Page 9 of The Lost Art of Revealing Hidden Truths (The Lost Arts #3)

Chapter Four

I t looked like the shifts had changed, because in the sitting room instead of Delana, there was a Mage Warrior Perian recognized only by sight and a Warrior whose name he thought was Mitor. He inclined his head at both of them and let them know that Renny was sleeping peacefully.

Heading back to his and Brannal’s rooms after dropping off the basket in the kitchen, Perian thought about Renny and an illness that couldn’t be cured.

How frustrating it was not to know what to do.

Yes, the doctor had said that what he was doing seemed to be helping, but he didn’t think his positivity could actually cure Renny.

But he would act as though it could. If it was really possible that reading stories to Renny with silly voices was contributing to her feeling better, then Perian would read every story with every silly voice that he could possibly think of.

Maybe he needed hope as badly as she did.

He supposed he did understand why people were so protective of her in a way that she found stifling.

Maybe some of Cormal’s bad behavior really did come from concern.

(Maybe. If he was being generous.) Perian had only known Renny for a few months, and he desperately wanted to help her.

He could only imagine how hard it was for those who had been living through this for years.

He could probably have been more diplomatic when he told everyone he thought they were taking care of her wrong. He’d have to remember that for the future.

In their rooms, he found that Brannal was waiting for him. Perian perked up immediately.

“Are you early or am I late?” he asked, crossing the room to lean into Brannal, who immediately wrapped his arms around him and held him close. Perian leaned into the touch, relishing it.

He still felt a little as though his body and mind hadn’t gotten used to the idea of them being separated for hours at a time. It was ridiculous, really, when he considered that they had only gone away together for a handful of days, and they weren’t actually tied to one another’s hips.

Mm. Tied to one another’s hips. He was pretty sure that presented some very interesting possibilities.

Brannal pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

“I think it may have been a combination of both. How are you feeling?”

Perian yawned. “Good.”

“You sound tired.”

Perian snuggled closer, breathing in the scent of leather, smoke, books, and all the other things he’d once tried to describe to a drunken Nisal. The thought made him smile. “Does tired preclude good?”

Brannal chuckled, a vibration that Perian felt through his chest.

“True enough. But you are tired?”

“A bit, I guess,” he admitted. “Although I would argue that our sex was entirely athletic”—Brannal snorted—“I guess it wasn’t as active as getting back into training this morning.

I managed to get through it all right, though, and I didn’t actually feel like I forgot absolutely everything, which was nice.

And then I spent the whole afternoon with Renny, and she’s doing so much better! ”

Perian didn’t think he could put into words how happy that made him.

“More energy?” Brannal asked .

“So much more,” Perian agreed, yawning again. “And she seemed happier. Sort of like I argued yesterday and this morning, but I really didn’t mean to insult anyone else who loves her and cares for her.”

Brannal smoothed a hand down his back. “No one thought you were doing that.”

Perian suspected that was a generous description of what had happened, but he would accept it.

“The doctor stopped by before I left, and she’s really happy with Renny’s progress as well.

She might be able to leave her bed in a couple of days.

We’re not going to rush anything, but I think it made Renny feel so much better to see that she was making progress so quickly—a lot more quickly than she has in the past, if I understand correctly. ”

He could feel Brannal nod. “She would sometimes be confined to her bed for weeks. The dizzy spells were much more persistent, and they seemed to empty every reserve of energy she had.”

“This seems to have been just a tiny one, then, which is so, so good,” Perian said happily. “I wish it hadn’t happened at all, of course, but tiny is good. It lets her keep hoping.”

Voice rough with emotion, Brannal said, “I don’t think she could ever lose hope while you’re here, Perian. You’re so encouraging and bring her such happiness.”

Perian smooshed his face harder into Brannal’s shoulder and chest.

“Thank you,” he murmured, both touched and embarrassed. “I really do try.”

He yawned again.

“Do you need a nap before dinner?” Brannal asked, sounding amused.

Perian sighed. “I was reading from the most boring book ever so that Renny would fall asleep after the doctor left. It seems to have got me, too.” He pulled back enough to leer very unsubtly at Brannal. “I think I would definitely benefit from some time in bed if you’re going to join me.”

Brannal laughed. “That’s the exact opposite of a nap.”

Perian started tugging Brannal towards the bedroom.

“It’s exactly what I need,” he told him.

Brannal was eying him with an odd expression that Perian couldn’t quite decipher. “It is, isn’t it?”

Perian grinned at him. “How can it not be, when you’re so hot and tempting?”

Brannal rolled his eyes, but he was smiling now, and he allowed himself to be pulled .

And it was exactly what Perian needed. A nap might have worked too, of course, but Perian would much prefer Brannal bringing him to a very satisfying orgasm and coming deep inside him.

“That’s the best medicine ever,” Perian said with satisfaction.

Brannal let out a bark of laughter as he wrapped his arms around Perian. “Oh, should we suggest it to the doctor?”

Perian snorted. “I can see how that would go over. But if we’re talking about an application of you for anyone who’s tired, then that is a definite ‘no.’”

Brannal was still chuckling. “I suspect that would be a full-time job.”

“I suspect that there would be a lot of people suddenly suffering from fatigue if you were the solution.”

Brannal pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You are very absurd.”

Perian grinned and snuggled in closer, relishing the skin-on-skin contact, that buzz of connection that was better with Brannal than it had ever been with anyone else.

“Yes, I am.”

Brannal kissed him again. “I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

They might have gotten distracted a second time, but then Brannal’s stomach rumbled, and they agreed that they really had better go for dinner.

“Wouldn’t want either of us to get ill because we were too busy having sex to eat,” Perian said cheerfully.

Brannal snorted. “I would definitely not want to explain that to the doctor.”

They pulled their clothing back on, Brannal so practiced with his many layers, getting through the underthings, shirt, trousers, padded tunic, leather vest, pauldrons, arm guards, sword belt, and variety of weapons before Perian managed his much more common outfit—but he spent most of his time watching the other man’s hands as he buckled and strapped things on and slid knives into place.

Brannal raised an eyebrow. “Am I being inadvertently seductive again?”

Perian grinned and nodded.

Brannal suppressed a smile. “That reminds me. Our things arrived today and were put away. Your new belongings are here.”

Brannal pointed them out on the vanity. Perian hadn’t even noticed, probably because he’d been totally focused on Brannal and getting into bed.

“Wonderful. I’ll make sure to give Renny her present tomorrow.” He eyed the book, and for a second, he almost mentioned how Kee wanted to see it, but he didn’t want to break their confidence. “That gives me so many ideas.”

Brannal’s lip curled up. “Something for us to try, or did you want to invite Molun and Arvus to look as well?”

Perian felt a shiver go through him, and Brannal apparently saw it. He took a step closer. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Perian could only imagine the joint arousal if they were all looking at that book together, and it was definitely an alluring image.

“If you’d like it, too,” Perian said.

Brannal smiled at him, eyes dark and heated. “I would definitely enjoy that. We should show them how much we enjoyed our time away, shouldn’t we?”

Perian nodded, excited just by the thought of it.

“We’ll see if they’re busy at dinner, shall we?”

Perian nodded again. “Yes, please.”

On the way to the dining hall, he tried to tell himself to calm down and not get ahead of himself.

They had to make it through the meal first—and Molun and Arvus had to accept.

(Although, to be perfectly honest, Perian wasn’t really concerned about that.

Still, though, they could be legitimately busy.

Maybe they already had fun plans for the evening.)

The dining hall was loud and boisterous as usual with so many Warriors and Mage Warriors talking and eating. Molun and Arvus were already there, sitting with the usual group, and there was enough space for Perian and Brannal to squish in beside them.

Perian ended up next to Molun, and because he couldn’t get the idea out of his head now that Brannal had brought it up, he leaned into the other man.

“Tonight, can Brannal and I show you one of the gifts that he got me?”

Molun’s eyes sparked with interest. “Is it orange and silky?”

Perian laughed. “That actually wasn’t the one I was thinking of, but it probably could be.”

Wearing his robe and looking at the book with the three of them would probably be even better than just the book, right?

Molun looked even more intrigued. “Definitely.”

“Shouldn’t we ask Arvus? ”

“He’ll be just as intrigued as I am, trust me.”