Текст книги "Tatterdemalion "

Автор книги: Anah Crow

Соавторы: Dianne Fox
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

wasn’t at all shy about their relationship, whatever it was, even now. Maybe being huge and terrifying

made it easier.

“Fuck you,” Lindsay muttered, but a thread of pleasure wound through his tone. “I’m always cold.”

“Brat.” Dane groped Lindsay’s ass in what had to be an affectionate gesture, especially given where

his fingers were slipping. “Thought you liked it the other way around.”

Anah Crow and Dianne Fox

“Keep that up,” Lindsay murmured, “and we’ll both find out how much I like it in public.” He was

already getting hard.

Dane laughed, but shifted his hand to cup the curve of Lindsay’s ass and moved his whole body so he

could duck his head and nuzzle Lindsay’s nose with his own. “Would I do that to you?” The wind picked

up and pulled Dane’s hair around, tickling Lindsay’s cheek with it.

Lindsay arched one eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe.”

“Only if you wanted it,” Dane pointed out, his voice uncharacteristically tender. The wind grabbed at

Dane’s hair again, even though the canvas sides of the cabanas around the pool hung still. Dane tensed and

raised his head, listening.

Lindsay couldn’t see anything different than when he’d walked up to Dane’s chair a few moments

before. “What is it?” he asked softly.

“Just listen.” Dane lay back again, but the tension didn’t leave his body. “Cyrus…” The wind curled

around them and a voice came with it.

“Moore is awake,” the wind said. “She has sent her people to find you where the dog was last seen. It

was the girl who held the dog’s leash for Moore while she slept. The girl sent the dog into the forest. The girl has not been seen. No one knows what has become of her.” The voice was definitely Cyrus, but hollow

and thin with distance, spilling into their ears alone. “This dalliance can wait until Ezqel has what he sent you for and the boy is healed. No more wasting time.”

Dane made a discontented noise.

“Go quickly. Vivian and I can do nothing if Moore’s people catch up to you there.” The wind sighed

against Dane’s cheek, in his hair, and there were no words left in it, just a caress. Then the air was still again.

Lindsay had thought Moore was dead. He’d killed them all. He remembered that, from the mirror. So

many bodies. Maybe she had been. Lindsay couldn’t count on death to be the end of anyone, anymore.

“Who is the girl? Cyrus mentioned her before.”

“They call her ‘the girl’ because she was so young when she started. Younger than you. Her name is

Lourdes. I knew her once. She’s a mind mage, and a good one. Too bad for everyone that she ended up

where she did.” Dane sat up, bringing Lindsay up with him. “The sooner we get this sorted, the sooner

Cyrus and Vivian are out of danger.”

“I’ll go pack,” Lindsay murmured, picking up his towel. He played with it between his hands, feeling

sick with fear. Would Jonas be back? Was Lourdes going to find him?

“It won’t take long to get there.” Dane’s hands were warm on Lindsay’s shoulders and arms.

“Breathe. We’re leaving. This is all we can do right now.”

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The flight from Mexico to Zurich was tense. Whenever he could, Lindsay found himself pushing up

the armrest between their seats and sliding over to tuck himself against Dane.

Of course, the fear only got worse once they landed. The airport was crowded. Was Lourdes one of

the nameless strangers surrounding them? He made himself stop clinging to Dane’s hand, but he stayed

close, fingers clenched tight around the shoulder straps of his backpack.

He’d never imagined wanting to rush back to Ezqel’s cottage. What he’d gone through last time

should have been enough to keep him away now, but the promise of being fixed and the threat of people

like Jonas and Lourdes coming after him were enough to drown out any fear of repeating Ezqel’s tests.

This time, they approached the forest from the village that had been at the end of the path they’d taken

on their way out before. As they left the village behind in the falling dusk and trudged through the muck

and a thin sheet of snow, a slim shadow broke away from the trees and came hurrying toward them. When

the wind tugged the figure’s hood back, it was easy to see that it was Taniel, robe clenched in his hands to keep it out of the muck.

“There you are. I feared you would not get this far. Izia is watching the other path for you. Quickly,

come.” He looked wild-eyed, like a frightened rabbit.

Dane grabbed Lindsay’s hand and drew him along faster. “Have they come this far?”

“There are many hunters in the forest.” Taniel beckoned them to follow. “Hunters coming into

Ezqel’s forest, but hunting nothing living there.”

“I’m sorry,” Dane said flatly. His expression was closed, but his eyes were hot with anger.

“Are they hunting Jonas?” Lindsay asked quietly. “Or are they hunting me?”

“Does it matter?” Taniel gave Lindsay an apologetic smile. “Either outcome is to your disadvantage,

and the events alone anger Ezqel. Trespassers in his forest are like ants on his skin, night and day.” Turning back to watch his step, Taniel murmured a spell that could be felt on the air.

Lindsay frowned. He hadn’t realized the forest was so closely connected to Ezqel, though he saw now

that he should have. The paths, the rules, everything pointed to the forest being more to Ezqel than a simple patch of trees. “I’m sorry,” he said, echoing Dane.

“You are not responsible for the evil of others,” Taniel said simply. “It is good to see you again,

regardless.”

“And you,” Lindsay said, surprised to realize he meant it. “Thank you.”

Ezqel’s house was warm and dim when Taniel ushered them in the side garden door. The smell of

something cooking—a rich stew, perhaps, and maybe bread—was on the air. “He will want to see you

first,” Taniel said. “And the item you have brought him. Later, I would like to hear of how you obtained it.”

His eyes were bright at the prospect of adding to his prodigious store of knowledge.

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Lindsay frowned. “May as well share the tale of my stupidity,” he muttered. He was terribly nervous

about seeing Ezqel again, and about how the hunters might have affected Ezqel’s mood. The old mage

hadn’t been particularly personable before, and Lindsay wasn’t looking forward to finding out what he was

like in a bad mood.

Dane slid his pack from his shoulder and opened it up. He had to crouch and dig through, but he

found the box and offered it to Lindsay. “Here. You should take it to him. It is your healing, after all.”

Lindsay swallowed. “I don’t suppose he could do it from a distance?” he asked hopefully, taking the

box and holding it carefully. He traced the lines of the ornate knife set into the lid with his thumb.

Dane reached out and put a hand on Lindsay’s leg. “It won’t be the same if I come with you. Some

things, you have to do alone.”

“I know.” Lindsay tore his gaze away from the box and looked at Dane instead. “Thank you.”

“You already survived the worst.” Dane gave him a smile. “You’re here. Go on. I won’t be far, but

you won’t need me.”

Lindsay mustered up a smile for Dane. He glanced at Taniel one more time, then turned and headed

for the room where he’d seen Ezqel last.

Ezqel was at his desk, and looked up as Lindsay came in. “You have it. This is good.” He held out his

hand. “Bring it here.”

Lindsay came closer, but slowly. He stretched out to put the box in Ezqel’s hand, not wanting to get

any closer than he had to. He knew that Ezqel’s tests had been necessary, but that didn’t make him feel any more comfortable with the old man.

“You’ll have to get over that,” Ezqel said, not looking at Lindsay. “This thing I am doing for you, it

requires you to trust me. Do you even know what will be happening to you? Aren’t you even curious?”

“No,” Lindsay whispered. “I don’t know what you’re going to do to me.” It wasn’t as though he’d had

any chance to ask Ezqel about it; Ezqel had been too busy making him relive the most hellish moments of

his life. “Will knowing make me trust you more?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. What do you think? Do you care what I’m going to do?” Ezqel tilted his head

curiously, waiting.

“I’m not sure,” Lindsay admitted. “As long as it works. I don’t want to be broken anymore.” He took

a deep breath. “Will it be like last time?”

“No.” Ezqel put the box down and folded his hands over it. “This was a young demon. About the

same age as you, at least in its own years. You were fortunate to be in the same time and place as this one.

Its magic will help heal you. The heart will draw your magic out, as it did when the guul was hunting you.

For a moment, it will be like the heart of your magic. We are putting you on bypass so I can undo the

damage without hurting you. And then we will see…”

“See what?” Lindsay stared at Ezqel.

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“We will see how well you heal. We will see if you recover completely. It will be an interesting thing

to watch.” Ezqel smiled. “Watching things grow always interests me.”

“It won’t get worse than it is now, will it?”

“It will only get better.” Ezqel shook his head slowly. “You can only get better if the past is put in the

past.”

Lindsay nodded. “All right. I guess I’m ready whenever you are.” He wasn’t, but he might never be

ready. He wanted to be fixed, and Cyrus and Dane wouldn’t have sent him here if they didn’t think it would

work.

“You could do something for me, though.” Ezqel took up his pen. “A personal favor.”

Lindsay pulled his hands up into his sleeves. “What is it?”

“Get Dane to stop being a fool. Tell him to let me help him.” Ezqel looked at Lindsay askance. “I

thought he’d be done by now, but apparently not.” He tapped the box. “This will work on both of you—

magic is simply magic, like water is water—but he won’t tell you that. He knows it, and I know it, and now

you know it. So, I leave it in your capable hands. He has to be conscious, or I’d simply have Taniel club

him senseless with a fire iron.”

“I can try.” Lindsay turned toward the door, half-expecting Dane to be standing there, watching him.

“Isn’t there some saying—do not try, only do?” Ezqel gave Lindsay an arch look. “If you succeed

where Cyrus and Vivian and others have failed, then perhaps it will be to your benefit. Consider that.”

“I don’t know that I have any more influence over Dane than they do,” Lindsay murmured. “I doubt

that I do.” He shrugged. “But I will try. We talked about his magic, once.” And not since.

“You could be stronger than you allow yourself to be.” Ezqel went back to writing. “Consider that, as

well.”

Lindsay frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said.” Ezqel didn’t look up. “To do otherwise would be to waste my words.”

Ezqel and Cyrus were peas in a pod. No wonder they were friends.

Lindsay found Dane in a huge armchair in the sitting room below the guest loft, reading a large book

by lamplight. The cat, displaced, dozed on the high mantel, its tail dangling above the yellow flames. The

natural light softened Dane’s features and brought out the red tones in his hair. Lindsay’s chest was tight with seeing him there.

He glanced up a moment after Lindsay came in. “You seem to have survived,” he rumbled.

“He hasn’t touched me yet,” Lindsay returned dryly. He came over to curl up on the floor near Dane’s

feet, rubbing his cheek against Dane’s knee. It felt good and he was quiet a while to enjoy it before ruining everything. Waiting only made him more nervous, though, so he spoke before Dane could ask what was

wrong just from smelling his anxiety. “You didn’t tell me the heart would fix you too.”

There was a thump as Dane closed the book. “Wasn’t relevant. He didn’t have any damn business…”

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“Any business doing what? I know you don’t like being stuck. I could hear it in your voice when you

were telling me about it before. Why wouldn’t you want him to help you?”

“Any business getting you involved in my business.” Dane shook his head and put the book aside.

“It’s not your trouble.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared into the fire flickering in the hearth. “I manage as I am.”

“What happened to all the pep talks you gave me about how important it was to have full use of my

magic?” Lindsay didn’t know if Dane was being stubborn now, or if Dane had been simply manipulating

him before. He was hoping for the former, but he didn’t understand it.

“That was for you.” Dane relented some and reached out to stroke Lindsay’s hair. “Your magic is

important. Ezqel just wants to win an argument we started before you were born.”

It was ridiculous how much being petted helped soothe Lindsay’s worries. He crawled up into Dane’s

lap and frowned at Dane. “How do you know yours isn’t? Is winning the argument really so important that

you would rather have that than all of your magic?”

“Yes.” Dane shrugged, looking utterly unapologetic. “And I know what I am. There are advantages to

being freed from being human anyway.” He stroked Lindsay’s cheek. “Don’t worry about the affairs of old

men.”

Lindsay’s eyes slipped shut. “I know what you are too,” he murmured, turning into the touch,

brushing kisses across Dane’s palm. “And I know that your magic is more important than whatever Ezqel

did to piss you off.” He opened his eyes again, meeting Dane’s. “I know that I need you.” Not that he

expected that to make a difference, but he had to say it anyway.

Dane’s expression didn’t shift for a long moment, but then he drew Lindsay to him for a tender kiss.

“I begged him once, and he refused me,” he said against Lindsay’s lips. “Long, long before you were

born.”

Lindsay couldn’t imagine making Dane beg for anything. It hurt, the thought that Dane would have

begged Ezqel for help and been refused. That only intensified his dislike of the fae mage.

“Hasn’t he begged you to let him help, now?” Lindsay asked, snuggling closer. Nothing mattered but

Dane being well. “Isn’t that what this is? Doesn’t it mean anything that he wants to help enough that he

asked me to help you?”

“This is part of a game. He offered to help me when we were here before, and I said no. He hates to be

refused, for all that he refused me.” Dane stroked Lindsay’s hair back. “He thinks he’ll win if you get me to say yes.” He kissed Lindsay, and Lindsay leaned into it, trying to get close and begging with his mouth.

Please. I need you. Lindsay slid his hands into Dane’s hair and pressed kisses up under Dane’s chin.

He licked at the roughness of Dane’s beard over his golden skin, doing everything he could remember

animals doing to show submission. “He can’t win if you’re not playing the game,” he murmured, dragging

his mouth along the line of Dane’s jaw.

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“It’s not a game to me anymore.” Dane pulled back and looked at him for a long time, his big hands

framing Lindsay’s face, so long that Lindsay began to blush in spite of himself. “If it’s what you need, it’s done.” At last, Dane drew him in and kissed him again, as though there was no one else in the world, much

less in the house.

The intensity made Lindsay moan and arch against Dane. He slid his hands over Dane’s chest, but

Dane’s shirt kept him from touching skin. Frustrated, he tugged until the shirt buttons gave way and let him slide his hands underneath. The touches got him soft growls and Dane’s tongue slicking through his mouth

like he couldn’t get enough of Lindsay’s taste.

Taniel’s cheerful voice preceded him into the room. “Dinner is ready. The two of you must

be…hungry.”

Lindsay froze, then pulled back from the kisses to see Dane’s face.

Dane was smiling, slow and wolfish. “I’m hungry,” he admitted, but his eyes were on Lindsay and the

light in them had nothing to do with food. Lindsay knew his cheeks were on fire, but Dane’s expression

was worth any embarrassment. “Thanks. We’ll be right there.” Dane leaned forward and caught Lindsay’s

mouth with his own, kissing him without shame or hesitation.

“I’ll set your places, then.” Taniel didn’t miss a beat. His robe swished and the sound of his sandals

on the stone floor faded into the kitchen noises.

Lindsay all but melted against Dane, reassured by his response. Dane had kissed him in public before,

but Lindsay hadn’t been sure how to act in front of people who knew Dane, important people. Then Dane

went and acted as though Lindsay was the only person in the world who really mattered. For a moment,

Lindsay felt that important. He licked back into Dane’s mouth to suck lightly at his tongue, a tease and a

reward at once.

Dane slid his arms around Lindsay and held him close, like he was indulging himself as much as

Lindsay in the hot, slow kiss. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to end it, but he finally pulled away. “You need to eat,” he said, his voice soft and heavy with affection. “It’s been a long day. And you need your strength.”

Lindsay didn’t want to leave this perfect moment. That he hadn’t eaten anything but an energy bar

since they’d left the airport hardly registered, but he knew Dane was right, so he pressed a quick kiss to

Dane’s lips and slid back off his lap. He could behave responsibly.

Once Lindsay was up, Dane put an arm around his shoulders and led him into the kitchen. Taniel and

Izia were already there, and the food was all on the table.

“Thank you for sharing your meal,” Dane said, and it sounded almost formal. He pulled Lindsay’s

chair out for him and waited for Lindsay to sit.

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“Thank you,” Lindsay echoed, slipping into the chair. He fought a blush when he realized that Taniel

kept glancing at him when he thought Lindsay wasn’t looking. He couldn’t help but wonder what Taniel

was thinking.

Dinner was delicious, but very quiet. Dane ate like he was starving, putting food away with

mechanical efficiency. Taniel ate surprisingly little, and Izia had her nose in a medical journal when she wasn’t buttering her bread or reaching for more stew. Lindsay ate slowly, but he ate.

After dinner, Taniel collected his dishes. “Ezqel will be working all night, I expect. He said to tell you

to make yourself at home indoors and in the gardens, but not beyond, until he is ready to see you again.”

He gave Lindsay a smile as he turned away.

“Thank you.” Lindsay remembered seeing the gardens as he’d walked out of the forest, the last time

they’d been here, but he hadn’t explored them at all. Maybe he would do that later. “Is there anything else I should do to prepare for…whatever he’s going to do to me?”

“Rest,” Izia said, glancing up from her reading. “And don’t use your magic. You’ll need all your

energy for the ritual.” She gave Dane a pointed look that slid to where Lindsay had undone his shirt.

Dane looked unapologetic as he reached for more bread. He picked up a butter knife and shrugged at

Izia.

“I can hardly use my magic anyway.” Lindsay ignored the implication of the way Izia had looked at

Dane. He didn’t need to touch his magic, but touching Dane was another story entirely. “Not if I want to

stay conscious.”

“That works out then.” Izia went back to her reading.

Dane gave Lindsay a smile and took a bite of the bread he’d just finished buttering. Lindsay bit his lip

to hide an answering grin and ducked his head to eat his dinner.

After dinner, Lindsay headed upstairs to the room he’d be sharing with Dane. Again. He felt nervous

and giddy, all at once. He’d managed to convince Dane to allow his magic to be fixed, but at the same time, he didn’t know what that would entail, for either of them. Up in the guest room, he stripped for sleep, still thinking everything over. He hoped whatever happened, Dane would be happy with the return of his full

magic.

Dane followed him in a moment later and closed the door quietly. He stood there and watched

Lindsay undressing, hands in his pockets.

Lindsay hesitated a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Dane, then kept going. Boots, sweater,

pants…everything got stacked by their bags, so he wouldn’t have to hunt for it in the morning. Being

watched made him self-conscious, made him move slower and more carefully.

“You’re filling out.” Dane’s voice was soft. “Not quite such a little bunny anymore.” He peeled his

shirt off over his head and shook out his hair.

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“I’d hardly moved on my own in two years, when you found me,” Lindsay pointed out just as softly.

He was never going to be tall or broad like Dane, but at least he wasn’t quite so sickly-thin as he’d been

when Dane brought him back to Cyrus’s house.

“I could tell.” Dane gave Lindsay a smile. “Funny little thing, you were.” He skinned out of his pants

and padded over to sweep Lindsay up in his arms. “You were a fighter, though. I liked that.” He settled

Lindsay against his chest, tucked up safe and warm.

Lindsay wrapped his arms around Dane’s neck and nudged his nose against Dane’s chin. “I didn’t

know how to stop,” he murmured. “Still don’t, I guess.” At the Institute, all his fighting had seemed

hopeless and stupid. Now, it actually felt like the smart thing to do.

“Guess we have that in common.” They didn’t seem to have much else in common, with Dane so dark

and huge and Lindsay so pale and small in his arms. Dane carried him to bed, tucking him into the turned-

down blankets and leaning over him to kiss him, slowly and sweetly, as though he were tucking Lindsay

into bed. “I’m going to build the fire up so you don’t get cold in the night.”

Dane left Lindsay snuggled in soft sheets and heaps of blankets while he crouched to put more wood

on the fire and adjust the flue so it would burn slowly. Lindsay sighed and settled into the blankets. Izia had said he should rest, and the look she’d given Dane… Well, Lindsay knew she’d meant he shouldn’t be

getting up to anything with Dane, either.

When he was satisfied with the fire, Dane wandered around the room, turning down the lamps and

checking the windows. Lindsay took full advantage of the opportunity to watch Dane move. He was bare,

and entirely comfortable with it. His powerful muscles shifted under his furred skin as he moved, and

Lindsay wondered if any of Dane’s appearance would change tomorrow. It wouldn’t matter, though.

Lindsay had grown far more attached to who Dane was than to how he looked.

Dane pulled something out of his bag before he came back to bed, sliding in next to Lindsay. His

warm body pressed up against Lindsay’s side as he leaned in to kiss Lindsay on the mouth. “Sleepy?”

Lindsay snuggled closer, shaking his head. “Not yet,” he murmured. It was hard to truly be sleepy

when he was so nervous about what was going to happen to him tomorrow.

“You need to sleep.” Dane’s hand slid down Lindsay’s body to cup between his thighs. He kissed

Lindsay again, hungry and shameless about what he wanted, in spite of his words.

Lindsay moaned and arched up into the touch. He spread his legs and wound his fingers in Dane’s

hair. “Definitely not interested in going to sleep right now,” he muttered breathlessly. “Especially not if you’re touching me like that.” He arched and licked at Dane’s lips. “Please don’t stop touching me like

that.”

“Don’t want to,” Dane confessed. His hand kept moving, stroking slowly, while he kissed Lindsay. “I

want you.”

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“You can have me,” Lindsay promised, whispering between kisses. “Tell me what you want me to do.

Anything.” As long as Dane didn’t stop touching him, Lindsay would give him whatever he wanted.

Dane didn’t ask for anything. He just slid his body over Lindsay’s, slipping between his thighs and

leaning over him to keep kissing him. He’d been careful before, but now he was even more tender, going so

slowly, as though he was trying to enjoy every moment.

Dane kissed behind Lindsay’s ear. “Soon, you’re not going to need me anymore,” he murmured. He

didn’t sound sorry about it, he sounded proud.

The pride in Dane’s tone warmed Lindsay, but he knew Dane was wrong. “Some kinds of need don’t

go away just because what’s broken gets fixed.”

That made Dane purr and bite at Lindsay’s neck. He wrapped his arms around Lindsay and shifted to

slide the head of his cock between Lindsay’s ass cheeks. He didn’t say anything else, just let their bodies move together.

Lindsay moaned softly, moving to keep Dane’s cock sliding against him. His moans got sharper as the

friction built up, making his dick leak precome onto his belly, and he turned his head to catch Dane’s

mouth again, kissing him wantonly.

Dane shifted and, a moment later, he pushed a hand between them to slide a slick finger into Lindsay.

His kisses were as needy as Lindsay’s; his usual reserve seemed to have disappeared.

“Please,” Lindsay whispered, writhing under Dane. Taking his cue from the way Dane kissed him, he

nipped at Dane’s lower lip and licked into his mouth, making pleading sounds.

Dane didn’t make him wait too long. He got Lindsay slick, then himself, before sliding his cock into

place. His hair was falling around him in rough waves, his expression was intense, but then a smile tugged

at the corners of his mouth. Lindsay smiled back, tentatively, and leaned up to press a quick kiss to Dane’s lips.

“Good.” Dane kissed Lindsay back into the pillows and moved faster. He pushed himself up, arms

straight, looking at Lindsay hungrily while they fucked. Being stared at like that was like being washed in pure heat.

Lindsay tried to muffle his moans, biting his lip and turning his face into the curve of his arm.

Everything felt too amazingly good, and his moans kept coming louder and louder. His cheeks were on fire

with embarrassment, but he still couldn’t stop.

“They can’t hear you,” Dane whispered. Maybe he was telling the truth. Lindsay didn’t think about it.

He accepted Dane’s reassurance and stopped trying to hold back or muffle himself. “Their loss. You sound

so good.” Dane inhaled slowly, breathing in Lindsay’s pleasure.

Lindsay’s next moan came clearer, louder than the others.

“Like that. Feel it.” Dane’s voice was rough. He moved harder and faster, rolling his hips to let

Lindsay feel all of him.

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Lindsay shivered harder, overwhelmed with pleasure. His moans turned into cries that all sounded

like Dane’s name.

Dane whispered praises and compliments, how beautiful Lindsay was, how much he wanted Lindsay,

how good it was to be with him—things he’d never said before. Lindsay soaked it all up, the words filling

him up with pleasure just as the physical sensations did. He could never have imagined that someone would

have so many words for him, for how wonderful he was, but Dane kept talking, all for him. The rush of

emotion added more depth and need to his cries as he writhed under Dane, trying to pull him deeper, trying

to feel everything.

Dane didn’t stop speaking, not even when he came. His voice got raw, but his words were still sweet

and soothing. It seemed like he would never run out of tender things to say, like he had saved them all up

for now.

Finally Dane stopped moving and gently disentangled their limbs. He didn’t pull out, though. He kept

their bodies close and snuggled Lindsay against him, burrowing in Lindsay’s hair with a soft sigh of

contentment. Dane kissed his forehead and stroked his hair. “Think you can sleep now?” His expression

was as affectionate as his features could manage.

“If I say no, does that mean you’re going to fuck me again?” Lindsay asked, letting a hint of a grin tug

the corners of his lips.

“If I say yes, does that mean you’re going to make yourself stay awake?”

Lindsay laughed and wriggled under Dane. “Maybe. Would you blame me?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been in bed with me.” Dane tumbled them over in bed so that Lindsay was

on top of him. “You need your rest, though. Tomorrow, things change.”

Lindsay braced himself on his hands so he could see Dane, his smile fading. “I know.” He didn’t

know what to think about what Ezqel would do to him. He wanted his magic, wanted to stop being so damn

helpless, but his last encounter with Ezqel’s magic hadn’t left him wanting another taste of it.

“Don’t be afraid.” Dane reached up to cup Lindsay’s cheek with one hand. “I’d go first, but I have to

see you better before I let the old man waste his magic on me.”

Nodding, Lindsay rubbed his cheek against Dane’s palm. The contact was soothing, as Dane’s

touches so often were.

“Sleep,” Dane said. “We’ll both still be here tomorrow night.”

Lindsay gave in and curled himself against Dane’s chest, closing his eyes. He listened to Dane’s heart

beating like a metronome and let the regularity soothe him into sleep.

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Chapter Eleven

It felt as though they’d hardly slept at all when a knock at the door woke them both with a start.

“What?” Dane snapped.

“Ezqel is ready for you,” Izia said as she opened the door and peeked in. “You shouldn’t eat before

you come. He’s expecting you both.” Slowly, she stepped into the room. In her arms, she carried a pair of

black robes. “Wear these and nothing else. He expects you to wash before you come.”

Lindsay looked at the robes, then at Izia. “Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.” Izia laid the robes over the chair by the fire. “You weren’t dressed when you were

born, were you?” She gave Lindsay a smile.

“All right.” Lindsay wasn’t happy about it, but he’d do whatever Ezqel needed so he could have his

magic back.

“Don’t leave him waiting. He’s been looking forward to this since Cyrus contacted him.” As she let

herself out, Izia gave them both a look that said, louder than words, not to fool around.

Lindsay flinched. “Looking forward to it?” He didn’t like the idea of anyone looking forward to

fucking around with his magic. He’d had enough of that already.

“He doesn’t see things like we do.” Dane nuzzled Lindsay’s temple, but didn’t kiss him. “It’ll be fine.

He’s also looking forward to finally getting me to give in to him. We should just go get it done, so we can get back to living.”

Dane offered to shower first so Lindsay could stay in the warm bed a little longer, but Lindsay didn’t