Page 18 of Hexes & Heartstrings (Shifters of Bastion Keep #2)

"If by mate, you mean the shirtless wonder, Bruin, then yes. Oh, is that a growl I feel? Fear not, my lord, I wouldn't dream of horning in on your territory, Bruin already gave me the rundown. I just think it's so super cute what you two, or three have."

"Ah, well."

"Oh, tell me, m'lord, please! It's just so romantic, a crowned noble courting his own palace wizard. How did you two meet?"

Sergiy finished descending the last switchback, reaching the base of the valley. Tall trees were on either side of the wide dirt path that would take them back to the keep, providing some shade against the afternoon sun.

"It was months ago," Sergiy said, giving the gossip a very truncated version of when he—and his instincts—had first seen Bruin when he'd come back from an incursion.

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "Do I hear that right? Not just a courted boyfriend, but a fehrthas leothas? You two are promised mates?"

Sergiy bobbed his head. "It was certainly a shock to me as well."

"Ooh, that rascal! Bruin called you his mate, but I did not put two and two together.

Begging your future pardon, your lordship, but I am going to positively drown that cutie of yours with wine and truffles until he shares all the romantic details.

I'll bet he's got so many stories about candlelit dinners, and royal gifts, and midnight flights around the castle! Dear me, I hope I don't swoon."

"I'll catch you before you fall off, don't worry," Sergiy said, feeling an odd sensation in his chest.

Dinners?Gifts?

He'd bought Bruin a new set of workout shoes, did that count?

And a set of sturdy hiking boots for the anchor walks that he did—although granted, he'd also made sure that the other two witches had received the same, after Bruin had pointed out something involving employers providing resources for their employees.

Gregory had understood, though, and itemized the costs.

But Bruin didn't seem like he wanted any bought gifts. Said things were too expensive and a waste of money. Said that he already had everything he needed.

And as for flights, getting Bruin up in the air was always chancy. He'd accepted a few short flights, but it had taken Russ sitting him down and saying that Bruin was actually scared of heights, it wasn't just that they made him nervous. So he'd cut back on the offers.

So no gifts, and no romantic flights. That just wasn't what Bruin would want.

Russ either, come to think on it. For Russ, he just liked it when Sergiy was near him, even if they didn't talk or do anything at all.

…which, he hadn't been doing much of, either.

Damn it.

But perhaps he should be doing other things. Not bought gifts, but things like gifts. Maybe a hand-written letter? His siblings were always bugging him to turn up the romance.

Sergiy then realized that he was still being spoken to, and he shook his head to himself. "I'm sorry, you were saying? I didn't catch that last bit."

Arthur giggled again. "Oh don't mind me! I definitely wasn't making any insinuations about the size difference between you and your two mates and your assorted forms."

Ah, ribald jokes. Still, he really should pay better attention.

As they continued their walk, he managed to turn the conversation to Hedge magic, seeing what Arthur had to offer regarding the incursions. The man assured him that he was at his complete service, and already meeting with Lux and Roland daily to work out particulars.

It was only a short walk, unfortunately, but it gave him enough time to put his thoughts in order before he'd need to do a report for the war council.

Crafting the report would take some time.

He'd need to get more details of the fight from everyone involved, build a timeline so he could work out ways to properly defeat or scare off the great spirit.

Maybe someone had seen or done something that would prove instrumental in fighting the nautilus creature.

He was working out whether it'd be better to speak with Marka and Yi together, or hold separate conferences when he heard a howl behind him.

Looking, he saw Rosemary give a loud whoop from astride his boyfriend, and then the two charged past him, galloping for the keep. She must have said something in passing, because Sergiy then saw Roland chasing right after his son, Lux holding tightly to his fur.

He snorted, then looked over his shoulder. Arthur lowered himself closer to his body, grabbing his mane.

"As my lord prefers," he said, blushing red.

So Sergiy reached out to his prostheses, tapping the magic-enhanced tattoos on his back in order to summon his ephemeral wings.

They were sluggish to appear, almost causing a cramp in his back—possibly he'd been using them too much of late—but did eventually manifest. Being mindful of his passenger, he extended them out wide and leapt carefully into the air.

The two wolves might be fast, but they had nothing on a drake in flight.

He felt a twinge of disappointment that this would cost him a few precious minutes of peace, but he did have work he needed to get to, so faster probably was the better option.

And he was hungry.

◆◆◆

"Ser," Russ said to him as he was leaving the Great Hall, having finally found a spare moment to eat after close to two hours of extracting detailed combat reports from the packs. "Ser, you should go see Bruin."

"He's still in the infirmary, isn't he? I suppose I could stop by, it would give me a chance to check on the injured."

Russ stood there, returning Sergiy's stare with an even expression, but at last reached a finger out and slowly poked him in the chest.

Sergiy sighed. He knew the signs. "What am I missing?"

"Bruin fought a shadow earlier," his boyfriend said.

"Yes, and according to Lux and Roland, he did a great job, despite what Lady Yi insinuates."

Russ looked at him, then tilted his head. "Bruin fought ."

"Yes? And… oh. I'll find him, then."

With that reassurance, Russ gave him a hug, and then strode off towards the east wing of the castle.

Sergiy could just about kick himself as he headed to the infirmary.

His mate was a gentle healer from the United States.

He was probably used to gun violence, sure, growing up in one of their biggest cities, but Sergiy didn't get the impression that he was accustomed to physical fights and confrontations on the regular.

Not in the way Bastion's guardians were.

Upon entering the infirmary, though, he found that Bruin was absent. The head nurse Teresa strode over to him after he finished checking the last curtained bed, exchanging pleasantries with Toby so as not to be rude.

"Our Green witch left about twenty minutes ago," she told him plainly.

"Thank you. Was he, did he seem…"

Sergiy trailed off, but Teresa just crossed her arms and gave him a scathing look.

"Did he seem like he was doing okay?" he asked finally.

"Like he's normally wont to do, the Green witch came in bouncing and full of smiles. He ruffled the fur of a few heads, let me point out which patients would need a charm follow-up, healed his own bruises when I called him on his stubbornness, and then left when I told him so."

"So he's fine?"

She went over to where Chelsea was watching them with a cheshire grin on her face, then picked up her patient's chart and began making notations with savage pen strokes.

"He was well enough to do his job, but maybe he was using his job as a distraction from his own thoughts.

Of course, far be it from me to tell a royal lord how his promised mate is feeling.

And it's certainly not my place to wonder why that lord is down here speaking to the castle staff instead of immediately running to his mate. "

"Thank you, Teresa," he said, turning. "Let me know if you need any supplies or assistance."

"Are you still here, my lord? No, surely it's just my old mind playing tricks on me."

Taking quick strides, face flushing as he heard the amused chuckles from those who had overheard—which would be all the awake shifters—he left the infirmary and went to the stairs, taking them up to the third floor to check his room.

No Bruin. Nor in his own room in the Sage's Quarter, though he did smell his recent passage. Should he check the baths, next? Maybe the library? Where would he—

"I'm dumb," he muttered to himself before reaching out with his instincts.

Sifting through the warm embers of the various guardians in the fort, he focused on the inner flame of his mate.

He felt that Bruin was close, so he was at least still on the castle grounds.

Taking deep breaths in and out, he fed the flame, kindling it until he could narrow down his mate's location.

Further east, it felt like. So not within the castle itself.

Briskly, he headed down the steps. He raised a hand in passing to a pair of the castle staff that were dusting the decor, collecting hair and furs as much as they were able, and then went out the east exit.

Following his nose, now, he chased a scent through the grass and behind the tree where Bruin did some of his witch business.

"Hey," he said.

Bruin opened his eyes from where he lay beneath the tree's shade.

"Hi!" he said, grinning tuskily. "Did you need something from me? I heard you were taking reports of the battle, I could give you mine."

"No, nothing like that. I'm pretty sure I have all that I need." Sergiy squatted down, reaching out to lay a hand on Bruin's chest.

"Something with the infirmary, then?" Bruin grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I don't need you for anything. I just came to see how you were doing."

"No witchcraft, no healing, no duties… nothing at all? Really?"

The surprise in his words shouldn't have hurt as much as it did, but… it did. Fortunately, Bruin wasn't a canine shifter, so a laugh and a teasing smile should work to hide the guilt.