The Terror Gaze: Book 2 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 41 - Tyler: Words Are Not Enough

Chapter 41- THE SHIFTING HOUSE ARC BREAK  - Tyler: "Words Are Not Enough"

Tyler tumbled out of the mirror recklessly, hitting the basin of a sink before plummeting to the ground and catching a moment. "Shit, Boris. How did you do that so effortlessly?"

"So, you're here," a strange voice spoke aloud, making the back of the fur on Tyler's neck stand on end. He recognized that voice from somewhere, but where...?

Boris kneeled down, holding his delicate hand out. "I got used to it. Welcome to the Cult of King."

As Tyler stood up, he realized that he was surrounded by animals he had only recently been seeing in his nightmares. "You guys're the . . ."

"Black Cross? Yes, we are," the striped hyena leader, Ivan, nodded.

"Ohh," Tyler said, eyes rolling into his head and then collapsing right back onto the floor.

=^.^=

When Tyler regained consciousness, he saw the flickering orange of a flame, which he immediately looked at, relieved to see another source of light than the stupid headlamps they had been wearing in that pitch darkness. After that, he realized he was lying in a bed, tucked in tightly.

He was wearing no shirt or shoes, just the TempRes pants of his Guard Garb. Now, he saw that the jacket and shirt were folded over a chair sitting at a desk. To the right of that was a bookshelf with content that seemed like it had never been touched.

It was only a moment before the door opened, an otter standing there and looking behind him. "Yeah, I will. Promise." Some mumbling from someone else. "Yeah, I'm just gonna check on him for a bit." He turned around and came in, opening the door and shutting it, locking it. Boris kept his back to Tyler after that.

The German shepherd wasted no time throwing off the covers and messily getting off the bed, placing his feet on the freezing stone floor, and stepping to the middle of the room. He couldn't believe he was looking at the form of the mustelid again. "Boris . . ."

The otter didn't move, putting his forehead against the door.

Tyler didn't take his eyes off of him. "Look at me. Please."

Boris took a long moment before turning around, gazing at the canine with tears streaming down his face. He still said no words, unable to find them.

Within a moment, Tyler had his own waterworks bursting. "Come here," he barely got out. "I—" Like two planets colliding, Boris ran to Tyler and wrapped his arms around him, their chests pressing together as the dog and otter let the momentous weight of their reunion crash over them, falling to their knees on the floor and squeezing each other tightly.

They pushed and pulled each other, trying to battle one another for more affection, and Boris eventually wrapped his legs around Tyler, who had since sat on the floor. Boris had been sitting between his legs at that point, and he constricted him with all of the warmth he had, his sharp claws digging into Tyler's back, breaking the skin and causing blood to leak out.

Tyler barely noticed the pain, pulling his head back and looking the crying Boris in the face, still unable to keep the salty tears from rolling. He kept their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, peering into the window of his Soul, searching every crevice of the dark space inside.

Tyler kissed all over his face, many times, uncaring of anything else in the world. He had Boris again, and that's all that mattered. He felt his voice failing and continued to let Boris destroy his back with his claws. If there were scars, they would mark a momentous occasion.

Boris exhaled softly. "I love you, Tyler."

Tyler grinned as gently as possible. "I love you too, Boris. For a long time."