“Perhaps. Then we should just kill him,” he said.
“I don’t know about all this,” Braern sighed, shaking his head.
“There’s no need to make a decision now.”
“Would it hurt him? Taking his soul out?” he pressed. Adrissu hesitated—he did not think so, but he wasn’t certain.
“No, it wouldn’t,” he said, more decisively than he felt. “I don’t think he would even be aware of it.”
“What would happen to it? Can you just... stick a soul in a jar?”
Adrissu laughed in dark amusement at the suggestion. “No, it’s unfortunately not so simple. I’ve only been able to do it with precious gems as a conduit for the magic. So his soul would be in such a gem.”
“And his body?”
“It would stay alive, as if he were sleeping. I’m not sure if it would age. I haven’t done anything long-term yet.”
Braern’s eyes narrowed. “You just want to do it as an experiment, don’t you?”
Adrissu smiled wryly. “I can’t get anything past you.”
“I… This is all a lot to think about,” Braern sighed, running a hand through his hair anxiously.
“Like I said, we don’t need to decide to do anything now,” Adrissu murmured, reaching over to clasp his other hand. “Just something to consider. And if you think of what, exactly, youdowant to do, we’ll do that. I promise. I won’t do anything that you don’t want me to do.”
A small smile played at the edges of Braern’s mouth. “I know,” he said softly. “That’s not what I’m worried about. Truly.”
“Are you worried?”
Braern laughed, tossing his head back. “We’re discussing possibly killing my husband. So yes, I’m a little worried.” The grin on his face faltered slightly, and he added in a more serious tone, “In truth, I’m worried he might show up before I’ve made a decision, and then I’ll be forced to choose.”
“I understand,” Adrissu murmured, squeezing his hand. “I won’t let him find you. I’ll keep you safe.”
Braern nodded silently, his eyes unfocused. “Maybe don’t get rid of the bond just yet,” he said softly, barely above a whisper. “That way, if he does turn up... We’ll have at least a bit of a warning. I’ll know if he’s close. It lasts up to about a mile or so.”
That could be helpful if it came down to it. Adrissu nodded, still holding the elf’s hand in his own. “I’ll keep you safe,” he repeated.
Braern was quiet for a long moment, then he moved to sit in Adrissu’s lap, pressing his face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Adrissu wrapped his arms around him, squeezing his waist and rubbing his back with one hand in a slow, soothing motion.
“I love you,” Braern said, barely above a whisper against his skin, and Adrissu froze. Braern had not said it before. Slowly, Adrissu smiled and pulled back a bit to look Braern in the face; the elf’s cheeks were flushed, but he met Adrissu’s gaze earnestly.
“I love you too,” Adrissu replied, leaning in to kiss him. There had never been any doubt in his mind that Braerndidlove him, but to hear it in his mate’s own voice was a soothing balm, easing a tension that he had been unconscious of until now. “And I’m proud of you. For doing this, all of this. It took a lot of bravery to reach this point.”
“I don’t feel brave,” Braern replied, shaking his head with a bitter laugh. “But thank you. If anything, you’re the one who makes me brave. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Adrissu shrugged. “You still would have come to Polimnos. You still would have gotten away. You didn’t even think I was real when you decided to come here. Everything up to now has been because of your own strength.”
Braern’s face had flushed warmer and warmer as he spoke, the tips of his ears red, but an expression of pride on his face.
“Maybe,” he relented, laughing. A darker look gleamed in his eyes, and he removed himself from Adrissu’s lap only to drop to his knees in front of him. “Let me show you how much I love you.”
Adrissu grinned, all his teeth showing. He spread his legs, and Braern shifted to kneel between them. “Please, show me.”
After that conversation, Adrissu didn’t want to push the matter too hard and did not mention it again for a long while, so Braern could consider the information. Similar to his approach with Ruan and the ritual, he set a schedule for himself, asking every few months if Braern had decided how he wanted to handle the problem of Lorsan. But the elf remained uncertain, so he always let the subject drop without pressing him for an answer.
They had lived together in Polimnos for nearly a year when a sudden sense of foreboding prickled up Adrissu’s spine, making all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. An instant later, Vesper uncurled from Braern’s lap and looked up abruptly, her beady eyes wide as she craned her head toward a nearby window.Danger!
“Braern,” Adrissu said quickly, trying to sound calm, even as he leapt to his feet to look out the window. “There’s a dragon approaching. Go to your room and lock the door.”
