“Pretty sure he didn’t put it that way.”
A flicker of irritation, through the bond.Antonio gritted his teeth that much harder.It didn’t help.The fucking phoenix waspouting.
“I’ll not be offended if you go to him,” Teth said, inclining their head toward Declan.
“I’ll only make it worse.”
Declan was good at this.And Antonio did his best to give him the space tobegood at it, to not disgust or upset the fae like Ryka, whose lips curled as soon as he drew near.
“Perhaps some point to be won will be lost.But you will be happier for it.As will he.”
They were trying todosomething.Change a whole damned world.Points mattered.Or they would, if they added up to anything.Somehow, at the end of every meeting, they ended up back in the negative, no matter how Declan smiled or how shut Antonio kept his mouth.
“Don’t know who gave you the impression we did this to behappy.”But Antonio got to his feet as he said it because Declan’d pulled in his wings.“Think I’ll go cause a little trouble, though.”
What else was he good for, after all?
“Youabsoluteasshole,”Antoniosaid, words rough with anger he’d not yet burned through.“Jesus Christ, man.You taught me better.”
Reece’s grave said nothing.It sat, a simple gray stone set into fresh sod.The few flowers were already fading.A piss poor display, no better for the addition of the six pack and cigarettes that Antonio’d set in the grass.
Even with Declan off at another Council party, Antonio had half expected Reece to answer back.But the cemetery stayed silent.Well, silent except for Antonio, talking to himself.If it were anywhere but a cemetery, it’d be a quick way to give people the wrong idea.And still, what else could he do?
“I was there,” he said, head down and throat tight.He’d already done his crying.He wasn’t going to do it again.“I saw it.Fuck, Reece, I’m sorry.I shoulda been there.Someone shoulda been there.”
Antonio stood for a few minutes more, waiting for a sense of peace or closure.Something.Instead, his mind started to wander.They’d got shit done at the Council meeting, and there was another in the morning.Voids and fucking starshine, he hated it.And now he was thinking about it when he was supposed to be thinking about Reece.
Time to go.
“Look, man, thanks.Never taught me anything I should’ve known.But you treated me real, you know?”And for a beat, Antonio waited, like maybe Reece would answer.“I’m doing … fine.Got someone now.Better than I deserve, but I’m trying.You, uh, might meet him, someday.Weird as that sounds.Until then, I don’t know.I hope they got cars, wherever you are.Hope the roads are open, and you can just drive and drive and drive.”
Antonio turned away, ignoring the burn of his eyes.The cemetery was a small one, all trees and little winding paths.Bo still stood just inside the gate.Talia seemed to have wandered off.When you could go anywhere at any time, maybe it was hard to stay put.
“Thanks,” he said, as he drew close to Bo.“Appreciate you waiting.”
“Happy to,” Bo said, with a crooked half smile.“Talia should be back soon.She wanted to check the trees to see if there were any wolves that’d try to lead her off the path or something.It go okay?Stupid fucking question, probably.”
Grief was awkward.No way around that.Would’ve been awkward with anyone except maybe Declan.Bo, well, he was pretty much the only human left that Antonio could actually talk to honestly.
Except, he couldn’t.
“Well, he didn’t reach through the dirt and grab my ankle.Willing to call that a win.”Antonio glanced over his shoulder, frowning back toward Reece’s grave.“Shouldn’t joke.I’m betting I’ve met someone who could make that happen.”
He’d stick with Declan.Better ghosts than the walking dead.
“Fuck, I hope not.Like, ghosts are one thing.But fingers fucking crossed there’s not a fae who can pull off the whole 80’s horror flick vibe.Not that I’ve met a ton.”
“You and Everil don’t spend much time in Faerie, huh?”
Antonio rested his back against the wrought iron fence, and Bo did the same.Both of them watching the graveyard.
“Some?We’ve got House shit to take care of, and Talia can’t spend all her time here without risking some squirrely bullshit going on, like with changelings.Not that anyone can tell me what the fuck that is.”Bo shrugged, his head tipping back against the metal.“But I’ve got work here, and a little bit of family left.I think you’ve been there more the last couple months than me the last year.How’re you holding up with the sparkly parties and Council fuckery?”
Antonio turned to look at Bo, one shoulder still against the fence.The guy seemed incapable of just letting things lie.He thought of Reece.Couldn’t help but think of Reece.The man’d been the opposite of nosy.Never wanted to know much about Antonio except how fast he could work.And Antonio’d been just as willing to leave Reece’s life unexplored.They’d talked about cars and Reece had talked about girls, and that’d been the whole of it.
He regretted it now.All the shit they’d never shared.
“Declan does most of the parties.I’ve got work here, too.”His hand went for the chain on his wrist, worrying over the links.“Council’s like you’d expect.There’s a few that’ve started calling me ‘the human’ instead of just ‘it’ or ‘the sluagh’s pet.’Fuckers have a knack for knowing when Declan can’t hear them.”
