Page 1 of The Prince's Curse

PART I: PRESENT

one

Benjin

Benjin awoke to theglorious smell of sizzling bacon. Grinning to himself, he rolled over in bed and stretched with a wide yawn. Though part of him was saddened to find the spot beside him empty, he could hardly be mad at Haldric for rising early when it meant a delicious breakfast. More quality time together beneath the sheets could wait.

After all, they had the rest of their lives to enjoy one another’s company.

Throwing back the knitted blankets, he climbed from bed and stumbled around the still-dark bedroom, tugging on the first clean clothes he could find. He’d never been much of a morning person, and he refused to open the heavy curtains drawn across the lone window until he had some proper food in his belly.

Another waft of bacon came to him, and he narrowed his eyes as his mouth watered. Was it his imagination, or was the smell a bittooenticing, carried a bittoofar on the air? He wouldn’tput it past Haldric to use a simple Compulsion or Alteration to enhance the scent and help coax him out of bed.

Briefly, he considered crawling back under the covers in protest before sighing and pushing the door open. Trick or not, he couldn’t deny its effectiveness.

He followed the narrow hall to the cramped living room and its adjoining kitchen. Too-bright sunlight streamed in from the curtains Haldric had already yanked open across the front of their tiny cottage.

Benjin squinted at Haldric’s familiar tall, broad-shouldered frame bustling away in front of the stove. “What are you trying to do, blind me?”

Haldric glanced over his shoulder past his mane of dark hair and arched an eyebrow, a grin playing over his plush lips. “Don’t be absurd. If I wanted to blind you, I’d conjure my own light rather than rely on something as fickle as the sun.”

Benjin attempted a scowl, but he couldn’t hold it for long. Not with Haldric smirking at him beneath his sparkling green eyes. Those eyes could be as hard and unforgiving as the dense jungles of Razaketh when Haldric wanted them to be, but right now they were fully open and deep enough to get lost in.

By the Goddess, how I love this man.

Disgusted by his own sappiness, Benjin tore his gaze away and squinted out the front window. “Any sign of that Void-cursed peddler?” he asked, surveying Haldric’s garden as though intruders might even now be hidden in a rose bush or crouched behind the rickety gate Benjin had every intention of repairing someday.

Haldric shook his head with what Benjin chose to believe was fond exasperation and turned back to his breakfast preparations. “He really wasn’t that bad.”

“The man doesn’t know how to takenofor an answer.” Benjin gave up on his vigil and paced across the living room, weavingaround a sagging armchair and a table just big enough for two. “How many times has he been here this past week—three? Four?”

“There’s nothing suspicious about a merchant trying to procure a sale, Benjin.”

“As if anyone in Gerald’s Spring could ever afford his outrageous prices! I’m telling you, Hal, there’s something off about him, and it’snotjust the absurd mark-up on his wares.”

Haldric paused in the middle of chopping vegetables long enough to shoot him another brief grin. “I love it when you call meHal.Makes you seem almost tender instead of the unfeeling cynic you so often pretend to be.”

Benjin masked his embarrassed blush by rolling his eyes. “Trust me, Ifeelplenty. For example, I feel very strongly that you should’ve let me use a fire Evocation on that peddler. Nowthatwould’ve gotten the message across.”

“And probably sent him screaming to the nearest town guard for help.”

“Worth it,” Benjin muttered. He stopped his pacing in front of another window and snuck a quick peek out at the still-empty garden.

“Are you telling me there’s nothing else you’d rather be feeling right now?”

Haldric’s teasing tone sent a spike of heat clawing up Benjin’s back. Striding over, he looped his arms around Haldric’s broad back and thick chest, marveling at the tight bands of muscle there, so dissimilar to his own narrow frame.

Haldric’s soft black hair, tied back in a loose ponytail, brushed Benjin’s cheek as he rested his chin on Haldric’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “I think you already know the answer to that,Hal.”

Haldric shuddered and relaxed into Benjin’s embrace. Benjin clung to him more tightly. Even after all the time they’d spenthere together, he could still hardly believe that someone like Haldric wanted to be with someone likehim. Every morning he got to wake up next to this kind, beautiful man was a small miracle…and the biggest miracle of all was that Haldric inexplicably felt the same.

Benjin pressed his lips to Haldric’s neck, reveling in the rough scratch of unshaven bristle as he traced a path up Haldric’s square jaw, planting soft kisses all the while.

Haldric sucked in a breath. “Benjin,” he exhaled in a gasp before spinning and grabbing Benjin’s head, drawing him in for a fierce kiss.

Brief gratitude flickered through Benjin that Haldric had thought to set down his knife first. Then, all conscious thought fled as he lost himself in the firm press of Haldric’s lips. The play of his breath. The intoxicating taste of his mouth.

“I love you,” he heard himself whisper, scarcely able to believe himself capable of such a declaration. “Until the Immortals cast back the Void for good, until the warring tribes of the Gaumuron Swamps make peace, until the final star in the Great Beyond goes dark, I love you, Haldric.”

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