by Kell Amber
The king shrugged. “He never would’ve been an appropriate mate for a prince, too low-born.”
“My father is a peasant,” Cebrus confessed cheerfully.
Minr swept that away with a wave of his hand. “Wandmakers don’t count. You’re in a category of your own. I’m pleased my son has found you as a proper husband. We’ll have the ceremony at the solstice. You should have your little quest wrapped up by then. Plenty of time for a wedding.”
Panic clawed at Cebrus’s chest. This time it wasn’t the wound causing the discomfort. Apparently while he was unconscious, everyone had planned out the rest of his life.
“I’m not really ready for that sort of commitment, Your Majesty. I think the prince would do much better choosing a different mate,” Cebrus suggested diplomatically.
King Minr threw back his head in laughter. “Oh dear, Silvan has his work cut out for him.” Patting Cebrus on the shoulder, the king stood.
Cebrus watched as the royal left without another word. Sighing, Cebrus wondered if he could sneak out of the castle without anyone noticing.
Three days later, Cebrus still hadn’t found a chance to escape. He sulked over that as he dressed for their departure. Whether he wished for company or not, he had it.
“Good, you’re dressed. We can get going after we eat.” Silvan planted a kiss on Cebrus’s mouth as if he had every right to take control.
“I’m not marrying you,” Cebrus blurted out.
Instead of looking offended, Silvan smiled. “We’ll see. I figure I have several weeks to change your mind.”
Cebrus sighed. Maybe when they were traveling, Silvan would learn how obnoxious Cebrus could be and give up the idea of marriage.
The dining hall had the feel of a party about it. Soldiers laughed and dined, couriers ran around delivering messages, and ladies-in-waiting flirted with the men.
This could be his future. Cebrus didn’t know if he should be excited or start to make plans for his grand escape.
“Here, have something to eat.” Silvan pulled out Cebrus’s chair as if seating a fine lady. Cebrus shook his head and gave a snort.
“I’m not a girl, you know. You don’t have to hover.”
Silvan nodded. “Trust me, I’m completely aware of your masculinity.”
Cebrus pointedly ignored the prince while he ate. The rolls were fluffy, the meat made a nice crunch in his mouth, and the soldiers talking around them made a nice cheerful chatter.
Relaxing for the first time in weeks, Cebrus enjoyed his meal.
“I’ve got supplies loaded onto the horses, we can leave after our meal.”
Cebrus didn’t need a bunch of supplies and soldiers following him, but he supposed he couldn’t take a prince of the realm traipsing through the countryside without protection. Somehow his small quest to find a new type of wood turned into a full princely outing.
“I don’t suppose we could walk or I could go do my quest and return?” Cebrus asked hopefully.
Silvan laughed. “No, love. You will never travel alone again and we are taking horses.” He gave Cebrus a strange look. “Don’t you like them?”
“No.” Cebrus didn’t go into detail, that one word said it all.
Silvan wrapped an arm around him and squeezed him tight. “I’ll give you a docile one. You’ll be fine.”
Cebrus gave in about the horses, but not everything. “I’m a wandmaker. Part of my job is to go from kingdom to kingdom and help people with their wands. How am I going to do that if you make me stay here?” Cebrus could already feel the bars closing in on him, a caring, luxurious cage, but a cage nonetheless.
“I don’t want to oppress you, love. I’m not going to stop you from traveling. I’ll just insist you take guards with you whenever you go,” Silvan assured him.
Cebrus nodded. He would reserve judgment until they reached that point. He still had hope for their trip. He liked Silvan, but he wasn’t ready to get married to anyone yet.
Cebrus eyed the horse. Its placid expression didn’t ease his concerns.
“Get on, love, it’ll be fine,” Silvan said. The prince’s warm body pressed against him as he whispered in Cebrus’s ear.
“I can’t mount if you’re right behind me,” Cebrus pointed out.
“Hmm, so many things I could say,” Silvan purred.
Cebrus laughed when Silvan stepped back and went to his own horse. He climbed up on the horse and watched Silvan’s fine ass as he mounted his own beast. There were many things he objected to about the prince, but the man’s build wasn’t one of them. When Silvan moved his horse forward Cebrus’s calmly followed, easing some of Cebrus’s fear.
Although there wouldn’t be a lot of opportunity for privacy on the trip, Cebrus was certain he could find a secluded spot to enjoy the prince. Just because he wasn’t in a hurry to get married didn’t mean he wouldn’t be interested in a little sampling.
Just the idea of seeing Silvan stripped naked would make the entire quest worthwhile.
Somehow his solo quest went from a single person walking to a group of six people on horseback. Cebrus felt a little bad about dragging everyone off to the east, but he knew the prince wouldn’t be convinced otherwise.
“Did I mention I hate horses?” Cebrus asked.
Silvan smiled. “You’ll get used to them. Now let’s go get some trees.”
Sighing, Cebrus prodded his mount to follow the others. The damn prince had stolen his quest.
* * * *
The weather turned on them as soon as they were a few miles away from the palace. Dark clouds moved in, covering the sky like a malignant blanket. Cebrus shivered in his coat.
“There’s an inn a little farther down the road,” Silvan offered.
“Good.” Cebrus didn’t mention if he were traveling alone he would’ve hunkered down on the ground and slept under a tree. There were some perks to letting a prince tag along on his quest.
Unfortunately, weather control wasn’t one of them. Before they’d traveled much farther, the heavens opened up and dumped gallons of water onto the travelers.
Loud cursing filled the air beside him.
Cebrus thought Silvan looked good wet. Water plastered Silvan’s shirt against his skin, highlighting all his delicious muscles. Cebrus wisely didn’t say anything. They kept the horses trotting through the downpour until an inn appeared around the corner. Well-kept and lanterns lit, it was a welcoming sight. Relief swept through Cebrus. He’d travelled in worse storms, but it was never pleasant, the idea of a hot meal and a soft bed sounded wonderful.
Stable boys rushed out to take their horses. Cebrus slid down off his mount and almost into the stable boy who’d come to his side to help. “Sorry.”
“No problem, sir.” The young man gave Cebrus an inviting smile.
A hard hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him away from the servant. “Come, love.”
The stable hand paled. He quickly gathered the horse’s reins and scurried away.
“You didn’t have to scare him,” Cebrus scolded as he let Silvan drag him toward the inn.
“He didn’t have to smile at you either.” Silvan was unrepentant as they entered the building. “Once we’re married, everyone will know you’re mine.”
Cebrus bit his lip. Did he even want to know?
The innkeeper, a round man with rosy cheeks, rushed over to greet them. “Your Highness. Such a pleasure to see you again.”
Silvan smiled. “Master Brint, nice to see you also. Do you have rooms available for us?”
Brint gave him a regretful look. “I’m afraid I only have your usual room and some space over the stable for your men.”
“Is it dry?” Cebrus asked.
Brint nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“That’ll be fine, Brint. If you could feed my men and bring a meal for two up to my room?” Silvan asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Brint gave Cebrus a curious look, but when Silvan didn’t say anything, he bustled off to obey the prince’s orde
rs.
“I should drag a prince around whenever I travel,” Cebrus said. “You’re handy.”
If it had been just him, he wouldn’t have gotten a room or a meal. Innkeepers used to royal visits rarely made space for people traveling by foot.
Silvan waggled his eyebrows at Cebrus. “I come with many fringe benefits. I’m also an excellent bed warmer.”
Cebrus laughed. “I’ll have to test that out and see. I can’t accept an inferior bed warmer. I mean if you can be replaced by a hot water bottle, it’s best to know ahead of time before this progresses any further.”
“I’m sure I can convince you of my worth,” Silvan’s voice deepened. “First we need to get you out of those wet clothes.”
Cebrus shook his head sadly. “I’ve always heard princes were better seducers, but that’s the best you can do?”
Silvan kissed Cebrus on the forehead. “Come upstairs, love, and I’ll show you all my skills.”
He allowed Silvan to take his hand and lead him up the stairs. All he wanted was food, a soft bed, and Silvan’s hard body beside him. The more he saw of the prince, the more he liked him. Whether it was stay-with-him-forever kind of love was a different thing, but he did like the idea of waking up to find Silvan beside him.
A wave of shyness struck him as they reached the room and Silvan locked the door behind them.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the food?” Cebrus asked. He didn’t dare ask about the luxury of a bath. The odds of them even having a bathtub at the inn were meager.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t warm you up while we wait,” Silvan said. He backed Cebrus up against the wall and slipped off his sopping coat. “Poor little bird, you’re probably freezing.”
“I think I was warmer in the rain.” Cebrus’s teeth chattered together.
“Let me get the fire started. Maybe we should’ve eaten downstairs until they prepped the room better. There is always fresh bedding, but it’s pretty cold in here.”
Silvan stacked the wood in the fireplace, careful to add a small pile of kindling before he pulled out his wand and started the fire with a flick of the wooden stick.
Cebrus moved closer to the flames, his body shaking from the cold and wet.
“Let’s get you out of these clothes. You’ll feel better if we share some body heat,” Silvan coaxed.
“Is that the line you use with all the boys?” It was difficult to sound cynical with his teeth rattling about in his head.
“Surprisingly enough, I don’t usually need a line. They eagerly jump into bed with a prince. You’re the only one I need to find excuses for, and I’ve discovered I’m quite bad at it.” The prince’s wry smile melted Cebrus’s heart a little bit. Maybe the cocky prince wasn’t as confident as he pretended.
A knock at the door heralded their dinner’s arrival.
Silvan let in the serving girl, who quickly set large tray on the little table.
“ All we had prepared is a bit of stew, Your Majesty,” the servant’s noise betrayed her nervousness no doubt over serving a royal.
“That’s fine. We just need something hot,” Silvan reassured her.
“It’s piping hot, Your Majesty. Is there anything else I can get for you, or your guest?” she added quickly.
“No, that will be all.” Silvan tossed her a coin and locked the door after her. “So, my dear, food or cuddling first?”
Cebrus’s stomach growled like a wild beast, making both men laugh.
“My body votes for food.”
Silvan glared at Cebrus’s stomach. “I see I’ll need to lecture your stomach over its priorities later, but for now we’ll obey its dictates.”
Silvan lifted up the lid, revealing two bowls of steaming stew along with a pile of fresh bread. “I don’t know how good it is, but she’s right it looks hot.”
“Great.” Cebrus stripped off his shirt, yanked off his boots, then let his pants and underclothes drop to the floor. Stark naked, he climbed onto the bed and tucked himself beneath the sheets. He tried for an innocent look while Silvan froze in the middle of the room staring at him. “There’s nothing to say we can’t eat in bed,” Cebrus said smiling.
“That’s an excellent idea,” Silvan approved. “I like a man with answers.”
Stripping off his own clothes, he grabbed one bowl with a hunk of bread and handed it to Cebrus before retrieving his own portion. He climbed into bed, then snuggled up beside Cebrus until their sides touched.
Cebrus could feel Silvan’s body heat warming his skin. There was something companionable about snuggling under the blankets and eating naked.
“I’ve never done this before,” Silvan mused before taking another bite.
“Eaten with someone?” Cebrus teased.
“Eaten naked with someone. I like it.” Silvan turned his head to kiss Cebrus’s cheek.
“There are a lot of other things you can be kissing,” Cebrus offered.
“Mmm. Yes, there are,” Silvan purred.
They ate in silence, exchanging glances until they finished their meal. Silvan took their bowls, then slid out of bed to put them on the table.
Climbing back between the sheets, he slid across Cebrus’s body. Cebrus arched as their erections rubbed together. “Oh, you feel so good,” Cebrus sighed.
He might argue that Silvan was a pompous, pushy prince, but he couldn’t deny the man felt amazing lying naked against him. Silvan slid down and nibbled on Cebrus’s neck. Cebrus shivered beneath the onslaught. The kernel of desire burst into an explosion through his system.
“You like that.” Silvan bit again, this time Cebrus’s nipple, making him yelp.
“Ouch.”
“But is it a good ouch or a bad ouch?” Silvan asked, blinking innocently.
Cebrus paused for a minute, evaluating the sensation. “Good ouch.”
“Excellent,” Silvan’s wicked smile could lure the most innocent to his bed.
A bite on his other nipple made him gasp.
“Give me a minute.” Silvan slid out of bed and went to his bag. He pulled out a small jar and triumphantly raised it. “I brought a little something to help smooth the way.”
“Confident, were you?”
“I consider it optimistic,” Silvan said cheerfully.
How could he resist a man who easily eroded away his defenses? Silvan was not only charming and gorgeous, but the man had a nice sense of humor. He grinned at the prince as he climbed back into bed with him.
Silvan opened the jar and set it on the table beside Cebrus.
Hot kisses melted Cebrus’s spine. It took a minute for his mind to nudge him to move, to participate in their lovemaking.
His first stroke on Silvan’s back earned him a groan.
“That’s right, honey, touch me,” Silvan urged.
Encouraged, Cebrus continued to map Silvan’s bare skin, touching every bit he could reach. Silvan’s skin, an interesting collection of muscle and scars, enticed Cebrus to pet and explore.
Dipping his fingers into the jar, he reached down to slide one finger into Cebrus’s body. Cebrus relaxed against the sensation, letting Silvan inside.
“That’s it, honey,” Silvan said.
Cebrus sucked in a breath when Silvan pushed in another finger. The prince knew his way around a man’s body. His knowing touch fired every nerve in his body. A strangled moan burst from him when Silvan touched the perfect spot.
“Go ahead and make all the noises you want,” Silvan urged, pushing his fingers deeper.
“More,” Cebrus gasped.
“I’ll take care of you, love,” Silvan promised.
After making sure Cebrus was well slicked up, Silvan pushed his cock inside merging them as one. Cebrus gasped over the initial burn, but soon it vanished beneath waves of pleasure.
Silvan began slowly, carefully, as if Cebrus was fragile.
“I’m not going to break. Move!” Cebrus insisted.
“Impatient.” Silvan bit Cebrus’s bottom lip before giving him what he
wanted. Lifting Cebrus’s legs onto his shoulders, Silvan let go of his restraints and plowed inside Cebrus. The headboard banged against the wall, but before Cebrus could say anything, Silvan grabbed Cebrus’s cock and pumped him in time with his snapping hips.
Cebrus shouted at his release tore through his system.
“Yes,” Silvan whispered, spilling his seed inside of Cebrus’s body.
Chapter Five
Silvan woke up to the feel of a warm body wrapped around him. Grinning, he opened his eyes to see the love of his life sleeping beside him. Cebrus slept hard, as if there were nothing to fear, but if there was, he trusted Silvan to take care of it. That sort of confidence was inspiring and frightening at the same time.
He needed Cebrus to need him, because without his mate, he had nothing. A knock at the door roused him.
“Come in,” he called out.
Sir Meliv entered, giving a low bow when he reached the middle of the room. “If you’re done lazing about, Your Highness, we have everything ready for you, after you have your morning meal we can head out.”
Silvan scowled at Meliv. “Lazing about?”
Meliv had trained with Silvan since they were kids, which gave him more freedom than others to speak his mind, or at least he thought so.
Meliv tilted his head. “I have to admit, if I had something that pretty in my bed I’d be reluctant to leave it, too.”
“Get out, Meliv. I’ll wake Cebrus and let him know it’s time to get going.”
“Do you think he’ll stay with you?” Meliv’s suddenly serious tone took Silvan by surprise. “He’s a wanderer.”
“He’ll stay because I won’t suffocate him. He’ll be free to come and go as he pleases as long as he takes some of my knights with him.” He gave Meliv a pointed look.
“Great. I see a lot of traipsing around the countryside in my future.” Shaking his head, Meliv left.
“Interfering bastard!” Silvan grumbled.
“Your friend is just concerned about you,” Cebrus said.
“Oh, you are awake. Playing at dead kitten, were you?”