Brannal was grinning. “Like I said, I like the way you think.”
Thiswasn’tthe castle, and while there were some bad points to that, there were definite points in its favor. Perian would try to remember to talk to the staff, though, because they might be minimal, but it seemed fairly certain they’d stumble across him and Brannal at some point.
They had lots of time to make up for, after all. Plus, Brannal had cast off his entire old life for Perian (and for the principle of the matter). Perian was the happiest he’d ever been, so there was going to be lots of sex as a result.
They headed upstairs to clean up, and Perian apologized to Evalon.
“I’d say it’s not going to happen again, but, uh, that’s probably a lie.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll… try to stay away from things that are likely to cause a mess?”
They gave him a nod that Perian was pretty sure hid a wealth of amusement. “I’m sure we can get everything cleaned up without a problem. I’ll let you know if and when we need to replace any dishes.”
Perfect. The practical approach was exactly what Perian needed. That was what a housekeeper was for, he supposed. Because Perian wasn’t feeling practical at all.
When he and Brannal reached his room, Perian suddenly stopped and turned.
“Ooh, now I get to do it to you,” he said, grinning widely.
Brannal looked confused. “Do what?”
He darted to a room across the hall and flung open the door. “Do you want me to show you the nice random guest room that I suddenly picked out for you without asking?”
Brannal laughed, eyes warm with affection.
“If that was your way of asking if I wanted more space, the answer is emphatically ‘no.’ At some point, we probably won’t want to spend every waking moment together, but I assure you that I know exactly where I want to spend every sleeping moment for the rest of my life. Agreed?”
Perian came back across the hall to fling his arms around the man’s neck and kiss him soundly.
“So agreed.”
It took them some time to get cleaned up. They might have gotten dirty again first, in fact.
Perian was extremely grateful that his father had insisted on a house that was completely outfitted with hot and cold water pipes and water closets in every bedroom. He wouldn’t have been able to handle the amount of hauling of water that would have been required of his staff for the number of baths that he knew he and Brannal were going to have. For that matter, they were going to want some of them in the evening or the very early morning.
He didn’t think his father had been planning this house with long-term lovers in mind, but then again, he wouldn’t have bought the house knowing that Perian’s mother wouldn’t survive. His father hadn’t had the chance to have a happy love life here, but that’s what he’d wanted, and Perian was so glad that he now got to put the house to that use.
They went from the water closet to the bed andsomehowmanaged to while away the hours before it was time to sleep.
It was indeed a good thing the trunks arrived the next day. Without batting an eye, Evalon informed him that they were hiring an extra washer, and Perian just nodded and thanked them, because there was absolutely no doubt that he and Brannal were going to make more dirty laundry than Perian alone did.
It had never brought Perian as much joy to unpack as this occasion did, as they figured out where Brannal’s things could go. Another wardrobe was brought down from somewhere, and room had to be found on the bookshelves for the new books. Brannal pointed out one from the doctor with a note, which Perian absolutely intended to look at, but then Brannal had said, “Mm, together alone in a library, whatever can we do,” and Perian’s priorities had abruptly shifted. (It was a bit more of a study than a library, but there were, in fact, a great many books, and Perian appreciated the idea.)
He was delighted to get the carving of Brannal back, and he arranged it in pride of place in the study. Only once he’d rearranged the mantel a dozen times did it finally occur to him to ask Brannal, “Are you all right with this?”
Brannal had been lounging in one of the comfortable armchairs, having long since realized that Perian needed to be the one doing this.
“All right with what, dear heart?”
Perian gestured at the carving. “I wouldn’t—I don’t want you to think of anything that pains you.”
Brannal climbed to his feet, smiling, and gathered Perian into his arms.
“Oh, Perian, it doesn’t pain me. It’s true that Chamis carved it when I was Summus. He reminded me when I thanked him for it that it was during a demonstration to the Warriors, and I’d actually been pointing out how everyone worked together. People like the Queen and Cormal have forgotten that. They’re scared of something different and didn’t look to see all the amazing things you can do simply by existing—and I’m not talking about the Prince and Princess, I mean just by visiting a room, by making somebody smile because you’re ogling.”
Perian snorted a laugh. Brannal was smiling fondly at him.
“You’re friendly and optimistic. You show determination and grit every day. You’re kind to people just because you can be, and it’s quite clear that is not an adequately valued trait. I might not be Summus anymore, and I might not be a Mage Warrior, but—”
He took a step back from Perian and stretched out his hands, instantly creating a maelstrom of all four elements. It was exactly like the carving except even better because it was live, moving before his very eyes.
