plik

Come to Me
Black Magic
By Megan Derr

Published by Less Than Three Press LLC

All  rights  reserved.    No  part  of  this  book  may  be  used  or
reproduced  in  any  manner  without  written  permission  of
the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

Edited by Samantha M. Derr
Cover designed by Megan Derr

This  book  is  a  work  of  fiction  and  all  names,  characters,
places,  and  incidents  are  fictional  or  used  fictitiously.  Any
resemblance  to  actual  people,  places,  or  events  is
coincidental.

First Edition February 2014
Copyright © 2014 by Megan Derr
Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 9781620043318

&Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŵŵ ďŽŽŬƐ͕ ǀŝƐŝƚ ^hWZ/KZ͘KZ'

Sorin hummed as he left the castle and headed across

the southern yard, past the blacksmith and the armory, in
search of his errant lover. Those with whom he'd spoken
had said they'd seen Koray headed this direction, but Sorin
had yet to spy a single gray hair.

He wanted Koray, damn it. He had been buried in

meetings  and  battles  and  more  meetings  for  a  very  long
fortnight,  and  every  time  he'd  had  a  moment's  respite,
Koray had been somewhere else. Sorin was tired of it. He
wanted Koray, a good deal of privacy, and to be left alone
for  at  least  a  full  day,  preferably  two.  The  person  who
threw  a  stone  in  those  plans  would  not  enjoy  what
happened to them.

The sound of Koray's voice made him pause. Sorin

could  barely  hear  it,  though  from  what  he  caught  of  the
tone,  Koray  seemed  angry,  or  at  least  displeased.  Damn.
He  remained  still  until  he  heard  it  again,  then  looped
around the building where the priests and cooks stored all
their  herbs  and  spices,  minus  those  that  were  valuable
enough they needed to be locked up.

Rounding the building, Sorin caught Koray's voice

again—and Neikirk's. He still could not understand the
words, though he thought he caught his name a couple of
times. Sorin picked his way through careful rows of shrubs
and trees, a fragrant garden bound for soups and

Come to Me

poultices. He pushed through some tall bushes covered in
dark blue and white flowers, poised to speak but stopped
as he took in the scene before him.

Koray and Neikirk sat with a large basket at their feet,

bundling together various herbs and setting the bundles in
the  basket,  so  they  could  later  be  hung  to  dry.  But  the
herbs were largely forgotten as they talked, heads bowed
toward  each  other,  voices  pitched  low.  More  fascinating
still  was  the  dark  flush  to  Koray's  face,  at  odds  with  his
intent look, the determined set to his jaw. What was Koray
discussing  so  secretively  with  Neikirk  that  he  would  not
discuss with Sorin?

He was being stupid. Koray would be the first to tell

him  so.  For  all  he  knew  they  could  be  discussing  him.  He
had  heard  his  name,  after  all.  But  what  about  him  would
leave Koray so red-faced?

Well, better to ask than eavesdrop. He might be slow

to learn, but he did learn. Sorin stepped closer, smiling as
they  both  looked up.  "There  you  are,  necromancer.  I  was
hoping for a word with you." He stared when Koray's face
reddened  further.  "Is  …  something  wrong?  Should  I  go?"
The  disappointment  was  crushing,  left  him  aching,  but  if
Koray  had  other  plans,  so  be  it.  He  tried  not  to  dwell  on
the  fear  that  Koray  had  not  missed  him  nearly  as  much.
What if Koray hadn't missed him at all?

Before Sorin could depart, Neikirk laughed and stood,

sharing a look with Koray that Sorin could not interpret. "I
am  supposed  to  be  meeting  with  my  alchemists  soon,  so
your  timing  is  excellent,  High  Paladin."  He  squeezed
Koray's  shoulder  in  parting,  nodded  at  Sorin,  and  then
slipped away.

Sorin closed the few steps between him and Koray,

curled his hands over Koray's shoulders, and bent to kiss
him. As ever, the scent of incense clung to Koray, mingling

Megan Derr

pleasantly with the spicy-sweet taste of him. His mouth
was warm, pliant … and distracted.

The seed of worry Sorin had been trying to ignore grew

into a full-fledged tree. Sorin drew back and reached out
to trace Koray's brow, brush back a loose strand of pale
gray hair. "Are you well, necromancer?"

"I'm fine," Koray said, scowling at him. "What did you

want?" He looked down as he said it, speaking more to
Sorin's tunic.

Sorin swallowed against the hurt and disappointment.

"Nothing important. Nevermind. I am sorry for intruding
upon your day, necromancer. I'll leave you to whatever
you were doing." He spun around sharply and stormed off,
barely aware of everything around him as he fled.

So it was finally happening. Nearly a year since they

had  first  met,  not  quite  a  year  since  they  had  returned
from Navath. Koray was finally growing bored of him. Why
shouldn't  he?  He  was  High  Necromancer,  with  all  the
power  and  status  and  wealth  that  position  entailed.  So
very  far  from  the  man  who  had  first  arrived  at  the  castle
and  changed  everything.  He  could  have  anyone.  Why
should he settle for remaining with his first lover?

How long had Sorin willfully been ignoring the signs?

He scrubbed a hand through his hair, feeling stupid that he
had  gone  to  pains  to  clean  up,  pull  on  a  nicer  set  of
clothes,  and  brush  his  hair  out  until  it  looked  respectable
for  once.  Whatever.  There  was  always  work  to  do.  He
would  retrieve  his  armor  and  weapons  and  resume  his
duties.

Once back in his room, however, he could only stand in

the middle of it feeling lost. Sorin scowled at the meal that
had  been  laid  out,  which  he  had  been  looking  forward  to
sharing  with  Koray.  It  would  have  been  the  first  leisurely
meal  they'd  had  in  some  time.  He  could  smell  Koray's

Come to Me

favorite mulled wine; his stomach growled at the scent of
roasted meat and fresh bread. He had even managed to
sneak away long enough to slip into town and obtain a box
of the sweets Koray liked so much. He had worked hard to
ensure this one day was theirs … and Koray had been too
distracted by thoughts of something else to even kiss him
properly. Someone else? The thought made him physically
ill.

He tensed as the door opened—and winced when it

slammed shut. "What in the name of the Goddess was that
about?" Koray demanded. "You came to find me only to
flounce off in a snit? Why?"

Sorin glared at the fireplace. "I sought you out because

I've scarce seen you this past fortnight and I missed you. I
wanted to spend the day with you, here in our room. We
have everything we need to be comfortable here for
hours, and I gave orders to the entire castle that we're not
to be disturbed save for emergencies."

"But?" Koray prodded when he fell silent.
"But a demon would kiss me with more interest than

you showed," Sorin said, misery growing as he finally
voiced the problem. "I know when someone wants to kiss
me, necromancer, and when they are simply doing it to
have done."

"Yes," Koray said bitterly. "I am well aware how much

you know about kissing. I've heard of nothing else the past
few weeks. Every goddess damned lord and lady in this
place loves to regale me with all that you've done to and
with them."

Rage, sharp and white and hot, cut through Sorin as he

imagined slicing apart every last damn interfering bastard.
That they would dare convince Koray that he could do
something as contemptible as behave unfaithfully. "Are
you accusing me of infidelity?"

Megan Derr

"What—no! Stop being stupid!" Koray said, fingers

twitching, likely with an urge to throw something at Sorin's
head. "I'm saying that all your former paramours are more
than happy to ask me if I have done one thing or another
with  you.  They  love  to  explain  in  alarming  detail  all  the
things  they've  enjoyed  with  you.  Things  I  have  certainly
never been approached about. Every time they bring it up
I have to insist it's none of their business—which it's not—
because  I  can  hardly  admit  I  do  not  even  know  what
they're talking about! That I have never heard of the things
they  describe!"  His  anger  broke  like  a  dropped  plate;  he
stared  glumly  at  the  floor  when  he  said,  "I  finally  broke
down and asked Neikirk to explain what they were talking
about  because  apparently  I'm  not—you  don't  want  to  do
any of those things with me that you did with them." Sorin
had never seen him look so sad and lost. He wanted to kill
every last bastard in the castle who had helped to put that
look  there.  Including  himself.  Koray's  voice  was  barely
audible when he added, "I always want to kiss you, but all I
can  think  anymore  is  how  boring  I  must  be  compared  to
the rest of them."

Storming across the room, Sorin swept Koray up and

swallowed his startled protest with a bruising kiss. He kept
moving  until  they  struck  the  wall,  shifting  so  that  he
pinned  Koray  there  with  his  body,  sliding  his  hands  down
to  grab  Koray's  thighs  and  spread  them  wide,  wrapping
Koray's legs around his hips while he continued to feed at
the mouth that was only one of many things about Koray
to which he was hopelessly, happily addicted.

He drew back only when they were both panting and

his lips throbbed. "Koray, we have had this discussion
before. Not once in all these months I have known you
have I ever felt bored in your presence."

Come to Me

Koray's long fingers pulled at the edges of Sorin's

collar,  trailed  up  to  flutter  along  his  cheeks.  A  scowl
overtook his  face  as he muttered,  "Then  why  must  I  hear
about  all  these  things  you've  done  from  other  people,
things  you  did  with  them  but  never  even  mentioned  to
me?"

Sorin sighed, leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth,

and  then  slowly  set  Koray  back  on  his  feet.  "It  did  not
occur  to  me  to  mention  them.  I  can  imagine  what  they
have been saying, and I would wager my armor  that they
are  exaggerating  a  great  deal.  They  probably  also  did  not
mention I usually do such things at the request of  others.
My own tastes are much simpler." He cupped Koray's chin,
ran  a  thumb  over  his  lips.  "That  aside,  I  am  an  idiot  and
accustomed to you telling me exactly what you think. I am
used  to  the  man  who  regularly  announces  to  the  entire
castle  that  I  have  rocks  in  place  of  brains.  It  is  easy  to
forget  there  are  some  things  you  won't  say,  even  to  me
when  we  are  alone.  But  you  can  say  or  ask  me  anything,
Koray. You—you could have come to me before you went
to Neikirk. I'm sorry you didn't know that."

Cheeks going red again, Koray turned from his touch

and muttered, "I was trying to be less ignorant. I thought if
you did ever bring the subject up then at least I would not
seem completely stupid. It is extremely annoying to know
that children around here seem to know more about …
certain matters than I, and people keep asking what you
see in me."

"Why is everyone being so rude to the High

Necromancer?" Sorin asked, pinching the bridge of his
nose. "Why have you not slapped fines on all of them? The
nobility love nothing half so much as they love their gold.
If you want to silence them, hit them where it hurts: in

Megan Derr

their purses. If fines don't work, throw them in a cell for a
couple of nights."

"I … I can fine them?"
"Yes," Sorin said, hating himself all over again for the

shadows that filled Koray's face anew. Why did he always
feel so inadequate where Koray was concerned? Goddess
above, some days he did not know why Koray continued to
put  up  with  him.  "Fine  them  for  being  disrespectful,  for
sowing  disorder,  for  whatever  you  can  think  of,  really.
They've  no  business  behaving  that  way.  You  should  have
told me sooner, told someone. I will drain their purses and
toss them in the moat!"

Koray's frown deepened, his shoulders hunching, voice

low as he said, "I've only spoken to Neikirk about it. I don't
think he knows about the fines either. We … he and I are
not like you and Cerant. Clearly everyone is aware of that."

Sorin leaned in to kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry. I

should  be  teaching  you  all  of  this  instead  of  assuming
you've  learned  it  or  will  grasp  it  as  we  go  along.  Though
honesty  compels  me  to  admit  Cerant  would  be  a  better
teacher. I'll speak with him."

"I do not care most of the time. I am slowly figuring all

of  this  ruling  a  country  business  out,"  Koray  replied,
resting  his  head  against  Sorin's  chest,  fingers  curling  into
his  tunic.  "I  just  wish they  would  stop  reminding  me  they
were far better and more experienced paramours."

Sorin laughed—grunted when that got him smacked.

"More  experienced,  maybe,  but  you  are  better  by  far."
Koray  looked  as  though  he  wanted  to  believe  that,  but
could not. Sorin brushed his mouth with a soft kiss. "I am
furious  with  myself  for  having  been  oblivious  to  all  this
nonsense going on right in front of me, but I do not need
to  have  been privy  to  it to  know  you have probably  been
oblivious to something."

Come to Me

Koray jabbed him again. "I have listened very carefully,

My Lord High Paladin, to every word they speak. I could
repeat every word back to you precisely as they were said
to me. I've missed nothing."

Fighting a smile, warm fondness unfurling in his chest,

Sorin  replied,  "Necromancer,  you  have  probably  been  so
focused  on  the  lurid  tales  they  are  spinning,  you've  failed
to  notice  that  at  least  half  of  them  are  trying  to  seduce
you.  I  will  eat  my  tunic  if  I  am  mistaken.  They  have  been
telling you of their prowess to tempt you into their beds."

"That's stupid," Koray replied flatly, staring at Sorin's

chest, cheeks still burning.

Sorin smiled at the top of his head, threaded his fingers

through  the  hair  at  his  nape,  and  gently  tugged  Koray's
head back.  "Stupid?    I  assure  you  it  is  quite the  opposite,
or  have  you  forgotten  that  you  are  the  primary  reason
necromancers  are  coming  to  be  respected  rather  than
reviled?  That  you  are  the  first  High  Necromancer  the
kingdom  has  ever  known.  Everyone  regards  you  as
fearless,  mysterious,  and  every  day  I  have to discipline  or
terrorize  soldiers  who  discuss  your  beauty  a  little  too
lewdly  and  loudly  for  my  taste."  He  kissed  Koray  again,
nuzzled  against him,  smiled  fondly  as  he  drew  back.  "You
call  the  High  Paladin  a  nitwit  twenty  times  a  day,  but  he
still comes running every time you crook a finger because
he is utterly besotted. You're the only lover I've managed
to  keep  longer  than  a  month.  Of  course  they  want  to
seduce  you.  They  want  a  taste  of  what  has  me  so
enthralled."

"You are a nitwit," Koray muttered, face as red as the

apples he loved to eat. He looked away, then slowly
dragged his eyes back up. "I don't actually think you're
stupid, you know."

Megan Derr

Grinning, Sorin replied, "You think I'm a spoiled brat,

entirely too accustomed to being in charge, and prone to
acting before thinking. None of which is untrue, especially
where you're concerned." He waggled his eyebrows. "But I
like when you call me stupid."

"Because you've been hit upside the head too many—"

Koray grunted as Sorin cut him off with another hard kiss.
Sorin  made  a  soft,  pleased  noise  when  Koray  bit  his
bottom  lip  and  shifted  his  hands  to  cradle  Koray's  face,
deepening  the  kiss,  sucking  on  Koray's  tongue,  enjoying
every  moan fed  to him, loving  the  way  those  long  fingers
clung  tightly  to  his  tunic,  the  way  all  of  Koray's  shyness
melted away once he stopped overthinking.

Sorin let go of Koray's face to wrap his arms around

him and hoist him up. Koray grumbled momentarily, but it
turned into approval when he was drawn back into
another kiss, digging his fingers into Sorin's hair as he
enjoyed the new angle.

He scowled anew when Sorin dropped him on the bed,

only slightly mollified when Sorin crawled on top of him—
and glared when Sorin sat back on his heels. "Why are we
stopping?"

Sorin gave a slow grin. "What stories exactly have been

told to you? What have you been asking Neikirk about?"
He laughed when Koray turned red again. "You'll tell him
but not the one you should be doing those things with? If
you wanted to do them, that is."

Koray dropped his gaze to Sorin's chest, barely relaxing

his clenched jaw enough to speak. "I don't care if he laughs
at me."

Smile slipping way, Sorin replied, "I would never laugh

at you, least of all for not being well-versed in the sexual
antics of a bunch of spoiled brats who have never known
what it's like to be starved and beaten their entire lives. If

Come to Me

there's something you want, all you have to do is say." He
leaned down and held Koray's face between his hands
again, kissed him softly. "I'd jump off a cliff for you."

"Because you're stupid," Koray said. "Why anyone

made you High Paladin is beyond me. All that heart and
strength isn't good for much if you're too empty-headed to
know what to do with it all."

Sorin's grin returned. "Insulting me is not going to

distract me from this conversation. What stories have they
been telling you?"

"It doesn't matter," Koray muttered. "I don't want to

do— I want to hear about this stuff from you, not them. I
hate the way they smile and smirk as they tell me
everything they've done with you. The way they pat my
arm or shoulder like I'm a sad little kitten."

"They've been touching you?" Sorin was going to kill

them all, because it was one thing to harass him with their
licentious stories, but to touch him when it so clearly made
Koray uncomfortable … "I'm going to remove every last
one of their damned fingers—" He broke off as Koray
covered his mouth with one hand.

"Stop it, My Lord High Paladin. Patting my arm and my

shoulder all day is nowhere near the realm of the kind of
touching you do."

"That is not why I was angry." Sorin held him fast and

rolled  them  so  that  Koray  was  sprawled  atop  him,  long
braid spilling over one shoulder to coil beside Sorin's head.
He skimmed his hands down Koray's body, cupped his ass,
and  leaned  up  to  press  a  brief,  firm  kiss  to  that  addicting
mouth. "I think we're both unhappily aware my jealousy is
my  least  appealing  trait.  I  was  miserably  resigned,  in  the
garden,  to  the  fact  that  someone  else  had  made  you
realize you could do much better than me."

"Be quiet."

Megan Derr

Sorin kissed him again. "I'm still waiting for you to tell

me what stories were whispered to you."

"I'm not telling you because now you're going to be

insufferable," Koray retorted, sitting up and bracing his
hands on Sorin's chest.

"Mm," Sorin agreed cheerfully. "I can start guessing if

you're  not  going  to  tell  me.  Lord  K  was  fond  of  faux
phalluses,  especially  the  one  made  of  jade."  Sorin's  grin
widened  as  Koray's  face  flushed,  and  he  captured  Koray's
hands as he smacked Sorin's chest. "Lady L likes to put her
men in silky garments. Lady K prefers being tied up."

Koray jerked his hands free and thumped Sorin's chest

again.  "I'm  going  to  tie  you  up  and—"  He  broke  off,  face
going  so  bright  a  red  Sorin  half-expected  it  to  burst  into
flame.

Sorin grabbed Koray tightly when he tried to squirm

away and flipped them again, capturing his wrists and
pinning them to the bed.

"Let me go," Koray hissed, twisting and jerking futilely.
Sorin smiled, slow and hot, body thrumming with heat

at this unexpected revelation. "Not until we discuss how
much you obviously like the idea of tying me up." It would
not have been his first, or even tenth, guess if someone
had asked. He did enjoy surprises on occasion.

"I'm not discussing anything," Koray snapped.
"Yes, you are," Sorin said. He shifted his hold to pin

both  wrists  in  one  hand,  skating  the  other  hand  down
Koray's body to press the heel of it to where Koray's cock
was  pushing  against  the  weight  of  his  robes.  His  smile
widened  when  that  renewed  the  flush  to  Koray's  cheeks,
made  his  eyes  go  hazy  for  a  moment.  Bending,  he  licked
across  Koray's  mouth,  nibbled  at his  bottom  lip. "You  like
the idea. Why can't you admit it."

Come to Me

"Because it's strange," Koray finally bit out. "I know

what it's like to be bound. You did it to me, once, if you'll
recall. There's nothing fun about it."

"In those circumstances, no," Sorin replied, finally

letting him go, bracing his hands on either side of Koray's
head,  and  pressing  fluttering  kisses  across  his  face.  "But
you  tying  me  up  here  is  completely  different.  You  must
realize  that  because  you  obviously  like  something  about
the  idea.  You  wouldn't  be  the  first  to  want  to  do  it."  He
smiled at the scowl that earned. "You would be the first I'd
allow to do it."

Koray went still at those words, fingers clamping down

where they'd just reached up to cling to his tunic again.
"What are you talking about? At least three—"

"Liars, all of them," Sorin replied and gave him a sharp

kiss  before  sitting  up.  He  raised  his  hands,  fanning  the
fingers  out.  "I'm  a  soldier,  and  would  be  a  pretty  useless
one  without  my  hands.  I  can  take  a  lot  of  abuse,  but  I
prefer to be wearing armor and such when I do it. There's
never  been  a  soul  in  this  castle  I  trusted  enough  to  bind
me.  Nobles  in  general  tend  to  be  pretty  cavalier  about
such things. They don't use their hands the way most of us
do. What do they care if their wrists hurt for a few days?"
He  smiled,  warmed  clear  through,  at  the  anger  that
flickered  across  Koray's  face.  "Nevermind  that  I  am  High
Paladin and could be called to fight at any given moment.
You  do  not  know  wrath  until  you've  had  to  abandon
someone right when matters are … involved. Trusting one
of  them  to  immediately  cut  me  loose?  Without  getting
angry or resentful? No. I have never trusted anyone in the
castle—the kingdom—that much."

He bent and gave Koray a long, slow kiss, then drew

away just enough to say, "Until a certain bratty
necromancer inserted himself in my life. If you want to tie

Megan Derr

me  up,  necromancer,  that  can  be  arranged."  He  kissed
Koray  again,  grunting  at  the  hands  that  fisted  in  his  hair
and held him close as Koray returned the kiss with fervor,
left  his  lips  feeling  sore  and  well-used.  "Another  day,
however,  since  I  do  not  have  the  right  bindings  and  I'm
impatient to have you."

"You're impatient?" Koray groused, and honestly, the

way  his  face  seemed  to  have  gone  permanently  red  was
more  endearing  than  Sorin  would  ever  tell  him.  "I'm  the
one  who  has  been  hearing  these  stories  for  days  on  end
while  you  gallivant  about  the  castle  with  your  soldiers  or
race off to do battle and save demons."

Sorin laughed and gave another quick, biting kiss

before climbing off him to undress. "I like when you get
impatient."

"You like when I do anything," Koray retorted.
"Yes," Sorin agreed, smiling, casting his tunic aside

before  making  quick  work  of  the  rest  of  his  clothes  while
Koray did the same. He watched avidly as Koray unbound
his  hair  and  combed  the  heavy  strands  loose.  "Though  I
think  your  hair  is  my  real  weakness.  If  you  ever  cut  it,  I
shall cry endlessly for weeks."

Koray lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "As much as I like to

see you suffer, paladin, I would never be that cruel. Even if
I wanted to cut it, I do not think I'd be able to bring myself
to do so."

Sorin's smile faded off. "You know—" He narrowed his

eyes when Koray's fingers clapped over his mouth.

"Stop it," Koray said. "The matter is over. You have

never said nor done anything that made me feel as though
I had no choice. Stop dredging the matter up. If I ever want
to cut my hair, I shall." He let his fingers fall away, eyes
skittering off to stare at the wall. "I like that you like it. No
one ever has—not like that. It's— I don't want to cut my

Come to Me

hair. Now come to bed, paladin. I've had enough of all this
confounded talking, and it's only a matter of time before a
crisis draws us away again."

"Yes, My Lord High Necromancer." Sorin climbed into

bed, pushed Koray into the blankets, and buried his hands
in  all  that  beautiful  hair.  He  put  his  mouth  to  that  long,
fine throat,  sucking up marks  on  soft,  warm  skin,  spurred
on by the way Koray shivered against him. "I swear if I ever
again  have  to  go  a  fortnight  without  doing  more  than
kissing you I shall do something drastic."

Koray huffed, but the unimpressed expression he

attempted failed beneath a pleased, boyish smile. "Less
talking, or I'll do something drastic."

Letting go of Koray's hair, Sorin smoothed his hands

along  Koray's  body,  enjoying  the  fat  and  muscle  that  had
filled him out, a far cry from the bonier, half-starved man
Sorin had first met. Koray would always be lean and trim,
sharp  edges  to  go  with  his  sharp  tongue,  but  he  was  no
longer  unhealthy.  Sorin  dragged  his  tongue  over  one  of
Koray's  nipples,  then  trailed  lazy  kisses  across  Koray's
chest  to  worry  the  other  nipple  with  his  teeth.  That
provoked  Koray  to  drag  his  wicked  nails  down  Sorin's
sides, which in turn just drove Sorin to tease harder, until
Koray gave a stuttered gasp and tried to rut against him.

Sorin looked up, smiling as the flush on Koray's face

slowly  worked  its  way  down  his  neck,  at  the  lust-hazed
look  in  his  eyes.  Bending  back  to  his  oh-so-pleasant  task,
he  peppered  wet,  sucking  kisses  down  Koray's  body  until
he reached Koray's cock. Pulling back, he fisted it loosely,
stroked  it  just  enough  to  tease but  not enough to  satisfy.
Koray moaned, snarled, writhed on the bed, hands flailing
to smack any part of Sorin he could reach. "Paladin!"

Releasing his cock, Sorin shifted again, leaning down to

run his mouth over the scars that covered Koray's body

Megan Derr

from  shoulder  to  sharp  hipbones.  When  Koray  was
swearing, panting, trembling with want, he drew back and
flipped  him  over.  Koray  snarled,  and  Sorin  smothered  his
own  laughter  in  Koray's  beautiful  hair.  When  his  urge  to
laugh had calmed, he swept Koray's hair out of the way to
trail  his  mouth  down  Koray's  spine,  alternating  sucking
kisses  with  sharp  bites.  "I  hate  you,"  Koray  gasped  out,
fingers  twisting  in  the  sheets,  tremors  running  through
him.

"Liar," Sorin replied cheerfully and bit the swell of his

ass. Koray jerked up, and Sorin held him down, mouth
curving as that got him more threats. Drawing back, he
rubbed his fingers over the mark he'd left, hot satisfaction
spiraling through him. "You're beautiful."

Koray's face, turned toward the door so that his profile

was in full view, flushed darker as he muttered, "Your
opinion is not to be trusted."

"Mine is the only trustworthy," Sorin replied. He

spread  Koray's  legs,  hands  lingering  on  his  warm  thighs,
stroking the soft, pale skin. It was terrible of him to be so
smugly  satisfied  that  no  one  else  had  ever  seen  Koray
trembling  and  eager,  heard  his  voice  turn  husky  when  he
ordered  Sorin  to  stop  teasing,  heard  it  break  when  he
began  to  beg.  He  would  do  his  damnedest  to  ensure  no
else  ever  did.  He  trailed  his  fingers  along  the  crack  of
Koray's  ass,  faintly  amused.  "You're  so  tense.  That  eager
for—" Sorin broke off when he encountered slippery heat,
fingers sliding easily inside Koray's body. His cock twitched
hard,  and  Sorin  had  to  grab  the  base  of  it,  force  himself
back  from  the  edge.  He  gulped  for  air,  but  his  voice  was
still fractured as he asked, "Did you—? You did yourself?"

"Who else would if not you?" Koray snapped,

squirming and twisting to get free. "Get off me!"

Come to Me

Sorin turned him over, lightly held him down, and

kissed him, wet and clumsy and too crazed with the idea of
Koray riding his own fingers to focus on anything else. "Oh,
my Goddess. Why didn't I get to see? I want to see."

"Spoiled brat," Koray muttered against his mouth. "You

don't get something simply because you demand it." He
pressed at Sorin's chest, digging in with his nails when
Sorin wouldn't move. "Get off me, you great big beast."

Pouting, Sorin obeyed, rearing back to rest on his

heels. "I want to see. When did you do it? Why?"

Koray lunged up and shoved him back, climbed on top

of  him.  Sorin  grabbed  his  hips,  groaning  as  he  struggled
against  coming,  completely  undone  by  Koray's  boldness,
the  way  he  looked  straddling  Sorin's  thighs,  naked  body
gleaming with sweat, hair spilling everywhere, their cocks
brushing whenever he shifted.

Some of Koray's shyness returned; he licked his lips

and said, "They—they wouldn't stop talking about all
things you did with them, and they weren't shy about
details. I haven't seen you like—like this for two weeks. My
meeting f-finished early so I came back here. I didn't know
you'd planned anything today."

Sorin groaned again, eyes briefly closing as need

shuddered through him. "Show me. Please."

"Why?"
"Because otherwise I might die."
Muttering about smothering bossy Paladins with

pillows,  Koray  climbed  off  him  and  crawled  across  their
large  bed  to  the  table  tucked  between  the  bed  and  the
wall. He rifled through the little basket on it and returned
after a moment with a porcelain jar. Settling on his knees
next  to  Sorin,  he  opened  the  jar  after  a  few  fumbling
attempts  with  faintly-shaking  hands  but  then  stopped.
"This feels dumb. I'll look stu—"

Megan Derr

"Amazing," Sorin cut in. Sitting up, he piled their

pillows against the headboard then sat back against them.
Reaching out, he wrapped his fingers around Koray's wrist
and tugged gently, urging Koray to straddle his thighs once
more. He leaned in and and kissed Koray softly, lightly
petting and stroking until Koray relaxed. "You know you
don't have to."

"Shut up, paladin," Koray mumbled against his mouth.

He nudged Sorin back, then retrieved the jar he'd set down
and slicked his fingers. Cheeks reddening anew, eyes firmly
on Sorin's chest, he reached back—

Sorin groaned, fingers sliding up and down Koray's

body  before  settling  on  his  hips  and  gripping  tightly.  He
couldn't  see  Koray's fingers,  but he  could  see the  way  his
arm  worked,  the  way  his  body  moved  in  time,  the  flush
that  spread  down  to  Koray's  chest.  Koray's  eyes  lowered,
head dipping slightly. He had one hand splayed on Sorin's
chest for balance, nails biting whenever his fingers hit the
right  spot  and pushed  out  quiet,  breathy  little moans.  "S-
Sorin …"

"Goddess, you're magnificent," Sorin replied. Koray

finally met his gaze, smiling shyly, and it was so sweet, so
endearing next to the lust-soaked eyes, that Sorin could
not imagine how he had gone so long in life without Koray
in it. "You're perfect."

"Nitwit," Koray gasped out, a hint of warm affection

curled through it.

Sorin smiled, fingers tightening on Koray's hips. "How

many fingers?"

"Th-three, just now," Koray said, and his head dipped

again as he curled inward, groaning loudly.

Sorin couldn't breathe. Letting go of Koray's hip, he

reached one hand between Koray's thighs, felt where he
had three fingers pushed in deep. Grinning at the

Come to Me

reproving look Koray tried to give him, Sorin slowly, gently,
pushed his own finger in with Koray's.

"Don't—" Koray's words failed on a cracked, broken

shout as he suddenly came, spilling all over the two of
them, body wracked with shudders.

It was more than Sorin could take. He pulled his hand

free and dragged Koray in for a wet, hungry kiss as his own
climax rushed through him, adding to the mess on their
skin.

As he calmed, he softened the kiss, lazily caressing

Koray's skin, combing through his hair. "I don't know why
you worry that I could ever find you boring, necromancer.
If anything, I fear the precise opposite."

"If you're saying that I could find you boring, then stop

talking," Koray said from where he'd let his head drop to
rest on Sorin's shoulder. "I can't believe I did that."

Sorin snorted softly. "I can't believe we haven't done

that before Goddess knows how many times I've imagined
it."

"You should have said."
"I did not want to push you," Sorin replied.
Koray sighed and sat up, met his eyes. "I fear that cabin

is  going  to  haunt  us  forever.  I  don't—  I  like  you  the  way
you  are.  When  do  I  ever  hesitate  to  tell  you  that  I've  had
enough  of  your  running  roughshod  ways?  If  you  persist
even  after  I've  told  you to  stop,  I am  perfectly  capable  of
throwing things  at  your thick  head  until my  message  gets
through it."

Sorin smiled wryly, reached up to splay his fingers over

Koray's cheek. "If I promise to stop holding back, will you
promise to talk to me instead of Neikirk?"

Koray's cheeks went pink, but he nodded. "Yes, but if

you laugh—"

Megan Derr

Sorin kissed him, cupping his head and sinking his

fingers into that long hair. He rubbed their noses together
when they finally drew apart. "I would never laugh at you,
Koray." He drew back and grinned. "I may, however, insist
on explaining things by way of demonstration.

The flush to Koray's cheeks darkened, but his jaw set in

that familiar, stubborn way Sorin adored. "That is the best
way to learn, My Lord High Paladin."

Grinning, Sorin drew him in for another kiss that

turned into several before they finally managed to part
again. "What say we clean up, eat dinner, and you can tell
me everything those idiots have been saying to you? We
do have the rest of the day and all night ahead of us, after
all. We should find creative ways to spend the hours."

If it got him more of those sweet, soft smiles that no

one else ever saw, Sorin would happily do whatever Koray
wanted.

And the next time he was in town, he would see he

acquired the proper ropes for bedroom play.

Koray scowled at the mess that had become of his hair,

dread settling in his stomach because he was going to
have to cut it to get rid of the foul-smelling, sticky
substance covering most of it.

The sound of a throat clearing drew his attention, and

he  reluctantly  dropped  the  snarled,  matted  disaster  to
turn his full attention to the ones responsible for it. "Give
me one good reason I should not lock you in a dungeon for
ten  years.  Do  you  have  any  idea  what  you've  done?  You
frightened  one  horse  so  badly  that  the  injury  it  did  itself
will likely force us to put it down. You've injured two of my
men,  ruined  nearly  all  of  our  supplies,  and  your
explanation  so  far  is  that  you  were  trying  to  prank  your
friends? Does this look amusing to you?"

The cluster of children, three boys and two girls, all

recoiled from him, ducking their bowed heads even lower,
sniffling  hard,  rubbing  their  eyes  with  their  sleeves.
Nearby, at least thirty adults had clustered about to watch
the  proceedings.  Koray  could  see  the  group  that  were
obviously  the  parents  of  the  children;  they  looked  even
more terrified.

As though he would actually lock children in a dungeon

for a prank that probably would have been harmless any
other day. A bad combination of weather, an unexpected

Megan Derr

bang from somewhere else in the village, and a jittery
horse had turned the matter into quite the debacle.

But it didn't hurt to scare some sense into them.
"It's not— we didn't— we can fix everything!" one of

the girls said between quiet sobs. "We didn't mean to hurt
the horse. Will you really have to kill it?"

They were all old enough they wouldn't count as

children much longer in most eyes, but they all still held
themselves like children. Koray did not want to be the one
who took that away. Stifling a sigh, he replied, "We'll have
to look the injury over more closely. It's possible he may
just need rest and care."

No one countered him, though he could see on the

faces of several that they knew he was a liar. Its back leg
had been too badly damaged and would never heal
properly.

"Are you really going to put us in the dungeon?" one of

the boys asked. Nearby, the woman who must have been
his mother, judging by their similar faces and the way she
pressed her clasped hands to her mouth, looked on the
verge of doing something drastic.

Koray shook his head. "I am not in the habit of

arresting people. I leave such things to the High Priest and
the  High  Paladin.  What  I  am  going  to  do  is  extract  a
promise  that  you  never  again  engage  in  such  foolish
behavior.  What  would  you  have  done,  what  would  your
parents have been forced to watch, if you had accidentally
killed  a  person  instead  of  almost  killing  a  horse?  As  to
punishment, you are going to clean this mess up. Then you
will  help  my  men  gather  new  supplies  to  replace
everything  you  ruined,  and  clean  these  other  horses.  I
expect you to also do penance to the Goddess for the rest
of  the  month.  I  also  leave  to  you  the  honor  of  explaining
what  happened here to the  High  Paladin  when he  arrives

Come to Me

shortly." Because he certainly was not brave enough to be
present when Sorin found out he had been thrown from
his horse, and that his hair would have to be cut off.

He left the crowd to their panicking as they realized

they  would  soon  have  the  High  Paladin  in  their  midst  as
well.  Striding  over  to  where  his  soldiers  beckoned,  Koray
let them usher him into a house that he assumed had been
appropriated  for  his  use.  "I  hope  the  owners  have  not
been put out overmuch."

Myst, the man in charge of his escort, snorted softly.

"High  Necromancer,  they  are  grateful  you've  not  had
anyone arrested or  thrown  in  the  stocks.  I  think  even the
High Priest would have been sorely pressed not to murder
the  lot  of  them  for  that  stunt.  But  Your  Highness  will  be
relieved  to  know  that  this  particular  house  is,  at  present,
vacant. The owner recently married and moved in with his
wife and has not yet sold it."

Koray stripped off his outer robe, wiping his fouled

hands on it as best he could. "I do not suppose a bath
could be arranged? And I shall need shears."

"Yes, Highness," one of the men said. "Your room is at

the top of the stairs, second door on the right. We've put
your belongings there. We'll have the bath shortly."

"Thank you," Koray said and headed up the stairs in his

under robes, shivering at the chill.

The entire house was heavy with dark woods and

fabrics. Even in the peak of summer it probably did not get
much light. No wonder the previous owner had been eager
to  leave  it  behind.  The  house  spoke  of  more  dangerous
days,  before  the  paladins  had  been  a  reckonable  force.
The days when people had not left homes built more like
fortresses—more  like  prisons.  Thankfully  no  ghosts
inhabited  it.  The  house  either  had  an  unusually  happy

Megan Derr

history or a necromancer had already addressed the
matter. Either way, Koray was grateful.

Some effort had been made to lighten the bedroom.

The  walls  were  covered  in  pale  blue  wool,  expensive  and
difficult to do, but it had the added benefit of helping hold
out cold and keep in warmth. Tapestries were hung up all
about,  depicting  spring  and  summer  landscapes.  There
was  an  enormous,  four-poster  bed  carved  with  flowers
and  forest  animals,  a  common  prayer  carved  into  the
footboard and another into the headboard.

Herbs hung from the rafters, lending the room a

bittersweet scent, and they looked fresh enough they
must have been changed out often to ward off insects and
rodents.

Someone had put clean cups and a decanter of some

dark,  red-gold  liquid  on  the  little  table  by  the  fire  and
draped  a  clean  blanket  over  the  dusty-looking  chair.  Not
wanting to ruin it with his damned hair, Koray filled one of
the glasses with a small measure of the alcohol and sat on
the floor. His hair was practically stuck to his back, matted
together  in  wet,  sticky  clumps.  The  smell  of  it  had  given
him a headache.

The alcohol was sharp, burning as it slid down his

throat, but surprisingly sweet, like candied flowers and the
berry pies of which he had become so fond. He wished he
knew what it was, if it was possible to get more to take
home.

A sharp rap came at the door, and Koray called for the

knocker to enter. He rose to his feet and moved out of the
way as two men came in bearing a large, heavy tub
followed by a half-dozen others who carried in bucket
after bucket of hot water.

Misery twisted through Koray all over again when Myst

slipped into the room and set a pair of shears and a mirror

Come to Me

on the table. "Highness. Shall I find someone to assist
you?"

"No," Koray said. "Thank you for all of this."
Myst smiled and swept a bow. "Always an honor to

serve you, High Necromancer."

Sometimes Koray still thought he lived in a dream. He

would never grow accustomed to being accepted, even
respected. He would definitely never be comfortable with
being part of the High Court. From vagabond to ruler of a
country.

He drained his glass and set it back on the table,

enjoying as it warmed him, dulled the sharp edges of a
long, hard day. It should have been a simple rescue and
purification, but had turned into a long, ugly battle. Thanks
to the cold, icy weather that had rushed in on the heels of
the fight, they were still a full day from home. If he could
not have his own bed, alcohol would do until Sorin arrived.

Koray shook his head. Only a year ago he had fought

for a single cup of bad wine that was mostly water. Now
he drank expensive alcohol as though it was his right. How
easy it was to become a spoiled brat.

"Thank you," he said to the servants as they finished

preparing his bath. They murmured 'Highness' as they
bowed, a few stealing a last glance at him before they
finally were gone, the door shutting quietly behind them.

Koray looked at the shears again, fighting a stupid urge

to cry. He was proud of his hair. When necromancers had
been hated, beaten, driven away time and again, most of
them had kept their hair short, even completely shaved, to
hide  what  they  were  as  much  as  possible.  Koray  had
always  stubbornly  refused  to,  chosen  instead  to  defiantly
put  his  hair  on  display,  make  it  impossible  for  people  to
miss. Every strand of gray and white had been put there by
work  he  did  for  the  Goddess  and  her  children.  He  had

Megan Derr

earned them, and by the Goddess, people would look at
them.

Sorin had been the first one to look at him with want,

to teach him what that look meant. Sorin treated his hair
like it was a treasure, and Koray enjoyed that more than
he would ever admit.

And now, thanks to a bunch of foolish children, he was

going to lose it all. He knew Sorin would still care about
him, still find him appealing … but the uncertainty clawed
at him anyway. It always clawed. One year, especially with
all the upheavals in it, was not enough to convince him
that Sorin would not eventually lose interest. What would
Koray do then? They were both part of the Court of Five;
they would always have to work together.

He poured another drink and drained the glass, then

sat  there  until  his  body  was  flushed  and  warm  and  his
hands  didn't  shake  when  he  picked  up  the  shears.  The
alcohol did not, unfortunately, keep him from crying a bit
as  he  began  to  cut.  It  was  hardly  the first time he'd been
forced  to  trim  his  hair  and  was,  in  fact,  the  second  time
he'd had to cut it short.

But it still hurt.
He threw the ruined, sticky mess into the fire and used

the  mirror  Myst  had  left  to  make  the  shorn  ends  as  even
as  possible.  Someone  else  would  have  to  make  him  truly
presentable,  but  later.  He  wasn't  in  the  mood  for  people
right  then.  Koray  wiped  his  eyes  and  stripped  off  his
clothes, then climbed into the bath.

It didn't feel right. His hands kept fumbling whenever

they  reached  the  end  of  his  hair  long  before  they  should
have.  Snarling,  smacking  the  water  in  frustration,  Koray
grit  his  teeth  and  focused  on  the  motions  of  bathing:
scrubbing his skin clean, washing his hair, doing it all again

Come to Me

before finally climbing out of the tub and retrieving the
bathrobe hung on a special hook on one side of the fire.

He had only just grabbed it when the door swung

open. Koray froze, robe slipping from his fingers as Sorin's
eyes landed on him. He flinched and looked away when
Sorin's eyes widened, unable to bear seeing what emotion
overtook the surprise. Disappointment? Anger?

Kneeling, he retrieved the robe from the floor and

pulled it on with stiff movements. Tying the belt around
his waist proved too difficult, the fabric slippery, stubborn,
stupid—Koray jumped when Sorin's hands, still gloved and
cold, pulled his away. The robe gaped open, washing cool
air over his skin briefly before it was overtaken by the heat
that poured from Sorin like water from an overfull bucket.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, finally
looking up.

"Making certain My Lord High Necromancer is well,"

Sorin said quietly and reached up to touch his fingertips to
Koray's cheek, the chill of them making Koray shiver. "You
do not look well."

Koray turned away from the touch, scowling at the

mantle. "I'm fine."

"In all the time I've known you, I have never know fine

to mean fine. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Koray knocked Sorin's hand away

when he tried to touch him again. "What do you think is
wrong? Look at me! How could you not notice?" He
snarled and jerked away.

Sorin huffed, but his expression was nothing but

infuriatingly fond as he watched Koray. "Necromancer, for
all I love your hair, and always jest about crying were you
to cut it, I am far more concerned about the harm that
could have befallen you. Surely you know that. I heard that

Megan Derr

your horse was startled and injured. It had to be put down,
and you were brought here."

Lifting his eyes to the ceiling, Koray replied, "It wasn't

my horse that had to be put down. The pack horse startled
and  somehow  in  the  chaos  broke  its  back  leg.  A  pity,
because the paladins had decided it would be best to sell it
off to a farmer when we returned to the castle. The poor
thing  would  have  liked  living  on  a  farm."  He  sighed
because  he  might  not  like  horses  but  no  living  thing
deserved that. "I did take a spill, however, because horses
are  one  step  down  from  evil,  but  only  acquired  a  few
bruises, most of them to my dignity. My hair landed right
in  the  mess  those  children  dumped  on  us,  unfortunately.
I'm  lucky  I  saved  any  of  it."  He  ran  a  hand  through  the
strands, which stopped a little below his ear.

He closed his eyes when Sorin's gloved hand followed

the path  his had taken,  hating  the  way  it  stopped  far too
soon,  missing  the  way  it  would  always  keep  going  before
moving  to  grab  his  hips  or  cup  his  ass.  Instead,  Sorin's
hand  dropped  to  his  shoulder,  slipping  beneath  the  loose
robe to settle, cool and heavy, on his skin.

Koray sighed as Sorin's other hand curled beneath his

chin and tilted his head up. He slowly opened his eyes to
meet Sorin's. "Why are you frowning?"

"I don't like when you're skittish around me," Sorin

replied, hurt flickering across his face. "Why are you acting
as though you will bolt at the first opportunity?"

Dropping his eyes again, staring at the mud-spattered

armor  Sorin  still  wore,  Koray  muttered,  "All  my  hair  is
gone." Sorin made a soft noise, letting go of his chin to curl
his  hand  over  Koray's  other  shoulder.  The  movement
pushed  the  robe  off  entirely,  and  Koray  snarled  in
annoyance  as  he  fumbled  to  catch  it.  He  glared  at  he
pulled it back on. "Stop trying to strip me!"

Come to Me

Sorin gave a slow grin. "Wasn't on purpose, but don't

expect me to be very sorry."

"Incorrigible," Koray muttered, but he did not protest

in the slightest when Sorin bent to kiss him, mouth warm,
moving against Koray's with a steadying familiarity. When
Sorin  pushed  his  robe  away,  Koray  let  it  fall,  shivering  as
Sorin's  hands,  still  in  their  heavy  leather  gloves,  ran  over
his  skin.  He  thrummed  with  the  need  to  throw  his  arms
around  Sorin's  neck,  press  up  against  the  length  of  him,
but  all  he  would  get  for  his  trouble  was  cold  metal  and
drying mud.

Drawing back, Koray said, "Am I the only one who's

going to be naked here?"

Sorin grinned and stepped away. "Going to help me, or

should I call for assistance?"

"You couldn't do all this before you came storming in

here?" Koray asked but stepped in close to help with all
the straps and buckles. "The bath water should still be
warm."

"That is nearly the best news I've had all day." Sorin

gathered up all the pieces of armor and crossed the room
to leave them in the hallway so they could be taken away
and cleaned. "I ordered food be brought."

"So there was very little point in shrugging off my

robe?" Koray asked, shooting him a look.

Sorin turned, caught him glaring, and his grin just

widened unrepentantly. "There is always a point in getting
you naked, my beautiful necromancer." He pulled off his
clothes, tossed them in the pile with Koray's, and walked
toward him.

"Shut up." Koray retrieved his robe and shrugged it

back on yet again, belting it and moving out of reach as
Sorin came at him. "You still have not said a word about
my hair, don't think I haven't noticed."

Megan Derr

"You wouldn't believe a single thing I had to say unless

I  told  you  it  was  awful,  which  it  isn't,  but  you'll  insist  on
thinking so anyway." He smiled and darted in, got his arms
around  Koray's  waist,  and  bent  to  give  him  a  kiss  full  of
filthy intent. Nibbling at Koray's jaw, he said, "It's different,
obviously,  but  it  suits  you.  Makes  you  look  even  more
mysterious somehow."

"How in the name of the Goddess does one look

mysterious?" Koray demanded. "I have never understood
that description. There is nothing remotely mysterious
about me, least of all with you."

Sorin's mouth quirked as he left Koray to go to the

door, where Koray saw he had dropped his saddlebags as
well as a larger version of Koray's robe. Where had all this
stuff  been  found  so  quickly?  Koray  was  constantly
mystified  how  such  things  were  managed  so  effortlessly.
Pulling  the  robe  on,  Sorin  returned  to  the  fire,  traced
Koray's lips with one finger. "I could know you a thousand
years,  necromancer,  and  still  I  suspect  many  of  the
thoughts in your head would remain out of my reach. I am
ever baffled as to how you do not seem to realize the way
everyone holds you in awe."

"I do not think it is awe so much as morbid curiosity,"

Koray said. "Stop being a nitwit. The only mystery to my
person is why I have not removed your tongue." He
regretted the words the moment they were spoken. "Shut
up."

Sorin grinned, delighted and evil. "You like what I can

do— "

Koray slapped his hand over Sorin's mouth. "Shut up."
Tugging his hand away, Sorin reeled him in and kissed

him soundly, mouth hot and wet, tongue knowing and
eager as he reminded Koray of how skillfully he could use
it.

Come to Me

A knock on the door finally broke them apart, and

Sorin grinned at him briefly before striding to the door to
let the servants in. When they had gone, Sorin locked the
door  and  knelt  to  rifle  through  his  bags  again.  Koray  left
him to it, far more interested in food and the large pitcher
of  mulled  wine  that  accompanied  it.  Piling  a  plate  with
what  looked  like  some  sort  of  roasted  fowl,  roasted
vegetables covered in butter and fragrant herbs, and fresh
bread, Koray sat down in one of the old, dusty chairs and
began to eat.

He looked up briefly when Sorin joined him, smiling,

but neither of them bothered to speak until the food was
gone and the wine nearly. Warm and slightly floaty, Koray
set  his  plate  on  the  floor  and  settled  back  in  his  seat,
closing his eyes and savoring being warm and still, even if
it  was  in  a  strange  house  with  the  castle  still  a  day's
journey  away.  "I  had  hoped  to  be  home  tonight."  When
Sorin  did  not  reply,  Koray  opened  his  eyes  and  saw  Sorin
smiling at him, bright and happy. "What?"

Sorin shrugged, dropping his gaze to his wine, bizarrely

shy. "I never grow tired of hearing you call the castle
home."

"Oh." Koray wished he could attribute the sudden heat

to his cheeks to all the alcohol he'd imbibed. "I do wonder
sometimes what became of my little cabin. I hope
someone else is putting it to use."

"We can go see sometime, if you like," Sorin said, a

strange look taking over his face. "I wouldn't mind seeing
where you used to live."

Koray made a face. "What is there to see in a broken

down, one-room cabin in the middle of a field on a dull
mountain? This time of year it will still be covered in snow.
It spends most of the year that way, really."

Megan Derr

"It's yours," Sorin said. "I know so little about your days

before the castle, though I certainly understand why you
prefer not to discuss them, but after all this time, most of
your necromancers seem to know more about you than I
do."

"What good comes from recounting the days I lived

alone in  a  dreary  cabin or  slept  in  graveyards  and ditches
while  trying  to  rid  ungrateful  towns  of  ghosts?"  Koray
shrugged  irritably.  "Once,  if  a  handful  of  children  had
accidentally  covered  me  in  that  nasty  mess,  the  villagers
would  have  laughed  and  run  me  out  of  town,  probably
with  sticks  and  stones.  Today,  all  of  them  stood  in  fear,
waiting for me to punish them. Sometimes, I cannot make
sense of how my life has changed so drastically."

Sorin rose, crossed over to him, and knelt, taking his

hands. "You fit the role of High Necromancer seamlessly.
You must know that by now."

"I think I'm the first High Necromancer, and therefore

no  one  knows  what  'seamlessly'  looks  like  yet,"  Koray
retorted.  "At  any  rate,  this  strange  new  life  keeps  me
plenty busy, and I don't have time to think about my past,
save  when  my  necromancers  bring  it  up.  It's  not  that  I
don't  want  to  tell  you,  there  are  just  always  other  things
on my mind. But if you want to see my cabin someday, My
Lord  High  Paladin,  I  suppose  we  could,  though  when  we
would  have  time  to  gallivant  off  like  that,  I  could  not  tell
you."

Sorin smiled and kissed the backs of his hands. "We'll

find the time once the weather warms. For now …"

Koray's awareness sharpened as a familiar look

overtook Sorin's face and his voice deepened, making
Koray's skin prickle. "Here?" They did not usually do …
intimate things away from the castle.

Come to Me

"Here," Sorin said. "The way those clouds outside

looked, we're going to be snowed in here at least through
tomorrow.  No  point  in  forcing  everyone  to  make  it  home
when  we  can  wait  the  storm  out  in  safety  and  comfort
here."  His  smile  turned  wicked,  eyes  so  hot  with  intent
Koray  felt  close  to  burning.  "The  door  is  locked.  I  gave
orders we were not to be disturbed save for emergencies,
and  we  left  in  such  a  hurry  that  I  accidentally  brought
along my gift for you."

"Gift?" Koray said, perking up because as flustered as

they made him, he always secretly enjoyed when Sorin
bought him things.

Sorin rose, took his wrists, and tugged him to his feet.

He stole a quick but firm kiss, then led Koray over to the
bed. Sitting on the edge of it, he reached into his robe and
withdrew what proved to be a dark green, velvet
drawstring bag and thrust it into Koray's hands.

Koray frowned as he opened the bag and reached his

hand  inside,  even  more  puzzled  when  he  pulled  out  four
lengths  of  cord  reminiscent  of  the  kind  used  to  tie  back
bed  curtains.  These  were  thinner  and  so  very  soft.  "Why
are  you  giving  me  lengths  of  …"  his  face  went  hot  as
comprehension  dawned,  and  he  nearly  dropped  the  bag
and rope in his shock.

Soft, fond laughter made him look at Sorin. "Your face

is priceless, necromancer. I told you I would get the proper
rope. Did you think I was lying?"

"That was nearly two months ago," Koray replied. "I

thought …" Maybe Sorin had changed his mind, or
forgotten, though when he wasn't spinning problems in his
head he knew it was really just that they had both been
too busy to do much of anything before falling asleep.

Goddess knew he had not stopped wanting it,

desperately. Left to his own devices, the idea probably

Megan Derr

would never have occurred to him. He loathed being
bound, could not stand the feel of metal around his wrists
and ankles.

But that sick, helpless feeling didn't rise up when he

thought of Sorin stretched out in bed, wrists secured to
the headboard. He'd scarcely been able to think of
anything else since Sorin had put the idea in his head.

He loved the way Sorin barreled about taking care of

everything  and  everyone.  Sorin  said  Koray  took  well  to
being  High  Necromancer,  but  as  near  as  Koray  could  tell,
Sorin  had  been  born  for  the  role  of  High  Paladin.  If  there
was anyone in the castle universally loved, it was Sorin.

But for all he enjoyed Sorin's commanding, even

roughshod,  ways,  he  still  quietly  thrilled  at  the  idea  of
Sorin forced to hold still and be fully on the receiving end
of  all  the  attention  Koray  could  give  him.  The  man  was
always  so  eager  to  do  everything  for  everyone  that  he
rarely did anything for himself.

Sometimes Koray felt bad about wanting to tie Sorin

up—ashamed  was  probably  the  more  accurate  word.  But
it never seemed to trouble Sorin, seemed in fact to please
him, and that was enough to give Koray courage enough to
at least daydream about it. He had never entirely allowed
himself  to  believe  it  would  really  happen.  It  was  Sorin,
though,  so  he  really  should  have  known  better.  Koray
might  have  hated  the  man  if  he  didn't  love  him  to  the
point of madness.

But wanting something, even desperately, was one

thing. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Oh, I'm quite certain you'll prove a natural at tying me

up," Sorin said with a grin. He tugged Koray close and
kissed him softly. "But I can show you, and we'll do this
only if you want. You don't—"

Come to Me

"Don't make me gag you as well," Koray said. "The

same goes for you, you know."

Sorin kissed his nose. "I know, but as I bought the rope,

I  think  it  is  safe to  say  that  I  want  it."  He  took one of  the
cords from Koray, held up one of Koray's wrists, and deftly
showed  him  how  to  tie  it  so  that  it  held  secure  without
causing  harm.  "That  is  all  there  is  to  it."  He  handed  the
cord  back  and  held  out  his  own  wrist,  letting  Koray
practice until they were both comfortable.

Standing, Sorin discarded his robe and then climbed

onto  the  bed.  Koray  waited  for  him  to  get  comfortable,
smiling  ever  so  faintly  at  the  half-hard  state  of  his  cock.
Koray's  twitched  as  he  watched,  admiring  all  the  tight
muscle, every line and curve of Sorin's war-scarred body.

"Come along, necromancer, unless you'd rather stand

there all night. Losing your nerve?"

"You are working hard to lose your ability to speak,"

Koray  retorted  as  he  climbed  onto  the  bed  and  secured
Sorin's  wrists.  He  was  briefly  annoyed  when  he  had  to
redo the second one twice, but the gentle nudge of Sorin's
leg against his soothed it away.

That left him with two cords, but he wasn't inclined to

bind Sorin's feet. Maybe next time.

Drawing back, he discarded his own robe and then

straddled  Sorin's  hips,  shivering  at  the  way  their  cocks
rubbed  together.  He  felt  overheated,  taut,  and  he  was
probably  flushed  bright  red,  but  he  didn't  care  because
Sorin  was  staring  at  him  like  nothing  and  no  one  else
existed. Koray had been afraid that look would vanish with
his hair, or at least dim, but it burned as hot as ever.

He never wanted to get used to that look. Reaching

out,  Koray  traced  the  lines  of  Sorin's  face—cheekbones,
the  slightly  crooked  nose,  his  chin  and  brow.  Twice  Sorin
jerked,  mouth  twisting  into  a  brief  scowl  as  the  ropes

Megan Derr

reminded him he couldn't do anything. "This is slightly
more vexing than anticipated."

Koray caressed the sides of Sorin's throat, fanned his

fingers along Sorin's shoulders, then dragged his nails
along those strong, beautiful arms as far as he could. "Poor
Lord High Paladin, no longer in charge."

Snorting softly, Sorin replied, "As though I am ever in

charge when you're in the room. The entire kingdom
knows precisely who commands the High Paladin. I've
never heard you quite so cheerful about it, though."

Eschewing a response in favor of putting his mouth to

better  use,  Koray  braced  his  hands  on  Sorin's  entrancing
chest  and  bent  to  kiss  him  as  ardently  as  he  knew  how,
teeth  and  tongue  working,  leaving  Sorin's  lips  wet  and
swollen.  Shifting  down, moving  his  hands to  Sorin's  sides,
thrumming with the way he could feel Sorin pulling at the
cords, Koray looked up, smiled, then bent back to his task,
dragging  his  mouth  wetly  down  Sorin's  chest,  tongue
tracing  scars,  teeth  dragging  along  unmarred  skin.  His
heart  thudded  in  his  ears,  face  hot,  and  he  half-expected
the whole thing to be a dream, or for Sorin to order him to
stop.

But Sorin just moaned and panted, biting out Koray's

name  when  Koray  put  a  mouth  to  one  nipple,  teased  the
other  with  his  thumb,  dragging  his  nail  lightly  over  and
around  it  before  circling  more  gently  with  the  pad  of  his
thumb, then switching hand and mouth.

He reared back sharply when Sorin jerked up. Koray

smacked the center of his chest. "None of that."

"You have only yourself to blame," Sorin replied.
Koray dropped a quick kiss on his mouth, drawing back

before Sorin had a chance to respond to it. "You bought
them, suffer."

Come to Me

Sorin huffed, but his mouth twitched with the smile he

wasn't fighting very hard.

No one had ever trusted Koray so much. Part of him

wanted to run away and hide, he was so overwhelmed by
it.  Most  of  him  was  determined  to  stay  right  there  and
enjoy  every  single  moment.  He  lightly  dragged  his  fingers
down  Sorin's  sides,  then  across  his  chest,  worrying  the
nipples  again  before  trailing  up  and  back  down.  He  could
spend hours on Sorin's chest, explore every dip and curve,
trace the muscles and memorize every scar. Explore every
bit of it with his tongue, score the skin with his nails just to
leave proof he had been there.

Surrendering to that need, he started at Sorin's

shoulders  and  dragged  his  nails  down,  mouth  curving  at
the  way  Sorin  arched  into  the  touch,  hissing  out  Koray's
name.  Koray  stopped  only  when  he  reached  the  heavy
thatch  of  dark  curls  at  Sorin's  groin,  carefully  avoiding his
cock  just  to  be  vexing.  Drawing  back  to  admire  his  work,
Koray pressed his fingers to the long red lines his nails had
left.

Sorin groaned, eyes closing as his head fell back.

"Koray …" All the levity had left Sorin's voice, replaced by
desperation. His tongue kept slipping out to lick at his lips,
throat working.

Ducking his head to hide a smile, Koray wrapped his

long fingers around Sorin's cock, exploring, teasing—nearly
toppling when Sorin bucked again. Letting go of his cock,
Koray pressed down on his hips. "Hold still."

"I don't know how you expect me to do that," Sorin

replied.

"If you don't, I'll be more than happy to leave you to

suffer and take care of myself."

Megan Derr

Sorin's face took on a drugged expression. "I think we

both know that watching you fuck yourself doesn't cause
me suffering."

"Who said you'd get to watch?" Koray retorted. He

struggled  not  to  smile  when  Sorin  pouted.  "Don't  move."
When  Sorin  nodded,  Koray  returned  to  teasing  Sorin's
cock.  They  both  moaned  when  he  shifted  and  brought
their cocks together.

But Koray wasn't finished yet. He resumed kissing and

touching, starting with a small one pressed to Sorin's cock
before  he  moved off  Sorin  and  spread  his  legs,  letting  his
hands linger on Sorin's heavy thighs for a moment before
he  stroked  along  the  soft  skin  of  his  inner  thighs.  He
teased  along  the  crease  where  they  met  Sorin's  groin,
stroking through the hair, teasing his cock once more, and
then  shifted  to  press  kisses  and  nips  to  one  leg  before
switching  to  the  other,  moving  back  and  forth  as  he
steadily worked his way down.

When he reached Sorin's feet, Koray kissed the top of

each  one  and  then  slowly  crawled  back  up  Sorin's  body,
stopping at random points to drop more kisses—his thigh,
the  sharp  curve  of  one  hip,  the  spot  right  above  his  belly
button,  the  middle  of  his  chest,  the  hollow  of  his  throat,
the  edge  of  his  chin—before  finally  ending  with  a  slow,
deep  kiss  that  Sorin  returned  with  so  much  fervor  that
Koray nearly forgot what he was doing. "You're evil," Sorin
said when they finally drew apart.

Koray smiled and shook his head, briefly distracted by

the strangeness of the way his hair moved. "So I've been
told at least a thousand times. Most of them believed it,
but I think you're lying, My Lord High Paladin." He scraped
his nails down the inside of one bicep, kissing Sorin as he
moaned.

Come to Me

"Goddess's truth," Sorin managed when Koray finally

drew back.

"You're the one to blame for this evil," Koray replied

and climbed off him to fetch the porcelain jar that had
somehow moved just out of reach.

Straddling Sorin again, he opened the jar and slicked

up  his  fingers,  then  set  the  jar  aside  and  rose  up  to  his
knees.  He splayed one hand on Sorin's chest for balance,
then  reached  back  and  slowly  worked  one  slick  finger
inside himself.

It was still difficult to meet Sorin's eyes when he

prepped himself, partly because doing it was so distracting
it was hard to focus on anything else, but mostly because
the way Sorin looked at him was so overwhelming.

He added a second finger, pushing them in slow but

deep,  shuddering  at  the  sensation  that  was  only
heightened  by  the  way  Sorin  watched  him  as  if  looking
away  might  kill  him.  He  felt  feverish,  almost  dizzy,  heart
pounding  so  hard  in  his  throat  he  could  barely  swallow,
thundering  in  his  ears,  drowning  out  everything  but  the
whimpers and pleas that fell from Sorin's lips.

It was almost more than Koray could take when Sorin

made  a  rough,  ragged  noise,  trembling  beneath  him  as
though  on  the  verge  of  coming  apart.  If  Sorin  wasn't
bound,  he  would  have  already  shoved  Koray  into  the
bedding  and  buried  himself  deep,  fucked  him  so  hard
Koray would feel it throughout the next day. He loved and
hated when Sorin did that.

"I've changed my mind," Sorin groaned out, arms

straining. "This was a terrible idea. I want to touch you."

Koray gave a shaky laugh as he pushed in a third finger,

head dropping further as he moaned at the stretch, cock
twitching, aching. "Too—too late, nitwit."

"Brat."

Megan Derr

"I can stop if you're unhappy with the proceedings,"

Koray replied, slowly removing his fingers, cock so hard it
almost hurt.

"If you stop now I will die."
Koray rolled his eyes, but he'd had his fill of waiting,

too. Taking hold of Sorin's cock, he guided it to his hole
and slowly, carefully sank down on it, bracing both hands
on Sorin's sweaty torso. Sorin groaned loudly, pulling at his
bindings, swearing in frustration, the muscles of his arms
taut. Koray gave a husky laugh, digging his nails in playfully
as he began to move, determined to go slow as he rose up
and sank back down.

"You'll pay for this," Sorin said.
Koray cast him a brief smirk, but it slipped away as he

put all his focus on the fucking, keeping to that slow pace
as long as he could manage, drunk on the way Sorin
watched, the way he swore and begged and moaned
Koray's name.

Patience fraying, Koray surrendered to the need to

move faster, push down harder, breath hitching at the way
Sorin  thrust  up  in  time  with  his  movements,  fucking  into
him deep. Sweat stung Koray's eyes, trailed down his neck
and  back,  making  him  twitch,  his  hands  stutter  on  Sorin's
skin.  "Sorin  …"  his  head  fell  back  as  he  surrendered
thinking and just rode the sensations.

His favorite moments were the unexpected ones when

Sorin lost control and fucked him wherever they happened
to  be—in  Koray's  office,  bending  him  over  the  desk  and
not even bothering to remove his robes, just shoving them
out of the way before working him open quickly, pounding
into him  so  hard  Koray  was  always  amazed  no one  heard
them.  In  the  library,  up  against  the  wall  in  a  dark  corner
where  no  one  but  Koray  ever  went.  Sometimes  it  was  in

Come to Me

the woods, and once it had been on the floor of the wine
cellar.

But this—Sorin desperate and begging and completely

at his mercy—was a close second. It might even become
his favorite.

"Koray!" Sorin came as Koray took him deep once

more, and that was all Koray needed to break, crying out
as he spilled all over Sorin.

When he could move again, he pulled off Sorin's

softening  cock  with  a  groan,  crawled  stiffly  up  to  untie
him. He had barely gotten the second one loose when he
was  tackled  to  the  bed,  yelping  in  surprise.  Sorin  turned
him, pressed him into the bedding, and did not stop kissing
him  until  Koray's  lips  were  sore  and  throbbing.  "You  are
magnificent. Perfect."

"You're an idiot," Koray replied, loosely tugging on his

hair with one hand, dragging the nails of the other across
the back of Sorin's neck, enjoying the way that always
made Sorin's entire body shudder. "How are your wrists?"

"Fine," Sorin said against his mouth before kissing him

again.  Koray  was  not  inclined  to  protest,  although  he
would  probably  insist  on  another  bath,  or  at  least  a  rag,
before they got too comfortable.

Drawing back, he said, "Did you say something about

us being stuck here through tomorrow?"

Sorin shifted to stretch out alongside him, one of his

legs resting heavy between Koray's, one arm draped
across his body. He nuzzled Koray's hair. "At least. I think I
like your short hair as much as your long hair. They're both
enchanting, just in different ways. But mysterious was the
wrong word. The short hair definitely makes you look
more evil."

"I was a good deal less evil before I met you, My Lord

High Paladin," Koray said, smiling up at the ceiling. "You'll

Megan Derr

just have to live with the consequences of your own
actions."

Teeth nibbled the lobe of Koray's ear briefly and then a

soft kiss was pressed behind it. "Speaking of
consequences, those will be following shortly. There's still
plenty of evil left to teach you."

Koray turned his head, drawing Sorin into a long, lazy

kiss. "The more you teach, the more I can use it against
you."

Sorin grinned, nipped at his nose. "That, My Lord High

Necromancer, is my favorite part."

Fin

About the Author

Megan is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps
herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often
accused of fluff and nonsense. When she's not involved in
writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies
(especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from
readers, and can be found all around the internet.

maderr.com
maderr.tumblr.com

meganaderr.blogspot.com
lessthanthreepress.com
meganaderr@gmail.com
@amasour