Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
DAX
Dax glanced at his phone for the fiftieth time in an hour.
It’d been less than a day since realizing who Mateo was to him, and Dax was already feeling that push to seek out his mate.
Rovan warned him, told him to keep his cool, but he failed to mention just how difficult that would be.
He wasn’t sure if he could casually text Mateo or not.
He said he’d use his number to meet for lunch, not text randomly throughout the night to see how things were going.
Had he slept? Or was he just as messed up as yesterday and needed Dax to intervene to get him to relax?
He’d convinced himself to wait until lunch and invite Mateo to meet him, but then remembered that Mateo said he’d help with Dax’s phone next week. There was no way he could go four days without seeing his mate. He’d go insane.
Snatching up his phone, he typed out a message, deleted it, typed it out again, deleted that, then dropped the phone onto his desk with a whimper. Why was this so hard?
“Is everything alright?”
Dax lurched with a start, spinning around to look at who’d spoken to him.
He had been too distracted lately. Everyone kept sneaking up on him because he was lost in his own head.
He gave a pained smile to Miles, his favorite security guard and a close friend of his.
They met in the gym, since Miles was one of very few of his friends willing to get into the water.
He preferred the weights, but he’d join Dax for a swim now and then, which made them close.
“I’m fine. Just distracted. What’s up?”
Miles’s eyebrows drew together tightly. “You asked me to meet you.”
“I did?” Confused, he picked up his phone to look, then sucked in a breath. “Oh! I did! I remember now!” He beamed up at Miles, finally remembering why he’d asked his friend to talk. “I want to cash in that favor you owe me.”
Miles groaned, trudging over to lean against the workstation Dax was working at. “You still remember that? We agreed to never talk about it.”
“And I won’t,” Dax agreed, trying not to snicker. “But you did say you owe me one, and I need a favor.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Miles sighed heavily. “What kind of favor?” he asked, resigned.
Patting his shoulder with a tentacle, Dax reassured him, “It’s not a big deal, I promise. I want you to create a ward for me. My mate isn’t sleeping well. His roommates keep waking him up.”
“Mate?” Miles blinked in surprise. “You didn’t tell me you had a mate.”
A swell of mixed emotions filled Dax’s chest. He was excited to find his mate, and it elated him to finally say it out loud, but he also hadn’t meant to say that. Mateo wasn’t ready to know yet. And it felt wrong for him to be the last to know. Dax had intended to keep that information to himself.
Miles narrowed his eyes, then snapped his fingers, the weight of a privacy ward settling over them. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Slumping in his seat, Dax gave in. He knew better than to think he could get out of talking when Miles wanted to know something.
He might be an adorable twink, but he was also a powerful water mage and not someone to be messed with.
Dax didn’t want to piss the man off or he would freeze the pool in retribution.
The last time he did that, he wouldn’t fix it until the kappa who’d irritated him apologized publicly.
He’d trapped him halfway in the water, too.
Dax didn’t want to be put in that position.
He shared what happened the day prior, about finding his mate while swimming with him, and the trepidation he felt about sharing their bond before Mateo was ready.
Miles listened avidly, nodding slowly in agreement when Dax explained his intention to wait until Mateo was more settled before discussing their bond.
“That’s a good idea. I’m not sure if humans have mating habits, but if he seems unaware of it, it must not be instantaneous like with krakens.
And if he’s really that stressed out, it’s a good idea to wait. So what do you need me for?”
His alarm went off, letting him know it was time for lunch. A necessary alarm since sometimes when he was working, he forgot to eat. It was a common issue with researchers in general. He wasn’t as bad as Louis, but once he was in the zone, he was reluctant to leave it.
Speaking of which–
“Hold that thought,” he said, moving out of range of the privacy ward to check on Louis. The poor man looked just as ragged as he’d been last week, though his project had some new additions that looked interesting. “Louis? Did you want to join me for lunch?”
Louis looked up with a frown. “It’s not lunch time.”
Miles snorted behind him, looking around Dax and raising his eyebrows. “It’s noon. When is lunchtime for you?”
Louis looked confused and not entirely aware of his surroundings. His gaze drifted back to his project, and his frown deepened. “...I’m working,” he murmured, sounding about as enthusiastic about leaving as Dax would be visiting the desert. Dax snickered.
“How about I pick you up something? Would that help?”
“Hm?” Louis didn’t even look up, eyes nearly glazed with fatigue.
Miles gave Dax a questioning look. Dax shook his head. He’d grab the poor man something to eat while he was downstairs. At least if he did, Louis might actually eat something. The man was looking thinner lately.
“What’s with him?” Miles asked as they left Louis alone and headed for the elevator.
“Louis is… dedicated. He has trouble pulling his focus out of a project when he’s working. I’m not even sure the last time he went home. I had to drag him there on Monday just to get him to get some sleep.”
“Yikes.” Miles’s face twisted in sympathy. “I would go insane. I love sleeping.”
That, Dax was aware of. He’d made the mistake of waking Miles during a nap when he saw him resting on a bench at the park and got ice down his shirt in retaliation. Miles had been prickly for over an hour afterward and only woke up after a cup of coffee. The man didn’t wake well.
They headed downstairs together, discussing what kind of spell would work for Mateo, and Dax looked around hopefully when they reached the cafeteria, lighting up inside when he saw Mateo sitting alone nearby.
“Oh! There he is!” he said brightly, tugging Miles in that direction to make introductions. He slowed when he saw just how drained Mateo looked. He looked just as bad as yesterday.
“Mateo?”
His mate looked up slowly, the frown lines pulling at his lips so deep they looked like they’d been carved into his face. The dark circles were something else, too. How long could a human go without decent sleep?
“Okay, I can see why you’re asking for my help. Dude looks like he’s about to keel over.”
Dax looked hopefully at Miles. “So you think you can help?”
He saw Mateo’s brows furrow, like he didn’t understand what was happening, too tired to remember Dax’s promise.
Dax moved automatically to stand behind his mate’s chair, his tentacles resting on Mateo’s shoulders and rubbing gently.
Mateo melted and his head dropped forward, a shaky sigh escaping him that made Dax want to snatch him up and bring him home.
Mateo would get plenty of sleep if he was staying with him.
That was too soon, right? Mateo wouldn’t agree to a sleepover after only knowing each other for a few days.
“Without having me return daily to set it up, I think we’d want something more permanent, which I can do but not tonight. I’ve got a date, and setting up permanent wards like that requires a lot of energy.”
“How about Sunday?” Dax suggested. He didn’t want to be overly bossy, but Mateo looked too exhausted to make plans himself. Dax would apologize later.
“Sunday works. Any longer and we might need to worry about sleeprot. Do humans get that?”
Shaking his head, Dax replied, “No. I looked it up when Louis started working overtime and spending days in the lab. They do get burnt out though, and I don’t want that for Mateo. Thanks, Miles, I appreciate it.”
Miles shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, his nose wrinkled in embarrassment. “Hey, I owed you one, remember? Send me a text with the address, and I’ll be over on Sunday. I’ll, uh… introduce myself then,” he finished with a snicker, giving a mock salute as he walked away.
Dax really wished he could tell Mateo that story. It’d make him laugh and might ease some of the tension he was feeling right now. The man’s muscles were basically granite, they were so tight.
Were all humans this prone to exhaustion? Louis was the same way, which was why Dax even knew the basics. Maybe that was why not many humans worked in supe-run companies.
“Mateo?” he murmured, tipping his head to get a better look at his mate. “You okay?”
“Mm…” Mateo replied dreamily, leaning into Dax’s touch. The response made him smile, a bright feeling thrumming in his chest knowing he was bringing his mate comfort. Still, he looked like he was about to fall asleep.
“Would going for a swim help?”
Mateo shook his head slowly, mumbling, “Too tired,” without lifting his head.
He actually leaned forward, pushing his tray out of the way and resting his head on his arms. The poor man was exhausted if he was going to try and sleep in the middle of the cafeteria.
If he needed a nap, that was fine, but here probably wasn’t the best place.
“Come on. Let’s go outside. Maybe some sun will help.”
He urged Mateo to his feet, his stomach twisting with discomfort hearing the man’s unhappy whine. He hated making his mate unhappy, but he wasn’t sure Mateo would want to be carried. At least not at work. Dax didn’t want to embarrass him.
A tentacle snagged Mateo’s mostly empty tray, and he dropped it off on the conveyor belt on his way out. He led Mateo outside and around the main building to the nearby park, urging him to sit sideways on an empty bench so Dax could continue to rub his shoulders.
He’d hoped the sunlight would help Mateo up a little bit, let him get through the day.
He didn’t think it would cause him to fall asleep.
And when Mateo’s head rested in his lap, Dax knew he wouldn’t be moving any time soon.
Even if sitting in the sun with no water around was uncomfortable for him, there was absolutely nothing that would make him move right now. Not when he got to hold his mate.
Running his fingers through Mateo’s thick, silky black hair, he felt his heart swell.
He hadn’t expected to find his mate. He wasn’t even thinking about settling down yet.
In kraken lifespan, he was still pretty young.
But he could admit to himself that feeling that bond was exciting.
This was his perfect match. He couldn’t wait to get to know him.
Rovan’s warning flashed through his head, telling him to take it slow and not come on too strong. Dax sighed. It was hard enough to hold himself back when he’d only touched him once. Holding Mateo like this? It was going to be really hard to force himself to let go.