“Ready to know you,” Florian echoed, tone gone very dry.
Declan shrugged, unwilling to apologize for the truth.“Mother doesn't have much patience for small children."
“Aisling has patience when she feels the situation calls for it.She simply believes herself to lack the attentiveness and empathy young children require.She felt she’d be a horrible mother if she raised you on her own."
Declan slowed, the world around them lit with light and the sounds of busy streets.Florian wouldn't keep his confidences.Not for this.Only when things got horrid, like those last few experiences partying with Hyacinth and Wyte, had Florian kept Declan's shit to himself.
"She'll be furious if I make a mess of this," he said on a sigh."Disappointed.That was the deal for finding a human bond.Light it up, make my life count.Change things."
"Your mother wants only your happiness.No matter the bond you took."
Happiness.That's what Declan’d wanted too.For himself.For Antonio.Voids, he'd do anything for Antonio.As Antonio did for him.But there was nothingtodo that wouldn’t betray all that’d come before.
It didn’t matter.(When had it everreallymattered?)
(Weeks ago, and even then only briefly.)
Dramatics.That’s what it was.Simply Declan getting the happy ending he fought for and miserable with it, theatrically so.
"Perhaps I'll call her 'mum' sometime.See how it goes over."Declan's lips quirked as he wrestled humor into his voice."She might even enjoy it."
Florian almost smiled.Declan took that as a win.He’d take them where he could find them, these days.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Antonio
Justonce,Antoniowouldhave liked to attend a Council meeting thatdidn’tinvolve sitting on a tree stump.
What was wrong withactualchairs?And, say, walls.A roof if he was getting really ambitious.
Right.And as long as he was daydreaming, maybe take Declan for a midnight drive, after.They could even sleep in the same bed, mess around a bit.
Not likely.Turned out it was hard to get it up when you could feel the low thrum of your boyfriend’s misery every minute of every day.
“I understand there is to be a celebration?”Teth asked, in that avalanche voice of theirs.
“Huh?”Antonio dragged his gaze away from Declan to look up (and up) at the enormous haljita.
Always funny to see little Wyte next to them, rolling his eyes and as impatient as Antonio to be anywherebutthe Council glade.
At least he had that.Wyte’s easy laughter.Teth’s deliberate kindness.And Declan, always Declan, the ferocity of his love even as the rest of their world went to shit.Sometimes, it felt like that was all that kept him sane.Declanlovedhim.Even if they barely saw each other.Didn’t sleep in the same bed or the same fucking world more often than not.They loved each other.Had each other’s backs.
The rest couldn’t matter.
“We received an invitation from Hyacinth,” Teth explained.
Right.That.Hyacinth and his connections.Antonio didn’t hold out a lot of hope, but he was looking forward to a party that Declan seemed confident wouldn’t suck, and the chance to get to know the sidhe a little better.
Declan liked him, after all.
“Yeah,” he said.“All the worst seelie are supposed to be there.”
Across the room, Declan was in low conversation with Ryka, the phoenix, who kept a carefully calculated distance between them, backing up if Declan stepped forward.Antonio set his jaw hard enough to make it ache.
It ached a lot these days.
“In that case, we will certainly have to be in attendance.Wyte tells me that my reputation requires a bit of sullying.”
