Page 12 of The Lost Art of Seducing a Mage Warrior

Perian tried to sound casual. “Oh, I don’t know. Cormal, was it, didn’t seem to be particularly happy this morning.”

Brannal shrugged this off. “You let me handle Cormal.”

Perian was pretty sure that Cormal had been yelling that he was Secundus, which made him second in command of the Mage Warriors. Perian kind of thought that was a problem waiting to happen, but Brannal didn’t seem at all concerned.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Brannal rocked them together, sending a shiver of pleasure up Perian’s spine and making a smile grow on Brannal’s face.

“I’m altogether certain. You?”

Perian nodded, allowing optimism and hope to buoy him. “You know, I think I am.”

Chapter Three

Itturnedoutthatwhen Brannal said “come stay with me”, he really meant it. He wanted Perian and all his belongings to move into the castle.

“Right now? Are you sure?”

Perian seemed to be asking that a lot.

Brannal looked at him like not very many people asked him if he was sure about things. “What would be the point of paying to store your belongings here?”

Perian stared him down.

Brannal huffed. “Look, if I upset you again, Nisal is already going to toss me off the tallest tower, remember? And if you do decide to storm out, you can come rent another room, right? I’m not taking all the rooms away from you.”

Perian’s lip curled. “So… you’re reassuring me that if you upset me, there will still be myriad inn rooms where I can come to get away from you?”

Brannal’s lips quirked. “Yes.”

Perian couldn’t help but laugh, trying to figure out the two sides of this man, the serious Mage Warrior and the man who teased Perian. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to be able to figure him out from a distance, was he?

Perian packed up, the bed was tested out one more time—“Should really see if it’s worth coming back here at some point!”—and an employee of the inn was paid to ensure that Perian’s bag and trunk were delivered to the castle.

Perian was escorted on foot, since they’d agreed the spring weather was pleasant and the walk not too long. Brannal was an imposing figure with his height, breadth, and attire, and he was given a wide and respectful berth as they walked.

It was a different experience entirely from being brought to the castle (which he mostly didn’t remember) or even when he’d walked with Nisal to the hotel.

“Out of curiosity,” Perian asked, “do you practice the swagger, or does it come naturally?”

“Combination of sheer raw talent and careful study. All the Mage Warriors have lessons.”

Brannal managed to say it with a straight face, but then his lips tipped up, and Perian let out what could really only be described as a giggle. Well, the man might as well know what he was letting himself in for. Perian didnothave a swagger, and he definitely didn’t make people walk around him simply by existing.

The castle was always an impressive sight. He’d viewed it from a distance during his visits to the city—it was hard to miss, really—and his father had brought him to see the exterior up close on his first visit at sixteen. But it was different, somehow, seeing it now and knowing that not only had he stayed there until this morning while convalescing, but he was about to stay again—for an unspecified amount of time, because a Mage Warrior wanted him here.

The stone walls and towers—one on each corner plus a large clock tower front and center—were imposing and impressive as they rose into the sky, dominating the area like they had been there forever. There were ramparts and parapets at the top of every wall, and Perian could see the heads of patrolling Warriors as they passed. The castle had a large moat, to protect from wraiths, but the drawbridge was down during the day, although closely guarded. Perian had heard that there was always a Mage Warrior who could control water on duty, just in case. Apart from the tragic wraith attack six years ago, there hadn’t been a demon attack in the city within Perian’s lifetime.

As they walked across the drawbridge, the Warriors on duty offered Brannal sharp inclinations of the head and a hand clasped to their heart. Brannal nodded in return. Although Perian got some curious stares, no one asked who he was or why he was there. Perian didn’t have to question who ranked over whom.

“How long have you lived here?” Perian asked as they passed inside.

“Since I was twelve.”

Perian opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question and then hesitated.

Brannal nudged him in the side. “Don’t hold back now.”

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