A muffled scream and Antonio glanced sharply over his shoulder.Declan fought against the other fae, the pair of them wreathed in that thick smoke.A snarl from Declan.A laugh from his attacker.Claws sank into Declan’s pale skin.
Then the noises stopped, though Antonio could still see.See Declan bleeding.And Antonio couldn’t do afuckingthing to help him.
No.He could.Because this was Calloway’s doing.And Calloway was an idiot, a starry-eyed child who’d ruined Antonio’s life without even realizing it.If Antonio could just get through to him.Reason with him.
He had to.
Never mind the anger.The fear.Declan’s blood was so damned bright against his bone-white skin.
Antonio turned back to Calloway, the oh-so-pretty wisp who he’d loved when he was too stupid to know better.His hand went to his wrist.Thick metal and briars under his fingertips.
Right.Okay.
So, how the hell was he supposed to convince the bastard?
“Calloway.”Antonio did his best to keep his tone level.At least he wasn’t shouting.“All Declan’s done is try to protect me.From fae.Fromyou.”
“Me?Antonio, you love me.I love you.Didn’t you read my letter?”
Mail.They were standing around talking aboutmailwhile Declan fought for his life.Antonio bit the inside of his lip and didn’t scream.
“I read the fucking letter.The one where you said you were coming to take me back.That’s when I called Declan.I calledhim.You say he’s the bad guy?He isn’t the one who locked me in a room ‘for my own good.’He’s never left me trapped and starving.”
“I never…” Calloway looked away, pouting and maybe that’d worked once.It sure as hell didn’t now.“I was a kid.”
“So wasI,” Antonio snapped.
“It’s different now.”
There wasn’t time for this.He needed Calloway to open his eyes.
To see.Right.Antonio needed toshowhim.
Fumbling and awkward in the rush, Antonio grabbed the collar of his shirt.Pulled it off in one hurried movement.
“Look.Look.”He turned so that Calloway could see the ink up his sides, on his back and arms and collarbones.Turned and saw Declan.Blood dripped from the sluagh’s face.A clawed hand held his thin throat.All Antonio could do to help him was turn away again.Face Calloway with his skin, hisstory, bared.“These aren’t new.Declan didn’t trick me into getting them.Bells.Blackberry and nettle.Scissors and horseshoes.I work with iron.What thefuckgave you the idea I wanted to come back?”
“I thought… I thought perhaps you were cross I was waiting until things were perfect for you here.”His voice broke a little as he said it.“So you’d not be sent away again.I left you gifts toapologize, to show you I still meant what I said about us being together.”
“And when I didn’t follow along like a good pet, you figured you’d get your Council involved?Kill my bond?Fuck, Calloway, you never even asked.Youneverasked.You always just showed up and took me.”
And Antonio hadn’t minded when he was a kid.But he sure as hell minded now.
Calloway’s eyes were wet as he stepped closer.Glittering blue fingers brushed over the bells at Antonio’s collarbone, and he managed not to flinch.
“Nimai said that the sluagh twisted you.He said he knew him, and he had seen what he was capable of…” Calloway’s voice broke then, and there were tears on his cheeks.His touch fell a little lower, so Antonio could feel it over his heart.“You swear you chose this?You went to him?Swear on whatever you love the most?”
The sense of Declan was getting quieter, the rage fading into blankness.Fuck fuck fuck.
No.Not now.He couldn’t lose it now.He needed Calloway to believe him.He’d spent his whole fucking life trying to make people believe him.Only Declan ever had.And he’d lose Declan if he couldn’t do this now.
“I swear it,” he said.“I swear it on my name.On Declan’s name.On my nieces.I swear to you that when you left, they told me I was crazy.They sent me away, and you didn’t come for me.No one came for me.Not then.Not later, when I was so fucking angry, so sick of being called a liar, that I decided I’d do whatever I wanted.Not when I spentfive fucking yearsin a box.I swear to you that every fucking nightmare I’ve had for the pasttwenty yearshas been about Faerie.Because you played games, but I was the fucking toy.”Too far, but the words wouldn’t stop.“And you didn’t come when I was screaming in the dark, either.But when every nightmare came true, when I was ready to kill myself before I went with you?Declan came.Declan fuckingshowed up.And he’s torn strips out of anyone who’s tried to fuck with me since.He is everything I care about in this fucked-up world, and you are trying totake himfrom me.”
Calloway drew in on himself and shuddered, all pretty fae sorrow.
Good.
“Oh.I didn’t mean– I’m sorry, Antonio.I can’t stop them but I can– I’m sorry.”He swallowed, wetly, then darted past, toward the wall Antonio couldn’t see.“Don’t touch the smoke.”
