by L Ward
“I hope you’re hungry,” said Nath as he swept Evan beneath the table.
“Starving,” said Evan, eyes roaming over the tabletop dusted with rose petals. Wow.
“Champagne?” Nath quirked a brow, popping the cork with a flick of his finger. Evan grinned and held out his flute. The view was breathtaking, and he didn’t just mean the prince. From here the gardens sprawled for miles. Beyond the battlements the hills became mountains and the stars mapped the sky.
“Trying to get me drunk?” Evan teased.
“Not my style,” he smirked, and dipped back inside a moment, returning with a silver food cart covered in platters. “There’s plenty here to absorb the alcohol,” he said, and began serving Evan himself.
Everything was perfectly cooked and the tiny portion sizes were surprisingly filling. Dish after dish was placed before him giving his taste palette a landslide of flavour. Conversation expanded across the galaxy as they ate and drank their way to oblivion.
Nath poured another round of champagne, and they headed inside and up the spiral staircase. Evan’s head spun as they emerged in a phenomenal observatory.
The waxing gibbous hung pregnant and luminous as thousands of stars bathed them in astral light. An enormous telescope dominated the center of the spherical room, gaze piercing the heavens. It was ringed by tables, littered with charts and old leather books. The air smelled pungently of magic.
“This is amazing,” said Evan.
“Best observatory in the palace,” said Nath, gesturing to a black, plush sun lounger the size of a double bed. “I come up here every night.” His eyes went to the skies and Evan found himself lost at how much he could see from here.
“I know what I’d do up here every night,” said Evan, grinning and certain Nath was blushing. The moonlight bathed his skin in an opalescent glow, the faint shadows beneath his eyes were more obvious than last night and his pupils had dilated. “Come on, don’t pretend you haven’t at least thought about it,” he smirked, knowing he was poking one of Nath’s soft spots.
“Well, of course…” said Nath.
“That’s a picture I’d love to toss in my wank bank,” Evan grinned, gleaming with pleasure and watching Nath’s dimples outshine the stars. He finished his champagne and lay back on the lounger.
“Mm, I can agree on that one,” said Nath. “Seeing your bed has given me all kinds of new imagery,” he grinned wolfishly.
“I don’t mind seeing you tangled in my sheets,” Evan breathed, trailing his fingers up Nath’s side. “So, what time’s the shower?”
“In about an hour, but first I want to welcome you to the universe,” Nath’s smile was a bladed flash and he sat up, pulling Evan with him. For the subsequent hour they toured the skies checking coordinates. Nath showed him how to work the spellbound camera capable of photographing whatever the telescope lens could clearly see. Evan’s camera was decent, he’d saved up over a year for it, but Nath’s was phenomenal; better than the naked eye.
They were viewing the position of Mars when Nath said, “five minutes until the shower.”
“Let’s smoke,” said Evan, rolling the tidiest joint he’d ever made and passing it straight to his boyfriend.
The loungers proved to be wonderful, they chilled out smoking and contemplating the sky. “I knew you liked the finer things in life, but I didn’t think you were this tasteful,” he teased, watching Nath’s red-rimmed eyes light up. He looked pretty wasted.
“Look there!” his gasp shot a blood rocket to Evan’s groin. Nath pointed to the west where a trio of diamonds were streaking across the galaxy shortly followed by dozens more.
Evan drew in a breath watching the stars fall from Heaven in a shower of dreams, some barest pinpricks, others beacons. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said, as warmth spread through his body tickling his extremities. When he smoked it amplified his power, and magic would fill up his entire body like a warm hug. “I’ve seen the odd shooting star, but this is something else. It’s like they’re synchronising flight patterns.”
“They look like wishes to me, like I could just fill up my glass with them,” said Nath holding his half-full champagne flute aloft and squinting.
Evan smirked. “How high are you?” he asked, bubbling with curiosity.
“Quite,” said Nath, turning his lazy dimples on him. “I smoke more Indica around the full moon. My bones begin softening ready for the change which makes me ache all the time, it helps me sleep,” he sighed, eyes tracing meteors far, far away.
Evan stared, reaching over and lacing their fingers together.
“I’ve had horrible anxiety attacks over my transformations, especially when I was little because I didn’t understand what was happening to me or why I had to be restrained. My senses sharpen; smells are overpowering, sounds can be unbearable and my bones soften painfully. It worsens each day until the moon wanes. It’s shit.”
Sensing completion, Evan snuggled into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “If anything I do makes you uncomfortable, then tell me. Whatever you need. I’m not judging you,” he said.
Nath kissed him softly on the lips. “I should thank you for taking care of my worst ache last weekend,” his smile was wicked-sly.
“That so? Let me know if it starts hurting again and I’ll have another look,” said Evan, enjoying the nervous embarrassment litter Nath’s face.
They watched the rest of the shower wrapped in each other’s arms, hazy from weed and warm with booze. The last diamonds sank in paradise’s ocean as Nath’s hand slid beneath his shirt tracing soft skin and making Evan’s heart flutter; his kisses tasted of sugar-coated cannabis.
Evan’s crotch raged. He’d never been this weak for someone. He took his time undressing his prince from the waist down in a mess of tangled buttons and sloppy kisses. They moved slowly, savouring each moment.
“Of all the men in the universe, I’m the only one who gets to see this,” Evan breathed, gazing down at Nath: bare from the waist down, knees bent, feet on the lounger and flushed to his belly.
“Despite being stared at nearly every day of my life, I’ve never felt this physically exposed,” Nath replied, lips curling handsomely when Evan began kissing the fair hairs of his belly.
Midnight had long gone when they finished another tray of snacks and smoked the rest of the weed cuddling, talking and watching the moon go by until they tired and dropped into the lobby.
Surprise greeted Evan when he was led into the royal bedroom. A gigantic bed draped in gorgeous purple silks and piled with a mountain of pillows made his muscles ache with longing. Nath slapped his ass and Evan relaxed into what he was sure was a cloud sent express delivery from the gods. He groaned so loudly Nath turned to him in surprise.
“I’ve never felt anything so comfy,” he said, spooning Nath and breathing the sweetened smell of his hair.
Chapter 21
The best part about Tuesday was lessons with Nath; the worst part about Tuesday was the full moon.
Nath was quiet during lessons, pale and suffering a horrendous migraine. Whenever Flint’s head was turned Evan would touch his thigh under the desk, pouring healing energy into his body. He was a fantastic painkiller, but he couldn’t cure something of this magnitude in public.
Will, however, was enjoying himself immensely. “Is it your PWS?” his voice was barely above a whisper, but Nath tensed all the same. Pre-Werewolf Syndrome. Nath didn’t respond and Will’s temper flared, tiny cracks and pops combusted in flickers of orange. “Hungover isn’t a classy look, Nath,” he flashed a bleached-white grin.
“You’re one to talk. You drink like a tramp.”
Evan wanted to laugh, but Will’s furious heatwave silenced him.
By afternoon’s close, Evan and Nath took a short walk in the chilly gardens. The prince was laced with shadows and damp with sweat. They were close to the orchard when he suddenly stopped.
“I’m in need of confinement,” he said quietly.
Evan glimps
ed shame in his voice.“I’ll pray it’s easy.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.
Nath’s lips twitched and he kissed Evan one last time before heading back inside.
Like the weather, his mood turned when he met Cass in their favorite sitting-room, and she spent a lifetime raging about Jeremiah. Distraction’s presence made focusing on teasing combustible atmospheric fragmentations which, when manipulated by a good pyromancer, would burst into flames, nearly impossible. Will did it as easily as breathing during class, but Evan could barely manage a glimmer.
Jeremiah rolled in with Kristyn, the content analyst of the newsletter.
Cass glared; Kristyn’s blue eyes glittered and Jeremiah blanched sheepishly.
∞∞∞
Bedtime was an unsettling passage of time Evan spent restless and reassuring himself of Nath’s well-being. He’d been through it countless times before, he could handle it, but it didn’t ease the feeling of being left in the dark about a huge aspect of his boyfriend’s life. Somewhere in this very palace a fully-fledged werewolf was contained and almost no one knew about him.
He hoped above all else Nath was alright; since he’d opened up, Evan had been reading up on werewolves and some historical events left him in no doubt why they created such fear. There had been a village in the highlands of Scotland some centuries ago which boasted a beautiful market square with a rainbow of cobblestones and vendors selling everything from self-brushing cats to potions that could give you temporary wings. People would flock from all over Europe to find rare magical goods and walk through the Forsaken Forest surrounding the market to feel one with the spirits said to appear among the trees. One June night a pack of rouge werewolves attacked killing and infecting the entire village, including the tourists. Devastation was so extreme the village was abandoned to the wolves and is said to remain deep in the Scottish wilderness protected by magic and home to the largest settlement of werewolves in the world. No non-lycanthrope could cross the boundaries without being killed.
Hallowe’en dawned every shade of pumpkin lantern; vicious streaks of orange cut across the battlefield sky made hazy with magenta clouds. The moon, no longer shrouded in brilliance, waned in the west.
Despite lack of sleep, Evan buzzed with eagerness to get to lessons. Cass caught up with him at Courtweighed down with books; alchemy gauntlets hanging off her belt.
“You’re up bright and early,” she said, drowning her toast in raspberry jam.
“Early night,” said Evan.
“Looking forward to the party later?” her voice was light as a summer breeze.
He shot her a look laced with suspicion. In all honesty he’d forgotten about the party these past couple of days. “Yeah, my costume’s sorted.”
“By costume I hope you don’t mean dressing as yourself or some stupid crap lying around your room,” she teased.
“There’s no way in hell my sister will let me miss out on a palace Hallowe’en party,” Evan laughed, “I’ve got you beaten.”
“Don’t even joke like that.”
∞∞∞
The second appearance of an overweight B on Evan’s work filled him with pride. Relief burst in his chest when Nath came in barely a minute late uttering his apologies and keeping his head down.
“You okay?” Evan asked.
Nath nodded, offering a fragile smile.
“Let me help,” he said and the desperation in Nath’s eyes made his stomach clench. He relaxed and took his hand, magic trickling to his fingertips and seeping into his skin like droplets of blood.
“I’ll do what I can, but I can’t heal you properly in a classroom,” Evan whispered, eyes darting to Flint who was edging his way over. He felt the aching in Nath’s bones, the infection pushing back, refusing to give up its throne.
“You look like shit,” said Will, turning his devastating smile on them.
Nath flinched at its artificial brightness. “We’ve been having a lot of dates, actually, too much champagne,” he replied.
The atmosphere flipped and Will’s penetrating gaze turned on Evan; a faint smoky smell soured the room.
Flint approached with boyish eagerness but was intercepted by a cheery knock at the door. Two maids appeared, dropping into curtsies for the prince; arms laden with boxes dusted with glitter.
“The bakers are testing new recipes for the festive season, so we’ve been asked to share some testers. Leave your comments in the red tub and we’ll collect them later,” the first maid, a tall olive-skinned woman with deep red hair addressed the room. She popped one of the lids and the air was saturated with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Nath’s chair screeched and he flew at the window, it opened in a burst of light and he leaned out sucking great gulps of air.
“Oh my god!” shouted Safi.
“Your Highness!” said Rayne.
“Says a lot about the palace bakers,” Blaise said loudly and his friends, minus Andrew, burst into great, heaving guffaws.
The maids rushed to Nath's service, offering Hangover's Essence and a cup of water. He politely refused and returned to his seat.
“Hope you didn’t eat anything you shouldn’t have last night,” said Will.
Evan took a breath and counted to ten.
“I thought getting drunk would help me through the mountain of work Dad and I shared,” said Nath, loudly enough for the few eavesdroppers to hear.
Will snorted and the air crackled with tension.
Nath winced glimpsing people piling into the cookie boxes, and cringed at every bang.
When the class rounded up for lunch, most everyone checked in on Nath and he was ever the gracious prince in return.
“Maybe you should take the afternoon off, have a lie down and let me heal you,” said Evan.
Nath paled at the echo of voices rushing the corridor.
“I think that would be marvelous,” he said.
∞∞∞
It was by far the most complicated thing Evan had ever tried to heal. Every time his magic seeped into Nath’s joints a powerful resistance rose to fight it. His brain was fried and he slumped beside him with a sigh of exhaustion. Words failed him when his eyes fell on Nath’s sleeping face. Perhaps he’d done better than he thought.
He woke a couple of hours later beside Nath, relaxed and thoroughly refreshed. The afternoon was disappearing in a crushed-velvet sky and he needed to get ready for the Monster Mash. He glanced at Nath, lying in the same position; dead to the world. Cass would go mental if he missed what she deemed to be the greatest night of the year, but he was torn about leaving the prince.
Half an hour ticked by and as he shifted to write a note, the prince stirred.
“What time is it?” he asked sleepily.
“Half six,” said Evan.
Nath was pale as transcendent moons and struggling to keep his eyes open.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked, brows knit.
“Tired but I’m afraid I’m not up to dinner, but you’ve a party to attend,” said Nath, his scratchy voice sent a burst of arousal through Evan’s belly.
“I was gonna write a note,” he said. “Do you need any more healing?”
A whisper of a smile touched Nath’s face and he shook his head. “I’ll be fine with a kiss before you go; the memory of your lips will sustain me through these dark hours.”
God damn. Evan inhaled deeply as he crossed the room and kissed Nath like a prince rising from the dead.
∞∞∞
Dinner was themed for Hallowe’en: bright green wriggling jellies, doughnuts which oozed waves of strawberry jam, blanched spaghetti in blue Bolognese sauce, what appeared to be a fish-eye stew that followed you everywhere and enormous meringues painted to look like gore. The royals, however, didn't dine at Court every night so Nath’s absence was nothing unusual.
“Will you two hurry up?” Evan pummeled Cass’s door, slouching on the wall beside it and beginning to wonder why he ever agreed to this.
&nb
sp; Students bustled past in an explosion of colour, a girl in a vivid mauve pixie dress with a pair of wings spilling flower petals whenever she moved skipped by hand-in-hand with a boy bound entirely in bandages with just two eyeholes exposed. They almost took out a pair of girls trying to navigate the staircases as a three-legged ghoul.
“Wait one second!” she said shrilly.
“That’s what you said twenty minutes ago.”
The door swung open and Cass stood, hands on hips, donned in full vampire princess glory. “Ta-da!”
“Nice dress,” said Evan, gesturing to the billowing skirt of net, trails of smoke rippling around her bedazzled feet. It was cinched in the waist, laced with crisscrossing black ribbons and the neckline incredibly low.
“Thanks, Evan! Come on,” she hissed, turning back with a scowl.
Jeremiah edged through the door dressed as her immortal prince. He cringed and rightfully threw away the bloodstained artificial coronet he wore. “This is overkill,” he said.
“You’re spoiling it!” She cried, magicking it into her hands before it was almost trampled by an oncoming zombie.
“Don’t you think it’s disrespectful to wear it in front of real royalty?” asked Jeremiah.
“No,” said Cass.
“Yes,” said Evan.
Jeremiah quick-glanced Evan. “I’ll go with what he says, he’s the one dating the prince.”
“You’re an idiot,” she said harshly.
Evan pursed his lips and refused to get involved.
Jeremiah offered his arm and she took it with clear disdain. The tension required a severing curse as they tailed the hypnotic music into Court.
Pumpkin lanterns the size of horses haunted the entrance, glowing with every shade of sunrise slaughter. The cavernous room boomed with rock, magic raining a shower of moondust and enchanting the air with intoxicating smells. The walls gleamed and an array of bistro tables were clustered in one corner donning black velvet cloths and a rainbow of pumpkin lanterns which Cass eyed disdainfully. She hadn’t been able to make up for her loss.