Page 79 of Honeythorn
Warmth. Silence. Stillness. The familiar smell that Milan now associated withhome. And then, rushing towards him—Raphael.
Milan almost flinched away, but his confused body took a step closer instead. If only Raphael would let him explain.
Milan expected to be grabbed by the collar and thrown out the door. Instead, Raphael grasped the sides of his arms, his eyes filled with concern. “Are you all right?” he asked frantically.
Milan stared at him, completely thrown by the question. Was Raphael playing with him?
Raphael squeezed him a little tighter. “I’m sorry I left you—please tell me you’re all right. They didn’t hurt you, did they? I thought they were sure to if I stayed.”
Milan started crying. He didn’t know what was happening. “It’s not true. What they said—please, Raphael, believe me, it’s not true. I would never, I would—” Milan choked, gripping his chest as Raphael’s side of the bond flooded back into him. The world washed away for a moment, replaced by love and relief.
Milan looked up at Raphael when his heartbeat settled down enough for him to function, even though he was still shaking uncontrollably.
Raphael winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that all at once. It was just strange to have it closed.”
Milan shook his head. “Why…?”
“I know it wasn’t the truth. Milan—I couldfeelit. The bond. You…you have no idea how different it is from what I had with Jack—he doesn’t know, either. He’ll never know how this feels. You…I can sense you purely through it. No poem I have ever read could accurately describe the feeling of my heart interwoven with yours.”
Milan stared at Raphael for a moment before he started sobbing loudly, uncontrollably, choking wetly on every breath. “This is not a ploy. You believe me?” he managed to stutter out.
“How could I not?” Raphael said softly, pressing him close so Milan could bury his face in Raphael’s chest.
It took him a long time to calm down. He had truly believed what Jack had said. The future he imagined with Raphael—their dogs and their work and, eventually, the family they would create together—had disappeared forever. And what state would Raphael have been left in?
It made Milan sick to his stomach to even think about it.
Even when Raphael managed to get him upstairs and dressed for bed, Milan couldn’t stand to be far away from him, as if this were months ago, when the bond was still weak.
Milan practically lay on top of Raphael when they slipped under the sheets, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his chest move up and down. He buried his face in the crook of Raphael’s neck, letting his head fill with his scent.
“Who would win between Jack and I in a fight?” Raphael whispered teasingly.
Milan chuckled wetly. “You.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Milan gripped him tightly. There was no way he was letting Raphael go.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It didn’t even take that much effort. Turned out, a man as vicious and self-serving as Jack didn’t make many real friends.
Milan’s only regret, he mused as he and Raphael entered the solicitor’s office, was that he couldn’t bottle the stunned look on Jack’s face as they stepped in together. Milan restrained himself from giving Jack a smug smile. Instead, he barely looked his way, sitting down next to Raphael on the opposite side of the table from Jack. He couldn’t help but make a show of placing the file he had brought in front of him. Raphael threaded his fingers through Milan’s, making him look up at his husband and smile.
Who would win in a fight?
Their solicitor, Miss Claude, cleared her throat. “Welcome. As you all know, we’re here to clarify details of the allegations and suit brought against Lord Ledford by Mister Vipond.”
Jack’s solicitor, who introduced himself as Mister Sitwell, nodded. “Mister Vipond, if you will please bring forth your allegations, we will note them as witnessed testimony for the court.”
Jack seemed to have recuperated his composure and began amusing them all with a tale of fiction.
“I’m…I’m afraid this might shock you all,” he started, sounding like a weak little lamb. Milan stopped himself from snorting just in time. “But I do not bring these allegations because I want to, but because I have to. For Lord Ledford…is an abuser, and I fear Milan is in grave danger.”
“Oh, this should be entertaining.” Milan scoffed. Raphael squeezed his hand, and Milan settled down with a mutter.
Jack shook his head sadly. “There was a time I would not have admitted it either, Milan. But trust me—you can.”
