WHEN DYLAN WAS LET INTO CALLUM’S SUITEAFTER BREAKFAST, Kyan was giving him the torc.
‘What’s going on?’ Dylan asked.
Kyan gave his friend a nod and grateful look. ‘Callum’s going to hide the torc while I head to Skye. I don’t want the Wake getting a glimpse of it, and we have nowhere secure enough.’ He slapped Callum on the shoulder, then headed out of the room, leaving them alone.
Dylan’s eyes were glued to where Callum slipped the divine artefact into his leather overnight bag.
‘Where are you going?’ Dylan asked.
Callum shot him a smirk. ‘Why? Going to miss me?’
‘I guess I figured you’d …’
Stick around?
Help me figure out what to do, now I know my father’s a god?
He felt stupid even thinking it. He and Callum weren’t that close. There was tension between them, flirtation. But too many secrets. He’d thought after last night that they’d found firmer ground. Callum had shown a glimmer of vulnerability; had let Dylaninby speaking of his family, even for just a moment.
And now he was leaving.
‘I have somewhere I need to be,’ Callum said, attention back on his bag.
‘Right.’ Dylan crossed his arms, realising he was blocking the doors. ‘Interesting timing.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Callum said, but the words weren’t sarcastic. There was an exhausted tension to them that reminded him of Callum’s reaction last night. ‘I’m hoping an … old friend might have answers about the Fomóiri.’
An old friend.
Dylan swallowed. ‘Right.’
Callum zipped up his bag, shooting Dylan a look at his repeated answers.
‘How’s he supposed to know this stuff?’ Dylan tried, swallowing around the weird knot in his throat.
Callum’s lips pulled up. ‘He… has a special connection to the myths. But don’t worry, I’ll be back.’
‘What’s his name?’ Dylan asked, not comfortable with a stranger knowing.
The fond amusement in Callum’s eyes soothed him slightly as he approached.
‘No kiss goodbye?’ Callum asked instead of answering.
The words were a challenge, as if he was trying to put some lightness back between them. And maybe it should stay put, this distance. It would keep Dylan capable of thinking clearly. It would stop this strange, increasing sense of closeness from fully forming.
He didn’t have any more room to trust people.
So he allowed some of it to shut down and watched a flicker of concern shade Callum’s eyes.
Callum wanted to keep this as nothing more than banter and half-unveiled secrets?
Fine.
But Dylan was sick of secrets. So he had a choice: join Callum in this surface-level relationship, or dig his heels in.
He just didn’t know which he could handle.
‘Safe travels, Callum,’ Dylan said, turning to stalk back out and rejoin his sisters. ‘I hope your secrets keep you good company.’
