by Frey Ortega
“Making up for lost time, are we?” Julien asked. “Regardless, it’s nice to hear from you, Bennett.”
“Likewise,” Bennett replied. “I felt Elijah’s annoyance from the outside so I had to come back in and check on him. I was reading one of his favorite books while on the deck of the boat.”
“Oh, has he shown you his stash of romance novels?” Julien asked. “Then it has turned serious. He doesn’t show those to just anyone.”
Well, now the heat on Elijah’s cheeks might’ve been from embarrassment. Damn Julien and his big mouth.
Bennett grinned. “You knew about them?”
“Hard not to know about them when he’s looking at his tablet, more interested in the sweet twink being ravaged on the page, rather than telling us about how the bar is doing during a meeting.”
Bennett snorted and rolled his eyes, but leaned in to kiss Elijah on the cheek. “That sounds like something he’d do,” Bennett said.
“Speaking of which, how’s Pastiche been while I’m gone?” Elijah wrapped his arms around Bennett and then drew the smaller man in to sit on his lap. Then, he pressed a kiss right against his mate’s temple.
“Surviving. Hell, it’s thriving. You haven’t been gone that long. Besides, people can do their jobs without you. Gage misses you terribly, though.”
Elijah snorted. “Yeah, right. He’s probably enjoying the lack of supervision.”
“Not that he ever takes well to direction,” Julien said, smiling.
“By the way, not to derail the conversation, but do you have any idea of when we can come back to shore? I kind of miss sleeping somewhere that isn’t constantly rocking,” Bennett said. “It feels like I’m sleeping in a really shaky cradle. It’s nice the first couple of nights, but now I just feel like I want to be on solid ground.”
Elijah grinned. He knew his mate felt that way, and it wasn’t the bond, either. That was just Elijah learning more about Bennett more and more with each and every day.
Pride welled in his chest.
“That’s what Elijah and I were talking about, actually. I can make arrangements for you to come back as soon as possible,” Julien said. “If it continues to be this quiet for the next two or three nights, we can stop being on high alert and you can come back. Elijah, will you talk to the crew so that they know to expect to head back ashore?”
“Sure, I can do that,” Elijah answered. He was about to head for the intercom when he paused right by the window, and extended his hand out to the rays of light pouring in from the now-uncovered windows. The warmth still felt so strange.
Sunlight.
Honestly, it was surreal to be able to feel sunlight on his skin. As a creature who lived in the night for decades upon decades now, he hadn’t ever felt this kind of heat on his skin before. Tanning beds just felt artificial and gross, and he didn’t know why they were so popular years and years ago. Sunlight was a new kind of warmth he couldn’t even describe. All he knew was that being able to feel it on his skin made him smile.
He was mated. He no longer needed to fear daylight—to fear the sun. He now had his other half. If that wasn’t something to smile about, nothing was.
“What about Soraya and Haley? What will we do for them?” Bennett asked.
Elijah turned to look at his mate. He knew that it weighed heavily on Bennett that so many people had gotten hurt because of him, even if he wasn’t actually the one hurting other people. Without the two witches adding to the body count—Soraya and Haley were just the cherry on top of the shit sundae they had been dealt.
Julien paused, but then sighed. “Well, if the Cleaners don’t come back out of hiding, I can ask the witches if we might be able to hold a service for them, if that’s what you want. There’s not much we can do other than that, except maybe to prepare for the possibility of more danger popping back up. I’ve already offered Ifeya my full support in anything she’s planning on doing, whether that be retaliation for their deaths or a memorial. The last time we spoke, she told me she just wants the Cleaners gone as soon as possible so that you can come home. She also told me that her house is still open for you, and that she’s sorry for the outburst of one of her children during our last meeting.”
Bennett froze at that, and it was clear to Elijah that there was some discomfort in his mate at hearing those words. He felt a pang of mixed emotion coming from Bennett right then—a combination of fear, and anxiety.
“Thank you,” Bennett said, his voice sounding a little hollower and more distant than earlier. Julien might not have caught it, but Elijah certainly did. “I’ll have to think about it.”
As the two of them bade goodbye to Julien and promised to give his leader another status update later on in the evening, Elijah watched as his mate slowly pulled away from their embrace and walked over to the bed, sighing.
Bennett plopped down to a seat, and leaned back against the headboard. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.
Their bond brimmed with emotions—little flickers of pain, hurt and disbelief, finally simmering into this low-grade, wrenching feeling in his gut —and it made Elijah’s breath hitch with worry.
As much as it was a good way for Elijah to tap into the normally-quiet Bennett’s world, it was also a lot for Elijah to handle. Bennett felt so strongly, but kept it all hidden just underneath the surface, that it was almost as though the young warlock was a bomb just waiting to explode. So much volatility was trapped in one petite, delicious little package.
But oh, what a package it was.
Elijah snapped out of that thought. Now was not the time to get aroused.
Mating made everything feel so acutely strong that the desire to protect Bennett from the world was even stronger than it already was. Every time Elijah felt the churning of Bennett’s stomach—anxiety and nervousness—and the twisting hollowness that wrapped around Bennett’s heart, Elijah wanted to wrap a blanket around the warlock, pull him close, and never let go.
Right at this moment, Bennett was clearly sad—and it was obviously about something Julien had said.
Miss Ifi’s words were probably at the top of that list, too. It surely didn’t help matters when that warlock just leveled accusations at Bennett and treated him like he was some kind of stranger. He didn’t want to be there in the first place—he never wanted to meet Marcel, never wanted to spend a good year of his life being drained and used like some sort of battery by the same man, and he certainly didn’t want to be the reason that people died, either—and the stain it left on Bennett’s heart was as permanent as a tattoo.
“You don’t have to accept her invitation if you don’t want to, you know,” Elijah said softly, walking over to his mate and gently placing a hand on the younger warlock’s shoulder.
“I know,” Bennett replied, sighing. He looked up sadly at Elijah. “I just never felt like I truly belonged with them. Even now, I still feel like an outsider. The only ones who really made me feel welcome were Miss Ifi, Soraya, and Haley. And…well, I was the reason two of them died. Everyone else just sort of treated me like an outsider. What that guy said back then, during the meeting…didn’t really help.”
“You also haven’t really been with them very long, and from what I know, witches aren’t exactly the warmest of folk. They make us vampires look downright sociable by comparison. Hell, I live in what’s basically a condo filled with them and I don’t know half of the witches there,” Elijah replied. “But I understand. Ultimately, it’s your choice. But you should know that whatever happens, you have a home with me.”
“I know. I appreciate that. I just keep thinking that maybe not joining them would be for the best. Not just for them, but for me too,” Bennett said, shrugging. “I don’t want to put any other people in danger when they don’t have to be, and the House clearly don’t want me to be with them.”
“Even if you weren’t a member of their House, the Cleaners are still gonna be around, you know,” Elijah said, as he leaned up to gently caress his lover�
��s hair. And, slowly, Bennett leaned into Elijah’s touch until the warlock’s head rested against Elijah’s shoulder. “So, their safety shouldn’t be the priority here. Things are going to be difficult for you too, not just the people around you. So, what do you want to do? If you had the choice, and nothing else mattered, what would you choose to do?”
Bennett didn’t speak, and seemed to ponder Elijah’s words for a few moments. He took a deep breath. “That’s hard to answer. I know I want to be wherever you are.”
“That’s a given,” Elijah said, grinning. “You’re mated to me. That tends to be a forever thing.”
Bennett smiled right back. “I know. But beyond that, I don’t really care about anything else. I don’t mind joining the House, and maybe I would have had a better time with them if I hadn’t been so closed off, or maybe even the coven, or I could do whatever I want on my own, but I don’t mind either way. As long as you’re with me.”
“Well, again, that last part’s always going to be a given. I’m not going anywhere,” Elijah replied. “Ultimately, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong in this situation. It’s just about how you feel. Maybe you’re just not in a place to accept their offer right now, and that’s okay, too. You don’t have to accept it right now.”
Bennett nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly, nodding. “I get that. I understand. I might not want to join them at all. I still don’t know for sure. I do know that I owe Miss Ifi a lot.”
“It’s okay not to know for sure right now. Just because you owe her doesn’t mean you need to accept her offer. You can be independent. Either way, you’ll always have a place by my side. And by extension, in the coven, too,” Elijah said, gently running his thumb over Bennett’s cheek and grinning. He felt the warmth within Bennett begin to grow, making the cold, dark cloud of emotions that wrapped around his mate dissipate slowly. If nothing else, Elijah was happy that he could bring a smile to his lover’s face.
And to let the dark feelings inside the younger man fade away, even if only a little bit.
He knew that maybe, he just needed to stoke that light inside his mate a little further.
“Hey, why don’t we have dinner outside? Because I can actually step out into the sun now, after all. Maybe we could go for a swim?” Elijah suggested. “We can ask the crew if they can serve dinner out on the deck. Hell, let’s invite them. We might be docking soon. That’s at least a small cause for celebration, right? We’ve been cooped up inside for way too long, and I want to feel the sun on my skin.”
“What, didn’t get enough yesterday?” Bennett tilted his head in question.
“Being deprived of it for decades, it’ll be a while before I get sick of it,” Elijah admitted. “It’d mean a lot to me to have these memories with you. Who knows when we’ll be able to take a break like this again?”
“Okay, fine. I get it. I understand. You don’t have to pull the sunlight-virgin card,” Bennett replied, faking an exasperated sigh, though the smile on his face showed he wasn’t actually all that annoyed. “You’re right. I guess time away from the rest of the world wasn’t what I wanted originally, but since we’re here…”
“…We might as well make the most of it, right?” Elijah helpfully filled in, even waggling his eyebrows for the hopefully intended effect.
Bennett nodded in response, the smile on his face still clear as day. “Yeah.”
Elijah beamed at his mate. “Great! Let’s get out there and enjoy ourselves, then. I’ll talk to the crew and get them briefed on what Julien wanted. I’ll meet you down there in five minutes?”
“Sure. Let me just change into something more appropriate,” Bennett said. “But would you mind if you talked to the crew later, and we used the hot tub out in the balcony instead? I kind of just want to spend some time alone with you. Nothing sexy, if you don’t want to. I just…want to have a quiet night in. No fanfare or anything. Just you and me, soaking in the sun, together, and in private.”
Elijah felt Bennett’s emotions in that moment, their bond resonating between them. More than anything, he knew that his mate just needed to be centered—anchored—so that he didn’t get swept away again. He understood—no matter what happened, this was still just a reprieve from all of the craziness. So Elijah nodded. “Of course. As long as it’s with you, that’s what matters.”
“I’m sorry that I’m not in the mood for much celebration,” Bennett replied. “I know you probably wanted to get my mind off of things, too.” He looked down at his lap, sighing as he clasped his hands together. “There’s a lot to celebrate. But every time I start to feel like I can breathe easy, I remember that we’re on this boat not because we’re on vacation. We’re hiding away out here while people are literally hunting me down, and other people are risking their lives just to keep me safe.”
Elijah leaned forward a bit and gently cupped Bennett’s cheek. “Hey, look at me,” he said softly. “This isn’t any different from being in witness protection, you know. Sure, you might be in a slightly fancier environment—but it’s not any different. I know the guilt of the situation isn’t something I can easily fix for you, but I want you to know that you’re not a bad person. You’re just…a person. Someone who got caught in the hands of someone far too powerful, far too strong, who took advantage of your gifts and your abilities.”
“I know,” Bennett said. He smiled, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes—there was still a sadness there. A dullness to his look that showed he was still beating himself up—but he took a deep breath, and then another, before finally meeting Elijah’s gaze. “Thank you. It takes me a little while to recuperate when I slip into dark thoughts like those.”
“As long as you come back to me, it’s okay,” Elijah replied. “Now, what do you say about tossing swimwear aside altogether and just going commando in the hot tub?”
“That’s a great idea. No sex, though,” Bennett said, the smile on his face getting wider. Clearly, he was joking, but Elijah loved that. The lightness in Bennett’s mood, so soon after a moment of spiraling, felt so different from how Bennett used to be just weeks ago. The warlock was changing—and maybe for the better.
“Sir, you wound me,” Elijah replied, sighing dramatically and placing a hand over his heart like he’d just been shot. “I totally wasn’t thinking about your luscious butt, just free to grope, if we were in a hot tub naked together.”
Bennett rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Save it for the judge, mister. I know what you want.”
“Oh?” Elijah raised an eyebrow. “And what is it, exactly, do I want?”
“For the two of us to forget about the other stuff for now, and just to have a good time.”
Elijah smiled. “You know me so well.”
“I’m learning.” Bennett shrugged.
“And so am I,” Elijah said. “We can do this. Together.”
Elijah believed it. And when he reached out to Bennett through their bond, he could feel his mate’s trust in his words, as well.
They could get through this. They were stronger now, as a pair, than they ever were apart—regardless of any dark clouds looming in the horizon.
Chapter Fifteen
The steady rocking of the boat had just started to become normal for Bennett—a rhythmic back-and-forth that felt to Bennett like the way a mother would rock her baby’s cradle—but in all honesty he was excited to see—and feel—dry land once more.
The city skyline stood in stark contrast to the vast expanse of water behind them, with buildings already coming alive with lights as the sun began to set in the horizon. If Bennett concentrated, he could’ve sworn he heard the sound of car horns honking in the distance, too.
The warlock could only sigh in relief. There was something about the moment that Bennett couldn’t quite place—the soft hues of orange and purple mixing in the sky as the sun set and night fell striking a chord in Bennett’s heart—but for whatever reason, it resonated within him.
Still, Bennett thought to himself, he was
thankful for one thing. No longer would his view just be miles and miles of seawater.
Well, that and Elijah—who Bennett could look at all day, honestly. The vampire was the highlight of having to be miles away from the world he once knew. Well, Elijah and the polite, yet distant crew that catered to Bennett’s every whim these past few days, anyway. They were nice enough to at least be included in Bennett’s list of positives.
Although if he were being honest, and it didn’t seem creepy, Bennett would have watched his mate sleep all day. The rise and fall of Elijah’s chest felt soothing in its own strange little way.
Home.
That was what home was to Bennett. Not Elijah’s chest, but Elijah’s very presence—his very being—was beginning to look a lot like home to the warlock. Bennett was surprised, and yet…not really, either. He couldn’t quite explain it, but being with Elijah after all this time made Bennett realize just how intrinsically connected his life was to the vampire’s.
Without Elijah, Bennett probably would have already left. He’d have floated listlessly from place to place by now, like some sort of lost jellyfish just being pulled along by the undercurrents in the sea.
When did I get so poetic?
Bennett couldn’t help the corners of his lips tilting into a smile. He’d been smiling so much these past few days, sometimes he could actually feel his cheeks ache.
He brought a hand up to his face, rubbing it absently.
Still, none of his ruminating meant that Bennett couldn’t appreciate the city for what it was—a safe haven for him when he needed it most—with people who actually cared about him, even if only a little. Well, no—they seemed to care about him a lot—and Bennett was starting to feel like it was genuine affection.
He wasn’t a burden to any of them. He was starting to believe that, after all.
And this time, there wasn’t a maybe that his brain wanted to tack onto the end of that thought, either. True, the voice was always going to be there—waiting for the right moment to strike, when he felt at his lowest—but it wasn’t a constant cloud that loomed over his life any longer.
