Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
As Elijah finished his last two interviews for the day, Alistair thought about the change in the man he’d fallen for.
Alistair had been his anchor for less than a week, but Elijah was already more confident and self-assured, his smile more natural, and the tension around his eyes missing.
He was still a people pleaser, and Alistair still felt the need to keep an eye on him to make sure people didn’t start taking advantage of that, but he didn’t hover on the outside of the conversation anymore.
Finding his anchor had given him exactly what he needed.
When Alistair thought about that bond, he’d never considered it would do anything for him, other than making a statement that Elijah was his.
He’d hoped to help Elijah, wanted to do everything he could for the sweet man, but he’d never considered anything for himself.
That wasn’t his goal. After their conversation earlier in the week, it was possible the anchor bond would benefit them both.
He still felt uncertain about what Elijah had told him. He trusted his telepath to know what he saw, but he’d never tried to remove a spell like this before. As much as Alistair wanted to believe Elijah could do it, he was almost afraid for him.
A soft touch on his arm drew his focus, and Elijah’s smile relaxed him a little. The interviews were the last thing they had needed to get done today. From here, they were heading to the silver realm. And tomorrow, they’d be attempting to remove the spell.
“It’s okay to be nervous. I’m a little nervous, too,” Elijah admitted.
Letting out a breath, Alistair nodded. “I trust you, but…”
“But this has been plaguing you for years, and you learned to accept it as your reality. I know.”
He’d thought the idea of having someone in his head would bother him after everything he’d gone through, but Elijah’s magic was a comforting presence in his mind, and sometimes when he struggled to find the right words, he was glad Elijah could hear what he was thinking.
It made communication between them a breeze, especially because it went both ways.
That was a big part of what made him comfortable with the connection.
It wasn’t just Elijah in his head. He could hear everything Elijah was thinking as well.
Elijah hummed a happy sound, lacing their fingers together as they headed to the elevator.
They were meeting Isaac and Maverick downstairs and would be traveling together.
His grandmother had decided the entire clan would be there.
With their help, they could put a protection bubble around Alistair strong enough to keep him from destroying the forest if they really did manage to remove the bands.
Alistair had initially argued, Elijah had said he wasn’t sure how his magic would affect anyone around them, but his grandmother had refused to listen.
She’d said he hadn’t let the family help him the first time, and she wasn’t going to let him make the same mistake again.
He’d given in because arguing with her was just stressing him out more.
“Is it just for their safety?” Elijah asked quietly. People still avoided being in an elevator with him, so it was just the two of them, but Elijah was soft spoken in general.
“No,” Alistair admitted. “Most of them haven’t spoken to me since the bands were put on. I’m not sure I want to see them.”
Elijah nodded slowly. “I can understand that. But part of that feeling of disconnect could be an effect of the bands themselves. They cut off your connection to your clan and your family. What might have been them giving you space to heal felt considerably worse without that connection. And if they didn't love you, they wouldn’t be showing up to help. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt for now and see how things go, okay? ”
Dipping his head, he pressed his lips against Elijah’s in a soft kiss. “Always the optimist.”
The elevator doors slid open before Elijah could respond, and a shout made Alistair’s head snap up as they stepped out into the lobby.
“There he is! He’s been hiding his power, and he attacked me! He needs to be arrested!”
Elijah sucked in a sharp breath, nearly tripping over his own feet, and Alistair had to catch him to keep him steady.
A group of five police officers rushed toward them in full protective gear with batons at the ready.
None of them were willing to wait long enough to ask any questions and from the looks on their faces, they weren’t going to be kind about taking Elijah down.
Bearing his teeth, Alistair shoved Elijah behind him, his wrists burning as his magic pushed against the bands to get free. He had to protect his mate. He had to stop them–
A snap of lightning exploded in front of them, making Alistair jump in surprise. He pulled back his sleeves and looked down at the bands, worried he’d broken through their spells somehow, but they were fully intact and glowing to keep his magic at bay. That hadn’t been him.
Isaac darted in front of them both, with Maverick on his heels. Then Ozen, Taron, and Zephyr. Brennus came next, with even more people standing beside him. They formed a literal wall between Elijah and the police, and even more stood behind them, protecting his back.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ozen demanded, his glamor flickering as he fought to control his temper.
“We received a call about a dangerous telepath attacking members of staff,” one of the officers informed them. “He needs to be taken into custody–”
“Elijah hasn’t attacked anyone!” Avery shouted. He was somewhere behind them, out of the way because as a human, he was more at risk of injury if anything went wrong.
The voices of the crowd rose in outrage, all arguing against the accusation that Elijah had hurt anyone.
Even members of staff who Alistair had seen in the loyalty interviews were on their side, shouting about how they’d agreed to the interviews, and Elijah had been brief and polite.
Elijah was overwhelmed by the support behind them, and if Alistair wasn’t worried about the police, he would have turned around to hold him, because it felt like his mate was close to tears.
“You were informed incorrectly,” Ozen said over the din, his tone sharp. “Did you really intend to attack an innocent man based solely on the accusation of a former employee?”
Slowly, batons were lowered, and the officers looked uncertain. Even fully geared, they couldn’t take on a crowd this large, even if they wanted to insist. One of the officers, a centaur, raised a hand, trying to get the crowd under control again.
“My name is Officer Kaisen. I’m sorry if our actions seemed brash.
In our experience, dangerous telepaths are volatile and will attack innocents if given the chance.
We’ve learned to detain them quickly before asking questions to prevent hostage situations.
We understand that the information we’ve been given may not be fully correct, but for everyone’s safety–”
The group crowded closer around Elijah and the centaur paused, taking in the situation with considering eyes.
“Alright… I can see that isn’t necessary.
If someone could please speak with me, I’d like to understand where this accusation is coming from.
A member of your staff said he was attacked.
We need to know if there is any truth to that. ”
“There isn’t,” Brennus said, stepping forward.
“Mr. Forgeshield agreed to a loyalty interview this morning after some red flags were raised in his personnel file. While working with Elijah, evidence was found of corporate espionage, and he was asked to leave. He is a disgruntled former employee, hoping to create waves to distract from his own actions.”
The officer standing next to Kaisen, another griffin, asked, “Where are the allegations of attack coming from, then?”
Brennus gestured to Alistair, and the crowd parted just enough for the officers to see him properly.
“This is Elijah’s anchor. During the interview, Mr. Forgeshield attempted to launch a psychological attack against his mate.
In order to protect himself, Elijah blocked the attack until such a time as he could remove their connection.
Mr. Silverbreeze can attest to this. There was no attack from Elijah, as he only acted in self-defense. ”
The griffin straightened, frowning. “Silverbreeze? Are you a member of the Silverbreeze clan?”
Alistair dipped his chin but didn’t answer out loud. It was taking everything in him not to attack the little weasel trying to get his mate arrested, who stood near the main entrance of the building.
The griffin looked to Kaisen, murmuring, “I’m inclined to believe him. The Silverbreeze clan is mostly made up of battlemages. My brother worked with a few of them. They’re good people.”
“Indeed,” Brennus agreed. “Meanwhile, Mr. Forgeshield has been accused of corporate espionage and is closely working with the man our company is suing. I believe it’s him you should be focused on.”
Grumly wasn’t expecting the attention to turn his way, and his face paled as the officers turned around to look at him. Like an idiot, he squeaked and tried to run, and watching him get subdued was more than a little satisfying for Alistair.
With attention shifted away from Elijah, the crowd seemed to relax a little.
The CEOs, along with Brennus and Maverick, all went to speak with the police while the rest of the staff lingered, maintaining the wall they’d created while whispering amongst themselves.
Alistair finally felt safe enough to turn around, pulling Elijah into his arms and letting out a long breath.
“Are you okay?” he murmured against Elijah’s hair.
“I… I’m a little confused. I thought…” I thought they didn’t like me.
Honestly, so had Alistair. It surprised him when so many people stepped up to protect him.
Aoi, who stood nearby and overheard, gave him a kind smile.
“Talk has been going around recently. The people who had to have interviews with Elijah shared their experiences. More people stepped forward who had worked with him in the past. No one had a bad word to say. People have been reconsidering their opinions, at least in regards to Elijah. He’s a good person.
” Her brows furrowed. “Someone also mentioned Elijah had been suppressing his magic, not hiding it, which I think shocked a lot of people that he would go that far to be here. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. ”
Elijah looked up at him in surprise. Only a handful of people knew about that. How did they find out?
The sound of someone clearing their voice drew their attention to Avery, who wrinkled his nose. “I’m pretty sure I know who shared that, but I promise it was with good intentions. I think he wanted everyone to know how hard you’d been working to make the staff comfortable.”
He gestured to Taron, who was speaking with one of the officers with a teasing smile. The little shit couldn’t stay serious for more than a few minutes.
“Well… I guess if it helps…” Elijah murmured. He still looked stunned by the number of people who showed up for him, and Alistair got the feeling it would take time for him to accept that people trusted him. It took a while for him to accept Alistair did at first, too.