Red Heir - Lisa Henry Page 0,50

a prince!” Scott hissed, looking outraged. “You can’t just poke things at him!”

Loth bit back a laugh before saying, “Actually Cue, you can poke whatever you want at me. Or in me. It’s a two-way street, you know.”

Quinn’s eyes widened and he choked on his potato, blushing beet red—and that, Loth decided, was worth waking for after all. Quinn kept shooting him sideways glances as if he was trying to figure out if Loth was serious, so once Scott had made himself scarce, Loth said quietly, “I mean it, you know. If you ever want to try.” He didn’t need to elaborate.

Quinn ducked his head, cheeks burning, then swallowed convulsively and nodded, as if he was afraid to speak. Or maybe, Loth decided, it was just that he still had a mouth full of potato.

Once they’d eaten they spread their bedroll, tugging it into the shade to avoid the glare of the sunlight, and prepared to sleep the day away. The rest of the group did the same, all bar Calarian. “I’ll take first watch,” he said, “and then Scott can take over.”

“Why me?” Scott whined, rubbing the heel of his hand over his eyes like a cranky toddler. “I’m tired!”

“Because you’re our glorious leader, remember?” Calarian told him drily, and Scott had no reply to that.

Loth settled in beside Quinn and pulled him close. Quinn wiggled his arse with a hum, and Loth stiffened at the unexpected contact before murmuring in his ear, “Careful, sweetheart. I wouldn’t start anything unless you want an audience.”

“So? Who’s watching?” Quinn countered. Loth wondered when his cranky little grub had gotten so bold, before he remembered—oh, right. It was since he started fucking him.

“Well, a cow and two goats, for a start. Plus, ears like a bat,” he said with a soft laugh.

As if on cue, Calarian called, “Don’t mind me!”

Quinn wasn’t serious though, Loth knew—they both needed sleep more than anything else. With that in mind he threw an arm around his waist, and muttered, “Go to sleep.”

They did.

Loth wasn’t sure how long they slept for, except that he was tired and aching when he finally crawled to his feet. He really was too old to be sleeping on the ground. Quinn, stretching like a cat, didn’t appear to have the same problem.

It was dusk. Dave was guarding the gap in the hedgerow, and Pie was sitting on his head. When Pie saw that Quinn was awake though, he chirped and buzzed over toward him like an oversized bumblebee. Dave lumbered after him.

“He likes you.” He beamed at Quinn, his tooth-tusks gleaming in the late, golden light of day.

“I like him too.” Quinn held Pie in one hand and stroked his finger down his spine. Pie arched and fluttered his wings appreciatively. “I’ve never seen a dragon before Pie.”

“They’re very rare,” Dave said. “S’why the eggs cost so much.”

“You know, they say that dragons are powerful and wise and good,” Quinn said. “They say that dragons detest tyranny and evil, and destroy them wherever they find them.”

Pie shuddered happily under his touch, and Loth knew how he felt.

“I think Pie is definitely powerful and wise and good,” Quinn said, smiling down at the fingerdragon. “But I can’t imagine him razing cities with fire, can you?”

“He singed a wasp once,” Dave said proudly.

“Good job, Pie!” Quinn scratched the dragon under the chin.

“It might have been an accident,” Dave admitted.

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” Quinn’s smile grew as Pie puffed, and a couple of sparks tumbled out of his mouth and fizzled into nothing on Quinn’s palm. “You’re a big, scary dragon, aren’t you, Pie?”

Alright, so there was no way hearing Quinn give a pep talk to a baby dragon should have given Loth an erection, and yet here he was, his dick straining in his breeches just because Quinn was so fucking adorable. Loth turned away and pretended to stretch while he readjusted himself. When he turned back again, Pie was trying to climb headfirst down Quinn’s shirt, and Loth could respect that. He might have tried it himself if he’d thought he’d fit.

Ada stomped over towards them. “So, we should be in Callier in what, about three days?”

Loth glanced at Quinn, and Quinn nodded.

“Three days is about right, yes,” Loth said.

“Good.” Ada frowned. “Because as soon as I get paid, I want nothing more to do with any of you, to be honest. Something stinks about this whole thing.”

“Is it Scott?” Dave asked. “Because I did throw him in the swamp after he