Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Something weird was happening to Justin. Mynor had noticed it, but he hadn’t said anything about it yet. He didn’t want it to catch the guards’ attention, even though most days, it felt like they’d forgotten about them.
Mynor didn’t know how long it had been. He’d been here longer than Justin, and by now, it felt like forever. His hair had grown, he desperately needed a bath, and he’d lost quite a bit of muscle. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to fight his way out of this place even if he had the opportunity to.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was Justin, and Mynor kept peeking at him, waiting for him to explain what was going on. There was no way he hadn’t noticed.
Mynor glanced at the main room behind him.
These days, it was usually empty. It was as if everyone considered Mynor and Justin part of the furniture.
They still got fed regularly, but people had grown used to seeing them in the cell and had let their guard down.
Mynor wished he could do something about it, use it to their advantage, but no matter how many times he tried to think of a way, the only possible outcome put him and Justin in danger.
That was one thing Mynor couldn’t do. He needed to protect Justin, and apparently, the only way to do that was for both of them to stay in the cell.
“You keep staring at me,” Justin said.
“There’s a good reason for that,” Mynor told him.
Justin had changed, too. His hair was longer and messier, and his clothes hung on him a bit too much.
Mynor kept giving him more food, but Justin was smart.
He knew what Mynor was doing, and most of the time, he refused.
At least they were fed a little more and a little better now that Justin was here.
Mynor could only imagine how much more complicated things would have been if Pythom’s plan of giving them only one meal had been permanent.
Justin sighed and glanced down at his chest. The shirt he’d been wearing when he’d arrived was tattered now, exposing part of his chest. That was the only reason Mynor could see the colors on his skin.
They hadn’t been there before. Mynor was sure of that. There wasn’t much to do in the cell except watch each other, and he’d memorized what Justin looked like. When he’d first arrived, his chest had been normal.
It wasn’t anymore.
“My brother always loved Christmas,” Justin eventually said.
Mynor frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You know. Christmas.”
“I know what Christmas is. I’m just not sure what it has to do with this.”
“Well, Calyx’s a mage. I’m slowly turning into a Christmas decoration, so I’m pretty sure it has something to do with him.” He pulled down the collar of his shirt. “See. That’s a Christmas tree.”
He pointed at his chest, and Mynor had to move closer to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there was a green tree on his chest, like a tattoo. Tattoos didn’t appear spontaneously, though.
“This is your brother’s magic?” Mynor asked as he touched the skin. The tree wasn’t the only design there. There was a red hat, and even a snowman, something Mynor had never seen in real life.
Justin shivered, and Mynor snatched his hand back. For a moment, they stared at each other. Mynor wanted to reach for Justin again, and he was pretty sure that Justin wanted him to do that, too.
They couldn’t risk it.
Mynor leaned back. “So what’s your brother doing?”
“I have no idea. The fact that I’m like this means he’s thinking of me. He’s going to find me.”
Mynor wanted to believe that, but Justin had been convinced of it for a while now, and nothing had happened. Well, nothing beyond the designs on his skin. Maybe he was right, and Calyx would find them, or maybe this was just him pranking Justin. Mynor didn’t want to allow himself to hope.
Besides, even if Calyx came to rescue Justin, what were the odds that he’d rescue Mynor, too?
Mynor was a demon, and he didn’t know Calyx.
He didn’t think that Justin would leave without him, but he couldn’t be sure, and there was no way for him to tell if Calyx would be able to get both of them out in the first place.
No, it was best for him to think that he’d stay here for the rest of his life unless Alphan finally came up with a plan that worked.
Mynor and Justin weren’t told anything about what was happening outside the palace—or inside of it, for that matter—but they could hear the guards talking.
Alphan had tried repeatedly to get into the palace.
He’d never given up, not even when most people would have.
Mynor wasn’t sure he ever would, and he was grateful, but at the same time, it felt useless.
It wasn’t helping him, and it certainly wasn’t helping Alphan.
His time would be better spent helping people he could do something for.
“Will you come with me?” Justin asked.
Mynor frowned. “Where? We’re stuck here.”
“When my brothers come for me. We’ll get you out of the cell, and I know you have a life to go back to, but is it really what you want to do? Do you want to stay here, at Anya’s mercy? I guess what I’m asking is if you’d consider coming to the human realm.” He paused.
Mynor sucked in a breath. He hadn’t expected this, but maybe he should have. He knew he wasn’t the only one with growing feelings. They might not have talked about it, but they both felt it.
He didn’t know how to answer Justin’s question, though.
Did he want to stay here, where he’d been miserable most of his life?
No. Could he find a place in the human realm?
He wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if he’d ever find out, and the thought made him a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, he didn’t want to let himself think about it.
There was a very high possibility that he’d spend the rest of his life locked in this cell.
Dreaming about living in the human realm with Justin wouldn’t help, but now that Justin had mentioned it, Mynor couldn’t stop thinking about it. He couldn’t stop wanting it.
He couldn’t stop wanting Justin.
Justin knew he was taking a risk by asking this. He was making himself vulnerable in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to be since he’d ended up in this cell.
He trusted Mynor. He wanted Mynor to know that, and he did want Mynor to come with him once they got out of here.
He understood why Mynor would decide against it.
Hell was the only place where he’d ever lived.
It was where he’d grown up, where his best friend was.
Justin could promise they’d get Alphan out of here, too, but would they?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t make promises. He couldn’t even promise that they’d get out of here. He hoped that the Christmas designs growing on his skin meant that Calyx was thinking of him and that eventually, he’d realized something was wrong, but he couldn’t be sure.
It was odd. It wasn’t Christmas anymore. Justin didn’t know how long he’d been here, but it had to be months. Christmas was a distant memory, so why the holiday designs? What was Calyx up to?
And what about the others? Maybe one of them had realized something was wrong? Justin and Shelby used to be in contact pretty often, even when they were busy. Surely Shelby had to know something had happened to Justin.
Justin stared at Mynor. If there was even one chance the two of them could be free, Justin wanted to know what would happen.
He wanted to know if he and Mynor would have the opportunity to see where things might go between them.
They’d been careful because they didn’t want Anya to realize how close they’d grown, but Justin was tired.
He wanted out of this cell. He wanted to be happy.
He desperately wanted to shower and sleep in his own bed.
And he wanted Mynor to do both of those things with him.
He looked down again. Initially, the only design on his skin had been the Christmas tree.
They were expanding, though. Santa Claus and a snowman had quickly joined the tree.
There was a red hat, and something that might become a polar bear given time.
Justin wanted to ask Calyx what he was thinking and why he was doing this, but the only way for him to do that was for Calyx to find a way to get them out of this place.
He’d never lost hope that it would happen, but now, he was afraid.
This was the first concrete proof that Calyx still thought of Justin. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if Justin was hoping for nothing?
But he couldn’t think like that. He had to have faith in his brothers. They loved him, even when they bickered and yelled at each other. They’d already lost their mother. They wouldn’t want to lose someone else.
Mynor was still sitting next to Justin, and even though Justin knew they needed to keep their distance, he allowed himself to lean against Mynor’s side for a second.
He smiled when Mynor did the same. He knew he wasn’t the only one with these feelings.
They just needed the opportunity to let them out.
“So you want me to go to the human realm,” Mynor said.
“Why not? There are mages and shifters and other creatures there. You’ll probably get a few glances, but people will get used to seeing you around quickly. Everyone in town knows our family’s weird, but they flock to Caitlin and Calyx when they need something.”
“You’re saying that I’d be part of your family?”
Justin shrugged, jostling Mynor’s shoulder. “If you want to be.”
There was a moment of silence. Justin waited, suddenly afraid.
He was startled when he felt something brush against his fingers, and he glanced down, half expecting a rat.
Instead, he saw that Mynor was stroking their little fingers together.
Their hands were hidden between them, so even if the guards were to peek in, they wouldn’t see it.
It was a tiny gesture of comfort that Justin desperately needed, so he hooked his finger around Mynor’s and squeezed.
“I want to say yes,” Mynor said.
“But?” Justin was sure he could convince him. He’d find a way.
“But what about Alphan?”
Justin had known this would be the one point that would make Mynor hesitate. “If he wants to come, he can.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I don’t have to know him. He’s your best friend. I’m not saying it’ll be easy to get him there, but I know my brother. He’s a good mage. He’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Then my answer is yes. If we ever manage to get out of here, I’ll follow you to the human realm.”
Justin leaned harder against Mynor’s side and sighed in relief. That was step one done. Now, he needed to focus on the next step, which was actually getting them out of their cell.
He’d thought about talking to Anya. He’d thought about begging her and going along with what she’d ask of him.
He refused to do that, though. Maybe he’d change his mind if he were forced to stay here for much longer, but right now, he couldn’t do it.
He knew that she’d want him to prove himself, and she’d do it in the worst way possible.
He’d stood up to her when it came to the prisoners and Mynor.
Justin might not know how her that well, but he was sure she’d ask him either to imprison someone, or worse, to hurt Mynor.
She wanted Justin to be loyal to her, and to her only.
He never would be.
Mynor hadn’t meant to be so honest about his fear for Alphan, but he suspected that it didn’t matter and that Justin had known anyway.
He had brothers. He knew how Mynor felt.
Their situation didn’t make trusting each other easy, but they’d spent enough time together that Mynor was sure Justin was on his side.
He wasn’t a spy for Anya. He wouldn’t change his mind about her.
He was willing to attempt to convince his brothers to get two demons out of Hell just so he could stay with Mynor.
Mynor couldn’t say he’d ever been truly happy.
Anya hadn’t been the queen the entire time Mynor had been alive, but there was a reason it had been so easy for her to step in and get the role, and it wasn’t only that she’d killed the former king.
She was as bad as the king who had come before her.
They’d both made life hard for the people who lived in their territory, and Mynor couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.
As much as he wanted to help people, it wasn’t his responsibility.
He’d done so for years before getting captured.
Maybe he’d want to come back eventually and do it again, but for now, he wanted to rest. He wanted to recover from the time spent in this cell and, for the first time in his life, be happy.
He wanted to think of himself and not of everyone else.
It was selfish, but when he looked down at Justin, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Justin was offering him something he’d never dreamed he could have. He was offering him freedom and love. How could Mynor say no to that? Why should he?
He unhooked his hand from Justin’s and wrapped an arm around Justin’s shoulders.
Justin’s eyes widened, and he glanced at the door that led into the hallway, but it was still closed.
They were alone, with no guard in sight.
They couldn’t risk this for long, but Mynor felt he needed to show Justin that he cared.
He kissed the top of Justin’s head. He knew it had been the right thing to do when he looked down again and Justin was beaming at him as if he’d just given him the world.
As far as Mynor was concerned, it was the other way around.
Justin was giving him things he hadn’t known were possible, and it was making him hope again, which probably wasn’t smart.
What hope did they have? They were stuck here.
But that didn’t seem to matter, not to Mynor’s heart, and he didn’t think it mattered to Justin, either, because when Mynor leaned down to kiss his lips, he answered with a sigh and pressed closer.