DIMRI STARED AT THEpiece of paper in his hand.He would burn it as soon as he was done with it, but in the meantime, it felt good to see the names on it.His new and improved network of spies was growing.
He leaned back in his chair and glanced up to look at the city.He loved the sounds coming from it.He could hear people walking just a few feet away.Someone was singing, and a child laughed.The pitter-patter of their footsteps as they ran away made Dimri smile.
The city was at peace again.
For a while after the fight, Dimri hadn’t been sure it would happen.It had taken several days to take down all of Ramiel’s demons.Some had run from the palace as soon as Ramiel had died, but others had been hiding in the city, attacking guards and the people who lived there.Dimri had wanted to do more to find them, but both Berith and Roque had put their foot down.He’d been forbidden to work, even after the healer had looked him over and confirmed that he wasn’t in danger of dying.
Part of Dimri had been annoyed, but another part had been touched.He hadn’t realized how much he mattered to a lot of people, including Berith.For a long time, he’d believed that the prince only saw him as his spymaster, someone useful to the throne and to keep him alive, but there was more to it, even without considering the relationship between Dimri and Roque.Berith cared about Dimri, just like Dimri cared about him.They might not be best friends, but they were family.
The sound of something heavy falling made Dimri jump.He leaned over the balcony and glared, even though it wasn’t the workers’ fault.One of them noticed and waved at him in apology, and he waved back.They were making good progress, but they still had to deal with the results of two explosions that had ripped apart part of the palace.
Including the tunnels.Luckily, Roque and his people had managed to open a hole in the collapsed debris to get Dimri’s team out of there, but Dimri doubted that they’d be able to use the tunnels again anytime soon.He hadn’t poked his head in there yet, but he would eventually.He had to know which parts of the tunnels were still usable and which were closed off.
Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing.Considering that Ramiel had used them to get into the palace, it might be a smart idea to close them off permanently.At the same time, though, they could be useful in case anything happened and Berith and his family needed to get out of the palace quickly.Dimri would have to think about a way to make that work.He was sure he could come up with a solution, and if he couldn’t do it on his own, he’d ask Roque to help.
He leaned back again and smiled up at the sky.Roque had been a surprise, but maybe he shouldn’t have been.The way he’d taken care of Dimri right after the fight and in the weeks following always made Dimri’s heart flutter when he thought about it.He’d known Roque cared about him, but he hadn’t realized how serious it was.
He did now.Roque had moved in with him while he was recuperating, and he hadn’t left yet.Dimri was pretty sure that he had no intention of leaving.Dimri’s room was close enough to Berith’s quarters and the throne room that Roque felt comfortable staying there, and a lot of his stuff had migrated from his room to Dimri’s.He hadn’t officially moved in, but he would.
Dimri would make sure of it.
When he felt lips press against his hair, he smiled but didn’t move.Roque walked around the chair Dimri was lounging in, sitting in the one next to it and looking at him with a soft smile.“I’m surprised to see you relaxing.You’re not usually one to sit in the middle of the day.”
Dimri raised his list.“I was going over this.”
“So you’re working even though Reyni told you to rest.”
“He told everyone to rest.I’m fine.I’m healed.”Mostly.Sometimes, he could still feel a twinge of pain when he moved certain ways, but apart from the scars, that was all that was left from what had happened to him in the tunnels.
He grinned.He was certainly healed enough that he and Roque could take the next step in their relationship.He knew that Roque had been waiting for him to feel better, but he was getting annoyed.They’d done enough waiting, dammit.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” Dimri said as he sat up.
“Because you were distracted bywork.”
“Do you have to go back to Berith’s office later?”
Roque’s lips curled into a wicked smile.“He gave me the rest of the day off.He knew it was going to take me a while to be done here.”
“Oh?Did you have something in mind?”
“I don’t know.What do you think?”
Dimri turned back to the city spread under them.“Well, I’m having a nice day, watching the city and listening to the people who live here.Maybe we could relax on the balcony for a while longer.”
Roque got to his feet.He held out his hand, and Dimri placed his into it.He pushed his sheet of paper into his pocket as Roque hauled him to his feet.
“Or maybe we could go inside,” Roque said softly.
Dimri grinned.“Or we could do that,” he confirmed.
* * * *
ROQUE’S HANDS WEREon Dimri the moment they stepped inside what Roque thought of as their bedroom, even though they hadn’t officially moved in together yet.They would, though.The war was over.There would be no more meetings, no more planning, no more telling himself that he had to stay away from Dimri for just a little while longer so they wouldn’t get distracted.Now Roque could have this—Dimri, with his dark gray skin warm under Roque’s palms, and his white eyes gleaming with a hunger that mirrored what Roque was feeling.
“You’ve been sitting out there staring at the city for long enough,” Roque said.It was time for Dimri to pay attention to him now.He’d waited long enough.
He pressed Dimri against the wall, pinning him in place without any resistance from Dimri.Dimri’s black curls brushed against Roque’s face as he leaned in to capture Dimri’s lips in a kiss that felt like it should’ve happened a while ago.It wasn’t their first kiss, but it was the first time it would lead to more, and Roque felt like he was about to vibrate out of his skin.
