Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Alistair knew Elijah was nervous. His mind was a chaotic mess of shame, resignation, and hope that things would turn out okay.
If Alistair could do anything to make it easier on him, he would, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do.
He was only a temp here at Spellbound, and his short time working here didn’t give him much time to make any headway in the way people treated Elijah.
Still, he sent as much soothing energy as he could along their bond to relax him and maintained his composure as people scurried past Elijah’s office like he was dangerous.
Elijah didn’t need to be dealing with his temper on top of everything else.
“Thank you,” Elijah murmured from his desk. “I appreciate your patience.”
“For you, sweetheart, anything. Want some cocoa?”
Elijah shook his head, the thought crossing his mind that he couldn’t handle putting anything into his stomach right now. Alistair figured he’d say that, Elijah hadn’t managed to eat breakfast either, but he was at a loss on how to help otherwise. He hated that he couldn’t make it better.
A smile pulled at Elijah’s face and his cheeks dusted a light pink. “It means a lot that you care,” he reassured him. “Just being here is all I need right now.”
“Then I guess you’ve got a new shadow,” he teased, drawing another small smile from the man. It didn’t make the nerves go away, but his telepath settled a little more, and by the time the group interviews came around, he was more or less calm.
The conference room where the interviews were held was a few floors down, but Elijah chose to take the stairs, not wanting to face the fearful looks of his coworkers just yet.
Alistair agreed, since he was likely to punch someone if they said something stupid.
They left a little early for the interviews and took their time with the five flights of stairs, giving Elijah the time to soak in the quiet before they were forced around others.
Luckily, most of the interviewees didn’t know Elijah or what his power was.
They were aware a telepath was in the room, it was in the interview emails apparently, but they weren’t told who exactly.
They all seemed to give off the same nervous energy as the last few batches of interviews, nothing new that Alistair felt he had to worry about.
“Ah, Elijah. I’m glad you’re back,” Brennus greeted as they came into the conference room. He did a double take when he took them in. “What’s… What’s different? You feel different. Did something happen?”
He seemed concerned, but not out of fear. His concern was for Elijah’s wellbeing, which Alistair appreciated.
Elijah’s cheeks warmed as he responded, “I, uh… anchored to Alistair last night. We’re bonded.”
It was hard to get expressions off a griffin, but thanks to Elijah’s internal monologue, he accepted the joy and relief coming from Elijah’s boss.
“Congratulations!” Brennus beamed. “This is a joyous thing. We’ll have to celebrate. Just wait until my wife finds out. I’d make room in your fridge if I were you. She’ll probably bake a cake.”
For the first time all morning, Elijah laughed, his shoulders coming down from beside his ears. “Noted. Can she make the red velvet one? It’s my favorite.” He turned to Alistair with hope in his eyes. “Do you like red velvet?”
He purposely stopped himself from thinking he’d accept anything as long as it made Elijah happy, instead answering, “If it’s made right, yes. Is it cream cheese frosting?”
Elijah shook his head in a rush. “No. Brennus’s wife is more classic. She uses ermine frosting. It’s not as sweet, but still really good. You have to try it.”
Since it was something Elijah was actually excited about, there was no way Alistair wouldn’t agree.
The morning interviews went well, and Elijah settled a little more being able to do his job without any issues.
Alistair was considering ordering something to be delivered to the office for lunch just to give Elijah more time to relax before the loyalty interviews when Isaac arrived, bags of sandwiches with a familiar logo in his hand.
“Hey, I’m glad you’re back. I thought eating here might be better today so–” He came to an abrupt halt, looking between them with a shocked expression that slowly morphed into a grin. “Holy shit. Did you two bond with each other?”
“Is his magic really that different?” Alistair had to ask.
He was curious how people seemed to know.
He knew he felt a difference, and having that kind of connection back even with the blockers was something he’d been basking in all morning, but he couldn’t feel Elijah before they bonded so he wasn’t sure what the difference was afterward.
“Yes,” Isaac answered as he put the sandwiches on the little coffee table in front of the couch.
“Before, when he came into the room, it felt a little like an oppressive wave of telepathic energy. No offense, Elijah, but even repressing it, you still felt heavy. Now, I have to read you with a spell to feel your power. You’re still powerful, but it’s not oppressive like before. ”
Elijah winced. “I tried my best…”
Alistair put a hand on Elijah’s, squeezing gently. And to Elijah’s great surprise, Isaac came to stand beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“You were trying to make everyone comfortable. Once people pull their heads out of their asses, they’ll realize that. Don’t forget, people were terrified of Maverick up until I came along. Opinions will change once people see you in action.”
“Speaking of, where is your mate?” Alistair asked.
He waved toward the wall of windows. “He’ll be here in a minute. I wanted to make sure food was waiting for him when he got back. He’s always hungry after a shift, and he had to fly across town this morning.”
Maverick arrived a few minutes later like Isaac said and fell on his food like a starved animal.
Since Alistair had worked with shifters in the past, he understood the need for food after shifting, especially with a shifter his size.
Elijah looked a little surprised, but he kept the shock to himself, taking a bite of his sandwich with a happy sigh.
Isaac, being a good friend, had picked up lunch from Elijah’s favorite sandwich shop.
When he’d ordered Elijah’s typical sandwich and the owners figured out who it was for, Helen had tucked a few cookies in the bag just for him.
Alistair had been able to see how happy their acceptance made him the first time they ate at the shop, but feeling the sparkling joy that swept through his telepath when he noticed the treats made Alistair want to make the shop a regular place for them.
They made Elijah happy in ways they probably didn’t even realize.
“Did you tell your grandmother you were bonded?” Maverick asked when he finally came up for a breath. No doubt, he figured it out the same way Isaac did, but he hadn’t said anything before now.
“No. Why?”
A smug smirk crossed his face. “She still berates Isaac for not telling her right away after our bonding. I’m curious how she’ll react when it happens for a second time.”
Isaac rolled his eyes, poking his mate’s side. “Stop that. You only take joy out of her annoyance because she pesters me. Don’t pick fights with my grandmother.”
“Of course, my heart,” Maverick replied, but the smirk he shot Alistair said he wasn’t going to stop until their grandmother stopped bothering his mate. Dragons were insanely protective of their mates. Even against their own family. Now that he was bonded to Elijah, he felt the same way.
Glancing at the man beside him, he asked, “Am I going to meet your family?”
Elijah stilled for a long moment, and Alistair would have been worried about that response if a swell of happiness didn’t hit him like a sledgehammer. He wasn’t hesitant because he didn’t want the meeting to happen. He was just overwhelmed.
“I’d like that,” Elijah breathed. “Um… I’ll have to call and see when they’re free. Maybe at the end of the month? I’m pretty sure there’s a holiday weekend coming up so they both should be free from work obligations.”
“Hopefully it goes better than the family meeting with our clan,” Isaac commented. “Then again, you don’t have psycho ex in-laws hanging around.” He paused, then narrowed his eyes. “Right?”
Snickering, Elijah shook his head. “No, we’re good.”
They cleaned up their lunch together, and Isaac was about to follow Maverick out the door when he stopped at the threshold and turned around, letting out a long breath.
“Look, I wasn’t going to bring this up right now, but I don’t know if you being bonded changes things.
Taron thinks you and Tony should talk. Apparently it was just as much of a shock for him to see you yesterday.
No one wants to rush you, but if you think you can handle it, I think it’d do him some good.
From what he’s told me, no one from his life before the injury speaks to him. And it might help you both.”
Alistair shook his head before he could even finish the sentence. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’m not saying now–” Isaac began, only for Alistair to cut him off again.
“I don’t think I can have anything to do with him. Or anyone from before. I haven’t had a flashback like that since before the bands were put on, Isaac. I can’t stay stable for my kids if I’m faced with that again.”
He felt bad, if Tony struggled like he did then talking about it might help him, but Alistair didn’t feel the same way.
“Actually…” Elijah interrupted with a frown, his gaze distant. “I think I might be able to help.”