Chapter 7 #2
Ezra had his workbag, which was nothing but a small rucksack he could sling over his shoulder, which held supplies for Lilith, including a tiny pet first-aid kit, a small water bottle with a silicone portable bowl that could flatten when not in use, and some kitty snacks.
“Got your phones?” Brown asked casually, like he hadn’t just been romancing his man while waiting on Ezra.
Ezra dropped his head and sighed. “No. One sec.”
He went back into the room, tossing stuff willy-nilly as he attempted to recall where he put the phone Grendel gave him, and his own phone, which was probably dead and needed to charge.
If he didn’t pay most of his bills online through his phone, he would never use it.
He got job offers through the business email attached to his website, and he could check that from anywhere with a cell signal.
Remembering to carry his phone was both necessary and annoyingly difficult.
He found his own phone first, tucked into the bag that held his passport and wallet, and he was surprised when he turned it on and it still had a full battery.
He slipped that into his shoulder bag along with his wallet and passport, and then went rummaging for the phone Grendel gave him.
It wasn’t until he heard the chime from a text that he found it on the floor, just under the bed, next to a pair of yesterday’s socks.
It was attached to the charger still, so it had a full battery as well.
He grunted in annoyance as he went to the floor and grabbed it, wishing he'd thought to check the charger first. He opened the text.
I’m right here, can’t miss me! Love, Your Phone—Sergeant Owens
Ezra snorted, and then almost fell on his ass from laughing.
He wiped his eyes and stood, slipping the phone into his bag and heading back into the hall where Lilith was cleaning herself, not at all concerned about her human making noise and taking too long.
Losing things was common enough for him, and usually he was swearing the whole time instead of laughing.
Thankfully, he’d remembered to take his meds when he got cleaned up.
When Ezra got back out to the hallway and shut the bedroom door again, Chase was snickering, and Brown was shaking his head fondly at his partner. Lover? Boyfriend? Were they married?
“Are you married?” The thought escaped before Ezra even finished thinking it, and he sighed heavily, dropping his head and rubbing his face. Lilith made a narrow-eyed expression of cat disgust, and he figured it was well-deserved. “That was rude and intrusive. Sorry.”
Chase huffed, coming to stand next to Ezra, minding his feet so he didn’t step on Lilith.
“Harlan hasn’t asked me yet.” It was said teasingly, and Brown—Harlan—rolled his eyes, coming over to Chase and gently gripping the back of his neck, making the smaller man grin with a hint of deviltry in his eyes.
“Such a brat,” Harlan whispered loudly to Chase. He spoke in a normal tone to Ezra. “Chase is a bit wild out of uniform, so if he gets to be too much for you, let me know and I’ll distract him with something shiny.”
Chase gasped and crossed his arms, lips twitching as he tried not to smile. “I’m not a brat, or a crow. You can’t treat me like one.”
“You are a brat and a spoiled house cat,” Brown retorted with a teasing smile.
He’d never experienced couples acting like this with each other—his last attempt at a relationship ended the moment he turned his back on his whole family, leaving with nothing but his last name and a lifetime of bad memories and pain—so Harlan and Chase were both incredibly interesting to watch, and a bit discomforting.
Like he was in the middle of something he didn’t deserve to see or hear.
They clearly cared for each other deeply.
Gods knew his own parents never acted so affectionately with each other, in private or public.
Ezra was used to men in bars and clubs who appreciated his blunt declarations of what he was after and what he was willing to do.
Ezra found dating to be too difficult to decipher and trying it always left him anxious and confused.
Sex was so much easier to figure out, even if the initial volley of innuendos and come-ons left him a bit flabbergasted.
He enjoyed sex, but he only went looking for it when the loneliness grew too much to ignore.
He lived alone with Lilith, spending his time reading, binge-watching old sci-fi shows, working on his gear, and working out both his magic and body between contracts.
It was easier to stay home instead of dealing with people—he was very much an introvert, and while he could pretend to be put together when working an emergency, it was as if his brain dropped into a maze of offbeat social cues, missed hints, and random obliviousness whenever he was in a relaxed, social environment.
A past therapist once said he sucked at masking, and he tended to agree most days.
Masking was easier when he had a mission to focus on, even if it left him drained and depressed at the end of every contract.
When he was on a job, it helped to know that most of the people he interacted with were strangers, and they only knew he was the famous—or infamous—curse-breaker who lived a dangerous and mysterious life.
He was likely to never see any of the people he interacted with again, so leaning on that reputation, using it like armor and not worrying about doing or saying the wrong thing in a social situation was his normal.
No one ever hit on the guy who disarmed cursed objects and worked in creepy, terrifying situations, at least not when they knew who he was.
It was as if people were afraid he carried curses around like a contagious disease.
Or they were worried he would destroy beloved magical family heirlooms if he got too close.
MERS was the exception, not the rule, when it came to how he was treated while on a contract.
“Is she coming with us?” Chase asked from where he knelt, petting Lilith. She was thrilled to have a new fan.
“Um, yeah,” Ezra answered, hoping no one complained.
She really did go with him everywhere unless it wasn’t safe for her, or he was going out looking for a certain type of human company.
Chase and Harlan didn’t seem at all bothered by the idea, and he made a tiny overture, hoping it went well. “You can carry her if you want.”
Chase’s whole face lit up like Ezra told him he won the lottery.
Chase gently scooped her up, cradling her just like Ezra did in the crook of his arm.
She was purring, happy to be adored, and her eyes were nearly shut with smug satisfaction.
Ezra was glad she was happy. He wasn’t jealous—Lilith loved when other people gave her attention and wasn’t shy about expressing her displeasure if she didn’t want someone else to touch her, or if she was done letting strangers get in her personal space.
“You can give her to me or put her down if you’re done holding her. Just watch for dogs or traffic.”
“Put her down? Never,” Chase vowed, scratching under her chin. “I’ll hold her as long as she lets me.”
“Do you have cats?” Ezra asked.
“Two! An Abyssinian and a British Shorthair. Both are my darlings and I miss them dearly when we’re deployed. My sister watches them for me when I’m gone.”
“As spoiled as their daddy,” Harlan mumbled under his breath, though his expression was fond.
“It is my honor to give them everything they need and want,” Chase proudly declared, and Ezra laughed. He understood cat people just fine.
It was nice talking to people who weren’t treating him like he was odd, or a child.
Maybe the trick to getting along with people was to get the weird shit out of the way first. Tracking down and deactivating a cursed skull in the middle of a supernatural disaster had to count as a relationship icebreaker, right?
Ezra
After stopping at the campus Tim Horton’s for breakfast and more coffee, the sergeants took him at his request to the university library. Chase said something about taking Ezra to the Special Collections of the Rutherford Library to meet with a resident Elder fae expert.
Chase showed him the university map, and while the Sacred Threshold wing of the hospital and the library were technically within a ten-minute walk of each other, Ezra did not want to trek across the sunny, wide green expanse he saw through the hospital windows.
Getting hot and sweaty was only acceptable in dangerous or sexy situations, and walking across a huge campus did not count.
He was very pleased when Brown gestured to the black government SUV with MERS plates parked at the curb, and enjoyed the rare experience of being pampered by the very short drive to the campus library.
The Rutherford Library at the University of Alberta was huge. Two wings, North and South, and the galleria connecting the old library to the new one was the most unique piece of architecture Ezra had seen in years, and he lived in San Francisco, home of unique buildings.
He stood just inside the doors and stared upward, eyes wide, dimly aware of people spilling into the wide-open space around him, Brown keeping him from getting run over. “Is that…?”
“A giant glass ceiling over two separate buildings, turning them into one giant structure? Yup.” Chase said, standing next to him. “That’s something special.”
Brown was checking his phone, looking at the map on the university website. “The Special Collections Section is in the South wing. Let’s go before someone complains about the roadblock we’re making.”
Never mind the government vehicle parked at the curb in front of the main entrance.