Chapter 1

1

“ M ust you leave me?” I sighed into Erik’s thighs when he told me that he was going back to his city again .

We were sitting by the fire, Erik comfortable on his sofa and me more comfortable on his beautiful hearthrug that had all the warm colours of autumn in it, from the soft purplish-red of berries to the golden-orange of fading leaves.

I liked to rest my head in his lap when we sat together this way. Erik liked to play his fingers gently through my hair.

“Must you?” I asked again. “You just went.” I turned my head and bit lightly at the meat of his inner thigh through his breeches, making him jerk.

“I must, I’m afraid,” he said, sliding his hand down to cup my jaw and ease my teeth away. I bit down harder before I let him do it. He smiled and stroked my hair. “It’s been a while since I last went. I had a life in Hallevalt before I moved here, Sayan. I still have responsibilities, ones that I can’t shirk simply because I’d rather be here with you.”

I frowned at him. “Yes, you can.”

A log slipped in the fire and sent out a shower of sparks. A few scattered from the grate onto the polished grey stone slabs of the deep hearth. They landed nowhere near the rug, but I’d grown fond of the luxurious thing and didn’t want to see it damaged. I sent out a tiny puff of mist to smother even the smallest lingering ember.

“No,” he told me, “I can’t. I have good friends?—”

“You mean Lars .” I pulled away to bury my face in his thighs so he couldn’t see my expression.

Lars .

I’d heard more than enough about Lars , thank you.

“Yes, Lars,” he said, his voice trembling with amusement. “And my cousin Geir, and a number of other friends. I don’t want to turn my back on everyone just because I am happy here now with you.”

“Are you?” I said, pushing his thighs wide and squeezing between them.

“Of course I am. Oh .” He gasped as I gripped his hips and tugged him lower, dragging him over the padded sofa towards me.

“Then stay here with me.”

“Sayan, I have made promises.”

“To me!”

“My sweet boy,” he said, and I moaned because that wasn’t fair. He knew what that did to me.

I was not a boy.

I was a magnificent, powerful and ancient being beyond the ken of mere mortals. I was seductive, irresistible and wondrous, and?—

Erik firmed his voice. “I have business to attend to. I have friends to keep up with. I’m leaving next week, and I’ll be back two weeks later. You know that I will return. I always do.”

I looked away from him. “I suppose. But I don’t like you going in the first place.”

“You don’t have to like it,” he said. “As long as you can accept it. As long as you can bear it.” He cupped my face between his warm palms and held it steady, gently stroking his thumbs along my cheekbones. His lips curved in a fond smile. “Will you try? For me?”

I sagged. Yes. I would try.

I definitely wouldn’t like it. But for Erik, I would try.

I shuffled closer on my knees and kissed him deeply. I undid his breeches then broke the kiss and pushed his upper body back to rest against the sofa, hauling his lower body to the very edge as I settled on my calves.

He watched with interest as I worked his breeches down under his arse. “Whatever are you doing, my love?”

He knew full well what I was doing. I could tell by the amusement on his face and in his voice.

“I am giving you something to remember me by when you have gone so far, far away,” I said, taking hold of his bare hips and adjusting him. I gave a grunt of satisfaction when I had him how I wanted him.

“As if I could forget.” Erik swept my hair from my face and gathered it up, holding the mass of it back in one hand. “I will think of you the whole time.”

He would if I had anything to say about it, I thought grimly.

Keeping my eyes on his, I set my mouth to his stomach and kissed my way down.