Page 69 of The Empty Throne

Kite narrowed his eyes. "You're amenace."

"And you're ridiculously stubborn over thestupidest things! Is it just me, or have you always been thisway?"

"Always," Bittersea and Lindquistchorused.

Kite turned his ire on them. "Shut up and goaway. Nevermind,I'mgoing away." Taking firm hold of Lysa'swrist, he dragged him out the same hidden door Oskia and Sobeki hadused, then made his way through the palace to his privatechambers.

He wanted badly to call for a bath, but itwould be some time yet before the servants were able to return towork, especially with the absolute wreckage that had been made ofthe palace. He settled for stripping off his clothes and washing upas best he could with the basin of water in his dressing room,saving some of it for Lysa to do the same.

When they were as clean as they could get,wrapped in warm dressing robes, he got a fire going and poured themboth a glass of brandy. He nudged Lysa into one of the chairs bythe fire and took the other, sighing as his sore body was finallyable to rest.

The silence stretched on before Kite finallysaid, "I am sorry about your father."

"I'm not," Lysa replied. "I know I shouldfeel sad because he was my father, and family is family, so on andso forth, but he was mean, vindictive, and cruel. Hecursedme, and if he'd managed to drag me back home, he would have beatenme so badly I would have been recovering for months, because hewouldn't have allowed a healer anywhere near me."

Kite wanted to go back and kill the bastard asecond time. If he knew a necromancer, he might have very well doneso. Instead, he focused on what mattered. "You're young, nearly adecade and a half younger than me. You are free for the first timein your life. You should be planning to travel or return to yourstudies."

"My choiceis to stay here with youand see if we could be something." Lysa's voice was calm, but hishands were gripping tightly to the robe he wore. "Like I said, it'snot as though you're planning to lock me in a tower orsomething."

"I am the Duke of Havenstrite, and brother tothe king," Kite replied slowly. "My life will always be one of dutyand obligation. I will often have to put those things first."

"I'm the son of a laird. My life would havebeen the same. I know what I am asking for and getting myself into.I'm young, but I'm not a child. I want to try, and I'll only walkaway if you can tell me truly you don't want this and I amoverstepping."

Kite sighed. This was selfish and stupid.Lysa was too young for him. He deserved better.

But damn it, couldn't Kite have one thingthat was all his, freely chosen, freely offered, not bound to oneduty or another?

Setting aside his half-finished brandy, hestood and offered a hand.

Lysa broke into a beautiful smile and tookit, going easily as Kite pulled him close. Kite kissed him softly,enjoying the taste of brandy on his tongue, all hints of blood andsmoke long banished, pressing in deeper but keeping the kissgentle, almost leisurely, an exploration rather than the greedytaking he would do later after they were well-rested. "Come on,then, my stubborn, bratty, pretty little scholar. Let's get somerest, because there will be much to do when we wake."

"But we'll do it all together?"

"Together," Kite promised, and dragged himoff to their waiting bed.

Nineteen

After hours of healing people, killingstraggling enemy soldiers, and helping with the bodies, Bitterseawas utterly exhausted. On the other hand, he'd acquired quite thecollection of war prizes, including several beautiful knives thatdeserved far better than their previous owners.

Strictly speaking, looting bodies was againstthe rules. But Bittersea wasn't a soldier, and he wouldn't care ifhe were. He deserved to have prizes for his efforts, especiallysince he'd mostlybehaved, according to the stupid,arbitrary standards of the rest of the world, and so he had takenthem.

Too exhausted to sort through it all,properly clean and store it, he'd left it in a tidy pile to enjoywhen he woke up, then gotten a thorough bath, dried his hair, andclimbed into bed. Cohea's bed, most would say, but it had beentheirbed from the moment they'd had to return to the royalpalace and His Majesty had ordered them to Bond. It smelled of thelightly vanilla-scented soap used by the palace laundry, but mostlyof Cohea's smoky, spicy scent. This was one of only two places inthe world he could sleep deeply, knowing down to his bones that hewas safe, even protected. Not a feeling he was accustomed to;hadn't even recognized it at first. Feeling safe was not somethinghe knew, not as a child, certainly not as an adult.

The barest hint of smile on his face,Bittersea fell asleep.

He woke gasping, moving, but not of his ownvolition. As awareness sharpened, he recognized the fullness inhim, the soft grunts in his ear, the hands holding him close,almost painfully tight, as Cohea fucked into him, used him like afavorite toy. Teeth sank into his neck, hard enough to bruise if helet them, making Bittersea moan.

Cohea's ragged, panting voice filled his earas he continued to split Bittersea open with steady, deep thrusts."If anyone else so much as touched the doorknob you'd be at theirthroat with a knife, but you're such a little slut for me, youdon't wake up until I'm balls deep."

Bittersea only moaned again, reaching back totwist his fingers into Cohea's hair, hold him close as he wasfucked like it was a duty commanded by the king. Cohea finallywrapped a hand around his cock, jerking him off with sharp motions,his grip almost painfully tight, thumb running roughly over thehead every few strokes. He bit into Bittersea's throat again, morefilthy names and promises spilling between them, and Bittersea camewith a quiet groan. Cohea continued to fuck him, thrusts increasingin force but losing their careful rhythm, until Cohea rolled himonto his stomach and sank into him one last time, groaningBittersea's name into his throat.

After several minutes, bodies only slightlycooled, Cohea rolled off him to sprawl across his side of the bed,tugging lightly, until Bittersea obligingly draped over him. Hehuffed as two of Cohea's fingers immediately found his well-usedhole, teasing at the rim before pushing in to explore his own mess."Bit pent up, are we?"

Cohea snickered. "I'm not the one who preppedmyself before climbing into bed naked like a sweet littleoffering."

"Sweet," Bittersea echoed with a soft huff oflaughter. "Only you." He yawned. "Did I miss anything you want meto care about?"

"No. We're required at breakfast to talkincessantly about various matters, but that's all. Brought you afew things, added them to your little hoard."

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