Page 2 of Sword & Sacrifice

A hand trailed up his spine, then fingers tangled in his hair and eased his head back. The mismatched eyes still unnerved him, not helped by the possessiveness in Valerian’s gaze.

“Could you untie me?” Penn asked, shimmying his shoulders.

Valerian only stared at him.

“If you’re interested in bondage, we can try that later. Right now, we need to—”

A ravenous kiss cut off his words, Valerian’s tongue plunging into his open mouth with hungry, dominating force. Valerian’s kisses were often rough, but this seemed different—more about asserting control, less about giving them both pleasure. His hand tightened in Penn’s hair, adjusting his head to deepen the kiss further. A sharp pain jolted through his neck, and he bit Valerian’s tongue in protest, hard enough to draw blood.

Valerian finally pulled away and brushed the crimson stain from his lips. Both of his pupils were huge and dark with desire, almost obscuring the discordant irises. “His thoughts are so full of you,” he murmured, reaching forward to smear his own blood down Penn’s check, mixing it with the spilled wine. “Your name echoes in our head. Your face is a constant image.” His fingers trailed down until they wrapped around Penn’s neck, a clear threat in the gentle pressure. “I don’t know if I want to kill you or keep you.”

Before Penn fully processed the statement, faraway curses distracted the mage. Irritation flashed across his face as he glanced up the stairs. “Incompetent,” he muttered. “Must I do everything?” The mage started to lower Penn to the floor, as if he intended to leave him there while he hunted down Adelaide and Emmaline himself.

This may be their only chance to escape. Trying to recapture the mage’s attention, Penn blurted out, “Keep me.”

The mage paused, looking down at him curiously. Scarred and bloody, he barely resembled the man Penn knew, but parts of Valerian remained. Even if he didn’t have hold of the reins, he was still on the horse. Penn had no magic, no resources, no weapons, nothing but his clever tongue to help Valerian regain control.

“You said you didn’t know if you wanted to kill me or keep me,” Penn said, lowering his voice to a whisper. “If you kill me now, you may regret it later. If you keep me, you can always change your mind.” The longer the mage’s focus remained on him, the more time he could buy Adelaide and Emmaline to escape. Whatever price the mage wanted, Penn would pay it to keep them all alive.

The mage raised his hand to trace the lines of Penn’s face, the reverent touch like a collector admiring a sculpture. “An interesting proposal.”

“I’ll cooperate with you. I won’t try to fight you or run away.”

Interest sparked in the mage’s narrowed eyes. He brushed a warm thumb back and forth over Penn’s cheek as he considered the offer. “And what do you want in return? Simply to stay by your lover’s side? Or do you seek something more?”

Alistair had been a master manipulator, controlling the King of Bellacosta until Silas finally broke free and turned the tables on him. Even if only a piece of Alistair infected Valerian’s mind, Penn had to carefully word their potential deal. He wanted to ensure his friends’ safety without wasting his one chance to bargain with the mage.

“Let Adelaide and Emmaline go. Don’t chase after them. Don’t order anyone to follow them. If Niall captures them, you have to set them free again.”

The mage cocked his head to the side. “I recognized the Witch. She would be a better hostage. Aside from some”—his eyes dropped to Penn’s wine and bloodstained lips—“interest, what use do I have for you?”

“Adelaide won’t cooperate with you. Whatever you’re planning, do you really want to drag an enraged witch along?” Penn could see the mage wavering and pressed on. “You’ll want something from me eventually. Information, connections, a warm body in your bed.” He lowered his voice, giving it a slightly huskier quality. “Wouldn’t you like to have me all to yourself? Experience what Valerian finds so captivating?”

Penn’s heart pounded out a countdown while he waited for the mage’s answer. His wrists and ankles had already gone numb from the ropes binding him while they’d spoken. He hoped the damned man decided before there was any permanent damage.

The mage tangled his fingers in Penn’s hair, then his other hand slowly down Penn’s arm until he reached the bound wrists. “We have a deal.” Pulling Penn toward him, the mage sealed their bargain with a kiss that tasted like blood and bad decisions.

Chapter Two

The whip cracked through the air again. Six. The stinging pain from every lash should have blocked out all other annoyances, but Valerian still felt the ache in his legs from kneeling on the stone floor. Seven. His hands fisted in front of him, nails digging into his palms. Eight. Sweat dripped from his forehead and stung his eyes. Nine. A tear slipped down his cheek despite trying his best to suppress it.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn’t the worst he would experience. At twelve years old, nothing in the world seemed as terrible as Tutor Hornick’s punishments.

Ten. Valerian didn’t move, afraid the punishment would continue if he stood before instructed.

The moment stretched on for a long time, the tutor testing him, and then a calm voice called, “You may stand.”

Valerian grabbed a chair to pull himself to his feet. His arms trembled from the effort, and he bit his lip to suppress a cry of pain. He stood as straight as he could and looked at the tutor.

“Do you understand what you did wrong?” Hornick asked, his eyes focused somewhere behind Valerian.

“I shouldn’t have skipped class,” another voice drawled. “Education is important, especially if I am to properly run this estate one day.”

“Correct,” Hornick replied and bowed his head. “Valerian, you may visit the medic and ask for a salve for your back.”

He nodded and stepped out of the room, clutching his shirt to his chest. At the door he paused and turned back to face the young master, who pretended to pay attention to his lessons after his scolding. As soon as the tutor turned his back, Maksim gave Valerian a nasty smirk. He’d known exactly what would happen if he misbehaved—he may receive a lecture, but Valerian would receive the punishment in his stead. A future lord couldn’t go through life with proof of his mistakes.

Valerian turned away and went straight to the medic’s office.