Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Everett
They had to wait for a night with a full moon to do the spell. Everett and Dax showed up at the office near midnight with Emory and Ivor coming with them. Xavier agreed to do it, though he’d spent time on the phone warning Everett of the possible risks, and that it might not even work.
Everett’s nerves were firing like crazy, but he hadn’t changed his mind. He was ready for this.
The office was strangely quiet. There were a few of the protection specialists lurking around the desks, and they all watched Dax and Everett walk to Xavier’s office. He doubted Xavier had told them what was going on, but they must have all sensed something important was up.
“Are you sure about this?” Xavier asked as soon as they entered the office and shut the door behind them.
“Very,” Everett answered, making sure he sounded more confident than he felt.
He looked at Dax, seeing the mix of worry and love on his face as he gazed at Everett.
His heart began to race even harder.
This had to work! Yes, they planned to be together no matter what, but Everett wanted this so badly.
Xavier lit candles on his desk as he spoke. “I’ll be tapping into the ley lines for this spell because it’s a powerful one. They’ve been steadily growing in strength lately, so the magic will be intense—maybe even painful.”
“This could be painful for him? You didn’t tell me that. How painful?” Dax put his hands on Everett’s shoulders and leaned down to whisper, “Everett, what we have is more than enough.”
“I’m not afraid of pain, Dax. It’ll be worth it to be your soulmate.”
“I didn’t know it would hurt you.”
“Possibly hurt, he said. I’ll be fine.”
Xavier had been picking up a large amethyst, but he paused to look at Dax. “His life isn’t in danger here. I’ve called Alaric in as an extra precaution. He should be here any moment.” He lit another candle, and Everett, looking closer now, saw he did it with his fingers alone. Neat trick.
Xavier looked back and forth between them both. “I wouldn’t have suggested we try this if the spell itself was dangerous. You know that, Dax.”
“Yeah, but you also said nothing about it hurting him.”
“I will be tempering the ley line magic through myself first.”
Everett didn’t like the sound of that. “Will it hurt you, then?”
“I will be fine,” Xavier assured him. He glanced toward the large glass wall. “There’s Alaric now. We can begin.”
Xavier finished picking up the amethyst and began to speak in a language Everett didn’t recognize. His voice was low, deep, and melodic—almost hypnotizing. He walked to Everett and raised the amethyst to his forehead. The stone felt warm against his skin.
Eyes closed, Xavier kept speaking that hushed tone as the fine hairs on Everett’s body stood at attention. The magic filling the room was palpable. He felt it on his skin and breathed its thick essence in from the air.
Then he gasped as pain shot into his forehead. It swelled until his entire head felt heavy. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to stop a small whimper from escaping his mouth. Even his teeth hurt, but most of the pain seemed to be gathering behind his eyes.
Xavier’s voice picked up in intensity and speed, but Everett’s head ached too much to open his eyes. He cried out, sweat starting to drip down his temples.
Fingers threaded with his. The rush of comfort calmed him. The pain began to recede, and he cautiously opened his eyes to see Xavier staring at him intently. He looked the same, so for a moment, Everett was scared it hadn’t worked. But then he turned toward Dax and his eyes flared wide.
Two dark green horns rose from his head. They curved outward in opposite directions, the surface shiny and the color rather beautiful. Like marble, as Trilla had described them. Small, gray tusks jutted from his lower lip.
Everett found those ridiculously sexy.
Dax stared anxiously at him.
Everett slowly shook his head, though it still felt heavy, still ached. “It worked. You really should have let me see you before. You’re gorgeous in your true form.”
Red crept over Dax’s cheeks, and Everett started to smile, but that smile quickly dropped when the most horrendous odor suddenly filled the room.
It was the rancid smell of dead things and decay.
His eyes watered, then blurred. He was blinking away the tears when something solid hit his throat and sent him back into the wall.
His body slammed hard. He was so disoriented, all he could focus on was the loud yell that came from Dax.
Everett managed to get control of his eyesight and wished he hadn’t.
The creature that held his neck was something out of his worst nightmares.
Broken and corpse-like with parts of its skin missing and showing bone.
Ragged clothes barely covered its form, and where there should have been eyes, there were only empty sockets.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dax leap forward to grab it, but Xavier grabbed his arm to stop him.
“No, it’ll rip out his throat. Let me.”
Utterly frozen in terror, he could only stare into those empty sockets as the surface of his skin began to tingle. The thing holding him snarled with broken lips and turned its head toward Xavier. It let Everett go, and he slid down the wall, watching as the creature began to move toward Xavier.
The whites in Xavier’s eyes bled to black as he pointed his finger at the creature and spoke in that foreign language again.
It screamed, and Everett covered his ears, still unable to look away from the creature.
It turned and smashed through the glass wall.
Chaos erupted in the outer room as it dashed through the bodyguards.
Several tried to catch it, but it turned into a kind of vapor right in front of Everett’s eyes. Then it was just…gone.
“Well, shit,” he croaked out, wincing at the pain in his throat.
Dax knelt in front of him and placed a gentle finger on his neck. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “What the fuck happened? Where did it come from?”
Dax helped him to his feet, and they both looked to Xavier for answers.
“Our spell must have released it from the nephrite.”
“You mean my inability to see you all was still keeping it there after my blood triggered it?” Everett asked.
“I can only surmise that is the case.” Xavier frowned. “I should have realized that could happen, so I apologize.”
“You couldn’t have known.” Everett looked at all the broken glass on the floor. “I’m sorry about your wall, but I’m really sorry it got away. Where do you think it went?”
Dax answered him. “The draugr is a protector of treasure, so it will be going to whatever that is.”
Truly alarmed, Everett hugged his arms to his chest. “What do we do? We can’t just let it go after someone else. I feel responsible for this since it was my blood that triggered the spell to begin with.”
“There’s nothing you can do, Everett, and it’s definitely not your fault. I transcribed enough of the journal to know what family is holding the treasure. I’ll send Ivor and Emory to protect them. I broke your tie to the draugr, so it has no interest in you now.”
“Why did it attack me like that?”
“Because you were tied to the spell holding it prisoner. It saw you as a threat to its true purpose. But you’re safe now.”
Everett gave him a smile. “Thank you. For getting that thing off me and for the spell, which obviously worked. I guess my grandfather was always right.”
Everett looked through the broken wall, his mouth falling open as he took in Emory’s wings among other things he hadn’t been able to see before. More horns, scaled skin—even tails.
“I can’t believe this,” he breathed. “All this time, you guys have been all around me, and I had no idea. This is incredible.” He looked back at Dax.
“I do wish you’d felt comfortable enough to show me your true self before, but I’m happy to see you now.
Not sure why you worried. As I said, you’re gorgeous. ”
Dax just gave him one of those shy smiles that made Everett all sorts of warm.
He eyed the sexy tusks, then reached out to touch one with his finger.
It was smooth. The thought that occurred to him then was not one to share with so many others around, but something in his expression must have given him away because Dax tilted his head back and laughed.
Xavier’s chuckle sounded from behind him. “Maybe it’s time you two went home for some private time,” he suggested.
He started to say something else, but Everett held up his hand to quiet everyone as he realized he felt something different deep in his chest. It was full and sort of lovely, like how he’d felt snuggled in front of his grandfather’s fireplace, only bigger…
no immense. Complete. He felt complete. He stared at Dax, at the love shining from his beautiful green eyes and knew that this feeling was coming from him.
He could feel Dax’s love inside him. “Oh my god,” he whispered, putting his hand on his chest. “Dax?”
Dax nodded, a smile of pure delight stretching his lips wide.
“Do you feel this, too?” Everett asked.
“I do.” Dax came to him and framed Everett’s face with his hands, staring down at him with so much affection and wonder, he was nearly glowing. “I knew it. From the very beginning, I knew it. You’re my soulmate, Everett.”
“I didn’t know it would feel like this. Like you’re inside me.
I can feel how much you care and it’s…well, it’s amazing!
” He wished he had better words to describe it, but those words felt as elusive as fluttering butterflies.
All he could do was bask in the overwhelming awe that washed through him like a rushing river.
Dax’s desire for this made sense to him now.
And he’d been willing to give this up to be with Everett anyway.
“I love you so much, Daxington Grobb,” he said softly, not caring that they had an audience. Not caring about anything but the realization that this wonderful being loved him in return. So much more than he’d known.
Dax said nothing, but he didn’t have to.
All he felt was in his face and in that warm presence inside Everett.
It was like they were in their own private bubble, deeply connected, tethered to each other with the kind of devotion Everett couldn’t have imagined.
He reached up and laid his hands over the ones Dax still cradled to his face.
“Let’s go home.”