“Only half. I’m a shifter.”
“I wasn’t trying to minimize your zebra. You know I love zebras.”
“But not as much as centaurs. Or dragons. And we can’t forget phoenixes, gargoyles, griffins—”
“I never said I loved anything better than zebras,” Pyxlevir protested.
“Not directly, but you definitely did.”
Shocked, Pyxlevir sat there with his mouth hanging open while he wondered what the fuck Gramlithyn was talking about. “Huh? What? When?”
“What does it matter?”
“Because you’re not giving me the chance to defend myself. I never put anything above zebras. I literally have zebra beads in my hair right now.”
“They’re just beads. You’ve made it clear how you feel.”
“You’re hurting my feelings right now, and you won’t even explain what you’re talking about.”
“I need to go. I have things to do.”
“Why are you being so cruel?”
“I’m not,” Gramlithyn growled. “Look, I’m traveling for a while. I don’t know when I’ll be back. There are a lot of things I want to do, and I’ve decided to give myself the freedom to do them.”
“What about us?” Pyxlevir asked in hardly more than a whisper. He was losing his fight to keep his tears at bay. His soulmate was on the other line, refusing to explain himself or, for some reason, believing Pyxlevir put other types of shifters above zebras. What else was going on in Gramlithyn’s head, and how could Pyxlevir straighten out any misconceptions if they were barely talking?
“I understand if you’d prefer to put our friendship on hold until I return. As you can tell from the past few weeks, I don’t want to spend my time on my phone. I’m out here exploring the world, and I can’t do that if I’m constantly texting and calling.”
Not bothering to respond to Gramlithyn, Pyxlevir ended the call and tossed his phone aside. He lifted his knees to hug himself but forgot that he was still wearing silk and sitting on the edge of his bed. Sliding unceremoniously to the floor, Pyxlevir wrapped his arms around his legs and cried.
Gramlithyn couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge that they had a matebond, let alone discuss it. There were no more questions in Pyxlevir’s mind about their relationship. His best friend couldn’t deal with Fate’s choice, so he was running away.Visions of the past twelve years danced through Pyxlevir’s brain, and his heart broke.
If Pyxlevir could have met Fate and asked her directly to offer him someone who suited him perfectly, he would’ve selected Gramlithyn. Their friendship had been so tight, and Pyxlevir imagined it could’ve been beautiful. But Pyxlevir had ended his dreams because Gramlithyn had been so vocal for so long about his desire to avoid finding his other half.
It tore Pyxlevir apart to think of a future without Gramlithyn at his side. The truth was Pyxlevir likely would’ve been happy to pretend they weren’t mates until Gramlithyn was ready to be tied down to someone. But Gramlithyn hadn’t given him any choices. He’d taken off at the first opportunity to avoid everything.
Or more specifically, Pyxlevir.
In fact, Gramlithyn was giving up his family and pushing off the job he was supposed to start on Monday to escape Pyxlevir. It wasn’t some phantom person but Pyxlevir that Gramlithyn found so distasteful. A devastating yet inescapable conclusion.
What was Pyxlevir supposed to do now?
There weren’t many choices. Somehow, he’d have to pick up the shattered, heartbroken pieces of himself and move on. Gramlithyn didn’t want to talk to him. The idea of being mates was so repugnant to Gramlithyn that he was sacrificing their friendship. Pyxlevir was forced to wonder if their bond was as close as he’d once believed.
Resting his forehead on his knees, Pyxlevir felt his chest heave as a fresh torrent of tears wracked his small frame. If the last several weeks were anything to go by, then Pyxlevir already hated being an adult.
What the fuck was he supposed to with an eternity matched with someone who hated him?
Chapter 6
Six years later
Gramlithyn inched his hat closer to his nose as his friend Dasan hummed and practically vibrated at his side. It was rare for Dasan to stand still, and they’d been waiting for fifteen minutes for the weird druid they’d met at a bar last week to show up. For the past six years, Gramlithyn had traveled across North and South America.
Almost from the start, he’d done so with Dasan at his side. The hummingbird shifter was friendly, outgoing, and confident. They’d shared little about their pasts, but Gramlithyn had learned that Dasan’s people didn’t belong to the Council, nor were they tolerant of much, including same-sex relationships.
As a gay man, Dasan had left behind his family and friends to build a life of his own. Gramlithyn had desired to leave behind the haunting phone call he’d shared with Pyxlevir and the truth of their matebond, so they had similar backstories. Not that either of them was willing to share many detail about the lives they’d left behind. Which suited Gramlithyn perfectly.
