Page 34 of By Mistake
"The lovely woman in the kitchen said she'd bring me soup and bread since 'those boys in the dining room have gobbled up enough for ten,'" Greivs said with a smile, taking the chair next to Oresti.He smiled at Andrus."Lord Bothwell, you seem muchly improved from the last time I saw you."He shifted his gaze to Shimari, smile fading."You're not human."
Shimari quirked a brow."Neither are you."
"I'm half-human."
Oresti nearly choked on his soup."Since when are you onlyhalf-human?What in the world didImiss while you were off with your father?"
"A lot," Greivs said with a small smile."We'll discuss me later.Why is there a demon at your table, Lord Bothwell?"
"You don't need to call me that," Andrus said with a sigh."These two will bedelightedto tell you everything."He motioned for them to proceed, and with the promised shameless delight, Oresti and Shimari did so.
By the time they were finished, Greivs looked torn between horror and amusement."You are quite the individual, Lord Both—Andrus."
"So tell us your story, Greivs."
"Apparently my mother was not my birth mother," Greivs said."The woman who birthed me…my father could only say she came from Ravenwood.He only knew she wasn't human."
Shimari scoffed."Dryad.It's all over you.Humans and your pathetic senses.I can't believe no one taught you your heritage."
"There was no one to teach it.I was raised human all my life, and I guess no one else noticed, or if they did, decided for whatever reason that it wasn't worth bringing up.Anyway, my mother got pregnant, fled out of fear to a human woman she called friend, and died giving birth to me.That woman raised me as her own, and her work as a healer brought her here.My father's peers weren't happy that he had a lover, especially a non-human one, and I guess made her life quite miserable."
"Miserable enough she ran away to protect you, even leaving your father behind.A story told a thousand times, but no less tragic for the frequency," Oresti said with a sigh.
"I commiserate with worrying what unhappy peers will do to an interloper taking what belongs to them," Andrus said with a sigh."After all the nonsense caused by your father—"
"The king," Oresti interjected dryly.
"—I can only imagine how many people will be more than happy to help Farthing kill me.Can't wait."
"Nobody will be getting past me," Shimari said."I look forward to the violence.Delicious, delightful violence."He touched the tip of his tongue to his top lip, eyes glowing red briefly.
Andrus only rolled his eyes, which was possibly the most hilarious reaction Oresti had ever seen when a zero class demon was involved.When his chuckle got him a warning look, he held up his hands in defeat."You're remarkably blasé about Shimari lusting for violence."
"I'm going to make him start with you if you don't quit laughing at me," Andrus said without any heat, and dropped his napkin on the table before pushing his chair away and standing."If you will excuse me, I have about five thousand pieces of correspondence to sort through."
"I'll help you," Greivs said."I could use something distracting, and I know better than Oresti what should be accepted, rejected, and so forth."
Oresti laughed."I'd be offended, but it's true."He stood and followed Andrus from the room—then caught him up against the wall, caging him in with his arms, and bent to nuzzle his cheek, flutter soft kisses along his jaw before taking his mouth in a long, leisurely kiss that left him desperately aching to sweep Andrus into his arms and spirit him off to bed for several hours.
Andrus deserved better than that, though.After a lifetime of neglect, and the way Oresti had hurt him by keeping his secret far too long, he deserved a courtship fit for a prince.Conveniently, Oresti knew exactly how that should look.
Drawing back, he ran his thumbs over Andrus's kiss swollen lips."You're so pretty."
"You're sovexing."
Oresti smirked."You know very well insults only encourage me."
Andrus sighed, but there was no hiding his smile."Don't you have some sneaking around to be doing?"
"Alas, you are correct.Have fun with your correspondence."
"I'd rather be sneaking around," Andrus muttered.
Grinning, stepping well out of smacking range, Oresti replied, "If your sneaking is anything like your summoning, it's for the best you're staying here."He laughed and retreated even further as Andrus puffed up and made to come after him.
Upstairs, chased by Andrus's sputtering threats, he found a satchel filled with nondescript clothes and the various tools he liked to have when doing this sort of work.He washed up and changed quickly, then returned downstairs to find the others gathered in the study once more.
Sweeping his eyes over the room, he said, "I'll have to buy you books for a courting gift.What kind would you like?"
