I tucked Sara in, even though she was already fast asleep before I could even pat her face with a washcloth. Markus leaned on the wall by the door, watching me care for his mother.

"What was that about?" he whispered, as I exited the room. He closed the door behind us.

"It's not my place to tell you the whole truth." I responded quietly. "All I can say is that you and Matteo are very similar, yet not at all the same. Both Sara and Matteo protected you at a heavy cost."

Markus' lips quirked down. "I don't get it."

"I know." I said, quickly stepping down the stairs. "You don't have to understand right now. When Sara wants to tell you, she will."

"You're no fun."

I used a smidge of my dragon strength to slam my elbow up into his solar plexus. He choked and gasped for breath as I turned to glare at him.

"Not everything is a game. Life is difficult and full of pain and suffering. You've suffered so little." I growled, and Markus' eyes were wide.

"Wh-what? What the hell do you know! You're just a spoiled brat!"

I slapped his face quite hard. "Spoilt? You're the real brat here. I didn't know love for fifteen years up until two months ago."

Markus' sapphire blue eyes widened and he swallowed thickly.

"My own mother brutally beat me, starved me, burned my skin, and kept me in a tiny closet in a dark, musty basement most nights." I spat, reaching up to grip his jaw, since he was still doubled over from my elbow strike.

"You know, I still get memories as nightmares when I sleep. Just today, one particular memory was of my mother slamming her heels into my chest and kicking my stomach so hard that I vomited blood. She then strangled me and slapped me. That wasn't enough, so she smashed my head into the wall and spat on my face. She dragged me to the backdoor by my hair and threw me outside, letting my broken body lay in the backyard. My dear mother left me outside with no remorse during a thunderstorm with wind howling and cold rain cutting into my wounds. She did that more times than I can count."

Markus had a blank face. I shoved him back, so he stumbled and caught himself on the stairs. I glared down at him.

"Yeah, you are the fucking spoiled brat. Get over yourself."

I whirled around and plodded down the steps. I reached the table and began placing plastic wrap over the food, then putting things away. I wasn't in the mood for food.

Once everything was put away, I felt large hands wrap around my chest, then sighed as Matteo hugged me to his left side in the crook of his arm. I nosed his shoulder, then relaxed and closed my eyes.

"Let's get out of here for awhile." he murmured. I weakly nodded and clung to him, biting my lip as ghost pain ricocheted in my body.

He carried me out of the house and down the short driveway to the sidewalk. It was dark outside, but I wasn't scared at all. Matteo was strong and so was I, even though I didn't feel like the latter was the case.

"Was that true?"

"Mmhm." I mumbled. "You saw her, didn't you?"

Matteo shook his head. "No, I only saw you."

I blushed a bit. "O-oh."

"I wasn't really attracted to you at the time, but I couldn't deny that you were really beautiful."

"Stop." I huffed, kissing his throat. "Thanks, though."

Matteo chuckled, which made me smile. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you, too." I said, then kissed his temple. My tail swished next to us, curling around Matteo's hips.

"Um, Anwyll, would you tell me at least?"

"About what?"

"My stepmother and what she meant."

I sighed. "Okay, Mattie. Do you remember when you told me her folks basically disowned her?"

"Yes, and?"

"Nobility desires chastity from their women to marry them off as undamaged goods."

Matteo paused. "Aren't those old practices?"

"Yes, but it happens quite often nowadays. If you take out the nobility part, it's a common practice in many countries."

He hummed. "Okay, so Sara wasn't chaste?"

"She was before she met your father."

"No surprise there."

I sighed. "Mattie, when did your father tell your mother he had divorced her?"

"When I was a little over thirteen." he murmured. "Why is this important?"

"Markus was born not long after your father's remarriage to Sara."

"And?"

I groaned. "Okay, now, Sara had a strange reaction to your statement of your mother being raped by your father."

Matteo halted in his walking. "Wait, no..."

"Yes, Matteo, Sara was raped and forced into marriage with your father. She was unable to divorce him because her family abandoned her, and there was nowhere to go with a baby other than a shelter. A shelter isn't good for a baby to stay in, so she was forced to stay. Sara tried to get used to her life and keep Markus from getting hurt, even though it pained her to see you being tortured by her husband. She felt so guilty, but at the same time she was happy to keep Markus alive."

He was silent as he started walking again. I hugged his neck as he began to jog. As he rounded a corner towards a park, I felt him shift. I hung onto his thick neck as he raced into the woods. I did my best to carefully maneuver myself up onto his back, slowly moving my body in rhythm to his rocking gait.

Matteo's hooves thundered over the ground, so it felt strange to be riding on his back as he snorted and tossed his head, skidding to a halt deep in the woods. I looked down and noticed his dark brown hair interrupted by those crisscrossing scars. The horrible ones between his shoulder blades looked absolutely horrific, but I leaned forward and gently kissed them. Matteo tensed and released a low moo, which made me giggle a bit. His tail flicked as he turned his head. His navy blue eyes were now extremely dark, but I could tell that he recognized me.

I slid off his back and landed next to him, petting his side. Matteo snorted and stamped his hooves, shaking his head. I stayed out of range from his sharp horns, but moved closer as he calmed down. Matteo's skin rippled when I kissed his black nose.

"Mattie, you're a really handsome beast." I said with a grin, petting his giant face with my small hands.

Matteo snorted, so I grinned. His tongue poked out and he licked my cheek. I pouted, but rubbed his head with my knuckles.

"Shall we wander around for awhile until you're calm?"

He nodded, so I walked next to him through the woods, watching his movements with curiosity. I had only ever seen Daddy and Uncle Andros' other forms before. It was so strange, but interesting at the same time.

"Wow, what the hell?"

I glanced to my left and noticed a bunch of rebellious kids. They were trying to act tough with leather jackets and cigarettes. I bit back my laughter. They did carry knives, though, but I wasn't too bothered.

Matteo snorted and began walking again, so I caught up with him and kept a hand on his side. The kids jogged to catch up.

"Hey, wait!"

I bit my tongue and lightly hopped up onto Matteo's back. He sped up and left the kids in the dust. I had glanced back to see their stunned expressions. I burst into laughter as I folded one leg underneath me.

"Their faces were so funny!"

Matteo mooed, so I giggled at the sound again. He slowed to a meandering walk, so as we reached the edge of the park, Matteo shifted back into his human form. His clothes remained on, which was handy. I held out my hand to him, so he grasped it and knelt down on the ground. He kissed my knuckles with a relieved expression on his face.

"My master, I love you so dearly."

I bent down a bit and tenderly kissed his forehead. "My beloved bull, I love you so much as well. Let's go back, okay?"

He silently nodded and asked for a kiss, which I happily provided him.

__________________________

When we got back, the lights were still on, but no one was around. I still had my burrito from earlier, but Matteo wasn't hungry. We went upstairs and into his old room, then gathered our bathroom stuff. We got ready for bed, then Matteo shut and locked the door.

I was just taking off my stretchy navy blue skinny jeans and light blue shirt, which had been worn underneath an oversized sweater that I could button up. I felt Matteo's gaze hone in on my body as I removed my shirt. I bent over to take off my socks, and felt him move in.

"Master, may I pleasure you?" he whispered from down on his knees.

I blushed when I looked behind my butt. "Um, okay."

Matteo's fingers pushed between my thighs and rubbed my cock through my underwear. I mewled and covered my mouth as he pushed his thumb between my cheeks to rub my hole. My body began to tremble as he teased me with his warmth.

"Mm, Mattie..."

Matteo groaned deeply, a growl in his chest. "I'm going to pull them down."

"You have my permission to do what you want." I whispered, looking into his eyes.

Matteo paused, then blushed. "Wh-whatever I want?"

I nodded. "And I have your permission to do what I want?"

He swallowed thickly and nodded in response. "You are my master. You own my everything."

I turned most of the way around to kiss him firmly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." he whispered, then shivered as my fingertips stroked along his jawline.

I returned to my position before and rested my hands on the end of his bed, biting back my moan as Matteo pushed his fingers underneath the hem of my boxers and gripped my cheeks. I gasped when he began to massage them, but mewled under my breath as he began to pull them down, kissing the globes of my ass.

"So beautiful, Master." he breathed, and my body trembled under his firm touch.

My tail twitched over my back from the feeling of my underwear slowly being pulled to my feet. Matteo kissed down my thighs, the backs of my knees, calves, ankles, and even my heels were kissed. I stepped out of my underwear and kept my feet shoulder-width apart.

Matteo kissed up my legs and gripped my ass again, pushing the cheeks apart. Cool air slid over my sensitive bits, making me quiver for warmth.

"Can you clean yourself using magic?"

I blinked. "Probably. Daddy did say I have strong magic."

"All right, let's test it out." he said, then licked my sac. I shivered from the sensation, but heard him ask to do it.

"Okay, hold on." I said, then imagined myself being cleaned inside and out with magic.

It felt weird, but good. Matteo stroked my sac and marveled aloud.

"Oh, it's dry. Magic really is useful."

"I'm clean inside and out, Mattie. You're welcome to do what you like."

He rubbed his thumb over my hole and pressed down, making me shiver and clutch onto the bedding. He groaned deeply and pushed his face between my thighs, nibbling and sucking on my sac. I mewled, my body trembling as he devoured me.

"M-Mattie..."

He groaned deeply, his tongue buried inside me. It flicked and stroked my insides, making me squirm and moan. Matteo moved his hand and rubbed my cock with his fingers, rolling my tiny balls. I shivered and trembled, my knees growing weak.

Matteo supported my hips, but began to get up and lift my legs. A wet slurp echoed, and my skin darkened further as he had me crawl onto the bed. The mattress creaked and dipped with his weight. He leaned over me, so I glanced back and he had his eyes closed.

"Mattie?" I flipped over and cupped his cheeks.

He sat back on his heels and I sat up on my knees. Matteo's bottom lip was trembling while he bit it. I rubbed his cheeks with my thumbs, encouraging him to look at me.

"Matteo, talk to me."

He slowly opened his dark eyes. His jaw was clenched and his face was twisted into a scowl. I smiled gently and pecked his lips.

"Matteo, are you scared?"

His fists clenched.

"Ssh, just take a few breaths."

Matteo did as told, but he was still tense. I sighed and eased him down onto his back. I straddled his hips and looked down at his troubled face.

"You're thinking about Blaine again."

He flinched, but nodded. I pushed up his shirt, kissing up his torso. Matteo watched me with a nervous expression while I nibbled and licked his nipples. I tugged off his shirt and kissed him, rolling my tiny tongue over his bigger one. After sucking on it for a few seconds, I drew back and splayed my fingers out on his chest.

"Matteo," I started, feeling his cock throb under my ass. His navy blue eyes sparkled like gems. I smiled brightly, my tail wagging behind me. "Do you trust me?"

He nodded without a moment of hesitation. I giggled and kissed his lips, then sat back and relaxed.

"Matteo, I love you. I trust you." I said with a firm gaze, staring into his face. "You're not the same as you were back then. You've changed."

Matteo sighed. "It feels like I could go back at any time."

I hummed and moved down his thighs. I unbuckled his jeans and he unbuttoned them for me. I tugged down his pants, then folded them and tossed them onto the chair at the desk. Matteo had already removed his socks, so I crawled back up and sat on his lap, moving my tail over his legs.

Matteo shivered from the feeling. "M-Master, what are you—?"

I laid down on his chest and tucked my head under his chin. "Well, skin-to-skin bonding time is good, too."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled the covers over us. I used magic to clean and freshen our mouths, then sighed softly.

"Mattie, until you're ready, we don't have to do anything. We can start slowly, and I'll show you that you have changed through it. Does that sound good?"

He rolled over and pulled my body closer, then scooted down to tuck his face into my neck. I shifted slightly to cup the back of his head and neck, drawing him as close as possible.

"You really are my one and only master." he whispered. "I can't believe you can make me feel so alive and happy."

I played with his dark waves and held a soft smile on my lips. "Just rest and relax, my beloved Matteo. I'm here."

He hummed, but followed my directions and slowly drifted to sleep with me, listening to the steady pounding of my heart.