Page 18 of The Prince's Sacrifice

Pel made a face. “I’m not explaining this well.” He licked his lips, and Tor tracked the movement, though it was clear Pel hadn’t been doing it deliberately. “Sometimes it feels a little like you’re catering to me. I mean, like you’re giving me whatever I want whether you want it or not.”

Ah.Tor slung a leg over Pel and straddled him, making Pel let out a squawk of surprise.

“Listen,” Tor said, meeting Pel’s eyes squarely. “I’ve had a fair amount of sex with a fair number of people. You already know that. But I rarely have sex with the same person for an extended amount of time. I’m really enjoying getting to know more and more about you and what you like. That’s something I didn’t know I was missing before, and I’m very glad that I have the chance to experience it with you now.”

Pel clutched at him for a moment, and then he relaxed again.

“All right, I see what you mean. Every time I figure out something else that you like, I really feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’m honestly not sure why anyone would want to have sex with a whole bunch of different people.” He made a face. “Sorry. That was probably insulting.”

Tor laughed. “No, I get it. At the risk of sounding too sentimental, all I was looking for back then was something light and fun that didn’t mean too much. And I hadn’t met you yet.”

Pel sucked in a breath, expression open and vulnerable for a moment before he said, “You had met me. You were just undiscerning and too busy flirting with everyone else.”

Tor was so glad Pel could say that in a teasing way now. Itwaskind of awful that Tor literally hadn’t recognized him. But it seemed like he’d been forgiven, even if it hadn’t been forgotten.

“I see you now,” Tor reminded him.

Pel’s smile was soft. “Yes, you do.”

He leaned up, and Tor met him halfway, the kiss sweet and tender—yet one more thing that Tor hadn’t experienced much of before Pel.

He climbed off Pel and rearranged himself so that he was lying on his back. Pel immediately snuggled closer, resting against the shoulder that he seemed to have decided was his own personal pillow, which Tor totally supported.

“Thank you for coming,” Pel murmured against his skin.

“Ialwayslike to come,” Tor told him, so that Pel would laugh.

Tor fell asleep contemplating the convoluted web that had led him here. His terrible original plan had somehow led to this amazing outcome. He didn’t understand, but he was beyond grateful.

Bavil went off on another patrol of the mountain border to check for exile activity. They had more guards deployed on a regular basis, but that was still supplemented by periodic extra patrols, trying to vary the schedule and reduce the ease and frequency with which the exiles were raiding.

Larexa declared that she was ready to take a break from her own defense, and this somehow turned into Tor and Pel sparring without magic—with Larexa watching, so it didn’t lead to anything more fun, but it was entertaining on its own.

Tor didn’t often spar with zero use of his magic, because he was Mantling his skin even if he wasn’t doing anything else.

“Can’t fight like an Unremarkable?” Pel challenged.

Yeah, Tor couldn’t let that go. He couldn’t imagine when he’d ever need to fight like this, but it was a great workout, and it meant spending time with Pel, so it was totally worth it.

They kept up their morning routine, too, and they could see the unease in the citizens they visited.

“Is it normal that there’s so much rain in the mountains?” Tor wanted to know.

The farmers and villagers he and Pel visited looked at the mountains sometimes with a careful eye, muttering that they hoped the clouds stayed there. They mostly had, but they still felt… ominous to Tor.

Pel eyed them like he hadn’t really noticed, which Tor assumed was an effect of living here. They loomed a lot more than Tor liked, if he were being honest.

“I’d rather they were up there than causing flooding here again,” Pel said firmly.

That was true enough, as far as it went.

Pel sighed and added, “You think that’s why the exiles are raiding?”

“I don’t know,” Tor acknowledged. “But if they’ve got flooding or washed-out crops, it might explain some of their behavior.”

“It’s still not theirs to take,” Pel pointed out, a stubborn cast to his mouth.

“No,” Tor agreed.