The pressure inside Tahki grew and grew until his insides shook and shivered, and the release tore through him so strongly he bit his own lip and tasted blood before it was done. Beneath him, he felt Rye go through the same motions, and they collapsed next to each other, panting.
Tahki breathed deeply, his entire body relaxed, and he thought if he could have Rye like this, he wouldn’t need fame, or the castle, or the approval of a prince. If Rye could be his from now on, he would ask for nothing more.
Chapter 14
WHEN TAHKI woke the next morning, he tried to keep his eyes pinched shut. Morning meant work, and work, for the first time in his life, wasn’t something he wanted to think about. After weeks of pressure put on him because of the castle, the hauntings, the conspiracies, his entire body begged him to let this moment last just a little longer.
He arched his back and felt Rye’s body behind him. After a moment of debate, he turned to face him and kissed the tip of his nose.
Rye smiled but didn’t open his eyes. “You smell like graphite.”
“I didn’t know graphite smelled.”
“It does. Like dirt and lead and a little like static electricity.”
“You can smell static electricity?”
“I have a great sense of smell.”
“What else do I smell like?”
“Sweat. Salt. And….” Rye opened his eyes. He drew his face near Tahki and took a deep breath. “A little like wet cat.”
Tahki thought of Pooka and wondered if Sornjia had found out anything about the parcel. But then Rye’s hand moved from his back to his shoulder to his belly, and those thoughts faded. Rye’s hand rested on his stomach a moment before traveling downward. Tahki shut his eyes and leaned into Rye’s touch. They hadn’t had sex last night, only touched each other with their hands. Tahki didn’t want to rush things, but his body craved more.
Rye kissed his neck and whispered, “When the castle is done, I want to take you sailing.”
Tahki laughed. “Not going to happen.”
“It’s not?”
“It’s not.”
“Why?”
“I’m terrified of drowning.”
Rye sat up a little and looked him in the eye.
Tahki hadn’t wanted them to stop kissing, but he didn’t want to miss an opportunity to tell Rye something about himself, either.
He told him about his mother, about the fire, how he’d almost drowned, leaving out obvious details like how he’d lived in a palace, how it had been a monk who’d saved him. It didn’t feel like the right time to tell him everything, not when his world felt so perfect.
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Rye whispered. “Maybe when the castle is finished, I can take you out on a lake. Start small, work up to the big blue.”
Tahki shook his head. “No force in this world will get me on a boat.”
Rye smiled. “Sounds like a challenge. I might not be as persuasive as Dyraien, but I’m patient.”
“Why is sailing so important to you?”
Rye shifted on his side. “The only time I really feel like myself is when I’m out on the ocean. When Dyraien and I first met, I didn’t trust him. He saved me, but deep down I thought it was for some selfish reason. What prince offers a slum child safety and asks for nothing in return? I stayed suspicious, until he took me sailing for the first time. He taught me how to navigate, how to test the wind, how to predict storms. No one had ever done anything like that for me. It changed my life.”
“You and Dyraien are really close, aren’t you?” Tahki asked.
“Dyraien is my family. I know he’s not perfect, but he’s a good person. He’s my brother.”
Guilt nested in the pit of Tahki’s stomach. Rye considered Dyraien his brother, and Dyraien seemed to have similar sentiments. It would be difficult to convince Rye of the prince’s intentions. Rye clearly didn’t know the Királye history. He might be able to prove Dyraien had lied about the castle, but Tahki would need some irrevocable piece of evidence beyond a shiny stone if he planned to get Rye on his side. One thing he knew for sure, no matter what happened next, he would not leave the castle without Rye by his side.
Tahki turned to kiss him when the door flew open. It banged against the wall and Tahki jumped. Dyraien strode in, his face focused on a paper in his hand.
“Rye,” Dyraien said. “The order is set to arrive in one hour. We need to push everything up to accommodate for an early drop and clear the—” And then he caught sight of them. A rare look of confusion crossed his face. It seemed like he was about to ask a question, but then his eyes narrowed slightly. He probably realized what was happening. Or what had happened.
“What needs clearing?” Rye said. His voice sounded calm, unashamed.
Tahki didn’t know why he felt guilty. They’d done nothing wrong. Yet the way Dyraien watched them—or watched Rye—made Tahki’s skin flush with shame. Dyraien didn’t look at him. He kept his eyes on Rye.
“The entryway,” Dyraien said. The cold edge to his voice sent a chill down Tahki’s back. “We’ll need to unhinge the front door.”
Rye nodded. “That shouldn’t take me more than ten minutes. We’ll be ready for the supplies.”
Dyraien stood still. His lips pressed into a thin line, like he was trying hard to contain himself. “Keeping to the timeline is crucial to our success. Distractions are our enemy.” With that, he turned and strode out without closing the door behind him.
Tahki released a breath. “He looked angry.”
Rye yawned. “Angry?”
“I don’t think he’ll like me so much after this.”
“Why would you think that?”
Tahki thought about how
