Page 67 of Damien’s Mate

“Even without the Royals having these Calebite Artifacts?”

“Apparently. Tyr did track down a rumor or two about the artifacts’ disappearance, so that part’s also like Lila was told. The thing is…”

“Come on, McCall, spit it out,” Damien said impatiently.

“It seems, from what Tyr could find out, that these artifacts weren’t weapons for the Draken at all. They were made for the Lion Guard commanders, to give power and protection to the whole Guard.”

Damien remembered his conversation with Lila that first morning. “We were wondering about that, actually.”

“Well, yeah. Only…”

“For fuck’s sake, would you cut that out? Just talk already.”

Remy sighed. “You’re not going to like it. It seems that, without the artifacts, the Makek-Dur Lion Guard on both sides were destroyed in the war. I mean, completely. They don’t even exist as a fighting force anymore. There are a few left in ceremonial positions, but that’s it.”

So that was why they’d never answered the call. Probably there was no one there to do it.

Damien sat down on the bench by the firing range, feeling like someone had punched him in the stomach. “This will devastate Lila,” he said to Remy. “Her whole life, she’s dreamed and worked to go home, to be taken back by the Lion Guard.”

How the hell was she going to feel when she found out there was no home to go to, and no one to take her in? That there would never be a way to redeem her family and make up for what her uncle had done?

He put his head in his hands, raking his fingers through his hair. “Shit, man, how am I going to tell her this?”

“I don’t know.” Remy dropped down on the bench beside him, shoulder to shoulder. “It blows.”

After a minute he said, “There’s one more thing, if you’re interested.” Remy handed him a piece of paper. “This is what the artifacts actually do, according to Tyr’s sources. I don’t know if either of you care, but I figured I’d give it to you anyway.”

Damien nodded numbly. “Thanks, man. Thanks for everything.”

Remy nodded. “I wish it was better news.”

“Yeah. She’s going to be crushed.”

“Well, if there’s an upside, it’s that if she has to stay in this world, maybe there’s a chance for the two of you.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Damien stayed on the bench long after Remy had given him a brotherly shoulder bump and left him to his cold, lonely thoughts.

Then he went back up to Titan’s to get the present he’d carved for Lila.

If he was going to rip away her dream, he better be prepared to give her another one.

Damien packed his gift for Lila carefully in a cardboard box, tracing the contours of it with his finger. Maybe feelings made the carving go better—he didn’t know. He just knew it was the best thing he’d ever made.

He sucked at expressing his feelings in the moment, and anyway he didn’t know what kind of state Lila would be in after he broke the news to her about the Lion Guard.

So he’d spent a long time and a lot of crumpled paper writing her a note to go with the carving. She could read it later—when she was ready.

He opened the door to the suite quietly. She wasn’t in the living room, so he went into the bedroom—and stopped dead in the doorway.

Her go bag was sitting in the middle of the bed, half-packed. She was folding a shirt to put into it.

Slowly, he put his box down on the corner of the dresser. That place in the middle of his chest where a seed of hope had sprouted suddenly started feeling full of broken glass again.

She was leaving. He knew she was, but he asked the question anyway.

“What are you doing?”