Tan

Ever had the headache from hell, where even the roots of your hair hurt?

Tan, in this moment, had such a throbbing pain. He’d curse an infant to get rid of it, that’s how desperate he was. Great gods, just what had he done to—

Oh. Right. Discouraging a barbarian army after multiple major portations apparently took that much work. Good to know.

He turned his head a little, wanting to roll over in the vain hope that it might ease the tension in his neck and shoulders. Just that little movement made him whimper. Oh fuck no. No moving. Bad. Very bad.

Gentle fingertips caressed his face and that at least didn’t hurt. Felt nice. Tan dared to turn his face slightly into it.

“Are you awake?”

Would speaking hurt? Tan tried anyway. “Unfortunately.”

“I pulled your potions from your box of things. Anything in there to help you?”

Devan was the king of knights. The manliest of men. The glory to the sun. Damn, it was sexy that he could anticipate what Tan needed. “Blue…blue stoppers.”

“All of them?”

“Fuck yes,” Tan whimpered hopefully.

The mattress shifted as Devan got off it. Tan listened intently—or tried—but then his ears protested that kind of concentration level. He might have, possibly, seriously overdone it.

Tan blamed Devan’s sexiness. There’s not much he wouldn’t do for a man with that sex appeal. Well, alright, it wasn’t just the sex appeal. If Tan started listing out all the things he liked about Devan, he’d be here all century, so he chose not to go down that well-worn path. It already had ruts in it.

A gentle hand helped prop him up. Tan leaned against a muscled shoulder, pillowed against the man’s chest, and damn, Devan smelled good. Warm skin, a trace of sandalwood and musk that tickled his nose. If it wouldn’t absolutely murder his already throbbing head, he would have turned his nose into the curve of Devan’s neck and gotten a good sniff.

The cool touch of glass touched his lips and he eagerly drank the full vial down. In seconds, relief spread through his system as his magical core stopped being ouchy and unable to move from bed to grumbling discontent. Significant improvement.

Devan fed him a second vial—this one felt like a cure-all potion, great stuff for aches and pains—and then a third. Third one was definitely an energy restoration. It couldn’t do much for his magical core, but it did prevent Tan from feeling like death warmed over. Also gave him the energy to do really athletic things like leave the bed.

Sighing in satisfaction, Tan leaned into Devan and wrapped an arm around his waist. So much better. He no longer felt like a badly risen zombie. Life was on the up and up.

“You’re feeling better already if you’re trying to snatch cuddles from me,” Devan drawled against his forehead.

“The potions work better with skinship.”

“Bullshit. But it’s fine, stay there a moment. I brought water up for you, too. Drink some and hydrate.”

Devan was incredibly well versed in magical depletion and how to cure it if he knew to pour water down Tan’s parched throat. Either that or the man was utilizing some good common sense. Could be both, who knew?

Either way, he downed not one, but two glasses of water with nothing but bliss. Coolness that wet his throat. Lovely. Nothing could beat the simple pleasure of this. Tan handed the second glass back with a sigh and snuggled in again.

Then paused.

Wait. That brightness coming in from the windows, that wouldn’t be morning light, would it?

Where the hell was he, anyway? He didn’t recognize this room at all. Tan was sitting upright in a bed, but whose bed?

“Darling, light of my life, where am I?”

“Potions must really be kicking in for you to realize you’re in unfamiliar territory. We’re in Siset’s inn, basically three doors down from where you fainted. I grabbed the first bedroom that looked vacant.”

Tan had a feeling he knew the answer, he dreaded the answer, but asked the question anyway. “Was I unconscious all night?”

“You were. I coaxed some water down your throat, but you were too deeply asleep to do much.”

“You…stayed by my side all night?”

“Of course. I couldn’t do anything else. You were in poor condition.” A beat, then rich amusement wrapped lovingly around Devan’s voice. “Oh, I see where this is going. Yes, Tan, I slept right by your side all night. My payment to you is fulfilled.”

Tan wailed in wordless protest. “No, but—but it doesn’t count!”

“I think it does.”

“No, it doesn’t! I had plans! Deliciously fun plans!”

Devan just laughed, bastard that he was, and got up from the bed. “So sad, so sorry, do play again.”

Tan tried to lunge for him but he was still weak enough that it didn’t do much more than topple him face first onto the bed. “Get back here, you!”

“Can’t renege on a deal, Tan.” Devan shook a finger at him, a damn cheerful grin on his face.

“I’m an evil sorcerer, I renege on deals all the time, and I want a do-over dammit!”

Devan had the sheer audacity to pat him on the head like he was a barking puppy. The man didn’t even argue back, just smiled as if he found Tan amusing, and then dismissed him with a turn of his heel. On the one hand Tan was delighted by this. Devan was so much more open and easy with him now compared to their initial meeting. He wanted to revel in the feeling. On the other hand, his plans! His carefully cultivated plans!

“There’s eggs and bacon, I think, in the kitchen if you want breakfast?”

Tan growled out a curse, gnawing on the syllables in vexation. He couldn’t do anything at the moment, his magical core couldn’t light a candle right now. Just wait, though, just wait until he was restored again. Devan had best watch that sexy ass—Tan would be coming for it.

“With you up, I have to leave briefly.”

Just like that, Tan’s scheming mind completely derailed. “What? Where are you going?”

“The princess sent people to raze this town to the ground and set it on fire to entrap the enemy, remember?” Devan shot him a look before pulling a boot on. “I need to go head them off and send them home. They don’t know the situation has changed.”

“Oh. Right. Isn’t your princess going to be pissed you’re here?”

“That is a problem for later. I’ll feed you first, then go. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour to straighten it out and come back.”

If anyone’s word could be taken at face value, it was Devan’s, after all. Tan subsided, although he didn’t like it. Devan was sure to be in serious trouble, and if they tried to arrest him Tan would have to fight to get him back out. Still, the situation wouldn’t be helped by Tan going with him. Especially not in this state. He was too weak to be helpful. If the army did try to take him back, Tan would just have to stage a rescue later.

He meekly accepted the help as he cleaned up in the room’s basin, then headed downstairs. Tan would eat absolutely anything set in front of him if Devan made it, that was a given. He wasn’t about to offend his knight by rejecting food made for him, but fortunately the knight proved a good cook. Or at least, a good enough cook to handle scrambled eggs and bacon. He left Tan happily consuming a full plate while he stepped out and headed for the outer edge of town.

Tan felt his energy restore with every bite, so despite being on the verge of too full, he finished the plate. Then sat there like a child waiting for someone to show up, staring steadily out the window.

Hmm, after Devan came back and Tan’s energy was back up to normal, what should he do first? Convince Devan to stay with him for a few days? Yes, yes, that was a good idea. Tan would do that. If Devan wouldn’t come to his bed, Tan would go to his. He frankly didn’t care—beds were beds, after all. A few kisses, some lovely warm oil to soothe out tight muscles…surely Devan wouldn’t be too hard to seduce.

Alright, that last part was wishful thinking. Devan was many things, but easy was not one of them.

More’s the pity.

In all seriousness, though, Tan had plans to make. There would be hell to pay because Devan had gone against Princess Bitch’s orders. Tan was more than concerned about what she’d do to him because of it. His first inclination was to assassinate Princess Bitch, but Devan might frown on that. Alright, if he couldn’t do offense, then defense. It would behoove him to get some protections in place for Devan, not to mention an escape route, just in case. Maybe a means of direct communication so Devan could call him for aid? Ooh, yes, me likey. Hmm, a ring of protection might be in order too. Tan didn’t trust her to not poison Devan just because she was pissed off.

Really, the more Tan thought about it, the more convinced he was that he needed to seduce Devan away from the princess. For his own good, naturally. A man as good as that one, who would take such tender care of Tan even when he was completely vulnerable, deserved to be treated better. It made Tan all sappy thinking of how carefully Devan had cared for him.

Yes, his mind was made up. Devan’s days with the princess were numbered.

The guard captain popped in as Tan sat there like an abandoned puppy, a hopeful smile on the older man’s face.

“Oh, you’re up. Good, good. How are you feeling, Sorcerer?”

“Ever slipped and fell down a waterfall, then got pummeled by it before someone fished you out? Like that.”

“Magical depletion makes you sore?”

“Like you would not believe. I’m on the mend, though. You’re here to ask when I can portal people back, right? Should be tomorrow if Devan can convince the ambushers to go home today.”

“Good to know, but I mostly came to check on you.”

Aww, he did care. Tan really liked the people in this town. He might adopt them. Actually, he needed to, as the princess clearly thought this place expendable.

“We’ll get the new gate up immediately once people are back. Repair the walls, too.”

Tan leaned his elbows on the table, head cocked. “Come to think of it, I don’t know why your gate’s down. A fire was all I heard.”

“It was a mix of things. Gate was old, the wood was sun-bleached from all the years it stood there. We were oiling it up, trying to offset the sun’s damage, when a spark hit. It went up like a match. Nothing we did could put the fire out quickly enough.” He winced, the memory a sore point. “Damn thing burned so fast we barely kept it from taking the whole front wall with it.”

Fire could spread that way. It was ridiculous how fast it could travel when of a mind to.

“Say, Sorcerer. I know we already owe you a lot for your help here. I have to ask, what would it cost to get a ward up around the town?”

Tan kicked back and thought about it. “Not a damn thing.”

The captain blinked in confusion.

“Look, I just went through a ridiculous amount of effort to keep your town intact. You think I’m going to walk away, mission accomplished, only for you to fend off the next attack with that gate still down? Of course not. I can’t do it immediately, but in a week or two I’ll return and set up the ward. I’m not about to let my efforts here be in vain.”

A strange smile tugged at the captain’s face. “So, no virgin sacrifices every year? No tribute of gold? Nothing like that?”

“What the hell would I do with a virgin sacrifice? The only ass I want is Devan’s and he’s not cooperating at the moment. Gold would be nice, I suppose, but I have a lot of that already.” The man’s smile was seriously unnerving Tan. He demanded, “What? What’s that smile for?”

“So the Black Sorcerer of Grimslock is this nice, huh?”

Ah. Shit, he had announced who he was yesterday, hadn’t he? Tan really hadn’t thought that through. He had a reputation to uphold and yesterday hadn’t helped any. “I’m selectively nice.”

“Uh-huh. Our First Knight sure has charmed you, then.”

“Absolutely. It’s all Devan’s fault.”

The door opened just as he said that and the man in question stepped through, looking none the worse for wear.

“I’m fairly certain it’s not my fault,” Devan countered as he approached the table, “but what am I being accused of?”

“Of charming me into being nice.” Tan beamed up at him. “How did it go? Did you convince them to go away?”

“First of all, bullshit, you do what you want. Like I have any power over you. But yes, they went away. In fact, they were on standby watching yesterday as the barbarian army approached. Waiting until the army was inside to do their own work, really. When that didn’t happen, and the army retreated, they didn’t know what to do. They were waiting on orders to return, so I gave them the order.”

Easy peasy lemon squeezy, huh? They hadn’t even tried to take Devan back. Good. Tan was more than satisfied.

Devan put a hand to Tan’s forehead, as if checking for a fever, and grunted in satisfaction. “You’re better. You’ve got your color back.”

“I think I’ll have the energy to portal us back this afternoon. I can ferry people home tomorrow.”

“Good. In the meantime”—Devan turned to the captain—“tell people to come here for meals today. I’ll cook while you do guard rotations.”

Uh, what?

Seeing their surprise, Devan explained, “I’ve got nothing else to do and I like to cook. Might as well feed people.”

The captain gave a slow nod before lifting himself out of the chair. “I’ll tell them. Thank you, Sir Knight.”

“My pleasure.”