Hold my Reins (Monster Match season two)

Chapter 17

seventeen

O n Saturday mornings, Rox worked alone as Arn took the weekends off—he also had the next week off for a family wedding, which was another reason he’d been so desperate to hire someone. Rox didn’t mind working on his own, and Arn had run through everything that needed done. Though he was a little anxious, as he hadn’t been in the job that long.

He finished up the car and got it ready for the owner to collect, hoping they’d be on time as Lynck was coming by before closing. He’d break the chain, then drop him off at work before meeting up tonight for dinner—and it was his turn to cook.

The bell chimed, and Rox went through the service with the man, ran the payment, and handed over the keys. For a few moments, he imagined it was his business and that he’d built a life in Elder Ridge. Did it matter that Lynck couldn’t freely travel?

He couldn’t do it now, but in a few more years, perhaps the humans would relax the rules. It had been a joke about being stuck together, but something had changed between them, and Rox figured he’d messed up even though Lynck hadn’t said anything.

Lynck hadn’t canceled dinner plans, though.

And if he didn’t show up today?

Rox figured he’d text to see if he was running late and if dinner was still on. He wanted it to be on. He wasn’t ready for this thing to be over—he couldn’t imagine not seeing Lynck when they clicked in so many ways.

While he waited, he cleaned up out the back, getting ready to close for the day. With ten minutes to go, the bell rang out the front, and Lynck stood there waiting for him.

“Hey…” Rox smiled as relief washed through him.

Lynck nodded his greeting, his ears at an odd angle.

Rox licked his lip. “Do you want to come out the back?”

He shook his head and sighed. “No, but I need to.”

Rox frowned. “Need to?”

“I want to move on, not literally?—”

“I didn’t mean that I felt stuck with you. I like you.” He wasn’t ready to say it was more, even though his heart was lighter around Lynck. People he loved left…the people who claimed to love him left. Either way, he ended up alone. There was a small fear that Lynck would go back home once free, even though he claimed he didn’t want that. Who wouldn’t want to go home if given the chance? “I want to spend more time with you.”

“So do I, but I want you to see the reality. My life here is limited by what the human laws allow. If you want to take off in your truck and travel, I can’t join you even though I want to.”

“I’m tired of traveling. I took the job because I wanted to stop flitting from town to town. I want to build a life.” He hadn’t realized that’s what he wanted until he had the sand in his shoes, the grease on his clothes, and the kelpie in his bed.

“That is also what I want, and to do that, I need the bridle off. Until then, I belong to someone else.”

Rox opened the door to the workshop. “Come on.”

Lynck walked over, hooves tapping on the linoleum, looking unconvinced. His ears revealed his discomfort, and his tail swished. Rox put a hand on Lynck’s chest. “I want to help you, but you can tell me to stop. And if something bad is happening because of the magic, say something.”

Lynck put his hand over Rox’s, then leaned down to kiss him. “You have a good heart.”

“So do you.” He put his arms around Lynck and rested his head on his shoulder, letting the heat of his body soak into him. If they weren’t at work, he’d be tempted to slide his hand beneath Lynck’s shirt.

Lynck kissed the top of his head. “You might be finished for the day, but I have the closing shift.”

Rox drew back and grinned. “And I need to grab the groceries for dinner. You’re getting Mom’s carbonara.” His voice didn’t catch when he spoke, and he looked forward to cooking it. “You do eat bacon?”

“Yes.”

They stepped out the back, where he’d already set out bolt cutters. It was a small chain. It shouldn’t be that hard to break. And if there was no magic involved, he’d expect the job to be done in thirty seconds.

After his first attempt, it was clear that bolt cutters were next to useless on the chain. “Fuck. Let me try something else.”

Lynck nodded, sitting on the stool like a statue.

Rox grabbed the disk with Bothvar’s mark stamped in the center and tried to cut it off the chain. He was going to pop a blood vessel before the magic broke.

“Huh…” The silver was tougher than it seemed. “Do you know anything about the magic?”

“No.”

“Let’s try the angle grinder. You’ll need to braid your hair out of the way as I don’t want to cut it or you. It’s also going to be super awkward.”

Lynck braided his hair. “I can’t imagine it will be worse than living with the bridle.”

“Probably not.” He handed Lynck a pair of goggles and ear protection.

They both looked at the earmuffs.

Rox frowned. He hadn’t thought that through very well. “Sorry. Maybe some earplugs?”

“They might be better,” Lynck agreed.

He followed Rox’s instructions, and Rox made sure the only thing he was cutting was the chain. “It’s going to be loud. Please don’t flinch.”

“I won’t.”

Neither did the chain. Sparks danced and metal squealed, but the blade didn’t even scratch the chain.

“What the fuck?” He ripped off the goggles and inspected the chain more closely.

Lynck sighed and pulled the goggles off before pulling out the earplugs. “No luck?”

“None. I don’t even know if the oxy torch will work.”

“It won’t,” Arn said.

Rox spun to face the door where Arn stood, arms crossed.

Lynck gasped and backed up, ears flattening. “You didn’t say your boss was a frost giant.”

Rox glanced at Lynck, then back at Arn who wasn’t even supposed to be there. “A what?”

Arn shrugged, but as he did, his skin took on a bluish tone, and ice crystals formed in his white hair. He also grew an extra foot.

Rox’s heart quickened. He’d fucked up even though he hadn’t wasted work time or supplies, even though nothing was damaged. “I’m sorry for using work tools.”

“I don’t care about the tools,” Arn snapped. “That is a bridled kelpie. He belongs to?—”

“Lynck doesn’t belong to anyone.” Rox stepped forward. Who was Arn to say anything about a bridle?

Lynck put his hand on Rox’s arm and nodded at Arn. “He knows the rules.”

“I don’t care about monster rules. This is the human world, and you can’t own people.” He was getting fired for this, he was sure of it, even though Arn needed him to work while he was away.

Arn ignored him. “Who is your master, kelpie?”

“That is none of your concern,” Lynck said. His voice was firm, but his ears betrayed him.

“You were trying to remove the bridle.” Arn took a step forward.

Lynck’s hoof tapped the concrete. “And? I am in the human world. It has no power. No use but to serve as a reminder of the cruelty of the frost giants.”

Oh, shit. Bothvar was a frost giant. Not that Rox knew what a frost giant was or how to recognize one without the ice and blue skin.

“You are forbidden to remove a bridle.”

“It didn’t work, so it doesn’t matter.” Rox’s voice pitched up at the end, and he cursed himself for not being able to act like he was calm.

Arn and Lynck glared at each other.

Finally, Arn nodded and returned to the human-looking man Rox was familiar with. “Fine. Leave. Both of you.”

Rox swallowed. Was that a leave forever?

“The kelpie is not to be here again,” Arn growled as he picked up a box from the work bench. “Understood?”

“Yes,” Rox said.

“I will watch the cameras while I am away.”

Rox nodded. He’d seen the cameras on the outside of the building, though had assumed they were to protect the tools not spy on who was coming to the shop.

“I will not set hoof on your property,” Lynck said.

Arn glared at Lynck, then stalked out, the door slamming after him.