Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
Peri and Elijah had split up from Alistair and Zephyr again after Elijah was sure Alistair wasn’t hurt during his rock climbing adventure.
Peri had questioned how they’d both gotten hurt.
Apparently, they’d decided to race and slipped at the same time.
It took a few minutes for Elijah to be convinced he could separate from his anchor without worrying he’d do something so silly again.
They were keeping a leisurely pace behind the pair, more focused on enjoying nature and getting to know one another than racing to find the treasure items, when a crack of thunder made them both jump. Peri squeaked and hid behind Elijah automatically, looking around wildly. He hated thunderstorms.
“Weird… There were no storms projected for today,” Elijah murmured.
“There weren’t?” Peri whispered, almost afraid he’d set off a storm just by speaking too loudly.
“No, look. The sky is still blue.” Elijah pointed up, and they both studied the sky together, puzzlement overtaking the fear.
Peri was going to suggest going back to the retreat anyway, in case the storm was close, and they just couldn’t see it with the trees in the way, when a thunderbird streaked across the sky overhead, little zaps of electricity coming off him as he rushed past, heading in the direction of the retreat.
Elijah looked over his shoulder at Peri, worry crossing his face for a second before Alistair spoke somewhere ahead of them. “Relax, Eli. I’m right here.”
Relief swamped Peri’s companion, and he heard Elijah let out a heavy breath. When Elijah moved to Alistair’s side, Peri went with him, still feeling antsy about the thunder. Logically, he knew it was because of Zephyr when he flew past, but he couldn’t describe just how much he hated storms.
“What’s going on? Why’d he leave?” Elijah asked with a frown.
“Zephyr got a text. Taron was hurt. I told him I’d walk back with you so he could go to his mate.”
That made Peri straighten, whipping his head around to face Alistair. “Wash?”
Alistair shook his head. “The message didn’t mention him, but it was sent from his phone, so he’s probably fine.”
Peri glanced at Elijah anxiously, relieved when Elijah waved him off. “Go. We’ll be okay.”
Since Peri could see the worry for his brother, he promised, “I’ll text you when I know more. See you in a minute.”
Worry for Wash made him set aside his fear of lightning, and he flitted off, over the trees and toward the direction Zephyr had flown only a few moments earlier.
He pushed his wings to the limit, his feet already moving when he landed in front of the retreat.
Thankfully, he didn't have to go far to find his boyfriend.
He was leaning against a wall near a small circle of people surrounding a couch, with Taron being fussed over by his mates.
“I swear, a thaisce, I’m fine. It’s not that bad,” Taron attempted to reassure Tony, who hovered like an anxious mother hen.
“You wouldn’t need a healer if you were fine, T,” Zephyr snapped. “What the hell happened?”
“Apparently, I’m not the best at tree climbing,” Taron replied nonchalantly. “Who knew?”
While Tony and Zephyr continued to fuss over Taron, Peri made a beeline for Wash, looking him over anxiously. Wash shook his head before Peri could ask, assuring him, “I’m fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Peri quipped, tugging at Wash’s sweatshirt to look underneath. His boyfriend made an attempt to stop him, but Peri wouldn’t be deterred, and when he noticed Wash flinch when his hand ran over his side, Peri shot him an accusing look.
“It’s nothing,” Wash tried again. “Just a scrape.”
And yet, when Peri lifted the shirt, it stuck a little where the scrape had been bleeding. Peri couldn’t help but stamp his foot, glaring at his boyfriend. “That’s not nothing! You’re bleeding!”
His reaction seemed to surprise Wash, as well as everyone in their vicinity. He wanted to be embarrassed, but he was also mad at Wash for lying. Tears burned his eyes, both angry and hurt, and he turned his face away, swallowing around the lump in his throat.
“Hey, hey…” Wash grabbed his hands, trying to reassure him. “Demons heal fast. I’ll be alright, sweetheart. It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” Peri insisted again, his voice cracking. “You’re hurt.”
Wash seemed at a loss for what to do, which only made it worse. He was the one who was hurt, but because Peri was close to tears, he was just standing there instead of dealing with the problem.
Tugging on their hands laced together, Peri murmured, “Come on. We need to clean it out.”
Wash went willingly enough as Peri dragged him away, and he didn’t comment on Peri’s hovering as they rode the elevator to the third floor.
Their room was at the end of the hall, and Peri pulled him straight into the bathroom before starting the shower.
He prepared the cloth and soap while Wash stripped out of his dirty clothes and climbed in, hissing when the water hit his side.
Spinning around so Wash didn’t see the tears in his eyes, Peri stripped out of his own clothes, whispering the protection spell for his wings before scurrying into the shower so he could help Wash clean up.
“What’s this?” Wash queried, hovering a hand close to Peri’s wings, where the spell sparkled gold and white.
“A protection spell,” Peri murmured, his hands shaking as he held the washcloth close to Wash’s side without actually touching it yet. “Fairy wings don’t react well to water. The spell keeps them dry.”
It took a minute for him to work up the courage to press the cloth against Wash’s scrape, and he was glad they were in the shower so Wash couldn’t see the tears streaming down his face.
He never wanted to hurt his boyfriend, even by doing something like this.
But it needed to be cleaned if it was going to heal without scarring, and Peri had seen dirt in it when he’d looked at it before.
Wash’s hand covered his, his voice warm as he said, “Let me do it.”
“N-No… I can do it,” Peri protested, his voice wobbling despite his best effort.
“Peri… Baby…” Wash cupped his face, forcing him to look up. “It’s okay. Let me do it.”
Reluctantly, he handed off the cloth, squeezing his eyes shut when Wash started scrubbing the scrape. It only took him a few moments, and he never made a single sound of pain or discomfort.
“There. Look. It’s already healing.”
Blinking his eyes open, Peri glanced at the scrape.
True enough, the bleeding had stopped, and the scrape looked a lot less angry than it had before.
When Peri shot Wash a questioning look, his boyfriend shrugged a shoulder, his smile soft.
“I told you, demons heal fast. Thank you for taking care of me, though. I appreciate it.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Peri mumbled, cuddling against Wash’s uninjured side when Wash opened his arms for him to get close.
“You noticed.”
He wasn’t sure Wash had intended for him to hear it, he’d said it so quietly, but when Peri looked up at him, his smile was a little tighter than before, just a hint of pain behind his eyes.
Peri remembered the story Elijah had told him about how Wash would come home with bruises and cuts.
How many times after Elijah asked him for space did Wash come home hurt, and no one noticed?
He hadn’t even flinched when Peri had put the cloth against his side. Was he just used to the pain?
He tried to hold it back, he really did, but the idea broke his heart, and the sobs escaped unbidden.
No amount of covering his face would hide the sounds.
His shoulders shook in his attempt to hold it all back, but when Wash pulled him closer, wrapping himself around Peri with his head tucked under his chin, the dam broke and he fell apart completely, sobbing against Wash’s chest until his lungs hurt.
“Shhh… I’m okay,” Wash whispered, rubbing his back soothingly.
They couldn’t stay in the water all day, and eventually Wash ushered Peri out of the shower, wiping him down with a fluffy towel before nudging him into bed.
Peri went without argument, still sniffling and hiccuping from the sobs.
He didn’t settle until they were lying in bed together, Wash wrapped around him again, rubbing gentle fingers along his arm.
“Do you know how the spell works?”
Sniffling and wiping his nose on the tissue Wash had handed him when they climbed into bed, Peri looked up at him. “What?”
Wash gestured to Peri’s wings, and he had that look on his face that Taron called his ‘work face’. It soothed Peri a little, seeing that deep concentration like he was trying to understand the secrets of the universe.
“I don’t. My parents taught me the spell when I was little. I don’t even remember when exactly.”
Wash frowned, his eyes glued to Peri’s wings.
His heart skipped, and he went a little breathless when he offered, “You can touch them if you want…”
Wash raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Really? Doesn’t it bother you?”
Lifting a shoulder awkwardly, he whispered, “I don’t think I’d mind if it’s you.”
He buried his face against Wash’s shoulder, embarrassed. He’d never offered to let someone touch his wings before. It made his stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies.
His breath caught in his throat as gentle fingers brushed along the edge of his wing.
When those fingers skimmed along the center, he arched and let out a little moan, his cock perking up as foreign sensations danced along his skin.
Little sparks of pleasure and warmth followed Wash’s fingers, and somehow Peri felt it everywhere.
His whole body tingled, and when Wash rolled them so Peri was lying on top of him, giving his boyfriend room to touch the other wing, Peri started squirming, his body thrumming with a need for release.
“Wash…” he whimpered, gasping when Wash’s erection slipped between his thighs, resting against his ass. When he ground his hips, that massive cock rubbed against his hole, teasing him, and he immediately wanted more.
“Ungh, Wash!” Peri cried out. His boyfriend had used both hands to trace up his wings, and it was enough stimulation to send him over the edge.
He ground his hips against Wash’s abs, panting and moaning as the explosions rocked through him.
When it finally subsided, he melted against Wash’s chest, panting.
That was… unexpected.
“Okay?” Wash queried gently, returning to rubbing his palms soothingly along Peri’s back.
Swallowing around a dry throat, he croaked, “I’ve never done that before.”
Wash made this warm grumbly sound against Peri’s ear, and Peri could practically hear the smug satisfaction in his voice when he asked, “Did you like it?”
“Yes,” Peri blurted immediately. “Next time can we do it with you inside me?”
Wash’s cock kicked against his ass, still hard and raring to go. He was definitely into the idea.
“We’re going to miss lunch, aren’t we?”
Something in Wash’s tone made Peri think he didn’t mind one bit.