Faint voices drifted to him on the wind, the Prince and his advisor. When it went quiet, Jeffrey sat up and looked around. The waves were lapping at his feet, the ocean and the sky met at the horizon, the view broken by rocks on either side of the bay. Turning around he found Ignacio walking up the path to the villa, the Prince sitting on his own on a sun lounger, a second empty one beside him.
On a whim he couldn’t explain, Jeffrey stood up, walked back into the ocean to wash off the sand, then headed towards the Prince. “May I sit?” he asked, wondering what he was doing. Talking to the Prince never seemed to end well, why would he risk it needlessly?
The Prince nodded and gestured with his hand, his eyes on Jeffrey’s chest. Jeffrey sat and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. “Jeffrey, I never realised... your scars, how did you get them?”
Jeffrey looked down himself at the thin red line going right across his chest, then looked up and shrugged. “In battle of course.” He had another one, thick and scraggy covering part of his left side, another shorter one circled part of his right thigh. Then there was his back that had seen too many floggings.
“You fought in the Long War, right? Was it that one?”
“This one,” Jeffrey indicated the one on his left side, “I got during that war. Mountain of a Livanoran with a chain mace, wasn’t quite quick enough... this one,” he indicated the one on his chest, “I got on an assignment in the north, dealing with raiding clans. We didn’t have much armour then, leather only. I was young and foolish, thought myself invincible. Learnt that lesson quickly. It doesn’t look half as bad as it felt back then. Taught me to stay away from the angry giants,” he added with a laugh.
The Prince sat up, still looking at Jeffrey. “May I?” he asked
Jeffrey opened his eyes long enough to see the Prince pointing at one of his scars, he shrugged. Gentle fingers reached out and traced over rugged skin. The faint touch tickled a little, there was also something else, a hint of sparks. Slow movement brought the fingers right across Jeffrey’s chest, then they trailed lower, towards his side. A thumb moved across the place where he’d been hit twice. The chain mace had come first. He’d been out of action for weeks, but he’d trained in secret. Sometimes Aidan had trained with him.
It had been his first time fighting an opponent that used the strange weapon. A spiked ball on a chain, the haft held in one hand, the other using a shield. The swinging motion had been irritating, hard to focus on and fight against. He’d only been hit once, then he’d killed the man wielding it. It had been his clumsiest kill yet and he’d trained hard afterwards to learn to defend against the strange weapon. He’d never yet had to fight another man wielding it, however.
Only a few short weeks after being cleared for active duty, Jeffrey found his weakened left side injured again. A spear. Wielded by a boy, who had used a moment when Jeffrey was focused on another more dangerous opponent; the one that had killed the only man that had ever mattered to Jeffrey. Memories flooded his mind. The heat of the sun as they fought, the stench of blood, sweat, and death. For a moment he could feel the sword in his hand again, until he’d dropped it and fallen to his knees beside the lifeless form of his lover.
He opened his eyes, blinking hard. The Prince still stared at the scars, his fingers trailing further, finding the ends of where whips had reached Jeffrey’s side. The gentle touch drew his focus, letting the memories fade. The Prince looked up and Jeffrey found two blue orbs staring at him.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Jeffrey blinked. Once. Twice. Had he misheard?
A more recent memory surfaced. The Prince and his advisor talking while Jeffrey pretended to be asleep. The Prince had said something about his magic reacting to Jeffrey, how it had made him want to kiss Jeffrey. Even then Jeffrey had thought he’d misheard. It couldn’t be. Not with the way their conversations went.
Before Jeffrey had the chance to respond they heard Ignacio’s voice from the villa. “Our first guests are arriving, come make an appearance.”
“Time to go,” the Prince acknowledged and stood, leaving Jeffrey gaping after him.
***
Over the course of the next few hours, one by one the guests arrived from their various corners of the Empire. Wine was brought out, toasts were made, and stories shared. By the time night had fallen, all expected guests had arrived. Jeffrey breathed a sigh of relief when the last guest arrived and he didn’t know him. None of the nobles were familiar beyond passing them at the palace, though he knew some of the family names. None of them posed a danger.
At dinner, everyone sat together, even Jeffrey and Kieron. For soldiers to be allowed to sit at the same table with nobility was an oddity at best. Some of the nobles had made some noises of protest initially but the Prince had shut them up with only a few words.
The Prince stood with his wine glass in hand. “My friends, I welcome you to Casa Extraneo. Most of you have been here before, some of you are new. So let me say a few words, and please do bear with me. I hold these gatherings for a reason, and it is not to plot and pester, to curry favour and exchange secrets. In this house, we shall all be equals. Men and women who have gathered simply to enjoy themselves and enjoy good company. We have a few rules to ensure everyone’s enjoyment.
“There shall be no talk of politics while we are here; no rank or title shall mean anything; anything is permitted, as long as it is consensual; and most importantly, whatever happens during this week, it will not leave this house, ever, under any circumstances. The moment you leave here, you will never speak a word of the events that took place. Not to your friends, allies, family, nor to anyone in attendance. You will have your memories, that must suffice.
“Crucially, anyone found breaking any of these rules shall be punished. As your host, I vouch for all of you and would settle disputes, should they arise, which I do not expect. Yet, I can promise that should anyone be in breach of the rules laid out, they will most certainly feel my wrath and, if it happens after we leave, they will feel my power as Crown Prince and heir to the throne of the Sycanian Empire. You are suitably warned, does anyone object or wish to leave now?” The room remained silent. “In that case, repeat after me; I vow to misbehave and never tell another soul what happened here.”
The entire room, spoke as one, repeating the Prince’s words.
“Now go and be merry.” The Prince raised his glass then drank a long gulp from it before sitting down. Silence continued to hang in the air, his speech having made everyone sober and sombre. Jeffrey suspected that was the intention.
“So, shall we play some truth or dare over dinner?” Demyan asked mischievously.
“Well then, Demyan, truth or dare?” Tacitus asked.
“Dare.”
“I dare you to make up an opera about a person in this room and perform it, it may be short but must be at least thirty seconds long.”
“Can I perform after dinner?”
“You may have a few minutes to think, but by the end of this course we’ll want to hear it.”
“Right... I guess I accept.”
“While we’re waiting, truth or dare, Tacitus?” Sofia asked.
“For practicality reasons, I’ll go with truth.”
“Tell us something that people think you would never do but have done,” Sofia said.
“That’s too tame. Everyone knows that Tacitus is too much of a good boy to ever do anything he shouldn’t,” Silvestro interrupted.
“Well, if you think that, you’ll be interested to hear this...” Tacitus started, then drank deeply from his wine glass.
“Wait, we’re not starting with the sex stories already, are we?” Xandra asked.
“Surely not, considering it’s Tacitus,” Silvestro said and rolled his eyes.
“Many of you know that I trained with the legion for a time. At one point we’d been out in the field for days with nothing to do while we waited for new orders. My captain was only slightly older than me and very good looking. I
t was terribly distracting actually. One day after a briefing we both ended up staying behind. There was this big, solid table in the middle and well... let’s just say we made good use of it. But the thing is,” Tacitus paused and blushed. “Our Commander walked in on us in the middle of it. And he didn’t walk back out again, he actually stood and watched, his arms crossed in front of his chest. I still see it so clearly. I was going to stop but my captain wrapped his legs around my waist and so... well, we finished with an audience.” Tacitus picked up his wine glass again, taking another swig while the room jeered and laughed. “Then he told us never to let him catch us again and to get out. He never moved either, so we had to squeeze past him to get out. It was excruciating!”
“Great story, Tacitus. We’ve well and truly kicked off. I think you owe him an apology, Silvestro,” Xandra said.
Silvestro sneered. “He was probably the one bent over the table.”
“Silvestro, truth or dare?” The Prince asked, his eyes locking on Silvestro’s, who swallowed hard.
“Dare.”
“You’re certain?” Silvestro shrugged in response. “Before this week is out, you will give Tacitus control and let him bend you over a table if he wishes to do so.”
“But...”
“You may ask for a different dare under the usual conditions.”
Silvestro inclined his head. “I accept.”
Tacitus looked at the Prince and nodded, a smile playing on his lips. The Prince nodded in acknowledgement. The other’s stayed quiet, only some noticing the silent exchange while the rest drank deeply from their wine glasses, likely to bolster their courage Jeffrey could only believe.
“Akoni,” Xandra said, breaking the silence. “Truth or dare.”
The Prince smirked at her and sipped from his wine before answering. “Dare.”
“Take off your clothes and spend the rest of the evening naked,” she said with a glint in her eyes.
“Charming, is that all?” The Prince asked back.
Jeffrey sniggered.
“No, Xandra, don’t waste this opportunity! Being naked isn’t a challenge to him,” Ignacio said. At the hurt look she gave him, he continued. “I’ve no doubt that he will give you plenty of opportunities to ogle his body. Ask him something that’ll be a real dare for now.”
“Like what?” Xandra asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Spend the rest of the evening serving everyone wine,” Jeffrey said out of the blue, everyone’s eyes focusing on him, while he only looked at the Prince. “Maybe do it naked, for the Lady Xandra.”
The room went silent as the two men stared at each other. The air grew thick around them. At last, the Prince spoke, “I accept.” He stood up and left the room. Shortly after, he returned wearing only a short apron to cover his privates, a wine carafe in his hand. He went around the table, making sure everyone’s glass was topped up. When he stood next to Xandra, he leaned in and whispered something in her ear, she smiled. He turned around and continued his quest, her eyes following him.
“Jeffrey, truth or dare?” Ignacio asked.
“Dare.”
Ignacio grinned. “Pick someone at this table, that you’ve not had sex with, and kiss them for ten seconds.”
“You realise that you’re putting someone in a very awkward position here. Some of the gathered noble sensibilities may not like the idea,” Jeffrey said in a bored tone. It was hardly a difficult challenge. But he did feel bad for Kieron. Something made Jeffrey think Ignacio wanted him to pick the Prince, but he wasn’t going to do that unless dared specifically.
“Anyone that won’t mind, raise your hand,” Ignacio said.
Jeffrey looked around, there were a few ladies at the table that had raised their hand. They’d be disappointed. Only a handful of the men raised theirs. A brunet with beautiful green eyes caught Jeffrey’s attention but he let his gaze continue to travel the table. Jeffrey noted that the Prince did not raise his hand, despite a glare from Ignacio. Ignacio also did not raise his hand, Jeffrey would have enjoyed that. “You issue a dare but won’t take part? Disappointing. I’m guessing you want to see the spectacle now?”
Ignacio nodded, his eyes hooded.
“Well then,” Jeffrey said and stood, his eyes temporarily locking on the Prince. He moved along people’s backs, letting his hand moved over the back of the chairs, touching some of the nobles. He held the Prince’s gaze a moment longer but stopped behind the brunet. “May I ask your name?”
“Felix.”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Felix. I’m Jeffrey.” Leaning in, Jeffrey pressed his lips against Felix’s. He parted his lips, his tongue trailing over silken softness that opened slightly. He took the invitation and entered. A tongue came to greet his and they wound around each other.
“Ten seconds are up, you may stop. Unless you don’t want to, of course,” Ignacio said with a chuckle.
Jeffrey took a few more seconds before he pulled away. He winked at Felix and smiled before returning to his seat. He noted that the Prince no longer met his gaze. Kieron did though, his lips formed to a smile, which didn’t reach his eyes. Sitting down, Jeffrey let his hand find Kieron’s knee, giving it a slight squeeze. Kieron’s hand came up and wrapped around Jeffrey’s.
Chapter 10
After the last course had been served, some of the nobles started drifting away, gathering in groups outside. When the Prince headed outside, so did Kieron and Jeffrey. They never stayed close, just near enough to be able to keep an eye on him.
“I’m going to go wander a bit, I’ll be back soon,” Jeffrey said to Kieron, leaning it to place a discreet kiss on his cheek.
“Tiras?”
“Don’t worry, I just feel the need to stretch my legs. Keep an eye on the Prince for me?”
“Of course.”
Jeffrey left, heading down the path to the beach. He wasn’t sure what pulled him that way.
Halfway along the beach, far from the villa, he was stopped by a brunette lady, “You’re new to this, aren’t you?”
“New to what?”
“These parties,” she said with a chuckle.
“Is there some sign that gives someone away as new?”
“Lack of adventurousness,” she said with a wink.
“That so, and what makes you think I’m not adventurous?” Jeffrey asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, you’re here on your own.”
“Except, you are here too.”
She laughed. “I thought I would like you, and as normal, I am right. And you’re so gorgeous too.”
Jeffrey smirked, “You’ve known me all of three seconds, I may yet turn out quite different than you think. However, thank you for the compliment. You’re pretty gorgeous yourself.”
“Sofia.”
“Jeffrey.”
“There’s much talk about the Prince’s new guard.”
“Court gossip will never cease. How pleasant to be at a place where titles and class don’t matter.”
Sofia inclined her head. “You’re right of course. It’s just so intriguing talking with you.”
“Most of your... friends don’t seem to feel the same intrigue.”
“They’ll loosen up in a day or two. They aren’t used to being around soldiers they can play truth or dare with.”
“I can’t say I’m used to being around nobles I can play truth or dare with either.”
“Maybe it’s a learning curve for both sides. A hint at what the world might look like under a new king.”
“Wouldn’t that be a shock to everyone,” Jeffrey laughed.
“At first, sure. Time will tell what it could become.”
Jeffrey nodded.
“This is getting much too political. How about going for a swim?” She asked with a chuckle.
“While I would enjoy that, I fear that it would leave you unsatisfied,” Jeffrey smirked.
“Oh, why is that?” She asked with a crease between her thin brows.
“You’re
very beautiful, yet, not quite what I’m looking for, I’m afraid.”
“No! After the kiss at dinner, I had really hoped you’d be at least bisexual. Why is it that all the good ones are always swinging the other way?”
“I’ve asked the Goddess that very question many times, as of yet, she’s not answered me.”
Sofia laughed. “I should have known really. You’re too decent.”
“I do believe that if you asked Tacitus for a swim, he’d be much more likely to join you.”
“Tacitus? But he’s so... plain.”
“That’s hardly fair after the story he shared over dinner. Maybe you just need to give him a chance, get to know him?”
“Suppose. I’ve a whole week, we’ll see what happens. If you’ve been busy observing us all, who has caught your eye? Felix?”
“Ah, can’t possibly share that so easily. Not unless I’ve tried my own luck first.”
“That’s no fun.”
“Isn’t it?” Jeffrey asked cheekily.
“You realise I’ll be watching now to try and work it out.”
“Aren’t we all watching each other anyway?”
“Fair point!” Sofia laughed. “Come on then, let’s rejoin the others and watch from up close.”
Jeffrey inclined his head in agreement and let her lead the way. Once back at the house she headed towards her peers, while Jeffrey fell back and headed in another direction.
Unable to turn off his instincts, Jeffrey searched for the Prince. He did not anticipate any danger and knew Kieron was looking out for him too, but he felt better checking on him. Justifying it as his job, rather than anything else. Yet as the wine flowed, helped by the Prince still going around and refilling glasses, Jeffrey found himself relaxing more and, to his own surprise, actually enjoying himself in the company of so many nobles, though few dared speak with him or Kieron.
Minutes turned to hours and the night grew darker. The groups that had formed decreased in size as some of the guests started heading off together. Earlier, Jeffrey had seen one gentleman lead a lady inside, where he had no doubt they were headed for a bedroom. Others were less subtle and occasionally some rather intensely passionate sounds could be heard coming up from the beach, quite clearly from more than two people as well. The Prince, still nearly naked, stood in a group that seemed to prefer chatting over the more carnal pleasures of life.
Ties of Destiny (Curse of the Crown Book 1) Page 14