“Will you come with me?” Justin asked.
Mynor frowned. “Where? We’re stuck here.”
“When my brothers come for me. We’ll get you out of the cell, and I know you have a life to go back to, but is it really what you want to do? Do you want to stay here, at Anya’s mercy? I guess what I’m asking is if you’d consider coming to the human realm.” He paused.
Mynor sucked in a breath. He hadn’t expected this, but maybe he should have. He knew he wasn’t the only one with growing feelings. They might not have talked about it, but they both felt it.
He didn’t know how to answer Justin’s question, though. Did he want to stay here, where he’d been miserable most of his life? No. Could he find a place in the human realm? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if he’d ever find out, and the thought made him a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, he didn’t want to let himself think about it. There was a very high possibility that he’d spend the rest of his life locked in this cell. Dreaming about living in the human realm with Justin wouldn’t help, but now that Justin had mentioned it, Mynor couldn’t stop thinking about it. He couldn’t stop wanting it.
He couldn’t stop wanting Justin.
Justin knewhe was taking a risk by asking this. He was making himself vulnerable in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to be since he’d ended up in this cell.
He trusted Mynor. He wanted Mynor to know that, and he did want Mynor to come with him once they got out of here. He understood why Mynor would decide against it. Hell was the only place where he’d ever lived. It was where he’d grown up, where his best friend was. Justin could promise they’d get Alphan out of here, too, but would they?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t make promises. He couldn’t even promise that they’d get out of here. He hoped that the Christmas designs growing on his skin meant that Calyx was thinking of him and that eventually, he’d realized something was wrong, but he couldn’t be sure.
It was odd. It wasn’t Christmas anymore. Justin didn’t know how long he’d been here, but it had to be months. Christmas was a distant memory, so why the holiday designs? What was Calyx up to?
And what about the others? Maybe one of them had realized something was wrong? Justin and Shelby used to be in contact pretty often, even when they were busy. Surely Shelby had to know something had happened to Justin.
Justin stared at Mynor. If there was even one chance the two of them could be free, Justin wanted to know what would happen. He wanted to know if he and Mynor would have the opportunity to see where things might go between them. They’d been careful because they didn’t want Anya to realize how close they’d grown, but Justin was tired. He wanted out of this cell. He wanted to be happy. He desperately wanted to shower and sleep in his own bed.
And he wanted Mynor to do both of those things with him.
He looked down again. Initially, the only design on his skin had been the Christmas tree. They were expanding, though. Santa Claus and a snowman had quickly joined the tree. There was a red hat, and something that might become a polar bear given time. Justin wanted to ask Calyx what he was thinking andwhy he was doing this, but the only way for him to do that was for Calyx to find a way to get them out of this place. He’d never lost hope that it would happen, but now, he was afraid.
This was the first concrete proof that Calyx still thought of Justin. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if Justin was hoping for nothing?
But he couldn’t think like that. He had to have faith in his brothers. They loved him, even when they bickered and yelled at each other. They’d already lost their mother. They wouldn’t want to lose someone else.
Mynor was still sitting next to Justin, and even though Justin knew they needed to keep their distance, he allowed himself to lean against Mynor’s side for a second. He smiled when Mynor did the same. He knew he wasn’t the only one with these feelings. They just needed the opportunity to let them out.
“So you want me to go to the human realm,” Mynor said.
“Why not? There are mages and shifters and other creatures there. You’ll probably get a few glances, but people will get used to seeing you around quickly. Everyone in town knows our family’s weird, but they flock to Caitlin and Calyx when they need something.”
“You’re saying that I’d be part of your family?”
Justin shrugged, jostling Mynor’s shoulder. “If you want to be.”
There was a moment of silence. Justin waited, suddenly afraid. He was startled when he felt something brush against his fingers, and he glanced down, half expecting a rat. Instead, he saw that Mynor was stroking their little fingers together. Their hands were hidden between them, so even if the guards were to peek in, they wouldn’t see it. It was a tiny gesture of comfort that Justin desperately needed, so he hooked his finger around Mynor’s and squeezed.
“I want to say yes,” Mynor said.
“But?” Justin was sure he could convince him. He’d find a way.
“But what about Alphan?”
Justin had known this would be the one point that would make Mynor hesitate. “If he wants to come, he can.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I don’t have to know him. He’s your best friend. I’m not saying it’ll be easy to get him there, but I know my brother. He’s a good mage. He’ll find a way to make it work.”
