Captain Jisten and High Priest S’Rak flee north. It is past time for Jisten to claim his lands formally and S’Rak’s advancing pregnancy can no longer be hidden. The dark servants are traveling, too—two separate teams work to reach S’Rak before the Koilathan crown can claim him, one to defend him physically and one to defend him legally.
In the meantime, a Lythadi conqueror has arisen with the strength to unite the warring clans for the first time in history, and he won’t be satisfied until Koilatha once more belongs to the nomads.
Warning: There is a brief, non-graphic, m/f scene
More From The Dark Servant
Jisten brought Zala close to Vyld, and with a quick, skilled maneuver, slid off Zala and onto Vyld behind Rak. He wanted the feel of wings around him. He stroked Rak’s bare thighs in greeting.
Rak leaned back against him. “Xai’εtε, master,” he said teasingly.
Jisten kissed his neck above the torque and stroked the wing undersides in revenge. Rak’s wings unfurled and encased Jisten almost reflexively.
Rak moaned and muttered, “That is so unfair.”
“You started it,” Jisten breathed in his ear. “I’m going to enjoy our time at our manor.”
“Keep this up and our journey will be delayed!”
Jisten felt around to Rak’s belly. The baby fluttered. Rak’s belly had a rounded appearance to it now, which was another reason he was happy to finally be leaving Summertown. Rak’s condition was getting harder and harder to deny. “Food, sex, relaxation, sex, swimming, sex, wine, sex,” Jisten whispered in Rak’s ear. “Or do you want more food than that?”
“With, perhaps, some sex?” asked Rak. “And more food?”
“Sex, food, relaxation, sex, food, swimming, sex, food, wine, sex, food, and sex?” Jisten kissed Rak’s neck again and hummed at the same time.
Rak squirmed, rubbing his posterior against Jisten’s growing interest.
Jethain said, “Get a room, you two!”
“Nothing illegal here anymore!” Rak replied.
“I have a whole manor full of rooms now!” Jisten called back.
“Decency laws,” retorted Jethain to Rak. “No public sex allowed!”
“Koilathans are no fun!” Phonasa declared. “Law this, law that!”
“Phonasa is right!” agreed Rak.
Jisten knew he was blushing scarlet. No matter how calm and collected he tried to be, he couldn’t seem to overcome his sheer embarrassment at conversations like these. The fact that Rak, and Rak’s guards, all thought it was cute didn’t help. He suspected they went out of their way to include him in conversations about things that belonged behind bedroom doors.
Rak whispered in Jisten’s ear, “I am wearing only a tunic, as you commanded. Our positions on Vyld will serve to hide what is going on.”
Jisten choked. But he didn’t say no. How could he when he’d been the one to suggest it? And he realized the trap he’d set for himself. Here, he’d just been thinking that this sort of thing belonged behind doors, and now, he was about to make a brazen, public display.
