Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Zamir
The atmosphere in the Sanctuary was tense.
The headmaster was holed up in his office, and according to Touya, he hadn't left it since Keoni chewed him out yesterday.
Keoni was acting like nothing was wrong, but I didn't need to use my powers to tell it was just that: an act.
I wanted to ask him why he'd blown up, or what he'd whispered in the headmaster's ear that had made him look so shocked, that had filled him with pain. But if he'd wanted us to know, he wouldn't have whispered it, so I didn't ask.
Nolan was at his bar, and tomorrow, we'd be going camping with Sofia and some of her friends. I didn't know those people, but neither did Nolan, so hopefully it would be fun. Maybe the two of us would sneak off to get some alone time.
"How are things with you and Nolan?" Keoni asked, and I smiled. He made a gagging sound, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "Oh no, you've joined the lovesick gang."
I laughed, but he wasn't wrong. "Sorry," I said, though I didn't feel bad at all. Maybe a little that Keoni was the only single one left in our group, the only one who wanted a partner, at least. But I didn't feel bad that I had Nolan.
"He told me he loves me," I admitted, and Keoni's eyes widened.
"Zamir! I'm so happy for you. Did you say it back?"
"Of course."
"When you left with a bag and the cat, I thought you were moving out," he said, and I winced.
"I was. But Nolan convinced me to wait."
"Because of Zephyr?"
I nodded, and Keoni frowned, though he didn't say anything.
"Nolan feels guilty. It wasn't his fault, but he still feels responsible that he couldn't help."
"He's a good guy, your mate," Keoni murmured after a moment, and I nodded, agreeing completely.
"Did I tell you he knew my mother?"
"Really?"
I told Keoni everything I'd learned about my mom, and he listened intently, a soft smile on his face.
Suddenly, I realized I was glad Nolan had convinced me to come back, because no matter how unfair the headmaster was being, the Sanctuary was my home. I wanted it to be Nolan's home too, and I'd keep trying until that happened.
*****
Later that night, I was about to head to Nolan's place—I'd decided to stay at the Sanctuary until it was closing time at The Lair—when the door to the headmaster's and Touya's office opened as I was passing by.
I glanced up, meeting the headmaster's gaze, and he opened the door wider in silent invitation.
I followed him to his office, hovering beside a chair as he settled in his behind the desk.
"Sit down, please." His voice sounded rough, like he hadn't spoken in a while.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, though I knew it wasn't.
Zephyr sighed. He looked exhausted.
"I wanted to apologize."
"What for?" I asked, though I had an inkling.
"No matter what, Nolan is your mate, and I should've never prohibited you from inviting him to live here."
"It's—"
The headmaster shook his head before I could assure him it was okay.
"This is your home, Zamir. I've always wanted all of you to feel at home here, to feel like you belong. You should be able to share your home with your mate."
I blinked. Did that mean...
"If you wish to live with Nolan, you can. I'm sorry I tried to stop you before."
"Are you sure? I don't want to cause you pain," I said, and I meant it. The headmaster had saved my life. He was more like a father to me than the one who'd raised me.
"I'm sure. What happened between Nolan and me, it's in the past. I also know that what I'd believed all these years isn't true. If Nolan is your mate, he's not the kind of man I thought he was, and I have no reason to have a problem with him."
I blinked at the roundabout compliment, then nodded.
"Nolan and I... we're going camping with some of his friends this weekend, but after that, maybe..."
The headmaster nodded with a strained smile, though the strain was more from exhaustion than because he was still reluctant about Nolan.
Feeling like I was doing something wrong, I took a moment to scan him. So many emotions.
Pain and worry and something that looked an awful lot like heartbreak tangled in a mess of colors over his heart. A healthy dose of confusion and frustration gathered in his gut, and I wished I could do something to relieve some of these.
"Keoni's okay," I said, and the dark red of heartache grew bigger, then returned to its original size, as if it was a heart on its own, beating every time the origin of that emotion was mentioned.
The headmaster's heartbreak was because of Keoni?
Because of what he'd said? Or whatever he'd whispered in his ear?
Fuck, I was too curious for my own good, and this was none of my business.
The headmaster nodded, and I waited for a beat, but when he didn't say anything, I let it go.
"I should go," I murmured, and he nodded, his eyes flickering with a thousand different thoughts.
As I walked to Nolan's place, my thoughts kept circling around the headmaster and Keoni.
They'd always been close, though unlike me, Keoni had never seen the headmaster as a father figure.
He never called him by his title either, preferring to use his name.
They were friends, and yet right now they weren't much of anything.
I hoped they would make up soon.
Maybe things would be better after we came back from our trip.
Nolan was already there when I got to his place, and one glance at his smiling face pushed away all my worries about the headmaster and Keoni as I threw myself into his arms.
"I missed you," I murmured into his neck, and he squeezed me to him.
"I missed you too."
Muffin and Clip barked, as if letting us know they'd missed us too, and I smiled.
The Sanctuary was my home, but so was this man, these animals.
After this weekend, I could finally have them all in one place.
Nolan
"What about your father?" I asked, and Zamir snuggled into my side.
After dinner, packing for our camping trip tomorrow, and a tumble in the sheets that made me see stars, we'd climbed back into bed after cleaning our shared release off our abdomens, though the scent of sex was still thick in the air.
"What about him?" Zamir asked, his voice muffled with his lips pressed to my chest.
"Would you want to see him again?"
Zamir was quiet, and I ran my palm over his back as he thought about it. I knew his relationship with his dad hadn't been the best, but if he wanted to...
"I don't know. He was a decent man, once upon a time," he said with a sigh, and I kissed the top of his head. "He always took good care of me. It was only after I realized what we are that things became... strained. I haven't seen him since I ran away. I have no idea what I'd say to him."
"I understand," I murmured, giving him a tight squeeze. I'd never met my parents. I'd hatched alone and figured everything out on my own. Something bad must've happened for them to have abandoned me, but I never found out what.
"Maybe someday, but I'm happy with the way things are right now," he said after a pause, and I hummed. "I wouldn't know how to find him anyway."
"I can help with that. When you're ready, I can find him for you."
Zamir pulled back to gaze at me, his brown eyes soft and warm. "Really?"
I hummed. "I know a lot of supes."
Zamir mulled over that, then brightened. "Oh! You could also use your contacts to find supes who would appreciate a place like the Sanctuary, couldn't you?"
"I could, but I don't want to stick my nose into Zephyr's work unless he asks." Him allowing me to move into the Sanctuary was already more than I could've asked for.
"I'll suggest it to him," Zamir decided. "After this whole thing is over, of course. Do you think you moving in will fix things? Steady the balance?"
"It would depend on Zephyr. He'll need to take more magic from me to strike a balance, so if he does that, everything should go back to normal."
"But you don't think he will?"
I shrugged. I'd failed him once. It was possible Zephyr wouldn't want to take any help from me again.
"We'll see," I said, not wanting to think about the past any longer. "So, camping. Are you excited?"
Zamir didn't comment on the obvious change of topic. He kissed my chest again and said, "Yeah! I mean, living in the Sanctuary is like camping, but not really. I'm curious about the human way of doing things. Do you think we have enough supplies?"
"We do," I assured him, trying not to laugh. He'd already packed far too many things for a two-day trip.
"Good."
We were quiet for a while, and Zamir's breathing deepened, telling me he'd fallen asleep.
I gazed down at him, running my fingers through his soft curls, and smiled. He was such a sweet, wonderful man. And he loved me.
Fear flickered in my chest at the thought of losing him, but I pushed it away. Fear had no place in our relationship, it couldn't.
Zamir was healthy, he was a supe, and I could give him my own life force to make sure he never weakened, never lost that spark in his eyes. To make sure I never lost him.
For the first time since we started sharing a bed, I struggled to sleep. My mind refused to quiet down, and I spent hours gazing at Zamir, watching over him.
Dots meowed softly, and I turned to him, giving him a few pets as he stood up, circled around, and curled back in between our pillows. Zamir hadn't taken him back to the Sanctuary yet, so we'd be moving all my pets together after we came back from camping.
I wondered how we'd move them all. Zamir had mentioned Zephyr usually created temporary portals to help with moves, but I wasn't confident he'd want to help us, even though he'd agreed.
He would do it, I realized when I thought about it. Not for me, but for Zamir. He was to Zamir what I'd failed to be for him, and Zamir saw him as a father. Despite our issues, I had no doubt Zephyr would help Zamir in any way he could.
While I'd always helped people one on one through my years, Zephyr had done something so much better. He'd created a safe haven for supes, one where they could be themselves without fear.
Even though I had no hand in the man Zephyr had grown up to be, I nonetheless felt proud of him. I doubted he'd like hearing that from me, but it was true. He'd done something wonderful, and I wanted to help. I hoped he'd let me.
Zamir mumbled something, and I smiled. I kissed his wild curls, then closed my eyes as I breathed him in. He smelled warm and soft. He smelled like me.
I kept my nose buried in his hair, and at some point, I drifted off, my arms tight around my mate.