Page 18 of Mytho Investigations: Side Stories

He glanced over at the table where his friends sat, then back at the message.

How the fuck had Vlash got his number? This was not his work phone.

And why was Vlash messaging? Aside from the implied sex.

He wasn’t strong enough to say no.

My liver can’t handle more mead. The thought of it turned his stomach. But I can bring some beer.

He hesitated before hitting send. His friends wouldn’t care, but they’d want to know who he was going to see. New Year, new man?

Troy walked past and put his hand on his shoulder. “You look confused.”

“Contemplating what to do.”

Troy glanced at the text message that Mason hadn’t sent. “It looks as though you want to go. So why don’t you?”

Why didn’t he, indeed?

For the first time in five years, he could do what he wanted. He was single. He didn’t need to answer to anyone.

When he turned, Troy had already moved on to the bar to order another drink.

Mason took a swig of beer and made his way back to the table. “I’m going to bail.”

“Ooh, someone has a better offer,” Sean teased.

“What makes you say that?” Mason asked.

“The glint in your eyes. I haven’t seen it for a while, but you’re on the hunt.”

He hadn’t needed to hunt in a while. Not that he was the one doing the hunting. Vlash had put out the lure, and he’d bitten.

He hit send.

CHAPTER 10

It hadn’t been hard to find Mason’s last name or his phone number. Part of it he’d done online through Jordan’s social media profiles, something he checked out before Jordan had been made knight. The rest had been a little more underhand. But the result was the same.

He had Mason’s number, and he’d had it for a week. He hadn’t planned on using it. Getting it had been for fun to see if he could and then to find out more about him. The more he found out, the more he wanted.

Lekso was out celebrating the human New Year. Some random date from the human’s random calendar. They had determined the date would be a good place to start a new year, even though it had zero relevance to anything at all. He refused to go out and celebrate.

Because it was nothing to celebrate.

He was starting the New Year exactly the same way he finished the last. No, that wasn’t right. He was sure he was a little more bitter this year.

For Christmas, Lekso had got him a T-shirt with a cute cat flashing razor-sharp claws on the front. Beneath the cat, it said, “I’m not always snarky… Yes, I am.”

That wasn’t his only gift, but the point had been made. Even his son thought him cranky.

Maybe when Lekso was over two hundred years old, he’d understand love and loss a little better. That human girl was going to age and die before his eyes.

Assuming the return of magic meant elves once again averaged three and a half centuries. He ran his fingers over the pointed shell of one ear. It was still firm and pointed. If his ear started to soften, he had problems.

Having Mason’s number and using it were two different things. Even though he was home alone, it took him an hour to send a text. Why he cared if Mason said no, he wasn’t sure. It’s not as though they promised anything. They’d said goodbye, and that should’ve been the end.

Should’ve been.