Page 15 of Visions of You
And so he remained an enigma, acting behind the scenes as the only one who could.
Keegan wasn't going to cry about it.
"If you don't mind," he said to Mordyn, "I'm going to get some sleep."
Mordyn nodded, but he didn't move away when Keegan opened the door to his bedroom, as if he was waiting for something.
Keegan half-expected Jaron to jump out at him from behind the door, but the room was empty.
He was about to exhale in relief and ask Mordyn what he was still standing there for when he spotted a flash of color on his desk, right next to his laptop.
A bottle of bright red blood.
Keegan stared at the bottle of blood on his desk. Was that…? No, it couldn't be. "What is this?"
"A gift," Mordyn said, grinning. "From your dragon."
"My dragon?" Keegan repeated, taking a step closer to the desk. The blood was a vivid crimson, and even from a distance, Keegan could smell its richness. Dragon blood. Jaron's blood.
He'd known this could happen, but he hadn't believed that it would. "Why would he leave me this?"
Mordyn shrugged. "Maybe he's trying to get your attention."
Keegan reached out and picked up the bottle. If Jaron wanted attention, this was certainly the way to get it. Keegan knew better than to be tempted by his blood, but the smell of it reached his nose and the rational part of him struggled to stay in control. He wanted to drink this blood more than anything, to let it coat his tongue and slide down his throat. He wanted to know what Jaron tasted like.
"Are you going to drink it?" Mordyn asked, his tone teasing. "Or are you too much of a coward?"
Keegan glared at him. "I'm not a coward."
"Then why don't you knock it back?"
"Because it's weird," Keegan said, setting the bottle back down on the desk. "Who the hell leaves a present like this?"
Mordyn laughed. "Your new fan, that's who."
Keegan's lips thinned. "He's not my fan."
"Oh, please. He couldn't keep his eyes off you, and now he's left you a gift." Mordyn gestured at the bottle. "I'd say he made quite the statement."
"And you helped him." There would have been no other way for Jaron to gain access to Keegan's room.
"You're welcome," Mordyn said, still smiling.
"You don't think this is a little extreme?"
"How else do you surprise a seer?"
Keegan's gaze narrowed. "What makes you think I want to be surprised?"
"Fine, maybe you don't want to be surprised," Mordyn conceded, "but I think you need to be."
"That's bullshit."
"You can't live your whole life in a calculated way. You'll never find love like that."
Keegan wanted to scream. Who said he wanted to find love? And even if he did, Mordyn knew nothing about what Jaron was going to do to him in the future. "This is payback, isn't it? Because I got you and Apollo together?"
"You've had this coming for a long time."
