Manning nodded, grateful for their loyalty. Whenever the rogue thought of Tore and what he’d done entered Manning’s mind, he hesitated. His eldest brother had helped orchestrate his kidnapping not that long ago, and Manning, while he’d physically recovered, still had a lot of emotional recovering ahead of him. Manning leaned into Brandt’s chest, letting his husband bear his weight.
He was sure there would never be a time when he wasn’t thankful for Brandt’s steadfast love. Manning had crushed on the much older Brandt for cycles upon cycles. Though there were only eight sun-cycles separating them in age, the difference between sixteen (when he’d first recognized what his feelings for Brandt were) and Brandt’s twenty-four was a huge expanse to cover. On Manning’s twenty-second birthday, Brandt let his guard down, and Manning seized his chance with his bodyguard-slash-head ofMoondrake’s security. Since that night, they’d been inseparable, except for twice: when he and Brandt had been taken aboard the DrakkenshipReykrand, again, when his brother and father had kidnapped him.
Manning tipped his head back, twisted and touched the torque around Brandt’s neck as he kissed the underside of Brandt’s jaw. “Love you.”
Brandt
Brandt leaned back just enough so he could look into Manning’s eyes. He smiled softly at his husband. “I’ve no clue what’s going through your mind right now, but I love you, too.” He caressed Manning’s cheek. “Happy birthday.” Brandt leaned in and kissed Manning, deepening it quickly as he feasted on the taste of his prince. Husband, sobroke, master, love. It didn’t matter to Brandt what name he called Manning, they were all one person, the one he loved more than anything, except for their children and his second husband, Kayluth.
Every time Brandt stepped into their quarters aboardReykror entered their suite inside the castle, he smiled. There’d either be the laughter of Raisa or Reykos to greet him or some small reminder of their presence lying around the rooms. If it wasn’t his children, it was Kayluth coming to meet him. His Drakken always seemed to know. Kayluth had once said he could taste Brandt’s arrival. It made no sense to him and wasn’t worth worrying over anyway. Brandt had better things to worry about, like making sure his family—and extended family—stayed safe.
Brandt spent a good portion of each day assisting General Ivar and Lt. Sekvyn as they searched for Manning’s elusive eldest brother, Tore. It was Tore and their father, the now ex-King Dagr, who’d kidnapped Manning, setting off a chain of events that pushed Brandt out of his comfort zone and into the forefront of their relationship. He’d been happy to be the one unseen, but with Manning missing and Kayluth pregnant in drakken form, he’d had to be the strong one and assume the face of their Triad Vidareem.
In addition to helping Ivar and Sekvyn, Brandt worked with his brothers-by-marriage, King Bjorn and Drakken Tyr, integrating the Drakken from Kayluth’s and his mother-by-marriage’s, Vidarina Svandis’, drakkenships into various duties within the castle walls. Plus, many Drakken aboard the two vessels had met their sobroke—their mates—when they’d ventured into the city, and when many more wanted the chance to potentially find their “one,” Brandt had been tasked with coordinating meet-and-greets for any who wished to participate, both human and Drakken. Whenever a “connection” was made, Brandt rejoiced. Those evenings, when he would lie in bed with his husbands and tell them the good news, usually resulted in plenty of amazing touches and the rekindling of their spark. Flickers became flames which equaled a night of exquisite passion.
Some days, however, Brandt wished he could hide in the shadows of his mates. He’d rather follow directions than make decisions. The nights where he could simply drop to his knees to please them were few and far between. Perhaps tonight, he could give that pleasure to Manning. It was a gift they’d all enjoy, but they had a party to get through first.
Brandt stepped from Manning’s embrace but retained hold of his husband’s hands. “We should get going. Svandis isn’t going to be happy you’re late to your own celebration.” He glanced at Bjorn. “I’m sure Tyr is wondering where Bjorn is, too.”
Manning chuckled. “Yeh, probably.”
Bjorn huffed. “Nice try with the subtlety, Brandt.”
“Who said I was being subtle?” Brandt met Bjorn’s gaze full on. “He recognizes you as his sobroke, and yeh, he’s young, but he’s smart. He’s trying very hard to win your favor.”
“By always being in my space and interrupting me with information I already know?” Bjorn crossed his arms.
The king’s defensive posture raised Brandt’s ire. “Does he know you know? No, he doesn’t because you shut him out.” It was Bjorn’s own fault. Brandt had witnessed Bjorn’s actions first hand.
Bjorn growled. “What are you talking about?” He advanced on Brandt.
Brandt backpedaled. Though he was older than Bjorn, the king greatly outranked him, a mere soldier.
Manning moved in front of Brandt and faced his brother. “Stand down, Bjorn. Brandt’s trying to help you.”
“By setting me up with a child.” Bjorn scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
Manning poked Bjorn’s chest. “Tyr isn’t a child, and you know it. Yeh, he’s young, but he’s been raised with Vidareem for parents. He knows what to expect, and he knows the Drakken, which we never will, not entirely. We have the blood of Drakken kings running through our veins which makes us lucky, but we’ll never be Drakken.”
Brandt felt that statement deep in his soul. Every day before he left to meet with Ivar or Bjorn, he watched Kayluth and his children shift into their drakken forms so Kayluth could speak with them telepathically and teach them their history. After Kayluth had birthed the eggs his children had been born in, their sobroke had been able to speak to him and Manning mind to mind. When Reykos and Raisa shifted into their human halves, Kayluth also returned to his human form, and they’d lost most of their telepathic connection. Brandt felt that loss keenly. He’d come to love the intimate nature of Kayluth’s words projected into his head. Sure, they could snuggle and whisper, and if the emotion or thought was sufficiently strong, he could still feel or hear it, but it wasn’t the same as the caress of his sobroke’s gentle thoughts of comfort, pleasure, and love.
Thinking of their mate and children, a stab of longing hit Brandt right in the heart. They’d been gone all morning, for much longer than he cared to be separated from his family. This wasn’t the way he wanted to spend Manning’s birthday. He fought to quell his rising anger at Bjorn’s nonsense. Bjorn was simply pissing him off with his egotistical self-righteousness. Why Bjorn was fighting Tyr’s advances was beyond Brandt. Even he, after having been held captive by the Drakken, came to see them for what they truly were. Kayluth had slotted into a missing piece of Brandt’s heart with his love of life and desire to please both him and Manning.
“Why are you against Tyr being your mate? The Drakken spend their whole lives searching for the ones to complete them, to find the other halves of their hearts and souls. But, hey, if you want to throw that kind of adoration and love away, so be it.”
Bjorn stared at Brandt with both surprise and annoyance in his expression.
Exasperated, Brandt rubbed his neck while he tugged on Manning’s hand. “Please, can we go?” He turned away from Bjorn and focused instead on the doorway leading back to the hall.
“Hey.” Manning gripped Brandt’s chin with his other hand. “My Vidar,” he whispered, leaning into Brandt’s body, giving Brandt his weight.
Gods.Brandt’s anger drained away under Manning’s quiet gaze, replaced with the flush of embarrassment. In the heat of the moment, he’d forgotten his place. First he yelled at the King of Volé, then he practically fell to his knees, begging his Master to take him away. “I’m sorry,” he said, resting his forehead against Manning’s. “I just really want to go home, see Kay and the babes, and have some cake.”
“I understand. If it makes you feel any better, I think we finally got through to him.” Manning tilted his head towards Bjorn who had his hands locked behind his neck and was staring off into space. “He needs to make a decision sooner rather than later. If Bjorn rejects him, Svandis will leave, and she’ll take Tyr with her.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” Brandt mused.
Manning smiled and kissed Brandt lightly. “It does.”
