Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Maverick had lost the joy of flying long ago. He never flew just for the pleasure of it anymore. He was too busy. But flying with Isaac, feeling his excitement and listening to his awed commentary as they flew past Spellbound and towards the mountains, was like a wake up call. He remembered what it was like to fly for the first time, barely big enough for his wings to support his weight. He’d flown with his father standing beneath him, watching with one hand on his hip, the other shading his eyes as Maverick got further off the ground and away. The joy he felt, the freedom, it was all-encompassing, and for years, he would spend his days flying around, seeing the world from a whole new perspective.
When did it become a chore to give his dragon the time? When had he lost that awe that seemed to flow from the little mage in his claw now? And what the hell was he going to do about it?
“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it,” Isaac snapped. “You’re supposed to be relaxing.”
If he could frown in this form, he would. Instead, he asked, “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“I’m psychic,” he quipped, though it was dripping in sarcasm. Maverick momentarily considered pretending to drop him just to knock away some of that sass, but he was cruel enough earlier when the little mage was shaking from the cold. He hadn’t thought it’d be that intense. It was a tribute to the fact that he’d been avoiding flights that he’d forgotten how much colder it was this high in the air.
“You’re growling, Maverick,” Isaac drawled. And, in a move that surprised Maverick, he twisted around and slapped a palm on the scales of his chest. “Stop it.”
Maverick looked down at the little mage in his claw, incredulous. “Did you just slap me?”
“I’m surprised you felt that,” Isaac said honestly. He poked at the scales on Maverick’s chest. “These are surprisingly supple, but I thought they were meant to protect you. You can actually feel something as small as a slap?”
Isaac was trying to distract him from the fact that he’d actually slapped him. Lightly, and in more of a warning than to actually cause pain, but the little mage had no sense of self preservation. He was constantly pulling Maverick’s tail, and for some reason, his dragon never seemed to mind. What was so special about this little mage that his dragon would let him get away with murder? He felt no urge to put Isaac in his place. If anything, he brought him tighter against his chest, protecting him from a particularly heavy gust of icy wind.
Unnerved by his dragon’s lack of response, Maverick latched on to the distraction Isaac offered. “Yes, I can feel things. They can harden to protect me in battle, but it’s more difficult to fly like that. I don’t generally do so unless in dire need.”
Isaac wriggled in his claw, fearlessly, like he fully trusted Maverick had hold of him and wouldn’t let him fall. It warmed Maverick to have that amount of trust from the little mage, and he reveled in it for a moment.
“Show me,” Isaac demanded.
“Not in the air. The shift makes them sharper. Even on my claws. You’ll get hurt.”
He wriggled around again to get a better look at Maverick’s claws. As he ran his hands over the scales there, Maverick felt his eyes drift closed. When was the last time someone touched him so gently? Could Maverick be touch starved? It was the only explanation on why he wasn’t complaining about Isaac petting him.
“Maverick!” Isaac’s shout was filled with alarm, and a gust of wind caught his wings in a blast hard enough to send him up several dozen feet. His eyes snapped open in surprise and he veered with enough time to dodge the mountain cliff face in front of them. Idiot. Rule number one of flying: always pay attention to your surroundings. Maverick had completely ignored that rule. He’d stopped paying attention long before Isaac’s gentle caresses urged his eyes closed.
“Apologies,” he grumbled.
It was lucky that the wind blasted him the way it did. It shoved him up and away from the trees he’d probably been slowly dropping towards. Banking gently, Maverick headed back for Isaac’s apartment. He obviously needed to be done. He was too distracted with Isaac to fly safely.
The trip back was mostly silent. Maverick thought maybe Isaac was upset with him for nearly crashing, but he got comfortable after a few minutes, laying on his belly in Maverick’s claw and enjoying the view. He didn’t feel upset. Maverick’s dragon form could pick up emotions like scents in the air. Isaac smelled curious, a little concerned, but mostly… happy.
What was he thinking about that made him so happy?
Isaac hopped from Maverick’s claw once he landed gently in the park. Maverick debated heading straight home, now that he’d done what Isaac asked, but he was reluctant to leave. Besides, he promised he’d help Isaac study.
“Food first,” Isaac insisted after Maverick shifted back. “There’s an amazing Indian place at the end of the block. We’ll grab some lunch and then head back to my place to assess how you feel.”
He left no room for argument, marching ahead like he expected Maverick to follow him. Amused, Maverick did so, curious to see what the demanding little mage would throw at him next.
Isaac was practically bouncing as they made their way down the street. Not even the cold could affect his mood right then. It had been an amazing experience flying with Maverick. Even the crazy bit where they almost ran into a mountain didn’t change his mind. He did wonder about that, but he figured it was better not to bring it up. Maverick was obviously embarrassed about it, and he actually apologized, which Isaac thought was impossible for him to do. No need to make him feel guilty about it. No one was hurt. A blast of Isaac’s magic pushed them high enough to avoid the trees, and Maverick avoided the cliff face on his own. No harm done.
Once Maverick realized Isaac wasn’t going to hold it against him, he came along willingly for lunch. He even paid for it, which was nice. Isaac wasn’t made of money and he didn’t eat out often. He usually brought lunch from home too, because he couldn’t afford daily take out. He and Maeve took turns on meal prepping lunches for the week. Isaac was partial to making potato based dishes, while Maeve liked rice bases. Both were decent enough in the kitchen that they could share the chore without suffering bad cooking for an entire week.
Instead of trudging through the cold and letting their meals get cold, they sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant. Isaac got the tikka masala, because it was his favorite, along with a side of garlic naan. Maverick got the lamb curry, but he got it melt-your-face-off spicy, and then smirked at Isaac’s wide-eyed expression.
“Do you even taste it?”
“I like spices.”
Isaac made a face. “That doesn’t answer my question, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.” Isaac shrugged, moving on to more important topics. “So, how do you feel after the flight? Did it help?”
Maverick’s face hardened, and he looked away. Isaac wasn’t sure why, the whole purpose of the flight was to get Maverick’s mood settled, but asking only seemed to piss the dragon off. And he didn’t seem inclined to answer, which wasn’t helpful in the slightest. Isaac couldn’t make plans based on what Maverick needed if he wasn’t going to be honest.
“Well, I had fun,” Isaac said honestly. “I’m seriously jealous you get to do that every day.”
Maverick grunted his response, which shouldn’t have been a surprise to Isaac. It honestly wasn’t, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. At least while they were flying, Maverick had been semi polite and chatted with him. Isaac almost liked him better in his dragon form.
Since Maverick wasn’t taking the bait to start a conversation, Isaac let it go and people watched out the big front windows until their food was delivered. Then he watched in fascination as Maverick basically inhaled his food. Maverick didn’t even notice him gaping until he was three quarters done with his meal. He did a double take and scowled, sitting back in his seat.
“What? Shifting makes me hungry,” he growled.
Isaac sucked in a sharp breath, surprised. “Shit. I didn’t even think about that. Is that why you’re such an asshole when you first show up to the office every morning?”
Maverick’s scowl deepened, and he glared at Isaac, but that was answer enough. If Isaac wanted him in a better mood when he got to work each morning, a snack needed to be waiting for him. He hadn’t nailed down what Maverick liked best, the dragon wasn’t really forthcoming with information unless it was work related, but Avery said it didn’t matter what he brought him when they worked together. Maverick always accepted it anyway. Isaac made a mental note to visit one of the upstairs break rooms. He heard rumors that some were more stocked than others. The one on their floor only had shitty coffee and maybe a basket of fruit on a good day.
“Why is each floor’s break room stocked differently?” he wondered out loud.
Maverick’s brows drew together, like he didn’t understand why Isaac had a sudden change in his train of thought. He answered him, though, and Maverick’s answer really shouldn’t have surprised him.
“Each break room is supposed to be taken care of by reception. Unless she has somehow drastically changed and decided to actually do her job, I doubt Jade would put in the effort to stock it.”
Isaac resisted the urge to smack his palm against his forehead. Jade wasn’t a bad receptionist, per say. She did her job transferring phone calls and directing people, but she never did more than she absolutely had to. And if no one demanded that she take care of the breakroom, she probably didn’t bother. It wasn’t like Maverick would pester her about something as inconsequential as stocking the break room. He was too busy to care about things like that. Isaac could deal with it, though.
“Is there a budget for stocking the break room?” he asked, already making a mental list of what to stock and who to contact to get it stocked. He would bet good money that Avery would have that information for him. He wasn’t popular amongst the secretary pool for nothing.
The look that Maverick gave him said he didn’t know, nor did he care. Isaac rolled his eyes.
“Nevermind. I’ll ask someone useful.”
It was a dig, and he thought it’d irritate the dragon, but to his surprise, Maverick chuckled. It was a deep, rough sort of laugh that drifted along Isaac’s skin and made him shiver. The dragon’s voice should be illegal. It was too damn sexy for such an asshole.