Cyril could tell he wasn’t serious.He couldn’t tease Vale about it, though.Not right now.“He came with me to the cemetery.”
“Why did you have to go to the cemetery?”Vale looked confused.
As much as Cyril wanted to delay the inevitable, he couldn’t do that to his boyfriend.“I saw Melissa Campbell die the other night,” he admitted.He didn’t look at Vale, didn’t slow down.He needed this to be over as quickly as possible.“But I didn’t see everything.When I got there, I could feel her pain and heard a loud bang, but I didn’t realize that wasn’t the shot that killed her.I saw you through her eyes, and you were pointing a gun at her, and I thought you’d shot her.”
“I didn’t.”
“I know.I know that now, but I never saw the other body.I never saw the other man.I thought you lied to me last night because I was sure I saw you killing her.”
“How do you know I didn’t?If you didn’t believe me last night, why do you now?”
Cyril swallowed.“I went to the cemetery to talk to her,” he admitted.“She told me that you killed her killer.”
“I did.I thought I’d get there in time, but I was too late.She was already nearly dead by the time I tried helping her.”
“She told me that, too.I’m really sorry, Vale.I should’ve told you about my nightmare, but I was scared you wouldn’t tell me everything.You were hiding things from me, and I thought that one of those things was that you’d killed her.I should have trusted you.”
But Cyril hadn’t, and that might mean the end of his relationship with Vale.He wasn’t sure what he’d do if that was the case, but he only had himself to blame.
He’d done this.He hadn’t trusted Vale, even though he should have.Now, he’d have to deal with the consequences of that.
* * * *
VALE HAD KNOWN SOMETHINGwas wrong, but he hadn’t expected it to bethat.He hadn’t expected Cyril not to trust him or believe him when he’d told him about the Organization.
He understood why Cyril felt that way.It was the reason he’d been afraid to tell him in the first place.They’d finally had that conversation, though, and Vale had thought that would be it.He didn’t have a reason to lie to Cyril, yet Cyril had believed that he had.
Well, he supposed he did have a reason.He didn’t want to lose his boyfriend, so maybe Cyril thought he’d lied because of that.
Vale couldn’t believe that Cyril had actually found Melissa and had visited her at the cemetery.It didn’t make sense.It wasn’t something Cyril would normally do.He had strong beliefs when it came to his ability as a necromancer, and he never disturbed someone’s rest for personal reasons.
It looked like things were different with Melissa, and it was Vale’s fault.He was the reason Cyril had done this.If it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have.
That was what Vale wanted to focus on, not the pain.He didn’t want Cyril to feel guilty.What he’d done made sense.
“All right,” he said.
Cyril frowned.“All right?”
“I understand why you did what you did.”
“But I shouldn’t have done it.”
“I’m sure you regret reanimating Melissa, but don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Cyril looked bewildered.“What are you talking about?And why are you taking this so easily?”
“Because I don’t have a choice.How am I supposed to react?”
“I don’t know.Yell at me.Tell me how disappointed you are in me.”
“I’m not disappointed, Cyril.I’m hurt, but I understand where you were coming from.I’m not surprised that you needed more than my words to believe me.”
Cyril was already shaking his head.“It shouldn’t be like that.You told me the truth.You were honest with me, and I didn’t believe you.It’s not right.Never mind what I did to Melissa, I betrayedyou.”
“I wouldn’t call that betraying.You had good reasons to look into it.I wish you’d talked to me, but I understand why you couldn’t.”
Cyril shook his head.“I really am sorry that I didn’t trust you.I should have.”
