Capture (22 page)

R
YNEQ
CLOSED
his eyes and banged his head against the rock behind them. “
Fuck
.” He should have known the place they’d pick would be near to where he’d sent Nysad and Cerylea. Of course it would. He should also have pressed for more details when Nykin first told him about the plan, but he’d been too shocked and angry to think straight. “
Fuck
,” he hissed again, snapping his eyes back open and glaring at Nykin. “Tell me exactly what Fimor said.” Ryneq knew he sounded angry and was taking it out on Nykin, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

Nykin raised an eyebrow, presumably at Ryneq’s tone, but dutifully repeated everything Fimor had said without commenting on anything else. Despite being furious that Cerylea was putting herself in the line of fire, Ryneq was grudgingly impressed that she’d not only found out where the Torserian Guards were hiding, but that she’d managed to persuade Nysad to take her to them.

When Nykin finished speaking, he relaxed back against the rock and let out what sounded like a sigh of relief.

Ryneq was just about to snap at him some more, because as far as he could see there was nothing to be relieved about in this whole mess, but then he remembered.
Fimor
. Of course. “He’s okay, then?” Ryneq finally asked.

“Yeah… well, he’s still weak from healing me,” Nykin replied, looking a little startled at the question. “But it’s just a matter of time until he’s fully recovered.”

“Good.” It was the best Ryneq could offer while he was still so very angry at his sister. What was she thinking? As much as he wanted to blame Eldin and Nysad for this whole thing, he knew as well as anyone how headstrong she was. And she was the princess of Torsere—it wasn’t like they could say no to her. Ryneq wanted to know how Eldin knew already, but that would all have to wait. He just hoped Cerylea had the good sense to keep out of sight, at least until Eldin and his men had taken care of the lowland soldiers who were hot on their heels.

“I could still lead Hatak and his men away from her” Nykin offered. “If Hatak’s following the trail I leave, you could slip away to Cerylea, and he would never know until it was too late.” He stared at the ground, and his fingers worried at the bandages on his arms.

“No.” Ryneq shook his head. Hatak would kill Nykin, probably in a slow and vicious manner, and the thought of it had Ryneq’s hands curling into fists. “They’re probably watching every move we make. We’ll lure him into the trap as originally planned.”
And kill him
. With any luck, Seran would be with him too, and they could get rid of them both at once. Ryneq had every faith his own soldiers could handle the men following them and protect Cerylea at the same time. But he didn’t like it. He ignored the nagging voice reminding him that at least one among his people might be a spy. If it were one of his soldiers, then surely Hatak would have already known all about their plan. No, he trusted his men completely. “Get some sleep, Nykin.” He pushed himself up and stalked over to the rock at the edge of the clearing, letting Nykin get what rest he could.

A
S
SOON
as the first rays of sunlight broke through the trees, Ryneq stood up, stretched out his aching muscles, and walked silently over to rouse Nykin. “Hey.” He grabbed Nykin’s shoulder and gave him a rough shake. “We should get going.” He held out a hand and helped Nykin to his feet. “Hatak will expect us to set off at first light. Besides, I want to reach Eldin as soon as possible, and we need to move quickly if we’re going to get there by tomorrow,” Ryneq added as he waited for Nykin to brush the leaves and twigs from his body. His clothes were in tatters, much like Ryneq’s, and he was covered in blood and dirt. “We can make it there in another day and a half on foot if we pick up the pace. Nykin looked up just as his stomach rumbled loudly. “Maybe we could try and catch something to eat on the way?”

He looked pale in the early-morning light, and Ryneq hoped none of Nykin’s cuts were getting infected. He knew Fimor hadn’t been able to heal everything, and they both still had wounds that could do with cleaning. “There are a few streams that feed into the river. We can stop at one of the larger ones to get water and try and catch some fish.” Nykin licked his lips at the mention of water and Ryneq watched the path of his tongue, remembering their kiss from the night before.

“Okay.” Nykin smiled, seemingly oblivious to Ryneq’s train of thought, and gestured for Ryneq to lead the way.

They traveled in silence for the first few hours. The forest was cool to start with, the sun’s early rays only just penetrating through the trees. But the closer they walked to the banks of the Neest River, the thinner the forest became, and the heat from the sun beat down with hardly any respite.

Ryneq was hot and thirsty, and he knew Nykin must feel the same. Judging by the sun, it was almost midday. They really should get out of the heat and rest for a while in the shade of the forest. They’d made good time so far, and could spare an hour or so. He recognized where they were and grinned with relief as he saw the stream up ahead. This one didn’t happen to be the largest one that ran into the river, but it was big enough to hopefully have fish in it. At the very least they could get a drink.

Nykin stumbled next to him, and Ryneq caught him before he fell. It had happened three times in the last hour, and Ryneq worried that Nykin wasn’t as healed as either of them had first thought. He pulled Nykin into his side and wrapped an arm around his waist when he saw the sweat beading on his forehead. “We’ll rest here.” Ryneq tugged Nykin through the trees, ignoring his protests that he didn’t need help, and deposited him on the bank at the side of the stream. He pulled the dagger out of Nykin’s belt and headed out into the water.

“What are you doing?” Nykin asked as he leaned toward the water to take a drink.

Ryneq glanced at him over his shoulder. “Fishing.”

It wasn’t the first time Ryneq had had to catch fish this way. He and Cerylea had done lots of it when they were younger, and thankfully there were plenty of fish in the stream. His sharp gaze tracked the sudden bursts of movement as the fish darted through the water. Ryneq held his knife poised over the surface to strike when one came close to him. It didn’t take him long to catch enough for them to have a decent meal, but he was soaked. He looked up at Nykin, lying on his back in the shade of the nearest tree, and then down at the water. “Nykin?”

“Hmm…,” Nykin answered, not bothering to open his eyes.

“You should wash off all that blood and dirt, and clean your wounds before they get infected.” Nykin glanced up just as Ryneq began to peel off what was left of his clothes. He was filthy from the time spent in the cell, and the cool water felt wonderful as he ducked down into it, submerging as much of himself as possible. He carefully unwrapped the bandages from around his shoulder, sighing in relief when he dipped it under the surface of the stream.

He turned to face Nykin, who was just standing there and staring at him openmouthed. Ryneq cocked an eyebrow, looking pointedly at Nykin’s bloody clothes.

“Yeah… okay.” Nykin hesitated a moment longer before standing and taking off his tattered shirt.

Ryneq watched, unashamedly, as Nykin kicked off his boots and then pushed the remainder of his uniform over his hips and down his legs. He stepped out of them, drawing himself up to his full height, and met Ryneq’s eyes. Ryneq swallowed thickly as his gaze dropped lower, taking in Nykin’s broad shoulders tapering down into narrow hips and a flat, finely toned stomach. Nykin had the typical body of a dragon rider—lean and firm, without an ounce of fat.

A faint blush colored Nykin’s neck and the top of his chest, but Ryneq felt no such embarrassment. He and Cerylea had been dressed and bathed by the palace maids right up until their early teens, so he was quite used to people seeing him naked. Nykin, on the other hand, looked a little uncomfortable but was clearly trying not to let it show. He stepped closer to the water, and Ryneq finally let his gaze drop lower still and grinned. Nykin’s cock was half-hard already, hanging heavily between his thighs as he stood at the edge of the bank.

Ryneq felt his own length thicken in response. “Take off your bandages. They’re probably no good now anyway.” Ryneq moved a little farther into the river where the water was deeper, still watching Nykin as he unraveled the wrappings around his arms. The wounds looked much better than Ryneq was expecting, but they were covered in dried blood and slightly puffy.

Nykin threw the bandages onto the bank as he stepped into the water, and Ryneq saw the immediate relief on his face as he lowered himself into the stream. “Fuck, that feels good.” He closed his eyes for a moment as the cool water washed over him. Ryneq kept quiet, content to just observe as Nykin relaxed fully for the first time since they’d been thrown together. Nykin rubbed carefully at the cuts on his wrist and forearm. He still had the magical cuff given to him by the elves, and the skin was pale and unmarked below the angry red line left by Hatak’s blade. “I wish I could see it,” Nykin whispered. His eyes were fixed on the exact spot where his mark should be, and his thumb smoothed back and forth over the skin.

“As soon as we take care of Hatak,” Ryneq said, moving closer, “we’ll contact Hervath and get the enchantment removed.”

Nykin sighed. “Yeah, okay. It’s just….” He reached up and ran his hand over his short hair and then glanced over at his discarded clothes on the grassy bank. “With all this”—he waved his hand around to encompass everything—“I don’t look like a rider. I can’t link with Fimor at the moment…. I feel
wrong
.”

Nykin’s deep-blue eyes were full of desperation and need, and Ryneq saw the results of all Hatak’s work and this whole mess beginning to take its toll.

“Hey.” He grabbed Nykin’s hand and tugged him closer until he could reach up to cup Nykin’s face with both hands. His grip was bordering on too hard, and Nykin noticeably flinched as he pressed into the bruises there, but Ryneq needed him to understand and regain his focus. He couldn’t allow Nykin to break down now, not when there was still so much at stake. He lowered his voice until it matched Nykin’s. “It doesn’t matter what you look like or what uniform you wear, Nykin. You are a bonded dragon rider.” He let one hand fall down to trace his fingers over Nykin’s wrist. “Even if you can’t see the mark, I know you can still feel it.”

Nykin’s eyes fluttered shut, his breath hitching as Ryneq stroked the soft skin in gentle patterns. Dark, thick eyelashes swept over Nykin’s cheeks, and Ryneq felt his anger rising at all the mottled bruising that stood out in stark contrast. He looked so young and vulnerable like this, and Ryneq was overcome with the sudden urge to claim and protect. “Nykin,” he muttered, almost too low for anyone to hear, but Nykin’s eyes snapped open. “I—”

Ryneq didn’t get any further than that one word before Nykin leaned in and kissed him, silencing him with rough lips and a warm tongue. Ryneq worked his hand into Nykin’s short hair, pulling hard on whatever he could grasp, and smiled against Nykin’s lips when he moaned in response.

Nykin curled his arms up around Ryneq’s shoulders, drawing their bodies closer together, and Ryneq stumbled under the forcefulness of the kiss. Nykin was strong—all long, lean muscle—and he wrapped around Ryneq with a bruising hold, and
fuck,
it was good. Ryneq closed his eyes and let him take whatever he wanted.

“They could be watching,” Nykin mumbled the words into the wet skin of Ryneq’s throat as he broke the kiss. He licked and bit, his tongue catching on the rough stubble coming through, and Ryneq groaned, tipping his head to the side for more of Nykin’s mouth.

“Let them.” Ryneq couldn’t care less who was watching at this moment. He was achingly hard, and Nykin’s hand was slowly making its way down his chest, but Ryneq was desperate for it to move faster. “We’re lovers,” he added, surprised when his voice came out as more of a breathy moan. “They’d expect this, if not more.” It didn’t escape Ryneq’s notice that he’d said “we’re lovers” instead of “we’re
supposed
to be lovers.” But there was no point trying to pretend this wasn’t real.

Ryneq had finally had enough of waiting and roughly pulled Nykin’s head back up for another kiss. He slipped his free hand below the water and wrapped long, demanding fingers around both of them. The stream was cool, keeping the heat of the sun at bay, but the smooth skin under Ryneq’s hand was hot and hard. Nykin gasped as Ryneq tightened his grip, and he pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against Ryneq’s.

The water rippled between them, Ryneq’s rapid movements under the surface disturbing the relative calm above. He couldn’t resist looking down between them, the sight hitting him low in his belly. It had been a while since he’d been with anyone, but Ryneq couldn’t remember it being like this. He didn’t know if it was just the heady release of all the pent-up frustration and anger, but whatever it was, it felt too good to analyze now. With one hand resting on Nykin’s hip, he increased his pace, gratified when Nykin’s breathing hitched.

Every brush of his thumb and stroke of his fingers sent shivers through both their bodies, until Nykin dropped his head on Ryneq’s shoulder, muttered curses spilling from his lips. “
Fuck
….” Nykin opened his mouth, moaning loudly, and sank his teeth into the base of Ryneq’s throat as he came, biting down hard.

It hurt. Ryneq hadn’t been expecting something like that from Nykin, and his hand squeezed reflexively, forcing his own release out of him. He shuddered in the aftershocks of pleasure and pain, barely registering Nykin’s whispered apologies as he pulled back to look at the bite mark. Ryneq finally met his eyes, slightly confused at the look of horror on Nykin’s face. “What?” he asked, reaching up to touch the mark.

Nykin swallowed and took hold of Ryneq’s hand, bringing it between them. “Look.”

The tips of his fingers were smeared with blood, and Ryneq smirked at the sight. He hadn’t realized Nykin had it in him.