Wolf’s Cub

Chapter 10

Dominic stared out over the water, wondering why they never saw ships coming from the East or North. The only ships that ever found their Island came from the East toward Ottawan or South toward Kelway. He knew from Colin’s lessons that the mainland of the First Kingdom lay far to the North, and that even further to the West, if one sailed long enough, one could reach the Third Kingdom.

But to do that would take a very long time indeed.

The sound of laughter drew his attention. Melli was running along the edge of the water, Rafe chasing after her. Nic frowned slightly, confused. Rafe was running so slowly! Didn’t he want to catch her? If he didn’t, why chase at all, and if he did, why not run his fastest, which was easily faster than Melli?

Wanting to know the answer to this puzzle, Nic cast a disillusion spell and shielded his thoughts so that even Rafe would not sense his nearness.  Michael had taught him how to blend in with his surroundings with a spell that did not require a complete shield so much as a camouflage of sorts. Careful scrutiny would reveal Nic sitting by the rocks, but he did nothing to draw careful scrutiny. 

It was difficult to remain still, like a rabbit in tall grass. Especially when Rafe pulled Melli close, his lips near to hers.  Nic closed his eyes but it didn’t help. His mind was closed to Rafe but Rafe’s mind was wide open to him and he felt as though he was right there with his brother, leaning down to kiss the girl he loved.

“I think this is where you bow out,” a quiet voice murmured, and to Nic’s immense relief, the images in his mind were blocked, as though a curtain fell. He turned and found Michael crouching behind him. With a jerk of his head, his father signaled for him to follow him. Rising silently to his feet, Nic followed the Assassin, admiring how he not only made no sound, but also left no footprints in the damp sand.

Nic walked along the beach with his father for some time without either of them saying a word. Michael was often quiet but it was unusual for Nic to be so silent.  Michael waited until they reached the far edge of the beach – to walk any further they would need to climb over a large rock formation. Or teleport around it.

No sooner did he form the thought and turn toward Nic to ask whether he wanted to sit and talk there or go further than he felt the warm clasp of his older son’s hand, and then the tug of a side-along teleport. Michael forced himself not to fight it but to simply relax into it, the best thing to do when he had no real idea where Nic was going. He knew better than to assume it was just to the other side of the rocks. And indeed, they regained their forms on a tiny island just west of their home island. It was dense with foliage and favored for its fruit trees. 

Nic looked at his father, his expression a bit sheepish. At fourteen, he still had to look up to meet his father’s gaze, but it wouldn’t be long, Michael thought, before he would be the one looking up. Nic and Rafe were already as tall as he’d been at sixteen, and seemed to be growing a hand taller every season.  He hoped they would end up with something closer to Adam’s height than his own shorter frame.  The thought made him smile, which in turn encouraged Nic to break the silence between them.

“I should have asked before teleporting us, sir. I’m sorry. But I didn’t want to draw any attention from Rafe and Melli.”

Michael forbore pointing out that they had been some distance down the beach away from the trysting pair when Nic cast, or that the casting itself was more likely to attract attention than words. Instead, he nodded to indicate his acceptance of the action. And he waited...for Nic to come to the realization that....

“You didn’t try to stop them!” Nic looked at his father accusingly. “Rafe was kissing Melli and getting all...aroused!”

Having access to his son’s thoughts, Michael both appreciated and was amused by the swift change in verbs Dominic had accomplished.  The Kelway term, “wooden” was not apt, but not suitable for a future King to use, especially in connection with his heir’s activities with a Queen. He tried to imagine saying something like that to his father. He practically shuddered at the image even now. His father did not have a sense of humor.  Thank the goddess for Adam or he might never have known what laughter was.  He smiled at his shocked son.

“I did not need to stop Rafael, he would not have progressed in his attentions more than was seemly,” Michael assured Nic.  He pointed to an especially large mango overhead.

“That looks good – would you mind retrieving it for me?  We may as well enjoy the locale to which you have brought us for our chat.”

Effortlessly, Nic used telekinesis to separate the specified melon from its branch, along with a few companions, and brought them lightly to the ground. Michael nodded approvingly. He and Rafe were Nic’s superiors when it came to brute strength, but he was the master in matters requiring fine control, besting even Colin, who swore that Nic could thread a needle using just his mind.

Nic waited until he and his father were sitting on the sand and they were enjoying the sweet melons, before raising the question again.  Michael was pleased that his son had spent the interval profitably, as his new question revealed.

“You were not worried about leaving them alone because you...or Colin...placed some type of protection spell on Melli to prevent her from...well, you know.”  Nic blushed.

Michael smiled, thinking how relieved Colin would be that he was not the one who had to have this conversation. They really had thought it would be Rafe who would discover the spell, or Melli.  Their practical, down to earth pair. Not their dreamer.

“I cast the spell, but it was researched by Colin and it was at his request,” he told Nic.  “A variation was cast on each of you, actually, but the strongest magic was used in connection with Mellisande, to protect her.”                 

“Why?” 

So like Adam, Michael thought. No arguments or reaction of any kind without first getting the facts; Dominic was beginning to show the qualities of a good leader. Sometimes Michael focused so much on his older son’s light heartedness and tendency toward rashness that he forgot about his many excellent characteristics. Recognizing that in this he was acting too much like his own father, he resolved to do better.  

“There are several reasons for what we did,” he told Nic. “One, Mellisande was the lone girl for a long time, growing up among many males. We didn’t want her chastity compromised.  A component of the spell repels any unwanted physical advances. The spell also works to keep physical love, even consensual love, from progressing past a certain point unless she is bonded to her partner, or, in case of extreme emergency, she and her partner both act to break the spell.”

Nic blinked. “May the goddess slap me if I understand how that is supposed to work!  Melli would be furious if she knew about this so if all that is needed to break the spell is mutual spitting fury, she and Rafe would be able to do it, as calming her down would be considered an emergency by him! And you say you put a version of this spell on Rafe and me? But we have been visiting....”  A look of dawning realization broke over his face before an even rosier hue suffused it.

“Exactly,” Michael said. “If either of you were tempted to be penetrated, when it was not the most beneficial time, then the spell would prevent that.”

Watching his son’s expressive face, Michael could tell that Nic was running through his memories of Kelway, no doubt pinpointing times when the spell was triggered. The lavender eyes looked back at him finally, his expression unusually stern.

“I find I still must ask, why? Why did you and Colin feel it was necessary to take freedom of choice away from us?”

This child was so grown up for his years, Michael thought wistfully. Yet, at this same age, he was getting married, his choice taken away for the good of two kingdoms, and he found himself a father at not much older, also for the good of the kingdoms. How he wished his sons, and Melli too, could have the type of freedom to love and live that he had never known, the freedom that the islanders enjoyed and took for granted. He put his hand over Nic’s.

“Many druids believe that Melli’s power is strongest as a virgin. I believe, and I think I’ve convinced Colin, that her power will be strengthened when she bonds, and the stronger the bond with her mate, the greater will her power increase to be.  I believe this will be true for you too, Dominic.  You and your brother both experienced a power surge when you lost your virginity. Rafe will gain some power when he bonds with his destined mate, but for you, there is an even greater potential, as you will likely lose your virginity a second time.”

Nic understood his father’s meaning at once – and understood why his father and Colin had acted to ensure he was never penetrated by the men on the island.  He wondered if he would have allowed it if not for the spell.  Much as it intrigued him, he had never seriously pursued it and as the sex god’s son, no one had dared to take the lead with him. But he thought it would be good, to be like that with someone whom he wanted. A bondmate.

Nic looked out over the water.  “Do you want me to explain this to Rafe?”

“What do you think? Would he like it any better coming from you?”  Michael waited, curious to know Nic’s thoughts. Rafe was generally viewed as the calmer twin but when he did lose his temper, he was far more difficult to calm down, and his bad moods lasted far longer than those of the more volatile Nic.

Nic shook his head. “I think it best if we let Colin tell him. He’d be mad at me or you but he respects Colin as Melli’s father figure. And with Colin, he won’t suspect him of having ulterior motives, even though I think he harbors them just as much as anyone..”

Michael didn’t know whether to be affronted at Nic’s suspicions about him, or amused by his insight into Colin’s more devious nature, which the druid kept well hidden. “What do you mean, ulterior motives?”

It was Nic’s turn to be amused. “You are our skilled Assassin, father, but Colin is every bit the skilled Royal Advisor and we three are fortunate to have both of you to guide our way. Melli is to be Queen – if she is to make an advantageous match some day, she must remain a virgin. She and Rafe can pursue their young romance, but she will remain chaste, unless Colin is convinced that it is in the best interests of the Third Kingdom for her to be allied with him.”

Michael smiled faintly. “You do not think we want all of you to bond for love?”

“I think both of you want us to bond for power, you seek magical power, and Colin wants political power, that is what I think. Rafe will only suspect you, he will not see the motives behind Colin’s actions, other than those of a concerned ‘father’ looking out for his child, which is why he should be the one to confess to the casting of the spell. But be prepared for both of them to demand it be removed.” 

Cracking open another mango, Nic turned innocent eyes toward Michael as he changed the subject...or perhaps he changed only the focus.

“Colin has such power now – he would be very powerful indeed, I must think, if he were to relinquish his virginity.”

Michael stared at his son and was about to reprimand him sternly for impertinence when he took note of the twinkle in those deep lavender eyes. He wondered when he had lost control of the conversation, and then wondered if he ever had it. Shaking his head, he reached for another mango as he said ruefully, “That has been the subject of no little debate between your Advisor and your Assassin, oh King. Perhaps I will seek a royal command on the issue one day.”

*********************

Colin waited for Benra to open his eyes. More alert to the old man’s tricks now, he kept a guard over his thoughts and monitored his former tutor’s mental processes carefully in order to know when he regained consciousness. Even so, he was surprised by how little time elapsed between Benra wakening, and his issuing a challenge to Colin.

“You must not allow the young Royal to bond with a Metamorph.”

Colin smiled. “That is not likely to be a risk,” was all he said, not seeing the need to volunteer anything about the understanding between Rafael and Mellisande. “The time has come for you to be more forthcoming about your activities, Veris. No more delay, please. From where did you come, when did you encounter the demons, what prophecies have you seen....”

Benra sat up and swung his legs around to the floor. Once again, Colin was amazed by his recuperative powers, given his age.  There was a disquieting look to the old man, as almost a zealot’s fervor lit his eyes.

“I will tell you what I have seen, Colin Allym, of the House of Dyad! You will listen to me and then your duty will be clear to you!  The plague of demons must be stopped, but I do not speak of the demons you saw me fighting at the Circle. Those demons are a simple matter to fight, as they always appear in demon form. Far more devious are the hell creatures who walk as men, yet at heart are black demons just as much as those creatures we battled only yesterday!”

Colin kept his expression calm despite his inward turmoil.  He thought he understood the druid’s meaning but he asked for clarification as he could not believe it. “I am sorry, Veris, but you must speak more plainly. My duty is not clear if it is any different than I have seen it to be for the past sixteen years. Of what demons do you speak?”

Benra shook his head impatiently. “You were never slow, Colin. You must bond with the Queen. There is no one else and she is well past the age. No more time should be lost! It is the only answer as the enemy is gathering forces against us.”

Colin found that he could still be shocked. He stared at Benra. “You cannot be serious! She has been as a daughter to me! She is in fact a niece to me, the daughter of my eldest brother, though I left the family as a child and never saw him since, nor knew her before she was brought to me as a strange infant, the blood bond is still there. I cannot mate with her, even if the thought of such an act would not be against all principles, all....”

Benra interrupted him, waving his hands impatiently. “Such finer scruples have no place in times such as these!  You are not a full uncle, as you and her father did not share both parents.  And whatever your feelings toward the girl as she grew to her maturity, proper as they were during those years, they are no longer needed. She is a woman full grown now, so you may adjust your thoughts. It should not be difficult, she is an attractive girl.”

Colin wondered if he had fallen asleep while waiting for Benra to wake and this was just a bizarre dream.  If so, how to end it?

“I do not have any intent of bonding with Melli,” he said firmly. “I am celibate in the practice of our Order. I have need of all my power for the defense of my wards, surely you can see that I cannot risk losing that?”

A sly look came over Benra. “Ah, but what if you were to gain even more power in doing so? To take the virginity of a Royal is the one means by which one of our Order can relinquish his own virginity and gain even greater power. Thus, bonding with the young Queen is the answer for you, my son. You will grow in power beyond your dreams, enough to protect your island and all you love.  Even that hot-headed little tyrant.”

Colin paled. Benra smirked at him knowingly.  Somehow he had determined the true object of Colin’s attraction and was using it against him. He felt exposed and was at a loss at how to deal with the wily old man.

“That is all very interesting, but you are once again avoiding the questions posed to you, friend druid. What do you know about those hell hounds and black demons that were set upon us – tell us now with no more diversions!”

Colin exhaled slowly, his relief making him sink back against the chair he had chosen, grateful now that he had not selected one of the straight-backed wooden ones but instead had brought over to the bed the wing-backed cushioned chair that offered some privacy. Michael who had just returned moved forward to stand in front of him, protective as always, even if he was not sure what Benra had said or done to distress him.

“You are back to bully me, are you? Shall I bare my back for the lash, perhaps?” Benra feigned a bravery that Colin could tell was lacking. His aura reeked of fear – was he really that afraid of Michael? While he had been rough with the man this morning, it had been fully justified by Benra’s own attack on Melli and Rafe. Colin’s curiosity made him push his embarrassment aside.

“No one has bullied you, Veris, but you have been strangely reluctant to speak to us about your actions before arriving here. Why is that?”

Benra looked from Colin to Michael and then back.  He seemed to shrink away; where moments before he had appeared to be a strong druid leader challenging Colin, he now looked like a frail old man, tottering on the brink of mortality. Just how skilled a telepath were they facing, Colin wondered, and then questioned whether it was safe to attempt any telepathic message to Michael in the presence of this telepath, who was only now demonstrating his real power.

Michael had reached the same conclusion even without Colin “speaking” to him telepathically.

“That is a nice touch, Benra. Less effective once one sees it being done, however, wouldn’t you agree?”

Colin watched in amazement as Michael’s appearance changed from his handsome, youthful self to a duplicate of Benra’s frail, wizened person.  He didn’t know about his old tutor, but he found Michael’s skill at illusion to be just as astonishing even when he watched it being accomplished!

Benra laughed. “Impressive, young Emory. You always were one of the most gifted of a talented family. Which is why it is a shame that the taint is so strong in your family.”

Taint, what taint?  The thought flickered between Michael and Colin so rapidly, Colin could not tell which one of them originated it. Distracted by it, they were both taken unawares by the blast Benra sent at Michael.

“No!”  Colin moved to the crumpled form of the Assassin, returned to Michael’s appearance, but pale and still as death.

“I am sorry, Colin, but if you will not aid in my quest, I must ensure that you do not hinder it.”

Colin held onto two impressions before losing consciousness; one was the faint but steady pulse he felt at Michael’s throat, and the other was that Benra was very strong, as strong as he was.

That was a very frightening thought to take with him as he slumped over Michael’s body.

*********************

Rafe looked up at the sound of the old druid coming into the tower room. He frowned. Why hadn’t he been aware of the man’s approach?

“Benra?” Melli sounded perplexed. “Are you all right? Why are you here, where are Colin and Michael?” 

“They are engaged in battle, my dear. There is no time to waste. We must flee! Gather your things quickly. I am to take you to a sanctuary that only I know of. Hurry. Your brave teacher and the Emory Assassin may only be able to buy us moments.”

Rafe stood up. “Where are they? I’ve received no message of this. I must go to them!”

Benra turned to the tall young man and looked at him measuringly for a moment, then, “You are to come with us and help me guard the Queen. I must assume your father cannot spare the time. Come, boy, I’ve no time to second guess your father. It is bad enough that he sent your brother away with that Metamorph and thus created this disaster! I can guess that you are unable to communicate with him either. You’ll have to trust me or trust to the silence of your scheming father. But to his credit, he is fighting bravely now to right the wrong his poor judgment has caused.”

Rafe didn’t know what to do. His mind reached out and he could not locate Michael or Colin – or Nic – and that last emptiness was like a pain tearing at his soul. Michael had done that. Sent Nic away with that strange Lycan. It was what Nic had wanted but Nic was always having whims and rash ideas. It was up to them to be the voices of reason. What in the three kingdoms had possessed their father to give in to this madness?  Looking at Melli, he knew he could not let this stranger take her away without a fight...or without him.

“I’m coming,” he said grimly, stalking over to the chest where he knew Colin kept his own weapons and travel clothes from his former life. There was no time to return to the room he’d shared with Dominic.  Melli ran over, her own packing accomplished, and threw her arms around him.

“I am so glad you’ll be with me,” she whispered. “I’d be terrified without you.” He held her close, pressing his face against her hair and inhaling deeply of the fragrance of her shampoo, which Colin brewed specially for her. That scent alone could make him feel so....

At the sound of Benra’s cough, Rafe lifted his head, his expression cold. “We are ready. You give me your word as a druid that my father said we are to leave with you?”

“You have my word that it is his wish,” Benra said solemnly. A loud clatter and the sound of voices arguing could be heard coming from the first floor of the tower. Benra made a sharp gesture, closing the door.

“We must away. Come now, stand close and clasp my hands,” he ordered.

“Are we not going to the Circle?” Melli looked nervously toward the door. Knocking could be heard now, and it sounded almost as though someone was calling to them from the other side but the words were muffled, indistinguishable. She looked to Rafe for guidance.

Rafe knew he had to make a choice, as at the circle when it was a choice whether to bring this seemingly injured druid to their sanctuary. He was still not recovered fully from that, and he could feel power emanating from Benra. If he fought the man, he sensed that he would lose and Melli would be taken, without him.

“We will go with Benra in whatever manner he recommends, Melli,” Rafe said, nodding briskly to the old man, but trying to look stronger than he felt. Holding Melli’s hand in his, and taking Benra’s in the other, he hoped he was making the right choice and that his father and Colin would be safe.

*********************

The disorientation of teleporting, especially without the focusing aid of the stones, left Melli nauseous, and she clung weakly to Rafael.  He held her up, despite his own legs feeling as weak as a new born lamb’s.

“Where have you brought us,” he asked Benra, striving to sound cool and in charge, as he knew Michael would. Goddess, let Michael and Colin be safe, he prayed, worried that he had not yet received any messages from his father. But then, it was almost as though he did receive a message, as he remembered his father’s words from one of their interminable training sessions as clearly as if he stood before him now.

Someday you won’t have me with you, Rafael.  You may not have Colin, or your brother, or any of your friends here from the island with you.  You may be completely alone or the others may be there relying on you to lead.  I am hard on you boys now because I have to be. I won’t always be able to protect you, to take care of you as the goddess knows I want to. So since I cannot, I am doing all I can to be sure that when that day comes, you will be ready. You already are so strong, so smart, it makes me want to shout with pride and I wish so much that your mother could see you. And I know that you might feel ready now, but I can assure you, when the time comes, you’ll feel just as sure that you are not ready.  We’ll both just have to trust in the goddess and know that when the time comes...it will be all right.

‘I hope you are right, Father,’ Rafael thought to himself before he straightened to his full height and looked down on Benra. “We must know where we are. I have to get a message to my father at once.”

Melli struggled to overcome her weakness and emulate Rafe’s courage. She had gone through similar training to the twins, although Colin was never quite as physically demanding in his tutelage as Michael had been. Still, she was a Queen and it was time she started acting as one. She looked around at the room they were in, it was made of smooth rock, with no windows and only one door, which had no handles on it. She could sense the magic surrounding them. A druid stronghold, such as Colin had told her about, they were used to contain powerful prisoners.

“I too must ask that you tell us where we are,” Melli said calmly but firmly, standing straight but keeping her hand on Rafe’s arm. “Our first priority must be to get word to Colin and Michael.”

“I beg to differ, your Highness. Your first priority will be to convince me of your value to our cause,” a new voice spoke from behind them. “Or I fear that your continued existence will not be a priority of mine.”

Rafe swiftly created a force field; he felt Melli add her magic to his. Benra was outside their field – good, Rafe thought. For a second he had feared that Melli might have brought him within their field of protection.

They turned as one to face the new threat. The newcomer was not tall, only about as tall as Rafe, maybe an inch or two more, Rafe estimated, certainly not as tall as Lycan or even Colin; he wore a cloak with a hood that cast shadows over his features. The voice was deep and his shoulders were broad, like a man’s. Otherwise, Rafe realized, there was little to tell them even as much as the gender of this person, who wore leather gloves over his hands. Benra spoke before they could challenge his words. To their shock, the man who had spoken disparagingly to Michael and Colin bowed low before this cloaked figure.

“There is no need to frighten the Lady, my Lord. This is the Royal I saw in my vision. She does exist! What is more, I found two more young Royals, purebloods, or close to it!”

And what was that supposed to mean, Rafe wondered, but he forced his attention back to the men – this was not the time to behave like Nic. Or perhaps, it was.

“Do you cast aspersions on my father or my mother?  I believe it would be proper to first introduce yourself then conduct yourself in a manner so as not to cause me to issue a challenge, M’Lord.” 

Rafael drew the sword he’d buckled on before leaving. It was Colin’s, but he knew that he would not begrudge it to him. It was the same one he’d brought with him when he’d first fled the Third Kingdom with Melli. It seemed somehow appropriate that Rafe use it now as he took his bold stand. Melli stepped behind him but Rafe could feel her magic swirling, gathering strength behind him.

The hooded man took a step back toward the door. “Your guests are unruly, Druid. Subdue them or I will send in someone to do it for you. The male is not needed, he can be put down.”

“But he is a Royal!” Benra protested. “One of the remaining heirs to the First and Second Kingdom!”

A small chuckle emanated from the hood. “Of that I am sure. One need only look at those eyes, that hair. But, I do not need any new rulers for those kingdoms, do I?”

Before he swept through the narrow opening that suddenly appeared in the door, he said, “Kill him.”

*********************

Colin woke slowly.  Fen’s brown eyes were filled with concern as they peered down.

“You are waking up! The goddess be praised! Magda! Come quick, Colin is waking up!” The boy’s lusty bellow sent needles of pain through Colin’s head, causing him to groan slightly.

“Sorry, sir,” Fen turned back, his expression almost comical in its sheepishness. “I was just so worried and....”

“Never mind that, I understand,” Colin interrupted the apology, smiling slightly to soften his abruptness. “Where is Lord Michael?”  The other Telepath children had never called him anything other than Colin, while Michael was sir, or Lord Michael, for all that he filled in as a surrogate father to many of them. Of course, Colin reflected, to a Royal, even parents received formal address. Michael had a difficult time relaxing those rules for their three.

Their three. Where were they now? Reaching out for Melli’s comfortable presence, Colin realized with a sinking heart that she was gone from the island. Rafe also. Benra was gone. He must have taken them. But how?

“Lord Michael is by the shore with the men from Kelway. He is...upset. He told me I was to bring you to him as soon as possible. No, as soon as you were able to come after eating and restoring your strength.”

“I will restore my strength as I walk. We will stop by the kitchen for some bread and wine. Until then, I am sure I may use your strength to assist me?”  Fen nodded and proudly supported Colin’s weight as they made their way from Michael’s room, where someone must have brought him, no doubt either Fen or Michael, to the kitchen. Magda exclaimed as Colin appeared in the doorway.

“Colin! You must sit down, you look white as a spirit!” The big girl rushed to his other side and between them, she and Fen got him settled into a chair. She ignored his protests that he had to get to Michael immediately and pressed a spoon into his hand as she set a steaming bowl of stew in front of him. Fen poured wine for him.

“Don’t you two understand? Melli and Rafe are gone! They have been....” Colin found that he could not finish his words. Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision. Moments passed and he wondered why neither young person had answered him. He found out when he felt strong arms wrap around him from behind.

“They know, Colin, but they also know, as I do, that it was not your fault, not anyone’s fault, except maybe mine for not being strong enough to block that druid’s attack. I was too cocky.” Michael’s voice was low, reflective. Colin turned to argue with him, insist that the blame rested with him but Michael’s grip was too strong. And Colin stopped his efforts when he realized that Michael’s lips were against the soft skin behind his ear.

“We cannot run off wildly without knowing where Benra has taken them. He did not use the stones, no doubt in order to prevent our tracing him that way. We have grown sloppy and complacent, my friend. We masked Dominic’s power, we never thought that Benra could have been doing the same to us all along. Once Lycan, the only one of us he truly feared, left, he acted.”            

“What can we do then?” Colin tried to speak calmly, despite the way his senses were whirling. Michael pulled him up from the chair.  His eyes looked as green as the sea during a storm, Colin thought, but then he was drawn close and Michael’s lips closed over his and he lost all ability to think.

Gasping, Colin unwittingly opened his mouth and Michael pressed his kiss to a new level, his tongue darting inside, stroking against Colin’s tongue in a manner that suggested....well, Colin’s imagination immediately drew comparisons that made his body press against Michael’s hard groin. He moaned softly.

“Colin...dearest friend...beloved Colin...you must listen for a moment.”

Feeling dazed, Colin opened his eyes. The front of his robe was open to the waist, baring his chest to the cool air of the kitchen. Michael’s hands were warm in contrast, the long elegant fingers stroking gently over his chest and stomach.

“I can listen,” Colin said shakily, “but I make no promises about being able to think.”

Michael smiled sadly. “I wish so much that this had not come about because of a crisis like this.”

“What?” Colin was perplexed.  He shook his head. Obviously this was not the time for them to pursue anything intimate between them, but he was still trying to take in the fact that after all these years one of them had taken the first step and it had been wondrous.

It had been wondrous, had it not? He looked worriedly at Michael.  Who pulled him close in a tight hug.

“Let me talk to Fen and Magda, get the children settled then....then we walk over to the cave by the cliffside.”

“Why?” Colin felt at a loss. 

“I will explain it to you there,” Michael said. “You eat. You’ll need it.”  He seemed energized to Colin’s eyes as he watched him stride briskly to the doorway. Then, Michael stopped and turned, walking quickly back to him. He bent and delivered a bruising kiss this time, filled with the promise of passion to come.

“Everything will be all right, Colin, I promise. We’ll get your girl back, and my boy too.”

Colin nodded, and even managed a faint smile this time as Michael headed off. Whatever could he plan on accomplishing in the cave that overlooked the sea? Deciding he would find out soon enough, and in any event, that he could trust Michael to come up with a plan, he turned his attention to the food.

*********************

“You think we should do what?” Colin sat down hard on the pillows that adorned the cozy little cave.  Looking around as he waited for Michael to assure him that he had been kidding, he could not help but think that the cave looked very much like he would have imagined a setting for seduction looking. Not that he had ever imagined one, he quickly told himself – not that there was any benefit to be achieved in lying to oneself, he acknowledged ruefully.

Michael knelt on the pillow next to him. He looked out the opening of the cave. It provided a lovely view of the sun, which was just beginning its descent over the horizon, and was casting its rays over the water.

“It’s beautiful, is it not?” Michael asked, his voice deep and soft.

“Michael, what are you doing? Yes, the view is lovely, this cave is decadence incarnate though I mean that only in a complimentary sense, but I fail to see how this is going to help us get Melli and Rafe back,” Colin protested, even though a large part of him – the part that was growing larger by the minute – wanted nothing more than to melt against Michael and forget the existence of everything and everyone else.

Michael shifted so that his cross-legged form was facing Colin.

“While I waited for you to recover, I reviewed where things went wrong.”

“When I stopped you from killing Benra,” Colin said bitterly. Michael reached out and touched Colin’s face tenderly. It made the druid’s eyes fill with tears; he felt as though he had cost this beloved man one of his precious sons and still he offered him comfort? Shaky, he brought his own hand up to cover Michael’s and pressed it close to his lips.

“I am so, so sorry, Michael.”

Michael moved to his knees in order to embrace Colin.  “Let me finish my explanation. There is no need for you to apologize. It could just as easily have been Lycan who was the visitor who would bring disaster. We knew it was coming one day and we prepared as best we could. You went along with my sending Dominic away when that could just as easily have been the disaster. It could still be one, just not the one foretold. What we cannot afford to do is second guess ourselves. And you would not be you, the man I care for above all others, if you could ever coldly order the death of one who had not yet proven himself false.”

Colin’s eyes met Michael’s in wonder, still not able to believe that he was hearing words he thought never to hear. Indeed, love shone in those beautiful eyes, as well as an uncertainty.

“It is customary, I believe, when someone expresses feeling for you, to then share your feelings for that person,” he whispered before bringing his lips close for a kiss that was tender and sweet and yet as arousing as any of the thousands of kisses Colin had imagined over the years.

“I love you,” Colin confessed, “I have loved you for many years, but was afraid to tell you.”

 “Then we are a well matched pair of fools for I have loved you almost from the day I met you,” Michael told him. “But I must talk seriously to you in order to avoid any misunderstandings later.”

“What do you mean?”  Colin wished he could feel less confused. Michael’s expression was difficult to read, almost...tentative...which was not a look he wore often.

“Just tell me what I need to know,” Colin urged. “I am glad we have shared this secret, and now that this major truth is revealed between us, I doubt there is much that could cause any problem.”

Michael took a deep breath. “I overheard what Benra said to you, and he confirmed my own studies on the topic, as it does relate to sex magic.”

“Benra discussed sex magic with me?” Colin tried to remember what the old man had said. Surely he would remember if he had delved into that area?  But all he could recall was the crazy idea Benra had that Colin should marry Mellisande and....

“His wish was that I marry Mellisande. He said that it would increase my power! Surely you don’t think....”

Michael nodded. “The most powerful Druid Lords are those who lose their virginity by mating with royalty, the higher the royalty, the more power they receive. The more power they have at the time of the mating, the more power they receive and bestow. The more pure they have been, the greater their power increase when they sacrifice their purity – if done correctly and only with royalty.”

“But I would never be willing to....” Colin did not finish the sentence. He did not think he had to, Michael was grinning at him.

“I am pleased that you were not interested in mating with Mellisande, attractive as she may be, for a girl. I was hoping your tastes ran in a different direction, and if so, I do have an alternative choice for you, as a Royal mate.”

Michael shifted, and suddenly he appeared to Colin as though robed in shimmering white. Colin looked down and he was in a white robe also. Fingering it, he was shocked to discover that it was no illusion, Michael had conjured a real white robe from his plain brown one. He lifted wondering eyes to the other man, who now knelt on one knee before him.

“Colin Allym, will you join with me, forsaking all others, from this day forward? I offer you my body, as my soul and heart are yours already.”  Michael bowed his head low.

Colin reached out a shaking hand and lifted Michael’s head, then brought them both to their feet, hands clasped, eyes gazing into each others as the sun slowly set. “I will join with you, Michael Emory, forsaking all others, from this day forward until the goddess calls us home, and may she not take one without the other. I too offer you my body, for my heart and my soul belong to you, and together we will guard the treasures that destiny has placed in our care, and be each to the other a comfort in trial, a blessing in peace, and a companion and lover for all days.”

Michael produced two rings of shining platinum, embossed with runes of protection; Colin had no idea from where he had obtained them, he had never seen them before but they looked far older than anything else he had ever seen. Reverently he handled the one given to him to place on Michael’s hand. Swallowing hard and blinking back tears, wishing only that their children were present, he placed the circle on Michael’s finger and then cast spells of protection, linking the ring to Michael and him. Michael then did the same with the other ring. With these rings, they pledged their troth, but they also linked each other – no one would be able to remove them without the other knowing where they were.

“Their necklaces!” Colin exclaimed.  He grabbed Michael by the arms and almost shook him in his excitement. “I bet Melli and Rafe are....”

“Wearing their pendants, yes, I know.”

“Then we can track them!”

“After we are done here.” Michael laughed softly and drew Colin down onto the pillows. “I thought of the pendants shortly after I woke up from Benra’s blast but I do not think we will be able to track them until we at least get to the mainland. And once there, we need to be strong enough to reach them and fight whoever else is with them by now. Which brings me to the second part, Colin....”

“Yes?” Colin felt slightly anxious. He knew that they needed to mate in order to gain power, and it made sense for it to be accomplished as soon as possible. He also knew that Michael was renowned as a lover, but.... He felt nervous and wished that their first...experience...of mating was not under these circumstances.

Michael had taken off his robe and now stood before Colin completely naked. The sun had set but it was a full moon still and it shone silvery bright on his tanned skin.

“You are beautiful,” Colin said honestly. 

“I am glad you think so,” Michael answered, then he laid down on the pillows.

“It is not so hard,” he said quietly to his friend, now his mate. The thought made him forget his deep concern for his sons. He smiled.  His smile widened to a grin when Colin answered tartly, “I would say it is quite hard actually.”  The druid’s eyes were fixed on Michael’s manhood, which was rising up from its nest of dark curls.

“It is hard for you. Let me see you, Colin. Take your robe off for me.” 

Colin found it impossible to disobey that soft, deep voice. He felt self-conscious though, as he bared his pale body, unaware of how beautiful his firm alabaster skin looked, so different from all the tanned bodies Michael had had over the years.

“Beautiful,” was all Michael said, but the flare of arousal in his eyes was more than enough to give Colin the confidence to move closer. He stretched out next to him.

“What do I do now, he asked.

“I have it on good authority that you have an excellent academic knowledge of the process,” Michael teased as he ran his hand gently down the long, lightly muscled torso, unable to resist touching the body he’d dreamed of for so long.

“I can assure you, there is a vast difference between book knowledge and practical....”

Before Colin could finish his sentence, Michael rolled over him, pressing their bodies flush against each other, grinding their manhoods together, capturing Colin’s mouth in a devastating kiss

Do not think now, just do what feels good to you, I am yours.

The words filled Colin’s mind as the new sensations overwhelmed him. He reached a climax far too soon but Michael did not allow him to feel shame, he let Colin feel his own pleasure in Colin’s pleasure.  The sight of his love as he moved down Colin’s body, licking his essence from where it clung to his stomach and chest soon had him hard again. Daringly, he pressed Michael down against the cushions and did the same to him, enjoying the sweet and salty blend of his ejaculate mingled with Michael’s sweat. His explorations took him to Michael’s still erect manhood, which swayed temptingly before him.

Whatever you want.

His touch was tentative at first. He’d never touched another man before after all, not in an intimate way, but he found that he did want to touch Michael, and kiss him in the most private of places, and do all of the things he had only read about, the reality being so much more than he had ever dreamed of. Bringing Michael to pleasure, hearing his groans as he grew more aroused...it was a heady feeling.

But nothing could compare to the moment when Michael rolled over and handed him the pot of oil.  Not the first time. The first time Michael stretched out on his stomach and handed him the oil, Colin knew he gaped at him in the most unintelligent fashion because it made Michael shout with laughter. As Colin turned away, hurt, Michael quickly sat up and pulled him into his arms.

“I am sorry, Colin, but if you could have seen your face,” he sounded like he might laugh again which was not making Colin feel any better, so he rushed to say, “I did not laugh because I was amused at you, I laughed because I was happy to surprise you.”

“And that was not laughing at me,” Colin dryly asked, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

“No, it was not,” Michael insisted. He dipped his own fingers into the oil and reached behind himself. He was kneeling over Colin, who was lying back against a pile of pillows. As he watched, fascinated, Michael prepared himself.

“Was that what you wanted me to do with the oil?” Colin finally asked, his mouth dry. Michael was so incredibly beautiful like this, his arm and chest muscles flexing as he reached behind him, his hard thigh muscles taut, his cock jutting forward once again, his hair free from its tie and falling down to his shoulders like the pagan god the islanders believed him to be.

“Yes...I wanted your fingers inside me, stretching me, preparing me to receive you,” the deep voice was mesmerizing. It took Colin a moment to realize the import of the words, he was so entranced by the sound.

Michael wanted him to take him, to penetrate him. Colin swallowed.  Before he could say anything else, Michael was straddling him, lowering down onto his cock, which he swiftly coated with more of the sweet smelling oil first.

Colin closed his eyes briefly as he was overwhelmed with the sensation.

Open your eyes, watch as we join.

Colin did as he was told, moving his hands to the firm hips of his lover, he watched as his cock disappeared into the warmth of Michael’s body. Michael threw his head back, and shifted the angle of their thrusting bodies and Colin felt as though suffused with white hot light. Chanting filled the air but Colin could not take in the words, yet he knew he was chanting them along with Michael, their minds joined as closely as their bodies. Power gathered around them as they moved together more rapidly, Colin was no longer sure where his body began and Michael’s ended, and their pleasure crescendoed over and over until all was a blur of white hot ecstasy.

At some point, Colin must have passed out. He awoke to find himself in Michael’s arms, a light blanket covering their nude bodies. He shifted slightly to brush Michael’s hair from his eyes.

“Awake so soon?” A hand brushed at his hair, moving it back from his face even as the hand’s owner dropped his own hair into Colin’s eyes. He decided he didn’t mind.

“I’m well rested,” he said, and to his surprise, realized it was true.

Michael smiled. “I am glad.” He kissed him lightly.  “Your power is much stronger now. It enables you to recover your strength faster.”

Colin considered how he felt. He looked at Michael with a dawning realization. “You are stronger too! You....”

“Lost my virginity with you. Yes, in a sense. Does it please you?”

Colin’s smile was all the answer he needed. But his next words surprised a laugh out of him as Colin rolled on top of him.

“Then we have one more thing to accomplish before we leave this cave and go to rescue Melli and Rafe, don’t we? I find I need to shed one more bit of virginity to be even with you, beloved Assassin.”

Michael did not need to be asked twice.

 

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