Tir sat next to Ebony, reclining against her side as he watched the little one play with a huge, brightly colored ball that Tir had got for her. She attacked the large green wooden ball that was almost as big as her and she rolled nose over tail, screeching in delight. Tir chuckled at the ungainly movements of the little purple dragon, enjoying her antics as he unwound from the council meeting.

There was only two days left until they would depart and he could feel the tension mounting inside of him. The purpose of their trip to Recura was important, and although the temporary halt of fighting was holding between the two countries, he knew that it was important to seal permanent peace between the two lands. His days spent in the council sessions had shown him how badly the border lands were being affected by the hostilities, and now more than ever he appreciated what Drake was going to Recura to do.

Even though he knew how important the trip was, he still couldn’t help but feel the tension about his own personal problems in Recura outweighing the original purpose of the trip. He was worried about the outcome of his going and he continued to wonder if it was the right thing. He was in a way being selfish, because the true reason for his accompanying Drake and Marek was simply he didn’t want to be left alone. His presence in the diplomatic party was a wild card and could affect the outcome of the peace process for good or bad. No one was sure how Tristan would react to Tir’s presence and his new title.

On a more personal level, Tir was unsure of what would happen when he met the man who had sired him. So much depended on Tristan and how he viewed Tir. He worried about the effect on his own family and longed for the chance to see his troublesome brothers, and hoped that they were ok. The added complexity of the dragons’ request was enough to send Tir’s anxieties onto a whole other level.

Tir sighed worriedly, only to feel a warm breath of air surround him as Ebony leaned her head close. Tir smiled, feeling her presence within him calming him even as Feras joined her, interweaving their emotions together to surround him gently. It was such a wonderful feeling that Tir smiled, forgetting his problems for the moment. Whatever happened he knew both of them would be there for him, along with their riders.

Tir looked up when the door of the pen opened and Drake came in, followed closely by a young boy. Tir’s eyes opened wide in shock when he saw that in the rider’s arms was a baby girl looking around with large jade eyes. The young auburn haired boy behind him smiled up at Drake excitedly, his bright face somehow familiar to Tir.

"They’re both here, and the baby! Can I touch the little one?" the boy asked, his smile reminding Tir of Drake, despite the boy didn’t look very much like the man.

"No, stay away from the little dragon," Drake cautioned.

Tir looked at Drake, confused, wondering what was going on as the three entered the pen. He knew that no one ever came into the dragon pens except their riders, and yet Drake was bringing these children in. He looked up at Ebony, wondering if she was upset, only to feel her calm colors as her eyes followed the three entering the pen.

"Who is that man? Is he Marek, father?" the boy asked.

"Father?" Tir blurted out, looking from Drake to the boy in shock.

Drake smiled at Tir, motioning him to come over as they headed for the platform.

"Jin, this is the Maquis of the Highlands, Tir. Tir this is my son Jin, and my daughter Jasmine," Drake said as Tir approached.

"I have heard of him from grandfather," Jin said, his smile fading a little.

"I’m sure you have, but remember what I told you," Drake said calmly.

"Yes, father, but what is he doing here? Is he a rider?" Jin asked.

"No, he isn’t a rider, but he is someone I love very much and Ebony and Feras both like him," Drake answered, shifting his struggling daughter in his arms.

Tir watched as the boy looked him over carefully. He felt a blush come to his face at Drake’s words, surprised that the man had so easily admitted to love him in front of his son. Dark black eyes suddenly came alive, much like his father’s, as a large smile spread across the boy’s face.

"I’m glad, I like him a lot better than Maya, she doesn’t come to see Jasmine enough," Jin said.

"She really isn’t the motherly type Jin, that is part of the reason I asked her to bear Jasmine," Drake replied.

"Can I touch Ebony? Please," Jin asked, turning his attention away from Tir, much more interested in the dragons who were watching the scene, obviously amused by Tir’s shock.

"Alright but let me come with you," Drake said, stepping off the platform into the white sands. "Tir, would you hold her while we go over to Ebony?"

Tir, still a little bit in shock at the revelation of Drake’s children, nodded blankly as Drake approached.

"Are you alright?" Drake asked, noticing Tir’s dazed look.

"You’re a father?"

"Didn’t I tell you? I could have sworn I did," Drake said, placing his daughter in Tir’s arms.

"No, you didn’t," Tir said firmly.

"Oh, well, surprise," Drake said with a grin, leaving to join Jin, who waited impatiently.

Tir felt the little girl in his arms struggle, and he held her out to look at the female version of Drake. It was obvious, unlike her light red-headed brother, she took after her father. Her dark black hair and pretty golden skin a legacy from her father, the only thing that must have come from her mother was her sparkling green eyes that looked at him intensely. She struggled, holding out her hands to the dragons, obviously just as enthralled with them as her brother.

Tir heard a chirp and looked down to see the little one near his feet looking curiously at the struggling child in his arms. Tir smiled at the two females’ curiosity as Jasmine reached out to the little dragon. Tir knelt down in the sands and held Drake’s daughter out to the curious dragon even as he asked Ebony to tell her own daughter to be very careful of the delicate human in front of it.

Drake looked over, concern written on his face even as Tir felt Ebony’s presence withdraw from him and he assumed focused on her worried rider, who soon turned his attention back to his son.

Tir watched Jasmine’s tiny hand explore the little dragon’s scales, and even the dragon watched the baby intently. Jasmine giggled when the purple dragon lightly bathed her face with her tongue before losing interest and going back to ball. Jasmine watched the young dragon play, laughing at its antics from Tir’s lap even as Tir watched Drake and Jin.

He was astounded that Drake could forget to tell him about such an important part of his life. It had never occurred to him that Drake might be a father, although in retrospect Drake was the crown prince, it would be his duty to have some children. He had a thousand different questions to ask the man, foremost among them was who were these children’s mother. Was it this Maya woman that Jin had so causally mentioned? Tir felt the sting of jealousy rise inside of him. Despite the fact that he loved Marek along with Drake, he wasn’t happy at the thought of sharing Drake with a woman.

As he looked at Jin he realized whoever this woman was she had to have been part of Drake’s life for a long time, since his son looked to be at least eight. How could Tir compete with someone that had known the man for so long? It bothered Tir that Drake had never mentioned another person in his life, and surely a woman that bore his children would be important to him.

Despite his worries, he couldn’t help but smile at Drake as he watched the man instruct his son on the various duties of being a rider and showing him more about Ebony. He couldn’t help but be happy at seeing yet another unexpected side of the man. Drake had seemed very comfortable with holding his active daughter, and seemed accustomed to dealing with both of his children. He could see how much Jin loved his father, and he watched the two talk as Ebony watched curiously.

"Tir, there is trouble coming, Marek has found out about Sasha, and he is coming here with the girl." Feras’ mind voice rumbled abruptly through him.

Tir’s eyes widened in panic as he looked up at Drake. It was obvious that Ebony had been telling him the same thing as Drake looked over at Tir.

"Jin, I want you to take your sister back to the nursery now," Drake said calmly.

"But Father, we just got here," Jin said, looking up at his father imploringly.

"Jin, you know I wouldn’t ask you if there wasn’t a good reason. Your grandfather will come and read you a story," Drake said with a smile.

"Really! He has been so busy lately," Jin said, enthusiastically moving towards his sister.

Tir handed Jasmine over to the young boy even as Drake approached. He leaned down to Tir to whisper in his ear.

"Marek has found out about your little act of charity towards Sasha. I don’t think he is too pleased," Drake whispered.

"Shouldn’t you go with your children?"

"I don’t think that would be wise to leave you alone with him, it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to show up to Recura black and blue. Ebony has already spoken to father’s dragon, he will spend some time with the children and keep them occupied," Drake said, shaking his head even as Jin headed for to the door.

Before the boy reached it a woman’s screams of terror became audible as Drake and Tir looked at one another. It was obvious Sasha was more than a little frightened of whatever Marek was doing to her.

"Go Jin, and hurry up," Drake urged.

"What is going on?"

"Not now Jin, I will explain it later. Do not get in the blond man’s way and get to the nursery," Drake said, opening the door even as Marek appeared, his hands entwined in Sasha’s hair, pulling the girl along.

"Father!" Jin said, looking wide eyed at the scene even as Jasmine began to cry.

"Go on now, your grandfather is waiting for you," Drake said even as Marek swept passed them into the pen.

Tir watched in horror as Marek threw the girl down and glared at her even as she curled into a ball, weeping. Without thinking Tir marched up and placed himself in front of the girl, appalled at what he man had just done in front of children.

"What do you think you are doing? Drake’s children were here and I know Feras had to have told you! Do you think they need to see that, Marek?!" Tir said angrily.

"What are you thinking?!" Marek growled back, ignoring Tir’s question.

"Both of you calm down," Drake said mildly.

"Shut up," Tir and Marek said at the same time glaring at each other.

"You know what that girl did? Now she your servant! She should be killed at the very least," Marek shouted, lunging for the girl as Tir threw himself against Marek’s hard body, pushing against him.

"Marek stop it. I’m the one she hurt, I’m the one that should decide her punishment," Tir said, pushing at hard muscles of the man’s chest, feeling totally overwhelmed by the man’s power.

"What are you going to do to her?" Marek hissed.

"She is going to my lands," Tir replied.

"That’s all?!"

"Drake help me. Sasha, get out of here and back to my rooms. Now!" Tir exclaimed.

It took both Tir and Drake holding him to keep the man from snatching at he girl as she sped out of the pen. Marek struggled against Drake even as Tir wrapped his whole body around Marek, trying to bog him down.

"Damn it, calm down or I can’t explain anything to you. What happened to the cool, level headed Baron that smiled as he whipped me?" Tir asked desperately.

"You... you... let me go," Marek growled, at a loss for words.

"Not until you calm down," Drake said mildly even as he held Marek’s arms pinned behind his back.

"Marek, listen to me, please. Please!" Tir said.

"Fine," Marek said, stopping his struggles.

"I don’t care about the girl. I just want to forget about it all. What she did was wrong, but in the end she didn’t go through with the plan. Not only that, you know that Logan sees his wife in her," Tir said quickly.

"The King?"

"Yes, it would hurt him to kill her," Tir answered quickly.

"She isn’t his wife, just a slave and a devious one at that," Marek said, his eyes narrowing.

"It still doesn’t mean that we have to kill her. She isn’t going to be in the palace for much longer and she won’t be able to cause trouble any longer. Logan’s feelings are more important than revenge," Tir said firmly, glaring down at Marek.

"Would you have said the same if Feras hadn’t rescued you, or if we hadn’t been able to heal you? She was the one that turned you in to Esper, and she was part of the plan to discredit you," Marek said harshly.

"I was the one the snuck out of the harem, Marek. Anyone would have turned me in, I wasn’t well liked in the harem and you know that. She just happened to be the one that did it. As for the other incident, she didn’t follow through, intentions are different than actions, at least to me," Tir said, looking at the glaring man.

Tir could tell that his words weren’t getting through to Marek as the anger didn’t leave the deadly emerald eyes. He had never seen Marek like this before, and now knew why Sasha had been so afraid of the man. It was taking all his determination to stand up to Marek and the fury he was showing.

"I want her dead," Marek said coldly, turning and walking out of the pen.

Tir started to follow only to be held back by Drake. Looking up he was surprised to see such a calm expression on the man’s face as he shook his head.

"Let me deal with this Tir," Drake said calmly.

"But it’s my fault," Tir said uncertainly.

"Yes, it is, but right now you aren’t capable of fixing it, and you will only get you and Marek hurt by pursuing him now," Drake said with a sigh, seeing the worry and sadness in Tir’s eyes.

"Don’t worry I’ll take care of it," Drake reassured the young man mentally, shaking his head at the situation.

"Drake! You have to stop him," Elis said, skidding to a halt in front of Drake as he exited the nursery.

"Let me guess, Marek?"

"He is in the training hall and he’s . . . " Elis stuttered as Drake nodded, not needing the young rider to continue.

He had wondered where the man had gotten off to when he couldn’t find him after leaving Tir. Drake sighed, wondering how much damage Marek had done in the brief time he had spent with his children.

"I can guess," Drake said, running for the training hall attached to the Dragon Enclave.

It didn’t take Drake long to reach the simple stone building and find Marek inside fighting one of the new riders, who looked ready to drop. He glanced around to see that there were already two other riders slumped against the wall being attended to by their seniors. He couldn’t help but wonder how well these young riders would do if he failed in negotiating peace and they went to war, if they could be put down in so short of time by Marek. Pushing that problem aside he walked to the center of the room and stepped between Marek and his victim.

"Get out of the way Drake, I’m in the middle of training," Marek said coolly, his expression showing little.

"I think I’m in a little need of training," Drake said with a small smile, as he watched from the corner of his eyes the young rider slump to the ground, panting.

The older riders quickly came and removed the boy from the practice circle as Marek’s cold, arrogant eyes raked over his body. Without any warning Marek lashed out at him, hitting his right side. Drake focused all his attention on Marek as they began to circle each other. It was obvious that this was going to be mildly unpleasant for him, since Marek’s anger had cooled and turned inward. Drake guessed that he was going to have to fight Marek until both of them were too exhausted to move, unless he got in a lucky shot.

"Everyone out," Drake commanded as they circled each other, his eyes never leaving Marek’s.

"But Drake, we can’t just," Elis started, looking at the three battered riders worriedly.

"Yes, you can, now out, all of you," Drake said firmly even as Marek charged him.

All of his attention turned to the fight with Marek as he tried to block and dodge the sharp blows the man tried to land on him. Drake lost track of the time as he concentrated on Marek’s expressionless face, surprised at his reaction. He had never known Marek to ever lose control of his emotions, yet it was obvious despite his blank appearance that he was far from being in control. It became even more apparent as they fought, and Marek continued to lose ground to Drake, making one careless mistake after another.

Sweat began to drip off of Drake as he finally landed a solid blow against Marek’s unprotect ribs. Without wasting a moment he quickly followed up with a leg sweep to the now unsteady Baron, dumping him to the ground in an untidy heap. Rather unenthusiastic to continue, Drake quickly dropped down on the Baron, straddling the man and pinning his wrist before he could regain his bearings.

"Let go, we’re not wrestling," Marek protested, straining against Drake’s powerful grip, unable to beat him in the contest of brute strength.

"I’m rather tired of punching you, Marek, so let’s call it a night," Drake said cheerfully.

"Get off of me," Marek growled, some of temper finally breaking through.

"Not so fast, what are you going to do if I let you up?" Drake asked mildly, looking down at the fierce expression aimed at him.

"That’s my own business," Marek snapped.

"You have made it my business by attacking those poor boys. That wasn’t training and you know it, Marek. Besides that, I promised Tir I would help calm you down," Drake said as he tightened his grip on Marek’s wrists and the man struggled.

"This is between Tir and me," Marek said, glaring up at him.

"You know Tir can make his own decisions," Drake replied softly, sympathizing with the man despite the fact he was helping Tir.

"You agree with him?"

"No, I don’t, but it is his decision."

"Neither do I, that makes two against one."

"Except that one is the person that we both care about," Drake said, feeling the tension drain out of the man, and he decided to get up off of him.

"Let’s get cleaned up, Marek," Drake suggested, feeling hot, sticky and sore as he rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen them.

"I would rather go find that girl," Marek grunted, sitting up and holding his ribs.

"No, you wouldn’t, otherwise you would have gone after her instead of beating up more helpless riders," Drake pointed out with a grin.

"You are really willing to let this go?" Marek asked, looking up a Drake intensely.

"It’s what Tir wants. I don’t like it, but I have to respect his decision, Marek. He isn’t a slave anymore. He has to make his own decisions and live with the consequences of them."

Marek snorted and pushed himself off the ground, and they both walked out of the building to find most of the riders waiting anxiously. Drake smiled at them and he saw the tension go out of many of them. He realized that this was the first time Marek had ever lost control of his temper in such an apparent way. The calm, cool facade had slipped a little as he had taken his anger out on the trainees. Never before had Marek ever let his emotions control him, but lately it seemed Marek was having a harder time of it. Tir was having a great effect on the man, and although he couldn’t approve of the more violent tendencies, Drake couldn’t help but be glad of the change.

Drake could have never guessed that Marek would become such a part of his life. He had intended to have very little to do with the cold, arrogant man, dismissing him as an unfeeling sadist, but somewhere along the way that had changed. Glimpses of the man underneath the mask and listening to Tir and Ebony’s thoughts about the blond Baron had opened Drake’s mind from his dislike of the man’s deviant sexual desires and cool aloofness. He began to feel a fondness for Marek that he would never imagined a year ago. It wasn’t like the love he felt for Tir, but it wasn’t just the companionship he had with his other dragon partners either.

There was something about Marek that drew him in the more time he spent with the man, and the more he heard about him from Tir. There was a great deal more about him than Drake had first suspected, but even more there was a genuine desire that had grown lately to bridge the difference between them. Drake gazed at the Baron’s profile as he calmed the riders, assuring them that he hadn’t gone crazy, wondering what exactly this man was to him.

They finally got away from the riders and headed towards the bath hall. Occasionally glancing over at the elegant man, Drake turned over his feelings for him, rather bemused at the idea of having any sort of feelings for him at all. They rarely spent time together outside of sleeping together at night with Tir between them, yet Drake couldn’t deny that somewhere along the line he had become rather attached to Marek.

"What are you staring at?" Marek snapped, glaring at Drake.

"You," Drake shot back with humor at the situation.

"Why?" Marek asked, looking at him suspiciously as they entered the bath hall.

"I doubt you really want to know," Drake answered as he allowed the bathing girl to strip him out of his clothes.

Marek shrugged, and before long they both where soaking in the warm water of the bath as the attentive bathing servants work to clean them. Once the girls had finished he shooed them away and reclined, relaxing his rather sore muscles.

"Why where your children in the pen?" Marek asked after a while as he lazed back, his eyes half closed.

"Jin wanted to see Ebony. He’s at the age where he’s realizing what it means to be my heir. I felt the same when I was his age, although I always wanted to see mother’s dragon. Shokar was startlingly beautiful, more so than Sela. Besides, mother and Shokar were always willing to indulge me," Drake answered, glad that Marek had calmed down enough to idly talk.

"Hmm, what did Jin think of Tir? He’s spent a lot of time with his maternal grandfather lately, hasn’t he? If I remember right the Earl is more than a little ambitious, and I can see him trying to use Jin. Your father couldn’t understand why you let the boy go in the first place, he was rather displeased with you," Marek said, looking over at Drake.

"Jin wanted to know about his mother," Drake said softly, suddenly feeling a sadness sweep over him as he thought about Clarissa, Jin’s mother.

"Did she really turn her back on you?" Marek asked quietly.

"I thought you knew? It was a big topic of gossip back then," Drake said with a little bit of a bitter laugh.

"I wasn’t here at the palace, I hadn’t bonded Feras yet, he was one of her last hatchlings. Besides, your latest choice of women to bear you a child is the thing that everybody wants to talk about, rather than old history," Marek replied, closing his eyes again.

"Yes, I suppose you are right. I think my choice of Maya angered about every nobleman looking to foist off his daughter on me, but as a courtesan I don’t have the same problems with her or her family that I do with Jin’s," Drake said, feeling the tension that had begun to build leak out of him at the thought of everyone’s horror at his choice of mother for his latest child.

"So..." Marek asked again, a note of something in his voice that drew Drake’s attention.

Drake remained quiet, looking at the man whose face had suddenly closed. Just like Marek, he also knew the vague details of his partner’s past and he wondered where this conversation was leading. He would have preferred not to stir up his past with Clarissa, since it was far from happy, yet this was the first time the two of them had talked beyond simple everyday things and Tir. Marek seemed to be in a very unusual mood, and after his recent train of thought he felt compelled to continue the conversation despite his mixed feelings.

"Yes, I really thought we would marry despite the fact I would be a rider. I wanted to have what my parents had, and I truly thought Clarissa understood. I was wrong," Drake said finally, trying to shut out the memories of those days after he returned with Ebony and his fantasy crumbled.

"I think that is the first time I have ever heard bitterness in your voice. What happen ed to the happy cheerful prince?" Marek asked.

"Everyone has things in their past they would rather forget. I try not to think of those days after I returned to the palace with Ebony and things fell apart between us, or when Jin was born. I hadn’t even come to terms with her leaving me and then she died trying to bear our child. The pain and confusion of those days still haunt me at times. Wouldn’t you prefer not to think about the woman you first fell in love with?" Drake asked, moving through the water to face Marek.

"Of course not, I’m not foolish enough get tangled up with people," Marek said, opening his eyes to look at Drake warily.

"Perhaps," Drake murmured, looking at the mask of cold indifference that had appeared on the man’s face.

Without even thinking about it he let his hand trail down Marek’s wet chest as the man looked at him coldly. Drake knew that he had touched on the Baron’s past just as Marek had on his, but unlike the surpassingly fragile man before him Drake had already dealt with his own demons and won. There was something very appealing about this seemingly strong man that hid himself behind walls that were now becoming transparent to Drake.

He couldn’t help but wonder why Marek had started down that line of questions, knowing full well that they could be turned back on him. Although Marek’s history was not the source of gossip as Drake’s was, it still was known about his broken betrothal that lead the man to the dragon’s enclave.

"Why did you ask about Clarissa?" Drake asked even as Marek grabbed his hand roughly.

"I was curious, your father wouldn’t speak of it," Marek said as he stared at Drake’s chest.

"No, father isn’t one to gossip. We share a few things in common it seems, besides our love for Tir. Do you want to know what I was thinking about as we came here?" Drake said, changing the subject, not wanting to upset the man with talk of his past as Marek finally released his wrist.

"No, why should I?" Marek snorted, some of his usually sarcastic tone filling his voice.

"I was wondering what I felt for you. I love Tir, but what I feel for you is a mystery," Drake said, moving forward to straddle the Baron’s lean lap.

"What are you talking about, and more to the point what are you doing?" Marek asked sharply.

Drake laughed at the surprised outrage on the man’s face. It was the last thing he had expected to see on the lascivious Baron, who was known for his sexual appetites. Drake wrapped his arms loosely around Marek’s shoulders and leaned down to kiss the man, more than a little surprised at himself but unable to resist in the face of Marek’s flustered discomfort that proved inexplicably tempting. It was very obvious that his words more than his actions were getting to the man, and Drake couldn’t help but want to push him a little.

"I mean that somewhere along the way, Marek, you have become more than just an inconvenience that I had to endure because of Ebony. I can’t say that I love you, but you have become rather important to me in your own way," Drake said after he had broken his light kiss.

"Get off," Marek said.

"Are you turning me down?" Drake asked, his eyebrow rising, rocking suggestively on the man’s lap.

"What is it with everybody lately? First Tir and now you! I don’t love you," Marek growled.

"I don’t love you either, but there are many feelings between love and dislike," Drake pointed out, remaining in the man’s lap as he smiled down at the discomfited man.

Marek glared up at him even as Drake pressed a little bit closer, feeling the man’s slick wet skin glide against his own hard body. He could feel his body stir at the close contact of the pale white skin next to his own golden. The glaring green eyes, filled with surprise and annoyance, tickled something in Drake, who wanted even more to continue with his spur of the moment seduction of the man. It was the first time he had felt such open desire for Marek since Ebony’s mating.

Reaching down under the warm waters he found Marek’s half erect member and smiled knowingly at the man who wasn’t quite as opposed to what Drake was doing as he was saying. He stared at Marek as his hand slowly worked on the rapidly expanding erection. He watched intently at the shifting expressions on Marek’s face as the man totally gave up all pretenses of trying to hide his feelings under Drake’s provocative gaze. Watching the finely chiseled face that seldom showed such expressions of pleasures and lust spurred Drake’s desire as he licked his lips.

Marek abruptly lunged, closing the small distance between them to seize his lips, his arms wrapping completely around Drake’s waist, pulling him tight against the Baron’s lean, hard body. Marek’s fierce passion swept through Drake as he felt a slender hand slide down his wet back to ass. Marek took total control of Drake’s mouth, almost devouring him even as long fingers probed his entrance.

Moaning against Marek’s mouth he ground his body against Marek’s, feeling their engorged organs slide against each other as Marek’s slender fingers thrust into him. Pulling away slightly, he moved his hands down to grasp both of their members to stroke them, never breaking contact with Marek’s hot mouth.

Drake felt Marek start to thrust his hips a little, trying to increase the contact of between them as a loud groan emanated from the man, echoing through the bath hall. Drake pulled away from the panting man with a smile. Without saying a word Drake rose up a little to impale himself on Marek’s rigid sex as he languidly wrapped his arms around Marek’s shoulders, entwining his fingers in the soft blond hair of his partner.

Drake gasped a little as he worked his way down Marek’s large member as the man’s eyes bore into him with an intensity that made him shudder in desire. He felt his body slowly being filled by the complex man that had overpowered Drake, not by force, but his vulnerability and passion. He felt Marek’s hands rest on his hips, encouraging him to move on the rigid length fully inside of him as seductive emerald eyes drew him in.

He pressed up against Marek, looking down at the panting man with pleasure, realizing for the first time he might just more than like this man. He had never noticed it before, with Tir distracting him when they were together, but as Marek thrust into him he was seeing the man without any masks or walls. There was such an open, honest expression on the Baron’s face as his hands moved over the curves and hollows of Drake’s body. It was beautiful and striking, but more than that it showed Drake better than anything else what was lying deep within the man. He now knew why Tir was so in love with Marek, and felt something pull inside of him.

Drake shuddered his release as the surprising revelation swirled around his mind and Marek seized his face, dragging him down for a deep kiss that took his breath away. He felt Marek’s body tense in pleasure as he released Drake’s mouth, moaning softly. He wrapped his arms lightly around Marek and leaned against the Baron, trying to straighten out his startling thoughts.

"Well, as long as you don’t love me, I don’t care what you feel. Although I have to wonder what Tir will think of your little seduction," Marek said with his normal dry tone.

"I haven’t a clue," Drake said, ignoring Marek’s comment on his emotions, still rather unsettled by his unexpected feelings.

"We should be getting out. I rather enjoy sex in water, but you tend to get waterlogged," Marek said.

"I suppose," Drake said not moving.

"Sex is over, get off," Marek said wryly.

"Marek, are you still angry at Tir?" Drake asked softly.

"More at the girl, I’m more appalled at the boy’s stupidity," Marek replied.

"Then why don’t we show him the consequences of his actions?" Drake said, sitting up to look at the confused man with a devious smile as a surprising plan began to take shape in his mind.

"Consequences?" Marek repeated, looking up at the devilish smile on Drake’s face.