Volle (26 page)

“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that. Can we go back outside?”

They walked back into the parlor, where Caresh had set the table for dinner. He set appetizers in front of them, and though Volle was hungry, he just picked at his while Helfer ate.

“He’s so sexy, Hef.” He sighed. “He made my knees weak. Wrapped me up in his arms, and he’s so strong. And he thought I was cute. He said he wouldn’t have jumped at us if not for me.”

The weasel looked a bit jealous, but smiled. “He was pretty strong all right. Had me caught right up ‘til I decided I didn’t want to get free.”

Volle grinned back, tail wagging. “He was pretty persuasive, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Helfer adjusted his pants casually with a paw.

“Anyway, I’m worried about what Arrin will think. On the one paw, we’re not really not seeing other people yet and what I do should be my own business. And I really like him. On the other, I know he doesn’t mind me going to the Jackal’s Staff, but it might be different having someone here. So what do you think? What should I do? Keeping in mind I really like him.”

Helfer finished his mead and called Caresh over to refill it. “Well, are you going to give up Arrin for this cougar?”

Volle shook his head. “He’s only going to be around for a bit. Which means I want to spend as much time with him as I can.”

“You’ve only known him a day. Not even!”

“I know, but…didn’t you ever just have a crush on someone? You know I have a thing for big cats, and he’s forward and sexy, and he’s sweet too.”

“So just send him up here when Arrin visits. I’ll make him feel welcome.”

Volle grinned. “I don’t know if he’d agree to that, but I could ask. It’s not a bad idea, except that Dereath probably knows he’s with me and he wouldn’t lose a chance to tell Arrin.”

“He could stay with me for a couple nights. Then when Arrin checks, he’ll figure Dereath was just lying.”

“Canis’s teeth, Hef, are you that desperate? Don’t you think you’ll be able to hook up tonight?”

The weasel grinned at him. “I’ll take a sure thing over a gamble any day. And he was pretty.”

“Yeah.” Volle saw the cougar’s eyes again, and the rippling of his muscular frame, and fell silent.

Helfer watched him for a while, sipping his mead, and finally waved a paw in front of his eyes. “Hey, Volle. Wow, you have it for him bad.”

Volle looked at him sheepishly. “He’s gorgeous. And he likes me.”

“I guess so. Look, why don’t you just tell Arrin you have to host him, that he was staying with Dereath and didn’t like it, and don’t tell him you’re sharing a bed. It’s none of his business anyway.”

Volle nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

“Sure it does. So stop worrying and eat. They’ve made something with berries tonight, it’s fabulous.”

It was. As Volle devoured it, he thought about the other question he’d wanted to ask Helfer. “It’s usually safe in the gardens, isn’t it?”

“Now it is. But even before, nobody was really in danger. There are always some commoners who want to do away with the nobles, but more likely anyone you meet would just want to rob you. The only ones who’d want to kill you are other nobles.” He grinned.

“Or Dereath.”

“Nah, he just wants to tie you up and rape you.”

“I think I’d prefer it if he killed me.”

Helfer snickered. “Don’t tempt him.” He grinned at Volle’s look. “Oh, don’t worry, he’ll forget about you soon enough.”

“I hope so. Sure doesn’t seem like he is. How did you get rid of him?”

“You came along.” Helfer laughed at Volle’s stricken expression and flattened ears. “I’m just kidding. I don’t know that I did, actually. He seems to be upset that you and I are friends.”

“He thinks we’re more than that.”

“Oh, right. That would explain a lot of it too. He’s jealous of us being together when we both rejected him.”

“Great.”

“And now you’ve taken his big cougar toy away from him.”

“Mmm.” He pictured the cougar again, and fell silent. They moved on to dessert, and Volle kept seeing the lithe, muscular form waiting for him. He bolted down the cake almost without tasting it, and Helfer laughed at him.

“If you want to get away so much, you should’ve just said so.”

Volle flicked his ears. “Sorry. It’s just…”

Helfer waved a paw and grinned. “I know, I know. Is he even back yet? What does he do during the day?”

“Don’t know. He won’t tell me. Secret work or something, and he was being taken to dinner.”

“Not by Dereath, I hope.”

Volle shook his head. “I got the impression that Dereath was just his host and wasn’t involved otherwise.”

“By who, then?” Helfer’s eyes sparkled. “He’s a mysterious stranger! How exciting. It
is
just like a Zinsky book.”

“Yeah, but I’m still curious. What is he here for?”

Helfer waved a paw. “Don’t get involved, whatever it is. If you haven’t noticed, the only thing the nobles here love more than finding out secrets about each other is keeping secrets from each other. He’s probably being hired by Quirn to go steal something from Wallen or something.”

“Maybe. But Prewitt knew about him,” Volle said, remembering.

“So he has papers. Prewitt knows about everyone who gets papers.”

“Why would he be staying with Dereath, though? Doesn’t he work for Minister Fardew?”

“That might not have anything to do with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dereath asked for him once he got wind of him.”

“Right, that’s what Prewitt said.” Volle grinned and shrugged. “I shouldn’t worry too much. He’s waiting for me downstairs, or will be soon.”

“Have another cup of mead and then get on down,” Helfer said. “And I’ll be off to the pub. Caresh!”

Volle’s stomach was still warm from the mead when he took his leave of Helfer some time later. He felt pleasantly lightheaded as he skipped down the stairs, though he would have attributed it as much to the cougar he was going to meet as to the apricot mead.

Flickering candles along the staircases and the hallways lit his steps. Evening had fallen quickly, and the skylights were reflecting the inner light rather than letting in the outer. Volle knew the way so well that he could have walked it with his eyes closed, but to his light-sensitive eyes, the candles were as bright as day.

None were lit in his chamber, though. The light from the windows was more than enough for him to navigate by. He lifted his nose to the air and caught Xiller’s scent, fresh. Smiling, he padded quickly to his bedroom door and opened it.

A head lifted slowly from his bed. Eyes gleamed, collecting the meager light from the windows and reflecting it to him.

“You’re here,” he said softly, tail hitting the doorframe as it wagged. He closed the door behind him.

“I couldn’t wait to get back,” came the whispered reply.

“Me neither.” He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. The eyes watched him as he shed his trousers and tunic and stepped forward, naked.

“So come to bed,” the cougar said softly, and Volle came.

He closed his eyes as the warm arms enfolded him. The smell of cougar was rich in his nose, reminding him of all his fantasies and yet somehow more real than all of them. Xiller was no prince, but Volle didn’t need a prince with him there. The echo of royalty in his scent was enough to make Volle’s fingers tremble as they brushed the short fur, feeling the soft and rough texture against his pads.

Although they’d never spent a night together, their paws seemed to know exactly where to roam. “Your fur is so soft,” Xiller murmured as he let his claws out just enough to drag trails down Volle’s back, making the fox shiver delightedly.

“You smell wonderful,” Volle said back muffledly, his nose buried in Xiller’s chest.

“You taste divine.” He felt the long soft tongue lick between his ears, and then along his ears, and down his muzzle. He opened his muzzle slightly, and then words became unnecessary as well as impossible.

When he woke the following morning, the cougar’s body was wrapped around his, strong tawny arms across his chest, serpentine tail draped across his hips. His tail was trapped between the cougar’s muscular legs, except for the tip. He inhaled deeply; the scent of their lovemaking was still noticeable over their own scents. What he focused on in that half-awake blissful moment was the texture of Xiller’s scent.

Scents were perceived as a whole, but up close, they were made up of many different aromas, all combining to make a recognizable whole. Like the walls of the palace, grey and uniform from a distance, but made of many different shades and sizes of stone up close, a scent was a combination of the fur itself, the body oils, anything the person habitually wore or carried, and the places he frequented. Lying close in Xiller’s embrace, Volle passed a few dreamy moments sorting out the layers of his scent, breathing in and out slowly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up this happy.

A knock at the door disturbed his reverie. Welcis’s black and white muzzle poked in discreetly, and he coughed.

Volle flicked his ears to let him know he was awake, and Welcis said softly, “Lord Ikling will be expecting his lordship in just a few minutes.”

Volle looked up and nodded, and Welcis shut the door softly. Xiller shifted against him, and his paw tightened across Volle’s chest. “Mm. How long is a few minutes?” he murmured as the paw slid lower down the fox’s body.

Volle squirmed and grinned. “Maybe ten.”

“Hm. Maybe fifteen?” The paw had found its target and rested there, while the other slid between them to push his tail gently out of the way.

“Ohh…maybe…”

“Good.” The single word quickened his blood and curled his toes with anticipation. Warm breath caressed his ears, sending shivers down his ribs even before the soft paw with just a hint of claws caressed him elsewhere. He pressed back into the warm cougar, holding the long, tense tail in his paws, stroking it with his own claws, which seemed dull and crude compared to the keenness of the razor-tipped ones being held just above his skin. He knew there was no real danger, but the sense of it added to his overall intoxication as he lost himself in the cougar’s embrace again.

Some twenty minutes later, he jogged down the main hall towards an impatient weasel, whose foot was tapping the stone floor. “What took you? Oh, don’t answer that, I can see it in your grin. Phew, and I can smell it, too. Come on, let’s go.”

Volle followed the weasel out. “I hoped the fresh air would get rid of some of the scents. Didn’t really have time to clean up much.” Helfer just snorted. “How’d your night go?”

“Ah, nobody was interested. Plus my head is killing me.”

“How much of that mead did you have?”

“Two bottles before you came over. Two with you.” He paused. “Two when I got home.”

“And how much at the pub?”

“I drank ale at the pub. Their mead tastes rancid.”

Volle chuckled. “If you don’t want to do the whole run, that’s fine.”

“Nah, I can make it as long as I don’t look at the sun. Or anything it’s shining on.”

He was more cheerful when they got to the shady back garden. Volle, in turn, fell silent as they approached the bush where Xiller had been hiding the day before. Had it really only been one day? He couldn’t help but feel that he’d known the cougar for weeks or months.

Steady on, he told himself. He’s leaving in a few days and you don’t know when he’ll be back. Don’t throw your life into turmoil just because he happens to be stunning. And fabulous in bed. And somehow infatuated with you.

Helfer was waving a paw at him. “Hello? I asked what you’re doing today.”

“Oh, sorry. Tribunal. Then dinner with…well, alone, I guess.”

“And then another wild night? How many more ‘til he goes?”

Volle shook his head. “Don’t know. Less than a week.”

“Enjoy him while you can, my friend.”

“I am.” Volle grinned. “Thanks.”

“Maybe I’ll just head to the Jackal’s Staff myself tonight. See who’s there. My trip home is coming up in a month or so, so I’ll miss a couple of our dates then.”

“Oh? How long are you gone for?”

“Usually it’s two weeks. Takes a few days to get there, a week to go through all the stuff with Burren, visit my mother and sisters and all their kids, and then a few days to get back here.”

Volle calculated ahead. “I think you might just miss Ilyana’s cotillion. Lucky you.”

Helfer grinned. “Don’t get married without me.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“She seems driven enough that she might just have the wedding on the floor there.”

“You know, it’s going to be painful enough without me thinking about that all the time. Do you know that it’s even more complicated than a banquet at the palace? Not only do I have to remember all the place settings and how to use them and when to drink the wine and how to make a toast and who dances with whom and who sits with whom and who I’m allowed to dance with and for how long and to what kind of music, but I also have to be part of the official presenting. Her father brings her out and presents her and asks if there is anyone present who will escort her and I have to do this whole question and answer thing with him.”