Rowan's fingers drummed on the table. The rhythmic sound of it was loud against the silence that had taken residence in the kitchen.

"I get it, Syryn. You like courting death," Rowan began in a calm voice. "You like breaking laws. You like defying authority. You especially love defying authority when it suits your needs. You are impulsive. You have little regard for the concerns that I have for the dangerous situations that you get into. You don't think twice before making a decision that could possibly have magnified repercussions in the future."

​​

Syryn shrank back into his chair. He wished he was a turtle with a shell to withdraw into. He would continue to hear Rowan's reprimanding but at least he would be freed from the look of disappointment in the anti mage's eyes.

"A corpse tree isn't just illegal. It might kill you and your friends," Rowan looked at Salem and Alka.

The anti mage hadn't realised that Syryn had gathered a group of people similar to him.

"I'm not getting through to any of you at all, am I?" Rowan asked with disbelief.

"You're really mature," Alka replied. "You remind me of Artemus. Syryn has a type."

The teen buried his face in his palms. Why did Alka have to say that?

"For the sake of your safety, I will have to confiscate the corpse seed." Rowan had thankfully ignored Alka's little jibe.

"Alka, couldn't you have waited to mention it when he wasn't around?" Syryn pointed at Rowan.

"You mentioned it first. Not me," Alka rolled his eyes.

Oh yeah, Syryn was the dumbass here.

"Bring the pot over, Alka." Rowan's tone was severe.

The plant mage acquiesced. "Don't let my brother know about it."

"Bring the pot and I won't mention it to Artemus."

Syryn's disappointment was immeasurable. He shook his head at the tyrannical attitude that Rowan was wielding in Syryn's own home. Of course, he understood the blond's reasoning. A corpse tree was a danger to the entire neighbourhood and not just Syryn's home. But did Rowan have to ruin his fun like this? The teen was conveniently forgetting that without Qairu, they'd have to find another priest willing to suppress the tree every month while keeping their mouth shut about it from the mage hunters who regulated illegal activities in Elysium.

The anti mage had sensed his lover's resentment. He sighed at having fallen for someone as volatile as Syryn. The half-demon just made his life harder every day. And yet, Rowan knew he would never give up what he had. Syryn was a thorny rose that could bleed him as much as he wanted so long as Rowan was allowed to hold him.

"Here," Alka placed a metallic pot on the floor beside Rowan. "If Artemus finds out about this, I will do everything in my power to get a new seed out of sheer spite even if it gets me arrested."

Rowan glanced at the pot where a tiny plant was germinating. Its tender green shoot had only recently pushed through the soil.

"Thank you," he said to the disgruntled plant mage. "There's no need for threats. I'll keep my end of the deal."

"Why did you want to a corpse tree, Ryn?" Rowan asked in a softer tone.

The teen scowled at the blond. "That is none of your business!" He was in a real mood.

"Ryn, I'm just trying to help. Please don't get mad." Rowan leaned over and cajoled his thorny rose. He used a knuckle to lift Syryn's chin then placed a light kiss on his lips.

"And on that note, I'm leaving," Alka declared. Salem too stood up. Nobody wanted to be fed dog food.

The light kiss turned into something intense and slow.

"Ewwww!" Luci yelled when he slid into the kitchen. "Get a room!"

Rowan chuckled and pulled away. "That's the plan, Luci."

"Are you guys going to do weird things in Syryn's room? Because I sleep there too."

Rowan sat on his haunches and smiled at the redhead. "No, we aren't doing anything weird, Luci. Ryn will be leaving with me to help with some work I have. Will you be lonely sleeping without your big brother?"

The redhead shook his head like a wet dog shaking off water. "Have fun, Ro! I'll sleep with Salem."

"Why not Alka?" Syryn asked, curious about the thought processes that went on in the child's mind which led to his decision on where to sleep.

"Salem's room is warmer."

So simple, Syryn thought, feeling strangely enlightened. Magnus was warm too. Lucien must have gotten used to warmth.

"Alright," Rowan stood back up. "Syryn and I will be leaving now. I'll bring him back after a few days. So until then, be a good child, Luci."

"Will you get me something when you come back?" The redhead blinked up at the tall anti mage.

"Sure, what would you like?"

"Something sweet."

Rowan smiled fondly at the child and patted him on the head. "Tell the others that Syryn and I have taken off."

"Okay. Bye!"

[How revolting. They're going to do weird things.]

(How do you know that?)

[I can smell the pheromones in the air.]

(Gross!)

[Let's raise a few dead mice, Luci. You're out of practice.]

----

During the ride back to Rowan's private home at the equine farm, Syryn suddenly began to feel embarrassed.

It was one thing to ask for sex and another to actually get it. And the fact that he was on his way to Rowan's home with that purpose in mind made it seem all the more lurid.

"Rowan, do you really want this?" Syryn asked the anti mage. The decision had been forced by Syryn. What if Rowan did not want to sleep with him? What if he had agreed only because of Syryn's insistence?

"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.

"To er- do what I asked for." The was a note of hesitance in his voice.

"Are we having second thoughts, Ryn?" Rowan asked.

"Maybe."

"It's too late." The blue gaze swirled with all the different shades of desire that Rowan had been concealing. "I crave you just as much as you crave me. There's no turning back anymore."

One of Rowan's hands inched underneath Syryn's shirt, setting the teen's nerves on titillating edge while he thumbed over one of Syryn's hip bones.

The teen gasped before his lips were sealed by another.