Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

Just as Keegan had predicted, the letter arrived for Jaron a week later, after his siblings had already gone back to their parents house—for the time being, anyway. Casca had decided he would stay over with Jaron and Keegan for the summer, when they had their own home set up.

Keegan figured the boy had made this decision mostly because he'd casually mentioned that he'd watch 'those violent' movies with him that his parents thought he was too young for. He said this while Jaron was out of earshot, of course.

Jaron was still trying too hard to be responsible where his siblings were concerned, so it fell to Keegan to be the fun caretaker.

It was easy, though, because he liked the boy, and because he liked who Jaron was around his little brothers.

Right now, Jaron was looking at the letter that Altair had brought to Keegan's room for him.

"Who sent this and how did they know I'd be here?" Jaron asked, turning the envelope over in his hands. "It looks official."

"It is official," Keegan confirmed.

"What's in it?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

Jaron shot Keegan a glance, and then he did as he was told and opened the envelope, pulling out two large sheaths of paper. His eyes flew over the lines. Keegan watched his expression shift as he read, from confusion to wonder to disbelief.

When he was done, he turned to stare at Keegan. "She left me her house?"

"We can sell it if you don't want to live in it," Keegan said, understanding how difficult this must be for his mate. For a long time, Malkira had been like a second mother to him. He'd lived with her, trusted her, and then she had betrayed that trust in unspeakable ways.

Yet she'd named him as her heir.

Jaron's tail twitched as he stared at the letter again. "I've been wondering, you know…"

"About what?"

"The scarf. We knew it was enchanted, but we never knew in what way. She said it was a protection spell, but what if it wasn't? What if the enchantment is what allowed me to keep my connection to you when you were… fighting with fate."

Keegan had entertained the thought himself. It was a bit much to believe that the piece of fabric had just naturally acted as a substitute for their bond.

"Malkira gave me that scarf and told me to give it to you. She was the one who enchanted it." Jaron looked at Keegan. "Did she know? That things would play out the way they did? That I would… save you and you would save everyone?"

"We'll never know for sure," Keegan said. Since the scarf had been burned, there was no way for them to know what spells had been woven into its threads.

"Do you think it's possible?" Jaron seemed like he wasn't sure what he wanted to believe. Keegan understood. Even if Malkira had foreseen everything, she couldn't have known for sure what would happen.

She could only have gambled, and it was people's lives she'd gambled with.

Keegan knew that only too well.

"I do think it's possible," Keegan allowed. "But that doesn't absolve her."

"No," Jaron agreed, then he paused. "Would it be wrong of me if I choose to believe that she wanted us to win? She used me, she manipulated me, and still…" He nearly crumpled the letter in his hands.

Keegan went over to him and drew him into his embrace. "You loved her," he said. "That's a wound that takes time to heal. Don't be mad at yourself for that. I love your big heart."

Keegan held Jaron close as the dragon shifter struggled with the conflicting emotions Malkira's letter had brought up. He could feel Jaron's tension in the tightness of his shoulders and the way his tail wound around Keegan's leg.

"We should sell the house," Keegan said after a moment. "Start over new, somewhere else."

Jaron pulled back to look at him, his brow furrowed. "You think so?"

Keegan nodded. "We can find a place close to my coven. A home of our own, where we can make new memories. Somewhere we can live without dwelling on all the shit that's happened."

Jaron leaned into Keegan's touch, his eyes fluttering closed. "That sounds perfect."

Keegan pressed a soft kiss to Jaron's forehead. "It will be."

Jaron's arms tightened around Keegan's waist, pulling him closer. "Did you see that in your visions?"

A smile tugged at Keegan's lips. "I know that without even looking."