by Rae Brooks
Taeru blinked, and Calis could tell that he was fighting back tears. Calis could feel an absurd partiality developing for Veyron as the man spoke to his son. His son—because Veyron had never considered Taeru anything but. With a quick nod, Taeru nodded. “I am not running away again, Father. I just want to be with Calis. I want more than anything to be with him. I… I need this.” His cheeks burned.
A smile touched Veyron’s lips, and he nodded his head. “Well, his devotion to you is not anything that I can question. It is unorthodox, but I have never been able to stop you from doing what you wanted, and Calis seems to be just as stubborn. Go, and I will expect to see you periodically.”
Taeru offered a quick bow, and he turned to Ryo, who brought him into an immediate hug. The older boy muttered something that Calis couldn’t hear, mostly because his heart was pounding so loudly in anticipation that he was nearly deaf. Happiness was threatening to collapse Calis on the throne room floor of this castle. Every dream, every hope, every desire that he’d ever had felt as though it were rushing to him, filled and brilliant. If happiness could kill, then he would probably be the murderer of everyone in this room. His lips trembled as he waited, legs shaking.
Next, Aela ran to her brother and threw her arms around him. “You’d better come back, Taeru,” she said, and there was a snap in her voice. “If I don’t see you soon, then I will hunt you down,” she said. Stepping forward, a hand snagged Aela around the waist and pulled her away from her brother. Leif Firenz. Another man who had nearly been a casualty of Aleia, and had only survived due to Ryo’s dedication to making that so. At the moment, he cradled Aela affectionately.
Taeru smirked. “I don’t doubt it. You did it once,” he pointed out.
Then, his eyes flashed up to Leif with dangerous amusement. “After all, now that both of my siblings are getting married. I’m sure I will be forced to endure countless festivities. And if I miss them, there will probably be horrible repercussions.” Aela giggled, and then she smirked when she glanced towards Calis. “Take care of my sister, Leif. Though, I don’t think I have to tell you that.”
“Absolutely not,” Leif agreed amicably. “You ought to send someone to take care of me, though—since she is completely mad.” Taeru laughed, and he nodded his head, apparently sympathizing with Leif’s plight. Aela snarled indignantly and halfheartedly pushed Leif away from her. He didn’t go far, though, and Aela lifted her head and kissed Leif’s jaw with a gentle smile.
Stepping back, Taeru turned to look at Calis. His cheeks were a soft red, and his eyes were burning with desire that nearly matched Calis’s. Like his brother, he took the first step without much certainty. He was just staring into Calis’s eyes, and the two of them were the only two people in the room. Every step, Calis’s heart pounded a little harder against his chest, by the time Taeru neared him, he was sure that it would burst free.
Desire, need, craving, all of them crawled up his body and caused him to quiver with exhilaration. His teeth bit together, and slowly, he reached a hand tentatively out to Taeru Lassau. After the next step, Taeru put his hand in Calis’s, and Calis pulled him the rest of the way, kissing him, passionately, keeping him off the floor without much effort.
His body caught fire, burning embers of passion enveloping and blotting out the world around him, except the perfect creature in his arms. The taste of him was the same, delicious and addictive. But, Calis was quite sure that he wanted this boy more than he ever had. Taeru threw his arms around Calis, and his lips pressed back against Calis’s—deep and ardent. Calis’s fingers pressed further into Taeru’s back, clinging. “I missed you,” Calis whispered when they parted, lips only a hairsbreadth apart.
“I couldn’t tell,” Taeru said absently. As if challenged, Calis pulled Taeru to him another time, pressing their lips against one another as heat bubbled into the air around them.
When they parted again, Taeru had an incredible grin on his face, and he shook his head in warning. “You still taste like cinnamon,” Calis muttered thoughtfully. Taeru flushed, and he offered another glare, though he couldn’t seem to get the grin off his face. Calis pressed his lips against Taeru’s temple “I’m never letting you out of my arms again, you realize that?”
“That’s going to get inconvenient,” Taeru said helpfully. Calis laughed.
With quite literal cheers, they were escorted back to their carriage. And Calis found it impossible to keep his eyes from Taeru Lassau. He truly was the most remarkable creature Calis had ever laid eyes upon. Positively brilliant. “So, where are we going?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Calis said. “I thought we might want to hang around Cathalar for a little bit. You can show me around your homeland. Though, I can already say I’m not surprised you’re from here… everything here seems lovely, though nothing quite meets your standard. But, well, you’ve got to start somewhere.”
Taeru laughed, and Calis leaned forward and kissed one of the dimples that appeared in his cheek. Taeru frowned and shoved him, then he somehow ended up in a fit of laughter. “By that logic, it would make very little sense that you were from Telandus. No offense,” Taeru breathed. Calis wrapped his arms around Taeru, gently.
“Oh my,” he said teasingly, “are you flattering me, Taeru Lassau?”
“Perhaps,” Taeru said thoughtfully. Another sly smirk made its way onto his lips. Calis had never seen Taeru look so carefree, so happy, and he wanted nothing more than to keep Taeru this way forever. And he would.
Calis’s eyebrows rose in mock amazement, and then, unable to keep a straight face while Taeru was smiling, he smiled as well. “That is going to get you so many places,” he promised. Taeru flushed.
“Well, if you two children are quite finished flirting,” Lee snapped. They both glanced at him, half interested and half amused. “We ought to see about getting some land here.”
“Logical as ever,” Calis mumbled as he rolled his eyes. Once again, he kissed Taeru on the temple and took a breath. “Are you alright with staying here?”
A flash of red hair interrupted Taeru, and a young girl found her way around Lee’s arms. A sight that Calis was still growing accustomed to, though, Calis thought he’d done a better job of adjusting to it than Lee had. In fact, Lee flushed even then, glaring down at Katt with an annoyed expression. Nothing compared to the one that he’d displayed when she’d sworn she’d known who he was since she’d first seen him, though. And he still didn’t believe her. Calis wasn’t sure he did either. He supposed it didn’t matter, though. She liked Lee, and that was a mystery in itself.
Another girl stepped forward, staring at Taeru with soft, sweet eyes. The two girls had accompanied Lee and Calis this sun, so excited to finally go see Cathalar. Alyx had recovered quite a lot, but she had deeply missed Taeru. She moved forward and hugged him, and Calis reluctantly released him for a moment. “I missed you,” she whispered.
Taeru’s eyebrows furrowed, and Calis could see that familiar pain coming across his lover’s face. “Alyx… are you staying here?”
“Yes,” Alyx answered cheerfully. “I am. Apparently, blonde hair is much more of a phenomenon here than over in Telandus. Men can’t seem to keep their eyes off me.” She flicked her hair, and Taeru smiled in spite of himself.
The pain didn’t leave the blue eyes, though, and his smile weakened. Calis wasn’t sure who had been hurt worse by the loss of Alyx’s family. “I’m glad, Alyx. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Taeru. Mom would have wanted me to be here… Aitken would have loved it. But… they would want me to try and be happy, and you… they are probably beside themselves with this. The prince of Telandus himself! And not the ugly one.”
Calis smirked at the reference. “I can make a life here,” he whispered.
“And if I stay?” Taeru asked tentatively.
Alyx laughed, and she leaned forward, kissing his cheek gently. “That would make me happier than anything.”
He laughed, and he quickly turned t
o glance at Calis. “Then, I suppose we’ll stay in Cathalar for a little while.” Calis nodded his head. Secretly, he was just glad to see the relief on Taeru’s face. Though, he was legitimately a little excited about staying in Cathalar for a bit.
“You two are going to have your hands full, now that we’re staying… Aela is going to start trying to insist on a wedding for the two of you. I should go tell her at once!” Lee offered cheerfully. Katt laughed, and she nodded her head at the two of them.
“Do not!” Taeru snapped. “Give me a moment’s peace!”
Calis shook his head, a grimace twisting across his features. “Love, if you are so opposed, then this battle might be a more difficult one than facing Aleia.”
“So long as you’re there,” Taeru said.
Calis took the small cheek in his hand, leaning down so that his lips were just hovering over Taeru’s. He had so much to make up for—so much to show Taeru, and he had plenty of time to do it. What Tareth had done, what Lavus had done, and what Aleia had done, Calis would spend an eternity making sure those things never crossed his small lover’s mind again. And he saw nothing but pleasure in that. “I love you, Taeru Lassau,” he whispered softly.
“I love you, Calis Tsrali,” Taeru returned.
And then their lips met again.
Table of Contents
Chapter i Taeru Lassau
Chapter ii Calis Tsrali
Chapter iii Taeru Lassau
Chapter iv Calis Tsrali
Chapter v Aela Lassau
Chapter vi Calis Tsrali
Chapter vii Taeru Lassau
Chapter viii Aela Lassau
Chapter ix Calis Tsrali
Chapter x Taeru Lassau
Chapter xi Aela Lassau
Chapter xii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xiv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xv Ryo Lassau
Chapter xvi Aela Lassau
Chapter xvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xviii Lee Keiichi
Chapter xix Calis Tsrali
Chapter xx Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxi Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxii Tareth Tsrali
Chapter xxiii Aela Lassau
Chapter xxiv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xv Aela Lassau
Chapter xvi Calis Tsrali
Chapter xvii Aela Lassau
Chapter xxiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxiv Aela Lassau
Chapter xxx Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxi Aela Lassau
Chapter xxxii Tareth Tsrali
Chapter xxxiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxxiv Aela Lassau
Chapter xxxv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxvi Lee Keiichi
Chapter xxxvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxxviii Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxix Calis Tsrali
Chapter xl Taeru Lassau
Chapter xli Aela Lassau
Chapter xlii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xliii Taeru Lassau
Chapter xliv Ryo Lassau
Chapter xlv Lee Keiichi
Chapter xlvi Taeru Lassau
Chapter xlvii Aela Lassau
Chapter xlviii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xlix Taeru Lassau
Chapter l Lee Keiichi
Chapter li Calis Tsrali
Chapter lii Taeru Lassau
Chapter liii Calis Tsrali
Chapter liv Aela Lassau
Chapter lv Calis Tsrali
Chapter lvi Lee Keiichi
Chapter lvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter lviii Calis Tsrali
Chapter lix Aela Lassau
Chapter lx Taeru Lassau
Chapter lxi Calis Tsrali
Chapter lxii Aela Lassau
Chapter lxiii Taeru Lassau
Chapter lxiv Calis Tsrali
Epilogue Calis Tsrali