Dane’s expression didn’t shift for a long moment, but then he drew Lindsay to him for a tender kiss.
“I begged him once, and he refused me,” he said against Lindsay’s lips. “Long, long before you were
born.”
Lindsay couldn’t imagine making Dane beg for anything. It hurt, the thought that Dane would have
begged Ezqel for help and been refused. That only intensified his dislike of the fae mage.
“Hasn’t he begged you to let him help, now?” Lindsay asked, snuggling closer. Nothing mattered but
Dane being well. “Isn’t that what this is? Doesn’t it mean anything that he wants to help enough that he
asked me to help you?”
“This is part of a game. He offered to help me when we were here before, and I said no. He hates to be
refused, for all that he refused me.” Dane stroked Lindsay’s hair back. “He thinks he’ll win if you get me to say yes.” He kissed Lindsay, and Lindsay leaned into it, trying to get close and begging with his mouth.
Please. I need you. Lindsay slid his hands into Dane’s hair and pressed kisses up under Dane’s chin.
He licked at the roughness of Dane’s beard over his golden skin, doing everything he could remember
animals doing to show submission. “He can’t win if you’re not playing the game,” he murmured, dragging
his mouth along the line of Dane’s jaw.
116
www.samhainpublishing.com
Tatterdemalion
“It’s not a game to me anymore.” Dane pulled back and looked at him for a long time, his big hands
framing Lindsay’s face, so long that Lindsay began to blush in spite of himself. “If it’s what you need, it’s done.” At last, Dane drew him in and kissed him again, as though there was no one else in the world, much
less in the house.
The intensity made Lindsay moan and arch against Dane. He slid his hands over Dane’s chest, but
Dane’s shirt kept him from touching skin. Frustrated, he tugged until the shirt buttons gave way and let him slide his hands underneath. The touches got him soft growls and Dane’s tongue slicking through his mouth
like he couldn’t get enough of Lindsay’s taste.
Taniel’s cheerful voice preceded him into the room. “Dinner is ready. The two of you must
be…hungry.”
Lindsay froze, then pulled back from the kisses to see Dane’s face.
Dane was smiling, slow and wolfish. “I’m hungry,” he admitted, but his eyes were on Lindsay and the
light in them had nothing to do with food. Lindsay knew his cheeks were on fire, but Dane’s expression
was worth any embarrassment. “Thanks. We’ll be right there.” Dane leaned forward and caught Lindsay’s
mouth with his own, kissing him without shame or hesitation.
“I’ll set your places, then.” Taniel didn’t miss a beat. His robe swished and the sound of his sandals
on the stone floor faded into the kitchen noises.
Lindsay all but melted against Dane, reassured by his response. Dane had kissed him in public before,
but Lindsay hadn’t been sure how to act in front of people who knew Dane, important people. Then Dane
went and acted as though Lindsay was the only person in the world who really mattered. For a moment,
Lindsay felt that important. He licked back into Dane’s mouth to suck lightly at his tongue, a tease and a
reward at once.
Dane slid his arms around Lindsay and held him close, like he was indulging himself as much as
Lindsay in the hot, slow kiss. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to end it, but he finally pulled away. “You need to eat,” he said, his voice soft and heavy with affection. “It’s been a long day. And you need your strength.”
Lindsay didn’t want to leave this perfect moment. That he hadn’t eaten anything but an energy bar
since they’d left the airport hardly registered, but he knew Dane was right, so he pressed a quick kiss to
Dane’s lips and slid back off his lap. He could behave responsibly.
Once Lindsay was up, Dane put an arm around his shoulders and led him into the kitchen. Taniel and
Izia were already there, and the food was all on the table.
“Thank you for sharing your meal,” Dane said, and it sounded almost formal. He pulled Lindsay’s
chair out for him and waited for Lindsay to sit.
www.samhainpublishing.com
117
Anah Crow and Dianne Fox
“Thank you,” Lindsay echoed, slipping into the chair. He fought a blush when he realized that Taniel
kept glancing at him when he thought Lindsay wasn’t looking. He couldn’t help but wonder what Taniel
was thinking.
Dinner was delicious, but very quiet. Dane ate like he was starving, putting food away with
mechanical efficiency. Taniel ate surprisingly little, and Izia had her nose in a medical journal when she wasn’t buttering her bread or reaching for more stew. Lindsay ate slowly, but he ate.
After dinner, Taniel collected his dishes. “Ezqel will be working all night, I expect. He said to tell you
to make yourself at home indoors and in the gardens, but not beyond, until he is ready to see you again.”
He gave Lindsay a smile as he turned away.
“Thank you.” Lindsay remembered seeing the gardens as he’d walked out of the forest, the last time
they’d been here, but he hadn’t explored them at all. Maybe he would do that later. “Is there anything else I should do to prepare for…whatever he’s going to do to me?”
“Rest,” Izia said, glancing up from her reading. “And don’t use your magic. You’ll need all your
energy for the ritual.” She gave Dane a pointed look that slid to where Lindsay had undone his shirt.
Dane looked unapologetic as he reached for more bread. He picked up a butter knife and shrugged at
Izia.
“I can hardly use my magic anyway.” Lindsay ignored the implication of the way Izia had looked at
Dane. He didn’t need to touch his magic, but touching Dane was another story entirely. “Not if I want to
stay conscious.”
“That works out then.” Izia went back to her reading.
Dane gave Lindsay a smile and took a bite of the bread he’d just finished buttering. Lindsay bit his lip
to hide an answering grin and ducked his head to eat his dinner.
After dinner, Lindsay headed upstairs to the room he’d be sharing with Dane. Again. He felt nervous
and giddy, all at once. He’d managed to convince Dane to allow his magic to be fixed, but at the same time, he didn’t know what that would entail, for either of them. Up in the guest room, he stripped for sleep, still thinking everything over. He hoped whatever happened, Dane would be happy with the return of his full
magic.
Dane followed him in a moment later and closed the door quietly. He stood there and watched
Lindsay undressing, hands in his pockets.
Lindsay hesitated a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Dane, then kept going. Boots, sweater,
pants…everything got stacked by their bags, so he wouldn’t have to hunt for it in the morning. Being
watched made him self-conscious, made him move slower and more carefully.
“You’re filling out.” Dane’s voice was soft. “Not quite such a little bunny anymore.” He peeled his
shirt off over his head and shook out his hair.
118
www.samhainpublishing.com
Tatterdemalion
“I’d hardly moved on my own in two years, when you found me,” Lindsay pointed out just as softly.
He was never going to be tall or broad like Dane, but at least he wasn’t quite so sickly-thin as he’d been
when Dane brought him back to Cyrus’s house.
“I could tell.” Dane gave Lindsay a smile. “Funny little thing, you were.” He skinned out of his pants
and padded over to sweep Lindsay up in his arms. “You were a fighter, though. I liked that.” He settled