Chapter 10
Ten
Keoni
Draven was a weird, weird man, even by dwarf standards.
But I didn't have time to think about him because my mate was giving me very clear 'kiss me' eyes and I'd be damned if I didn't give him what he wanted.
Putting Draven firmly out of my mind, I used my hold on Zephyr's hand to tug him closer.
I couldn't turn toward him too much without my centaur side falling over and crushing his legs—I might be small, but I wasn't light—so I pulled him on top of me so his chest covered mine.
He braced himself with an elbow, hovering over me with wide eyes.
Letting go of his hand so he could hold himself up easily, I cupped his face with both hands and pulled him close.
His blue eyes were full of want as the distance between us closed, and I brushed my lips against his, soft and light.
He groaned at the teasing, and my lips curved in a smile.
I had a feeling I'd really enjoy teasing him in the future.
I kissed him again, more firmly this time, moving against his plush lips as I held his precious face between my palms. This man meant so much to me, and I would do my best to make sure he knew that.
I didn't deepen the kiss, and pulled away after a few minutes, aware of the fact that we were out in the open and Zephyr wouldn't want to be seen like this by anyone else.
Maybe it was a good thing Draven had interrupted before we kissed. Then again, I didn't think he would've made a big deal of it even if he had caught us kissing.
"Have I ever told you how handsome you are?"
"No, but you've repeatedly told me I look like shit," Zephyr replied with a smirk, and I groaned.
"You know what I meant by that."
"Do I?"
Shaking my head, I smiled up at him, then gave him one more quick kiss.
"You need sleep," I murmured, and he sighed, but didn't fight me on it.
He stood up, then glanced from me to my cart. "Do you need help?"
I hesitated for a moment before nodding, and he held my cart in place as I stood up on my front legs and helped me situate myself. I could usually wrangle myself into the cart on my own when alone, but it was much faster with help.
Once the cart was strapped in place, I walked with Zephyr to the Forest door, where I grabbed his hand before he could leave.
He glanced down at me, blue eyes warm and curious. I straightened up, tried not to show my nerves on my face, and spoke. "Zephyr, can I take you on a date tomorrow?"
Despite the kiss we'd shared minutes ago, he seemed surprised by my question, and I waited patiently as he stared at me.
"A date?"
"I promised to wait until the Sanctuary was fixed, and it is. But if you need more time, I understand."
"No. I mean, yes. Yes to the date," he said with a sharp nod, and I grinned. Leaning up, I pressed a kiss on his cheek, then let go of his hand.
"Do you want to keep it a secret? I mean, Khush kind of figured out we're mates, though I made sure he knew my real age first. He promised not to tell anyone except Dustin, and I won't say anything to anyone unless you're okay with it."
Zephyr hummed, then shrugged. "I don't mind telling them. They'll figure it out soon enough, and I don't see the point in hiding it from them. We're not doing anything wrong, after all. Are we?"
"Nope," I agreed with a grin, relieved he didn't want to hide. I would've kept it a secret if he'd asked, but I was glad he hadn't.
Zephyr smiled at me, stood there for a beat, then left. I watched him head down the hallway, waving when he glanced back as he reached the office door. He waved back, a sheepish smile on his face, then went inside, and I closed the door with a sigh.
I had a date with Zephyr tomorrow!
I hurried back to my place, then quickly went to bed, wanting to be at my best for tomorrow. I already knew what we'd do for our date, and while it wasn't anything fancy, I hoped Zephyr would enjoy it nonetheless.
I woke up early the next morning, and after I'd cleaned up and dressed in a light blue silk shirt that brought out my eyes—or so Dustin had said when he bought it for me—I gathered up what I needed for our date into a backpack and placed it in my cart.
The Dining Room was empty when I entered it since it was still an hour to breakfast, but the kitchen was noisy as ever. I knew Jacinta would kick me out if I tried to go in—I'd caused one too many accidents with my cart—so I just poked my head in and called them over.
Jacinta ruled over the kitchen with an iron fist, and while most of the work in the Sanctuary was shared by everyone via rotation, they were the only head chef of the kitchen.
She, I corrected as I noticed the pronoun sticker stuck to her apron, was very possessive over her kitchen, and only a few people were allowed to work there under her supervision.
"Hey, little bit. What do you need? Be quick," she said with a raised brow, her blue eyes sharp as ever. Her platinum blond hair was tied up in a knot on top of her head, and she wore an 'I've got a tentacle in every pie' apron.
I told her what I needed, and her face softened a little. Most people probably wouldn't be able to notice it, but I did. Jacinta was a softie at heart, even if she rarely showed it.
She patted my cheek with a slim purple tentacle, then told me to wait as she went back into the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, I had everything I needed, and she placed everything in my cart so I wouldn't have to walk around with my hands full.
"I'm pretty sure you'll tell everyone about this as soon as they come in for breakfast," I said, ignoring the affronted look on her face, "but remember to mention the age thing first, okay? I don't want anyone looking wrong at Zephyr."
Jacinta rolled her eyes as she patted the top of my head with a tentacle, her arms crossed over her chest. "Kid, most of us have known the headmaster for much longer than you. Trust me, that thought wouldn't cross anyone's mind. We know what kind of man the headmaster is."
I sighed. She was right. I didn't need to defend Zephyr. His reputation was blemish-free and always would be.
"You're right. Well, thank you for helping."
"You got it. Have fun!"
Next, I needed to text Touya to make sure Zephyr wasn't bothered today unless absolutely necessary, and then I'd find my man.
Zephyr
I buttoned my shirt sleeves, then adjusted my collar as I eyed myself in the mirror. Keoni hadn't mentioned when we'd go on our date, or where. If we were going to the human world, I'd need to skip the cloak and find my gloves. If we were staying here, I could get away with wearing the cloak.
The long purple cloak was my oldest possession. I'd used magic to keep it in perfect shape, and I liked wearing it because it felt like a barrier between the world and me. And it looked good on me, if I was being honest.
I'd put the cloak on, and if we were going out, I could just take it off.
Decision made, I finished getting ready, and just as I was about to head out for breakfast—and hopefully ask Keoni for details about our date—there was a knock on my door.
Confused, I pulled it open, and Keoni smiled up at me as he bustled in, then closed the door.
"Um, hello," I murmured, confused why he was here when we would've seen each other in a few minutes. Then the scent of fried bacon reached my nose, and I felt even more puzzled.
"Good morning, Zephyr! Are you ready for our date?"
"Huh?" I mumbled like an idiot, and he chuckled.
"Well, I thought a lot about what our first date should be like.
I made a lot of big, elaborate plans, but then I realized we've had a lot of excitement over the last few months anyway, and maybe what we need is something a bit more calm and cozy.
Soooo... home date!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide like he was a presenter on a TV show.
"Oh," I mumbled, stunned, and his smile dimmed a little.
"You don't like it? We can go out if you'd prefer that," he said, and I shook my head.
"I think a home date sounds perfect," I said, and I meant it. For one, we could be ourselves here. Keoni wouldn't need to hide in a wheelchair, I wouldn't need to wear gloves, and we could just focus on us. I'd like to go out at some point, but for now, staying in sounded much better.
"Great! I brought us breakfast, and my laptop. I thought we could eat and then maybe watch some movies? Cuddle, if you're up for that?" he asked, then turned to glance at my bed, his lips pursing in thought.
That wouldn't do. I snapped my fingers, and the bed doubled in size, the room adjusting itself to make space for it. Keoni blinked, then turned a blinding smile on me.
"Fuck, you're so powerful!"
Not powerful enough, I thought, but didn't say it, not wanting to ruin the mood.
"Let's eat first," Keoni said, and I nodded, leading him to the small table and chair in the corner.
There was just one chair, but that was okay since Keoni couldn't sit in one anyway.
I raised the height of both table and chair so he wouldn't have to lean down, and took out our packed breakfast from his cart.
"Jacinta knows, so I'm sure everyone will by the time our date ends," Keoni said with a wry smile, and I chuckled.
Jacinta was, well, Jacinta. They were guarded, but they'd opened up a little in recent years.
They'd been pretty anti-human until a few years ago, but they mellowed out a little after Touya and Bellamy—another human resident who'd arrived soon after Touya—started living in the Sanctuary. They were also a huge gossip.
"That's good. It would feel awkward to make an announcement."
Keoni snickered at the idea, and we chatted as we ate our breakfast, our conversation moving between topics relating to our family and ourselves seamlessly.
I'd thought I'd gotten to know Keoni pretty well over the years, but I was getting to see a whole other side of him now.
A confident, self-assured side that I found extremely attractive.
I'd never been in a relationship in all my years, had never been able to trust someone to let them get that close.
And the people I trusted—the people in the Sanctuary—I could never look at that way.
I was responsible for them, for their welfare, and the power imbalance there would've never let me even think about them as anything but family.
Keoni should've been the same. I didn't know if it was because we were mates, or because Keoni had never treated me like he thought he owed me, never called me headmaster, but I didn't feel the same way about him.
Not only did Keoni not see me like the others did, he called me out on my shit. He liked bossing me around, and while I would probably never admit it, I liked it when he did that too.