Champion of the Gods, Books 1-2 Read online

  He let Miceral scan the area before pointing to his right. “My workrooms are behind that door. I can’t allow a nonwizard access given what I have stored inside.”

  “Afraid I might learn your darkest secrets?” Miceral raised both eyebrows suggestively.

  “No, those would be found over there.” Miceral’s gaze followed Farrell’s finger as he indicated to the left. “That door will open when you push it.”

  “What’s in there?”

  Feeling himself falter, he pushed down his fears. “My private rooms—bedroom, bath, and study.”

  Miceral stepped over, pushing the door. “Seems to work.”

  Blushing, Farrell pointed to far left corner of the vestibule. “Ahead is the sitting room. Behind that is my music room. I’m not very good compared to the musicians who play in common areas around Haven, but it calms me to play.”

  Still by the door, Miceral glanced inside. “Since I have unfettered access to your inner sanctum, I will use this power to see to it you get some rest.”

  He stepped back, and Farrell led the way. “Study,” he said as they passed a door to the right. A few paces forward, he stopped them by the door to the left. Pointing to a tub without a drain, he said, “Unlike most baths, I can heat and remove the water with my magic. So I made this tub large enough to allow for a really good soaking. Which, I might add, is something I should do before I go to bed. Lisle will be angry at me if I lay my stinky self onto the clean linens.”

  He noted the odd look on Miceral’s face. “Lisle is the woman who sees that my chambers are clean and I don’t get too messy. Believe me, that woman has a tongue that could curl the paint off a portrait if she gets mad. I try very hard not to be on the receiving end of one of her lectures.”

  “Fine, bath first, then off to bed.” Miceral ticked off the events on his fingers.

  Farrell couldn’t stop a smile as he led them into the chamber at the end of the hall. As the pair entered, the lights came up, illuminating the entire room. A small table and two chairs, along with eating utensils, napkins, and some fruit, sat in the corner to the left of the door. A large, overstuffed leather chair and ottoman, with a small table and candelabra next to it, filled the corner to their right. Small globes of wizard’s light danced on top of each candlestick.

  A feather bed, large enough for three men to lie side by side without touching each other, covered the entire back wall except for a small archway in the left rear corner.

  “By the Six! That is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. Do you have parties on it?”

  “No, but I’m a lazy thing in the morning. It’s my one real vice. I like nothing better when it’s cold or rainy than to lie in bed under the covers as long as they’ll let me. Even this far under the mountain, I can feel the weather outside and burrow in and stay warm.”

  He realized his words came out in a rush. Sneaking a glance at his guest, he relaxed when he found Miceral smiling.

  “A bed like that looks lonely. Where’s the grand bedframe, complete with canopy and lace curtains?” Miceral struggled for an instant before a small laugh snuck out.

  Unable to hold it back, Farrell yawned. All the humor drained from Miceral’s face, replaced by concern.

  “You’re tired. Let’s get you that bath and put you to bed. Do you need any help?”

  Farrell blushed. “Help?”

  “Well… I meant, drawing the bath or turning down the sheets.” The mischievous half leer appeared again. “But since you asked….”

  Farrell felt his cheeks warm even more but didn’t look away. “Someone to wash my back would be nice.”

  “Wash your back?” For a moment Farrell wondered if he had offended his guest, but Miceral’s smile helped calm him. “I’m a bit overdressed for that type of work, don’t you think?”

  “Well….” He almost dropped the topic but pushed himself to continue. “The tub is big enough for two, and, frankly, you really need a bath… if you don’t mind my saying.”

  Miceral’s laugh filled the room. “Who knew you could manipulate me so. Is that your way of asking me to join you? Oh please, don’t get all embarrassed. I joke to cover my clumsiness. Otherwise I’d be as shy as you. In fact, I used to be that shy about a hundred years ago or so.”

  Farrell’s body shook, his angst unwilling to go away. “Is that a yes?”

  In the midst of a prayer asking Serita, Goddess of Love, for help, Farrell felt a large, callused hand reach for his cheek. The touch sent a new wave of shivers through his body.

  “You really want me to stay?”

  “Yes.” He looked up, careful not to use magic to get Miceral to agree. “More than you know.”

  He spoke the last words so quietly, he didn’t know if Miceral heard him. Farrell held his breath, waiting for an answer.

  Miceral’s face betrayed his indecision. Finally he met Farrell’s gaze and smiled. Reaching out, he pulled Farrell closer. “Okay, I’ll stay. But you’re right. You do stink. I’m going to have to toss you into that great big tub of yours and scrub you good if I’m to share a bed with you.”

  Farrell pulled back, noting the smirk on Miceral’s face. Two could play this game. “Me? I’m not the one who smells like rotten Chamdon. You bet your last silver crown you’re going into the tub too, even if I have to throw you in myself. No way you’ll foul my bed smelling like that.”

  “You? My fragile little wizard? Throw me in the tub? You and what army? We Muchari are much stronger than we look, you know.” He puffed out his chest, and Farrell laughed at his theatrics.

  Shaking his head, he moved closer for a brief kiss. “Let me get the bath ready for us. I prefer my baths on the hot side if that’s okay.”

  “Perfect. Best to start off hotter. They always cool too much at the end anyway.”

  “Ha, not my bathwater. I keep it the way I like it until I’m done. Being a wizard has to have a few perks to go with the endless studying and training.” Just as all the sword training probably gave Miceral a body to die for, he thought.

  Trying to contain his excitement, he focused on the bath. Connecting to the spells in the tub, he set the water running. When he could hear it filling, he smiled at Miceral. His insecurities urged him to retreat to the bathing chamber to undress, but he ignored them, pulling his tunic over his head. If he wanted Miceral to join him in the bath, he had to get naked. Sitting bare-chested on the bed, he removed his boots.

  “Not fair,” Miceral said as Farrell moved to put his boots away. “Armor is a fair bit harder to get out of than a simple tunic and britches. You’ll be in the tub long before I finish.”

  “Another benefit to having a wizard for a friend is I could just… you know.” He waved his hand in the air.

  “No, thank you.” Miceral held up his hand. “There’s no telling what else you’ll remove if you get into that habit. Don’t you wizards do anything the old-fashioned way?”

  “Well, I’ve gotten myself undressed so far without the aid of magic. That’s more than you can say.” He felt Miceral’s eyes on his naked torso. “At least let me help so your hair doesn’t catch on the chain mail.”

  “You can do that? It seems a rather mundane use of wizardry.”

  It took a moment for the words to register. Then he began to laugh. “If you knew how many mundane things we use wizardry for around here. Heating water, sanitizing water, removing sewage, preserving food, heating rooms, cooling rooms, providing light, cleaning clothing. The list is endless.”

  “Hmm, well, it’s a darn sight difficult to get out of this stuff sometimes, and I really could go for a hot bath right now.” Miceral didn’t hide the smirk very well. “But just the armor. I still prefer to get my clothes off on my own.”

  “That’s disappointing.” Farrell pretended to be hurt until he saw how serious Miceral looked.

  “Sorry, but I see wizards with a suspect eye, knowing what they can do if they want to with their powers.”

  The conversation had taken a darker tone than F
arrell had intended. He put his hands together, fingers up, then drew them slowly apart and back. Miceral’s armor disappeared for a moment, only to reappear, cleaned and stacked neatly by the ottoman in the corner.

  “I only meant it was disappointing you preferred to take your clothes off by yourself. What if I wanted to help you get naked by hand?” Farrell winked at Miceral, happy to note the hint of color in his cheeks. “But I know what you mean. Magic is certainly open to abuse. As the old saying goes, ‘Power corrupts.’ The greater one’s power, the greater the risk of misuse. My father is living proof of that.

  “I try very hard not to do anything that would qualify as a violation of one’s personal space. No truth spells, trances, tampering with memories, and no stripping handsome men of their clothing. These are just some of the things we don’t do.

  “I don’t blame you for being mistrustful. I suppose I would be too if I weren’t a wizard.” He made for the bath chamber without waiting for Miceral to respond. Once inside, he removed several large, soft light green towels from the shelves along the wall. He shucked his pants and tossed them aside.

  The steam from the bath had fogged the mirror. “Drat.” He’d forgotten to add the spell to prevent this when he turned on the water. Clearing the condensation with his hand, he wished he hadn’t. “Damn,” he whispered to his reflection. “I look like I’ve been dragged through the depths of Neblor. It’s a wonder he agreed to stay.”

  His mind wandered to the handsome warrior undressing in the room next door. Blood rushed to his groin as he wondered just how amazing Miceral would look without his clothes. To prevent serious embarrassment, he slipped into the tub with his back to the door. He slid down until the water reached his chin, leaned forward, and dunked his head. Tapping a square tile on the wall, he opened a hidden compartment to reveal the soap.

  Helping himself to a large, white-blue hunk, Farrell began to wash to keep his thoughts off Miceral’s naked body.

  “Mind moving up a bit so I can wash your back?”

  Water splashed everywhere as the soap flew out of his hand. “Holy Honorus, you scared me.”

  “Sorry.” Miceral picked up the soap. Completely naked, he was even more attractive than Farrell imagined. The water hid his excitement, but Miceral’s was on full display.

  “Come on, move up. I need to get in,” Miceral said, looking slightly flushed. “Unless you were only kidding about me washing your back.”

  “No, of course I wasn’t kidding.” Farrell moved forward. “I just got… ah… a bit distracted.”

  “Naughty thoughts of me, I hope.” Miceral laughed and climbed in behind Farrell.

  “Well, not exactly naughty.” Another minute or two and they would’ve been. “But they were of you.”

  Miceral sat with his legs on either side of Farrell. This close, he felt the size difference more acutely. Pressed against Miceral’s sculpted, muscular body, Farrell wanted to hide his thin, pale frame.

  “I recall you asked me to wash your back.” Miceral rubbed the bar of soap over Farrell’s skin. Several times he stopped, using his callused hand to work the soap into a lather. Twice Farrell felt him stop in places he knew he had a particularly visible scar. “How in Nendor did you get so many scars on your back? These are like nothing I’ve seen before.”

  Embarrassed, Farrell thanked the gods he sat in front of Miceral. “Guess you’ve never washed the back of a wizard before. Those are the marks of failed attempts to shield myself.”

  “With scars like these, it’s a wonder you’re alive.” The concern in his voice brought a smile to Farrell’s lips.

  “No, nothing like that.” He tried to twist around without success. “Most of those are old. Novices tend to focus on what they can see when they practice shielding, meaning their front. To teach the value of full-body shields, good teachers will attack their student’s back as a first lesson. Almost every young wizard gets singed a few dozen times before they remember to make their shields strong all over.”

  He relaxed, enjoying the forceful hands that worked his back. “So you can add scarred to scrawny and pale when you tell others what I look like with my clothes off.” The small laugh he added did little to make it sound like a joke.

  Miceral stopped moving. “You think this means so little to me that I’ll tell everyone what we do tonight? You must not have a high opinion of me if you believe I’d disrespect us both like that.”

  Farrell tried to turn again, but a pair of powerful legs trapped him. “Actually,” his voice was barely more than a whisper, “it’s how little I think of myself. I can’t understand how someone like you could find me attractive. I’m skinny, pale, scarred, and ugly. If I weren’t a wizard, I’d be a scribe or bookkeeper and entirely unremarkable.”

  Miceral pulled him closer despite his attempts to get away. “No magic, and don’t pull away from me, please.” Farrell relaxed a bit, and he sank back into the heated water, wrapped in Miceral’s arms. “First, you’re not ugly. Far from it. You’re adorable and handsome. I know several young ladies who are unhappy you are interested in me. You’re also too hard on yourself, little one. Okay, that’s bad. Here you are self-conscious about your size and I keep calling you ‘little one.’ It really is a term of affection, you know, even if you feel it’s not.”

  “I know, or at least I know you mean it as such. But it does remind me of how different we are.”

  “And is that so bad? Should I walk away because I can’t heat water with a thought or toss energy from my hands?” Miceral ran his palms gently over Farrell’s torso. “You’re an amazing person. I find myself wondering what you see in a big oaf like me. Sure, I can lift a horse or crush a rock in my hand, but compared to you, I’m small and fragile. But I still want to be with you if you’ll have me. You’re fearless and brave, and you fight for others. Just being with you makes me feel special.”

  Miceral brushed his lips across Farrell’s ear. “How about we enjoy each other as we are? It really would be easier than you always wondering if you’re good enough for me. And speaking of that, remember it was you who rode through an army of Chamdon to save me, not the other way around.”

  Farrell said nothing for fear his voice would crack. Instead, he hugged the arms around him tighter. He settled back against Miceral’s chest, noting his partner’s arousal. A smile of contentment found its way onto his face while he lay there.

  The effect of the water and Miceral holding him caused him to drift in and out of sleep. Vaguely, he recognized Miceral gently running his soapy hands all over. He stood when asked and dried himself and brushed his teeth out of habit. Somehow, he remembered to set out a new brush for Miceral before he left the room. Half asleep, he flopped on his bed and buried his face in a thick, soft pillow. Lying naked across the bed, he forgot about the guest he’d begged to stay with him for the night.

  FARRELL WOKE several hours later, finding himself in the arms of a sleeping man. It took him a moment to realize the bath had not been a dream and Miceral breathed softly behind him.

  He smiled, enjoying the warmth of the body pressed against him. As he rolled onto his back, Miceral’s hand moved with him and ended up on his stomach. With a whisper, he dimmed the lights, leaving just enough to simulate the light that would come through a normal window. Miceral stirred, eventually opening his eyes.

  “Hello,” Farrell said. “Surprised to see you stayed after I fell asleep on you like that. Sorry I didn’t warn you that sometimes I pass out after using too much magic at one time.”

  “I might have gone back to my room had you not deliberately kept its location from me.” His smile told Farrell he wasn’t really annoyed. “In truth, I was afraid to disturb your sleep, but you looked so beautiful with your naked ass in the air, I just had to stay.”

  Embarrassed, Farrell laughed at the description of his ass. “Having lived here alone so long, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled from the bath and fallen onto the bed without bothering to dress. After the staff fo
und me like that a few times, you’d think I’d put a spell on the door to my bedroom to make sure it wouldn’t open without my permission.”

  Miceral smiled, gently running his fingers over Farrell’s chest and stomach. “I’m sure that was a show most would welcome.”

  Stifling the denial he wanted to make, he shrugged. “I’m glad you stayed, despite my rude behavior. Waking in your arms like that was a dream come true. I want to curl up and fall asleep there again.”

  “So what’s stopping you?”

  Rather than answer with words, Farrell took the hand gently caressing him and led it down. Miceral grinned as his hand confirmed Farrell’s excitement. Tossing his insecurities aside, Farrell leaned over and passionately kissed his partner. Miceral responded without restraint.

  Though no novice in bed, Farrell’s heart pounded and he shook as Miceral used strong hands to gently explore his body. Before he reached an early climax, Farrell shifted positions, moving on top of Miceral. Using his hands and lips, he took his time examining Miceral’s amazing body. Drifting lower, he used his mouth and tongue to bring Miceral to the edge, then ignored the plea to stop.

  Smirking, Miceral switched positions, and Farrell let him return the favor. Before long, Farrell tensed and he found release. When his body stopped twitching, Miceral kissed his way back up until they shared the same pillow.

  Breathless, Farrell snuggled closer, letting Miceral envelop him in his powerful arms. “That was so amazing.”

  “You’re amazing,” Miceral whispered. “I could hold you like this forever.”

  He tightened his grip on Miceral’s arms. “Who’s asking you to stop?”

  Miceral kissed the back of his neck in response. Fatigue soon overcame passion. Feeling safer than he could remember, Farrell let sleep reclaim him. Miceral’s warm breath and hard body filled his thoughts as he fell asleep.