“Okay, count us in,” Colburn said.
Pyxlevir grinned, and Gramlithyn’s heart missed a beat at the beauty on his face. “Your family is going to freak out,” Pyxlevir teased the twins.
“Really?” Colburn drawled. “And how well are the centaurs going to take their little elf moving out?”
Pyxlevir’s smile dropped, and he grimaced. “Maybe I can sneak out in the middle of the night.”
“Sounds like Gram’s the one good at running off; maybe he can start off being a suitable mate by giving you some tips,” Dasan said cheekily.
“On that note, let’s head out,” Gramlithyn insisted as he glared at his best friend. “Dasan and I can start apartment hunting. We’ll send you a couple of options once we’ve narrowed it down.”
Since Gramlithyn had promised to introduce Dasan to the rest of the Hawthorne-Stones, he couldn’t rush through the house like he wanted, but getting out of the mansion couldn’t come soon enough. Somehow everyone was on board with hisplan, and it was up to him to put in the work now. It was terrifying and strangely comforting to know he’d soon start the most important quest of life.
Chapter 10
As soon as Gramlithyn and Dasan left the room, Pyxlevir blew out a breath and watched his hands tremble where they rested on his silk trousers.
“What the actual fuck,” Colburn exclaimed.
Pyxlevir glanced up to find the gargoyle-cougar hybrid glaring. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”
“It was your secret to keep,” Crispin said. The quieter of the twins stood and shook his dark hair out of his face. “But I wish you’d told someone so you didn’t have to spend the last six years dealing with your feelings by yourself.”
“Exactly,” Colburn added. “Man, I was pissed at Gramlithyn before, but now…I wish I could kick his ass. He was running away from his matebond. Everything makes perfect fucking sense. But why is he back now?”
“I don’t know, and I’m still sorry I didn’t confide in you guys,” Pyxlevir said, raising his chin to lock his gaze on the ceiling as if gravity could somehow aid him in keeping his tears at bay. “After six years, I’m supposed to believe that he’s willing to be open-hearted enough to consider every option, but I don’t know him anymore. Not like his new fucking bestie does.”
“If you don’t think he’s interested in doing anything but getting separation papers, why did you agree to this?” Crispin asked.
“Yeah, if you’ve changed your mind, tell me. I’ll call Gramlithyn right now and tell him we’ve thought about it and we’ve decided fuck no. We’ll do what you want, Pyx,” Colburn vowed.
“This is my last chance,” Pyxlevir whispered. “If Fate was right and we were meant to spend eternity together, I won’t get another opportunity to prove Gramlithyn wrong. I’m not ready to forgive him yet, but I have to find a way if I want a future with him.”
“You deserve some fucking answers,” Colburn insisted.
Pyxlevir dropped his chin, bent his head forward and didn’t bother to stop his tears from dropping onto his silk pants. “Yeah, I need them.”
Scooting close to Pyxlevir, Crispin wrapped an arm around and hugged him close. The comfort was welcome, and Pyxlevir leaned heavily into the hybrid.
“Well, now that we know, we can help you,” Crispin promised. “You tell us what to do and we’ll be there for you, okay?”
“Yeah, no more going at this alone,” Colburn added, dropping onto the bed on Pyxlevir’s other side. Like his twin, he huddled close to Pyxlevir. It was like sitting between two giant gargoyle-cougar bookends, which nearly forced a smile from Pyxlevir, but he was too twisted into knots to give in to the expression.
“I’m glad you guys agreed; I owe you so many favors,” Pyxlevir managed.
“Shut up, that’s not how friendship works,” Colburn countered.
“I wonder how long Gramlithyn has known this Dasan person,” Crispin said.
“Not sure,” Pyxlevir responded. “I met him the other day when Gramlithyn told me about this plan, and Dasan introduced himself asGram’sbest friend.”
“So much information overload in my head right now, I can’t decide if I want to bitch about him shortening his name or how different he looks now,” Colburn commented. “I wonder what Semira and Laconifel thought after they saw him.”
“He doesn’t look bad, he just went down the Teverild route and tossed elven traditions out the window,” Crispin remarked.
Skeleton Lord-mate Teverild Daray was part of the extended D’Vaire family. He had been born an elf, but he had tattoos and eschewed elven hair décor and clothing. Unlike Gramlithyn, Teverild had been born into a horrid tribe, and he’d been mistreated by many elves in his lifetime. His choice to distance himself from what he’d been taught was to ensure everyone knew he wasn’t aligned with terrible close-minded people, which Pyxlevir pointed out to his friends.
“Gramlithyn had a fantastic childhood,” Crispin stated. “But he’s a hybrid. Maybe he wanted to embrace shifter traditions to honor his zebra.”
