To his surprise, Stellar chuckled. “That makes him sound like he’s a battery on charge.”
“In a way, he is,” Frost said, strolling into the room. He pulled a penlight from his doctor’s coat and checked Stone’s eyes. Frost listened to his heart and lungs before turning his attention their way. “He’s physically drained from his possession. Stone needs to sleep.” Frost focused on Lysander. Sympathy filled his eyes. “I assure you he’s absolutely fine. Why don’t you two go get some lunch or something? Pacing the floor is only wearing you down. Stone needs you at a hundred percent.”
Lysander turned his head. He stared at Stone’s sleeping form. Frost was right. Lysander was failing at this too. He couldn’t keep this from happening to Stone. Lysander couldn’t give him a child, and now he couldn’t even let Stone recover properly. His throat swelled.
“You’re right. I should go.” He should have made the right decision the first time. Lysander shouldn’t have let Stone save him, and Lysander shouldn’t have claimed him. Stone would be better matched with someone else.
With his heart in his throat, Lysander moved to Stone’s side and lightly kissed him. “Goodbye, beautiful.”You deserve a flawless life.
Lysander straightened and met Stellar’s gaze. “What should we do today?”
Stellar didn’t move from his seat. His purple gaze stayed locked on Lysander. “We’ll stay right here untilyourmate is well, and on his way home withyou. I did not break my own heart by not fighting for you to watch you be undeserving.”
The words cut to the bone at a time when Lysander felt at his weakest. A tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away.
Frost looked between them. “I’ll leave you two to hash it out.” He moved like he couldn’t get away from the drama quickly enough.
An icy chill swept through the room, visibly rocking Frost back on his heels before he made it to the door. Lysander shivered. The walls turned to ice in a slow crawl across every surface. Men shouted in the distance. Stellar shot to his feet, and two glowing swords appeared in his hands from the air he commanded. Frost moved around the room. Sigils appeared on the walls in his wake. Lysander found himself on the bed, hovering over Stone like a mother shielding her child.
“Go to your daughter. Lysander and I are considered warriors of our people. Stone will be safe with us.”
Frost didn’t budge at Stellar’s order. His gaze stayed locked on the doorway. “My daughter is with her dad and grandfather. No one can reach her. This is my clinic. This used to be my home. I dare anyone to try to fuck with me here.”
Stellar looked impressed.
Lysander wasn’t surprised to learn Frost was a total badass. He was the devil’s son, after all. Nothing would get past them.
A sinister laugh rumbled through the room. “You can’t fight what you can’t see. There’s no harming what you can’t touch. Stone has something that belongs to me. I’ll have it back.”
Stellar openly braced to fight. “Nothing of this world is yours. Slink back to your hole. You don’t have a single chance against us. The light always swallows the dark.”
“Hmm. Some would argue it was the other way around. But I’m not here for philosophical discussions. Stone is my skin. His soul has already been broken. I don’t have time to destroy another.” A dark mist appeared. It slithered across Lysander’s skin, making its way slowly toward Stone. “He has such a delectable body. I’ll still let you play with him sometimes.”
Lysander couldn’t tell if the offer was spoken aloud or was in his head. Either way, Lysander’s rage exploded. He tried to grab the shadowy snake, but his fingers slipped through him like smoke.
Another menacing laugh filled the room. “You can’t touch me. I’m the sand of doom, filling the bottom half of the ultimate hourglass. I am indomitable.”
Without warning, Frost snatched the smoke from where it squeezed Lysander’s torso. The creature solidified in his hand, becoming a jet-black serpent.
“Goddamn it, Frost. Every time I’m called here, you’re dealing with a snake issue. I don’t know how many times is the normal amount, but you must hold some sort of record.”
The town’s alpha and sheriff, Waylon, stood in the doorway, shaking his head.
Frost laughed. “This is only the third time.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Fourth time? Either way, not all the calls brought you here.” He shrugged. “But I guess Gemini was right about me being the snake whisperer. This does seem to be an inordinate number of times for not working in any snake-driven industry.”
The serpent hissed and tried to strike. His every movement was fruitless.
Lysander and Stellar exchanged a look. Everyone seemed unusually unbothered.
Frost turned his attention to the creature he held. “What’s your name?”
No response.
A loud sigh burst from Frost. “You couldn’t stop talking shit two minutes ago. I can force you to tell me, but there’s no reason to get violent.”
A royal guardsman came through the door, holding a golden trap. It looked like a normal ten-gallon fish tank, but Lysander saw the magic surrounding it.
“Okay. I guess it’s in the tank for you. Things could’ve been different.” He dropped the snake inside. It immediately tried to escape, only to find there was nowhere to go.
