Ugh, Matthew, you tease! I loved this chapter. I loved Orinakin and Bade:
“We have to get out of here,” Orinakin whispered, pressed to his back. “Dinner’s about to start. How are we going to explain showing up late with cum in our hair?”
“Ssshhh.” Bade scowled, his hands over Orinakin’s on his waist. Leaning forward, he strained to hear. Not a sound. Maybe she’d left. And, for the tenth time, I didn’t try to get cum in your hair. It’s not my fault you moved.
I loved the end and the conversation between Remin and Tano:
“You talked to Tepeni? You got oil? You massaged Extra?”
Prince Remin seemed astonished, but not angry. “I wanted to be ready to serve you.”
A sudden shake of Prince Remin’s head, as if he were jerking himself awake. “No, not serve me. I don’t want you to serve me. I want us to be friends. You don’t serve your friends.”
“But you do help your friends,” Naritano said. “And you let your friends help you.”
This is what Remin needs: the earnest, unpolished sincerity of someone who loves him unconditionally. Simple logic, undeniable truths. I kind of feel that the rest of the Sibs have been treating Remin with kid gloves, but Tano's love for Remin makes it impossible for him to do the same. He can't not do whatever he feels is right to work toward Remin's happiness. He's kind of like Bade that way. And, come to think of it, like Xio Voe. His heart, mind, body, and soul have been ensnared by a child of the gods. Resistance is futile.
