Page 46 of Silver & Gold

“I feel like that’s a good ending place.”

“Why? What don’t you want to tell me?”

Raider looked uncomfortable but said, “Well … the emperor thought that too.”

“Ah.” That cooled Seth a little. “He saw you dancing?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I do, if you’re willing to tell me.”

“Okay,” Raider said like he was bracing himself. “So … yes, he saw me dancing. I was about seventeen by then—”

“Seventeen? He was a lot older than you,” Seth interrupted as he realized that suddenly. He should have put that together before, but he hadn’t really thought about it.

“He was, I don’t know, forty-five?”

Seth winced. He didn’t like that. There was already a huge power imbalance with Hassan’s status. The extreme age difference made it even worse.

Raider had said that he loved Hassan, but that looked a little different to Seth in this context. Raider had been very young. Vulnerable. He’d been swept into a world he couldn’t possibly have understood, not back then.

Raider said, “I can see what you’re thinking, but I wasn’t a child, Seth. I hadn’t been for a long time.”

“You hadn’t gotten to be one, not if you were on your own at ten.”

“Stop fixating on all the worst aspects of everything. Drink your damn kahve. Have a pastry.”

“That makes everything better, does it?” Seth asked sourly.

“Yes, Seth, it actually does—if you fucking let it.”

Seth huffed and downed the rest of his lukewarm kahve. He poured another cup.

Raider said quietly, “This was all a long time ago. It feels like a different life. I prefer the present. With you.”

Raider’s hand reached toward Seth. Seth reached back, gripping Raider’s offered hand.

Raider added, “Stop worrying so much. I’m better now.”

“You barely slept last night.”

Raider narrowed his eyes. “You were asleep, so how do you know that?”

“Because you weren’t stiff this morning.”

Raider sighed loudly. “Fucking Curators. Nothing gets past them.”

“Not if we’re interested.”

“And are you? Interested?”

“You know I am.” Seth raised their joined hands and nipped Raider’s fingers. Then he licked the traces of honey from them.

“You’re going to make me hard again,” Raider complained.

“That seems only fair, since you make me hard all the time.” Seth released Raider’s hand. “Now let’s finish this kahve and go get some real food. I don’t know how you can eat sweets first thing in the morning.”

“First thing?” Raider laughed. “It’s almost noon.”