Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
After spending a lovely weekend with Alistair, Elijah almost didn’t look forward to returning to work.
It was unusual for him, he loved his work, but he couldn’t help but want to bask in the time he got to spend with Alistair and his kids.
Sleeping in the man’s arms had been an experience Elijah had never even dreamed to hope for.
After a small incident where Hazel had attempted to smuggle Helios in her backpack to her mother’s house, Agatha brought the children home.
Elijah felt Alistair could use some space afterward, knowing how hard it was to watch his kids walk away, so he suggested heading back themselves, and Alistair dropped him off at home before heading back to Isaac’s.
Elijah spent the rest of the day doing normal chores and the like while replaying the highs and lows of the weekend in his head.
The highs definitely outweighed the lows, and he was looking forward to the next visit that Thayer had made him promise he would be present for.
He headed into the office Monday morning with a bounce in his step, the weekend having done wonders on him.
Though, he was looking forward to being around people again.
After a weekend full of activity, the quiet of his home was unwelcome, and he was glad to return to the hustle and bustle of the office.
He managed to arrive at the same time as the CEO and his mate, and he smiled politely as he passed them.
“Elijah! Do you have a minute?” Avery called out.
Hesitating, Elijah turned to face the little human. He’d always been kind and had invited Elijah to his home a few times, but in the office, people generally avoided him. It was strange for anyone to seek him out here. Unless it was somehow work related?
“Good morning, Mr. Hawksley, Avery.”
“How was your weekend? Isaac said you joined him at his family home. Was the forest really full of magic?”
Stunned, it took Elijah a moment to reply. He’d forgotten how long it had been since someone stopped him to socialize. And Avery wasn’t keeping his distance either. He stood only a foot away, his body language open and curious. Like he wasn’t afraid of Elijah in the slightest.
“Oh, um… It was good. You’re right, I did go to the silver realm this weekend. And yes, the forest is amazing. It almost felt alive, which was fascinating.”
“Alive? Alive how?”
They spoke for a while on the silver realm and what it was like.
Avery was apparently interested in traveling, but both he and his mate were busy individuals and had only been mated a couple years.
They preferred for now to spend their free time together or with friends instead of traveling.
At one point, the little author took out his phone to take notes on the curiosities of the silver realm, his eyes alight with interest as he hung on Elijah’s every word.
“You know, you could consider travel to be research,” Elijah pointed out. “You could go to new places to get material for your books.”
Avery’s eyes widened in surprise. “I never thought about that. You might be right. But…” He glanced at his mate who stood a few feet away, talking to Taron who had arrived while Avery and Elijah were talking. “I don’t want to go alone and Ozen is so busy…”
Elijah cocked his head. He’d seen the couple together often enough to know Mr. Hawksley was devoted to his mate and would do anything to make him happy, including taking time off work.
He was by no means an expert on relationships, though, and if it were him, he might be reluctant to mention it if he was worried about being a burden.
He already worried things would end up that way with Alistair.
His boyfriend did so much for him already to make sure he was happy and healthy, and he didn’t want Alistair to feel overburdened by always needing to step in to ensure he was taking care of himself.
With that in mind, he let go of a small amount of his magic, just enough to ease the tightness around his temples.
If Avery noticed, he didn’t mention it, and aside from a glance from Mr. Hawksley, he didn’t say anything about it.
It was Taron who brought it up, loping over to toss his arm around Elijah’s shoulders in a friendly gesture.
“Well if it isn’t our favorite telepath. I’ve got a request for you. You said you could do something to make Avery no longer afraid of heights. Can you do the same thing for me?”
Elijah frowned, confused. “But you’re not afraid of heights.” At least, he hadn’t shown any signs of being frightened during their lunch.
“You’re right, I’m not. But people complain a lot about me moving around too much. Think you can fix that?”
Elijah immediately shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
Taron’s arm dropped and he pouted. “Why not?”
“Having extra energy isn’t a bad thing. And I’ve had more than one SR rep tell me how much they appreciate you stopping in to speak with them. You bring joy to people’s day with your visits. I wouldn’t want to mess with that. You’re fine just as you are.”
Taron looked surprised by Elijah’s vehemence, but Elijah stood by what he said. He was aware people sometimes considered Taron a troublemaker, but he was also a good boss and a kind person. Elijah didn’t want to even think about changing something so integral to the man’s personality.
It took a second for Taron to shake off the surprise. Once he had, he pulled Elijah into a hug, making his mouth fall open in shock. The only person who had ever been hands on with him was Alistair. It was odd that others were now doing something similar.
“Aww. I think he likes me,” Taron teased.
Elijah blinked a few times, worried his words somehow misled Taron into thinking he was crushing on the man. Avery spoke up before he could figure out some way to ask without embarrassing either of them.
“Of course he does. We all like you, Taron. Why would you want to change such a big part of your personality?” he asked, concerned.
Taron grinned, shaking his head. “I don’t. I was just curious to know what Elijah would do.”
Elijah’s brows snapped together. “That was a test?”
Mr. Hawksley sighed, exasperated. “Why are you causing trouble so early? Did someone give you caffeine?”
“No. He just wakes up this way,” Zephyr said as he joined them, his arm around Tony’s waist. “T, stop causing trouble before people have had their coffee.”
“So I can cause trouble after coffee?” Taron asked innocently, batting his eyelashes at his mate.
Tony shook his head with a smirk. “No. You’ve got a meeting this morning.”
They continued to banter, with Avery and Mr. Hawksley interjecting their opinion here and there.
It was a surreal moment for Elijah, as he felt like part of the group and that had never happened to him before.
Whenever he was too quiet, Taron would bump him or toss an arm around his shoulders in a friendly manner while demanding his input.
He was so wrapped up in the moment, he didn’t notice Alistair approach until he was practically behind them.
A tidal wave of emotions crashed into him, causing him to stumble like it had been a physical blow.
Shock, horror, pain, and regret overwhelmed him, and he had to fight to push the feelings away enough to figure out what was happening.
He spun around, taking in Alistair’s pale expression, and sucked in a sharp breath.
The emotions were coming from him. But why?
Elijah had texted him when he arrived at Spellbound.
Alistair had arrived early, having been woken up by a series of nightmares that wouldn’t let up.
He’d given up before the sun rose and left for work when he couldn’t take the quiet anymore.
He’d been doing well with his nightmares, but they were back with a vengeance, and any time he closed his eyes, they repeated themselves until he couldn’t take it anymore.
He was glad this issue waited until after he’d spent the night with Elijah.
An antsy feeling danced under his skin all morning, and when Elijah didn’t show up when Alistair expected him, he went looking for his telepath.
He told himself Elijah was probably just speaking to someone or there were long lines at the elevator, but he couldn’t settle until he saw Elijah standing with a familiar group of supes, smiling warmly and nodding along with whatever they were discussing.
He was going to remind Elijah about the group interviews happening in thirty minutes when Taron moved, stepping back enough for Alistair to see around him.
Standing next to him was a face Alistair never thought he’d see again.
And after a night of too little sleep, he wasn’t prepared for the flashback that hit him square in the sternum, leaving him breathless.
The shout, the human pushing him, the explosion.
The man standing next to Taron was the same man who pushed him out of the way and spared him from the IED.
He was the human military member who saved him and two others in his unit.
It was his blood Alistair was covered in when he was taken by the elves.
Warmth crashed against him, wrapping around him like a hug.
It pulled at his senses, drawing him out of the flashback and back to reality.
He could hear people shouting and a familiar static charge, like Isaac was pissed and it was charging the air with his magic.
He heard his breathing next, sharp and fast, like he’d been running a marathon.
His vision was blurry at first, and when he blinked, tears spilled down his cheeks.
He was on the floor, though he didn’t remember falling, surrounded by a ring of powerful supes with their backs to him, protecting him.
No. Protecting them. Elijah was wrapped around him, whispering soothing words in his ear and petting his hair.
Even with the blockers, he could feel Elijah’s magic like he had the first time.
That was the warmth he felt. Elijah had set his magic free and was using using it to settle him.
And it was scaring the shit out of everyone in the lobby.
“He’s been hiding his power! That’s not legal!” someone shouted.
“He could be reading all our minds, and we wouldn’t know it!” someone else agreed.
Their voices rang out, outraged and scared to have such a powerful telepath in their presence.
It made Alistair’s temper flare, and his magic roiled in his chest, only for Elijah’s magic to sweep in and soothe him again.
Not forcing him or demanding in any way, just a soothing warmth that curled around him, a reminder that he wasn’t alone.
“Eli…” Alistair murmured.
Elijah shifted a little to see him better, eyes filled with worry as he took in Alistair’s face. “Alistair. Are you alright?”
He shook his head. There was no point in lying when Elijah could probably feel his emotions anyway.
He wasn’t okay. He was in no way ready to be confronted by the man whose rescue drew the attention of the enemy.
He couldn’t get a grip on his feelings about it all, and he couldn’t think straight with all the shouting.
“I need… I need to get out of here,” he whispered. It was all too much. He hadn’t had a flashback that bad since before the blockers were put on. He felt raw and exposed and he wanted out.
“Okay. Do you want to come to my home? It’s closer, and Helios is a good source of comfort when I’m feeling anxious. Cuddling him will help.”
If he were in a better headspace, he’d probably comment that cuddling Elijah was better. He just didn’t have it in him. He nodded, allowing Elijah and Maverick to help him to his feet and lead him over to a few couches near the windows.
“Wait here,” Elijah instructed. “I’ll go get your car–”
Alistair’s grip on the telepath tightened, and he shook his head. “No. Don’t go. I need you.”
He was a little afraid of what would happen when Elijah’s magic released him. He felt like he was barely keeping his head above water as it was.
“I’ll go,” Avery offered. “Just tell me which one.”
Elijah rattled off the make and model, filching the keys from Alistair’s jacket pocket and handing them to him. They sat together on that sofa, Elijah still wrapped around him like a comfort blanket, both physically and telepathically, while Isaac and Maverick stood guard.
“You’re going to be okay,” Elijah whispered, rocking him a little. He hadn’t realized his breathing had picked up again until Elijah said something. His instincts told him to get them out of here and it wasn’t easy to wait.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go,” he warned. “I’m afraid of what will happen when you do.”
Elijah hugged him tighter, tucking Alistair’s head under his chin. “I won’t. I promise.”