A Phoenix Rising - An Untamed Story (Book 1 In Series)

Chapter 05

"No."

"I can't give you children," Lan Zhan reminded him gently, his heart breaking.

"You can't give me children." Wei Ying repeated sadly. Then he abruptly stood up, fists clenched. "You and I share no womb between us, so I should consider marrying some woman just so she can give me a child? Must my desire to be a father be tied to fucking a woman I don't love? Do you think I could love A'Yuan any more than I already do if he was born of my seed? Do you love him any less because he doesn't share a drop of your blood?" Wei Ying trembled with anger. "If I had known A'Yuan was not murdered back then, don't you think I would have found a way to keep him safe with me? Do you think I still would have gone to the Nightless City to die if I had known he was alive?" Tears started coursing down his face, an echo of the pain he had felt knowing his new family was dead because of him. "I would have taken him and run to the ends of the earth to keep him safe.... I thought he was dead... I thought they were all dead. I stepped off that cliff because I honestly, truly believed that everyone I loved was dead or hated me.... "

"Wei Ying...." Lan Zhan felt like crying, too.

"Are blood ties that much stronger than the ones you choose? If so, where were my blood relatives when I was four and my parents left me alone? Why didn't any of them come to claim me? I can understand why they might not want to claim the Yiling Patriarch as one of their own, but a child? I was four years old! Was I such a monster even then that my blood kin did not want me?

"I can be a dad to as many children as we want, Lan Zhan. There are hundreds of orphaned and unwanted children out there waiting for someone to claim them as their own. And if there comes a day when you or I really want a child of our blood, we can figure something out. Please don't ask me to leave you...." He fell to his knees, begging, pleading. Any semblance of pride gone. "I love you, Lan Zhan. How can I marry a stranger when my heart belongs to you? How can you ask me to marry someone else after you've said you've loved me for twenty years? Or are you now going to try to convince me that last night was all a lie?"

Lan Zhan slid over to hold his lover's shaking body close. "It wasn't a lie."

Wei Ying buried his head in Lan Zhan's chest. "You can do whatever you want to me.... My ass, my mouth, my hands. All for you. My body is yours for the taking. I don't care about the pain anymore. Anytime you want.... Anything you want.... Just please. Please, don't ask me to marry someone else.... I won't do it. I can't.... Don't ask me to leave you...."

"I won't ask you to marry someone else," Lan Zhan promised into the curve of Wei Ying's neck.

"You said there is only one person you want to marry."

"There is only one person I will ever marry."

"Promise me you will only ask that one person to marry you."

"I promise I will only ever ask that one person to marry me."

Wei Ying lifted a tear streaked face to look around the empty room and then back at his love as a rather embarrassing thought crossed his mind. "Lan Zhan? When did your brother leave?" I hope it was before I told Lan Zhan he could have my ass.... Lan WangJi shook his head slowly; he hadn't noticed his brother leaving, either.

As the two men stared at each other, Wei Ying's words rang in their heads: My ass, my mouth, my hands. All for you. My body is yours for the taking. As much as Lan Zhan wanted to immediately accept every piece of this incredible gift, he knew Wei Ying had only made the offer under pressure.

As for Wei Ying, now that he had abruptly decided to give himself fully to Lan Zhan, any worries he had had were gone. Pain was temporary; Lan Zhan was forever. His hands pulled first one boot off, then the other. His fingers quickly untied the ties at his waist, and he pushed his robes back and off. Wei Ying stood and walked to the bed, shoving his trousers down and kicking them off. "Do you want me on my back or on my hands and knees? I think I'd prefer to be on my back for this first time...." he babbled.