“People are allowed to process their grief however they see fit,” he finally continued. “I care not of a fuck how you think I should be processing this, or if you approve or disapprove. You do not have to be here.Youcan go back to your home and tell them you did not find me.Youcan go sit comfortably in your little village while you wait for slaughter or slavery. But I will be out here, trying to fix the wrongs of people I do not follow. And I will do it however I should like.”
She shifted on her feet.
“Get the fuck out of this room.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
A RECKLESSNESS FILLED Dorian as he paced, so angry with all she'd just said and hating her for it. He wanted out of that room. His second trial was the next day, and he couldn't even get his head straight now. He hated to think how she affected him and how if he didn't get his head numb, he wouldn't be awake enough to pay attention in his trial.
He would die in that stadium.
So Dorian ran down the steps to the cellar he'd discovered the day before. His palm flamed upon his entering, and he went to the back where he'd seen the tapped barrels.
Washes of whiskey filled his throat and made him wince. He filled his flask up twice before also grabbing a handful of the herb from its own barrel, and then he ran back up the steps and out into the night air.
Snow fell on his cheeks. It was late, but there were still people coming down from the tavern and the square. But as he started walking towards them, a hand caught his arm.
"You're supposed to be asleep," Corbin said, and Dorian realized he was standing watch by the Temple doors.
"Can't sleep when I've just been accosted by that bitch." He paused, hands on his hips, and he looked around him.
"Yeah, she looked a bit upset when she came running out," Corbin said. "I wondered what had happened."
"She riled me up until I threw her against the wall and nearly burned her," Dorian said bluntly. "I genuinely think she only did it to get a rise out of me."
"Sounds right," Corbin muttered. He straightened and squeezed Dorian's shoulder. "Come on. You need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."
Dorian snapped his arm away from his Second. "I'm not entirely sure how you suggest I go to sleep after—“
"You're not going down to that tavern, Prince," Corbin drawled, and Dorian could hear the tension rising in his voice.
"You are my Second, not my sitter, Corbin—“
Corbin grabbed his face, and before Dorian could blink, his back slammed into the Temple door.
"I don't care if I have to tie you to the legs of that fucking bed. You're not going down to that tavern to get drunk and waste everything we've accomplished," Corbin demanded through clenched teeth. "She is not going to be the reason you lose their aid. We keep fighting with or without her."
Dorian shifted his neck beneath Corbin's firm hand, and he noted the darkened hunger in his Second's gaze. He knew that look, and the sight of it made him forget about Reverie.
"If you needed a fuck, all you had to do was ask," he said.
"I'd rather make you beg."
A daring smile raised on the Prince's face. In one move, he turned them, pinning Corbin between him and the door—thigh coming between Corbin's legs and his hands shoving Corbin's wrists into the wood. Corbin's cock twitched, and adrenaline surged through the Prince.
Dorian's nose brushed against Corbin's cheek. "You know I don't beg for what I want, Second," he uttered in his ear.
"What exactly is that, Prince?"
"Right now?" Dorian leaned into Corbin, teeth grazing Corbin's lip. "Right now, you have me curious about your wanting to tie me to the bed."
"Thought that might get your attention."
Dorian scoffed triumphantly. "So you do want my cock."
Corbin captured his mouth before Dorian could utter another word. The familiar limp in his knees seized him, and Dorian found himself consumed by the kiss, the power, and the lust pouring through them. His grasp on the Belwark's wrists loosened, and he pushed his hands to Corbin's face, their lips crashing together with a desperation Dorian hadn't felt in a long time. He could already feel himself beginning to harden when Corbin grabbed his hips and pulled him flush.
It had been weeks since Dorian had found pleasure in another being, and he wasn't surprised that with every grind of Corbin against him, he thought he might lose himself.
