Heirot

Havi smiled when he recognized her soft steps. So they'd both wanted the same thing. He waited until he felt her weight shift onto the mattress beside him and then rolled to draw her warm body securely against his chest, as close as if they were still in their narrow lean-to. He tucked his chin over her hair, and his warm sigh fanned out over her neck. Just like that, with no words necessary, they both slept.

When Missy arrived in the morning to let them know about breakfast, she looked curious, but not particularly shocked, to find the two together in her consort's bedroom. She assured them there was no rush and left them with a pretty smile.
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Ren was relieved he didn't have the blood pressure going yet to blush. He stared daggers at his master to mask his embarrassment. His eyes dipped down to be sure his towel was still in place around his hips. "I slept like a rock," he hedged. It wasn't a lie. "And now I'm obviously inspecting your floor," he sighed.

Tenara snuggled into Havitharon as Missy left. She gave herself a few more minutes before she rose and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'm going to get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast..." She appraised his face a moment longer, looking as if she wanted to say something else to him. Instead, she kissed him again, drinking him in.

Tenara climbed out of the large bed and scooped up his sword, disappearing through the door and across the hall into her room. She went to dig out her clothes from the trunk, but someone had already been in her room. Her clothes were tucked into the closet and someone had decided to pick out a dress for her. A robin's egg blue skirt and white blouse were draped along the bed, along with wool stockings and black boots.

When she was dressed she headed out of her room, eager to see the house. The rooms were large on this floor, so there were few doors. She did pass one with a bronze plate on it that read Library and was almost tempted inside. Instead, she turned for the stairs.

The staircase curved along a wall adorned in large canvas paintings framed in ornate gold, its marble steps ending at a marble floor in a grand foyer. Servants came and went, and they greeted her with a nod of their head or a smile until their gazes trailed to the sword hanging from the belt on her hip. It was out of place with the delicate winter clothes she wore. She wondered if they muttered anything about "strange Hajaran customs" when they were out of earshot.

Tenara had no idea where the dining room was, and she really didn't care. She wanted to explore the house and get a sense of how Laurius lived. He definitely liked art. It covered the walls, with alcoves adorned with marble statues or busts. Again, she wondered what things he had done to get so rich. She swept by a pair of double doors hanging wide open into a room filled with books and windows and leather chairs. Morning light streamed through the windows, inviting her in. "Two libraries?" she asked, not really noticing she was saying it out loud until a servant happening by replied.

"Just the one," she said, clutching a stack of linens in her arms. She was red-faced and sweating, but pretty with large blue eyes. Everyone seemed to be pretty, in some way. Tenara wondered if that was a hiring requirement.

"Oh. I saw the sign upstairs and thought..."

The woman's eyes widened and she laughed. "Ah! Yes. Um. That is a library of sorts, I suppose. This one is for books and that one is for... things. It's Mr. Mar's private library..." Tenara nodded, thinking that must be where he keeps the dangerous things he makes. The woman leaned in conspiratorially. "I'm sure he'll show it to you once you're settled in, your highness."

Tenara smiled. "I'm sure."

"Might I say," she added. "You are lovely, even with such odd hair. And fiancee, at that. Mr. Marr likes collecting rare and odd things. I wonder where he'll display you when he's bored." The sweet smile did not leave the young woman's face, and Tenara couldn't tell if her words were meant to be insulting or genuinely curious. They stared at one another a moment longer before she sighed. "Well, then. Off to refill the linen closets."

As she watched the girl walk away, Tenara placed a hand on her head, where she'd braided her silver hair into a crown. Then, she pursed her lips and turned to find the dining room. She bumped into Merry and Tabetha instead, who gushed at seeing her and threw their arms around her like they hadn't been stuck together for weeks. Tenara had grown fond of them, and she looped her arms in theirs and walked with them down the hall, letting them guide her to the dining room while they discussed the first night back in the house.

And then, they were gone and Tenara was in a long room with a long table adorned in porcelain and crystal—far too many places for the amount of people she suspected would be gathering. A man she hadn't noticed upon entering—who seemed specifically directed to blend in with the decor as his clothes were the same color as the walls—motioned for her to take a seat near the head of the table.

---

Laurius smiled, tilting his head at Ren. "Well, I hope you find it in good working order. I paid good money for this house." He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling the red curls back and gathering it with a black cord at the back of his head. "Alright, inspections over. Get dressed. I'm starving and having you for breakfast will make me late."

Havi dragged himself out of bed a few minutes later. It felt good to wake up on something soft, so he was slower than usual to rise. Once he was up, he knew he would be in work mode, focusing on learning about this house and the lifestyle of the man who had brought them here.

One outfit in the closet had been separated slightly from the others. Maybe that was what the maid wished him to wear. The pants and top were both black, but the jacket was delicately embroidered with touches of gold thread. The colors resembled the pitch hue of his horns, and he was surprised to find that the clothes fit his long limbs. They'd been briefly introduced to Laurius's staff last night, and he thought one of them had been introduced as his tailor. Had that man taken his measurements by eye? Did Laurius pay his people enough to work overnight just to clothe his guests? He looked in the mirror and studied his sun-darkened complexion. His deep-pool hair had acquired highlights of navy. The overall effect of his appearance and clothes was both darkly graceful and imposing. He didn't dislike it.

He studied the features of Laurius's home as he explored his way downstairs. It looked as he would expect of a wealthy family estate. The styles and features were culturally different, but in the end it was all the same. Instead of mosaics and alcoves dotted with pottery and sculpture, paintings and portraits lined the wall in large, ornate frames. Such pigments were rarely seen on his world, but beyond that, the art did little for him.

He followed the sound of dishes clinking to the dining room and stepped in to see Tenara seated at the head of the table. He stared at her as he approached. She looked like a true Yurivis, at home in her estate. Unlike the art in the hallways, he was unable to take his eyes off her as he sat down.

"You look like this world's sky," he wondered at her.

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"Yes," Ren muttered, watching Laurius pull his hair back. The movement did interesting things to the muscles in the man's arms and chest. Between that and Laurius's flirting, it turned out he actually could blush at this hour after all. He snapped his eyes away and climbed to his feet. An outfit had been laid out on the bed, dark greens embroidered in silver. A waist sash of pale yellow and silver was intended to finish the look, but he couldn't figure out what to do with it, so he abandoned the garment and tried to make sense of his hair. It was a mess from weeks spent outdoors, and he'd fallen asleep last night before he could wash it. He glanced in the mirror and tried not to cringe at himself, overly aware of Laurius watching him. This was how he'd presented himself the past few weeks? Maybe he could tie the yellow thing around his head. He reached up and smoothed the tangled locks down as best he could before turning to his master.

"Please... excuse my appearance," he said, giving the man a testy look that dared him to say something while also begging him not to.

Tenara glanced up as Havi approached and her breath caught. He was normally beautiful to her, but in these clothes, so tailored to him, he was captivating. She found it hard to look away, to busy herself with fiddling with the silver or the crystal to keep from making him uncomfortable but his eyes never left her.

At his compliment she blushed, finally turning her gaze down on the china. She almost asked him if he was certain she didn't look odd, as the young woman in Laurius's employment had suggested, but when she looked back at him, taking in the horns, the gray of his skin, the blue of his hair, she would happily be odd right along with him.

"And you are a work of art," she said, pouring him a glass of orange juice at the place setting next to her. Her gaze lingered on the way the garment hugged his chest, shoulders, and hips. Laurius liked beautiful things, and she wondered if these clothes had been made to please Havitharon, herself, or their generous host. "He wasn't lying about being rich," she said, forgetting the man blending in with the wall. "He has two libraries, one for books and one for objects. I wonder which one the book that brought us here is in."

---

Laurius watched Ren dress, leaning against the wall as he did. He appraised how the clothes fit the man, pleased that his tailor—who relied heavily on magic for rush orders—had managed to capture Ren's otherworldly beauty in the design. "I won't," he said, smiling. "Why would I want to ignore something so unique." He pushed off the wall and scooped up a brush from the vanity, combing gently into Ren's hair. He had never brushed another man's hair before, and he wasn't certain why he was doing it now, other than his stomach was grumbling and Ren seemed upset by the tangled locks.

Admittedly, he was not very gentle. It was hard to gauge the tangles and pain threshold of someone else's scalp. But, in a minute he had Ren's hair combed out and tied similarly to his own.

His stomach let out a wailing groan.

“Let’s eat," he said, giving Ren’s shoulders a squeeze and turning for the door.

Havi took in the room as if the book might be sitting in plain sight somewhere. "After everything that happened, I almost forgot why we came," he admitted. There were quite a few things he'd put off thinking about, actually. As drunk on pleasure as he'd been, he hadn't missed or forgotten what she said to him the night before. 'I love you.' From what he'd learned so far, love was a volatile emotion that could cause pain if handled incorrectly. If she loved him, he needed to determine the right way to respond to that information as soon as possible.

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Artisuren fought for composure with Laurius's fingers tangling gently along his scalp. The area was sensitive, achingly close to his horns, even the roughness felt good. He had to hold his breath each time his master tugged at a knot. When Laurius turned for the door, complaining for food, Ren jerked to his feet to follow him. He touched the tail Laurius had crafted curiously while maintaining a gliding pace to keep up with his master. Ren walked just behind, studying each door as they passed it. A pair of handsome male servants bowed to Laurius winsomely as they crossed paths in the hall before moving on with their work. Ren studied them too.

He recalled a conversation he'd had with Laurius about his estate, the first night Ren gained his physical form. He'd asked how many flames the man kept, and Laurius had replied that there was one for nearly every room. But then, Tabetha had said he only bedded about half of his staff. He found himself counting the doors now, as they traversed the long hall and a beautiful staircase to the ground level. "How many rooms are here?" he wondered aloud before he could stop himself.

Laurius quirked his head a little at the curious question. “Hmm bedrooms? Maybe fifteen if you don’t count servants quarters. Why? Want a different room?”

"Of course not!" he burst out. The room he'd received was the closest to Laurius's. It probably indicated his favor with him, so it was obviously the most desirable. Ren studied his master, trying to assess if the offer to change rooms was a warning. "I mean... ah, no, please. It's an excellent room." Even if he technically hadn't slept in it yet...

So, fifteen were not servants? If Laurius slept with half of his servants, what was the percentage for the rest? Naturally, all of them, right? Why else would the reside here? He looked distracted as he did more mental simulations in his head.

"Do you... do you divide your time equally? Or is there a ranking system?" He stroked the back of the hand he'd mutilated in the cave. The tattoo was barely visible through the scarring.

Laurius arched a brow. “No,” he said. “I stay in my room. The rest are empty unless I have guests… I’m sorry, we are talking about bedrooms, right? Does that word mean something differently where you come from?”

"Empty?" Ren paused uneasily. He was losing confidence by the second, and that made him defensive. "You're the one who said you had a flame in every room! I'm just trying to get a count," he argued.

“A…” Laurius pinched the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to understand what the hell the man was talking about. “Yes, a fireplaces in every room. And if we are referring to them, then I have no idea the exact count. It could be fifty.”

"Fireplaces?" Ren glowered at his master, certain now that he was being teased. "How many flames are in your harem?!"

Laurius paused, appraising Ren. “Harem? I don’t have one. No one is in it because it doesn’t exist. I have lovers, but I don’t own them. They come to me freely if I inquire about their interest…” He glanced around and then back at Ren. “Are you worried about being outnumbered by my interests?”

Artisuren forgot how to walk for a second. He ground to a halt, his chest already half-puffed and ready to argue, but he couldn't work out a retort. He rolled his eyes instead. "I-.... no..." He swallowed. "Have whatever interests you want."

He was in no position to complain. He was just surprised. He was in a worse position than he'd thought. He wasn't competing with a harem. He would at least have been used to that. The scenario Laurius described was a greater challenge. Of all the man's lovers, Ren was the only one he'd been saddled with, rather than chosen. There was no shortage of men on this world; he could afford to choose. He could court anyone he was in the mood for. "Then, you only granted me that room because the others do not live here..." His embarrassment began blooming into anger. What was he thinking, assuming he was favored?

Laurius began to walk again, uncertain what answer to give to Ren about his accommodations. “No one has ever had that room,” he finally said. “It is convenient for you to be nearby.” Wasn’t that why he’d done it? Convenience?

“Currently,” he said, they neared the dining room. “My interests have narrowed, for what it’s worth. The only other person that holds my eye—other than you—is…” The words seemed to leave him as he entered the room and his gaze fell on Havitharon and Tenara already seated.

Tenara looked up at them, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under Laurius’s gaze. It was so similar to how Havi had looked at her when he came in. It made her self-conscious, wondering if maybe she had done something odd with herself that everyone seemed to be taking offense of.

Laurius sat down, motioning for Ren to sit next to him. A flurry of activity sprang up, with servants breezing into the room to deliver platters of fruit, eggs, bacon, toast, and more.

“I trust everyone slept well,” he greeted. “If there is anything anyone would like changed, tell the staff. They will arrange it.”

“Everything is very nice,” Tenara said. “I do think it would cut down on their work if Havi and I merged our sleeping arrangements.”

“It’s no trouble. Besides, my fiancé should have her privacy. What if I want to pay you a visit?”

Tenara scowled at him, and Laurius grinned mischievously.

Their host turned to Ren. “Did I settle any concerns you have?”

“What concerns?” Tenara asked.

"No fucking concerns," Ren said with all the friendliness of a disturbed hornet's nest.

Havi accepted the food that was offered to him while side-eyeing his fellow Ivis. He'd say something was wrong, but the other phage's demeanor seemed about par for the course, and he was temporarily preoccupied wondering if Laurius really would pay Tenara a late-night visit.

"Well. We made it here alive. Where should we start?" he asked the merchant. "Is it possible to show us the ritual you used to create your knife?"