How Familiar - 5. Zeke - Love

Zeke

"Here you go, Croix!" The fifteen-year-old boy, barefoot and barechested, smiled as he put the two empty trays on the stack by the basin. "It was a good meal. A bit greasy for me, but the Prince loves his potato slices that way."

"Pity!" Croix, one of the chefs of the Ulisse Palace, shook his head as his lemur hung from one of the many unused hooks on the kitchen wall with its long tail and helped his Human scrub the dishes from after dinner. "What would he have for his morning meal on the morrow?"

"If he's awake?" Zeke smirked, his eyes on Alaoi, the butterfly Familiar that fluttered around the kitchen. "He usually does not eat until after midday."

"That lazy sod!" Croix laughed, and Zeke gave a titter of appreciation. "Well, I'll make sure there is some lemon porridge for him should he decide to leave his bed. He must be hiding from the sun with that pink skin of his."

"He loves the sun!" Zeke beamed when he talked about Prince Orion.

He was the personal retainer and secret lover of the Alaeyan boy. But Croix spoke the truth. Up in the northern Islands of Ulisse, the sun was harsh and strong, and most of the population had skin of dark brown. Orion had a lovely tan from his years here, but he still needed the protective cream the medics provided him if he did not wish to burn under the harsh rays of the northern sun. He wondered how Prince Ronan would cope with the scorching heat and the endless blazing summer of the Ulisse Palace when he arrived.

"Goodnight, Croix. I am done for the evening."

"Not yet, you're not," Croix playfully winked and his lemur tittered.

"You're the worst!" Zeke gave him a shove, but a smile lingered on his full, pouty umber lips.

During the day, he was Prince Orion's retainer and friend. When his duties were complete, however, he retired to Orion's bedchamber and lived with him not as a loyal servant, but as an equal. A lover. Croix knew. Everyone in the damn palace knew. Even the Queen. It made Zeke's life a journey full of jabs and jokes and snickers, but he did not care. He was an orphan struggling to survive on the Island of Salt before Prince Orion visited and brought him back to the Palace. At night, Orion belonged to him.

Isn't life amazing? Zeke thought, watching his Familiar fly around.

You're so happy here, Alaoi fluttered and flapped around his head, his wings a lovely blue, red and yellow pattern and with a pretty black outline. My oldest friend. Do you want me to leave you and the Prince alone?

Maybe, Zeke smiled and looked shyly to his bare feet as he walked. He never wore shoes. Very few native to the Islands of Ulisse did unless tradition or diplomacy called for it. Is that okay?

I will sleep elsewhere, Alaoi promised, and Zeke heard him chuckle. You boys have fun.

Zeke smiled as Alaoi fluttered off on his own. He wondered what it would like to have a Familiar such as Orion's Pegasus or the legendary Kraken of the Lisse family. Something that could keep him safe and protect him. Alaoi was precious, no doubt, but he could not keep Zeke safe. Orion did, though. Anyone who had a problem with Zeke or Alaoi also had a problem with Orion and Rylan the white Pegasus. The Alaeyan Prince went to great lengths to make sure Zeke was comfortable and secure. He could see Orion in his mind right now. So handsome. Pink and brown skinned with those lovely auburn-red curls, the left half of his head shaved. Taller, agile and very cuddly. Cute as a button, and...

"Mmm, look at that smile," a woman's voice shocked Zeke, and he looked to see Princess Bailey Lisse smirking at him as they passed in the open corridor. Her long, black hair dripped saltwater from her swim down her curvaceous brown body onto her webbed toes. "I know who you're thinking about."

"Princess," Zeke greeted her politely, but he did not like her. She was to marry Orion when Ronan arrived with that Iralian assassin. My Orion. My Prince. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Zeke," she touched him on the shoulder as she departed. "Have a great sleep. Keep Orion on a leash!"

"I always do," he replied with a smile, but he could not hide the pain from his voice.

Orion is mine. Not yours! Why can't you marry Ronan and leave us to be together? As if it could listen to his thoughts, he heard a Kraken surfacing in the waters outside and stopped by the window to see the beast. In truth, they terrified him. Monstrously large creatures. They could swallow even one of the Serpents of the Eoda family and have room for dessert. This one's skin was a disgusting, fetid grey colour, and its four eyes, two small on the sides of its head and two huge on the front glowed a horrible milky white. The grey one belonged to Princess Tora. Zeke cowered in fear. They terrified him. It gave a cry, the wailing creak reminiscent of a rusty door, and dived back into the waters, causing a wave the size of a full-grown man to ripple to the Island's edge and crash against its shores. He did not know how many there were. The Queen and her two daughters had those scary monsters as their Familiars, but so did many of their relatives that lived on all four major Islands. Smaller ones than the Royals, but there was no such thing as a little Kraken.

"Orion?" Zeke asked as he opened the door to the bedchamber they shared, and someone grabbed him from behind and put their hand around his mouth. "Mmf!" He panicked briefly, but he heard his beloved speaking to him and began to giggle.

"What took you so long, cutie?" Orion asked, planting a gentle kiss on his ear.

Zeke pulled from the Prince's loving embrace and grinned at him.

"I'm not even late! You're just impatient," he replied, and Orion looked at him with lust-filled eyes.

"You're damn right I am!" Orion was beginning one of their favourite games. "Come here!"

"No!" Zeke squealed and lunged away. "Leave me be!"

"When you look this good?" Orion eyed him off hungrily, and his deep blue eyes had that playful glint in them. "I think not!"

"Orion!" Zeke laughed and crept along the wall until the Prince had him cornered. "Stoppit!"

"Never!" Orion caught his wrist and pulled him in close for a deep kiss on his dark lips.

Zeke was not trying to get away from him in truth. He loved to play, though. He liked it when Orion pursued him and caught him. The Prince forever did come after him, too, and he always kissed him when he managed to get him. Orion's kisses were as wild and fiery as the Prince himself. Zeke loved the feel of those pink lips against his own, loved the look of Orion's tanned brown hands around his slender, umber-black waist.

"Always playing so hard to get!" Orion pulled away and looked down at him mischievously. "What am I to do with you?"

"That depends," Zeke flirted back, slipping his hands underneath his lover's undergarments and feeling him there. "What's the penalty for disobeying a Prince?"

"This Prince?" Orion slapped his palm against Zeke's backside, causing an excited whimper from the boy. "You know the penalty, but you never learn your lesson!"

"Teach me, then," Zeke murmured as Orion's fingers touched him in his most private places, and he felt the Prince harden in his fingers.

"Come to my bed," Orion invited him, suddenly leaving his paramour and leaping to the feathered mattress.

"Whose bed?" Zeke asked cheekily, and Orion gave that happy grin that he so often showcased.

"Our bed! Now get here and get my undergarments off, already!" Orion teased, laying back on his pillows with his bared arms behind his head. "You're a terrible retainer!"

"I'm the best retainer you're ever going to have!" Zeke slithered up to the bigger boy. "Did any of the others ever do the things I do for you?"

"Well, you have a great point there," Orion nodded, his eyes glistening with excitement and lust as Zeke's black fingers began to edge down his tight-fitting silks.

It was Zeke's favourite time of the day. The time of day where he and Orion could be together. Ulisse was a happy, free country. There were very few sexual taboos here. A man could marry a man, two women and a non-binary person all at the same time if he so chose, but the laws of Ytia were strict when it came to Royal Families. Orion must marry Princess Bailey, and likely Princess Tora would marry Ronan when she came of age.

Zeke's bitter thoughts dissipated as Orion began to moan when his retainer used first his hand and then his mouth to please his Prince. Orion's hand found its way to the back of Zeke's head, gently massaging his lover's scalp through the black hair, and Zeke redoubled his efforts with his lips and tongue. He could feel his Prince getting close, but Orion rarely liked to finish in Zeke's mouth. He usually wanted to take it to the next level, and so he took Zeke's head away and kissed him on the lips before pushing him down on his back. Orion slipped down the boy's silk shorts and undergarments, and Zeke's hard cock stood up, slick with precum, and Orion was quick to lap it up and repay the favour. The feeling of Orion's mouth on him was hard to describe. His brain was too busy pulsing with the pleasure he was getting. When Zeke got close, Orion could sense it, and he stopped. The two of them had been together so often in the last couple of years that they knew everything about each other.

Orion's mouth moved to Zeke's slightly hairy scrotum, his tongue dancing along the skin, and eventually, he used his tongue to tease and play with his lover's hole. Zeke was flushed and seeing stars by the time Orion inserted two of his fingers inside and stretched him, prodding and massaging the love button inside. Zeke oozed precum as the Prince pleasured him, and eventually, Orion withdrew his fingers and moved up to kiss Zeke again, putting the dark-skinned boy's legs over his shoulders and gently putting himself inside. Zeke was impatient, but Orion loved to tease him, as evidenced by the cheeky grin on his face that eventually turned into a gape of pleasure when he bottomed out. In, out. In, out. Like they'd done hundreds of times together, but it never stopped feeling perfect. They fit together as one, and as Orion began to approach his climax and thrust harder, faster, the Prince's hand grabbed Zeke's slick, throbbing cock and jerked in motion with his hips. They came together at the same time, Orion inside his retainer's hole and Zeke all over his black belly and chest.

"I love you so much," Orion tenderly kissed Zeke's neck and chest, even licking up some of the semen from the boy's sensitive left nipple.

"I love you too," Zeke palmed Orion's cheek, and the Prince smiled, eyes full of joy. "Now let me clean up."

"Or what? The maid will find evidence of what we did in the morning?" Orion pulled out. "You're the bloody maid!"

"Oh, stop! You know I hate mess!" Zeke pushed him away with a grin and slipped away to the bathing chamber to clean himself up as he did every night the two were amorous.

When he returned, Orion was still naked, laying on his side. Zeke knew where to go. He slid onto the bed and let the Prince put his arms around him, snuggling into him tightly.

If you want to sleep in the room, you can come in now, Zeke told his Familiar, and he smiled when he saw the beautiful red, blue and yellow butterfly fluttering in through the window. Thanks for giving us privacy.

He loves you, Alaoi landed gently on Zeke's outstretched finger.

I love him! Zeke smiled at the insect, and Alaoi flapped his wings in joy.

"Hey, it's Alaoi!" Orion looked over his lover's head to see the butterfly for himself. "What's going on?"

"He's just going to sleep with us tonight," Zeke told him, and Alaoi flapped his wings and took off towards the beams up near the roof.

"Your butterfly's a pervert!" Orion quipped. "I've seen him watching us before!"

Does he know that you wanted me in here so you could see yourself with him through my eyes while you were making love? Alaoi asked, sounding amused.

Shh. He doesn't need to know that, Zeke grinned privately.

"I'm not ready to go to sleep yet," Orion decided, pulling away to Zeke's sadness.The climate in the tropical Islands of Ulisse never allowed it be to cold, even at night, but he felt vulnerable without Orion there with him. After all, Zeke would still be a nobody from the Salt Island if Orion didn't take a liking to him and kiss him under the gentle spray of the blowhole the younger boy lived nearby. "Come for a dip?"

"You want to swim now? In the dark?" Zeke sat up and looked at him. "You know how dangerous the tide can be. And the Krakens scare me!"

"I'm not talking about a marathon between the Islands!" Orion exclaimed, pulling on a pair of simple cloth shorts from the basket. "Come and have a dip in the springs with me. Plus, do you have any idea how dangerous that sun is? The night favours me!"

Zeke giggled. Alaeyas was almost half the size of the main continent, all of the west coast. The Alaeyan Palace was near the south, where the sun was gentle and the people pale-skinned. Orion had a lovely brown tan after years of living here, but the strength of the sun still burned him. The Islands of Ulisse lay north of both Ilaria and Alaeyas, and it was hot up here. While there were four main Islands, the Islands of Salt, Rock, Water and Sand, there were dozens of smaller ones around and between the main four. Orion's skin was not meant for the intensity of the sun this far north, and it burned easily if the medics did not smear cream on him. It wasn't uncommon for the Alaeyan Prince to wander and explore during the night. He was safe wherever he went as long as the Lisse Krakens prowled the ocean around the Islands and his Pegasus was by his side.

"Alright! But we have to be discreet!" Zeke warned him, reaching over and fishing out another pair of Orion's shorts. They were a little big for him, but he tied a cord around the waist.

"Discreet?" Orion laughed. "What are we discreet for? What's so scandalous about a Prince and his retainer spending some time in the springs? Do you think I plan to fuck you there?"

"Oh!" Zeke felt the blood rushing to his face, but he his skin did not turn red. "I just meant... you know!"

"I only wish to be with you outside these walls," Orion reached across to touch his lover's face. "During the daytime, I am the Alaeyan Prince, and you are my friend and retainer, but at night time, we are one. I love you, my sweet butterfly. Maybe one day I'll get Rylan to guard while I do fuck you in the spring. How about that?"

"Ooh!" Zeke couldn't help but grin at the idea of doing something so naughty in a place so public.

Keep it in your pants, Zeke, Alaoi's comment made the boy giggle. Do I come with you?

Would you like to? Zeke asked him. He saw Orion's eyes glassing over as well. He must have been summoning Rylan, the beautiful white Pegasus.

Of course! Alaoi fluttered down from his place in the roof and flew around the two of them. I enjoy the springs! Plus, I can keep an eye out for anyone who seeks to disturb you.

We're not going to have sex in the spring! Zeke giggled louder, and Orion's eyes focused and looked at him.

"I wish I could listen in on your conversations," Orion snickered, taking Zeke by the hand and bringing him to the window.

"I'm grateful that you can't," Zeke responded as the flapping sound became louder and Rylan flew through the open window. A gorgeous beast. He was fiercely protective of his Prince, but he understood the boundaries. Out there, Orion belonged to Rylan. In this room, he belonged to Zeke. "Can I pat him?"

"Of course you can!" Orion sprung up onto his Pegasus' back.

"Okay, I just like to ask," Zeke was wary of the Pegasus.

He knew how dangerous they could be in spite of their pure, innocent appearance. Rylan nodded, and Zeke ran his fingers gently between the beast's eyes while Alaoi perched himself on Zeke's shoulder. No matter how often he saw Rylan, he never ceased to be amazed by the beast's divinity. He took Orion's hand and hopped up on Rylan's back, and just like that, the winged Pegasus turned back to the window and took off. To swim was exciting. The salt water ran through Zeke's blood. His ancestors swam between Islands in years past and he had the webbed toes and fingers of the parents that created him. But to fly? That was something else. He held on to Orion's narrow waist and enjoyed the ride. Alaoi managed to hold on. The beast flew much faster than he did, so it would have been a long trip for the little fellow if he didn't.

Rylan flew the three of them down to the entrance of the springs. The Island of Rock was the biggest of the four Islands of Ulisse and was home to both the Ulisse Palace and Onunu, the dormant volcano with a peak that breached the clouds in the sky. Volcanic vents once heated the springs, but now they were cold. The ocean around the Islands was warm, but inside the mountain, the rivers, streams and pools of water were much cooler. Orion loved them, Zeke knew. His blood, native to the south-west of Ytia, ran warm. Zeke's, as a native of Ulisse, did not. It made them ideal bed partners. Orion warmed Zeke, and Zeke cooled Orion. Zeke's body was designed for swimming in the oceans between the archipelago but it tended to get cold in the springs. Oion would be able to keep him comfortable with his natural warmth. He always did. Torches lit up the springs. Indeed, they were not the only two inside the caves. It was a popular spot for romance.

"Ayy! Orion!" They cheered when they saw the half-naked Prince and the boy he was with, and Orion happily returned their greetings. Zeke was far too shy for that. It was amazing how casual and social Orion was with people he did not know. Regular people. As though he were one of them. If only he were just an ordinary person, Zeke thought sadly. I could have him to myself then.

"Orion, are things going to change?" He asked meekly, putting his toes into a small pool chosen by the Prince. It had a gentle waterfall trickling from the ceiling to fill it up, and it, in turn, overflowed into a pool underneath them. Alaoi opted to explore the flowers and water plants that grew inside the springs. Orion pulled him inside and the cold water shocked him until the heat of his lover warmed him.

Stay safe, he told his Familiar, who did not bother to reply. He was always worried about Alaoi. He loved his butterfly, and the feeling was mutual, but he was but a small insect. He could be squashed, and then... I would disappear. Our souls linked. What is a butterfly when compared to a Pegasus? An indestructible Kraken? He would not trade Alaoi for anything, but the worry always niggled at him.

"What things?" Orion furrowed his brow.

"When you marry the Princess," Zeke asked sadly, the question in the back of his mind since they left their room. "Are things going to change between us?"

"Why would they?" Orion asked, lifting Zeke onto his lap in the water and kissing him on the neck, snuggling him with both arms.

"You know! You'll be married to Princess Bailey as soon as Ro--" He began, but Orion quickly put his hand over his lover's mouth.

"Shh!" Orion snapped at him, looking around them in case someone was eavesdropping. "If the wrong person heard you talking about that--"

"I'm sorry!" He pulled Orion's hand away from him. Right. Don't mention the mission to get Ronan to the Islands because if that crazy Iralian Queen found out, she'd declare war. I'd like to see them try, Zeke thought. Ulisse did not have an army outside the Royal Guard. They did not need one, not even for defence. The Lisse Krakens living in the waters around the Islands were the biggest, most powerful Familiars in the known world. Big and powerful enough to overwhelm, destroy and sink the largest battleships Iralia could send at them. Zeke hated them. When they surfaced and cried out to the night sky, he would always snuggle closer to Orion, who would keep him safe. "I hope it works out, though. I really do. I just... I don't want to see you married to someone else."

"Mehh," Orion didn't seem phased at all. "It's only marriage. It's not like I'll be joined to her at the hip."

"If you mean to provide her with an heiress, you will! Literally!" Zeke pointed out, then he spoke much more quietly. "I love you, okay? I don't want to see you with someone else. I don't even want to think about it."

"I love you too," Orion whispered back, barely louder than the sound of the waterfall gently rippling into the rocky pool they were in. "Why would that change?"

"You'll be married!" Zeke hated it when Orion intentionally played stupid. "You don't think that will be a problem?"

"What the hell does love have to do with marriage?" Orion asked him, screwing up his face. "The whole purpose of marrying Bailey is to give her a few kids. No law says she and I must be forever in love."

"The vows say that," Zeke complained, and Orion rolled his eyes. Oh, you did not just roll your eyes at me!

"Then the vows can go fuck themselves!" He exclaimed. "You know as well as I do that I'm just a babymaker. She knows that. I know that. You know that! I'll get her pregnant, hopefully with a daughter so as I don't have to try again. She'll probably find a paramour, and I'll keep you. What's the problem?"

"Orion! Why can't you see where I'm coming from?" Zeke wanted to shout, but he did not want to draw attention to them. "You'll be with her! And I want you to myself!"

"You think I'm looking forward to making babies with her?" Orion folded his arms and Zeke felt cold without them around him in the chilly waters. "Don't get me wrong; she's a cutie. Still, I don't like girls. I would probably enjoy fucking her Kraken more than what lays between her legs. But we all have our roles to play, don't we?"

"And what's my role to play?" Zeke asked, his feelings hurt. "To serve your meals, do your laundry, tidy your room and suck your cock? Is that what I'm here for?"

"Hey!" Orion turned on his Princely voice for the chastising. Here we go. "You're everything to me, but I have to provide Bailey with sons and daughters. That's all it is. Duty. I don't see why you're making a big deal out of this."

"Because I love you, you dumb asshole!" Zeke growled and left the pool, water trickling from his undergarments. "I can't bear the thought of sharing you with anyone! Even her!"

With that, Zeke left the springs in a huff, and Orion did not attempt to summon him back. What a jerk. Why is he okay with this? He's mine. Mine alone! Not hers! If he loved me, he would not marry her. He would refuse, and Prince Ronan could take his place when he finally got here. He wiped tears from his eyes and snot from his nose on his dark arms as he walked out of the cave and sat by the entrance, facing the ocean.

"It's astonishing, isn't it?" A voice took him by surprise, and he turned to see a dark-skinned young man with long, black hair and dark, round brown eyes. "You think you can master your own destiny, and then something inevitably happens to make you realise you're not as in control as you might think."

"What's it to you?" Zeke asked him rudely, and the man sat down next to him.

"You love him," the man smiled warmly and reached out, gently stroking Zeke's face. Zeke pulled away. Only Orion could touch him. Not this stranger. "I can see it in your heart. Your love for him burns so strongly I can feel it."

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How do you know me?" Zeke demanded of him, scowling with scorn and suspicion. "Why are you talking about Orion?"

"My name is Kaden," the man replied, and suddenly the irises in his eyes flashed red and his skin paled to milky white.

"You!" Zeke recoiled, recognising one of the Zyrian four, and scrambled away in fright. "Demonspawn!"

"That's what they call me," Kaden smiled. He was half-naked, as were most of the Ulisse folk. He was beautiful, Zeke realised, but he was of Zyria. The ancient family. The unnatural spawn of the demon Kai. "Don't believe everything you hear, Zeke. I am no demon, nor are my brother, sisters or father."

"What are you doing here?" Zeke stammered, realising how little courage he had. I'm just a weak little boy with a butterfly Familiar. What can I do? I'm nothing. I'm powerless.

"I bear you no ill will," Kaden explained, brushing his long, black hair behind his shoulders. "I am only here to investigate. It's beautiful up here. Is the weather always so warm?"

"It's Ulisse," Zeke was still frowning. "It's always warm. Why are you spying on us? What are you investigating?"

"You need not worry," Kaden turned to face Zeke. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just looking for some answers, okay? Orion is sixteen, yet he has not married Princess Bailey. Why is that? Is it that he is devoted to you instead?"

Because we're waiting for the arrival of Prince Ronan, Zeke thought to himself, but he could not relay that information to someone of Alaeyas. I'm the paramour of their Prince, after all.

"That's none of your business," Zeke told him coldly, standing up on the cool, wet stone underneath. "You should leave. If Orion should find you--"

"Orion will only recognise me if I see fit to make it so," Kaden whispered a word of ancient Zyrian and all of a sudden, he once again looked like another of Ulisse's common folk. Dark skinned with webbed fingers and toes, his eyes almost black. "What about Prince Ronan Alae from the Iralian Palace? Do you have word of him?"

"Why would I?" Zeke lied, hugging his naked torso with both of his arms. "Why don't you go and spy on him?"

"I do not know where he is," Kaden told him, standing up to meet his gaze. He wasn't much taller than the little Ulissen, and he was slight in build. "Queen Ninon has declared war on Alaeyas. She accuses us of stealing Prince Ronan from her, and will stop at nothing to avenge her brother's death by my father's hand. Please, Zeke. If you know where he is, you must tell me. Orion knows. I'm sure of it. We know of the power he possesses to communicate with his brothers' Pegasi. Help me, Zeke. I do not want my country slaughtered by that... horrible woman."

Zeke only knew what Orion had told him. The boy was so excited that his triplet brother was coming to Ulisse with that Lady Willow from the Iralian Palace. He did not know where Ronan was, nor did he know when to expect the Prince to arrive. He only knew Orion finally convinced Queen Layla to act and save the young boy. Still, he could not break confidence, especially to someone from Alaeyas. How will Orion feel to know that his actions have indirectly caused war to erupt between his home country and Iralia?

"I'm only his retainer," Zeke told him. "But he will not treat with you. I know that for a fact. I suggest you leave, Kaden. Orion--"

Once again, it seemed as though the Kraken were listening to him, and he heard the horrible creaky cry of one of them as they breached the surface. This one was alabaster in colour and much larger than the one that spied him earlier in the palace. It belonged to Queen Layla herself, and it was too big for Zeke even to fathom. The white, glowing eyes burned as it looked towards Kaden and it raised its abdomen above the water. Horrifying! The Kraken cried again, much louder, the sound piercing Zeke's brain, and it raised itself from the saltwater, giving both boys a good look at the immense size and sheer ferocity of the beast. There were small islands inside the Ulisse seas that were smaller in size than this monster! Six tentacles breached the surface of the ocean; long, thick appendages at least forty metres long. It took all of Zeke's resolve not to piss himself at such a frightening sight. It could eat me, he thought. One of those colossal tentacles could easily squash me like a bug. Like Alaoi!

"The Kraken!" Kaden breathed, covering his mouth with his hand. He looked scared. "Goddess! I did not believe!"

And just like that, he was gone. Zeke merely blinked, and Kaden had disappeared. Zyrian sorcery, he knew. The Kraken, as though it knew there was no threat to destroy now, crashed back into the ocean with a mighty splash, causing a massive wave of water to come Zeke's way. He fled back inside, the knee-deep water following him through the entrance and generating a stream of surprise among the folk in the springs.

"Bloody Krakens!" Someone laughed, and a chortle spread throughout the members of the public soaking in the springs.

"Orion!" Zeke was almost beside himself with panic as he rushed back up to the pool his Prince was still in, waiting for him to come back after their argument. He always did that, Zeke thought. He always remains for me to go back to him, no matter how long it takes. If not, he comes for me. He does love me.

"What's wrong?" Orion knew immediately that his paramour was upset. "You look like you saw a ghost. It was the Kraken, right? Did it scare you?"

"I hate the Krakens," Zeke admitted, sitting down in the cool water of the rocky pool and letting his Prince wrap his arms around him. "But no. It was Kaden of Zyria. He was here. He was outside. He spoke to me!"

"Kaden?" Orion snapped to attention. "What did he want? Why was he here?"

"He--he--he!" Zeke began to hyperventilate until Orion's loving touch calmed him down over the span of a few minutes. Do I tell him? I should. We don't keep secrets. "He wants to know about Ronan. Queen Ninon has declared war against Alaeyas. She thinks they stole him."

"Shit!" Orion had nothing else to say, it seemed. Just an exclamation.

"I didn't say anything!" Zeke told him, cuddling into the brown arms of his lover. "I wouldn't! I couldn't! And then the Kraken came for him, and he vanished!"

Orion gently kissed Zeke's forehead.

"You're okay. You're here with me," Orion shushed him. "I need to tell the Queen."