Page 16 of Fox of Fox Hall

A few knots. That would require theemotional or physical investment of a real lover, or lovers.“I am not sweet,” he heard himself say, and met Conall’s eyes whilehis heart flailed against his ribs. “And I’m sure a few knotswouldn’t make me so.”

Conall was motionless, silent and very warm.

Fox’s cheeks and neck burned with desire andembarrassment in equal measure. He took a step to the side, thenanother. “But I will consider your advice, my lovely,” he calledout, smart and not at all flustered.

“Get some food,” Conall said, quite obviouslynot a knight with passion on his mind. At least, not for Fox. Notif he thought food was the priority.

Fox nodded and smiled vaguely before turning onhis heels to head toward the small kitchens while the fires werestill going and the kitchens still had staff in them to servehim.

Chapter Six

Food and water restored Fox’s strength, whichdidn’t help with his original problem as it should have. Though hetook his time walking back to the hall, even lingering to greetseveral of the knights chatting around the fire, his mind would notcalm and he could not keep still. Several of the knights lookedmore like they were flirting than casually talking, something Foxshould have noticed before and could only blame his exhaustion andworry for why he hadn’t. It was even the sort of flirtation he wasfamiliar with; friendly and light, intended to win someone’saffections for an hour or two, perhaps the night.

Which made sense. Many of these knights did notlive in Saravar or even near the capital. They likely saw oneanother at tournaments, maybe even only at this tournament, onceevery year. Some of their choices regarding bedpartners made sensein that respect.

He went slowly up the stairs to his room butcould not rest there either, though he tried. He selected an outfitfor the next day and went through his routine while seated on hisbed to rest his sore feet. Shoes off, he paced back and forthacross the small space and listened as Kaladas slowly went quiet.Whatever went on behind closed doors, he fortunately could nothear. He wasn’t sure what it would do to him if his ears caughteven one stray moan.

He wasn’t oblivious to the reason for hisagitation. Far from it. Conall had told him of ways to distracthimself and Fox’s needy body had fixated on exactly one of thosesolutions.

A few knots. In another context, thatremark would have made Fox lean closer to someone in the backcorner of a tavern and slide a hand under the table to do his bestto coax a knot into existence even with a stranger.

A few knots to get you sweet. That wassomething else entirely, Conall’s voice easy and slow as though hiscomment wouldn’t leave Fox burning for hours. As though Fox, whohad not been fucked for months, much less knotted, wouldn’t keepfeeling himself wet up for it.

A part of him was certain that Conall hadsuggested it for more reasons than Fox’s emotional well-being.Conall had all but said he didn’t look to the younger knights forsuch things, and unless he and one of his friends were verydiscreet, he wasn’t looking to them this year either. Consideringthe pressure he must feel as the King’s Tournament drew near, thefact that Conall had bothered with Fox’s problems was incredible.He had his own to deal with and apparently had to deal with themalone.

Fox should help him with that, repay some of hiskindness. Not that Fox’s motives were about kindness. Though hethought it would be fairly kind to offer himself as a hole forConall’s cock; Conall might have some nerves to fuck out too, afterall.

He might already be doing that. Despiteappearances, there could be someone ready and willing in Conall’sbed at that very moment, and if not, Conall must want to spend hisnights alone. He also had a good reason for not getting involvedwith Fox—the same reason why Fox should not be thinking of him.

Yet Fox was, and all his walking and frettingdid not help.

“To get you sweet,” Fox said out loud tohimself, trying to make it scornful but not certain that it was.The rasp from earlier had not left his voice. His blush was visiblein the mirror as he undid the work of his nightly routine andbrushed out his hair.

The stone floor chilled and soothed his barefeet and made his steps quiet. He did not question why quiet shouldconcern him until he was in front of Conall’s door in hisnightshirt with his curls falling over his shoulders.

No one was around. The firelight was distant anddim, the fire left to smolder and die as nearly everyone went tobed. That was good. Fox wasn’t completely sure that his nightshirtwas hiding much. His thoughts had left him wet and swelled hisslight cock.

He would ask, he decided. Conall could alwayssay no.

The sound of his knock on the door him wince,but there was nothing to be done for it now. He glanced aroundseveral times as he waited, wondering if Conall had company, if hewas too deep in sleep to hear, if he somehow knew Fox was on theother side of his door ready to humiliate himself and was wiselynot answering. Then the door swung inward and Conall squinted atFox from the other side of the threshold. Conall’s room was lit bythe moonlight coming through the window, but he appeared to bealone. He was also undressed for bed, save for a val wrapped aroundhis waist which he had clearly thrown on before opening thedoor.

His chest hair was almost directly in Fox’sface. Fox was half a second away from reaching for it before herecovered at least part of his senses. It helped that Conallfrowned before whispering urgently, “Fox? What is it? What’swrong?”

A creaking door somewhere not very far away madeFox jump, then whisper back, “Nothing. That is, nothing important,but I wondered…” His tail was in his hands. He must look like ananxious child after a bad dream. He tried again. “May I come in fora moment? I’d rather not talk out here.”

Conall stepped away from the door, giving Foxleave to enter while Conall lit the candle on the small stand byhis bed. Fox raised his head the moment the closed door was at hisback and then released a long, admiring sigh.

He had expected the scars and barely paid themany mind, more focused on shining skin and the fascinating thatchof hair, which began beneath Conall’s crookedly healed collarboneand spread outward before narrowing back to a line that went downto the wrap and presumably continued from there.

Fox dragged his gaze back up too slowly but,well, desire was why he had knocked on Conall’s door. He lookedaway briefly only to be polite. Their rooms were about the samesize, although Conall had even fewer belongings than Fox: a trunk,some bags, a saddle, bits of armor, and a sheathed sword. A smalltable stood to one side of the door, there for a hair comb andbottles of what were probably soaps and oils. The rest of Conall’sthings must have been back in the capital since he wouldn’t need topack like Fox did.

“I don’t want to cause you any trouble,” Foxmurmured before returning his gaze to Conall.

Conall, his attention somewhere down near thehem of Fox’s nightshirt, abruptly looked up. “Yes?” he agreed, butwas clearly a step or two behind.

“But,” Fox went on, forcing his hands to releasehis tail while wishing for the confidence of his younger self whenmaking eyes at a stranger across a room. “If you wouldn’t mind,” ofcourse, this was not a stranger and that was very likely why Fox’sheart raced and his words stumbled, “I have been thinking of yoursecond suggestion… about relieving tension,” he added in caseConall had forgotten or not fully woken up yet. “I wondered ifyou’d be interested in helping me.”

“Helping you,” Conall echoed. Fox hoped it wasjust that he was still half-asleep.

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