"What did you want tonight from us, then?"
"I wasn't sure myself. Until the clasp broke." He grinned down at me.
Who was this man? This king who had broken so many laws?
He continued. "We will do tonight whatever comes naturally and not what you were trained for or expected to do by others. Or what you expect me to do. You and I, here, now, without masks. Can we just enjoy ourselves? Can we do it in a real and honest way?"
This man who wore masks all the time... Now I knew what he really wanted for this night, for his greatest gift. A night when he could just be himself. A night when he could forget the rest of the world, the galaxy, the future and the past, and just feel alive.
And I knew then and there that I was the one who might give him that.
His dark mask gleamed on the nightstand, more hideous now than ever, but harmless when it did not cover his handsome face: a meaningless contrivance, a way to hide so he could do as he wished—except with me. He wanted this to be real.
"Yes," I answered him. "I can be honest. I can be real." It had been a long time. War. Poverty. Going into the Castle Sanctuary Erotica, not really for the art of it, but to get ahead, to help my family. I had taken to it as work, not anything else. Shin was offering me another experience.
"Then come here," he said, and pulled me on top of him again.
I luxuriated in the feel of his skin against mine, his warmth, the way between us that strength met strength. I had more muscle on me than he did, but he had height and a kind of natural power I had not seen before. A king, yes, but more. A man.
The ends of my hair fell against his jaw. I kissed him, and arousal flared again between us, doubled.
This time I took the initiative. My nerves had been frayed only moments ago. But all that had vanished. Now my trembling was for another reason. His words had given me a confidence I never knew beyond the skills I had learned in the sanctuary.
I explored his body thoroughly; it blazed. I too was on fire. When I ran my hands up the insides of his thighs, he spread his legs for me. At first I was taken aback, but he encouraged the play. I bent to kiss the crown of his cock, take it into my mouth. I tasted the salt of his home world, the freshness of the stars.
He finally begged me to stop. "I want to make this last awhile longer," he said, spreading his legs further.
I looked at him, eyebrows raised.
He nodded. "I have prepared too, you realize. There is oil there, under the pillow."
I found it and poured some into my palm. It was sweet, like spring rain. I stared at his pale eyes for a moment.
"Go on," he said.
Reaching between his legs, I spread all of it upon him, teasing him to find him opening easily to me. He closed his eyelids in bliss, the lashes making shadows on his cheeks.
I massaged him with one finger, then inserted two.
He pulled his knees up. "Please," he said. "I want you inside me."
I quickly poured more oil on myself, positioning myself at the entrance to his body as he held himself open. I pressed forward and slid in, our twin gasps filling the chamber.
His grasp was tight, my cock encased in silken flame. A fever infected my blood. Already his muscles were milking me as I started to pull back only to thrust in again.
"More," he said. Then louder, "More."
Ecstasy filled me.
He tilted his head back on the pillows, exposing his throat. I leaned down and kissed him there, sucking at the tender flesh. He held onto me, first my shoulders, then wrapping his arms around my neck.
He moved his hips up to meet mine. The connection of our bodies fit perfectly as we slid together, apart, together, like a sea finding its shore, like a breeze lifting a leaf, first a gentle strength, then a stronger gust to make its mark.
I thrust harder. Shin encouraged me. Our mouths met again, tongues twining.
This was like a transformation for me. I'd never had sex like this before, never such chemistry with another.
I pushed my arms under him and around his back, lifted him to me, chest to chest. He hugged my hips with his legs.
"There," he said into my mouth, and, "Harder."
I gave him all I had, then felt a liquid warmth spread between us as he threw his head back and cried out. His cock throbbed against my stomach again and again.
A few more thrusts, and I followed him into cresting bliss, coming hard.
Deeper tensions I did not even realize I had gave way. I fell against his chest, and we collapsed into each other, he on the bottom, me on top, the white bed encasing us in pillowed silks and gathered satins.
"Remi," he whispered into my ear. "I knew you would be the most exquisite one."
My eyes brimmed. An old hollowness inside me that I'd ignored for too long was gone.
Soon Shin got up, coming back with a black towel and a full glass of wine. We wiped ourselves dry and shared the wine.
After a rest, our arms loose around each other's waists, the kisses began again.
There was nothing that could keep us from each other's embrace now. No more rituals or masks lay between us.
Later we woke from a doze, arms and legs woven together, subsisting on each other's breath.
Shin blinked slowly, caressing the side of my head. "You have been my greatest gift on this night."
"And you mine," I whispered.
"On the world I am from, in the country where I was born, we called this night of winter celebration Christmas Eve. I never received a greater gift on that night than I have tonight from you, Remi. When I leave here soon, I will never forget it."
Those words had me wide awake in a second. "You're leaving?"
"Of course. My sun-ship calls. My true home is roaming the stars. I have done all I can for Niobe. They tire of me here. Time to move on."
I shut my eyes tight against increasing heat. One night. That was all anyone had spoken of. My master and trainer had repeated this. Though we were to be gifts for the king, there were no guarantees he would keep us past this night. Especially not a man rumored to despise slavery in any form.
"Ah." I felt him lay a hand across my cheek. "You are beautiful to pretend that you might miss me."
"Pretend?" Of course I knew I might be sent away. But the honesty between us and our talk of it had meant something more to me. More than ritual or payment for my family or honor for me. "Shin, I'm a poet. Half my poems are about the stars. And they're about this sort of longing you've revealed in me tonight." I opened my eyes, the air caressing the dampness on the lids. "You chose me for my honesty."
I saw him glance quickly away; his mouth turned down. He took a sharp breath. "I know that."
"I have not pretended one thing this night. I thought you hadn't either."
"No."
"It's true, then, what's between us." I moved closer to him.
"I—" He was for the first time tonight at a loss for words.
I kissed him. He did not kiss back. I deepened my kiss, opening my lips to his. I could have been kicked out of the castle for being so presumptuous. Finally he responded. His arms tightened about me.
I pulled back, looked into his almost-startled eyes. "Damn you, Shin," I whispered.
He frowned.
"You can't just leave. Not now."
"The plan is already in motion."
I was an impulsive boy once. That impulsiveness had never quite left me. It had brought me this far. The night had been both the best and worst experience of my life. I had slept calmly, thinking I wanted to get to know this man better. Confident because of his praise that he might keep me around to do so.
Such had never been in his thoughts, not from the beginning or after receiving his "greatest gift."
My eyes stung. "But the stuff about honesty— You lied."
"No." His face was pinched, his eyes nearly closed from his frown.
My breath came fast. "If you leave me now, before I ever have a chance to... to know you, I will hate you forever." I coul
dn't believe I'd said those words.
He moved back, a hurt look on his face. Our legs still touched, but no other parts of our bodies were in contact.
What was I doing? Had I actually raised my voice to the king? Citizens had been executed for less.
"Remi—" he began.
"I will hate you." I couldn't stop myself. My voice wavered, I tasted salt in the back of my throat. But my will would not be stopped, even as part of myself sat back, observing the horror of my misbehavior. "I will hate you until the ice of this backward planet melts, until all the stars burn away. I swear it!" Never had I spoken so to another.
It seemed to me my life had only just begun. And now it was ending. But he had made me no promises. I had little right to be upset.
I saw tears form in his eyes as he blinked.
"Unless," I added, appalled at my boldness, "you take me with you."
"You'd leave your world behind?"
I nodded, my forehead tight with concentration, though I still could not believe my own words. "Why not?"
"Because it is your home!"
"No. Not anymore. Not after tonight."
"You don't know what you're saying."
For a moment I sat silent, contemplating his words. He was wrong. Something in me had awakened. I did know what I was saying.
"If I am not a slave, since you abhor them so much, then I am free to make my own decisions. You're taking Chel, right?"
Slowly he nodded, his expression oddly focused.
"Then take me."
"That's different. I'm offering Chel a job."
"It's not different at all." I took a deep breath. "Is it that you don't want me?" My tone came out more accusatory than I had intended.
He started to laugh. "Oh, Remi—"
His response startled me. For a moment it made me angrier. "Take me with you. It's as easy as that."
"Oh really?"
I blinked, suddenly unsure.
We sat there staring at each other, neither looking away for long moments.
I was appalled at my behavior but at the same time not. This was what I wanted. I was stating it aloud. The pleasure master would have whipped me for it and cursed the new laws against such punishment as he did it.
The king had another response.
Instead of reacting with anger and horror, one side of his mouth curved up in a sly way, not quite a smile, but thoughtful nonetheless. "You think it's that easy? Really?"
"Really." I rolled on top of him and looked into his face. "I demand it. I have no right, I know. But last night was about honesty if nothing else. You said it yourself. Man to man. No masks. No roles. If you give me this, it will be your gift to me for the night of all nights. The greatest gift I will ever have received."
His cock rose against my thigh, and I knew I had him.
"Hmm," was all he said as I bent down to finalize the deal with a kiss.
EPILOG
That next morning I came into the king's chambers from the shower room dressed only in a thin robe, surprised to find a lineup of well-dressed men and women fixated on their masked king as he paced in front of them, giving orders for coats, slacks, shirts, shoes.
Shin saw me and met my eyes.
"What is this?" I asked.
"If you're coming with me, you will need clothes. I won't parade you around naked on my ship. That's an order."
My heart soared, but for show with his people—the tailors, the guards, all his entourage—I kept my face neutral. "I appreciate that," I replied.
Shin turned back to his people. "I shall prefer him in darkest reds. That will be all."
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand, then leaned in to take my face in his hands and kissed me.
* * * * *
Many years have passed now. We’re married now. We rarely talk of Niobe. But I still follow the feeds coming from that world. I keep up on current events. What Shin did for my world brought peace and enlightenment. That lasted about five years.
After we left, the planet went into an even greater upheaval. The provinces now fight bloody wars I can barely stomach to read about. His short reign as king was vilified in the history books as interference, as he expected. He was considered the evil interloper, the man who tried to change our culture, our ways.
The technology he had brought with him remained, but it only allowed my people to fight with more stealth and intelligence.
Sometimes I wept when I saw the feeds. If Shin came into the room at such a time, he would put his hand on the back of my neck, weaving his fingers into my hair, and say, "That's the way of nature. My own world of Earth almost did not survive its bloodiest times in its ancient history. And the suffering along the way is unbearable to think about. But we did survive. This is why I do not give up, why I plant seeds of knowledge, wisdom, a choice for peace. It doesn't always work right away. But some day, maybe the seeds will fruit. It's a long game, Remi, a long, long game."
Then, he would take me into his arms and hold me for as long as I needed him to.
He was a gamester, a fixer. He thought he was doing good. It was his major flaw. Yet still I loved him.
I was one of the lucky. For me the game had not taken so long.
The End
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Dear Reader:
Thank you for reading Solstice Gift.
I so loved writing about these characters.
In the mood for more holiday mm sexy fun? Check out my contemporary holiday romance Snowfall and Romance. I also have another holiday fantasy: The Elves of Christmas for only 99cents on Amazon. Both books are also in KU!
Happy Reading!
Love,
Wendy Rathbone
About Wendy Rathbone
Read Wendy Rathbone… where imposters and outcasts, princes and lost boys always find their happily every after.
I have written in all genres: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, paranormal, contemporary, erotica, romance. But I keep coming back to romance as the main focus. Gay romance. Male/male romance. The idea of two men falling in love is irresistible to me. It’s all I write now.
All my books are available on Amazon and most are in Kindle Unlimited. So if you have the urge, go take a look. See what’s on the shelf.
Male/male romance books by Wendy:
The Kingdom of Slaves Series (contemporary fantasy mm romance)
The Slave Palace
The Slave Harem
Master of Halloween (short story)
The Secret Slave (coming soon!)
The Imposter Series (fantasy mm romance)
The Imposter Prince
The Imposter King
The Moonling Prince Series (fantasy, sci fi mm romance)
The Moonling Prince
The Coming of the Light
The Foundling Series (contemporary billionaire mm romance trilogy)
Rescue Me
Sacrifice Me
Remember Me
The Fantastic Immortals Series (fantasy/myth mm romance)
Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods
Zeus: Conquering his Heart
Stand Alone Novels
Sci Fi MM Romance
Solstice Gift (winter holiday)
Not Another Hero
Cocky Virgin Prince
Prey
Scoundrel
The Android and the Thief (Dreamspinner Press)
Letters to an Android
Fantasy MM Romance
Lord Vampyre
Lace
Snow of the White Hills (mm fairy tale)
The Elves of Christmas (holiday fantasy mm romance)
Contemporary MM Romance
Snowfall and Romance (Christmas novel)
The Bodyguard’s Valentine
Buying You
THE SLAVE HAREM
Wendy Rathbone
The slave harem is all. If you enter, you can never leave. Contact with the outside world is forbidden.
With a secret talent for seeing auras of physical and emotional arousal, Ren, a sought-after pleasure slave, is sold to a mysterious master in a foreign land where he will become part of a collection of beautiful men.
Though the men appear welcoming, there is competition and jealousy among the ranks. And their mysterious master who is heard but never seen elicits more questions than answers.
One friendly slave, Li Po, helps Ren settle in, but it is the voiceless man, Zanti, who draws Ren’s attention. With his wicked beauty and bratty scowls, Zanti is the least welcoming of them all, and Ren’s training and control are put to the test.
Gay harem, slow-burn, enemies to lovers. Extraordinary and strange. Hot and cold. This book explores the many levels of sex, lust, loneliness and belonging. And maybe, just maybe, there can be love.
THE SLAVE PALACE
Wulf and Locke
WENDY RATHBONE
Conquered. Captured. Sold as a pleasure slave.
After being taken as a prisoner of war, Wulf fights his captors and is sold as a One-Night Thrall to be used and abused, then put to death. He is purchased by a high ranking master of the famous Slave Palace. Why Locke buys him, Wulf has no clue, but something about this master is intriguing. Instead of abuse, Wulf is plied with luxuries he has never known by a man who actually seems to respect him.
Solstice Gift Page 4
