Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
When he finally escaped Ozen’s meeting, having purposely avoided agreeing to anything when Ozen finally asked him to join in the conversation, he found his boyfriend in the lobby with Elijah, Taron, Kian, and several others.
Including Tony who had finally come down and looked less exhausted than he had when Wash had seen him that morning.
They were all hovered around a glowing spell in Kian’s hand, and even Elijah looked captivated as they listened to the voices shouting from it.
They all collectively gasped as Wash stepped up to join them, then leaned forward eagerly for more.
“Her sister?” Peri whispered to Kian. “Seriously?”
“That’s awful,” Taron added with a frown. “Cheating is bad enough. Why would you involve family?”
“Why would the sister agree to it?” Avery asked, looking around the group. “I don’t have any siblings, but I can’t imagine wanting to sleep with a sibling’s fiancé.”
Taron shook his head, looking just as confused. “Neither could I. That’s…”
“Icky,” Peri finished, wrinkling his nose.
They all nodded in agreement, including Elijah, who looked just as fascinated as the rest of them.
Wash looked around in confusion, but the only one who didn’t look engrossed in the drama was Alistair, who stood in the corner, a watchful eye on the group and their surroundings.
It was an odd stance, overprotective, and Wash found himself heading in that direction, his tone low as he asked, “Is something wrong?”
Alistair shook his head, pulling his gaze away from the group to look at Wash. “Why do you ask?”
“You look like you’re waiting for someone to start a fight at any moment,” Wash pointed out with a scowl. “Is there something I need to know?”
Because if there was some kind of threat and Alistair didn't tell anyone, Wash was going to be pissed. He had Peri to think about, and the little fairy shouldn’t be anywhere near danger.
Alistair sighed, his expression darkening as he looked back at Elijah again, but he seemed to push the emotions aside, keeping his voice low as he explained, “Occupational habit. I was in the military for a long time. I already did a perimeter sweep, there’s nothing to worry about here, I’m just overcautious when it comes to him.
” He jerked his chin in Elijah’s direction.
Wash understood his position, especially if he’d been in the military, but something about that also bothered him.
Elijah had been constantly frustrated with him for being overprotective when they were children.
It was the whole reason why he pulled away.
He didn't want Wash getting involved. Apparently that same behavior wasn’t an issue when it came to his anchor.
Alistair was hovering in the corner like a wraith, ready to protect Elijah from any imagined slight, and Elijah only glanced in their direction once and smiled at his anchor.
It shouldn’t have bothered him, he was Elijah’s brother, not his anchor, but it did. He had cut Wash off for protecting him, then bonded to a man who did the exact same thing. The distinction hurt.
Without a word, he spun away and headed for the elevators.
He was going to go upstairs and cool off, but before he could do more than jab the button to call an elevator, Brennus cleared his throat, interrupting the eavesdroppers and reminding them all, “The first team bonding event is in a few minutes. Is everyone ready?”
He gritted his teeth, hands clenched into fists, and seriously considered making up an excuse to get out of it. It was only Peri landing beside him with an excited grin that made him hesitate.
“Peri… I’m not sure–”
“Don’t worry. I already got the details from Taron. It’s nothing crazy,” Peri promised, patting his arm. “Tonight, it’ll just be a few games. We’ll play as teams too, so you won’t have to be all alone.”
Taron’s warning about Peri being forced to sit out if Wash didn’t participate flitted through his head, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to fight back his growl.
The shapeshifter was doing this on purpose.
He’d bet his next paycheck Taron chose activities that had to be done in teams so Wash couldn’t get out of it without upsetting Peri.
“I’m going to hurt Taron,” he growled to himself.
“Why? Taron’s great!” Peri said, tugging Wash’s arm in an urge to join the group.
Wash shook his head. He couldn’t force himself to play games right now. Especially games that included his brother. “Now isn’t a great time, Peri. I’m sorry…”
He figured Peri would get upset. That was probably what Taron hoped for, so Wash would feel bad and participate anyway, but to his surprise, Peri’s expression became concerned, and he moved to stand in front of Wash, his head tipped, and his hands resting gently on Wash’s chest. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
He still didn’t want to get into his issues with his brother. The last time they’d touched on that subject, Peri had cried, and everyone blamed him for it. He didn’t want to deal with that again.
“I’m just not in the mood. Maybe you can play with Tony, as long as the games don’t require him to stand up.”
Peri shook his head in refusal. “I don’t want to do that. I want to be with you. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”
Setting his hands on Peri’s hips, he leaned into it when Peri pressed their foreheads together.
He didn't think he could get away with not explaining at least a little. Peri was stubborn when he wanted to be. But he figured if he kept things vague, Peri wouldn’t hold it against him. He respected Wash’s boundaries.
“I don’t think I can be around Elijah right now. I don’t want to talk about why, I just need some space from him,” he murmured.
To his surprise and relief, Peri didn’t demand an explanation. He wrapped his arms around Wash’s neck, studying him for a moment before urging him to hide his face against Peri’s neck. Wash did so, hugging the little fairy and breathing him in.
“If that’s what you need, then I can keep him away from you,” Peri murmured. “Are you sure you want to skip the activities though? You don’t have to be near him. But I don’t want you to miss out just because he upset you.”
He considered insisting on going upstairs, he didn’t want to take his foul mood out on the rest of the bunch, but he felt a little better with Peri in his arms, and he knew Peri was looking forward to the events.
He could tell Peri wouldn’t let him go off alone, and he’d feel like a jerk if he forced him to skip them.
With a long sigh, he forced his body to relax by increments.
Peri didn’t rush him, and surprisingly, neither did anyone else.
The rest of their group had already headed into the nearby conference room, leaving them alone, and when Peri eventually pulled Wash in to join them, no one mentioned his absence.
Peri ushered Wash into a chair near Kian and Dorian, with Brennus and his mate on their other side. It meant he had to be careful what he said around the griffin, but he preferred their company over the rest.
Taron stood in the front of the group, his expression eager, but not mischievous in a way that would make Wash concerned. He relaxed a little further, squeezing gently when Peri took his hand and laced their fingers together.
“I figured we’d start this party off with something fun, but simple. First, everyone will be in groups of six, so I’ll give you all a minute to pick your groups and a name for your team.”
Peri was quick to ask their neighbors to form a group, so he didn't have to worry about somehow getting teamed up with Elijah. His brother ended up in a group with Maverick and Isaac, as well as the lead for the entertainment division and his boyfriend who he’d brought along.
They weren’t anywhere near each other, and because the game required their answers to be kept a secret, they had to keep their distance, which Wash appreciated.
“Alright. The name of the game is to figure out what’s inside the box. No peeking, but you can handle it all you want. Don’t worry about breaking it, there’s nothing breakable inside,” Taron explained, while a member of the retreat staff handed big boxes out to each group.
“Who filled the boxes?” Maverick asked suspiciously.
“I did,” Tony spoke up from where he was seated at his own table with a pile of sweets that Peri had made him, while Taron stuck his tongue out at the dragon shifter. “Don’t worry. Taron doesn’t know what’s inside. I picked the filler items with an intern while he was in a meeting.”
Smart man. From the pout Taron shot his mate, he’d hoped at one point to gain some insider knowledge, and Tony had turned him down. Maverick seemed satisfied with Tony’s answer, leaning back in his seat while Isaac accepted the box.
“Tony will have the timer, everyone has five minutes to make their guess. Ready, set, start!”
Peri didn’t need to be told twice and snatched up the box, squeaking in surprise when it turned out to be heavier than he expected. Wash had to catch it to stop him from dropping it on his toes. He grunted with the effort, stunned.
“What the hell?”
“What? Is it heavy?” Kian asked, plucking the box out of Wash’s hands when he offered it. He sucked in a breath, hefting the thing a few times with a confused look on his face. “What is this?”
“Is there perhaps a spell to make it seem heavy?” Brennus asked curiously during his own turn holding the box. “The items were all procured by Tony, so I assumed they wouldn’t be so heavy.”
“Unless he had help?” Peri suggested. “Can you shake it?”
Brennus did as he requested, shaking the box. The heavy thudding sound wasn’t any more illuminating than holding it had been.
Wash looked around the room, studying the different groups. Alistair seemed to be trying to use his magic, his hand glowing, while Taron was trying to wheedle his mate from across the room to give him hints. No one else seemed to know what it was, all in deep discussions with each other.
“It has to be something off the wall,” Wash said, more to himself. “In order to have Taron enjoy himself, Tony would have wanted to make it difficult. And it was probably something in the office too, since neither of his mates would be comfortable letting him stray.”
Dorian leaned forward, eyes intent on Wash. “You think we should treat this like an intellectual puzzle instead of a guessing game?”
Wash nodded once. “What can we think of that Tony and an intern would have access to in the office, that weighs this much and would fit inside a box this size?”
They started throwing out ideas, occasionally picking up the box again to test the weight of it. They had a few ideas when Peri pointed out, “Would it only be from the main office? Is Tony allowed in the other divisions?”
Whipping his head up, Wash and Dorian locked eyes with each other, coming to the same conclusion at the same time.
“Stage weights.”