A fiery arc of light shot past him, and he sensed a bandit on his right side go down, gurgling around the charred hole in his throat. He could smell burning flesh from all around him, which wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it seemed Milo had great aim.
Sounds of metal striking metal and Milo casting spells washed over him. Rowan kept one ear trained on his people, just in case trouble found them, even as he moved to neatly dispatch another bandit. One of them was trying to find a way around Milo’s barrier. He hastily threw charms and the odd spell scroll, each creating an arc of sparks as they exploded against the barrier. Those scrolls were likely from third-rate magicianstrying to make a quick coin, only good for one use, and a mediocre use at that. The fool didn’t have a prayer of getting through a true mage’s defense.
Aggravated still, Rowan advanced on him, and when the bandit turned, sword at the ready, he engaged the young man. His opponent’s sword was rusty as hell, bits of it chipping away as he fought to fend off Rowan’s greatsword. He stank of sweat and body odor, and frankly, the smell was more offensive than his sword skills.
Rowan gave no mercy or quarter as he found an opening, slicing the man’s throat open, feeling the weight of the blow in his arms and shoulders, hot blood spraying against his cheek. Whirling the sword in his hand to adjust the grip, Rowan turned to the bandit charging him on his left, a strangled cry wrenched from his lips. Fool. Trying to avenge his comrade would only put him in a shared grave.
Killing that one with a sharp cut to his torso, Rowan spun again, ready to tackle the next, only to find no one else standing. He blinked, looking around, checking body after body, but the bandits were unnaturally still. Rowan did a quick head count, came up with eighteen dead, and did a mentalhuh. Had they really killed them all in a few minutes?
Ruben jogged up to him, looking slightly disheveled with a splash of blood on his tunic, but otherwise unharmed. His brother’s eyes swept across him, and he only relaxed when he saw Rowan didn’t appear to be injured, though Rowan knew he had some blood on him. “You’re fine, clearly.” Ruben turned to Milo, who’d jumped down from the cart. “Damn, Milo, I’ll take you fighting with me any day.”
Milo laughed heartily. “See? Aren’t I wonderful?”
He really was. Rowan fully turned to see Milo and his breath caught in his throat.
Amid the glow of the barriers, there was a delighted, unholy smile on his lover’s face. Milo looked purely radiant—a mage who commanded chaos. Damn, Rowan wanted to kiss him. With his blood still pumping and heart racing, a good fuck sounded perfect. Shame they had no privacy. If they had, Rowan would have parked Milo right against the cart, bent him over, and enjoyed a good tumble. Ah well.
“Milo, all right?”
Milo twirled, cloak flaring around him. “Not a scratch on me. They couldn’t get through Assandra’s Shield anyway, but I’ve got a personal barrier on me at all times, so they stood no chance.”
“Good. The place where we normally set up camp isn’t much farther. Let’s go there and clean off a bit.”
“Oh, I can take care of the blood. One moment.”
Milo took out his wand again and hit both him and Ruben with a cleaning spell, and Rowan felt better for it, as blood-crusted clothes weren’t exactly pleasant.
“What about the bandits?” Milo pointed to the side of the road and offered, “I can do a quick bury spell for a mass grave. No reason to leave them to rot on the road.”
Truly, Rowan didn’t want to clean up this mess later. If he didn’t have to dig a hole, he was content with the offer. “Do it.”
Rowan and Ruben lugged the bodies into the grave, but Milo handled the “digging” (with a spell) and “covering” (also with a spell). It was quick work, barely fifteen minutes, and then they continued.
The fight had taken enough time for them to lose the light completely. Milo threw up a few floating mage lights—glowing orbs—to help guide them on the darkened forest road. Within half an hour, they’d reached the campsite. Really, it wasn’t more than a bump on the side of the road, barely large enough to handle two carts, horses, donkeys, and a campfire. They made it work, squeezing everything in, and Milo once again wardedthe campsite. Rowan handled cooking, Ruben pitching in with feeding the animals and getting them settled.
Once dinner was eaten and dishes cleaned, they snuggled into bedrolls. It had been a long day, and Rowan should have been fast asleep before his head hit the pillow, but for some reason, his mind stayed active. Milo snuggled sweetly against his chest might have something to do with it. He was this warm weight in Rowan’s arms. Rowan tried to remember the last time he’d dated someone who was so physically affectionate and came up blank. Milo might well be the first.
Rowan didn’t dislike snuggling—far from it. Previous lovers had always assumed he’d outright reject them. Likely because he struggled to express himself, or so Rowan assumed, as no one could ever give him a direct answer when he broached the topic. But for whatever reason, none had ever seemed comfortable cuddling with him for more than a few minutes. Milo was unique in that regard.
Perhaps he was making too many snap judgments, but Rowan’s gut said Milo was the right man for him. His instincts had never been wrong before. And yes, they’d only been dating three days, but he didn’t seem to have the same communication issues with Milo that he’d experienced with previous exes. That alone was a huge boon to him. Also a very hopeful sign that this relationship would actually develop into something strong and long-lasting.
Ruben stirring in his bedroll on the other side of the fire brought Rowan’s eyes up. He found his older brother watching both of them. He wasn’t quite sure how to read his brother’s expression. Was that intrigue? Approval? Mix of both, perhaps.
In a low whisper, Ruben spoke. “I like him. Not just because he’s a good fighter, although gods, he’s terrifying to watch. You realize he downed half the bandits by himself?”
He had. He was quite proud of Milo for it, too.
“I didn’t take him seriously at first,” Ruben admitted. “He was this cute bundle of chaos who seemed to talk nonstop. Then he doesthat. But I also like how he is with you. He clearly adores you. From what I see, the feeling is mutual.”
Yes, so it was. Rowan smiled softly and kissed the top of Milo’s head.
“Think this relationship will stick, Brother mine?”
He asked a good question. “I give this relationship better odds than any I’ve been in before.”
“Because you didn’t have to win him over?”
“In part. But we’re a good fit for each other. We work well as a team.”
