Page 46 of Starlit Bargains

The rest of the day passed in tense silence, their earlier confrontation unresolved but temporarily set aside in favor of survival. They evaded the village patrol, taking a circuitous route that added hours to their journey. By the time dusk fell, Eliar's sanctuary was still not within reach, forcing them to make camp for the night.

The site Eliar chose was a small clearing near an ancient shrine—little more than a weathered stone pedestal with faded carvings, half-reclaimed by the forest but still emanating a faint sense of sacred space. It offered some protection, similar to the ruins though not as strong, and would have to suffice until morning.

They made camp in near-silence, Kai gathering wood for a small fire while Eliar set wards around the perimeter. Briar flitted between them, her usual chatter subdued as she sensed the lingering tension. When the basic necessities were taken care of, she made a flimsy excuse about needing to “check something” and disappeared into the darkening forest, clearly unwilling to remain in the strained atmosphere between them.

The fire crackled in the growing darkness, casting flickering shadows across the clearing. Eliar sat with his back against atree, pretending to focus on the worn leather book he'd pulled from his pack—one of the few possessions he carried with him outside his sanctuary. But his attention kept drifting to Kai, who sat across the fire, sharpening his dagger with methodical strokes.

The silence stretched between them, taut as a bowstring.

“You're staring again,” Kai said without looking up from his task. “It's becoming a habit.”

Eliar glanced away quickly. “I wasn't staring.”

“Right.” Kai tested the blade's edge with his thumb, seemingly satisfied with its sharpness. “You know, for someone who's lived for centuries, you're surprisingly bad at lying.”

“I wasn't—” Eliar began automatically, then stopped, recognizing the futility of denial. “I was thinking.”

“About how to get rid of me as quickly as possible?” Kai suggested, finally looking up, the firelight catching in his eyes and turning them to molten gold. Despite the challenging words, there was something softer in his expression now, as if the hours of walking had worn away some of his anger.

“About how none of this is going according to plan,” Eliar admitted. “My plan, at least.”

“What was the plan? Eternal brooding isolation?”

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of Eliar's mouth. “Something like that.”

Kai sheathed his dagger and leaned back on his hands, studying Eliar across the fire. “You're not as unreadable as you think, you know,” he said after a moment, his tone conversational but with an undercurrent of seriousness. “All that tragic brooding might work on the villagers, but I see right through it.”

“Is that so?” Eliar asked, his voice carefully neutral despite the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat.

“Mmhmm.” Kai nodded, warming to his subject. “You put on this whole 'distant cosmic entity' act, all serious and detached. But then you do things like build a fire while I was sleeping, or worry about whether I'm tired, or look at me when you think I won't notice.” His grin widened. “Your eyes give you away, star-boy. They light up. Literally.”

The casual observation—accurate as it was—struck a nerve. Eliar snapped his book shut, rising in a fluid motion that spoke of barely contained energy. “You think you know me after a few days? You think you understand what I am, what I've endured, what I'm capable of?”

Kai seemed unperturbed by the sudden shift in tone. “I think I understand more than you want me to,” he replied, also standing, his movements unhurried despite the tension crackling between them. “Which is why you keep trying to push me away.”

Something in Eliar snapped. Centuries of control, of isolation, of denying every impulse toward connection—all of it crumbling in the face of Kai's relentless perception, his refusal to be deterred. Before he could reconsider, Eliar crossed the clearing in three quick strides, grabbed Kai's wrist, and pushed him back against the nearest tree.

“You don't understand what I am,” he said, his voice low and rough with emotion he'd denied for too long. This close, he could feel the heat of Kai's body, could see the flecks of darker amber in his eyes, could sense the magic that hummed beneath his skin—wild and untamed and calling to something deep within Eliar's own essence.

Eliar had expected hesitation, maybe even fear, but Kai only looked at him—steady, unshaken. His dark eyes held no trace of uncertainty, no reluctance despite the power thrumming through Eliar’s body, making the stars in his eyes blaze like fire.

“Maybe not,” Kai admitted, voice quiet but sure. “But I understand enough.”

Then, with a boldness that sent something sharp and hot through Eliar’s chest, Kai reached up and brushed his fingertips over Eliar’s cheek. The touch was featherlight, barely there, but it sent lightning down Eliar’s spine, searing through his veins.

Something inside him shattered.

He surged forward, crashing his lips against Kai’s.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t careful. It was centuries of isolation and weeks of denial and hours of tension snapping all at once, combusting into something desperate, something that consumed them both. Eliar’s hands moved from Kai’s wrist to his shoulders, pinning him against the tree like he was afraid he might disappear, but Kai had no intention of running. He kissed back just as fiercely, tangling his fingers in Eliar’s silver-white hair, yanking him closer with a hunger that matched Eliar’s own desperation.

They collided like colliding stars, all heat and breathless urgency. Teeth, tongue, the ragged sounds of need spilling from their lips as they pulled at each other, bodies pressing together so tightly that it burned. Eliar’s hands slid down, gripping Kai’s hips hard enough to bruise, his power stirring, responding to the intensity of the moment. Silver-blue light flickered over his skin, casting strange, shifting shadows across Kai’s face, making his flushed skin glow in the dim night.

Kai gasped as Eliar rolled his hips against him, grinding their cocks together through the layers of their clothes. The friction was sharp, electric, sending pleasure lancing up Eliar’s spine. His breath came hard and fast, and fuck, he needed more. He needed everything.

“Tell me to stop,” Eliar rasped, voice rough, barely more than a growl against Kai’s lips.

Kai’s laugh was breathless, wicked. “Not a fucking chance.”

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