Chapter Ten
Theodor
It’s His Loss
“Theo, Theo!” Mozraath rushed into his bedchambers with about thirty guards, who were all five minutes too late.
“What the hell happened?” His friend lowered his mismatched gaze to Biorn’s tormented state, then to the destruction that could only be caused by two titans of elements.
Without much thought, Mozraath muttered solemnly, “Boraleashe.”
Theodor was standing just inside the door of his balcony while Biorn continued to groan and curl into the fetal position on the floor. “Have him taken to the healers immediately.”
Mozraath directed a few servants to help heft Biorn to his feet.
“And I want the guards assigned to my door relieved of their positions immediately,” Theodor barked. He walked outside, gazing up at nothing in the sky.
Biorn should’ve never been allowed into his quarters, especially his bedchambers. He could be deep inside Boraleashe right now if he had more competent staff.
“Have you gone mad?” Mozraath seethed, gripping both of Theodor’s wrists and flipping his hands front and back in his, checking him for burns. “You could’ve hurt yourself, Theo. You could’ve burned down the entire palace. Or the whole realm!”
“Don’t exaggerate, Moz. You taught me well.”
Theodor continued to stare into the sky, but he knew Boraleashe wasn’t coming back. Still, he watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of white light amongst the darkness.
More rushed footsteps pounded outside the hall of his quarters. “Is the entire kingdom going to come to witness my humiliation?” Theodor snapped.
“Are you serious?” Mozraath gaped. “You just summoned hellfire! It might have felt like a ripple to you and Boraleashe, but for everyone else, it felt like Fhomhair was under attack.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Theodor admitted. “You know I would never bring intentional harm to my people.”
“I told you that spell was for dire circumstances only. You shook the ground for hundreds of miles, Theo,” Mozraath scolded.
“I’ve warned you before that your wind combined with hell’s fire is a force too lethal to control, even for you.
Too lethal for this world. I gave you that spell for life-or-death situations. ”
“It was,” Theodor insisted. “Boraleashe would’ve killed Biorn if—”
Mozraath scoffed. “Who the fuck cares about him. His floral arrangement was worth a death.”
Theodor shrugged. Well, that was true.
“I meant that spell for your life, Theo. Hades’ fire can corrupt the soul. Please don’t go around using it to save randoms.”
That got a chuckle from him, despite his horrible mood. His friend’s demon side lacked all morals, and it never failed to amuse him.
Theodor’s father’s frantic voice could be heard just outside his door.
Fuckin’ great.
He wanted to escape the same way Boraleashe had. Anything to avoid having to explain what had happened between him and Boraleashe again. He didn’t need to see his father’s displeasure in him right now. Theodor could only deal with one crushing disappointment at a time.
“I’ll handle it.” Mozraath hurried toward the door before his father and husband could burst inside.
Mozraath cleared the guards from the room, then did a quick spell to reverse the damage. He extinguished the lanterns, sheathing Theodor’s room in darkness. Once he was satisfied everything was to his liking, he gestured to the four-poster bed.
“Get some rest, my king. I fear you will have another trying day on the morrow.”
I’m sure.
Good luck with him getting any rest tonight.
Not after all of that. His body was still pulsing with energy after that display of force, his mind still plagued by the look of anguish in Boraleashe’s eyes.
Theodor turned on his side, gazed out the open doors toward the heavens, and prayed to the gods.
Because no peace would come for him tonight, not when the object of his desire was somewhere lost in his kingdom, hurting… dying.
Theodor jolted awake. He didn’t know what time it was when he’d fallen asleep, but he remembered the sun was beginning to rise.
Instead of lying there, he should’ve gotten up, and he could’ve avoided the heavy, drowsy feeling he had now.
Theodor scrubbed his dry eyes, then threw his legs over the side of the bed.
His robe and slippers were near the footboard like always, but he was surprised to see Mozraath standing a few feet away.
Theodor groaned, standing and reaching his arms high over his head, releasing a long, lazy stretch before Mozraath’s silence put him on high alert. He dropped his hands to his side, narrowing his eyes at his friend. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Mozraath didn’t speak, which only served to make him more impatient.
“Does my father wish to speak to me?” Theodor asked, but he already had a sinking suspicion of what Mozraath had been waiting to tell him.
“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Lord Boraleashe—”
Theodor was already shaking his head because he didn’t want to hear this, but Mozraath kept talking at his back as Theodor ran toward his washroom to get dressed.
“Boraleashe and his court left before dawn.”
Theodor clenched the sides of the washbasin so hard it cracked in two. He grabbed the glass pitcher beside it and hurled it against the wall, gratified when it shattered into hundreds of pieces with a loud crash.
“That fuckin’ coward!” Theodor bellowed, not caring who heard him. Maybe everyone needed to hear just that. That behind all the beauty and fancy white furs, Boraleashe was nothing but a scared piece of a man who was too spineless to go seize what he wanted. To fight for his life.
Unworthy of the titan title!
Theodor had too many feelings orbiting his chest, but the most prominent was anguish. He rounded on his friend, towering over him. “Why didn’t you come get me, Moz?”
Like always, Mozraath was unfazed by the intimidation when he answered, “And what would you have done if I had? Raced out into the courtyard in your undergarments and begged him to stay?”
Yes! “No! Of course not.”
“Boraleashe must choose you, you already know this. The curse won’t break if you’re still chasing and he’s still running from love.” Mozraath’s glare softened. “I’m sorry, Theo. But I thought it’d be easier not to have to watch him leave.”
Theodor nodded, his throat too tight to speak. His friend went to sit in one of the chairs outside his chambers to give him a minute alone.
As much as Theodor didn’t want to admit it, Mozraath had been right not to wake him. It was best he slept through it because he couldn’t have watched Boraleashe leave him again and not say a word and not beg for just one more chance, knowing this was the end.
Theodor wanted to throw something else—that Mozraath would simply wave his hand and fix it with a spell—but what would be the point? It was over. It was all over. Boraleashe was going home to die. The Snow Moon was approaching fast, and it was coming for Boraleashe’s healed soul… or for atonement.
That bastard chose the latter. Boraleashe had chosen death over him.
“Gods damn him to hell!” Theodor shouted, dropping to his knees. What was he going to do with all of this hurt and rejection? He feared he would not survive.
“Friend,” Mozraath coaxed. “I can take that pain away for you, as quickly as it came. You know that. I can make you forget all about Boraleashe with a spell that’s irreversible. It’ll be like he never existed, and you’ll never have to feel this agony again.”
When Boraleashe was dead… the pain in Theodor’s heart would intensify to the tenth power. He gazed up at Mozraath.
Fuck!
What other option did he have?