by Kell Amber
“You don’t know who I am?” Silvan stopped in the middle of the walkway and turned Cebrus to face him. As he searched Cebrus’s expression, a look of wonder filled his eyes. “You really don’t know me.”
“Should I?” Maybe Cebrus should’ve known one of the king’s companions was half a load short of a cartful, but he didn’t exactly follow castle gossip in any kingdom. He didn’t like it when people talked about him. Why would he encourage that sort of rumormongering from others? He didn’t really care who Silvan was, as long as he knew what to do in bed.
A wide smile brightened Silvan’s dark features. “I don’t believe it. The fortuneteller didn’t lie. I did meet the one man who didn’t know me.”
Fortuneteller?
“Don’t think so much of yourself. I’m sure there are others who haven’t seen your face before. No one is that famous.” Cebrus frowned at the impudent man even as a dawning suspicion grew. But surely the king would’ve mentioned…
“Ah, you finally figured it out,” Silvan said, a smile spreading across his face.
“You’re the crown prince.” Cebrus was ready to accept his award for dumbest man in the kingdom. Only someone royal would share the throne dais with the king. He blamed the long day of travel for his idiocy. He searched his mind for details about this particular kingdom and drudged up a few facts from his memory.
The prince was known for leading a successful battle against the troll rebellion, for single-handedly negotiating a treaty with the giants, and for being the best strategist in any kingdom. He thought he’d heard a story about Silvan enjoying both men and women, but gossips rarely got those sorts of details right.
“I see you figured it out. I knew you were a bright lad,” Silvan teased. His brilliant eyes glowed with approval.
Cebrus battled against the warmth growing in his chest. Silvan probably had a million suitors in line for a spot in his bed. Cebrus wouldn’t mind joining the masses. A good night’s tumble with a sexy prince would do a great deal to ease his travel-tired body. No, he knew better than to bed royals. Nothing ever came out of entangling with the upper crust.
“You were going to show me to my room?” he prompted when Silvan continued to stare at him and showed no sign of moving.
Best to get them walking again, or he’d give in to the strangely almost irresistible urge to kiss the crown prince. If they started kissing, Cebrus doubted he’d be able to stop.
“I could show you to my room instead,” Silvan offered.
“I bet you could, but I need some rest.” He mentally shored up his resistance to the gorgeous prince. He refused to be another mark on the prince’s bedpost. If Silvan were a regular soldier, he would’ve been all over the man.
Silvan traced a finger along Cebrus’s jawline. “I’ll make sure you get some quality sleep.”
Cebrus jerked away from the prince’s tempting touch. “I’ll sleep alone, thank you.”
Silvan shrugged. “Don’t thank me for your mistake. You change your mind, sweetness, and I’m all yours.”
He removed his hand from Silvan’s arm then curled his fingers in his palms and away from the tempting man before him. He bet everyone fell for the prince’s earnest expression. Damn, the man even had dimples. The gods were mocking Cebrus with the beauty displayed before him.
“My room?” Best keep focused. He had to reach his bed alone before he lost all his resolve. Damn gorgeous man.
Silvan offered his arm again.
Cebrus hesitated briefly, but decided it would be the height of incivility to refuse to accept the prince’s gesture. It didn’t help that he wanted to slide his hands across Silvan’s body and trace the muscles he could see straining against the prince’s shirt.
The prince had obviously trained for battle and had the hard-hewn body to show for it. Cebrus had never gone for the sexy soldier type before. He’d always consorted with people more like himself, those who worked in more cerebral fields. Magic users, wand designers, once even a candy maker. None of those men had arms almost as big as Cebrus’s thighs or the intense sex appeal pouring off of them like the summer sun.
“How long will you be staying?” Silvan asked. His mild tone didn’t match the heat in his eyes.
Cebrus struggled to stay focused. “A few weeks. Depending on the weather and how many people need adjustments to their wands. Most of your people seem to be poorly equipped.”
He hadn’t inspected all the wands, but the ones he’d seen didn’t give him much hope.
Silvan shrugged. “We haven’t had a royal wandmaker for a few centuries. They aren’t as easy to find as they used to be, and I’ve never even met a heritage wandmaker before. You guys are like myths to us.”
“There are only five of us around, and they’re all in my family.” Cebrus knew his pride showed when he spoke about his relatives. The only way to earn a heritage seal was to have an unbroken line of over one hundred years of training in your family. Cebrus’s family actually had a hundred fifty years, but they couldn’t be certified more than once.
“Why are you wandering around all alone? It’s dangerous out there.” Silvan’s frown indicated what he thought of such a foolhardy notion.
Cebrus matched Silvan’s scowl with one of his own. “What are you talking about? I’m perfectly capable of handling myself.”
“You are barely tall enough to reach my shoulder. A little guy like you shouldn’t be running around by yourself. Someone could snap you in two and stuff you under a boulder. Maybe you should stay here.”
Laughter burst from Cebrus. “You think I’m that easy to kill?”
If the prince weren’t so sexy, Cebrus might seriously have considered punching Silvan, but his genuine concern touched Cebrus. Other than his family no one ever worried about him.
“It’s not funny. It would be better if you stayed here permanently. I’ll recommend to father that you are given a post. Considering how easily you created a new wand for him, I’m sure he’ll be happy to offer you one,” Silvan said as if he’d solved all of Cebrus’s problems and he expected Cebrus to fall into line with his idiotic plans.
“I hate to interrupt you while you’re organizing my life, but I’m fine. I’m only going to stay a few weeks to help anyone who requests it, then move on. I have a quest,” he argued. Why would he want to stick around in one kingdom with the world still out there to explore?
“What kind of quest?” Silvan raked Cebrus up and down with his hot gaze as if Cebrus might have the quest tattooed on his skin and Silvan wished to start looking.
“I’m searching for the Mallif tree.”
Silvan’s mouth dropped open. “They’re a myth!”
Cebrus shook his head. He didn’t blame Silvan for his doubt, most people considered them a thing of legend. “My great uncle had a wand made out of Mallif wood. It’s real.”
Mallif wood had special properties. Rumor stated that any wand made from Mallif could retain the user’s magic even past their death. All other wands lost their magic when the magic user stopped powering it.
“What happened to your uncle’s wand?” Silvan asked.
“His wife burned it at his death so no one could know its secrets.” Cebrus still hated his great aunt for that one act, even though she’d died five years ago. They could’ve learned so much from it. She’d ruined years of research because she wished to keep her dead husband’s secrets. Cebrus clenched his teeth in frustration. His quest wouldn’t have been necessary if they still had that wand.
“Is it true what they say about it?” Silvan asked, his piercing gaze focused on Cebrus as if he could sear the truth from Cebrus’s soul.
“What do they say?” Cebrus wasn’t about to offer any wandmaker secrets.
“That it can be wielded by wandmakers. Is it true?”
Cebrus hesitated, struggling to decide if he should tell the truth or the line they usually gave outsiders. The look in Silvan’s eyes told him the prince would find out one way or another. “Yes. Mallif is the onl
y wood that wandmakers can use to perform magic.”
Wandmakers only transferred magic for people. They were immune to it and couldn’t do more than move power from place to place, acting as conductors. However, Mallif wood could give them the skill to create magic of their own, an ability not many people wanted them to have. Everyone claimed that the trees had become extinct due to a fungus.
Cebrus had heard a different tale from a traveling minstrel. He claimed a grove existed in the farthest east. Cebrus couldn’t find anyone to corroborate that story, and minstrels were notorious liars. He planned to check anyway.
“What will you do if you find a tree?”
Ahh, that was the question. What would he do indeed?
Chapter Two
Silvan took a deep breath and resisted the urge to pin the gorgeous wandmaker to the wall until Cebrus changed his mind about ever going away. He might be the crown prince, but he didn’t have the right to tell Cebrus what to do, even if the wandmaker’s quest sounded incredibly dangerous.
If Cebrus succeeded in finding Mallif trees, he could be considered a danger to the kingdom. A group of people who could not only form their own wands but use them, would be a formidable enemy. Most people didn’t understand much about magic. Wandmakers not only understood magic, but they could transfer it from stick to stick. Visions of someone transferring everyone’s magic to their own wand sent chills down Silvan’s spine.
There could only be one way to make sure the gorgeous wandmaker stayed out of trouble.
“I’d love to accompany you on your journey,” Silvan said. He stroked a hand down Cebrus’s arm. If he had to seduce his way into the wandmaker’s quest, he would.
Cebrus stepped away from Silvan’s touch.
“I don’t need anyone to go with me. Don’t you have important princely business to conduct?”
Silvan couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. The wandmaker was too damn adorable. He wanted to take Cebrus and tuck him in his pocket so he could have the sweet thing around all the time. Too bad he had to stop Cebrus from finding those trees or at least be able to control him if he did.
“My father is always saying I need to go around the kingdom and get to know our people. This could be my chance.” He gave Cebrus his most appealing look.
Cebrus shook his head, but his eyes glowed with amusement. “You can do that without me. You just want to seduce me.”
“It’s not seduction if both sides are willing.” Silvan couldn’t let this man out of his reach. His father would kill him if he let Cebrus wander off without making an effort. If Cebrus continued on his quest without Silvan, Silvan would have to follow.
Anyone else he’d imprison for such ideas, but Cebrus was right about one thing. To jail a wandmaker would bring down a lot more trouble than one kingdom could handle.
Cebrus was silent long enough the prince wondered if the wandmaker already had some magic of his own. Could he read Silvan’s thoughts?
“You want to come make sure I don’t do anything dangerous, don’t you?” Cebrus asked.
Damn, he hadn’t given Cebrus enough credit. Silvan battled with himself whether to answer truthfully or not. He sighed, then gave in. “Yes. I want to make sure you don’t abuse any magic you might acquire.”
Cebrus’s slow and stunning smile poured across Silvan like a golden drop of sunlight. “I can respect that.”
“You can?” He’d expected an argument or a fit, anything but Cebrus’s quiet acceptance.
Cebrus shrugged, brushing off Silvan’s concern. “I’d rather you were upfront and told me what you wanted instead of trying to lie about an attraction between us or sweet talk your way into traveling with me.”
Silvan stopped and grabbed hold of Cebrus. He moved them until he had Cebrus pressed the wall, trapping his pack behind him. “Trust me, my pretty wandmaker, any attraction between us isn’t a lie. I find you very compelling.”
He kissed Cebrus on the lips and rubbed his lower body against the wandmaker, letting his erection do the persuading. There weren’t enough words to describe Silvan’s need for the wandmaker.
A soft moan had him continuing his gentle assault. He nipped at Cebrus’s ear, slid his tongue down the wandmaker’s throat, and tasted the passion dripping off the man like honey from a hive.
“So sweet. I have to have you.”
Before they left for Cebrus’s quest, he’d enjoy the wandmaker beneath him. He kissed Cebrus once more before allowing Cebrus’s gentle push to move him away.
“You’re being ridiculous,” Cebrus scolded. The man’s eyelashes dipped down to conceal his expression.
“It’s not ridiculous to want you, and don’t hide from me,” Silvan protested. “I need to see your eyes.”
A startled look flashed up at him. “Why?”
“Because your eyes tell the truth and they want me,” Silvan explained. The hunger glowing in Cebrus’s expressive gaze revealed far more than the wandmaker’s self-defensive babble.
Laughter burst from Cebrus’s lips. He grabbed Silvan before he could back away. “You are adorable. That has to be the worst line ever.”
Silvan blushed. He’d botched the entire thing. Cebrus would never believe that Silvan had a reputation for sweet-talking people. His usual smooth veneer crumbled before Cebrus. Instead, he searched for a couple of words to rub together and convince Cebrus to take him along.
“Don’t laugh at me,” he grumbled.
“I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you’d be interested in coming along, much less try to seduce me.”
“What, you don’t find me attractive?” Silvan had never met anyone so resistant to his charm before. Maybe without the power of being the crown prince behind him, he didn’t have as much to offer as he’d thought. Cebrus didn’t strike him as caring much about his title. Had he leaned too much on his position to get men before? An unfamiliar flash of insecurity struck him.
Cebrus met Silvan’s gaze head-on. “I won’t deny I’m attracted to you, but I’m a traveling wandmaker. I don’t settle down, and I spend all my time on the road. I’ve never found it a good idea to become involved.”
“Involved with me or involved with anyone?” It almost hurt how badly he needed that answer.
“Anyone.”
Silvan cupped Cebrus’s cheek. “I look forward to changing your mind about that.” Not giving Cebrus a chance to respond, Silvan kissed him again. Damn, he could become addicted to Cebrus’s taste. “So good,” he whispered against Cebrus’s lips.
Lightning jolted him like an electrical storm sending a buzz through his body. He almost jumped away, but Cebrus slid his fingers into Silvan’s hair and held him still with a firm but gentle touch.
“You taste wonderful,” Cebrus said.
Cebrus lapped at Silvan’s lips, pulling a groan from him. He reeled Silvan in with his sweet, hot passion like a fisherman pulling a fish from the sea. Out of his element, Silvan curled his fingers around Cebrus’s thin hips, anchoring himself to this one solid point of reference. He fought the urge to hold too tightly. He didn’t want to leave any marks behind, at least not any others could see. He had a feeling Cebrus wouldn’t appreciate them. The urge to completely maul Cebrus with bites and scratches, to mark his territory and warn off other males pierced him with sweet agony. He craved a stronger bond than one formed from a simple kiss. He needed everything.
Silvan didn’t have a jealous bone in his body. In the past, he’d let lovers leave with little fuss and had often been the one who quit relationships first. However, the thought of Cebrus leaving before they’d had sex ate at him like corrosive acid. He not only planned to keep Cebrus, but he would prevent others from ever touching the wandmaker again. His wandmaker. A possessive wave threatened to drag him under.
When they broke apart, Silvan panted against Cebrus’s lips. “When you’re ready, my little wandmaker, I am yours for the taking,” he whispered.
Cebrus’s brilliant eyes, fogged with lust, met his with a s
urprisingly steady gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind, prince, should I find my bed too cold for comfort.”
Silvan dipped his head and bit Cebrus on the neck, sucking up a mark he knew would glow luridly against the man’s smooth skin. “You better tell the others to put on their armor if they plan to dip a toe in your bed. You are mine.”
Cebrus’s brilliant smile took Silvan off guard. “So you would fight for me, my handsome prince?”
His teasing tone made Silvan frown. Did he consider this a game? “I would kill for you,” Silvan vowed.
Cebrus gave him another one of those evaluating looks as if he were weighing the measure of Silvan’s soul. “I do believe you would,” he said at last.
Cebrus didn’t understand the prince’s possessive manner or why he watched Cebrus as if he were something amazing. He suspected Silvan was trying to get close to him to track what he did. If that meant the prince had to seduce him, Cebrus was certainly willing to let the man try. It had been a while since he’d had someone this gorgeous in his bed. He would resist the prince just enough to offer a challenge before giving in, but he would give in. He dared any lover of men to resist the handsome prince’s seduction.
He brushed his lips across the prince’s once more, letting Silvan taste him. Compatibility was more than body parts. All the senses had to be engaged for a proper bed partner. He had nothing to worry about with Silvan. Attraction all but hummed in the air between them. Damn, the man tasted like sex. The rich musk of the prince’s need wafted in the air. Cebrus broke away to inhale deeply.
Moaning, he flipped them around and pressed Silvan against the wall. The prince’s gasp of surprise made the kiss that much better. The stone wall bit into his hands as Cebrus put his palms on either side of the prince, trapping him between his arms.
He hummed into Silvan’s mouth, licking inside to savor the sensation of heat and desire. Whatever the prince’s motives, the man knew what to do with his lips. Cebrus’s cock hardened as he pressed his body against Silvan. The life he’d chosen had him going from place to place and didn’t give him the luxury of a relationship. Not unlike the prince, when he found something he liked, he took it. He just didn’t have the power of a crown behind him.