Page 15

Asha

“See, now that wasn’t too bad?” Jeron led Asha back toward Rath’s bedroom, where he’d spent the afternoon napping and getting cleaned up.

“I think the sugaring was worse, to be honest, but his brothers were quite nice.” Asha stumbled along and found himself being tugged from his dinner clothes and into a comfortable tunic that went to his knees over thin yet comfortable hose.

“They were on their best behavior, believe it or not. They’re an excitable bunch. You’ll warm to them in time.” Jeron went about tidying up the room and settled Asha onto the warm cushion before the fire.

“How bad are they when they don’t behave?” Asha swallowed hard, his skin growing cold despite the warm fire.

“Falustus has been known to show up without breeches, often. Slath often shows up filthy and Ghreid doesn’t show up at all.

They’re named aptly.” Jeron stared at Asha’s cold clothing and folded the items before tucking them away with a disapproving sniff.

Asha’s cheeks burned, but his attention drew to the door when a polite knock made him jump.

Asha stared, the door opening to invite Rath in, similarly dressed and comfortable, his hair strewn about his shoulders, silky and untethered as if he’d been stroking it out of habit.

Jeron gestured him in and excused himself.

“I’ll be in the parlor. Please call if you need anything, or if Sir puts his hands on you unwanted.

” Jeron prodded Rath’s arm with a playful pout and slipped away.

Something intimate about the gesture reminded Asha of the role Jeron had once played for the dragon, the dragon that his very spirit sang for.

“May I join you?” Rath gave him a sharp-toothed smile and made his way over.

Asha moved to the side, allowing an opening for Rath to take and sprawl out, his face as placid as a cat’s in the sun.

It wouldn’t have been amiss if he purred.

“Thank you. My brothers like you. And Slath was in here while you napped?”

“Your nest was very comfortable, better than any bed I’ve had. I fell asleep in minutes, and when I woke…” Asha’s cheeks went hot. “I thought he was you for a moment.”

“He does bear a resemblance. We’re not quite twins, not sharing an egg, but we were born from the same clutch. He didn’t quite have the spirit for leadership.”

“I noticed. He’s sweet, but not my type.” Asha stared into the flickering flames.

“What is your type?”

“When I figure that out, you’ll be the first to know.” The corner of Asha’s mouth tugged into a slight grin. “But I’ve been introduced to some that are interesting.”

“I see.” Rath rolled over, stretching out over the cushion as if he’d done it a thousand times before, humming with delight. “Mother and Father taught me how to make the best nest, and I’ve worked on perfecting it for years.” Rath chuckled.

“For your mate, yes?” Asha turned his head toward the fire and watched the dancing flames, not wanting to look anywhere else.

“Yes. None else has been allowed in my nest for pleasure aside from myself. Only you.”

“And Jeron.” Asha stared at the fire, his stomach twisting into a knot of guilt.

“It bothers you. Doesn’t it?” Rath sat up and crossed his legs.

“I don’t want a life of shame and unfaithfulness.” Asha sighed.

“Well, fortunate for you that I am incapable of that. From the moment our magics touched, and I became aware of you, I no longer sought Jeron’s affections. Anything you ask of me to prove my intention, I’ll give.” Rath reached out toward Asha and rested his hand over Asha’s cold fingers.

“You’re cold.” Rath grinned, lacing his fingers with Asha’s. “Do you feel that cold pulse inside you?”

Asha focused, and indeed, he sensed a strange pulsing sensation like ice going through his veins. And he’d felt the icy chill before, when Earl Tippin scourged him and times of fear. And with Rath’s hand on his, Asha sensed a much more vast and powerful pulse through their minor contact.

Asha glanced up, locking his gaze to Rath’s iridescent blue. “Magic.” The word barely a whisper from his lips. The flow of it rose up to the surface, like a deep pool of unending power and coolness that chilled him to his core, like icy fingers stroking down his body, no icy claws.

Rath nodded. “I don’t expect you to understand, not really.

But this pulse of magic grows stronger during certain desires.

Sometimes the magic bubbles to the surface when it shouldn’t.

That’s what a bedservant is to stop. They tame the dragon.

” Rath pulled his fingers away and Asha whimpered, reaching back for his hand.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Rath stared at their touching hands.

“Don’t pull away. I liked how it felt.”

Rath lifted Asha’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “I like it, too, but you need your magic slowly. You’re starved and parched for it, but too much at once can make the change unpleasant.”

Asha pulled his hand away with understanding and offered Rath a half smile.

Asha had never stayed the night anywhere else but in the keep, and had always relished the familiarity, but never the longevity.

Temporary. Every nook and cranny seemed distant, as if it wouldn’t be there the next day or the day after.

But Rath’s room, the cushion before the fire, the nest, they registered to him as permanent.

He could see himself waking every morning in the decadence and comfort, with no fear of it ending.

And with that realization, an intrusive thought burrowed into his mind.

We are home.

“We?” Asha shook his head, and Rath raised a perfect brow, watching him closely.

“I see that look in your eyes, Asha. Your dragon is pacing in them. What did they say?” Rath sat up attentively, his eyes glinting bright.

“We are home…” Asha pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, unsure of himself. “How do you see this thing that I supposedly am? How am I a dragon born from humans?”

“There is a little dragon blood in you, but our magic is the dragon part. We are two sides of a coin, and you’ve lived your entire life only looking at the world from one side.

Your dragon has been buried under your weight.

As we open to one another and progress, you’ll slowly find more pieces of them. ”

“So, there’s a dragon inside me?” Asha rubbed a hand over his chest and Rath frowned.

“It’s so hard to explain. Same coin. Two sides.

It’s like you turn inside out and it’s you still.

But pieces of the dragon will come through slowly.

As you can see.” Rath gestured toward his horns and ran his sharp nails down his cheek, trailing the fine scales.

Asha leaned in closer to look at them, and they blended into his skin so flawlessly, accenting his jawline and temples.

“You’re very close, Asha.” Rath’s soft words drew his eye, focusing on his pale lips, inviting.

“I am.”

“Are you hoping I’ll kiss you?” Rath’s lips twisted into a wicked grin that made Asha’s breath catch.

“I don’t know. I want to touch your horns, though. I think.”

Rath smiled and leaned his head down, lowering his horns into Asha’s reach.

Asha reached for Rath’s tines, drawing his fingers over the obsidian glossy surface, trailing the bifurcated point to the ridges. “What does it feel like?” Asha relished the smooth, almost-oiled, sensation, breath shuddering in a way he’d never done before.

“I feel the pressure, the vibrations of your touch into my head, but it’s rather sensationless, much like your fingernails. But I enjoy it. Would you like me to stroke your wings in return?”

“The scars…er…Ashen mark, thing?” Asha continued his gentle touches, amazed with Rath’s features.

“Yes. Yours are what will eventually be your wings. They look like little more than risen scars now, but you’re Ashen. You don’t scar.”

Asha pulled away from Rath’s horns, his cheeks on fire as he caught the sweet scent of his breath. “I don’t… But my back…” Asha pulled back, deep in thought.

Breaking the tension of the moment, Rath stood and sauntered over to a food trolley that’d been rolled in. Two very small crystal wineglasses sat beside an ornate bottle. Rath poured the two glasses and returned with them in one hand, cake and fork in the other.

A large slice of dense cake occupied the painted platter, topped with a generous portion of honey and slivered almonds.

“This is honeycake?” Asha turned his attention to the plate as Rath pushed it and the glass into his hands and went back for the bottle.

Asha got comfortable and tentatively took a bite with the tiny fork provided, humming with utter bliss.

It put the chef’s sticky buns to shame, rich in warm spices, floral honey, and the nuttiness of the almonds that had a crunch to them, as if gently toasted.

“Mmf! This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Baltheir’s sake!” Asha took another bite and washed it down with the tiny glass of liquor that burned with spiced fire all the way from the tip of his tongue to his belly.

“It is quite good. It’s one of my favorites.” Rath poured his tiny glass over his cake and let the liquor soak the dense grain. He politely cleaved a small piece from the side, took a reserved bite and moaned softly, catching Asha in a shameless stare. Rath licked his lips and swallowed.

Fixated on his mouth, Asha stared, fork trembling in his hand.

“I enjoy it with the cordial in it. Want to try a bite?” Rath smiled at him with playful amusement glittering in his eyes.

Asha nodded slowly, barely cognizant of his words until Rath held a fork before his lips, the scent of honeycake and liquor tantalizing him.

The melding of rich spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg made Asha salivate, soaking into the liquor-laden confection as his cheeks went hot from either alcohol or embarrassment.

A sweet noise escaped him before he swallowed.

Rath’s eyes flickered like flames, a glow deep within them as his pupils slitted into thin slivers before blowing out wide.

And Asha didn’t see the man before him, not completely, but rather saw deep into his eyes, watching the predator within him lick its sharp teeth, drawing a whimper of strange attraction from somewhere deep inside Asha’s throat.

Mate, the strange voice in Asha’s thoughts whispered.

Asha needed him now, his cock aching against his hose and leaking, wanting a touch, a stroke or— What did two men do, exactly?

Sure, Asha wanted a kiss, but he wanted more to press against the beautiful dragon and have his body filled .

The ache inside him hammered into submission.

“Slowly, Asha. Slowly.” Rath set the plate aside, pushing it onto the edge of the hearth where it would stay warm. “You’re drowning in want, aren’t you?”

Asha swallowed hard. “N-no. I’m fine. I must be nervous.”

“I see.” Rath scooted toward him, brushing shoulders for a moment before his hair spilled over Asha’s arm and warm scent wrapped itself around him. “Please, may I kiss you? I promise no more.”

“Mm-hmm.” Asha couldn’t form words, merely nodded and stilled when Rath’s fingers tilted his chin up, face sweeping in.

“Do not fight me. Let me in, Ashen one.” Rath leaned in, his breath honeyed and spiced. Asha’s lips parted and Rath’s pressed into them, tongue curling. Ice and fire rushed through Asha’s chest, drawing him into tremors of utter bliss.

Asha’s jaw muscles ached as if he’d tasted the sweetest thing, and Rath’s cool tongue twirled to curl into his mouth.

With a twist of Rath’s tongue, Asha’s eyes twinged, closing as he released a whimpering noise, prompting Rath to pull away.

Asha couldn’t close his mouth, couldn’t bear to look, to lay witness to the disappointment sure to be in Rath’s eyes.

Instead, though, his cool hand swept to his neck and a soft kiss sealed Asha’s lips.

“I’ll teach you how to enjoy yourself in time, if you wish. I promise.” Rath’s husky voice made Asha want to peek.

Asha opened his eyes and stared at Rath, taking in his placid expression. The heat that melted into concern. A soft thumb caressed Asha’s cheek and drew back, glistening.

“Why do you cry?” Rath stared at the tear.

Asha took a shivering breath. “I’ve spent a lifetime being told to hate dragons, and since my boyhood passed, I’ve not known why nature made me look upon men like I should women, made me look at men like I was the woman.” Asha choked down the tears that came with those words.

“When the time comes that I make you comfortable enough to explore that side of yourself, and there’s no rush with that.

Do not feel obligated. I will make do and don’t let me or anyone else tell you differently.

Your body is not mine, no matter how much I want it.

” Rath trailed a hand down his neck, letting his claws prickle, then down his sleeve to brush their fingers together, smiling as Asha reveled in the spark of magic.

“How can I move forward when I’m all wrong? I shouldn’t want this.”

Rath snorted. “Am I wrong?”

“But you. You don’t want to have a man inside you. You are the dominant one.” Asha wiped at his eye and gasped when Rath pulled him closer, coaxing him to lay his head in Rath’s lap.

“No, but Slath does. I recall. We don’t differentiate. But you’ll learn in time.” Rath stroked through his softened hair, still sleek with Jeron’s oils and combing. Magic trailed and followed his fingertips, making Asha squirm in strange ways, very aware of how close his face was to Rath’s groin.

“Isn’t he seen as less for that? Is that why he isn’t king?” Asha whimpered and silenced.

“No!” Rath laughed, the sound deep and sensual.

“Slath had no talent for learning or listening. We were raised to seek our desires, and we all did. I just happened to agree with power and when Father wanted to hand his crown down, I accepted. I’m king because I wanted it and I was good at delegation.

I think three steps ahead and don’t intervene in needless wars.

I learn things. And I think life is too precious to waste. I hope you’ll grow to understand that.”

Asha nodded. “You’ve shown me much kindness so far, and some humans have not. Until you show me otherwise, I will trust.”

“That’s all I could ever wish for.” Rath trailed his fingers once more, and Asha shivered, not wanting the touch to stop, but sleep took him quickly.