Part of him knew that this couldn’t last, that what they were doing would only end up blowing up in his face spectacularly, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.
He wanted this man.
Wanted him more than anything in the world.
Maybe it was foolish, but he didn’t care.
Chapter Twenty-One: Brother
Calluvian Society Gossip
PRINCE-CONSORT MEHMER ALIVE
THE GOLDEN COUPLE REUNITED
Prince-Consort Mehmer, who was thought to have been murdered by the rebels more than a year ago, is alive! It appears the prince-consort has been living all this time with a 202-year-old man, Dien Regbes, who found him in the Kavalchi Mountains, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Having lived away from civilization for decades, the elderly man did not recognize him. The prince-consort had been suffering from amnesia for over a year before his memories finally returned to him.
He is reunited with his husband, Prince Jamil, and their daughter, Princess Tmynne, whom he has not even met!
We at Calluvian Society Gossip are delighted for the royal couple and wish them all the best.
***
THE HEIR TO THE FIFTH GRAND CLAN ALIVE
Crown Prince Warrehn’ngh’zaver, who has long been presumed kidnapped and killed by the rebels, is alive! According to our sources in the Council, the long-lost prince has been on Planet Tai’Lehr all this time. As our readers might or might not know, Tai’Lehr is a faraway, industrial colony of the Third Grand Clan. Prince Warrehn claims that the rebels actually saved him from assassination by his own bodyguards. Our sources were not able to determine how Prince Warrehn ended up on Tai’Lehr after being saved by the rebels, but it is obvious why he was not able to return until now: Tai’Lehr is cut off from Calluvia by the Shibal-Kuvasi war zone, and long-range communicators do not work because of the massive deposits of korviu on the planet.
Many have been curious about the delegation that arrived from Tai’Lehr a few days ago, but who would have thought that it would include the long-lost heir to the Fifth Grand Clan?
Rohan’ngh’lavere, Lord Tai’Lehr and the governor of the colony, personally accompanied Prince Warrehn.
“My father wasn’t willing to risk the prince’s life by making him travel through the war zone, but after discussing it with the prince, we decided to take the risk,” Lord Tai’Lehr told us. He’s a handsome, tall man with rather exotic features, with a fascinating faint accent we could listen to forever.
When asked why now, Lord Tai’Lehr was refreshingly straightforward. “We heard that Prince Samir’s coronation was approaching and Warrehn felt he owed it to his people not to allow the wrong person to ascend to the throne, even if he had to risk his life to get here. Preserving the true line of succession is paramount for all clans, as we cannot allow civil war to destroy our grand clans from within.”
This Author couldn’t agree more with Lord Tai’Lehr, but it brings up an interesting point:
What’s going to happen to Prince Samir, who has been raised to be the King for the past nineteen years?
We imagine the atmosphere will be rather awkward in the Fifth Royal Palace…
***
BREAKING! THE REBELS COME FORWARD AND PUSH FOR LEGALIZATION OF THEIR RIGHTS. TIMES ARE CHANGING?
***
Eridan was meditating in the monastery’s gardens when he felt a strong disturbance through the bond.
He opened his eyes, frowning.
Ever since their conversation months ago, the bond between him and Castien had been firmly blocked from both sides. These days Eridan could barely sense his Master when they were in the same room, much less when they were across the entire monastery from each other.
Something must have happened for Castien’s shields to start leaking emotion. He could sense unease, cold anger, and something that felt a lot like anxiety.
Eridan got to his feet and allowed the bond to pull him toward Castien.
He couldn’t deny that he missed this, missed feeling his Master through their bond. Over the past months, the mental distance between them had eaten him from the inside out, even though it was the smart thing to do. They still had sex, and often—that was one thing Eridan couldn’t deny himself, and Castien didn’t seem inclined to stop their physical relationship, either—but now they both guarded their thoughts and minds, careful about keeping their telepathic marks apart.
And it felt like hell. The sex scratched the itch only temporarily, leaving the other hunger unsatisfied. Eridan had no idea if the mental distance between them was working and Castien was Class 7 again or not. He hadn’t asked. Truth be told, they didn’t talk much these days, spending most of their time alone naked or half-naked. On the rare occasion they managed to keep their clothes on, he caught his Master looking at him with a strange expression Eridan wasn’t sure what to make of. He wasn’t sure of anything these days.
The bond led him to Castien’s office.