Brecc watched the only woman he’d grown to care for in a long time walk away from him, leaving him feeling empty and angry.
Vikter turned to face him, his usual mask of nonchalance gone and replaced with a frown. “We fucked up.”
Brecc could argue with Vikter’s words, but he was right. They had fucked up. “I know.”
Vikter filled another glass with wine and did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He walked over to Brecc and offered it.
Brecc met his gaze. There was honest regret in there. “Your mate isn’t just right, she’s really good at making a man feel like a little kid.”
He was right. Fuck. She’d been right. Every word out of her mouth was like a punch to the gut. He’d been living in the past, letting his anger over what happened destroy him as well as the friendship he’d once had with Vikter.
“I’m a fucking idiot,” he growled at himself.
Vikter filled a second glass of wine. “Join the crowd.” He sat and motioned with his head. “You might as well sit. She needs time to cool off.”
He hadn’t sat with Vikter in so many years. It was strange. He glanced around the massive office he and Vikter used to play in and nodded. “I like what you’ve done to the place.”
Before, the room had felt dark and forbidden. Now that it was clearly Vikter’s domain, it was filled with what he’d always liked. Telescopes, maps, and astronomy related books.
“Thanks.” Vikter shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry.” He glanced down at his hands then back up to Brecc’s face. “I doubt I’ll be alive long enough to have this chance again, so I want you to know. I never meant to hurt your father that day. It was an accident.”
Brecc listened to Vikter, knowing the words coming out of his mouth were true and honest. He felt like shit. He’d been just like his father. Closed off to the truth and unwilling to listen. “I know.”
“We were kids. I was still learning to control the dragon.” He leaned back in his seat and glanced up at the domed ceiling showing the suns going down. “If I could go back, I would. I’d stop myself from losing the reins.” He frowned. “I’d give you your father back.”
Brecc’s throat ran dry. He’d been such a douche. For so long he’d held on to the anger and pain of loss, blaming Vikter and making those around him miserable with his distance. But Vikter had lost his parents too. Shortly after Vikter’s father died, his mother passed away. The loss of her mate too much for her to bear.
Brecc leaned forward in his seat, putting his elbows on his thighs. “I’m sorry too. I should have listened to you the first time. Not copied my father and done the same thing, held on to his anger.”
“For what it’s worth, I miss our friendship,” Vikter confessed.
He nodded. “I do too.” The truth was, other than Eros, Vikter had been his best friend. Almost like a brother. He’d been in mourning for their friendship since his father’s death. He thought about Charlotte’s words. About letting the past go. “Maybe we can start fresh. Let go of the past and look into the future.”
Vikter sighed. “I’m glad you’re ready to listen. I don’t know how much of a future I have, but I’m happy to restore our friendship.”
“You’ll find someone,” Brecc assured him. He believed it. When he and Eros had been at their lowest point, Gerri came in and brought Charlotte for them. “Speak to the matchmaker. She can get you a mate. She did it for us.”
Vikter rubbed a finger on his chin in thought. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“Trust me.”
Vikter gave a sharp dip of his head. “I’ll go to her tomorrow.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Charlotte paced the room she’d been given, ignoring the flowers Eros had brought her and the tea Alessandra dropped off. She was livid. She wanted to throw something. Kick something. Fuck it, she wanted to yell at Brecc and slug him at the same time. That…jerk!
She heard the door knock downstairs. Brecc. She’d had enough waiting around. She’d give Brecc a piece of her mind.
Rushing down the stairs, she stopped mid-flight and walked when she realized it wasn’t Brecc but a pair of older women standing by the doorway with Alessandra. The worry in Alessandra’s face kept Charlotte from going back to her room.
“There she is,” one of the old women said. Her long white hair hung to her waist in curls. The other woman appeared to be her twin, but her hair in a short stylish bob. They looked like polar opposites except for the golden eyes.