WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
NSFW alert ! 18+ content ahead
Jacob held the towel up, triumphant and red-faced himself, while Theron did an awkward half-crouch, trying to preserve what dignity he had left. The tables had turned, and now it was Theron who was flustered, muttering and reaching, while Jacob fought to keep a straight face.
The teasing didn't stay light for long. With the towel gone and Theron scrambling for dignity, Jacob didn't give it back. Instead, his eyes dropped once, then snapped back up to Theron's face, and something in his expression shifted from flustered to intent. He liked at Theron's flustered face and made a decision in his head.
Theron saw it. The teasing grin fell off his face. "Jacob, wait," he started, but Jacob was already moving.
Jacob stepped forward and caught Theron's jaw in one hand, fingers firm, and crushed their lips together. It wasn't soft. It was hard, demanding, all the frustration from Theron's teasing poured into one kiss. The sudden change knocked the air out of Theron's lungs.
Theron went still for half a second, completely naked and caught off guard. Then his hands came up, not to push Jacob away, but to grip his shoulders, his waist, anything to hold on. The embarrassment vanished, replaced by heat.
Jacob's other hand slid to Theron's back, keeping him there, and Theron answered the kiss just as fiercely. All that cocky energy from before turned into raw want. He kissed Jacob back with a hunger that made it clear he'd been holding back for a long time.
Theron was fully aroused now, his member started touching jacob's belly aggressively, his earlier teasing catching up to him in full force. He broke the kiss only to breathe, his forehead pressed against Jacob's, both of them panting. His hands fisted in Jacob's shirt, pulling him closer, unwilling to let even that inch of space come back between them.
The line Jacob had drawn was crossed, but only because Jacob crossed it himself. And Theron, now trembling with restraint and want, devoured his lips again, passionate and desperate, letting Jacob set the pace for everything that came next.
Jacob's face burned with shame, but his eyes were anything but shy. They were fiery, fixed on Theron. After all these years of wanting him, of holding back, now Theron was here, his, and the proof of it was pressed hot member against Jacob's stomach.
Jacob had never seen him like this. Curiosity won over embarrassment, and his gaze dropped. Theron was fully hard, his member was big and Jacob's breath caught.
Theron chuckled, his forehead still resting against Jacob's. "Are you satisfied with what you saw?"
Jacob didn't answer. His heart was pounding too violently to form words.
Theron leaned in, his lips brushing Jacob's ear before he caught the lobe between his teeth, teasing. "You broke the dam, Jacob. If you don't stop me right now, I won't be able to stop myself." His hot breath spilled across Jacob's cheek, making him shiver.
Jacob looked up, meeting Theron's eyes. Slowly, his hand slid down and wrapped around Theron. "I'll allow you. A little bit today. Do what you want."
That was the permission Theron had been waiting for. He claimed Jacob's lips again, deep and hungry, while Jacob's hand moved on his member, slow at first, then finding a rhythm. Theron's hands dug into Jacob's waist, pulling him flush against his bare body.
Long minutes slipped by, filled with broken gasps and muffled moans against each other's mouths.
Theron's breathing got ragged. "Ah, Jacob, ah, faster, more, faster," he moaned, his hips rocking helplessly into Jacob's grip.
He crushed their lips together again, kissing him so hard Jacob nearly lost his breath. Then Theron shuddered violently, a low groan tearing from his throat as suddenly spilling hot white over Jacob's hand.
For a moment they separated, both panting. Then Theron was kissing him again, slower but just as passionate, pouring everything he felt into it. Another three minutes passed before Jacob finally pulled back, breathing hard.
Theron was already hard again from the kissing, his eyes dark and wanting. He looked at Jacob with a pleading, puppy-eyed look. "Can I get something more?"
Jacob's answer was immediate. "No. Obviously not. I came here to invite you for breakfast."
He gave Theron a firm push toward the bed and headed for the bathroom to wash his hands, leaving Theron naked, flushed, and utterly stunned on the floor.
The most unlucky one that morning was Kael.
Rhys had walked straight into his apartment, found him half-naked and fresh out of the shower, and dragged him out the door before he could argue. Kael only had his pants on. He spent the entire walk to the canteen trying to pull a shirt over his head and button it properly while being marched down the road.
Luckily it was still too early. The path to the canteen was empty, so he kept at least some of his dignity as an instructor. Any later and it would have been dust.
Rhys had warned him yesterday to be ready in the morning. Kael hadn't listened. He stayed up late doing research, woke up late, and was barely out of the bathroom when Rhys walked in, took one look, grabbed his wrist, and left.
Kael finally got his shirt on and glared at him. "See! I told you to at least let me cover my dignity first. They're late anyway."
Rhys shot him a fierce look. Kael immediately shut his mouth and muttered to himself, "Why am I afraid of my own boyfriend?"
A second later he grinned and leaned in. "Babe, they must be enjoying their time inside their apartments. Why don't we go back and..."
He didn't finish. He met Rhys's cold eyes and gulped the rest of the sentence down.
Rhys was annoyed. "That damn Silas. And even Jacob has changed now that he has a boyfriend."
At that moment Rhys's communication device started shaking. He answered it.
Silas's voice came through, a little tired. Draven didn't feel well, so Silas was staying with him to take care of him. They wouldn't be joining for breakfast.
Kael frowned. "Draven got sick? That never happens."
Rhys answered, nonchalant. "Isn't it normal to get sick?"
Kael shook his head. "No. He told me he never got sick in his life. And it's true. In four years of study together, he never once fell ill."
Just then Jacob and Theron walked into the canteen and saw Rhys and Kael already waiting. Jacob sat opposite them, Theron slid in beside him, still looking a little flushed.
Rhys relayed what Silas had said.
Jacob sighed. "Silas is facing something big. I saw him that day. He was hiding something from us. What do you think?"
Rhys nodded slowly. "I only know part of it. Even as his best friend, this is all I can tell you. He was sick as a child. Always sick. Then one day he just got healed. Completely. Now he's here at the academy with us. The secret he's holding, it's probably something terrible. I know him. He won't involve us if he thinks it will harm us."
Theron leaned forward. "That letter. If that letter is correct, then a lot of high-level nobles are involved in this."
Kael didn't look at anyone in particular, but his voice was firm. "Draven is my friend. Silas is my friend too. I won't leave them alone. I'll fight any enemy they have to face."
Theron answered immediately. "Me too."
Jacob put his hand over Theron's. "Me too."
Rhys let out a short chuckle, the tension in his shoulders easing just a bit. "I can't leave that dimwit alone. I'll be the first one to fight his enemies."
Silas was sitting in a chair beside the table in Draven's apartment. Draven had finally fallen asleep after Silas told him to rest, and this time there were no nightmares. His breathing was deep and even.
Silas wasn't sleeping. He had a heavy book open in front of him, one Draven kept on his shelf. It was a record of the ancient families of the Imperium. He turned a page and chuckled quietly to himself.
Ancient families, huh.
The book listed the Valerius line as a military house founded three hundred years ago after a border war. It called their bloodline "stable but unremarkable." Every single point was wrong. Silas knew because he was born into one of those families. He knew the real histories they buried, the pacts they made, the things that bound them.
At that moment the air in the corner of the room shifted. It was barely a ripple, but Silas felt it instantly.
He didn't look up from the book. "Come out."
The void split and Aldric stepped out, then dropped to one knee before him. If Aldric didn't want to be sensed, no one could detect him. He was a warlord, Silas's shadow since childhood.
Silas finally closed the book, his face frowning in confusion. "What happened? Why did you let me sense you?"
Aldric placed a fist over his chest. "Count. Master sends a letter. He wanted you to know something... I don't know how to..."
Silas waved his hand, impatient. "Tell me directly. I want to hear what Father wants me to know."
Aldric kept his head lowered and spoke quickly. He told him everything. Aleric had returned to Valerius Castle alive, but he had brought beastmen with him, survivors from the border. He had pleaded for them in the main hall. In response, Archduke Cassian had publicly dismissed Aleric as heir, stripped him of the title of First Young Master, expelled him from the main family, and granted him only a small subordinate territory.
The more Silas heard, the deeper his frown became. By the end he was standing, his hands braced on the table.
"Father! Why did you have to do it? Why did you dismiss him as the heir!"
He turned his glare on Aldric, his eyes bloodshot with sudden anger. He kept his voice low so he wouldn't wake Draven, but the fury was clear in every word. "He saved the people who saved him. He did what any decent man should do. I don't want my brother left out of the family. I don't want him punished because he chose to be human."
Aldric didn't flinch. "Young Count, the Archduke did it to save him."
Silas stared at him.
"The best imperium envoys are already in the capital," Aldric continued. "They demanded punishment for harboring beastmen.They wanted those beastmen villagers back alongside young master Aleric. By expelling Lord Aleric first, by judging him himself, the Archduke invoked Imperial law. No other noble, no imperial court, can punish him again. The territory is under Valerius protection. It was the only way to keep the beastmen alive without breaking the family oath."