Wow.
With an effort, he rallied.
“If you insist, Tor,” he said, though it didn’t sound completely natural. He was glad it was only one syllable, or he would probably have messed it up. “Have a good night.”
“You too, Pel,” Torex said with another big smile, and then he was striding off down the hallway, and Pel was left staring after him.
Had Pel really just done that?
Chapter Fifteen
Tor
Tor could be more than a little impetuous. He’d really liked the way Pel—Pel!—had talked about his expertise, and it had flashed into Tor’s mind how lovely it would be to see that talent shown off.
The undercurrents at dinner had gotten so awkward that Tor had forgotten everything he’d ever learned about himself and his family and tried to step in. As if Tor wasn’t in Tond precisely because his twin had decided he knew how to fix Tor’s life.
Thankfully, Pel had forgiven his misstep, and Tor was truly going to try to stay out of it. He felt certain there was more going on than met the eye, but that didn’t mean there was suddenly a tidy solution that would make everything better for everyone.
Instead, Tor would just try to be a friend to Pel. Tor couldn’t seem to stop smiling to himself. The prickly, stubborn man had invited him to call him Pel. And he’d done itfirst. If Tor wasn’t a fool, he would have invited the man to do so long since. But it had been a long time since Tor had made a new friend, and it honestly hadn’t occurred to him.
Maybe it had been the environment, too, where Pel referred to his siblings by their full names. Bavil and Larexa didn’t always, part of what made Tor think there was more going on—but then he usually referred to Varex by his full name, his own way to impose distance and remind himself that the man he was dealing with now wasn’t the Var of his childhood.
It was clearly complicated. Except that Pel had cut right through all those tangles, had been comfortable enough with Tor, even after everything—or maybe because of everything—to make the invitation.
Given how Pel had reacted to the kiss, there wasn’t going to be sex, but maybe that didn’t matter. Tor was very good at sex, and he could find it just about anywhere. An actual friend, someone Tor felt truly comfortable with, could be worth so much more.
An actual friend whoalsowanted to have sex with him would be even better, though. That one terribly timed kiss had definitely not been enough. Tor was actually kind of surprised by how much he wanted more, but Pel had been clear, and Tor would respect that.
It wasn’t remotely what Tor had come here to find, but maybe that didn’t matter. They were still spending a lot of time together, and while it hadn’t occurred to King Forex that Pel really should be a candidate for Tor, surely it would look to others like that was a strong possibility?
Maybe all Tor had to do was go back and gush about how he’d been spending his days. It wasn’t like Varex would want to hear details about any presumed sex Tor was having. The idea that he wasn’t having any would probably never cross his brother’s mind.
Yes, Tor was pretty sure that he could get even more out of this than he’d ever expected, and he was so looking forward to spending more time with Pel.
But apparently, it wasn’t going to be by having an archery competition in the next few days. A returning patrol sent a flurry of unease and speculation through the castle, and Bavil was sent off to investigate.
Even more rain than normal blanketed the realm. No one wanted to have a competition in this weather. Rained in, Forex expected Tor and Larexa to spend plenty of time together, but fortunately, this was the perfect excuse to start up the defense lessons that Tor had convinced Larexa she needed.
It had the added benefit of making Forex think they were doing what he wanted while limiting the number of times they had to sit or walk together and be scrutinized for their closeness.
Larexa didn’t want to train with all of the guards, and Tor didn’t think it was a simple desire for privacy.
“Is there a particular reason that you’re uninterested in offense?” he asked carefully.
She looked at him curiously.
“I don’t want to inadvertently say or do something that will trigger you.”
She blinked, and then glanced away. “Let’s call it personal preference.”
Tor noticed that she hadn’t actually answered his question and decided to keep an eye on her. He commandeered the banquet hall, since there was a lot of room to work with and no one was going to bother them there.
He and Larexa lit the chandeliers and crystal lights around the room. Tor noticed the way her eyes lit up when she did so.
She definitely liked the gentler, non-violent things her magic could do.
Pel had agreed to join them to help with the demonstrations, although he hadn’t looked entirely comfortable. Tor had pointed out how important defense was, and there was no way Pel could resist that guilt.
