Playing with Shadows

by Sasha L. Miller

  ****

  The day passed unbearably slowly. Corin ended up in the kitchen again, running errands for the cook, which helped keep him busy, but not busy enough that he stopped worrying. He didn't see Rafferty, didn't hear anything about it, and nothing seemed to have changed. Corin didn't feel right, however. He felt shaky, as if he'd been sick for weeks and was only now getting better. His stomach turned every time he smelled food, and he kept dropping things and tripping over his own feet.

  His arm felt fine at least, Corin thought, debating whether to skip going to the dining hall for dinner. The idea of eating anything was unpleasant, and sitting among a crowd of chattering people wasn't appealing either. He'd almost decided to head back to his room when he remembered Rafferty's instructions from that morning. Rafferty was supposed to pull him out of the hall so they could do the binding.

  Stifling a sigh, Corin trudged towards the dining hall. He could find a seat by the door, Corin decided, and wait for Rafferty there. Dinner, like breakfast, was typically served with tea. Maybe a cup of that would soothe his stomach, though Corin highly doubted it. He was sure it was some sort of lingering reaction to touching the apple, and Corin didn't want to know what was in the apple that had caused it.

  He did want to know how Rafferty had blocked it the first time Corin had touched the apple. He probably shouldn't want to know anything about his spirit energy or how to use it. It was dangerous and was too closely related to the demons, but it couldn't be all bad, could it? Rafferty seemed to be using it for good, and Corin wondered what all it could do and how it worked. Maybe when everything was over with he could ask Rafferty to teach him.

  Entering the dining hall, Corin paused barely inside the doorway. The dining hall was much brighter than it usually was. There were extra candles scattered throughout the room, burning brightly. The room was warmer than usual, and everyone seemed louder as well. Corin frowned, rubbing his head. The scent of spiced meat was heavy in the air, and Corin turned to stare at the food tables.

  They never got meat, not unless it was cooked to death and spread thin through a stew or soup. There were platters of meat, however, alongside fruits and vegetables, rolls, and what looked to be some sort of dessert cakes. On either end of the serving tables sat a cask of wine, and Corin's blood ran cold. They drug the wine at dinner, wasn't that what Rafferty had said? It hadn't made sense—they never got wine, only tea—but now there was wine, which meant they were planning to kill him later that night.

  Where was Rafferty? Did he know? Suddenly, Tennyson pulling Rafferty back seemed much more sinister, and Corin hoped like hell that Rafferty was all right. Corin forced himself to walk over to one of the dining tables, sitting down without bothering to get anything to eat or drink. Rafferty had said the wine was spiked, but what was to keep them from spiking everything, just in case? There was no tea to be had, either, and Corin was positive he'd throw up anything he tried to eat.

  The uneasy feeling snaked up his spine, and Corin rested his arms on the table, then pillowed his head on top of his arms. He had to wait, to see if Rafferty showed up. If he didn't… Corin swallowed hard, ignoring the hubbub around him. If Rafferty didn't show, Corin would have to go find him. He'd check Rafferty's room, and if Rafferty wasn't there, he'd run. He had to at least warn Moori and keep her safe.

  Shutting his eyes, Corin focused on breathing, trying his best to ignore the chatter in the hall—louder than normal, likely because of the special drink and food—and the sour, uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach that had been with him all day. It was stronger than ever, and Corin didn't know what that meant, only that he was sure it meant nothing good.

  Corin jumped, his heart leaping into his throat when someone rested a hand on his shoulder. Hope surged through him—Rafferty?—but immediately died when he turned to find a priest he didn't recognize standing behind him.

  "Are you not going to eat?" The priest asked, the very picture of concern.

  His touch made Corin's skin crawl in the exact same way the demons did when they visited his room at night, and Corin scrambled to stand, managing to mumble, "Sick," before dashing from the hall. He could hear the priest behind him, and Corin stopped right outside the doors, bending over and heaving, his stomach rebelling at the very idea of the man near him.

  The priest stopped behind him, making a noise of disgust as Corin threw up into the hallway. Corin ignored him, breathing hard and trying to figure out a way to get the priest to stop following him. He doubted the priest would let him walk away unsupervised, not when Corin was the star for their binding ceremony. They wouldn't want to chance him slipping away and running off, especially after Rafferty had been caught trying to help him earlier.

  "Some wine will settle your stomach," the priest said soothingly, coming closer when Corin stopped heaving.

  "I think I'd rather have tea," Corin mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He straightened slowly, not sure he was completely done throwing up, especially if the priest took it to mind to touch him again. Why was his touch so different from Rafferty's?

  "All right," the priest said, and Corin's nausea redoubled when the man's eyes glowed an unearthly green. Corin swallowed hard, covering his mouth with his hand as though that would keep him from throwing up again. The priest took a hasty step back at the warning sign, and Corin dropped his hand, breathing slowly and shallowly.

  The glow abruptly disappeared, and Corin's stomach settled almost immediately. He still felt queasy, but not as though throwing up was imminent. Maybe there was a demon in the priest, Corin thought, his blood running cold again. That was the only reason he could think of that would explain why the priest's proximity affected him and why the man glowed.

  "Come, sit down," the priest coaxed, stepping back to give Corin a clear path back to the dining room. "I'll have someone bring you some tea."

  Drugged tea, Corin was positive about that. He had to get away, but there was no way he'd be able to slip away from the dining hall and no way he'd be able to get out of drinking the tea. His best chance was here, Corin realized. The corridor outside the dining hall was empty of everyone except him and the priest. Everyone else was in the dining hall either enjoying the spoils or watching to make sure everyone drank the wine or something else that was drugged.

  The priest was the only barrier, Corin realized, but how could he get past the man without drawing attention? Could he do something with his spirit energy like Rafferty could? Doubtful, Corin thought dismally. Rafferty had been trained to use his; Corin hadn't even known his had existed for more than a few days.

  "Are you all right?" The priest asked, jolting Corin from his thoughts. He looked vaguely concerned, as though he thought Corin was going to throw up again.

  Corin shook his head, taking a step back and trying to think. He had to get past the man, had to get to Rafferty's room to see if he was there. He would have been better off running away from the monastery, Corin knew, but he couldn't give up on Rafferty, not after everything Rafferty had done for him. Not after hearing how the priests had murdered Rafferty's sister.

  The priest stepped in, a frown furrowing his brow. He reached out, as though he was going to touch Corin. Corin panicked, throwing a punch at the priest before he thought about it. His fist sunk into the man's nose, and Corin's stomach turned at the touch. Corin scrambled back, wide-eyed as the priest's nose started pouring blood. His hand hurt, Corin registered, distantly, and he turned and ran, not wanting to see what would happen if he stayed.

  He didn't hear shouting or footsteps, but Corin didn't look back to be certain, just ran as fast as he could down the corridor towards the staircase he knew would take him up. He flung himself into the stairwell and threw himself up the stairs, taking them as quickly as he could. Not quickly enough, he felt, but he didn't feel anyone behind him.

  The stairwell was shadowy and getting darker with every second. Unease crawled across every inch of Corin's skin, and he was willing to be
t the darkness in the stairwell wasn't because the sun was going down. It was pitch black by the time Corin reached the floor where Rafferty's room was, and Corin desperately hoped Rafferty was there because he was sure he wasn't going back down if Rafferty wasn't.

  Sprinting down the corridor towards Rafferty's room, Corin's heavy breathing was loud in his ears. It was dark here, too. Candles were lit, but much more sparsely than they had been the previous night. The candles went out as Corin ran by them, but he didn't dare pause, hoping he was remembering the corridors and rooms correctly. He turned sharply down the hallway he thought was correct, slowing as he ran out of breath.

  The door to Rafferty's room was glowing, and Corin stumbled to a stop, staring wide-eyed at the green glow. Green wasn't the color of Rafferty's magic, and the marks on the door had a decidedly unpleasant aura to them. Corin glanced back, panic flaring when he saw the corridor behind him was completely, utterly dark. No candles remained lit, and there was no light visible from the windows at the end of the hall. The sun wasn't down yet; there should still have been light.

  Corin grabbed the doorknob to Rafferty's room, trying it before he remembered that Rafferty locked it and the strange glow on the door had to mean something. It turned easily under his hand, though, with a shock shooting through him not unlike the one that had shot through him when he'd picked up the apple in the library. Pushing the door open, Corin all but fell into the room and then slammed the door behind him as though it would keep the demons out.

  Rafferty surged to his feet from where he'd been sitting on the bed, almost tripping over the rug that he'd rolled out of the way. The pattern on the floor, glowing faintly white, was much more elaborate than it had been that morning. He all but sprinted across the room to Corin, grabbing him by the shoulders.

  "Are you all right?" Rafferty demanded, and Corin shook his head, not sure he could speak yet. His breath was still coming fast and hard, but Rafferty's touch was soothing, warm and burning away the fear and cold and queasiness that the priest's touch had inspired.

  "It's tonight," Corin finally managed to say, not liking the strain in his voice, and Rafferty nodded, squeezing Corin's shoulders before letting him go. "I hit a priest and ran up here."

  "I'm sorry," Rafferty said, looking away from Corin. "I would have come, but they locked me in to keep me from interfering."

  "Not your fault," Corin said, running a hand through his hair and glancing at the circle on the floor. His heartbeat kicked up a notch, but it wasn't panic or fear. "Can—is it ready?"

  Rafferty nodded, stepping back and letting Corin see the circle. "I'd say you don't have to—"

  "It's fine," Corin said quietly, glancing at the door. "I want to. Even if they weren't going to kill me, I would."

  Rafferty looked startled at that, but then he ducked his head. "I'm sorry you don't have the choice." He stepped away from Corin before Corin could reply, turning towards the door. He pressed his hand against it and began chanting slowly. The door slowly faded away, turning into more wall, until it looked as though there had never been an opening there to begin with.

  "That will keep everyone out," Rafferty said, as though Corin needed that explanation. "If at any point you want me to stop—"

  "Stop it," Corin snapped, fed up with Rafferty's sudden hesitation. "I'm doing this, and you don't need to coddle me about it. What are my other choices? Stop and be sacrificed? Stop and let Moori be sacrificed next year? I wasn't lying, either, when I said I'd do it even if they weren't trying to kill me tonight. No one else deserves to die."

  "It might get unpleasant," Rafferty said, biting his lip briefly before looking at the circle. "I've never done this before, and I don't know what exactly will happen."

  "Okay," Corin said, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Don't stop it, even if I say to."

  "Are you sure?" Rafferty asked, and Corin didn't yell at him more only because he looked so miserable asking.

  "Positive," Corin said. He didn't have a choice, and that helped his resolve. He also trusted Rafferty. Rafferty's touch never felt wrong or made him uneasy. The priests' did, and their magic seemed so wrong, unlike Rafferty's, and that had to mean something.

  "Stand there," Rafferty said, gesturing to the blank part of the circle near the window. "Walk around the glyphs until you reach that spot, then step over the line."

  Corin nodded, following Rafferty's directions. He had only barely reached the far side of the circle when a loud thump came from the wall where the door had been. Corin jumped, startled, and nearly stepped over the circle in the wrong spot. Rafferty glanced at the wall wide-eyed, but then shook his head.

  "They won't get in," Rafferty said, but he moved quickly, crossing the room to the writing desk. He picked up two daggers, walking over to Corin and handing him one. He crossed the room, jumping slightly when the wall thumped again, the floor reverberating with the force of the impact.

  "Will it take long?" Corin asked, glancing at the wall again.

  "Fifteen minutes, maybe," Rafferty said. "Step in. When I cut my arm, I need you to cut yours. You don't need to do anything else—and don't step out of the circle until the light fades, all right?"

  Corin nodded, stepping into the circle. A warm, pleasant rush of energy surged across his skin, erasing the last traces of uneasiness from the priest's touch. Rafferty stepped in opposite him, and Corin watched him take a deep breath. Light flared up from the edge of the circle, reaching towards the ceiling. It glowed white, obscuring the view of Rafferty's room outside the circle.

  Rafferty started chanting then, and Corin watched him carefully, waiting for his cue. Rafferty continued chanting, speaking the words slowly and clearly, and Corin wondered what language it was. He listened carefully, curious, but none of it made any sense to him. A few moments in, Rafferty lifted his arm. His dagger shone with the glow of the circle's light, and he drew the dagger across his palm.

  Blood dripped to the circle, and the glow flared brighter. Corin took a deep breath and dragged his dagger across his left palm as he'd seen Rafferty do. The dagger was sharper than he'd realized, and he cut more deeply than he'd intended. Corin turned his hand to let the blood fall to the circle, surprised when the circle turned a gentle, calming blue.

  Rafferty continued to chant, and Corin started feeling dizzy and light-headed. He set his feet more firmly. He didn't want to screw it up by passing out. The floor shook, and for a moment Corin thought he had fallen, but everything settled in the next second. The circle's light flared even brighter, then, as Rafferty shouted a final word, abruptly died out and away.

  Someone screamed nearby, and Corin fell to his knees, feeling weak and unsteady. Rafferty was on his knees across the circle, and the wall behind Rafferty, where the door had been, was completely missing. There was a priest passed out on the far side of the circle's edge, and Corin braced himself, expecting to feel the cold wash of the demons' presence.

  Nothing happened, and Corin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His hand was still bleeding, but it was sluggish and slow and not important. Rafferty struggled to his feet slowly, wavering there a moment before stepping out of the circle. Corin thought about following suit, but he stayed where he was, not feeling any particular rush to stand.

  Rafferty stepped over to where the priest was laying and knelt down, pressing a hand against the man's neck. He wasn't breathing, Corin realized. He wasn't moving at all, and Corin's stomach sank. Had they killed him? Rafferty didn't look surprised, standing after a moment and turning to Corin. He crossed the room slowly, stepping into the circle as if it didn't exist. Corin glanced down and realized it didn't actually exist anymore. The outside edge of the circle was burned into the floor, but the rest of the marks were gone.

  "Here," Rafferty said, holding out a hand to Corin. Corin took it, letting Rafferty help him to his feet. Rafferty's touch didn't feel like anything for once. Corin stood still for a long moment, not letting go of Rafferty's hand, wholly because he though
t he might fall over without the support.

  "Is he dead?" Corin asked, and Rafferty winced, which was as much confirmation as Corin needed.

  "Come on, sit down," Rafferty said, and Corin's heart sank. Rafferty had known it would kill the man. He'd known. Why hadn't he said anything?

  "Are they all dead?" Corin asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer to that. If they weren't, Corin was dead. They'd kill him in retribution, if nothing else.

  "No," Rafferty said firmly, leading Corin over to the bed. Corin sat down heavily, tensing when Rafferty sat down next to him. "I wasn't entirely honest with you, and I'm sorry."

  "Hah," Corin said bitterly, unable to muster enough energy for more emotion.

  "I didn't have time to explain everything," Rafferty said quietly. He was sitting stiffly, tensely, as though he expected Corin to lash out at him. "It's more complicated…"

  "Tell me," Corin snapped, twisting so he could stare Rafferty down. Rafferty ducked his head, his hair falling in his face. When had it come unbound? Corin shook that thought away, wishing he didn't feel so tired so he could properly yell at Rafferty.

  "The shadow demons are a problem across the country," Rafferty said slowly, curling his hands together in his lap. "That's why there are so many spells to combat them. What most people don't know is that the shadow demons have to be summoned. They don't get to this world on their own. Someone has to call them."

  "Why would they?" Corin asked, his eyes widening. Why would anyone subject themselves to the feeling the shadow demons caused?

  "Why else? Power," Rafferty said bitterly, pushing his hair out of his face. "Most of the priests have a lot of spirit energy, like you and me. Some don't have as much, which means they can't cast as many or as powerful spells."

  "So summoning the demons somehow gives them more power?" Corin interpreted, his blood running cold. That was even worse than the priests sacrificing people to keep the demons bound.

  "Right," Rafferty said. "But it comes at a price."

  "A price they don't pay," Corin said. How many people had the priests killed to keep their power?

  "No, they pay it as well, though I don't suppose they think of it that way," Rafferty said quietly, gesturing to the dead man on the floor. "Demon energy slowly erodes the spirit energy of the person using it. When there's no more spirit energy, a demon takes over."

  Corin's blood ran cold as he remembered the way the priest's eyes had glowed in the corridor outside the dining hall. "Oh, god."

  "The sacrifices are to keep the demons bound, in a sense," Rafferty said, his voice hollow. "Without it, the demons have more power here and don't have to work with the priests or do their bidding."

  "What did we do?" Corin asked, glancing at the dead priest again. He was still dead, and Corin looked away again. He was dead before the demon had been expelled, Corin told himself.

  "Banished the demons. All of them," Rafferty said, running a hand through his hair and looking pensive. "The entire monastery was using their power, some more than others. Unfortunately, there's no way to save the men who let the demons in fully. They're gone."

  "And the rest of them?" Corin asked, glancing at the missing wall. No one was there, and he wondered what the priests were doing. Were they staying away in case they were also killed?

  "They'll be ill for weeks until they recover," Rafferty said. "They'll also be arrested and placed in jail. It's against the highest laws to summon demons, and everyone here was complicit."

  "Did you really have a sister?" Corin asked, too tired to keep the question back when he thought of it. "Or was that just a ploy to get me to play along?"

  Rafferty jerked as if he'd been slapped, but then he shook his head, speaking so quietly that Corin barely heard him. "I did. They killed her."

  "Oh," Corin said, feeling like an ass.

  "They sent me away when I raised a fuss, thinking no one would believe me when I told him what was going on here," Rafferty said, his voice flat and toneless. He wasn't looking at Corin, but staring at the hole in the wall, and why did Corin want to comfort him? Rafferty had lied to him. "They believed me, but the priests here were clever enough to hide everything whenever anyone came looking. I have no idea how, considering how many demons they've summoned, but there was no evidence. They sent me back to get it."

  "Wait, just to get evidence?" Corin asked, frowning.

  Rafferty nodded. "I've been here for six months, but they kept sending me out to surrounding villages to ensure they were complying and sending in everyone who was eligible to the monastery. I didn't have the chance to collect anything until the last few weeks. I wasn't supposed to do this—partly because I don't have the energy on my own to do this."

  "Why did you?" Corin asked. His head was spinning, and he had the feeling he was missing something.

  "I overheard Tennyson talking to one of the other priests," Rafferty said, glancing at Corin. His face was shadowed in the fading light from the window, but his gaze was strong. "They planned to force me into the sacrifice, to get me using the demon magic so they could convert me to using it and protecting them. Between that and the way the binding was failing, I knew I didn't have time to wait for reinforcements."

  "You had to use me," Corin said, and that made a certain amount of sense. He had the energy, and Rafferty hadn't had the time to wait for another source. "Why lie?"

  "It was simpler," Rafferty said, shaking his head. "Maybe I should have told you everything, but you didn't even believe in demons when I approached you."

  Corin flushed, remembering his skepticism when Rafferty had talked to him in the little writing room. It seemed like months had passed since then, not mere days. "Right," Corin said awkwardly. "Sorry."

  Rafferty snorted. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I had to drag you into this."

  "I don't mind," Corin said quietly, shrugging. "I liked the… non-demon parts of it."

  "Really?" Rafferty asked. He stood, and Corin watched him curiously as he fumbled around on the top of the bureau. He eventually managed to light a candle, sending flickering light across the room. He sat down heavily, turning back to Corin. "I initially thought you'd make a good priest, but I wasn't going to suggest it after everything you've done here."

  "A priest?" Corin asked, his eyes widening. "Why?"

  "It's an offer they make to anyone who has a lot of spirit energy," Rafferty said, shrugging. "I didn't think you'd be interested after everything the priests put you through here. If you are interested in using your spirit energy, there's no better place to learn."

  "Oh," Corin said, not able to think of a better reply than that. "How many priests use the demons?"

  "I can't say," Rafferty said, frowning. "More than should, but we're trying to find them all and banish the demons. It's difficult because the higher-level users can hide it easily, since the demons are hidden in their bodies. Then there are the remote monasteries like this one, which can become completely corrupted."

  "You can't just feel them?" Corin asked, wondering if the uneasy, nauseous feeling he felt was all in his head.

  "Feel them?" Rafferty repeated, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

  "When they get close," Corin said, shrugging. "I always feel it, like they're pulling my energy to the surface? I could feel it whenever he got too close and even when he wasn't."

  "Oh," Rafferty said, looking surprised. He hesitated, and then asked, "Can you see the energy, too?"

  "See it? The glow, you mean?" Corin asked, wondering what that meant. "But the circle and… glyphs?" Corin paused at the unfamiliar word. "They were made of it, right?"

  "I painted them down," Rafferty said, and the way he was staring at Corin was discomfiting. "You can really see energy?"

  "I guess?" Corin said, shifting nervously where he sat. "Why?"

  "It's rare," Rafferty said. "Really, really rare."

  "Oh," Corin said, ducking his head a little. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "What does t
hat mean?"

  "Not much," Rafferty said. He smiled faintly, turning to look at the priest on the floor. "Did you see him glow?"

  "I don't know," Corin said. "I never saw anything glow before that first day when you told me about everything and made the windows dark. Then the roof glowed and the apple glowed and the priest in the dining hall glowed. They were all different colors."

  "You didn't believe in it before," Rafferty said, as though that explained it. "You wouldn't have seen it until you believed it was there."

  "Okay," Corin accepted, because weirder things had happened. "What happens now?"

  "Um," Rafferty said, his brow furrowing in thought. "I sent a missive a week ago requesting assistance. That should show up in a few days. They'll help sort everything out and take care of arresting the priests here who don't flee. I'll probably send everyone home since there's no point in keeping everyone here when there are no priests to serve."

  "Even me?" Corin asked, quietly. He wasn't sure what he wanted. Home sounded good. He missed his family and wanted to see his sisters. There would be no demons, no priests, no one wanting to kill him. There would also be no Rafferty, and no chance to learn more about his spirit energy, and both of those were stupid, stupid reasons to want to stay.

  "I should report you," Rafferty said, and then hastily continued at Corin's alarmed look, "Your capabilities, I should report those to the priesthood. They'd be very interested in recruiting you, between your amount of energy and your sensitivity to demons."

  "Oh," Corin said. He supposed that made sense. "What happens then?"

  "I said should," Rafferty said, smiling a crooked smile that didn't look very happy in the candlelight. "Not that I would. If you want to go home, I won't say a word."

  "Why?" Corin asked. "Won't that get you in trouble?"

  "I'd have to tell them about your energy, but not about your sensitivity. They wouldn't force you to join the priesthood, and I can pretty easily convince them that you don't want anything more to do with priests after everything you've been through," Rafferty said, shrugging. He looked away again, looking unhappy and tired and strained.

  "What if I do?" Corin asked quietly, hoping he wouldn't regret this in the morning. "I mean, with conditions."

  "Conditions?" Rafferty repeated, looking at Corin again. He looked away quickly, and Corin hesitated, not entirely sure he was doing the right thing.

  "I'd have to be trained, right?" Corin asked. He didn't know the first thing about using his spirit energy, so that was a given. "But then they'd probably put me to finding and banishing demons, because I'm sensitive to them?"

  "Probably," Rafferty agreed, giving him a puzzled look. "Why?"

  "I… I don't think I'd trust just anyone to teach me," Corin said slowly. "I've only ever met one priest who wasn't after my energy for something evil, and how would I know that anyone else is being straightforward?"

  "I wasn't straightforward with you," Rafferty pointed out. "What are you suggesting?"

  "I'd do it," Corin said, shifting nervously and hoping Rafferty didn't laugh in his face. "But only if you trained me. I want to know how to use it, and I don't want anyone else to be sacrificed. If I can help, I want to."

  Rafferty was silent for a moment before he nodded. "I can probably convince them to let me train you, especially if I say the other option is you walking away. With your sensitivity, they'd probably accept any terms."

  "I don't want you to if you don't want to," Corin said, fumbling over the words when it occurred to him that maybe Rafferty wouldn't be keen on having him around any longer.

  "Oh, no, it's fine, I don't mind," Rafferty said quickly, turning towards Corin quickly. "I'm not the best teacher."

  "I think you'll be the best teacher," Corin said quietly and flushed because he hadn't meant to say that aloud.

  "You give me too much credit," Rafferty said quietly. "I will do my best."

  "That's all I want," Corin said then stood up, only wobbling a little. "We should probably go make sure everyone else is okay?"

  "Good idea," Rafferty said, standing. He wavered, nearly falling, and Corin moved to catch him automatically. Rafferty grabbed his arms for balance, and Corin instinctively slid an arm around Rafferty's waist to steady him, putting Rafferty much closer than Corin had anticipated. Corin froze, sure his face was going to catch fire.

  Rafferty didn't move away, even though he was steady on his feet, and Corin couldn't make himself move. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this close to someone who hadn't been a relative—at least a year—and it was Rafferty, who felt warm and smelled of oranges and cloves and there had to be a reason Rafferty's touch went straight to his cock, right?

  Corin wasn't sure which of them moved—maybe it was him, maybe it was Rafferty, or perhaps it was both—but in the next breath, Rafferty's lips were sliding against his. Corin's breath hitched in his throat, and he shut his eyes, returning the slow, gentle kiss as warmth spread through his chest. He tightened his grip around Rafferty's waist, pulling him closer and drawing the kiss deeper, not wanting the moment to end. It did, unfortunately, but Rafferty didn't pull away, instead leaning against Corin easily as though he belonged in Corin's arms.

  "Are you sure?" Rafferty asked quietly. His back was to the candle, casting his face completely into shadow so Corin couldn't gauge his expression.

  Acting on instinct instead, Corin didn't reply verbally, but kissed Rafferty again, hard and sure this time, not pulling back until both he and Rafferty were breathless. Rafferty's fingers dug into his arms, but he returned the kiss full measure, leaving Corin dizzy and no small amount aroused.

  "If I had the energy, I'd show you just how sure I am," Corin said, making Rafferty laugh quietly.

  "That's not…" Rafferty paused, twisting free of Corin's arms. "You're not agreeing to the priesthood because of me, are you?"

  "Not entirely," Corin said, being honest. "I do want to help."

  "Okay," Rafferty said, accepting that. He held out his hand to Corin, and Corin took it, remembering the first time Rafferty had touched him. It didn't feel at all the same this time, and Corin let Rafferty lead him from the room, nervous but hopeful about what they'd find in the future.

  Fin

  Sasha L. Miller spends most of her time writing, reading, or playing with all things website design. She loves telling stories, especially romance, because there’s nothing better than giving people their happily ever afters. When not writing, she spends time cooking, harassing her roommates, and playing with her cats.

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