A Noble Estate Read Online Free

reluctance.
    Jisten departed the royal wing at a pace just short of a run. He went straight to Rak to apprise him of the situation. When he got to his rooms, he found his mate sitting cross-legged on the bed folding laundry. He immediately gasped out the gist of the conversation.
    Rak was no fool. He was up off the bed and reaching for the chest the packs were stored in before Jisten finished speaking. “The king will invoke the crown’s right of seizure next. We must leave today, before he can force us both to remain.” He paused a moment and then said, “Do not ask Scorth to pack.”
    Jisten blinked. “Isn’t Scorth exploring the mountains west of here?”
    “ Ai , but still. Do not ever ask him to pack. Not if you want your belongings to make the trip with you.”
    Jisten chuckled.
    Rak ducked out into the sitting room and opened the door. “Pika,” he called.
    His battleaxe of a guard tromped in. “Thez. What’s going on?”
    “We are leaving. Can you see to the avtappi? S’Liast and Jethain will accompany us.”
    Pika tossed him an offhand salute. “Consider it done. Might want to tell Prince Sunny that we’re going, though.”
    “I will take that under advisement,” Rak replied dryly. He exchanged a quick military handshake with her then turned back to the packing.
    Pikara watched him another moment, her eyes dark with repressed emotion. She saw Jisten watching her and her lip curled into a sneer. “What’cha lookin’ at, Captain Hot Ass?”
    Jisten could feel his face turning bright red, but he held his ground. “I care about S’Rak, too. And I’m not—”
    Pikara snorted. “I’ll be in the stable.” She stalked out before Jisten could get another word in.
    “I think she is starting to like you,” Rak said without looking up.
    “Surely you jest.”
    “I never jest. I have no sense of humor. All know this.” The twitching lips gave the lie to Rak’s words.
    Jisten laughed this time. He walked over to his desk and wrote two notes. Then, he paused. “I need three notes to send, S’Rak.”
    “To whom are you sending the first two?”
    “Jethain and S’Liast, to let them know we’re leaving and it’s urgent.”
    “Ah. Then send a note to Tebber, also, asking him to stay here and help S’Ioli. I will not need a servant where we are going, and S’Ioli does need the help.”
    Jisten wrote the third note then said, “Message.” His three mastigi crawled out of his uniform, clicking delightedly. One by one, he fixed them in his gaze and concentrated on whom he wanted them to go to. Then, he gave them their note and let them fly. It took less than a minute to send all three mastigi on their errands. He walked over to Rak and ran an appreciative hand up Rak’s smooth, bare leg.
    Rak glanced sideways at him. “Keep that up and we will never get out of here.”
    “Do you remember Saga?” Jisten murmured, his lips a finger width from Rak’s ear.
    “Of course.” Rak chuckled softly. His wings unfurled and slid about Jisten’s body. “Do you remember the fun we had on the ride home?”
    “You read my mind. I don’t want you to change into anything else,” Jisten told him. Rak was dressed in one the thinner, shorter tunics, the ones that stopped mid-thigh. The ones that drove Jisten wild. He reached down and caressed Rak’s butter-soft balls, but he forced himself to step away from the smaller man before things got out of hand. With a faint regret, he turned his attention to packing.
    Rak had cannily left most of what they’d brought from the palace in the packs, so it was the work of a half hour at the most to repack everything. Rak attempted to lug the packs out the door.
    Jisten intercepted and relieved him of half the load. “I don’t care if it looks bad. I’m helping.”
    “ Ai , master,” said Rak impishly, flashing a grin.
    Jisten wanted to protest, but they were out in the public corridor now. He sighed, shook his head and headed for the stables.
     
     

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