Page 20 of Sea and Sky
Kyler stopped in the middle of his trek to the end of the bed. It really was incredibly huge.
“How can I help you, Kyler?”
The question was too good to be true. Kyler flopped to his back and looked up at the prince. “If I’m being truly honest with myself, I don’t know that Icanbe helped.” Again, why was he telling the prince everything? He spread his hand over the silk sheets, loving the buttery smooth texture. “Vex said he’d let me go if I can get him a thousand silver coins by the end of summer.” A laugh-sob bubbled out. He had to lie about the truth of the matter. That he really needed the phoenix stone now, not the coin. “I don’t even have a fourth of the money. But I also don’t think he’ll actually let me go. I don’t know why he’s kept me so long, except maybe because merfolk are so rarely seen above water he wanted to keep me as a prize. I don’t know, and I hate not knowing.”
“Can I see the binding spell?”
Kyler gladly presented his hand to the prince, which brought the man’s cock right over his head. Fortunately, or unfortunately, said cock was covered.
Speaking of cock, Kyler’s stirred once Gavin started touching his palm. His arousal was obvious in his trouserless state, and his haze rose to spread through the room. Why couldn’t the floor just swallow him up?
“Fuck.” Gavin’s knees buckled, and he almost fell on top of Kyler, but Kyler twisted out of the way.
“Sorry. Can’t shut it off when—” When what? There’s a giant sexy dragon touching him? Ugh. Seriously, why couldn’t Kyler keep his stupid mouth shut? “Never mind.”
“Wh-What is it?” Gavin gained a bit of composure.
Kyler explained the bane of his existence. How he had no idea how to control his haze.
“You didn’t react at the tavern, so I’m a little surprised you have a reaction now.”
“Pendant at the tavern,” Gavin ground out. “Skies. I want to—”
“Fuck me?” Kyler asked innocently enough. “Yeah, sorry about that. If you weren’t so damned sexy right now, it’d wear off, but—”
A banging came from the door and said haze fell to the floor. Gavin’s shoulders dropped in an obvious sign of relief before he charged towards the door to see who was interrupting them.
“Ambrose. Yes. Pleasedocome in.”
When both dragons entered the room, Kyler had pulled his knees to his chest and made sure his long shirt covered his nether region.
“So, it’s true? You’ve pair-bonded?”
Kyler blinked back at the princes. Ambrose was just a hair taller than Gavin. But had the same dark hair, though perfect curls framed his face and cascaded halfway down his chest. The horns looped around his ears like a ram’s. And he had the same broad shoulders. Ambrose was a little more put together than Gavin, but Gavin had just been through an ordeal.
“How did you find out so fast, Ambrose?”
Ambrose waved him off and stepped closer. “I have my ways.”
Gavin grabbed his brother by the shoulder and yanked him back. “Which are?”
Ambrose huffed a breath and turned to glare at Gavin. “If youmustknow, Sebastian and I are close. He sees things.”
“That little raven shifter?”
“Yes, theroyalraven messenger. Don’t insult him by dismissing his place in court.” Ambrose pulled himself from Gavin’s grip and stepped closer to the bed. “So, you’re the little mer that bewitched my brother?”
Kyler didn’t know what to say. In truth, he had bewitched Gavin with his haze only moments before Ambrose arrived. But it was unintentional. He could only stare and mark the differences and similarities between the brothers. They were both handsome men, but he found he definitely favored Gavin. There was something about his eagerness to learn about merfolk that endeared Kyler to the prince.
Kyler didn’t move when Ambrose tugged at Kyler’s collar to see the fake mark Gavin had placed on him. The shiver was involuntary when the prince’s soft finger tips brushed Kyler’s skin.
“It’s real, isn’t it? You’ve done it.”
Kyler nodded. “I love him more than life itself.” He unfolded from the bed and forced himself to Gavin’s side. “He’s saved me in more ways than one. I—I—This is my fault. I got jealous when he told me he finally had to marry Ailey. I couldn’t bear to lose him.” Kyler buried his face in Gavin’s chest and forced tears to come. It didn’t take much, he just had to contemplate life without freedom. Freedom Gavin could grant him at the end of the play.
Ambrose’s shoes clipped on the marble floor. His hand rested against Kyler’s back.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I know what it’s like to not be with the one you cherish. Don’t tell His Majesty just yet. Go on your adventure to retrieve the phoenix stone and hopefully by then Leander will have found a way to free you from the marriage with Ailey.”
