I shook it off. Thinking about Mylo for too long always sent me down a rabbit hole—or rather, a ferret hole. Speaking of which, I’d never actually seen him in his ferret form. He was probably so cute...
“Aurum,” Saffron called again.
“Sorry. What?”
My twin shot me a doubtful look. “Anyway, it’s late. We should both go to bed. We have another challenge tomorrow,” he added, rolling his eyes.
My pulse quickened. Another challenge meant seeing Mylo again. The sooner I knocked out, the better.
But Saffron’s tone made me hesitate. “Doesn’t sound like you’re looking forward to it,” I said.
Saffron sighed as he nestled into bed. He gripped his phone in one hand and his dragon plushie in the other like a pair of comfort items. “I’m not.”
I felt a pang of discomfort in my stomach. Once more, I was afraid of the answer.
“Why?” I asked.
Saffron shrugged listlessly. “None of these contestants are my fated mate.”
“How do you know? You’ve barely spent time with them.”
“Crimson, Thystle, and Cobalt all knew by now,” he mumbled, staring at his blanket. “I don’t have that magical feeling. The contestants are all fine, but none of them activate my instincts or whatever’s supposed to happen.” His face cracked and he slumped deeper into bed, hiding under the blanket. “I wanted it so bad, Aur...”
My heart broke for him. Seeing my twin in pain hurt like a knife in the chest. I snuck under the blanket and hugged him tight. It reminded me of when we were kids. Saffron cried during every thunderstorm, and hiding under the blankets was the only thing that made him feel safe.
“I know,” I murmured.
Saffron took a few shaky breaths. When he eventually calmed down, he pulled down the blanket for fresh air.
“It’s okay,” he said, exhaling slowly. “I have Billy now. I’m not alone.”
I frowned. Talk about a one-two punch.
“I don’t know about Billy,” I said, “but you’ve never been alone, Saff. You have me. You always will.”
His eyes wavered like he wanted to say something. I had a feeling I knew what it was.
“I know we’ve been arguing recently,” I admitted. “But you’re the most important person in my life. You know that, right?”
“What about Mylo?” Saffron asked, more curious than accusatory.
“He’s... different.”
A smirk tugged at Saffron’s mouth. He looked more like himself.
“So you’re saying he’s special?” he asked, his shit-eating grin widening.
I snorted and gave him a light shove. “What if I am?”
Mischievous curiosity lit up Saffron’s eyes. I kept giving him more and more ammo to tease me about Mylo. But what was I supposed to do? Lie and pretend I didn’t like him? Saffron already knew we’d fooled around, so that ship had sailed.
Time for Plan B—run away.
I yawned loudly and leapt off the bed. “Gee, I’d love to chat more, but I’m wiped. See ya tomorrow!”
He wished me goodnight and chuckled as I disappeared from view—and his suspiciously accurate interrogation.
Fourteen
