Chapter 34
A week following his matebond ceremony, Pyxlevir sat on the deck outside his house and smiled as he watched Gramlithyn in zebra form race his mother across the backyard.
It was tempting to run out and climb on Gramlithyn’s back, but Pyxlevir refused to intrude on time spent between mother and son.
Bound eternally to Gramlithyn, Pyxlevir could get a zebra ride anytime he wished. There was no need to be greedy.
Pyxlevir smiled and indulged in the rush of joy blooming in his heart.
For so long he’d been fueled by banked anger he refused to show and a soul-deep sadness.
But those days were now consigned to the past. Gramlithyn belonged to him, and they were committed to building a future that would work for them both.
Thankfully, they were surrounded by family determined to help them.
Gramlithyn had casually mentioned his enthusiasm for his job at Elven D’Vaire the other night at dinner.
The next evening, Kalthekor had announced that he was shuffling some of the offices in the building.
Or more specifically, he was moving Pyxlevir and his assistant to the same floor as Ardusian.
On Monday morning, Pyxlevir was taking over a new office, and he’d share it with Gramlithyn. Kalthekor was underhanded and sneaky, but Pyxlevir couldn’t complain. He was eager to share his workdays with Gramlithyn.
Behind Pyxlevir, the back door opened and Dasan stepped onto the deck.
“Oh cool, zebras,” Dasan said, settling onto a chair next to Pyxlevir.
“Yep, they’re racing.”
“Who’s winning?”
“Semira,” Pyxlevir replied. “But Gramlithyn is coming in a close second.”
“It was nice of Timotheus to have Laconifel and Semira’s identification cards programmed so they can come visit you and Gram whenever they want.”
Pyxlevir smiled. “Yeah, I love it. They adore you too; I wouldn’t be surprised if they pop by to see you even if Gramlithyn and I aren’t here.”
“Are you excited to have Gram in an office with you?”
“Yep. I’m happy he likes his job. It reminds me of the teenage Gramlithyn I once knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started talking about returning to school. He’s smart, and he loves learning. How’s your job going?”
“Are you kidding?” Dasan asked, flicking his set of small magnets fluidly through his fingers. “I love being at the library. School seems like a good idea to me; I’ve been looking into different programs.”
“Good for you. Depending on the subject, I’m happy to help you study if you choose to enroll.”
“Thanks, I’ll probably need the help. Pyx?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s really cool of you and Gram to invite me to live here with your family,” Dasan said. “Everyone has been so welcoming, and these past few months have been the best of my life.”
“Mine too. I hate that I spent six years without Gramlithyn, but there are some good things about it too. I learned the value of friendship, never to take anything for granted, and I gained an awesome hummingbird in my family.”
“Gram’s a super lucky guy, and I’m glad I was working at that shitty motel when he ran away from all this,” Dasan remarked as he waved a hand around to encompass the mansion at their backs and the yard where two zebras had settled into an easy trot toward the changing rooms on the side of the house.
“Not that I blame him. Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to leave. I know it sucked for you guys, but as you said, there were benefits too.”
Dasan’s words had Pyxlevir wondering where the hummingbird had been prior to meeting Gramlithyn, but the shifter never spoke of his past and was entitled to his secrets. Before Pyxlevir could think of a response, Gramlithyn called out his name.
Pyxlevir grinned as he caught sight of his mate in jeans and a blue T-shirt strolling to the deck. Beneath the sleeve of his shirt, parts of his mating mark were visible, and it coordinated handsomely with the scrollwork on his cheek and the two earrings at the top of his left ear.
“You lost every race,” Pyxlevir teased as Gramlithyn stepped onto the deck.
Leaning toward Pyxlevir, Gramlithyn pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Yep, it was fun. What are you two gossiping about?”
Pyxlevir scooted over so Gramlithyn could squeeze into the chair alongside him. “Dasan found a druid willing to take him to Europe, so he was saying goodbye.”
“Okay, that was Gram’s idea, not mine,” Dasan said. “I was just going with the flow. Best friends for life and all that shit.”
“I was running away from a gorgeous but possibly demented elf,” Gramlithyn argued. “Thankfully, Fate, or whatever, intervened, and I was told to drag my sorry ass home to beg for my parents’ forgiveness.”
“I don’t remember the begging part,” Semira called out from the yard as she headed in their direction.
“Turns out I’m a shitty kid and took weeks to apologize once I returned,” Gramlithyn replied.
“You’re a wonderful kid,” Semira corrected. “One I’m proud to call my son. Now I get to claim Pyx as mine too. Someday I might steal Dasan from the centaurs. I’ve always wanted more children, but Fate has been stingy.”
“Your card is programmed so you can come over here whenever you want,” Pyxlevir said. “I love adding parents to my life, and now I’m lucky to have the four best ones anywhere.”
“Laconifel had your cards adjusted too,” Semira confided. “The three of you are welcome at our house whenever you want. Drop in for dinner, to say hello, or even run the vacuum.”
“Run the vacuum?” Gramlithyn asked. “I hated doing that as a kid, I’m not showing up for yucky chores.”
“Vacuuming is better than doing dishes,” Pyxlevir remarked. “Plus, I can’t reach half the damn shelves to put stuff away.”
“Too many people in the Council are tall,” Dasan commented.
Pyxlevir nodded. “Agreed, and it’s ruled by dragons who are all giants. It sets unrealistic beauty standards for the rest of us.”
“Oh Pyx, few on this planet rival your beauty,” Semira said with a bright smile.
“Wrong,” Gramlithyn corrected. “No one rivals his beauty.”
“I disagree,” Pyxlevir responded with an eyeroll. “To me, you’re the handsomest person ever.”
“You two are so wonderful together,” Semira remarked, her brown eyes sparking with happiness.
“Now that your bond is complete, I can finally admit that I may have asked Fate a few times to put you two together. Your friendship was so tight, and you took to each other immediately. It surprised everyone in the room. I’ll never forget how shocked Kalthekor was.
You were a shy kid, Pyx, but that didn’t stop you from running off to play with Gramlithyn. It was adorable.”
“Don’t drag out any pictures,” Gramlithyn pleaded.
Pyxlevir took his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Semira, I’m coming over to see all the pictures.”
“I’d love that, Pyx. My only complaint is how fast the time went. I blinked, and you were both adults.”
“You sound like my parents,” Pyxlevir said with a chuckle.
More than once, his parents had lamented that they couldn’t stop the clock.
As for Pyxlevir, he’d been eager to reach adulthood and start his life.
He’d imagined it countless times. But at twenty-four, it was now surpassing the best of his dreams thanks to the kind, incredible hybrid next to him.
“Is anybody hungry?” Gramlithyn asked.
“You must be, you burned a lot of calories trying to keep up with Semira,” Pyxlevir responded.
“Sometimes I think he lets me win,” Semira said.
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. I’ll never tell.”
Semira reached out and patted Pyxlevir’s leg. “If you ever need to complain about what a rascal my son is, the door is always open.”
Laughing, Pyxlevir stood and wrapped his arms around Gramlithyn as soon as he rose alongside him. “Don’t worry, I’ll do that too.”
“Thankfully, I don’t even have to leave the house to find someone to bitch about if I’m annoyed with Pyx,” Gramlithyn mused.
“Come on, Dasan, let’s go inside and find out when these centaurs are going to feed us,” Semira encouraged, leading the hummingbird into the house.
Instead of following the pair, Pyxlevir remained next to his chair. He held onto his mate and met his pretty brown gaze.
“Want to bitch about me now?” Pyxlevir asked, raising a brow.
“Nope,” Gramlithyn replied as he turned to take Pyxlevir into his arms. “I was thinking about how quickly we can ditch everyone and escape into our bedroom.”
Holding Gramlithyn close, Pyxlevir lifted his chin and readily accepted Gramlithyn’s soft kiss. “And what would you like to do to me in our bedroom?”
“Hmm, I was thinking about you sitting on my lap.”
“A rather tame fantasy.”
“Oh, did I forget to mention that we’d be naked?”
“Still lacks a bit of imagination,” Pyxlevir said with a nip to Gramlithyn’s chin.
“Allow me to elaborate. You’d be straddling me between your lovely thighs.”
“Tell me more.”
“Your hole would be massaging my dick as I fuck you.”
“Finish it off with a zebra bite and I’m in.”
“As your best friend, I certainly can’t deny that request.”
“Kiss,” Pyxlevir demanded, cupping Gramlithyn’s face in his hands as their mouths touched.
Tilting his head to the side, Pyxlevir darted his tongue out and eagerly tasted his mate.
They had a fantastic night ahead of them, and an extraordinary future awaited them.
An eternity Pyxlevir and Gramlithyn had worked hard to embrace.
The troubles of their past were an increasingly distant memory, and it’d taught them both to never take each other for granted. Twining his arms around Gramlithyn and holding him close, Pyxlevir whispered words of love as he silently thanked Fate for every gift in his life.