CHAPTER 22

Cornerstone

 

 

THE STAIRS curved up around the interior edges of the keep. We passed by a landing or two that collapsed long ago, but other floors were still intact and cluttered with even more of Kevin’s hoard. Books and treasure, paintings and dishes. He’d amassed quite a bit for having been in Verania for less than three months. Or maybe he’d brought it from the east, where rumors of thick, haunted jungles run rampant.

The last floor before the roof of the keep was different.

It was clean and sparse, and there was a large bed in the corner with pillows and blankets knocked askew. A dresser stood near the doorway with a bookshelf on the opposite wall. An open window near the back of the room let in light and a sweet spring breeze. This room was comforting. Almost like a home.

“This is where you’ve stayed, isn’t it,” I said.

Justin hesitated, then shrugged. “It’s not that bad.”

“It doesn’t look like it, no.”

“He’s….”

“Kevin?”

“He’s taken care of me,” he said quickly, as if embarrassed. “Food and water. This room. He brought these things. For me. I don’t know how he got them. I don’t know why. But he did.”

“Yeah,” I said. “He sure seems real swell.”

Justin scoffed. “It was better when I couldn’t understand him.”

“And that might be my fault. My magic… I don’t know. It has to be a proximity thing. It reacts with the dragon and the dragon’s magic reacts with mine. Okay. Honestly. I have no fucking idea.”

Justin stood near the doorway. “I read to him. Sometimes. He likes books. Even if he couldn’t understand them. Or me. He likes it when I read to him.”

I didn’t even know what to do with that. So I said, “Couldn’t you have escaped? When he was gone?”

Justin shrugged. “He barricaded the tower.”

“But—”

He walked out of the room.

I followed.

We went up the remaining set of stairs, which led to a hatch in the ceiling. Justin pushed up on the splintered wood and sunlight poured down onto the stairs. I blinked against it as I reached the top.

Kevin was sitting on the edge of the roof, like an overgrown stone gargoyle, tail curled out along the side of the keep. If it weren’t for the fact that his name was Kevin and that he wanted me to suck on his penis, I would have thought him an extraordinary beast. Unfortunately, he’d colored my perceptions and all I wanted to do was cover my mouth so no one could accuse me of having dick lips again.

“You will stay here, my Prince,” Kevin said to Justin. “Do not come down and attempt to defend me.”

“Okay,” Justin said. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Even if it looks like I’m at death’s door, you must stay hidden and safe.”

“Sure.” Justin sounded bored.

“Even if I’m screaming and my blood is pooling on the ground, do not under any circumstances rush down and cry over me, confessing your deepest love and begging me not to go.”

“Right.” Justin rubbed a smidge of dirt off one of his knuckles.

“And if I should go, I plead with you to not throw yourself off the top of the keep to your death because you think that you can’t live without me and want to follow me through the Veil—”

“Oh my gods,” I said because I couldn’t take it anymore. “Seriously. Just… seriously. What is this even…? I don’t. Gods.”

“It’s romantic,” Kevin said.

“It’s creepy,” I said.

“I think it’s all right,” Justin said with a shrug.

Kevin preened.

“How are you going to explain your dragon lover to the King?” I asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Easy,” Kevin said. “I’m young, hung, and have absolutely no refractory period.”

“Dude,” I said in awe. “Just. Dude.”

“He’s not my dragon lover,” Justin said.

“Not yet,” Kevin said.

“Weird,” Justin said. “Maybe I liked it better when I couldn’t understand you. Is that what you’ve been saying to me this whole time?”

“Not at first.”

“Really? How long did it take?”

“Four minutes.”

Justin sighed. “The whole time.”

“Mostly,” Kevin agreed.

“And then you see Sam and his lips and now you’re pushing for a three-way?”

“What?” I said.

“No, baby,” Kevin said, voice sweet. “No. You’re the only one for me. Of course not. I would never. I wouldn’t do that to you. Unless you wanted to. Do you want to? Gosh. I’ve never even considered it. Is that what you’re thinking about? The three of us? Me lying on my back and you two climbing all over my junk? Is that what you want?”

“I’m the denominator,” I whispered. “Oh my gods, I’m the denominator.”

Justin wrinkled his nose. “Not really a threesome-with-Sam kind of guy.”

“Hey!” I said because someone needed to defend my honor. “I would be a great person to have a threesome with. I’d be all tender and caring and making sure both parties got equal attention from me. By the time I got done with both of you, you’d be so satisfied, you’d be ruined for all others.”

Kevin and Justin stared at me.

Oh shit. “Uh. Not that that’s an option. Because it’s not. Seeds need to bloom in me and make treasure because I love being on my knees for armies. Crap. That’s not what I meant to say.”

“And how do you know him?” Kevin side-whispered to Justin.

“He’s to be my wizard when I am king,” Justin said. And if I’m being honest, he could have tried to sound a bit more thrilled at that.

“Yikes,” Kevin said.

“I’m not going to rescue you,” I told Justin.

“I won’t have to eat you, then,” Kevin said, snapping his jaws at me.

“You don’t scare me anymore,” I said, even though it wasn’t completely true. “I’m not made of leaves and twigs, you wannabe carnivore.”

“It’s a healthier life choice!”

“Don’t talk to Sam about life choices,” Justin said. “All of his have been wrong.”

“You’re kind of a bitch,” I said. “Your Highness.”

Whatever retort Justin may have had was put on hold when Kevin tensed, the bony spines on his back going rigid. Justin and I looked over the edge of the keep down toward the entrance to the valley.

I choked at the sight that lay before us.

“Is that what I think it is?” Justin asked. He almost sounded amused.

If what he thought it was happened to be Ryan riding Gary full-out into the valley, sword and shield drawn, Tiggy running at their sides, hands balled into gigantic fists as they hurtled themselves toward the keep, then yes.

Gary looked majestic as fuck, mane flying back around his head where he wore a makeshift battle helmet that I’d never seen before, nostrils flaring, coat gleaming. I reminded myself to tell him later.

Tiggy looked scary as fuck, with the snarl on his face, the muscles bunching in his thighs.

Ryan looked hot as fuck with his sword and shield and hair flying in the wind, and I’m pretty sure I was on my way to a full erection by that point because that shit was fucking erotic.

“This feels like a sex dream,” I breathed.

“This feels like a what?” Justin asked.

“Uhhhh. Nothing. I didn’t say anything. Oh, look. Fascinating things are happening. Let’s focus on those.”

And as if waiting for me to say so, Kevin spread his wings and roared, the sound crawling along the valley. I saw Tiggy stumble slightly and even Gary faltered, but they pushed on. I’d never thought them more brave. Or more ridiculous.

And I couldn’t even begin to comprehend Ryan riding atop Gary. I couldn’t even find the time to think that Ryan was somehow a racist because of it.

Kevin launched himself off the top of the keep and spread his wings. He fell near silent, his wings catching him before he landed on the ground in front of the great doors.

“Don’t kill them,” Justin called after him. “Maybe just scare them a little bit.”

I gaped at him.

“What?” he asked me. “We might as well enjoy it if we have to watch.”

That… okay. I couldn’t fault him for that. Because Gary was doing a great impression of a warrior princess with his battle screech as he charged up the road toward the keep. And Tiggy was trying to scream along with him, but he wasn’t really understanding what they were doing so he was screaming, “I’m yelling too!” And Ryan might have been manly screaming, but I was distracted by the way the sun fell in his hair and I had to stop myself from sighing dreamily.

Of course, they all stopped screaming when Kevin landed in front of them, the dirt puffing up in clouds around his claws. Kevin hissed, his forked tongue curling out around his lips, the spines along his back quivering. If I hadn’t known that he was a mostly vegetarian, sexually aggressive lizard, I would have been terrified. As it was, I rolled my eyes.

“Eep,” Gary said.

“Whoa,” Tiggy said.

“Prepare, dragon!” Ryan shouted. “For today, you will meet your end!”

Justin and I both snorted.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean that to sound as douchey as it did,” I said.

“No,” Justin said. “He meant it all right. He does that sometimes.”

“Tiggy,” Gary hissed. “Take off this fucking helmet.”

Ryan slid down from Gary and flourished his sword, eyes never leaving Kevin. Kevin snarled at him, dragging his claws along the ground, tail flicking dangerously from side to side. His muscles bunched in his legs, and it looked as if he were about to launch himself at Ryan. I wondered briefly if I should intervene.

Tiggy leaned over and lifted the helmet from Gary’s head. Gary, ever the diva, shook his head daintily, his mane settling perfectly on the side of his head.

And the dragon. Just. Stopped.

“Um,” Ryan said. “Hello? Dragon? Are we doing this or—”

“What great beauty is this?” Kevin breathed, sounding soul struck.

“Um. What?” Ryan asked, taking a step back. “Talking. It talks. Of course it does.”

“Did you hear my battle scream?” Gary asked Tiggy, completely ignoring Kevin. “I was all like, GRAAAHHH and it sounded pretty awesome if I do say so myself.”

“It very loud,” Tiggy said. “Tiggy scream too. GWAAAHHH!”

“No,” Gary said, shaking his head. “Not gwah. Grah. GRAAAHH!”

“GWAAAAHHHH!”

“Dragon,” Ryan said, poking Kevin with his sword. “Hey. Dragon.”

“GRAAAHHHHHH!”

Kevin ignored Ryan, eyes only on Gary.

“Seriously?” Justin asked me. “Seriously?”

“Hey! You leave them—okay. Even I can’t defend this. Oh my gods. What the hell.”

“GWAAAAHHHH!”

“GRAAAHHH—never mind. We’ll work on this later. Well, finish the dragon thing, find a tavern and scope out the mens.”

“Scopin’ out mens,” Tiggy agreed. “And cake.”

“Yes, dear heart. We can have cake. Now, where were we?” Gary looked back at Kevin, who was still staring at him. “Oh, right. Dragon. That’d probably be a good place to start. You there. Dragon! Hello! Yes, you!”

Kevin looked over his shoulder as if there was another dragon standing directly behind him that Gary could have been addressing. “Me?” he asked.

“Yes. You. Now. Have you seen a wizard? Well, apprentice, really. He’s about six feet tall, skinny as all get out. I’ve told that boy he needs to eat more, but does he listen to me? Of course not. His nose is always buried in his Grimoire or in the labs or running for our lives. He’s got black hair, or maybe it’s better described as onyx. Onyx, Tiggy?”

“Onyx,” Tiggy agreed. “Pretty Sam.”

“Onyx, then,” Gary said. “But you probably know him from his mouth. It never closes.”

“Hey!” I snapped. “It closes all the time!”

“Only when you swallow, dear,” Gary said and then, “Sam! Oh my gods!”

Tiggy, Gary, and Ryan all looked up.

Justin and I waved.

“Are you a prisoner of the dragon?” Gary asked. “What the hell am I saying? Of course you are. Gods, Sam. If you ever do that again, I swear I’ll murder you. You gave me gray hairs! Gray hairs, Sam. At my age? You asshole!”

“Uh, it makes you look distinguished?” I tried.

His eyes narrowed. “Distinguished. That’s what you’re choosing to go with.”

“Are you all right?” Ryan asked, tone weary and concerned. “When you were taken, I couldn’t—”

“I’m fine,” Justin and I both said at the same time.

“Er,” I said. “The Prince is just fine.”

“Because that’s who you were asking about, right, Ryan?” Justin asked.

“Uhhh,” Ryan said. “I should probably fight this dragon.”

“Can we please ignore the awkwardness and go back to where Sam said I was an old cow?” Gary asked. “He should never be allowed to speak again. Ever.”

“If you ask me, I’ll tell you what I think,” Kevin blurted out.

“Hmmm,” Gary said. “Intrigued. Go ahead.”

Kevin swallowed thickly, throat bobbing up and down. “Okay. So. Um. Come on, Kevin, you can do this. You got this. Just say it. Say it. Ahem. You are the most enchanting creature I have ever seen. I have not known true beauty until this day. Any beauty I thought I might have known before was an obvious lie because there is no comparison.”

“Sucks for you,” I told Justin, elbowing him in the side.

“He’s dissing you too, asshole,” Justin grumbled.

“Nah. I’ve just got dick lips.”

“I don’t think that’s as good as you keep thinking it is.”

“Five minutes ago, you were his one true love. Now, I bet he doesn’t even remember your name.”

“I don’t suppose it matters,” Justin said, lips curving dangerously. “I’m already engaged to be married. You know. To a knight.”

And that round went to Prince Asshole.

“You took my breath away,” Kevin continued, oblivious to the drama from above. “When you removed your warrior’s helmet, I wondered if the gods had chosen to honor me this day for any world where you exist must truly be a blessing.”

Gary stared at him. “Tiggy,” he said, crooking his lips toward the half-giant. “Who is he talking to?”

“You,” Tiggy said. “He wants to eat Gary flower.”

“My flower was eaten a long time ago.” He looked the dragon up and down and said, “I’ll see where this goes. Continue.”

“First, might I know your name?” Kevin asked. “I assume it is something so magical that the very utterance of it would cause rainbows to weep in glorious joy.”

“Gary.”

“Gary,” the dragon whispered in awe, the name on his lips sounding almost like benediction. “Have two syllables ever sounded more beautiful together? Geh. Ree. The gods must have outdone themselves the day that word was born. They took the exquisiteness from the earth and rolled it together with a pinch of sunshine and love and gorgeousness and when it was finished, it was Gary.”

“Wow,” Gary said. “That was… words.”

“This is getting uncomfortable,” I told Justin.

“I might have gotten lucky that Gary showed up,” he said.

“So,” Ryan said, his sword now dragging in the dirt. He looked slightly put out. “Are we, like, gonna fight here? I’m not really sure of the protocol for something like this and—”

“Ryan,” Gary said. “Shut up. I’m being wooed.”

“But—”

“Ryan. Shut. It.”

“Gods,” Ryan grumbled.

“I apologize for the Knight Commander,” Gary said to Kevin. “He doesn’t understand how love works.”

“That’s bullshit,” Ryan said. “I know love. I’ve got so much love. You don’t even know.”

“He does?” I asked, heart beating traitorously in my chest.

“You do?” Justin asked.

“Hi, Sam!” Tiggy said, waving at me.

“Should I take him out for you, my sweet?” Kevin asked. “All you have to do is but ask and I will make sure his blood is spilled upon the ground. I’ll roast his skin with my fire. I’ll tear off his head. I stick my claws up his perky ass if his screams will make you happy.”

“Whoa,” Ryan said. “And thank you. It is rather perky.”

“Hmmm,” Gary said.

“Gary,” Ryan said. “Buddy.”

“Hmmm.”

“Gary. You said we were friends! You said you liked me.”

“I say that about a lot of things. Like people. And ham.”

“Are you going to stop him?” Justin whispered to me.

“He’s a grown unicorn,” I said with a shrug. “He’s got this.” And I really didn’t think that Gary would allow Kevin to murder Ryan. Not really. Gary wasn’t that big of a jerk.

Kevin started rumbling deep in his chest.

Gary grinned.

I sighed. “Gary.”

“What?” The perfect picture of unicorn innocence.

“You know what.”

“Sam!” he exclaimed, eyes going wide as if he hadn’t been aware I’d been standing above him this whole time. That asshole. “Lovely to see you alive and well. And with the Prince, no less. I’m sure you two have had some… interesting things to discuss.”

“Gary,” I warned.

“Ugh. Fine. Dragon.”

The rumbles ceased instantly as Kevin turned back toward Gary. “Yes, my exquisiteness?”

“You don’t need to kill the Knight Commander.”

“As you wish.”

“Maybe maim him a little.”

“Gary.”

“Fine,” Gary muttered. “No maiming either. Some people just don’t know how to take a joke.”

“I do,” Kevin said. “All of your jokes. I’ll laugh at every single one because undoubtedly, your humor exceeds that of even court jesters. Might I fuck you later tonight?”

Gary coughed roughly. “That… um.”

“I’ll go slow,” Kevin said, as if that were the only issue at hand. “I’ll go so slow for you. Open you up until you’re wet enough to sit on my—”

“Sam!” Gary cried. “Look at that. That’s Sam. Our friend Sam. And the Prince! Hello, Prince! I am so glad to see your bright and shining face.”

“You are?” Justin asked, coolly amused. “That’s a first.”

“Whaaaa? No. Ha-ha! You and I go way back.”

“Do we?”

“We do.”

“Huh.”

“In fact, I think I should want to see both your faces up close. Tiggy, dear, won’t you escort me to the top of the keep?”

Tiggy grinned. “Tiggy don’t know what you just said. Sure.”

“Lovely,” Gary said. “Just lovely. And while we go up there, the dashing and immaculate Knight Commander here shall battle my fierce dragon to the death!”

“Your wish is my command,” Kevin said, bowing his head.

“Gary.”

“Okay, okay. Gods, Sam. No need to bring out scary eyes. Kevin. Yoo-hoo, Kevin!”

Kevin had already started rushing at Ryan, who was scrambling back a step or two, sword at the ready. “Yes, light of my life?”

“No killing,” Gary said, sounding as if he’d only known hardship his entire life.

“Or maiming,” I said.

“Or maiming,” Gary said, rolling his eyes. “Because Sam is a killjoy and we never get to have any fun at all. But if we’re going that direction, then Ryan can’t kill Kevin either.”

“Um,” Ryan said. “Then what’s the point?”

“No killing,” I told Ryan. “Kevin is nice. Sort of.”

“Thank you, pretty,” Kevin told me. “Though I wish you would use that mouth of yours less for talking and more for sucking my cock.”

“What?” Ryan growled.

“That was probably the wrong thing to say,” Gary said. “You mens have fun. Toodles!” He and Tiggy then took off at a brisk pace toward the keep, avoiding Kevin’s tail as it snapped from side to side. I heard Gary grunt as he pressed against the great doors, the metal grating against the stone.

“Ooh.” Gary’s voice carried up the stairs. “Look at all this stuff. If I marry him, Tiggy, then all of this will be mine.”

“Gary getting married?” Tiggy asked.

“Possibly,” Gary said. “I am a catch, after all. I’ve been proposed to on numerous occasions and—oh my gods, look at the size of that emerald it’s bigger than my face—I might as well get around to accepting one of these days. You can’t help when you fall in love with someone. It just hits you in the center of your chest and—there is so much silk here that I just want to bathe in it forever and ever—you can’t fight it. It’s not about how much stuff a person has, or how much gold he has to his name—sixty-six sixty-seven sixty-eight oh my gods sixty-eight chests filled to the brim with gold—it’s about love. That feeling that blooms inside and makes you unable to breathe without them in your arms. And I’ll tell you, Tiggy. I just might be in love. Is that a diamond? I thought that was a chandelier. Tiggy. I’m in love.”

“You’re judging me, aren’t you,” I asked Justin.

“Yes,” he said. “So much. Those are your friends.”

“No,” I corrected. “Those are your rescuers. Who your father sent. Obviously, a reflection upon you.”

Justin scowled.

Point for me.

Score: Justin, one. Sam, six billion.

Kevin and Ryan continued to circle each other below as Gary exclaimed over this and that as they slowly made their way up the staircase. I pretended not to want to glower at Justin and to keep from cheering at Ryan to slay the dragon like I belonged to his fan club or something.

And then I remembered I did belong to his fan club or something, and not only that, I had admitted to belonging to his fan club, only to have him say that he wanted to put his dick in my mouth and had fantasized about me since I was fifteen years old.

This, of course, led to thoughts unbecoming of someone in my current position. Namely, I was thinking about fucking Ryan Foxheart in the asshole while standing next to his fiancé while Ryan himself fought a dragon below us, all the while listening to Gary get closer and closer, talking about how true love was real it was a tangible thing, that he didn’t think he’d ever feel this way and oh my fucking gods look at how many diamonds that crown has at least six and how many carats is that?

So when Gary poked his head up through the hatch and said, “There you are,” I couldn’t be held responsible when the first words out of my mouth were, “I am not thinking about fucking him, I swear to gods because that is just wrong, so don’t even bring it up, okay, because shut up.”

Cue awkward silence.

“Um,” Gary said finally. “What?”

I said, “Oh. That was a quote. From a book I read.”

And because Gary couldn’t not be an asshole, he said, “Great, and what book was that?” even as Justin turned his full glare back on me because I was a lying liar who lied.

For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a title of a single actual book ever written, so I said, “The Manticore and the Butler.”

“Ah,” Gary said as Tiggy pushed him up through the hatch gently. “The Manticore and the Butler. Sounds riveting. Who is it by?”

I made sure my eyebrows expressed just how displeased I was at him. “Mervin Sondheim,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Mervin Sondheim,” Gary said. “You sure know a lot of Mervins. So. Tell me. What is the book about?”

“It’s a love story between a manticore and a butler. They love each other, but societal norms dictate they can’t be together.”

Gary’s lips twitched. “A lion with wings and human face and a butler sure sounds like it would cause disruption. How does it end?”

“They both die. Painful deaths. Involving many bad things.” I hoped it sounded like a threat.

“That doesn’t sound like a happy ending,” Justin said with a frown.

“It isn’t,” I told him. “But sometimes murder is inevitable. Right, Gary?”

He smiled sweetly at me. “If I was going to corner you and ask for you to write a review of The Manticore and the Butler and your words would be written in stone, how would you rate the book?”

“I’d give it five hearts,” I muttered, wondering what his insides would look like if they were on his outside.

“Out of?”

“Five.”

“Indeed. It sounds as if this novel left quite an impression on you. Tell me, what was that quote again?”

“Uh.”

“You said it with such alacrity not five minutes ago,” Gary said. “Surely it won’t be that hard to repeat it. Since you rated it… what was your rating system again?”

“Hearts.”

“That’s right. Five hearts. Because of reasons. The quote?”

I hoped my eyebrows were now broadcasting his imminent death at my hands. “Um. It was. I am not gonna fuck him because shut up it’s wrong. So. I love you, Nick the manticore.”

“Nick the manticore!” Gary crowed gleefully. “Oh my gods, I can’t believe you just did all that!”

“I don’t read books,” Tiggy said. “I like cats.”

Justin said, “I think the dragon is just playing with Ryan.”

We all looked over the edge of the keep.

Sure enough, Kevin kept circling Ryan, not allowing him to get a hit with his sword. He moved lightning quick for something his size, and I knew if this were a real fight, it’d be over rather quickly. For a moment, I thought that maybe I should do something to rescue him, but then I saw the way he ducked under a whip of Kevin’s tail, and I figured he was okay to be dashing and immaculate, at least for a little while.

“Face me like a man!” Ryan snapped as Kevin danced away.

“I am not a man,” Kevin reminded him. He flicked his claws against Ryan’s breastplate, knocking him over. Kevin looked up at us and said, “Did you see that, Gary? I did that for you!”

“Super,” Gary called back down. “You’re so neat.” Then, in a lower voice, “I’m going to have so many of your babies.”

“Oh gods,” I groaned. “Would you shut the fuck up?”

“It’s true love,” he insisted.

“If he hurt you, Tiggy gonna smash,” Tiggy said, petting Gary’s head.

“Of course you would, Tig,” Gary said. “You’re my big strong giant.”

“I’ll hurt him too,” I said.

Gary rolled his eyes. “No you won’t. Your magic won’t work on him.”

“And you can’t do shit with a sword,” Justin said.

I scowled at the both of them. Then, “Wait. How the fuck are you even here?”

“Tiggy,” Gary said. “The coercion bullshit wore off of him quicker than they thought it would, I guess. One minute I am randomly telling them about getting tied up by Octavio while they tried to teach me the Dragon Psalm that had ninety-six verses, and the next Tiggy is smashing their faces in and now we are here.”

“I feel like you’re leaving out large portions of the story. Like starting with the fact that Ryan was riding you.”

“Jealous?”

“Of Ryan,” I said quickly. “Oh, totally. Yep. That is the only reason I’m jealous. Because of that.”

“Riiight,” Gary said and we all winced when Ryan was thrown into a tree. He got back up slowly, picking up his sword from the dirt.

“You doing okay there, buddy?” I called down.

“Fine,” he said. “I’m a knight. I got this. You’ll see. We’ll have dragon meat for dinner.”

“Gross,” Gary said. “The only person who is going to be eating my future husband is me, and not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Nope,” I said. “Not even going to listen to you.”

Kevin, of course, puffed out his chest and attacked Ryan with gusto.

“What a weird day this has been,” Justin muttered.

“The King misses you,” I said quietly as Gary and Tiggy wandered away to inspect a chest of treasure on the opposite side of the keep.

Justin snorted. “I’m sure he does. Needs to have his successor in place.”

“That’s not it at all and you know it.”

“Because you know so much about my relationship with my father.”

“No,” I said. “Because I know your father. I know what kind of man he is. I know the look on his face when I woke after you were taken. He was heartbroken, Justin.”

His hands tightened into fists at his sides. “Only because you’d been hurt. It had nothing to do with me.”

“How can you say that?” I asked. “You are his son. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you. To make sure you got back safely. That’s why he sent us.”

Justin wouldn’t look at me. “I get why he sent Ryan. I don’t get why he sent you.”

“I’m your wizard. Of course he was going to send me.”

“My wizard,” he repeated.

“Apprentice, sure, but yeah, dude. Your wizard.”

“I distinctly remember you saying you weren’t going to be my wizard at all.”

I winced at that. “Yeah, well, you may have been coming at me with a sword and pissed me off. People say things when they’re angry that they don’t always mean.”

Justin said nothing.

“Look I know you don’t like me. I can’t really say that I like you all that much, either. But in the end, that doesn’t matter. We’re responsible for something greater than ourselves. One day, an entire kingdom is going to be under our watch. You will lead it, and I will be there to help you. We’re stuck together, okay? Family doesn’t let each other go, even when things suck.”

“You think we’re family,” he said flatly.

I tried to keep my anger in check. “Maybe like distant cousins.”

He snorted. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“Gods, you’re so fucking infuriating.”

“So I’ve been told once or twice.”

He turned toward me, mouth set in a thin line. I heard the angry yell from Ryan down somewhere below and Kevin’s answering roar. But I never took my eyes off Justin. There was a flash of green just outside of my vision, but I had to tell myself no, no, no. Because I could collapse this keep around him if I wanted to. Just a few well-placed thoughts here and there and a twitch of my fingers and he’d be covered in stone.

He said, “It’s always about you.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “How you figure?”

“I’m going to be the fucking king one day,” he snarled at me. “I’m going to take my father’s place and rule over all of Verania. It’s why I was born. It’s what I was raised for. It’s why I took all those fucking lessons in etiquette and diplomacy. It was in the hundreds of hours of meetings I attended with councils and heads of state. With advisors and commanders, all telling me what I was supposed to do. How I was supposed to be. What I would become. And then you.”

It was said with such venom that I almost took a step back. But I didn’t because I didn’t fear him. I was not scared of Justin. I would never hurt him, but that didn’t mean I’d take his shit.

“You get taken from the slums,” he said. “You are brought into my home. You who did nothing to deserve it. Nothing to earn it. All because of a fucking magic trick you did one day when you were sticking your nose where it didn’t belong. And it only took days for it to be all about you. Oh Sam the sweet little wizard. Oh Sam the boy who came from nothing. Perfect, innocent Sam who came to the castle and who everyone loved. Morgan talked about you as if you were a prophecy fulfilled. The staff talked about you like you were royalty. Beloved and cherished. My friends, my fucking friends, thought you were smart and loyal. And my father. Well. Let’s just say it wasn’t long before he was speaking of you as if you were his second son.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I said quietly.

“You never had to!” he cried, and Gary and Tiggy jerked their heads up. Tiggy started toward us, a low growl rumbling from his chest. I held up a hand to ward him off, to placate him. He stopped, but he wasn’t pleased. “You never had to ask for anything because it was always given to you! How do you think it made me feel when I would sit at my father’s side, doing everything I could to get him to notice me, to say something about how well I was doing, how proud of me he was, only to hear him talk about you. About what you did. About what you’d become.

“And to make it worse, you could come and go as you pleased. You didn’t have to stay in the fucking castle. You didn’t have to follow rules and guidelines and codes. You could do whatever the fuck you wanted because you’re fucking Sam of fucking Wilds. You fuck up and everyone laughs and shrugs. You got a Dark wizard murdered and nothing, absolutely nothing happened to you. Nothing. I make a mistake and the entire fucking kingdom will hear about it.”

“That’s not fair,” I said, trying to keep from raising my voice. “I’m sorry if you felt that I’ve taken things from you, but I’m not sorry for my life. I won’t ever apologize for who I am and I shouldn’t have to. You can’t ask that of me, Justin. And that Dark wizard that I got murdered? He was going to kill us. He was going to hurt Gary. And I will never let that happen. Gary is my friend and I will never let anyone hurt him. And Tiggy loves us. He loves us enough to protect us. Much like I tried to protect you.”

He recoiled as if I’d slapped him. “You don’t love me,” he said hoarsely.

“No,” I said. “I don’t. But you are my Prince, and I would do anything to protect you.”

“Fuck you, Sam. Gods, fuck you so much. You sanctimonious little bitch.”

“Your father loves you. Your people love you. Ryan lo—”

“Don’t you fucking talk to me about Ryan!” he shouted. “You don’t know shit about that. You don’t get to speak a godsdamn word about us.” He took a step toward me.

I said, “Don’t. Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

Another step and the stone beneath my feet cracked. The green was so bright and I had to force it away. Dark syllables danced across my mind, but I stripped them of their intent. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t hurt him. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

There was a large shadow flashing overhead and then Kevin was there, landing near Tiggy and Gary. Gary murmured something to him quietly, words I couldn’t make out. Kevin gave an answering rumble but didn’t move from his perch.

And that meant Ryan was coming. They must have heard Justin’s voice.

Fuck this day so fucking much.

“He came here to save you,” I said. “There was no stopping him.”

“And I’m sure it didn’t hurt that you were going too,” Justin said, chuckling bitterly.

“Nothing happened.” But wasn’t that a lie? Because something had happened. Everything had happened.

“He was mine, you know,” Justin said. “My father told me that a king needed a queen. When I told him I was gay, he said that a king needed a consort. He said that if I didn’t find someone on my own by my twenty-fifth birthday, that he would arrange a marriage on my behalf. That he would find someone for me and I would be forced to marry them. Do you know what that feels like, Sam? To know that your future is put on a deadline and if that deadline isn’t met, that you’ll be matched with a stranger, someone who you’ve never met but will spend the rest of your life with.”

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it felt like to be forced to love someone, because I loved someone with so much force it hurt my heart to even think about it. Someone who didn’t belong to me. No matter what was said, Ryan wasn’t mine. It didn’t stop the keep from starting to rumble, the stones vibrating underneath our feet. Gary called my name, told me to focus, to fucking focus, but I pushed his voice away.

“So I picked someone,” Justin said, oblivious to my anger. “I picked Ryan. I made a godsdamn choice and even if I didn’t love him, even if I didn’t have feelings for him, I picked someone. I made my own choice. I wasn’t forced by my father. And it was fine.”

And, of course, that’s when Ryan showed up, clambering through the hatch.

Justin, hearing his fiancé, smiled darkly at me and said, “I’ve fucked him, you know. Had him on his hands and knees and I fucked him. He begged for my cock and I gave it to him with all I could. There were bruises left by my fingers on his hips.” The stone beneath his feet split and he took another step forward.

“Justin,” Ryan barked. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Teaching a lesson,” Justin said, eyes never leaving mine. I kept my face a blank mask, not allowing him to see anything, be it hurt or jealousy. It was weakness and I wasn’t going to allow him to see it. “He needs to learn his place.”

“This isn’t you,” Ryan said, coming to stand beside him. He put his hand on Justin’s shoulder. “You don’t want to do this.”

“He’ll never be yours,” Justin said, ignoring Ryan. “We made a deal. An oath. Did you know that, Sam? A knight’s word is his honor. He wanted to make a name for himself. Wanted to rise up through the ranks. He agreed to be the King Consort to secure his place among the knights. It may not have been born of love, but it was still my choice. And his. Regardless of how we started, I care about him. And I know he cares about me.”

“You know I do,” Ryan said quietly, looking at Justin. “And I keep my oaths.” He looked over at me with something akin to sadness.

And didn’t that just sting. Even though I knew it, even though I knew there were feelings of a sort between them, hearing them spoken aloud hurt more than I thought it could. And I knew Ryan was a man of his word. Regardless of what he felt for me, however far it reached, he would keep his word to the Prince. Because he had to. He’d made an oath, and it was the strongest promise a knight could make.

I tried to pull the magic down then. Tried to contain it so nothing more would happen. I needed to leave. I needed to leave this all behind, separate myself from the others. Find an empty space far from anyone and then release it all at once. I didn’t know what would happen, didn’t know how powerful that release would be, but even I knew it’d been building for weeks. I’d just chosen to ignore it.

The stones began to shift underneath our feet.

I gritted my teeth together.

Gary shouted something I couldn’t make out.

The hatch. I had to get to the hatch.

I couldn’t allow them to get hurt. Not any of them. Not even Justin.

I took a step and the stones cracked again.

And then Ryan said, “Sam,” his hands coming up to my face, and everything just stopped.

The rumbling.

The shifting.

The flashes of green and gold.

The ache along my skin.

The buildup that thrummed within me, begging to be released.

It all just stopped.

I opened my eyes.

And there was Ryan, always Ryan. He cupped my face and his thumbs traced my cheeks. His eyes were so bright and he said, “Hey, Sam, you’re with me, okay?” I just nodded, unable to look away, even though I knew I wasn’t with him, not really. But it didn’t matter because I felt soothed, his touch a balm, and I knew then I’d never find anyone like him again. There might be others out there who could anchor my magic, but they’d never be like him. He’d never have to know, but I would. I would know him forever.

And so, of course, that’s when I understood I’d underestimated Justin yet again.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he said.

“Justin, why don’t we—” Gary started, but was cut off almost immediately.

“Does he know?” Justin demanded. “Did you tell him?”

And he knew.

I took a step back out of Ryan’s hands. I looked over his shoulder at Justin and said, “No. Don’t do this. I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Don’t do this. Please.”

“What’s going on?” Ryan asked, eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of us.

“Tell him,” Justin said. “Or I will.”

“Justin, I’ll go, okay? I swear to the gods I’ll go. I won’t do anything. Please, just don’t do this.”

“Every wizard needs an anchor,” he said to Ryan. “My father taught me that. Told me one day, Sam would find a person who would help him build his magic. Would help him to become a better wizard. Magic needs to be built upon a foundation, and a cornerstone is that foundation. It helps the wizard become more in control. More settled. Because magic, if unchecked, can grow and twist you into something off. Dark. And the cornerstone is usually someone with intent. Romantic intent. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

“Sam?” Ryan asked. “What is he talking about?”

“I never wanted this,” I said. “I promise. Both of you. I didn’t ask for this to happen. I swear I didn’t.”

“You told me a cornerstone wasn’t anything,” Ryan said, voice hard. “You told me that it didn’t matter.”

“Did he?” Justin asked with a laugh. “That was a lie. It’s everything.”

“That’s enough,” Gary snapped. He moved swiftly, hooves clacking along the stone until he was by my side. He brushed up against me and I took strength from it. Everything felt too loud, too bright inside my head. He knew. “You’re free to go. Ryan, take the Prince back to Castle Lockes. Forget this place and leave Sam the hell alone.”

“I smash?” Tiggy growled, coming to stand on my other side. “I smash Prince and Knight Delicious Face?”

“Sam,” Ryan said, taking a step toward us.

“Don’t you get it, Ryan?” Justin said. “You’re his fucking cornerstone. Because of course you are. The one time I make a choice for myself, the one time I get to choose, Sam of fucking Wilds tries to take that choice away. I won’t let him. Not this time. You pledged yourself to me, and I will never let you go.”

And there it was. Out there. Words that could never be taken back. I’d never wanted him to find out. Not like this. Not ever. It should have felt better, having all my cards on the table.

But gods, it didn’t. It hurt.

“Is that true?” Ryan asked.

I said, “Don’t—”

“Is it true?”

I took a breath. Let it out slowly.

And said, “Yes.”

“You lied to me. I asked you and you lied to me.” He was angry and hurt, just like I’d knew he’d be. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

“No.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because,” I said, “you have an oath. One I won’t let you break. Your word is your bond and you are bound to Justin.”

“How long?” he asked, sounding even angrier. “How the fuck long have you known?”

“The restaurant. With the Darks.”

He took a step back. Away from me. Toward Justin. “Sam… that. That was months ago.”

And because this had to end, I said, “And it doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve got what we came here for. It’s time to leave. It’s time to say good-bye.”