Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Not wanting to make Elijah’s day more difficult, Alistair did his best to keep his emotions to himself for the rest of the day.
It was a difficult ask, especially when he saw the way people reacted to the telepath the minute they stepped into the same room as him.
The hurt and disappointment on Elijah’s face grated at him.
So much so, he had to call Isaac to talk him down after Elijah took some time after his last interview to nap before getting back to work.
Alistair had insisted after seeing how pale he was, and Elijah was in enough pain to accept.
Unwilling to leave Elijah unprotected while he was resting, he sat at the desk just outside the telepath’s office, his phone pressed to his ear and a glower on his face as he studied the room.
It took a few minutes for Isaac to answer, and while he waited, he wanted to project the right energy to keep people away from Elijah. He needed rest.
“Hey, sorry,” Isaac answered breathlessly. “What’s up?”
He knew better than to ask what caused his brother to be so breathless. There were some things he didn't want to know.
“Tell me again why I can’t punch your staff?
” he grumbled, glaring at a cyclops that looked like he wanted to approach and interrupt Elijah’s nap.
He took one look at Alistair and abruptly spun around, hurrying off in the opposite direction.
For people who were terrified of the telepath, they bothered him a lot.
And knowing Elijah, he allowed the constant interruptions, because it meant he was wanted.
Not a healthy way of thinking in the slightest.
He could hear the amusement in Isaac’s voice when he said, “Because it’ll mean more paperwork for Elijah. Especially when your contract gets trashed, and we have to find someone new to help him.”
Alistair scowled a little harder. “I hate that you’re right.”
Chuckling, Isaac asked, “So what’s got you up in arms? Because while punching isn’t an option, there are things we can do, including getting the higher ups involved if you’re truly worried.”
He took a minute to draw in a breath before answering. “I don’t like the way people treat him. Like he’s a pariah because of his power. If they knew him, they’d know they had no reason to be afraid. But they won’t even give him a chance.”
Isaac hummed in agreement. “I’ll admit, I reacted the same way when we first met. It probably would’ve made my life a lot easier if I would have let him do his thing.”
“What changed your mind?” Alistair wanted to know.
“Exposure,” Isaac answered honestly. “I saw him work with Maverick, felt the polite way he tested my shields and kept to himself when he realized I was uncomfortable. I promised myself after he vouched for Maverick that I’d be kinder to him.
And when Avery started to invite him to house parties, I took the time to get to know him. We’ve been friends ever since.”
Alistair grunted in acknowledgement. That was what happened with him as well. It took less than a single weekend for him to figure out Elijah wasn’t like other telepaths. So then why were his coworkers so damn clueless?
“How long as he been working here? Do you know?”
Isaac made a thoughtful sound. “Not very long from what he told me. I think he said five years?”
Which for most supes was no time at all. But it was still long enough for people to figure out Elijah was harmless.
Isaac must have been thinking along the same lines because he said, “The people he works with regularly should be used to him by now at the very least. I was hyper aware of his magic when we met, but I don’t even notice it any more. Granted, he stuffs it down pretty intensely, but still.”
Another issue he’d have to address eventually. For now, he asked Isaac to distract him with office gossip and continued to glare at the room to ensure Elijah got the rest he needed.
It wasn’t until they were in the car and on their way back home that Elijah agreed to release his magic again.
Not even the parking lot was enough of a distance for him to agree to it.
They had to be on the road first. Elijah sighed, some of the pain lines disappearing as his magic eased the aches.
He gave Alistair a soft smile from his spot in the passenger seat, his body melting as he finally relaxed.
“Is every day going to be as busy as today?” Alistair asked. He hated ruining Elijah’s mellow mood, but he wanted to better prepare himself for what was coming. His wrists hurt from how often he reached for his magic today, and he needed to get a grasp on his emotions before their next work day.
Elijah shook his head. “Not every day, no. To be honest, the number of people left behind after Aristeos’s coup is pretty low.
As long as everyone cooperates, I expect at most it will take two weeks to get through the loyalty interviews.
The new hire interviews will take longer, as we’re only in round one, but thankfully I don’t need to use much magic with those. ”
For now. Elijah mentioned having to do a deeper dive if he felt someone was being untruthful during an interview. Alistair chose not to focus on that for now. There was no reason to get worked up about something that hadn’t happened yet. He needed to focus on the here and now.
“I can accept two weeks. But I’m going to be there with you. I don’t want anyone thinking they can get away with hurting you just because no one else can see them doing it.”
“I’m a little afraid of what you’d do if you noticed anything untoward,” Elijah chuckled, shaking his head. “If it makes you feel better, neither Brennus nor I expect too many difficult interviews. Fear is usually the biggest obstacle to those interviews. Not many people are outright combative.”
It did make him feel a little better, but he wasn’t going to back down on his stance. He’d be in that room with Elijah through every interview, and if he noticed even a flinch, he’d–
The swell of his magic made the blockers burn, and he couldn’t hide the grimace in response. Certainly not fast enough for Elijah not to notice. He sat up in his seat, pretty hazel eyes studying him worriedly.
“What’s wrong?”
He knew better than to think he could lie if Elijah’s magic was fully open. Instead, he tried to downplay it. “It’s nothing. I’m a little worked up, that’s all. I’ll get some exercise, work off the excess energy. I’ll be fine.”
Elijah’s teeth caught his bottom lip, worrying the flesh, and if Alistair wasn’t driving, he’d distract him to make him stop.
He’d had to keep his hands to himself most of the day, to maintain professionalism, and it went against his intention to give Elijah as much physical affection as he could to make up for lost time.
If he thought he could get away with it, he would’ve had those interviews with Elijah in his lap so the telepath knew he was safe, and no one would dare mess with him.
A flush in Elijah’s cheeks drew his attention, making him wish for a moment that he was the telepath so he could hear what the man was thinking. Instead, he was forced to ask and hope Elijah was truthful.
“What’s that blush for?”
Fiddling with the zipper of his messenger bag, Elijah admitted, “With my magic free like this, it’s harder to stop myself from picking up your emotions.
No one has ever felt that protective of me before.
Not outside my family anyway, and not in a way that didn’t make me feel weak or helpless. It’s… nice.”
“You’re not helpless, Eli. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve someone watching your back.”
The blush worked its way to Elijah’s ears, and Alistair was suddenly glad they were almost home. The telepath was too cute for words.
They pulled into the long driveway, and the gate swung open automatically when the wards recognized his car.
Isaac had texted that they’d be a little late, planning on going for a long flight to work off some of Maverick’s irritation before coming home, so they had the house to themselves for now.
Alistair parked in the garage, snagging Elijah’s elbow before he could escape the car and hide that pretty blush.
“You know… there’s another way I can think to work off excess energy. If you’re in the mood for it.”
Elijah sucked in a breath, and Alistair didn't have to be a telepath to see the lust clouding over his face.
“What do you say, Eli? Want to help me?”
“Oh goddess, how are you this evil?” Elijah complained.
Alistair didn’t even bother to hide his grin at that point. “I don’t know what you mean. Do you not like hiking?”
“Hiking is not… what I had… in mind…” Elijah said between heavy breaths.
The poor man obviously didn’t exercise that often, the trail Alistair picked wasn’t that difficult, but he still went along with it anyway, because Alistair said he wanted to show him something.
Could Alistair have warned him there would be a trek?
Sure, but it was possible he was feeling a little petty after seeing Elijah put himself into so much discomfort just for his coworkers’ sakes and wanted to punish the man.
Since Elijah was so sweet, he didn’t want to do anything too mean, so hiking was a good compromise in his opinion.
“Yeah? What’d you have in mind?” Alistair teased.
Elijah’s glare was cute and didn’t have any real weight behind it. “You know what I– Oh, wow!”
They crested the hill at the end of the trail, giving them both an amazing view of the sunset over the dragon’s territory.
Golden rays covered miles of grassy plains and forest. In a few minutes, the gold would fade to pinks and purples, and the stars would come out.
While a moment of passion might have made Alistair feel better, Elijah had had a long day.
He deserved something more than just sex.
“How did you find this place?” Elijah breathed, eyes locked on the sunset.
“Isaac showed me the trail when I first came to stay with him. I keep coming back. Something about this place feels important to me. I just can’t figure out why.” He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “The view is nice, though.”
Elijah huffed out a laugh, edging a little closer until their shoulders brushed. “It’s more than nice…”
Smiling to himself, he opened up his arm, beckoning Elijah to cuddle in. He’d never been into cuddling before now. What was it about this telepath that made him so irresistible?
They stood in silence for a little while, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was companionable and Alistair took the moment to close his eyes and soak in the feel of the sun before it disappeared over the horizon.
“I don’t know how much you know about telepaths…” Elijah began, breaking the silence.
Alistair opened his eyes, studying the man who somehow managed to be an inch or two taller and still cuddle into his arms like he was meant to be there.
“As far as I’m aware, all telepaths are born from psychics.
There’s no specific family line that produces more, it seems random, but they’re all born from psychics and are therefore raised by psychic families.
And all psychic families subscribe to the idea of fate.
I was raised the same way. As such, I’m a big believer in fate.
If you think this place is important, or will be one day, I believe it. ”
It was cute that Elijah was defending him, though Alistair was curious as to why he felt he had to. Elijah either picked up on his expression or felt it through his emotions because he answered before Alistair had to say anything out loud.
“You looked awkward before. I just wanted you to know you didn’t have to play it off with me. I believe you.”
A smile broke out over Alistair’s face he couldn’t even hope to hold back, and when Elijah looked at him, he captured his mouth in a fierce kiss, whispering against his lips when they finally broke apart to catch their breath.
“It should be criminal to be as sweet as you. And once people realize, they’ll be coming in waves to steal you away.
If I believed in fate like you did, I’d be thanking her for sending you before they had a chance. ”