Trill wouldn’t know until he met him, and he definitely couldn’t meet him if he wasn’t in the city—ideally in the castle—and that was where he was right now… wondering if he was about to be kicked out.
But after Arvus had cleaned everyone up and checked extra to make sure that Trill was all right—Trill was fabulous, how could the man doubt it after that amazing double fucking?—it seemed that all his fears had been unfounded, because Trill was smushed in between the two of them, lying half-on Molun on his right side, making sure not to put any pressure on his left side, with Arvus pressing up behind him.
Trill could definitely get used to this.
Why didn’t more people want to have sex with multiple people at the same time? Or why weren’t they nice about it? The ones who just wanted to please themselves by taking as many other people as possible, not caring about any of them, were not what Trill liked at all. He didn’t leave people wanting (not unless they werebadpeople, and then they were lucky that they were facing him and not Yannoma, because she stopped people like thathard). But if people were selfish and not kind? Trill didn’t care if they were paying him. They would get off, but they didn’t get his best.
Molun and Arvus had been sweet and sexy and generous, and apart from the fact that Trill couldn’t feed on them or enhance their pleasure, he’d given them his all. The sex was still wonderful, even without a little extra. Well, almost no extra. He patted Molun’s abs and sent one last tendril of energy for the night, willing it into the man’s leg, making sure that he was relaxed and pain free so that he would sleep well.
But that hadn’t really been part of the sex. Trill was doing it in small enough amounts that he didn’t feel more than a little drain even having not actually fed from them. He was glad that he’dpulled in a bit of energy at the pub, though. It was a big wound, and Trill needed to be smart about this.
(He could imagine Yannoma scoffing. He was in bed between two Mage Warriors in the middle of a castle filled with Mage Warriors. He didn’t think she would define any part of what he was doing right now as “smart.” But he thought he was doing pretty well.)
He was certainly extremely satisfied with the sex. Any time the two of them wanted him, he would definitely be available. At least until hewasn’tavailable, of course, because eventually, he was going to have to go home. Not that there was too much for him there, apart from Yannoma. She would scoff, but he didn’t like to leave her alone for too long. She was better when she had company, even if she said it didn’t matter. Of course it mattered. Everyone needed company sometimes, even when they said they hated people.
But he didn’t have torushback. He would have a good story to tell her, and she did like stories. She would have plenty to say about what he was doing, so he just had tokeepbeing careful. When he got home, he would spin it into just the type of story she liked. (Really, it involved him being stupid and hopefully lots of sex. She’d like everything about it.)
In the morning, he’d see what else he could do with these two men.
Chapter Nine
Cormal
The Prince continued to sit beside Cormal and asked gently, “Have you ever mourned losing him?”
And that caught Cormal right in the chest. He cried harder.
“I’m sorry I can’t hold you,” the Prince said quietly, andhesounded gutted—maybe not the way that Cormal felt, like all his insides had been ripped out and he wasn’t sure what was leftinside him anymore, but like it actually hurt him to sit there beside Cormal and listen to his ugly sobbing.
Cormal reached out his hands, not that it did any good, but he laid them on the log they were sitting on, and the Prince reached out and placed his on top. They sank right through, but that was the two of them connected, in a way. Cormal might not be able to feel anything, but the Prince had said it was uncomfortable to pass through people, and he was doing it anyway, for Cormal, even if he probably didn’t deserve any comfort.
This might not have happened if Perian had never come to the castle, but Cormal’s actions once Perian was there were his own. He might have felt like he’d had no choice… but he’d still been making choices. He’d thought he’d had good reasons for them, but it had been his actions that had led to Brannal leaving, led to where they were now.
And if Perian hadn’t come, the Prince wouldn’t be here, either. Brannal wouldn’t have found the man he loved…
It hurt, but Cormal had known for years that Brannal didn’t care for him the way that he’d wanted. He’d known it even when they were young, when they’d fallen into bed together, and then when they’d fallen out of it. He’d seen then that he wasn’t what Brannal wanted, so he acted like it hadn’t meant as much to him, either, and he’d… stewed?
He’d thought he’d gotten over it, but maybe he hadn’t done that at all.
“I never meant to hurt Brannal,” Cormal assured the Prince, sniffing inelegantly. “But I didn’t listen to him, either. And I definitely didn’t want to see what was right under my nose.”
The Prince nodded, his expression still surprisingly understanding given everything Cormal had done.
“Cormal, I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear.”
Cormal laughed softly, even though it was still tinged with tears. “Hit me with it.”
He felt like he’d heard nothing but what he didn’t want to hear for months.
“He’s not dead.”
Cormal jolted. “I know he’s not.”
“You screwed up. Badly. You hurt him, and worse, you hurt someone he cares about.”
Face twisting, Cormal nodded and whispered through a throat that felt like it was filled with broken glass, “He said the only reason I was still alive was because Perian was.”
The Prince’s eyes widened, and he grimaced. Cormal couldn’t help but laugh, even as his heart pinched and more stupid tears leaked down his face. The Prince reached up and tried to brush them off, though of course it didn’t work. But he had a look of intense concentration on his face, like if he tried hard enough, maybe it suddenly would.
