Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Isaac. Wake up. We need to get ready to go.”
Isaac groaned, burying his face farther into the pillow. The night before had been perfect. Several rounds of very pleasurable sex was an excellent way to end the night after their bonding ritual. He couldn’t regret the first two rounds. But the last three were probably a bad idea. He felt hungover. He was tired, sore, and severely dehydrated. The idea of getting out of bed to face the company heads was daunting. Just getting out of bed in general felt like a bad idea. But Maverick was relentless and wouldn’t let him bury his head under the covers.
“Maverick, noooo… Five more minutes.”
“You said that ten minutes ago,” Maverick said with a chuckle. “Up. I’ve got coffee waiting for you.”
Ugh. Magic bean juice. It was enough to get him moving, albeit reluctantly and with a lot of complaining. Maverick was already showered and dressed for the day, which, how? How did he have that kind of energy? He did the lion’s share of the work last night. Isaac’s muscles turned to rubber after round three. And he knew for a fact Maverick wasn’t a morning person.
“Why are you so happy?” he grumbled, sitting up in bed and sipping his coffee. It was about as far as he had been willing to move. Were sex hangovers a thing? Should he start drinking more water beforehand in preparation?
“My dragon is happy after a long flight yesterday. You said you loved me. And I woke up with my mate in my arms. What reason do I have to be grumpy?”
Aw. So cute. And Isaac was too tired to truly appreciate it. Which made it a little annoying.
“I don’t like you right now.”
Maverick’s head flew back on a laugh, and Isaac’s heart skipped a beat. After weeks of scowling, he’d never take that smile for granted. He closed his eyes when Maverick smacked a kiss on his forehead, tipping his head to check out his ass as the dragon walked away.
“You sure about that?” Maverick called over his shoulder.
Ugh. Cocky dragon.
Isaac loved him so damn much.
They made it out of the house with only a little extra grumbling from Isaac. The coffee helped. The lack of food didn't. Apparently, Maverick didn’t have any food in his house. The massive, gorgeous house was practically empty. It was a travesty Isaac intended to fix as soon as they had time. He had to catch up on all his classes first and figure out what to do about work or if Morana even still wanted to keep him. For now, they’d stay at Isaac’s apartment, where there was food and takeout nearby. At least until Isaac packed his stuff. He didn’t look forward to Maeve’s reaction to him moving out early.
Instead of landing on the courtyard attached to his office, Maverick landed down the block so they could walk in the front door. He didn't explain why, but Isaac felt it along the bond. He was worried how people would react to him, and didn’t want to startle anyone by showing up unannounced. Isaac held his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, as they headed to the gold elevator and upstairs to Mr. Hawksley’s office.
They got a few looks as they walked past groups of people, but they were early enough that most of the staff hadn’t arrived yet. Isaac suggested they do that so Maverick wouldn’t get irritated with all the staring and whispering, and Mr. Hawksley agreed with him when they’d called to let him know they were back. It felt a little like walking to the executioner's block, and Isaac felt the dread coming from Maverick with every footstep. He did his best to send reassuring vibes back to him, but he wasn’t sure he was any better than Maverick was.
They entered Mr. Hawksley’s office after a quick knock, and Isaac held his breath when they stepped inside. Mr. Hawksley was already there, as well as his mate, Avery. Taron was there as well, which was unsurprising. Elijah’s presence wasn’t exactly welcome, but Isaac sort of expected it. It was the other one he hadn’t expected, and he internally groaned.
“Maverick, Isaac. Welcome back,” Taron called with a bright smile. He was sitting on a couch along one wall, completely at ease with himself. Lucky him. He wasn’t on the chopping block this morning.
Mr. Hawksley was more cautious, though he didn’t look unhappy to see them. He was sitting in a chair near the couch, with Avery sitting in another right next to him. The other two sat in chairs facing the couch, leaving only the space beside Taron for the two of them. Were they seriously going to test Maverick’s patience so soon?
“Please, sit. Join us,” Mr. Brightbeak said, gesturing to the couch with his clawed hand. His magic settled over Isaac like a blanket, making him frown. They were pulling out the big guns with both a griffin and a telepath in the room. What were they hoping to get from them?
His mental shields shot up as he sat across from Elijah. The telepath smiled and shook his head. “I’m not doing any readings today, Mr. Silverbreeze. I’m here to give my assessment. Nothing more.”
Mr. Brightbeak nodded in agreement. “Yes. We’d also like to discuss what happened before your leave of absence, as well as what led up to it, just to have the full picture first before making any decisions going forward.” He glanced at Mr. Hawksley, who dipped his chin for them to proceed. All eyes swung their way.
“I, uh…” Isaac cleared his throat, summoning his courage. He was not going to be intimidated by this group. It wasn’t his job he was worried about. It was Maverick’s. The truth would have to be enough for them to leave him alone. Lifting his chin, he spoke. “It was my fault. I’d volunteered to help Maverick– I mean, Mr. Van Buren– to better control his temper. We practiced meditation together, and I encouraged him to give more time to his dragon. It was helping for a few days, but when an already unpleasant morning took a turn, he lost his patience. Honestly, anyone would at that point, especially with Jade showing up as late as she had without showing an ounce of remorse for the trouble she caused. I–”
Mr. Brightbeak lifted a claw to stop him. “If you’d focus on the incident, Mr. Silverbreeze. We’ll discuss the issue with Jade in a moment.”
Right. He was ranting. He needed to focus on the argument he’d prepared for. “Like I said, he lost his patience, but he hadn’t actually done anything to anyone. I wanted to distract him, so I hit him with a spell, but I didn’t want him dealing with his mood with an audience, so I headed outside. He chased me, as dragons tend to do when someone runs from them, and when we got out onto the terrace, I figured the easiest way to get him away from any potential mishaps was to keep his attention on me. So I jumped.”
He still felt like an idiot about that. He wasn’t sure what the hell he’d been thinking. Now that he was no longer in the moment, he realized how stupid he’d been. Maverick let out a rumble of discontent. He didn’t like being reminded of that day, either. They’d discussed it, because it wasn’t smart to let that fester, and both took the blame for their actions that day. Irrationality was the winner.
“You jumped? Were you afraid you’d be hurt otherwise? Were you under the influence of intimidation?” Mr. Brightbeak demanded.
Isaac scowled. “No. Maverick doesn’t scare me. He never has. I don’t know why I did it, other than wanting to keep his attention on me. It was reckless, but the only ones who got hurt were me and Maverick. I don’t think he should be punished for saving me, either.”
“No, but if he made you feel you had no other option,” Mr. Brightbeak pushed again. He seemed determined to blame Maverick, and that wouldn’t fly with Isaac.
His magic swelled, lightning and fire both dancing along his hands. He wasn’t being reckless now, but he was trying to make a point. He raised an eyebrow at Mr. Brightbeak. “I don’t intimidate easily, Mr. Brightbeak. Does that answer your question about my options?”
It silenced the annoying man, the silence only broken by Taron’s giggle. “Never thought I’d see the day where someone would be more terrifying than our dear Mav. I would stop pushing, Brennus. He’s made himself perfectly clear.”
Mr. Brightbeak shot Taron a dirty look, but Elijah spoke before he could argue again.
“I believe I can explain the reckless behavior, if you’ll allow it, Mr. Van Buren. Mr. Silverbreeze.”
Isaac frowned at the telepath. Explain it how? Because Isaac hadn’t given the telepath even a glimpse into his head. He shot a questioning look at Maverick, who agreed with a nod.
“Go ahead.”
Isaac jerked back around, watching the telepath suspiciously as he turned to face the rest of the room. “As I’m sure most of you are aware, not a lot is known about dragons and their matings. I happen to have a family connection, so I had some insight beforehand. Dragons are notoriously volatile when they begin the mating process. They become more rash, quick-tempered, and possessive as time goes on. And once a connection is established, usually after an act of intimacy, that projects along the bond and affects their mates. The recklessness resulted from their mating and now that I assume they have made things official?” He waited for them both to nod in agreement before continuing. “I figured. Now that things are official, they will both settle for the most part. Dragons are always to be treated with caution, but mated dragons are more stable than unmated ones, at least in my experience.”
He didn’t know all that. Admittedly, after he met Maverick, he had felt more and more unstable and irritated as the days wore on. He figured it was just the stress from the job, school, and helping Maverick. He didn’t know it was related to finding his mate.
“Did you know?” he asked Maverick through their bond.
“No. I’ve never seen a new mating myself. I only visited my family after my siblings had already mated. And no one really talks about it.”
“Why are they looking at each other like that?” Taron queried, dragging out the words as he studied them.
“Shush, Taron,” Avery hissed.
Isaac’s gaze snapped back to the room. The group was staring at them, which was a little disconcerting. Only Elijah seemed to know what they were doing, though he didn't say anything. Apparently, the telepath was good at keeping secrets.
Mr. Hawksley took the reins when everyone seemed stuck on the new information. “So what is your recommendation, Elijah? You were the one monitoring them up until the incident.”
“My recommendation is to let it go. Matings are protected by law, and while dragon matings aren’t well known, they’re still protected. Had I thought either of them would listen, I would have suggested the vacation earlier, but I don’t think Mr. Van Buren was even aware of why he was reacting that way at the time.” He looked at Maverick again. “Thank you, by the way, for allowing me to do my job. It made it easier for me to understand what was happening.”
Well, now Isaac felt a little shitty for blocking the guy out. In his defense, it was still fucking creepy. But he promised himself in the future to be nicer to the man. He had done nothing but support Maverick. That made him alright in Isaac’s books.