“Leander, wait.”
Leander stopped in his paces and turned to look at his owner with a blank expression.
“I know you won’t tell me what you did… but I asked you if your transgression was worth it. You told me to ask you again in a few months. You’ve had time to prepare your answer and now I’m asking again.”
Leander stared at his master for the longest while, pondering his response. He had promised to one day answer that question and Jarryn had remembered it all this time. He had thought that, after a year, the answer would come easily to him.
And it did.
“The thing is… I’ve lost track of the promises I’ve made and broken… lost track of who I’ve let down… I’ve made a lot of mistakes. A lot of foolish, imperfect choices,” he eventually replied, a pained expression appearing as he finally admitted something that had been eating him from the inside out since he had first met Jarryn. “I cannot bring myself to regret any of them. Not one. Because they led me to you.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
It had taken Leander a long time to settle enough to fall sleep and, even then, it was fitful. He woke easily, eyes blinking open as he heard the rustle of the canvas fabric of his tent door lift to reveal Jarryn kneeling just outside.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked the prince softly as he rubbed his eyes.
“No. It’s cold tonight, and you gave me much to think on. We have had our trials, you and me, Leo. And we haven’t always gotten along.”
“And whose fault is that?” Leander quipped, shuffling over and patting the floor of the tent as an invitation for Jarryn to join him.
Jarryn smiled ruefully as he clambered into the tent and settled in to lie next to his slave. “I didn’t make it easy on you, did I?”
Leander shook his head. He rested the weight of historso on one arm as he used the other to cover Jarryn with the conveniently large blanket.
Jarryn accepted the blanket gratefully and shifted to lie on his back. The arm closest to Leander knocked against his head in a silent command for Leander to slide in closer and allow Jarryn to wrap his arm around him. Once the pair were comfortable, Jarryn started to run his fingers through Leo’s hair. Leander, initially startled by the unexpected and tender touch, soon settled into it and decided that he liked the experience very much.
After a long period of silence, Jarryn finally spoke again. “What’s it like being a god, Leo? I know I’ve asked you before, but now we know each other better… maybe you’d be more willing to share…”
“It’s… difficult to explain to the uninitiated. It’s different for all of us but I guess the best way to describe it is like Aesthesia. Just… infinitely multiply what you experience from those around you to include the whole continent. Every lie, big or small, it’s like they filter through my mind, nourishing my soul, and powering my heart. I am a slave to them, they give me meaning, and they corrode my psyche.”
Jarryn’s fingers stopped and Leander couldn’t help the mewl of dissidence the discontinued movement caused. “You experienced that all the time? From all over the world? How are you still sane, little lion?”
“I… guess my mind is built for it?”
“Mhmm. And what is your opinion of us, if you know our deepest, darkest secrets so well?”
Leander blinked at Jarryn’s question. He wanted to tellhim that he didn’t understand. But he did. “People are terrible and rude and greedy and corrupt. You can’t trust them.”
“Oh? But they’re also compassionate and charitable and kindhearted and just,” Jarryn responded as his fingers started once again their earlier movements of carding through Leander’s dark brown locks, which were longer than they had ever been after weeks of neglecting his appearance in favour of merely surviving.
Shifting so that he could rest his head more easily on Jarryn’s chest without straining his neck, Leander responded sullenly. “Not very often.”
“Sometimes… it is worth giving people the chance. Take a risk. They may surprise you.”
“Maybe. Speaking of risk, do you ever wonder what comes next for us?” Leander asked, his gaze fixed on the canvas above.
Jarryn shifted, looking thoughtful. “I do. I imagine a life where we explore every corner of this realm together, facing whatever challenges come our way. Maybe find a place to call our own, like under the shade of these ancient trees, where we can build a home and make memories.”
Leander smiled, captivated by the vision Jarryn painted. “I like the sound of that. A quiet life, surrounded by nature, and with you by my side.”
Leaning in, Jarryn pressed a gentle kiss to Leander’s forehead. “Whatever happens, as long as we’re together, it’ll be an adventure.”
The campfire’s warm glow painted shadows on the tent walls as Leander and Jarryn lay there. Shadows danced onthe canvas wall of the tent as Leander watched, utterly at peace… yet craving something other than calm right now. Jarryn’s fingers traced the outline of Leander’s jaw, his touch sending shivers down the demigod’s spine.
Leander lifted himself up and met Jarryn’s gaze, and in that silent exchange, they both sensed an unspoken desire. The air between them felt alive with expectation as their lips met in a lingering kiss, a fusion of passion and longing. Leander’s hands found their way to Jarryn’s waist, pulling him closer, making it clear what he wanted from the prince. His heartbeat had already started to speed up in anticipation for what was about to happen.
While the fire of lust burned through his blood, while he wanted Jarryn very much, he would only accept whatever Jarryn offered. Lips lingering on the other’s, he waited.
