Page 61 of Oh, Sacred Dark
“I know. Fuck, I know, but I’m worried. There’s something up with him, I…I’m not asking you to tell me how he is, just…have you seen him?”
There was a long pause. “I…Tyler. With another patient, I might be laxer when it came to a loved one I knew they trusted. But in this case, I have to err on the side of caution. I will take on board that you’re worried, but I can’t give you any information.”
Tyler sighed, slumping further where he was seated on the couch. “Okay. That’s…I get it. Thanks.” He hung up.
Maybe this was Roman’s way of breaking up with him. What there was to break up, anyway—it wasn’t like they’d made anything official. Not like Tyler had the guts to admit what he was feeling.
“Fuck,” Tyler shouted, standing up. There was somethingwrong.
He’d just go to Roman’s house one more time. Just one. If he was okay, if he told Tyler to leave again, to stay away, he’d listen.
Tyler almost ran there, mindless, wind cutting through his thoughts. He was out of breath when he arrived, pressing the doorbell and then knocking when nobody responded.
Nothing. No sound. No Roman.
The lights were on inside despite it being the middle of the day. Tyler went around the house, peering inside, taking in the absolute mayhem of the living room.
He couldn’t imagine someone like Roman treating his home like that.
The pit in his stomach turned heavier. There was something wrong, and Tyler was done with ignoring his gut instinct.
He tried the door, frowning when it was unlocked. Tyler stepped inside. It smelt weird, like rotting food. Tyler made his way through the place slowly. There was a bowl of fruit on the counter, all of it turning black, white mold trickled through.
“Roman?” Tyler made it into the bedroom, but there was nobody there. He tried the bathroom next. There was a blanket and a pillow in the tub.
Tyler pulled out his phone with shaking hands and called Archie.
“Hey. What’s up?” Archie responded.
“Archie. I think there’s something wrong with Roman. He’s—he’s been acting weird since he was clasped. He’s…”
“Ty, he’s been through a lot. It’s normal to—”
“No. This isn’tnormal. He’s—it’s like he’s cursed. I don’t know. He stopped eating and seemed sick or just…not there. And now I can’t find him anywhere. I know it sounds crazy, but something’s not right,” Tyler begged.
There was a pause. “Okay. He’s missing? For how long?”
“I saw him the night before last and he wasn’t okay. I asked him to go to the doctor with me, and he just…it was like he was someone else. I’ve texted him since, but nobody has seen him. And all his furniture’s been moved to one side of the living room for some reason.”
“Okay. I’ll ask around, see—”
“Use the coven bonds. Please—”
“You know I can’t do that without his permission,” Archie cut him off.
“There’s somethingwrong,” Tyler shouted. He tried to breathe in, but there was something choking him, lodged in his throat. “Archie, please trust me. This isn’t normal. He could be anywhere—someone could have taken him. I swear on the fucking moon, Roman wouldn’t do this.”
Another pause, longer this time. “Fuck. Okay. But if he’s fine, I’m telling him—”
“Yes. Okay. Deal—use the bonds, check up on him.”
Archie sighed. “I’m gonna put you on speaker. Give me a minute.”
Tyler waited, lungs a knot tied in his chest. Maybe it was fine. Maybe—
A gasp from the other end of the line had Tyler clutching his phone. He managed not to say anything, not wanting to interrupt Archie as he used his power as High Witch to see if Roman was alive, if he was hurt, if he was near.
“Tyler,” Archie said quickly. “Fuck, Tyler, he’s…his end of the bond is completely covered in Chaos Magic.”
