Tatterdemalion

Lindsay hadn’t expected to find Dane already in Cyrus’s room, looking disheveled and sleepy. He

was sprawled in a large chair near Cyrus’s desk, attention on a computer that seemed small in his hands.

The sight of him made Lindsay’s heart lift until it collided with reality and tumbled down again, bruised, all in the space of a single beat.

Cyrus looked up as Lindsay came in, dark eyes narrowed. “I have procured a passport for you under

the name of Cross,” he said without preamble. “It is necessary for you to travel to Germany to meet with a

colleague of mine.”

It took Lindsay a moment to process what Cyrus was saying. He’d been distracted by the realization

that Dane had had sex with Kristan and then rolled out of bed and come in here without showering. Dane

was sex-mussed and half-dressed, and it looked so good. That was how Dane would look, if…

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Tatterdemalion

Lindsay wrenched his attention back to Cyrus. “When?”

“Your flight will leave this evening.” Cyrus handed a large envelope over to Lindsay. “In there, you

will find your official documents and all of the information you will need for the trip. Your flight will take you to Zurich. From there, you will travel to the Black Forest. Dane will be accompanying you.” He cast a

glance over at Dane, who looked back and sighed.

That hurt. With all the time Dane had spent taking care of Lindsay, it was a painful shock to realize

that Dane didn’t want to go with him on this trip. After Kristan’s a

“I’ll be ready,” he murmured. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Ezqel is a very old mage, older than I.” Cyrus looked so ancient and crow-like that it was hard to

imagine anyone being older. Casting another glare at Dane, Cyrus continued. “You will submit yourself to

whatever investigations Ezqel chooses to pursue. In this ma

And you will address him with the utmost respect.” Another sharp glance at Dane, met with a roll of

Dane’s eyes, and Cyrus turned his attention to Lindsay.

Lindsay felt sick at the idea that this man, Ezqel, was going to…to investigate what had been done to him. Even the prospect of being healed didn’t lessen the horrible implications. “All right.”

“This is important.” There was some sympathy in Cyrus’s voice. “You are not the first to suffer in this

way. You will not be the last.”

“I’ll do it.” What Cyrus was saying made sense, but it didn’t make the idea any more appealing. He

wasn’t sure how he was going to survive it. This morning, he would have told himself that he could lean on

Dane. Now, he didn’t even have that.

Cyrus fixed Dane with another look. “There is no time to waste. The dog and the girl will be

searching for you. You must get to Ezqel at once.”

Lindsay didn’t know who those people were. He didn’t know so many things. Nodding, he clenched

the envelope in his hands to keep them from shaking.

“A car will be here for you at five. If you have any questions, you can ask Dane or Vivian.” Cyrus

flicked a hand toward the door, dismissing him.

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51

Chapter Five

It was cold and miserable in the forest. The Black Forest, Cyrus had said, but Lindsay thought it

looked mostly gray. He trudged along behind Dane, carrying a backpack filled with his bare necessities.

The steps that didn’t land in mushy puddles nearly landed him on his ass, thanks to the ice hiding beneath

the wet snow.

Lindsay was terrified, going to face Ezqel without even the assurance that Dane cared for him. How

he could’ve become so dependant on something he hadn’t even known existed, in such a short period of

time, was beyond him. That, too, was terrifying.

Dane should have been in a good mood, out in the wild, but he wasn’t. Even having known him only a

short time, Lindsay could tell. There was a point at which Dane stopped being inscrutable and started being grumpy and that point was long past. The ground slid away under Dane’s feet as he headed down a ravine.

He rode the slide gracefully, managing to stay standing, until he could stop himself against a tree and watch Lindsay’s descent.

Lindsay was smaller, lighter, and had the advantage of seeing Dane go first. He stopped at the top and

looked at the tilted trees dotting the descent. Biting his lip, he sent himself toward the first tree at a skittering run-slide. He caught the tree with both hands, took a breath, and aimed for the next. The trees kept him upright. He was already frozen to the core, and landing in the snow would only make it worse.

Dane didn’t seem to notice the cold, and he didn’t seem to get tired. He was an inexorable animal,

with only Lindsay keeping him from eating up the miles. He kept moving and leapt the icy, mucky stream

cutting through the bottom of the ravine. There, he waited to help Lindsay cross.

Lindsay was shivering and exhausted by the time he got to the bottom. “How…” He had to wait and

swallow down his shivers before he could speak again. “How do I get over?”

“Jump.” Dane grabbed a sapling in one hand and extended the other. “To me. I’ll catch you.”

Lindsay swallowed hard and nodded. He eyed the distance and took a ru

at his feet with each step. He almost didn’t make it, but Dane grabbed his hand and hauled him in. He hit

Dane in the chest and Dane let go of the tree to wrap the other arm around him, holding him up. “Okay?”

he rumbled.

Shivering hard, Lindsay nodded against Dane’s chest. He was gasping for breath, every exhalation

coming out in a haze of fog. “’m all r-r-right,” he chattered. Dane was so warm. He didn’t want to step

away.

Tatterdemalion

“There used to be a hunter’s cottage around here,” Dane said. “We’ll stop when we find it.” He

nodded up the steep hill that lay ahead of them. “Up you go.”

Lindsay nodded again and, reluctantly, trudged up the hill. The idea of a reward at the end, though,

that there would be a place to stop and warm up—which didn’t even feel possible at this point—was a

relief.

It was growing dark when Dane pointed out the cottage up another hill. The little building was

crumbling under the weight of time and the elements; the wood roof was thick with moss that was

disappearing under a fresh layer of snow. “This is it. Not much, but it’s here. No fire, no magic in Ezqel’s woods. We’ll manage without.”

A soft whimper slipped out before Lindsay could stop himself. No fire. No warmth. He nodded to let

Dane know he understood. He was shivering too much to speak.

Dane reached out, and Lindsay took his hand for the last yards up to the cottage. It was slow going

toward the top but, finally, they were at the door. Lindsay went inside and slipped his pack off. He dug

through to find dry clothes. If he couldn’t be warm, at least he could be dry.

Dane followed him in and dropped the heavy pack he was carrying. The first thing he did was take out

a sleeping bag and lay it out in the most sheltered corner.

“Over here.”

He hung a tarp by pushing tent spikes between cracks in the stone walls and floor, to give some more

shelter and to keep in the warmth of their bodies. It was nearly black in the hut, but he set a light up under the tarp. “You’ll sleep here. Settle in, I’ll be back.” With that, he was gone.

Lindsay eyed the tarp doubtfully, but slid underneath with his clothes. He wriggled out of his wet