Desires of a Monster - Roe Horvat Page 0,28
this, I got to climb a tree and watch you ride home through the fields.”
His joy was infectious, and I could never really be angry with him.
“Come up here. It will be dark soon.”
He grabbed my offered hand, and I lifted him to the saddle in front of me. He cradled the shirt full of cherries in his lap. Sera only twitched her ears, unperturbed by the added weight.
I nuzzled his neck and pulled in his scent out of habit. “You must be cold.”
He glanced over his shoulder, not saying anything. He didn’t have to. Fatigue was etched into his features, around his eyes and mouth. No matter how lively he acted, how cleverly he tried to cover it, his illness took its toll. I pulled my folded cloak out of the saddlebag, wrapped him into it, and kissed him.
“Let’s go home.”
Sera strolled down the path, and I didn’t prompt her. I quite liked holding Rees in my arms as we rode together.
“What have you done today?” he asked.
“My attention was needed in a village called Matthew’s Bridge three hours to the west. The very bridge that gave the place its name got badly damaged during the storms last fall. The hasty repairs were insufficient, so now we need to rebuild it properly. I brought constructors from the Town, and a couple of my hunters are staying in the village to oversee the work.”
“Shouldn’t that be the mayor’s work?”
“It should. But he’s a drunk.”
Rees snorted. He peered over the darkening gardens and shook his head. “There seems to be so much work. Why? You could be anywhere, do anything. Why are you toiling every day, taking care of this land?”
“I’ve already been everywhere. Done everything.”
“You’ve been to the north in the land of everlasting snow? And overseas? The desert?”
“Yes.”
“And after you’ve seen the whole world, places I can’t even dream up, you decided to stay here.” Still incredulous, he gestured around. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here. I just don’t understand.”
“When I found this place, it was a fallen citadel. Only the thick walls were left. The roof had burned up. There were a few settlements around, plagued by hunger. I rebuilt the house, brought livestock, and hired the people. Only over the course of a few years, the land began to prosper.”
We crossed the creek, nearing the gate to the stables, where Tobias was lighting the torches. I’d found him two years back. He’d been dressed like a butterfly boy, badly beaten, lying in the mud by the road from the Town. I had never heard the boy utter a single word, but Jona said he talked to her every day now. He liked horses more than people.
“You like watching things grow,” Rees said, and I smiled. He understood.
“Yes. Some of the oaks I planted during those first years are still alive.”
“Seven hundred years.” Rees’s voice grew soft, barely audible over Sera’s heavy steps.
“I wonder if any of them will survive the whole millennium,” I mused.
Rees remained quiet after that. What did he think of me? Did he deem me foolish for hiding away in this small corner of the world, or did he approve? Remembering how unhappy he’d been when I’d forced him to share what he hadn’t wanted to tell me, I didn’t ask.
We left Sera in Jona’s care and headed to the changing room.
Rees seemed subdued when we bathed together. His eyes drooped, but when he climbed out of the bath, he was hard for me, and as soon as the door to the bedroom closed behind us, he turned to me and kissed my chest.
“What do you want to do tonight, Rees?”
“Whatever will please you, my Lord.”
“I will be pleased if I see you come, crying out with joy. So tell me. You can’t lie to me.”
He shook his head and bit his lip. “Why do you always make me say it?”
“Because I want you to be confident asking for pleasure, knowing what you like. And because I like it when your beautiful lips utter filthy words. So tell me. What is your wish for tonight?”
“I want you to fill my hole with something big and fuck me. Please. I want to imagine it’s your cock, even though I know I’m not allowed to have it yet.”
I growled, and the scent of his arousal grew stronger in the air. “On the bed, boy. Ass up.”
I licked him first, then stretched him with the small golden cock. Rees loved the golden shaft. When I fucked him