At that hour, no lights had been left on, but Mads could feel where Marquis was. The draw between them was so strong, pulling him inexorably in.
No lattice. No places to climb, but an overhang just below the window gave Mads a goal. “Floating charm… That should do it…”
Mads pulled his wand out and wondered why he hadn’t just done it earlier. He huffed and fingered his wand, directed the tip at his feet, and strengthened his core, letting himself climb the air like steps. Marquis’s magic filled him like a battery, the charge buzzing in the pit of his soul, and magic felt so good to have again.
As his feet settled upon the roof, terracotta shingles crunched under his feet, and he pried at the window, finding it locked. He cast a quick charm that snapped back at him from a protective ward.
“Oh, no he didn— Actually, smart move.” Mads placed his hand upon the pane and peered in, spying a sleeping Marquis sprawled out on his front, hair still damp and laying all different directions. Poor man was overworked. Buuuut… Mads was horny. Horny trumped tired. Besides, one good breath of Mads, and Marquis would be wide awake. He channeled his magic, which was essentially Marquis’s and pushed it into the window, frequency matching the barrier as with a subtleclick, the latch unlocked.
With careful ease, he pushed the window open and stared as the night breeze stirred. He leaned in, took a deep breath—air still humid, the scent of Marquis’s soap rich in the air. Different than the perfumed bars of lye they’d had years ago. More chemical, but underneath it, a breadth of fragrance more complex than ever before. Still, Mads took in the underlying scent of Marquis, his sweaty clothes somewhere making his head spin with lust.
Mads slipped into the room, his bag rustling as he toed his way to the floor and turned to shut the window behind him, adjusting curtains closed. And in that instance, the bed rustled, footsteps approached, and a warm body pressed against his backside. “Mads.”
His breath caught in his throat, shoulders pinching. Everything stopped as low moonlight spilled from a slit in the curtains. “M-Marquis.”
Warm hands circled Mads’s chest, fingers spreading as they delved down to toy with his waistband. “I was going to pick you up tomorrow.”
“Nature had other plans.” Mads swallowed and relished the sensation of his heartbeat pulsing to life in his pants.
Sleep-roughened tones and harsh stubble danced over Mads’s neck with a whisper of a moan. Rich tanned skin, belying European and mediterranean ancestry, swallowed him in thick arms that never displayed through the stuffy suits he always wore. Marquis was a beautiful man. Just as Baron had been, but Baron wore his beauty like armor, a way to disarm and conquer. It was a shallow veneer hiding rot beneath. Marquis wore his beauty like a treasure, showing only what was necessary. The rest? Oh, the rest was a treat that Mads could happily claim belonged to him.
The covenmaster kept up with his body, spending time climbing, hiking, and swimming in search of wandwood whenhe wasn’t in the workshop carving and working away. Flat teeth nipped at the back of his neck; sweet breath still tinged with mint hovering lightly about. Mads wanted to roll in the aura of his fragrance, encompass himself in it, wallow in it, and sleep in a nest made of his clothes. Maybe he would later. Maybe not.
“I can tell.” Marquis breathed deeply.
“Are you mad?” Mads pressed back against Marquis, his body flushing in a rush of warmth from head to toe.
“No. Vans promised me he’d drive you and tell you the gate code.” Marquis nuzzled.
“Gate code? I climbed over the gate… What?” Mads spun around and caught Marquis’s irritated expression.
“Did he even make sure you got in okay?” Marquis sighed.
“No. To be fair, did you know he’s a germaphobe?” Mads furrowed his brow and pouted.
“Not at all. He’s extremely sex-averse. You being in heat likely made him uncomfortable.” Marquis nuzzled the hair atop Mads’s head, the length on top growing close to needing a haircut.
“I must apologize later. I didn’t understand when he was trying to tell me.” Mads relished the warm sensation of breath against his scalp.
“Not at all. He’s helping others heal in a way he might not be able to. His peace is made by avoiding intimacy. It makes him happier.” Marquis said it in a way that made it seem final, inviting no more questions. Mads could read between the lines.
Since Marquis was nearly bare, save for his boxers, Mads struggled in his arms to slip out of his shirt. Bare chest to bare chest brought them closer together, their hearts beating fast.
Their mouths crashed, Marquis cupping Mads’s face as he shifted his hips, kicked off his shoes, and shimmied free of his jeans. Cool air touched his smooth skin, the one bonus of beinghairless, the silken touch against the world. Mads was insistent, though.
He pushed, making Marquis stumble back toward the bed. Their rising hardnesses brushed one another through their undergarments. And underwear had changed a lot, for the better. Marquis’s boxer briefs swelled, the outline of his cock rising to greet Mads’s hand. The firm warmth of it made Mads shudder. “I want this inside me.”
“And I want nothing more than to put it inside you. I’ll take you to paradise and keep you there until I drive the fire from you, my love.” Marquis stepped back, hands wandering to Mads’s hips.
The bed Mads had picked out had a wonderful height; the mattress held with a generous, reinforced lip. The footboard low and strong. Every aspect that Mads considered for their new bed was designed for them and them alone.
When Marquis hit the edge of the bed, he fell back, drawing Mads with him. He spread his legs to pull Mads up to straddle his hips.
Marquis rolled and tugged, moving around the bed to cage Mads in with his arms. “I’m all yours. You have me as you wish.”
And Mads would. His mouth practically watered to taste Marquis, to suck and lick, to be fucked. “My mind is mush…”
“That’s no good. Let me give you a little clarity,” Marquis said as he slid down, kissing his way along Mads’s body, his warm breath leaving cold spots as he abandoned them downward.
