Page 41 of A Winter Courtship
Tears glistened in Lutoth’s eyes. Tears Ulrich had caused.
Lutoth chuckled, a mirthless laugh. “Could have fooled me.” Ulrich could hear the pain in Lutoth’s voice.
“How could you hide me from your father? I’ve spent the last four weeks courting you, sleeping in your bed, fucking you, completely in love—” Lutoth cut himself off.
Ulrich flinched. Lutoth and Ulrich hadn’t said they loved each other, but it was there. In every kiss, every glance, every moment they’d spent together. And now Ulrich had ruined it.
“You hurt me, Ulrich.”
The word pierced Ulrich to the marrow. “I know.”
“I thought you cared about me. But you introduced me to your father as afriend.” His voice choked. “You dropped my Solstice gift into the soot and dirt like it was trash.” Lutoth’s white hair stirred around his shoulders. “Do you want me to discard these too?”
Lutoth strode to the table and picked up the white flowers. He walked to the forge and threw them on the coals. They burst into flame before crumbling into ash and nothingness.
“Lutoth,” Ulrich said, reaching out for him. “Don’t… Please…”
“Please what?” Lutoth cried out.
The wind blew outside, rattling the windows.
“How could you say I’m a friend?” Lutoth asked. “Is that what you truly see me as?”
The wind banged open the door, rushing through the smithy, whipping around him, and stealing the air from Ulrich’s lungs. The strands of Lutoth’s hair floated around him. Tools rattled against the wall. The table shook, and the axe head clattered to the floor.
“Are you doing this?” Ulrich asked, gaze flicking around the smithy.
Lutoth’s hair snapped in the air.
“I’m sorry,” Ulrich said, but the wind drowned out his words. “I didn’t mean it.” But it was like Lutoth couldn’t hear him. “I was just—”
The wind howled. Ulrich’s clothes flapped. The flames danced wildly in the forge.
Was this it? Was Lutoth going to leave him?
No! Ulrich needed to plead and beg for another chance. For forgiveness. It couldn’t end like this. Lutoth couldn’t disappear from his life. Even if it was Ulrich’s fault. Even if Ulrich had done wrong, he needed to fix it. He loved Lutoth too much to lose him.
Lutoth closed his eyes like he had on the mountain.
Ulrich’s chest squeezed. Lutoth was going to follow in his mother’s footsteps. Ulrich had to stop him.
He could still see the sadness in Lutoth’s father’s eyes as he stared at the painting that forever reminded him of the sylph who had left him. Ulrich couldn’t bear to suffer the same fate.
“No!” Ulrich cried out.
They couldn’t end like this!
“I’m sorry. Please.” In desperation, Ulrich grabbed Lutoth’s wrists.
Lutoth’s eyes flew open.
“Don’t fly away with the wind!” he yelled. “Not like your mother.”
Lutoth heard that.
The wind died abruptly. His hair stopped moving.
Lutoth stared at Ulrich. “After all I’ve done to prove myself to you, you still think I’m like her. I promised I wouldn’t leave. But it doesn’t matter what I do.” He laughed, a soft, bitter, broken laugh. “You don’t trust me. Is that why you denied me to your father? Because you don’t trust me? Because you thought I’d leave?”
