42. Lirion
Lirion bit the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing right in Fenric’s face. It was clear the man was beyond pissed over what happened, and giggling like a loon would not help calm him down.
“What the fuck was that about?” Fenric raged, still holding the pillow in front of him as he slammed the door shut.
He paced across the room. “I’m exhausted from our long trip.
I come in here to relax, and what do I get?
A naked succubus who just happens to be the younger sister of the guy I’ve been fucking for weeks. ”
Lirion’s eyes followed Fenric as he paced, noting he was wearing nothing but a pillow. Clearly, Aria had surprised him as he’d been climbing into bed. It probably would have been a lot worse if she had snuck in after the lantern had been extinguished.
“Sexy Eyes,” Lirion purred and was hit with some brutal stink eye. He stopped and bit his tongue. Fenric had not calmed enough to be placated with sweetness and cuddles. It was like trying to pet an angry wet cat. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to have a face full of claw marks.
“Did you ask her to do this? Was it a joke? You said it was a test. Did you ask her to test me?”
“What? No! Absolutely not!” Lirion gasped. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know!” Fenric tossed the pillow on the bed and dragged in a deep, cleansing breath. When he slowly released it, he seemed a bit calmer. “What the hell?”
Lirion bit his lip. What was he supposed to tell Fen? He believed he’d found his unicorn—his lifetime partner? He’d never stray from his side, and they could have a happily ever after together?
Fat chance.
He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Fen’s waist and nuzzled his neck. Seconds ticked by, and more of the tension flowed out of Fen’s body.
“Aria didn’t mean to upset you. I think she’s curious about our arrangement. It’s not common for an incubus or a succubus to be linked to one person for a long period.”
Fen grunted. “And what?” He spoke slowly as his hands pressed into Lirion’s back, pulling him in closer. “She thought I’d swap siblings simply because she was in my bed?”
“You wouldn’t be the first person to do something like that,” Lirion said, his smirk hidden against Fenric’s neck. “I think the point we need to focus on is that I trust you with my sister.”
Fen was not amused. He jerked backward slightly so Lirion could see his glare. “Thank you, but I don’t appreciate being tested.”
Lirion’s joy withered, and fear that his sister had seriously injured Fen’s trust gripped him. “I apologize on her behalf. Try to think of it as her looking out for her older, dopey brother.”
“Okay. Whatever. I don’t like it, but I get it,” Fen grumbled as the last of the angry tension flowed out of his body. He tightened his hold on Lirion again, pulling him in so their bodies were pressed flush together. “Are you coming to bed or going back down to the main hall?”
His heart rebounded from the black grip of fear that Fenric was about to chuck him out the door, and he pressed a kiss to the corner of Fen’s mouth. “I’m ready for bed. I’ve had enough fun for the night.”
They released each other, and Fen moved to the side of the bed closest to the door while Lirion strolled to the other side to take off his clothes.
He smirked at the sight of Fen’s garments haphazardly strewn about.
The man got messier the more fatigued he was.
Not that Lirion cared. He wasn’t much better as he stripped naked and tossed his clothes on top of Fen’s.
As he crawled under the covers, Fen extinguished the lantern and got comfortable next to him. Once Fen was settled, Lirion rolled over and rested his head on Fen’s chest, and Fen wrapped his arm around him.
“Are you still planning to set her up here in Bjornkill?” Fen asked quietly.
“I am. We need to find a suitable building to rent or buy, but there are plenty of excellent locations with great foot traffic. I don’t think it would take her long to turn a profit with her high-end brothel.”
The plan Lirion and Aria had worked out was that he would throw in his share of the loot from the Baza mission and the Lord Mire quest to help get the brothel off the ground.
Aria would run it and handle the workers.
Lirion would give a hand here and there, but as an initial investor, he would make a share of the profits.
Not a bad gig. It would be a steady stream of income with no requirement for him to sing or suck cock.
“Are you…” Fen started, but his voice trailed off before he finished the question.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Lirion poked Fen in the ribs. “No, you can’t stop like that. Tell me. What were you going to ask?”
“I was just wondering…are you planning to work at the brothel with your sister?” His voice was so low and almost sullen, as if he didn’t want to know the answer to his question. Lirion could so easily guess exactly what he was thinking, and it was kind of adorable.
“Sure, here and there, but not like you’re probably thinking.”
“Huh?” Fen started to move, but Lirion pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him back down against the mattress.
“My plan is to perform. Sing songs. That’s it. And I’ll probably only do so in the beginning to help her bring in some business. Once things are up and running, I won’t perform there often if I don’t have to. I have no plans to take on clients.”
“Ah, okay.” Fen’s voice perked up, and his arm around Lirion tightened a bit more.
Lirion grinned like a fucking fool in the darkness.
He could feel the relief and happiness rolling off Fen in waves.
Now that Lirion had accepted his own emotions regarding Fen and his desire to stay by his side, the human felt so much easier to read.
Lirion’s confusion about his own feelings no longer clouded what he could detect from Fen.
There were no questions about how Lirion would feed if he wasn’t taking on clients at his sister’s brothel.
It was as if Fen’s mind had assumed Lirion would continue to be fed by Fenric from now on.
They would continue laughing, cuddling, bickering, and fucking as they had been, and it sounded perfect to Lirion.
Yeah, he’d found his unicorn, and he wasn’t letting this man go. He just had to figure out how he was going to make sure Fenric was fully on board with this plan.
“Gotta get up early tomorrow. I need to pick up a few supplies for the trip out to Lord Mire’s village. Do you want to run errands with me? We’re hoping to get on the road by the afternoon since it will take us two days to reach our destination.”
Liron lifted his head to look at Fen. “Sure. I’m happy to pick up supplies with you. We should also check in with Gillea to see if he’s uncovered any information on the rest of your mother’s missing treasures.”
The most beautiful smile spread across Fen’s lips and Lirion’s heart skipped a beat. “Good plan. We’ll stop there too.”
Lirion was more than happy to follow Fen anywhere.