Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
C live
“Will you sleep in the bed with me tonight?” Clive asked as he forced himself to pull away from Bain’s hard, warm body.
“You couldn’t keep me away from you now.” Bain’s face had sweat gathered over his upper lip and across his forehead and his eyes, those strange snake-like eyes, showed more emotion than Clive would have thought possible. Bain was looking at him like he had become his world.
His heart gave a little, hopeful leap. Bain had said he liked variety, but he’d also told Clive he was glad Clive didn’t like to share. He wanted a relationship with this supernatural man who’d grown important to him so fast. Not only because he’d finally felt those elusive fireworks, but because he genuinely liked Bain. Found him warm and funny despite his first impression of flash. It still stunned him that Bain could be interested in an accountant who liked his world perfectly neat and tidy.
He got the feeling Bain was his complete opposite in all ways. But that could be good. Maybe his structured world could use a good shakeup.
What didn’t seem to be in question was turning him away because he wasn’t even human. No, despite an entire life of fear over the unknown, Clive was sitting in the lap of one of those…others. And he didn’t care about that at all.
“Either what we did scrambled your brain too much, or you are thinking way too much right now,” Bain murmured as he reached up to swipe fingers over the sweat on his lip.
“It’s the first one,” Clive hurriedly said. The last thing he wanted was to for Bain to sense the animated hearts, flowers, and cherubs floating around his head. He pressed a lingering kiss to Bain’s lips then got off his lap, looking down at the remains of their passion smeared all over his chest. “We should shower first.” He held out his hand. “Do that with me, too?”
Bain let Clive tug him to his feet, standing tall over him as he slid his hands on either side of Clive’s neck. His hands covered most of Clive’s throat as he slowly stroked his thumbs over his jaw. “Clive, I want to do everything with you.”
Clive shivered at that rumbling promise, stood on tiptoe to kiss Bain again, then tugged him toward the shower.
If he hadn’t been so exhausted from the earlier terror over that creature in his house, the stress of going to a new location, and the incredible sex, he would have enjoyed the shower a lot more. But partway through, his eyes started drooping, and he began leaning against the much stronger and bigger man—who looked fantastic with water sliding down all those lean, ripped muscles.
Bain just chuckled and finished rinsing him off before he turned off the water, dried them both off, and led Clive into the master suite. They climbed under the covers and at first, Clive tensed at the unfamiliar lavender scent of the bedding, but as soon as Bain wrapped his arms around him, he relaxed. He tucked his nose into Bain’s chest, and though he wanted to talk more, he just couldn’t. Sleep quickly pulled him under.
When he woke, sunlight streamed in through the windows. His entire body immediately went on high alert at the unfamiliar room around him. He’d barely looked at it the day before, having only taken in the warm beige on the walls and the king bed with a striped beige and brown comforter. It had looked cozy, but he was feeling anything but. He abruptly sat up, gaze darting around at the chest of drawers, chair, and forest scene paintings on the walls. There was an overstuffed big chair and ottoman in a cozy little nook in the corner.
Arms wrapped around him and tugged him back down, this time against Bain’s solid, comforting body. He soaked that feeling in as he draped his arm over Bain’s chest. It didn’t take long for his muscles to loosen and for him to slide his leg along Bain’s, enjoying the rasp of hair on their thighs and shins.
“I know it’s unsettling to wake in a strange house, but it’s only temporary.” Bain rubbed his thumb over Clive’s arm.
“I’m okay. I was only startled for a moment before I remembered why I’m here. Tell me about the wards.”
Bain was quiet a few moments, still stroking Clive’s skin. “Though he has wizards skilled in wards doing most of the company’s spells, Xavier did the ones at his office, and he did these. This is his favorite of our houses, so he stays here often. I’m aware the wards are there because they make a low, humming sound in the back of my mind, but you won’t feel them. They’re like a protective bubble that keeps out negative energy. Anyone who comes here with violent intent can’t get through them.”
“You can actually hear them? That must be annoying.”
Bain rubbed his other palm over the arm Clive had draped across his chest. “Not at all. I’m used to them. And I like knowing it’s another layer of defense when it comes to you. Alaric is somewhere outside as well.”
Clive popped his head up to look at Bain. “He is? Should we invite him inside?”
“No. He has a bond with nature—loves it out there.”
“So he’s another…what did you call yourselves?”
“Preternaturals. I’m honestly not fond of that term because it means not normal or natural, and we are all very normal for our kinds. All beings of nature. But it’s been used for longer than I can remember, so it’s a standard word we all use to describe ourselves.”
“In werewolf lore, they have to shift into their other forms to stay healthy. Do you?”
“I can go for long periods in my human form, but yes, I do have to change if it’s been too long. But I’m still me like that. I just need to stretch that body because it’s mine, too. It’s not like a separate entity that needs to be free sometimes.”
“Oh, it’s like that in a lot of shifter romances I’ve read. Wait, are werewolves real?”
“Very much so, only they’re a little different. They do have two spirits and mostly keep to their packs, and their lives aren’t as long as most preternaturals. They can also be made, so their magic is, well, a little like a virus. Vampires, on the other hand, can’t make others and are born. The books get that wrong all the time.”
“You said Alaric has a bond with nature—can you tell me what he is?”
“He’s an elf.”
Clive knew his eyes were wide. “This is amazing. So a lot of the beings I read about in books actually come from our real world?”
“Most, yes. There are some works of fiction about creatures that don’t exist.”
“Like what?”
“I’ve never encountered a fairy or a leprechaun.” He grinned. “Though I did once run into a pixie in England. I had thought they were a myth, so it’s possible there really are fairies and leprechauns. It’s a wide, wonderful world out there, full of magic.” He frowned. “I’d ask Xavier, who’s a lot older than me and knows more, but he doles out information at such a slow pace, I doubt he’d tell me.”
“How did you meet him?”
Bain tensed and Clive immediately felt bad for asking. “I’m sorry. Is that too nosy?”
Lifting Clive’s face back to his, Bain cupped his cheek. “You can’t be too nosy with me, so you can ask me anything. I told you some of it. It’s just that was a bad period of my life. I was…lonely. Was getting into some unhealthy habits trying to cope with it.” He let go so Clive could rest his head again, but he angled his head to watch Bain’s face.
“I was drunk off my ass and decided it would be a good idea to mouth off in a trashy bar full of demons. Like humans and all preternaturals, there are good and bad ones, but that bar happened to be full of some real assholes. And there were too many for me to fight off—not in the shape I was in at that time. They beat me nearly to death and left me in an alley.” He paused, mouth tighter than usual. “I thought I wanted to die as I lay there. I’d lived over one hundred and fifty years and had grown tired of feeling like I didn’t have a purpose. That’s not actually unusual with a lot of us.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it would be outliving so many people you know.”
“Xavier found me there and cared for me until I was well. You know the rest.”
“Seems I need to thank Xavier.”
“For what?”
Clive rolled on top of Bain and propped his chin on his folded hands on Bain’s chest. Feeling all that skin under him had his cock perking up, but he ignored it. “For making you want to live again so I could meet you.”
“Just so you know, I’m normally a pretty upbeat creature. I’ve only had a couple of those dark periods in a long lifetime.”
“Like I have any room to worry about that,” Clive said with a laugh. “I’m not known for my outgoing personality, after all.”
Bain tugged him higher up his body to kiss him, making Clive shiver as his dick hardened more. “I like your personality,” Bain whispered against his lips. “And though I really want to explore that wood you’re pressing against me, I have to get up. I have a call with Xavier in five minutes.”
Clive bit back the urge to pout because he was more than interested in picking up where they’d left off the night before. But he rolled off Bain and jumped to his feet. As he walked toward the chair where he’d left his bag, Bain let out a loud groan behind him. He glanced over his shoulder as he grabbed some clothes.
“I know you’re sensitive about attention to your ass, but damn. Just damn.”
Clive wiggled it. “I want you to like it. I just want you to like other things about me as well.”
“Oh, I do.” Bain swung his legs to the side of the bed and stood, making Clive’s mouth go dry instantly when he turned his back to start making the bed. He had nice, tight globes that had Clive closing his eyes so he didn’t start something they couldn’t finish. “I didn’t know you were an immediate bed maker, too,” he murmured.
Bain laughed. “I’m not. I’m doing this for you.”
“Oh.” Clive thought that was sweet. “Please don’t feel you have to change your habits for me. I can be…adjustable.”
Twisting his head to grin at Clive, Bain lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”
Heat filled his cheeks. “Okay, I can try.”
“It doesn’t hurt me to be a little neater, and making a bed right away is a start. It hasn’t been hard to wash up after myself since I’ve been protecting you.”
Clive had noticed that Bain did that. Washed his dishes after using them and even putting them back into the cabinets in the order Clive liked. But Clive really did want to be less uptight. Fear had driven his need for control, had fueled his hate of chaos. Now that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid—well, once they found whoever was after him—maybe he could loosen up. A little, at least.
That need drove him for the rest of the day as he dug into his files with pure determination. It was time to learn the identity of the person after him so he could focus on what was happening with Bain.
Because something was. Something he wanted with every fiber of his being.