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“It’s someplace dear to me,” Boraleashe breathed a delicate gust of chilled air into his mouth. “I just need a few moments alone, my lord, away from that crowd… and alone means with you.”
Theodor got them moving again. Nothing more needed to be said. He wanted to see anything that had meaning in Boraleashe’s secluded world. The corridor narrowed the further they walked until it ended at a guarded wrought iron gate.
“This is my sanctuary, Theo. It’s one of the few places in the Keep that’s mine. Despite the fact I couldn’t feel the joy it brought me, I could still feel a small amount of peace in here.”
Boraleashe walked them outside under a covered path protected from the snow into a large freestanding structure that was all glass with a high-vaulted ceiling. There were lit lanterns mounted along the steel columns, but the moonlight made it almost as bright as the day. Large iron cranks held the roof open to the night air.
Theodor stepped into a space that could only be described as the most beautiful winter garden in all the worlds. As the bringer of the new harvest, Theodor was instantly drawn in, feeling the life it harbored inside.
Boraleashe stood at the threshold while Theodor explored the wondrous place. Shelves and ceramic pots overflowed with flowers and shrubs native to the north, breathtaking botanical life that would not survive the Realm of Autumn.
Theodor stopped to run his fingertips along the droopy white head of a delicate flower that looked to be weeping.
“They’re called crying snowdrops, one of the easiest I’ve tended to.”
Theodor crooked his finger for Boraleashe to come to him, and he didn’t hesitate to obey. He moved toward him slowly, his white robe dragging the dusty ground.
“You grew all of these yourself?”
Boraleashe squared his broad shoulders, his face unreadable. “Yes, over many years. My brother, Zepharali, is the only other person to see this space. No one is allowed in here, not even Adresin, and the guards are ordered to use brute force if anyone tries.”
Theodor took Boraleashe’s hand and continued his tour. There were purple leaves sprouting through the snow-covered ground with bold, green-spiked leaves that seemed to pop back up after being stepped on. Unbelievable. Something sweet and floral had him gravitating toward an entire shelf of petite, buttercup-yellow flowers.
“Hellebore glory.” Boraleashe picked one of the vibrant petals and put it to Theodor’s nose. He inhaled the sugary fragrance, smiling when it reminded him of their plumtart fields. “They’re finicky little shits. But I love the way they smell.”
“I didn’t know of your exceptional gardening skills.” Theodor kissed Boraleashe’s knuckles. “I am beyond impressed. This kind of upkeep in Fhomhair would take at least fifty attendants.”
“Well, being out here, even in the torturous weather, was still somehow soothing.”
“How’d they survive the hailstorms?”
Boraleashe pointed at some high-tech-looking device. “Zepharali gave me this long ago. It’s solar powered by his sun, so it never loses energy. When I cover the glass with the canopy, these lamps can provide the small amount of artificial light and heat I need to keep them alive.”
Theodor couldn’t have more admiration for his partner than he did in that moment. “I love it here.”
“I hoped you would,” Boraleashe whispered, eyeing him seductively.
Theodor was about to devour his betrothed right there until a familiar scent blew his way, drawing his attention to a very recognizable garden. Theodor shot a glance at Boraleashe to see his head down with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. Theodor was already learning Boraleashe’s telltale signs of his emotions behind the mask. He didn’t react much, but it was hard for him to hide when he was nervous, angry… or jealous.
He moved around Boraleashe, drawn to the patch of earth in the far corner of the greenhouse. He took long strides past rows of pine trees, snow-laden shrubs, and delicate purple and white flowers until he was standing in front of garden that made his heart try to leap out of his chest.
“Have I pleased you, lord?” Boraleashe whispered from close behind him.
“Yes, very much so, my love.” Theodor swallowed the emotion down until it stuck in the center of his core. My gods, he replicated my design.
“You are the reason I built this place, Theodor.”
He closed his eyes at the praise.
“You are the birth of the harvest,” Boraleashe continued, “so I learned the one thing I believed would keep me close to you. This area is why I asked Zepharali for help. I needed to somehow generate the heat of the autumn sun—your sun. I needed to do something that linked me to you, Theo. I saw your coveted garden almost a thousand moons ago and how much you adored it, how carefully you tended to it. I wanted to gather all of it and bring it home with me, bring a piece of you.” Boraleashe met his gaze, his heart beating so hard Theodor felt it against his own. “I couldn’t do that, so I did this instead.”
