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Illario had acted suspiciously during the entirety of the meeting with him and Lucanis. He had, quite obviously, given them false information before the pair called him out for it. He stormed off in a huff before either could pry anything useful out of him. Dominic tried to chase after him and get him to be rational, but the older Crow wouldn’t have it.
He returned to Lucanis empty-handed, and the pair had stayed for coffee and chatted about their new mission and their new base at the lighthouse. Lucanis had mentioned something about preparing a ‘thank you’ meal for Dominic and Bellara since the two of them had been the ones to break him out of his prison and fulfill his contract on Calivan. Dominic assured him there was no need, but the Demon of Vyrantium insisted. He’d asked about his favorite types of food, and Dominic relented and provided him with the information he so desired.
Overall, the evening was nice. Lucanis was kind-hearted, and Dominic wondered why Viago hadn’t said anything good-natured about the other man unless he praised his work as an assassin. He wasn’t sure of how he felt about Spite yet, but then again, no one else was either. Lucanis didn’t seem to like him much, but it didn’t look like the demon constantly sought to turn him into an abomination, either. As they walked toward the elluvian that would return them to the lighthouse, Dominic paused. Lucanis and Bellara took a few more steps before they noticed he had stopped and turned back to look at him.
“You two go on ahead. I need to talk to Viago.”
“We can wait if you’d like,” Lucanis replied. “You might need the backup.”
Dominic waved him off with a smile and a wink. “No need. I’ll survive.” He paused. “Maybe.”
Lucanis relented, and Dominic walked the two of them to the elluvian. Once he had seen his companions disappear, he turned on his heel and strode through the Crow’s nest. It was easy enough to find Illario as he sulked alone in the garden above the Cantori Diamond. His intense frown morphed into his usual charming grin the moment his eyes laid on Dominic.
“Dominic,” he cooed as he stood up from his usual bench in the corner, arms wide as he reached to embrace the younger man.
“Illario.” Dominic’s voice was even, and he could see the older Crow’s grin falter for a brief moment before he slipped the mask back on.
He dropped one arm but brought the other to slide down his ribs and onto his waist, where he tugged at a belt loop until Dominic was pressed against him. Against his will, Dominic’s hands slid onto Illario’s chest with ease. He glared at them for their betrayal, but his resolve wavered as Illario let out a deep and husky laugh. His free hand cupped Dominic’s chin and turned his gaze upward until his grey eyes met the other man’s deep blue ones.
“I’m sorry I stormed off earlier, cariño . I ruined what would have been a decent date if my cousin weren’t there.”
The lie slipped off his tongue easily, and both of them knew it to be one. Illario preferred their dates to be more carnal in nature. They’d never go out and just have coffee. That wasn’t either of their styles.
“Illario, we need to talk.” Dominic tried to pry himself away, but Illario only gripped him tighter after his comment.
He needed the distance. He needed to distract himself with something that wasn’t Illario. The other man knew that, and he took advantage of that weakness. One hand slid across his lower back and rubbed soothing circles as Dominic tried to look anywhere else but at him.
“So serious, Dom. What could be troubling you so? You’re too pretty to frown.”
“Were you the one that sold out Lucanis?”
The hands that roamed his body froze, and then Illario pulled away and returned Dominic’s glare with one of his own. Gone was the suave assassin that spoke with words as sweet as honey and caressed his body reverently like he was the last drop of water in all Thedas. Instead, he now looked at the apathetic man beneath the mask. Cold. Calculating. A frown that oozed contempt and disdain. He had seen this look before, of course. They had known each other for six years and had worked together on numerous occasions. They knew each other inside and out, in more ways than one.
“You really think me so cold-hearted that I would send my own cousin, my brother to an underwater torture chamber to be experimented on? If I hated him that much, don’t you think it would have been easier to kill him?”
“ No me jodas , Illario. The information you tried to sell us was lacking and you know it. That’s why you stormed off when you did; so you’d have time to come up with a more believable lie.”
Illario tsked and waved a hand at Dominic dismissively. “You are thinking too much into this, my friend.”
“Friend?” Dominic couldn’t help himself. They had danced to this tune hundreds of times. They’d fight, they’d fuck, then act as if the whole thing never happened. “Is that all I am to you cariño ?”
He threw the term of affection back in the man’s face. Illario didn’t use pet names unless he meant business. Dominic knew that and liked to respond in kind when Illario tried to entice him into a false sense of security. Now, it was his turn to step closer to Illario. The older man eyed him wearily as Dominic reached up and brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen from his bun.
“Keep up the accusations and see where it gets you,” he replied cooly before he planted a teasing kiss on the inside of Dominic’s wrist without breaking eye contact. There was a small portion of his tawny skin on display between his glove and his armor, and Illario made sure to target it. Dominic sucked in a breath as his eyes zeroed in on Illario’s lips.
“You’re all bark and no bite,” he whispered.
Illario surged forward and kissed Dominic with fervor. The younger Crow groaned as their lips clashed and hands roamed each other greedily. He parted his lips slightly, and Illario wasted no time in deepening the kiss. Dominic walked the pair forward until Illario’s back hit the ivy-covered lattice. As Illario slotted his thigh between his legs, Dominic reached down and groped his ass needily until the pair began to grind into each other in earnest. Gasps and groans turned into pants and sighs as the kiss intensified. There likely wouldn’t be more than this in such an exposed area, though that hadn’t stopped them before. Dominic liked it risky, and Illario would indulge him if he begged for it.
More often than not, he did. Dignity was meaningless to him.
Dominic inhaled sharply as Illario bit into his lip and flipped the pair around. It wasn’t sharp enough to draw blood, but it was enough to send a shiver down his spine as heat pooled in his gut. With expert precision, Dominic removed a glove and pulled out Illario’s hair tie in one swift motion. One hand was splayed across the other man’s back while the other became entwined with silky black hair. Illario’s hands roamed and left a trail of fire wherever they touched; down his back, over his ass, across his face, and onto his neck. He squeezed just enough to cut off oxygen to Dominic’s lungs and ground against his member with more enthusiasm.
Suddenly, Illario broke the kiss and nipped once more at his lower lip. He leaned forward to capture Illario’s lips once more, but the older man pushed him further into the lattice by his neck before he stepped away. The heat of his touch was replaced by the cold of night, and Dominic yearned for his warmth to return. If it weren’t for how many Crows encompassed the pair, Dominic would’ve fought Illario for control and continued to ravish him here and now. Alas, this wasn’t the time nor the place for such a thing, lest Viago find them and flay the two of them for defiling their sanctum.
As if he and Teia hadn’t done that ages ago.
“On my honor, Dominic,” Illario said with swollen lips and a sultry grin. “What happened to Lucanis wasn’t my doing.”
“You’re insufferable,” Dominic called as Illario retreated.
Illario laughed as he tied his disheveled hair up back into its neat bun. “You love it.”
He did, but this time his heart didn’t pound rapidly with the lust the other man usually instilled in him. Instead, his heart pounded with dread as he watched the man leave.
Illario didn’t have any honor.
Jode.