Page 53 of The Musician and the Monster

The words hit him square in the chest. Malik would bring her up the moment Drystan was about to let her go forever. “She’s not here,” he ground out.

“Oh?” Malik shoved off the wall. “I thought she was staying in residence.”

“No longer.”

Drystan continued on his way, but as he passed by, Malik said, “Lovers’ spat?”

The question still rang in the air when Drystan twisted toward his cousin, grabbed him by the neck, and shoved him roughly against the wall. An inhuman growl rumbled in his chest before he took in his cousin’s grimace of pain and released him. Malik slid down the wall a few inches before getting his feet back under him and rubbing at his neck.

“Seems I was right.”

Drystan snarled. The gall of Malik to provoke him this way.

“She just left?” Malik asked, refusing to let the topic drop. “And you let her go? That doesn’t sound like you.”

The growl that slipped from Drystan echoed down the halls, but Malik stared back, unfazed.

“You certainly cared for her,” Malik continued.

“Don’t speak of her. Never again,” Drystan warned. He turned away from his cousin, determined to leave this conversation before he could do something even more stupid, more…permanent.

“Why not?”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Doesn’t it, cousin?” He drew out the title, almost like an endearment.

Drystan halted and looked over one shoulder at Malik. His cousin said nothing, just stared at him with his arms crossed.

The man provoked him to no end. Drystan ignored him, stalking down the hall. He was about to turn the corner out of sight when Malik spoke again.

“Too bad. You almost seemed like your old self with her.”

Drystan’s nails dug into his palms as he skidded to a stop. That should be the last thing Malik wanted. His old self was no good to anyone. Not anymore.

Drystan turned on his heel, his fury spiking back to a boiling point. “What is this to you, Malik? Some game? Why do you care?”

“Perhaps I’m not as terrible as you like to think me,” Malik said, striding down the hall toward him.

As if he could believe that. Anyone loyal to the king was a plague upon the country and certainly not to be trusted. But once upon a time, years ago, things had been different. He and Malik had never been the best of friends, but they were easy companions dueling with fake swords and learning the basics of magic together. Malik had never tended toward darkness. In fact, his mother was one of the staunchest supports of the former monarchs who favored the light.

But she was long dead, the former king and queen too.

The boy he’d known in youth was one to seek pleasure, not pain, but then, no one had expected Drystan to touch the darkness either. The things he’d done were unforgiveable, yet still, there were those loyal to him, those who didn’t hold the past against him as they should.

“We were friends once,” Malik said, as if reading the thought straight from his mind.

“Years ago,” Drystan said.

Malik shrugged. “Even so.” He stopped just in front of Drystan, in easy reach of his fury. “For what it’s worth, I believe she cared for you too.” Malik made to move past him but halted and clapped Drystan on the shoulder.

Drystan stared his cousin down across the length of his arm.

“An apology can go a long way,” Malik said, then released him to saunter on down the hall. Over his shoulder, he called, “You should try it sometime.”

Chapter 25

Ceridwen

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