Page 81 of Over the Emerald Valley
Solon swelled inside him, stretching him wide, and together they reached the peak, one pulsating spike of bliss at a time, a taste of the sublime. Temaj came all over the velvet, ruining it for others, without a care in his mind. The world went white hot, then black as sensation swept over him, leaving him a trembling mess beneath Solon.
Skies, it was good. Would it always be thus between them? Temaj hoped so. Never had he known someone so perfectly suited for him in this. Never had he dared to dream.
As relaxation made his limbs heavy and his brain foggy, Temaj melted into the cushion while Solon cleaned them off. Temaj couldn’t be bothered. Covered in cum and oil, he was fine. He just wanted Solon back in his arms. The sooner, the better. Maybe a nap. Maybe a snack. He was…hungry.
Solon chuckled as he pushed and pulled at Temaj’s limp limbs to make room for himself. He cuddled close and gave Temaj a lingering kiss.
“How do you feel?”
Temaj shot him a loopy grin. “Fucked silly. You?”
“No, I meant…well, the blood exchange worked, so how does that feel?”
Oh, that? Right. His brain caught up. “I want more. Now I know what it must have been like for you before you finished Abasi off.”
“A thirst like no other.” Solon trailed his lips over Temaj’s cheeks, over his nose, to his brow. “Smart of you to request those sheep.”
Temaj wriggled even tighter, pressing their skin together in all the places he could manage. He would never get enough of Solon. Never. As much as he didn’t want to get up, the sheep’s minutes were numbered.
CHAPTER27
Solon
Though livestock diedto feed people every day, slaughtering an animal to drink its blood was different. But when Solon had to choose between sheep or people, the task became more bearable.
The blood wasn’t as good as Abasi’s had been and nowhere near as divine as Temaj’s, but it did the trick. With their hunger pains diminished, they had only to wait through the day so they could slip out of the palace undetected. This far beneath the earth, it was impossible to tell the time, but exhaustion crept in like they’d stayed up the whole night through.
“South you say?” Solon asked Temaj as he stroked his honey-blond hair.
Temaj leaned against him, where they lay side by side on the stones next to the two dead sheep carcasses, backs against the wall. “Abasi mentioned his sire’s sire was from Nubia. If we go that direction, maybe we could learn more about…whatever it is we are.”
“Clever, as usual. I agree.”
“We’ll have to be careful. They could be violent. Or angry we killed him.”
“Ikilled him.”
Temaj shrugged as if that didn’t matter. “Details. Do you feel that?”
Solon felt something, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. “I think so. Can you explain it?”
“It’s a heavy feeling, tinged with danger. Makes me want to crawl someplace dark. I think it’s the sun coming up. It would burn us.”
“How do you know?”
Temaj pursed his lips. “I don’t. It’s a vague sensation. Like danger lies above and safety beneath. Hard to explain.”
“You explained well. I feel it too, though I couldn’t have put it into words.”
“We should try to get some sleep.”
Solon couldn’t agree more. His limbs felt wooden, his lids droopy. “The lounge?”
“No. Let’s see what’s through the other door. Abasi would have a bedroom down here, and I don’t enjoy looking at or smelling corpses.”
They’d amassed a collection of bodies. Abasi’s. The sheep. “Me neither.” Solon rose, then pulled Temaj up with him. Together, they headed to the second set of doors.
A spark of trepidation fluttered in Solon’s gut, but not enough to stop him from seeking a proper bed. How was Neku doing in the palace? Had he found a bed by now, or was he still busy organizing whatever chaos had erupted above? He didn’t envy his friend the job of cleanup crew one bit, but it was an odd sensation to neglect a duty that should have been his.
