Chapter Twenty #2
“But it’s like you’re not registering that here.” Damon tapped Redford’s chest, right over his heart. “For some reason, you tie your worth to being needed. What happens when you’re just... you? When there’s no emergency demanding your attention?”
The question hit too close to home, and Redford looked away, his jaw tight.
“You’re enough without the job,” Damon continued softly. “You know that, right? You’re enough for me, for the castle, for this life we’re building. You don’t have to earn belonging by being constantly useful.”
Something cracked in Redford’s chest - that wall he’d built centuries ago, when he’d first left his clan and learned that value came from what a person did instead of who they were.
“I don’t know how to just...be,” he confessed. “That time we shifted and ran/flew across the heather is the first time in longer than I could think that I had done that.”
“And you enjoyed it, I know you did. We’ll do it again and so much more, but I do think you need to hand in your resignation.” Damon pulled him closer. “In your own time,” he added. “I’m not pushing you to do something you’re not ready for, but I do think you’ll feel more settled when it’s done.”
Redford traced the thin chain around Damon’s neck. “I love you,” he said. “I don’t say it enough.”
“You show it constantly.” Damon caught his hand, pressed a kiss to the palm. “But yeah, hearing it is nice too.”
“I love you,” Redford repeated. “Even when you’re impossible, and your hound is smug about knowing things before I do.”
“My hound is always smug.”
“I wonder where he gets that from.”
Damon grinned, pulling Redford into a kiss that started gentle and deepened into something heated.
They made love on the couch as afternoon faded to evening, taking their time, reconnecting on every level.
Through their bond, Redford felt Damon’s love for him and knew that even if he lost everything else, he would still have that.
When they were sprawled together in comfortable exhaustion, Redford noticed the light through the windows. Sunset painted the Highlands in shades of orange and pink, and as he noticed, the cottage door clicked softly.
“We’re free,” Damon murmured against his shoulder.
Redford didn’t move. “Do you think we passed?”
“Probably. You can feel how satisfied the castle is now.”
“It would help if I knew what it was testing us for.” Redford sighed quietly.
/~/~/~/~/
The next morning, Redford went down to the crystal chamber alone while Damon checked on Finn and Kara. The massive crystals pulsed with their usual gentle light, but Redford sensed something different - a satisfaction radiating from the stones themselves.
He pressed his palm against the largest crystal and impressions immediately flooded through the contact - yesterday’s locked doors, the conversations it had witnessed, and the intimacy it had observed.
Proof – at least to the magic that powered the crystals - that the bond between its keepers was genuine, unshakable, and capable of weathering stress and conflict.
“You needed to know we wouldn’t break,” Redford said quietly.
The crystal warmed beneath his hand. More images flickered past—the castle’s original purpose, those centuries of protecting paranormals, and then something darker.
A betrayal. Someone attempting to use the sanctuary network for personal gain, leading to deaths, compromising everything the castle stood for.
And rather than be used as a weapon, it had shut down entirely.
“We won’t betray your purpose,” Redford promised. “Every decision we make will honor what you were built to do.”
The crystal blazed briefly, then settled back to its gentle pulsing. Through the stone, Redford felt acceptance, but also caution. Words were easy, as his mom had once said so many centuries before, but the castle needed proof through consistent choices over time.
“Fair enough,” Redford murmured. “We’ll earn your full trust.”
/~/~/~/~/
That evening, a familiar presence appeared in the cottage doorway - Kolton, with Simon carrying Warner on his hip.
“Surprise visit,” Kolton announced, pulling Damon into a hug that lifted him off his feet. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Never.” Damon extracted himself, grinning. “Warner’s gotten bigger already.”
“He’s seven months old now.” Simon shifted the baby, who immediately leaned over, reaching for Damon with demanding hands. “And into everything. We figured he’d enjoy seeing the castle now you’re done.”
Warner grabbed Damon’s finger, babbling happily. Then, without warning, the baby twisted in Simon’s arms, pointing insistently toward the east tower.
“What’s wrong?” Simon asked, but Warner just kept pointing, his little face scrunched in determination.
“He wants to go somewhere,” Kolton observed.
Warner’s pointing grew more insistent, and Redford realized what he wanted at about the same time Damon did. “The crystal chamber,” they said simultaneously.
They led the way down to the undercroft, Warner bouncing excitedly in Simon’s arms the entire descent. The moment they entered the chamber, the baby squealed with delight, reaching for the largest crystal with both hands.
“Should I let him?” Simon looked uncertain.
The crystals pulsed with welcoming warmth. Through the stone, Redford felt the castle’s affection - recognition of the baby gargoyle-hellhound hybrid as someone to protect and cherish.
“It’s safe,” Redford confirmed.
Simon approached carefully, letting Warner touch the crystal. The baby’s palm pressed against the stone, and light bloomed beneath his skin. Warner giggled, patting the crystal like it was a beloved pet, little light spots flickering and dancing with every touch.
Through their mate bonds, through the pack connections, through the castle itself, everyone felt it at the same time - the castle recognizing Warner as someone precious, someone who would always be welcome in the castle, and perhaps more astoundingly, the castle was happy.
“He knows it,” Simon breathed, awed. “Warner knows this place is special.”
“The castle recognizes him too.” Redford kept his hand on the stone, sensing the depth of that connection. Warner represented everything the sanctuary stood for - paranormals of mixed species, innocent, and needing protection. The castle had been built for beings exactly like him.
Simon examined the crystal chamber, wonder spreading across his features. “This is ancient magic, Red. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s one of a kind,” Damon confirmed. “The only sanctuary of its type that survived the trials.”
Kolton studied the glowing crystals practically. “So we’ve got a sentient castle that’s testing you two. What does it want when it does that?”
“To know if we’re worthy,” Redford said quietly. “To make sure our bond is strong enough to anchor it permanently.”
“And it’s keen on watching us in bed,” Damon teased.
Kolton groaned while Simon laughed outright. “Of course it is. Ancient magical entity gets its first keepers in centuries and becomes a voyeur.”
“It’s evaluating our bond’s strength,” Redford protested, though he couldn’t quite suppress a smile. “Not...watching for entertainment.”
“Sure,” Kolton said, grinning. “You keep telling yourself that.”