Page 72 of By Mistake
"I do need rest," Shimari admitted, "and sustenance.I will go attend that now that you're back.He's fast asleep, fell asleep in the middle of his bath, poor thing."
Yawning, Oresti said, "I would love to be asleep, but first I am getting a hot bath.Why go out for blood when you can have mine?Come here."
Shimari didn't bother to voice a reply, only surged into his space and reached up to sink sharp teeth into his neck.Oresti grunted, but honestly, the pain was all the more trivial after his ignominious tossing.
When Shimari withdrew, Oresti kissed him softly."Are you all right?I don't know that I've asked properly.Cannot be easy seeing your own child treated that way, having to fight so hard and bitterly to get them back.I'd lose my fucking mind if somebody kidnapped and tortured my child."
"The world spare us the ridiculousness of you and Andrus having children," Shimari said."I don't know which of you would be more unbearable.No, it would be all your bickering about spoiling the children rotten versus a reasonable upbringing.I can hear the arguing now."
"Shut up," Oresti said with a smile, chucking him under the chin and taking another brief kiss before he headed into the washroom, discarding his clothes as he went.
Laughter in his voice, "That is exactly the sort of spoiled brat behavior Andrus rails against."
"He's asleep!"Oresti called over his shoulder, though Andrus wouldn't stay that way if they kept talking so loudly.Shutting the door, he went to the washing stall and scrubbed himself thoroughly clean, then slid into the steaming bath awaiting him with a groan.The water smelled faintly of roses; not his usual scent but hardly one to complain about.
Only when the water started to cool and he threatened to nod off did he finally climb out, muscles notably less sore and body relaxed enough he might be able to sleep properly instead of his anxious mind spinning with all that had happened and what he would be doing when he awoke.
In the bedroom, Andrus was still thankfully fast asleep, curled against Shimari, almost but not quite lying in his lap.Oresti smiled, warm fondness filling him at the sight.He'd waited so long for a lover he could really trust, who would seehimand not his status, and now there were two.One who was not remotely impressed by wealth and power, and the other who had more power than he'd ever truly understand.
Shimari's amusement rippled through his mind, but so did his abiding fondness.Oresti snuffed the remaining light in the room and crawled into bed, moving in close to wrap around Andrus and kiss his shoulder.He mumbled and sighed in his sleep, then went still again."I'm sure you're eager to wander off on your own quests, but will you stay a bit longer?"
"Of course.There's nowhere else I'd rather be.I'll likely check on Renik in a few hours, and tomorrow night I'll do some hunting for him, but for now, I'm remaining right here."
"Good," Oresti said, and soon after drifted off to sleep.
Twenty
Andrus sat with Shimari in the basement room where Renik was slowly rebuilding himself.Well, his body for this world.As he and Kressen would be spending a great deal of time here, looking over their comrade—Shimari's son, really, whatever the demons claimed otherwise—they had moved several pieces of furniture down.Couches, a bed, chairs, tables, even a little area to make tea.It was like a strange, floating room in the middle of a large open space.
Several paces away, inside an intricate spell circle, lay Farthing's body, too pale and too still.Every now and then he would twitch, or sigh, but mostly he was just eerily still."I cannot believe it will take three years for him to wake up."And that wasquick.
He lifted his head slightly from where he'd rested it against Shimari's shoulder."Is he doing all right so far?"
Shimari smiled and reached up to brush a thumb over Andrus's lips."He's doing just fine, far better than he normally would in such a situation.Most of the time when this happens, circumstances are the exact opposite of ideal.Hiding in a deep cave and hoping for the best, that sort of thing.He has literally the perfect arrangement."He dropped his hand and kissed Andrus softly, then nudged him back down, idly stroking his hair."My concern now is finding the other two, as I must now assume the worst."
Andrus frowned."Did you not know where they were before I accidentally summoned you?"
"They weren't at home, so to speak, but that's hardly unusual.Time also passes differently, strangely, so…well, suffice to say, I had no reason to be concerned until now.I thought the only other one on this plane was Kressen, but if three of us are here…" He sighed."Hopefully they will be all right, wherever they are, until I can get to them."
"We'll save them, whatever it takes."
"If only more humans were like you, pet.The world—" he stopped."Oresti wants to speak with us."
Andrus sat up, even as Shimari whisked them way.That was still taking getting used to, the cold and the rush, the way he blinked and was so far from where he'd been.He shook himself, looked around what proved to be Oresti's private chambers—their private chambers, though Oresti was making noises about getting them a proper family suite for when they had to be in the palace for days at a time.
Oresti sat on the sofa, his brother Telish beside him, the pair practically buried in all the private journals he'd had brought over from Farthing's house.He smiled and immediately cast aside the book he was holding, standing to greet them, kissing first Andrus and then Shimari."How is Renik?"
"Well enough," Shimari said."What did you need?I assume from your demeanor that nothing is wrong."
"Not at all.My father is free of his meetings and wanted to speak with Andrus about all this."He waved a hand at the journals."He read the relevant ones himself last night; barely got any sleep he was so intent on it."
Andrus stared at him wide-eyed."He didn't have to do that."
"Yes, he did, but he would have done it anyway," Oresti said with a smile, and chucked him under the chin."Come on."He took Andrus's hand, which always made Andrus feel small, but safe.
Shimari walked just behind them, playing at dutiful personal assistant.
He didn't need their mental connection to know Shimari was smirking and had a ready retort about all the serving done last night.
