Page 106 of Suffer No Fools
"She wasn't the first person I've killed," Hugo admitted. It hurt to remember all the times Coryn had used his fire to destroy whole towns who had rebelled against her.
"You had no control over your power when Coryn siphoned it from you," Stan said.
"Doesn't change what I did," Hugo said. "They're still dead."
Tovey still had a grip on his jaw and pulled him in for a rough kiss. "That's why we fight," he said. "So she can't hurt anyone else."
Stan twirled him around and handed him his practice sword, making sure his fingers were gripped just right on the hilt.
"This is silly," Hugo said. He thought he'd convinced them his power was better than a physical sword any day, but they still insisted on teaching him the mechanics and precision of blocking, parrying, and thrusting.
An hour later, he was sweating, bruised in several places, and furious. It wasn't enough for Tovey to kick his ass soundly. They switched places, and Stan took over. Stan still tried to teach him how best to hold his sword and how to move, but every time Hugo thought he had the upper hand, Stan changed tactics and dropped him on his ass or pulled out a dagger and cut through his favorite shirt.
Now, they were all shirtless and dripping, and sex was the furthest thing from Hugo's mind. He was furious. Furious with Coryn, furious with Vadim for not rescuing him sooner, and furious with his lovers for tormenting him with sword fighting when all he wanted to do was curl up in the gigantic bed between them until morning.
He didn't know when his sword had started glowing, but he noticed at the same time Stan did. It shouldn't glow. It was made of wood, not metal. He dropped it, and it clattered against the floorboards.
"Were we seeing things?" he asked. The sword wasn't glowing now, though it looked a little burnished around the edges.
"The blade matched your favorite sash," Stan said.
"What does it mean?" Tovey asked.
"It means this practice session is over." Hugo grabbed the sword by the hilt again, only to chuck it toward the trunk. Using air and earth weaves, he opened the trunk and put the sword away without a backward glance. He met Tovey's gaze instead, challenging him to argue.
"There he is."
Hugo wanted to punch the smug grin off Tovey's face.
"Your confidence has returned," Tovey continued.
"All we have to do is force you to do something you hate." Stan kissed down the side of his neck. The move would usually send Hugo's libido soaring, but now it only irritated him further.
"You both wanted to infuriate me? Why?"
"To remind you who you are," Tovey said.
"This isn't who I am!" He yelled so loud, both men took a step back. His throat ached, and he choked on his own breath. "Fuck. I never want to feel like this again."
"Like what?" Tovey asked.
"Helpless. Defenseless. Worthless. The way Coryn made me feel."
"Exactly." Tovey's grin morphed into something more like empathy laced with pride.
Earlier in the day, Hugo had felt defeated, like he had played into Coryn's hand and there was nothing they could do to win. Now, he was full of spite. All he cared about was stopping her and proving her wrong.
She was wrong about him. He was stronger now. He had Stan and Tovey's power to back him up. He had his empire behind him, ready to share their power and destroy the monolith on Stony Eel Island. Together, they were stronger than one siphon, even if she did have the key to the monolith in her possession.
Hugo grinned. He grabbed Tovey's practice sword and tossed it on the couch and kissed him. Stan put the other two swords away, and then Hugo turned to Stan, grabbing his hand and Tovey's and pulling them to the bedroom. "It's my turn to take you both. I want to be in the middle."
"No," Stan said. We'll break you."
"You'll be on your back beneath me," Hugo said. "You'll show me how it's done."
Stan kissed him then, his tongue diving into Hugo's mouth the way he wanted Stan's cock to enter him.
In a flurry of motion and clothing, they stripped themselves and the bed.
