Chapter 17

Kaine wantedto burn away the doubts that threatened to drag Quentin away from him. They swarmed and nudged and tried to worm their way between them. Quentin was his, and no one else was going to have him.

He wanted the reward of the fated mate. He wasn’t going to fuck it up like Dalmon had. He ran his hands up the back of Quentin’s legs and pulled his jeans down, leaving him only in a pair of black briefs that hugged the length of his erection.

Unable to resist, he leaned in and nuzzled the ridge from balls to tip.

Quentin sucked in a breath, and his eyelids fluttered closed as if he couldn’t look in the mirrors and he couldn’t look at Kaine. He should be looking in the mirrors so he could see how good he looked. So he could see what Kaine saw when he looked at him.

If he shared what he saw, would it be too disorientating?

Probably.

That was an experiment for another day.

Instead, he tried to let Quentin know how he felt. How much he wanted him. All of him. He would burn away the fears. He encouraged his mate to step out of his boots and then his jeans. He tugged off his socks and licked along the crease of his thigh before returning to kiss his cloth-wrapped cock.

Quentin’s fingers curled and flexed as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

“You can touch me.”

“I was wondering if I’ll be in trouble for grabbing your hair.”

“If I don’t like something, I’ll tell you. And I trust you to do the same.” Though because of the bond, they’d sense it first.

Quentin’s fingers carded through his hair, gently at first as if he didn’t want to assume any kind of control.

When people found out what he did, it was often a barrier. They forgot how to be with another person, as if somehow, he became only his title. But he found that more honest than the alternative, where they loved his title and fawned over him.

He tugged down his briefs, and Quentin took a shuddering breath. Kaine continued his slow exploration with little kisses and licks. This was how it should’ve been the first time.

And maybe if he’d known beforehand…not that it was possible to know. The magic happened with the connection. And because they’d never had a connection, there had been no inkling. He lapped up the drop of pre-cum that slid along Quentin’s dick, then rocked back onto his heels to admire him. “Put your hands on the vanity.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s still part of you I haven’t kissed.” He lifted his eyebrow.

Quentin’s cheeks reddened. “You don’t?—”

“I want to, or I wouldn’t have said it.” He pulled Quentin’s briefs down to his ankles, and he stepped out of them as he turned to the vanity. His pulse was rapid, and his skin tasted like lust as Kaine kissed the back of his thigh.

“Maybe I should shower first.”

“If I wanted to taste soap, I’d lick a bar of it.”

Quentin swallowed hard enough that Kaine heard it. He nudged his mate’s legs apart and took his time working his way higher. He nipped at one pale ass cheek, leaving a small mark that made Quentin gasp. And he tongued the dimples on the back of his hips before kissing the top of his crack.

He glanced to the side so he was watching every movement Quentin made as well as feeling it. In the soft lighting, his skin and hair were golden. His head was lowered as though he didn’t want to look at his own expression.

Kaine ran his hands over his mate’s ass cheeks, gently smoothing and separating with each circle his palms made until his thumbs brushed over his sensitive little hole. He ducked his head and licked Quentin’s sac, breathing in the musky scent of sex.

With each kiss, Quentin took a small, sharp breath. His teeth pressed into his lower lip, and his hips rocked back ever so slightly, betraying his need.

Kaine swept the flat of his tongue over Quentin’s hole.

Quentin groaned and lowered his head to his hands.

“Look over.”

His head moved only slightly, but their gazes locked in the mirror. Kaine teased him with the tip of his tongue. He spread Quentin’s ass cheeks further, so he could use his thumbs, as well as his tongue, to work open the little pucker. It twitched and eased and tightened, responding to every touch. And Quentin gasped and groaned, but he didn’t look away even when Kaine fucked him with his tongue until his thighs quivered.

A drop of pre-cum hung off his cock before dripping to the floor.

Kaine reached around to swipe up the rest before it spilled on the tiles. He licked his fingers and stood, pulling off his shirt. His skin was hot, even to his touch, as though flames were about to flicker over the surface.

He kicked off his shoes, not wanting Quentin to move while he undressed.

With his pants undone, he leaned over to taste him again and leave enough spit there that he could slide two fingers in and fuck him slowly while he shoved off his pants with his other hand.

Quentin watched more intently now, not worried when they made eye contact in the mirror.

Kaine leaned forward and pulled open the middle drawer to grab the lube. He didn’t pull his fingers all the way free, just squeezed some on and let it run down the channel between them and into him. He fucked him slowly, spreading him and then adding a third finger. Enjoying the way his mate rocked back, asking for more.

He wanted to keep going, to keep teasing him until he came, but he needed to be in him. He wanted them to come together and to feel it flow between them. A few flickers of flames formed on his skin, but he ignored them. He would have to get control of them as he couldn’t go lighting up every time he was with Quentin.

But for the moment, he didn’t care.

He pulled his fingers free and slicked the length of his dick with lube before pressing the head to Quentin’s soft, hot hole.

Fuck me. I need you.

Kaine heard the words in his head as if Quentin had spoken them aloud. He thrust forward, sinking into him. He wasn’t sure who groaned, only that he needed to take a moment before he continued. His gaze flicked from what was in front of him to the mirror so he could see Quentin’s face or at least half of it.

Quentin’s lips were parted, and he was watching. Their gazes locked for a heartbeat, and then Quentin blinked, breaking the connection.

Kaine’s fingers gripped Quentin’s hips as he drew back and slipped free before thrusting in again and sinking deep. He watched the way Quentin’s ass stretched around him, gripping tight as he withdrew and swallowing him again as he thrust in deep. He didn’t know where to look. He wanted to see everything, and he didn’t want it to end.

He wanted to be consumed.

It wasn’t sweat on his skin but flames, as though the heat in his blood was too much to be contained.

The wash of desire through the bond swept him up. He didn’t care that it wasn’t his…no, he loved knowing how his mate felt. The way his back arched as he needed more, and he met every thrust.

The little noises Quentin made were almost too much.

Kaine sensed the change in Quentin’s heartbeat the moment before he came. He cupped the end of Quentin’s dick, working his thumb over the head as he spilled and using the cum to slick each stroke he made. His ass tightened as though milking Kaine’s cock, hips rocking as he fucked Kaine’s fist.

And Kaine gave in, fucking harder and faster until he tipped over the edge, drawing another moan of pleasure from Quentin as if he was sharing in Kaine’s pleasure. For a few heartbeats, it was as if they were spiraling higher together, caught in the rush of the shared connection.

Gradually, they came down.

In the mirror, he saw it wasn’t a few small flickers of flame on his back but two large, fiery wings.

“That…didn’t happen last time,” Quentin said as if forming words were difficult.

“No,” was all Kaine managed. As his dick softened, the wings petered out to nothing. It was only then he thought about moving, and even then, he wasn’t in a rush.

* * *

Kaine turned off his alarm.It was dark, and Quentin was curled up against his back. He wanted to call in sick, order breakfast up from the kitchen, and spend the day in bed.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d called in sick. It wasn’t as though he got sick, and if he was injured, one shift and he was fine. If Malcolm wasn’t walking into the Coven today, he would’ve been tempted to stay in Quentin’s arms.

“What time is it?” Quentin mumbled as he flopped onto his back.

“Too early.” But people needed to be moved into position. There were teams to brief and weapons to prep, and since he was running the operation, he needed to be there, not balls deep in his mate.

Quentin didn’t have to get up, though, and if he stayed here, no one would know where he was, which was infinitely safer than following his normal routine. That was going to be blown out of the water after today, anyway.

He rolled onto his side and kissed the corner of Quentin’s lips. “I’d like you to stay here today.”

“I’ve got an assignment I need to do.”

“I’ll have Orion bring your things. Jacob can show you the library, not the secret one.”

Quentin’s lips curved against his for a moment at thoughts of the secret library. “And where will you be?”

“Centre of operations. I need to coordinate a few different departments.” Somehow, his hand had ended up smoothing over Quentin’s ribs, into the dip, and then around his hip. His wrist brushed over the hot length of Quentin’s morning wood.

Quentin pulled him closer, and Kaine didn’t resist. He eased over him, his thigh between Quentin’s, so they were nestled together. Quentin’s hands traced up his spine. “You’ll be safe, right?”

“Yes. And all of this prep and tension might be for nothing. It might take days for a response.” But he doubted it. It was time for the cards to be put on the table to see who had the best hand.

It was going to be close.

“Does that mean I’m stuck here for days?”

Kaine rolled his hips, not in a rush to get off. Just enjoying the way Quentin moved with him. The way his voice was still sleepy, but he was asking all the right questions. “I don’t know. It depends on what happens today. I’ll try to keep you informed.”

“Uh-huh, your track record with that is not great.”

“Touché.” Not many people called him out either. Had Quentin processed this latest round of news and surprises overnight, or was he, settling into the bond? “We have the bond, and unless things are really fucked up, I should be able to send you some kind of text message. Although your phone isn’t secure, so they’ll come via Orion. I need to arrange a secure phone.”

“Mmm.” Quentin arched his back. “And laptop. Orion said it’s as compromised as fuck.”

There was a slickness forming between them as Quentin leaked pre-cum. He nibbled the underside of Quentin’s jaw and licked the hollow of his throat. As much as he wanted to take his time and keep going until one of them came, he didn’t have that luxury—usually, time was the one thing he was never short of. He pushed up on one arm and reached between them. There was more than enough pre-cum to make things slick as he wrapped his hand around them both and stroked.

“You going to come for me? Make a mess of my sheets?”

Quentin moaned, his hips lifting as he thrust against Kaine. His fingers kneaded Kaine’s ass cheeks, urging him on.

He rubbed his thumb over the head of Quentin’s cock. “I love this. The way you leak when you’re excited.” He pressed his cheek to Quentin, liking the rough feel of his stubble. “I want to see you in track pants and nothing else so I can tease you until a wet spot forms.”

Quentin’s breath caught, and he bucked his hips as he came.

Kaine groaned against Quentin’s neck, letting his mate’s lust push him over.

For a few more heartbeats, he lay there. Quentin’s hands on his ass, his nose against his neck, breathing him in and listening to the beat of his heart. Enjoying the fall as desire spiraled away, sated for the moment.

“You meant that,” Quentin murmured.

“Meant what?” Kaine asked without moving. When he moved, he had to get up and shower and dress and be the Chief of Security in charge of this rather delicate operation to both risk and then return the king’s lover in one piece. Most people weren’t aware of who Malcolm was. Not yet, anyway.

Quentin squirmed and turned his head away.

Kaine propped himself up and found his mate”s lips. “You mean the thing about wanting to see you making a wet spot on your pants because you’re so turned on?”

Even though Quentin had gone still, Kaine felt the tingle of embarrassment as if it was the last thing Quentin wanted to be discussing. Which, given the mess they’d made, was amusing.

“Of course I did. I just need to think which color of track pants is going to give the best result. And then that will be the only color you can wear when we’re home alone.” He was teasing now, but he did like the idea. “If you had lovers who didn’t like it, that’s because they didn’t know anything.”

“I hate it.”

Kaine kissed him again, not as deeply as he wanted to. “It means when I suck you, I have longer to taste you. Like this, I like knowing that it’s you on my skin. Can you feel how much I enjoy it?”

If he was able to spend the entire day in bed, they could work on the bond. That was important, and it mattered to him in a way so few things had in recent years. Quentin was his, and only his, and he didn’t have to share him with ministers and staff and all the other people who buzzed around him, demanding his attention. Who needed him to solve their problems.

No, Quentin had solved one of his without even realizing it.

“I can feel how much you like me.” But his voice was cautious.

“Because I do. And when I return, I’ll find you the oldest book in our library in some weird forgotten language so you can do what you do with it.”

Quentin laughed. “Analyze it, compare it to known languages. Examine frequencies of symbols. There’s a lot of math involved. And most people dropped out or changed majors because it’s not as cool or exciting as finding artefacts and lost kings and kingdoms.”

“We have plenty of lost things here, far more than you know. Plus, our library is old.”

“Older than Alexandria?” The sleepiness was gone from his voice now.

“I don’t know. Like I said, we have records in Latin of the fall of Rome. And some of it hasn’t been dated because we don’t know what it says and we don’t want talk of phoenixes getting out.” He gave Quentin another quick kiss, then pulled away. He texted Frederick to be ready in twenty minutes and bring coffee, which would give him enough time for a quick shower.

He glanced back at Quentin, sprawled on the bed, one arm flung over his head like some kind of erotic angel. “I’ll grab a washcloth so you don’t have to get up.”

Quentin opened his eyes and took a moment to locate him in the dark room. “How well can you see in the dark?”

“Well enough that I can enjoy the view, so don’t move.” He went to fetch the washcloth and returned. He licked Quentin’s stomach, unable to resist, before taking another kiss. “I need to haul ass.”

Quentin licked Kaine’s lip. “Go. I can’t promise I’ll be in bed when you get back, but I’ll be here.”

“That’s good enough.”