veilward | THIS THE EMMROOK VARIETY HOUR NOW

Even if Emmrich had begged for him to be rough then, to flip him on his stomach and take him then and there, Hugh fought to be tender at least at the start and definitely where his mouth was concerned. Hugh could still smell the drying blood on Emmrich's skin, and it made his chest twist knowing how many times in such a small number of days Emmrich had let Hugh take his fill. Hugh would be as careful as possible, earn the trust Emmrich gifted him.

"You don't need to ask," Hugh murmured into the bend of Emmrich's inner thigh. Hugh then rolled on this side and pulled Emmrich with him until they were face to face. He was grinning lopsided as his hand slipped between the space of the sash and wrapped his fingers around Emmrich's cock. He clearly meant to tease Emmrich as long as he could. "You can touch me. Where do you want to touch me?"

He was so ridiculously indulged. Or perhaps not ridiculously, but it felt so good that he wasn't certain it was typical. It made him reflect back on how much he'd given of himself in previous relationships, and how it was nice to have something that felt like an equal amount of give and take.

As Hugh's hand slipped in Emmrich bent forward with a little moan. There wasn't a lot of space left there, and the warm callouses on Hugh's hand felt incredible around him. Emmrich wasted no time sliding his hand up the back of Hugh's shirt, tracing his love's spine and ribs.

"Everywhere," he said, "but this is a start. You take such good care of your body. It's a joy to touch and see." He leaned in for a hungry kiss, even if it meant Hugh would no longer be looking him over. It was worth it. He already was feeling good and he wanted Hugh feeling good as well.

With his other hand, Hugh continued to tease at the loosened end of the sash, letting the fabric fall around Emmrich in green whorls between them. Part of him wanted to keep Emmrich bound in satin, but he couldn't deny the growing frustration of anything impeding his need to touch every inch of the other man. Right now, the rest of the world didn't exist beyond the four posts of this bed. Hugh had always wondered what romantic nonsense made people say things like 'getting lost in another,' and now he had his answer.

"Right— I think I want to see how flexible you are," Hugh said hoarsely when Emmrich's clever hands trailed up his back.

With a grunt, he pushed himself up and hauled up Emmrich along with him. Fingers grasping the sash still around Emmrich's leg, high sat upright and pulled Emmrich's legs around his waist. Hugh was still in his smalls, his erection pressed against Emmrich's as he pushed Emmrich against the headboard. It was awkward at first with Emmrich nearly bent in half with Hugh leaning over him, just as ravenous and desperate in his kisses as he blindly tried to finish unwrapping his gift.

"The oil—" Hugh panted against Emmrich's mouth, "Still on the nightstand? Can you reach it?"

"Very," Emmrich promised as Hugh got up. There was nothing else to say as he was skillfully, powerfully moved. He moaned at the press, the pressure, and the stretch. Sandwiched between Hugh and the headboard was now his favorite place to be. And they were absolutely on the same page going off how Hugh's cock felt pressed against him, as if he had any reason to doubt.

"I..." He stretched, failed, and finally had to pull away from the desperate kisses. It was incredibly difficult to talk right now, between how turned on he was and the position, knees now practically at his ears.

Emmrich found the oil after a little fumbling and held it out, talking as he did so. "Normally get up this early. Do stretches. Could see my flexibility any morning. Every morning." It should be every. Every single morning from here into eternity. He had no idea what Hugh's normal sleep schedule was when he wasn't traveling across the world to deal with Darkspawn, but he hoped he'd have a chance to find out. He wanted the time together to learn everything there was to learn about this man.

"Here." And then he resumed breathlessly kissing Hugh, quickly sliding his hand into the man's hair to hold him there as he opened his mouth and invited Hugh to plunder him absolutely.

Flexible, indeed. Emmrich was gorgeous, splayed out and wedged between the headboard and Hugh's enthusiasm. Hugh only paused to make certain Emmrich was alright before continuing to plunder the man's mouth with hungry, lingering kisses that made his front teeth ache and his lips prickle with a bruising sensation.

"I'd rise with the sun just to watch you, stretched out—willing, eager," Hugh panted out as he took the lapse in their kissing to all but rip his shirt off. It was a distant but pleasant thought. Hugh hated the morning, but the thought of greeting Emmrich beside him with the sun would be a fantasy made real. Emmrich, sipping his morning tea and telling him his plans for the day, was a world apart from the drudgery of the old fortress. Hugh ached for that impossible dream, for Emmrich.

Arousal becoming unbearable, Hugh didn't even know if he would have the patience to get his smalls off because it would be separating from Emmrich. Instead, he just rucked them down, stretching the already fraying fabric. His cock was hard against his thigh any friction against Emmrich's still bound erection made him shiver.

The sash was proving more nuiceance than enticement now as he ripped at the fabric still wrapped around Emerich thigh, freeing his cock and leaving him exposed. Emmrich could yell at him for that later. Taking the oil. Hugh thumbed off the cork and messily let the contents spill on his hand. Hugh stroked his cock a couple of times as he used his other hand to put Emmrich's feet onto his shoulders. Like this, Emmrich was entirely prone and could be fucked hard with ease.

"This alright?" Hugh asked, having to force the words out as he slid his slickened hand against Emmrich's entrance, only chancing a finger before he committed. Emmrich hadn't protested, but he wanted him willingly this vulnerable.

Imagine that, going through his usual stretches and then having Hugh watch. He'd be warmed up by the time Hugh decided to join him, if he did. They could have a morning routine together. Emmrich longed for something as domestic as that. He longed for anything domestic at all with Hugh.

Before his thoughts could turn melancholy, though, Hugh was baring himself and rubbing against his thigh before stripping Emmrich too. His breath caught; Emmrich felt more open, more naked than usual and he wasn't sure why. All he knew was that he liked the feeling with this man. He also loved the sight of Hugh's cock slickly sliding through the man's fingers, and licked his lips in anticipation.

"Oh," he groaned out as he was bent the rest of the way. There wasn't a chance of catching his breath like this and he was entirely fine with that.

"Yes, my darling, it's good." So good. He desperately needed more than a single finger. "I want you. I want this. Please." With another partner he might say to not hold back, but Emmrich wasn't sure if he felt like being bitten right now. Likely once Hugh got going he'd be willing, but right now he wanted sex and affection.

Thoughts of morning tea and long evening walks were interwoven with how badly Hugh wanted to see the words fucked out of Emmrich right in that moment. Fangs poked out through Hugh's widening smile as he watched Emmrich start to fall apart under his touch. My Emmrich, He thought with a wave of possession that coiled as tightly within him as his ardor. My beautiful, beautiful Emmrich."

"You're perfect," Hugh said on an exhale as he pushed another finger inside his love. Sensing Emmrich's hesitation at the growing length of his fangs, but heightened anticipation at the further Hugh stretched him open, Hugh retracted them. The mattress creaked as Hugh leaned with weight to kiss Emmrich deeply. "Need you."

Hugh pulled back far enough after positioning his fingers to the knuckle several times until he felt Emmrich loosen. He turned his head and kissed Emmrich's ankle draped over his shoulder as he lined himself up. Hugh let out a shaky sigh as he slowly sank into that welcoming, velvety heat.

"Oh, fuck— !"

Hugh gasped when he hilted inside Emmrich, his head dropped, and one hand gripped the headboard. He savored the feeling for a drawn-out moment, then his hand dropped. Both hands leveraged on the mattress, and Hugh started to pull out, then slammed back in. The pace was abrupt and hard, Hugh throwing his head back with his eye shut and lower lip bitten in pure bliss as the thyrtythm kicked up and the mattress groaned almost as loud as Hugh as he let go and gucked Emmrich just like he wanted.

He could easily get drunk off this man's kisses, as intent and hungry as they always were. Emmrich could feel the love poured into them and returned it back. If there was any way to assure Hugh of his devotion through kisses he'd give it his utmost. The gentle kiss to his ankle, making his skin tingle, seemed much the same. How could he ever doubt someone who lavished him with such gentle care?

When Hugh's fangs retracted he felt briefly guilty, worried that Hugh might be self-conscious about them, but he could hold nothing along those lines in his head when Hugh started entering him.

He groaned heavily as he was filled, feeling it more deeply than any other time. He wanted to be the perfect vessel for Hugh to fuck and bent like this, pinned like this, he thought he might be. He also thought he was going to have time to adjust and was cruelly, deliciously denied that.

"Love!" he cried out, no protest, just overwhelmed, breathless need. Emmrich braced himself best he could, one hand up and behind him holding on to the headboard, and the other exacerbating the intense stretch as he held on to Hugh's shoulder.

Hugh plunged into him hard and fast, taking Emmrich's breath away. There was no room to pull back or find a respite, nor did he want one.

"Please, yes," he moaned, desperate. Other broken words and sounds followed as he arched his back just a little, chasing the merciless pounding. So quickly he was pushed to the edge and he moaned again as he tried to grind his cock against Hugh's stomach and find just that last little bit that could tip him over and get him clenching around his love.

Distantly, Hugh regretted not having given Emmrich time to put his jewelry on beforehand. Watching him hold the headboard in a white-knuckle grip, Hugh would have loved to see those gold bangles rattle together on Emmrich's slender wrist. While he didn't care much for gold, he loved seeing Emmrich dripping in it. Fortunately, seeing Emmrich blissed out of his mind, skin slick with sweat, with his hair mussed up where it fell over his brow, stomach muscles tensed under the stretch, was a sight to behold.

"Emmrich, you feel — fuck, you feel incredible—" Every word was punched out of Hugh the harder he rolled is hips, fucking into Emmrich as he desperate chased the euphoria of the feeling of being inside his love.

It could have been seconds or hours, Hugh was lost to any other awareness other than the tightening in his stomach as pure pleasure thrummed through him in thunderous waves. Throwing his head back, Hugh gasped, which turned into a shout as he came. The sort of orgasm that made all the blood rush from his head and had his head dizzy, stars dancing behind his eyes. A few more thrusts and like a puppet with its strings cut, Hugh fell forward, head resting on top of Emmrich's as he blindly reached between them and jerkily fisting his hand over Emmrich's cock.

"Love— love you," Hugh said shakily, almost as if he were half-asleep or just waking up from a dream.

The position and pace made it hard to breathe, hard to talk, basically impossible to do anything except experience the intense pounding. Emmrich held on for dear life and pleasure. As Hugh moved more forcefully Emmrich was fully reduced to noises that were half-moan, half-grunt.

"Gorgeous," he could finally say as Hugh came. Pure pleasure was written across Hugh's face and Emmrich had never seen anyone or anything more beautiful. Before Emmrich could even ask for a little help, Hugh reached down and gave Emmrich exactly what he needed, especially as he was still filled.

Emmrich released with a whimpering moan to being told he was loved. Tears slipped down his cheeks, not because he was upset, but because he was overwhelmed with everything he was feeling. He loved this man so much and had never been fucked like that in his ilfe.

"You are perfection," he slurred out, slumped between Hugh and the headboard. He could live here. "My beloved. Adore you."

Exhaustedly he reached up and brushed back some of Hugh's sweaty hair. It transitioned to a gentle, sleepy stroking through Hugh's hair as Emmrich relaxed more and more. "Love you too."

Emmrich writhed beneath him, making such beautiful noises with Hugh soaking it all one as Emmrich tensed and shuddered before finding his release. It was then that the fog started to, and Hugh remembered that Emmrich was still in an awkward position. Much as he wanted to stay inside that tight, warm heat and feel Emmrich's fingers stroking through his hair, his arousal was softening, and Emmrich needed to stretch back out.

With a shivering and a low moan, Hugh slid his oversensitive cock out of his lover as he stroked his hand covered in Emmrich's spend over the mattress. Emmrich's feet came off his shoulders as he respositioned himself so Emmrich could move his legs. Hugh gave out a huff before rolling over and letting his upper body collapse over Emmrich's lap.

"I think," Hugh exhaled loudly as he caught his breath. "That was the hardest I've come in...ever."

"No," he said sadly as Hugh pulled out and away. He'd felt blissfully boneless and now he still felt good but he also felt empty. Emmrich didn't have the energy for any other sort of plea or even an attempt to keep holding Hugh.

He stretched a little when Hugh moved but otherwise stayed mostly slumped where he was against the headboard. When Hugh flopped on him, Emmrich looked down at him blearily.

"Mm," he said in agreement. "Have never, was so good. Very good." He reached down to trace his fingers over Hugh's chest, idly toying with a nipple. "Need, after we clean, need you on top. Blanket on me." He couldn't care less about not being able to speak well right now. Hugh shouldn't judge him for that, not when it was Hugh that had left him in this state.

Hugh couldn't help but chuckle softly at Emmrich's meek protestations when he moved. It was cute and more than a little gratifying to know he had fucked articulation out of a man as eloquent and verbose as Emmrich.

After getting comfortable on the bed, his head resting on Emmrich's thigh, Hugh stared up at the canopy of the bed as they both caught their breath. He hummed at Emmrich's request but frowned as he remembered something.

"I still need to write my missives to the Wardens," Hugh said as he took Emmrich's hand, tracing over his chest with his ow,n and kissed the inside of Emmrich's wrist. "I'll make it up to you."

The light kiss and gentle touch didn't make up for the reminder that reality needed to impose upon their little get away in here. Emmrich needed to write a pair of letters too. For over thirty years he'd served the Necropolis without question, without protest, taking few breaks at all, and now that he'd found a reason to take a break of course he couldn't.

"I'll hold you to that." How Hugh might make it up to him he didn't know, but he'll allow that there could be ways. Even if right now he couldn't imagine something nicer than drifting off to sleep again for a time underneath Hugh's comforting weight.

"You'll clean us up first? Then, yes. We can write our letters." And get back to work. It scared him a little, wondering how they'd find time or moments as things kicked off. He wouldn't put if there, not yet. Emmrich needed to try to hope at least. It also wasn't like he was powerless or without some authority or connections. They could find a way.

He leaned down to kiss the top of Hugh's head.

There was no denying the sinking feeling in Hugh as the encroaching reality of more Warden presence here in the Necropolis would be as welcome as opening a host of other problems. He squeezed Emmrich's hand a little harder at the reminder that the mistakes that led him to joining the Wardens and inevitably meeting Emmrich were the same road fate took him on, which could put what they were building together in jeopardy.

"I'll think of something," Hugh said with a mischievous air, hoping that would distract him from catastrophizing over everything that could go wrong in the next couple of days.

"Right," Hugh caught Emmrich in a kiss when he bent down before rising off the bed. "Let me get on that."

Naked and slightly sore from such a vigorous round of sex, Hugh had a slightly stiff limp to his gait as he padded his way to the master bathroom. The limp was still there when he returned with a cloth and a water basin.

"Should have written and sent my letters yesterday," Hugh mused as he cleaned Emmrich gently with warm water. "Hopefully, Evka and the others can get here soon."

There was time magic out there, ways to manipulate it, and if Emmrich knew how to make a little bubble, a shelter from its passing, he would do so. But it's nothing he's studied. He cannot stall time. He cannot keep Hugh here, no matter how he returned the kiss. Small comfort, Hugh struggling a little as he walked. Though the view was magnificent. Emmrich needed to get his hands on Hugh's ass more, he decided.

"Maybe," he breathed out as Hugh started to wipe him off. The careful intimate touch after the earlier forcefulness made Emmrich shiver. He flushed slightly, watching Hugh work. There was something magical about the man's hands that he couldn't dwell on. Once Hugh was done Emmrich shifted up to return the earlier kiss before fishing off the side of the bed for his dressing gown.

"Put that in the hamper in the bathroom while I get the study set up for writing?" He went to get up off the bed and needed to grab one of the posts for support. The ache was so much deeper than usual. His flush grew. Incredible that the best sex of his life was coming from someone so much younger than him, so late in his life. And of course Hugh came with so many complications, but he had to hope they could solve those issues together.

Emmrich pulled the dressing gown on and tied it loosely before casting just enough healing to take the edge of the ache off. Then he slightly limped his way to his study and set up the desk before grabbing the portable writing desk and taking that to sit in the coffin. He'd let Hugh use the regular desk and chair.

Time had never been on Hugh's side, but it was mostly never knowing which trek into the Deep Roads would be his last or when his luck ran out the next time he crossed paths with the Venatori. Right now, however, time was against him by not allowing a few more stolen moments of feeling Emmrich's gently hands running through his hair. At least watching Emmrich squirm and color was a good excuse to draw things out a little longer, just to keep his hands on him.

"Problem?" Hugh nodded as he didn't even try to hide his smirk as Emmrich struggled to rise out of bed. By now, the poor man was practically scarlet from head to toe, and Hugh sympathized enough to lean over and kiss Emmrich on the cheek, but not sorry enough to wipe that smile from his face.

"That's cheating," Hugh snorted when he saw the familiar whorls of green healing magic and Emmrich's limp lessened. In a playful moment, Hugh gave Emmrich a not-too-hard swat on the backside as he turned to live.

Once Emmrich left, Hugh did as he was asked before digging a pair of loose cotton pants and an undershirt from his fatigues out of his pack. Something light and loose to walk around the apartment in before he had to fully commit to the day ahead. Hugh didn't know where the study was, but he could find Emmrich anywhere by scent alone.

"You look cozy," he said, seeing Emmrich with his lap writing desk in the sarcophagus that Hugh initially thought Emmrich was joking about. Lined with padded velvet, it did, in fact, look comfortable but a bit confined for Hugh's taste.

"Right, let's get this over with."

Hugh stopped by Emmrich to kiss him on the head before making his way to the desk. The only sounds then were the scratch of quill on paper and Hugh occasionally making a thoughtful sound that turned into a soft curse. A few crumbled drafts later and Hugh then had two letters folded and placed in envelopes in his hand. He turned to Emmrich with a hesitant expression as he looked down at the letters, then back to Emmrich.

"I...might have mentioned in the one to my friends at Weisshaupt that I've met someone." He said with a measure of uncertainty.

The look Emmrich shot Hugh at the question said Hugh knew exactly what the problem was. "It's hardly cheating if there are no rules against it," he retorted. "I've healed you before!" Emmrich finished with a half-yelp at the smack, feeling even more heat in his face when he thought it impossible. Maker. So much around the man seemed impossible and yet.

He waited for any other comment other than calling him cozy from Hugh, but apparently the teasing was done for now. The kiss was nice, though. He couldn't have enough of Hugh's kisses. His own letters were finished and sealed fairly quickly and then Emmrich relaxed in the coffin, watching Hugh. He could imagine Manfred bringing them tea in here as they worked, taking mornings at their own speed on a regular basis. He could imagine all sorts of things that might not be entirely possible but he could dream. He would dream.

Hugh's words drew him from that daydream and into a gentler reality. Emmrich graced him with a small, almost shy smile. "I'm glad. You've met both of my close friends."

He rose from the coffin still a little stiffly and leaned in to kiss Hugh's cheek. If the man was telling people about him, then there was even more of a chance of them finding a way together, surely.

"I'll call a skeleton to take yours to the ravenmaster, and mine to the candlehops?" he asked, holding a hand out. "And then we can pull the bell for breakfast." He set his writing desk down and gestured with that hand, sending a green swirl into the air so that the skeleton would be promptly on the way. Otherwise he could go dress and they could go hand-deliver the letters, but why bother when skeletons could do it for you?

Edited 2025-04-20 02:12 (UTC)

Hugh swallowed around his worries and looked back down at the letters in his hand. After a second more hesitation, Hugh handed over the letters that could potentially make their work easier but complicate this nascent relationship. It was a strange feeling to be twisted up in knots after a morning spent in such simple bliss. The skeleton was there quicker than expected, and Hugh mumbled an awkward thank you to the construct, only to wonder if that made him look odd.

"About that," Hugh cleared his throat and reached out to put his hands on Emmrich's waist. Coming clean was easiest when he had Emmrich in his arms, which made him feel less of a bastard for what he needed to say.

"My reputation among the Wardens outside of a small circle is...poor, and I'm barely above a foot soldier in terms of rank. I've enough demerits in my record that any of my superiors would love any excuse to ship me off to the middle of nowhere without a second thought." He was finding it difficult to look Emmrich in the eye now, but powered his way through regardless.

"For both our sakes, we may need to...to downplay what we are to each other if any of my superiors arrive. I trust Evka and Antoine as well as any of the Wardens from the fortress, but if someone who already has it out for me were to find out about us..."

'About that' had his hopes high, especially with the physical contact. Emmrich happily looped his arms around Hugh, and then Hugh started talking. And not looking at him.

"So... hide it." Emmrich was incapable of hiding how small that made him feel. He'd be kept secret. And for how long? How were they supposed to actually make this more than a fling if Hugh wanted to keep people from finding it out? It was already complicated. On top of that, could he convince Myrna it was something real if Hugh wasn't admitting as much?

Was it something real?

He pulled away. "I'm going to get dressed and pull the rope for breakfast." What organization, save the former Circles, would see a relationship as a reason to ship someone off and away? Especially an invaluable member of their forces, a rare vampire? Emmrich went to his room and dressed with his heart feeling crushed. Would he be Hugh's dirty little secret for however long this went on?

Breakfast got called for and Emmrich drew what little energy he could summon to return to the common area and Hugh's company. How quickly and thoroughly the real world had chosen to intrude on this fantasy.

"Food will be here shortly," he said quietly.

Nothing could have prepared Hugh to see Emmrich's heart breaking behind those gorgeous green-hazel eyes. Regret gripped him in a strangle hold and he desperately wanted to take his words back, kicking himself that he even opened his mouth. A bid to protect Emmrich and what was growing between them ended up only hurting Emmrich in the end.

"Emmrich, that isn't—" He started only for Emmrich to pull away and Hugh, fucking hero that he was, shut his mouth and stood there frozen, and watched Emmrich turn away from him.

Hugh wandered out in a half-daze into the front room, wanting to follow Emmrich, but fearful he would only make matters worse. Lingering by the couch, Hugh stared at the floor until Emmrich's voice drew him out of his reverie. Whatever Emmrich said was lost on Hugh as he instead surged forward and pulled Emmrich into a deep kiss.

"I'm not...hiding, Emmrich," Hugh began when they parted, resting his brow against Emmrich's as he took in a deep breath. "But I'm not like you, I don't have the standing or control over my life the way you do within the Mourn Watch. If my superiors order me away, I can't say no, but if it's just Evka and Antoine, I only want to be cautious. Get a feel for the room, and then I'll gladly tell them all about you."

The kiss was unexpected, but Emmrich knows himself enough that he's not at all surprised by his own desperate response. It probably wasn't the last kiss they'll share, he'd wager a lot on that, and yet he was still returning it and clinging to Hugh as if it was. They loved each other. Why couldn't things be even a little easy, in any way?

He lingered there in Hugh's arms. "Why would they order you away?" he finally asked. "You do a job. You do your job. Would they waste resources to be cruel? Petty?" Even the people he's writing to they need to be wary of?

"Could we, some sort of arrangement? Loaned to the Mourn Watch to help us clean up whatever remains underground? Get you away from the sorts that would order you elsewhere on petty whim?"

A knock at the door meant he had to pull away, but he did so with clear reluctance. Once the tray was retrieved he set it down on the coffee table. He didn't want to take it in to the kitchen area. He wanted to be on the couch, and as he sat down he deeply hoped Hugh would sit next to him. He needed that.

Their shared desperation was mirrored in the kiss, and Hugh wanted it to last long; he wanted it all to last longer. No future was more uncertain than that of a Grey Warden, but Hugh had been at peace with that when he had been alone. In just a few days, his life had been upended tremendously, wonderfully. Talking about this, out loud, was a harsh reminder of what a tenuous grip on the first bit of real happiness Hugh's felt since his Joining.

"I could be ordered away for anything," Hugh admitted. "I'm not so interesting that they would just because, but I have rubbed my superiors with political interests the wrong way in the past. Once this is resolved, I...I don't know. I don't want to be anywhere else, but it would mean keeping my head down. Out of trouble."

The knock came, and Hugh was equally disinclined to let Emmrich go. Few things ruined his appetite, but the ache in his heart, in stark contrast to such a wonderful morning, was tying his stomach into knots. Enough that he doubted he could even handle tea and toast. More to the point, this forced the matter of being honest with Emmrich, truly honest with as much as he was allowed to say. Same as the Necropolis had its secrets, so did the Wardens, but some of what Hugh had been withholding was entirely his own.

"Listen, Emmrich," Hugh came up beside Emmrich on the couch and, instead of sitting beside him, knelt at his side. He took Emmrich's hands in his own and squeezed them as he took in a deep breath, held it, then let it out again. "If this is serious, then...then there are a few things about me I need to tell you. My freedom isn't much to speak of not simply because I'm a Warden, but why I'm a Warden. We're encouraged to let go of our pasts, consider the person before they've Joined to be dead and buried, but it's never that simple. I trust you, and I care about you, so it would be poor of me to keep too many secrets."

His breath shook and he hesitated again, but shored up what courage he good and gazed up at Emmrich.

"I was conscripted as a condemned prisoner."

It was concerning to hear that Hugh had only slightly more freedom than the former Circle mages. Sure, the Wardens wouldn't horrifically abuse or even murder their subordinates on a whim, but that wasn't saying a great deal.

Emmrich met Hugh's gaze, holding his hands in return, listening. This felt like the information was even heavier than the fact Hugh was a vampire and that had been a shocking surprise as it was. This, Emmrich saw coming even less than that. A condemned prisoner? The man before him, who was so careful and considerate? Passionate and attentive?

"I take people as I find them," Emmrich said with gentle certainty in his voice. "Their reputation and their past does not matter; what matters is who they are now. The Hugh Rivers I know, I trust. But I am thankful you've told me. I'm thankful that you trusted me with this."

He tilted his head as a thought occurred to him. "Does that also, perhaps, mean they would be more open to loaning you out? Because I cannot imagine this being anything other than serious. You love me, and I you." There was no telling what tomorrow might bring, or what this mission would require of them, but this relationship was one of Emmrich's priorities now.

The strangling grip that fear had on him reached a fever pitch where his heightened hearing could only register the thunder sound of his beating heart. It made him light-headed with sweat beading on the back of his neck, cold and clammy. Hugh watched Emmrich's face, waiting for any tightness around the eyes or shift to signify the end. Bracing himself for Emmrich to see him for what he was and be done with him.

—It never came.

'I take people as I find them,' Emmrich had said, and with such a patient, almost beatific look on his face, he rivaled the marbled statues in the chantries. Hugh had expected Emmrich to bombard him with questions if he hadn't ordered him to leave. Now he felt guilt instead of fear for thinking that in the first place.

"Emmrich..." Hugh said a little wetly as he bent forward and kissed his love's hands almost in reverence.

"I don't know," Hugh continued as he moved to sit beside Emmrich, hands still firmly clasped around the other man's. "Evka and Antoine are married, and that's permissible within the Wardens, always case-by-case otherwise, but I couldn't give you a clear answer what my superiors would do. It's why I want to be careful, not hidden, merely cautious. I'm sorry, I know this is more than you bargained for this early in the morning. I haven't even let you have tea yet, and here I am laying all this at your feet."

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