Chapter Eighteen #2
“We awakened something,” he said quietly.
“In the undercroft. Crystals that form the sanctuary’s heart - some kind of collaborative magic created by gargoyles, witches, druids, and fae centuries ago.
The castle itself has become...aware…semi-sentient, maybe.
It’s been helping us. And apparently” - he gestured at the immaculate rooms - “preparing for guests.”
Moira was quiet for a long moment, her hand resting on the doorframe. “That’s either the most reassuring thing I’ve heard, or the most concerning.”
“Both, probably,” Damon admitted. “We’re still figuring it out ourselves.”
“Can you control it?”
“I don’t think anyone controls it,” Redford said carefully. “But we can communicate with it, after a fashion, through the stones. It seems to understand our intentions.”
“Which is all very well and good, but what are its intentions?”
“Absolutely protective.” Redford was certain of that much. “This place was built as a sanctuary. That’s its purpose, and what it was designed for. I think it’s been dormant, waiting for the right caretakers to wake it up again.”
Moira examined the rooms again, opening closets, testing the plumbing.
Everything was working. “If what you’re saying is real, and I’m not suggesting you’re not telling the truth, but if this is what is happening, and the castle can truly protect its residents, this could be the safest sanctuary in existence. ”
“We’re still learning its capabilities,” Redford cautioned. “We can’t make promises when we don’t fully understand what’s going on yet.”
“But you believe it’s protective, that it means well.”
Redford glanced at Damon, who nodded. “Yes. We do.”
Moira pulled out her phone. “I’m bringing Finn and Kara tomorrow morning. If anything feels wrong, if that castle of yours shows any sign of threat, we’re leaving immediately, though. Understood?”
“Absolutely.”
After Moira left, Redford and Damon stood in the prepared rooms, both processing what had just happened.
“It knew,” Damon said finally. “Somehow, it knew Moira was coming, knew what she’d ask for, and prepared the space.”
“Maybe it can sense intention through the stone.” Redford pressed his palm against the wall. “When we discussed reopening the sanctuary, when we met with Moira the first time, somehow it understood what we wanted to create here.”
It’s freaking amazing. “We need to understand it better,” Redford added. “Before more people arrive. We need to know what it’s capable of and what its limits are.”
Damon’s hand found his. “The crystal chamber?”
“The crystal chamber.”
The undercroft was quiet when they descended, the crystals glowing with soft light. Redford approached the largest one carefully, Damon at his side.
Instead of touching it directly this time, Redford simply pressed his palm to the stone wall beside it, letting his gargoyle communicate with it.
The response was immediate - not words, but impressions flooding his consciousness. The castle had been dormant for so long, with centuries of emptiness, disuse, and forgetting its purpose.
When they’d touched the crystal, and their combined signatures matched what Beatrice keyed the wards to, something had clicked. The castle recognized them as belonging.
But it was still uncertain, trying to understand if they were worthy of the trust placed in them.
“It’s like an abandoned child in a way,” Redford whispered. “The last protectors left, and it’s been waiting ever since for someone to come back and need it again.”
“We’re not leaving,” Damon said out loud, addressing the stone itself. “This is our home now, and we’re rebuilding what was lost. You’re not alone anymore.”
The crystals pulsed brighter, and through the stone, Redford felt the hope shine through.
They stayed in the chamber for over an hour, Redford maintaining contact with the wall, learning the castle’s rhythms. It couldn’t speak, not truly, but it could express intent through the stone.
It had prepared those rooms for Finn and Kara because it understood they needed somewhere safe to be. Redford wasn’t sure applying mortal emotion to stones was the right thing to do, but it was as if the castle was happy that after so long, someone was asking it to fulfill its purpose again.
“It’s not just stone and magic,” Redford said as they climbed back up to ground level. “It’s...alive, in its own way. It locked us in this morning because it wanted to observe us together, and understand our bond.”
“That is a wee bit invasive,” Damon muttered.
“It could be protecting itself,” Redford suggested. “It needs to trust that we’re serious. That we’re committed to each other, to this place, and to what we’re building.”
He paused at the tower entrance, looking back down into darkness.
“If you think about it in mortal terms, the castle felt betrayed by something that happened in the past, likely connected to why it closed down in the first place. We might never know what happened here, but to the castle, who’s been waiting, it might take a while to trust the new owners. ”
/~/~/~/~/
That night, back at the cottage, they discovered the bedroom door was locked again, but this time the intention behind it felt different.
The fire was flickering in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth and light, and somehow…and Redford would never be able to work out why, but the bed seemed so much more inviting than usual.
“Is the castle…” Damon trailed off as he shook his head. “Is this a set up for sexy times?”
Redford turned to find his mate watching him with darkened eyes. “I think it wants to understand our bond and what we mean to each other.”
“I’ll say again, it’s a voyeuristic castle.” Damon’s voice had deepened. “Not that I really care when I’m looking at you.”
Redford cupped his face. “Maybe the castle wants to make sure we’re solid as a couple, and that we’re not going to fall apart under pressure.”
“Well, as long as the castle doesn’t interfere, I’m not complaining. I just don’t want to find the bed suddenly cut in half because the castle didn’t like the look of my ass.” Damon chuckled.
Their kiss was slow, as they took their time.
The urgency from their first nights together had mellowed as they got used to each other, but the desire was still as strong.
Clothes fell on the floor as they touched each other, mapping familiar territory made new somehow by the firelight and the castle’s watchful presence.
Redford pressed Damon down onto the bed, covering his body completely. Their bond amplified every sensation - the slide of skin, the catch of breath, and the building heat between them.
“Love you,” Redford murmured against Damon’s throat. “Every impossible, frustrating, wonderful part of you.”
Damon’s hands fisted in his hair. “Show me.”
So Redford did. Slowly, thoroughly, using his mouth and hands until Damon was shaking beneath him. He prepared him carefully, paying attention to every one of Damon’s responses – and there were a lot of them. When he finally pushed his cock inside, they both groaned as their arousal grew.
Moving together in the firelight, their rhythm quickened as they enjoyed the sensations. Redford loved how the bond allowed him to feel everything that Damon felt - the stretch, the fullness, Damon’s desire, and the overwhelming rightness of being together.
“Never felt so purposeful,” Damon gasped, his nails digging into Redford’s shoulders. “Never belonged anywhere until you.”
Redford captured his mouth in a kiss, swallowing Damon’s moan as he angled deeper. I was burning out. Hollowing myself out for a job that only took and took. But this - he thrust harder, making Damon cry out - building something meaningful with you. This is healing me.
They came within moments of each other, the bond amplifying those sensations as well, and when they collapsed in the aftermath, breathing hard, Redford knew there was nothing more perfect than his time with his mate.
Later, as they lay in the darkness, Damon traced idle patterns on Redford’s chest. “Do you think the castle was satisfied with what it observed?”
“I hope so.” Redford pressed a kiss to his mate’s hair. “Because we’re not going anywhere. This is our home.”
“Home,” Damon echoed. “Yep, that’s exactly what this is.”
The door unlocked at dawn, the quiet snick of the mechanism somehow sounding pleased. Through the stone walls, Redford felt the castle’s presence settle into something like contentment. Guess the castle approves, he thought as he went to get the coffee on.