Why had he brought me here? Why was any of this happening? It was obvious he hadn’t been entirely forthcoming with me, and truth to be told, I knew that. But I hadn’t cared because it had just been him and me and now there were more, and they didn’t approve. We weren’t supposed to be together.

And I was alone in this new and strange country where they wore tight trousers. I didn’t even know the language of this land. I was lost here.

Xipe slammed the door behind me and I turned towards him, backing up until my back hit the wall.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked with a shivering voice.

“Would it had made any difference?” he asked and stalked towards me, stopping right in front of me.

“I don’t know. I’ll never know.” My voice was still shivering.

“Have I not been good to you? Are you unhappy?” he asked coolly. “Have I not done everything for you to feel welcomed?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’m very grateful...” I looked down to show my submission to him.

“Don’t, Frej. You’re not my servant!”

I looked back up. A desperate expression slipped over his previously so stoic face. “Tell me you don’t love me, and I’ll leave you alone. I’ll never touch you again. You’ll be a normal subject and no one will ever know. Just tell me you don’t love me.” He leaned closer, his chest rapidly rising and falling.

I didn’t know what any of it meant and he hadn’t explained anything. No one had explained anything and there was just a lot of information tossed out without any context. But…

“I can’t,” I said barely louder than a whisper.

He went in for the kiss and it was hard. I circled my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He pressed his body against mine, crushing me up against the wall.

He pulled back and started unbuckling the borrowed belt.

“What about your guests?” I breathed and helped him get if off me. I raised my arms for him as he pulled the soft tunic over my head.

“I don’t care about them right now,” he replied. He kissed me again, his hands running down my sides.

He groaned softly as his hands made it to the very tight trousers, running to the front of them. He could feel just how much I loved him and what he was doing to me, and he seemed to revel in it as his hand softly cupped me through the thin fabric.

“Xipe,” I whispered, and he pulled back, looking expectantly at me. “I love you.”

He leaned back in and kissed me much softer this time, his tongue meeting mine. Teasingly. I moaned when he started undoing the band on my trousers and pull them down. He knelt down in front of me and looked up at me, helping me to get the trousers off. I threaded my hand through his hair and gently pulled him back up to his full height.

He helped me undress him next. I did it just as slowly as he had done on me, letting my hands discover his body. He was a marvel. He could fit into one of the countless paintings in the house. No, he overshadowed them.

Then he led me to the bed. He sat down on it and I crawled into his lap. His hands ran over my thighs, clenched them and then went on to fold around me. I threw my head back for a second, fighting so hard to not be too loud and Xipe chuckled a bit. His other hand snuck around my hip and onto my lower back, getting me up on my knees and then it travelled down. His fingers gently pressed inside of me. He was just looking up at me, smiling as he watched my reactions and I was losing myself in what he was doing to me. It felt like his hands were everywhere. I pressed my forehead to his, panting in the rhythm of his hands.

Out of nowhere he grabbed my hips and swiftly turned us around. He was drowning me in kisses, his hands running all over my body.

And then he made a sound he hadn’t made before. He was moving his hips back and forth in a slow tempo, and now he was softly moaning with every thrust. He was never loud except for a few sounds here and there. But now he was just as loud as me and he wasn’t even feeding on me. He was just with me. We were just humans for a short while. Two humans very much in love.