Dead Man Stalking (Blood and Bone Book 1) by TA Moore

Author:TA Moore [Moore, TA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 9781644053379
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2019-09-09T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

MADOC WAS too old to be a fool, but he could play one if he wanted. There was no one on this side of the world, not even the boyar he still served, who had the authority to bar him from that. He could ignore Took’s silent rejection of his declaration, the sticky taste of old fear that clung to his mouth from Took’s, and even resist the realization that his love for Took had done neither of them any favors.

Should he, though?

The only reason he’d let Took withdraw so totally, even handed over supervisory duties to West, was because he wanted to preserve something of that delicate not-quite-a-thing between them. Anyone else he’d have dragged out of their hermitage and done the due diligence that a man owed those beneath him.

His father’s morality. It made some old, still-petty part of Madoc cringe to realize that he hadn’t lived up to the low bar his father had set.

“We will talk about this.” He caught Took’s hand and lifted it to his mouth. His lips brushed over fight-scarred knuckles in a gesture that was half courtly and half courtship. “Later.”

There was a hint of bitterness in the corner of Took’s mouth as he tilted it in a smile. “Later is always convenient,” he said. Then he grimaced as though he’d accidentally caught himself on the jab. “After this is over, then we talk.”

Madoc wasn’t sure what to make of the grimness in Took’s voice. He wished there were time, but every discovery in this supposedly dead case pressed the accelerator on the investigation.

“Right now,” he said. “I’m putting you back on active duty.”

Took flinched and pulled his hand away. “You can’t do that.”

“You know that’s not true.”

Panic flashed through Took’s eyes as he shook his head. “I’m broken, Madoc. What if I have a panic attack if I’m trapped somewhere? Or lose control in an armed situation. I can’t be trusted in the field.”

They were the same bullet-point excuses that Madoc received every time he queried when he’d get his agent back. He had lost patience with them a year ago, but he throttled back on his frustration the best he could—not particularly well, but it wasn’t something he’d ever cared to practice.

“Then stay out of the field,” he said flatly. “It isn’t as if I can’t replace you with any of the other Biters there. I have for the last two years.”

The flash of resentment that crossed Took’s face for a second was simultaneously hypocritical and reassuring. Whatever he might say about his unwillingness to get back in the field, he obviously didn’t expect anyone to agree.

“Then why bother?” Took asked.

Madoc reached up and tapped his fingertip against Took’s forehead, right between his eyes. “What’s in here,” he said. “I can find a dozen capable Anakim to throw on a Biter’s uniform, hold a gun, and pull the trigger. What’s in your gray matter is harder to train, and the boyars won’t let you near this case if you aren’t a paid-up agent.

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