Page 5 of The Mage’s Rake (Catkin Trilogy #2)

Hugh

A fter lovemaking, I was always the first to leave in the morning, usually when daylight breaks over the horizon. For most affairs, that was the tradition, the way things worked. I was always the first to leave—until Alan.

This time, I woke with a groan, feeling like I had been trampled by a team of horses.

My body ached from head to toe. Not entirely unpleasant, but I definitely felt muscles I hadn’t used in a while.

I’d been going at it for hours, so I wasn’t terribly surprised.

What did make me suddenly bolt upright was the realization that I was alone.

My partner for the night—Alan—had disappeared. When I glanced over to the chest set against the wall, I realized that his clothes and pack were also missing. There was no sign of Alan having ever spent a night in this room. Cautiously, I called out. No reply.

Alan left , I realized. I was a bit stunned. Why did he go? Why didn’t he stay?

It just felt wrong. Had something happened?

Did I say something wrong? Do something wrong?

For the first time in my life, I felt rather guilty as I revisited what had happened the night before.

It was a bit of a blur, but as I concentrated, vivid details rose within my memories.

The heat. The overwhelming desire to rut.

I could remember the glory of it… and then Corrin’s shock that one night at that damn ball when he found out about Sunna traditions.

The Munni allowed their youths to undergo their heat.

It was something that many Sunna saw as dangerous, but now that I’d experienced something like it, I began to see why Corrin had been so horrified.

It had felt so good—every sensation of the body more vivid than ever before. And Alan had shared it too. The brush of his soft skin beneath my hands roaming over his body. My lips pressed against his, my tongue forcing its way in.

Oh, Gods. I didn’t force him, did I? I hazily mulled over the golden-tinged memories from the night before.

I hadn’t , I decided after some thought.

Alan had taken me here. He’d said something about something being wrong, but he had remained at my side.

He had… My cheeks flushed at the memory of his lightly muscled pale thigh thrown over my shoulder.

How I had held him open as I pinned him to the mattress and fucked him senseless.

He had tried to stay quiet. It was all rather strange. Somehow, though, I wasn’t surprised that Alan would try to maintain control. It made the few sounds he’d voiced that much sweeter. Wrenched from him, moment by moment, as I had driven him to bliss.

But then he’d left. I didn’t know when, but at some point, he must have dressed and packed and left. I’d done this exact routine before, but this was the first time it had happened to me. It didn’t make me feel great.

Why didn’t it? I wondered at that. After all, it was common practice.

It was preferred even. Talking afterward often turned something beautiful into something crass or mundane.

And yet, fucking Alan was different. He was…

It wasn’t just having fun. There was an element of something else.

Was it because he was trying to help me?

Was it because he had remained with me out of worry?

I didn’t know. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

It bothered me, nevertheless. I rushed to get changed and made my way down to the long breakfast room where I found Alan working through a plate of potato hash, sausage, beans, and eggs. I quickly shoveled down my own plate of food, but Alan was finished all too soon.

“We need to talk,” I said to him in a low tone.

Alan hesitated and then slowly nodded. “Very well. I ordered a carriage to the castle. Perhaps we can go together.”

He didn’t sound enthused at all about the prospect, but I kept smiling.

Alan eased back, ordered a second cup of black tea with copious amounts of sugar and milk, and waited for me to finish eating.

Once I was done, we walked down together, where the rest of our belongings awaited.

The ride to the castle felt all too brief.

The first few minutes were spent in awkward silence.

“Well—“

“Look—“

Our voices clashed, and we fell silent again.

“About last night,” I said quickly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alan reassured me. “I mean.” He stopped. “You should be worried about what happened. That was… an unnatural rut, Hugh.”

“Rut?” I raised an eyebrow. “As in… my heat?”

“Yes, you experienced…” Here, his voice dropped a little as if sharing a terrible secret. “… your heat. Someone must have dosed you with something.”

“I realized that earlier,” I admitted. “And to be honest, once things got… properly started, it didn’t feel so bad.”

“And if I hadn’t been there?” asked Alan.

“Well, I would have found someone else.” I glanced over at him. “But I am glad it was you. You made me feel… safe, Alan. For that, I am thankful.”

Alan fixed his gaze firmly out of the carriage window.

“I-I was just glad I was there, Hugh,” he reassured me. “You needn’t… feel like you owe me.”

That was also unexpected. In a sense, that was considered the usual way of viewing these things, but yet again, I felt as though things were different with Alan.

“Well, I must thank you at the very least for your kind help, Alan. And if you were ever to need any similar help with any needs of your own…” I trailed off suggestively.

Alan turned then and stared at me with a deadpan expression. He raised a single eyebrow.

“I am not about to let myself get dosed with a strange elixir, Hugh.”

“Yes. I can’t imagine you getting poisoned or anything.” I ran a hand through my rumpled hair distractedly. “I just wanted to make certain you were alright, and that you understood—“

“I understood easily enough,” Alan said stiffly. “I may have spent a majority of my life in the Tower, but I have an idea of general expectations.”

“Yes…”

I was a little crestfallen. It didn’t look as though Alan took my subtle hint.

Not that I ought to be hinting at something more…

permanent. We were to work together on the investigation, nothing more.

Remembering Gareth’s instructions, I cheered up a little.

Perhaps in the course of our duty, Alan might with to go for round two—or round three—or more.

“Well, there is also the matter of the investigation Gareth set you on,” I continued. “The trail of the poison.”

“We can also look into the matter of the potion you took,” Alan added.

“Are you worried for me?”

Alan stiffened and glared out the window.

“No.” He scowled, pushed his glasses up unnecessarily, and flicked his white tail impatiently.

“However, the king has need of you. What with the new laws instated about the Munni and some traditional Sunna grumbling, then the treaty with Esteria about to be signed… and of course, the princess isn’t going to marry the king now, so there are some who are worried about the stability of the throne… The time is...” Alan trailed off.

Yes. Princess Erellia had eloped with an unknown long-time companion.

It turned out she had fallen in love with a less powerful lord, who had joyously received her upon her arrival at the border.

Since then Rilla had been kept close to home with her newly-wedded husband and newly-acquired horse, Sanson.

Landis had sent word that the princess could keep Sanson as a wedding gift from Corrin and him to her. As thanks.

That was one happy ending, but Alan was correct.

Sumarene had yet to claim its own happy ending.

I wanted to help make Landis’s dream come true.

It was nice to see that Alan had also become invested in protecting our young king.

And me. It warmed my heart a little. I found myself offering him a more genuine smile.

A smaller smile flitted across Alan’s face as our gazes met.

Alan blushed a little and glanced away again.

“Do you have an idea why you were targeted?” he asked after a while.

“I don’t know.” I was a little nonplussed by the mystery myself.

“Family?” Alan prompted.

“None left,” I replied bluntly.

An awkward silence. Alan nodded.

“A jealous lover?”

“They need only ask!” I protested. “I have never turned any molly or tom away from my bed. Well… unless their parents put their foot down..”

Alan folded his arms and gave me a prim frown of distaste.

“That might be the trouble, Hugh. There may be someone out there who aims for a more permanent, committed… exclusive relationship with you.”

“Oh.”

Said that way, I could see how someone might get their tail in a twist and try to— No. Wait. I do not understand. I frowned. Why send me into a state like heat? Did they hope to assail my virtue? I have none left.

“There is also the possibility that it may be politically motivated,” Alan said reluctantly. “The odds of that are… not as small as I would like, given how many enemies the king has.”

“Lord Morne?” I tilted my head. “I suppose if Gareth and I were to be removed, Landis would be more vulnerable, but there is always Corrin… and Lord Elthorne.”

“It is still something to consider, but my wager is that it was a jealous lover.”

“I might take you up on that. A wager. For a kiss.” I smirked.

“No.”

“If I win—and it’s Lord Morne, I get a kiss.” I ignored him. “If you win…”

“I’m not playing this sort of nonsense.” Alan glared at me again.

“Hm. A new book? Some kind of crafting ingredient? Paper? Pens?”

“A notebook…” Alan said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll settle for a notebook.”

“I hope I’m right.”

“You would.”

“Well, kissing you was…” I trailed off teasingly.

Alan stared at me, obviously waiting. I didn’t continue. I hoped his curiosity was torturing him.

“So, where do we go first?” I said cheerfully.

We ended up stopping by our rooms in the castle first. After stopping by to say hello to Landis, who was in the middle of a meeting with Lord Berrymay, we parted ways.

I, to find a fresh change of clothing; Alan, to drop off his night pack and change as well.

With that done, we met at Alan’s alchemical laboratory.

I wouldn’t say that Alan’s little den was my favorite place in the castle.

That would be the ballroom. However, there was something homey with the small, packed room he had been given for his brewing and spell-making.

The walls were lined with shelves that were either packed with books and papers or with potion bottles, glass jars, and sealed containers filled with various colored, mysterious potions and elixirs.

One side of the table in the center of the room was covered with beakers and little burners, now lying cold and empty of flame.

The other side was jammed with papers filled with scribbling, several inkwells of various colors, and papers covered with sigils, runes, and spell circles.

Next to the low fire stoked on the large hearth at one end, three cauldrons sat bubbling with various unknown substances.

It was wise not to touch anything or even ask about anything. Touching got you hand smacks from Alan. Asking questions got you lengthy discussions about the intricacies of crafting spells or brewing potions. I opted to stand by the door, leaning against a bookshelf. A place I knew to be safe.

My gaze followed Alan. Now that I had seen him without his clothing, I was gifted with Alan-related magical vision. I now knew what was hidden beneath those thick layers. Long, slender limbs. Velvety, pale skin. Light muscle that ran down to…

Gods, Hugh. I mentally groaned. There’s no point in torturing yourself, and besides it does Alan an injustice. It is not as though he is actively courting your attention. He isn’t interested.

I told myself that, but my cock had other ideas.

So, I crossed my legs and instead forced myself to truly look at Alan.

I made myself notice the small things about the young tom.

The way his shoulders relaxed a little as he puttered around the room.

The smile that flitted across his face as he stirred the three cauldrons by the fire.

The light steam that fogged up his spectacles and made him mutter a couple curses under his breath.

The soft hum that escaped him as he began to search his large potions cabinet beside the hearth.

And the faraway look that entered his eye as he rifled through the thick tome he had opened on a lectern in another corner.

Alan was home. It pleased me to see that he had rediscovered the usual quiet happiness that I noted most times on his face.

Eventually, Alan finished the few preparations that needed to be completed.

He scrawled out a small note based on some information he’d found in the thick tome.

Then, readjusting his spectacles, Alan glanced over to me and smiled a little.

“Ready to start?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Ready whenever you are!”