Page 8 of Minotaurs and other Magic

Rohan kept the end of the rope beneath his hoof as he ran the water and rubbed a wet cloth over his skin. It was too late to bathe properly, and they would ride out early tomorrow. He would bathe when they returned.

Already, that promise to himself seemed too far away because he knew how many interruptions he would get between now and then. He didn’t rule the city, but he had his own list of responsibilities, and he willingly added Nate to that list. He had no doubt the city’s Knight would see him regarding Nate.

To Rohan’s mind, the city guard had set a fair price, but if the victims of the crimes went to the Knight to demand more, it would be Rohan who needed to settle the debt, assuming they agreed to accept coin. Offer enough of it, and most people were. However, some preferred vengeance to justice…in the case of some stolen clothes and food, Rohan didn’t imagine that would be the case.

He finished washing, emptied the water, and refilled the bowl so that Nate could do the same. He needed to bathe. “Do your people not wash?”

Nate glanced at him, his eyes darting from Rohan’s face to his chest, to his prick, and then back up. His cheeks turned red as if looking was something to be ashamed of. Nate’s mouthopened, but it was a couple of heartbeats before a word came out. “Yes. But not usually with other people.”

“Where is the fun in that?” Rohan teased while also speaking the truth.

Nate’s gaze dropped to Rohan’s cock, which was responding to the interest Nate was showing. Nate’s eyes widened, and he took a step back but was pulled up short by the rope.

“Wash human, you smell worse than the abattoir in the middle of summer.”

Nate’s tongue darted over his lip. “I can’t remove my clothes with my hands bound.”

Rohan considered the clothes. If it were up to him, he’d burn them. However, he was sure that the Strega would want to inspect them more closely. He picked up the rope from beneath his hoof and tied it around Nate’s neck before freeing his hands and keeping hold of that end.

“You don’t need to keep me tied.”

“We will see. For the moment, I think it is best I do.”

Nate pressed his lips together and glared at him. He liked the spark in the human’s blue eyes.

After several heartbeats, Nate gave a small nod and began unbuttoning his shirt. He dropped it on the floor, but he hesitated when it came to undoing his pants.

“I can assure you, you have nothing I haven’t seen before,” Rohan said.

Nate muttered something in his own language, then popped open the button. The next fastening, he undid with something Rohan had never seen before.

“What is that?”

“A zipper.” Nate dragged it up and down twice.

Rohan bent to study the tiny teeth as they knitted and separated. “Fascinating.”

“Why don’t I take my pants off, and you can play with the zipper all you want?” Nate shoved his pants over his hips and kicked them off. He wore undergarments beneath his pants the way women did during their cycle. Though Nate was clearly male as the undergarment cradled his cock and balls.

Rohan picked up the pants and fiddled with the fastening while Nate began to wash, leaving his socks and undergarment on. After a few moments, it was clear that Nate had no intention of taking off the rest of his clothes.

“If you do not finish undressing, I will do it for you. You will not be getting into my bed with an unwashed ass and smelly feet.”

“My feet don’t smell and…and at least I have feet!” Nate clutched the cloth to his chest, droplets of water tracing over his stomach. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Minotaurs are meant to have hooves.”

A laugh erupted from Rohan’s throat. “Yes, we are. And humans are supposed to have feet. You have come to a world populated by more than humans, and while I can appreciate this is shocking for you, do not think that rudeness is acceptable or will be tolerated. There are many beings who will take offence and not accept a simple apology.”

“I just want to go home.”

“And I just want to go to bed, so hurry up and finish washing. I promise you will be given clean clothes in the morning.”

Nate nodded. He eased his underwear down and stepped out of it before crouching to pull off his socks. There were old bruises on his arms and legs and a few minor scrapes. A bandage of some kind covered a bigger injury on his leg.

“Does your wound need to be checked tonight?”

“No, I changed the bandage this morning. There are some…” He took a moment to find the word. “Healing supplies in my pants.” He held the cloth in front of his dick.

“Do you have other injuries that need to be tended?” Nate was his responsibility, and that included his welfare.

---