The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 31

The day of their departure finally arrived. Logain waited outside Casimir's door for the prince to get ready. The prince knew what time they were supposed to leave, but he was taking a while. He was starting to grow impatient. Not only was Casimir not ready to go, but Logain didn't see Maira either. He was annoyed that they decided to sleep in when they knew they needed to get up early. The guide wouldn't wait for them forever, and then they would miss their chance to leave this kingdom. If that happened, they would have to wait for the guide to return, and who knew when that would be?

Logain tried to patiently wait for Casimir, but after not hearing anything on the other side of the door, he decided it was about time to check on Casimir. He knocked, before pushing the door open and peeking inside. The curtain was closed, leaving the room dim and hard for Logain to see the prince inside. It was quiet, and Logain realized why when he finally spotted Casimir.

The warlock entered the room, even more annoyed now that he found the prince still sleeping. However, his face grew hot when he got closer to Casimir. He probably should have looked away, but it was hard to tear his eyes away from the sleeping shirtless prince. When the prince was completely dressed, it was hard to tell that he had such defined abs and arms. It was no wonder Logain felt safe and comforted when the prince held him. A thin blanket covered Casimir's lower half, so Logain couldn't see if he was wearing anything below. He shook his head as naughty thoughts began to surface.

Now wasn't the time for Logain to thirst after the prince. With a deep breath, he touched the prince's arm and tried to shake him awake. He said softly, "Prince Casimir, it's time for us to go. The guide is waiting for us."

He didn't want to startle the prince when he tried to wake him, but he was taken by surprise himself when the prince grabbed his arm. When Casimir opened his eyes, he blinked a couple of times to adjust to the dim light. When he saw that it was only Logain touching him, he gave him a small smile.

"It's nice to wake up to your face. I hope that we can make this a habit," Casimir said.

Logain blushed once more. "T-this is no time to be flirting. We're behind schedule. Unless you plan on staying in Rasea until the guide comes back, then we should get going."

The warlock tried to pull away from the prince, but Casimir wouldn't let him. He held Logain's arm tightly, forcing Logain closer to him. He took the warlock's hand and placed it on his abs. Logain let out a gasp as he touched Casimir's body. This was his first time touching another man like this. He had to admit that Casimir felt nice. He bit his lip when Casimir forced his hand a little lower, but he didn't try to stop the prince. He wanted to see how far Casimir would take this, and he wanted to see what was beneath the sheets. Despite knowing that they needed to leave, Logain didn't protest as he waited for Casimir's next move.

"Aren't you going to stop me?" Casimir asked, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

He knew that he should, but Logain couldn't bring himself to do it. Shyly, he responded, "Maybe it won't be so bad staying in Rasea for a little while. We could spend more time with each other . . ."

Logain started this journey wanting to return home as soon as possible, but now that he had spent more time with the prince and got to know him, he wasn't sure if he was ready for this adventure to end. While they were away from Ambria, Casimir was free of his responsibilities. No one was watching the prince, so Logain and Casimir were allowed to spend time together without someone getting in the way. Once Casimir was home again, there was no guarantee they would be able to see each other again. The prince would be busy taking care of his kingdom, while Logain would be left at home alone. They would go back to their regular lives. Even if Casimir promised to make time for him, he would eventually be swamped by his tasks. After all, Casimir was the crown prince and the divine savior. He was considered to be the most important person in the world.

Casimir could tell that Logain was lost in thought. He wanted to ease whatever worries were going through his head. "Whatever you're thinking about, don't let it bother you too much. I would love to spend more time with you, and we can still do that once we reach Ambria. No one said that we had to return to my city right away. In fact . . . why don't you let me stay at your house for a little while? We'll be able to have much needed alone time."

This was the first time anyone ever asked to stay over. Logain didn't mind. It was embarrassing to think about what might happen if they spent time alone together, but Logain was willing to let Casimir stay with him. The warlock lived away from civilization, but he was close enough to see the royal castle of Ambria. Casimir wouldn't be far from home, but no one would think of searching for the prince in Logain's home. Casimir would be safe from his family and the church until he was ready to return to the palace.

Logain nodded, agreeing to the prince's request. He wished he had a little bit of time to clean up after being away from home for this long. His home wasn't particularly messy, but he did have a lot of books and ancient artifacts lying around. He just wouldn't allow Casimir in his library, which was where most of the clutter waited for him to sort through. Since Casimir was royalty, he was most likely used to a clean and tidy home. He would be in for a surprise once he stayed with Logain.

"That settles it then. Once we get Maira to the safe haven, we'll head for your place." Excited to go to Logain's home, Casimir was quick to get out of bed as he pulled Logain along with him.

The sheet fell to the ground, revealing that the prince was still dressed below the waist. Logain couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, yet he also wasn't sure how he would react if he saw more of the prince. He didn't know if he was ready to see more of him like that. Maybe one day, but it was still too early in their relationship for him. Casimir chuckled when he noticed Logain watching him as he got dressed, but he didn't tease him this time. He would save the teasing for when they weren't on a time crunch.

Once the prince was ready and gathered his belongings, it was time to leave Rasea behind. They had a little bit of time before they needed to meet the guide. When they left the room, Maira was still nowhere to be seen. It was possible she was already waiting for them with the guide, but she would have said something if she left already. As they approached her bedroom door to check on her, things were quiet. Logain would be annoyed if she was also still sleeping. She had plenty of time to prepare since Logain and Casimir procrastinated with each other.

The prince knocked on the door but was met with no response. He waited for a moment, but after even more silence, Casimir took a deep breath, before pushing the door open. Unlike in Casimir's room, the curtains were open, so they could clearly see that the girl was nowhere in the room. The only trace of her was a note sitting on the table. She left it out in the open so that the men wouldn't miss it.

Casimir was the one who entered the room to pick up the note. After reading it over, he sighed. He wasn't surprised by this outcome, but he did hope things would be different. All the prince wanted to do was help people, and it seemed that his assistance for Maira had come to an end. They didn't even reach the safe haven together.

He turned to face Logain and explained, "Maira left. She thanks us for everything we did for her and promises to stay out of trouble, but she decided to go her separate way. She says she doesn't want to be a burden to us or cause us any more trouble."

"Oh . . ." Logain wasn't sure what to say. He thought he would be happy to finally be rid of the witch, but instead, he was left with a bittersweet feeling. He felt bad for the girl, but it was her choice to leave them.

"I guess all we can do now is wish her luck in finding peace and happiness. If Maira keeps her word, then hopefully we won't meet her again because she decided to corrupt another nation." Casimir doubted the witch would do that, but if it happened once, it could happen again. There was nothing he could do about it now. With one more sigh, Casimir added, "We should get going. Let's not keep the guide waiting for any longer."

He held his hand out to Logain. The warlock was getting used to holding hands with the prince, so he didn't hesitate to take it once more. Maira might have been gone for now, but that wouldn't stop them from continuing their journey. Once they made it across the sands, then Logain would finally go home.