Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
They didn’t get a lot of time to argue about it. They had maybe two minutes of back and forth before the door flew open and Isaac’s mother entered the room. She looked pissed and worried, rushing over to his bedside without even a glance in Maverick’s direction. His father followed her more sedately. He’d always been a quiet man.
“Isaac! My baby boy! Are you alright?” She searched him for injuries, touching the bandages on his arms. They weren’t that bad. They didn't even hurt. Isaac knew he’d get some injuries when he asked Maverick to go full armor, but it was the only way he could think to protect the dragon from the impact. His magic did enough to limit the pain. And with magic on his side, he’d be back to normal in a few days.
Pushing her hands away, Isaac sighed. “I’m fine, Mom. I just need a few days’ rest. I’ll–”
“At home,” Maverick interrupted. “He needs a few days of rest at home. The lead druid said he needs to commune at home to regain his strength.”
His mom finally realized they weren’t alone, and her head jerked up in surprise. “Who–” Her eyes narrowed, and she hesitated, looking between them. When she whipped her head around to look at him again, Isaac frowned. Why was she acting like that?
“Isaac? Do you have something to tell me?”
His brow furrowed tighter. Tell her? What the hell was she talking about?
“What?”
Maverick interrupted by clearing his throat. He shook his head minutely and his mother clammed up again. Okay, that was the second time since he woke up that people were acting strange around him. What the hell was going on?
“He’s fighting against going home. I’d appreciate your help in convincing him,” Maverick said, probably to distract him from the conversation. It freaking worked.
“I don’t need to go home! I can commune just fine here! I don't even have time to go home. I’m not sure if I still have a job after the stunt I pulled, but I still have school. I can’t miss it. There is at least one professor who would take exception and probably fail me outright.”
Apparently, that didn’t mean anything to anyone but him. Three stubborn gazes glared at him, showing their exact thoughts on the subject. Too bad he was just as stubborn. And he wasn’t going to fuck up his goals anymore than he already had.
Maverick looked at Isaac’s mother. “Is the commute difficult? I can fly him to his class and back if necessary.”
She shook her head. “Not really. We live in this realm, but our family home is in the silver realm. The nearest portal for it is maybe two hours south east of here. I’m assuming you can get there faster?”
They were discussing his life like he wasn’t here, and he did not appreciate it one bit. It was a tribute to just how depleted he was that his magic didn’t rage about it. He was silently stewing when his dad stepped around his mom, putting his hand on Isaac’s shoulder.
“Are you alright? I saw the news. I was worried.”
Isaac’s brows snapped together. “News?”
His dad nodded, pulling out his phone to show him the articles. All the pictures showed the damage from Maverick’s landing, and there were a few with him and Maverick unconscious, but no one else was reported hurt. There was some conjecture on the reason they’d crashed, but nothing concrete.
“They’re probably going to harass you for a while,” his dad murmured. “Might be best to come home. You won’t get any peace to recover in the city.”
Damn it all. He was right. Without answers, reporters were going to swarm his place and probably Maverick’s, if they could find it. The wards would keep them at bay inside the building, but if Isaac wanted to heal properly, he needed to be in nature. The park wouldn’t work.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Alright.”
His acquiescence seemed to catch the attention of his mother and Maverick. They both went quiet, studying him for any signs of a fight. Isaac had none. He was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid enough to forgo communing completely. He could feel the tug on his core when he got irritated. He needed to reconnect with nature and heal.
“Well, good. At least you have some sense. I was beginning to worry after the choices you’ve made since you left home,” his mother snarked, adjusting the blankets on his legs. Isaac resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Will you be joining us, Mr…” she trailed off, raising her eyebrows at Maverick.
Isaac opened his mouth to protest, but Maverick beat him to it. “Maverick Van Buren. And no. I’ve caused Isaac enough trouble. It’s better for him to go alone.” A growl ripped through the air, but Maverick cut it off with a scowl, repeating himself more firmly. He wasn’t talking to his mother that time. He was talking to his dragon. “I’ve caused him enough trouble. No.”
Isaac’s expression flattened at the dragon’s stubborn snarl. He’d seen how disconnected Maverick was from his dragon. Years of only giving him the bare minimum of time and attention would do that. Isaac wasn’t the only one who needed to communicate better with his magical half.
“Where are you going, then? Home?”
“I need to make a handover report for Ozen, but after that, yes. Home.” He said it with such finality, like he accepted already that he’d lost his job. Isaac wanted to protest, nothing actually happened in the office, but he didn’t want to have that conversation in front of his parents. He didn't want to embarrass Maverick.
He kept his comments to himself, but mentally prepared his argument for the next time he saw Mr. Hawksley. If he did things right, he could put the fault on himself. Losing a temp job was nothing compared to Maverick losing his career. Isaac liked the experience, but he didn’t need it. And it was his fault. He pulled the dragon’s tail when he was already pissed off, and he was stupid enough to leap off a building to get his focus away from the people inside. Maverick shouldn’t have to suffer for that.
Maeve showed up at one point with a change of clothes for him and a lecture. With his mother backing her up, he had no choice but to sit there and take it. While they were berating him, he saw Mr. Hawksley come inside and he wanted to interrupt so he could talk to the incubus, give his argument a shot, but they never gave him the chance. Any time he looked away, their voices rose into deafening shrieks. He couldn’t even hear what Maverick or Mr. Hawksley said. The incubus handed him a bag, said something quietly, and left without another word.
“... I mean, who does that? What were you thinking?”
“You asked that already,” Isaac ground out, annoyed. “Look, I get it. I was an idiot. Can we put a pin in that? I need to–” He tossed off the blankets and hurried out of the room, chasing the incubus down. He was Maverick’s friend. He had to be more understanding. Right?
“Excuse me! Mr. Hawksley!”
He hadn’t gotten far, thankfully, and he turned at Isaac’s approach, raising one eyebrow. Those blood-red eyes were a little disconcerting, but Isaac pushed past the discomfort, straightening his spine.
“I don’t know what he told you about what happened, but it wasn’t his fault. It was mine. I was thoughtless and impulsive. Probably a little cocky, too. It was my idea to take that leap, and he had no choice but to go after me. Please don’t punish him for my decisions.”
Something warm flashed across the man’s face for a moment before settling into something more serious. “And why did you feel the need to make that choice?”
If he thought he was going to corner Isaac, then he had another thing coming. He had an argument for this too. “Like I said. I was impulsive. I distracted him from an argument by picking a fight and then ran. His instincts said to chase me. It wasn’t his fault.”
Mr. Hawksley hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I want to believe you,” he said with a sigh. “But he’s been difficult to deal with lately. I don’t think you would have needed to distract him like that if he had better control.”
“I know. And we’re working on that. I offered to teach him meditation to help with his moods, and I’ve been encouraging him to give his dragon more time. It hasn’t even been a full week yet. He needs more time.”
The incubus looked surprised, his platinum blonde brows jumping nearly into his hairline. “You’re teaching him meditation? And he agreed to that?”
“Begrudgingly,” Isaac admitted, then pushed a little harder. “He loves his job and the company, Mr. Hawksley. He’s willing to put in the work. And he was doing better. Today just went sideways. It won’t happen again.”
He held his breath as Mr. Hawksley considered it. He didn’t think Mr. Hawksley was unreasonable, but he was prepared to keep going if needed.
Eventually, though, Mr. Hawksley sighed. “I wanted him to take time off when he first started losing his temper more often. He’s always been a bit hotheaded, but he never mistreated his staff to the point that they feared him. When things took a turn, I asked him to take a break. He refused.” He looked at Isaac again, his expression resigned. “He’s been my friend for hundreds of years. He was there for me when I was at my worst. I want to help him, but I can’t protect him forever. Do you think, if he takes the time to truly work through it, he can get better?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his voice. Isaac knew Maverick cared about his work. He wouldn’t have agreed to work with him if he didn’t. And with enough time, he was sure Maverick would get himself under control. They just needed time.
Mr. Hawksley pressed his lips together and nodded once. “Alright. If you can help him, do it. I’ll put him on a paid leave of absence to get his dragon back under control.” His gaze flicked over Isaac’s shoulder. “At least a week of rest to work on himself. If he can come back fully in control of himself, then his job will be waiting for him. But if he’s a lost clause, I expect to be informed about it.”
Isaac felt Maverick’s presence before he heard the warning growl. He elbowed the dragon behind him to silence him and plastered on a pleasant smile. “He’s making me go home to rest. I’ll take him with me. Some time in nature in his dragon form will do him a world of good. I promise. Thank you, Mr. Hawksley.”
Mr. Hawksley raised an eyebrow at Maverick and smirked when the dragon stayed quiet. “I’ll leave him in your care, then. I hope your break is restful. I’ll call next weekend for an update.”
He turned and walked away, and Isaac nearly melted with relief. He was a little more confident about becoming a lawyer after that. Not just anyone could argue with the CEO of the most prestigious company in the country and actually come out the victor. He was definitely making the right career choice.
Now he just had to convince Maverick to go along with his plan.