Page 9 of Storm In The Sky

“You think?”

“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away, but I did, and I don’t have an excuse. It was a dick thing to do.”

Keylon told himself not to hope. This was just an apology—and a shitty one at that. “I accept your apology. I need to go now.”

“Wait,” Winter said. “I’m not done.”

Keylon swallowed. There was no way Winter was about to tell him he’d changed his mind, right? Keylon couldn’t be so lucky.

“Jarvis talked to me the other day,” Winter said.

Keylon sighed. He’d known not to hope, but he hadn’t been able to help it. Now, that hope crashed and burned, leaving asore spot in his heart. “What did he want?” he asked in a cold voice.

“He pointed out that even though I want nothing to do with this, Iamyour shield. He said that if Carlyle attacks, you might get hurt because I refuse to be your shield, and I don’t want that.”

Well, Keylon supposed it was good to know that Winter didn’t want him dead.

“So I thought we could work together,” Winter continued. “On a mage and shield basis, I mean. You’ll do your magic, and I’ll protect you until this is over and Carlyle’s gone. We can go our own way then.”

The tiny flame of hope that had been burning in Keylon’s heart was definitely dead. He wasn’t surprised that Jarvis had talked to Winter. He had to have seen how Keylon and Winter behaved around each other, and he’d been worried. He was right to be, but this wouldn’t be a problem for long.

“No,” Keylon said.

Winter frowned. “What do you mean? You need protection.”

“I do. I won’t force you to do this when it’s so obvious you don’t want it. I’ll break our bond as soon as possible. I’ve already started looking for another shield, so you won’t have to worry about protecting me for much longer. I appreciate the thought, though. It was very noble of you to be willing to sacrifice yourself for a man you hate.”

Keylon’s lower lip trembled, and he turned around, unwilling to allow Winter to see him cry. He’d rather die.

“I don’t hate you,” Winter said. “There’s no rush. I don’t need you to break the bond right away. It would probably be best to wait until Carlyle has been dealt with, and I’m willing to do that.”

“Well, I’m not. You don’t want to be my shield, and I respect that. As soon as my sisters find someone suitable, I’ll let you know.”

That was the only thing Keylon could do, even though his heart was breaking again. At this rate, there would be nothing of it left by the time this was over.

* * * *

Winter was in shock. He’d known that if he refused to continue being Keylon’s shield, Keylon would have to find another one, but hearing it had made him realize it would really happen. Keylon was a powerful mage, and he couldn’t afford not to have a protector.

Winter had thought it would take more time. After all, Keylon had just found him again. Winter had thought that Keylon would try to convince him to stay and work things out. He’d been ready to tell him that he didn’t think he could, but instead, Keylon was going to release him from their bond. He’d promised that as soon as he found a new shield, he would break the bond, and once he did, Winter would be able to go anywhere he wanted. He could go home, maybe drag Samuel along with him, and they could live in peace.

That was what Winter wanted. It was what he’d wanted from the beginning, and now that he finally had it, he was happy and relieved.

He had to be.

“I didn’t expect that,” he said.

“You told me you didn’t want to be my shield. I’ve tried talking to you, and you didn’t seem to want to be in the same room as me, let alone listen to what I had to say. We could have worked things out, but it’s clear you don’t want to, and I’m tired of chasing you.”

Winter winced. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Keylon had looked angry before, but now, he looked sad, and for some reason, that broke Winter’s heart. Keylon was a gorgeous man with short, dark hair with red tips. His brown eyesalways looked sad when he was near Winter, but Winter had seen him with his friends. When he was with them and he was happy, they sparkled.

No one should be sad, but especially not someone like Keylon. There should always be a smile on his face.

There wasn’t one now. Sadness was present, but also determination. Keylon wasn’t kidding. Hewouldbreak their bond. It didn’t matter that it would hurt him.

“I know you’re not doing this to hurt me,” Keylon said softly. He wasn’t looking at Winter. “You’re not Alvin. I knew you wouldn’t be after we realized what happened with Carlyle’s spell, but I had hope. Parker, Marlow, and Bennett fell in love with their mages. I thought the same would happen to us, but it didn’t.”

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