Eighteen
Walker
"Are we supposed to ignore the fact that Ajax is lurking in the corner like a creepy stalker?" I asked Caelan in a hushed voice, and he chuckled as he followed my gaze to Ajax, who not-so-casually stood leaning against the counter and sipped his coffee.
"I think so, yeah," Caelan replied with a grin. Then, he waved at Ajax, who fumbled his coffee cup, almost dropping it before he caught it again. Then, he slowly waved back before lowering his eyes firmly to his coffee.
"Man, I didn't think someone as big and well, warrior-like, could be so adorable," I said, and Caelan raised his brow at me.
"Are you kidding? Do you even know Damien?" he demanded, and I chuckled because he was right. Dad could intimidate the best of them—and did so when it was warranted—yet he was also the sweetest, kindest person I knew.
"Yeah, my bad. Dad definitely takes the medal in that one," I agreed, much to his amusement.
"Your dad's the only person I know who can go from torturing information out of some asshole to bringing flowers to someone who is having a bad day in a split second," he said.
My dad was pretty special, all three of them were.
"You know what we should do?" I asked as I took the last sip of my coffee, and Caelan waited patiently for me to go on. "We should take the day for ourselves and explore this city."
"Oh, yeah? What about him?" Caelan asked, tilting his head toward Ajax.
"He'll probably tag along," I said with a shrug, and Caelan shook his head.
"And the other demons?"
"They can wait a day. They're not going anywhere. Come on, Kitty. Think of it as a day-long date, please?" I begged, batting my eyelashes at him.
Caelan sighed, smiling wryly. "Fine, fine. You might be a bad influence on me, Walker," he teased, and I grinned. I'd proudly accept that title if it meant I got him all to myself today.
"Come on," I said, dropping a few bills on the table before getting up and offering Caelan a hand. He took it, and I pulled him closer. We were practically the same height, and with him so close to me, I couldn't resist leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. It was a soft, almost chaste kiss, but Caelan's smile when we pulled away could've lit up the whole room.
Ajax followed us out, though he kept his distance, and I turned to Caelan as we started walking. "Is there any place in particular you'd like to visit, or should we just take a stroll and see what we find?"
Caelan was in his human form, and his eyes looked strange like this, without the vertical cat pupils. "Let's take a stroll. Sometimes, you find the best places when you're not looking for them."
"Amen," I answered, squeezing his hand. "So, Caelan, I know your favorite movie genre is horror. What about music?"
Caelan tilted his head thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the storefronts we passed. "A little bit of everything, I guess. Except country," he said with an exaggerated shudder, and I chuckled.
"No country, got it.”
"What about you?"
"Hmm...I haven't really had the chance to hear more than a few styles, and I'm still learning a lot of the other languages, so I'm probably going to disappoint you by saying pop," I said, and he rolled his eyes.
"Why would that disappoint me? Some of my favorite songs are pop. Not to mention, now I get to have the pleasure of introducing you to some of my favorite music," he said, and I smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice.
"That's right. But what if I end up liking country music?"
"Banish the thought," he said with a shake of his head. "That's a dealbreaker right there."
I laughed, and we walked in silence for a while, our arms swinging between us. My thoughts flitted from topic to topic before returning to the question his comment had raised in my mind.
"What would be a dealbreaker?" I asked softly, and he glanced at me, brows furrowing.
"Excuse me?"
"For us. What would be a dealbreaker to you?"
"I don't think there's anything, at least not for me," he said, and I tilted my head.
"Come on, that can't be true. I know we're mates and everything, but we still have to have boundaries and needs and stuff, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, of course. I just can't think of anything that would make me want to break our bond," he said, then pursed his lips. "Well, except for dishonesty. And lack of communication."
"See? That's what I'm talking about. We gotta have some rules," I said, and Caelan let out a laugh. I stared at him, brow raised, and he sobered quickly.
"Sorry. You just, you very much looked like Arty's son when you said that. He's all about the rules too," he said with a cheeky grin, and my face screwed up. I knew my dads were into some things , but I didn't need to know .
"Urgh," I said, giving a dramatic full-body shudder. "That right there is rule number one. No talking about my dads' s-e-x life," I spelled out the word as if that would make it less awkward, but I guess that was what happened when you got together with your dads’ best friend.
Caelan
"All right, all right," I said with a laugh. While talking about his parents like that was a little awkward, I also loved the screwed-up face he made at the topic. But if he wanted it to be a rule, then so be it. I'd figure out some other way to get him to make that face.
"Rule number two is honesty and open communication," I suggested, and Walker nodded.
"Yep! We should also have a safeword," he said, and I stopped short. I glanced at him, wide-eyed.
"We need a safeword?" I asked, my voice coming out a tad squeaky, and Walker's own eyes went wide.
"Oh no, not like that. I mean, we can talk about that if it's something you're interested in, but I just meant like if something like the other night happens again. If one of us gets overwhelmed or triggered, we can safeword so the other one knows to stop," he explained, then rolled his eyes. "Maybe it was a stupid idea."
"No, actually," I argued, brushing my nose against his. "I like the idea. So, what will be our safeword?"
Walker grinned as if he'd just had the best idea and suggested, "Country?"
"It's as good as anything."
"Okay, then," he said, and we started walking again. I didn't remember if I'd seen anything at all except him. We were supposed to be exploring the city, but all we'd actually done was get lost in each other, not that I minded one bit.
I glanced back the way we'd come, and relaxed a little when I spotted Ajax just a few steps behind us, hands in his pockets and keeping pace with us.
"Did Ro'Shassz hitch a ride with you today?" I asked, and Walker pursed his lips and patted down his pockets.
"Nope. Looks like he decided to stay home," he said. "Either that, or he went to see the dads."
"They're probably grilling him about us," I mused, and Walker sighed.
"I'm sure they are. And Ro has plenty to tell them too," he said, and I chuckled.
"Like how we almost dragged him into a frotting session?" I asked, and his cheeks went pink as his eyes widened in horror.
"Oh shit, I hope he won't tell them that," he murmured, and I shook my head.
"I'm sure he won't. It was his own fault, after all."
"Oh look! I think that's Kym's old tattoo parlor," Walker said after a few moments, and I glanced up, recognizing the place from one of the few times I'd visited it when Maximus first found his mate.
"Do you want to get a tattoo?" I asked since his gaze seemed to be stuck to the place, and he shook his head, eyes sliding back to me.
"Nah. And if I did, I'd just ask Kym to do it. Everyone else does," he said, and I nodded. Reece had helped Kym set up a mini tattoo parlor in Otherworld, and he'd given many Otherworlders new tattoos.
"True that," I answered, and we finally started walking again. I glanced over at Walker as we walked, and like it had a habit of doing at random moments, I was once again struck with the realization that he was mine. That I finally had him.
Ever since the day I left Otherworld, I'd daydreamed about returning to a grown-up Walker, of finally telling him what we meant to each other. It'd taken a little while longer, but we were finally there, and I was glad we'd taken our time, resolved our issues before we got to this point.
"I think I'm ready to head home," I murmured, and Walker met my eyes, the green flecks in his amber eyes glittering in the sunlight.
"Yeah, I think it's time to go back," he replied before glancing around. "Shit. We're on the other side of town. Come on." He tugged me toward an alleyway, and I followed him willingly.
Ajax appeared at the mouth of the alley, and Walker waved him over. As soon as he was close enough, Walker grabbed his hand and magicked us all back to the apartment.
Ajax shook his head before eyeing us both. Then, he headed for the door. "I assume you plan to stay inside for the rest of the day?" he asked as he reached the door, and I nodded.
"Oh yeah, we're not going anywhere," Walker answered with a grin, and I shook my head as Ajax's cheeks went a little pink.
Clearing his throat, he nodded quickly. "Then I will leave. Please call me if you go out. Either of you," he added.
"We will," I assured him, and he was gone.
Walker was on me in an instant, and I kissed him back with just as much fervor. He pushed me against the door, and then turned us around so his back was against the door instead. Was it because of the other night? I didn't care, and frankly, I did feel a little better not being trapped against the door, even though I knew Walker would never force me.
"Fuck, Walker," I groaned against his mouth, and his lips tilted up in a smile. "Maybe we should move this"—I gasped as he nipped at my lower lip—"to the bedroom."
"Yeah," he answered, grabbing my hand and pushing me back before tugging me toward the bedroom. "Come on."
And of course, I followed him right away.
Ro'Shassz
"It's like he doesn't exist," Max growled. "Harlan found no magical traces in the place they held Caelan, and none of my informants have heard anything about this vampire."
"Very few beings have a powerful enough grasp on magic to be able to evade our eyes," Day murmured, sharing a speaking glance with Arty.
"His escape was rather quick too," Arty added. "I know they usually stick to their realm, but I think he has a fae helping him."
"A fae? Really?" I asked, and Arty nodded grimly.
"All signs point to them. Their cloaking spells are unlike anyone else, and their magic practically untraceable."
"I think we need to talk to Tharion," Day said, and Arty nodded.
This trip to the human realm was supposed to get Caelan and Walker together, not put them in danger. I'd been the one to push them into this trip, which meant it was now my duty to keep them safe.
Step : Keep Caelan and Walker safe at all costs.