CHAPTER ONE
“Time for a break,” Kian insisted.
Dorian blinked up at him blearily. Kian could practically see the questions on his face. He would be surprised if his mate knew what time it was, or even what day.
He tried to be understanding. He really did.
Dorian had told him about his intention to work late the past week.
He’d told Kian about the upcoming holiday and how everything slowed down or was postponed until the new year whenever the holiday rolled around, and Dorian had wanted to do a bigger push to get things done before that happened.
They were so close to fixing the last of the mess made by Spellbound’s former division lead, and Dorian had wanted them back in a good place before the year was out.
Kian had agreed, because Dorian had been up front with him and even given him a detailed list of what he’d be doing and how long it would take.
It meant a lot of overtime, and Dorian wasn’t taking great care of himself, but after it was over, he would be able to return to a relatively normal working schedule.
For a while, Kian went along with it. He did what he could to take care of Dorian while he was busy, forcing him to take breaks to feed at the very least, but a few swallows here and there between meetings was all they could manage.
He knew Dorian was hungry. And exhausted.
The poor vampire had brought work home every night and hadn’t slept much.
Kian got the feeling the minute that list was done, he was going to pass out for an entire month.
“Kian…” Dorian began, then frowned. He wasn’t even sure which way was up right now, much less why Kian had demanded he take a break. Kian sighed.
“Come with me. You’ve got… a meeting. I’ll show you the way.”
If it was work related, Dorian would follow him without question. He stood, and Kian fought the urge to smile when even an exhausted Dorian took a moment to kiss his cheek before following him out of his office. Why was he so damn cute?
Kian led the way down the hallway and past reception, where the newest receptionist was typing away at her computer.
At this point, they had most of the staff replenished, and Kian was given his own office on the same floor as Dorian so he could keep track of Charmed Away’s Spellbound Division while keeping an eye on his overworked vampire.
And across the hall from Kian’s office was his Dorian relief room.
Okay, technically, it was a storage closet.
But Kian had commandeered it, emptied it out, and put in a small bed and soft lighting so if he noticed Dorian had gotten to the point of exhaustion he had a place to bring him to get him to rest. It was also a private place for him to feed his delirious vampire that was warded so no one could hear them or interrupt them.
Ozen had approved when Kian had demanded the space, and even sent the same mage who’d warded his office to help Kian so he wouldn’t have to put up the wards again every time they went in and out.
It was nice to have the backing of the higher ups when dealing with his Dorian.
The vampire was too private about his feedings to do it in the office until he knew they couldn’t be overheard.
Dorian began to protest as Kian nudged him into the little space, though his words didn’t make much sense. “I can’t– But I need to– You said I could–”
“Hush,” Kian interrupted, bullying Dorian into the room and onto the bed. Dorian didn’t have the energy to fight him, and his protests were halfhearted at best. And, like Kian had assumed, the minute his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
He smirked to himself. That lavender restfulness powder he’d gotten from his mom was the best. He sprinkled it on their pillows at home for a few weeks, just to get Dorian used to it and equate the scent with sleep, then started putting it on the pillow here.
It was magic, just how quickly it worked now.
He pressed a kiss to Dorian’s forehead, whispering, “Sleep well. I’m going to go talk to your buddies. It’s time for you to take a vacation.”
Dorian didn’t even twitch, which didn’t surprise him in the least.
Stepping into the hall, he made sure the door was locked so no one would disturb his mate, and headed to reception, knocking on the surface to get the nekojin’s attention. “Hey, Hitomi. Dorian’s resting.”
She was the one Spellbound employee he’d picked himself.
The telepath from Supernatural Resources had informed him over email that they were picking members for Dorian’s floor soon and asked as Dorian’s mate, did he want any of those spots saved for himself?
At the time, Elijah hadn’t known about Kian’s abhorrence for sticking with a single job for longer than a month or two, so the offer was polite, and Kian appreciated it.
He’d turned it down but requested to be part of the process of picking Dorian’s receptionist. He wanted someone he could trust to call him if Dorian looked like he was overdoing it, and would be tough enough to refuse to send calls through when Dorian was resting. Hitomi had been his choice.
She looked up at him, an amused smirk on her face. “I’ll redirect all calls then. Are you sure you want me to redirect them to Mr. Cunningham? That might not go well.”
Kian snorted. He loved Taron. That mischievous shapeshifter proved very quickly he was one of Kian’s people.
“He was the one who put the plan into place until Dorian could pick a VP. And he’s good with people. He can soothe any ruffled feathers while Dorian takes a nap. Do me a favor and tell Taron to meet me in Ozen’s office. It’s time.”
She nodded, already picking up the phone. “I’ll let him know.”
He gave her a mock salute and headed for the elevator.
He wanted to portal, but he needed to give Taron time to get to Ozen’s office.
Besides, the company was too busy for him to be opening portals willy-nilly.
He’d learned that the hard way when too many confused employees had stumbled into his portals when they weren’t paying attention.
The Medical Innovations Division staff had gotten used to him, and no longer actively avoided him.
At least, not for his species. A few avoided him because they’d pissed him off in the past, usually bothering Dorian when he’d explicitly said not to, and had been on the receiving end of some of his more creative pranks.
They learned pretty quick that when it came to Dorian, they had to go through Kian first or end up singing their presentations or having a particular commercial jingle start playing whenever they had a moment of quiet.
Still, it was nice that people didn’t squish themselves to get away from him, and a few even greeted him with friendly waves and small talk.
His phone buzzed with a text from Taron, letting him know he was on his way to Ozen’s office, and the shapeshifter was waiting for him when the gold elevator opened up on the top floor.
“There’s my favorite person,” Taron greeted cheerfully.
Kian rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. “You say that to everyone. It’s hardly a compliment.”
Taron tossed his arm around Kian’s shoulder, leaning on him as they headed toward Ozen’s office. “Yes, but you’re the only one who will play with me. So you’re my favorite prankster. It still counts.”
Snickering, he pulled open the door to Ozen’s receptionist’s office.
She was on the phone, so she gave them a smile and held up a finger, asking them to wait while she finished.
Kian did a magical check of the wards on Dorian’s nap room while he waited.
Still undisturbed, so Dorian must still be napping. Good.
“Sorry about that, gentlemen,” Collette said as she put the phone down. “How can I help you?”
“I need five minutes with Mr. Hawksley. I need to inform him of something important.”
Collette pursed her lips, nodding slowly. “Okay… Well, he’s in a meeting right now. He’ll be back in ten minutes. Would you like to sit and wait or–”
“Is Avery in?” Taron interrupted, already heading for Ozen’s office. “He promised he’d share details with me about his next book.”
“He did not,” Collette and Kian said at the same time, then grinned at each other.
Taron pretended not to hear them, sweeping into the office where Avery was sitting behind his desk, eyes glued to his screen and fingers flying over the keyboard.
Kian winced when the poor author jumped, his concentration broken.
He hadn’t had any intention of interrupting the human while he was busy writing. That was all Taron.
“Good morning, Avery! What are we working on today?”
Since he was already interrupted, Kian didn’t feel bad joining them, wiggling his fingers at Collette, who just sighed and shook her head, giving her focus back to her work.
“Giving Taron co-founder status gave him too much power. Troublemakers like him shouldn’t be in charge.
It only leads to more mischief,” she muttered under her breath.
Kian found it hilarious.
He was still snickering when he joined Avery and Taron, who was whining and giving Avery those big pouty eyes that could get almost anyone to give in to his whims. Almost.
“No, Taron. I told you, you don’t get to know before it’s finished. Not after last time.”
“But that was an accident!” Taron argued. “He manipulated my good nature!”
“I did not,” Kian replied blandly. “I said, ‘What were you and Avery talking about?’ and you spilled everything.”
“But… but… but…”
Avery didn’t budge, and when Taron craned his neck to see his screen, Avery shut it off and crossed his arms over his chest, the refusal clear in his eyes. He wasn’t budging, and nothing Taron could say would change his mind.
Taron shot a pleading glance at Kian, who shook his head.
Nope. He was not part of that little game.
He wasn’t obsessed with Avery’s books like everyone else was.
However, that might change eventually. Avery had mentioned audiobooks, and those would be a lot easier to tolerate for Kian.
He could keep busy while listening instead of being stuck in one spot.
The argument died when Ozen swept into the room, completely unsurprised to find Taron in his office while he was out. He quirked an eyebrow at Kian, as he wasn’t often an addition, and Kian turned to face him, his expression serious when he said, “It’s time.”
Ozen nodded and didn’t argue. “I’ll set things into motion. Have you told him yet?”
“Told who what? Time for what?” Taron asked, practically bouncing at his side. Avery looked curious too as he came around his desk, taking Ozen’s jacket off him and hanging it on the coat rack like an old habit. Ozen gave his mate an affectionate smile as he explained.
“Kian and I had a discussion after Dorian’s accident when he showed back up to work too soon and overdid it.”
“Again,” Kian interrupted with a scowl.
Ozen dipped his chin to acknowledge him.
“Again. We made a plan together to ensure if Dorian was overdoing it, steps would be taken to ensure he gets the rest he needs.” He pulled out his phone, tapping on it for a moment before handing the phone to Kian.
“This is my timeshare. You’re free to use it.
It’s all-inclusive, and the staff will be alerted that you’re coming by the time you convince Dorian to join you. ”
Kian snorted. “That makes it sound like I’ll be asking his permission.”