Ben'hamin Ch. 02

"I was being careful, my lord Derix," the boy stated softly.

"Now, pet...Is that any way to talk to me?" He touched the youth's chin tipping it up to let him see Derix's teasing grin. "You get so shy when the others come to visit."

"Yes, my lord..." Avron mumbled the words keeping his eyes lowered from his inquisitive eyes. Derix's frown returned eyes filled with concern.

"You are not upset about my gift, are you, precious?"

Avron almost answered, but he hesitated. It was one of their rules to keep silent if you could not answer honestly. "The girl, my lord..."

"My gift was a pair of kittens, Avron. Two...a matched set I rescued less than four miles from us. There is a girl, and there is a boy, too," he explained not wanting Avron to worry, but owing him the truth. "You will like him, pet. He is as white as snow and barely older than you," he stated with a teasing smile.

"I will like him, my lord," he asked in concern still not raising his lovely eyes. "Is that why you gave him to my lord Ben'hamin?"

"Avron," he said even more gently, "we give gifts, pet. It is what we do for each other. If we did not, he would not have you."

"But he does have me," Avron hissed in distress. His eyes flashed up biting in sudden anger. "Why would you give him two more when he has one? Do you take others? No, just Lil'mihr," he stressed determined. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Derix sighed. "Avron, you are the son of a noble clan chief. One of the Pand'werain Tribes," he pointed out sternly. "Orphaned and captured and rescued...but still one of us! You are old enough to train at the sword. Do you not wish to become a warlord?"

He studied Avron as he did not answer. It seemed some of the anger had lessened. "Do you believe Ben'hamin will love you any less for learning? I am a warlord! Use your eyes, Avron...and your ears, it is what he wants! He is very attached to you, young man."

"Are you jealous?" Avron was shocked to have spoken. He had not meant to say it! The question long on his mind had just slipped out and hung now in the air between them.

Derix considered his answer carefully. "No, Avron," he whispered. "I do not believe I am. I still spend a great deal of time in his company. You have no clue how many times I am 'chastised'." Derix slid an arm around Avron's shoulders and hugged him up tight. "Besides, you are my friend, too. Are you not, pet?"

Avron blushed. He lowered his eyes from Derix's unique face. The back in his hair and the black that circled his red-brown eyes gave him an exotic look that the other huge warlords did not possess. Derix had never slept with him. He had recognized him and helped to rescue him, but he had never tried for anything more than friendly caresses.

"I hope you are too embarrassed to answer, Avron. I might very well be offended, otherwise," he stated wryly in resignation. "Avron, do you even like me?" The boy didn't answer. "You do not avoid me the way you do Petr."

"I do not know what to think of you, my lord," Avron whispered admitting it guiltily.

"You did not deny that you are avoiding Petr, pet."

"I am sorry; I cannot..."

"Avron, allow me to walk you back to your room." The arm on his shoulder guided him rather firmly away from the hall and any eavesdropping ears. "Petr is directly below me in the pride. If there is a reason you dislike him, I would be grateful if you kept me informed of it. Is that alright, precious? Can you tell me what the matter is?"

"When you told me to leave with Petr, I went...I was grateful to you both. You stopped them, my lord." He twisted away from Derix looking a little pale as he entered the second master suite. Derix followed him pausing briefly in confusion.

"You never speak of it," he stated softly. "Did something happen that I do not know about, Avron?" He sat comfortably upon Ben'hamin's bed seeming quite at home in his lord's bedroom. Derix patted the spot beside him. "Come, sit...I have never purposely harmed, or offended you, pet."

"No, my lord...but you are Petr's friend." Derix's exotic black-lined eyes widened and fell hiding what ever emotion he felt.

"Each of us must befriend and guard against the warlords closest to their own strength. Ben'hamin regularly puts me in my place. I must know all I can about Petr, so yes...I try to be his friend. What is it that I do not know, Avron?" The boy studied him uncertainly, wondering if he could trust him to hear what he wanted to say.

Derix grit his teeth in utter frustration. "Why can't you tell me?"

"I don't..." Avron backed up, scared and running for the door without even noticing he was doing it. It was cowardly! Pand'werains were not cowards. Derix came to his feet not threatening him in the slight lest way, but Avron frowned and moved back another step from him.

"I never speak to you alone, pet. You never allow it and I have never pressed you to do so. Why do you not like me?" His red-brown eyes narrowed and the black lines on his face grew more pronounced as they widened growing red at the centers. He had stripes on his face and arms! Avron shivered knowing he was gorgeous before; why did he have to go and get even more delicious?

"I like you, Derix," Avron rasped his throat closing in a husky growl.

"Do you? You are running from me, pet." Derix moved forward and Avron held still for about three steps before he backed up again. "You never run from me. What has gotten you so spooked today?" Avron's frown got tenser. "Is it Petr? Did he hurt you, Avron? Did he mess with you the night he took you to Ben'hamin?"

Avron ducked his head hiding in those tight brown curls that brushed lovingly over his face. Derix rushed him throwing him into a rock wall heavily hung in cloth and velvet. It cushioned the blow as he followed him with his own body pressing him daringly into the dark brown drapes. "Did he do this?"

Avron bit back a scream trying hard to look brave even though his heart was pounding in his ears! "Please, let me go, Derix," he requested hating the tiny tremor in his voice.

Derix growled low and threateningly deep in his throat yanking off the thin shirt barely draped over the boy's shoulders with a very wide neckline. It was sheer white linen and didn't hide his flesh anyway. Avron trembled in his grasp. "Did he do this?"

"Derix, please, don't do this!" The tremor had grown to a higher form of panic now. Derix gripped the back of his neck painfully pulling him back to see the fierce anger blazing in his eyes.

He twisted and ripped his pants enough that they fell away when he pitched him closer to the huge pool. Avron crouched like a good warrior, using only four fingers on the ground to steady his balance. Derix nodded approvingly as he walked closer, not coming all of the way across the room.

"Derix, what are you doing?" Derix's anger cooled as he watched the sweet kid, crouched to hide his near nakedness more than from knowing it was the proper stance to defend himself. His instinctive reaction had been perfectly on the mark.

"What do you think I am doing? You don't trust me, pet. You never have. What I don't understand is why you don't trust me? I have never given you a reason."

"This is a reason! You are deadly and scary," he growled. "You are always scary!"

"You are not afraid of Ben'hamin. He is far scarier than I am, pet." He lunged and caught Avron flipping him into the water behind him as he twisted him about and let go. The boy cried out, but it was cut short as he went under the water.

Derix slid out of his own linen pants of black and strode into the pool in his own black loincloth. Avron came up for air and found Derix above him. He screamed, but it was cut short as he was shoved under again.

Avron grabbed at his thighs and even in his panic stilled as he saw more stripes in his deeply tanned flesh. Derix brought him up. "Tell me! Did Petr touch you," he growled in him ear whispering like a sexy demon to his choice lover. Avron breathed loudly in the silence, but he did not answer.

Derix pitched him into the side of the pool bending him forward over it and following him to growl at him. "Did he do this?"

"You are hurting me, Derix," Avron whispered.

"Am I, pet? You don't know the meaning of pain." A hand brushed down his spine so softly he almost missed it. It made him tense up in surprise.

"I can be what you fear, Avron. I am a warrior and I can hurt you. You don't trust me. You think I am mean to you. I haven't done a thing to earn it! I can be a monster, Avron, but I am not," he hissed.

Then, he moved away to sit on one of the many seats in the bathing pool. Avron fled the water and the room in haste. Derix cupped water to brush over his face letting him go.

"You are so wrong, Ben," he whispered to the room. He had no idea that Avron had not run very far and could hear him.

He sat there only around ten minutes letting the heat relax him before he got out and carefully dried himself. He was restless and it showed. Derix pulled on his linen pants and strode back down the hallways. Before he could go to Mihr, he saw Petr.