Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Maverick questioned his decision to agree to go to Isaac’s apartment several times on his flight over. Maverick’s place was bigger and much nicer, but probably not well suited for guests. He didn’t have much food in the house. He considered hiring a private chef so he would have meals waiting for him, but he didn’t like people in his territory when he wasn’t there. It was easier to grab takeout on his way home.
This whole plan was probably a waste of time. He should have been at home, preparing documents to hand over to the person who replaced him. The thought hurt every time it crossed his mind, but he couldn’t begrudge Ozen for protecting the company. If it had been anyone else, it would have been Maverick who reprimanded them and put them on probation. Maverick couldn’t get special treatment.
His mood was sour when he touched down, and the walk in the cold didn’t help. It had snowed the night before, and the roads and sidewalks were icy. The wind nipped at his face and hands, and he only grew more irritated with every minute. By the time he reached Isaac’s apartment complex, he considered turning around just to spare the mage. He was already pissed off. No breathing techniques were going to help with that.
Isaac was waiting for him just inside the door, though, so it was too late to turn around. He pulled the door open after Isaac released the lock, stepping inside and out of the cold.
Isaac shuddered, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. “Ugh. I hate winter. It’s too damn cold.”
Maverick grunted in agreement. He blamed Ozen. The incubus liked all four seasons and refused to move somewhere where he couldn’t experience all of them. He’d been alive longer than Maverick and Taron, so for him, the passage of time was more easily marked by the change of seasons instead of days and months. Something about a visual representation when the days started to blend together. He probably didn’t worry about that so much anymore, now that he had a mate to keep him grounded in the present.
Leading the way up the stairs, Isaac talked over his shoulder about the class he’d taken the night prior. Maverick missed most of the conversation, his eyes locked on the mage’s ass as he scurried up the stairs and back to the warmth of his apartment. At least for a few minutes, it was a pleasant distraction from his foul mood.
“You can hang your coat on one of the hooks there,” Isaac said as he shut the apartment door behind them, waving his hand at a set of hooks on the wall. “Did you want something to drink?”
He didn’t wait around for a reply, wandering into the kitchen and leaving Maverick alone. Last time Maverick was here, his focus had been on the mage’s pain and the tension between them. He took a moment to look around and get his bearings. It wasn’t a huge apartment. Two bedrooms, a galley kitchen, and one bathroom. It was neat and tidy, with lots of plants and personal photos on the walls. The nicest part of it was the small balcony just off the living room. Isaac and his roommate must have spent a lot of their time out there, because the space had comfortable furnishings, twinkle lights dangling from the overhang like stars, a carpet, and more plants creeping up the walls. It was a well-used space, and there must have been some kind of spell put in place to keep out the elements because there was no snow out there, even though the wind was coming from that direction.
“It’s a containment spell,” Isaac said, stepping up next to him and handing him a mug. “Here. Try this.”
Maverick frowned at the contents. It wasn’t his usual coffee. The color was off.
“Chamomile tea,” Isaac explained without prompting. “You looked irritated when you came inside, so I figured you could use something relaxing.”
Maverick shot him a blank look, and Isaac rolled his eyes. “You can’t knock it until you try it. Just drink the tea and shut up.”
His eyebrows raised slowly. Isaac was naturally combative, at least with him, and he was never afraid to push back against Maverick if he thought it was necessary, but he was more sassy than usual this morning.
“Feeling alright?”
Isaac’s phone buzzed and his lip twitched like he was trying not to scowl. “I’m fine. Just an annoying professor that keeps giving us more homework. It’s nothing.”
Maverick wanted to ask more, but Isaac didn’t give him the chance, giving a pointed look to the tea before stomping over to the couch and plopping onto it.
“We’re going to start with meditation. It will feel like a waste of time at first. That’s normal. Just give it time. I spent some time last night downloading some meditation guides for beginners, so we will start with those.”
There wasn’t a chance Maverick could have held back his disbelieving grunt. Meditation was nonsense, and it would only serve to annoy him more. But it seemed like Isaac needed it, if his mood was anything to go by. It wouldn’t hurt to pretend to give the mage time to calm himself down. The tea wasn’t terrible, at least.
When Maverick sat down next to him, Isaac drew his legs into a criss cross figure and rested his hands on his knees. He eyed Maverick carefully, his eyes narrowed.
“If you’re not flexible enough to do this position, don’t force yourself. Just put your hands on your knees.”
He scowled at the mage. “I’m plenty flexible.”
“Sure,” Isaac countered, a hint of a challenge in his voice. Which left no option for Maverick but to prove it. He set the tea down on the coffee table, drew his legs up, crossing them awkwardly, and rested his hands on his knees like Isaac had. When he shot a triumphant look at the mage, it quickly turned into a scowl at Isaac’s poor effort in hiding his amusement.
“If your goal is to help me manage my temper, you’re doing a poor job of it.”
“Oh, shut up,” Isaac scolded with a smirk. “Now close your eyes and follow along with the audio. It’s okay if you can’t clear your mind the first time. It takes practice.”
The audio itself was simple enough to follow, but it did nothing to ease Maverick’s mood. Only Isaac seemed to manage that. After a while, Maverick gave up and ended up watching his assistant instead. The mage had his eyes closed, his breathing was deep and even, almost like he was asleep, and his body was relaxed. He was a pretty thing, which made the amount of sass coming out of his mouth even more shocking whenever he got riled up. Maverick thought he’d be more gentle and demur with features like that. Instead, Isaac was a force to be reckoned with and didn't even flinch while facing down an angry dragon.
“You’re staring again,” Isaac murmured. He didn’t open his eyes, but a smile pulled at his lips like he could feel the weight of Maverick’s stare on his face.
“This isn’t working,” Maverick deflected. “It’s just breathing.”
Isaac made a tsk sound, his pretty green eyes finally opening to give him a droll look. “How often do you stop and take a breath? Maybe breathing is something you should be paying more attention to.”
See? Isaac had sass in spades.
“I’ve been breathing for hundreds of years. I think I have a handle on it.”
Isaac snorted and rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Smokey. Did the tea help at all?”
He felt his palm itch again, that same urge to spank some of that sass out filling his veins. He pushed it aside. They said they would only hook up if Maverick couldn’t get himself under control. He was nowhere near that point yet.
“I didn’t hate it.”
His lips twitched against a smile at the look of pure exasperation on Isaac’s face. If he was more insecure, he’d be worried Isaac was only helping him out of obligation. But he knew the reasons that Isaac was helping him. It wasn’t only for Maverick’s sake. It was for Isaac’s as well. He would get the best experience for a future in law working with him, and if it failed, Maverick promised to find him someone at least semi decent to train him further. He still had some connections from law school and from working with other companies. He was sure one of them would be willing to take on his assistant.
The thought of someone else working with Isaac every day bothered him for some reason. He wanted to say it was because the idea was directly tied to him losing his job, but it was more than that. He was possessive of his assistant, and the idea of handing him off to someone else was abhorrent.
“I’m giving you homework, since you obviously can’t focus right now. Fifteen minutes before bed each night and again when you wake up in the morning. I want you to focus on clearing your mind and counting your breaths. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven, breathe out for eight.”
“That number pattern makes no sense,” Maverick pointed out. “Should the numbers not all match?”
Isaac made a face at him. “They can, but it’s not as beneficial. No arguing. It’s not that difficult to accomplish, and it’s only fifteen minutes. You can handle it. Now, how often do you exercise?”
“Daily,” he responded automatically.
Isaac nodded his approval. “Good. And how often are you shifting?”
“I fly to work and back most days.”
“I didn’t mean like that,” Isaac said with a frown. “I mean, shifting for leisure. According to my research, shifters need to be in their other forms often to give their animals time to stretch out and work out their energy. The energy of your dragon directly affects your mood. So, outside of the twenty minutes to work and back, how often are you shifting?”
Maverick pressed his lips together tightly. He didn’t want to admit it was less and less throughout the years. He had too much to do to indulge himself like that. He knew it was important to give his dragon time, but he figured the flights to and from home were enough. It was all he had time for.
“I figured as much,” Isaac said without waiting for his answer. “It’s the same for mages. If we go too long without using our magic, it affects our mental health. You need to be spending more time shifted.”
“I don’t have time,” Maverick argued. Especially now that his job was on the line.
“Make time.”
Isaac wasn’t going to back down from this, apparently, and Maverick felt his irritation swell at the demand. He hadn’t had someone dictating how he should live his life since he was just a fledgling. He didn’t like it.
“If I feel like you’re not giving your dragon the time, I’ll be forced to monitor you. You already get enough of that kind of attention at work. Don’t force my hand, Maverick. Make time for your dragon.”