Rise: A Gay Fairy Tale (9 page)

After seeming to ponder it, Rion asked, “Is this why you mentioned starving children?”

“Yes. Many in the kingdom suffer when the harvest is bad.”

“I had no notion such a thing was possible. For children to go hungry. It must be the rampant sickness and disease that affects your food. There’s no other explanation.”

Jack shook his head. “It must be some kind of magic that keeps endless food here, Rion. For my people are no different from you, and have no great sickness. You have many books. Have you ever read of food lasting as long as it does here?”

Rion swallowed a piece of cheese and seemed to contemplate. “No. I haven’t.” He glanced at Jack. “I was always told your people carried terrible diseases. That you were disgusting and venal.”

“And do you find me disgusting?” Jack held his breath.

After a moment, Rion met his gaze, eyes dark. “No.”

Jack’s heart skipped a beat, and he took another sip of ale as desire sparked within him. “I grew up being told a ghastly giant lived here. As I have found, things are not always what we believe.”

“I suppose that’s true. But why would my parents warn us so strongly against the Outsiders?” He drank his ale, frowning. “It was the first thing we learned as children. To never, ever go down the beanstalk.”

Jack had a feeling it was to keep Rion and his siblings trapped in the clouds, chained to the castle and their so-called duty. He wondered how many generations had been taught the evils of the Outsiders. “I don’t know. But from what I can tell, you’re no different from us.”

“Yet I’ve never met an Outsider like you.” He smirked. “Granted, the others I only kept here long enough to frighten them into never returning. And I certainly never…” He glanced away.

“No, I suppose you didn’t. Or else they might not have left.”

They shared a small smile, and Jack’s mind spun. How strange to be sitting at the man’s table over ale and supper. He found he liked it more than he should, and hoped fervently the truce would hold. It had been so long since he’d sat and talked to another.

Rion grew serious. “Why did you say your hair was hideous?”

Instinctively, Jack reached up to tug down his cap to find he wasn’t wearing it. His face burned.

“Why do you wish to hide it?” Rion frowned. “It must be rare, is it not?”

Jack laughed ruefully. “Oh yes. It’s rare. I’m the only one in my land with this devil’s curse.”

“A curse?” Rion sat up straighter.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t catching. I’ve never really understood it. But my whole life people have hissed at me and spit on the ground after I pass. They say I’m the devil’s child. Perhaps I am. My desires have always been…unnatural.”

At this, shame flickered across Rion’s face. “As have mine. My brothers all spoke of women; my sisters of men. I kept silent. I feared I was the only one who felt this way.”

“No, there are others.” At the thought of Adair, Jack grimaced. “Although most would never admit it. They marry women and father children, but deep down are never satisfied.” He supposed it was what Adair deserved.

Rion sighed heavily. “I am to marry.”

For some strange reason, Jack’s stomach curdled at the thought. “Who? Where does she come from?”

“I haven’t found her yet. Next winter I will go across the sea and return with a mate.”

“You don’t seem pleased by the notion.”

“I have no choice.” Rion shrugged. “It is my duty, and I have delayed it far too long.”

“But why? Who says you have to take a wife?”

“It’s the way it must be. It’s my duty to protect my family’s legacy. I am the youngest, and my brothers and sisters have all abandoned the cause. I swore to my parents I would not fail them. Or our ancestors.”

Jack pondered this. “So it is your legacy to pretend to be a giant and to guard your forebearer’s treasure. And to have children so they can do the same?”

“Yes. It is my sacred duty.”

“But
why
?”

Rion exhaled sharply. “What do you mean,
why
? Because it is the way! It is my path.”

“What good is a treasure up here in a musty old castle by yourself?”

Scraping back his chair, Rion stood and collected the dishes, slamming them into a cleaning pot. “I won’t be alone. I’ll have my family, just as I did growing up. I never wanted for anything as a child. This is my home, and I will never abandon it. Or my duty.”

Jack raised his hands. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He took a long breath and blew it out. “And forgive me for coming here. For attempting to steal from you. It was wrong. I have no excuse.”

Rion leaned a shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms. “What is this debt? For a friend, you said. Yet you also said you are hated by all.”

A wave of grief washed over Jack as he thought of poor Inga. He remembered the warmth of her blood splashed on his skin, and closed his eyes as nausea flared. “My only friend was killed, and I must pay the butcher who returned her body.”

“A butcher? I don’t understand.”

“She was…a cow.”

Rion stared at him quizzically before laughing harshly. “Is this some ploy? Cows are for milk and eating. I may have grown up here in the clouds but do not think me a fool!”

Jack pushed back his own chair, defensive anger jolting him. “She was my only companion. My mother sold her from under me, and I made a bargain with the butcher. He didn’t tell me he’d already slaughtered her. I realize it must sound unimportant to you, but it was a great loss to me.”

Rion’s face softened. “Then I am sorry. Truly. I did not mean offense.”

Nodding, Jack exhaled. “Perhaps I will take some air. Is there a terrace?”

Rion led the way upstairs. In all of Jack’s searches, he hadn’t come across any entrance to an outdoor space, and since they were up in the clouds, hadn’t wanted to. But now he yearned to fill his lungs with fresh, clean air. He followed Rion through an archway that seemed to lead only to a stone wall.

Yet when Rion pushed on one of the stones, a door opened and light streamed in. Jack realized it must be morning, and he’d been in the castle two days? He wasn’t sure. Time had lost meaning. And here he was with his captor turned prisoner turned…what, exactly?

He examined the door as he passed through.
Secret doors. Perhaps I’ve been looking in the wrong place for the treasure
. Jack gave his head a mental shake.
No
. He’d been wrong to try to steal. He’d gotten himself into the debt, and he would find another way to repay it.

Jack’s breath caught in his throat as he walked outside onto a wide terrace. Climbing flowers curled over the low walls, and a fine mist filled the air, huge droplets of water all around, shimmering in the sun above through the veil of cloud. He was quickly soaked to the skin. “What…what is this?”

Rion ran a hand through his wet hair. “It’s rain. Surely you’ve seen rain before? It goes down to the valley, does it not?”

“Yes, but it falls heavily to the ground. Here it seems to float.” He reached out his arm, waving it through the droplets. “It’s beautiful.”

“I suppose so. I’ve never considered it before.” Rion glanced about, and a bloom of colors reflected across his face.

Jack turned. “A rainbow!” Laughter bubbled up from his chest as he stared in wonder. The color seemed to exist all around them, as if they were inside the rainbow itself. He spun with his arms wide.

Rion smiled hesitantly. “Can you not see rainbows in the valley?”

“Not like this.”

The castle had seemed so dank and cold, but here the warmth and brightness of the rainbow seemed to warm Jack from the inside out, despite the wetness. Rion stood before him, his tunic clinging to his lean, muscled chest and arms. His hair curled even more in the rain, and a droplet of water hung from the end of his nose.

Without another thought, Jack stepped forward and caught the drop on his fingertip. Rion took his hand, so gently now, and kissed his palm. Jack’s heart hammered. It had never been like this with Adair. Not once. A shiver flew down his spine, and as their eyes locked, he stepped close, lifting his face and searching for Rion’s kiss, pleading for it.

Their mouths connected with a jolt that set Jack’s blood racing. Rion wrapped his powerful arms around Jack’s back, molding their bodies together. As Rion took a ragged breath, Jack slipped his tongue inside, stroking deeply. It was warm and wet, and Jack’s head grew light. He gasped into Rion’s mouth, digging his fingers into Rion’s hips and rubbing against him.

Adair had never granted him even a single kiss, and Jack felt as if he wanted to consume Rion, tasting him and drinking him in until they both trembled with need. They were clumsy, teeth clashing and noses bumping as they devoured each other.

Only hours ago they’d cursed one another as villains, yet now they came together as if it was always meant to be. As if they were made for it. Panting, they rutted against each other, stumbling back against the wall, crushing the flowers there and sweetening the air. Rion threaded one hand into Jack’s hair. “I want you. God help me, I don’t care if you’re an Outsider. I need…more.
More
.”

Jack nodded. “Yes. More.
Everything
.”

“For so long I’ve dreamed of this. It’s better than I could have imagined.” He stroked Jack’s hair. “So beautiful. I know we shouldn’t, but…”

“Why shouldn’t we?” Jack smiled. “We have a truce, after all.” When Rion smiled back, a dimple appearing in his cheek, it sent a dozen flutters to Jack’s belly.

“We do indeed.”

Jack vibrated. “We’ll need oil.” With a firm tug on Rion’s hand, he led the way.

Rion tried to gather his scattered thoughts as he followed Jack back into the kitchen, but they were lost on the wind. Their hands were clasped together, and he found himself alight at the sensation. It was madness, he knew. Madness and sin and betrayal of his family, all threaded together as tightly as his fingers were with Jack’s.

As they reached the kitchen and Jack let go of his hand, Rion was lost in reflection, lifting his fingers to his mouth, marveling that he’d kissed another man. That he’d kissed
this
man. An Outsider. He knew he should be thrumming with ire, but he felt only yearning and an eager curiosity.

How glorious it had been to kiss Jack and press their bodies together. To have Jack draw pleasure from Rion with his mouth, and to touch Jack’s answering hardness in return, and to feel the soft strands of his firey hair. Yes, Rion wanted more.

Everything
.

Blinking, he realized Jack was returning from the pantry with a bottle in hand, and Rion’s heart jumped in a burst of panic. His mouth went dry, but Jack appeared focused only on one task as he stripped off his wet clothes and dropped them in a pile on the floor.

It’s all right. He didn’t see
.

Rion caught his breath, but then his pulse rushed again as Jack faced the old table and poured a dash of oil into his hand. Bracing himself on his other arm, he spread his legs and leaned over, working one slick finger right into his arse.

All other thoughts evaporated from Rion’s mind as lust took over. With lips parted, he watched avidly as Jack worked another finger into his hole. Rion knew how bodies came together—he’d pored over a forbidden and dust-covered book hidden behind the the highest shelf in the library that showed couplings of all kinds, even men with men, and men with beasts.

It had been a mystery to him why such a book even existed if men were always to marry women. He’d wanted to ask his parents or older siblings, but had never gathered the nerve. When his father had instructed him on the ways of the flesh and conceiving children, the lesson had been short.

Glancing back, Jack raised an eyebrow. It took a few moments for Rion’s brain to command his hands to move, and he peeled off his sodden garments, releasing his rock-hard cock and standing there just as naked as Jack. His skin prickled, anticipation ricocheting through him. He was sure it had to all be done dream, and he’d awake sticky and alone as always.

Yet Jack’s moans echoed on the stone walls as he worked himself open, and Rion thought he might find release simply from watching the wanton display. When Jack pulled his fingers out, he shoved the bottle of oil at Rion and nodded to Rion’s loins. Heart thumping, whole body so alive he felt he might catch fire, Rion greased his straining cock.

Rion stepped in close behind Jack, and they both sighed as their bodies met. Jack spread his arms on the table, waiting. Rion lined up the head of his cock with Jack’s hole and the oil dripped onto their wet skin. With a deep breath, he pushed. He moved but a fraction, his limbs tensing. “I don’t…it’s too…”

Jack pushed back against him. “It’ll fit. Trust me.”

Trust
. How could he? Yet somehow he found he wanted to, quite desperately in fact. The truth spilled out. “I don’t want to hurt you.” The urge to ram into Jack and find pleasure in him warred with the strange desire to simply hold him close.

Looking over his shoulder, Jack gave him a reassuring smile. “You won’t. Even if you do, I don’t care. It’s been so long. Please. Do it.”