Page 44 of The Lost Art of Seducing a Mage Warrior

“Hello,” Perian greeted him.

“Reading in the chair again?” Brannal asked.

Perian nodded, but rose to his feet and stretched. “Much better than sleeping all night in the chair, and I think I’d better get out of it before I risk that happening again. It wasnotcomfortable.”

The words were out before he could consider if this was a topic he wanted to bring up. But Brannal laughed.

“Oh, believe me, I know. I’ve made that mistake myself a time or two.”

It was on the tip of Perian’s tongue to ask why Brannal had left Perian there last night, but then Brannal’s lip curled up.

“If you’re done with reading and you don’t want to sleep in the chair, does that mean you want to relocate to the bed?”

And if Perian had to pick between an awkward conversation and sex, there was really no contest.

He grinned at Brannal. “That’s exactly what it means.”

They divested themselves on the way into the bedroom, fell into bed together, and brought one another to very enjoyable completion using hands and mouths. Brannal pulled Perian into his arms once they’d wiped themselves clean, and Perian rested his head on the other man’s shoulder and slipped into sleep feeling sated and entirely content.

Chapter Nine

Aftersleepymorninghandjobs prior to getting cleaned, dressed, and fed, Perian felt as though all was right with the world.

“Have lunch with me,” Brannal requested.

“I can’t,” Perian told him regretfully. “I’m already getting a basket from the kitchen. But I’m yours until one, or later in the afternoon if you’re available.”

He didn’t want to get Renny into trouble, so he wasn’t going to mention her, but he’d make time for Brannal at any other point that he could.

Brannal seemed to consider this for a moment. “Meet me in the library at noon.”

That… wasn’t where Perian thought Brannal was going to go with that, but he nodded agreeably.

“The library it is.” He pressed a kiss to Brannal’s lips. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Now with plans for the library and the garden, Perian decided to spend the intervening hours elsewhere. He set out for the public wing, since it had some of the most entertaining rooms he’d found so far that weren’t likely to wind up with him covered in mud or suddenly engaged in self-defense.

This made him realize he was feeling in top form. He didn’t notice any soreness at all from his self-defense training yesterday. He made a few weird long strides as he tested his muscles, twisting back and forth, swinging his arms. But no, he really didn’t feel the effects of his efforts at all.

Perhaps you could counter the effects of rigorous training with rigorous bouts of sex? Smirking, Perian decided he would definitely propose this as a solution that Brannal could help him out with as often as possible. Eventually, he found himself in a music room. Perian didn’t play any instruments himself, but he could admire the ones that were there and could strike a key or string and listen to the beautiful notes fill the room. From there, he ended up striding through the ballroom, envisioning what it must be like when there was an actual ball, when it was decorated and full of people. His father had not entertained, although he had taken pains to teach Perian to dance.

Naturally, it was while he was dancing with an imaginary partner that he caught sight of someone in his peripheral vision. He fumbled to a stop, clapping a hand to his chest as he realized it was Arvus.

“Oh, you startled me. I definitely didn’t mean to be seen by anyone while I was doing that.”

Arvus’s lips tipped up into a smile. “It’s the perfect space for it.” He walked further into the room. “It’s been some time since it’s been used for a celebration, but that’s definitely what it’s intended for.” He held out a hand. “Would you like to try it out properly?”

Perian blinked at the hand and the offer, and then couldn’t help but smile at the man, who had chosen to indulge Perian rather than make him feel like an idiot for dancing in an empty room with no partner and no music.

He took Arvus’s hand. “Yes, thank you. Just to warn you, though, it’s been a few years, and there is every chance I will step on your feet.”

Arvus smiled faintly. “Consider me forewarned.”

It was harder to dance without music when another person was involved. Periandidstep on Arvus’s feet several times until the other man began to hum, and then Perian was able to catch the rhythm of the music and swing around the dance floor. It definitely worked better when Perian let the other man lead.

“You’re a very good dancer,” he observed eventually.

“Thank you,” Arvus said. “Molun and I often dance, though not usually this formally. There are small dances at the castle sometimes, or we’ll go to the pub.”

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