STORY EXCERPT

Rom tried not to betray the shock he felt at hearing that voice again. He turned slightly and saw the man sprawled carelessly on a brocade sofa that sat near the window.

“Oh, Rom. I believe you’re already acquainted with my cousin, Lord Javan of Westmarch.”

“My lord.” Rom inclined his head toward the man he’d once known so intimately.

“Now, now, if you’re going to call the king by his first name, you must do the same for me, don’t you think?” Those sea-green eyes narrowed as they gazed into Rom’s.

“Very well. Javan. It’s been a while.” Rom kept his voice neutral, not wanting the king to hear his dismay over seeing again the man who had once meant everything to him.

“Indeed it has, Rom. Indeed it has. I hope you have been well.”

“Very well, thank you. And yourself?”

“Oh, I get by, as you well know.”

Javan flashed him a smile that held a hint of irony. Considering the circumstances of their last encounter, he wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t seen one another in over two years, surprising considering the fact that Javan was one of the king’s favorite relatives and had been a frequent visitor to Winterreach, capital city of Emryn, in the years past. Rom could only assume that Javan had been avoiding coming to the capital because of Rom’s own presence there. Perhaps he had thought it would be too hard to see his former lover again. Obviously that was no longer the case, and Rom couldn’t deny the pang of regret that he felt at knowing that Javan’s feelings for him had changed so much. He knew it was a foolish thought and crushed it as soon as it appeared.

“You two will have plenty of time to get reacquainted later.” The king’s voice interrupted Rom’s thoughts. “Right now, Rom, I need to speak to you about a matter of some urgency.”

“What seems to be the problem, Kelan?”

“As you are probably aware, Javan has been running quite an efficient network of spies for me for the past several years. He has recently come upon some information that I think you’re going to want to hear.”

Rom raised his brow as he glanced at Javan. “What kind of information?”

Javan shifted from his negligent pose to sit upright, the expression on his face transforming from mocking to serious in seconds. “Information about a traitor. A traitor who has apparently infiltrated the ranks of the Gray.”

Rom felt the impact of the stunning news all the way down to his gut. Javan couldn’t have said anything that would have disturbed him more. The Gray were his. He had poured all his blood and sweat and hopes and dreams into them, sacrificed so much. To think that someone had slipped through all the protocols and training and managed to fool him was more than disturbing. It was infuriating.

It was also quite dangerous. The Gray were privy to some of the most delicate secrets in the kingdom. If that information got into the wrong hands, there could be a catastrophe. And worst of all, the Gray had unlimited access to the palace and the king. An assassination attempt by a member of the Gray would be almost impossible to protect against.

His gaze bore into Javan’s. “You’re certain of this information?”

He nodded. “It comes from one of my most trusted spies.”

“As you can see, Rom, we must take immediate steps to ferret out this traitor and eliminate him.” The king leaned back in his seat and sent Rom a piercing look. “We cannot afford to take this information lightly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I agree completely.” Rom’s mind was already racing with possible ways they could identify the man and protect the royal family at the same time.

He looked back at Javan. “Did your spy give you any other information so that we can narrow our search?”

Javan and the king exchanged a glance before Javan spoke. “Some. Apparently the man is a pretty recent addition to the Gray. Probably no more than a one- or two-year man. We also believe the man to be from one of the outlying provinces, close to the border with Angkesh.”

“Yes,” the king put in. “Someone with close ties to that country, possibly even related to an Angkeshi.”

Rom understood. “You think he could be from Feresa.” That was Rom’s own province. It was located in the most eastern border of Emryn. Angkesh, the country immediately to Emryn’s east, was one of the country’s most powerful and dangerous enemies. If it weren’t for Emryn’s natural protection, the Mountains of the Gloam, Angkesh would have invaded long ago.

“I’m afraid that is a real possibility.” The king’s eyes looked kindly at him. “I’m sorry, Rom.”

“I’ll find this man for you, sire.” The fact that the man came from Rom’s home province would not save the traitor once he was found.

“I know you will. And you won’t have to work alone. I’ve asked my cousin to assist you in this mission.”

“What?” Rom was hoping he’d misunderstood.

“Yes, Rom. We’ll be working closely together for the next few weeks. It’ll give us a chance to get reacquainted,” Javan clarified.

ADULT EXCERPT

“We shouldn’t do this, Javan. It’s not going to change anything.” Rom forced the words out, knowing that he was going to regret his actions and trying one last time to make the other man see reason.

Rom felt the sharp edge of teeth as Javan lightly bit down on the sensitive skin where neck joined shoulder, and he couldn’t stop the shudder of arousal that passed through him. “At this moment, I don’t really care. Do you?”

“No,” Rom groaned out the word and turned around so that he and Javan were face-to-face. “At this moment, I don’t care either.” His mouth lowered to close over the lips so close to his own, and he shivered in relief at the touch he’d craved like a darkleaf addict craved his next pipe.

Goddess, the man’s mouth was still as spicy-sweet as ever, and Rom spent several moments just relishing the taste and feel against his own. Their tongues slid together in a silent duel, wet, sensuous, and hungry. He had missed this. Goddess, yes, more even than he’d realized until that very second. He knew that giving in would make their inevitable parting even more difficult than it had been the last time, but he could not find the strength in him to end it. If he had to say good-bye to Javan again, at least they could have this one last encounter.

When he pulled back from the kiss, they were both breathing heavily. Without another word, Rom took Javan’s hand and led him back into his sleeping quarters. As captain of the Gray, Rom had been given a double bed, a rare luxury in a soldier’s barracks. Right at this moment, Rom had never been gladder of that fact.

Turning to face Javan, Rom began to strip off his own clothing. He removed his tunic and tossed it carelessly aside before bending down to unlace and remove his boots. The blazing heat in Javan’s eyes told him that he liked what he was seeing. Rom’s hands went to the waist of his breeches. Halting his movements, he met Javan’s eyes. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

His soon-to-be lover smile lazily. “In a minute. I’m enjoying the show. After all, it’s been too long since I’ve been able to enjoy this very stimulating view.”

Rom shrugged and proceeded to push the breeches down his legs and stepped out of them. The room was still cool, but he was hot. His cock rose boldly between his thighs, and Javan’s eyes fastened hungrily on it. He licked his lips as Rom reached down to clasp his hand around his erection and tug on it lightly.

Javan took the few steps that would bring him directly in front of Rom. As Rom watched, he dropped to his knees, his eyes focused on the hard rod in front of him. Rom released his grip on his cock and let Javan’s hands replace his own. He closed his eyes, the feel of those hands a pleasure he hadn’t known in too long. It wasn’t just any man touching him. It was Javan. And that knowledge added to his desire tenfold. Then he felt a soft wetness stroke across the head of his shaft, and he opened his eyes to watch eagerly as Javan’s mouth worked over every inch of his aching hardness. Javan’s pink tongue snaked out to lightly lick over the crown of Rom’s cock and trace the vein that throbbed in rhythm with his pounding heart. When Javan took him into his mouth and began to suck, Rom felt his vision blur. “Goddess, that feels good.”

Javan’s eyes gazed up at him as he took his cock deeper, bobbing his head up and down in a slow, steady rhythm that Rom knew would trigger his climax in short order if he allowed it to continue. He grabbed hold of Javan’s hair and pulled him off his cock. “I need to fuck you, Javan. I don’t want to spew in your mouth, not this first time.”

Javan nodded, licking his lips as though relishing the flavor of his lover. “Where do you want me?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.

“I want you naked and on the bed.”

Javan quickly stripped and crawled to the bed, belly down.

“No. On your back. I want us face-to-face.”

When Javan flipped over, Rom reached to the shelf near the bed and grabbed a bottle of tunis oil. Turning back to Javan, he let his gaze wander over the long, lean body in an admiring glance. “Reach up and grab the rails,” he muttered. Javan immediately complied, wrapping his hands around the iron bars that formed the headboard while Rom dumped a small amount of oil into the palm of his hand. Setting the bottle aside, he climbed onto the bed and straddled Javan’s waist. Their eyes met, and Rom saw the fierce desire that he knew was reflected in his own.

He ran his hand over Javan’s chest, the oil coating his hands making the skin slide slickly beneath his touch. He encircled the nipples, giving each a slight pinch, and felt the tremble that went through Javan at the erotic stimulation. His hands slid lower, spreading the oil across the flat plane of Javan’s stomach. He scooted back until he could reach his lover’s cock, his own erection sliding against Javan’s and making both men groan. Taking Javan’s cock in his hands, he gave it a small squeeze, and Javan’s body arched up in eager welcome. He coated the rod with the oil, doing the same with his own until they both glistened in the dim light that managed to trickle past the dark window covering.

“You like this.” It was a statement, not a question, but Javan answered anyway.

“Yes. Goddess, yes. I love it.”