Chapter 6
Vlash opened his eyes. His hair was all over his face instead of braided back, which was how he usually slept. He went to move, but someone was lying on the rest of his hair. The same someone who had his arm draped over his waist.
He bit back a groan and stared at the damn candle. Not that he could blame it all on the candle because he’d been the one to invite Mason to his room. His bloody room in the bloody palace, which was right next door to where the rest of the soldiers slept.
He had no idea how much noise they’d made or how much noise had come from the party.
He rolled toward Mason because there was nowhere else he could go.
His body twinged in half a dozen different places, reminding him that he wasn’t one hundred anymore and that riding dick and drinking all night was going to have consequences that he didn’t want to face now that it was, in fact, daylight.
“You’re on my hair,” he grumbled as he eyed his bedmate. A human. An absolutely average human with brown hair that had been left long enough that it was luxurious and wavy.
Mason mumbled sorry as though mostly asleep. He kind of moved, then he woke up. One grey eye opened. Vlash watched as shock, acceptance, and then desire flickered over Mason’s face.
Vlash’s stomach dropped and swooped. That was why the human was in his bed.
That kind of heat hadn’t been directed at him in so long, it was mesmerizing.
It was then he became aware that not much of the blanket was on them. The rest of it was twisted and tangled around their legs and not covering very much at all. There was dried cum on Mason’s chest, which almost made him smile.
Then he realized that he also had dried cum everywhere. He didn’t know which god he should curse or thank, but he felt gritty and amazing, and about a dozen other things he wasn’t able to put into words.
And didn’t want to put it into words because words had power.
Mason groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. “What time is it?”
“No idea.” He hadn’t worn a watch last night, hadn’t needed to. His mouth tasted like something had died in it. And he hoped that he’d dreamed sticking his head out the door and demanding a second bottle of mead. “I need to find some water.”
“Yeah and aspirin.”
“I can do better than that.”
“More magic?” Mason peered at him.
“I don’t hear you complaining about the magic last night.”
Mason frowned. “How is your ass?”
That he was overly aware of it meant it was too tender to do anything this morning.
But he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
He’d wanted it because it was something he hadn’t done in close to a century, but also because he didn’t think he was ready to slide into anyone else.
For a moment, memories of his wife were a little too close.
He sat up and regretted it. He had not been hung over in at least thirty years.
Gods, he wanted to lie down and pull the blanket over his head. But now he was upright, he needed the bathroom, and he needed water so fucking badly he’d kill for a glass of it. He’d killed for less.
His gaze landed on the empty bottle near the end of the bed. Only one. That was good.
He started extricating himself from the blankets and kicked something hard. Fuck. That was the second bottle. He might be regretting the second bottle. Mason sat up and swore.
“Shit. I found the lube.” He held up a slick hand. “It’s all over your sheets.”
“They’re going in the wash, anyway.” He couldn’t sleep on these again, and not just because they smelt of Mason and sex. If even half his memories were correct, everything needed washed.
Mason tugged his legs free of the sheets. “Were we fighting over the blanket or something?”
“I don’t know.” He couldn’t remember the last position that they’d been in.
Only that there been a lot for which he was blaming the candle.
The only good news was they wouldn’t be the only ones suffering the aftereffects of the party.
Unlike the rest of the soldiers, he at least had his own bathroom.
Mason stared at the two empty bottles. “I don’t remember getting the second one, but I feel as though I drank it.”
Vlash nodded and winced. “I want to shower before I go out there to find painkillers and food.”
Mason shook his head. “I can’t face food yet, and my change of clothes is in the car.” He looked up at Vlash. “This wasn’t part of my plans for the night.”
“Same.” Part of him wanted to kick Mason out so he could clean up and move on. The rest of him, the part that was winning, wanted to draw out the morning as long as possible.
He held out his hand. “Come on. You’ll feel better after a shower.”
Mason took the offered hand and slid out of bed with a wince. “Fuck, my back.”
That Vlash did remember. Because Mason had had him up against the wall when he’d wanted to see how light elves were. Apparently, light at the time, but not the next day.
Vlash opened the door and led him into the bathroom, though there was no actual bath, just a toilet and a shower.
It was still an upgrade from what he’d had before.
There he was, neatly dividing his life into before collapse and after collapse.
The two were so different they belonged to two different men.
He strode over to the toilet, unable to wait any longer.
“I can wait if you want to go first,” Mason said.
Vlash let his gaze skim over his lover for the night. “I’d rather shower with you.”
This time, there was no alcohol and no magic, but he wanted to see the lust in Mason’s eyes again. Because when Mason walked out, that would be it, and all that waited for him was more of how he’d been living for the last decade.
Alone.
He didn’t think he could do it, but what other option was there? He was a head archer. How could he be fucking around with a human?
It was bad enough that the king had noticed and sent the candle and lube. By Pan, he was never going to live that down.
Had the cheeky little shit had something to do with this?
Vlash wouldn’t put it past him. This was not his first encounter with a god, and it wouldn’t be his last, given that the mayor was also one. Which one, he didn’t know. And he doubted Pan would give up the mayor’s secret.
Mason nodded. “I’ll get the shower going.”
When Vlash was done, they switched places.
Vlash adjusted the water temperature and grabbed two towels from beneath the vanity, placing them next to the sink.
There was always clean linen in his room.
Not that he stayed at the palace very often these days.
It had been different before, but back then, he’d had proper rooms and had needed them with a wife and two kids.
He stepped onto the hot water, tipped his head back, and swished some water around his mouth. If he was going to lick ass, he needed to brush his teeth after.
He moved over so Mason was able to step under and watched as Mason did much the same as he had. Taking that moment to be.
Vlash used the soap and then handed it over. “I need to wash my hair. It’s stuck together in places.”
Mason gave him that glance as if he remembered exactly how it happened.
Vlash was pretty sure it was also the cause of the dry cum on his back.
Taking it in turns beneath the water, and with the soap and shampoo, they managed to clean up.
And somehow, they ended up touching as if they were bloody magnets.
There is no way his body could want more.
He put a decade’s worth of sex into one night.
Not a decade’s worth, maybe a month’s worth.
Enough that he shouldn’t have a fucking hard-on.
That Mason shouldn’t have one.
He put conditioner on the ends of his hair.
Now he had a few minutes to kill.
Mason closed the few inches between them and kissed him. He drew back. “Unless I misread the look you gave me?”
“You did not.” He wrapped his conditioner-slick hand around both their dicks, and stroked. “But I think this is all I’m good for.”
His ass was not ready for another pounding, even though his dick thought it was a good idea to turn around and take another load.
He pushed Mason against the tiles and claimed his mouth as he worked his hand up their shafts. Mason added his, rubbing over the heads. Water hit Vlash’s back, driving away all common sense. This couldn’t be written off as politeness, letting his lover clean up before kicking him out.
This was desperation. There was no other word for it.
And he hated that weakness.
For a couple of heartbeats, he hated Mason for making him feel wanted and desired.
He threaded his fingers into Mason’s hair, gripping tight and holding him in place so he could take what he wanted.
And Mason didn’t resist. He moaned softly into Vlash’s mouth, which was about the sweetest thing he’d heard from a lover’s lips in a long time.
It was enough to push Vlash over the edge.
He came rutting into their hands, his cum spurting onto Mason's belly.
He knew the moment before Mason came, heard the change in his breathing, the pause in the kiss, felt the thickening of his cock. He kept stroking until Mason was spent.
Mason lifted Vlash’s hand to his lips and licked his fingers. “So much for getting clean.”
Oh fuck, kicking him out. Vlash was going to tie him to the damn bed until his friends came to the rescue.