Watching him walk away from me, made my world turn from vibrant colors into shades of gray. My chest seized, and breathing became a chore. I wanted to follow him, to get him to help me, but… I also did not want to frighten him off. Having him angry or disappointed in me was hard enough. Having him want nothing to do with me because of my desperate need to try for a soulbond was something I did not think I could live through, immortal or not.
After making certain I gathered all our spent bolts and covered the targets, I followed him into the house. But when I made it into the weapons room, Dustin was nowhere to be found. His crossbow already hung in its place on the wall, his quiver with bolts on a peg below it. His absence made my heart stutter, but what did I expect after shutting down on him?
It was time to give Dustin some space. He had already mentioned that we had spent every available moment together since we met, and I agreed with him. We needed time apart, even though the very thought made my stomach churn. How was I supposed to deal with this? How could I tell him? How could I get the words past that impenetrable lump in my throat every time he asked me what was wrong?
I headed for my parlor, hoping to find Dustin waiting for me, and knowing he would not be there. But even knowing, when I found the space empty, my heart still thudded sickly until I collapsed onto my sofa, breathless and wanting.
Part of me wanted to search the house, find Dustin to make sure he was all right. The other part, the rational part that kept stabbing me in the chest, told me that Dustin was fine. He would always be fine, even if I were removed from his life. Dustin was a resilient man—resourceful and cunning. He had survived, alone and working, from the age of sixteen. He had to have grown up too fast, had to have gained such worldly knowledge at such a young age, that Dustin would no doubt move on swiftly. This would just be a minor bump in his life’s road.
For me, however, I would be devastated yet again, and I was unsure if I could handle the fallout.
No matter. I could not spend the entire day sulking in my parlor. I needed to find something for Dustin to do during the winter, and nothing I had thought of since surprising Dustin with the supplies and designing rights for the new gazebo had been anywhere near right. It had to be something Dustin could work with and do inside, either in one of the rooms or in the garage. Wait, no. Not the garage. Not with my fleet of cars. If he were to scratch one, I may or may not have an aneurysm from the stress. Gods, just having the knowledge of him working with power tools and wood in the same space as my lovely vehicles would have me in a complete meltdown.
No, it had to be something he could do inside the house or outside that the weather could not interfere with. But Dustin and I did not know each other well enough for me to know what he might enjoy. “Working with his hands” was all I knew, and that could be any number of things, from sexual positions to tearing down wallpaper. And I doubted I could live with letting him loose to do such a thing in my estate. Giving him free rein with power tools and wood in one of the rooms was bad enough.
I perked in my seat as a thought occurred to me. I could order the lumber for a work shed for Dustin. Something large where he could do most of his work and store his tools and other supplies while still having the room to build the things that interested him.
With that in mind, I called one of my contractors to ask if such a building would need a concrete foundation. Jeffrey answered promptly, and as I asked the question, I could almost hear him smile. “Mr. Ardal, are you sure you want something without a foundation?”
“Dustin said that concrete would crack this close to winter.”
He mused a moment. “True. It does have a higher chance of cracking in the cold. But we could lay pre-cured pavers as a foundation and cement them together. Keep steady heat on them with lamps and a temporary shelter.”
I let out a long breath. “Can you give me a list of what I will need for such a project, including the pavers and the necessary tools and supplies needed to build it and run electricity to it?”
“Sure, I can. But I need the dimensions, how many rooms you want, how far the electrical lines will need to run, that kind of thing.”
I thought about that for a moment and wrinkled my nose. I had no clue how to build anything, so those figures were beyond my scope of knowledge. “What would your ideal workshop include?”
Jeffrey took a moment and sighed. “You’re hopeless, boss. But it would have a separate bathroom with just a toilet and sink, a large utility sink, a changing room with cubbies or lockers, or some kind of wardrobe for coveralls and shit like that. It would have benches around the perimeter with drawers and pegboard on the walls behind them to hang tools, and large floor space. I’d have high ceilings with a few pulleys. There’d be an automatic door like garages have if I need to work on a car for something. It would also have excellent ventilation for removing fumes from chemicals used to treat wood, paints, and varnishes. Lots of light, but bulletproof windows in case shit goes flying. And central heat and air to ensure comfort in all weather.”
“Include all of that into your figures,” I said. “And make it so you could easily work on four vehicles side by side and two front to back, give or take depending on the type of sedan you use for the measure.”
I knew nothing about space, but I could easily give examples. Jeffrey seemed to understand, and he made a pleased sound. “Rectangle space, then. Two rooms, maybe an extra room for storage. Those three can go along a single wall. Hmm. Gimme about an hour to figure this up, and I’ll CommMail you a list.”
“Thank you, Jeffrey.”
“Anytime, boss.”
When he hung up, I felt slightly better about this. It would give Dustin something to do, plus a workspace when he finished it so he could work on anything that struck his fancy without destroying my beloved home. It would also give Dustin a place out of the burning sun in the spring and summer to work on the gazebo detailing before assembling it in the garden.
My mind full, I waited for Jeffrey to CommMail me, and tried not to fret. Dustin still had not come back to me, and I knew he would check my parlor first. And the longer he stayed gone, the more my chest felt too tight, the more my mind raced. I wanted him with me, even if he was angry.
“Dad,” Kevin’s voice buzzed in my ear, “I’m taking Dustin to the theater for a movie. Not sure when we’ll be back, but I’m taking Don with us.”
“I understand,” I said, and I could not help the fact my voice wavered and cracked. “Please do not tell Dustin about my phone call to Jeffrey.”
“Will do.”
They were leaving. Dustin was leaving me. He had to return, but would I see him again today? Would Dustin avoid me for the rest of the day? Would he sleep in his own room instead of mine?
Time seemed to stand still and rush past me at the same time. An hour later, I received the CommMail from Jeffrey, including blueprints for the simple structure with dimensions, a comprehensive materials and tools list, including fixtures, and a message that he would send a plumbing and electrical list to me once I figured out where the shed would go, and how far the lines would need to run. I knew I paid that man an exorbitant amount of money for something. I only wished Dustin had worked under him instead of Joe Nichol so I could have known him longer. If only Dustin had worked for me instead of Erastus.
I wished I could let Dustin work for Jeffrey now and get him away from Joe Nichol, but we still had to worry about his ears and eyes and whatever other changes may happen as the amulet’s magic progressed through his system.
I sighed at my thoughts and pushed myself out of my settee. Dwelling on the could-have-beens was counterproductive to… well, anything. I needed to get Dustin’s surprise in motion before he returned home, and I needed to make plans for a romantic dinner. Yes, Dustin said we spent too much time together since we had met, but that did not mean we could not still spend quality time together in smaller doses. It just meant I was getting on Dustin’s nerves because I had issues keeping my heart off my sleeve—and off my face, apparently.
While I readied myself to leave the estate, I made the reservations for a table at one of my favorite restaurants, one that I felt positive Dustin would have no qualms with. Then, I headed for the garage. Carl caught up with me, “Sir? Where are you going?”
“To the home improvement store,” I replied. I offered him a small smile. “I will not need you to follow closely but do follow me in case I need you. I will be driving myself.”
Carl nodded smartly and stood at attention. “Yes, sir. I’ll assemble a small team.”
“Good man.”
I knew better than to leave without an escort at all. Kevin would have heart failure if I did. And I knew that, no matter what he was doing with Dustin, Kevin was listening with at least half an ear to everything I said and did. And I definitely did not want him to call me where Dustin could hear him berate me for being stubborn and reckless.
It amused me that I was more frightened of my son than anything any other human—or Erastus, for that matter—could do to me. But my amusement was short-lived as I walked into the garage and stared at my fleet of cars. I had everything from sedate sedans to limited edition sports cars to classics both contemporary and ancient, like my beautiful Fords, Models-A through T. In the end, I picked out the cherry red Vaciroth that my own company produced the year before—a sleek model that screamed speed and danger while also suggesting wealth and luxury, even as the name itself referred to a type of giant bat in my homeworld that grew larger than most human homes.
I slipped into the driver’s seat of the two-door car, and with a voice command, the engine whispered to life, and the vehicle rose off the garage floor with a soft whoosh of air. I checked the battery levels, not too worried about them as they would charge as I drove, both from solar technology in the paint that filtered energy from the sun into the circuitry below and from the power grid on the roads and highways. As I finished my check, I murmured for the car to lift its parking gear and gave the command for the garage door to open.
By the time I pulled out into the drive, I hoped I had given my security detail enough time to ready themselves. And I hoped they chose a vehicle that could keep up with me, because the moment I passed the gate to my property and turned onto the road leading to Shadetree, I quickly topped out at two-hundred and fifty miles per hour, and it still felt like I was mostly sitting still.
I did not slow until I exited the rural roads and hit the main road into Shadetree’s city proper. When I glanced into my rearview mirror, I saw my security team following me on their hoverbikes and grinned. Smart men. Though I noticed Désirée among them. Perfect. She was rather ruthless compared to most of the others on my team. Kevin would be pleased.
My choices of home improvement stores were wide, but I chose the largest one I owned. It had been a while since I had stopped in there to check on my employees, anyway, and I enjoyed seeing their progress. But I needed to keep on task and not allow myself to become distracted. I needed to be home before Dustin, and we needed to be on time for our dinner reservation.
Then the thought occurred to me: What if Dustin and Kevin went to dinner before they returned home?
No. Kevin heard me make the reservations. He would find a way to keep that from happening. I had to trust my son. And with that thought, I parked outside of the home improvement store, waited for my security detail to surround my vehicle, and entered the store with a word to my team to await me outside.
As soon as I entered the doors, several sets of eyes landed on me, and the frenzy occurred. I had no idea why they thought they had to scramble every time I walked through the doors as if their jobs rested on pleasing me.
“Mr. Ardal,” Carrie said as she rushed up to me, “what can I do for you today?”
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “First, tell everyone to calm down.” My grin must have set her at ease, as she visibly relaxed and nodded. “I am mainly here as a shopper today. I need some supplies for a project, and I wish to pick the very best, as the project is for someone I care for.”
Carrie brightened and motioned for a young man to approach. “Of course. Ken will be able to help you with anything you need.”
Ken, a handsome young man of about twenty-five and fit, approached and gave me a flirtatious grin that set my teeth on edge. “How may I help you, sir?”
Trying to rein in my temper and disgust at his flirting tone, I pulled the supplies list up on my CommLink and sent it to his. “I have a substantial list, and I will need it delivered to my home as a gift for my boyfriend.”
Ken got the hint, and his expression fell for only a moment. Then his smile returned, this time a professional, friendly expression as he motioned me to follow. “Right this way, Mr. Ardal. I’ll get you sorted.”
And he did. With Ken’s help, I chose wood for the building’s frame, thick pavers for the foundation, and a concrete that he said would be resistant to cracking in cold temperatures to secure the pavers together and create a nice base to settle them on for stability. We chose the drywall and mud, adding everything to a running tally so other workers could pick up the items to ship them to my house.
But while we were choosing utility sinks, I felt the small hairs on the back of my neck raise and turned to find Erastus grinning at me. “I never thought I would see the day when you would sully yourself in a department store, Casersis.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and narrowed them, instead. “And what are you doing here? Surely you have more important things to do than harass me in my own store.”
He shrugged, a wolfish grin spreading across his face. “I saw your Vaciroth outside and thought I would stop in and say hello.” The vermin winked at me, stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. “And I wanted to see if you let Dustin off his leash. Still keeping him locked away, are you?”
My blood began to boil. How dare Erastus suggest I kept Dustin confined? But… was that not exactly what I had been doing? Certainly, he had more freedom now, but at first, I had kept him confined to my estate’s grounds. Just the thought sent a wave of nausea through my stomach and forced me to swallow down the lump that had lodged itself in my throat.
“Dustin is out enjoying himself. He is none of your concern.”
Erastus scoffed. “Of course, he is my concern.” The wolf glanced around, still with that vile grin in place. “Keeping anyone out of your sinister clutches is my concern.”
“Sinister… clutches…” My laugh startled Ken, and I rested a calming hand on his arm. “You are delusional, Erastus. Please leave before I have security toss you out.”
His canines sharpened, and my heart almost stopped. I turned to Ken and gave him what I hoped was a comforting smile. “Would you please go gather the screws and other miscellanies for me? The things that I will not need to choose for quality?”
Ken looked between Erastus and me, his face pale and his hands shaking. I stood in front of him, blocking his view of Erastus. “Please, Ken. I will handle this.”
The poor man swallowed hard, nodded, and all but fled the aisle. And once he was gone, I turned to stare Erastus down and whispered hoarsely. “Not. Here. Control yourself!”
Erastus’s grin grew, his fangs coming down into an almost feral snarl. “So bossy, Casersis.” He took a step closer. “Perhaps someone should finally put you in your place.”
“Cass?”
My heart fell at hearing Dustin’s voice. All the blood drained from my face, and I glanced over Erastus’s shoulder to see his concerned face. Erastus took another step toward me, anger rolling off him in waves that nearly choked me.
I gasped. “Dustin! Run!”
