Fencaught him.He dropped to his knees with him onto the sand.Caileaned against him, brow pressed to his shoulder, coughing andsnatching great lungfuls of the sun-bright air.Fen was shuddering,his own breath ragged.He felt at Cai’s groin.“You’re stillhard.”
“Yes.I was…” Cai waited till the words would come out whole.“I was…occupied.”
“Aye, almost suffocating yourself on me.Gods!I thought youwould eat me alive.”
“Maybe next time.”
“Or I will eat you.”
Cairaised his head and looked into the eyes of the wolf.A deep,delicious fear unfolded itself, stretching his erection harder.“Will you?”
“Maybe I will start right now.You smell good enough.Liedown.”
“Here?It’s damp.”
“You did it in the sea last night.”
Caigrinned and subsided onto the stones.The moment’s resistance hadbeen feigned—he’d have lain down in fire if Fen had asked.Hespread his thighs, moaning, while Fen unfastened him and leaned inclose.
The hotmouth engulfed him—paradise, with a sharp scrape of teeth.Hegrabbed Fen’s shoulders.“Careful, you savage.”
Fen satup briefly, his face avid, a wicked smile curling one corner ofthat handsome, dangerous mouth.“Forgive me.I’venever…”
“Never been thelesser manbefore?”
“If you must put it so, yes.”
“Well, take some instruction.Run your tongue up me first.Opena bit wider and… Oh, God,” Cai breathed.Fen had obeyed him on theinstant, putting the lesson into practice.“Let your lips coveryour teeth.Yes.”
Yes.Cai fell back, raising his armsover his head in surrender, hiding his face in the crook of oneelbow.He forgot Leof and Ben, and Theo, and the secrets andtreasures of Fara.He forgot about death, in the rising flood ofred-hot life Fen was calling up from his bones.He angled his hips,and Fen seized his backside, lifting him to be devoured.His visionblurred, and the flood rose high, and just for a while heforgot.
It tookall afternoon to caulk the boat.The walk to the clay pit was arough one, and the business of scraping damp clay into a makeshiftpail arduous, straining backs and shoulders.Cai and Fen spoke verylittle, and looked at one another less.The work needed doing.Backat the boathouse, they took up position on either side of therepaired vessel’s hull and began the laborious task of spreadingthe clay.Cai’s hand brushed Fen’s, and the spark leapt, the flashof a flint striking stone above dry kindling.Their hands claspedtight.
“No,” Cai whispered, still not daring to look.“Not unless youwant to spend the rest of your life on this island.”
“You’re right.The clay will take some time to dry.”
“The rest of the day at least.So…”
“So?”
“So you have to let me go.”
They went back to work, and this time didn’t pause until everycrack and hole in the woodwork was packed tight.Then Caistraightened up, rubbing a handful of dry sand between his palms toclean them.The sun had passed zenith and was blazing over themonastery to the southwest.Only a narrow stretch of sea dividedAddy’s retreat from the mainland, but in this light the Farabuildings, all the pain and joy that had reverberated within theirwalls, were nothing but a handful of glitter.Even the great rockon which they stood could have been cut from papyrus in thislight.If you want to spend the rest ofyour life on this island…That was oldAddy’s desire.Cai too could see the charm.
Fen cameto stand beside him, and the charm became clearer still.“We havehours of daylight yet.”
“Yes.The boat should dry.”
“Our work is done, then.I don’t imagine your crazed hermitwill want to be disturbed in his prayers, so…”
“I’m not sure he’s all that crazed.So?”
“So…we have time.Sunlight.Sand dunes and soft beds of thyme.I would do with you…” He faded out, voice roughening, a little raspthat raised the hairs all up and down Cai’s spine.“What you couldnot do with Leof.”
He’d used the wordfuckwithout hesitation before.What hadchanged?Everything,the wind-voice breathed in Cai’s ear.Everything has changed.“What—with anold man running around, and bands of inbred cannibalsprowling?”
“We will find a place.I will keep watch.”
