Page 21 of The Cordial Bride

“Ah,” Ian said as they entered the gloom. “I thought this would be a fun place to explore. I have a feeling, however, that you have brought me here for another reason.”

Calan glanced at his husband. “Yes, I have. I need to show you something—want to do so. Over here.” He continued deeper into the cave until he reached the place where water glistened down the walls and green mold covered the rocks. Without letting go of Ian’s hand, he squatted and scraped a bit of the slime with his other fingers.

He held it out for Ian’s inspection. “This is the basis of the medicine you seek.”

Ian stayed silent for a second before cupping Calan’s chin. “I haven’t been privy to the entirety of the treaty, only the parts directly related to our marriage. And I know it says you will control how Moorcondia accesses the cordial, but I’m not clear that we are meant to know how to make it. This may be something for your aunt to show Isabeau, darling.”

“I don’t care about the politics or what my official duties are. This is my way of showing you how I trust you. This was always my discovery, not my aunts. What’s mine is yours now that we’re married, is it not?”

“Not really.” Straightening, Ian pulled Calan back up with him. “Let us have a talk outside in the sunshine while we snack on those meat pies and cider you packed for us.”

Calan grinned. “All right.”

They left the cave and it was Ian’s turn to lead, as was his nature. Instead of sitting on the nearest rock, he took them to the spot near the lake where they’d shared pleasure for the first time. The mere sight of it made Calan hard. He hoped the same was true for his husband. And when the man removed the satchel he carried on his shoulder and pulled Calan onto his lap, he found that it was true. Ian’s cock pressed against Calan’s thigh. But when he tried to turn around to straddle his lap, Ian held him in place.

“Ah, ah, my dear. I want to hear your story before we build up our appetites. What do you mean about that mold and your role in creating the cordial?”

Calan tried not to pout. It had been his idea, after all, to come out here instead of simply explaining everything back in their room. He did owe it to Ian to give him the history behind his discovery.

“You know how I like to explore and bring things back to the workshop?” When Ian nodded, he continued. “Well, we’ve been using various forms of moss and mold to treat wounds for some time now. It’s based on generations of apothecaries trying different things. I’m always looking for something new, and last summer, I went into that cave for the first time. I found the mold, which I’d never seen before, and I brought some back to see what might be done with it.”

“How do you know it has any use whatsoever? It looks to me like something that would make one sick.”

Calan shrugged. “That’s true of a lot of medicinals. Someone has to be willing to experiment and I have a…knack for seeing the possible use of various items I find occurring naturally.”

Ian frowned. “You’ve said that before and I believe it, but you didn’t try this stuff on yourself, did you?”

With a chuckle, Calan shook his head. “No, of course not. First I fashioned it into a paste, then I happened upon a patient of sorts to try it on because there was nothing left to lose. Remember the neighbor’s dog, Benny? The poor thing cut its paw on something, and despite efforts with known creams, it became infected. Trying this new paste was a last-ditch effort. And it worked!” Calan couldn’t hold back his excitement, reliving the day when he’d found that the dog was getting better. “After that, I started efforts to distill the essence of it to determine whether it had healing properties when taken by mouth. If the infection can be fought from the inside before it even manifests, then that’s the best outcome. The result was the cordial you’ve heard so much about.”

“Such a clever wife I have.” Ian’s sincerity showed through his eyes.

Calan lowered his gaze in sudden shyness. He wasn’t used to being complimented, not really. By the time his new cordial had been introduced to the council, Aunt Celia had taken credit for the discovery. She always said he only knew as much as she’d taught him. No doubt the others on the council thought he didn’t know enough to recreate it using Moorcondian ingredients. “It wasn’t anything any good apothecary wouldn’t have figured out.”

“Hmm,” was all Ian said. Then, first brushing a few flyaway strands of hair from Calan’s face, he asked, “Do you think this mold is unique to Shadow Valley or even just to this cave?”

Calan shook his head. “No, I don’t. The conditions for its growth should be found in many places.” He bit his lip. “I don’t know what the treaty says, but I don’t expect that Moorcondia will be dependent on Shadow Valley producing the cordial and shipping it. We don’t have enough qualified people to mass-produce it. I had assumed the agreement involves giving your people the formula for it. Do you think I’m wrong about that?” His decision to show Ian the source of the medicine had been premised on the idea of the treaty giving Moorcondia the ability to make its own stores. And if he were expected to somehow oversee its production without giving the formula away…well, it simply wasn’t possible.

“I honestly have no idea. That is all Isabeau’s domain. But I can assure you, darling, that I won’t use your trust in me to undermine the provisions in the treaty that benefit Shadow Valley.”

Perhaps his husband’s reassurance shouldn’t be so comforting. It was, though. Calan had no doubt about the man’s sense of honor. “I’m here because I do…trust you, that is.” A thought occurred to him. “Will we do any traveling or will my explorations for new medicines be limited to your lands?”

“You will find my lands vast and varied. There is much of it beyond the part that is cultivated that I, myself, have never ventured. We’ll do so together.” He pressed a soft kiss against Calan’s cheek. “And I’ll endeavor to take you to as many places as I can. So long as you’re with me, I expect to be content no matter what we do or where we go.”

His husband’s words warmed him and encouraged his arousal. He wanted to feel Ian’s cock driven deep inside him. There was something else, however, that enticed him almost as much. Calan slid out of Ian’s loose embrace and, forcing his legs apart, knelt before him. The discomfort of the rocky ground was easily ignored in favor of his goal. When he reached for Ian’s belt, he stopped him by clasping his hands.

“Whatever are you up to, darling?”

Calan let his passion show through his expression. “I want to taste you. Is that all right?”

Ian’s answer was merely a grunt. He let go of Calan and pressed his palms against the rock. At the same time, he splayed his legs even more, giving Calan easier access to where he wanted to go. This time, when he reached to unbuckle Ian’s belt, there was no resistance. The man had to help him put it aside, along with the scabbard and heavy sword. The laces to his trousers were easy to undo, though, and once they were, Ian’s dick sprang free. The large cockhead glistened with pre-cum. The shaft was warm and twitched when Calan clasped it with one hand. It was so thick he couldn’t quite encircle it fully with his fingers and thumb. The dick would be hard to take, but Calan relished the effort it would take to try.

He moistened his lips as he shuffled as close as he could get. Then he leaned over and licked Ian’s slit. That effort elicited an encouraging grunt. The salty tang of cum wet Calan’s appetite for more. He opened his mouth wide and enveloped the head. That small amount of the cock was almost the limit of what he could take in. But he was determined to please his husband in this way, knowing from his own experience that it was amazing. So he pressed down, flattening his tongue and relaxing his throat, while using his hand to jerk the shaft. Still, he gagged almost immediately and was forced to retreat for a few seconds. Undaunted, he breathed deeply through his nose and tried again, forcing the dick even farther.

Ian carded his fingers through Calan’s hair and pulled his head up. “Darling, please. I find no pleasure in hurting you or making you sick.”

Calan peered up at him. “This is the best treat I’ve ever had. Please let me gorge myself however I wish. I promise this is no hardship.”

Ian’s cock pulsed and danced within his grip. Without saying a word, he used his fingers to lower Calan’s head once more, allowing him to suck the dick back into his mouth.

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