“I have never seen a creature more beautiful. You steal the breath from my body.”

  Toka’s wicked grin sent a shiver up Rayner’s spine. It would appear his timid little fox wasn’t so timid. He looked up at Rayner through lowered lashes. “There is so much I wish to do to your body, Rayner.” He ran a finger down Rayner’s chest. “But first, I’d like to see the stunning figure you hide beneath all this leather.”

  A deep growl rose from Rayner’s chest, and he quickly divested himself of his many layers. His boots were the first to go, followed by the jerkin and his shirt. He removed his socks, then his black trousers, and finally stood naked before Toka. With a brash smile, he rounded his shoulders and straightened to his full height when Toka drew closer, his pink tongue poking out to lick his bottom lip. Rayner remained still, and his self-assurance lasted up until Toka slid his hands up Rayner’s abdomen to his chest.

  “You are magnificent.” Toka’s quiet voice carried awe, and Rayner couldn’t help but preen a little. He had never cared about pleasing anyone. Never cared how they saw him or what they thought of him. But the way Toka looked up at him, desire and wonder in his eyes, had Rayner suddenly feeling vulnerable and uncertain. What Toka thought of him was of great importance.

  “Do you like what you see?” he asked, his voice coming out rougher than expected.

  Toka circled Rayner, and Rayner could feel Toka’s heated gaze on him. “Does what I think matter to you?” It was an innocent question. A genuine curiosity. In truth, to a man of Rayner’s standing, the thoughts of a foxling servant were of no consequence, but to Rayner, Toka’s thoughts mattered…

  “More than anything.”

  Toka’s sharp intake of breath was not lost on him, and Rayner barely had a moment to blink before Toka was wrapped around him again. Rayner carried Toka to the bed, their lips coming together in a frenzy of dueling tongues and nipping teeth, their breaths panting. He lowered Toka onto the soft covers, his lips on Toka’s as he lay between Toka’s legs. He ran a hand up Toka’s thigh to his torso then pulled back to sit on his heels. Toka stretched out in front of him, his knees drawn up on either side of Rayner so Rayner could see all of him. Toka’s cheeks flushed, and he arched his back, his lips parted as he lifted his arms above his head, offering himself to Rayner in the most decadent way.

  Rayner explored Toka’s body, fingers caressing every inch of him, lips tasting, tongue savoring the warm, smooth skin. He reminded himself that despite Toka’s eagerness, his foxling had never been touched in such a manner. His body had never been penetrated. A thought occurred to him.

  “Have you brought yourself to release?”

  Toka met Rayner’s gaze, his cheeks a bright pink. “Yes. To thoughts of you.”

  Rayner groaned. As if he wasn’t painfully hard enough. Toka had not only saved himself for Rayner, but he’d brought himself pleasure at the thought of Rayner.

  “Show me,” Rayner commanded gently, sitting back on his heels. Toka gingerly, shyly slid a hand over his abdomen down to palm his erection. He whimpered and writhed on the bed as he thumbed the slit of his rosy-tipped cock, spreading the pearls of precome, using it to ease the glide of his hand up and down his shaft. Rayner had never seen anything so sinful. He palmed his own erection as he watched Toka, taking note of every gasp and moan that escaped Toka’s plump lips.

  “Rayner…”

  The broken whisper was more than Rayner could stand, and a low growl rose from his throat as he rolled Toka onto his stomach. He grabbed a pillow and lifted Toka’s hips, then placed the pillow beneath him.

  “Do you have… provisions?”

  Toka nodded. He pointed to the small nightstand to the left of the bed. Rayner trailed kisses down Toka’s back before he got up, went to the drawer, and removed the small jar of lubricant. The anticipation was all but killing Rayner, but he forced himself to calm, to breathe in deep through his nose and release it slowly through his mouth. Bringing pleasure to Toka was his priority. He wanted to make his foxling’s first experience one to remember.

  Rayner kneeled between Toka’s legs and slicked up his fingers. He pressed one against Toka’s entrance, his sharp intake of breath matching Toka’s. With exceptional care and patience, Rayner added a second finger, stretching Toka, relishing in the tight heat around his digits. Toka whimpered and pleaded. Rayner happily obliged, removing his fingers to take hold of his cock and line up the head with Toka’s entrance, his hand shaking. Goddess above, one would think it was his first time. He folded himself over Toka, slipped one arm under his chest, and angled Toka back toward him so they were on their sides. He hooked his arm under Toka’s knee, lifting his leg as he slowly pushed the tip of his head against Toka’s tight hole.

  “Relax. Breathe.”

  Toka laid his head back against Rayner’s shoulder, his fingers digging into Rayner’s asscheek. He gasped when the tip of Rayner’s cock breached his entrance. A low, painful moan escaped from between Toka’s lips as Rayner continued to sink slowly into him. Rayner’s brow beaded with sweat as he stretched Toka inch by inch. Soon Toka’s body stopped fighting Rayner, and his muscles gave way, allowing Rayner to sink the rest of the way in until his groin was seated against Toka’s ass.

  “Oh Goddess!” Toka gasped, his nails causing the most delicious ache in Rayner’s asscheek. Rayner began to move, and Toka pushed back against him.

  “Touch yourself,” Rayner instructed, and Toka moved his hand from Rayner’s backside to his cock, pumping slowly at first, then picking up his pace to match Rayner’s movements. The burn was exquisite, and the sounds coming from Toka as he writhed in Rayner’s arms were enough to stoke the flames inside Rayner into a roaring blaze. “Toka,” Rayner ground out through his teeth, the muscles of his body pulled tight, straining as the sound of his skin against Toka’s added fuel to an already raging desire.

  “Rayner?”

  “Yes, my darling?”

  “I want… to kiss you… to see your face as you take me.”

  Rayner released Toka’s leg so he could wrap his arm around Toka’s waist. He shifted them to the edge of the bed and sat up, Toka sitting on his lap.

  “Get up and face me.” He helped Toka off him, and leaned back on his arms, watching as Toka straddled his lap. “Put my cock inside you.”

  Toka whimpered. He nodded quickly and leaned forward, lining up Rayner’s cockhead with his hole. He wiggled his backside, his bottom lip between his teeth as he pushed Rayner’s cock inside him. Then he impaled himself the rest of the way, and Rayner cried out in surprise, throwing his arms around Toka.

  “Oh,” Rayner said through a breathless laugh. “You devilish little fox.”

  Toka hummed as he rotated his hips, pushing himself down against Rayner and making him groan with pleasure. He was no longer in control. Toka wrapped his arms around Rayner’s neck, and Rayner gripped Toka’s waist tight as Toka moved slowly at first, then bounced on him, pulling up almost all the way out before plunging himself down. Rayner groaned, the pleasure sweeping through him, and his skin scorching. He captured Toka’s lips, their breaths coming in pants as Toka rode him, Toka’s inhibitions and shyness nowhere to be seen. Rayner gripped Toka’s asscheeks, spreading them as he thrust up to meet Toka’s plunges, relishing the cry that tore out of Toka’s sweet lips.

  “That’s it, my darling. Show me I belong to you. Take me.”

  “Yes. Rayner,” Toka moaned, his lips parted in ecstasy, his expression one of wanton pleasure. He threw his head back as he rose and fell on Rayner’s shaft, driving Rayner deep inside him with every thrust. Rayner slid his hands up Toka’s back, resting his fingers on Toka’s shoulders for better purchase, forcing Toka down as Rayner thrust up.

  Rayner was so close. His hips lost all rhythm as he brought Toka down hard against him over and over, plunging deep and hard inside Toka. His thrusts became erratic, and drove Toka down against him. As Toka cried out, his release exploding through him, the feel of his hot semen coating Rayner’s chest and stomach sent Rayner over the edge, and he filled Toka with his seed, coating his insides. He held on tight, seizing Toka’s lips, his tongue, tasting every inch of Toka’s mouth as he shivered with his release. They clung to each other as the white light of Rayner’s Soldati soul flared, the pulse leaving his body to illuminate the room.

  When the strength of their release waned, their bodies no longer racked with shivers, Rayner fell onto his back, pulling Toka to lie on him. As their breaths steadied, Rayner traced circles with his fingers over Toka’s back, his eyes closed as he sank into the bliss of their lovemaking. A soft sigh escaped Toka, and Rayner smiled. They lay together, their bodies cooling off with the arrival of night.

  “We should get up before we get stuck together,” Rayner murmured.

  Toka sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes lowered as he worried his bottom lip. Rayner crouched down in front of him and took his hands in his.

  “Come to bed. You can tell me your worries as we lie together.”

  Toka’s head shot up, his eyes wide as he stared at Rayner. “You… You’re staying?”

  The thought Toka might not wish him to stay hadn’t crossed his mind. It hurt, but he understood. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have assumed.” He stood and turned when Toka grabbed his hand.

  “No!” Toka stepped before him, his hands coming to rest on Rayner’s chest. “I want you to stay, more than anything. I thought…” He shook his head and averted his gaze, his voice growing quiet. “I feared…”

  “That I wouldn’t want to stay?” Rayner asked, realizing his mistake. Of course Toka would assume he’d leave. He never spent the night with anyone. Toka nodded, and Rayner turned his face. He smiled down at Toka. “Only with you. This was more than a romp for me, Toka. I meant what I said. I belong to you.”

  Toka’s smile shone brighter than the moon itself, and Rayner’s heart swelled, knowing he had caused it. He took Toka’s hand and led him to the bed, then lifted the covers for him. He stopped at the small, tidy bathroom to fetch a washcloth. When he returned, he wondered what he could have done to earn the adoration in Toka’s eyes.

  For centuries, Rayner had done his best to avoid developing affections for Toka. As a Soldati of high rank and power, Rayner’s place was to wed someone equal to his station or above. Knowing there was no future for him and his sweet foxling had Rayner turning to a string of meaningless affairs in the hopes he could lose himself in lust, and now the only lover he wanted in his bed was Toka.

  Rayner pulled back the covers, then lay down and cleaned them both off. Finished, he neatly folded the washcloth and placed it to one side on the nightstand. He drew Toka against him beneath the covers, smiling when Toka snuggled up close, his hand on Rayner’s chest over his heart. Rayner took hold of it and brought it to his lips for a kiss then returned it to its former resting place.

  “Rayner?”

  “Hm?”

  “Why me? Of all the Soldati, of all the creatures in the realm, why did you choose me?”

  “I didn’t choose my mate, my little fox. My heart chose for me. The moment you walked into the throne room, I was lost. I had never been so terrified.”

  Toka pulled back to meet his gaze. “You? Terrified? Of what?”

  “Of never having you in my arms.” Rayner ran his thumb over Toka’s bottom lip. “Of never knowing what you tasted like.” He moved his fingers to Toka’s cheek, caressing his jaw. “Of never knowing the softness of your skin or the sound of your sighs.”

  “Why did you wait?”

  “I needed to know what I felt for you was more than lust. I wanted to know you, wanted you to know me. I needed to know you wanted me for who I was, not what I was.”

  “You said your heart chose your mate. Is… is that what I am to you?”

  Rayner went thoughtful. When he imagined his life, he could not do so without Toka in it. But he didn’t want Toka there; he wanted Toka to be a part of him, wanted him at his side as his equal, his claimed mate. He had never been drawn to another like he was drawn to Toka. For a long time, he’d attempted to ignore his growing affection, but at some point in the last year, he saw only Toka. Where most believed it was another one of his dalliances, he quickly knew that wasn’t the case. Not trusted Toka with his life, and with his heart.

  “Do you… think you might come to love me one day?” Rayner asked.

  Toka blinked at him in surprise. “One day?”

  Rayner swallowed hard, his face cupped by Toka. The smile on Toka’s beautiful face sent Rayner’s pulse fluttering.

  “Rayner, I fooled myself into believing all I felt for you was desire, but the truth is, I have loved you for centuries, and with each passing day, my love for you grows.” The love in Toka’s heart showed through in his kiss. Rayner pulled Toka down against him, returning his passionate kiss. When they were forced to come up for air, Rayner brushed Toka’s hair from his brow, his reserve fortified.

  “We’ll find a way. Riley isn’t giving up on us, on pushing forward the changes that are needed. We mustn’t give up either. Change is needed, and I will fight for that change.”

  Tears welled in Toka’s eyes, his smile something Rayner would cherish. Rayner held Toka tight against him, his concerns regarding Pavoni once again plaguing him.

  “We must be cautious, my little fox. It will break my heart, but I must treat you like any other servant, and you can’t look at me in such a way. I am nothing but another Soldati to you.”

  Toka gazed up at him, his amber eyes filled with worry. “I… I don’t know if I can.”

  “You can, and you will.” He brushed his fingers down Toka’s jaw. “I cannot risk you. Please, for us.”

  Toka nodded, and Rayner closed his eyes. As he brushed his fingers down Toka’s bare arm, he contemplated their future together. Why should he and Toka lead half a life? How long until the next king appeared, intent on uniting their kingdoms, offering a match too good for Khalon to decline? As much as Khalon would wish Rayner happiness, he wouldn’t understand why Rayner would choose Toka over someone of prestige, someone who could offer the Soldati a prosperous union. As if the Soldati weren’t prosperous enough.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  It was time.

  Rayner sat in his seat beside Toka’s chair, his expression guarded. Ezra was to Rayner’s right, and Adira beside Ezra. In the center of the raised platform, Khalon’s throne lay empty along with Riley’s as everyone waited for them to be announced. Several seats were arranged to the left of Khalon’s throne for Pavoni, Prince Merlo, and Princess Verity along with select members of their court. The grand banquet hall was exquisitely decorated, filled with ornate tables now occupied by Soldati and members of Pavoni’s court. Dozens of Soldati warriors kept guard around the room, while an army of servants tended to the guests, offering an array of tasty morsels and fine beverages. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ezra gasped, seizing Rayner’s attention, and he quickly turned to him.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Ezra’s eyes glowed white. The Eye was speaking through him. “I sense Pavoni’s arrival. His presence casts a shadow over the Soldati realm. I fear this visit will end in tragedy.”

  Rayner cursed under his breath. Bloody fantastic.

  “Nothing like a good prediction of doom to start the festivities,” Adira grumbled. “Why hasn’t Riley had a vision?”

  Ezra’s eyes returned to their usual blue. “I don’t know. The prophecies of the Soldati Saugur are still a mystery to us. His first vision concerned Khalon and the future of the Soldati. Perhaps his visions are triggered by possible events of a much larger scale?”

  “Maybe,” Rayner muttered. “But keep vigilance and inform Khalon of the Eye’s warning when you can.”

  Ezra nodded his agreement.

  The horns blared, heralding the forthcoming announcement. Rayner released a heavy sigh. “Here we go.”

  “His Royal Majesty, King of Dell’Orso, Pavoni. His Royal Highness, Prince Merlo, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Verity.”

  Everyone in the banquet hall stood to welcome their royal guests. Rayner begrudgingly followed suit, his gaze on the insufferable man who strode down the black-and-gold carpet as if he were a god. Everyone bowed as Pavoni and his court walked by, and as Pavoni approached the stairs up to the platform, Rayner forced himself to bow along with his friends.

  “Rayner,” Pavoni sneered. “Still here I see.”

  “Where else would I be, Your Majesty?” Rayner smirked, waiting for Pavoni and his court to take their seats before resuming his own. He reminded himself of his promise to Khalon. No matter how much he wanted to claw at Pavoni, he would behave himself. Do it for Khalon and Riley. Rayner settled back in his chair.

  “I truly hadn’t expected you to survive this long. What with your penchant for recklessness and disregard for authority.”

  Only certain authority. “Humans have this wonderful saying. A tiger cannot change his stripes.”

  “How very fitting. Such stubborn, rash creatures, you Soldati. Always letting yourselves be led by your emotions.”

  Rayner hummed his agreement. Better to be led by one’s emotions than arrogance. Pavoni scoffed, running a hand through his dark hair. He was large, wide, and burly, with more muscles than he had sense, and at some point, he might have had a neck. Rayner couldn’t remember. He was all snarl and bare teeth, even when he was smiling. “Smile” was too strong a word to describe the gesture. It was mostly a sneer in the guise of a smile.

  The Orso had once been a noble race of gentle giants. They had preferred to be left in peace, to spend their days basking in the grandeur of their kingdom. Anyone who made the mistake of crossing them would experience the ferocity beneath the gentleness. The Soldati and Orso had forged a kinship back before humans walked the earth; the peace and support between their kingdoms allowed both sides to come and go as they pleased. Only a king and his court possessed the power to summon portals, making trips to and from each kingdom possible within seconds rather than the days or weeks it would take to cross one mass of land to the other. In a matter of centuries, Pavoni had reduced their kingdoms’ kinship to mere tolerance, if that.