Corin shuddered. He wrapped his legs around Aless’s waist, pulling them together.Aless ground his hips down against Corin’s, giving a low groan.
He panted, brushing some hair out of Corin’s face. “Never thought you’d be the type,” Aless teased, grinding down again.
Corin movedhis hand toward the bottom of Aless’s tunic, attempting to tug the garment up. “W-what?” he asked.
Aless grabbed Corin’s wrists and pinned them above his head, trapping them beneath one of his hands, much to Corin’s obvious annoyance. He’d let Corin have his fun later, for now Aless wanted to show Corin how good he could make Corin feel. Aless moved his hand to the top of Corin’s pants, beginning to unlace the front as quickly as he could. He slid his hand into the loosened garment, gripping the younger man’s arousal.
Corin groaned. “I want to touch you,” he said, attempting to move his arms out of Aless’s tight grip.
“In a second,” Aless replied, moving his calloused thumb over the head of Corin’s cock. Corin groaned, eyes fluttering shut as he thrust blindly into Aless’s tight grip.
“Please,” Corin moaned, and suddenly all the contact was gone. Corin sat up, watching as Aless rolled over, looking at Corin. “W-what?” Corin asked, panting.
“If you want to touch me,” Aless teased, spreading his legs, “then touch me.”
Corin felt something break inside him, and suddenly he was moving from instinct alone. He climbed on top of Aless, tore open his tunic and threw it to the side so he could touch whatever he could get his hands on. Corin could barely even register what he was doing. One minute he was licking Aless’s chest, the next he was biting the guardian’s neck. He could barely contain his arousal, almost tearing Aless’s belt in two as he tried to disrobe the guardian.
Aless almost winced, hearing a loud rip as Corin managed to tear his pants open, throwing the ripped remains to the side. He admired Corin, grinning. The younger man hadn’t bothered to refasten his pants. He was utterly shocked at the passion Corin was showing. Where had this man been during their spars? He attempted to sit up, only to find a strong hand pushing him down. Aless almost chuckled—it was Corin’s turn now, and he’d let the young man have his fun.
Corin gave Aless a chaste kiss, pulling back and trailing a hand down Aless’s chest. He remembered it feeling incredible when Aless had rubbed his cock, but he wanted to outdo the older man. Corin didn’t even understand where this confidence was coming from, but it was almost as if there was a voice inside his head, calling for him to touch the other man, to kiss the other man, to make love to Aless.
He began kissing a path down Aless’s chest, following the light dustings of hair. Corin licked his lips, staring down at Aless’s cock, flushed and hard as a rock. Corin blushed, hardly believing what his body was telling him to do. He moved a hand around the base of Aless’s cock, fisting it and running his thumb up and down the shaft experimentally. When Aless gave a choked moan he couldn’t resist, licking his lips and leaning over, taking the head of Aless’s cock into his mouth. Aless bucked his hips up instinctively, and Corin smiled at this, humming lightly and removing his fist, allowing the older man full access to his throat.
By the spirits, Corin felt amazing, Aless noted, giving another hoarse moan as Corin licked his erection. His throat kept tensing at random intervals, a trait the experienced never possessed, much to Aless’s disappointment. Corin was the best of both worlds—an inexperienced man who had natural instincts Aless had never seen. Aless had lost his virginity to his old master, and he remembered it being far more awkward than this. He hadn’t known what to do and had lain back, allowing his master to have his way with him while he barely moved. He was grateful for Corin’s enthusiasm, though. It allowed him to take a more submissive position, which he preferred.
Though, Aless thought, allowing another groan to escape his lips, Corin’s enthusiasm was bringing him to the edge. He flushed bright red, gripping Corin’s hair and pulling it up, shuddering when Corin looked up curiously, licking his lips.
“What’s wrong?” Corin asked.
Aless flushed. “You’re getting me too close.”
“Oh….”
“It’s okay. I’m not really gonna complain,”Aless said, stepping out of bed and walking over to a cabinet. He rifled through the drawers and pulled out a small bottle of oil before walking back toward the bed and sitting down.
“What’s that for?” Corin asked, watching curiously as Aless poured a bit on his palm.
“It’ll make this easier,” Aless explaining, gripping Corin’s cock with his slick hand, doing his best to cover the organ with as much oil as possible. It had been a while since he had slept with anyone, let alone been on the receiving end during an encounter. He climbed onto Corin’s lap, straddling his hips and positioning Corin at his entrance.
Aless began easing himself down, gritting his teeth to adjust to the large intrusion. He gripped Corin’s arm tightly, digging his nails in while he tried to adjust. Had it really been that long, Aless wondered, leaning over and giving Corin a small kiss as he waited for the pain to pass. During his exile he hadn’t seen anyone, but even when he had been sleeping with a different apprentice every night there had always been an initial moment of pain.
Corin bit his lip, hardly able to contain his moans. By the spirits, Aless was tight. He hadn’t expected to find himself in this position, but he was enjoying it immensely. Aless suddenly began moving himself up, thrusting down onto Corin’s lap, attempting to get a good angle, to hit the spot he knew would give him immense pleasure.
Corin gripped Aless’s hips, attempting to meet the older man’s thrusts. He could barely think. Aless was just so hot and so tight—
“Expel your natural mana,” Aless commanded, pulling himself down on a particularly nice angle, beginning to speed up his thrusts.
“What?” Corin asked, confused by the command.
Aless groaned, tightening his grip on Corin’s arm. “When we were in the Water Temple, your mana made me come.”
Corin flushed, obeying Aless’s command. He began releasing his mana into the room, feeling it combine with Aless’s. Sweat began forming on his skin as he thrust back up into Aless’s body, attempting to drive the older man down harder.
Aless groaned, finally feeling Corin’s mana in his skin. It was as if an aphrodisiac had been injected into his blood. He suddenly climbed off Corin’s lap, ignoring Corin’s complaints and propping himself onto his hands and knees, spreading his legs apart.
Corin adapted to the change in position quickly, taking a moment to position himself before driving himself deep into Aless. The older man groaned below him, encouraging Corin to begin a vicious pace. Aless dug his hands into the blankets, groaning and arching his back toward Corin. By the spirits, he was getting close. It was somehow more overwhelming than the experience in the temple, and Aless wasn’t sure he’d be able to last another second. Corin moved a hand between his legs, pumping Aless’s cock and the older man lost it, giving a loud moan and spilling his seed onto Corin’s hand.
The younger man didn’t even falter, continuing his brutal pace. Corin displayed amazing virility, Aless noted, shuddering. It was at least a half hour before Corin eventually groaned, burying himself as deep as he could into Aless, releasing into the older man.
Corin pulled out, flopping onto his back in exhaustion. He didn’t think it was possible to maintain that level of pleasure for that long. He looked at Aless, who had rolled over and was climbing on top of him with a smile covering his face. The older man leaned over, giving him a lazy, chaste kiss.
“That was incredible,” Aless murmured. “I’ve never seen a virgin last that long.”
Corin blushed, allowing his hands to wander over Aless’s back. “It was like something took me over.”
“Whatever it was, I liked it.” Aless replied, giving Corin another kiss.
Corin moved his hands down to Aless’s ass, giving the cheeks a light grope. “You aren�
�t sore?”
“I will be,” Aless laughed, “but it was worth it, believe me. Corin… I know I really haven’t known you for a long time but I… I think I love you, Corin.”
Corin sat up, staring at Aless. “Y-you do?”
“Yeah,”Aless replied, moving a hand to Corin’s ear, playing with it.
“I…. I think I love you too,” he replied, giving Aless a light kiss on the lips.
“I’m so relieved to hear you say that,” Aless confessed.
“You really like my ears, don’t you?” Corin asked, smiling as Aless gave the tip a rough tug, pulling him closer to Aless.
“They’re unique,” Aless answered, pushing Corin back onto the bed, giving him another light kiss. “I love all of you, but I’ll confess, I do love your ears.”
Corin laughed. “You have a thing for Far Easterners?”
“Just you.” Aless kissed Corin again. “I promise. I’m not planning on running off with Cyril anytime soon.”
Corin smiled and rolled onto his side, pulling Aless with him. He wrapped his arms around Aless’s shoulders, placing his head on the older man’s shoulder. He was coming down from his high, and he was feeling immensely exhausted as a result. He just felt so at ease with the older man, and he felt so connected now that they had…. Corin blushed at the thought—he couldn’t believe what had come over him!
Corin yawned. “Y-yeah….”
“Tired?” Aless asked.
“I didn’t think I would be so—”
Aless smiled, kissing his cheek. “Sleep,” he commanded. “I won’t keep you up any longer, I promise. We can talk in the morning.”
Corin smiled, relaxing his eyes and pressing his entire body against Aless. He pulled Aless closer, allowing himself to succumb to his exhaustion.
Chapter 23
CORIN awoke in an empty bed.
He frowned at this, sitting up and allowing Aless’s blanket to fall down to his waist—but what? Corin scanned the room a second time; this wasn’t Aless’s room. It resembled his dorm more than anything else, but his clothes weren’t on the ground and room just felt… wrong, for lack of a better word.
He looked down at his arms, noting they still appeared to be the same. He stood up, wandering toward the mirror, feeling his face with slight confusion. He was still himself, though his clothes were different from normal—when had he gotten dressed? He wandered over and grabbed a pair of boots, sliding them over his feet and walking out.
Corin figured he had to be dreaming as he stared down the hallway. It still felt like the monastery though, and as a pink-robed student pushed past him, he raised his eyebrows, glancing between the hall and the stairs. If this was the monastery, he had certainly never been in this hallway before. He walked toward the stairs. It looked like a new wing altogether.
The walls displayed scenes of that tale he had read. There were sights of the spirit falling in love with the girl, the others banding together to destroy them.
“Hail to you, Guardian of Llubla,” a small girl stood there, smiling. Corin almost reeled back. She looked almost exactly like his mother! Well, his mother if she had been younger, at least. The girl was stocky, with the same ruddy skin he had and short, straight black hair.
“I’m sorry, but you must be making a mistake,” he apologized, examining the coat with a frown—wasn’t that the guardian’s traditional garb? Well, not in that color, but the coat was the same as the others in shape and design. “I’m just an apprentice.”
The girl gave a small laugh. “No, you’re not,” she answered, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I can feel it inside you, Guardian.”
“You’re wearing the guardian’s coat though, aren’t you?” he asked. “This is a pretty odd dream.”
The girl laughed, pulling down her hood. “Llubla chooses a guardian whenever he needs one. Perhaps today he needed two.”
“Who are you?” Corin asked.
“My name is Faye of Llubla. And your name, stranger?” she introduced, curtsying.
“Corin of Zephyr,” he answered, bowing. “Where am I, on that note?”
“Corin, I can tell you’re not a child of Zephyr,” Faye giggled, tilting her head to the side. “You’re in the Clan of the Elements! Did a child of Ubel curse you?”
“Ubel?” Corin asked.
“You really did get cursed, then. Ubel’s the spirit of anger and madness, of course.”
“I’ve never heard of that spirit before,”Corin muttered, looking between Faye and the wall.
“And you call yourself a guardian!” she teased, before sighing, a sad expression falling over her face.
“I never called myself a guardian,” Corin defended himself. “You’re the one who insisted I was—wait, are you okay?”
“My lover, Iason, recently took Ubel’s spirit into his body, and we had to trap him in the temple,” she explained. “He was a lovely man, from the Eastern Isles…. We’ve been together for fifteen years! Since we were ten years old. I wish I could see him.”
“You’re a guardian too,” Corin countered. “Why haven’t you been sealed?”
Faye shrugged. “Because Llubla’s guardians don’t fall under the same rules.”
“What do you mean?” Corin asked. “And why won’t you tell me who Llubla is?”
“Llubla’s the spirit for love,” Faye answered. “Llubla faced a tragedy, falling in love with a human. The other spirits were so jealous they turned Llubla human! He wound up marrying his lover, though, despite that, and happily living with her for the rest of his days. Isn’t that so romantic?”
He muttered Kateline’s book’s title in Centrallian.
“That’s right!” Faye exclaimed, smile back onto her face. “You’re from the Village of Teron too, then?”
“Yes, I am,” he replied, pausing. “You are?”
“I came here to become the rightful Guardian of Llubla,” she declared.
“But I don’t understand,” Corin said. “If Llubla became mortal, how can he select a rightful guardian?”
“Llubla chooses a guardian when he feels one is required. You can never underestimate a spirit.” She answered, playing with a lock of her short, dark hair.
“So why would a guardian be required for Llubla?” he asked, frowning.
“I’m not sure….” Faye mumbled.“But I was going to go make a prayer to find out. He always answers my questions. Do you want to come along?”
“You’d welcome me to join you? Aren’t the temples supposed to be reserved for apprentices?” he asked, blushing slightly as he remembered his encounter with Aless in the Water Temple.
“Since when?” Faye asked, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, you’re a Guardian of Llubla. He sent you here for a reason, I’m assuming. I’d love for you to come with me.”
It looked like the monastery Corin knew, but wrong, in a way. He didn’t recognize a single person wandering the halls. All of the walls were lined with carvings similar to the ones around where he had woken up, all appearing to tell various old folktales.
Faye pulled him out of the main door, and Corin instantly noticed no fence guarding the monastery, unlike what he was used to. The forest almost blended in with the temples, Corin noted. He could see Serac’s temple out of the corner of his eye, but many large, overgrown trees obscured the view.
Faye pulled him forward, walking toward a temple very close to the door. Corin narrowed his eyes as it came closer; he had never seen that temple in his monastery. He looked around the area to ensure he hadn’t confused it for a different, known spirit. Why wasn’t the temple in his version of the monastery, he wondered. A temple didn’t just disappear, especially not without a trace.
Faye suddenly walked around toward the main entrance, smiling at the various carvings on the door. “Llubla doesn’t want you to follow,” she said.
“It’s fine,” Corin replied, watching as she entered the temple, shutting the door before he managed to get a glimpse of the inside.
“Corin�
�?” a voice called out, and suddenly Corin felt the ground begin to shake.
Corin reached out and grabbed a tree, watching in absolute horror as the temple in front of him began to sink into the ground. The vibrations caused him to lose his balance, falling over and planting his face into a nearby pile of dirt.
The temple was seeping into the ground, and all of the students bustling about didn’t even seem to notice it, Corin observed in horror. He looked to his left and found the trees were now bursting into flames, crumbling into piles of ashes at an alarming pace.
“F-Faye?” he called out, trying to stand up and look around the temple. A gust of wind suddenly followed, and a pile of the ash blew into his eyes, blinding him.
“Corin?” The voice called again, and Corin fell to his knees, trying to crawl toward the temple again. How could it be sinking? What was going on?
“Corin!” the voice screamed, and suddenly Corin woke up.
Chapter 24
“CORIN!” Selena called out, finally managing to awaken her apprentice.
Corin looked up curiously, groaning as he felt the hot sun covering his skin in a thick blanket, overheating him with the—
Wait, he realized, flushing bright red and noticing the cape conveniently covering his frame, where were his clothes? Why was Selena here? Where was Aless? And why, he realized, giving a small groan, was he lying in the front of the main temple completely naked?
Out of all things she had expected to see during her morning walk, this had to be one of the more unlikely ones.
She had to admit her conversation with Aless had managed to wake her up. She understood the event with Piers had been painful for her, but sitting around and doing nothing wasn’t going to help, even if she was still slightly torn up over the event. In the future, Selena supposed, when everyone else had gone feral, she’d have her shot, but now they needed her support, however she could provide it.
Exile Page 16
