The Prince's Consort (Chronicles of Tournai Book 1)

by Antonia Aquilante

  Chapter 6

  AMORY GASPED. Philip hadn’t lied when he said he turned into a big cat, and he was like no cat Amory had seen before. His head would probably come up to Amory’s waist. His body was sleek and looked powerful too, his fur a shimmering blue-black. But Amory wasn’t afraid. Philip’s unique eyes looked at him out of the cat’s face, and they still were brimming with worry.

  “Is that you in there?”

  The cat nodded.

  Amory let out a long breath. “You’re gorgeous.”

  Philip hesitated and then walked slowly toward Amory. When Amory didn’t move, Philip came right up to him and rubbed his head against Amory’s stomach. Amory let out a half laugh, and lifted a hand to Philip’s head. His fur was silky soft, like Philip’s hair. Amory stroked both hands over Philip’s head and neck. The rumbled purr was similar to the sound Philip made when Amory stroked his hair, only louder.

  He froze at the thought and then laughed. Philip looked up at him, eyes questioning, but Amory shook his head. He sank to the ground and put his arms around Philip, stroking his hands over soft fur and enjoying how the purring got louder and louder. Philip kept trying to get closer, until Amory had a lap full of sleek black cat. Contented cat too, if the purring and the slitted eyes were any indication.

  It should have been strange. His almost-lover turned into a cat and sprawled over his legs while Amory petted him. It should have been strange, but somehow it wasn’t. It was Philip, and Philip really was beautiful, as a cat and as a man.

  After a long while curled up together on the floor, Amory asked, “Can you talk when you’re like this?”

  Philip nuzzled into him for another moment before raising his head and looking at Amory. He seemed to deliberate or maybe struggle for a moment, but then he said, “Yes.”

  The cat’s voice was deeper than Philip’s normal voice, and sort of rumbly. The word slurred a little, but Amory understood, and he realized Philip was probably insecure about speaking as a cat, that maybe talking was difficult for him.

  “I’m glad you can talk to me, but it isn’t easy for you, is it?”

  Philip shook his head and then rubbed it against Amory again. Philip really was very catlike when he was a… well, a cat. And he hadn’t realized it before but Philip possessed some catlike characteristics when he wasn’t a cat as well.

  “Then we don’t need to have long conversations.” He stroked his fingers through Philip’s fur again. It was like some sort of compulsion. He couldn’t seem to stop doing it, a lot like how he could hardly stop himself from running his fingers through Philip’s hair. Philip seemed to love it either way. He leaned into Amory’s hand. “You like using your Talent, don’t you?”

  Philip nodded and pushed farther into Amory’s arms. He wondered if Philip felt freer to express his desire for touch. Or maybe it was the novelty of being touched as a cat. If no one knew about his Talent, then he probably hadn’t spent any time as a cat around anyone else. Vasco couldn’t have sat with Philip like this if the man didn’t know. Amory could hardly express, even to himself, how honored he was Philip trusted him with his secret. But he also wondered what it meant to Philip. Did sharing his Talent with Amory mean Philip felt something for him? Probably best not to think about it right then.

  He would focus on Philip being utterly adorable. It seemed like a better idea to enjoy the experience.

  “The floor is getting a little uncomfortable to sit on even with this rug.” Like everything else in the suite, the rug was plush and luxurious, but after a while, he could feel the wooden floor beneath. “Why don’t we move?”

  “All right,” Philip rumbled and gracefully stood. Amory got lost for a moment watching him. He was amazed again that the cat was Philip, that his magic could turn him into that beautiful creature.

  He realized he’d been staring without moving for too long when Philip leaned forward and rubbed his head against Amory’s cheek. Amory laughed as he flushed at being caught. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Philip’s head and rose, shaking the stiffness out of his legs.

  But where should they go? He wasn’t going to sit in a chair and leave Philip on the floor. Half the fun was being close to Philip. The couch in the sitting room could hold them both, but he didn’t want to go out there. Which left the bed. For all the kissing and touching he and Philip had done, they hadn’t gone near a bed together. He wondered why.

  He went to the bed and sat on the velvet coverlet. He pulled off his shoes and swung his legs up, lying down and sinking into the soft mattress. Philip continued to stare at him from where he stood near the window. “Aren’t you going to come lie down? Much more comfortable over here.”

  Philip hesitated but walked to the bed and jumped onto the mattress in one fluid movement. Amory stared, enthralled by the inherent grace and power displayed. It made him appreciate Philip’s grace all the time.

  Philip stretched out against Amory’s body and rested his head on Amory’s chest. Amory stroked his hand over the fur on Philip’s back and smiled fondly when the purring started up again. With Philip lying all but over him, he could feel it too, vibrating in his body.

  “This is nice.” Philip’s voice was low, almost a purr itself.

  “Yes, it is.” Unreal, but incredibly nice.

  AT SOME point, they must have fallen asleep, because Amory woke suddenly to knocking at the bedchamber door. Philip mumbled something that might have been a curse, but Amory couldn’t make it out in Philip’s cat voice. The air around Philip shimmered again. It felt warm, like little sparks wherever it touched Amory, but the shimmer and the warmth disappeared in an instant, and Philip the man lay against his side. He looked sleepy and rumpled, but otherwise just as he had before he used his Talent, from his clothes down to the shoes on his feet.

  “Hello again.”

  Philip said in his normal, smooth voice, “Hello.”

  He lifted a hand and smoothed back Philip’s silky dark hair. Definitely some sort of compulsion. “Thank you for telling me. For sharing that with me.”

  Philip’s gaze softened. “You’re welcome.”

  Another knock made them jump as Philip was leaning forward for what Amory hoped would be a long, slow kiss. He sighed and called out, “Yes?”

  “Master Amory, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m searching for the prince. Do you know where he is?” Donatien called through the thick door.

  It was Philip’s turn to sigh. He dropped his head, resting his forehead on Amory’s shoulder. “What is it, Donatien?”

  Amory felt his cheeks heat as Donatien explained some issue that had arisen. Donatien could only think one thing finding Philip in Amory’s bedchamber with the door shut, especially since they did not invite Donatien into the room. Amory knew he was Philip’s lover in name if nothing else, and everyone at court expected them to be doing just that. He wondered if he would be less or more embarrassed if they had been together that way.

  “I will be there shortly,” Philip called out, ending the conversation. He looked back down at Amory, where he lay half-under Philip. “Unfortunately, I have to go.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “I wish I could stay here.” Philip cupped his cheek, brushing his thumb across Amory’s lips. He shivered, and Philip kissed him lightly. “I enjoyed being here with you so much, and waking up next to you.”

  “Yes. Me too.”

  Philip leaned down and kissed him. Far too quick a kiss for Amory’s liking, but Philip did have responsibilities. “I’ll see you later?”

  “Yes.” He sat up and watched Philip stand and straighten his clothing. “Maybe we could do it again.”

  “Do what?”

  “Fall asleep together, wake up together.”

  The look in Philip’s eyes, so delighted, made Amory’s breath catch. “I would like that very much.”

  With one more quick kiss, Philip strode from the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Amory flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Oh, ye
s, he very much wanted to wake up next to Philip again.

  Apparently Philip wanted the same. That night, when they would usually part after a drink and a lot of kissing on the couch, Philip asked if he could sleep in Amory’s bed. Surprise made him agree without thinking. But as he changed from his dinner clothes to his sleep shirt and pants, his nerves asserted themselves. Would Philip finally do more than kiss him? What would it be like to have Philip touch his skin, put his mouth on him, fill him? He was suffused with nervous anticipation at the thought.

  He called out an invitation to enter in response to Philip’s soft knock a moment later. Philip slipped into the room with an uncertain expression on his handsome face. Somehow seeing it calmed Amory’s nerves, and he held out a hand to Philip. Some of the uncertainty drained away, and Philip padded barefoot across the carpet to take his hand, raising it to his lips.

  Amory shivered, feeling the light brush of lips everywhere, and Philip chuckled low. Amory gasped when Philip’s arms wrapped around him. Philip had held him before, but never with so little between them. The thin material of their sleep clothes did nothing to conceal the firm planes of Philip’s chest or the heat of his body or the increasing hardness of his arousal against Amory’s hip. It was almost frightening how good it felt to be held that way.

  Philip kissed him, a soft, sweet kiss, not the passionate one Amory expected, and then looked into his eyes. “Bed?”

  He responded to the whisper with a nod. Taking Philip’s hand, Amory led him to the bed. He was shaking slightly as he climbed into the soft bedding and slid over. Philip followed him under the covers, and pulled Amory into his arms. “All right?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t know why they were whispering but it somehow seemed appropriate.

  “Good.” Philip closed the small distance between them and kissed him, deeper and longer, but no less gentle. Amory threw himself into it, losing himself, letting all his nerves fall away in the slide of Philip’s lips against his own, in the sweep of Philip’s tongue into his mouth. Exploring, teasing out unexpected bursts of pleasure that tore moans and whimpers from Amory.

  Philip pulled him closer, hands splayed on his back, until their bodies were flush against each other. Amory moaned again and clutched at Philip as he felt their arousals press together. Philip swept a hand down Amory’s back to his backside where he stroked and kneaded. Amory couldn’t control the sounds he made as the kiss grew more heated and they rocked together. He had never felt anything like this.

  He gasped when Philip rolled them to put himself on top of Amory, his body pressing Amory’s into the soft mattress below them. He slid his arms around Philip’s back and held on tight as Philip dropped kisses over his face and neck, kissing, licking, nibbling. Amory’s moans became louder as liquid heat spread through his whole body from the spot where Philip’s mouth played.

  Amory sucked in deep breaths when Philip left off his pleasurable torture, even as he ached for more. Philip’s face was flushed, his eyes dark with desire. Beautiful. Amory threaded his fingers through Philip’s hair, massaging his scalp, and was rewarded with Philip’s eyes fluttering half closed as he nearly purred.

  Philip kissed him again, deeply enough to make Amory’s head swim. “So sweet.”

  Philip slid down, moving Amory’s shirt out of the way so he could kiss down Amory’s chest. Amory wantonly arched and writhed as Philip licked and sucked at each of his nipples. “So sweet,” Philip repeated, his voice low and husky. “So beautiful. Let me.”

  He slid farther down Amory’s body, and before Amory had any idea what Philip was going to do, he pulled down Amory’s sleep pants and was running a hand over Amory’s member. Amory dropped back to the pillow with a moan. He never wanted Philip to stop touching him. When Philip bent and took him in his mouth, Amory practically came off the bed. Philip grinned around his mouthful and held Amory’s hips down with gentle hands. Then Philip began using lips and tongue and hand to make Amory wild. Had he thought it was good before? It was incredible. He moaned and gasped and thrashed on the bed. Far too soon, pleasure broke over him like a wave, and he spilled his release down Philip’s throat.

  Amory floated there, limp, as Philip crawled up the bed, looking ridiculously pleased with himself and Amory both. Philip kissed him sweetly and then lay down at his side, gathering him close.

  “Good?” Philip asked.

  “Better,” he said, his breathing still too fast.

  “For me too.” Philip kissed him again.

  “But you didn’t… what can I….” He hadn’t quite managed to pull his scattered wits together. Embarrassing.

  But Philip smiled. “You don’t have to do anything.”

  He did—as the prince’s lover, he should see to the prince’s pleasure—but that wasn’t the relationship Philip wanted. “I want to.”

  “Then touch me.” Philip guided Amory’s hand down. Philip was hard, thick, and long in Amory’s hand. He thrilled at Philip’s moan, and nearly moaned himself. Philip pulled him in for a kiss as Amory set a rhythm, loving the sounds he pulled out of Philip, loving that he could give Philip that kind of pleasure. Philip found his own release not long after, gasping out Amory’s name as he did.

  Their kisses gentled and slowed to something lazy and languid. Finally, Philip broke away and pulled off his shirt. He used it to clean them both up and then drew Amory close while pulling the blankets higher over both of them. With a sigh of pure contentment, Amory snuggled closer, burying his head in the curve of Philip’s neck. The last thing he felt before sleep claimed him was the brush of Philip’s lips over his hair.

  PHILIP WOKE to the delicious realization that he wasn’t alone. Amory was pressed against his side, warm and flushed with sleep, his auburn curls mussed around his face. Philip wanted to wake up next to him every day forever. He wouldn’t mind more of what they did the night before either.

  As he watched, Amory’s eyes fluttered open. Surprise, memory, and pleasure washed through their warm chocolate-brown depths when Amory focused on Philip lying beside him. A sweet, sleepy smile spread across Amory’s face, and Philip had to kiss him. Amory hummed into the kiss and cuddled in closer, and they exchanged lazy kisses as sunlight slowly brightened the room. Oh, yes, he could get used to beginning his days in bed with Amory, and he very much wanted to.

  He’d set up a meeting with the chief royal healer, Jadis, for later that day so Jadis could talk with Amory about his healing Talent. Whatever Amory said about his Talent, Philip had seen the sparks of interest in Amory’s eyes when they’d talked about it. Amory wanted to know, and Philip wanted Amory to have everything he wanted. Which was why he was also looking for someone to give Amory drawing and painting lessons.

  He thought he would do anything in his power to make Amory happy.

  Scary thought. After so little time, to what lengths would he go for Amory? And as time passed and he knew Amory better, cared more for him, what would he do then to ensure Amory kept smiling?

  Relieved to find that neither Philip nor Amory needed his professional services when he arrived in their sitting room that afternoon, Jadis was pleased to meet Amory and happy to help. Jadis spent a few moments with his eyes closed, Amory’s hands in his, as he did whatever he needed to do to measure Amory’s Talent.

  Finally, Jadis opened his eyes and sat back, letting go of Amory’s hands. Amory sat back as well, and Philip put a hand on Amory’s back, urging him closer. Amory glanced at him but slid a fraction closer.

  “What can you tell us, Master Jadis?” Philip asked.

  “Your Highness, I can confirm that Master Amory’s healing Talent is not a strong one.” He looked at Amory. “You could never be a master healer with your Talent.”

  Amory nodded. “I was already told there wasn’t much I could do with it.”

  “It is true, sir, you don’t have a lot of power at your disposal, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t do something with what you have.” Jadis’s face was earnest. “With some training, you could
do some things—ease pain, for instance, and perhaps heal minor illness or injury.”

  “Really?” Amory asked, and Philip could feel the change in his body as Amory’s interest perked up again.

  “Yes, certainly.” Jadis’s face became thoughtful. “Tell me, sir, have you been ill much in your life?”

  “No, hardly at all.”

  Philip looked at Amory. “I would think with all of your brothers and sisters you would all be catching things right and left.”

  Amory shrugged. “They all did get sick when we were children, but I’ve always been healthy.”

  “That’s due to your Talent, I think,” Jadis said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The biggest thing your Talent could be used for is self-healing, which is rare among healers. Most healing gifts are primarily turned outward, so while a healer might be able to ease his own minor headache, for instance, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from becoming ill. I think you’ve been healing yourself without knowing for most of your life.”

  Amory seemed stunned. Philip was surprised himself. He’d never heard of such a thing. “That’s possible?”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Jadis said. “Master Amory’s Talent has probably been keeping him healthy. He could also use it to heal or speed up healing any injuries he sustains or illnesses he does succumb to.”

  “I could?” Amory’s voice held all of his surprise at being told his Talent was worth something. Philip rubbed his back in support, a small movement but one he hoped would soothe.

  “I don’t see any reason why not,” Jadis said. “I would be happy to teach you how if you like.”

  “I—I would appreciate it very much, Master Jadis,” Amory stuttered.

  “We both appreciate it,” Philip added. “Thank you, Master Jadis.”

  “You’re welcome, Your Highness. I’m looking forward to working with Master Amory.”