Brushing his fingers along the side of Justin’s hair, Caleb smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
Justin’s throat grew tight, and he wanted to beg Caleb to come back to Frost Manor, but he knew that wasn’t possible. Even though Caleb had been kidnapped and brought here, nothing had changed. His best friend was still leaving. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“We need to go,” Wulf said as he moved to Caleb’s side.
“Go where?” Justin asked as he glanced between the two.
“Wulf is helping me scout new territories,” Caleb said. He pressed a kiss to Justin’s cheek and then gave Justin a hug before he pulled back.
“I don’t want you to go,” Justin whispered as he fought back tears. “You been a steady force in my life, and I will always be grateful for our friendship.”
Caleb smiled. “Same here, J.” He gave Justin one last hug before he turned and followed behind Wulf. Justin cleared his throat two or three times, but the lump wouldn’t ease.
“He’ll be fine,” Demetri said as he and Justin slid into the back of the car.
Justin watched from the window as someone new got into the driver’s seat. “Raz will be with us for some time. He’s taking Wulf’s place until Caleb is settled in.”
Raz had shorn black hair, a cocky walk, and was built like most of Demetri’s men, thick and muscular. The guy slid the partition into place, giving Demetri and Justin privacy as he pulled off.
“I know this is a dumb question,” Justin said as he settled back. “But can you trust Raz?”
“With my life.” Demetri nodded. “He wouldn’t be near you if I couldn’t.”
When they arrived at the Manor, Demetri made Justin wait in the car as Elron was brought into the house. Once everyone was inside, Justin crept out of the car and snuck inside. He wanted to see what was going on. After closing the front door as quietly as he could, Justin pressed his back into the wall of the vestibule.
He scanned the expanding hall in front of him to see if any of Demetri’s men were lingering around. The large space seemed empty. Justin crept toward his lover’s study and snuck inside. A large bookcase was slid out of place, and a door was open. Justin hurried over and glanced down the stone steps.
What he saw floored him.
At the bottom of the steps were Demetri and his men. A wooden door was open and beyond that, Justin could see a dense forest. But what had him dropping on the top step was the centaur standing at the door.
“I will make sure he is locked away in the castle,” the centaur said, his voice strong and regal.
Elron was at the bottom of steps, heavy chains wrapped around his thick body. He snarled and fought against the centaur’s hold as Demetri passed his brother to the beautiful creature.
Pressing his hand to his chest, Demetri bowed. “I am in your debt, Reign.”
When Reign stepped back, Justin gasped. He saw four more centaurs standing there, appearing just as proud as Reign. Their lower bodies were that of a horse, but their upper half was human. All of them had long hair but in various colors from strawberry-blond to chestnut to a brilliant red. One of them even had hair that looked like spun gold. Their chests were solid and broad, and their biceps were the size of grapefruits. Their ears were pointy and jutted out from their long hair. Justin never wanted to make one of them his enemy.
The wooden door closed, and Justin listened as Demetri began to chant. He blinked and then rubbed at his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The door was no longer there. There was nothing left but a stone wall.
Demetri turned and stared upward. “Following orders is not one of your strong points, love.”
Some of the men snickered before Justin got up and moved out of the way. The men filed out and then walked out of Demetri’s study. His lover pulled a hidden lever in the bookshelf, and it slid back into place.
“I’m sorry,” Justin said. “But I’m not sorry. I wouldn’t have missed that for the world. You have got to introduce me to those guys.” Justin suddenly felt like some strange fanboy as he bounced around excitedly. “Was that the realm your father lives in? Can I see it someday? What kind of creatures live there?”
Demetri chuckled. “Maybe someday in the far future I will open the door once more and you can see the beauty in which I grew up.”
Justin frowned. “So there’s no other way to get in there?”
Demetri shook his head. “I sealed the other doors years ago.” His lover pointed toward the bookcase. “That was the last entryway.”
“Ah man,” Justin said as he toed the carpet. “It would’ve been so cool to see that place.”
Demetri gathered Justin in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on Justin’s lips. “For now I want you to go upstairs and bathe. It disturbs me to see those bloody clothes on you.”
How had he forgotten? Justin smiled up at his lover. “Only if you join me.” He wiggled his brows.
Demetri gave a low, sensual growl. “Try and stop me.”