Ihad to get out of that house. Anything to get away from Casersis for a little while. His pain was suffocating me, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. If only he would talk to me! I understood. I really did. Casersis had been alone for so long that he didn’t know how to open up anymore. And I gathered that since he was a king before coming to earth, he had kept himself fairly closed off during that time, too, because a king couldn’t show weakness. I understood, or at least I thought I did. I understood as much as anyone could who wasn’t born an elf and ensconced in their culture. But if we were going to make this work, he needed to trust me with his problems so they wouldn’t destroy us.
I groaned as I slipped into my jacket. It still felt like heaven. The leather buttery soft, the lining like clouds cradling my every muscle as I zipped it up. But I didn’t revel in it as much as normal as I practically dragged Kevin and Don out of the house and toward the waiting sedan. There was a new action movie out, and I wanted to see it, and I doubted it was something Casersis would enjoy.
All through the drive to the theater and throughout the movie, my brain wouldn’t shut up. Yeah, the movie was great. I really enjoyed it. But I only got to half-watch the damned thing because I kept worrying about Casersis. No matter how much I tried to shut my brain off and enjoy my time out of the house, Casersis seemed to follow me even though I left him behind.
It wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t have fun without him. It wasn’t fair that he kept me at arm’s length. It definitely wasn’t fair that I couldn’t get him to open up to me.
So, to try, yet again, to get Casersis off my mind, I dragged Kevin and Don to my favorite home improvement store to try and find a small project I could work on by myself without Casersis having a hissy fit. Of course, Casersis might have a hissy fit anyway, but that wasn’t my problem. Either he found me something to do that didn’t always involve him, or I would. And since he hadn’t found me anything to do yet, I was taking matters into my own hands.
The home improvement store felt familiar. It felt almost like coming home. The smell of raw wood and sawdust beckoned me as the doors whooshed open. The friendly smiles of the staff made me feel welcome. And the plants that littered the front entrance brought a subtle fragrance to the wood and sawdust scents that made everything perfect.
But there was something else, something that didn’t belong. Tension filled the air, and it made my stomach drop and my palms sweat. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where it was coming from.
I saw a man, just a few years older than me, dart out one of the aisles and across the store. Even from the entrance, I could see how pale and sweaty his face was, see the wild look in his eyes, and since nothing else made sense, I headed for the aisle he ran from like a bat out of hell.
“Where are you going?” Kevin asked.
Glancing back at him, I shrugged. “Something’s going down in this aisle. I want to check it out.”
“How do you know something is ‘going down’ when everything seems normal?”
I snorted. “Didn’t you see how terrified that guy looked when he blazed out of there?”
Kevin sighed, and I reached back to clap him on the shoulder. “If it’s bad, I’ll let you two handle it. But it might just be a pissed-off customer. I—”
Erastus’s voice floated down the aisle, and when I turned the corner, I saw his back as he faced Casersis. “So bossy, Casersis.” The wolf stepped closer to Casersis, his hands balled into fists in his pockets, making them bulge. “Perhaps someone should finally put you in your place.”
My heart leaped to my throat, and I advanced down the aisle. “Cass?”
The panic in my voice made both Don and Kevin tense behind me in a way I could strangely feel. Casersis met my eyes, and he seemed to battle himself inside his mind before he gasped and cried, “Dustin! Run!”
Like hell. I kept advancing and grabbed Erastus by the shoulder, spinning him around. When I saw the fangs, I shuddered but lifted my chin and squared my shoulders. He wouldn’t intimidate me. I wouldn’t let him. “Calm the fuck down,” I whispered furiously. “Erastus, quit being a dick and go home.”
I heard the click of the hammer for two dart guns behind me and knew Don and Kevin were ready to drop Erastus like a ton of bricks. Tranquilizers. Great. The last thing we needed was a police report on top of everything. And if Erastus were knocked out while he was this pissed, would his transformation revert to his human appearance or his wolf?
I groaned and pushed past Erastus to get to Casersis, ignoring the wolf for now. “Cass, are you all right?”
Casersis looked pale. His eyes were narrowed but glassy as he stared at the wolf behind me. I cupped his face in both hands and made him look at me. “Hey.” I smiled. “Are you okay? Calm down, Cass. Everything will be all right.”
“I see you have him trained,” Erastus said through a low growl. How did he talk and growl at the same time? “Or is ‘brainwashed’ the correct term to use here?”
The bastard sounded smug. I was about to turn around and say something snarktastic, but Casersis clutched me to his chest. “You are barking up the wrong tree, wolf.”
Erastus chuckled. “Oh, really? From what I have heard, you are keeping Dustin a relative prisoner in your home. I wonder if he has Stockholm Syndrome yet, or if you have something else that you are hanging over his head to keep him so close to you, so worried about your wellbeing.”
I sighed against Casersis’s neck and glanced back over my shoulder. “You’re being absurd, Erastus. Just go home.”
The wolf pinned me with yellow eyes—wolf’s eyes—and grinned that sharp-toothed grin. “Absurd? Tell me. When was the last you were allowed to go anywhere without an entourage? When was the last you were allowed to do anything that did not involve Casersis or at least his permission?” He snorted, and it almost sounded like a dog’s sneeze. “And I am guessing he has had your entire wardrobe burned and replaced with things he approves of, yes?”
Casersis stiffened. “I purchased him things because he needed them. I did not destroy his previous wardrobe!”
Oh, God. Erastus hit Casersis in his weak spot—clothes. Jesus, this was going downhill fast.
With as much care as I could, I peeled myself out of Casersis’s grip and turned around to face Erastus. Shit, he was almost sprouting hair. His eyes were pure gold, his fangs almost fully down. He looked wild and furious. And dangerous.
“Erastus…”
He looked at me and growled. I sighed. “Erastus. Get out of here before you go full-wolf.”
Only then did he seem to realize just how close he was. The normally suave Erastus let loose a string of expletives and snarled at Casersis. “He will see your true colors eventually. I will see to it.”
With that, he spun around and fled, hopefully without anyone realizing what was going on. But that wasn’t my problem. Right then, my problem was Casersis, and I turned to grab his face again and kiss the tip of his nose. “Are you okay?”
Casersis sighed and leaned our foreheads together. “I am fine now.”
“You sure?”
He gave me a small smile and pressed his lips to mine for a small, sweet kiss. “I promise. I am fine.”
Letting out the breath I held, I pulled him into a tight hug. “Okay. So, what are you looking for here?” I grinned at him and chanced a small tease. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you in a home improvement store. No matter how much they clean, the place will always be dirty because of all the shit they sell. So, what has my persnickety kitten in this dusty place?”
Casersis’s mouth opened, closed, and repeated a couple of times before he found his words. “Well, I had come to check on my employees. I have to see Carrie before I leave, but I had thought to get some plants while I was here, something indoors that will weather the winter so we can still get to see some green.” He made a face and hugged me tighter about the waist. “I do dislike potted plants, but if we plant them in the garden in the spring, they will at least have a home.”
“God forbid we don’t adopt orphaned plants,” I teased with a grin. I knew he was lying, or at the very least, he was hiding something, but something about him, maybe his smile, maybe the sparkle in his eyes, made him seem completely pleased about something. I wanted to dig for whatever it was, but then I thought that perhaps he was trying to surprise me with something, and he was lying because the poor bastard got caught in the act.
That seemed the most plausible. If Cass were trying to surprise me, that would explain why he was standing in front of the utility sinks instead of in the garden area where most of the plants were kept. It would also explain why he was looking around suspiciously instead of focusing on me with laser-like intensity like usual.
I grinned to myself, hiding it in his neck. “Why don’t I head over to the garden center to check out some plants while you finish up here? We can go home together after we pick out some potted orphans, yeah? We’ll need some for your parlor, and I’d like a few for my room, get some for your room, and a bunch for the solarium. Sound good?”
It would have been funny, but the relief that came over Casersis was endearing. He relaxed in my arms, pressed a fierce kiss to the side of my head, and I swear the breath that escaped him was something that was torn from his lungs as if he’d been holding it since I arrived. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I will meet you in a few moments in the garden center.”
“’Kay.” I pulled back and stepped away. “I’ll leave Kevin here with you, and I’ll take Don with me. See you in a few minutes.”
Casersis nodded, and I left. Yep. He was searching for a surprise for me, and I wasn’t about to rain on his parade. If it helped him pull his head out of his ass, I was all for it. And plants did seem like a nice thing for the house. Deviating from my original plan didn’t matter at the moment. I could always drag Kevin and Don out another day to pick something up to cure my boredom.
And just like he said, Casersis met me in the garden center a few minutes after I started roaming the aisles of greenery. He came up beside me and threaded our fingers together, squeezing my hand.
“Thank you, my beauty.”
I raised a brow but smiled at him. “For what?”
He kept his eyes on the plants I stood in front of. “For dealing with Erastus. I am unsure why, but he seems to listen to you. As if he respects you. It is… unusual.”
I shrugged and moved on to a different kind of potted plant. “He’s actually not a bad guy. He just hates you for some reason. He explained it, but I don’t get it.”
Casersis couldn’t have done what Erastus said he did. I wouldn’t believe it. Not without proof. But I wasn’t about to go into it with Casersis. He needed to calm down, and I wanted to relax for a while.
It seemed that no matter how much I tried, I wasn’t content unless Casersis was happy. Otherwise, I just worried myself to death. Was this what love was? Worry and heartache unless your lover was happy? If so, it sucked. But as I looked over at Casersis and saw the peace and sadness on his face as he looked over the plants, my heart swelled, and I sighed. Maybe it didn’t suck as bad as I thought.
“What’s the sadness for?” I nudged his shoulder with mine, then kissed it. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
He sighed. “I feel so bad for these poor plants. They belong in Mother’s soul, but some of them have never known her love, grown in these little pots for purchase. Some will never find that peace because they will remain in pots until they die, either from lack of care or some other reason. It… it breaks my heart. I wish I could save and plant each and every one of them.”
This man took his love for flora seriously. It was too sweet, and I kissed him on the cheek with smiling lips. “Then let’s save as many as we can. We can load up the sedan with them, and I can ride with you.”
That seemed to be the exact right thing to say because he looked at me with such fondness and gratitude that my breath hitched, and my dick twitched. Jesus. How could just one look make me want to fuck him right there in the store?
My voice came out like gravel when I murmured, “We’d better hurry, kitten, or we’ll cause another scene in the store.”
I loved the bright flush that tinted Casersis’s high cheekbones. It made me want to kiss him breathless, but that would just make my little problem worse. The last thing I needed at that moment was a hard-on straining my pants, making walking awkward. As it was, I had to adjust myself as discreetly as I could, but Casersis didn’t miss a thing. His blush deepened, and I couldn’t resist kissing his hot skin, especially when I smelled how wet he was getting for me. Damn. My libido needed to take a day off.
I shoved it away and brushed fingers along his cheekbone. “You’re adorable when you blush.”
Casersis ducked his head. “I have not blushed this much in millennia, if ever.”
“Just means I have to try harder.” I laughed at his outraged expression, the way his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and the way his blush rushed down his neck and into his sweater. “There we go.”
He gasped and snorted. “You are impossible.”
“But you love me.”
His eyes softened, and he kissed my temple. “I do.”
It was now or never. Casersis was relaxed, happy, and surrounded by plants that he wanted to adopt and save. It was almost like being in an animal shelter, surrounded by animals that would be put down if they weren’t adopted in a certain time frame. Only the plants weren’t vying for our attention with noisy barks or shrill meows. They just sat there, looking lovely and keeping my kitten entranced, so I took my chance.
“Cass, will you please tell me what’s been bothering you?”
I saw his shoulders slump. He sucked back a steadying breath and refused to look at me. I thought he might stall for more time or shut me out as he usually did. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow, watched as his jaw tightened, and a muscle in his cheek twitched. It almost looked like he was getting angry, and I almost started backing off.
But then Casersis spoke. “I am afraid.”
I wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. “Of what?”
“That you will run away or shun me when I tell you what has been upsetting me.”
I sighed and nipped the corner of his jaw near his ear. “I wouldn’t do that. You know me, Cass. We’d sit down and talk it through.” I squeezed his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder. “Please tell me. Let me help you through it.” I snuck a hand under the hem of his shirt and murmured, “Let me take care of you, baby.”
He took a deep breath and sighed it out. “I… I yearn for a soulbond.” When he looked at me, tears glittered in his eyes, and I reached up to wipe them away. “I am unsure if we can even form one. They are exceedingly rare, but… but I wish to try. And that is such a burden for you, and I have already laid so many upon your shoulders.”
That spot behind his ear called to me. I pushed away his long hair and kissed it, making Casersis shiver. “Explain to me what a soulbond is?”
He let out another shaky sigh but locked his eyes with mine. “It is a bond between two elves—an ancient thing that links our souls. In… in elven culture, a soulbond is more official than any marriage, unbreakable unless…” he cleared his throat, “unless you refuse me. And you may refuse me at any time after the bond is complete.”
Marriage? He wanted to marry me the elf way? Why did he think that would send me running for the hills? Sure, it was too soon for that kind of commitment, but it wasn’t something I was going to run away from.
“You’ve been agonizing over this for so long.” I shook my head and leaned in to kiss him. “Cass… I’m not going to run away. I promise you. When something bothers you, talk to me about it. Just like this. It hurts that you would stay upset because you’re afraid to talk to me.”
“I did not mean to hurt you,” he whispered against my lips. “I promise.”
“Then, from now on, talk to me. If it bothers you, let me help, okay?”
“You are not afraid?”
I grinned at him and kissed him again. “It kinda weirds me out, but I’m not afraid, no. So, what does it entail? What happens after a soulbond? How do we try to see if we can even form one?”
Casersis let out a soft breath that tickled my skin and warmed my lips. “Simply looking into your eyes for too long could cause it to form if we are fated to be together. That is why I avert my eyes so often. I do not wish it to happen by accident.” He rubbed his hand down my side and linked our fingers together. “Soulbonded pairs can sometimes feel what the other is feeling. There have been cases where bonded pairs develop telepathy and mutual empathy. It varies from couple to couple.”
Nodding, I squeezed him tight and lightly bit his lower lip. “Sounds interesting, not scary.” I kissed the tip of his nose and squeezed his hand before changing the subject so he could calm down. “But we have plants to rescue. Why don’t we finish this conversation at the house? I’m not going to run away, Cass. Just please… no more keeping things secret unless they’re fun surprises, okay? Don’t hurt us both because you’re afraid.”
He sighed but nodded. “I promise.”
“Good.” I kissed his nose again because I loved the way it made his nose wrinkle. Then I pulled away and grinned. “Now, let’s save some plant babies.”
His chuckle followed me down the aisle.
