The night shift had been long and tiring. There were things roaming through the forest that even the wolves ran from, and the smaller farms surrounding the monastery needed additional protective spells. Embry was done for and just wanted to stumble into his bed, but a Cashûndo had dragged him into a pile of dung, and he felt like the shit he had rolled around in.

Embry hobbled to the bathhouse, earning some good-natured laughs from Aik and scrunched-up noses from some Pages and peasants, and shed his clothes as soon as he got in the changing room. He’d need to borrow a robe from the old man tending to the hot water boiler later and to convince the maids to wash the garments.

And maybe not to tell Kuo that he had destroyed yet another cloak and leg wrappers. The Cashûndo had done the damage but… Embry might have been careless for a second, so he could only blame himself.

Embry could hear muted voices from the other side of the dividing wall. Carla and, by the throaty rasp, Eva, who wasn’t too happy about the state of the other Mage’s clothes either. At least she didn’t smell like a heap.

He washed up quickly, picking out unidentifiable pieces of whatever from his hair while trying not to gag, then scrubbing hard with soap to get rid of the foul smell.

His shoulder hurt and his ribs throbbed, and Embry didn’t have to lift his arm to see the bruise already blooming. The Mage hoped Carla would go easy on him for the next couple of days. Embry sighed, grabbed his towel and headed into the warm room with the two small pools. It was also separated by a low wall, but Embry had absolutely no desire to peek into the area for female Mages and Pages.

The warm fog of fresh hot water pouring in hung low over the water, and he anticipated the scorching heat. Three steps in and he could make out a smaller, unmoving figure lingering in the far corner of the pool. It wasn’t uncommon to get tired and fall asleep in the warm water, but usually, they bathed in groups, so at least one person would be able to wake you up before you accidentally drowned.

Embry carefully waded through the pool, making his way over to wake the other occupant, and was delighted to find his own Page peacefully napping.

Kuo had his hands out of the water, both crossed over the edge of the pool, keeping him afloat with his head resting on the warm stones. There were bandages on his hands, and Embry grew concerned, inching closer to get a better look at his Page.

He had dark circles under his eyes and slept so soundly. Embry contemplated letting him sleep, but his cheeks were flushed, and his forehead was covered in sweat. The tufts of dark hair still stood up angrily like two little horns, and the Mage desperately wanted to touch them, but he remembered Kuo’s reaction the last time he had tried it. So he dropped the thought and gently put a hand on the Page’s shoulder.

“Kuo. You need to go to the cold water tub. You’re overheating. Kuo…” Embry whispered and moved his hand down to the Page marks on his biceps.

The brown eyes of the younger man shot open, and, with a yelp, he flew backwards into the pool, slipping and accidentally plunging under. Embry swore and grabbed him by his flailing arms and legs to lift the spooked Page out of the water.

“Embry, you asleep?” Carla hollered from the other side of the wall. “If you’re tired, go to the quarters. No drowning here.”

Kuo gasped and tried to wipe water out of his eyes, hissing when the soggy bandages touched his cheekbone. Embry carefully navigated them to the steps and sat down, lap full of angry Page, trembling hands.

“Nah, I’m good. Sorry to make a ruckus,” he called back while keeping Kuo in a tight grasp. Red stains were forming on the wet fabric, and he wanted to scream at the sight of his Page in pain.

“Kuo, what have you done?” he sighed. He carefully peeled back the bandages without causing further damage. A red stream of droplets made its way down Kuo’s trembling arms, but he pressed his lips together in an attempt not to yell.

“Kuo.” Embry blanched, even in the hot steam, when he saw the deep cuts in the meaty palms of his Page. They looked fresh. Why the Page had thought it would be a good idea to come to the bathhouse with such deep wounds was a mystery to Embry. “What have you done? Why didn’t you heal it?” The Mage groused and began tending to the wounds.

He let his magic flow deep inside the wounds, like blue ink dripping into the flesh. The Spark felt depleted, and Embry had an inkling that ripping through two cloaks in a row and using the shield tonight had cost the Page. He just needed to feed the Spark enough extra to get going again.

Kuo looked down at his palms, turning another unhealthy shade of green and leaned his head against Embry’s head. “I just had to hold the rope for a bit, but the mule was spooked and tried to run, and I tried to hold on but—” He gasped when his Spark came back to life, and Kuo moaned silently as the flesh started to knit itself back together. “I wanted to clean them out before trying to heal them, and then I was so tired…”

Embry waited patiently until the worst was gone and the wounds just looked like two angry stripes of rash instead of a gory mess.

“Why didn’t you come to me and tell me you used up too much?” He finally let go of Kuo’s hand and tried to decide where to put his hands, acutely aware of their position. It reminded him of the bonding and Lenten and… some of his rather vivid dreams, and he tried to talk himself out of the growing erection that was trying to make itself known, even in the hot water.

“You were busy. And that’s my job.”

“Bullshit, your job isn’t to get hurt.”

Kuo tried to slip off his lap, life and the ever-present anger seeping back into him. “That’s exactly my job description. And you’re being inappropriate again, Embry,” he hissed.

The Mage laughed lightly and moved his hands up the Page’s legs, engulfing his cute ass with both his hands. “Yeah, maybe. But you didn’t say no. Not once,” he murmured. “So, unless you say no, I’ll keep trying.”

Their lips were nearly touching; Kuo could almost taste them. His palms still throbbed, but the woozy feeling of overusing his spark had stopped. He knew it had been his own fault, and in some hours, he would have been strong enough again to get rid of the wounds, but Embry had accelerated it, and he was thankful for it. And Kuo also remembered their kiss. Lenten. How would he forget it? The need to stake a claim and say, “Damn them all.” The only thing holding him back was his heart's fear. And the Page wondered if it was too late already, or if it was just lust clouding his mind. It felt like they wouldn’t be able to stretch this game of cat and mouse out forever. But then, he wondered if he really wanted to. Or if he should take a risk.

“You’re right. I didn’t.”

The Mage looked surprised. He probably expected another lie to easily slip off Kuo’s tongue. And the Page would have done it. But he felt high on magic and light-headed in the heat, and the attention felt good. He had wanted to be seen and to have Embry’s full attention. He just didn’t know how to handle it once he’d got it.

So Kuo was reckless and kissed him. It was rushed and lacked all finesse, but Embry got on board within seconds and moaned quietly into his mouth. Tongues encircled as the smaller man tugged on a wet lock of long hair and didn’t let go. The water sizzled around them, illuminated by sparks and magic slowly bleeding from Embry like dye.

Kuo was interrupted by two things. The sudden awareness of a throaty laugh and a splash on the other side of the wall, a cold realisation dawning that they were not alone and that anybody could come in. And that something big and very hard was pressing against his stomach that definitely didn’t belong to him. Kuo froze.

Embry seemed to realise the momentum was lost. He smirked and licked his lips, looking down between them with delight.

“Well, I am not sorry, and I am happy to see that at least some part of you can be honest.”

The Mage laughed when the Page angrily shoved him back, scrambled hastily off his lap and up the stairs into the changing room. He didn’t chase after him. The Page was in his flight mode and, if Embry had learned something in the last couple of weeks, it was that chasing after him didn’t do any good. Kuo had two moods. Reckless and angry, and just angry, at least when it came to Embry, and the Mage knew when to admit temporary defeat.

He heard the door to the main court slam and slid back into the water.

A brown mop of hair and two arms appeared on the divider, and a white eye peered down on him, eyebrows arched. “You’re so dumb.”

Embry sank deeper into the water. He had forgotten about the audience. He still had no idea how to tease the honest side out of his Page, but he was set on giving it another try. Or a thousand. How many times did he need to get him?

“I know. Stop peeping. “

Eva slid back down her side of the divider. “Not much to see that would be interesting anyway.”

Next time. He just needed another chance.

Dammit.