Healing Fire (13 page)

His body tightened, hardened. “Please. It tingles.”

“It feels amazing.” Lem smiled, then bent and kissed his palm, the sensations increasing.

Jules moaned, body flushing with heat. Pushing him down onto his back, Lem licked his entire palm.

“You shouldn’t.” But it felt so good. Just right.

“I want to. It feels amazing, like pure pleasure.”

“It’s magic.” And it was getting worse. Better. Bigger.

“You are magic.” Lem took his other palm and kissed it.

The sensations were building. Growing.

“The fire...” Jules said.

“Doesn’t need to be tended.” Lem scraped his right palm with sharp teeth.

Jules cried out, a wave of bright energy filling the air, making the room sing, ring with song.

“Jules!” Lem held tight to his hand, looking around them. “That was you.”

“I’m sorry!” He hadn’t meant to.

“It was amazing.” Lem uncurled his fingers and blew across his palm this time.

The tendrils of purple flew, scattering.

Lem’s eyes were wide. “Can you do it on purpose?”

“I... I don’t know. Should I?”

Lem shrugged. “It would be neat to see what you could do. Or I could keep...” Lem leaned in and licked at his palm.

Another rush of power pulsed from him. “I don’t understand this.”

“You’re a soul healer, Jules. You have special powers.

“I’m frightened.” He was never going to be able to go back to his books.

Lem touched his cheek. “You don’t need to be frightened. I will never let anything bad happen to you.”

He reached for Lem, wrapped his arms around his love, and began to rock.

“You’re safe, my prince. I swear it to you.”

“Soul healing. There is such a thing?”

“Not for thousands of years.” Lem kissed his head. “You are special.”

“Me? I am?”

“So special, my prince. I’m not surprised others have tried to steal you away. I am surprised the king didn’t realise what he had.”

“My father said I was the runt. The least able to rule.”

“Your father is very short-sighted.” Lem clamped his hand across his mouth, eyes going wide as if he just realized the treason he’d spoken.

Jules stared, then started giggling. That was amazing!

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I won’t tell. Did it feel good?”

“Yes,” Lem answered fiercely. “I don’t approve of how you were treated.”

He hugged Lem tight, held on. He would never betray his guard. Never.

“You must have more to eat,” Lem told him, sitting back and reaching for the meat once again.

“You must, too.” He stayed in Lem’s lap.

Lem nodded. “I will. But you go first.”

Jules took a bite, the flavor of the meat making his tummy snarl.

“You can’t ignore your hunger.” Lem pressed another piece of meat against his lips.

It was almost sexual, the sensation in his belly. Piece after piece, Lem fed him, fingers lingering on his lips and sliding into his mouth. He began to nibble and suck on Lem’s fingers, clean them. Groaning for him, Lem picked smaller and smaller pieces, making him work harder for each piece.

Jules began to rock, to slide over Lem’s thighs, against his belly. Lem moved with him, one arm circling his waist so he was steadier. Low, needy groans sounded, and he could feel Lem’s swelling against his own as he shifted.

“I. I have need.” Now.

“Anything you want, Jules. I am yours.”

“Can we touch? Together?”

“Yes.” Lem began to push the robes he’d only just been wrapped in off.

“Yes.” He helped, baring himself before pushing close and rubbing them together.

Lem sat back, bringing him along, his legs on either side of Lem’s hips. It rubbed them together, their shafts swollen and hot. His eyes crossed, the touch building an immediate heat. Lem made these whimpering, moaning noises that sent shivers along his spine.

He licked at Lem’s throat, nuzzling the soft skin there. Lem immediately dropped his head back, offering him the most vulnerable parts. He tasted, offering Lem nothing but pleasure. He could feel the vibrations of Lem’s groans against his lips, Lem’s skin warm and soft.

“It’s good. So very good.” Jules had never felt anything so good.

“It is, Jules. I would lose myself in it, in you.”

“Please, my Lem. Yes.”

Lem lifted him, bringing him closer, Lem’s swelling rubbing on his bottom.

“Join us together again.” It wasn’t a question, nor was it a command. It was just what Jules wanted and needed.

“Yes, Jules.”

Lem’s swelling pressed at him, pushed at his hole. He eased down upon it, the magic immediately beginning to build.

“Jules, Jules.” His name was a chant, a prayer in Lem’s voice.

“My Lem.” His lips opened, and he tried to make room.

Lem’s heavy shaft kept pushing into him, slowly filling him. The pressure made his palms itch, tingle. Moaning deeply, Lem finally stopped moving, and they were joined completely.

“I feel.” His hands needed to touch.

“Yes. Yes, it feels so good.” Lem breathed deeply then jerked, shaft moving inside him.

Jules reached out, the sigils in the palms of his hands screaming for Lem’s skin. When he slid his hands over Lem’s shoulders, the pleasure intensified immediately. Lem cried out, bucking deeper into him.

“Lem!” His eyes were wide.

Lem simply cried out again, bringing him down hard. Pure energy flooded him, making him jerk, call out. Lem’s voice reached for his, and the more they touched, the better it felt. The whole world was spinning, was glowing.

Lem brought him up and down, shaft filling him over and over, his Lem making the most amazing noises. He rose and fell, filling himself to the top.

“Jules. Beautiful. Mine.” Lem’s words wound around him.

Jules didn’t have words. His universe was pure joy.

They kept moving together, like they were one person. His dragon roared happily, using his throat. Lem’s answer was to push harder into him. The pleasure was so big that his heart clenched, burning in his chest.

“Jules!” Lem cried out, jerking and filling him with more heat as Lem spent.

His need seemed to be caught within him, the dragon guarding it. Lem worked a hand between them, fingers touching his swelling. Jules arched, snapped at the sky. Lem’s strokes were hard, squeezing him, demanding his spending. He heard the need, screaming between them. Then he climaxed.

Lem wrapped tightly around him. “Oh. Jules. Jules.”

“My Lem. So big.”

“Yes. Yes. Mine, Jules. I will never let anyone take you from me.”

He wasn’t sure he could be separated from Lem now. No matter how hard anyone tried.

They rested their foreheads together, panting. He blinked slowly, steadily.

“I love you, Jules. My Jules.”

He cried softly, the joy too huge to hold in. Lem rocked him, chest rumbling with comforting noises.

“Where did it come from? The magic?” Jules had never known anything so wonderful.

“It’s always been inside you, waiting for you to accept it.”

His family... No wonder they kept him locked away.

“I’m so glad you finally have. Now we just need to figure out what you need to use it for,” Lem told him.

“I’m frightened, but it felt so good.”

“Being frightened lets you know you’re alive. That’s why it feels good.” Lem took his hands, their palms pressing together. The buzz was immediate, singing between them.

“Can you feel it?” Jules asked.

Lem nodded. “It feels... like you’re touching my soul.”

“I would never hurt you. Never.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.”

He could tell that the thought had never even occurred to Lem. That felt so right that he smiled, hugged Lem, and his guardian gasped, lips parting.

“I was made for you, Jules. One hundred percent.”

“Yes.” He knew this. He felt like he was lucky.

“I should make the cave ready for the night. Darkness is coming.”

“How do I help?”

“Eat some more and then spread your robes over that mossy ledge. We’ll sleep there. If I may share with you, of course.”

“You must. I insist.” He wouldn’t have Lem sleep anywhere else but at his side.

“Hopefully I will not tempt you to stay awake all night,” teased Lem, making his muscles flex and jerk enticingly. Oh, his Lem was beautiful.

 “Then we would have to sleep the day away.”

 “We could sleep for part of the day, but I have things I must do,” Lem insisted.

“What things?”

“Find you food, double check that everything is safe.”

“I will...” He sighed. He was worthless.

“You can make sure the fire doesn’t go out. And once I’m sure we are truly safe here, you can come with me and learn to hunt.”

“Keep the fire. I can do that. I swear.”

“I know you can.”

Lem set him on his feet and kissed the top of his head before heading out the mouth of the cave. He set to making a soft bed and exploring. There were bowls, old stacks of cloth, plus many, many leaves. The fire was burning well, and there was a stack of wood next to it, as well as a bunch of pine cones.

He put the leaves in the fire, then discovered an old box with a lid beneath another huge pile. Oh. Oh, a mystery. He worked the latch and opened the huge chest, finding clothes, a pan, three sharp-looking knives.

Lem’s footsteps came back through the cave. Jules looked back, smiled. “I found a box with things!”

Lem frowned. “A box with things? What kind of things?” Lem came right over.

“Your things, right? From when you lived here?”

Lem shook his head, taking the box away from Jules and looking through it. “No. This is not mine.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I just thought...” He’d assumed it was Lem’s.

“It was a good assumption.” Lem looked at the box carefully, at each of the items. “Someone else must have used this cave as their home.” Lem did not look happy about that.

“I’m sorry.” He should have left it alone.

“Why?” Lem asked, looking honestly confused at his words

“Because...” He stopped, shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I am.”

“You shouldn’t have opened it without my checking first. I am still your bodyguard. But you didn’t do anything wrong.” Lem traced the symbol on the top of the box. “I’m worried whoever this belongs to will return.”

“Is it a bad person?”

“I don’t know.” Lem looked at the items in the box again. “I don’t know.”

“What do we do?”

“We stay, and I will be vigilant.” Lem touched the dust on the outside of the box. “Whoever they are, they have not been here in a while.”

“There are clothes.”

“They might fit you.” Lem pulled them out and held them up. “And you know the knives will come in handy in my defence of you.”

“Those are winter clothes. Look how heavy.”

“It gets cold here in the winter. Very cold.”

“Then we must share the coverings.”

“My dragon needs no clothes. If I must, the cave is big enough for it.”

“Still, I have concern for you, for your warmth.” Jules would not be warm while his Lem suffered the cold.

“I love your concern.”

Jules wrapped the heavy cloak about Lem’s shoulders.

Lem gave him a kiss. “Thank you, my prince. I won’t be long. And I’ll have more food when I am back.”

“I will clean things.” And explore. He quite liked exploring.

“It doesn’t seem right.”

“Things aren’t the same as they were.” That he knew to be true.

“I know. But you’re a prince, and now you’re cleaning the cave you’re living in.”

“Yes. Isn’t life odd?” He didn’t find it distasteful. Worrisome? Yes. Distasteful, no.

Lem chuckled. “I love you, Jules.”

That was good, too. Love. Freedom. Odd, but good.

“Okay. I will return with food, I promise.”

“I believe in you, Lem.”

“And I believe in you, Jules.”

Nobody ever had before. It was fascinating.

Lem made a run back to the castle every fortnight, but found no reason to bring Jules back. The place was still mostly in ruins, the guards lashing out at every sound. And now the snows were coming. He could smell them. They would have to settle in for the winter and hope that they would find safety in the castle come spring. Though, privately, he still believed he and Jules should make their home here permanently. At any rate, they would have the winter together.

He gathered as many berries as he could find and returned to their cave. Over his travels, he had found furs and blankets, supplies and food. Jules had spent his days gathering wood, stacking it deep in the cave. His prince was thriving on the fresh air, the food, and the work. It was beautiful to see. The lean body had become muscled. The icy pale skin glowed with tan.

This trip home, he had stopped and traded some precious stones for two books, a brush, soap, and two feather pillows. He didn’t know which of his treasures to share first with Jules.

He could hear his prince singing, the sound a little too loud. Someone was worried about being alone. He recognized the song, though, and began to sing it with Jules. Jules’ head came up, eyes searching for him.

“I have returned, my prince.” He went into the cave, the walls lit up brightly by the fire.

“Lem! I missed you! I caught a rabbit, but I had to set him free.”

“You set him free?” He wrapped his arms around Jules and hugged his beautiful prince.

“He was scared, Lem.”

“But you need to eat, my prince.”

Jules health and safety were worth more than anything else, worth any sacrifice.

“I found some tubers. They were okay.”

“Are you sure they weren’t scared,” he teased.

“They didn’t seem scared.”

Lem could tell Jules was thinking about it, though.

“I only said it in fun. Tubers and berries and leaves don’t have feelings.” He could not have Jules go back to not eating again.

“Oh. Oh, good. I have feelings, Lem. I felt like I missed you.”

“I know I missed you.” He held Jules close and kissed him deeply. “I made trades and brought you some wonderful things.”

“You brought you.”

He loved how such simple things made Jules happy.