Page 19 of Celestial Bodies

Julen would be lying if he said Dacias hadn’t made an appearance in one or two of his nighttime fantasies.Orallof them.Every so often, something would remind Julen of the citrus smell wafting off Dacias, and he’d just melt. Julen’s body would relax, and warm, tingly sensations would ripple around his body.

But he scolded himself for thinking about Dacias that way. Nothing could ever come of it. Julen had more pressing things to worry about.Push him out of your mind.

Julen followed Souzie’s directions to the shop. The Cupidorean city center crackled with an energy that warmed his soul. It felt so free. Everyone did whatever they wanted, and nobody batted an eye. They lived without fear.

He arrived at Writer’s Wilderness. The dust-covered shop’s wooden interior extended from floor to ceiling, and glowing stones suspended from ornate brass fixtures shaped like twisting vines cast a warm, inviting light throughout the space.

The owner looked older than most of the books. Thick-rimmed glasses percheddelicately at the tip of her nose.

After Julen explained what he wanted, she gave him a knowing look and pulled out a gigantic book. Leather-bound and delicate, she implored him to be careful; it was the oldest book he’d ever laid his fingers on.

She offered Julen a language guide and ushered him to a sitting area at the rear of the shop with large tables surrounded by chairs. After about two hours of toiling over the text, he was starting to develop a rhythm with the translation process until he came to a word with no direct translation, ‘tenebrosorder.’Something dark?Julen read the text around it and gathered that it was some sort of dark…thing.A liquid?The book described it as an evil substance that could enter the bloodstream and plague one’s soul. Julen flipped forward and read more about the murky liquid in the “hills to the north.”Lapistra? The mountains?

He scanned through the guide, trying to find words with direct translations, but—

“Doing some light reading?”

Julen’s heart somersaulted. He glanced up and saw him.Blue-Eyed Hunk! I mean Dacias.

“Fancy seeing you here!”

Dacias pulled up a chair, turned it around, and straddled it, resting his arms on the back. He blew a tuft of hair out of his eyes and smiled at Julen.By the Mother Planet, he’s sizzling.

Julen coughed. “What are you doing here?”

“Just looking for a book. I was in the mood for something sexy. Something saucy, if you will. This place has a lot of books…interesting books.” Dacias cocked his brow, and his lip curled into a mischievous smirk.

That naughty smirk will be the death of me.

Julen cursed his cheeks for getting hot. He tried to be casual in his banter. “But Rugiria is so progressive. Surely you can find these books there, no?”

“Oh, yes, we have a nice collection in Rugiria, butthesehave illustrations. Would you like to see?” Dacias opened the book.

Julen quickly shut it. “Don’t you dare! Put that book away; you’ll get us kicked out.”

Dacias laughed as he said, “Oh, please. I’m sure they’ve experienced much worse than a couple of guys justlookingat the books here.”

A flustered Julen didn’t know what to do with his hands. He waved them about as he demanded that Dacias put it away. He knew his face was dark red.

Dacias bit his lower lip as he gazed at Julen. “Your freckles are glowing.”

Julen took the cape he wore for the journey and draped it over his head. “Don’t make fun of me; I hate my freckles,” he groaned from under the cloth.

Dacias took the cape off and leaned closer to Julen. “Don’t. They’re perfect.” Dacias held his gaze, and Julen’s heart took flight.

Julen broke the moment, shaking himself out of his trance. “Well, you found your book. Smutty pictures and all.” He hated how dumb and forced his chuckle sounded.

Dacias grinned. “You know, I thought about you after we met. I hoped I’d find you around Cupidor.”

For Vexora’s sake!

“You did?” Julen asked.

Dacias leaned in even closer. “Yes. You ran off, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of something I said or because I’m Rugirean.”

Julen could feel the warmth of Dacias’s breath on his neck, sending a tingling sensation down his body that hardened his cock. He almost missed what Dacias had just said. “No! It’s not that… I…” He swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat. “Our territories make life very complicated.”

Dacias nodded, his face conveying the sad reality of it all. “They certainly do.” He looked up again at Julen, but, this time, there was a light in his eyes. “But it’s not complicated in Cupidor. I know it’s difficult for you, but I’d love to see you again. I’m not opposed to setting aside territory conflict if I think the person is worth it.”

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