Love is a game (Love in the air collection)

Sensual Arts

"Rain?" he asks.

Rain nods, still a little stunned to speak.

"I am Phayu, the new wizard at the tower. You may call me, P'Phayu."

Rain's mouth drops open. This is the new wizard? Rain had thought all wizards were old, this man only appears to be a few years older than Rain himself.

"Phi, you're so handsome." Rain says then puts a hand over his mouth. He had just called the wizard of the tower handsome. Would the man think he was being insolent?

P'Phayu just gives him a smile and says, "thank you for the compliment."

P'Phayu takes his bags and gives them to the guards before mounting his horse and pulling Rain up behind him. Rain gasps at this, he hadn't expected to ride with the wizard. "Hold on tight," P'Phayu tells him, "we will be traveling fast to reach the tower by nightfall."

Rain puts his hands around the man's waist and clings to his back, thinking how nice the man feels. He has to remind himself that this is the man that will steal his life force to perform his magic, he shouldn't be thinking about how handsome he is and how nice his back muscles feel against Rain's chest.

As they reach the tower, Rain's fears start to return. He wonders if they will get started right away. He wonders if it hurts having your life force drained.

Once in the tower, Rain looks around. Everything seems very drab and depressing. There is even an odd odor in the air. Rain hates the thought of living here for a year.

"I hate this place," P'Phayu says beside him, echoing his thoughts. "It's so depressing. I hope to have time to completely redo it. I know it's not a priority and the old wizard left so much unfinished business I've been run off my feet since I got here. Still it's hard to wake up every morning in such a dismal place."

P'Phayu takes him to his room with the guards following behind with Rain's bags. It can only rightly be called a cell, the tiny room consists of a tiny bed with thin covers that won't be sufficient for the cool nights, a small table, and chair. Phayu frowns at this. "I should have at least had your room redone before you got here. It didn't cross my mind that it was this bad. I will find you some extra furs for tonight and first chance we get we will hire some of the local village people to redo it."

"Why do you care?" Rain asks in genuine confusion. Isn't he just here as a tool to be used?

"Rain you will be doing the region a great service, why wouldn't your comfort be a priority?" P'Phayu says with a frown.

A great service, Rain snorts at this. He doesn't know what the wizard's game is. "My comfort? That's rich from the one who will be draining my life force dry and if I'm lucky enough to survive that I get to go home a dried up husk?" Rain can't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

P'Phayu looks at him in surprise. "Life force? Is that the way the previous wizard did magic?" The wizard's lips tighten at this. "Of course it was, that's the accepted method, I should have realized."

"What do you mean? Isn't that the only way to do magic?" Rain says in bewilderment.

P'Phayu smiles, "Not the only way. Rain I know you don't have any reason to trust me. I just need you to believe I won't touch a drop of your life force."