Glimpses (14 page)

“No, it’s not like that, but I can feel how
you feel.”

“Me, too.”

Seregil stroked Alec’s cheek. “It’s
beautiful.”

Alec closed his eyes and nodded.

“As I understand it, the sensations probably
won’t be this strong all the time. But the bond will be there for
as long as we love each other.”

Alec snuggled closer. “I don’t plan on that
changing, so I guess you’re stuck with me.”

“Well, I can only think of one response to
that.”

“Oh? Oh!”

***

When they woke for the second time, Alec
could hear the clatter of dishes and fire irons in the house
beyond.

“We’ve missed breakfast,” Seregil said with
yawn.

Alec reeked of sex and his bladder was full,
but suddenly the thought of facing their friends was daunting,
especially in this condition.

Seregil understood without being told.
Perhaps it was the bond again. “Get dressed,” he whispered.

Together they climbed out the bedroom window
and snuck into the unattended stable for their horses. They didn’t
bother with saddles, but rode bareback up to the otter pond for a
swim.

It was still chilly, but Seregil stripped and
dove into the water, only to come up sputtering. “Bilairy’s balls,
that’s cold!”

A mother otter and her two pups watched them
from the bank, apparently not welcoming this interruption of their
morning fishing. Alec sank into the water, not finding it as bad as
all that. He swam over to Seregil and wrapped his arms around him
as they stood there in the chest-deep water. “You’re always
cold.”

Seregil shivered against him, but he was
smiling. “You’re always warm. And as much as I’d love to make love
to you again right here and now, I’m afraid your warmth is no match
for frigid water.”

They contented themselves with helping each
other wash. Then, dressed and refreshed, they rode back to the
house and sauntered into the kitchen in search of food as if they’d
just been out for an early ride. Arna was there, however. She took
one look at the pair of them and burst out laughing. “So you
finally came to your senses, eh?”

Alec’s face went hot and he was strongly
tempted to turn tail and run.

But Seregil just laughed as he poured himself
a cup of tea from the pot warming on the hearth. “Yes, we did. Any
breakfast left?”

***

On the surface things were the same as they’d
always been, but the looks Micum, Kari, and the servants gave him
when they thought Alec wasn’t looking told another story. It was
embarrassing, but he didn’t regret anything.

He sparred with Micum in the morning,
grateful beyond words that his friend didn’t bring up the subject
of the night’s activities, then he and Seregil helped him build a
haystack in one of the fields behind the house.

The day turned warm. When Micum went back to
the house to fetch them some water, Seregil pulled Alec around to
the back of the stack and gave him a shove, toppling him over on
his back in the crisp, fragrant hay. Grinning, Seregil straddled
him and rested his hands on either side of Alec’s head. “I slept
very well last night, thanks to you.”

“So did I, once you let me.” Even after
everything they’d shared last night, Alec still wasn’t beyond
blushing. There was more than embarrassment to it this time,
though.

Seregil’s grin was crooked as he took in the
sudden bulge in Alec’s breeches. He lowered himself slowly down to
let Alec feel his own hardness.

“Here? No!” Alec gasped, trying to push him
off.

“Just a taste,” Seregil murmured,
overwhelming his lover’s protests with a kiss. Alec squirmed under
him in a rather half-hearted fashion—which only made matters worse,
of course—then gave in and kissed him back, tongue meeting tongue.
That was still strange, but oddly intimate and exciting, too.

Lost in this soft give and take, neither of
them was aware of Micum’s return until he threw a flagon of cold
water over them.

“Bilairy’s balls!” Seregil sputtered, rolling
off Alec.

“Someone else’s, I’d say,” Micum observed
with a shrewd grin. “It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Illia back
with me.”

Alec jumped up and pulled the front of his
sweat-soaked shirt down, though Micum’s obvious amusement was
quickly curing that problem.

Micum laughed. “Go clean up. You’ve got time
for a wash before supper, and some more cold water will do you both
good.”

Seregil flipped him a rude gesture as they
walked away, but he was still grinning, apparently not embarrassed
in the least. Alec’s face was burning and he suddenly felt a little
sick.

Seregil’s smile disappeared as he laid a hand
on Alec’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should have thought—”

“It’s bad enough that everyone knows,” Alec
muttered. “They don’t have to see, too.”

The minute the words were out of his mouth he
knew he’d hurt Seregil, even without the bond to tell him.

Still, his lover’s grey eyes were kind as he
said, “I understand, talí. I’m sorry. I should have realized.”

That just made Alec feel worse. “It’s
just—”

“Still the good Dalnan?”

“After last night?” Alec made a conscious
effort not to look around for people as he took Seregil’s hand. In
the distance he could see Illia playing some game in the kitchen
yard that involved a lot of jumping.

Seregil squeezed his hand, letting him know
his unspoken apology was accepted. “I don’t expect you to change,
Alec. I like you just the way you are.”

***

They turned in early that night. Alec had
hardly latched the door before Seregil was in his arms, kissing him
deeply as he backed Alec up against the wall by the door. He buried
his fingers in Seregil’s still-damp hair as Seregil pressed against
him, letting him feel his renewed arousal.

This time Alec didn’t object. Hoping to make
up for his reaction at the haystack, he pulled Seregil’s shirt off
over his head and licked his neck, tasting the lingering hint of
salt from their day’s labors.

Seregil reciprocated as he steered Alec to
the bed, dragged him onto it, and flopped down on top of him. The
sensation of Seregil’s rising passion, coupled with his own, made
him forget about worrying if anyone in the house knew what they
were up to.

“Is this going to be a habit?” he asked
between kisses, grabbing Seregil’s backside with both hands.

Seregil raised an eyebrow at him, grin a
little crooked. “I certainly hope so!”

Forthcoming from Spectra in 2011.

“My lord, it’s said that there is no way to
cheat at bakshi, so I can only assume you are using magic,” Duke
Koris growled as Seregil slapped down one of his carnelian pieces
and captured the Duke’s spear.

The Three Dragons gambling house stood a few
doors down from the Drake and was even more opulent, attracting a
clientele made up of higher ranking nobles. It was only by
Reltheus’ invitation that Seregil and Alec were here at all.
Seregil’s reputation was well known in the Street of Lights,
however, and quite a crowd had gathered around the bakshi table to
see him pitted against Koris, a young rake with a reputation of his
own, one that had gotten him banned from several of the brothels
here in the Street, including Eirual’s, as it happened. Seregil was
enjoying besting the man very much.

“No magic, your grace, just Illior’s luck,”
Alec drawled, leaning on the back of Seregil’s chair.

“I’ve played him enough myself to agree,
Koris,” Reltheus told the man. “He’s just damn good, and
lucky.”

“It’s all right,” Seregil said, sliding
another carnelian piece into place in front of Koris’s lapis one to
blunt the spear. Picking up the captured stones one by one, he
glanced up at the duke with a cold smile. “I’m sure his Grace
wasn’t impugning my honor.”

The duke, however, was drunk and not put off
by the veiled threat. Lord Seregil was better known for avoiding
duels than fighting them. “Six rounds in a row? You must have a
charm on you somewhere!”

A murmur went through the crowd; it was a
serious charge.

Seregil leaned back in his chair and spread
his arms. “Search me, your grace. I swear by Illior you’ll find
nothing of the sort.” He looked around at the crowd with the
slightly inane grin he affected when dealing with situations like
this among the nobles. “Why, the rest of you can wager on it, but I
say your money is best laid on me!”

“Yes, have him strip!” one of the ladies
cried, holding up her silk purse, and the cry was quickly taken up
by the crowd.

Koris’s smile was mean. “Yes, I’ll take that
wager. Fifty gold sesters says he has a luck piece or mark on him.
What say you, Lord Seregil? Will you stand by your offer?”

“I suppose I must,” Seregil said with a
shrug.

“But how will we know it?” an older noble
demanded. “A charm could be anything. Is there a wizard here?”

“Here’s one!” someone at the back of the
crowd shouted.

Old Reneus, one of the senior Orëska wizards,
was none too pleased to be pressed into service for such a menial
task, but with some cajoling and a fresh cup of wine he finally
consented.

“Now you’ve done it,” Alec muttered as
Seregil handed him his sword belt and pulled off his boots and
socks.

The wizard took each one with evident
distaste and quickly handed them back. “No magic here.”

“Better than a duel,” Seregil whispered back,
then climbed up onto his chair so everyone had a good view of him.
“Really, your Grace, you’re throwing your money away.” He slipped
off his coat and dropped it into Alec’s waiting arms. The wizard
took it and searched through the pockets. Seregil pulled off his
shirt and tossed it to the man.

“There, you see? Nothing,” said Seregil,
turning for the crowd to inspect his lean, bare torso.

Koris smirked up at him. “There are still
places to hide something. Keep going.”

“Perhaps he has it hanging from his cock!”
one wag suggested loudly.

“I’d like to see that,” the woman who’d
placed the first bet concurred. “Come on now, Lord Seregil. Out
with it!”

One thing Seregil had never managed to master
was blushing at will, but he made a good job of looking comically
outraged. “You’re not serious? Really now, your Grace, I’ve left
those days behind me.”

“A wager is a wager, my lord, unless you’d
rather settle this on the plain?” said Koris.

“I’m afraid he’s within his rights, Seregil,”
Reltheus reminded him.

Dueling was not allowed with the city, but a
blind eye was turned on whatever went on outside its walls and
killing someone in a formal duel was not considered murder. It had
been some time since Seregil had fought for his honor.