The Goblin King's Lovers

by Marie Medina

  She shook her head. “No one has asked.”

  Lorne didn’t like that. Yes, she was only thirteen, but girls began attending balls at the age of twelve, so he saw no reason for her to sit here alone and watch others have fun. “Davin will ask, if he can get free, but until then, would you dance with me?”

  Lorne braced himself for a refusal, but she looked up at him with something like relief. “Yes, I’d like to.”

  Lorne set their glasses aside and led her out as a new song began. He liked the way she held to him and didn’t shrink away. “You seem more at ease lately.”

  Eva looked up at him, faltering a bit, but Lorne moved to help her get back into step. “I think so. I suppose I’m used to being here now.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I’ve made friends at school,” she said, glancing around, “but none of them are here tonight. Perhaps next month, some of them will come.”

  “Will you dance with me again next month?” Lorne asked without thinking.

  “Of course. You’re my friend,” Eva said. Her eyes searched around them, and she looked down quickly.

  When they turned, he looked over and confirmed she’d been looking at Davin. But he couldn’t be jealous with her either. She’d called him her friend, and that had been his desire, hadn’t it? To be her friend.

  “I’m glad you consider me your friend now. I know I’m too sharp at times.”

  She looked into his eyes and hesitated, but then she gave a soft smile. “I thought you considered me stupid. Nika told me you were trying to help, but I didn’t get it.”

  “I’ll always try to help you. I promise. And I don’t think you’re stupid. I like you very much.” I like you more than I’ll ever say.

  Eva smiled again but didn’t reply. She moved more gracefully now, and they danced on in silence, a feeling of contentment settling over Lorne as they moved.

  * * * *

  Davin watched Eva dancing with Lorne, and he grinned. The girls around him grew quiet, but only for a moment.

  “Do we amuse you, my prince?” one girl asked.

  Davin’s grin faded. He didn’t like for other people to call him my prince. That was what Lorne called him. But he turned and politely replied, “I’m just happy to see Lorne dancing tonight. He usually doesn’t, but he’s danced four times already.”

  “The new human girl’s pretty,” said Lila, a goblin with radiant green skin. “She and Lorne could be siblings. Such nice dark hair.”

  The other girls murmured halfhearted agreements, and Davin saw Lila bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. She winked at Davin before turning away and talking to a boy standing near them. Lorne and Eva did look good together, their fair skin and dark hair equally beautiful. However, what struck Davin the most was how happy Lorne looked.

  Davin had given some thought to Lorne’s favoritism before, but now it all seemed clear to him. Lorne’s constant focus on Davin’s welfare was never interrupted by anything—except things that concerned Eva.

  Eva glanced at him and smiled. Davin smiled back and excused himself. He moved to a side table and drank a glass of water, the heat getting to him a bit, and then he made his way onto the dance floor. Lorne, as usual, anticipated his desires and twirled Eva into Davin’s arms, briefly touching Davin’s shoulder and then bowing graciously to Eva before departing.

  “I’ve been neglecting you,” Davin said. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re a prince. You have duties.”

  “And you’re my friend.” He led her through the steps as the music changed. “Are you having fun?”

  “Yes,” she said with a quick nod.

  “Good.” He considered his next words and finally said, “I’m happy you and Lorne are getting along. He spends so much time worrying about me. He needs friends the same way you did when you first came here.”

  Eva looked surprised, but then she nodded. “He works hard. Always rushing around.” She leaned in and whispered, “He makes me a little nervous still, but I like him, really I do.”

  “And we like you, very much.” Davin finished the dance and excused himself with an apology.

  “It’s all right,” Eva said. “I understand.”

  He kissed her hand and moved away, his eyes searching for Lorne. He wanted to tell his yabito to go back to Eva, but he couldn’t find Lorne. He sighed, thinking it might be for the best. It would be years before he chose a bride, and Davin knew he couldn’t spend those years shoving Lorne and various women together to see how they got along. Lorne liked Eva, and Eva seemed to like both of them.

  And who do you like?

  Davin tried to answer his own question but found he couldn’t. He liked Eva a lot, but he also liked Lila, especially her sense of humor, though she was older than Lorne even. He liked Britan and Cora and Jessamyn. He sighed. His feelings for Lorne were so strong he had a hard time thinking of girls. He moved to ask someone else to dance, telling himself that his heart would sort things out in time. His love for Lorne had grown naturally, and the only way to ensure happiness for all involved was for his love for their future bride to grow in the same way.

  As he spun around the dance floor with a blonde girl named Daphne, his eyes searched the room, waiting for some elusive spark to strike him. They talked, and she was pleasant, but he felt nothing special. He danced with almost every girl close to his age, but nothing compared to the moment he’d seen Eva smiling up at Lorne. His eyes searched out both of them the rest of the night, but he didn’t see them together again that evening.

  Chapter Three

  Seven Years Later

  The Eve of Davin’s Coming of Age

  Davin smiled when he found Lorne sitting in the moonlight by the pond. His yabito had been so busy planning the upcoming celebration that they’d had little time together. Davin wanted to share his news first, but he had other plans for this night as well. He already knew his choice would make Lorne happy, but he couldn’t wait to see his lover’s reaction. His father had approved immediately, which only made Davin happier. Slipping in to sit beside Lorne, Davin pulled the man into a kiss right away. Lorne yielded and returned the kiss eagerly.

  “I was just thinking of you,” Lorne said when the embrace ended.

  “And I was thinking of you. Of us.” He took both of Lorne’s hands in his. “I’ve been with father to tell him of my choice. He’s given his full approval, and I wish to ask her tomorrow.”

  Lorne blinked several times, but then he smiled. “Then we will make plans. I didn’t know you had anyone in mind. Who have you chosen?”

  Davin laughed and shook his head. “I love you so much, most especially at moments like this. Can’t you guess?”

  Lorne licked his lower lip, a nervous look on his face. “Guess? I’m not sure why you think I would know. So many have vied for your attention lately. You’ve spent a lot of time with a few of them,” Lorne shrugged, “and I’ve been waiting for you to talk to me about it, but you’ve said nothing about favoring any of them. I was trying to give you space and time.”

  “There was nothing to discuss. I’ve known who it should be for a long time.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman we both love, Eva.”

  Lorne’s eyes darkened, yet Davin could not tell what he was feeling. “I … you’ve never said you had feelings for her.”

  “She is our dearest friend. Did I have to say it?”

  “She’s your dearest friend. I’m just an inevitable part of the package.”

  “Eva loves you!” Davin protested, tightening his grasp on his lover’s hands.

  Lorne lowered his eyes. “Yes, she loves me. As a friend. As the one who protects the man who holds her heart.” He met Davin’s gaze. “She’s in love with you.”

  “To love me is to love you. You and I are already one.”

  Lorne cleared his throat and gave Davin a look that made him feel like a child again, if only for a brief moment. “Has it ever occurred to you that Eva might not, well
, understand that? She bristles a bit when you kiss me, looks uncomfortable. I don’t think she knows the depths of our relationship.”

  “Then we’ll tell her.”

  Lorne sighed and pulled his hands from Davin’s increasingly fierce grip, which he’d been unaware of until Lorne tugged his fingers away. “Now, that sounds romantic. ‘Marry me. Oh, and did you know you’ll have to sleep with someone else too?’ She’ll be shocked.”

  “We’ll help her, as we always have. You fell in love with her first, after all. She filled your thoughts from the moment you saw Nika carrying her through the streets. You ran for the doctor and waited all night to hear how she was. You knew she was special the moment you saw her.”

  Lorne didn’t respond, gazing off at the surface of the pond.

  “What are you thinking?” Davin asked.

  “Are you doing this for me, my prince?” he asked quietly.

  “Doing what?” Davin moved closer, confused.

  Lorne gazed into his eyes. “Did you pick Eva because you know how I feel about her? I tried not to love her, but my heart gave me little choice.”

  Davin laughed. “Is that what worries you?” He shook his head. “I adore her, and I’m as in love with her as I am with you. She’s perfect for us. I know she’ll say yes, even if she has to consider it for a while.”

  Lorne did not look as certain, his teeth worrying his lower lip as his eyes searched Davin’s. “I’m not as confident as you are. They don’t do anything like this in the human world. She could be jealous of me, or repulsed by the entire idea. Or both.”

  “Why do you think she’ll be hostile to you? Why are you convinced you’re the one she won’t want?”

  “Davin, anyone could see that she loves you. We’re friends now, but her feelings for me aren’t the same.”

  Davin wanted to refute those claims, but even he didn’t know what was in Eva’s heart. Not yet. Had he deluded himself into believing she would say yes simply because they were so close?

  “You know I’m right,” Lorne said.

  “We’ll talk to her. Tell her we both love her, both want her.” Davin took Lorne’s hands in his again. “And for once, you have to make it clear how you feel. You only do that with me. You don’t open up completely with her, even when the three of us are alone together and enjoying ourselves. You keep her at a distance.”

  Lorne yanked his hands away, actually looking angry. “Because I didn’t know you cared for her! I thought you only saw her as a friend. You never react in kind to the hundreds of things she does to show her affection. You treat her like a sister. A much-loved sister, yes, but a sister nonetheless.”

  “I was trying be honorable and act properly. Did you expect me to grope her each time she smiled at me?” Davin pushed off the bench and stalked away, stopping a few feet from Lorne.

  A full minute passed before Lorne broke the silence. “We must be in love,” Lorne said. “We’ve been watching each other quite closely. And now we’re judging each other and losing our tempers.” Lorne let out a heavy sigh. “I’m happy but unsure.”

  “You won’t be alone.” Davin pulled a leaf off the tree in front of him, turning it in his fingers. “I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

  “But perhaps not right away. Be prepared for that.”

  Davin looked back over his shoulder and let the leaf slip from his fingers. “Then there is no time to lose. Tomorrow we shall tell her and see what happens.” He moved back to Lorne and knelt at his feet, resting his hands on Lorne’s thighs. “Please, Lorne.”

  Lorne jumped to his feet and pulled Davin up. “Don’t do that. You know you never have to beg.”

  Davin put his arms around Lorne’s neck. “I might have to tonight though. There’s something else I want. Something you’ve been keeping from me.”

  “What?” Lorne asked, confusion and concern mixing on his face.

  “Tomorrow, we plan on telling Eva that we’re lovers. Yet we’ve never really consummated it. We touch,” he said, caressing Lorne’s long, dark hair, “and there is much pleasure,” he pressed his lips to Lorne’s ear, “and your mouth has been on every inch of my body,” he pulled back, “but we’ve never made love.”

  Lorne’s gaze burned now as it swept over Davin’s face. “Is my prince saying he wants to fuck me?” he whispered, his voice husky.

  Davin shook his head slowly. “I want you to take me,” he said against Lorne’s lips.

  The brush of lips became a kiss, and Davin could feel the change in Lorne. His yabito backed him up against the stone wall to the left of them and kissed him thoroughly. Their bodies flush against each other, Davin could feel Lorne’s hard cock rub his thigh. He had stroked and sucked that cock many times, but Davin needed more. He longed to feel Lorne inside of him.

  Lorne panted when they drew apart. “You don’t wish to wait until she can be with us?”

  “No. I can’t wait another night. I’ll be of age tomorrow,” he said. He kissed Lorne’s neck and pressed his face there, clinging to him. “We’ve waited longer than most men before us. I want it.”

  Lorne pulled back and looked into his face. “Want what? Tell me, my prince.”

  Davin trembled. Lorne always did this, made him say exactly what he wanted in explicit detail. It excited Lorne, Davin could tell, and he got a thrill from saying the blunt words as well. “I want you to make love to me. I want your cock inside of me. Take me until I come. Use me until you spill and fill my ass the way you’ve filled my mouth so many times.”

  A moan escaping him, Lorne smiled and arched against Davin. “I’ll be gentle, love.” He feathered kisses over Davin’s face.

  “Don’t want gentle. Want to feel you.” Davin pushed them away from the wall. “Come on.” He tugged at Lorne, hurrying into the palace and up to his chambers.

  * * * *

  Lorne hardly noticed the people and things they passed as they moved. He didn’t really come back to himself until they were in Davin’s room, tearing at each other’s clothes. Davin pulled his boots off and threw them down before pushing Lorne’s doublet off his shoulders. Lorne became even more enflamed when Davin ripped his shirt in half in his eagerness, kissing Lorne’s chest and then pausing when he saw what he’d done. Lorne shrugged it off, loving the hint of embarrassment he saw in his prince’s eyes.

  “Don’t look like that,” Lorne said, as he drew Davin’s shirt over his head. He caressed the planes of Davin’s chest and stomach as he knelt and unlaced his breeches. “I’ve wanted you for years. I’ve dreamed of this moment since our first kiss.” He freed Davin’s cock and suckled the head, the taste of the pre-cum making him sigh.

  “Mmmm. Should have demanded this sooner,” Davin said as he tried to force his breeches down.

  Lorne tugged them down and helped Davin step out of them as he licked and teased his cock. “You’re worth waiting for. The desire had to be yours.”

  Davin fell back on the bed and drew Lorne to him. “Naked. Now.”

  Lorne nodded, as if he was acknowledging a royal command, and Davin groaned. Lorne chuckled as he stood and yanked his boots off. He broke a lace as he became impatient with his breeches. Davin lay on the bed with his legs spread, his hand fondling his cock and balls. One finger kept straying to his hole. Lorne licked his lips as he kicked the troublesome garment away. His tongue had filled that sweet passage many times, and now his cock would finally feel that same sweetness.

  Davin drew up and took Lorne by the hips, sucking his cock deep right away and making Lorne gasp. Davin’s tongue teased him, and Lorne held his head to fuck his mouth briefly. The soft moans of pleasure from Davin drove him wild, and he knew he had to hold back for now. As he pulled back, Davin’s mouth still pursued him, licking and trying to recapture him.

  “Can’t wait to see you pleasure her with your mouth,” Lorne said, pushing Davin onto the bed and straddling him, stealing light kisses from his soft lips, “that sweet, talented mouth.”

  “You’ll have to teach me. I
want to please her,” Davin said, running his hands into Lorne’s hair and nipping at his neck.

  “We’ll learn and explore together.” Lorne caressed Davin and then worked down his body slowly, letting his mouth linger on his prince’s most sensitive spots. “As we learned with each other. Instinct.” He gazed up at Davin. “Every touch has been perfect. We wanted each other, and no one had to tell us what to do.”

  Davin smiled, a soft, sensual laugh escaping his lips. “But I loved it when you told me what to do.”

  Lorne smiled back. “Spread yourself for me,” he whispered.

  Davin obeyed, lifting his legs to his chest. Lorne toyed with him at first, mouthing his balls and lightly licking his cock, which now wept with need. He massaged Davin’s hole with one finger, but he did not penetrate. Soon Davin wiggled impatiently, and Lorne slapped one cheek to still him. Davin sighed and buried his head against a pillow as Lorne rose and took up a tin of salve. The scent of roses filled the room as he slicked one finger and further teased his prince. He worked into Davin slowly. Watching Davin’s changing expressions made him ache, but he didn’t want to take Davin until that same ache filled him. It took him ten minutes to prepare Davin, and he could see his love ready to explode. Lorne had stretched Davin thoroughly, and he now had three fingers in the prince’s ass. He withdrew and inserted just one, thrumming against Davin’s gland, the one that gave so much pleasure.

  “Lorne, please,” Davin begged.

  Lorne rubbed the remnants of the salve on his cock and moved into position. He spread Davin with two fingers and pushed into him. He kissed Davin’s neck as he passed the tight ring of muscle, which he’d loosened well. Davin stiffened a bit and wrapped his arms and legs around Lorne. His fingers dug into Lorne’s back. Lorne leaned down and kissed him more, moving to his lips.

  Looking down into Davin’s eyes, he said, “Now, my prince, we’re truly one. We’ll win our lady together and bring her this kind of joy.”