To his outsider’s eye, Pazar looked much like Traget. The houses, shops, and inns were constructed of similar rough-cut beams, rock, and plaster. People filled the streets, hawking their wares or filling their baskets. But there was one striking difference between the two towns—the color. Yellow, red, orange, and purple flowering plants, banners, and even some painted murals adorned many of the buildings. Instead of the dull grays and browns of Rassan dress, even the lowliest Sambaran seemed to have a splash of color somewhere on them, be it a ribbon holding back loose waves of flowing hair or a brightly dyed leather belt or scarf.
It might have been his imagination, but the people seemed brighter and happier too. Rassans weren’t overly demonstrative people. In fact, they were quite proud of their reserve. He knew that, but the contrast was still striking as he surreptitiously studied the people they passed. It made him wonder if Rassans had ever been that free, if maybe the Brotherhood had taken their joy along with everything else and they just didn’t realize it.
He shook his head at his own philosophical meanderings. He’d lived in Arcadia for a long time. Life was hard there, but he’d still seen children laughing and people smiling as they sang their hymns and went about their work. Surely there were plenty of places in Rassa where people were as happy as these. Just because someone didn’t wear that joy out where everyone could see it didn’t mean it wasn’t there, right?
The press of bodies around them made Ravi wish he’d dug his old cloak out of their packs before they left, even if all their clothes were badly in need of washing. He wasn’t used to being around this many people without his hood to hide behind, and he found himself edging closer to Daks with every minute that passed. After the second time Ravi bumped into him, Daks threw him a sideways glance.
Daks didn’t say anything, but Ravi almost tripped over his own feet when Daks grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together. Swallowing his shock, Ravi stared at him questioningly, but Daks kept his gaze locked on where they were going. After shooting a slightly embarrassed glance at the crowd around them, Ravi allowed the comfort of Daks’s grip to make its warm way up his arm and into his chest. He had so many new things he’d have to get used to, but this one he’d do gladly if Daks let him.
A new life. A new start.
He lifted his chin, met a few curious stares from passersby, and reciprocated their nods of acknowledgment and greeting like he was anyone else who belonged there. He even smiled a few times, though the stretch of his lips felt awkward.
The healer was a no-nonsense lean older woman with sharp, assessing brown eyes and a steel-gray braid that trailed down her back. By the cluster of injured people sitting in neat rows in the tavern’s common room, she had her work cut out for her, but she didn’t bat an eye when Daks and Ravi came in. After questioning them to make sure neither was in any immediate danger, another woman in a white apron wrote their names on a slate and directed them to a bench.
Ravi had dozed off at least twice in the time it took for the healer to get to them again. He supposed it was lucky for them they hadn’t arrived on the first day or two after the flood or their wait would have been even longer. The whole time, Daks clasped Ravi’s hand in his lap and held him close to his side with an arm around his waist, and Ravi drank in the contact like sunlight after years of rain.
The woman in the white apron came to them first. She cleaned the wound on Daks’s head and removed the stitches along his ribs before the healer came to join them. Ravi hadn’t been nervous up until that point, but when the healer pulled a glowing green stone out of her pocket and leaned in close to Daks, he flinched. Daks’s hand tightened on his, and he gave Ravi a reassuring smile.
“It’s okay.”
Blowing out a breath, Ravi sat still and watched closely as the woman passed the stone over the wounds. A lifetime of prejudice wouldn’t be overcome in a few hours, but he supposed he’d have to get used to it sometime. He was going to a school for mages, after all. Before Ravi’s astonished eyes, the raised and reddened skin on Daks’s side faded to pink. Next, the healer moved the stone to his head, closed her eyes, and whispered. Ravi could actually see the hairs on Daks’s arms lift as she worked and the lump began to shrink and the gash form a scar.
“That’s the best I can do for now, I’m afraid,” the healer said wearily. “I’ve sent a request to the High Council and the king for another healer and more healing stones, but towns and villages all along the river are calling for aid, so I don’t know what we’ll get or when.”
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t ask for more than that. Thank you,” Daks said, lifting and flexing his left arm before running cautious fingers along his scalp.
“Your turn,” the healer said, turning to Ravi.
He reared back. “Oh no. I’m okay.”
“I’ll judge that,” the older woman said firmly.
“No, really. As you said, you need to save your strength and your—” He waved a hand at the stone, unsure what to call it other than blasphemy.
“Sit still,” she ordered, and when Daks squeezed his hand, Ravi stilled.
“Your tunic,” she said, pointing.
Reluctantly, Ravi lifted his tunic and shirt to expose the bruising on his chest, but the woman didn’t place the stone there. Instead she rested a cool palm over the area and closed her eyes. Given that she was the only one other than Daks to touch him in a long time, Ravi flinched, half expecting a Vision to overtake him, but nothing happened beyond a slight tingle along his skin beneath her hand.
“It doesn’t hurt. I promise,” Daks murmured, and when Ravi glanced at him, the man was smiling wryly.
Ravi blew out another breath and tried to force all the muscles in his body to relax. He could only imagine what his expression must have looked like to prompt Daks to say that, probably not very attractive at all. That was something else he’d have to get used to without his hood.
He jumped a little when a slight warmth spread beneath his skin where the healer touched, though the sensation was far from unpleasant.
“There you are,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “You’ll need to be careful for a while. I didn’t take care of all of the bruising, but I mended the small crack in one of your ribs, which should keep you out of immediate danger.”
“Thanks.”
The woman looked even wearier now, and Ravi was almost sorry he’d come. He’d been in some pain, especially after their journey today, but he could have healed on his own in time, and there were more people in line behind them.
“Thank you, Healer,” Daks said formally. “I’ll also send word to the High Council on your behalf when I report in, and they’ll reimburse you for our healing as well.”
The healer’s lips quirked in a mirror of Daks’s usual wry grin. “I won’t hold my breath, Agent. But lucky for both of us, you have a hard head, so perhaps you’ll have better luck than I.”
By the time Daks had dragged them to a cobbler, a clothes merchant, and to yet one more shop to send his message—which he did by simply holding a rock the man behind the counter gave him and closing his eyes—and they returned to the inn, Ravi was completely overwhelmed with the strangeness of it all. He wanted to find his cloak and curl up somewhere dark and quiet. He tried to argue when Daks procured flannels, robes, sandals, and soap for the bath house he’d been going on and on about. But all Daks had to do was crowd him into a quiet corner and kiss him breathless, and Ravi followed along like a puppy from then on. Ravi wasn’t completely sure he liked being so easy to manipulate, and he glared down at his cock with disapproval of the choices it was making for him, but he still went.
The bath house turned out to be a separate structure behind the inn, and as they stepped inside, mineral and herb-scented steam enveloped them. In the center of the room, hot coals smoked beneath a grate piled with large rounded river stones littered with leaves and flowers. At first Ravi couldn’t understand the purpose until a woman ladled water over the stones and more steam filled the air.
Five large half barrels, big enough for two people to sit in, ringed the room, but only one other was occupied.
“It’s suppertime,” Daks said quietly, as if reading his thoughts. “We should have a little more privacy, but not as much as I’d like.”
The deep, husky rumble of his voice vibrated through Ravi’s belly and his cock pulsed hopefully, making Ravi scowl down at it again and shift uncomfortably. A “little” privacy definitely wasn’t enough for him, no matter what his cock thought. No way was he going to get naked in front of strangers with Daks anywhere near him. He’d die of embarrassment.
He started backing up, but Daks caught his hand and squeezed. Ravi met his gaze and melted under the sweetness and reassurance he saw there. Dammit, he’d had no idea how charming Daks could be when he chose. Either that or Ravi was just too besotted to think clearly anymore. He preferred to blame Daks.
“Gentlemen, welcome,” a small woman dressed in a cream-colored linen blouse, tan skirt, and light blue apron said, approaching them. “Are you sharing a bath today?”
“We are,” Daks replied. He cast a quick glance at Ravi before he added, “We’d like a privacy screen as well, please.”
The woman smiled knowingly at them, making Ravi’s face heat even more. “Of course, sirs. This way, please.”
As she led them to one of the barrels at the back of the room, Ravi murmured under his breath, “We’re not doing any funny business in this place, screen or no screen.”
Daks beamed that infuriating grin at him. “Of course not. But I figured you’d appreciate the bit of privacy for your modesty’s sake, if nothing else. I’m only thinking of you.”
Ravi narrowed his eyes at the man, almost certain Daks was laughing at him or lying… or both.
The instant Ravi sank into the steaming, scented water, he forgot all about any worries over modesty or irritation with Daks. Not caring who heard, he let out a long, low moan as every tight muscle in his body seemed to melt into a puddle all at once. He hadn’t had a hot bath since that last winter with his family more than a decade ago. He’d forgotten how good it could feel.
“You keep making noises like that and I’m going to have a hard time respecting your finer sensibilities,” Daks said huskily as he climbed into the tub with him.
Ravi tried to think of something clever or cutting to say in return, but his mind had apparently melted as well.
Daks let him float on his own for a while before tugging Ravi into his lap and murmuring smugly in his ear, “Told you you’d love it.”
Ravi let his head fall back against Daks’s shoulder as he allowed the man to support him in the water. Daks was right, though Ravi wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it out loud. Ravi relaxed in a pleasant dreamlike state until Daks began to gently wash him with a soaped flannel that smelled of lavender and spices. He tried to voice an objection. He really did. He was perfectly capable of washing himself. And they might have a reed screen between them and any other patrons or staff, but someone could still hear. But Daks’s ministrations felt so good, Ravi couldn’t seem to get his voice to work or his mouth to utter anything but quiet, breathy moans. He squirmed in Daks’s lap as the man soaped between his legs, his big hand sliding over Ravi’s hardening cock teasingly before dipping lower to massage his balls and then farther back.
Ravi let out a little whimper when a soapy finger ghosted over his hole, and Daks’s hand returned along the path it had taken.
When he regained enough control to speak, Ravi hissed, “We need to go to our room now.”
“You sure?” Daks asked, that stupid smile in his voice. “We haven’t used the full hour yet.”
With a monumental feat of strength, Ravi pushed himself off of Daks’s lap and spun in the water to face him. He narrowed his gaze at the man and gritted out, “Yes. Now.”
He’d waited ten Rift-blighted years for a night of unbridled sexual hedonism. He wasn’t waiting any longer.
Despite the teasing in Daks’s tone, Ravi had felt the man’s hard cock pressed to the small of his back, and Daks’s pupils were blown so only a narrow ring of blue circled the black. The man wasn’t as in control as he liked to pretend, and that somehow made Ravi even hotter. He needed to get to that big soft bed Daks had promised before his legs wouldn’t carry him anymore.
How they got up to the room, Ravi couldn’t say. He vaguely remembered Daks murmuring something to the ladies who worked there as they clumsily dressed in the robes, collected the rest of their clothes, and stumbled toward the inn proper, but that was all.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Ravi launched himself at Daks, kissing him and tugging the robe from Daks’s shoulders. Daks chuckled into their sloppy kiss as he yanked at his own belt, freeing the knot, before doing the same to Ravi’s. Naked, smelling of herbs and the first pungent musk of need, they fell on the bed together in a writhing heap. It was only when Ravi’s chest twinged, reminding him that he wasn’t completely healed, that he remembered Daks’s injuries too.
“Are you. Okay? I’m not. Hurting you. Am I?” he gasped between kisses.
Daks rolled on top of him, covering him with that big body in a way Ravi knew he’d never get enough of. After bracing himself up on his elbows, Daks gazed down at him with an achingly tender smile as he brushed Ravi’s unruly damp, curling hair out of his face.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Daks burrowed his arms under Ravi’s shoulders, slid one palm down to grip Ravi’s ass while the other moved to cradle his neck, pulling him into another long, teasing kiss. Ravi hooked his heels around Daks’s thighs and writhed against him, seeking friction for his achingly hard cock even as he clutched at Daks’s back.
When Daks finally broke their kiss, Ravi whined and tried to pull him back again, but when he began moving down Ravi’s body, kissing, licking, and caressing as he went, the whine turned into incoherent sounds of encouragement. He arched into each touch, shaking with need and anticipation, moaning and gasping. Every nerve was on fire and starved for attention.
When Daks’s hot mouth closed over the head of his cock the first time, Ravi nearly shot off the bed. Daks chuckled around his length, sending vibrations of pleasure that had Ravi flopping back onto the plush mattress. With one palm flat against Ravi’s chest, pressing down even as he caressed him, Daks began working his way up and down Ravi’s shaft, licking, sucking, and gently nibbling, until he took Ravi’s entire length inside.
With a cry, Ravi exploded into Daks’s mouth mortifyingly quickly. He’d tried to hold on, but the teasing in the tub, followed by all of Daks’s ministrations since then, overwhelmed him. This wasn’t the first time someone had used their mouth on him, but what Daks could do with that mouth of his far outstripped any of the youthful fumblings with the boys in his childhood village. He now understood why so many people made such a big deal about it.
Still, as he came down from his orgasm and Daks settled on top of him again, brushing the backs of his fingers along Ravi’s cheek and peppering him with gentle kisses, Ravi couldn’t help a wince of embarrassment.
“Sorry,” he murmured with a grimace.
Daks’s eyebrows drew together. “For what?”
Ravi squirmed. “You know, not, uh, lasting longer than that.”
Daks grinned. “Beautiful, we have all night. That was just the first round.”
Shyly, Ravi wrapped his arms around Daks’s shoulders and held his gaze. “I didn’t take care of you.”
“I can be patient.”
“Since when?” Ravi snorted.
Daks merely cocked an eyebrow and grinned. Ravi studied his face before running the tips of his fingers along the pink scars on his jaw. “You’re different than I imagined you’d be,” he said absently.
Daks’s grin widened. “You fantasized about me?”
Of course Daks would only hear that part. Scowling, Ravi huffed and tried halfheartedly to push him off, but the
man’s solid bulk didn’t budge. “I was going to say, I just didn’t expect you to be so… so tender, I guess.” Then he cringed at how stupid and lovesick that sounded.
He pushed at Daks’s chest, harder this time, wanting to hide his embarrassment, but Daks cupped his jaw and kissed him until Ravi melted again.
When he finally drew back, Daks said, “As Shura will gladly tell you often—and in any language you choose—I can be a bastard. I know it. But not when it counts. Not with people I care about.”
Ravi bit his lower lip as his stupid heart fluttered, but he was absolutely not going to ask for any more reassurances than that. Instead, he whispered, “Daks, I want you to fuck me.”
Daks’s gaze darkened as he stared into Ravi’s eyes. His tongue snaked out and wet his lips before he asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Despite his nervousness, his cock started filling again at the thought of being so wrapped up and filled that he could feel Daks everywhere at once. He’d done without for so long, he ached to be overwhelmed with sensation and had no interest in being patient.
Daks cleared his throat. “Just to be clear, you’ve never done this before, have you?” Before Ravi could even think of frowning, Daks added, “I need to know so I don’t hurt you or expect you to know something you don’t.”
Ravi flushed but shook his head. “I haven’t.”
“You don’t have to, you know. If you’d rather wait, or try something else, I’m quite flexible—”
“I want to. I want to feel you in me, on me, around me, everywhere.”
To Ravi’s immense relief, Daks groaned and smiled that sexy smile of his as he pumped his hips, letting Ravi feel how those words had affected him. Which was good, because Ravi wasn’t sure he could have managed more convincing than that without dying of embarrassment. His proper Rassan reserve had suffered enough for one day.
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