I couldn’t have left Dustin alone if I had wanted to. Feeling his sorrow over our bond was more than I could bear. Just the thought of him feeling such misery lent me speed until all I could do was pace my parlor. It wasn’t until Don called me that I stopped and forced myself to regain some of my lost composure.
“Sir—”
“Is Dustin all right?”
Don chuckled softly. “He’s fine, sir. He’s just sad. We’re at the cemetery, and he’s grooming his parents’ plot. He’s sad as shit, and I don’t know what to do for him.” And if he didn’t startle me before, he did now. “Get here and fix it.”
I laughed softly when he hung up on me. It showed that he was truly becoming a part of my small family that he felt safe enough to give me such orders. It also showed that he was becoming protective of Dustin, and I greatly approved. Dustin needed other people than just me to confide in, trust, and befriend. Just because Don was his bodyguard and head of Dustin’s security team didn’t mean he couldn’t also be his friend, especially when I considered my own security team led by my son.
With a sigh, I hurried through the estate, gathering my coat and calling ahead to a flower shop as I raced for the garage. I headed for a sedan just as Charles came sprinting down from the house, one hand holding his chauffeur hat to his head.
He stopped just a few feet from me and pointed to the back seat as he huffed and puffed from his daring run. “In the back. Where are we going?”
Humbled, I got into the back seat when he opened the door for me. “To Oak Rest Cemetery, please. But first, the florist.”
“Of course, sir.”
As I settled back, I closed my eyes and kept my attention on our bond. It made me feel as if I were sitting right beside him, basking in his presence while he mourned those he had lost. If I could just wrap myself around him, just be there, comfort him in any way he would let me, I could breathe again.
When we stopped outside of the florist’s, I barely waited for Charles to open my door. He was the type to always adhere to propriety, and I generally let him do as he wished, but right now, I wanted to get to the cemetery before Dustin left, and I lost him again.
“What can I do for you today?” the young man behind the counter asked.
I looked around, mostly lost. There were so many dying beauties in here, and each one tore at my heart. I could do nothing for any of them. But a dying bouquet of flowers seemed appropriate for a cemetery visit.
Even as my heart bled, I turned to the florist and valiantly kept my sad sigh to myself. “I am visiting my boyfriend’s parents’ burial plot today, and I need an appropriate bouquet.”
He nodded and gave me a sad smile. “Do you know their favorite flowers?”
“Unfortunately, no. I hadn’t met them before they passed.”
He nodded and led me to a refrigerator full of wildflowers in all the colors of the rainbow. “Then why don’t we make something that represents you. You seem like the wildflower sort. Perhaps pair it with a few things that remind you of your boyfriend?”
“You are very perceptive.”
He shrugged. “That’s my job, sir.”
“Then, I will trust your judgment.” I smiled at him, and he nodded for me to continue. “Dustin is a gentle alpha male with a large presence. Strong, loves to work with his hands and is only happy when he’s being loved or when he’s outside working on something. He has goals to better himself through college and enjoys walks around our gardens and in the forest behind our property.” I thought for a moment and smiled. “When we went picking out plants for the inside of our home, he picked orchids, a few cacti, and a Venus flytrap for his space.”
“Then he would probably also be a wildflower guy,” the florist mused. “You seem more like pastels and pure colors, while he seems more like a bold arrangement type of man.” He nodded at me and motioned to a chair near the front desk. “Why don’t you have a seat. I’ll have an arrangement for you in a few moments. Then you can see if there are any changes you want me to make, or if you want me to redo it completely.”
I did not sit down, but I did not fidget, either. I kept my back to him with my unseeing gaze aimed out the large windows. When he finished, he handed me a bouquet that made my heart flutter. There were dark and bold colored wildflowers of all types in the center, most hearty with large blooms. And around them, as if hugging the first batch, were white daisies, pale pink and soft blue wildflowers, a bit of artistically arranged greenery, and sprigs of baby’s breath.
It looked as if my flowers were keeping his safe, like a warm, gentle hug. And it was perfect.
I paid, giving him a decently large tip, and once I was ensconced in the sedan, I stuffed my face into the plastic-wrapped bouquet, breathing in the strong, mingled fragrances. I could still feel Dustin through the bond, and I had to agree with the florist. This bouquet did feel like us.
The rest of the ride to the cemetery went by in a floral-scented haze. I didn’t come back to myself until Charles opened my door and smiled down at me. “Go to him, sir. He’s still up there.”
Was everyone now more familiar with me because of Dustin?
I thanked Charles and left the sedan’s warm confines for the chilly evening air and even colder breeze of the cemetery. Tall, grand tree skeletons gave me a glimpse of just how lovely this area would be in the spring and summer months and in early autumn when the leaves would just start changing colors.
But the main thing that caught my attention was Dustin. He sat with his back to me, his backside on the grass, hands behind him holding himself up, and his ankles crossed.
“Apparently, I’m an alpha, and Casersis is an omega. I guess it fits because I feel comfortable in the role. It makes me feel ten feet tall and herculean when I can reduce him to a panting, moaning, leaking mess within minutes.”
His words made my cock throb and my ass grow wet. I wished I could control that reaction. Once upon a time, I could, but with Dustin, all my control was stripped away.
“I wonder if you two had that kind of relationship dynamic. If I had enough elven blood for Casersis’s pendant to work, that would mean you and dad both had lots in you, too. It makes me wonder… who was the alpha, and who was the omega? Did you two soulbond and not know it? Is that why mom went insane when dad got shot?”
I smiled at the back of his head. It took me a moment to find my feet, but I meandered slowly up the hill, respectfully staying on the path while keeping my full attention on Dustin.
“Guess I’ll never know. But still… I can’t stop thinking, you know? It’s terrifying and glorious at the same time that I’m changing species. I have a new connection to our planet. My ears and eyes are kinda cool. But the screaming, thrashing pain that comes with the bond could fuck off. Apparently, it comes at random. But how random is it?”
My heart hurt, but all I could do was wish, with all that I was, that I could hug him without ruining this moment for him. He needed this closure. So while I could smell his tears and feel his sorrow, I did my best to send strength and comfort over the bond. He would never be alone again. Not if I could help it. Not if he would let me keep that promise.
“I still want to know, though… I wish you could tell me. Am I still your son? Is there going to be any of either of you left in me to say I’m your son, that I’m not losing you both again?”
I pushed that feeling of love and comfort harder, wishing it was a physical hug instead of a feeling over a bond. But the way Dustin’s shoulders relaxed told me it was working. And now that he was relaxed, I stepped off the path and made my way to Dustin’s side.
“They will always be your parents,” I said softly. I placed the bouquet on the base of his parents’ headstone and gave my beauty a smile that I hoped was comforting.
We sat in the grass and talked until Dusk descended upon us, and I nudged Dustin to turn so we could watch the sunset over the city.
“I have a surprise for you at the house,” I said carefully, not taking my eyes off the slowly descending sun. “I meant to give it to you earlier, but I was an idiot, and you were angry with me.”
Dustin chuckled softly and laid his head on my shoulder. “What is it?”
“Do you really want me to tell you, or is this a game where I am supposed to keep it from you until you see it for yourself?”
His bark of laughter startled me. I jumped and didn’t calm until Dustin started stroking my hair, knowing my weakness. “Just tell me.”
“I had a construction worker under my employ give me a schematic and supply list for a work shed that he would create for himself if he had the funds—his dream shed. And I bought the supplies and tools for you. He said to use pavers for the foundation and gave me a concrete that is supposed to be weather resistant, so it should not crack, giving ideas on how to heat-cure it. I figured you would want to make your own touches and possibly redesign the entire thing, but what I purchased should at least get you started.”
“Oh, Cass.” He looked over at me, and instead of censure, he had a fond smile and happy eyes. “Thank you.”
“And I will find a way for you to be able to leave without always having to wear your hoodie.” I kissed the side of his head and murmured there. “I promise. I will try.”
“That’s all I can ask of you,” Dustin said gently. “Thank you.”
We were quiet on the way home, but once we made it into the estate, Dustin waited until we had hung up our jackets before pinning me to the wall near the western hearth. “So… Cass…”
Laughing, I settled my hands on his hips. “Yes?”
“Since we can’t figure out whose bedroom we’re sleeping in most nights, why don’t we consolidate?”
I pretended to think about it. I drew my lower lip between my teeth, making sure Dustin noticed before I stared off into space. “But what would we do with your wardrobe? My walk-in closet is terribly full.”
“You and your clothes,” he said, laughter in his voice and making his silver eyes sparkle. “Is that your only worry?”
“It is a valid concern!” I cried. “Think of the wardrobe!”
“I could always fold everything up and make myself a few dressers from the material you bought for my shed.”
I knew I adopted the “mussed kitten” look he adored because he chuckled and kissed my nose. “I would never, Cass. If I wrinkled one of the suits, I’d be afraid you’d faint.”
“And rightly so,” I said in as dignified a voice as I could muster under the situation.
“I could always turn my room into an office for myself and keep my wardrobe in there. I’m sure we could find somewhere to put that bed and replace it with a holoscreen desk and comfy chair.”
I pretended to think about it, and he nipped my chin before adding, “It would be the perfect place for me to study while I go to college…”
My heart swooped, and I grinned down at him. “You are considering it?”
He sighed softly and hooked his chin on my shoulder. “I’ve been thinking it over. You’re right. I can’t help Joe out because I don’t know how long these fits of agony will randomly drop me and leave me a mess. I don’t know how to put the glamor on myself, and no idea if I’d have the magic to accomplish it, anyway. There are no real tests for that, are there?”
I shook my head. “There are, but I have felt nothing in the way of magic from you as of yet. But rest assured that even the worst of magically defunct elves are capable of faultless glamors.”
“And I honestly think Don would hogtie me if I snuck out to go help Joe. Either that, or he’d have an aneurysm.”
Chuckling, I hugged Dustin tight to me and rocked us side to side. “I am still extremely sorry for taking away your choice.” Tears pricked my eyes, and I hid them from Dustin by burying my face in his hair.
“I can smell them, Cass,” Dustin said softly. “Why are you crying?”
It took me a moment to roll that question around in my mind before settling on, “For millennia beyond remembrance, I was the Sun King. I did what was in the best interest of my people. I had advisers. I had everything I needed to ensure I made just and fair decisions.”
Dustin pulled back to look in my eyes as I continued, “When I came here, I either had no people to worry about or when progress came to my area of the woods, I owned companies. I found out I had a decent head for business, and my businesses thrived. And again, I was practically a ruler with advisers and subjects. I just had to find a different way to rule.”
Then I looked into his silver eyes and smiled. “With you, I tried ruling because that is the role I am used to filling in any relationship. But I couldn’t. I have no advisers to tell me how to help you, how to act around you, how to make decisions. And it has taken me until today to figure out… I don’t need to fill the role of a ruler. I don’t need to lord over you to keep you safe.”
His smile brightened, and I leaned our foreheads together. “I just needed you, my alpha, to take over, and I didn’t know how to relinquish that control when everything was in flux. I didn’t think that, if I gave you a choice, you might have better ideas than those I came up with that suited me, instead of us.”
“You’re finally getting it, kitten.” Dustin tilted his head and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, then my chin, and one on the tip of my nose. “I want a partner, Cass. Not a warden. Not a father figure. Not a babysitter. I want a partner who trusts me enough to make smart decisions, and if I feel I can’t, I want a partner who will listen openly when I have concerns, who will help me make decisions without being overbearing or basing their suggestions on personal bias. I want a partner who will help me look at the bigger picture, someone who can help me when I’m stuck, someone who can bend when I need you to so that I don’t shatter. And I need someone who will offer suggestions and choices and calm discussions in cases like the Joe Nichol situation.”
He cupped my cheeks, holding my face right where he wanted me, and I could never want to be trapped like this with anyone else. “I promise, my beauty.”
“Thank you.”
I pressed his hands into my cheeks and leaned forward, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss before nudging him aside and guiding him toward the north parlor. “You are welcome.” I glanced over at him to find him giving me one of his knowing smiles.
“What?”
He chuckled and nudged his shoulder against mine, nearly knocking me into the opposite wall. “You’re eager to get our bedrooms merged in case I change my mind, aren’t you?”
“Never!”
“Liar.”
We both dissolved into chuckles, and when we made it to my parlor, Dustin took me by the hand and led me to his room. “The only things that I need to move are most of my toiletries from my bathroom, my bathrobe, and… actually, I think that’s it. I didn’t have much in the way of things when I lived in the Seymour Commons. Maybe a holoframe of my parents for the nightstand on my side of the bed. I don’t know what pictures to rotate, though, so that will be something I work on later.”
“Then let us grab your things.” I pressed a kiss into his shoulder and gave him a nudge toward his bathroom. “I will grab your bathrobe while you gather your toiletries.”
“Of course, you’d do the light work,” he teased. “Of course, you would.”
I chuckled, not even trying to deny it. And when Dustin disappeared into his bathroom, I grabbed the fluffy thing that hung on a hook just inside his walk-in closet. I was about to take it to our room when I heard glass shatter and Dustin hiss. “Fuck!”
“Are you all right?” I asked as I raced in.
He held his hand over the sink and plucked out a piece of glass.
Then he stopped and looked up at me.
“Cass…”
“Truly,” I said, “the glass can be replaced. Are you all right?”
He just grinned at me, dripping blood all over the tile floor and the fluffy white rug in front of the sink. “Cass… look.”
I inspected his fingers. The cut was small, but it was bleeding like he’d been mortally wounded. I healed it for him easily. “We should get this cleaned up.”
Dustin knocked me with his elbow. “No, Cass. Look!”
I looked. Dustin held out the four fingers on his right hand and grinned like a loon. “Cass…”
“I see no other injuries.”
“And the scars from your necklace?”
My heart dropped through the floor, then took off at a gallop. “Only two fingers remain,” I whispered.
“Yep. It’s progressing! Hopefully, this means I won’t be flopping around like a fish, screaming my head off anymore.”
“Do not jinx yourself, beauty,” I groaned. “Please.”
Dustin laughed. It was a bright, happy sound that surrounded my soul in peace and love through our bond. And rather than calling for housekeeping or even Beth to take care of the spilled blood, Dustin and I cleaned it up ourselves with copious amounts of cold water and towels that Dustin assured me Beth would be able to get the stains out of because he had done it many times, himself when he’d lived alone.
And all the while, I couldn’t help taking time to just watch Dustin diligently soak the white rug and blot the stain away. Then it hit me… Maybe, just maybe, I would never have to be alone again.
And with that thought, Dustin smiled up at me and tugged gently on a lock of my hair. “I love you, too, kitten.”
To be continued…
