Sugar Squad

Chapter 9 - An Exquisite New Pet

Bel looked from Kassia’s fearful face to Cinnamon’s, seeing for the first time the similarity in their eyes. He had just assaulted the little sister of his most powerful tormentor.

“Let’s go,” Cinnamon hissed.

The world seemed like it was closing in on him. Cinnamon’s angered eyes, Pepper’s cold glare, the whispers of the elven crowd, Kassia’s trembling lips—it was too much. His breath caught in his throat.

Run!

With a yell, he bolted in Marshmallow’s direction. He had a hunch she’d be too soft to stop him, and his guess was proven correct as he vaulted over her thick shoulders. The act caught everyone by surprise, including Cinnamon and Pepper. When they looked back, Bel had already disappeared into the dense arcade.

Cinnamon glared at Marshmallow. “Why are you still standing there?” she screamed. “Both of you, grab him!”

But Bel was already so far, weaving through the various shopping elves like a rat. These girls could fly all they wanted, but in a crowded mall, they’d have trouble not running into people or walls. At least he hoped so.

He nearly crashed into several people during his sprint. To his dismay, he found himself approaching one familiar and unfortunate face.

“Where are you going?” Ginger asked with a large bag in her hands, genuinely confused.

Bel’s eyebrows furrowed. Without hesitation, he kicked her in her side, continuing to run past her. Ginger rubbed at her body, grunting. It didn’t take long for the problem to register with her.

Even with flip-flops, she was a lightning bolt compared to her peers. She could close the distance between herself and Bel before he could even reach the exit. And unlike Bel, she was avoiding people with ease. She grew hotter on his heels by the second.

“This isn’t funny!” she shouted. “You’re making a scene out here!”

“Damn it!” Bel gambled. He turned a corner, immediately beelining it for a display of stacked vases. He ducked behind it, holding his breath.

Closer… Closer… Now!

He shoved the display stand with all his might. Ginger, moving too quickly to stop, let out a yelp as the tower of pottery collapsed directly in her path. She tried to leap over it, but her flip-flop caught on a rolling vase. She went down hard, crashing onto the floor with a pained grunt.

Bel didn’t wait to see the rest. He looked back long enough to shout, “That’s what you get, bitch!”

He burst through the main doors of the Snowflake Galleria and out into the cold. He couldn’t stop running, not yet. His new boots pounded against the snowy cobblestones. He ran until the glittering palace of the mall was just a sparkle in the distance, until his lungs burnt and the soles of his feet ached.

Finally, after what felt like running three miles in eight minutes, he collapsed behind a large snowdrift, panting.

Think of a plan, Bel! Your best bet is going to that workshop they brought you to, asking to see Santa so he can take you home. Or maybe even hiding out with that Tunfro guy’s crew. Anything to avoid those four freaks.

“My, my. Such a feisty little thing.”

The voice came from directly behind him. Before he could turn, a pair of arms wrapped around him. The scent of flowers filled his nose.

“There, there, little human,” the voice whispered softly in his ear before planting a kiss on it. He felt a strange, pleasant coldness spread from where she smooched him, seeping into his muscle. His adrenaline, anger and fear all drained, replaced by exhaustion.

Seph stepped out from behind him, her smile devilish. “You’re safe now,” she cooed, gently stroking his hair.

He couldn’t move a muscle. She picked him up as if he were a doll.

“We can’t have them finding us, can we?” she whispered. “They’ll be searching the ground.”

And with that, she launched into the sky, climbing higher and higher until the snowy landscape that was the North Pole was nothing but a white blanket. Once high enough, she took off away from the mall.

---

“He couldn’t have gotten that far!” Cinnamon growled. She, Pepper and Marshmallow had burst through the exits and were examining the paths and surrounding buildings.

A moment later, Ginger joined them, rubbing her knee. “The little bastard is smarter than he looks.”

The fresh snowfall was already covering any tracks. He could’ve been anywhere.

Just then, Kassia and her friends emerged from the mall, Kassia clutching her bruised cheek. She walked towards her sister.

“Cinnamon, please don’t be too hard on him when you find him,” she said.

“He assaulted you, Kassia. He’s a menace, and he will be disciplined. End of story.”

“But—”

“It’s a failed test, okay?” Cinnamon put coins in Kassia’s hands. “Thank you for trying, but let me focus on my work now.”

As Kassia looked down, she noticed something odd on the ground near where Bel had made his desperate run. Lying atop the flower was a single, perfect, deep-purple flower petal. It was completely untouched by the snow.

“What’s this?” she asked, pointing.

The four squad members froze. They instantly recognised it.

“No way,” Ginger whispered.

“Seph.” Cinnamon’s voice was mixed with dread and anger.

Pepper knelt, ignoring the petal. She pressed her palm flat against the cobblestones, closing her eyes. After a long moment, they snapped open.

“Her magical residue is faint but present,” she stated. “Running isn’t her style, as we know.”

“She completely played us!” Cinnamon shouted. “We’re here searching the ground, while she’s carrying Belial in the air!”

Marshmallow put her hands up. “Hold on. She can’t have gone back to her home yet. We know it takes her days to do so.”

“Meaning?” Ginger raised a brow.

“Meaning she’s still here in the North Pole. Hiding somewhere.” Marshmallow looked at Pepper. “How easy is guessing her direction?”

“Nearly impossible. I suggest we head south.”

“That’s where I’d start,” Cinnamon agreed. “Let’s go!”

As the four shot off into the air, Kassia and her friends stood back in confusion.

“So he’s, for some reason, staying with your sister and her friends?” Brieanna asked.

“That’s all I know.”

“And he’s absolutely terrified of feet.” Asego whistled. “He must be having a field day living under the same roof as Cinnamon.”

---

A soft vibration pulled Bel from the dreamless void. He blinked, his vision swimming as consciousness returned.

He was lying on something soft—a thick pile of white fur. The air was cold enough that he could see his breath, yet the furs kept him from shivering. Above him was a ceiling of smooth ice that refracted blue light.

He tried to push himself up, but his limbs wouldn’t obey. The paralysis from the previous kiss still clung to his bones. He could twitch his fingers and turn his head slightly, but anything more was futile. His body felt heavier than lead.

“Ah. The little angel stirs.”

Bel turned his head slowly towards the voice. Seph sat on a throne carved from pure ice, one leg crossed over the other. Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes tracked his every movement. The room around them was small and dome-shaped.

“Where…” His voice came out raspy. “Where am I?”

“Safe.” Seph rose from her throne. “Far from those four pretenders who call themselves your guardians.” She glided across the ice floor—her feet not quite touching the ground— and knelt beside him. “Tell me, little one, how does it feel to be their project? Their experiment in rehabilitation?”

He tried to pull away, but his body remained unresponsive. “Let me go.”

“In time, perhaps.” Her long, cold fingers brushed his forehead. “First we should get to know each other better. After all, we will be spending quite a bit of time together.”

“The hell we are!”

“Such spirit,” Seph laughed. “I see why Cinnamon chose you. Though I wonder…” She tilted her head. “Did she tell you why she’s really doing this? The true reason she brought you here?”

“To fix me,” Bel spat. “To turn me into some prissy little angel so they can keep their jobs.”

“That’s part of it. But did she tell you about what she did before forming her silly squad?” She leaned closer. “About the people she failed?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She likes to play the responsible leader now. But I knew the true Cinnamon.” She stood up and paced slowly around the furs where he lay paralysed. “My best friend. You know, until she decided to betray me.”

Bel scoffed. “I don’t care about your drama.”

“You should.” Seph stopped at his feet and looked down at his new boots. “Whatever she’s putting you through now is not for your benefit. She needs you to succeed so that she can prove to Santa and to herself that she’s not the failure everyone knows she is. And when you inevitably disappoint her, she’ll toss you away to the wind as easily as she discarded me.”

She knelt, this time at his feet.

“At least I’m honest about what I want from you.”

“And what’s that, weirdo?”

“Someone who won’t abandon me.” Her expression shifted. “Someone with whom to share this exile.”

Before he could respond in disgust, she was unlacing his boots.

“Hey!” He tried to pull his foot back. “Don’t touch them!”

But his body fought him once more. The paralysis held him in place as she tugged the first boot free. Cold air stung his bare foot, which was reddened from all the running. The familiar wave of humiliation crashed over him.

“Please,” he whispered. “Please don’t.”

Seph’s smile softened. “Oh, you poor thing. They really have conditioned you to despise this, haven’t they?” She set the boot aside and removed the second one.

Both feet were bare now. Bel tried to curl his toes to hide them, but even that small movement was a struggle.

“Look at you,” Seph breathed, taking his left foot in her hands. The chill of her touch made him gasp. “Trembling like a caught animal. So deliciously vulnerable.”

She pressed his foot to her face, shut her eyes and inhaled deeply.

“Ah… How exquisite,” she sighed. “The pure sweat of a boy. A human boy, at that. Fear, exhaustion and that underlying musk of youth.” She took another sniff, her expression bordering on ecstatic. “Intoxicating.”

“You’re insane!” Tears already formed in his eyes.

“Perhaps from a certain point of view.” Her thumb pressed into the centre of his sole. “Like I said, at least I’m honest about what I want.”

With her free hand, she reached into her pocket and produced a small vial containing a shimmering pink liquid. The substance pulsed with an unnatural light.

“What is that?” Bel’s voice went high.

“A gift.” Seph opened the vial, and immediately the scent of overripe fruit filled the air. “This will help you better appreciate my touches.”

“I swear, you’re gonna regret touching my feet! Stop—”

But she was already tripping the vial, letting the pink liquid drip onto his soles like honey. It was warm and sticky. The moment it touched his skin, Bel felt something change. A frightening hyper-awareness bloomed across his feet. Every nerve ending seemed to cry out for attention.

“There we go,” she cooed. She started rubbing the substance into his skin, working it deep into his soles, between his toes and along his arches. “Let it soak in. Let it awaken those sleepy nerves.”

He could feel everything: the texture of her skin, the swirly ridges of her fingerprints and the difference in temperature between her palms and fingers. Although not painful, it was so intense that his brain couldn’t process it all at once.

“What do you want from me?” His voice began to break.

“I already told you. Companionship.” She traced one finger from his heel to his toes. “I’ve been alone for three years, Belial. You know what that’s like, don’t you? Being alone? Having everyone look at you and see someone broken?”

“But I’m not your friend,” he squeaked. “You can’t just kidnap someone and expect them to be your friend!”

“Can’t I?” Her smile returned. “Ask Cinnamon. She kidnapped you, forced you into her home and made you dependent on her for everything. The difference is that I’ll actually make you love me.”

Bel felt vomit rise in his throat.

“They’ll come for you eventually,” she continued. “And when they do, they’ll have the pleasure of watching their precious little project submit to a new master. That will be the last thing they see before I send them into oblivion.”

“You’re going to…kill them?”

“Naturally. They took everything from me, so it’s only fair that I return the favour.” Her fingers moved to his toes, gently separating them. “But first we shall break you in. If you’re to be my pet, you’ll need to learn how to entertain me.”

“I’m not your pet, you crazy fuck!”

“Not yet. Give it time.” She brought his foot closer to her face. “Now then, let’s see just how responsive you truly are.”

Her thumb pressed deeper into the centre of his sole. It felt like a jolt of electricity. His toes splayed involuntarily, and his leg tried desperately to pull away.

“There it is. The ticklish response,” Seph giggled.

Her fingers began to scratch his feet gently. Bel’s eyes bulged, and laughter shot out from deep inside him.

“Hahahahahaha! Stop it! Please!”

“Don’t fight it,” she sang, her nails dancing around his hypersensitive skin.

Switching tactics, she wiggled her fingers between his tightly clenched toes. The invasion made him shriek. His toes scrunched up so hard that they hurt, but it did nothing to stop the assault. Even with her finger trapped, Seph’s subtle wiggle drew breathless laughs out of the paralysed boy.

“Now for my favourite part,” she announced. Before he registered her words, he felt something warm and wet slide across his sole.

Her tongue.

Seph pulled away, a thin strand of saliva linking her mouth to his foot. “Delicious,” she panted. “Even better than I had envisioned. The saltiness, that fearful essence, the scent… You’ve everything.”

“Stop!” Bel cried, tears in his eyes. “I’m begging you! It’s killing me!”

“You’re okay.” She returned, her tongue zeroing in on his toes. She captured his big toe between her lips, and his mind went wild as she sucked on it. Her cheek caved in with the force of her suction; her tongue swirled around the toe as though it were a piece of rich candy.

She released it with a wet pop. “One down.”

Each toe received the same treatment: getting wrapped in her mouth, sucked and explored by her flexible tongue. By the time she reached his pinkie toe, Bel was rendered speechless, only able to produce broken whimpers as tears flowed down his cheeks.

She glided to the spaces between his toes, her tongue swirling with fervour. The sensation caused his body to stiffen completely. A high-pitched whine left his lips.

“Perfect,” Seph sighed, smacking her lips. She took a long lick up his sole. “How I struggled to attract a boy when I was a girl. At last I can indulge.”

She made her way back down to his heel and grazed it with her teeth. He let out a mixture of laughter and crying, yelping when she followed with a tender kiss.

“Oh, the look on Cinnamon’s face when she catches us together will be something. It’ll be almost as good as seeing her dead.”

Bel’s breathing was ragged. Through his fear and humiliation, one thought became clear. She really is going to kill them.

Despite everything they’d put him through—the torture, the humiliation and the cruelty—he didn’t want that. He didn’t want Marshmallow dead. Maybe not even Cinnamon, despite how much he hated her.

Seph looked up. “Oh? Don’t tell me you’ve developed an affection for your captors.”

“They’re not… I don’t…”

“It’s okay.” She released his foot and crawled forward until she was lying on top of him, her weight pressing him into the furs. Her face hovered inches from his. “I understand complicated feelings all too well.”

Her closeness made it difficult to breathe. He could detect that sickly-sweet aroma wafting from her skin.

“You will one day be honoured to repay this favour,” she whispered. “Once the paralysis fades and you’ve been adequately trained, you’ll tend to my fee with the same devotion I’ve shown yours. You’ll clean them, massage them, worship them… And you’ll be grateful for the privilege.”

The mere thought made his stomach turn. But he was too drained to voice any objections.

He gathered what saliva remained in his parched mouth and spat directly at her face.

The glob struck her cheek. She remained still for a moment. Then, to his horror, she smiled. Her tongue extended and licked the warm saliva from her cheek before she retracted it into her mouth. She swallowed.

“Thank you.” Her grin stretched wider. “Your human essence tastes divine.” She leaned in closer. “Now give your mistress a proper kiss.”

“No—”

But she was already advancing, her lips pursing. They made wet, squeaking sounds as they approached. Bel tried to turn his head, but her hand gripped his jaw firmly. She purred, looking him in the eyes.

A sudden flash of orange light erupted against the igloo’s walls, so bright that it cast a sharp shadow across Seph’s face.

Her theatrical smile vanished in an instant. “Already found me, have they?”

She pushed herself off of him in a smooth move. Looking down at him, her face softened some more, as if she felt sorry for him.

“Our time together has been suspended but will resume.” She knelt down one last time, bringing her face close to his feet. She licked his toes from the smallest to the biggest in one slow motion, covering them in a trail of shiny saliva. The wet sensation made him gag.

“Don’t miss me too much, my dear pet.” She walked towards the entrance of the igloo. “Seph has some pests to exterminate. But I’ll be back, and when I am, we’ll explore every giggle, every whimper and every scream you can give.”

Then she was gone, leaving Bel alone in the ice prison with the lingering sensation of her tongue on his skin. As well as the uncertainty about whether he wanted the Sugar Squad to win or lose in the inevitable battle.

Think about this, Bel. If all five of them manage to kill each other, maybe I can finally get away from this nightmare.

But even as he thought it, he knew it wouldn’t be so easy anymore. Nothing ever was.

---

Author’s Note:
I feel this chapter gave me the most difficulties up to this point, but hey, at least we finally have Bel’s feet being sucked on. Oh, you can expect him to get more of that, whether he wants it or not. Just don’t expect too much feet next Sunday; it’s action time.