by Xenia Melzer
A cynical smile played around the dying man’s lips. “And here I thought you knew no mercy. It seems you’re more than meets the eye. I thank you.”
His body went limp in the arms of the Wolf of War, and his eyes stared unfocused at the ceiling.
Reverently, Canubis laid the count down. Even more reverently did he close his eyes. After a few moments during which he stared at the corpse with an unreadable expression, he turned to two of his men. “You heard what I said. Give him a proper funeral.”
The two mercenaries nodded and carried the body from the throne room.
Lost in thought, the most powerful warlord in the world stood amid all the chaos and devastation he’d brought upon this city, a lord of perdition such as Casto had never seen before.
Renaldo stepped next to his brother, death and doom united on the once-polished marble floor. “A worthy end.”
The Wolf of War laughed drily. “Whether it was worthy or not, the outcome is always the same. Mother had a good harvest, so I think she should be satisfied.”
“Then we should be too.”
Silently the brothers held each other’s shoulders, a gesture that showed Casto plainly how close the demigods were. No matter how intimate he got with the Barbarian, the Wolf of War would always be closer to him. The thought irritated Casto, but he got no chance to ponder it further. Renaldo stepped away from his brother and took Casto’s hand.
“Let’s go. I want to take a look at the booty before we return to the camp.” A teasing smile appeared on his lips. “As I recall, I still owe you punishment.”
Casto stepped closer to his master, glad for the distraction. His breath fluttered across Renaldo’s perfect face, his voice a soft and challenging whisper. “Punishment? I don’t know anything about that. We’ll have to talk about it.”
Heat flared between them, shot right through Casto and sent him into raptures. It suppressed his jealousy as well as the horrors he’d witnessed during the last two days.
Renaldo’s answer was a purr. “I’m going to refresh your memory, so don’t worry, my own.”
With that he placed a hand on Casto’s back, waved to his brother standing smirking in the middle of the hall, called a short good-bye, and took his slave back to the camp.
AFTER THEY returned to their tent, Casto took off the full-length, dark blue coat Renaldo had given him as a present. He got rid of his boots and leather trousers next. Only his tunic remained on his body.
With a bright smile, he helped his master out of his clothes and led him to the table. “Sit, my lord. I’m going to attend to you.”
A little irritated by such sudden zeal, Renaldo followed Casto’s every movement. First Casto served him a cup of wine; then he filled a plate with fruit and small pieces of honey cake. Every time he passed Renaldo, he touched him randomly. During the meal Casto stood closer than was strictly necessary and didn’t seem able to get away from him.
Finally, Renaldo had enough. He grabbed Casto’s wrist and pulled him closer. “I’ve had my fill. It’s time for dessert.”
Softly, but determinedly, Casto withdrew. “Oh, but that won’t be possible. I don’t want to do it today.”
Renaldo froze. That was far from what he’d anticipated. “You must be kidding me.”
Casto turned to him with an innocent gaze that told Renaldo how deeply in trouble he was.
“Of course not, my lord. I’d never dare.” Casto leaned forward to refill Renaldo’s cup. His lips grazed Renaldo’s right ear, his voice a soft, teasing purr. “It must be terrible being so aroused, so hungry, yet unable to get sated.”
With a growl, Renaldo grabbed the young man and pulled him onto his lap. He was running out of patience fast. “You little tease, that’s my line.”
His lips made contact with Casto’s, demandingly, as usual, he entered Casto’s mouth.
Casto whimpered but pried himself loose. His breath was ragged, yet his voice remained firm. “I’ve already told you, I don’t want it today.”
“Really?”
Renaldo stroked Casto’s penis through the cloth. It rose to the touch obediently, just as it always did. “Because to me it looks like you want it desperately.”
With a shudder, Casto lifted his hips and dug his hands into Renaldo’s shoulders. “No, I really don’t…. Perhaps a little bit.”
“Just a little bit?”
Renaldo moved his hand, increasing the pressure, and Casto gave in. The game had been fun, but he was still frustrated from what had happened that morning, so he was inclined to let the Barbarian win. Besides, he’d managed to make his point, which was the most important thing. “All right. I want you. Satisfied?”
Renaldo kissed him again. “Very much. And as a heads-up, tonight I’m going to make you pay for everything you did. You’ve been a really bad slave, disobeying your master, entering the heart of a battle and then keeping said master yearning. I’m truly angry. It’s going to take some time until I forgive you.”
Whimpering, Casto snuggled closer. He loved the sound of that. “I’ll do everything you want me to, Master.”
Renaldo smiled contentedly. There were quite a few things he wanted from Casto.
“THAT WAS pretty exhausting.”
“You’re still able to walk on your own, so don’t complain.” Renaldo sounded amused and slightly tired. It had indeed been a long night. He and Casto lay huddled up to one another on the bed. With his fingertips, Renaldo traced the soft, naked skin of his slave. He loved the moments of quiet peace right after the act when they were both too complacent and exhausted to start arguing again. Lately those moments of tranquility lasted longer and longer, and because of their growing intimacy, Renaldo got more forward regarding his discussions with Casto.
Right then, too, he was wavering between the urge to keep the peace and talking to the young man. He finally decided on the second. “That was really nice today, Casto. I enjoyed our game a lot.”
With a sigh, Casto nestled closer to him. “Me too. You’re a worthy opponent, Barbarian.”
“You know how much it irritates me when you call me that?”
“Yes.”
“Earlier, while we were doing it, you called me master. I liked that, though.”
“That’s no surprise.”
“If I ordered you, would you stop calling me Barbarian?”
Casto thought about it for a moment, and then he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve gotten used to it by now, and frankly, I think you’d miss it.”
“Smartass.”
Again they remained silent for some time.
Renaldo started anew. “You once told me there are happy days for you. Are you happy today?”
Casto got up, his eyes as bright as the sun. He didn’t know where the conversation was headed, but he could sense the tension in Renaldo’s body language. “Very much.”
Renaldo hesitated. What he was about to say now could lead to catastrophe in the blink of an eye, but he’d been pondering this for some time, and he wanted to finally voice it. “If you could, would you still leave me?”
With his brows furrowed, Casto moved away from his master. His face showed his confusion but then cleared quickly. “I can’t, so there’s no sense in discussing it.”
“Let’s assume you could. Would you do it?”
Silence. When Casto finally answered, his voice was strained, his face stubborn. “No. I wouldn’t leave you. Not any longer.”
“Does that mean you’re happy with me?”
Renaldo’s tone was so ripe with hope that Casto held back the snippy retort he wanted to give. Instead he reached for Renaldo’s hand and kissed it reverently. “There are still days when I curse my fate and wish the pestilence on you, but their numbers are dwindling.”
The answer seemed to please Renaldo because he suddenly smiled brightly. “It pleases me to hear that.”
He extended his hands, and Casto first thought he would embrace him again, but instead, Renaldo took off the leath
er collar around Casto’s neck. Speechless, with trembling fingers, Casto reached for the spot that was bare again for the first time in four years. He widened his eyes. “Why?”
“Because you make me happy. And you’ve earned it. Besides, you’re the worst slave I’ve ever had. Now I don’t have to be vexed with you anymore.”
Then Casto leaned forward to kiss Renaldo fiercely. “I haven’t said this often, but I thank you—Master.”
Renaldo grinned happily. “See, you can do it. But don’t let it go to your head. You aren’t a full member of the Pack yet. That ceremony is always held in winter, and I still have to talk to my brother about it. But you’re free, Casto. Just as you’ve wished.”
A shadow crossed Casto’s features but was gone so fast it could have been an illusion. He rested his hands on Renaldo’s muscular chest, and his voice came from a place deep inside. “If you allow me, I’ll show you my gratitude, Master.”
Renaldo leaned back, suddenly immensely aroused. “Go on, my own. Indulge yourself.”
“HEY, LITTLE thief, are you glad that we’ll be leaving soon?”
Daran smiled at Aegid so happily it was answer enough. Even though Renaldo and Canubis were eager to get back to the Valley, there were still some things that had to be taken care of before the Pack could leave Ki’t. “Yes, I am. But I’m even gladder that you both are still in one piece.”
Aegid, the giant warrior, pulled Daran closer with a sigh. “Stop brooding about it. We’re both here. Everything’s fine.”
Daran made a hiccupping sound. He still hadn’t gotten over the terrors of the battle. “But it was close. The mere idea….” He trailed off as he buried his face in Aegid’s tunic and inhaled deeply the soothing, familiar scent. “I couldn’t stand losing you. The thought that you had to endure hardship…. I simply can’t think about it.”
Thoughtfully, Aegid caressed his slave’s back. When they’d returned from the battlefield, Daran had been devastated. He’d heard the news about the battle and knew exactly what had happened. It had taken the whole night to comfort him until he fell asleep. Ever since then, Daran had been haunted by nightmares in which he saw his masters lying cold and dead on the battlefield.
The warriors hoped that their return to the Valley would banish the bad dreams. As flattered as they were that Daran was worked up over them, little did they want him tortured.
To take Daran’s mind off the sore topic, Aegid asked after Casto. “How is your teacher doing? Was today’s lesson good?”
Daran made a face when reminded of his beautiful but bad-tempered teacher. “Depends on how you look at it. Rajan and I weren’t bad, but Casto was in a terrible mood today. I think he and Lord Renaldo had a fight—again.”
“That’s nothing new.”
“No. But I don’t like it when I’m at the center of the storm. Casto usually makes no bones about it.”
Aegid laughed. “No, you definitely can’t accuse him of that. He’s going to calm down soon. Although I thought he’d gotten a little more lenient after my brother gave him his freedom.”
“On the contrary. Now that he’s free, the Angel of Death has more chances to piss him off.”
As soon as the words left Daran’s mouth, he lowered his gaze with a guilty expression. He rarely spoke so brazenly and then never about the Pack’s leader.
Aegid pulled him closer with a smile. “That was pretty cheeky, little thief.”
“I know.” Daran didn’t dare raise his voice above a whisper. “Please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Oh, I know pretty well. The truth has come over you. Still, it would be better if you didn’t repeat such words in front of witnesses. That could lead to a painful lesson for you.”
Contritely, Daran lowered his head. He knew all too well that his words, should they reach the wrong ears, justified a whipping. He was glad that Aegid was lenient in this regard. “I certainly won’t, Master.”
The warrior took Daran’s face in both hands. “I guess it’s better that I seal these lips before you can talk yourself into more trouble.”
He kissed Daran so deeply that the young man’s knees gave in.
“You’re having an orgy without me?” Kalad feigned offense as he stood in the entrance to the tent.
Aegid looked up for a moment, a saucy smile on his lips. “You’re always welcome to join in.”
It didn’t take more. Kalad stepped behind Daran, Aegid started kissing Daran again, and Kalad caressed Daran’s half-naked body.
Daran closed his eyes and groaned. He enjoyed feeling both his masters close, their bodies warm and alive. The thought of losing either of them made him freeze inside. He knew he wouldn’t be able to survive such loss. Without knowing how it happened, he’d fallen irrevocably in love with both men, unable to escape or to even prefer one over the other. Aegid and Kalad were a unit, and Daran saw them as one soul residing in two bodies. He didn’t understand how that could be, but for him one of them couldn’t exist without the other.
It was that inexorable devotion to both warriors that chained Aegid and Kalad to Daran without them knowing it. The tie Daran had offered them so willingly grew in strength with every day they spent together, a connection none of them would be able to refute.
SIC, TOO, was busy preparing for the journey back home. After a battle the smiths always had a lot to do, and Noran hated having to transport back unfinished work. For that reason his men were working almost nonstop. Sic had last slept two days ago, and it still wasn’t enough. They wouldn’t be able to finish before the departure. Sic resented disappointing his master like that, but the Pack had paid an unusually high price for this victory.
A price the smiths now had to pay as well.
Critically, Sic controlled the sword he’d been working on. It belonged to Casto. Renaldo had made it clear that his lover’s armor had priority over everything else. The weapon was beautifully crafted, one of Noran’s masterpieces, and it hurt Sic deeply to see all the dents and nicks it had acquired during battle. But now it was back to its former glory, an adornment for anybody allowed to wear it.
“You’ve done a pretty good job with that.” Noran’s voice sounded almost kind.
Sic hurried to turn around and get on his knees. “You’re very generous, Master.” He handed the sword to Noran so that he could inspect it.
Noran tested the edge with his thumb. “Very good. But you still have to sharpen it.”
“Yes, Master.”
“How are you progressing?”
Sic squirmed. “Not as well as we should, Master. We won’t be able to finish. I’m sorry.”
Without looking at him, Sic knew his master was getting angry. He could almost feel the fury of the master smith rolling over him. He tensed, anticipating a scolding, but to his utter surprise, it never happened.
Instead, Noran lifted his apprentice up. He looked into the tired, hollow-eyed face of the young man for what felt like an eternity, and then he caressed his cheek. “You should take a break. You look tired.”
Sic was so surprised he didn’t know how to answer.
The ghost of a smile appeared on Noran’s face. “Come with me. I have some food in my tent.”
Still speechless, Sic followed his master from the smithy, knowing well that all eyes were on him. The other smiths didn’t like that the young man they’d all known as a mere runaround had gotten so much attention since the last Spring Ceremony. They were jealous of Sic’s obvious talent that, to their surprise, hadn’t been fostered by Noran. They all knew how much their bad-tempered master adored the pleasant young man who served him with so much devotion and awe it made everybody who knew Noran think twice.
“What is it? Stop gawking and get back to work, you lazy lowlifes.”
Noran’s angry rebuke woke the slaves from their daze. They hurried to do their master’s will. Noran wasn’t squeamish when it came to punishing misbehavior.
“WHAT ON earth could you still be fighting about? By now y
ou should be through with every possible topic!” Saying that, Canubis offered his brother a cup of wine, an amused smile on his lips.
Renaldo took the beverage with a grimace. “If you think Casto is done with a topic after just one argument, you’re even more naive than I thought. He’s the king of repetition.”
“What was it about this time?”
“I said something he didn’t like, one word led to another, and I missed the point where I could have ended it with sex.”
“Listening to you when you’re talking about your relationship beats every comedy.”
Renaldo’s gray eyes flashed at his brother. “You wouldn’t be so gleeful if you had to endure it.”
“Probably not. Luckily for me, I don’t have to endure it. I just have to comment on it.” A rude gesture was the answer to that banter. Then Canubis turned serious. “I thought he’d be a little more grateful after you’d given him back his freedom.”
“Oh, he was grateful, I can assure you. But according to him, I’ve just given him back what he’d lent to me.”
Canubis shook his head. “Casto truly is special.”
Each man took a sip from his cup.
Canubis regarded his brother from half-closed eyes. Although he’d just fought with Casto, Renaldo, the beautiful, lethal warrior, looked happier than ever before. Canubis knew how hard it was for Renaldo to bear their world. He, too, had problems with the loneliness his natural dominance brought in its wake, but he didn’t have to put up with a perfect face that blinded everybody and an inner fire that could burn everything to ashes.
In addition, Canubis had his heart. Noemi was his anchor, the safe harbor from which he could go about his seemingly endless mission without losing his sanity.
His irascible brother had nobody. Casto was like a gift from the Holy Mothers, a stabilizing factor despite, or perhaps even because of, his stubbornness.
Canubis placed a hand on Renaldo’s arm. “I’m very pleased, brother. Casto is a perfect match for our army, and it’s my honor to welcome him to the Pack. I’m glad he’s making you happy.”