A Bond of Three (13 page)

“Spread your legs wide, Sorran, as far as they will go.”

Sorran obeyed, stifling a whimper when Feyar placed his hands on his buttocks, pulling his cheeks apart. He felt warm breath play over his hole, making it clench.

Surely he does not mean to….
The thought had Sorran holding his breath. Then he gasped as Feyar pressed his lips to his buttocks in a gentle kiss. Sorran made a low noise of pleasure as the kisses moved ever closer to where his most intimate place was tightening in anticipation. When they moved away, he moaned in frustration.

Feyar chuckled against his skin. “Patience, my prince. You shall know how good it feels very soon.” And then without warning the bed dipped and Feyar plunged forward, licking over Sorran’s hole with a slow, flat tongue.

“Oh by the Maker, that feels….” Words were lost as Feyar pressed his tongue into Sorran’s body. Sorran trembled, his whole body shaking as he submitted to Feyar. He closed his eyes and let himself
feel
. When Feyar gripped his cock and tugged at it, his tongue working Sorran’s hole without ceasing, Sorran began to unravel. He wanted—no, he
craved
—more. Never had his body felt so alive. The appreciative sounds emanating from Feyar made his heart soar. His teacher was plainly enjoying the lesson. Sorran pushed back, chasing the sensation. The sound of Feyar’s tongue working his hole was so erotic, it pushed him closer to the edge.

And all too soon he felt the imminent approach of his orgasm.

“Feyar….” He did not want this to end, and he groaned when Feyar pulled free, breathing heavily.

“Not yet, my student.” Feyar pulled him upright and looked him in the eye. “Taste yourself on my lips.” Before Sorran could utter another sound, his mouth was taken in a brutal kiss as Feyar took possession. Sorran growled and returned the kiss with equal passion, his tongue plundering Feyar’s mouth. The taste was dark and rich, and Sorran loved every second of it.

Feyar broke free and dropped onto all fours, twisting to look at Sorran over his shoulder. “Your turn,” he gasped.

Sorran grinned. “My pleasure.” He stroked over the firm buttocks in front of him, squeezing the flesh. Feyar emitted a low moan, and Sorran smiled, empathizing with his teacher. He spread Feyar’s cheeks wide and gazed for the first time at another man’s most intimate of places. The dusky, rose-colored pucker twitched, and he could not wait another second. Sorran licked across Feyar’s hole, savoring the way Feyar trembled at that first contact.

Oh, how he tastes….
Sorran applied himself eagerly to the task. He licked into the hot little hole, loving each noise that poured forth from Feyar’s lips. When Feyar reached back to press Sorran’s face deeper between his cheeks, Sorran’s whole body sang along to the sensual harmony they weaved. Feyar grasped his cock and tugged furiously, his moans increasing in number and volume. Sorran slid his hand down to grasp his own aching shaft, his orgasm now within reach.

And then it happened.

Sorran had often brought himself to climax with his hand, and each release brought pleasure. But nothing he had experienced prepared him for the violence of his first orgasm with another man. Light exploded behind his eyes, and his body stiffened while his cock sent forth his seed over the bed. His hands tingled and burned, and suddenly it felt as though every one of his markings was on fire, their lines glowing. He cried out, unable to hold it in any longer.

“Oh, oh by the heavens,” Feyar moaned weakly as he released, his body shuddering with each pulse of seed. He collapsed, the sheets muffling his cries. Sorran went with him, Feyar’s back damp with perspiration against his chest. Sorran buried his face in Feyar’s hair, breathing in the heady scent of musk and sex.

They lay like that for a while, trembling and shuddering as their bodies were jolted by aftershocks. Sorran’s heartbeat eventually returned to normal, and he rolled onto his back to lie beside Feyar. He stared at the ceiling, his breathing more even.

And then Feyar started to laugh. It was a joyous sound that bounced off the walls and ceiling of the bedchamber. Something deep within Sorran resonated with the sound, and a peace such as he had never known rolled over and through him.

Feyar lay on his side, gazing at Sorran, smiling and shaking his head. “Never have I known a first encounter so… passionate. Are you always so diligent a student?”

Sorran’s cheeks grew hot. “I always liked to please my teachers.” He returned Feyar’s smile. Then he gazed inquiringly at him. “Will I please Tanish?” The thought sent heat racing through him, but it was tempered with guilt. The question was on the tip of his tongue.
Did I please you, Feyar?
Then he stiffened.
Which one of you am I here to please?

Feyar froze and his smile faded. Sorran’s stomach clenched at the change in his countenance. It was as if a mask had slipped into place.

Feyar rose from the bed and put on the
cashor
. “Your first lesson was most successful, Your Highness.” Sorran’s throat seized at the words uttered in so cool a manner. “I shall look forward to our next lesson.” He gazed at Sorran, his features neutral. “But now I shall take my leave of you.” Without another word, Feyar lifted his hood into place and left the room, pulling the door shut after him.

Sorran gazed after him with a heavy heart.

What happened?
He did not understand. Feyar had played his body like a fine instrument, making his senses sing. He had heard and seen how much pleasure Feyar had gleaned from their time together. Sorran’s senses did not lie.
So what brought about such a dramatic change?

All Sorran knew was that there were now two men whose moods changed like lightning. And he was now faced with a new dilemma. He was betrothed to Tanish, and yet Feyar affected him in exactly the same manner.

Have I made an error? And if so, which of them is to be mine?

Sorran had no way of telling, and the thought scared him.

And now I am one day closer to my wedding.

That thought scared him the most. His marriage to Tanish was political, after all. If he was meant to be with Feyar, what did that mean for the alliance between Vancor and Teruna?

The euphoria he had experienced with Feyar evaporated into nothingness.

Sorran did not know which way to turn, and yet again, there was no vision to guide him. He was alone in a strange kingdom, betrothed to a prince who seemed to be avoiding him, and now this.

He wanted to go home.

Chapter 10

T
ANISH
LAY
in bed, listening to Feyar’s breathing as he slept beside him.

Except he knew his lover was feigning sleep. Tanish had spent many nights beside him. He knew Feyar’s sighs and little noises; he knew the rhythms of his sleeping.

Why would he pretend?

It was only one of the questions that plagued Tanish.

From the moment Feyar had entered his bedchamber, Tanish had waited for him to speak of his time spent with Sorran, but not a word of it had passed his lips. And when it became clear they were not to make love, Tanish’s heart became a leaden weight in his chest.

Why will he not speak of it?
Worse still, Feyar would not look him in the eye as they disrobed, and after the briefest of embraces, he had rolled onto his side, facing away from Tanish. Before long his breathing grew more regular, but Tanish was not fooled. The more he thought about it, the more his panic increased, until it clutched his throat in a tight squeeze.

I cannot lie here and say nothing.

Yet the alternative was too frightening to contemplate.

What if… what if Feyar made a connection with Sorran, despite his protestations that he would remain aloof? What if something in Sorran touched him? Do I want to know this?

He sat up in bed, his heart pounding, his hand clutching his chest, gulping down air as he struggled to breathe evenly.

It was no use. He had to say
something
.

“Feyar.” Tanish spoke his name in an urgent whisper. Silence. “Feyar.” Louder this time. Nothing. Tanish drew in a deep breath. “I know you do not sleep, my
terushan
. Think not that you can deceive me. We have spent far too many nights in each other’s arms for it to be otherwise.” He made no effort to lower his voice, so sure was he of his assessment.

A long sigh breached the still, quiet air. “I should have known.” Feyar rolled over to face him, eyes gleaming in the moonlight that lit up the chamber. He sighed heavily.

Tanish lay down next to him, a space between them in the bed. He regarded Feyar in silence, noting the lowered gaze. “What should you have known?” Feyar’s words were like a tight fist around his heart.

Feyar let out a small huff. “That I could hide nothing from you.” He sat up, threw off the sheets that covered him, and rose from the bed. He walked naked to the long window, his pale skin glowing in the moonlight. As he opened the window to the balcony, a soft breeze wafted into the room, carrying with it the heady scent of night-flowering jasmine. Tanish watched the rise and fall of Feyar’s chest as he breathed in the aroma. “That smell always makes me think of this room, of the two of us in your bed.” Then his shoulders sagged.

Tanish lurched from the bed in alarm and went to Feyar’s side. He placed a hand on Feyar’s upper arm. “Whatever it is that burdens you, my
corishan
, share it with me, I beg you. It cannot be worse than your silence, which has tormented me all night.”

Feyar turned to face him. “It is nothing. I… I was ashamed to face you this night.”

Tanish stared at him, his skin growing cold in spite of the warm night air. “But why?”

Feyar took a deep breath. “I… I enjoyed another’s man’s embrace, another man’s kiss. For the first time since you chose me above all others in the
Seruanal
, I knew pleasure from another’s intimate caress.”

Tanish caught his breath, fighting hard not to picture the two of them together. He strove to remain logical. “But this is what you do, is it not? You use your body to teach others to give pleasure.”

Feyar shook his head. “You do not understand. Before you came into my life, there were other men, other women. And in all those times, I was able to remain objective. But with him….” He shivered. “There was something about him, something… oh, I have not the words to describe it, Tanish. I only know that when we had… finished, he asked if he would please you. In that moment, I felt such guilt, as though I had betrayed you, betrayed our love.”

Tanish was dismayed to see Feyar tremble. He put his arms around him and drew him back to the bed. Feyar lay down with him, and Tanish drew him close, Feyar’s head upon his chest. “I will not ask what the two of you did together. That is between you and Sorran. But I must ask if you feel able to continue.”

Feyar craned his neck to stare at Tanish. “What choice do I have? There is naught I could say to the king that would be reason enough to find another
Seruan
for Sorran. Indeed, His Majesty might argue that I was clearly providing him with excellent instruction, if this is the result.” He dropped his head to Tanish’s chest with a sigh. “There is only one thing for me to do.”

“And that is what?” Tanish held his breath as he awaited Feyar’s next utterance.

“I will continue with his instruction, for I cannot do otherwise without incurring your father’s wrath. But I will leave longer periods of time between lessons.”

Tanish breathed more easily. “That is perhaps best.” He stroked Feyar’s hair and kissed him there. “I must confess, the thought of Sorran in your arms is a torture to me. I fear that each time I look at him, that is all I will see. So I will do my utmost to stay out of his way.”

Feyar lifted his head to gaze at Tanish, his brow furrowed. “But… you are to use this time to become accustomed to each other. Is that not what King Beron demanded?”

Tanish snorted. “King Beron is not here. And when we are married, we will have many years in which to grow accustomed to each other. Let us not forget that this is first and foremost a political marriage. Prince Sorran had best become
accustomed
to that fact, and sooner rather than later.”

Feyar exhaled and settled down once more, his body molding to Tanish’s. “Let us hope it is sooner.” It was not long before his breathing grew more regular.

Tanish held him close, happy his lover was asleep at last. He lay there in the dark, his thoughts on his betrothed. In spite of his bold statements, a part of him felt sorry for the Vancoran prince. Sorran had seemed so happy with the betrothal.

He is about to find that things have changed.

S
ORRAN
STARED
out of the window that overlooked the city. It was a glorious day. The sky was a clear canvas of bright blue, and the white stone buildings stood out against it, their walls reflecting the sunlight.

The light was not bright enough to penetrate his heart or disperse his dark mood. Three days since he had glimpsed Tanish. Three days since Feyar had given him instruction. And King Feolin was nowhere to be found.