They were alone together.

"So nice to see a visit from the liar," Urlander said in a hiss. Echo flinched at his new name. Liar? What had he lied about? He tried to trace back the steps of every interaction with Urlander to find a lie. He could not find one.

"I was unaware that I had spoken any mistruths to you Lord Urlander," Echo replied calmly though his heart was in his throat and there was something like hurt in him at the name. Liar? When?

"Oh, but you have," Urlander sneered. His eyes were fixed on Echo's face and reading every innocent flicker of confusion with a hatred that became darker by the moment. "You said you were not mated…"

Mated…

He hated that word.

Echo blinked, "I am not mated," he said, "I have a lover to whom I am very close and I am certain one day we shall be mated but as of right now I am not. I bear no mating marks nor have any of the necessary bonds and psychic links that mates share."

"You are as good as mated!"

The words were bellowed, had a weight to them that hit Echo in the chest. But nothing could compare to that feverish gaze, that rage burning so near to the surface that it might scald Echo even at their distance across the rug. Echo had never seen hurt on Urlander's face before and easily confused it with anger. Urlander gradually cooled and sank back into the pillows, regarding Echo with his stern, granite features and his set jaw.

"…do you love him so much you would walk out on your duties? I was left with those insufferable midgets without the chief consultant to my case. I was left to save my people alone. I was LEFT-!"

At this Urlander slammed his hand down on the arm of the couch, making the furniture groan at the heavy blow. Echo could not hold back an involuntary wince. That sofa was damned expensive.

"…so you could get some ass." Urlander set his gaze. "You are a liar."

~ ~ ~

RP above (c) Kyo and Repsychus
Echo (c) Kyo
Urlander (c) Repsychus

Done in FireAlpaca and Photoshop

~ Repsychus

(rated for the language in the comment)