Page 5

CHAPTER 5

W hile Rohan had warned Nate about walking through the palace unattended, he had no intention of untying him and trusting him yet. He could understand the human’s fear and confusion that had resulted in the thefts, but Nate had shown no remorse. Perhaps in the human world, they didn’t care about making reparation.

Or perhaps stealing for survival was allowable.

He was tempted to ask more questions, but Nate was exhausted, and the magic and food and tea were making him sleepy. Given the lateness of the hour, all Rohan wanted to do was claim his bed and whisper to his pillow.

But first, he had to solve the problem of where Nate was going to sleep. There was a holding cell on the palace grounds, though it was mostly used for people who had reveled too much and were a danger to themselves, and he didn’t think locking Nate away on his own for the night would do him any good.

He could assign him a guest room and guards, but he wasn’t ready for the gossip that would cause either. No, he had paid Nate’s debt, which made Nate his responsibility. Not only that, but if something happened tonight before the Strega could finish her questions, she would be furious with Rohan. And annoying the Strega was never on his to-do list. He did not want her knotting up his fate lines or turning him into an animal to track Nate all across Tariko.

That left only one option: take Nate to his chambers.

Nate said nothing as he used the privy, and he copied Rohan as he scrubbed his teeth, taking far longer than Rohan had and then running his tongue over his small teeth as if appreciating how smooth they were. It was only when Rohan slipped the knot off his wrist and stripped off his tunic that Nate flinched and found the wall very interesting.

Rohan kept the end of the rope beneath his hoof as he ran the water and rubbed a wet cloth over his skin. It was too late to bathe properly, and they would ride out early tomorrow. He would bathe when they returned.

Already, that promise to himself seemed too far away because he knew how many interruptions he would get between now and then. He didn’t rule the city, but he had his own list of responsibilities, and he willingly added Nate to that list. He had no doubt the city’s Knight would see him regarding Nate.

To Rohan’s mind, the city guard had set a fair price, but if the victims of the crimes went to the Knight to demand more, it would be Rohan who needed to settle the debt, assuming they agreed to accept coin. Offer enough of it, and most people were. However, some preferred vengeance to justice…in the case of some stolen clothes and food, Rohan didn’t imagine that would be the case.

He finished washing, emptied the water, and refilled the bowl so that Nate could do the same. He needed to bathe. “Do your people not wash?”

Nate glanced at him, his eyes darting from Rohan’s face to his chest, to his prick, and then back up. His cheeks turned red as if looking was something to be ashamed of. Nate’s mouth opened, but it was a couple of heartbeats before a word came out. “Yes. But not usually with other people.”

“Where is the fun in that?” Rohan teased while also speaking the truth.

Nate’s gaze dropped to Rohan’s cock, which was responding to the interest Nate was showing. Nate’s eyes widened, and he took a step back but was pulled up short by the rope.

“Wash human, you smell worse than the abattoir in the middle of summer.”

Nate’s tongue darted over his lip. “I can’t remove my clothes with my hands bound.”

Rohan considered the clothes. If it were up to him, he’d burn them. However, he was sure that the Strega would want to inspect them more closely. He picked up the rope from beneath his hoof and tied it around Nate’s neck before freeing his hands and keeping hold of that end.

“You don’t need to keep me tied.”

“We will see. For the moment, I think it is best I do.”

Nate pressed his lips together and glared at him. He liked the spark in the human’s blue eyes.

After several heartbeats, Nate gave a small nod and began unbuttoning his shirt. He dropped it on the floor, but he hesitated when it came to undoing his pants.

“I can assure you, you have nothing I haven’t seen before,” Rohan said.

Nate muttered something in his own language, then popped open the button. The next fastening, he undid with something Rohan had never seen before.

“What is that?”

“A zipper.” Nate dragged it up and down twice.

Rohan bent to study the tiny teeth as they knitted and separated. “Fascinating.”

“Why don’t I take my pants off, and you can play with the zipper all you want?” Nate shoved his pants over his hips and kicked them off. He wore undergarments beneath his pants the way women did during their cycle. Though Nate was clearly male as the undergarment cradled his cock and balls.

Rohan picked up the pants and fiddled with the fastening while Nate began to wash, leaving his socks and undergarment on. After a few moments, it was clear that Nate had no intention of taking off the rest of his clothes.

“If you do not finish undressing, I will do it for you. You will not be getting into my bed with an unwashed ass and smelly feet.”

“My feet don’t smell and…and at least I have feet!” Nate clutched the cloth to his chest, droplets of water tracing over his stomach. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Minotaurs are meant to have hooves.”

A laugh erupted from Rohan’s throat. “Yes, we are. And humans are supposed to have feet. You have come to a world populated by more than humans, and while I can appreciate this is shocking for you, do not think that rudeness is acceptable or will be tolerated. There are many beings who will take offence and not accept a simple apology.”

“I just want to go home.”

“And I just want to go to bed, so hurry up and finish washing. I promise you will be given clean clothes in the morning.”

Nate nodded. He eased his underwear down and stepped out of it before crouching to pull off his socks. There were old bruises on his arms and legs and a few minor scrapes. A bandage of some kind covered a bigger injury on his leg.

“Does your wound need to be checked tonight?”

“No, I changed the bandage this morning. There are some…” He took a moment to find the word. “Healing supplies in my pants.” He held the cloth in front of his dick.

“Do you have other injuries that need to be tended?” Nate was his responsibility, and that included his welfare.

“They are healing.” He lifted one hand and touched his head as if checking.

Rohan batted his hand away, felt for the injury himself.

Nate flinched away. “Do you need to stand so close?”

“I will not place my hands on you in any manner other than to check your wound. A head injury can kill.”

“I know. At first, I thought I was dead or in some kind of hell.” He let Rohan continue his examination.

There was a cut in Nate’s hair, though it didn’t seem serious. “You know of Hel. If you would like to leave her an offering, I can take you to her temple.”

Nate stared up at him. “What are you talking about?”

“The goddess Hel. She has a small temple, but I cannot recall the last time she came this way. Ishtar is our closest goddess, though Pan often visits.”

Nate blinked, and Rohan wondered if the human understood him. “You talk of them as if they are real people.”

“They are, and you would be wise to choose your words if blessing or cursing the gods.” He plucked the cloth out of Nate’s hand and walked behind the human. There were smears of dirt on his back that Rohan took care of.

But when the cloth drifted lower, Nate stepped away. “I can finish.”

“Tomorrow, you will have a proper bath, and I will have the healer check you over.” He could’ve stepped back or turned away, but instead, he watched as Nate finished washing.

The human’s cheeks turned pink, but he didn’t complain about the attention as Rohan continued to enjoy the view. Nate appeared to be fit, with plenty of lean muscle. Rohan doubted he’d be good at any kind of manual labor. He was also taller than most of the humans in Calla, though not enough to stand out. His fingernails were rough and broken, probably from surviving on his own for five days.

He tracked the movement of the cloth to Nate’s groin, and for a moment, he wished that Nate would let him finish the job, although that may have stalled them going to bed.

His own dick was still half interested in the human. It would not take much to become fully erect. Without a doubt, Nate would not be flattered.

It did not help when Nate squatted to wash his feet or when he glanced up as if aware Rohan watched a little too intently. Rohan clamped his teeth together to prevent any words from escaping. Though there was nothing he could do about his cock, as it seemed to think Nate was on his knees for one reason and only.

Nate licked his lower lip as he stared up, as if doing a little appreciation of his own, which did not help at all. Rohan’s cock jutted towards the human, becoming harder with each passing heartbeat. His foreskin eased back, revealing the dark ruddy head. It would take only a couple of strokes for beads of pre-cum to slip free.

Would Nate lick them up?

He needed to stop thinking about those things. He drew in a breath and held it for a heartbeat, sure his nose was lying to him. That was not his own scent of lust that he smelled. It was Nate’s.

“You like to lie with men.”

Nate glanced away, his cheeks sunset red. He stood and dropped the cloth in the basin. With nothing to hide behind, Nate’s arousal was clear. His cock was in proportion to his human body, almost dainty compared to Rohan and rising out of dark curls.

Rohan gathered the rope in his fist, drawing Nate closer. Nate didn’t meet his gaze. The head of Rohan’s cock tapped Nate on the stomach.

“Why are you afraid of admitting that?”

“Because I don’t know your customs, and I don’t want to break more laws.”

Rohan cupped Nate’s chin, forcing his head up. “Does your world have those rules?”

“Not where I live.”

“Those rules do not exist here. Consenting adults may lie with who they please. They may wed who they please. If you want to admit how much you like my cock, that is not a problem.”

“Your cock is big enough to kill someone. That is why I was looking.”

Rohan laughed and released Nate’s chin. “You are amusing, human. I can assure you, no one has died on my cock yet.” He winked. “And if they did, it was only for a few heartbeats.”