* * *
Zercy strode to the wet bar and grabbed two chalices and a decanter, one filled with a ruby-red liquid. Beaming, he turned to Alec. “Crimson Night. You must try it. My favorite out of all of Nira’s nectars.”
Alec grinned, unable to help it. He’d never seen Zercy in such a mood. Sure, the king would smile at times, but most looked forced, and yeah, sometimes he’d laugh, but not that often. Now though? The way his big golden eyes were lit up? He looked almost boyish, and it was downright adorable. The king of Kríe looking adorable. Go fucking figure.
Zercy went next to their wall nest and tugged out a fur, one of the largest on the bed, and draped it over his shoulder. Peering back at Alec, he gestured to his ‘jungle maze.’ “Nenya. We go to the roof now. You lead.”
“Me?” Alec chuckled, heading to meet him at the opening.
“Tah.” Zercy motioned for him to enter first. “I want to witness your gods in action, showing you the way.”
Alec smiled and stepped inside. “They’re not gods, they’re just stars.”
“Esh. If they call to you, they are gods.”
Alec smirked, “Fair enough,” then closed his eyes and drew in a breath. Truth be told, they did call to him, the stars in the sky. Had the last time he was in the maze, and were doing so now.
Left. Something told him that he needed to go left.
Zercy rumbled at his back, a soft approval.
Alec took a right next, then another left, then a right…
Within a few minutes, they’d emerged on the other side, stepping onto the long stone terrace.
Alec grinned and looked at Zercy. “How’d I do?”
“Bellah kai.” Zercy smiled warmly. “Your gods must long to see your face.”
“They’re my home.” Alec held his gaze. “Maybe I’m theirs, too. Maybe they miss me… like I miss them.”
Something dimmed in Zercy’s eyes. “I would like to be your home. If you left me, I would miss you more than they.”
Alec’s heart thumped at his words. At his tone. At his expression. Averting his gaze, he cleared his throat, then noticed the oddest thing in Zercy’s grip.
“Why are you holding the end of a rope in your hand?” The rest of it was on the ground, inside the maze.
Zercy glanced at the thing. A small smile curved his lips. “The other end is attached to the opening inside my chambers. If I do not leave a trail for those delivering our food, it will be cold before they ever find their way.”
Alec stifled a laugh. “Breadcrumbs. Wise king.”
Zercy cast him a playful grin. “Mah. Just hungry.” Hooking the rope to a small wall hook, he headed up the stone stairs to their right. Alec followed behind him, and some two-dozen tall steps later, they reached the lush oasis atop Zercy’s bedroom.
Alec scanned the incredible span of space, one of his very favorite places in the castle. Huge plants everywhere, extending more of that jungle feel, with overstuffed two-person lounge seats in the center.
Zercy took Alec’s wrist and led him over to settle in. He picked the middle chaise with granite stands on each end and what looked like a rustic sofa table across the back. Alec eyed the reclined lounge, with its plush, deep-emerald padding, noting its mini-columns at each corner. Like some modified four-poster bed or something, exuding a rugged outdoor elegance.
Zercy set down the chalices and decanter and lit a few small torch stands for minimal light. When done, he snapped open the fur he’d brought atop the lounge and gestured for Alec to sit down.
Alec climbed aboard and instantly spotted that cool, retractable telescope. The steampunk one he’d discovered weeks ago. Back when he’d stumbled upon the rooftop haven by accident—then felt Zercy’s wrath for the first time. He’d been bugging the king to tell him about the sickness, demanding to know what was in the castle’s courtyard. Zercy had straight-up snapped, barking morbid cryptic words about things that made no sense to Alec at the time.
“What’s behind those fucking doors!”
“Death! For my people, not yours!”
It definitely made sense to Alec now.
Zercy poured them each a drink, then joined Alec on the chaise.
Alec took a swig and licked his lips. “Tastes like Chambord.”
“Chambord?” Zercy asked, his gaze dropping to Alec’s mouth.
“Yeah… It’s a… type of liquor…” The king’s stare was distracting. “Raspberry… A kind of fruit back on… Earth.”
“Mmm,” Zercy rumbled. He swallowed some, too. “I do not know of this raspberry, but if it tastes like Crimson Night, I think I should like it very much.”
Alec smiled and took another swig. “You would, but you couldn’t drink too much. It’d get you drunk.”
Zercy’s mouth quirked up on one side. “As will this.”
“Ah. Good to know,” Alec chuckled. Although, in truth, for the first time, the idea sounded fun. Getting wasted with the king? The male he’d grown so hopelessly fond of? Out there under the stars, just the two of them? A chance to just let go for a while.
Zercy downed a larger swallow, then set his chalice off to the side. “Do not worry,” he assured, reclining onto his back, “I will not let you drink too much.”
“Gee, thanks,” Alec drawled. “Pretty sure I can handle my own.”
Zercy looked him up and down with an amused expression. “A moyo your size? No more than two cups at the most.”
“Oh really? And how many glasses could you handle?”
Zercy slid his hands behind his head and stared at the sky. “Eight… Perhaps ten, if I have food in my belly.”
Alec barked out a laugh. “Bite me. I’m not that much smaller than you.”
Zercy slid him a side glance, then slowly licked his fangs. “I would love nothing more than to bite you, Alick. Come closer and I will sink my teeth in deep.”
Alec’s dick bucked in its loinstrap. His pulse kicked up a notch.
Smirking, he shook it off. “So frickin’ literal.”
“Join me,” Zercy commanded. “I wish to stargaze with you.”
Alec’s smirk morphed into a smile. The king wanted to stargaze. One of Alec’s all-time favorite distractions. He took his biggest swig yet and set his chalice aside too, then settled down beside Zercy on his back. Linking his fingers behind his head, he stared at the heavens. “Such a clear night… So fucking beautiful.”
Zercy raised his arm and traced five stars with the tip of his claw. “That constellation is called the Western Gate of Nasua. The star in the middle is the shield maiden, Asteria, tasked to guard the entrance for all eternity.”
Alec eyed the formation. “I see it… Yeah, it does look like a gate.”
Zercy pointed to another batch. “That is the constellation, Perileos’ Sword. Perileos once walked upon Nira’s soil like you and I. But he was captured by traffickers and sold into slavery where he was forced to fight for sport all his days. None could ever kill him. So impressive were his skills that the gods came and stole him, wanting him to fight in their arenas.”
“Typical gods,” Alec mumbled.
Zercy gestured to a third. “That is called the Tiny Hammer. And that,” he pointed to the right, “The Eastern Claw.”
Alec relaxed into the fur, contentedly listening to Zercy’s timbre. Warm and soft, and most of all, at ease. He was surprisingly well-versed too, on not just stars and constellations, but also all the folklore and legends behind them. Next thing Alec knew, he was totally fucking rapt as Zercy told him about the fabled Northern Heart. Like Earth’s North Star, it stayed put in one spot high above while all other stars circled around it. Alec smiled, the story inspirational—a warrior’s heart gilded in gold—but what he loved just as much was the message it conveyed. How the cosmos, despite all its vastness and violent wonder, still ultimately revolved around a heart.
“And you?” Zercy murmured, when his tale was finally told. “You have constellations where you come from, as well?”
Alec nodded. “We do. Some, most likely, are parts of yours. Hard to tell though, when I’m viewing them from a completely different star system, at a completely different angle than I’m used to.”
“What are their names?” Zercy rumbled. “Which is your favorite?”
“Orion.”
Zercy turned his head and looked at him. “What is his tale?”
“He was a hunter.”
Zercy stilled, then flashed a handsome grin. “Like me.”
“Yeah,” Alec laughed. “Just as arrogant, too.”
“I like him already. Tell me more.”
Alec looked back at the sky. “Greek mythology has it that he was the son of the sea-god, Poseidon. Could walk on water and everything. One day he walked to the island of Chios where he got drunk and attacked some chick. Of course, of all people, her dad was the king, who retaliated by blinding Orion. Orion fled to another island where he met the god of blacksmiths, who had his servant take Orion to Helios. AKA the sun, who lo and behold, healed Orion’s eyes.
“Naturally, Orion went back to give that chick’s dad an ass-whooping, but never found him ‘cause the king was fucking hiding. So Orion headed to Crete and ended up hunting with Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Orion got so good, he started running his mouth, bragging he was gonna kill every beast on the planet. Understandably, Mother Earth wasn’t too happy about that and—”
“Your planet has a mother, too?” Zercy’s auric eyes flared wide. “Why have you not told me of this before?”
“No.” Alec shook his head. “That’s just part of the mythology. These days Mother Earth is… well, more like an expression… referring to like the weather and shit. On Earth there’s no mystical presence.”
Zercy’s gaze dimmed. “That is sad. No mother for your people.”
“Well, no, we do have mothers. Physical mothers, remember? The females?”
“Ah.” Zercy nodded. “That is right. I had forgotten.” His expression turned thoughtful. “It is a hard concept to imagine.”
“Physical moms?”
“Flesh and blood females… That males mate with instead of each other. Who grow young inside their bodies… It boggles my mind.”
Alec chuckled. “I could say the same about your Nira.”
Zercy met his eyes. Smiled warmly. “Had you not come, she would have died.”
“Funny how fate works sometimes,” Alec murmured.
“Indeed,” Zercy quietly agreed. He looked back at the sky. “What became of Orion?”
Alec shrugged a little. “A scorpion was sent to kill him. After that, all the goddesses petitioned the king of the gods, Zeus, to put Orion among the constellations.”
“Hmm,” Zercy mused. Thoughtful silence stretched on. “Tell me more,” he finally rumbled. “What are some others?”
“Um.” Alec scratched his cheek. “Let’s see. There’s the big and little dipper. The little dipper’s tip is our north star. There’s Cassiopeia and her daughter Andromeda. There’s Scorpio who killed Orion. There’s Centaurus the centaur, and—”
“My lord?” Kellim’s baritone derailed Alec’s train of thought.
Alec and Zercy looked his way. The guard stood at the top of the steps. Beside him, a handful of servants held trays of food.
Zercy waved them over. “Set them down. Tacha.” Hurry. “Then be gone.”
Kellim stayed put as the others hustled over and dropped off the dishes. Then just like that, they were heading back down the staircase.
Zercy rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbow, then reached for a platter of various fruits. True to noble form, he offered the first piece to Alec. “Open your mouth,” he murmured. “I should like to feed my pet.”
Alec did as he was commanded, rolling to his side, too. But Zercy didn’t feed him food at first, he fed him his finger. At least initially, giving Alec’s tongue a sensual stroke, his short claw grazing a line right down the center.
“So warm,” he rumbled softly. “And supple. And wet. I should like to feel this wrapped around my cock.”
Alec’s dick bucked again. Closing his lips, he gave a suck.
Zercy growled. “Gods, tah. Just like that.”
Alec all but moaned at his tone, inadvertently biting down.
Zercy grinned and finally fed him the chunk of fruit.
Alec chewed, holding his gaze. Tasted like cantaloupe, but grilled, with some incredible savory glaze. “Damn, that’s good.”
Zercy’s eyes glittered happily. He reached for another.
Alec stopped him. “My turn.” He grabbed something comparable in size to a grape and brought it to Zercy’s lips. “Open up.”
Zercy smirked, clutched Alec’s wrist, then did as Alec asked, drawing in Alec’s fingers along with the fruit. Wet firm heat instantly tightened around them as the king began seductively suckling.
Alec’s boner went nuts, his eyelids growing heavy.
Zercy grinned, holding his gaze. “Del’ahtchay.” Delicious.
Fuuuck…
Alec’s belly fluttered. His pulse started to race.
Zercy retrieved another piece and fed Alec more. They ate like that for the next twenty minutes or so, only eating what the other person fed them. Talking, joking, teasing, grinning. Drinking more of that sweet wine.
Alec’s everything felt happy. He couldn’t stop smiling.
Eventually, when their bellies were full and the nectar nearly gone, they laid back down to gaze once more at the sky.
“That one,” Alec pointed to an arrangement of nine stars, “kinda looks like the constellation Leo.”
“Leo?” Zercy asked.
“Yeah. Latin for lion.” Alec turned to him and grinned. “A great nickname for you, actually.”
Zercy’s brows rose. “For me? Why, what is a lion?”
“King of all predators. With a brave, ferocious heart.”
Zercy’s eyes returned to thoughtful. Then he gave a little nod. “I should like to be this for you. Your lion heart.”
Alec stilled. “What—Mine?”
“Tah. I will be fierce for you.”
Alec’s heart leapt into his throat. He looked back up at the sky. “Shit, Leo,” he murmured, shaking his head with a smile. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever fucking said to me.”
Zercy chuffed and turned his gaze back to the stars as well. “Leo… Not as regal as King Zercy, but it will do.”
Alec grinned, insides happy. Peaceful quiet filled the air.
A moment later though, Zercy loosed a sober sigh.
Alec looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
Zercy suddenly seemed unsettled. “You love the stars.”
“Yeah.”
“You said earlier that you missed them.”
Where was he going with this? Alec nodded a little. “Yes. I do.”
Zercy’s eyes turned troubled as he looked at the sky. “You blame me for keeping you from your home.”
What? Alec frowned and shook his head. “No. Of course not. You didn’t wreck our craft. We’d still be here regardless, waiting for the search and rescue team.”
Zercy kept his eyes diverted. “But if they arrived… and I kept you here… You would surely blame me then.”
Alec’s chest squeezed uncomfortably. Was Zercy giving him fair warning? That he didn’t plan to ever let him go? A spark of anger flared in his suddenly heavy heart. “Would you?” he rasped. “Keep me here against my will? Even if I wanted to go home?”
Zercy frowned, going silent, as if saddened by Alec’s question. Long moments later, he finally answered. “I would not want to. You would resent me, and that I could not bear… But for Nira, tah, I would… I would keep you.”
Alec exhaled, strangely relieved. As long as Zercy wouldn’t keep him selfishly... “Then no,” he shook his head, “I wouldn’t blame you.”
Zercy looked at him.
Alec’s lips curved. He wanted to keep things light. “Who knows,” he shrugged, “for your mom, maybe I’d stay.”
Zercy’s golden eyes glinted. He smirked. “But not for me?”
“Hmm… For you?” Alec scrunched up his nose. “I don’t think so, Leo baby. You’re way too bossy.”
Zercy blinked, brows rising, then barked a robust laugh. “You think me bossy? I go easy on you, pet.”
Alec narrowed his eyes and smirked. “My fucking case in point. Keep calling me that and see where it gets you.”
Zercy quieted, smiling. “You like being my pet.”
Alec laughed. “See? You just decided that without me.”
Zercy chuffed, then quieted again, his golden gaze hooding. “I gave your men gifts. I want to give you one as well.”
Alec paused and eyed him curiously. “You mean like a book or trinket?”
“Mah. Those are things I gave specifically to them, material things that you can have any time. What I wish to give to you now is much more personal.”
Alec lifted a brow. “Personal?”
“Tah. I wish to give you me.” His big eyes glittered. His sexy lips curved. “For the rest of this night I will be your pet, Alick. And you, in return, will be my king.”
Alec blinked. Blinked again. Then shifted to face him. “Come again?”
Zercy chuckled and slowly unfastened his own belt. “I am yours to command in any way you see fit.” He slid it off, then opened his tunic. “I am your property.”
Holy what the fuck?
Alec stared at him, like a dolt.
Zercy smirked and rubbed his chest, grazing his pierced, pebbled nipples. “Would you decline the opportunity to do with me as you wish?”
Alec’s dick went berserk right alongside his heart. “Are you serious?” he rasped.
Zercy’s eyes smoldered. “Very.”
Alec licked his lips, unable to believe it. Zercy was always in control. The unspoken understood in every encounter. But now? Now the king was relinquishing it all. Subjugating himself to Alec’s will.
Alec awkwardly sat up and stared at Zercy’s torso, the king’s loinstrap all that remained to cover his junk. He rubbed his mouth. Shook his head. “I don’t know what to say.”
Zercy chuffed. “Do not say anything.”
Alec met his gaze—and flushed. In truth, he didn’t know where to begin. He’d never been in a situation like this. In total control over the indulging of another male. In fact, the only time he’d ever been in something similar, was after the wrestling match when Zercy had challenged him. Challenged Alec to prove that Zercy’s body aroused him, but even then, the king had commanded his every move. Directed Alec where to touch him, for how long, and hell, how hard. Alec had merely been following orders the whole time.
Zercy gazed at him, his expression looking more than a little amused. “You do know where to start.”
Alec chuckled and shook his head. Dragging a hand through his hair, he confessed, “I really don’t.”
“Hmm,” the king rumbled, all low and husky. Sliding his arms from his tunic, he tossed it aside, then rolled onto his stomach, baring his backside. He peered at Alec over his shoulder. “Would you like to start like this?”
Alec bit his lip and nodded.
Zercy’s hungry eyes darkened. “Bellah. Now remember, I am Kríe.”
“Meaning?” Alec chuckled.
Zercy donned a salacious grin. “The more debauched my king behaves, the happier his pet.”