The Darkest Sword

“I don’t want him to touch you anymore.”
“I don’t want Rhadamanthus to kill you anymore, either,” Soryn said softly. “Until you find a way to stop them, we both have to just survive. Are you going to survive this? I don’t know if I can watch you die.”
“I die all the time. Not a big deal,” Ashiyn said, confused. Then he was even more confused at the sad look on Soryn’s face. “What?”
Soryn hesitated before he sat back on his haunches. “I came here to try to seduce you, Ashiyn.”
Ashiyn watched Soryn for a long moment. He knew by Soryn’s reaction he was afraid of retaliation for the admission, but Ashiyn did not feel anger at it. “You’re not a woman, Soryn.”
Soryn let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m well aware of that, thank you.”
Ashiyn shifted to roll over on his side, looking Soryn over. His friend was not unattractive. “Do you still want me that badly?”
“Yes, more than ever,” Soryn said. “Do you find me that unattractive? Really?”
Ashiyn shrugged and closed his eyes. His head was hurting again, like his brain was trying to remember things while also trying to heal itself. “I am…not attracted or un-attracted to you that way. You are my friend. You are different than some woman I just want to throw down and take my pleasure with.”
Soryn sucked in a sharp breath. “I wish you’d throw me down and take your pleasure.” Then he shook his head. “But you are my friend. If you truly don’t want that, I will stop asking.”
“I don’t know what I want,” Ashiyn admitted. “It’s wrong to want you that way.”
“It is not,” Soryn grumbled. “Just because Rhadamanthus is attracted to men and thinks that makes him weak, so he overreacts, doesn’t mean you have to be the same way.”
“What?” Ashiyn said, sitting up fast. Then he groaned and grabbed his head, regretting the sudden movement.
“That’s why Rhadamanthus is so against it. Rurik told me,” Soryn shrugged then gently pushed Ashiyn back down on the bed. “Here, maybe I can use my magic to help mend this a little.”
Ashiyn considered that information as Soryn’s warm magic mended the wound in his mind. Then slowly his brain came back into focus, and he was fully aware of what was going on. He frowned at Soryn, then pulled away. “I don’t find you un-attractive. But I don’t feel the desperate need to take you either. I’m ambivalent on the subject.”
Soryn tilted his head. “That means you’re not entirely opposed to the idea either?”
“Would it make you that happy? Really? Surely you can find someone more interested,” Ashiyn grumbled, irritated. “I could throw you down and use you, but it would be only to please you, not because I desire you.”
“Oh, I promise you’d enjoy it too, my friend,” Soryn said, then rose from the bed and headed for the door. “Think about it. Why were you at the tower before?”
“I wanted a book on Sihtaar,” Ashiyn said, as the pain started to fade away. “Bring me the book, and I might reward you.”
“If I bring you that, you will reward me,” Soryn corrected with a wink. “Get some rest. Try not to die.”
Ashiyn rolled his eyes as the door closed behind Soryn and stretched out on the bed again.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Master,” Sark entered Ashiyn’s private study, then bowed low when Ashiyn looked up from the paper he was reading. “The woman asks for you.”
Ashiyn rolled up the scroll and then tucked it away in a drawer. He’d almost forgotten his slave. Almost. He sighed and gave Sark an irritated look.
“I know, Master. You are not to be summoned by us. But she is quite insistent. I am afraid she will again draw the ire of your Master,” Sark mumbled apologetically.
Ashiyn did not want that. He did not want Rhadamanthus to even remember the woman existed. He definitely was tired of being punished because of her. “It is fine, Sark. Thank you.” Ashiyn crossed the room, Sark bowing low to him again as he passed. The guards in the hall bowed to him as he wandered to the woman’s cell. Waving them out of the way he threw open the door with his magic and strolled in.
Annalysa jumped, her eyes wide as she looked at him. She waited for him to close the door before she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.
“I believe you are confused, woman. I am the Master. You do not summon me. If I want to see you, I will,” Ashiyn grumbled at her.
“You came though, didn’t you? You’re an ass. Maybe I would be better off if you killed me,” Annalysa glared at him. “It’s been weeks since you denied me.”
“I am a busy man,” Ashiyn shrugged. “What do you want?”
“I want to complete our arrangement. I did my part. I even begged you, as requested,“ Annalysa started to say but Ashiyn cut her off.
“Yes, because that was sincere,” Ashiyn said with a sneer.
“Look, you don’t want to get into trouble with your Master any more than I do. Just take me to your bed already and be done with it,” Annalysa pleaded as she got up and walked over to him.
“Fine,” Ashiyn growled. He grabbed her arm roughly and hauled her out of the cell. Servants and guards scurried out of their way as he wrestled her into his bedchambers. Then he threw her on the bed. He used his magic to strip her naked as he pulled off his own clothing. He slowed when he saw her watching with wide eyes again, and he smirked. He let his clothes drop to the floor and stood there so she could admire him.
“You’re too beautiful to be such a jerk,” Annalysa muttered as she eyed him.
He took the time to look her over