Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Isaac woke up in stages. He never enjoyed waking up. If he could, he’d sleep until noon. But his mind told his body he needed to focus, so he came back online slowly, one sense at a time. He smelled the sterility in the air, felt the scratchy blanket on his legs. He wasn’t at home then. His blanket was made for him by his mother and spelled to maintain its softness, no matter how many times he washed it.
“Who is that?”
Low voices spoke nearby, a few of them familiar. One in particular caught his attention and woke his brain up the rest of the way.
“He’s my legal aide. He’s been helping me during a busy period.”
That’s it, huh? It was the truth, but it hurt to hear Maverick speak so casually about him. Maybe Isaac was na?ve, but with everything they’d gone through, he thought he’d at least earn a place as Maverick’s friend. Apparently not.
“A legal aide? Surely someone that powerful would have been recruited?” the unfamiliar voice said, confused.
Ugh. Not this again. What was so wrong with him not being interested in the military? He didn’t want to spend his life fighting and looking over his shoulder. He didn’t want to come home broken with severe PTSD, like his older brother. Was that so wrong?
Forcing his body to move, he shifted into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes roughly to chase the fatigue away. The voices went quiet for a moment, and when Isaac blinked his eyes open, all four of them were staring at him.
“What?” he croaked defensively. He was seriously tired of being judged for refusing the recruitment. It was his choice, damn it.
“How are you feeling?” Maverick's rough tone drew his focus. He was in a bed right next to his, wearing a hospital gown just like he was. It came back to him slowly, what happened in the office. And afterward. Goddess, he’d been an idiot. So desperate to get the dragon’s focus that he’d jumped off a freaking building. It would have probably been just as effective to let the dragon grab him. Maybe if he had, he’d be the only one with injuries right now.
“I’m fine. Are you…”
Maverick dipped his chin once, but his face hardened, and he looked away. Like he was only waiting for confirmation that Isaac was okay before dismissing him completely. Jackass.
Isaac wasn’t lying. He really was fine. He’d honestly expected to have more injuries, but as far as he could tell, nothing was broken and all his limbs were where they should be. He closed his eyes, focusing inward. His magic was weaker thanks to the heavy spell work he’d been doing, but a few nights of rest would fix that. Curiously, though, there was a tether he didn’t recognize between him and Maverick. A result of the crash, maybe? His magic latched onto the dragon when he went unconscious? Isaac wasn’t sure, but he assumed it’d fade over time. He might do some research about it later. He’d never heard of a tether like that, but then again, he’d never heard of a dragon and a mage falling through the air and crashing together, either.
Magic did some weird stuff when mages were knocked out of commission. He was surprised his hands weren’t sparking with the protection spell.
“Here.”
Isaac opened his eyes and jerked his head back. Taron was offering him a cup of water, but held it too close to his face. He looked less worried and more curious. It made Isaac wonder if there was something he was missing. Was there something on his face?
“Thank you…” he said slowly, accepting the cup. Their fingers barely brushed during the hand off, but for some reason it set Maverick off. He lashed out, smacking the cup out of their hands where it clattered to the floor, water spilling over Isaac’s lap as it fell.
“What the hell was that?” Isaac demanded, whipping around to glare at the dragon. Maverick wasn’t looking at him, though. He was glaring at Taron. Oh, come on. They didn’t seriously go through all that just for Maverick to still act like an ass. If a crash like that couldn’t get Maverick’s head on straight, nothing would.
“You’re acting like a dick,” Isaac hissed, jerking the sopping blankets off his legs. He moved to the edge of the bed, stepping around the puddle to grab the cup again. His limbs felt weak, probably from fatigue, but he ignored it, instead focusing on how the room was situated. “Why the hell are our beds so close, anyway? Were you seriously still on the hunt and demanded I be put next to you? I was trying to help, Maverick. Rein the dragon in for once.”
He slammed the cup onto the little table beside his head, more focused on cleaning up the mess than what was going on around him. His emotions were out of control and not even deep breathing would bring him back to rights right now. He didn’t know what would, but he felt antsy and couldn’t pull himself together. He was such a hypocrite.
A large hand wrapped around his wrist, but Maverick’s hold wasn’t rough or painful. It was to get his attention, not to hurt him. How he managed to get out of bed so fast and to Isaac’s side while he was still injured was a mystery. He urged Isaac to turn and look at him, those dark eyes searching his face like he was looking for answers Isaac just didn’t have right now. Isaac jerked his wrist to free himself, but before he could move away, Maverick’s other hand came up to gently cup his cheek, freezing him in place with such an intimate touch.
“Breathe, Isaac. You’re safe now.”
Oh. Oh, he hadn’t realized he needed to hear that. His knees turned to jello, and a tremble worked its way up his spine. Isaac did as he was told, drawing in a shaky breath, but it didn’t feel like enough. He shot Maverick a pained look, shaking his head slowly so he didn't dislodge the dragon’s touch.
Maverick might be a telepath, because he seemed to understand what Isaac needed. He drew him closer, cupping the back of his head as Isaac leaned his forehead against the man’s chest. It helped, being held like that, and the panic dialed down to a simmer after a few minutes.
“Those gowns are really unflattering,” Taron commented offhandedly, breaking the quiet of the moment. Isaac rolled his eyes, stepping out of the circle of Maverick’s arms. The hold felt intimate, and now that he wasn’t on the verge of panicking, it made him a little uncomfortable. Their relationship was one of convenience. He didn’t want to get his hopes up or learn to rely on the dragon for comfort.
Though he could admit to himself that for that moment, the comfort felt like the only thing in the world that would set him to rights.
Maverick’s friends left after a while so they could rest. Maverick gave up his blanket, since he’d been the one to knock the cup out of his hands and soak Isaac’s. Isaac didn’t argue, mostly because after he’d stepped out of that hug, Maverick’s expression had gone dark and hadn’t lightened the entire time his friends were there.
Isaac assumed Maverick was pissed at him. He had every right to be. Not only did he put them both in danger with the stunt he pulled, but he’d also hurt Maverick in the process. He didn’t miss the bandaging on his hands. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Maverick, but the only way he could think to shield himself from the impact and Maverick’s scales was to wrap himself in his magic like he did the warm air when he needed to go out into the cold. The panic and fear must’ve caused his magic to latch onto lightning instead of air to cushion him. It hadn’t been his immediate thought at the time.
They sat in silence for a while, both of them sitting in bed and avoiding eye contact. Isaac didn’t know what to stay. Sorry didn’t seem like enough.
It was the staff who broke the silence. A few druids bustled into the room, checking the monitoring spells on Maverick and Isaac both. One brought Maverick a new blanket, smoothing it over his lap with brisk efficiency. It made Isaac’s jaw tick and his hands clench. He didn’t like how close the druid was.
Isaac blinked. What the hell? Since when was he so possessive? The druid was doing their damn job. It was Isaac’s fault that Maverick was hurt. He shouldn’t begrudge the people trying to heal him.
“We’ve made a poultice for the injuries on your hands and chest. It will handle the scarring and prevent infection. Twice a day until the skin is no longer red. Loose clothing is allowed, but letting it breathe is best. Aside from that, you have some minor contusions from the impact, but your healing should handle those pretty quickly. I’d say they will be gone in the next day or so. Shifters have always been fast healers, especially in their shifted form, so feel free to shift after the skin is no longer irritated,” a druid with long, silver hair and antlers decorated with beads explained to Maverick. Only older druids had antlers like that, so she obviously had been alive a long time. Long enough to know her stuff.
She made quick work of removing Maverick’s bandages so she could demonstrate how to apply the poultice. Isaac winced seeing the damage, shrinking in on himself as they spread on the pasty medicine and bandaged him back up again. His chest wasn’t as bad as his hands, but it wasn’t great either. Isaac had to look away. His vision swam with unshed tears as shame and guilt threatened to overwhelm him.
“As for you,” the druid stepped up to his side of the bed, raising an eyebrow at him. “I’m sure you know that your magical core needs rest after the stunt you pulled. I suggest a trip home to commune with nature. Your family has already been contacted. They should arrive soon.”
Shit. So not only did he have to deal with the guilt of completely screwing up like he had, he also had to explain his decision making to his parents. Joy.
“Is he in any danger?” Maverick asked, his rough timber making Isaac shiver. Could he be less sexy while Isaac was in the middle of freaking out? Please and thank you.
“No, not necessarily. But if he needs to use his magic in the next week, he could potentially overdo it. He’s powerful, but no mage has limitless magic. He needs to recover what he lost. The best place for mages to do that is in nature. Usually in their own realm.”
“I can commune here just fine,” Isaac argued. “There’s a park near my apartment and–”
“I’ll be sure he goes home to rest,” Maverick interrupted, ignoring his protests completely. He ignored Isaac’s incredulous look, too. Stubborn asshole.
The druid dipped her chin once to acknowledge him. “Good. You’ll be released soon. The police will want to speak with you before you go to get your statement about what happened, but after that, you should be free to leave. I’ll have my apprentice wrap up the poultice for you before you go.”
She bustled out and the rest of the druids followed her, leaving Isaac and Maverick alone again. Isaac whipped his head around, glaring at the dragon. “I don’t need to go home.”
Maverick turned his steely gaze onto Isaac, his expression foreboding. “You were put in this position because of me. You will take the time off necessary and do what must be done to heal.”
Isaac made a face. “How was this because of you? I’m the one who stupidly decided to jump off the terrace.”
“Which you wouldn’t have done if I could control myself better. Do not argue with me about this, Isaac. I will escort you myself if I have to.”