Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“I didn’t want you trying to fix it by casting some spell on me.”
“Goddamn you, Theo. You have great responsibilities now. Your titan heart cannot be held hostage somewhere.” Mozraath sighed. “I could’ve helped you. I could’ve gone to Amárach and demanded an explanation from Lord Boraleashe.”
“I think he had a good reason for what he did. Something scared the fuck out of him, but I’ve yet to discover what it was.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s here now, to explain.”
A blossom of hope formed in Theodor’s chest before it faded as quickly as it’d come. “He’s here for one reason.”
“And what’s that?”
“Time is up. It’s been one hundred years, and the Snow Moon is returning… and Boraleashe still has not opened his heart for another… or me. He’s here to say goodbye.”
Theodor left his friend outside his bedchambers and closed the door.
Theodor
Respect is Earned
Theodor sat at his desk, staring at the same paperwork for two hours, his mind a thousand miles away. He still couldn’t believe that Boraleashe was under the same roof as him. There would be no way to avoid him. Perhaps he could stay in his quarters for the remainder of his visit. Oh! Or he could say that he had important matters that required him to travel right away. Yeah, he could just leave.
Theodor opened his mouth to call for Mozraath to aid him in packing when his friend tapped on the door.
“My lord. I have word from your father.”
“Come inside.” Theodor waited until Mozraath closed the door behind him before he asked, “What word?”
“Mobilent-ta-Illumieseo,” Mozraath chanted, his eyes glowing white a split second before Theodor’s wardrobe doors opened, and several pieces of his ceremonial attire appeared on the bench at the foot of his bed. “Your father is going to escort Boraleashe and his court around the realm and has insisted that you join them.”
“But…” Theodor leapt from his chair. “I was just about to notify the court that I’m going on a trip to—”
“There’s no traveling on your schedule for the remainder of the month.” Mozraath paused in his duties, eyeing him with suspicion.
Theodor cleared his throat. “Umm. I just added it today. You probably didn’t see the change in—”
“I thought you learned by now that it’s pointless to lie to a demon, yes?” Mozraath chuckled. “I can taste the lies from your tongue on the air, lord.”
Theodor ground his molars to keep from cursing at his friend. He drove his hand through his hair for the hundredth time, pulling at the tangles he’d caused. “Moz, I can’t do this. I can’t just stroll through the towns with Boraleashe like nothing happened between us.”
“Did something else happen?” Moz asked while he continued to put together one of Theodor’s finer tunics. The ensemble was appropriate for meeting a betrothed, not for an afternoon stroll.
Theodor slouched in his chair, letting out a loud, defeated sigh. Only Mozraath would ever hear him moan and complain or show a single shred of weakness.
“There is more.” Theodor closed his eyes and allowed his mind to be taken back to the most precious memory in his short one thousand ninety-one years in this world. “Boraleashe had almost let me in. He didn’t reject me right away, not until first light came. Before then, we had the night, a fierce storm that we’d weathered together.”
Theodor lowered his voice, letting a chill sweep over him. “I’d gone to Boraleashe when he’d been on his knees, Moz. I knelt with him and wrapped my robe around us. I summoned as much autumn heat as possible and held him as tight as I could. And he’d held me back like his life depended on it.” Theodor shivered in remembrance. “By the gods, Mozraath. His beautiful pale skin was so cold that it burned to touch him.”
“You were in a blizzard, and Boraleashe didn’t stop it?” Mozraath’s gritty voice sounded far away while Theodor was trapped in the memory.
“No, he couldn’t stop it,” Theodor answered solemnly. “Not on that night. We are powerful titans, Moz, but not more so than the moon or the sun. So, I just held him in my arms, warmed him. And the storm eased.”
Mozraath whispered a quick spell to heat Theodor’s washbasin while he kept talking about that fateful night.
“But in the earliest hours of the morning, when the moon was kissing the night goodbye, something made Boraleashe pull away. I still don’t know what caused the panic, but all I know is he wanted away from me, and I refused to let him go.”
A warm, furious wind gusted into the bedroom. Theodor stood, pressing his fist onto the solid surface of his desk. He clenched his jaw, gritting out the end of the story. “I wouldn’t let him go. He was fighting me, fighting our connection. Fate had brought us together on a majestic night, and I knew it’d be detrimental for him to deny me.”