Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Elijah was grateful Isaac had closed the curtains when they’d first arrived so Alistair could rest. The dark room hid the tears streaming down his cheeks.
He knew what Alistair had gone through was hard.
But feeling the pain he felt while reliving the memory was heartbreaking.
It was no wonder the poor man came back broken.
He never would have connected Tony’s injury to Alistair.
He knew Tony had been in the military, and he knew that was where his injury came from, but he never thought the two men were connected.
Alistair was in an elite military unit, and Tony was a gentle giant.
It was hard to imagine him in the military at all, much less working with elite fighters like Alistair.
If he’d had even an inkling, he might have warned Alistair that Tony worked in the office.
It was a miracle they hadn’t bumped into each other before now.
Alistair, being the amazing man he was, didn’t let the events of the morning break him for a second time.
With how tightly Elijah’s magic was wrapped around him, he felt it as the man let go of the interaction and forced himself to take deep breaths.
Elijah was in awe of this man, unwilling to let anything keep him down for long.
Meanwhile, Elijah was still shaken and worried about losing his job.
He’d reacted on instinct when he saw the flashback take over Alistair.
He didn’t regret what he did. Releasing his hold on his magic was the only way to have enough power to get past the magic blockers to help him.
He just wished helping the man he cared for didn’t result in him losing the job he loved.
Letting out a heavy breath, Alistair sat up slowly. “I need a shower.”
“Alright. Did you…” He didn’t want to make Alistair feel weak by needing a chaperone, but Alistair had said he didn’t want Elijah to let go. He hadn’t been lying when he said he could use his magic without touching Alistair, but he wasn’t sure if that was enough.
“I’ll be alright,” Alistair said with a touch of firmness that made Elijah think he was saying the words not only to Elijah but to himself as well.
Slowly, so Alistair could change his mind if he felt uncomfortable, Elijah drew back his magic.
Alistair didn’t show any signs of distress, only a mild discomfort that Elijah shared.
Despite the situation, he’d liked being connected to Alistair like that.
If he thought Alistair would allow it, he’d keep them connected just so he didn’t have to let go.
That feeling of being alone was so much worse when Alistair stood and the physical touch ended as well.
Elijah felt a little like he was stranded on an island alone surrounded by miles of ocean.
And that island felt smaller and smaller as the days passed.
“Eli?”
Now was not the time to drop his baggage on Alistair.
The poor man had been through enough, and it was still early.
He forced himself to smile and stood, gesturing toward the hallway.
“I’ll show you where the towels are. Do I really need to worry about Isaac in my kitchen? I thought he knew how to cook.”
Alistair stared at him for a long moment, but he seemed to accept Elijah’s attempt to change the subject, as he didn’t point it out.
He followed Elijah upstairs to the linen closet where Elijah handed him everything he needed and pointed out the bathroom.
Of course, Alistair already knew where it was from the walkthrough when the contractor was there, but Elijah showed him anyway and moved to escape back downstairs before Alistair caught him by the arm.
“Wha–”
He didn't try and demand Elijah speak to him about what was bothering him. He just pulled Elijah into a hug tight enough to make his bones squeak, his voice rough against Elijah’s ear.“Thank you. For being there when I needed you.”
Some of the tightness in Elijah’s chest eased, and he hugged the mage back, burying his face against Alistair’s shoulder. “Always. I’ll always be there for you.”
It still felt too early for any declarations, even though Elijah definitely had feelings for the man wrapped around him, but he kept that to himself and just enjoyed the hug. He was getting spoiled by all the friendly touches he’d been getting lately.
When Elijah went back downstairs, he felt a little better. There was still so much going on, but for now, he wanted to focus on Alistair. The man had been through a lot that morning. He deserved Elijah’s full attention.
“No. I know, Avery, but–” Isaac sighed, his phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear.
“I appreciate that, but he’s not ready. Tell Taron I’m sorry, but it’s not a good time.
I’ll talk to him about it. No, not today.
” He pulled a face, setting down the food he’d been preparing to readjust his hold on the phone.
“Well, yeah, I’ll come in if Maverick needs me, but he seemed fine when he left. ”
Elijah didn’t want to eavesdrop, but Isaac noticed him when he tried to backtrack out of the room and waved him closer, putting his fingers over the speaker to speak to him directly.
“Apparently people in the office are pissing off my dragon. I might need to pop in to check on him. Do you have Alistair or–”
Elijah nodded quickly. “I’ve got him. He’s in the shower now. We’ll stay here and relax, and if I’m at all worried, I’ll call you right away.”
Isaac’s smile was relieved. “I appreciate that. Honestly, I’m a little irritated I can’t even take a morning off without someone pulling the dragon’s tail.
It’s like they want him to lose his temper.
” He removed his fingers, speaking to Avery again.
“I’ll order a rideshare and be there soon.
I don’t know, twenty minutes, maybe? It’s not far.
Don’t let anyone else near Maverick until I can get there.
” He rolled his eyes at whatever Avery’s response was.
“I don’t know. Talk to him about your next book.
He loves them and always looks forward to author insight about the characters. ”
He’d just walked out the front door when Alistair appeared at the top of the stairs, frowning. “Who was that?”
“Isaac had to go back to the office. Apparently some people keep pulling the dragon’s tail. He said he’d be back as soon as he could.”
Alistair’s eyes narrowed, and his footsteps were heavy as he came down the stairs. “You know, Isaac has always said what a great place Spellbound is to work, but I really haven’t seen what he’s so happy about. It doesn’t seem like a good place to me.”
Elijah shook his head. “Spellbound is a great place to work. We strive for equality and accessibility, and my department especially works to keep everyone happy, and we have a lot less incidents than other companies of this size. You just got stuck in a difficult position working with me. I’m an exception.
And Maverick has a short temper when Isaac isn’t around. ”
They sat back on the couch together, and Helios immediately leapt back into Alistair’s lap, purring loud enough that they almost had to raise their voices to be heard over him.
Elijah would have complained if he didn’t see the way Alistair’s shoulders came down, and his body relaxed under Helios’s care.
It was sweet watching those two interact.
“So, I told Isaac we’d just relax for the afternoon. I feel like you could use some down time after this morning. What do you like to do to relax?”
Looking around, Alistair frowned. “Do you not own a tv?”
“Uh…” He’d honestly forgotten about that. He’d never had anyone visit before so he never thought to have one for entertainment. He preferred to read over watching tv anyway. “No, I don’t…”
“Alistair,” Elijah murmured, fingers combing through his hair again. Did he want to point out that Elijah doing that was having the opposite effect to waking him up? Absolutely not. He might stop.
“Mm?”
Elijah chuckled, making him think this wasn’t his first attempt to wake him. “You need to wake up. Isaac and Maverick will be here soon and they’re bringing supper.”
He grunted in annoyance and buried his face a little harder against Elijah’s chest. After realizing he didn’t have much in the way of entertainment, Elijah had suggested Alistair look through his book collection.
It was extensive, shelves lining the hallway upstairs and in both the guest room and bedroom, but after the rollercoaster of the morning, Alistair didn’t feel up for reading.
His head throbbed around his temples, and he just wanted to close his eyes.
Not even the snack Isaac had left and Elijah had finished preparing had done anything to take the edge off.
It was Elijah’s offer to read something to him so he could rest his eyes that Alistair agreed to.
Listening to the sound of the gorgeous telepath reading his favorite book had settled Alistair in a way meditating never had, especially not after the blockers were put on.
He zoned out, just listening, for most of the morning, roused himself enough to eat lunch at Elijah’s insistence, then fell asleep listening to Elijah reading once they settled back on the couch again.
It didn't help that when he laid on top of Elijah and used his chest as a pillow, Helios had jumped onto his back and started purring again. The vibrations plus Elijah’s voice and steady heartbeat had been the perfect combination to put him to sleep.
“Isaac said he picked up your favorite dinner,” Elijah gently coaxed.
That got him to look up, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What did he say he was bringing?”
Elijah shook his head with a frown. “He didn’t mention specifically. Just that he was picking up your favorite and would be over in twenty minutes.” He showed Alistair his phone, where the conversation was already pulled up.
With an unhappy grunt, he buried his face again. “Without proof, I’m not moving.”
His stubbornness made Elijah laugh. He had barely managed a smile since that morning, and the sound did a lot more to get rid of Alistair’s mood than food ever would.
Lifting his head enough to rest his chin on Elijah’s chest, he took in the man cuddling him.
The freckles dotted across his nose and cheeks, those hazel eyes that danced whenever he laughed.
He was falling so hard for the telepath that it surprised him.
They’d only known each other a little over a week, and already he wanted to tie himself to the man beneath him in every way he knew how.
The reminder that they couldn’t, that Alistair’s disconnect with his magic meant he couldn’t tie Elijah to him or his family like mages normally would, was like a punch to the gut.
So much so that he didn’t notice Isaac’s arrival until his little brother came into the room with several bags of take out and a bottle of wine.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I need a drink. Who’s with me?”