Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
Wash wanted to say it was Peri who was amazing, but that felt cheesy and he didn’t want to distract his mate. Knowing Peri, he’d start crying and hide his face again, and he’d miss the view.
“Oh! Look! A shooting star!” Peri gasped, pointing at the bright white streak across the sky. He then squeezed his eyes shut, his face screwed up in concentration.
“What are you doing?” Wash asked, amused. Why was his mate so cute?
“Making a wish! You should make one, too!”
“That’s not a real thing,” Wash argued, only to get poked in the side by Peri, who was still concentrating.
Relenting, he closed his eyes and thought about what he wanted to wish for.
He couldn’t think of anything at first. He had everything he wanted.
But when Peri started gushing about the star-filled sky again, Wash decided his one wish would be that Peri would always be smiling. He never wanted to hurt his mate again.
The starlight realm was eternally dark, and all the lights were dim so as to not interrupt the view with light pollution.
As a demon, Wash could see fine in the dark, but he kept Peri tucked close as they walked along the streets toward a restaurant he’d looked up the first time Peri mentioned the starlight realm.
They hadn’t even been officially together yet, and he was already pathetically planning dates, because he hadn’t noticed at the time how in love with the fairy he already was.
The buildings in the starlight realm were all dark stones with little crystals scattered throughout that lit up the streets from the light reflecting from inside.
It made their path dance with rainbow colors, and it was a good thing Wash was holding Peri’s hand, because he was so busy taking it all in, he wasn’t watching where he was going.
Meanwhile, Wash was having a hard time taking his eyes off the little fairy.
He was gorgeous when he was like this, all excitement and joy, and seemed to radiate with his own light that drew people’s attention his way.
It was only Wash’s protective instincts that kept them on course. He needed to feed his mate.
The restaurant they arrived at had massive stained glass windows that depicted the castle that resided in another part of the realm, the light from the restaurant making the image glow brightly.
“Ohh… That’s gorgeous. How hard do you think it would be to replace my windows with stained glass? It’s so pretty!”
Wash waited until he’d given the hostess their name before considering the question.
“Depends. Does your apartment complex allow you to do big changes like that? If not, we can probably find a temporary spell. I’ve seen some made specifically for decorating apartments that can be removed when you leave so you won’t lose your deposit. ”
Peri was still gushing about the idea of all stained glass windows in his home when they were led to their table.
Wash considered talking him down, sometimes natural light was perfect all on its own, but then he looked at Peri and the excitement on his face and he bit back the comment.
Whatever Peri wanted, he’d give him. Anything to make him happy.
“Peri?”
The familiar voice of Ozen’s mate made them both turn. To everyone’s surprise, they were seated directly next to Ozen and his mate who looked to be on their own date, glasses of wine in front of them and their fingers intertwined.
Wash bit back a growl of annoyance, he’d wanted this date to be just the two of them, but Peri squealed in delight and hugged Avery’s shoulders before plopping down in his seat without giving Wash a chance to ask the waiter to move them.
He would’ve been polite about it and said he wanted to give the CEO and his mate their privacy.
Probably. But that wasn’t in the cards now.
“Avery, hi! What are you doing here? Date night?”
Avery’s cheeks warmed, and he looked pleased when he admitted, “Ozen takes me out at least once a week.”
When Wash sat down, Ozen nodded politely, speaking quietly so as not to interrupt their mates’ conversation.
“I heard about what happened with Taron. I want to apologize for my part in it. When I told him I was worried about your wellbeing, I thought perhaps he’d ask you to a weekly lunch like he had with me.
I never would have agreed to him sending someone to flirt–”
Wash put up his hand, flicking a cautious glance at Peri to make sure he hadn’t heard before replying. He didn't want Peri to know people thought he would do something like that. It would crush him.
“He didn’t. Peri was already interested before Taron approached him. He agreed because he wanted an excuse to spend more time with me. While I don’t appreciate Taron’s involvement, I don’t blame Peri. I honestly was considering excuses to see him too when he started visiting me more often.”
Some of the tension around Ozen’s eyes softened, and he nodded once.
“Good. I’m glad things worked out. Have you…
” He trailed off for a moment, a look of concern crossing his face.
“I hope you won’t hold it against Taron either.
He may be misguided at times, but he only acted because he cares. It’s his way.”
Drawing in a breath, Wash let it out slowly. “I’ll speak with him about it. Intention or not, he crossed a line. The only reason I’m willing to discuss it is because things worked out for the best.”
The tightness in his chest eased when Peri shot him a beaming grin, snatching his hand and pulling it close so he could roll up his sleeve to show Avery the soul blooms. His entire forearm was covered now, and Wash got the feeling it would only take another day for him to have a full sleeve.
He didn’t hate it. The flowers might be considered a little feminine by some, but he didn’t care.
It was a physical representation of how much Peri loved him.
He wouldn’t care if every inch of his skin was covered, and he wouldn’t hide them either.
Anyone who had something to say about it could say it to his face.
Ozen tipped his head curiously. “I didn't know you had tattoos.”
“They’re not tattoos. They’re soul blooms,” Wash explained. “They’re mating marks for fairies.”
“So they’ll just keep popping up?” Avery asked, head tilted a lot like his mate as he studied the designs. “Do you control how many there are, or does it depend on the magic level or something?”
Peri’s cheeks turned pink as he explained, “No, nothing like that. They’re a manifestation of my feelings. They’ll keep appearing until they match how I feel about him. Friends can get soul blooms too, usually just a couple to show affection. Mates get more…”
Wash grinned and winked at Peri’s embarrassment. He didn’t need to be embarrassed, but Wash got the feeling by his reaction that a lot more blooms were headed his way. His mate didn’t hide his feelings, and he’d be surprised if both arms weren’t covered by the end of the week.
“What about demons? Do they mark their mates?” Avery asked curiously, then grimaced. “Sorry. Author habit. You don’t have to answer that.”
Ozen took up the explanation, his smile indulgent, like it wasn’t the first time Avery had asked potentially awkward questions to supes because humans weren’t taught the basic facts about their neighbors.
“Demons have bonding rituals, and there’s blood sharing involved. Our species are genetically cousins, so it would be similar to what you and I did. Just with a lot more ritual involved.”
Wash winced at the thought. Not only because he didn't think his parents would put in that kind of effort for him, mated or not, but also because there was one difference between demon and incubi matings that made Wash uncomfortable to take part.
“You… You don’t want to?” Peri asked, his voice tinged with hurt.
Wash rushed to explain himself, not wanting Peri to think for even a second he didn’t want him. “It’s not that. I just… Demon matings leave a mark. A sigil. You’re gorgeous, and the idea of marking your skin like that bothers me.”
Especially considering the outer ring of that sigil was always made by teeth marks. He’d seen the mark his mom made on his dad. It wasn’t pretty like the soul blooms. It looked a little like a cattle brand to him as a kid.
“My cousin felt the same way,” Ozen commented, lifting his glass when the waiter came by to refill it.
All eyes swung to him, and even Wash was curious to hear more. It was Avery who prodded him to explain. “Who? I don’t remember you mentioning that before.”
Ozen waved that away, his expression thoughtful.
“They were bonded before I met you, firefly. My cousin Xander mated to a moon rabbit shifter. He was so worried about marking such a sweet and gentle man that it took him six months after they already knew they were mates for him to finally agree to it.”
“What’d he do?” Wash found himself asking, despite not normally being interested in things like this. It felt a lot like gossip.
“He marked him in a spot where no one but him could see it and put a ring on his finger instead.”
Wash’s face screwed up in confusion, so Avery explained, “It’s a human custom. They don’t bite their mates or have magic to mark them, so they wear bands on their left ring fingers as a symbol that they’re taken and in love.”
Peri bouncing in his seat made Wash smirk, raising an eyebrow at the excitable fairy. “You like that idea?”
“I like any idea that tells the world I’m yours. I would be fine with a mating mark like everyone else, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t want to force you.”
Honestly, Wash was torn about it. On a primal level, his instincts screamed at him to mark his mate so everyone knew that Peri was his.
Seeing his sigil on Peri’s skin fed that possessive side of him that he tried to keep reined in.
But on an emotional level, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach marking that pretty skin.
Peri was gorgeous, flawless porcelain skin unmarked by a single scar or blemish.
Believe him, he looked. The thought of a sigil marring any of that perfection that made his stomach twist
Peri’s hand squeezed his, drawing his attention back to those crystal blue eyes and the smile that made him feel like he could conquer anything. “We don’t have to decide now. It’s okay if you want to wait.”
He didn’t want to wait, though. Peri was everything he’d ever wanted, and he’d claimed Wash before either of them even knew they were mates. Wash didn’t want to take that away from him. He deserved the same kind of devotion.
He thought about it all through dinner. Surprisingly, he didn’t hate having Ozen and Avery nearby.
They weren’t intrusive and eventually slipped into their own conversation, giving him and Peri the privacy to enjoy their date in peace.
It was only when they were getting ready to leave that Avery stopped Peri, a hopeful look on his face.
“Hey… Can I pick your mind later? I love the soul bloom thing. I kind of want to write a fairy as my next main character.”
Wash wasn’t even a little surprised when Peri’s eyes went bright with unshed tears. “Really?”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Ozen chuckled. “He doesn’t want to just write a fairy. He wants to write you. He’s been talking about it for a week now.”
Avery flushed bright red, shooting his mate a horrified look. “Ozen!”
Before the CEO could get the reaming he probably deserved, Peri stepped in, taking Avery’s hands and clasping them to his chest. “You want to write about me? Really? Why?”
Sheepishly, Avery explained, “Because you’re adorable, and I love a good grumpy/sunshine romance. It’s okay if you don’t want me to. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable–”
“Yes! Yes! I want that! Can I read it first? I promise not to tell anyone.”
Avery’s shoulders came down, and his smile became more natural as he promised, “You can actually be my beta reader, if you want. You can make sure I have all the nuances correct.”
Peri’s squeal drew the entire restaurant’s attention, and Wash had to pull him away from the stunned author, worried his mate was going to be stolen away by the human author in the middle of their date. Thankfully, Peri came willingly, talking over his shoulder as Wash tucked him against his side.
“Yes, I’ll definitely help you, but only if you promise to be my friend!”
Avery offered him a pinky, and they did something with their pinkies linked together that Wash didn’t understand before Ozen pulled his own mate away.
“Come on, firefly. If I’m not allowed to work on date night, then neither are you.
We’ll see them both in the office, and you can make your plans then. ”
Avery relented with a wave, and Peri spun to give Wash his full attention, squealing and jumping up and down. “I’m friends with my favorite author! This is amazing!”
Wash felt a smile pull on his lips and shook his head, muttering, “I guess this means I’ll be around Ozen Hawksley more often.”
After the helpful conversation about mating and Ozen’s suggestions, he considered maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. If Ozen hadn’t started prodding people to get Wash to relax, he might not have found his Peri. The incubus did have good ideas sometimes.