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The man is unhinged. I suspected as much from the get-go, but I’m certain of it now.
Hesitant in his movements, the guard unbuckles his belt and pants, shoving them down his thighs, leaving only his exceptionally worn underwear that I’m guessing was white at one time. Telling humiliation turns his cheeks bright red, and tendrils of discomfort snake through my veins, urging me to look away.
“Tidy whities, too.”
“Sir, please.”
Remus lifts the knife from the table beside him, and runs his fingertip over the serrated edge of it. “Have you ever wondered how a cock is severed with a steak knife? Is it just me, or…?” He looks back to Agatha and I, shrugging. “Must just be me.”
The guard gives an indignant huff, and pushes his underwear down his thigh, the sight of his flaccid cock startlingly inappropriate for the dinner table.
Still holding the knife, Remus stares toward his manhood and chuckles with further ridicule. “Now, I’m going to finish my supper. You’re going to stand there just as you are. And by the time I’m done, if you happen to have an erection, I’m going to sever it with my dirty steak knife. Is that clear?”
“Yes. Sir.”
“Good.” Turning back to his dinner, Remus hunches over his bowl, making an effort to scrape the utensil against the surface more than necessary.
“Pardon my reach, Remus.” Agatha pushes up from her chair, and reaches across the table for the butter dish from beside Remus. When she sits back down, her breast has fallen out of her dress. “Oops,” she says, clearly taunting the guard.
Grinding my teeth, I shake my head.
The wretched tease sighs, as she sits toying with her nipple in plain sight, taunting the poor man.
“Remus …” I interrupt, hoping to give the guard a small measure of reprieve, as he continues to cup himself, perhaps hiding arousal. “I should also mention that I’m … was … trained in medicine back at Szolen. Basic, but enough to dress a wound. I suspect Titus is an asset you wouldn’t want to lose to something as preventable as infection, so if you’d like ...”
The man’s eye twitches as he chews his steak. “You haven’t finished eating.”
“The events and excitement of the day kind of stole my appetite.”
“Fine. You’re right. We wouldn’t want Titus to perish to something so … trivial.” Twisting toward the guard, Remus bats his hands away to show a still-flaccid penis. “Pull your pants up and take her to Titus. See to it she gets whatever supplies she needs for his wounds.”
“Of course, Sir.”
Shoulders rolled back, Agatha sips her wine, tucking her breast back into her dress. “How fortunate that our beautiful Virgin Daughter is also quite talented.”
* * *
The guard doesn’t say a word on the way down to the cells below, but his exuberance in opening the doors for me along the way is a show of appreciation in itself.
They seem to have all the supplies I requested: needle and thread, antiseptic, clean washcloths and water, along with a lighter to sterilize the needle. It’s ridiculous that they expected the poor man to clean and dress his wounds by himself, but perhaps that’s the nature of things outside the walls of Szolen.
“Titus is quite a warrior,” I say, as we pass through the first door, our stroll slow and easy, which is perfectly okay with me. I’m in no rush to return to Remus and Agatha.
“God of Monsters, they call him.”
“So I heard. How’d he come by that name?” I don’t know what it is about the man that I find so intriguing, but I’m eager to know more.
“The crowds. Remus likes to take him around, make him fight whatever is on offer. Human, or mutation, or Rager. If Titus wasn’t enslaved, he’d probably be the wealthiest man in the Deadlands, just based on what his fists can provide.”
“Seems a man so skilled in fighting should be respected. God forbid he’d become defiant against his master.”
“Titus? Nah. These days, he doesn’t make trouble.”
“These days? He used to be a troublemaker, then?”
“Killed three guards when he was first brought here.” The guard lifts a pack of cigarettes, as if to ask my permission, and I nod. “Threw another prisoner over the cliff. Tore the shit out of his skin trying escape over those barbs.” He lights up the smoke and draws in a long inhale. “Nowadays, he just stares off. Quiet.”
“You’ve broken him.”
