AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I smile politely back at him, then glance hesitantly at Kalistratos, hoping for him to come around. While Airos’swords are reassuring, I want to hear them from Kalistratos more than anyone else.
Kalistratos stands up suddenly. “I’m taking a walk.”
“But you’re not done eating,” I say.
He’s already gone.
Airos chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh, perhaps I went too far.”
Alyx sits next to Kalistratos’s plate and nibbles on a piece of chicken. “If you truly believe we’re meant to be fated comrades, maybe you shouldn’t be such an asshole,” he says.
“But it’s so hard to resist when that one is so easy to irritate,” Airos says. He waves his hand and the floating green apparition disappears. He chuckles to himself. “Probably the reason I don’t keep friends for very long.”
I frown. “What are you talking about? I didn’t hear you say anything that would make him mad.”
“Kalistratos is a simple alpha,” Alyx says. “He’s never had to deal with…feelings.”
“Don’t worry,” Airos says. “As much as it disappoints me, I know there’s no availability in your heart for anyone else. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
“What?” I say. The gears are whirring frantically in my head. Connections are being made. “Wait… No. I don’t… He doesn’t…”
“It was quite clear from the moment I met you,” Airos says. “You care for him. He cares for you. Do you agree, cat?”
Alyx licks his paw and says nothing.
Whirr, click. Buzz. Connection successful.
I see Kalistratos’s face in my mind. His smile. The way he reaches for my hand and puts himself in front of me when he thinks danger is close. The way he looks at me.
I’ve spent so much time taking breadcrumbs that I’ve forgotten what it looks like for someone to want me. I’ve learned to assume that any sign of affection doesn’t mean what it should mean. All of it is so deeply embedded into my heart that I find it difficult, even with everything sitting right out in the open in front of my face, to accept the possibility that maybe Kalistratos feels something for me.
And the crazy thing is, it’s even harder for me to accept how I feel for him. It’s like there’s a shadow in the back of my head that keeps poking me, reminding me not to get attached or to feel too strongly.
“We all know where that road goes, right?”the shadow says.“Disa-fucking-ppointment! Why would he love you? You heard him. He’s just going to meet the Great Phoenix. Once it’s done, it’s done. You’ll be alone again, so why bother?”
God, it did hurt when he’d said that, didn’t it? I wanted him to tell me thathewas going to protect me, not Airos.
“Hold on…” I jab a finger into Airos’s face. “You said all those things just wind him up? You don’t actually give a damn about what happens to me or any of us?”
Airos holds up his hands. “Wait?—”
I grab the front of his tunic. “How dare you use me for your goddamn dick-measuring contest? Is that the reason why you’re here? Because you’re jealous of him?”
The anger wells up suddenly, like a surge of pressure in my chest. I’m not usually someone to get so heated, but I’m pissed.
Airos looks down at my fist with wide eyes, and I realize there’s a soft but distinct glow emanating from my skin, like the light from an ember. And then I feel a tightness in my belly, like a pulse. I let go of his tunic and fall onto my ass in surprise, gripping my stomach. I stare at my hand and the glow slowly disappears.
“What the hell?” I mutter.
“Are you alright?” Alyx asks. “What was that?”
“I’m fine,” I say.
“More mysteries,” Airos says with a small smile. He bows his head. “I apologize, Tyler. I meant you no disrespect, though that doesn’t change the way I acted. Ipromise you that I did mean everything I said. I’m here as your companion and friend.”
“And what about Kalistratos, or Alyx? Are they your companions and friends?”
“Of course. This monk’s word is bond.” His eyes have a sly sparkle to them. “But no good friendship is complete without a bit of rivalry and good-natured ribbing.”
