Chapter 19
Bain
Bain grabbed his bags and took the stairs up to his apartment, moving slowly because he was exhausted. Vacation or not, he’d barely rested, and his body was now complaining. But it didn’t compare to the pain in his heart. No matter how much he’d tried to sleep, he just kept seeing the expression on Clive’s face as he’d looked at the remains of that demon. Then again, that fear when he’d gazed at Bain. Bain held the power to mesmerize with his eyes. To kill. And yet Clive seemed to have a similar power over Bain. One look and Bain’s heart just stopped.
He’d had nightmares about that expression.
Walking was like trudging through sludge, but he didn’t want to try and sleep again. He didn’t even want to finish moving up these damn stairs.
He’d walked away from his soulmate.
Xavier had tried calling him several times, and he’d ignored the calls, knowing his friend would only read him the riot act. Call him foolish. But Xavier hadn’t seen Clive’s face. The pure horror and fear had been stamped into Bain’s brain like a morbid Edvard Munch painting come to life.
When he reached his door, he paused. Even as exhausted as he was, his senses were sharp and he knew he wasn’t alone.
Someone or something was in his apartment.
Fury streaked through him even as he relished the idea of a fight with the mood he was in. With his place heavily warded, the only beings that could be inside would be powerful ones.
Right before he opened his door, one thought hit, and his shoulders slumped. It was probably Xavier, who had a key. Did he even want to talk? No. But turning away, when Xavier would know he’d arrived, was a coward’s move and he certainly wasn’t that. Still, he took a deep breath and readied himself to listen to Xavier bitch at him. Or, knowing Xavier as well as he did, quietly reprimand.
But it wasn’t Xavier on the other side of his door. It was Clive, and utter shock froze his limbs. He could only stare, his gaze starved for that precious, freckled face. It may have only been a week since he’d seen him, but it had felt like a year.
Before he could speak, anger tightened Clive’s features and he abruptly growled and shoved his hands into Bain’s chest, making him take a step back. Clive marched around him and slammed the door shut before turning back to face him. “You just left. Not one word. After everything we shared, how could you do that?”
That wasn’t at all what he’d expected to come out of Clive’s mouth. He twisted fully to face him, surprise making him mumble, “I was actually supposed to go on vacation before I took the job for you, so I was due.”
“Vacation? Really? That’s your excuse?” He stomped farther inside and threw his hands into the air. “So I was just a job? Was the sex a part of that job?”
That stabbed through him like a knife to the gut. “You know it wasn’t.”
“Then what was it? Because if you say it was just some fun, I’m going to punch you. We both know it was a lot more than that.” He spun around, and the pain in those blue eyes cut into Bain again. “Is that what you’re going to say?”
Bain’s shoulders slumped. “No, Clive. I can’t say that.”
“How could you have left like that?”
Bain couldn’t help but briefly shut his eyes before he opened them to gaze at Clive sadly. “I saw your absolute disgust over what I did. Your horror.”
Clive threw up his hands. “Of course I was horrified! I was looking at body parts. Blood. Gore.” He walked to Bain and grabbed his arms. “But none of that horror or disgust was because of you. Those demons would have killed me. You were protecting me.”
“I didn’t have to lose it the way I did but when they hurt you—” Bain swallowed the hard lump in his throat. “I felt more rage than I’ve ever felt in my life. Didn’t even know I was capable of that.”
“So you horrified yourself.”
It wasn’t a question, but Bain still nodded.
“Then you ran away from me because of that.”
He started to speak, then stopped. Had he? Yes, in a way. He had definitely been ashamed. “I felt that someone as good as you could never love a creature capable of that.”
“Love, Bain?” Clive’s whole body slumped even as his face lit up and a trembling smile pulled at his lips. “Do you want me to love you?”
“I do.”
“Why? Because we’re soulmates?”
Bain knew his shock was evident in his wide-eyed expression.
“Xavier told me.”
“He shouldn’t have done that. Holy hell.” Bain took Clive’s hands in his and squeezed his slim fingers. “Please don’t feel obligated because of that. There’s no rule that we have to be together because of that. Or any promises needed.” He frowned when Clive pulled his hands away. “Just because you could be mine for all eternity doesn’t mean you should tie yourself to me. To the preternatural world I live in. In fact?—”
Clive stopped him with his hand over Bain’s mouth.
“Soulmates aside, how do you feel about me?”
Bain didn’t even hesitate when Clive removed his hand. “I love you. I love you so much, I don’t even know how to process how strong it is.”
Clive’s eyes grew shiny, and what Bain saw there made him draw in a shaky breath.
“How could you ever feel I might not feel the same?” Clive whispered.
“But what I did was so violent. I shouldn’t expose you to that.” He had to curl his hands into fists to keep from touching Clive. “Being with me, it could happen again. We’d live a long time, and you’ve seen that not all preternaturals are good.”
“But a lot of them are. Right?”
Bain couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, there are mostly good ones.”
“Like humans. You all aren’t any different than humans in that respect.” Clive wrapped his fingers around Bain’s biceps. “You opened my eyes to a truth I needed to hear my entire life. I spent that life afraid because I didn’t understand. No more, Bain. I don’t want to live in fear. I want to live. Really live. And I want to do that with you. The sex is like nothing I’ve ever felt and?—”
“Sex shouldn’t be the only reason we stay together.”
“I wasn’t finished.” Clive gave him a fierce frown. “But tell me it’s good for you, too, first.”
Bain’s heart thumped hard in his chest. “It’s never been better. I touch you, and it’s like I come to life myself. And it’s so much more than sex. So incredibly much more.”
Clive tightened his fingers on Bain’s arms. “It is for me, too. God, Bain, I’m so wildly into you, I can’t breathe sometimes, and other times I have to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming. I know that in living a long life with you, we’ll face other dangers at some point. I understand we’ll have to move eventually so people don’t notice we don’t age. I’m in it for all of that. Every moment of excitement or change, and especially for love. I want to be there for every single moment, and I want all those moments to be with you. Always.”
Bain had stopped breathing throughout Clive’s heartfelt speech and now had a hard time making his lungs work. It took him awhile to not only get his air back but to try and tamp down the joy burning through him like a wildfire out of control.
“Now’s the time you speak, Bain.” Clive said as he let go and started wringing his hands. “You’re scaring me.”
“ Now I’m scaring you?”
“Yes!” Clive nearly yelled. “I just laid my heart on the ground, and you can either stomp on it or take it as yours. What’s it going to be?”
He’d always known this little human had fire. Had felt it when they’d had sex, had seen glimpses here and there, but having him demand Bain take his heart fired hm even more. He couldn’t not hold Clive then.
He wrapped his arms around him tight and buried his face in those soft, dark curls. “It’s mine. That heart is mine,” he growled. “I want it.”
“It’s yours. Oh, my god, I want you so much.”
“You have me because my heart is yours, too. Everything I am is yours and will be forever.”
When Clive suddenly let out a sob, Bain pulled back and stared down at this man who had changed his world. He wiped the one tear that had escaped.
“Thank you for giving me another chance,” Bain said softly, his voice ragged with emotion.
“There’s no ‘another’ here. You had a chance from the moment I opened that hotel door the very first day. That chance never went away. Yes, you killed the demons after me with more violence than I’m used to, but I never saw you as a monster. I find your other form beautiful, especially because it’s you. It’s who you are, and I love all of you.”
Bain looked around at his messy apartment and chortled. “You may not love everything about me.”
Clive glanced around, paused, opened his mouth, then closed it. He bit his lip, then grinned. “I was a little shocked when I first came in here, and I want to say this is okay, but how about it’s something I’ll get used to?”
“I’ll work on my neatness.”
“We’ll both work on things. Learn to compromise on some. That’s what relationships are all about. I’m pretty sure anyway. You’ll be my first.”
“Your only,” Bain insisted.
“My only. So this soulmate thing… I’m really not going to age? How long will I live?”
“No way to know. Probably hundreds of years, but it could be even more. Millennia. I have a feeling Xavier has been around that long. He won’t ever say. And speaking of Xavier, is that how you got into my apartment? Because it’s warded.”
“I don’t have evil intent, but yes, he gave me a key.” Clive frowned. “And don’t you be mad at him because he was only looking out for our best interests.”
“So he not only told you about soulmates, he actually gave you the way into my home. It’s completely out of character for him.”
“Maybe he likes me.” Clive beamed at him, and that sunny grin sent butterflies soaring through Bain’s stomach.
“How could he not? He’ll always be in my life. When we have to move the business, rebrand it in a whole new location, I’ll be going with him because I love what we do. Love protecting humans.”
“I’ll be going with you.” Clive suddenly moved forward to hug Bain, burying his face in Bain’s chest. When he spoke, his voice was muffled but Bain understood him perfectly. “I want all the adventures with you. I’ll be seeing new places, and I never expected that to happen in my life. I’ll meet other preternaturals and maybe even finally make some damn friends myself. I’m glad you have Xavier. It was obvious he cares for you deeply.”
“He does and has from the very moment he found me in that alley.” Bain reached down to tilt Clive’s face to his. “But it’s mostly going to be you and me. Friends will come and go, and yes, most of the long-lived ones like me will be around off and on for many human lifetimes. But you will have to grow used to watching humans you form attachments to leave us. You’ll outlive your parents. Not only that, but you’ll have to not see them ever again after so many years because they’ll notice you’re not growing older.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we’re not already close.” Clive stood on his toes and kissed Bain. “I will be fine when that time comes. I’ll be with you.”
“Yes, you will be,” Bain murmured as he buried his nose in those amber-scented curls and just took his soulmate in. “It’s going to be you and me. Forever.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading Basilisk!