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“What is it? Still feeling hungover?”
“Yes. I can’t seem to shake it. I wonder if that pill I took could have made me ill.”
“More like that stew you ate after we started drinking and you said you were hungry. I didn’t like the looks of that. And it smelled really off. Come over here and eat some of this bread and maybe you’ll feel better.”
Kalen sat down on the bed with the big tray between him and Dartan. The menu hadn’t had much of any traditional Lorian food, apparently, but for breakfast, most Lorians ate sweet bread and pastries and drank a strong Lorian juice calledrocas, or Lycan tea when they could get it, and of course, the station had plenty.
Kalen ate some of the bread as Dartan had suggested and drank cup after cup of tea. He felt no better afterward, though, and he still had body aches all over and his stomach was queasy. Dartan talked all through their first meal, teasingly explaining about how Kalen had done all the dancing with the tall person in the red dress and then ran up and down the stairs to find the long lost Jayronian prostitute.
“But listen, your Tygerian is here at the station.”
“What?”Kalen said in a shocked tone. “My Tygerian? Here?”
Dartan looked at him like he was puzzled. “Yes, the Tygerian Prince Mikol is here. What did you think I meant?”
“I-I…oh, nothing. Never mind. When did he arrive?”
“Before us, apparently, according to the server who brought the tray. So, yesterday, I guess. He sent a message that he wants to have a meeting with you this morning—alone. He’s requested it to happen before your meeting about the betrothal contract, in fact.”
Was it possible to feel the blood drain from your face? If so, his just had. Had that fucking guard actually told Nerol, who then notified the prince of his activities on Belline? But why would he? Surely he wanted this betrothal.
“Why? Do you think he’s changed his mind?”
Dartan looked up at him. “I doubt it, but would you care? You were going to tell him to wait anyway, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I think so. I don’t know. Probably.” He rubbed at an ache that had started up in his forehead. “I don’t know anymore, Dartan. The Tygerians are so powerful. I’ve been back and forth on this thing a hundred times. He could get me everything I want—all that I need. He’s in direct line to the Tygerian throne. I don’t even know how my uncle pulled this off, because itiskind of amazing, but I don’t think my uncle thought it through. I think he must have been angling for any of the available princes, and he probably never dreamed he’d get the crown prince himself. He was hoping I’d get locked down on Tygeria and never return, because he couldn’t afford another death so soon after my father’s. But this prince is theheir.This man is powerful and could see to it that I’m restored to the throne. I could get payback for my father’s death; my Army could be restored to the way they used to be, before my uncle murdered my father. I could kill my uncle with my bare hands in the capitol square. It’s a lot to consider.”
Dartan laughed softly. “Good goals to have, for sure. But you’d have tomarryhim to get all that. Not such a good deal if you’re not attracted to men.”
“No. And I wasn’t. That is, I never thought I would be. But then on Belline…I haven’t told you yet about what happened on Belline.”
Dartan’s eyebrows rose quickly. “Tell me what? What are you talking about?”
“I was searching for that room upstairs, you know, the Jayronian’s. And, I was all mixed up—Nerol’s stupid guards were chasing me up and down the halls. And then I knocked on this one door and a man answered.” He glanced up at Dartan and felt heat rising in his face. “It was a Tygerian, and he brought me inside and…Dartan, he was so good looking. Maybe the best-looking man I’ve ever seen. He scared off all the guards. They were so frightened of him. Even as drunk as I was, I could tell they almost pissed themselves when he came out in the hallway and growled at them. He took me inside his room to hide out from them, and-and that’s when things happened.”
“What do you mean ‘things happened?’ What kind of things?”
He huffed out a long sigh and just came out with it. “I let him…you know…bewith me.” He lowered his head. “Not just be with me. He kind ofdirectedthings, if you know what I mean. Oh hell, Dartan, he was totally in charge, and I-I liked it.”
Dartan made a choking sound and slammed his cup down on the tray so hard it tipped over.“He raped you?”
“What? No. God no. He made love to me.”
Kalen could feel his face flaming, but he needed to tell Dartan or somebody, because he had to talk about it.
“You let him have intercourse with you?”
“No, not exactly. Probably not. Not in the way you mean or that he would have thought. But we-we did enough.”
“Enough for what? What are you talking about?” His eyes widened. “Did you or did you not let him fuck you?”
“Would it make that much difference to you? If I did have sex with a man?”
“It makes no difference at all tome, Kalen. How can you even ask? People are attracted to whoever they’re attracted to. It’s just that you…you’re a prince. Held to a high standard. If this Prince Mikol found out you’d been with another man before him, I don’t think he would marry you.”
Kalen turned pink and groaned. “No, no, he can’t find out.”
As Kalen just sat there looking miserable, Dartan leaned closer to him. “Kalen? Why do you look like that? Talk to me.”
