I agree about Vade, SilverMoon. The little references and innuendoes are piling up: Selorin and Vade will end up together in The Blue Book.
Here are some favorite lines for 261-265:
Gods above. Swallowing, Remin stared at Tano in stunned fascination. “Were you sent by the gods to make me happy?”
Tano grinned at him, finding a plate and cutting into the first pie. “I’m not that fortunate. That would be amazing, though, don’t you think? To be that useful to the gods? To have that kind of purpose? I guess we all have some purpose. Or some potential. And I guess your husband must have been sent by the gods to make you happy. To love you and give you someone to share your life with.”
“He’ll love me and fuck me and share his life with me,” Remin conceded. “But will he bake me chocolate cream pies?”
“He won’t need to,” Tano said, grinning. “That’s what you have servants for. So he won’t have to waste time mixing ingredients and checking the ovens. That leaves more time for the loving and fucking.”
Remin chewed, watching Tano cut the pies with rapt attention. “I don’t know. I think that a chocolate cream pie is loving and fucking.”
Yet more fuel for the It's Staring Them In The Face fire.
Remin marveled. “You always talk about how important food is, and then you treat yourself that way? You should eat better than the rest of us. Did you save yourself a slice of pie? A bowl of stew? Any of the biscuits?”
“I ate a few of the raspberries and a carrot. And I nibbled on the chicken.”
Nibbled. A carrot? “Sit down,” Remin ordered.
This is, as far as I can tell, the first time Remin put himself totally aside and focused completely on Tano. There's been a trend of Tano giving and Remin taking, and for all that Tano is enjoying every minute of it, it feels like the flow of the relationship is all in one direction instead of back and forth. Tano is actively making Remin happy, which makes him happy, but is Remin actively making Tano happy aside from making sure he eats? Remin is calling all the shots and Tano is happy to follow him. I can't decide if this is part of how well suited they are as a couple or if Remin is working off years of total selflessness by being totally selfish.
Tano blinked up at him, then stared at him.
Grinning, Remin remembered this. It took guys a while, sometimes, to adjust to the reality of him. Remin preferred to let them look for a minute; he’d heard Selorin actually tell guys, “Yes, I really am this handsome, I really am that skilled, and I really did fuck you.”
So not surprised that Selorin would verbalize it. Arrogant man. LOL
“Prince Desin’s boyfriend. Yeah, that’s a label I can walk around with. Sure, if you want to give it a shot, I’m in.” Sebado shrugged, humor glinting in his eyes. “If we’re going to team up on a regular basis, though, I think that someone should warn the locals.”
Cool beans--Desin found a boyfriend who's as much of a horndog as he is. I wonder how long he and Sebado are going to be together.
Chef Heres glared at him, coldly furious. “I’ve dedicated my life in service to the royal family. We’ve been running the palace kitchens since the reign of the last Anosukinom. I’ve seen a lot of servants come and go. I don’t care who you’re fucking, Pitok. When the sex is over, so is your career.”
Jerking back, Naritano stared at him. “What the - - how dare you?! My sex life has nothing to do with - - I don’t want to fight about this with you! There’s no reason to be so nasty! We’re cooking side by side, we’re sharing the kitchens, and I’m not going anywhere! I love my work.”
With a sneer, Chef Heres spat at his feet and stalked away.
“In Anosukinom’s home!” Outraged, Naritano snatched a handkerchief from his pocket and crouched down, scrubbing at the spot. What kind of asshole spat on Anosukinom’s floor?
What kind of asshole, indeed. Heres is going to eat major crow when Remin and Tano announce their engagement.
“I need to excuse myself,” Remin said.
“What?” Rini asked. “Why?”
“Because it’s either leave, or jump on top of our esteemed king like a rabid animal.” Dragging his robe tightly around himself, Remin shuffled out of the room, muttering under his breath.
“He needs to get laid,” Rini said.
I, for one, would love to see Remin jump on top of Xio Voe like a rabid animal. I'd also love to see him make out with Bade. I think the latter will happen at some point, but the former might not actually have any chance.
“Well, don’t leave Tukaro in charge,” Jekari said. Tukaro reached out to smack Jekari’s ass, and Lokelon barely smacked his hand away in time. “Maybe Adu, though.”
“Hey! He’s the new guy!” Lokelon protested.
Adu laughed. “I’ve been here for-”
“Doesn’t matter,” Tukaro said. “You’re still the newest one, and I’m not listening to a word you say.”
“Put Jekari in charge of us,” Amarito suggested. “I want him to tell me what to do.”
“No! Tepeni! Tepeni!”
“I want Depano! Depano can run the belam!”
“Let me do it! I’ll keep them in line!”
Banok snapped his fingers. “Everybody shut up.”
Everybody shut up.
Rini giggled.
Banok slapped Rini’s ass.
Rini shut up.
I love the belas, and I've missed them so much in The Gold Book. It was even cooler to see them in a non-sexual setting. Speaking of belas...
When Xio Voe had finished, he kept Li within his embrace, permitting Li to snuggle against him and whisper doting affection. As Anosukinom treated the belas like petted, pampered creatures, Xio Voe would do the same; he caressed Li’s lean, supple body and attempted quiet, friendly conversation. He found himself becoming drowsy again, and determined that Li’s lithe, masculine body was, while lacking Anosukinom’s perfection, more suitable than nothing.
Keeping Li close against him, he closed his eyes, brushing a kiss over Li’s forehead. The feel of Li’s naked warmth against him, the rise and fall of Li’s chest, reminded him of Anosukinom’s companionship, and he dropped into sleep.
That was awesome. Not only can he not sleep alone anymore, he's being so considerate and warm to the belas. I love how Xio Voe is continuing to grow.
And now for a total bummer:
“I’ll bring you chests full of gifts, when I return,” Ritek promised.
Closing his eyes, Anosanim wondered how Selorin ever endured this kind of life. “All I want you to bring back, is you.”
*****
Anosanim had been sitting in front of that mirror, gazing at nothing, brushing his hair, for what felt like hours.
Talin couldn’t take it. Throwing down his pencil, he got to his feet. In another instant he’d stalked across the room, grabbed the brush from Anosanim’s hand, and dropped it on the floor. “Come on.”
“Where?” Anosanim asked, looking baffled, blinking down at the brush as if not sure how it had fallen there. One hand fluttering around the collar of his dressing gown, he mumbled something about not being dressed to go anywhere.
“You won’t need clothes. I’m not going to sit around watching you pine for Ritek. He’s away for business, not dead. He’ll be back.”
I can't help but think that this is some major foreshadowing. I've long thought that Ritek will die at some point. If it happens, I wonder what the impact will be on Remin's thoughts regarding his relationship with Tano. Best case scenario: it's the catalyst for Remin realizing that Tano is The One. I think it will at least cause him to wonder if he should deepen their relationship in a carpe diem-type effort. You never know when Oranomi will come, so make the most of today with the man who's right in front of you.
I don't even want to contemplate what Anosanim will go through.
