Blood for the Spilling

by TJ Nichols

  “Could you be serious?”

  Terrance inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “Why? What will it change?”

  Angus scowled at him. “We need a plan. Maybe I can get you to Demonside and you can hide out there.”

  “Until it sucks the life out of me? Nope. I’m done with hiding and pretending and running.” He needed to make a stand, and this was it. He’d play the best game of his life and hope that he was good enough.

  “You’ll be killed.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” But he totally agreed. He’d need months of training to compete.

  “Do you actually think you have a chance?”

  Terrance was silent for a moment. He expected to die. The game was hard and he wasn’t used to it. Would he get one training session or several? Would he get to watch some games and analyze them? How skilled would his opponent be?

  Even if all of those factors aligned in his favor, which was unlikely, the odds were still marginal. He wasn’t dumb enough to give false hope to himself or to Angus.

  He shrugged. “Maybe.” Long odds but sometimes the underdog won. That was why he liked sports. Nothing was a given, and no game was ever the same. Angus only watched it with him because he liked to look at the legs on the men running. They had that in common too.

  And magic.

  And they’d both worked for the underground for a time.

  If he were smarter, he’d have let Angus go and tried to keep his head down, but the college had jailed his parents for being wizards, and as far as he was concerned, anyone who wanted to bring them down was a good person.

  Angus genuinely was a good person. Terrance would never to be able to live up to that goodness. Someday soon Angus would realize that Terrance was exactly how Cadmael had described him. But he’d be dead before that happened… which wasn’t terrifying at all.

  His last words would be something like “Look, I finally did something right, and it worked.”

  “We need to make a plan and get you safe.”

  Terrance put his hands on Angus’s shoulders and kissed him. His lips were warm and stiff, but then he relaxed his mouth and sank into the moment. That was what he’d been missing while he hung out in his windowless room or cell or wherever they were keeping him. Angus slid his arms around his waist, and Terrance pulled him close.

  “I want to enjoy the rest of today and maybe tomorrow morning.” He didn’t want to dwell. There’d be time for that later. Today he would live.

  Angus looked up at him. “You don’t hate me?”

  “No.” Angus was the kind of person everyone should be. The world wouldn’t be so fucked if more people cared, and Angus had made him care. He wanted to do the right thing because he should and not because of what he could get out of it. “You didn’t drag me into this. I happily followed.”

  Angus tightened his embrace for a moment. “Have you seen the others?”

  “No, but maybe they have swanky apartments too.”

  Why had he been put away? Was he really that untrustworthy? From the moment Cadmael rifled through his thoughts, he’d known that nothing good was coming for him. No, it hadn’t been good from the moment they’d been brought across the void. They’d been so relieved to get out of the desert, to know death was behind them. But then they’d all been separated. He thought the Mayans were going to take back their offer of refuge and cut them down to use their blood.

  “We needed to get out of Vinland or we were all dead. And we’re out. We have a chance. That’s so much more than we had before.” He kissed the top of Angus’s head. “I need a shower. What are the chances you’ll share it with me?”

  Terrance smiled, but the edges became strained, and when Angus didn’t immediately respond, the smile started to fracture.

  Did Angus not want him anymore? He should’ve seen that coming.

  Fuck, he should’ve stayed in the desert and given up. But then he’d have never gotten to see the things he had.

  The Mayan Empire was amazing, even the little bit he’d seen.

  “Pretty good,” Angus said eventually. “I don’t want to waste this chance.”

  “I’ll ask for another.” If he trained really hard, maybe they’d reward him as they had in Vinland. He was so obviously for sale that people could see the price written on his forehead.

  If he survived, he was going to change that, even though he didn’t have a clue how.

  He led Angus through the apartment. It wasn’t big, but it was bright and airy and had a balcony that overlooked the city. The bedroom door was open, and through that was the bathroom.

  It was a bright combination of green and orange, and the tiles formed patterns that edged the walls and the mirror. Everything was artwork here—functional yet beautified. He could get used to that. His childhood in his grandparents’ home had been functional and barely getting by.

  But he liked pretty things.

  Terrance glanced at Angus. The moment he’d seen him in the common room he’d wanted him. It was unfortunate that the college wanted Angus watched. It had made what could’ve been simple and fun into something complicated.

  He dragged off his shirt, which was still sticky with sweat. Angus watched, and his gaze drifted over the old scars. For a heartbeat Terrance thought Angus was going to say something about what had to be the worst night of his life—the night when Angus had stepped in, stopped the whipping, and proven how valuable Terrance was alive. If he hadn’t, the underground would have killed him.

  He reached into the shower but couldn’t see any taps like there’d been in Vinland or dials like his room had. A rose dangled from the ceiling. Angus reached past him and gave it a twist, and the water jetted out.

  Terrance caught him before he could pull away and crashed his lips onto Angus’s. “I’d have worked it out.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Terrance stepped into the shower and dragged a fully clothed Angus with him. The water was warm enough, though not as hot as he liked.

  “You’ve got no other pants to put on, and these are getting wet,” Angus said against his lips.

  “I don’t care. I’ll wear nothing on the balcony and scandalize the neighbors.” He worked open the buttons on Angus’s shirt, still half expecting him to change his mind and leap away.

  “Please don’t. They might send the soldiers in to arrest you.”

  That was a very good point. He didn’t know enough about the society to know the rules about… well, anything. “Does your shower have a timer?”

  “Yes. All the taps do. It’s like they don’t have that much water.”

  “Less rain. Vinland is freezing, and they’re drying.” He shucked out of his wet shorts and left them on the floor of the shower. “I’d better make this wash quick.” He squeezed out some soap and lathered up.

  Angus removed his clothes and shoved them to the side. Then he helped. He glided his hands over Terrance’s soap-slicked skin as the shower beeped at them.

  “That’s the one-minute warning.”

  He wanted more than a minute, but he stepped under the water fully to rinse and pulled Angus close. He kissed Angus under the water and tasted his lips and his skin as he made his way down Angus’s throat. Each touch firmed his desire about what he wanted to spend the rest of the day doing, and Angus pressed his hips closer.

  The shower beeped five times and shut off.

  They remained pressed together, Angus hardening against Terrance’s leg. It was better to steal happiness now than to wait for the perfect time. He hadn’t had Angus to himself since Vinland, which seemed like another lifetime.

  He reached up to get the water going again, but nothing happened.

  “There’s a ten-minute delay to stop people from doing that.” Angus smiled. “It was the first thing I tried. Of course I had shampoo all over my head at the time.” He found Terrance’s dick with his fingers and closed around it. “Do you want to stay here?”

  A shiver raced through Terrance’s body. He’d be happ
y if Angus just kept going. “Why not?”

  It wasn’t cold. They were both naked, and he didn’t want to give Angus the chance to freak out about what was coming. He should be the one freaking out, but his impending death was really so overdone that he couldn’t be bothered. If someone told him he was going to live and he had to get his act together, that would be much more terrifying.

  Angus stroked and then ran his thumb over the head. “Are you hoping to wait out the ten minutes and get another shower?”

  “Maybe. Maybe we’ll need another one.” He took Angus in hand. He’d always liked the way Angus’s dick curved as though begging to be touched… or licked.

  Terrance dropped to his knees, and his pants cushioned the impact. Angus gasped before Terrance’s lips had even brushed the head.

  “Been a while?”

  Angus nodded, and Terrance bit back a smile at knowing he was getting in before Saka. They were sharing Angus, and at one point there had been a serious implication that the three of them could get together.

  As pretty as Saka was—in a metallic, red-skinned demon way—Terrance wasn’t sure if that was what he wanted. It didn’t matter either. Thoughts of pitz tried to invade, but he swallowed them down, along with the length of Angus’s dick.

  Angus pressed his nails into his shoulder and threaded his fingers into his hair. Terrance pressed his tongue to the underside of Angus’s hot, hard flesh so the tip rubbed against the roof of his mouth, and then he almost released him. He teased and tasted with his tongue and flicked around the crown. He was barely even trying, but it didn’t matter. Angus’s eyes were half closed, and he rocked his hips in rhythm.

  Terrance cupped Angus’s balls and slid one finger farther back and traced the seam to his ass. That was all it took for Angus to groan his release. Terrance swallowed the lot and then got to his feet, his dick aching to be touched. Lust was hot and heady in his body and his skin was too tight.

  Angus cupped him almost gently. “What do you want?”

  It wasn’t his last meal before death, and he wasn’t going to treat it as such. “Whatever you want to do.”

  Angus pumped some conditioner into his hand then coated Terrance’s dick with it. Every stroke was torture.

  “Now I’m definitely waiting for the water.”

  “And I know how to waste those last few minutes.” Angus turned and put his hands on the tiles.

  “It’s not a waste.” He kissed between Angus’s shoulder blades while he teased Angus’s tight hole with his fingers. Angus pushed back as though he were done with waiting, and Terrance obliged and pushed in.

  He gripped Angus’s hips and deepened each thrust while still trying to draw out the moment. He didn’t want it to be over.

  Angus rocked back to meet each thrust and shuddered. The tightening of his ass was enough to push Terrance over the edge. He gasped and let the tremor subside and then rested his head on Angus’s back.

  After several heartbeats he reached up. The water came on, but neither of them pulled away. He should. He couldn’t waste this second shower.

  But he needed to say something in case he did end up on some sacrificial altar. “I might be falling for you.”

  It was supposed to sound like he didn’t really care, but it sounded half-broken. He couldn’t say the real words. He never had. And he never would if he died.

  If he couldn’t say them to Angus, then what was the point? He’d never be able to say them to anyone.

  Angus glanced over his shoulder, murder in his gaze. “Don’t.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t lie.” He pulled out and turned Angus to face him. “I do love you.”

  Water drummed on the tiles, and Angus looked like he wanted to kill him.

  “You don’t get to say that and then go and die.”

  “That’s exactly why I need to say it. You don’t need to say it back.” He wished Angus would, though, even if he didn’t really mean it.

  Angus bit his lip and shook his head. “I don’t want to love you. I don’t want to fall, because it’s going to hurt. I don’t want to have to watch you play.”

  “But that’s all going to happen anyway.” Terrance stole another kiss and then started to wash off. He tried to convince himself that it was fine. Angus had said he didn’t want to fall, which meant that he was falling, and that was good.

  Angus picked up his clothing, and something fell out and rolled across the floor toward the drain. Terrance put his foot over the hole as Angus reached for the thing.

  “What is it?”

  “Whatever Saka gave me. I’d forgotten about it.” Angus turned it over in his hand.

  “It was in his ear.”

  Angus held it for a moment. “I think it has magic.”

  He offered it to Terrance, but Terrance didn’t have the kind of magical ability that Angus had. He had never wanted to be a warlock. All he wanted was to play rugby. The college had bought him with a scholarship. In hindsight, they probably wanted to supervise the child of some dangerous wizards, and he’d fallen for it.

  He handed it back. “Maybe. What do you think it does?”

  “I don’t know. But if Saka had it in his ear….”

  “You’re going to stick a random magical piece of jade in your ear? And you think I take risks.”

  Angus lifted his gaze from the piece of jade. “No, you’re going to stick it through my ear.”

  Terrance looked at the jade and then at Angus’s ear. “This is a bad idea.”

  “I have plenty of them. Loving you tops the list.” He gave a tentative smile.

  Terrance took the jade spike. “Are you sure?”

  “No, but Saka gave it to me for a reason.”

  “Then you’re going to want to hide it under your hair or Cadmael will rip it out.”

  The shower beeped, giving them one minute to finish.

  “Before the water runs out.” Angus brushed aside his hair.

  “You’re mad. And this is going to hurt.” He ran his finger over Angus’s ear to work out the best place to stick it. It was all gristle up where it would be hidden. “It’s going to hurt a lot.” And he was going to have to push really hard.

  “I’m ready.” He put his hands on Terrance’s shoulders and closed his eyes.

  “On three.” Terrance lined up the spike. He held the ear with his fingers and had his thumbs on the flat end of the spike. He pushed without even counting. He’d cut up a roast chicken once—all wrong according to his grandfather—but cutting through the chicken gristle and bone was kind of what this felt like. Blood welled and spilled over his fingers, but the jade was in.

  Angus hissed and cursed, and his nails cut into Terrance’s skin. Terrance pulled him close. The pain was nothing compared to what was coming. He should have kept his mouth shut about loving Angus. He didn’t want to die and leave him. But even if he miraculously won, he didn’t see it ending well. He cupped Angus’s chin. “Do you forgive me?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” Angus gingerly touched his ear.

  Blood dripped on the shower floor and spiraled down the drain, and the water cut off.

  Chapter 5

  “I WAS introduced to three would-be priests today,” Wek said as she picked her way along the trail.

  Trees arced overhead and dappled the light. Vines and other plants reached to block the trail. It wouldn’t take long for it to be swallowed up. The plants around Lifeblood Mountain had never been this lush in Saka’s lifetime.

  Out on the trails, they could walk and be alone. He had started to miss walking. There was no time to be lost in his thoughts and think about magic when he lived in a village surrounded by people and helped the healers all day.

  Alone they could talk freely, and no one was staring at the strange-looking demons. Saka wasn’t used to the attention or the suspicion, and he didn’t like it. He’d thought other tribes would be more welcoming and would want to find a solution to what was happening. But because their part of Demonside was l
ess affected by the drying—possibly because their warlocks and priests made sure to rebalance—they weren’t that interested. It was a human problem for humans to fix.

  “Why were you introduced to the priests-in-training?” Saka stopped and let something orange scuttle across the trail and out of sight. After his meeting with Cadmael and his only time with Angus, he had a bad feeling about why Wek was being touted to the priests.

  “Mages are supposed to have priests, and I don’t have one.” She lifted her gaze as something flitted through the canopy, and she reached for her bow before she let her hand fall away. They didn’t need to hunt for food. It was provided. “Unlike warlocks, priests will only bond with mages.”

  “What choice do they have? When the void is opened that first time….” Unless…. Just because it was that way where he was from didn’t mean it was that way here. “They choose somehow?” Mages could turn away the pull from across the void as a warlock sought a demon. Too many of the mages in his tribe had. They viewed the bond to a human as a bad thing. But choosing was different than turning away. He hadn’t chosen Angus, or at least not consciously, nor had Angus chosen him. Although, to the college-trained warlocks, the first demon a warlock-in-training summoned was an indication of sort of warlock they were becoming.

  Wek nodded. “The priests-in-training meet some mages first, and then a connection is established so that when they open the void for the first time they get that mage.”

  “So the mage helps teach the priest, and the priest can’t abuse a helpless animal.” The warlocks in Vinland probably would’ve found a way to ruin a mage. Some people hungered after power and cared little about the bodies that fell around them.

  “It also makes the priests more powerful. It’s why they have kept you and Angus apart. They are worried about what he can do.”

  “He’s barely started training.” While Angus understood magic and was learning control, he still had a long way to go.

  “He’s Vinnish, and there is an amount of fear regarding them.”

  Saka kept walking. He didn’t want to dwell on that. Angus had looked well when he’d seen him, though it hadn’t been for long enough and they hadn’t been able to talk without supervision. Terrance was much revived, though his health would be wasted. He didn’t want to dwell on what Terrance’s death would do to Angus either.