He fell across a hallway, hit the wall, and slid to the floor.
“Vasili,” he croaked before losing consciousness.
Chapter 13
He was in Julian’s bed, but not in the way he’d imagined. And Vasili was here, which definitely wasn’t what he wanted. Or did he? Gods, no. He groaned, and a hand came down on his shoulder.
“Don’t try and move,” Julian said.
“Elf.” They needed to know. If there was one, there might have been more.
“There are no elves here, brother,” Julian said softly, mistaking Niko’s words for delirium.
“No.” He shoved Julian’s touch away and rolled onto his side, panting with pain. He saw Vasili standing by the door, the prince’s unblinking glare oddly comforting. Vasili was alive. And Niko was still currently alive. The assassin had failed. But Vasili didn’t look surprised, like he hadn’t looked at all surprised to see an elf in the courtyard.
“You son of a bitch,” Niko slurred. Throbbing waves of unconsciousness threatened again.
Vasili’s lips ticked. “Report to me when he’s coherent.”
Niko was fucking coherent, damn it, and he knew what he’d seen. But the prince was gone, and Niko tasted blood on his tongue.
“Rest, Nikolas.”
“Elf…” he mumbled again, but it was too late. Julian wasn’t listening. The darkness swallowed him whole.
It was a week before he could move without tearing open the wound. The cut was small but deep; the elf had meant to kill. The wound on his shoulder burned more, but he’d live. Julian must have been granted special leave to tend to Niko because he was in the room every time Niko opened his eyes. He fussed with clothes, fussed with a washcloth, fussed over Niko. He was endearing.
Vasili hadn’t returned, but Niko hadn’t expected him to. The prince was hiding secrets about elves, and Niko was going to get the answer out of him as soon as he could walk without gasping.
“I feel like an old man.” He reached for the bedpost and steadied himself. He’d been trying to step into trousers but the damned wound kept stealing his breath. The wrapping around his waist restricted his movement, and he was tempted to remove the damn thing.
“You look like one too,” Julian said, sliding in beside him to take his hand. “Will you let me help? Watching you struggle is painful for us both.”
Niko grumbled, but sat on the bed to let Julian work the trousers over his feet. Julian ran his hands up Niko’s shin in a way that had nothing to do with getting dressed and everything to do with stealing a feel. Niko arched an eyebrow, but didn’t stop him.
Julian rose off his knees and pulled Niko to his feet, then leaned in to ease the trousers over his ass. The movement brought Julian’s mouth temptingly close. Niko studied the concentration on the man’s face. The way he bit his lip. How he desperately tried not to meet Niko’s gaze.
Julian tightened the belt and looked down, fastening the ties. He managed well considering the limited movement. Niko still hadn’t seen what was inside the gloves to know for certain he’d lost any digits.
Once the belt was fastened, Julian bit his lip and looked up. Niko searched his eyes for denial, for an excuse not to do this, but there was none of that. Just open acceptance, want, even. It was too late, anyway. Niko was already stroking his fingers along the man’s jaw, brushing over rough stubble, making it hiss beneath his nails. When Julian didn’t pull away, Niko nudged his mouth with his own, questioning. Julian’s lips opened slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
He’d fantasized about tasting Julian for what felt like forever. Niko kissed him deeper, feeling him give. He tasted soft, his response achingly gentle. This wasn’t the passionate first kiss Niko imagined they’d share, but as Julian’s lashes fluttered closed and he rested an arm over Niko’s good shoulder, the kiss heated and quickened.
The kiss was better than Niko could have imagined, sensuous but growing harder, and now Niko couldn’t think at all outside the feel of the man’s mouth on his. Julian shifted, leaning in, pushing down. Niko dropped onto the bed and hissed at a sudden dart of pain.
“Shit, I…sorry.” Julian blushed. “Damn, I shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t.” He winced. “It was me.” He smiled up at the soldier who might have stolen the heart he believed was lost long ago. Niko wanted to kiss Julian again, to feel the heat of him beneath his hands and mouth, to feel him move and groan for more.
Julian grasped the bedpost beside Niko’s head and bent down. His mouth hovered over Niko’s close enough to share breaths. Then Julian sealed his lips against Niko's. Unlike the last time, this time Julian meant it. His hand came up to touch Niko’s cheek and the kiss turned messy and ragged.
Niko pinched Julian’s lip between his teeth. Julian repositioned closer, nudging Niko’s thighs apart.
Julian’s chin nudged Niko’s, urging him on. His gloved hand slipped down Niko’s bare back. Niko shuddered, a groan tearing free. He let his head fall, and Julian’s mouth instantly went to his throat. He sucked and nipped, and slowly eased Niko down.
Niko winced again, hissing sharply. “Can’t.” He blinked up at the man trapped between his thighs, his blond hair a mop around his head, his freckles golden and eyes so blue. “Want to, though.” Full sentences were apparently too much.
Julian’s suggestive gaze dipped to Niko’s crotch. “I can see that.”
By the three, if Julian went down on Niko, he wouldn’t last.
“This is new.” Julian admitted, backing up. “Men, I mean.”
“Oh.” Shit. Niko had assumed Julian was experienced because he was probably screwing Vasili, or had in the past. “Is it a problem?” Niko asked, desperately hoping it wasn’t.
“No.” He puffed out a breath. “Definitely no. I just… I’m not sure how it goes.”
Niko couldn’t help but smile at his inexperienced soldier. Julian blushed, the color perfect on him. Niko wanted to follow that flush and see if it went all the way down.
He groaned and let his head fall back on the bed. “Give me another week, all right? And I’ll show you exactly how this goes. Right now I’m... fragile.”
“I’ve waited this long.”
Niko raised a brow. “How long?”
Julian extracted himself from Niko’s thighs, making Niko frown at the loss of his warmth. Julian grinned. “When the prince found you at the Stag and Horn. I was…” He chewed on his words.
“Tell me.” Shy, too. Niko was doomed.
“I knew you were someone like me. An ex-soldier. And I’d thought about it on the front line, y’know? But never… gone there.”
“Yeah.” He knew. Killing alongside the same men every day made for some intimate, if rushed, moments of desperation. Not many of them were worth more than a frantic release. Perhaps it was good Julian had been spared the experience, especially if it would have been his first.
“I wanted you after you grabbed Vasili. I was sure he’d kill you for that. But he didn’t, and you kept defying him—”