Thirst - Read Sample

“He said we’re not supposed to be outside tonight. Because of the full moon.” 

They huddled together and whispered: “Because of the wolf.”

Aik listened to the Fledgings talking among themselves and had to work hard to keep his face straight. He didn’t believe they’d make it past dawn and venture outside all night. After helping with the harvest all day, most kids had droopy eyes and stumbled along the hallway to dinner like little drunkards. But he got the sentiment; feeling the little scare the rumours gave them was exciting. 

The Mage closed the door behind the last kid and locked the gate, keeping them from accidentally sleepwalking into the garden. It had happened before, and no one wanted to relive the experience.

Aik ventured through the sewing rooms, greeted the last Pages, who were still working on clothes, and went outside. The air started to chill quickly after sunset, and he was glad Benji had made a new flap-skirt for him. The Spark’s enchantments kept him extra warm and felt like a hug. After being so long on the road in foreign clothes, he cherished the work his brother put into everything even more. 

Benji was already inside, and Aik was glad the Page had no desire to be an insufferable jester, at least for a while. 

The clinking and clanking from the smithy lured the Mage in. He expected to find Tristan, but the older man wasn’t to be found. The young apprentice, on the other hand, hammered away angrily. A fresh pile of anchor plates in several shapes lay in a basket next to his workstation, and another made a clinking sound once he dropped it onto the rest. 

Tarit turned around and wiped the sweat from his forehead with an old rag. His hair stood wild and tangled in all directions. He frowned.

“What are you doing here?” The redhead dropped the hammer carefully on the table with a low thunk. 

Aik had never paid attention to the tools Tarit used in the past. He had always assumed that they were the same as Tristan's.  But the more he observed the two, the more often he saw that Tarit's were quite different. A little heavier, a little bigger. Unassuming and only ever so slightly different, but fitting of his strength. How much he had underestimated him.

“I came to see Tristan. Quite late for you, huh?” He came closer and wanted to drop a light kiss on Tarit’s lips, but the young man turned away and waved at him. 

“I am gross. We made anchors all day.”

Aik laughed. “Aw, I would take you with all the sweat and soot.”

Tarit shook his head. He moved almost naturally, but there was a little bit of twitchiness that gave him away. He removed his leather apron and hung it up before tearing desperately at the tunic clinging to his skin. When the offensive garment was gone, he took a bucket of water and simply dumped its contents over his head.

“I will leave soon.” He wiped red hair strands from his freckled face and sat the bucket down. 

Aik leaned against one of the thick posts and looked at the young man. Now that he didn't have to hold back, he stared for a long time without shame.

“I wish you wouldn’t. But I understand that you have… urges.”

Tarit huffed out a laugh. “It’s just a night. And you really shouldn’t talk about my urges on a full moon.”

“No? What is it? Just frolicking in the forest, a little doe here, a bear there? Or are you more the romp through the bushes and chase a squirrel type? I mean, I wouldn’t know. Usually, the weres I met were bloodthirsty and had a human bone to pick, quite literally.”

Aik pushed himself off the post and strolled through the workshop while talking. He looked at spearheads. The work of Tristan. He recognised the little nasty barbs the old man loved to work in. He didn't even have to look up to feel Tarit's gaze boring into his back, tracking him like prey. 

“Really?” Tarit’s voice was cold and grating. “That’s what you think?” 

Aik knew he shouldn’t taunt the apex predator in the room, but as a Mage, he also wasn’t used to backing down easily. He knew he might have overdone it though when Tarit pushed him into the rough brick wall with all his might. The mortar's grainy texture and the bricks' sharp edges pressed into his cheek. One wrong move and the stone would cause a cut. Benji’s Spark flared up angrily but just as quickly quieted down again, blind and useless to protect him from this kind of magic. The breathing behind his ear made him shiver. The unnaturally warm body that held him in place excited him, while at the same time, panic crept up between his shoulder blades.

“I think you’re a bit bored right now, aren’t you, Aik? The monogamy isn’t thrilling enough, maybe? Am I that bad of a fuck?” Tarit’s voice was smooth, but Aik didn't need to see his face to know that his eyes were mere slits, glinting an angry green.

He’d lost interest in fucking around on his way back. Lioht had been one last hurrah, but the further they progressed and the colder the air got, the more he reckoned that his carnal days were numbered. The anticipation of a relationship with only one outlet for his hunger hadn’t felt bad, and he knew that Tarit was no less voracious in his appetite.

“I am not complaining about sex.”

The pressure on his back lessened a bit, but his lips moved closer to the Mage's ear, smooth skin touching his overly sensitive earlobes. All his senses zoned in on the one person behind him. He shivered. 

“Then what’s the deal with you, Aik? You know I need to get out. I can’t stay here, and you shouldn’t provoke me unnecessarily.”