Page 8 of Silver & Gold
Seth raced to intercept it, but just as he got in position, Raider lost his grip on the spindly wrist. Abruptly released, the ifrit came flying straight at Seth’s face. Seth got one glimpse of startled, slightly glowing citrine eyes. It probably got a similar look at his own right before it collided with his head. There was a solid thump but also a brief sensation of tiny, scrabbling fingers and the bizarre semi-solidity of its smoky tail.
Seth didn’t have time to snatch at it, however, because Raider crashed into him like a ball in a game of pins, taking him out at the knees. Falling over top of Raider, Seth hit the ground with a jarring thud. Raider rolled to a stop a few feet past him.
Seth scrambled up and spun to track the ifrit. The little creature hit a tree and bounced off. It hit another tree then wobbled through the air and vanished into the night.
Raider, who had burst up and run a few steps after it, gave up. He bent over, bracing his hands on his thighs. “Fuck!”
“It’s okay,” Seth said, surprised by Raider’s reaction. Even if Raider had managed to subdue the ifrit, it probably wouldn’t have told them where Julian was anyway. At least now they knew he was here somewhere.
“How is it fucking okay, Seth? That thing must be Malik’s. It’s going to—”
“Ohhhhh. Shit.” Seth realized suddenly how much Raider hadn’t been privy to, locked in Rahim’s dungeon. “Raider, the ifrit is Julian’s.”
Raider straightened abruptly. “Come again?”
“I should catch you up—”
“Yeah, maybe fucking so. It scared the hell out of me, Seth. I thought they’d found us.”
Seth winced. “I’m sorry. I was caught up in other things.”
Raider exhaled noisily. “Yeah. Me too.” He sounded calmer but still annoyed.
“Are you okay?” Seth asked. That mattered more than the facts, and Seth wasn’t going to forget it again.
“I’m fine,” Raider said shortly, still standing several feet away.
“Then get over here like you understand that I’m sorry and I’m trying to fix things.”
Raider let out a little huff and shook his head, but he did, thank the gods, walk over to Seth. Seth pulled him in and buried his nose in the wavy mess of Raider’s hair. When Raider sighed against him, yielding, Seth murmured, “I know I’m an asshole.”
“You’re certainly very bossy. I don’t know why I can’t just be in a bad mood after running through the woods with a stiff dick. It wasn’t enjoyable.”
Seth chuckled. “Okay, that’s fair. I was in a similar state, you know.”
“Mmm, I know.” Raider turned his face and nuzzled behind Seth’s ear. Seth sucked in a breath as his body hummed in response. Raider nipped Seth’s earlobe, sending a bolt of lust to Seth’s cock. Then Raider pulled away and headed back toward their gear.
Seth closed his eyes, willing his body to settle. Somehow, he’d forgotten what a damn tease Raider could be.
“You said something earlier about being after Julian, but I wasn’t really tracking,” Raider said when Seth had caught up. “So he left Aqarat?”
Seth’s heart twisted at the reminder of their argument and all his assumptions. Raider had never been after the book, and he wasn’t after it now. But Seth was—and it had nothing to do with returning that book to the Arcanum. Not anymore.
Stepping over a fallen branch, Seth explained, “The ifrit helped Julian get the book back from Rahim and Malik. I was assuming Julian would leave Aqarat with the book, but I wasn’t sure until now.”
It was a brief gloss, but Raider didn’t ask for any details. He didn’t say anything at all.
Seth added, “At least we know Julian is close by. Since the ifrit was spying on us.”
“I’m not sure that’s what it was doing,” Raider said. “I mean, yes, it was spying, but I think it was more voyeuristic. Ifrits crave human experience. They’re drawn to sex. Violence, too. But they’re only partially corporeal and can’t feel much of it, unless they’ve consumed human blood. Which that ifrit must have done, because it was dead drunk. But they can’t take blood without consent. Julian must be letting it feed from him.”
They had reached their makeshift camp. Raider scooped up his scimitar and strapped it around his waist.
Seth picked up his sword harness. “That sounds … unwise.”
“It is.” Raider snagged his pack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. “It’ll just want more. But at least we know Julian is likely at the vineyard. I didn’t see him there when I stole the food, but I wasn’t looking for him. I could easily have missed him.”
Seth shrugged into his sword harness and buckled it at his chest. Usually, its familiar weight across his back settled him, focused him. It meant he had work to do. Right now, he hated it. He didn’t want to deal with Julian or anything else. He wanted time with Raider. He needed to feel things heal between them. They’d made a start, but the connection felt tender, a little fragile.