Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Alistair could tell Elijah was nervous. He refused to admit he felt the same way.
Not about the visit with his kids. He loved them and was excited to see them after so long.
No, his nerves stemmed from his last interaction with his family.
His grandmother had been so disappointed in his decision to put the magical bands on.
She’d demanded a chance to have the family help him, but he’d refused.
His time at the institution hadn’t been going well, if anything he had been getting worse, and he had just wanted it all to stop.
He’d missed his kids and his freedom, and when the bands were offered to him, he took them.
When his grandmother found out, she was beyond pissed.
She screamed at him, the staff, and even his parents who were there to retrieve him because he was finally stable enough to be sent home since he had no access to his magic.
She’d been so upset, she’d caused a literal lightning storm and left in a huff.
She hadn’t spoken to him since. None of his family had.
He assumed most just didn’t know what to say to him, but it still hurt.
He already felt cut off magically. Cutting him off physically had felt like a kick when he was already down.
He was honestly surprised this visit was happening.
He hadn’t heard from his grandmother since that day in the hospital.
His few visits with his kids since then had all been at Edwina’s parent’s home where they could stand guard in case he looked unstable.
It still felt like he was missing part of the conversation, and he wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into.
It left him feeling on edge, and nothing Isaac had coached him to do was helping bring him back to baseline.
Slender fingers laced with his, and when he glanced over his shoulder, Elijah’s head was cocked, a concerned frown on his face. “What’s wrong?”
He huffed, shaking his head. “I should have known better than to think I could keep anything from you.”
That only made him frown deeper, and Alistair regretted the comment the minute it came out.
“I’m sorry if I’m prying. You don’t have to talk about it–” Elijah began, his expression apologetic and a little hurt.
Tightening his grip on Elijah’s hand before he could withdraw, he pulled them to a stop outside the portal to the silver realm, catching Elijah’s free hand and forcing the sweet man to look at him.
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.
I was just…” He hesitated, unsure what to say.
He didn't want to put Elijah’s back up around his family before he’d even met them, but he didn't want to lie to him either.
“Alistair. I can feel how conflicted you are. If you’re not ready to talk about whatever it is that’s on your mind, I won’t be upset. You’re allowed to have your space, despite my magic alluding otherwise. I just want you to know I’m here for you if you want to talk.”
Elijah’s sweet words eased some of the anxiety, and he stepped closer, leaning their foreheads together as he let out a long sigh. “Thank you. I’m willing to talk to you about it, but maybe not yet. Let’s see how today goes.”
Pressing a chaste kiss against his lips, Elijah nodded. “Okay. But if you ever need an excuse to take a break, just… think it really hard. I’ll pick up on the emotion at the very least and give you some kind of excuse to step out for a moment.”
A smile spread slowly across his face, and he let out a low chuckle. “You know, I never considered that. That’s handy. Maybe with some practice I’ll be able to talk to you like that, at least tell you when someone is acting like an asshole at work and not to listen to them.”
That made Elijah roll his eyes, but he was smiling, and the nerves Alistair had felt coming off him when he had picked Elijah up seemed to dissipate a little. It was nice knowing he had more than just Isaac supporting him during this encounter.
The trip through the portal was uneventful, though people were still giving them a wide berth.
He could see Elijah trying to mask his discomfort over their actions, trying to give his focus to Helios’s carrier on his shoulder, so he distracted him by talking about work and the loyalty interviews coming up this week.
He could tell by the way Elijah danced around the subject that he was worried how Alistair would react, but as long as people were polite, he wouldn’t say a word.
He didn’t want to cause more issues for Elijah.
He just didn’t want them treating him like shit anymore.
Isaac was waiting on the other side, Maverick seated next to him in the carriage.
No horses, the carriage could pull itself with a spell that Isaac was currently controlling.
He waved at their approach, but his smile was off and when Alistair helped Elijah into the carriage, he leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
“What’s wrong?”
Isaac gritted his teeth, his expression dark. “Not here. Let’s get on the road first.”
That uneasy feeling in his gut multiplied, and he felt not for the first time that this was a bad idea.
In the military, listening to his gut was the only way he survived as long as he had.
He didn’t like ignoring the warning, but unless he wanted to give up a chance to see his kids, there was nothing he could do about it.
The journey from the portal to their family home was a little over twenty minutes, which gave them plenty of time to talk once they were in the forest and away from the crowds near the station.
Once they were on a relatively empty stretch of road, Isaac swung around, his brows drawn down as he asked, “What did they tell you about this visit?”
“Who’s they?” he countered. “Edwina said she was visiting and asked if I’d be there. You were the one who contacted the family to get the information.”
“Right,” Isaac nodded. “And when I contacted them, it all seemed normal, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Why? Did something happen?” Elijah asked, concerned.
Isaac tipped his head side to side, eyes distant.
“Yes and no. It’s not like anyone said anything specific.
It’s just… the vibe is off. Everyone is tense, and it feels like they’re all dancing around conversations whenever I’m around.
It’s like they don’t want me to know something.
Which is why I wanted to know what you heard.
” He turned back to Alistair. “What did Edwina say specifically?”
He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Edwina, but he didn’t remember specifics. It’d happened early in the week, and it felt like ages ago with everything that had happened. Elijah had been his sole focus, and he hadn’t given any thought to Edwina since that phone call.
“I do remember her sounding weird. I figured it was just being forced to speak with me. But now I’m not sure.”
His suspicions rose even more now that Isaac was picking up on the same thing. Was it just Edwina’s presence that was making the family uncomfortable, or did it have something to do with him?
Elijah’s warm voice drew him out of his thoughts, calm despite his own discomfort over the situation.
Alistair had found Elijah’s voice soothing since the day they’d met, putting him at ease even when Alistair wasn’t sure if he could trust him.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. The most important part of this visit is to allow Alistair to see his children.
Whatever else might be happening in the background shouldn’t interfere with that. ”
A breath escaped him at the conviction in Elijah’s voice. If there was something he could do to ensure Alistair had a good visit with his kids, he was going to do it. That alone made him want to kiss the telepath senseless.
“I agree,” Maverick grumbled. “Whatever drama the family might be having, it shouldn’t come between parent and children. We’ll find out what’s going on. You focus on spending time with your kids.”
They made a plan for Isaac and Maverick to mingle and see what they could find out.
Elijah, while uneasy about it, agreed to let his magic free just enough that he could pick up on more of his surroundings, see if he might be able to point either man in the right direction.
Alistair’s sole focus would be on Thayer and Hazel.
Whatever the drama was, it didn’t matter to him. All he cared about was seeing his kids.
His attention snapped to the house as they pulled around the bend and the old family home came into view.
His breath caught in his throat when he realized Edwina and the kids were already there.
He didn’t even make the conscious decision to move before he was jumping out of the carriage and racing toward the house.
Thayer and Hazel, who had been playing on the porch, saw him coming and took off, ignoring their mother’s shouts to get to him.
He swooped low enough to catch them both, dropping to his knees as he was finally, finally where he wanted to be.
“Daddy!”
“Dad!”
Tears burned his eyes, and he squeezed them a little tighter, letting their little bodies knock him backward without a care in the world. He had his kids back. He didn’t care about anything else.
“Goddess, I missed you,” he murmured, turning to press kisses to their hair.
It didn’t take long before Thayer wiggled free, too excited to sit still.
Hazel clung to him, her little shoulders shaking as she sobbed against his shoulder.
He kept her tucked against him as he sat up, rocking her a little like he did when she was a baby and refused to settle in the middle of the night.
“Dad! Dad! I can do advanced level magic! Want to see?”
Thayer didn’t wait for a response before drawing in a deep breath and closing his eyes, summoning a gust of wind strong enough to make him stumble.
If Alistair hadn’t been sitting, it was possible it would have made him move as well.
Pride filled his chest, following quickly by fear.
He’d told Edwina he didn’t want them studying that stuff until they were older.
He didn’t want the sharks surrounding them before they’d even come of age.
“Who taught you that?”
“Mom’s new boyfriend, Dilwyn, taught me!”