The Castle Under The Moon

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Using one of the towels that was already in the bathing room, Barrett dries his hair, happy to finally be clean.

"Time to fill my belly!" Barrett calls out to himself, rubbing his stomach as he throws the towel onto the ground and makes his way into the bedroom that he was given where a tray of food sat on a small two person table, waiting for him.

"Ahh!" Barrett screams, his back slamming against the wall, saving him from falling onto the floor.

Asher was sitting on Barrett's bed, a sheepish smile on his face.

"There is a thing called knocking." Barrett's right hand was on his chest, his heart beating faster than it should be.

"I did knock." Asher shrugs before he leans back and uses his arms to hold himself up.

"When someone doesn't answer, you usually don't just walk right in." Barrett glares, a tad bit nervous, knowing that the lion probably didn't like him a whole lot.

"Usually." Asher smirks, loving the fact the had the upper hand for the first time.

"Rude." Barrett mumbles, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Asher keeps his eyes locked on Barrett's, not saying anything and not really sure why he had rushed here right after informing Valda that Shadow had wanted food and bath water.

Barrett's lips form a straight line as he grunts and sits at the table to his left, not allowing the attractive lion to pull his attention from the warm food that was now in front of him.

"Stop looking at me like that." The elf grumbles, busying his hands with the utensils, his mind racing with all the scenarios involving the two of them in the bed that Asher was currently laid upon.

"Why?" Asher asks as his eyes roam over Barrett's arms as the man flexes.

"You know why." Barrett growls, his violet eyes meeting Asher's green ones, want clearly shining through them, all nervousness gone.

Asher sucks in a breath, his body instantly reacting to the tone in the other man's voice.

After a few seconds of them staring at one another, Barrett turns his attention back to his food even though a totally different hunger was now flowing through him.

Asher lays down, his eyes looking over the ceiling as he thought of every other time he had been with a man. Not even during the act did he feel the way that he felt just then, and Barrett hadn't even touched him!

"Are you ashamed?" Barrett asks, his voice soft.

"I'm not ashamed of anything." Asher scoffs, rolling off of the bed and standing so that he could look out of the window. No, he wasn't ashamed but he used to be, everytime he had looked at a man a certain way, kissed one, had sex with one, he was always filled with shame afterwards, but Barrett was different. Everytime that shame came to visit his lion lazily smacked at it, played with it for a while before forcing it to leave him, not allowing Asher to feel that way for the elf which is a big reason he was still allowing himself to be near him, to care for him.

"Who knows?" Barrett whispers, not wanting to push the other man too hard.

Barrett watches as Asher begins to tap his right foot on the ground rub the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his it seemed.

"Luna." Comes Asher's shy and quiet voice.

"That's all?" Barrett turns his head to the side, a knowing look on his face.

"Well, yeah! No one around here takes too kindly to a man that likes it up the ass!" Asher's voice was raised and he was upset, his eyes full of tears as he turns so that he was facing the elf.

Barrett sighs and looks down, memories of his own past popping up.

"What am I supposed to tell my mate?" Asher closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"You think your mate will be a woman?" Barrett looks back over to the lion, his voice calm.

"Asher." Barrett stands and moves quickly so that he was standing in front of the other man, his hands on his shoulders.

"If you're only attracted to men then your mate will be a man." Barrett shakes Asher a bit, hating the tears that were running down his face.

"But the men that I have been with." Asher whimpers, confused.

"Many people that have the same sex mate don't stay with them, they are afraid to because some places will kill them. Some people are attracted to both, women and men, therefore their mate can be either." Barrett explains, hoping to clear things up.

"I have been around for a long time, Kitten." Barrett sighs and removes his hands from Asher's shoulders, trying to decide if he should continue. With one look at the other man Barrett knew that he must, it was a strong feeling, one that he couldn't push away.

"My mate was killed. He came to the elf kingdom on business for Jaiyana and we found one another. Before we could make it back here to Jaiyana-" Barrett's voice cracks, "my king ordered us to both be killed."

"I'm scared." Asher whispers after a few minutes of standing and staring at each other in silence.

"Everything will be alright." Barrett assures. " You said that Luna knows and I'm assuming that she is okay with it because you are standing in front of me."

Barrett's heart lurches when a humorless chuckle rolls out of Asher's mouth.

"That doesn't mean that my mate will be up to it."

"They will want you." Barrett assures the lion, his own heart hurting when he thought about Asher's mate leaving him.

"How do you know?"

"If you were mine, Kitten, everyone would know." The possessive sound in Barrett's voice causes shivers to make their way through Asher's body.

"Why can't you be my mate?" Asher whispers, his eyes gaze over Barrett's lips just as the man licks them.

"Ask The Moon Goddess." Barrett smiles a small smile while Asher sighs.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Barrett asks, his hands reaching out to grab onto Asher's, hoping that he would agree.

Asher nods, unable to speak as the shivers go from his hands up and through his body.

The lion didn't want to sleep alone tonight. He wanted to be held, he wanted to be held by Barrett.

Barrett smiles and lets go of Asher's left hand, using his right to bring him to the bed in the center of Barrett's room.

Once they were both laying down, Barrett pulls the blankets over them and then pulls Asher's warm body against his, enjoying the feeling of the man's back against his front.