Alex unbuttoned William's shirt and let his hands slide over his chest. His heart drummed in his throat; a mix of desire, relief, and fear clenched in his stomach. He had been afraid of losing him, but William was still there, in his arms.
And now Alex needed to feel him beneath his hands, to claim him once more as his own.
William lowered his eyelids, long lashes casting shadows over flushed cheeks. A hoarse breath escaped his lips.
"Mark me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. With your lips and your teeth." A hungry light glimmered deep in his eyes. "I want to be yours."
Alex's stomach twisted in a pleasant knot.
He bent over him and traced the line of his neck with the tip of his tongue. William shuddered, and Alex encircled his skin with his lips and sucked.
He alternated kisses, caresses, and hickeys, leaving red marks on the mage's pale skin. He marked him along the neck and chest, bit his shoulder, leaving the imprint of his teeth. William's moans brushed against his ears, a sound that begged him to continue.
Alex slipped the shirt off him and marked his arms too. They intertwined their fingers, then the prince returned to the mage's chest and moved down to his nipples.
When he sucked one of them, William arched beneath him.
"Your Highness…"
Alex bit him, and a strangled cry escaped the mage's lips. His fingers tightened around the prince's shirt, nails digging into the fabric.
The silence was filled with William's moans. Alex traced his skin with his lips, leaving red marks and bruises, careful not to miss a single inch. He wanted to imprint the shape of his mouth and hands in the mage's mind.
He wanted William to forget everything except him.
He slid off his trousers and marked his thighs as well; the mage's arousal pressed against his stomach, while his own erection strained against the fabric.
"Do you want me, Will?"
"Yes…"
"How much?"
"If you don't come in, I might turn you into a toad."
"You'll have to hold on a little longer. I want to take my time today."
Alex leaned toward his face, slipped his tongue into his mouth, and drew him into a slow, wet kiss. His breath teased his lips; the warmth of his mouth melted him like a fire.
William's hands clutched at Alex's shirt and pulled it down from his shoulders.
"Undress," he murmured against his lips.
Alex removed his clothes and returned between the mage's legs. He kissed him again, slowly, savoring his taste and the warmth of his body pressed close to his own. Muscles quivered with every breath; excitement swelled in their chests like a rising tide.
The prince caressed him between his butt, then slid a finger inside him. William stiffened, his body tensing against him. A faint blush colored his cheeks; a strange light animated his eyes. He looked intoxicated, as if he'd downed an entire pint of beer.
Alex pushed his finger in gently and smothered his moans with more kisses. He worked his finger inside him until he felt William relax beneath his touch, then withdrew his hands and switched their positions.
William dug his fingers into his shoulders and gave him a puzzled look.
"Your Highness?"
"I prefer having you on top."
So he wouldn't feel trapped.
Alex stroked his side up to his chest, brushing over the marks of hickeys and bites. With his other hand he squeezed a cheek; his erection throbbed almost painfully.
"May I?"
William nodded, and Alex eased his way inside him. He was tighter than usual; he'd thought he'd relaxed him enough.
"Will…"
"Go on. I'm fine."
William closed his eyes, his face tense and his cheeks growing ever redder. Alex kissed his neck, ignored the mage's nails digging into his shoulders, and pushed.
William's eyes flew open; the tears he held back glimmered in his poison-green eyes.
"Are you okay?" Alex murmured.
"Please, go slowly."
"Do you want to lead?"
"No, you do it, but… slowly."
Alex wrapped his arms around his hips and began to move inside him.
He thrust gently and sweetly, fingers stroking marked skin and making him tremble with pleasure. William moaned, abandoned against Alex's body, face flushed and gaze alight with desire.
The prince's desire tightened his chest. He picked up the pace and pulled him close when he heard him moan.
"Will…"
"Your Highness…" William moaned and arched his back. "You're going fast."
"Do you want me to slow down?"
"No… Keep going… Make me come…"
Alex kissed him again and again, longing to melt into the warmth of his mouth and his body. He withdrew from him and pushed him onto his side on the mattress. He knelt, lifted one of his legs, and entered him again.
William let out a strangled cry, eyes wide and face flushed.
Alex began to thrust again, excitement coursing through his veins and blending with the desire and love he felt for the mage. He wanted to drink in his moans, in the languid looks William gave him, and in the way his hands clawed at his skin.
"William…"
He bent down to seek his lips, and William propped himself up on one elbow to meet him. Their tongues, fingers, and gazes entwined. The mage's eyes shone with an intense green light.
"Y-Your Highness… I'm almost there…"
Alex increased the pace and depth of his thrusts, and after a moments they both came.
The prince went still, his breath short and burning in his chest as the excitement faded. His eyes were fixed on William, on his lips swollen and parted, and on his gaze abandoned to pleasure.
"You're beautiful," he murmured, kissing his temple.
William closed his eyes and gave a faint smile. "You marked me well, Your Highness."
Alex slipped out of him, lay down, and pulled him close. He kissed his neck and lost himself in the scent of his skin.
"Do you feel like doing it again?" he murmured.
"Aren't you tired?"
"No. Are you?"
"No, but I need a few minutes to recover."
Alex closed his eyes and kissed his shoulder. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Only if it doesn't ruin the mood."
"I think it will, but I need to ask."
William sighed and turned to look at him. "Go ahead, then."
"Did you know those bastards?"
"Only the one with the scar. His name is Brann. He's been tormenting me since we were children. The scar is a burn I gave him three years ago."
"Had you argued?"
"He touched me." William looked away, his fingers gliding lightly along the prince's hips. "I told him not to, but he grabbed my arm anyway. I burned his face."
Alex hesitated. "When did it happen?"
"The last time I went back to Lenz, after graduation. I had been… raped a few months earlier. Being touched sent me out of my mind."
"I'm sorry. I made you relive bad memories."
"I'm fine. Anyway, you knew Brann too. He's the boy you saved me from thirteen years ago. He's always caused a lot of trouble."
"Oh." Alex smirked. "This time you made him kneel."
William curved his lips into a satisfied smile. "You liked it, didn't you?"
"Very much." He brushed his lips against his. "Have I ever told you how much I adore your dominant side?"
William looked away, his cheeks turning red.
"Your Highness…"
Alex stroked him between the legs. "I still want you, Will."
"Your appetite is… impressive."
"It's your fault. You're too beautiful—I can't resist."
"Are you sure you don't want to sleep?"
"Later. Right now I just want to forget everything."
"Alright… I'm yours."
Alex lifted one of his legs and loved him again and again—on the bed, against the wall, and braced against the table—murmuring his name between sighs and moans. He came so many times he lost count, feeling him tremble with pleasure and holding him tight in his embrace.
He drowned his worry and relief in his kisses and caresses, and felt better. Maybe it wasn't true that he was just an incompetent prince, because William was by his side and safe.
Maybe he was still capable of protecting the people he loved.
He came inside him once again, and William collapsed onto the floor, his rapid breathing swelling his chest, his long black hair scattered like strands of ink.
"Your Highness, I… I'm starting to feel… really tired."
He closed his eyes, his breathing deepening. Alex kissed his forehead, picked him up, and laid him on the bed. He lay down beside him and covered them both with the blankets.
He remained silent, watching William's sleeping face, the hickeys marking his neck and chest, and the bite marks around his shoulder. The relaxed expression of his raven loosened the knot that had tightened his chest.
He was well, and in that moment it was all Alex wanted.
"I would steal a star just to see its light reflected in your eyes. But more than anything else, I wish I could kiss you in public and place a crown upon your head." He kissed him on the lips. "And I wish to hear you say my name while we make love."
He held him from behind and closed his eyes, slowly slipping into sleep.