The Celestial King

by L Ward

  “I understand. The way you speak of Prince Evan… you were still hurting when they met?”

  Will fought the urge to down his drink and pour another, violated didn’t cover it.

  “Sometimes the reality of closure of painful memories can bring about lots of emotions,” said Dante.

  “Maybe. Like I said, people were constantly interfering and it just wasn’t meant to be. Nath and I are slowly getting on track to being something like friends again and I don’t want to ruin it.”

  Awkwardness nestled in the crease of his balls. “Anyway, I’m not the only one with a dating past,” he sounded nervous, it was unsettling and he took another drink. “Anything to share?”

  Dante’s ears went pink and his eyes focused intensely on the apple crumble on his plate. “I dated one of my tutors.”

  Will’s eyebrows wandered up his forehead. “Wow. So you’re into older guys?”

  “No, no, I was seventeen and he was twenty-one and my fitness tutor,” he said quickly and turned pinker. “It didn’t last very long. My father found out and fired him. I don’t think he will find it easy to get a new job tutoring aristocratic sons.”

  Will laughed, he couldn’t help it. “How did he find out?”

  Dante was smiling again. “One evening he caught us making out.”

  “Did he know you’re into guys by then?”

  “Yes I told him a few years ago. He was okay with it and that surprised me. Some of my deceased relatives were religious in the old ways and I worried he wouldn’t accept me. My father valued my education and happiness more than my preferences.”

  He nodded wishing he could share that understanding.

  “You look a little sad.”

  “No, I’m just thinking,” said Will flashing a devilish smile.

  “I believe the saying is penny for your thoughts?”

  Will laughed again. It felt good to laugh even if he wasn’t entirely at ease; even if he did fear Dante would turn his back on him. “I’m just trying to picture you snogging your teacher. You don’t seem the type.”

  Dante’s smile made the anxiety worth it.

  Chapter 22

  Hooves rumbled up the pathway, tearing through the gates and clattering to a stop outside the palace doors.

  “Nath!” Evan shouted, pointing out of the office window. “The horses are back.”

  Chair legs scraped stone and the entire room glittered. Nath was at his side in moments peering down at the lost horses from the Dead Country. They were back, flanks heaving and ears flicking; gemstone bodies winking in the sun. “I knew they’d be alright,” he said, satisfied.

  “They’re not easily killed,” said Evan.

  “No, and they returned to us,” Nath’s smile was audible. “I wish we could say the same for our missing comrades.”

  Evan swallowed and watched the stable hands rush to the horses. Days had passed and there’d been nothing but radio silence. The warlocks were tied in deadlock, issuing threats left, right and center that led to dead ends and more satisfaction for Nath. As far as they knew the warlocks weren’t going to execute the citizens; at least they’d promised their safety. He could sleep on a promise, even if he did suspect it lay empty as a broken snail shell.

  ∞∞∞

  Evan was grateful for Saturday and the time he got to spend high and watching the stars in the observatory. He’d worked overtime nearly all week which meant a couple of nineteen hour days; a whole evening to each other wearing nothing but their boxers and smoking weed was heavenly. Nath was being no less a newlywed and Evan suspected those morning exercises were fueling more than just his strength. People had noticed, of course, but he didn’t mind.

  “Less than a week until showtime,” said Nath.

  Evan looked up, anxiety crawling around his stomach like cockroaches. “The full moon, or…?”

  “The full moon,” Nath smiled. “We aren’t leaving yet. I’ve got the rebels where I want them for now. When the time is right we will move out.”

  “Have you told Will yet?”

  “No. I’m waiting until nearer the time, the longer he remains oblivious the better our chances of evading the mole’s radar until we know who it is.”

  “Are you going to execute them, Nath?”

  The King hesitated and fiddled with the hunk of tiger’s eye weighing down the corner of their map. “Do you think it would be wrong for me to do so?”

  Silence fell and Evan swallowed. He took his time mulling it over, the morals and the legality of it too. “No,” he said finally. “Whoever it is has killed innocent people and ruined loads of lives. They’re trying to destroy the holy monarch reign so demons and monsters can claim the throne. There’s a reason why our world is dying and they’ll turn this earth into one of Hell’s wastelands. Worst of all, they’d probably be happy if you died and that alone makes me want to kill them.”

  Nath nodded slowly, eyes pooling with emotion. “It’s a terrible feeling, being the one who will sign the death warrant. I’d be the condemner. After our mission I went into the Soul Room. I didn’t see what I’d expected.”

  Evan swallowed his bile and asked, “what did you see?”

  “Nothing.”

  His soul froze.

  Nath shook his head slowly. “My soul is the same as it always was.”

  Evan relaxed, warmth spreading to his extremities again. It’d felt as though every drop of blood had been sucked back into his heart making it swell to bursting point. For a moment he’d thought Nath was soulless. “You’re not a murderer, Nath.”

  “I have to keep checking,” he said calmly and sank onto the lounger, patting the space beside him.

  Evan wrapped him in a bear hug and buried his face in Nath’s neck breathing in the smell of sandalwood and boy. “I’ve heard some better news, though.”

  “Perfect. Just what we need,” Nath said brightly.

  “Weed is at its last stage of investigation and if it passes it’s a case of funding to come in and dispensaries can start popping up,” Evan’s voice cracked with excitement, eyes shining like a billion moons.

  Nath looked just as happy, dimples cavernous and full of droplets. “They’ll be using it in the PNT if that’s the case.”

  “Yeah, they use it abroad to treat mental health all the time. It’s an upgrade in some areas of medicine, only it’s been here this whole time.”

  Nath’s handsome face shone with laughter. “Does Alexander know?”

  “I wrote to him earlier, but he’s with Ms Brooklyn talking about international trade again, his business is really starting to take off,” said Evan.

  “Good, he deserves it,” said Nath. “Your family will remain at the palace where we have the most protection until the threat passes.”

  “So they’ll be here for a while?” He asked hopefully.

  Nath’s grin was contagious. “Yes. I expect your sister wants to be home before the baby arrives.”

  It was still months away but Evan had a feeling she’d still be in the palace by them. He bit his lip and searched Nath’s eyes.

  “If she’s still here then she’ll be more than comfortable and attended to however she likes,” he smiled reassuringly. “We’ll have a family dinner tomorrow, my mother too.”

  “Sounds traditional,” said Evan. “I’ve never been one to pass up a Sunday roast or afters.”

  “I love your passion for food,” said Nath as he smoothed his hands over Evan’s sides and slid into the back of his boxers. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Weird thing to say to a guy,” Evan’s flush was immense.

  “Not at all, Evan. You’re more than handsome, more than kind, and more than wonderful,” said Nath, pulling him forward so their lips were barely an inch apart. “And you do crazy things to my sex drive.”

  “Isn’t that a positive thing?” Evan grinned.

  “It is,” he breathed and met Evan’s lips.

  ∞∞∞

  “It’s nice waking up and not having to
get straight out of bed and be on duty,” said Evan, twisting a lock of Nath’s silver hair around his finger.

  Nath was smiling, cheeks warm and kissed with sunshine. “We needed the time off and this may be the only break we have for some time.”

  Evan was smiling. “Wanna get stoned, order food and go outside?”

  “That sounds like the best plan in the world.”

  A little while later, Nath walked out of the bathroom clean shaven and smelling fresher than the country air.

  “Look who’s out there,” said Evan, pointing down the path through the trees. A light mist had settled giving everything a greyish-lilac tinge, the sun peeked through powderpuff clouds, and two figures were heading towards the gates.

  “Will and Dante,” said Nath. “Looks like they’re going on a hike. Good. I hope it works out.”

  Evan smirked. “It’s weird to see Will on a date. I’ve seen him flirting with girls and he slept with my sister, but I’ve never seen him go on a real date.”

  “I wish I could say the same,” said Nath.

  “Was he always that bad?” Evan raised an eyebrow.

  “No as I’m sure Dante will find out, he can be terribly charming when he doesn’t try to rape you,” he laughed.

  There was a knock at the door and breakfast arrived in all the flavours of a French bakery. Evan went to town not giving a damn if he looked like a pig at its trough. The croissants were crisped to perfection and drizzled with molten butter, some were laced with devil’s chocolate and the bread was fluffy and warm.

  When their bellies were full and their furs had warmed, Evan took the biggest bong hit he had in a while, watched Nath suck one down and took him by the hand and led him out of their bedroom.

  The wind was crisp and smelled of rain, the grass was dewy and beautiful birdsong tinged the air. Nath’s fingers were warm and his lips tender as they kissed beneath a budding tree, at first unaware of the journalists snapping them, including Mr Snaith, the guy who asked way too many personal questions like secret tattoos and spit or swallow. No doubt this would appear somewhere tomorrow too.

  “Do you know what the papers say about me?” Nath whispered between kisses.

  “They say a lot about you,” Evan replied, sucking Nath’s bottom lip.

  “Someone’s been telling the media about our rendezvous and called me the Insatiable King,” Nath’s voice fell to a whisper. “I’m becoming known as the King who can’t keep his hands out of his consort’s pants.”

  “There would be more than an ounce of truth to that,” Evan grinned. “Better than being called a monster again. My favourite headline was yesterday morning when they wrote that, like most animals in spring, you’re in the midst of mating season.”

  Nath laughed and all the birds stopped to listen. “That wouldn’t be an impossibility, I am a werewolf after all, but I’m also a newlywed human so I've every right to behave this way.”

  Chapter 23

  Will

  Dante. Dante. Dante. He looked so handsome in the morning sunshine as they trekked through the forest, shadowed by a couple guards. The lands were protected but it didn’t stop the palace’s vigilance. It wasn’t quite the privacy he’d hoped for, but it was enough that he felt comfortable slipping his fingers through Dante’s a little further up the trail. He knew these guards; he could make sure they kept silent.

  “The air is so fresh it smells like a summer storm,” Dante smiled.

  The trees were glittering with dewdrops reflecting a thousand shards of sunlight in every direction; some kissed Dante’s neck and slashed his hair with delicate whispers of gold.

  “Wait until we get into the mountains. I told ya there were plenty of amazing sights in England.”

  “I never doubted that,” said Dante. “It’s a country full of surprises. I’d like to show you the surprises of our own sometime.”

  Will’s face broke a smile. “I can’t wait to travel more.”

  “So tell me, where is the best place you’ve been to?”

  “Home,” said Will. “I’ve been to some amazing places, seen the Northern Lights too, but my favourite place is home.”

  “Ah, if home was so bad why would we come back, yes? Hmm. I traveled with my father to Aragon last year to visit retired nobility. It was beautiful, mountainous and rich with history.”

  “How much different is it to here?” Will asked.

  Dante looked slightly stunned. “You haven’t experienced much of your homeland.”

  “I’ve experienced plenty of Yorkshire, largest county in England, and famous for the dales and paedos.”

  Dante snorted with laughter and clapped a hand over his face blushing. “I shouldn’t laugh at something so heinous, but I understand the satire.”

  Will was grinning and he knew how handsome he looked, Dante’s face said it all. “Do you like dark humour?”

  “Offensive comedy? Yes, I listened to a lot of English-speaking comedians in Spain,” he said. “We should watch together sometime.”

  “Is that you asking me on a second date already?” Will quirked his brows and smirked.

  “If the first is going well, why not?”

  The forest parted, droplets fell from the branches tinkling like windchimes, the air smelled fresh and humid like early spring and budding dreams. Down the winding dirt path the mountains rose, cut by a flowing river which led to the brilliant cerulean lake half a mile away.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Dante said. They stopped to overlook the stretch of incredible countryside. Trees glistened with orbs of water and reflected in every shade of dead bark and new life. A mist hung around the mountain tops like feather boas and the sky was a dazzling shade of lilac.

  “I’m not used to this cold, but it’s a wonderful experience.”

  “I need to show you the lake,” said Will.

  They set off down the path, twigs snapping satisfyingly beneath their boots. It was lunchtime when they reached the lake and sat down to eat and watch a pair of birds dip low over the water, their wings dazzling shades of magic purple and summer morning turquoise.

  “Wine on a hike?” Will smirked as Dante conjured it from his backpack along with warm churros, Jamón and empanadas much like the ones he’d eaten as a kid at his grandparents’ manor, full of sardines and gorgeous fresh peppers.

  “Just a little to warm us up, and then we drink plenty of water,” Dante grinned, dipping a sugary churro in a bowl of melted chocolate.

  “And there was me thinking you were trying to get me drunk,” said Will.

  Dante’s laughter was becoming a small obsession. He didn’t just want to hear it, he needed to. “Perhaps when we are inside and not being watched by guards,” he said and glanced back over his shoulder to where a shadow slipped into the trees, keeping watch around them.

  Will refrained from knocking back the wine and sipped a half glass instead. “Sounds like our third date.”

  “Ah, now who is planning the dates?” Dante teased.

  By the time they were done and back on the trails, Will was warm from head to toe listening to Dante talk about some of his most influential philosophers which became most influential living people.

  “And I admit, I admire Prince Evan. I hear more stories of his magic every day and the things he can do. They say the Dowager Queen was unrecognisable until he recovered her,” Dante continued.

  Will’s internal groan rattled like rusted machines. Evan. Fucks sake, so many people talked about Evan. He’d even heard a cluster of maids giggling about his cute smile. It made him want to punch the prick in the face. “I didn’t realise how powerful he is,” he said smoothly.

  “They say he has been studying medicine alongside duties and training. He’s a natural, of course,” the admiration in Dante’s voice was sickening. “I hope to have a conversation with him about it, if he ever has time for me.”

  “Do you fancy him?”

  “Fancy?”

  “Want to fuck him?”

  “N
o,” Dante smiled and shook his head. “I admit he has a certain sexiness, but I’m not interested in married men, least of all ones whose husband could execute me.”

  Will burst out laughing and part of it was relief.

  Chapter 24

  The full moon had become a sort of ritual for Evan’s magic as he flooded Nath’s bones and watched his body stretch, snap and transform into a silver long-legged wolf. He booked it to safety as his husband whirled on two bandy legs and howled long and melodious at him. He’d become no less aggressive when transformed, but seemed to accept the fact he couldn’t reach Evan no matter how hard he tried- and try he did.

  Summons came in the middle of the night. Evan stepped into their private lobby and was greeted by Gerard and Will.

  “They’ve been found,” said Gerard, face set in stone.

  Evan’s heart sank a watery death.

  Will cut in, “in the Otherworld.”

  “They passed the dimensions?” Evan frowned.

  “And survived. They woke up amnesiac in an abandoned warehouse. It looks as though the warlocks would hop out there and carry out research on civilians in the nearby towns. There’ve been reports of people going missing,” said Will. “They probably hadn’t been able to discover our comrades. They were lucky the rift opened on the ground and not way up in the air like us, they wouldn’t have survived without you,” his eyes slid to Evan.

  “That’s amazing news! Nath’s gonna be so relieved,” said Evan, struggling to control his smile.

  Gerard glanced at Will and stepped forward. “Should they be brought for immediate questioning on return, Your Majesty?” The disdain in his eyes shocked Evan.

  “Yeah. Straight to the King’s office and spellogram when they arrive,” he said smoothly. “Is that everything?”

  “There’s also considerable damage to the borough of Islington, London, in our world. It’s gone like a crater in the Dead Country,” said Will.