Chapter Three
I t turned out that when Brannal said “come stay with me”, he really meant it. He wanted Perian and all his belongings to move into the castle.
“Right now? Are you sure?”
Perian seemed to be asking that a lot.
Brannal looked at him like not very many people asked him if he was sure about things. “What would be the point of paying to store your belongings here?”
Perian stared him down.
Brannal huffed. “Look, if I upset you again, Nisal is already going to toss me off the tallest tower, remember? And if you do decide to storm out, you can come rent another room, right? I’m not taking all the rooms away from you.”
Perian’s lip curled. “So… you’re reassuring me that if you upset me, there will still be myriad inn rooms where I can come to get away from you?”
Brannal’s lips quirked. “Yes.”
Perian couldn’t help but laugh, trying to figure out the two sides of this man, the serious Mage Warrior and the man who teased Perian. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to be able to figure him out from a distance, was he?
Perian packed up, the bed was tested out one more time—“Should really see if it’s worth coming back here at some point!”—and an employee of the inn was paid to ensure that Perian’s bag and trunk were delivered to the castle.
Perian was escorted on foot, since they’d agreed the spring weather was pleasant and the walk not too long. Brannal was an imposing figure with his height, breadth, and attire, and he was given a wide and respectful berth as they walked.
It was a different experience entirely from being brought to the castle (which he mostly didn’t remember) or even when he’d walked with Nisal to the hotel.
“Out of curiosity,” Perian asked, “do you practice the swagger, or does it come naturally?”
“Combination of sheer raw talent and careful study. All the Mage Warriors have lessons.”
Brannal managed to say it with a straight face, but then his lips tipped up, and Perian let out what could really only be described as a giggle. Well, the man might as well know what he was letting himself in for. Perian did not have a swagger, and he definitely didn’t make people walk around him simply by existing.
The castle was always an impressive sight. He’d viewed it from a distance during his visits to the city—it was hard to miss, really—and his father had brought him to see the exterior up close on his first visit at sixteen. But it was different, somehow, seeing it now and knowing that not only had he stayed there until this morning while convalescing, but he was about to stay again—for an unspecified amount of time, because a Mage Warrior wanted him here.
The stone walls and towers—one on each corner plus a large clock tower front and center—were imposing and impressive as they rose into the sky, dominating the area like they had been there forever. There were ramparts and parapets at the top of every wall, and Perian could see the heads of patrolling Warriors as they passed. The castle had a large moat, to protect from wraiths, but the drawbridge was down during the day, although closely guarded. Perian had heard that there was always a Mage Warrior who could control water on duty, just in case. Apart from the tragic wraith attack six years ago, there hadn’t been a demon attack in the city within Perian’s lifetime.
As they walked across the drawbridge, the Warriors on duty offered Brannal sharp inclinations of the head and a hand clasped to their heart. Brannal nodded in return. Although Perian got some curious stares, no one asked who he was or why he was there. Perian didn’t have to question who ranked over whom.
“How long have you lived here?” Perian asked as they passed inside.
“Since I was twelve.”
Perian opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question and then hesitated.
Brannal nudged him in the side. “Don’t hold back now.”
Perian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t realize you’d be so young.”
The hesitation was slight but noticeable. “Setting a building on fire tends to catch people’s attention.”
Although all the elements could cause harm, Perian had to admit that fireballs were particularly alarming.
Everyone knew that if you manifested an affinity for any of the elements, you needed to learn control. You could go to the Mage school, get a private Mage tutor, or come to the castle to learn with the Mage Warriors. The law required that you be able to control the elements or be under the tutelage of a Mage who could. To keep the whole country safe, you could be banished—or worse—for non-compliance.
“Did you pick the castle yourself?” Perian asked.
“I did,” Brannal agreed. “Being a Warrior sounded cooler.”
Perian laughed. “Wow. Well-considered life choice.”
“I’m astonished by my wisdom every day.”
Perian snorted. He liked this version of Brannal very much, and while part of him was still worried that the Brannal of this morning would reappear, it seemed more and more worth taking the chance. He had genuinely apologized, and Perian loved this intimacy. If Nisal and Molun were to be believed, it was rare for Brannal—or he was normally way more discreet about it.
Either way, Perian was something new, and he hoped that was a good thing.
They finally arrived in what Perian recognized, based on the wall hangings, as the corridor that Brannal’s rooms were on, and he frowned a little when Brannal opened a door on what he was sure was the wrong side. Brannal ushered him in, and Perian saw that his memory was not playing tricks on him. This wasn’t the Mage Warrior’s room at all; it was a perfectly well appointed but generic-looking room that told Perian it was for a guest.
“This is for you,” Brannal said, gesturing around the room. “I—”
He cut off abruptly as he saw Perian’s face, which was clearly not schooled to anything that resembled neutrality. Brannal swallowed, then started over.
“It occurs to me that what I should have said was, ‘Perian, would you like to have your own quarters so that you have some private space while you are here? Or would you prefer to stay with me?’”
Perian continued to eye him for a long moment, and then his lips twitched up into the smile that he couldn’t quite hide.
“Much better. Is this your way of saying that you’d like some privacy?”
Brannal’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I said.”
“I know.”
Brannal’s head tilted slightly. “Now I can’t tell which one you’d actually prefer.”
“Annoying, isn’t it?”
Lips quirking, Brannal said, “I apologize. Again. I would genuinely like to know what you want.”
Perian considered the room. There was nothing wrong with it—apart from the obvious absence of the Mage Warrior that he’d come to stay with.
“There’ll be a lot fewer comments if you put me up here, I suppose?”
Brannal stared at him for another long moment, and then he reached out and twined their hands together. He pulled Perian out of the room and down the corridor to a very familiar room, and then he tugged Perian inside.
“Better?” he asked.
Carefully, Perian said, “I don’t actually mean to make trouble.”
“Do you really think there won’t be plenty of questions regardless of what room you’re staying in?”
Well, that was probably true. The group in the hallway had seemed awfully nosy. But was there a right answer to this? Perian and his father had had rooms for visitors, but people rarely stayed over. Still, Perian knew visitors didn’t usually stay in the same room with their hosts. He blew out a breath.
“I imagine you value your privacy,” Perian suggested.
“Very much,” Brannal agreed.
Up until this morning, there had been a limit on how long Perian had to be here. But Brannal had made an open-ended invitation this afternoon, and now Perian was actually capable of leaving the room.
“You’d be more comfortable if I took the other room?” he asked.
Brannal looked a bit frustrated. “Are you deliberately not answering my question?”
Perian frowned. “Hmm?”
“I asked which you would prefer, and you’ve spent a lot of time giving me reasons why I might prefer one or the other.”
Oh. That was true. It felt like the safer option, somehow.
Brannal’s lip curled up a little. “Now who’s making assumptions?”
Perian rolled his eyes and admitted with more difficulty than he expected, “I would prefer to be here.”
Brannal smiled at him. “Then here is where you shall stay.”
Perian would also prefer that whatever they were doing lasted as long as possible, so he wasn’t altogether certain that this was the right choice. Perhaps giving them a bit of space was exactly what he should have done to help make sure that nobody got fed up. His father had always said it was good to give people space. It was part of why he’d chosen to have no live-in staff. But this was a different situation. Besides, did he really think a corridor was going to make him more appealing?
He’d been thrown by Brannal suggesting another room, and now he’d made the whole thing awkward.
“Would you like to test out the bed?” Brannal asked.
Perian had already tested out the bed over days of being an invalid, but one look at Brannal told him that wasn’t why he had asked the question. He was trying to put Perian at ease.
Perian raised an eyebrow. “That depends. Will it end with you serving me tea and being all frosty?”
Brannal swore at him, Perian laughed, and in short order, they ended up in a tangle on the bed, kissing and touching and grinding together until they both spent in their trousers like raw boys, the rush of pleasure blissfully intense.
They’d remembered to unbuckle the sword, and a couple of the daggers had been left next to the bed, but Perian knew there were more. He might never before have been intimate with someone who carried so much weaponry, but he’d never enjoyed himself so much, either. It was definitely worth figuring out how not to get accidentally stabbed.
“So?” Brannal asked.
They were lying side by side, catching their breath.
Perian hummed a querying noise.
“What’s your opinion on the bed?”
Perian laughed. “It’s lovely. Nicer now than it was when I was trapped in it.”
“You’re feeling better, then?”
“Ever so much.”
Concern threaded into his voice. “Your ribs are all right? I didn’t think to ask.”
“Perfectly fine,” Perian assured him.
Though the ache would have been worth it, he hadn’t even noticed. It really was like that first blow job had fixed them up, which was absurd but awesome to imagine.
“I’m glad,” Brannal said softly.
“Me too,” Perian agreed. “It’s nice to be up and about.”
Brannal eyed him pointedly from next to him in bed, and Perian laughed.
“You know what I mean.”
“Is that a hint?”
Brannal started to sit up, and Perian laughed harder while grabbing onto him. “It absolutely is not.”
Brannal pushed himself all the way to a seated position. “I shouldn’t actually spend all day in bed.”
Perian couldn’t think of anywhere that he would rather be, but they had just made a mess of their clothing, and they’d now tumbled into bed three times just today.
“You probably have things that you need to be doing,” Perian agreed.
Just because Perian was here with nothing to do didn’t mean that a Mage Warrior didn’t have plenty to occupy him.
Brannal leered at him. “Only you.”
Perian shouted with laughter and successfully tackled the man back onto the bed, where they rolled around some more, just kissing and touching because Brannal wasn’t ready to go again yet. Perian had always enjoyed every aspect of intimacy, but there was something about kissing Brannal that was distinctly better than kissing anyone else. Brannal kissed with his whole being, like it was an end unto itself. Perian liked that very much. Brannal was spoiling him.
But at least Perian would have good memories to take home with him. That had to be worth some future loneliness, right?
Brannal groaned and sat up once more. “The problem with coming in your trousers is that you then have to deal with the discomfort. Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”
In short order, they were relatively clean again, Perian borrowing another pair of Brannal’s trousers since his hadn’t arrived yet.
When Brannal was fully dressed once more, all weapons back where they belonged, Perian couldn’t help but grin at him.
“What?” Brannal asked.
Perian shook his head. Brannal took a step closer.
“I can make you talk.”
Perian’s grin grew wider. “Oh, can you?”
Brannal tugged him into his arms, pulling an entirely unresisting Perian tight up against all that leather. He could feel the sword digging into his hip—the actual sword!—but he was much more interested in the hard muscles, and he hummed a happy noise as he rubbed against the other man.
“Just really enjoying how strong a Mage Warrior you are. And I like the leather.”
Brannal’s face creased into a smile. “Oh, is my outfit arousing you?”
Perian gestured up and down. “All of you. All of you is arousing me.”
Brannal pressed what started as a soft kiss to Perian’s lips, but it soon turned a bit dirty, and the grinding was just starting to show real promise when Brannal tore himself away.
“Fire and water, you are temptation itself.”
Perian was back to grinning again, not the least bit repentant.
“I thought I could show you around the castle, help you familiarize yourself.”
Perian nodded. “I’d like that.”
His body might still want to be stretched out under the other man in bed, but the fact that Brannal wanted Perian to be comfortable and was willing to give him a tour himself soothed another part of him.
They straightened the clothing they’d disarranged, tidied and retied their hair, and then headed out into the corridor. Perian realized he’d tensed, half-expecting another gauntlet, but there was no one else there.
“Do you mind that everyone knows?” Perian asked as they set off.
They were headed in the direction that Cormal had come from this morning, and Perian hoped that wasn’t an indication of what was to come.
“Knows what?” Brannal asked.
“Why I’m here? I mean, I’m sure everyone doesn’t know, but…”
He couldn’t quite figure out how to phrase it.
Brannal only laughed.
“Oh, trust me, between Molun and Cormal, everyone does probably know. But their knowledge doesn’t really impact me one way or the other.”
All right, then.
Brannal eyed him. “Why, does it bother you?”
“That an incredibly attractive Mage Warrior wants to sleep with me? Of course not.”
Brannal laughed, but there was still something like caution in his eyes. “That everyone knows? You weren’t exactly expecting an interrogation this morning.”
“If I hadn’t wanted everyone to know, I wouldn’t have mentioned last night.”
“That wasn’t just you losing your temper?”
Perian’s lips tipped up, and he offered a half nod to concede the point. “Well, maybe a little. But I’ve never seen the point in hiding where I get my pleasure. I mean, I might not normally announce it in the hallway to all and sundry, but it’s not a secret.” Perian shrugged. “And I suppose sometimes that means that people make assumptions about me, but I’ve never really understood why assuming I like pleasure is actually a bad thing, you know? It’s only if someone gets, uh, presumptuous that there’s a problem.”
His father had been both liberal and open, and he’d said that pleasure and such urges were a natural part of life, and it was important to understand those feelings.
Brannal’s voice had grown deeper and firmer. “If anyone gives you any trouble here, tell me immediately.”
“Oh, uh, yes, of course.”
Full consent between involved parties was definitely of paramount importance, and his father had taught him that from the beginning, too.
“I mean it,” Brannal said.
“I’m agreeing with you,” Perian pointed out.
Brannal squinted at him. “I thought you might argue more.”
Perian stiffened. “If you think I liked what happened in the street, then you can—”
Brannal grabbed his arm and squeezed gently. “No! Of course not! I only thought you might resent my insisting on getting involved.”
Perian considered this and finally relaxed. “If anyone is a bit presumptuous but I can easily get rid of them, then I’m going to do so. If anyone is giving me a hard time and doesn’t understand my explanation that no means no, then I will be happy to involve you and all your lovely muscles.”
For a moment, it looked as though Brannal was going to allow himself to be distracted, but alas, it didn’t work.
“Exactly how often are people… presumptuous?”
Perian made a face. “I haven’t actually counted?”
Brannal offered a very unimpressed expression that made Perian laugh. Brannal tried to keep looking stern, but his lips twitched up.
“I’ll have you know that this expression has been known to make people cry.”
Perian couldn’t help but grin at him. “Is that right?”
Brannal nodded.
“Well, either I’m made of much sterner stuff than those others, or perhaps spending time in your bed confers immunity.”
Brannal let out a crack of laughter. “Well, then, I guess there’s plenty of benefits for both of us.”
Perian smiled, well satisfied.
Brannal shot him another look, the amusement still dancing in his dark eyes. “But don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve not answered my question.”
Perian sighed. “Truly, I haven’t kept track. At the risk of sounding terribly self-aggrandizing, a lot of people seem to find me very appealing.”
Brannal raised an eyebrow, but conceded, “You most certainly are.”
Perian felt a curl of warmth in his belly in response to those words and that look. A lot of people had told Perian how pretty they found him, but Perian didn’t remember ever feeling quite so good about it as he did with this man.
Eying him, Perian said carefully, “So… I get a lot of invitations.”
“Also not a surprise,” Brannal said, not seeming bothered by this, to Perian’s relief.
Perian could control his response, but he couldn’t control what other people wanted.
“Most people behave appropriately. A few try a little too hard, but not in a creepy way. I mean, it’s a little embarrassing sometimes, but it’s also flattering that they’re so interested, you know? I’ve gotten good when I’m here in town telling people what I want.”
“That’s good,” Brannal told him.
Perian offered something that was half nod, half shrug. “I think so. It’s taken me a little while to figure out what I like or don’t like best, but I don’t do things just because other people want them.”
Maybe there’d been a period after his father died when he had let himself drown a little in other people’s feelings, but he couldn’t blame them for that. He genuinely hadn’t known what he wanted, except not to be alone.
“Good.”
This was even firmer than the last time. After a moment, Brannal continued. “Not everyone treats this as sensibly as you do, so I’m sure there are some people who will continue to make assumptions about why you’re here.”
Perian laughed. “I have no doubt.”
“I just want to make clear that you don’t have to put up with any inappropriate behavior. If there’s a problem that you can’t or don’t want to fix on your own, you tell me, and I’ll resolve it.”
“Thank you,” Perian said, genuinely grateful.
This felt like a reasonable compromise that still recognized that he was capable but ensured he knew there was support should he need it.
They were silent for a few moments, as though they were both digesting this serious topic.
Then Brannal said, “Now stop distracting me so that I can actually tell you something useful during this tour.”
Perian obediently pressed his lips firmly together, which made Brannal snort with laughter. And then they both laughed as he realized that he’d just been guiding Perian through corridor after corridor without actually giving any directions at all.
“You have no idea where we are, do you?”
“Not a clue.”
Laughing even more, they retraced their steps to his door, which was when they were interrupted. A woman in staff livery ran up, inclining her head to Brannal.
“Secundus needs you. There’s been a report of a wraith nest.”
“Fire and water,” Brannal swore. He looked at Perian.
“Go,” Perian urged him. “I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll return when I can.”
Brannal leaned in to press a quick kiss to Perian’s lips, and then he was gone, striding off with the staff member at his heels.
Letting himself back into Brannal’s rooms, Perian sank into one of the chairs by the fire. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been aware of what Mage Warriors did, but actual in-person mention of a wraith nest that Brannal had to deal with felt very different. Wraiths were generally considered the most dangerous of the demons. (Some people argued it was carnalions, which could be considered much trickier, but there were far fewer of them, and wraiths killed a lot more people.) Like nightmares and lesser demons, they seemed to have no higher intelligence and were driven only by the desire to feed—and unfortunately, it was human life energy that sustained them.
Lesser demons were bad enough, but they were corporeal and had to actually eat people to get to that energy. Nightmares were often non-corporeal and consumed the energy of sleeping people. It was said they caused nightmares and then consumed the resultant energy, although Perian’s father had always said that was nonsense. Perian didn’t know what to believe—although his father had rarely steered him wrong, and it was true that there were fewer reports of nightmares killing people. But a nest of wraiths, incorporeal and swooping around like shadows come to life? They could take out an entire village if they weren’t stopped promptly. They seemed to be insatiable, consuming all life energy available and then seeking their next victim.
Perian had always been grateful that the Mage Warriors protected them from such threats. They were uniquely suited to the task, but that didn’t mean it was without danger. It felt a lot more personal now, when he could put names to the faces of the people who might be doing that active defending.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been when the door opened and Brannal entered. Perian jumped to his feet.