Hadrian's love for the mercenary, Caled, is an ember he keeps alive in his heart in the hopes that one day Caled will admit he feels the same. But after a drunken encounter with Caled, Hadrian realizes that his love should be allowed to grow cold and die, because it will never be returned. This belief grows stronger when an old lover of Caled's joins their group as they begin traveling a trail frequented by bandits. Dares' connection with Caled does more than make Hadrian sick with jealousy, it worries him. They are traveling near the alleged location of a missing hidden fortune, and Hadrian can't help wondering if Dares hopes to convince Caled to help him find it. When he expresses his concerns they fall on deaf ears, and soon he becomes the one to pay the price... male/male romance. This a standalone side novella for the Juxtan universe. It is not part of the canon of Juxtan.