It wasn't loud. It didn't roar like fire or scream like fear. It whispered. Brushed along their necks, tickled the back of their thoughts, and teased their pulses to beat just a little faster.
They passed servants, bodies pressed together in shadowy corners. A woman gasped quietly as another kissed her against the wall. A guard standing stiff and red-faced while a stable boy knelt before him, mouth working silently in the dark.
Kaelith didn't react. But he saw it all.
Hale clenched his jaw and looked away, his fists tight at his sides. He was already hard arousal, aching in his trousers. He tried to calm his breath, but the scent of Kaelith's skin beside him, the soft rustle of fabric as they walked, only made it worse.
By the time they reached the chamber, Hale moved quickly.
