Leth rocks back onto his hand. “You know how I feel.”
“You feeltight.” Evain’s fingers twist deeper. “You clench around me every time I talk, did you know that? I could probably just talk you to orgasm, couldn’t I?” His next move sends stars shattering in Leth’s eyes, and his ears buzz so he can barely hear. “Fuck, you’re so tight, you’d break a weaker man’s fingers in here. Luckily I’m very strong.” Evain’s other hand slides possessively along Leth’s back. “I can keep going for hours.”
Dazed, Leth doesn’t know whether those hours pass or not before Evain drags him over the edge. The pleasure sharpens in an instant. Evain’s fingers press with purpose inside him, and he breathes Leth’s name like an unholy prayer. Leth seizes up, his orgasm punching through him. His untouched cock spills onto the new purple sheets, and his entire body echoes with bliss.
He’s still shaking when Evain withdraws his fingers and replaces them with the head of his cock. Evain slides in with one long thrust, opening Leth wider and deeper than his fingers could reach. The pleasure is so intense it almost hurts. No space to breathe between one sensation and the next—exactly what Leth wants. He wants to be overwhelmed and overstimulated. He wants to lose control.
Evain pauses for a moment, their thighs nestled together. His silken hair falls against Leth’s trembling spine as he kisses Leth’s shoulders. His hands slide up Leth’s body, along his arms, and settle over his wrists.
“How’s this?” Evain asks.
Sometimes Leth likes his wrists held, sometimes he doesn’t. Today he does—and he’s too overwhelmed to answer out loud, but his spiking arousal must be clear through their contract. Evain’s grip tightens in response, and Leth’s cock twitches with his full-body reaction. Groaning, Evain rolls his hips into Leth’s It’s almost too much. It’s perfect.
Shifting his grip, Evain pins both of Leth’s wrists with one hand. Leth’s stomach flutters in anticipation when Evain’s other hand grasps Leth’s hip for leverage—and then Evain really starts to move. Long, steady thrusts ignite Leth’s body, every movement ricocheting through his nerves. The bed creaks. Leth’s balls tighten, his arousal nearly painful so soon after his last orgasm.
Either Evain falls into another language, or Leth is beyond comprehension, or both. Leth can’t understand what Evain says next, but the words don’t matter. All Leth needs is the warmth of Evain’s voice, guiding him through the storm beneath his skin.
The storm breaks when Evain’s hand falls to his cock. Lightning arcs along Leth’s spine. He comes again with a whimper on the piston of Evain’s cock and knows by the surge of ecstatic magic that Evain finds his release too.
Afterwards, Evain rolls onto his back. Leth leans over him, and the slow, gentle kiss lures him back to coherence. “I love you,” Leth says.
Evain’s red eyes glitter. “Love you more.”
“Really?” Leth tucks his hair behind his ear, fingers bumping against his braids. His old onyx spell beads, and the new trinkets from Evain. “Maybe you do.”
Laughing, Evain hauls him down to nestle against his side. Leth melts into the embrace, his entire body loose and languid. Moments like these, it’s easy to imagine the next hundred years at Evain’s side.
Leth has already set a new spell into one of the ruby beads. A summoning spell, so he can call Evain to him at any time, any place in the world. He thought long and hard as he prepared the enchantment, and in the end, he didn’t include any elements of compulsion.
He doesn’t need them. Whenever he calls, Evain will answer.
?
EPILOGUE
LATE SUMMER
Nearly two dozen people gather in the green orchard. There are a few Riverswords, a few Lyrisenians, and a few very blond, very tall people. The late summer morning is warm as the sun nears its zenith, but the canopy of leaves keeps the orchard comfortable.
Motes of gold and pearlescent light dance between the branches, increasing in number as Marta and Freya send more Grace and Radiance upwards. Two tables sit at one edge of the orchard, one covered with food and the other with beverages under Tally’s watchful eyes. There’s still some time before the vows will be recited at high noon, when Radiant Vara’s vision is strongest.
“Congratulations,” Leth says. He only has one hand free to pick at the appetizers. His other hand is held captive by Evain. “This place is beautiful.”
Shae’s smile in reply is a little melancholy. “The trees were all dead a year ago. But I really wanted to hold our wedding here, so Tally’s been helping me and Arthur restore the orchard.”
Arthur waves a tiny pastry in greeting. “Don’t give me any credit. I mostly just serve as an energy source.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Shae says breezily. “You carry heavy objects too.” The brief hint of melancholy is gone, leaving Shae the most relaxed Leth has ever seen him. He’s wearing a simple, pale green shirt, and all his rings glitter in the sunlight. Arthur’s shirt is white, following Charaini wedding tradition instead of Lyrisenian.
Leth was a little surprised to realize the service won’t even have an officiant, but the lack of ceremony suits Arthur and Shae. All the guests are dressed casually too, even the paladins abandoning their usual regalia. Freya, Marta, and Haldis are attending as friends, rather than representing their orders. Leth personally prefers weddings with a bit more formality, but there are advantages: Evain’s loose cotton shirt shows off a distracting expanse of collarbone.
“Radiance,” Arthur says suddenly. “I need to stop Freya from seducing my brother. She could at least wait until after the ceremony.” Handing the remaining half of his pastry to Shae, he heads towards Freya and one of the tall, blond people. Moments later, Shae steps aside to talk with Bricks.
Evain’s thumb strokes the inside of Leth’s wrist as they move towards the beverage table, where Tally and Darren are arguing over whether to open Tally’s special brew before or after the vows at noon. Marta and Haldis join them there, and Evain bets Marta five gold that Freya is actually trying to seduce Arthur’s parents instead of his brother.
Other than that, Evain doesn’t say much. He seems distracted.
A year ago, Leth would have been subconsciously jealous of everyone else Evain spoke to, or even looked at. But for one thing, Leth has become very secure in Evain’s attention. It’s impossible not to be when he feels every flare of Evain’s lust beneath his own skin. For another, Evain isn’t actually flirting with other people today. If anything, he’s paying more attention to the floating lights and flowering vines than he is to any of the other guests.
