Page 26 of The Lost Art of Revealing Hidden Truths (The Lost Arts #3)

“Oh, yes? What is it, exactly, that you like to look at right now?”

That was a leading question if ever Perian had heard one.

“The shine of the fabric,” he said, climbing onto the bed at Brannal’s feet.

“The way the thin material wraps around those big, broad muscles, trying to contain them and really just highlighting every bit of delectable flesh. The way that flimsy knot keeps the fabric tied together but isn’t really a deterrent, because there’s still that beautiful little gap that I can trace from your neck to your belly, and from your belly…

lower. The way the fabric is just long enough to cover things when you’re standing, as if it could almost be considered appropriate, but then when you get excited, your cock is allowed to come out and play, to peek between the folds of the fabric, to slide across that thin barrier and make it easy for me to see how aroused you are. ”

Perian crawled up between his legs.

“And best of all, all it takes is a little nudge of the fabric, a brush of the hand”—Perian suited actions to words—“and there your cock is. You’re all laid out before me, miles of skin and satin, a perfectly hard erection, just begging for me to do something about it.”

Brannal’s eyes had gone heavy and dark, and his hand came up to snag Perian’s hair and gently tug. Perian obediently leaned down between Brannal’s legs and swallowed his cock. He moved his hands to Brannal’s hips, loving the heat that radiated through the thin cloth barrier.

Perian had already been teasing quite a bit, so he worked Brannal’s cock firmly, burying it in the back of his throat and then backing off so he could do it again and again. He licked around the head, tongued the vein, and then dived down once more.

It wasn’t long at all before Brannal was shouting and coming down his throat, and Perian eagerly swallowed every drop before finally pulling off when Brannal made a whining noise that indicated he was too sensitive.

Perian crawled up his body and settled on top of him, loving the brush of the satin against his skin as he leaned in to kiss Brannal hungrily.

Brannal returned the kiss, a large hand reaching around to squeeze Perian’s ass and help him grind against Brannal’s hard muscles through their slippery layer of satin.

“Want to come all over my robe?” Brannal gasped out against Perian’s mouth.

Perian wanted that very much, and given how worked up he was, it didn’t take long at all until he was spurting all over the satin and Brannal’s skin.

With a happy sigh, he pressed a kiss to Brannal’s chest where the fabric gaped deliciously. Carefully, he asked, “Was that all right?”

“That was lovely,” Brannal assured him. “Thank you.”

“Just tuck it away if you don’t want to use it again. Or get rid of it. I don’t mind. Really.”

Brannal was silent for a moment, and Perian thought that was probably the end of that. He appreciated that Brannal had been willing to give him this one occasion.

And then Brannal pressed a kiss to his temple. “I like the way you see me.”

Perian swallowed, smiled, and pressed another kiss to his chest. “I like the way you see me, too.”

And maybe that was really what this was about. It was sometimes scary, being so exposed to another person. They’d learned a lot about one another, but there was still plenty more to discover.

Brannal’s hand came up to stroke up and down Perian’s back, and Perian settled comfortably on top of the man, loving the touch, loving the feeling of the two of them here, post-orgasm, so much good energy swirling around and filling them up.

If there was a way to bottle this , Perian was sure the doctor would be able to mend people in a trice no matter what their illness was.

Brannal’s voice was quiet when he said, “Tramad had been Summus for years when I wound up here after I manifested fire. He had Cormal late in life, and he had the position of Summus before Queen Talira assumed the throne. He was extremely dedicated to the royal family, and he believed in our mission to protect them and safeguard the country without question. He was very proud of his lineage, for he came from a line of Mages, and he carried on the tradition with Cormal.”

Perian didn’t personally think that something that was up to chance and which you didn’t have any control over was really that impressive, but he kept his opinion to himself.

“And then I showed up in the castle,” Brannal said with a sigh.

“Twelve years old and grubby, with one of the rarest gifts, and it wasn’t long before I began to exhibit the others.

Summus took me under his wing, choosing to coach and guide me personally.

He saw a lot of potential in me, but I had to work hard to realize that potential.

He thought I was good material for Secundus, was talking about making me his Secundus when I had a few more years of experience in me.

But there were… certain ways to behave.”

Perian huffed quietly, realizing belatedly that with being on top of the other man, it was a little more audible than he’d meant it to be.

“Sorry,” he said.

Brannal let out a little laugh. “No, don’t be sorry. He’s been dead for six years. You and Molun and Arvus and others have shown me daily that a lot of his ideas are outdated. I know they are, and yet there’s still part of me that keeps trying to live up to those expectations. I don’t mean to.”

But from the age of twelve, after losing his family, he’d had this man to look up to. And he’d still been looking up to him at twenty-four when Tramad had been killed, and Brannal had barely managed to save the royal family and stop the massacre from getting worse.

Perian pressed another kiss to Brannal’s chest. “You admired him.”

“I did admire him,” Brannal agreed. He was silent for a moment. “But he was also proud, opinionated, stubborn, and he could be a bit of an asshole.”

Perian barked out a laugh. “Now I understand where Cormal gets it from.”

Brannal poked Perian in the side, making him laugh again.

“Be nice,” he admonished. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Especially once someone dies, it’s easier to think of the good times.”

Perian nodded, because he’d experienced that, too .

Sighing again, Brannal acknowledged, “But that’s not fair, not to the person who died, and definitely not to the people who are left alive.

I admired him a lot. I don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t been here to guide me and help me control fire.

But… not everything he taught me was of benefit. So now I need to unlearn some things.”

Perian huffed. “Yeah, that’s never easy.

” He pressed closer to the man. “And I know it’s hard to admit something like that, especially when it’s about someone you admire, and when it’s a vulnerability in yourself.

For what it’s worth, I’m really proud of you.

Maybe even more proud than when you do that thing with your arms crossed when you’re all dressed up and I drool a little. ”

This made Brannal laugh. “Ooh, even more than when you see my biceps flex? That is proud.”

Perian grinned into the other man’s chest, pressing his lips to it through the fabric.

“I mean it, though,” he said.

Brannal’s hand stroked down his back. “I know you do. Thank you. I don’t think I’m ever going to wear this for anyone else to see, but I like wearing it for you.”

Perian swallowed, nodded. “I’m glad. Thank you.

And I do mean it that you can tuck it to the back of the wardrobe, and we don’t have to pull it out often at all.

We both know that I like it, and I’m glad you liked wearing it for me, but it doesn’t ever have to be something that you force yourself to do.

It can be baby steps.” He corrected himself hurriedly, “I mean, really strong Mage Warrior baby steps.”

Brannal laughed again. “Oh, Perian, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Perian said, tilting up his head for a kiss, which resulted in him being suddenly flipped and pinned down to the mattress while a satin-clad Mage Warrior ground down on top of him.

Perian made a happy hum of appreciation, which Brannal swallowed down with a hungry mouth.

Yes, maybe they’d be just fine figuring this out, even if the robe only came out for special occasions.

Renny was full of excitement for her birthday, despite the fact that it wouldn’t take place for more than two months.

She wanted to have a party, and she wanted Perian to feature prominently.

So they entered into all the planning together, despite Perian not knowing how to plan a party, plus the Queen still insisting that they not do anything too strenuous for Renny, despite the fact that it was almost as though she’d never had her dizzy spell at all.

She was riding, completing her lessons, and sitting in on more audiences by the Queen’s side. She was happy, and Perian was glad of it.

The first of the leaves had just begun to change in the trees, and the weather was still mild when Kee brought up his hideaway, the one that Prince Horsey had taken Perian to what felt like a lifetime ago.

“He says he used to love it at this time of year because everything was so beautiful to look at,” Renny said.

Perian thought back to the location, the gently lapping water and the array of trees surrounding it, creating a calm idyll. Adding autumnal color to that would be stunning. “Oh, yes, I imagine that would be lovely.”

“Why don’t you go with Brannal?” Renny suggested. “It’s been a while since your holiday.”

Perian cautioned, “Oh, I don’t know if he’d be able to get away.”

“Won’t know until you ask,” Renny said with a grin.

He eyed her. “You’re not looking to sneak along, are you?”

She huffed a laugh. “No, no, I promise. We’re not that far from my birthday, and I don’t want Mother to ground me forever.”