Enslaved by a King [Sold! 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Anitra Lynn McLeod

stay with him for life, so marrying him wasn’t that scary. “They have a ceremony to mark the occasion.”
    Mingor turned his head, resting his cheek against Noah’s chest. After a long quiet time he said, “There is a ceremony of sorts.”
    “Yeah? What’s it like?”
    “I would not ask it of you.”
    The tone of his voice alerted Noah to the fact there was indeed something expected of him if he were to officially become Mingor’s sephir . As much as he wanted to know, he also didn’t. Already he knew that Mingor didn’t lie, but he had a disturbing habit of leaving out pertinent details. But as he lay there, holding Mingor and tracing circles on his back, he found curiosity was just about driving him mad. If he didn’t ask, he would never sleep.
    “What does this ceremony entail?”
    “I said I would not ask it of you.”
    “That doesn’t answer my question.”
    Mingor remained silent.
    “Will I be considered your sephir if I don’t perform this ceremony?”
    “I do not care what my advisors think.” Mingor lifted his head and peered at Noah. “I have chosen you, and I think you are worthy. That is all that matters to me.”
    “Just what the hell is this thing?”
    Mingor frowned, clearly reluctant to answer, but after a moment he softly said, “It is a trial by fire.”
    “You mean figuratively, right?”
    “No. You are quite literally set on fire.”

Chapter 8
     
    After the spectacular bonding they’d shared, the last thing Mingor wished to do was allow anything to destroy the peaceful feeling he had. Lately, his calm had been sorely tested. He realized, though, that by choosing a sephir who was not only the same sex as himself but also of a different race than himself practically guaranteed he would not have any peace when he returned to Thand.
    “Again, it is not something I would ask of you.” Mingor was determined to keep Noah’s prick within his body for as long as he could, but the shock of his announcement about the trial of fire tensed Noah, withdrawing his cock.
    “But it’s expected.”
    “Not by me.” Mingor’s actions before he’d left enraged his advisors. He had no doubt they would insist on Noah proving himself worthy, but Mingor had no interest in a barbaric ritual that proved nothing other than his own powers.
    “Why in the hell would they want to set me on fire?”
    “To show your faith in me as the water bearer.” Now that their bodies had separated, Mingor felt their souls were further apart, too. He longed to recapture the tight bond, but realized it would be overwhelming to feel it all the time. Perhaps it was best to only happen in smaller doses when they were physically intimate. “It is a way to impress upon the populace that I am powerful.”
    “So they set me on fire and you put me out?”
    “Yes.” Mingor thought about sliding off Noah, but Noah wrapped his arms tightly around him, making it clear he didn’t want him going anywhere.
    “Are you cold?”
    “No.” Mingor turned his head to the side.
    “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
    Mingor didn’t want to. All his life he’d kept things to himself. It didn’t take many times to learn that others weren’t genuinely interested in what he honestly felt or thought about matters. But that was his own advisors. It was different with Noah. He asked not so he could formulate some plan against what Mingor might do. Noah asked because he wanted Mingor to share. Noah wouldn’t judge. He would support Mingor.
    “I don’t want to go home.” Mingor had struggled valiantly to ignore the feeling, but he couldn’t change something that ran so deep.
    “Why?”
    “I do not like my advisors.”
    “Are they abusive to you?” Noah’s voice was so soft it was as welcoming as warm water after an arduous day.
    “They try to manipulate me to do what will serve them best.” Mingor lifted his head and looked at Noah. “They are more interested in their own selfish needs rather than in what is best for me or