ascent to higher ground.

As they rose, Boro cast a sideways glance at his helper and then stopped them both in their tracks. Before Cinnamon could voice his agitation, Boro had pulled him close for a hard hug.

"Look there," he said, his voice filled with elation. "That's 'Maria'. Diego has come for us. Hurry, we must get back to the beach and alert him with a fire that we are here."

Cinnamon could not help the thought that wished Diego was anywhere but at the island and then shoved it aside. Boro was a good man and deserved to be returned to the arms of those who loved him and who were loved by him. He would be happy for the blond, for the man he had come to love, no matter what his own fate was to be.

On the beach, Cinnamon watched wide-eyed, as Boro bent to strike rocks together for a spark to catch the foliage he had gathered. Once, twice, three time the rocks struck with nothing. Then, at the fourth attempt, Boro gave a cry of jubilation and smoke began to billow. Cinnamon felt a swell of pride as Boro turned, grinning widely at him. He carefully added to the pile under Boro's direction until a large blaze burned. Looking out seaward, Cinnamon's sharp eyes spotted the boat coming from the direction of 'Maria'.

"They come for you, Master," he said softly.

"For us, Cinnamon," Boro absently corrected, straining for a sight of the men he loved as brothers. "You'll see. You'll be a free man, able to choose to do whatever you wish."

Cinnamon swallowed his sigh. He did not know *how* to be a free man. Everything he had needed in life had always been provided by his Master in return for his service. It was all the life he knew. He gave a wan smile, trying to look as pleased as the blond that they were about to be rescued. He looked back at the boat heading rapidly towards him and frowned. At the prow were two standing figures. One he knew was Alverez from the description of the Spaniard he had heard aboard 'Dark Desires.' However there was a smaller man in front of him who suddenly began waving excitedly. Glancing at Boro, he saw the answering wave.

As the boat reached the shallows, the smaller brunette jumped into the sea, running in their direction with Diego following a little more slowly. Cinnamon heard the chant of Boro's name as he was sped past and the lithe frame was enfolded in arms he had dreamt one day would hold him. He saw the men kiss, tears streaming down both their cheeks and was confused. Then Diego was with them. The brunette stayed in Boro's arms, Diego somehow holding them both. Cinnamon blinked, stunned at the sight. They were *both* Boro's lovers?

"Ye must be Cinnamon," a voice at his shoulder had the young man turning quickly.

"Yes, Master," he murmured softly.

"Nay, boy," the older man laughed. "I'm no man's master. Me name be Matthew and Tamesis has fair turned the air blue raining curses on ye for freeing Master Boro. Fortunately, he be in his own brig along with his scurvy crewmen," Matthew hawked and spat his disgust. "Ye'll return to 'Maria' with us. Cap'n Diego will want to give ye his personal thanks as will young Master Nat."

Cinnamon glanced to the three men, who still held each other tightly. He and the man at his side both catching the question posed by Diego.

"Did Tamesis treat you...honourably?"

The shake of the blond head had a cry of grief coming from the one called Nat and Cinnamon remembered that was the name Boro had first called him. He watched Boro pull Nat's head to his shoulder and kiss the brunette's head as Diego's face took on such a dark look that Cinnamon unconsciously shuddered.

"Aye, boy. Yer right to fear that look from Cap'n Diego. I can assure ye that Tamesis will not end his days swingin' from a yardarm. He won't live long enough. Come aboard, boy. Let's get ye settled in the boat. They'll take care of Master Boro now."

****

It had been three days since Boro's rescue and although the blond was healing well physically, Nat was aware something troubled his beloved friend. And whatever it was, it most certainly involved the exotic, Arabian young man they had rescued with him. Nat leant against his husband's strong frame, the Spaniard holding him close with one arm as the other steered 'Maria'. He nestled closely, his mind ticking over. Cinnamon was an instant hit with the crew with his quietly spoken, gentle manners and willingness to do aught asked of him. Even doughty Matthew had expressed the concern that 'the boy would like as not flounder like a fish out of water if there was no one to guide him'. Diego's initial solution was to take Cinnamon to live with them, but he shied away from them both. Nat knew the other man asked constantly after Boro's health, but never came near Boro's cabin. He took a deep breath.

"You've decided to take matters into your own hands once more, my love?" Diego asked, a soft smile playing about his lips.

"Can I hide naught from you?" Nat laughingly asked. He giggled as he was swung to stand with his back to 'Maria's' wheel to gaze at his lover.

"Nay, not when I can hear the cogs turning in that sharp mind of yours," Diego laughed before kissing his mate. "Go. Sort them out as you did Boro and me. They stand no chance against you."

"And if I succeed?" Nat questioned, his voice dropping in timbre, becoming the sultry purr that Diego found irresistible.

"I will reward you accordingly," the Spaniard husked, palming then squeezing his mate's endowments to a low moan. He pulled Nathaniel to his chest for a slow, deep kiss. "Now leave before I am unable to let you go."