Eridan stared at him, watching the rise and fall of his broad chest, the way Castien’s jaw tightened and his brows furrowed. Whatever he was thinking about, it didn’t seem to be pleasant.
He seemed stressed in general, Eridan realized, frowning. He hadn’t noticed it before, too distracted by the fact that he was seeing his Master again at all, but now that he focused, he could sense cracks in Castien’s normally impenetrable shields, as if they were hastily thrown together after being ripped apart.
“Master?” he said uncertainly. “Did anything happen while I was gone? Your shields feel off.”
Castien opened his eyes and just looked at him for a moment.
“Prince Ksar’ngh’chaali is a Class 7 telepath,” he said.
Eridan’s eyes widened. “What? You mean he turned out to be Class 7 when you broke his bond to his betrothed?” He had overheard Warrehn and Sirri talking about it: about an amendment to the Bonding Law being passed, an amendment that allowed bonded couples that were not yet married to break their childhood bonds, though only a few petitions had been approved so far. Apparently, Prince Ksar was one of the few telepaths that had gotten permission from the Council to break his bond.
“No,” Castien said. “He was already Class 7. He must have been hiding his telepathic strength all this time.” He frowned, looking thoughtful. “It is possible his second childhood bond simply did not take.”
“I still don’t understand. What happened?”
Castien sighed. “He took me off-guard while I was busy examining his betrothed’s mind. He ripped my shields while I was distracted.”
Eridan’s heart skipped a beat. A brute attack of a Class 7 telepath on a distracted mind was an equivalent of a knife to one’s back. Had Castien been a weaker telepath, it would have likely turned him into a vegetable.
“But why?” he said, completely lost.
“He clearly wanted me to forget that there was no bond to break in Prince Seyn’s mind,” Castien said, a speculative look in his eyes. “Prince Ksar must have broken their bond himself, and the amendment to the Bonding Law was just a formality to make them legally free to marry other people.”
Eridan frowned. “But what happened after he attacked you? Did you fend him off?”
“No,” Castien said, his voice flat. “He overpowered me. The only reason I still remember everything is because my training is far superior to his, and I had safeguards if someone attempted to erase my memories.”
Eridan blinked. “Overpower you? But you are—you. You’re a Class 7, too!”
Castien’s jaw clenched. “I have been a Class 6 telepath for over two years now, Eridan. I am surprised you have failed to notice that, especially since it is your fault.”
Eridan stared at him, feeling completely blindsided. He had noticed Castien being more emotional and expressive over the past few years, but… Wait. Did his Master mean… that he cared for Eridan, and that was why his telepathic strength had lessened?
“It’s our training bond,” Castien said, without looking at him, before Eridan could say anything. “You have so many emotions that they inevitably bleed over to me through the bond. Those secondhand emotions have deteriorated my control over my telepathy.”
Oh.
Right.
Eridan sat up in the bed, looking at his fingers. Castien’s words explained so much. It explained why he refused to touch Eridan’s mind more than necessary—and why he wouldn’t allow them the intimacy of a telepathic merge. Castien valued power more than anything. Being a Class 6 wouldn’t be enough for him.
“I’m sorry I compromised you,” he said tonelessly. I guess you will be very relieved when you get rid of me. He raised his shields, not wanting Castien to sense his hurt. “I’ll try not to project any emotions through the bond if they’re so detrimental to your telepathy.” Eridan frowned as something suddenly occurred to him. “But we have barely used our training bond in the past year,” he said slowly. “I have hardly been very emotional with you as of late. Should it not have helped you erase my influence on your telepathy?”
A wave of irritation rolled off Castien. “Apparently not,” he said, his blue eyes fixed on Eridan with an unreadable expression. “Keeping our telepathic marks apart completely would be prudent.”
Eridan stroked his lips in thought, feeling confused, unsure—and more than a little disappointed. Having his Master inside him, body and mind, had always been something he wanted, but apparently it would always be something unachievable.
Lifting his gaze, he caught Castien staring at his lips in a transfixed manner.
A glance at Castien’s crotch confirmed that he was already half-hard. Eridan raised his eyebrows, smiling a little despite himself. “Eager, Master?” he teased.
Castien’s eyes narrowed.
The next thing he knew, he was yanked down and kissed, Castien’s mouth greedy and possessive. I’ll show who is the eager one, apprentice mine.
Looping his arms around his Master’s neck, Eridan kissed back, losing himself in pleasure, his hurt and doubts forgotten. For now. He felt warm. He felt beautiful. He felt wanted, no matter what Castien said.