Chapter 4: You Put A Spell On Me

Milo wrapped his arms around him. The desire in his eyes was unmistakable. Sebastian was rightfully annoyed. His prisoners could take the initiative only if he allowed them to. It appeared as if Milo, a mere scholar, considered himself on the same level with a prince to take such liberties.

“Did I tell you that you could embrace me?” he asked.

Milo grinned. “No, but you kissed me already, so I don’t see how a hug could be worse.”

Yes, the kiss. Sebastian remembered it clearly. He looked at Milo’s lips. They were full and soft and enticing him to give in to his weakness. But weren’t they supposed to complete their quest of going on a date and eating hamburgers first?

Milo stopped smiling as Sebastian shifted against him. Their bodies were rubbing against each other, leaving enough room for pleasant sensations. Sebastian recognized the unmistakable signs of his arousal growing.

“Your mom is home. Your sister, too,” Milo whispered. “Maybe we shouldn’t --”

Sebastian kept his breath for a moment. No, the weakness was too much. He pressed Milo into the bed and kissed him hard. Milo responded by hugging him closer.

Well, the place appeared to have thin walls, and there was also the inconvenience of having delicate royal ears close by. Sebastian indulged in the other’s mouth only for a few moments more.

“Let us handle the quest first,” he said and stood up stiffly.

“Quest?”

“The date.”

“Oh, right.”

Sebastian walked over to the closet and looked inside. Thin short-sleeved shirts in dark colors and bottoms that matched were the only things in there. They hardly qualified as armor, but maybe the quest needed them to use their wits more than their strength. After all, Milo didn’t wear any armor, either.

He picked two garments without hesitating too much, as they all appeared to be the same, and began shedding off the uniform.

“Wow, I know I’ve seen you naked before, but you really are comfortable in showing me everything,” Milo said.

Sebastian turned toward the young man, who was now looking at him with hooded eyes. He looked down at his own body and grimaced. “This body hardly warrants such a reaction from you.” He could taste Milo’s arousal if he did as little as close his eyes.

“You look fine to me.”

Well, he didn’t miss any limbs, and while he appeared underfed, he was not overly thin. Aesthetics-wise, he would give this body a pass. “I suppose more food would serve.”

Milo laughed and looked away. “Then it’s good that I’m taking you to Mandy’s.”

He finished dressing and walked out of the room with Milo. Tani was waiting for him and barring the way. “Weren’t you going to look at the dishwasher for half an hour?”

“An hour and a half. Please, do it in my stead.”

Tani snorted and crossed her arms. “Yeah, right.” She looked around and then opened her palm. “Pay me.”

“I don’t have any coins.”

“Paper will do,” Tani said brightly.

Milo dug into his pocket and took out a folded paper. “Is it okay if I bribe your sister?”

Sebastian shrugged. “It is your paper to do as you wish with it.”

He couldn’t understand how Tani could accept a simple paper sheet instead of gold or silver coins. Maybe she wasn’t a very clever girl, and Milo knew that.

“Let’s go,” Milo said after giving Tani the folded paper. He grabbed Sebastian by the shoulders.

“Are you guys an item now or what?” Tani asked.

Milo stuck his tongue at her. “Not telling.”

“OMG! You totally are! You’re making kissy-kissy faces at each other!”

“Tani, leave the boys alone,” the mother intervened. “Take care and don’t stay up too late. You still have to study. Your graduation is not that far off,” she warned.

Graduation? Was that another quest? He would have to ask his phone many questions.

“I’ll make sure to return him in one piece and not too late, Mrs. Martin,” Milo said cheerfully.

So the mother was Mrs. Martin. That was one thing he didn’t have to ask his phone.

Kai grunted as he was made to meet the ground, butt first, by one of the skilled knights in his retinue. It was his fault for having his head in the clouds, and his body couldn’t compensate entirely for his lack of awareness.

“Your Majesty,” the knight said breathlessly as he jumped off his horse and hurried to him. “I apologize for throwing you off! Please forgive me!”

Kai pushed himself up. “No sweat, man. I wasn’t paying attention. Let’s do that again.”

His current body had many wonderful perks, it seemed, among which the fact that he didn’t feel as much pain as ordinary people.

“I will make sure not to throw all my strength behind it this time,” the knight pleaded.

“Oh, you make sure you do, or I’ll get mad,” Kai said playfully. As the hero of the realm, he couldn’t allow others to cut him any slack.

Once he began paying attention, he outsmarted all the knights on the jousting grounds, much to his delight. It was a good boost of confidence to overpower everyone like that.

“So, are you tired already?” he called.

“No, Your Majesty!” The knights shouted as one.

These guys needed to learn a bit about life-work balance.

“Well, I’m done here. You’re free for the day. But don’t forget about tomorrow. Dragons, caves, all that.”

He turned on his heels, ignoring the flabbergasted knights he was leaving behind. All this time, Conrad had stayed there, judging him with his eyes. As soon as Kai began to move, he was on his heels again.

“I hope you’re not getting any weird ideas,” Kai said as he threw a look back at Conrad. “I’m hungry, and I don’t know where Pepin is. I’m only supposed to eat his cooking.”

He was surprised when Conrad grabbed the reins of his horse and guiding them both in the opposite direction of the castle.

“What are you doing? You know very well that I can kick your ass.” Not that he wanted to do it, but Conrad was annoying.

Conrad said nothing until they were at a fair distance from the jousting ground and everyone’s earshot. He dismounted and then offered Kai his hand.

For a moment, Kai closed his eyes. I could ignore him and leave. But I suppose that will make me a coward, and Prince Sebastian appears to be the complete opposite of a coward. What can he do to me? I can just send him flying, like before.

He accepted Conrad’s hand and dismounted, too.

“Well?” he asked.

Conrad began to unbutton his coat, his eyes never leaving Kai.

Kai groaned. “What are you doing?”

Conrad threw his coat on the ground, offering Kai the unimpeded view of a strong perfect torso. “You were quite explicit in your requirements, Your Majesty,” he said through his teeth.

“I changed my mind,” Kai said with a forced grin.

Conrad seemed completely deaf as he continued to shed his clothes.

“Don’t,” Kai said and covered his eyes as Conrad pushed down his pants.

Maybe the guy was an exhibitionist. Kai didn’t uncover his eyes and put his free hand in front to make sure that Conrad wasn’t getting too close. “Stay away, I’m warning you. I can shoot ice from my eyes.”

“Then you must be keeping them covered for a reason,” Conrad said.

Kai walked back and grunted when his back hit a large tree. He uncovered his eyes only to find Conrad close. Really close.

“You said,” Conrad said slowly, “that you require satisfaction at least three times every day.”

Kai groaned. Prince Sebastian, you damned manwhore!

He was still debating how to deal with Conrad when the other glued himself to him and plastered his lips against his neck.

“Oh,” Kai barely managed. His eyelids began getting heavier. That wasn’t unpleasant at all. Conrad flicked his tongue around, making him shudder as pleasure shot through him head to toes. It was...

Kai pushed Conrad away. “All right. Okay. This isn’t working. Down, boy,” he ordered Conrad.

“I’m not a dog,” Conrad protested and looked at him with the same hurt eyes from before.

There was no way to please this guy. He got pushed away, he got mad. He got told he could leave, he took offense.

“Then why are you licking things you shouldn’t lick?”

“Do you want me to bite?”

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. “No,” he said quietly. “I want you to stop licking and biting. And kissing.”

“Which means,” Conrad said in a pensive tone, “that there is only one thing left. You should have said so.”

Kai put his hands up to keep Conrad away. “Stay there. I’d hate to turn you into a popsicle, but you’re pushing it, man.”

“Pop ... what?”

“You know.” Kai began to gesticulate. “A block of ice or something.”

Finally, Conrad stopped. “What did I do to displease you?”

“You just keep wanting to hump me,” Kai shot back. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Ah, you’re not in the mood,” Conrad said slowly like he was trying to understand what Kai meant by that.

“Don’t you find it embarrassing? At least a little?” Kai asked. “I mean, everybody knows that we – whatever. Isn’t this ... thing something you don’t want?”

Conrad frowned and blinked a few times. “If you’re talking about your men, all I heard was how they would all like to share your bed. If only so that they don’t have to fear you so much anymore. How little they know,” he added with bitterness.

“Crazy BL plot,” Kai murmured under his breath. “Yeah, okay, but you’re ... a knight, right?

“A prince,” Conrad said heatedly.

“A prince, of course. You don’t want to be a concubine, right?”

“I don’t.” Conrad crossed his arms. He was still distractingly naked, and Kai had a hard time keeping his head up so that he didn’t look down by accident. “No matter how coveted the position is.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Kai said to himself. “But, for you, it’s like a disgrace, right?”

Conrad stared at him with hurt eyes. “Yes,” he said quietly.

Right. Conrad must have been an enemy. Prince Sebastian was walking a thin line getting an enemy to serve as his bed partner. He probably thought that he was overpowered enough not to have to worry about anything.

“Is there really nowhere in the world you could go?” Kai asked.

“No,” Conrad said directly. “And if you send me away, it is as good as a death sentence. There is no place left in the world for a vanquished prince.”

Hmm, that was a difficult situation, indeed. “Then how about this? You play your role in front of everyone else, and I don’t send you away. But we don’t do any more...” Kai trailed off and just made a vague gesture with his hands.

Conrad watched him with incredulous eyes. “If that truly is your wish, release me from the bond.”

“Hmm, what bond?”

“This.” Conrad touched his chest, and thin lines the color of blue ice appeared and shone softly.

“What does that do?” Kai asked.

“Don’t you know it better than me? The less I please you, the tighter these vines of ice will curl around my heart.”

“Ah, so it’s ice magic. Then it should be easy,” Kai said.

He looked at the fine ice lines and focused. They began to shine brighter. Conrad gasped and grabbed his chest.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” Kai hurried to say and looked away. All right, so that wasn’t working. How was he supposed to undo that? He would have to ask Pepin later.

“Is it a slow or a quick death you have in store for me?” Conrad asked in a pained voice.

“Neither. Trust me,” Kai said. “I’ll figure out how to undo that bond. Then you’ll be free.”

“I don’t see how I can believe you.” The pain had forced Conrad on his knees, and Kai felt terribly guilty.

“Well, you should because, you see, I’m a nice guy, no matter how weird that might sound to you.” Kai offered Conrad his arm to help him to his feet.

“Each time I fail to please you, you only make it worse. You’re not nice, Prince Sebastian,” Conrad said heatedly.

“Damn. So you have to, um, please me, so that your heart doesn’t freeze or something?”

Being so overpowered had its downsides, for sure, Kai thought.