Ginn Hale - Lord of the White Hell book Two

As he turned back to gloat, Musni hurtled into him and both of them fell onto the grass lawn.

"You ass." Kiram tried to rise but Musni remained sprawled on top of him, laughing.

"Keep squirming." Musni grinned at Kiram. "It feels good."

Kiram stilled, too tired to fight. The pungent tang of sweat and cut grass rolled over him.

Musni shifted but didn't rise. He pressed the damp heat of his bare chest against Kiram. Almost casually he pressed his hips against Kiram. Kiram's entire body responded to the familiar weight. They had wrestled like this so many times before.

"Get off me," Kiram insisted.

Musni's expression was no longer teasing but aroused. The fragrance of honey wine drifted on his breath. He held Kiram fast.

"Seriously, Musni," Kiram said. "Get off of me."

"Why would I want to do that?" Musni asked.

"Because you want to keep breathing," Javier's voice was a low growl.

Startled, Musni recoiled from Kiram. Javier stood less than a foot from Kiram's head with one hand clenched around the hilt of his sword.

"Who the holy fuck are you?" Musni demanded.

"He's a friend of mine." Kiram scrambled to his feet, placing himself between the two men. "Javier, this is Musni." Kiram suspected that he could have been shouting gibberish for all the impact his words seemed to have. The look of cold murder on Javier's face was matched by the angry contempt in Musni's expression.

"What the fuck are you glaring at, Cadeleonian?" Musni snapped at Javier. "You're in the Haldiim district! We have our own laws here and if you don't want to see lovers embrace then you shouldn't be here!"

"I wasn't seeing lovers embrace," Javier replied. "He told you to get off him."

"What's between Kiram and me is none of your concern." Musni's hand dropped to his hip and Kiram suddenly realized that he had reached for his knife.

Out of the corner of his eye Kiram glimpsed the black-clad forms of several Civic Guards walking from the archery range towards them. Kiram caught Musni's hand and pulled it off his knife. He looked to Javier.

"How's Lunaluz?" Kiram asked in Cadeleonian. Javier blinked, then he too caught sight of the approaching group of guards. He released his sword hilt and let his coat fall closed.

"He's still tired after our ride from the academy," Javier said. "He just wanted me to feed him and brush him. Make much of him."

Kiram nodded. Javier at least could be counted upon to control himself.

"So." Kiram released Musni's hand. "Let me make the introductions again. Javier, this is my childhood friend, Musni. Musni, this is my friend, and schoolmate, Javier."

The two of them exchanged a cold smile but made no move to shake hands.

"How's the racing?" one of the four Civic Guards called out.

"Better than minding your own fucking business, obviously!" Musni sneered back at the guard.

"What is wrong with you?" Kiram demanded of Musni. "Are you looking for a fight?"

Musni just gave Kiram a crooked grin as if he couldn't be held accountable for himself. "A fight or a fuck. Whichever you want, lover."

"Neither," Kiram replied flatly. He guessed that Majdi had been right about Musni. It was disconcerting to see how much he'd changed in a year.

The Civic Guards-there were four-surrounded them in an almost casual manner. One of them seemed very familiar with Musni and after a couple of minutes of conversation the man convinced Musni to join him in the new bathhouse. The other guards watched their comrade escort Musni away, then one of them turned back to Kiram.

"You're Mother Kir-Zaki's youngest?" the guard asked. He was older and appeared to be a career guard with his deeply tanned skin and tightly braided white hair.

"Yes, sir," Kiram replied.

"My son had a wonderful time at your party last night," the guard said.

"I'm glad. Please thank him for coming." Kiram had no idea who the man's son was but he smiled and Javier followed suit.

"Welcome back home. You and your friend be safe." The guard turned and followed his fellows back across the grounds to the archery range.

"Well," Javier said quietly. "That was awkward."

"You think?" Kiram found his vest and coat and dressed despite the sweat clinging to his back and chest. He certainly wasn't going to use the public bath now. "Did you have to go for your sword?"

"He had you down on the ground. How was I supposed to know that it was some kind of love play for the two of you?" Javier's face colored just saying the words.

"It wasn't anything even close." Kiram scowled at Javier.

"No?"

"No," Kiram replied.

Javier raised a brow as though he found this all suddenly funny. "It would have been if I'd been the one lying on top of you."

Kiram smiled in spite of himself but then shook his head. "Last night you couldn't bring yourself to dance with me at a party but today you're going to make love to me on a public race track?"

"Now that I have this piglet talisman," Javier held up the little copper disk, "who knows what I might find the poor judgment to do?"

"Why don't we visit my uncle for lunch and you can show your piglet to Alizadeh?"

"I'd like that."

They left the broad streets of the civic buildings, open markets and teahouses behind. Kiram led Javier past simple private homes and down the narrow lanes that Cadeleonians rarely traveled. Almond trees hung their fragrant clusters of blossoms low and from time to time couples leaned close beneath the trees and flirted.

A block from Rafie's house Javier caught sight of two men kissing and he stopped in his tracks, staring at them. From Javier's expression Kiram would have thought he was witnessing a miracle. They were handsome enough, though neither of them struck Kiram as worthy of the gaping Javier seemed to be giving them.

The young lovers broke apart and one caressed the other's arm and then, hand in hand, they retreated into a house.

"Did you see them?" Javier asked in a whisper. His gaze lingered on the almond tree where the two men had stood. "I've never seen that."

"A kiss?" Kiram asked.

"Not like that. They were like lovers in a poem, but both men." Javier looked at Kiram suddenly and his expression seemed both tender and searching. "Like us."

"Adari," Kiram said. "That's the Haldiim word for men like you and like me, who are drawn to other men. Lots of adari live on this street." Kiram continued towards Rafie's house and Javier walked beside him. Doves sheltered in many of the trees, but here Kiram sighted crows as well. The glossy black birds seemed to return Kiram's gaze.

"Your uncle Rafie is…an adari?" Javier asked.

"Yes," Kiram replied. "His husband Alizadeh is one as well."

"And everyone knows?" Javier asked.

"It's not like it's illegal here in the Haldiim district."

"Maybe not illegal but still." Javier trailed off.

"Shameful?" Kiram supplied and Javier's expression told him he'd guessed correctly. Kiram stopped at Rafie's door but didn't pull the bell just yet. "It's not even shameful. It's just normal. Why did you think all those men were dancing with each other at my party last night?"

"There weren't many women there and Cadeleonian dancing seemed new to most of them. I just thought they didn't know any better." Javier stared at Kiram with a strange look of dawning comprehension. "All of them at your party were adari? Not just that Hashiem?"

"All of them," Kiram confirmed.

"Even the young Bahiim?" Javier asked.

"Vashir?" Kiram raised his brows. "Especially Vashir. I told you he was courting twins."

"Twins could be women," Javier pointed out.

"He said that he wanted to ride you, Javier."

"Like an animal," Javier protested. "He called me an animal."

"He meant it as a sexual overture." Kiram couldn't keep from smirking. "I suppose I should have told you that last night when he asked me to. But I thought you knew."