Ancient Wings : Book 1 - Aegis

44 - Stopping Tears And More

Cidney looked at the mostly empty shelves, the books still there.

The stairs to the second level.

He loved every inch of this place. He looked up at the second level. He needed to clear those books.

He focused on walking around the counter and picking up several empty boxes, then walking up the beautiful, worn, dark wood stairs.

At the top he went to the first case. One by one he started taking books off the shelf, the pressure in his chest increasing with every book he added to the box.

When the box was full, he set it down. Then picked up another.

I failed. I was going to lose my collection. I was going to have to sell to that snake Rowan.

The guy had tossed a card with an offer for his private collection through the mail slot. It was pathetically low.

I lost...

He put down the full box and picked up an empty one.

Chest aching, he put the books into the box, his heart breaking a little more every time, until it finally sunk in.

The tears fell faster. He held a book on the shelf for- he doesn't know how long-as he cried. His body shook from it, but he didn't make a sound. If he started, he's sure he never would have stopped.

He rested his forehead against a shelf on the bookcase and sobbed quietly. He cried until it was hard to breathe, then when he could, he started again. He didn't know how to stop.

Everything he had worked for over the last two hundred years... gone.

He didn't even notice the bell over the door ring.

"Cidney?" Khaius's voice caught his attention, barely.

He took deep breaths, trying to ease the knot in his throat.

A tread sounded on the staircase. A hand on his arm turned him.

Khaius's face came into focus. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" he demanded.

Tears still falling, he shook his head.

"He didn't agree," he barely said. "I have to sell it all."

His chest was an aching void, a hole burned right through him.

Khaius's hands moved, one cupped Cidney's face, the other brushed his hair back behind his ear. "It's alright, love," he said gently. "We'll make it right."

Those golden eyes were full of promise.

A promise of what, Cidney didn't know.

"Just stop crying, take deep breaths for me."

He did as Khaius asked, but the tears kept falling.

Khaius's face was pained at the sight of them. "Cid, please, stop crying." He stepped closer, his hands on Cidney's shoulders, his body pressing him back between the bookcase and him.

Warmth moved over Cidney's body. His breath caught in his chest at the desperate look in Khaius's eyes.

"I'm trying... I'm sorry..." he sobbed out, he bit his lips, trying to stop making a sound and shook his head.

Khaius leaned down and brushed his lips against Cidney's.

His heart skipped, the world stopped. Everything he is was focused on those lips.

Stunned, he looked up at Khaius, frozen

Khaius gently kissed him again, but this time, it as more than just a simple peck. He was coaxing him with his lips. His hands moving down his arms, spreading heat.

That... that felt good.

His own lips moved against Khaius's, his hands sliding up to his shoulders.

Khaius kissed him more confidently, moving his mouth a little deeper. His tongue traced the seam of Cidney's lips, asking.

He opened them. Khaius slipped in and took every thought away.

His body burned as the kiss changed. Hunger slipped in, need. Cidney doesn't know if it was his or Khaius's, but it took over and he was lost.

Khaius's hands moved over him, his waist, his hips, his ribs. One of those scorching hands went up towards his chest over his shirt, his thumb stroking his nipple through his clothes.

His pulse pounded in his ears as he gasped, as his body throbbed. Khaius's mouth moved down his neck making Cidney cling to him. He groaned against Cidney's skin, sending hot shivers over his body.

His heart raced as Khaius kissed down his chest, his fingers unbuttoning Cidney's shirt until he could shove it out of the way. Khaius left hot kisses that had Cidney moving against him. His scorching mouth took his nipple while his hand took the other.

He cried out as flames licked his skin. He arched into Khaius as his hands buried in the man's hair. His core throbbed with every heartbeat. Gasping, he tilted his head back.

Please... please...

Khaius's hand moved down the outside of his thigh, then he felt his thighs being lifted. Cidney immediately wrapped his legs around the man's waist. Khaius's hands stayed on his waist for a while as his mouth came down on Cidney again, demanding everything.

Cidney clung to his shoulders as his whole body shook, his body tight. He felt Khaius's hands sliding from his waist towards his ass, squeezing them.

His hips pushed against him. Lightning shot from between his legs to his stomach and over his skin. Khaius kissed him deeply, hungrily, as his hands made him burn.

Khaius's mouth moved to his earlobe. "You're so beautiful, Cid," he whispered.

A wave of scorching heat rolled over him, lighting every sensitive nerve he had and stroking it. He gasped, as he felt Khaius's erection, rubbing against his own.

"Khai..." he cried out. "I'm..."

Khaius's mouth moved back to his.

Holy crap!

He kept moving against him. The scent of parchment, his touch, his kiss, his body pressing Cidney into the bookcase.

It was all too much.

A bell rang. The world slammed back in sharp color.

Khaius stopped moving as they both panted against each other for a moment. He kissed his forehead gently as he gently put his legs down, then wrapped his arms around Cidney and held him to his body.

Cidney looked up into his eyes and found molten pools of gold. Khaius's hard body pressed against his stomach.

Khaius lowered his head and kissed Cidney gently.

"Hello! Eahland Shipping Services!" someone shouted.

Cidney pulled away, his face burning and stunned at himself.

Oh my gosh. We're in the store. And we... Khaius... And he was going to leave soon to go back to his community.

His heart ached.

He didn't look at Khaius as he stepped around him and headed downstairs to give instructions.

What was I going to say to him?