The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 22

After rescuing the prince, the night was filled with awkward silence. They decided to stay in the hut until morning to give Casimir time to rest and recover. Maira could feel the tension in the air, but she didn't comment on the silence. She was used to not talking to anyone, and she could sense that something happened between the two men. She didn't want to make things worse by bringing it up or forcing them to speak to one another.

Maira was the first to fall asleep. She lay on the shabby bed with a thin blanket to cover her. Casimir and Logain sat on the floor next to each other, also with thin blankets. Since nights were cold, Logain shivered. He wanted to scoot closer to the prince, but he didn't want to make things weird. Things were already tense between them because of the kiss.

They would need to speak to each other eventually. They couldn't go the rest of the journey without saying a word to each other. Though things felt awkward, Logain knew they needed to talk about what happened.

Logain finally glanced over at the prince. He took a deep breath and said, "Um, about the kiss earlier, I-I'm not mad about it. But . . . I also realize that it wasn't meant for me. Who is Amaris?"

Casimir was surprised that Logain was the first to bring this up. He thought the warlock would pretend like it never happened. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about Amaris. His feelings were conflicted when he thought about that man.

"He's a nuisance. He's a member of the church and someone who is constantly keeping an eye on me. He's actually the person who taught me more about my divine magic. My family needed someone who could help me control my powers and learn how to use them properly, so the church sent us Amaris. He was a fledgling clergyman at the time, so it was kind of training for both of us. He started out sweet, but in reality, he's an asshole," Casimir answered.

From how the prince looked at Logain when thinking he was Amaris, the warlock knew there was more to the story than that. Casimir was hiding something.

"But you kissed me when thinking about him," he pointed out.

Normally, Logain would have let it go. He wouldn't have pried into someone's business, but he wanted to know. The thought of Amaris made Logain jealous and he wasn't sure why. He shouldn't feel jealous of something that happened in the past, but he couldn't help it.

Casimir sighed, but he wouldn't hide it from Logain. "Amaris and I dated for a while, but I say that loosely. When I first met him, he was shy and knew nothing about relationships. I was the person who made him open up and well . . . things happened, and we decided to date in secret. If you remember, I mentioned a man who was taken away from me and when he returned he became a jerk. That was Amaris. When our relationship was discovered, the church sent him far away. I don't know what happened wherever he was sent, but when he came back, he was different. He was no longer the shy, sweet man that I remembered."

Logain bit his lip, then asked, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

The prince shrugged. "No, but I won't lie to you either. Since he left and after breaking up with him, we did hook up a couple of times. It was sex without any feelings. He was just someone to fool around with whenever I got bored and whenever he came over for our lessons. I . . . I'm sorry for mistaking you for him. You two look nothing alike, but that poison really messed with my brain. Besides, you're definitely cuter than him."

He added that last part with a smirk, making Logain blush. The prince always had to be such a tease, but the warlock didn't mind. He wasn't bothered that Casimir hooked up with the clergyman. Logain knew a little bit about Casimir's past and hobbies, and it did help to put his mind at ease when the prince said he didn't have feelings for Amaris anymore. Knowing that Casimir didn't have feelings for another made Logain finally move closer to the prince. Logain sat as close as possible to him, then placed his head against Casimir's shoulder. His face was burning up the whole time, but he didn't pull away from him.

Casimir placed an arm around Logain. He chuckled and asked, "Are you perhaps jealous, Logain?"

The warlock would never admit to feeling that way. He rolled his eyes and huffed, "Why would I be jealous? Such a silly question."

The prince laughed. Logain could try to pretend all he wanted, but Casimir could see right through him. He was surprised, but part of him was glad Logain felt this way. It meant that the warlock was starting to like him. Casimir kissed the top of Logain's head.

"You're adorable, my sweet warlock. Since you must like me and are definitely jealous, I guess I should give you a proper kiss one day. One that's meant for you and no one else," Casimir said. He might have said this, but he wouldn't kiss Logain without his permission. Whenever the warlock was ready, he would do it.

Shyly, Logain asked in a quiet voice, "Um . . . could we do that now? I-I don't mind, truly. I think I want to kiss you . . ."

Casimir was more than happy to oblige. He caressed Logain's face and made him look him in the eyes. The prince gave him a smile, before leaning in to give Logain the kiss he wanted.

Unlike earlier, the kiss didn't last long. When Casimir's lips touched his, Logain could feel the butterflies in his stomach and his heart was beating fast. He was sure Casimir could hear how fast his heart was beating. Logain returned the kiss, but he was the first to pull away. To hide his burning face, Logain pressed up against Casimir's chest. If he didn't, he thought Casimir might try to kiss him again. Logain wouldn't have minded, but he was too embarrassed right now. If he hadn't counted the kiss from earlier, then this would have been Logain's first time kissing someone.

He shouldn't have allowed this to happen considering the end results, but Logain couldn't help himself. He enjoyed Casimir's affection and was starting to crave more, but he tried to ignore the feeling. Logain couldn't give in to his desires just because Casimir was the first man to give him attention.

Casimir kissed the top of Logain's head one last time before saying, "Get some rest. We need to work on solving this situation with Maira tomorrow."

The prince was right, but Logain didn't know if he would be able to sleep after what transpired between them. He nodded his agreement, too embarrassed to say anything out loud.

Tomorrow would be another long day, but this night would be even longer for Logain as he was stuck with his thoughts and emotions.