Once Upon a Time (Calluvia's Royalty 3)

“It was the Queen’s condition,” the man who was seated next to Jamil said, his eyes on Jamil.

Seyn was still trying not to gawk at him. When Seyn saw him a few months ago in the palace, Jamil introduced him as his manservant. At the time, Seyn had thought it very strange—that man looked nothing like a royal manservant, with his tattoos, the aggressive set of his chin, and black eyes that unnerved Seyn a little. To tell the truth, an aristocrat’s attire suited him much better than a servant’s, but he still had that… wildness about him that seemed completely indecent. Seyn blushed a little as he realized that this man exuded raw animal appeal, which was what had really made him so uncomfortable months ago. It still did. Seyn naturally gravitated toward more refined, haughty men—all right, toward Ksar—while Rohan’s kind of male attractiveness just made him feel awkward. He still couldn’t believe that his very proper brother had a relationship with such a man. Was the world ending?

“You know how she is,” Jamil said, shifting a little so he was closer to Lord Tai’Lehr.

Seyn wondered if Jamil thought he was being subtle. It was kind of amusing to watch Jamil struggle to keep his gaze on Seyn. His eyes kept returning to Lord Tai’Lehr, and there was such want in them that it made Seyn a little uncomfortable, to be honest.

“It’s not the only reason we wanted you here,” Jamil said, tearing his gaze from Lord Tai’Lehr with obvious difficulty. Lord Tai’Lehr didn’t even bother looking away from Jamil. Seyn felt more uncomfortable by the moment.

“We wanted…” Jamil seemed to lose his train of thought, his eyes becoming glazed, for seemingly no reason at all.

Frowning in bemusement, Seyn looked at the two men and focused on his senses. He was still not very good at this aspect of his telepathy, but even he could see that Jamil’s telepathic presence was… fused with Lord Tai’Lehr’s. For all intents and purposes, they looked like one being in two bodies.

Seyn stared at them, his mouth falling open. Holy—Were they engaging in a merge right in front of him? Without touching each other? He hadn’t thought it was possible, but apparently it was. Jamil looked high, his gaze vacant, a flush on his cheeks and pleasure rolling off his body in gentle waves. As for Lord Tai’Lehr, his glazed black eyes were still fixated on Jamil, his body tense with arousal.

Seyn blushed and looked down.

Eh, was he supposed to stop them? Wasn’t it his duty as a chaperon? One could argue that a telepathic merge was more intimate than physical joining of bodies.

He almost laughed at that thought. He would be the biggest hypocrite in the world if he criticized someone for engaging in illegal telepathic merges. Though he was pretty sure he and Ksar had never been this bad about it. Jamil and Lord Tai’Lehr were showing all signs of merge addiction. They must have done it countless times to slip into the merge so effortlessly—so recklessly and shamelessly. It was obscene. It was as obscene as if they were having sex in front of him.

Chancing another glance at the two men, Seyn blinked.

Jamil was leaning into Lord Tai’Lehr’s side, his head on his shoulder and their entwined fingers on Tai’Lehr’s flat stomach. Their eyes were still glazed. Seyn was pretty sure they were communicating mentally.

Jamil finally glanced at Seyn, his face suspiciously pink. “You didn’t see this,” he mumbled. He seemed to be trying to look imperious and commanding, but he failed miserably, considering that he was all but purring as he snuggled up to his bondmate.

A laugh left Seyn’s mouth. “See what? Nothing to see here.”

Tai’Lehr’s free arm draped around Jamil’s shoulders, pulling him even closer. He turned his head, his lips brushing against Jamil’s temple. A small sound left Jamil’s mouth, his lips parting and his eyes becoming completely glassy. Seyn wasn’t sure his brother even remembered anymore that they weren’t alone in the room.

Noticing Tai’Lehr’s fixated gaze on Jamil’s lips, Seyn cleared his throat before things could escalate. Yikes, he never wanted to know what his big brother was like with a lover. Jamil had been happy with Mehmer, but their relationship had been nothing like this. He’d rarely seen Jamil as much as kiss Mehmer in someone else’s presence. He was too proper for that. Or he had been, at least.

“You said it wasn’t the only reason you wanted to see me,” Seyn reminded his brother. When Jamil didn’t even react to his voice, Seyn started getting creeped out. “Lord Tai’Lehr, is my brother all right?”

Tai’Lehr lifted his gaze to him. They were less gone than Jamil’s but still not completely focused. “He’s fine. And you should call me Rohan.”

“He’s fine?” Seyn said, not without sarcasm. “He doesn’t even seem to be here, Rohan.”