Page 117 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Even the imagined rejection felt like a lance piercing Lirion’s heart.

Didn’t that say everything he needed to know?

“Aria, I might be more attached to Fenric than I realized.”

“I told you,” she murmured.

“How can I not be?” Lirion sighed, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them. “When he treats me this well. He’s done so much for me and been so kind and supportive. Honestly? Storming a castle on his behalf doesn’t sound like enough to repay him.”

“I hear you, but have you considered that he might be in love with you?”

Honestly, no, he hadn’t. Humans were gushy and a little cringey when they fell in love. Fenric hadn’t acted like that, but could love be one of the deeper emotions from him that Lirion hadn’t identified yet? “I don’t know. It’s not like I understand human love.”

“No, it’s kind of its own strange beast, isn’t it? Still, would you welcome that?”

Would he? It sounded tempting, in a way. Because that meant Fenric wanted to stay at his side. “But, Aria, he might not want a long-standing relationship with me. And if we had a long-standing relationship, would it be monogamous? A lot of humans prefer that.”

Just saying the word monogamous made Aria’s entire face scrunch up in a mix of confusion and distaste. Their kind rarely ever attempted something like that. It was unheard of. Feeding from just one person? The idea was crazy. And yet, the notion of being with Fen only didn’t leave him with a sense of panic. In fact, it was the idea of sharing his body with anyone other than Fen that was leaving him feeling a bit sick.

“No, never mind that. I’m just looking for trouble when I don’t even know what Fen wants,” Lirion muttered suddenly, shaking his head.

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t want a relationship? Would you abandon the entire group?”

“I might have to. It would be too awkward. I don’t know if the rest of the men would be willing to feed me if Fenric stops. I’d be forced out one way or another.”

Aria nodded, accepting his words. It was a simple fact in their lives. Sometimes, the complex sexual relationships they had with groups forced their hands even when they’d prefer to make a different decision entirely. This was such a situation.

“Still,” she pushed, “if you had the choice? If you could choose what to do and everything magically aligned as you wished, what would you choose?”

Lirion didn’t have to ponder long. “I’d stay. I’d stay not only with Fen, but with the group as a whole.”

“Then, maybe drop hints as you travel to the next job. Try to suss them out, see if they’d be open to it. Fenric especially. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

The way she said that made him wonder. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, he poked her shoulder. “You know something, don’t you?”

“I might have had some interesting pillow talk last night. Rain admitted he was sad about you leaving soon. That his friendship with you had a deadline attached. In regard to Rain, at least, he’d welcome you to stay. I’m completely confident Puppy feels the same way.”

Lirion perked up. “Oh! That’s two out of the six, then. Thank you for telling me.”

“Inspired some confidence, did it? Then, use your confidence to talk to Fenric.”

His current lover truly was the linchpin of this whole thing. Lirion started gathering up some courage. “I don’t know how to approach this, or how to find the right timing, but I promise I’ll try. If I fail, I might come stay with you for a few weeks until I can figure out what to do next.”

“That’s fine with me. But promise to really try, all right?” Aria’s smile turned wistful. “Honestly, you might be able to live out a fantasy. It would be a waste if you didn’t seize the opportunity.”

The sky was shedding its pale blue for glowing oranges and pinks as the Dark Lady finally docked in Björnkill after being slowed up thanks to a late-summer squall. The large town was already slowing down—except in the red-light district. Sellers had closed up their shops, and most of the other people had wandered home for a meal and some well-earned sleep so they could do it again tomorrow.

The hour was too late for them to see if the house they’d rented on their last visit was available. They had no choice but to grab some rooms at a nearby inn. Tomorrow, they could look into getting Aria more permanently settled in the town and getting fresh supplies for their trip to Dunley village.

Lirion directed them to the inn he’d stayed in previously. The place was nice enough he wouldn’t feel bad about putting his little sister up there and moderately priced, which wasn’t bad since they were still riding high on the wealth they’d stolen in Baza.

After a hot meal and a bath, Fenric wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep until his bones stopped aching and the world stopped swaying. The only thing that could make the bed more comfortable would be to have Lirion lying beside him, his wonderful scent and steady breathing lulling him into a deep sleep.

Fenric didn’t want to admit it, but after the past two weeks at sea, he’d found he slept much better with his arm thrown over Lirion’s waist. Not that he’d tell the man. All he’d get for the admission was hours of teasing.

He’d found Lirion, Aria, and several of the other team members in the main hall drinking ale and listening to a storyteller weave a bawdy tale about an adventurer stuck in a castle with a bunch of horny ghosts. He’d heard that one long ago, and he was sure Maxie was going to get quite the education this evening if the guy told the uncensored version. Before Fenric left the room, Lirion offered him a tired smile and said he’d be up shortly.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Fenric chucked off his boots, tossed his shirt over the nearest chair, and left his pants and socks in a pool on his side of the bed. Behind him, the door opened and closed, followed by a soft scent that always accompanied Lirion.