Dante's face distorted for a moment, and I thought he was going to spit on me, but then, he turned on his heels and ran.
For a moment, I thought about following him, but I knew it wasn't up to me to decide his fate. I turned back to the family. Samuel had gone pale, his eyes wide, and Lord Gian was staring at me with his mouth open. Lady Gian was shaking.
"How awful!" she gasped, staring after Dante. "What a horrid, wretched man! To think … " She grabbed Samuel and embraced him tightly. The boy seemed a little confused as to what exactly happened, but I could sense his relief that he wasn't going to be sent away. Then Lady Gian turned to me. "I am so sorry. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
"No," I assured her. "Nothing but some supplies for a trip to the capital." I had made up my mind, and I had absolutely no intention of letting Dante weasel his way out of anything this time.
I rode hard to the capital,
making it in just over two weeks. When I arrived at the palace, I was dismayed to see the same two guards as before still standing watch.
"I need you to let me in," I said.
"Not a chance, young man," was their reply.
"I'm sorry," I said, "but people's lives may be at stake.
Let me in
."
They did so instantly.
The palace was all but empty, and I realized that the court must have been in session. Ah, well, all the better. The court took place in a wide oval room, and when I burst in, a hundred or more eyes turned to face me.
"What is this?" the king exclaimed as I strode up to him, his voice echoing over the stunned silence of the court. "Who are you? What merits this?"
"My apologies, Your Majesty." I dropped to the ground in a deep bow, and then stood to face him. "I must inform you of a matter of great importance. It concerns the treachery of a member of your court and the possible murder of several young country nobles."
"Ah? And who are you?"
"Your Majesty," I began, "I am one of the young men whom your wizard, Dante, kidnapped and attempted to sell to slave traders."
There was an audible gasp, and then whispering from several members of the court, but the king held his hand up and immediately silenced them. He was looking at me with narrowed eyes, obviously intrigued.
"Attempted, you say?" he asked. "And how did you escape?"
I bit my lip. "I … I have magical powers. I can … control the minds and bodies of people around me."
There was another outbreak of whispering, but the king did not attempt to silence them this time. "And how am I to believe you?" he asked me over the noise of the court.
For a moment, I was at a loss, unsure of how to prove my powers, but then the queen leaned in to whisper to the king. I recognised her then: she was one of my best paying customers, the one who never revealed her identity. They spoke quietly for a few minutes, and then the king turned back to me, raising his hand once again to silence the room.
"The queen knows you," he said. "She vouches for your power."
I turned and nodded at the queen, who gave me a small smile.
"You say the Wizard Dante kidnapped you?" the king continued.
"Yes," I confirmed. "Or rather, he brought me to the capital with the promise to establish me with a job at the palace and proceeded to stage an accident, knock me unconscious, and sell me to slave traders. Your Majesty, I know this sounds outrageous, but it is true. I've heard it from his own mouth. I am sure that if you question him, you will discover that this is the truth. He attempted to do it to me, and it is very possible that he has succeeded several times in the past. I swear that what I say is true." I dropped to my knees again, hoping desperately that he believed me.
The silence was almost painful as the king considered my words. Finally, he said, "Very well. Your story has merit. We will conduct a search of the Wizard Dante's quarters and question him when he returns to court. You have my word that it will be done."
"Thank you," I exclaimed, relief spreading through my body. I got to my feet, bowing again, and then made to leave.
"Wait." I turned back to face the king. "You say you have the power to control men's minds and bodies?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Ah. And what is your name?"
"Marcus," I replied. "Marcus of Rell."
The king nodded. "Very well, Marcus. You are dismissed."
I left quickly, knowing exactly where I wanted to go. No thought crowding my mind, aside from the intense desire that I had been repressing for far too long.
I ran nearly all the way to the Parlour,
arriving out of breath.
"Hello, handsome," one of the girls called out when I approached, and then squealed when she saw that it was me. "Marcus!"
"Hello, love!" I cried, responding enthusiastically to Aria's excited embrace. She took me by the hand and dragged me into the Parlour, calling aloud that I was back.
"It's only for a little while," I chided her, while being swarmed by girls. "I can't … " I trailed off when Titiana waddled into the room, looking more than a little surprised to see me, and for some reason, a little angry, as well.
"Hello, Marcus."
I gulped. "Hello … Titiana. Ah, is Hale here?"
"He is." She looked down at me. "In fact, he has barely left his room since the night you left."
I felt a wave of guilt rush over me, along with a sudden, strong desire to see Hale, to talk to him, to make sure he was alright.
"He's upstairs," said Muse quietly.
I nodded and climbed the familiar staircase to Hale's bedroom. Taking a deep breath, I raised a fist and knocked heavily on the door. "Hale?" I called. "It's Marcus."
The door opened almost instantly, and Hale stood there, looking absolutely awful. His face was paler than usual, his eyes hollow, and it looked as though he had lost weight.
I gasped. "Hale? Are you alright?"
Hale stared at me, and then suddenly, he was hugging me, his soft, thin body pressed up against mine. "Marcus … Marcus, you came back!" he gasped against my shoulder. He drew away and looked up at me, his sea-blue eyes glistening with tears. "I'm sorry, Marcus," he whispered, "I thought I'd lost you forever."
"No," I whispered back, gently wiping a tear from his cheek. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left. I shouldn't have. Not after … "
Hale gasped again and withheld a sob. "I'm sorry I kissed you!" he cried. "I shouldn't have, I know. But I … I can't help it, Marcus. I'm glad I did it. I'd do it again."
"Then do. Please."
And then Hale's lips were pressing against mine, warm and soft and wet with tears. He pressed closer to me and held me tighter, his mouth moving passionately against mine, as if he meant to never let me go. We stumbled into his room, and I slammed the door shut behind us, and then Hale dragged me to the bed and pulled me down on top of him. We clung to each other and kissed until it was hard to breathe, our breaths coming in tight, heavy gasps between long, wet kisses.
"Marcus … " Hale whispered, when we finally had to stop to breathe properly, "Marcus, I … I don't know if I can say this … "
"I know." I hardly dared to believe it was true, but knew it nonetheless. "I love you, Hale. I love you."
Hale tilted his head back with a wide smile. He was so beautiful; I wanted to keep him forever, to just hold him like this until the end of the world. And I wanted to hear him say it, too.
"Please, Hale," I begged. "Please tell me you feel the same way."
"Yes," he breathed, pulling me closer. "Yes, Marcus, I love you so much. Please don't ever leave me."
Elated, I kissed him again, with more heat than I had ever thought I possessed. I had never felt anything like this—not when Draeden had given me my powers, not when I had watched Li and Saraman make love, not even when I had stopped Dante and spoken to the king in front of hundreds of people. None of those moments had made my heart beat that quickly in my chest, made my body alive so with adrenalin and light and pleasure.
"Mm … Marcus," Hale moaned, his voice thick and breathy. "Please, Marcus … I want you."
"Ah!" My hips drove into him involuntarily, my body reacting against my will. "Hale … are you sure?"
Hale looked at me again for a long moment. A small smile played on his lips, although his eyes were serious. "Yes," he finally said. "Yes, Marcus, I've never been so sure of anything."
My body reacted to his words, and I knew Hale could feel me pressing against his leg. I was embarrassed for a moment, but he only smiled and pulled me closer to him."Please," he whispered, and then I gave in. I couldn't control it anymore—I wanted him. With every fibre of my being, I wanted to make love to him, to take him, to own him. I had wanted to for so long.
Tentatively, I placed my hands on his body and began to slowly draw his loose robe away, revelling in every bit of skin that was exposed. I lowered my mouth to his neck, and then began to slide my tongue along his body, his collarbone, his chest, surprised and pleased when I heard him moan lightly in response. I flicked my tongue over his nipple and gasped when I felt a tight, strong surge of pleasure. I suddenly realised that I was already unconsciously using my magic to feel what he felt, and I drew back, unsure if I should continue.
"Ah?" Hale gasped. "Marcus, what is it?"
"I'm sorry, Hale … " I whispered. "I'm not sure if I can help it, but … do you mind if I use my magic?"
Hale's eyes widened for a moment, but then he smiled mischievously, and whispered, "I would
love
that." Then his smile disappeared and he looked at me seriously. "No one," he began, "no one has … ever cared about making me feel good, you know. Not really. I'm … not sure what it's like." He smiled again, and I could feel him shaking a little. "I'm nervous, actually."
"I do want to make you feel good," I said. "I love you."
"I know," he replied, and that gorgeous, seductive smile was back. "I want to make you feel good, too. And … I'm excited to feel what you can do to me. Please." He shifted his body, pulling the remainder of the robe off, and then arched his back a little, exposing himself to me. "Don't hold back."
I didn't. No longer able to withstand my desire, I sank down onto him, sliding my mouth and hands all over his smooth, pale body, probing his mind to see exactly what felt good and where he wanted to be touched. He felt so good under my mouth, and I felt I could continue pleasuring him like this forever, but suddenly, he pushed me away and rolled us over.
"That's not fair," he complained with a little smirk. "I want to see you, too." He began to strip me of my clothes, running his hands over my skin and smiling as he did so. "You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen," he whispered. Then he bent his head to my chest and began to trace the line of my torso with his tongue, and then down, lower, until I could barely think from the pleasure. Before I could process what he was doing, he had undone my trousers and dragged them off of me.
Hale made a low, pleased noise when he saw me fully erect and wanting him, and I barely had time to remember Draeden's warning—that anyone who saw me would want to put their mouth on me—before Hale was doing just that. His mouth was warm and wet and firm, and it was obvious he knew exactly what he was doing. He was moaning a little, too, and with my magic, I could sense that he was enjoying it almost as much as I was.
I had never felt so out of control before, my body convulsing and jerking under Hale's mouth, completely separate from my mind. Part of me was terrified and wanted it to stop, sure my body couldn't withstand this much intensity … But it felt so amazing. I couldn't stand the thought of Hale ever stopping. I just wanted to lie like this forever, my hips bucking as waves of intense, almost painful ecstasy swept through my body.
Unfortunately, it couldn't go on forever, and Hale drew me out of his mouth before I had the chance to climax. "Come now, Marcus, darling," he teased, smiling at me as he licked his lips. "Don't be selfish. I have to have something for myself." He sat up and slid closer to me, and I was almost overwhelmed by how gorgeous he was, how smooth his body was under my hands, how soft his lips felt as he kissed me.
Then, suddenly, Hale broke away from me, and I sat up a little to see him reaching for a small bottle on the night stand. He uncorked it easily, and then his hands were sliding deftly over me, the sensation intensified by the addition of a soft, warm oil.
Our eyes locked, and he smiled a little, and then moved to straddle me. He began to slide himself downward, and suddenly I could feel his opening pressing against me. I could still feel what he felt, I realized, and what he felt right now was … desire. Desire so strong it nearly took my breath away. I couldn't possibly deny him this one moment longer, not when he needed it so …
Moving on an instinct I didn't even know I had, I began to slide inside of him. I moaned as I did so, the feeling intense and overwhelming. I reflexively tightened my fingers on his hips, and leaned forward over him. I hoped it didn't hurt him—no, I knew it didn't. I knew exactly how good it felt for him. He was rocking his hips, sliding on and off of me, and he tightened around me as his pleasure intensified. I begin to drive into him, slowly at first, and then quicker and harder.
"Hale!" I hissed, and he shook his head, sliding his hands down my back, digging his fingers into me. His head was thrown back, a look of exquisite pleasure on his face.
"No, no." He bit his lip, moaned, and then cried out again, and then again, louder, "Oh! Oh, yes! Yes, there!"
I forced more pleasure into him, almost recklessly, wanting to see how intense I could make it. His body was hot and tight around me, and our movements soon became frantic and desperate. A moment later, Hale cried out and I felt his body begin to shudder. His orgasm surged through me, and I moaned and thrust into him once more, before my mind released his completely, and I felt nothing but heat and light and Hale around me.
After a moment, I loosened my grip on Hale and slid downward to rest my head on his chest. We stayed that way for a long time, until I finally had the strength to sit up. I pulled Hale up with me kissed him gently.