Free Lyrion's Gift [Elven Conceptions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) by Jade Astor

hair?” Lyrion asked, frowning. He could not imagine why any village would reject one of its own people, though Kevris would certainly have stood out. “It is of a most unusual hue.”
    Kevris laughed and raked a hand through his red locks, making them ripple like flames. “I suppose that may have been one of their problems with me, but not the only one.” Dropping his hand and lying back, he sighed wistfully. “Perhaps I did question my own decision for a time. But the first time I set my eyes on the prince…and the first time he invited me to his bed…I knew I had made the only possible choice for my happiness.”
    “Does he really make you happy, though?” Lyrion blushed. “I mean…I have heard the way he speaks to you. Sometimes he is most harsh. It even hurts me. Yet you do not seem to mind.”
    “’Tis not that I don’t mind.” Kevris turned his head on the drying cloth and assumed a nonchalant expression, but Lyrion detected a flash of pain in his eyes. “I know why he does it. You met his father?”
    “Yes.”
    Kevris nodded. “For most of his life, Talek watched the king slowly go mad over the loss of his mother. Is it any wonder he associates love with an agony intense enough to rob a man of his wits? He wraps his heart in ice so no killing flame will ever touch it. I think, though, that you have begun to melt it a bit.”
    “I have tried—not just for my sake, but for yours. I figured out what that word means, you know— concubinus .”
    “Yes, I expected you had by now. You will have it easier—you will be his consort. ’Tis a far more stable position, befitting one who can supply him with an heir. I confess I wish I had your gift. My life with him might have turned out much differently. However, I must make the most of what it is. One day, perhaps, Talek will speak freely of love as well as feel it—not just for me, but for you as well.”
    Lyrion looked down at the floor, considering his words. “I am aware you did not care for me at first. ’Tis not that I blame you—only that I am glad you no longer feel that way.”
    “I do not. And I am not afraid to share him with you, since if not for you, he might not be able to love at all.” Kevris folded his arms under his head. “I am sure you could see why I felt as I did, though. In spite of his flaws, I love Talek, and I thought you would take him from me.”
    “That was never my intention. I was carried here against my will, after all—though I have come to enjoy my life with both of you.”
    Kevris nodded. “When the soldiers first brought you, I was more angry and jealous than I have ever been in my life. Yet now I see it was the best possible turns of events where Talek is concerned.”
    “I am glad my coming here has been beneficial.” Lyrion’s voice caught. “And yet…”
    “You still long for your village, don’t you?” Kevris asked.
    Lyrion nodded. “Sometimes, when I sleep, I dream that I have returned. ’Tis a sweet dream, but over too soon.”
    “So that is what you dream of when you are resting in my bed?” An angry voice erupted behind them. They leapt up and turned to see that the prince had entered the room. A storm was brewing on his face now. “I have given you everything—my palace, my protection, and my heart—and still you long for your dull, backward village stinking of farm animals’ dung?”
    “Can you blame me?” Lyrion retorted, his eyes flashing with outrage. “It is my home! A home you took me from!”
    “You will never return there” the prince vowed, his voice shaking with rage. “I shall lock you back in your chains if I must!” Striding back to the door, he bellowed for his servants. They returned, their faces pale.
    “You will do no such thing,” Kevris said, wrapping himself in a drying towel.
    “Won’t I?” Talek turned on him with an expression that looked nothing less than murderous. Then he jabbed a finger at the servants. “See that this ungrateful wretch does not