Free A Free Choice (Ganymede Quartet Book 4.5) by Darrah Glass

but nothing that exciting would possibly happen.”
    Henry flushed pink. “I know you think I’m being ridiculous, but I don’t think you realize how special you are.”
    Martin kissed him, glancing and brief. “I’m glad you think I’m special. That’s all that matters to me.” He gave Henry a little push. “Let’s get you changed. We’re running late.”
    “Wait,” Henry said. “Show me what Tom gave you first.”
    Martin took the token from his pocket and held it out for Henry to see.
    “Oh, it’s pretty,” Henry said, “but what is it? Can I touch it?”
    “Yes, of course. Go ahead.” He offered it to Henry on an open palm. “It’s a friendship amulet. The blue stone is lapis.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “Lapis isn’t for regular friends, though. It’s…well, it represents a sort of commitment, I suppose. It marks an important relationship.”
    Henry turned it over in his fingers. He laughed softly and asked, “So are you and Tom married now?”
    Martin laughed, too. “Not exactly. But it is a loving gift.”
    “It looks expensive.”
    “I’m sure it was,” Martin agreed.
    “Is it a different kind of talisman? What do you do with it?”
    “See the loop? It’s meant to be worn. I could wear it on a long chain underneath my shirt so that it wouldn’t show, or I could pin it under my waistcoat.”
    “Why do you have to hide it?” Henry handed it back to him and Martin put it in his pocket.
    “Well, have you ever noticed slaves wearing jewelry, Henry? Some might have pierced ears, but they don’t wear other jewelry where it can be seen. Most masters don’t want slaves to decorate themselves.”
    “You can wear it however you’d like,” Henry said. “I won’t stop you.”
    “I’ll wear it like any other slave would do,” Martin said firmly. “I’ll be most comfortable doing that.” He pushed on Henry’s shoulder, turning him around, and gave him a nudge. “We have to get you changed.”
    Henry took a step toward the wardrobe, but suddenly stopped and turned to gape at Martin. “Oh! I could give you secret jewelry, too, couldn’t I? No one would know you were wearing it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know it was anything to do with me.”
    Martin laughed. “You could if you wanted to.”
    “Would you like it if I did?”
    “I’m sure I would.”
    “And you…” Henry began, a bashful flush coloring his cheeks. “You could pick out something for me .” He looked away, furiously red. “Only if you wanted to.”
    “Of course I’d want to,” Martin assured him. “I even have my own money to pay for it.” He loved the idea—perhaps an exchange of such tokens was fated, as there was no other reason for a slave to be given so much money in the first place.
    “What should we get?” Henry seemed energized by the idea. “When should we do it? Should we go to a jeweler tomorrow?”
    “We don’t have to rush,” Martin told him. “We can think about it for a bit.” He gave Henry a gentle shove in the direction of the wardrobe.
    “You have to go to a jeweler anyway,” Henry pointed out. “You need a pin or a chain for Tom’s present, don’t you?”
    “We don’t have to rush,” Martin repeated. “We can think about what sort of piece we want, and what sort of symbols it should have. We can be thoughtful.”
    Henry sighed. “You’re being very practical, Martin.” He lifted his chin so Martin could remove his necktie.
    “Jewelry should be meaningful,” Martin said firmly, stripping Henry’s clothes from his body with efficiency. “ I want to think about what to give you.”
    “All right,” Henry said, giving in. “We can wait. I’ll need you to tell me the Hetaeria meanings of different stones, I guess.”
    “I’ll be happy to tell you anything you want to know.” He held Henry’s shirt out for him to put on. “Quickly, please, Henry, or you’ll be late,” he cautioned. “We stayed downstairs too long.”
    They hurried