Page 62 of Tell No Tales
Klaus glanced up at him and returned to studying the contents of his bowl. "Morning."
"May I ask you some questions about the pleasure houses?"
That got Klaus's attention. This time, his eyes narrowed to slits as he met Vadim's gaze. "Depends on what you want to know."
"You mentioned healers bringing people back to life."
He nodded.
"More than one healer?"
"No, just the one. Ingrid, her name was." Klaus took another bite of stew, and Vadim watched the glorious motion of his jaw and throat.
"Wait," he said. "That's not true. The one who turned me over to Brigham said he would make me his pet if I died. I never saw him do it, but …" The knot in Klaus's throat bobbed when he swallowed.
Vadim wanted to go to him, to hold him on his lap, wrap him in his arms and promise no healer would ever burn his soul to dust and reanimate his corpse, not on Vadim's watch.
It was useless. As much as Vadim tried to deny the fact, he would protect Klaus forever.
"Did Ingrid have any tools for this?" Hesse's journal mentioned a focus, and maybe Martiz's dagger was one.
"I didn't see one." Klaus's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault." Vadim concentrated on eating his food so he wouldn't stare at Klaus and forget to chew and swallow. He glanced up when the bench scraped against the floor, but Klaus had already turned away. Mewskers followed him out the door.
Gods, Vadim thought his life was supposed to be full of answers by forty-five, almost forty-six, but he still had so damn many questions. What did it mean to be a balanced life and death weaver? Why didn't healers ask for consent? What the fuck was a focus and how did it work?
How long before the ache in his chest dulled enough to live with it without wanting to kiss Klaus every time they crossed paths?
He returned to their shared cabin, intent on studying the journal one more time for missed clues, but a rustle beside the door when he opened it caught his attention. Klaus was standing beside him against the wall, head turned toward the door, a sheen of sweat on his brow.
"Fuck." Klaus growled.
"Are you ill?" Vadim's quick check of Klaus's vitals showed that he was fine. Heartrate elevated, but … oh. Oh. Vadim did not look down to see if Klaus's trousers were undone, but he suspected they were. "I'll come back."
"You will not," Klaus said. "You did this, now finish it."
"Did what?"
"You sat across the table from me, looking like that."
"I can't help how I look." He rubbed the scar over his eye and forced himself to hold Klaus's gaze.
"I can't help it, either." Klaus cupped his cheek and hauled him in for a kiss. The moment their lips met, Vadim felt grounded like never before. This was the answer to everything. This moment. This man.
His worries faded into the background.
∞∞∞
Klaus
Klaus kissed Vadim to silence the rest of his words."I can't help it I love you."The thought alone startled him into action. Vadim could never know. He had to think this was all a ruse, a game, same as always. That was the only way Klaus would survive when it ended.
It would end, that much was certain. Everything did. Klaus had been shuffled around from port to port when he was young, and then the orphanage until he aged out, and then his two pleasure houses, service to Coryn, and now this. There was no idyllic happy ending for men like Klaus, even if Vadim was building a new house on Aquarion.
Vadim broke the kiss and shoved Klaus against the wall, face-first, smacking his cock against the side of the crate when he stepped between Klaus's legs.
"Don't make me wait." Klaus tried to keep the hard edge in his voice, but he already sounded too needy.
