Page 27 of The Lost Art of Finding Where You Belong (Lost Arts #2)

Perian looked up to find that Bennan was standing in front of him, looking down at him with concern.

Perian blew out a breath and summoned a smile. “Sorry. I was a million miles away.” He really obviously eyed the other man up and down and then attempted an overblown leer. “You’re looking good, as always.”

Bennan huffed a breath and sat down beside him. “Thanks, but that wasn’t your best effort.”

Perian sighed. “Just trying to convince myself not to panic about the possibility that something has happened and Brannal isn’t coming back.”

“Whoa,” the man said, sounding alarmed. “You shouldn’t worry about that.”

“Oh, I know,” Perian admitted. “There are, in fact, any number of logical reasons to assume that he’s fine.

He’s done this a million times before. He’s one of the strongest people in the country.

He’s got Cormal and Delana with him. He’s extremely good at his job. This is a normal patrol. Etc. Etc.”

Bennan eyed him. “All right, yes, you seem to have that covered.”

“You know how emotions aren’t really rational?” Perian asked.

Bennan laughed and swayed into his side, nudging him.

“Yes, you have a point. ”

Perian admitted, “So I can try to drown out the feelings, but they’re never completely gone.”

Bennan was silent for a moment. “Anything I can do to help?”

“You’re already doing it,” Perian told him. “You’ve been distracting me beautifully with all your muscles and being so nice.”

Bennan grinned at him. “Aw, thank you. Especially since I’m apparently not going to see you for the next week, because once Summus gets back, you’re apparently going to be keeping him busy.”

Perian laughed. “So, so busy. You don’t even know.”

Bennan snorted a laugh. “Is it going to take him another week to recover?”

“At least ,” Perian said proudly.

Bennan shouted with laughter, and Perian watched Chamis’s eyes seek him out and then dart away again, and he really hoped Chamis remembered everything Perian had said this morning.

Oh, no, maybe Perian shouldn’t be talking to Bennan now.

Bennan apparently picked up on his mood change because he reached out and squeezed his arm.

“It’s going to be all right, Perian. Truly. He’ll be back before you know it.”

“Thank you,” Perian said, because the other man was carefully trying to reassure him, and it wasn’t his fault it might be muddying the water after a conversation he didn’t know Perian had had with Chamis.

Bennan gave his arm one last squeeze and then jumped to his feet, and Perian could not have failed to watch him walk away.

He tried his best to stay focused on all that muscle and all those moving bodies, because that kept him from thinking about anything else. His mind kept wanting to implement a countdown, but of course, there wasn’t a fixed time for Brannal’s return.

Soon , Perian reminded himself. Brannal was coming back tomorrow. Perian had things that could fill his time today and tomorrow. It would be fine.

He headed up to Brannal’s bedroom in time to get the blankets and then make his way back out to the garden by way of the kitchen.

Renny noticed how twitchy he was, of course, but she only teased him about it a little and did her best to distract him.

(She even told him she would lend him this blanket, if he needed it, but he’d better wash it afterwards.

Then she collapsed laughing on the aforementioned blanket at the look on his face.

This was a picnic blanket. For his picnics with Renny .

This was not a sex blanket. Perian and Brannal would be fine. Seriously. Ugh.)

He went on another ride with Prince Horsey, then fed him too many apples and carrots again, but it was a good distraction for him, and Prince Horsey seemed to love it—until one of the stable hands finally told him to go away before the horse didn’t fit in the stables anymore.

Perian made a face. “Sorry. I think I’m feeding my feelings to a horse.

I’m supposed to be eating them. Or something.

I’ll be better tomorrow, promise.” Then he turned to Prince Horsey.

“Although if Brannal is free tomorrow afternoon, you’re not going to see me.

Possibly for several days. There’s not anything happening to me, it’s just me with bad time management skills and spending all my time in bed. All right?”

Prince Horsey did not look impressed with this logic, but fortunately, he couldn’t verbally tell Perian this was a terrible plan that he did not endorse.

“Great,” Perian said cheerfully. “I’ll see you in a day or two.”

The nearest stable hands looked highly amused, but that was fine, Perian was used to engendering that kind of reaction.

Back in Brannal’s room, he got himself cleaned up and took a nap, because that was apparently something he did now.

He was up in time to meet Molun, Arvus, and Nisal, and he thought to forewarn them that when Brannal was back, he was really sorry, but he was abandoning them all.

They all rolled their eyes.

“We aren’t expecting to see you for days, don’t kid yourself,” Nisal assured him.

“Great,” Perian said. “Because I love you all, I really do, but—”

“You need to have lots of sex with the man of your dreams?” Molun suggested.

“That!” Perian agreed triumphantly. “And Bennan had to talk me out of panicking this morning about him not actually coming back, and I know that’s really silly, but if I concentrate on everything that I’m going to do to him when he gets back, that seems to help.”

“Oh, Perian.”

And right there in the hall, they tugged him to a stop and all wrapped their arms around him in a massive hug.

Aww. A little part of Perian had thought they might dismiss his fears or tell him he was being silly.

His arms were smushed between all of them, but he grabbed every bit of them that he could and held on, just basking in their presence and the fact they cared about him—even when he was being illogical.

“Come on,” Molun finally said. “I’m hungry.”

That got them in motion again, which was also good, because Perian would probably not have moved away from them, and it wouldn’t have been comfortable to try to sleep standing upright in the hallway.

Dinner was noisy and boisterous as always, and Perian let the laughter and good cheer wash over him, trying to absorb it and let it wash away the worry that niggled in those dark corners of his mind.

These were people who dealt with this sort of thing all the time, who went out into danger or had people they cared about go out into danger regularly.

He supposed this probably was the way to deal with it. You kept living your life, used humor as often as possible, and waited for the people you cared about to come home. Most of the time, it probably worked.

On those terrible occasions where it didn’t, surely you’d be hit with grief when you found out the news no matter what, so worrying about it beforehand offered no benefits.

He sucked in a breath, blew it out, and realized he’d been pushing his food around on his plate.

Deliberately, he made himself eat while he tried to pay attention to what people were saying.

Dinner began to break up, and clumps of Mage Warriors and Warriors started to stand up and move away.

As always, Chamis was one of the first to stand up, but then the most amazing thing happened.

Instead of leaving, he circled around the table until he was standing next to Bennan, who glanced up and then froze, staring like this was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him.

Chamis leaned down and said something to Bennan that was too quiet for Perian to hear from across the table. Bennan nodded, and without even looking at any of them, without saying so much as a goodbye, he rose and followed the other man out of the room.

Perian didn’t realize he was grinning like an idiot until Molun nudged him.

“What is that smile for?” he wanted to know.

Nisal sounded amused. “Are you proud of yourself?”

Perian shook his head. “I’m proud of them ,” he said happily. “So proud.”

Nisal smiled. “Oh, Perian. ”

“What’s going on?” Molun asked.

Arvus said, “I think Perian wants everyone to be as happy as he is.”

“So much,” he agreed, still smiling. “I mean, if everyone else could not have to deal with the separation anxiety, that would be even better. And people who don’t want partners, they obviously don’t have to have them.

But truly genuinely happy with the person or people you care for and them caring for you?

” He gave a happy sigh. “I want that for everyone.”

Molun squeezed his arm. “That’s really sweet. What actually happened?”

“I gave a nudge,” Perian said, shrugging. “It seems like maybe it worked.”

Onadal shot Perian a stern look. “Are you going to try to pair up everyone in my training yard?”

Perian had kind of forgotten he was there. “Uh, only if their partner or partners is there, and they’re interested?”

He heard Nisal and Molun snort and gathered that probably wasn’t the expected answer.

Onadal said, “You’re going back to work as soon as your arm is better, you hear?”

But Perian was sure there was a gleam of amusement in his eye.

“Understood.”

Onadal gave them all a nod and headed off, and they soon followed suit.

“Huh,” Molun said reflectively. “I see you do it all the time, but I’m still surprised every time you’re just… you no matter who you’re with.”

Perian eyed him. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

“It really is,” Molun assured him, his blue eyes soft. “I really like that you treat people like that and are always yourself.”

Perian smiled, touched. “Thank you.”

Nisal patted his arm. “It is absolutely one of your best features. Helps make up for that streak of idiocy.”

“Hey!” Perian protested.

They all laughed, because Nisal wasn’t exactly wrong.

Nisal headed to their room, and Perian made the now expected trek to Molun and Arvus’s by way of Brannal’s to change into his sleep trousers.

Arvus still insisted on changing Perian’s bandage even though Perian had managed this morning.

“Do you not want me to do it?” Arvus asked.

Perian squinted at him. “I don’t not want you to do it?”

“Just undo the bandage so we can get to the good stuff!” Molun called from across the room.

Perian snorted with laughter, and Arvus’s lips tipped up. He raised his eyebrows in question, and Perian held up his arm.

“Fine. Can’t argue with that.”

A few minutes later, Perian and his freshly clean arm were settled in the armchair by the fire, skin buzzing with anticipation as he waited to see what Molun and Arvus were going to show him today.

And they didn’t disappoint. They both stretched out in front of the fire, head and feet in opposite directions, meaning Perian knew what to expect before they got started, but the actual sight of them swallowing one another’s cocks, the hungry sounds and the noisy slide of skin on skin, slicked with spit…

It was extraordinarily appealing, especially when Arvus worked a finger up inside Molun at the same time.

Perian couldn’t even figure out where to put his attention.

His gaze darted over both of them, watching them bobbing on one another’s cocks, fondling balls, and fingering with abandon until they both came within one another’s mouths even as Perian came over his fist, sagging back into the chair once more and just letting the pleasure sweep over him.

Arvus twisted around on the floor so he could kiss Molun, and Perian happily watched the sweet moment. Finally, Arvus rose to his feet and helped Molun up as well. Once Molun was settled, he came back for Perian, tending his arm with careful attention.

“Thank you,” Perian mumbled as he crawled into bed. “Thank you both for being so awesome.”

“The same to you,” Arvus said, and Molun mumbled what sounded like a sleepy agreement.

Warm and content, Perian fell asleep in their arms.

Perian wasn’t sure what woke him at first. It was still night, but there was an orange glow in the room. His sleepy mind just had time to confusedly worry “fire” when a voice spoke.

“Well, isn’t this a beautiful picture to come home to.”