Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(36)
Author: Richelle Mead

“It’s a long story. I’ve kind of been seeing the world.”

“I don’t think ‘seeing the world’ ever came up when we were trying to figure out what happened to you,” Leo mused. “We had a pool going over in the Internal Security building. The favorite theories were rehab and starting a cult of your own.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it.” Justin sat down on a couch in a small living room with rustic pine floors and walls that contrasted with the media screen and sleek black and steel furniture that he remembered from Leo’s old apartment. Tessa took the spot beside him, and Mae stood near the fireplace. Her stance was casual, but her eyes were as watchful as ever. “How in the world did you end up here? Can I get in on a pool for that?”

Leo grinned. “I didn’t end up anywhere. I chose to come here.”

“Why?”

“For the noblest of reasons.” Leo nodded toward the living room’s doorway. “I got married.”

So much for his stunning powers of observation. Justin hadn’t even noticed the gold ring on Leo’s finger. The man who entered the living room, wearing a matching ring, was pretty much Leo’s opposite in every way. Where Leo was tall and slender, this guy was shorter and broad shouldered, with the kind of muscles that came from hard work or expensive fitness devices. He had the common dark hair and eyes, with a close-cut haircut framing his square face, and scarring along his chin suggested he was one of the rare plebeians to have picked up Cain. He was more casually dressed than Leo and clearly much shyer.

Leo caught hold of his arm and steered him in while making introductions. “Dominic, this is the guy I told you about.”

Justin jumped up to shake Dominic’s hand, wondering what exactly Leo had told him. “Well, congratulations.” Justin put on his sunniest public relations face. “If I’d known, I would’ve brought you a gift. You look like you could use some nice linens.”

Leo laughed, but Dominic said in a very flat voice, “We already have some.”

“Justin won’t say it, but he’s appalled by our living conditions,” Leo explained. “He’d never dream of living any place so ‘primitive.’” Beside him, Justin heard Tessa clear her throat.

“Oh, I’ll say it,” Justin told them. Dominic situated himself on the opposite side of the room, arms crossed in a standoffish way that oddly mirrored Mae. “Getting married doesn’t mean you have to pack up and move to a farm, though. If it does, then I’m even more against it than I already was.”

“Dominic’s trying to start his own wine business. All the vineyards outside? That’s his handiwork.” Leo looked up at his husband with unabashed pride and adoration.

“And what do you do?” asked Justin. “Design the labels?” It was impossible to imagine fastidious Leo digging around in the dirt.

Leo shook his head. “Nah, I commute to the city. Well, sometimes. They let me do a lot of telecommuting too. I work for Estocorp’s Portland branch now.”

“That’s a long trip if you do have to go in.” “Estocorp” sounded familiar, but it took Justin a few moments to place it. “You’re working on contraceptive implants?”

“Pays better than my old job. Maybe even better than yours.”

“Not likely,” said Justin. “Leo, you could probably hack an identity chip. Why would you waste your time with birth control?”

Leo was still amazingly casual about all of this, but then, he’d had a lot more time to adapt to his change in fortunes. “Hey, it’s noble work keeping our population stable. Besides, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is considering switching from their current provider. Do you know what kind of money we’d make with a government contract?”

“I can get you a government contract,” protested Justin. “I’ve been back barely a week and already have a case for you to look at.”

“Don’t you have other people in your department who can look?” asked Dominic. His voice was gravelly and gruff, matching his exterior.

“None of them are as good as Leo.” Justin leaned forward, needing to get through to his old friend. “I know you miss Vancouver. Give this up, and come back. You could get your old job again, no problem. You’ll get a better deal and more action and adventure than you can handle. My charming companion over there’s a prætorian. That’s movie-quality stuff.”

Justin spoke jokingly, thinking mentioning Mae would appeal to Leo’s love of novelty. Instead, it seemed to startle the other two men. Leo even paled. Their alarmed reactions made Mae tense in return.

“Whoa, sorry,” said Justin, glancing between Leo and Dominic. “Don’t freak out. She’s perfectly tame.”

Not in bed, said Magnus.

“No one who’s pumped full of neurotransmitters on a regular basis is tame,” Dominic said, his face growing dark. “And we aren’t leaving.”

Mae frowned but didn’t otherwise acknowledge the slight, aside from a shift in her posture. Justin looked pleadingly to Leo, hoping he’d talk sense.

Instead, Leo said, “This is where Dominic’s work is. And I like what I’m doing. Like I told you when you called, it’s contract or nothing—and only if it’s interesting.”

Justin was having trouble maintaining his characteristically amiable attitude. When he’d imagined the reasons Leo might refuse to come back, Justin had never even dreamed that an attachment to some cozy country setting would be the hang-up. If anything, he’d thought Leo might be upset about Justin’s disappearing without warning.

Not everything’s about you, said Horatio.

But this is absurd, Justin said. Why would he stay? He once switched apartment buildings because a couple of families moved in and he thought the place was becoming too mainstream.

He’s in love, said Magnus. That’s all the reason he needs. Find another tactic, because if you keep mocking that, you won’t get anywhere.

“Oh, it’s interesting,” Tessa said unexpectedly. Justin had nearly forgotten she was there. “Justin’s working on something that’ll blow your mind. No one can figure it out.” Justin knew she didn’t actually know any of the details of the murders or the shadowy assassin video, but she’d overheard enough of Justin and Mae’s offhand comments to figure out something major was going on.