Page 5 of Henry & the Dragon
“You must tell me what’s on your mind, Henry. Have I what?”
“No, it is none of my business.”
Oh, now Kai understood. “Have I lain with others? Is that what you wished to ask me?”
Henry bit his lip and nodded. “Yes,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “But I know it’s none of my business. I’m sorry I asked.”
“Put your mind to rest, my friend. I’ll be happy to answer your question. No, I have not. I learned from my parents, who taught me that if you have love, you are in possession of the truest power.” He leaned in, and Henry’s breath hitched. “May I kiss you?”
Henry’s eyes widened, and his gaze darted around. Then he gave a sharp nod, and with permission granted, Kai moved closer until his lips brushed against Henry’s, who let loose a whimper. Kai’s first kiss was amazing. Remarkable. Incredible. And the fact it was with someone he genuinely liked made it all the more special. He hated breaking the kiss, but he still stayed with his forehead touching Henry’s. In this moment, this exactsecond, Kai knew true perfection, and it shocked him that it was with someone whose people Kai’s parents had proclaimed dangerous.
The majority of them might be, but not Henry. Not the man Kai so desperately wanted to hold in his arms. He was everything good, all wrapped up in one package.
“Henry, I—“
“Must go,” Henry said, sounding breathless. “Lest I plead for more.”
“More kisses?” Kai teased.
Henry shook his head. “More of everything. Never in my life had I thought I could touch another, and now that I have, I do not wish to stop. I want to lay beneath the stars with you, hold your hand, and have you tell me stories of far off shores, where people are different than the ones in my town. I want…. I want to remove our clothes and hold each other next to the crackling fire as it warms our skin. And yes, I want many more kisses with you, because they enchant me so.”
“I would have that as well,” Kai assured him. “Nothing would please me more.”
“But I have to hurry. Master Neron will be quite cross if I tarry in returning with the ghost moss.”
“May I see you again? Soon?” Kai asked, aware of his own desperation.
Henry’s lips parted, and Kai was caught in the dazzling radiance of Henry’s smile. In all his travels he’d never found anyone like Henry. He would offer anything if only he would gift him that smile always.
“I could come tomorrow, after I’ve completed my chores. Only… What if you’re unable to be here? How would I know?”
“I could ask the same of you, my dear Henry. Your master seems a most vexing man, and I fear he might forbid you, just for spite.”
Henry scowled, and even that sour look was simply adorable. “He might at that. What if we agree to a time, and if one of us is unable to show, the other won’t wait but a point after Vespers.”
“In my land, we call them minutes. And I agree. If we’re unable to arrive at the designated time, the other person should not wait more than fifteen minutes.” He caressed Henry’s cheek. “I look forward to tomorrow, Henry Cabot.”
“As do I, Kai…” Henry lurched forward and snatched another kiss, this one more lingering than the last. He clutched at Kai’s back, and pressed their mouths together, like a man desperate for the contact. When Kai parted his lips, Henry startled, but when Kai brushed his tongue over Henry’s own lips, Henry opened for him. Even if they were new to kisses, one couldn’t tell. Henry was an apt pupil, his lips closing around Kai’s tongue. When they drew away, Henry’s eyes were wide and dark.
“What was that?” he asked, his voice full of awe.
“Where I’m from, that is how lovers kiss. And before you ask, no, this was my first kiss as well. I learned from watching my parents.”
Henry grinned. “I can’t wait to see what other things they’ve taught you.”
When Henry turned to leave, Kai wanted to call after him. Plead for Henry to stay with him. Instead, he stood and watched Henry as he made his way down the road that would lead him to Innernook. And out of Kai’s life.
For now.
Henry ran his tongue across his lips, still able to taste Kai on them. For a treat such as that, Henry would forever be happy to delve into the forest. He hummed to himself, delighted to have met Kai, but also feeling lighter of heart since he’d been toldthere was nothing wrong with his attraction. He thought about it as he walked, and Kai was right. The people in the town, though not all bad, were being led astray by hatred of things they did not—could not—understand.
It seemed to Henry, deep down, as if his eyes had been opened. He’d never thought of himself as foolish, but now? Perhaps a bit. He’d been like everyone else, and believed that he was doomed for his feelings, and that made no sense. His parents had taught their children that the gods they worshipped believed in love and forgiveness, but the people of the town thought their deity to be vengeful and cruel. It was as if no one agreed on what the gods wanted.
The first droplets of rain let Henry know he’d better hurry. He quickened his pace, if for no other reason than he didn’t want Neron to punish him so he’d miss out on seeing Kai once more. Why now did he think of Kai? It hadn’t simply been the kiss, though that had been remarkable. It was Kai’s kindness, but also the underlying ferocity. Henry knew, down to his very being, that he’d be safe with Kai.
Long legs cut the distance as Henry loped toward the town. Henry could just make out the steeple of the church before him, when the heavens opened up, and a deluge started in earnest. This would not bode well. He wondered if Neron knew this would occur, and was setting him up to fail. Henry certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
He worried after Kai. If he was safe, warm, secure. Henry would be sleeping under a roof for the evening. Would Kai? Or would he stay in the forest? Henry’s heart seized at the thought. Kai had said the forest was dangerous for Henry, but would it not be so for Kai as well? He stopped and turned, straining to see the forest, though the pelting rain obscured everything but the road Henry traveled.
