Everett sank down to the floor of his shower and let the water pelt his head. His body was exhausted. After two days of nonstop training, he was finally able to shower and hopefully get some sleep.
His mind drifted to Mal and what he was doing. Was he eating correctly? Or was he ignoring his meals again? How was the case going? Had they tracked the werewolves who had killed those people? How was he doing? Hopefully he was all right.
He stood and cleaned up quickly. He shut off the water and grabbed a fluffy towel. The fae seemed to enjoy some modern amenities. His room had a shower and a small kitchenette for drinks and snacks. Everett had coffee alone and meals with his hosts.
He stepped out into the room, not surprised to see Bastian collecting his old tattered clothes and replacing them with fresh ones. They'd gone through everything he'd brought on the first day so they had started providing him with some clothes. Luckily the fae knew how to make underwear as well. Everett had always thought they went commando. He was pleasantly surprised to find out they didn't, much to Bastian's amusement.
Everett dried off and changed clothes quickly. He towel dried his hair then sat down on the bed. Exhaustion threatened to overtake hime, but he had to stay awake to hear about what his day was going to look like tomorrow. Probably the same, but he hoped it would change. He couldn't handle two weeks of it.
Bastian smiled when he returned. Everett wasn't sure how he'd been given the fae's room upon arrival, and the two had been forced to become roommates. There was only one bed, but Everett hadn't had the chance to sleep since arriving. He wasn't altogether sure the fae slept.
"You look worn out," he mused.
"I am," Everett replied. He rubbed his neck several times then popped it. "Does Mordecai always train people like this?"
"I'm not sure. I've never known him to have a pupil. He's mostly a hermit." He strode forward and pinched Everett's neck. "Let me help. I can probably target what you need."
Everett dropped his hands and let him work the kinks out of his neck. His hands were as rough and gentle as Mal's. He didn't know Everett's pressure points as the werewolf did, but it felt good nonetheless.
He looked at his hand, spinning the resin rings about his middle and ring fingers. He'd bought them the first day he'd been here. Both were blue with gold and clear resin streaked throughout. There'd been other one, but these two had been the only ones that had matched. He hadn't thought anything of it when he'd bought them. He hoped Mal did.
Once again, his thoughts strayed to the werewolf he'd left behind. He hadn't wanted to, but he also hadn't wanted him to follow. Mal was needed at the precinct. He needed to solve the murders. They needed to catch Elizabeth's murderers so he could call her family for closure. Mal was the one person he knew could do it.
It didn't mean he didn't miss Mal. Every inch of him missed the grumpy man he'd come to cherish. A part of him hated that he hadn't said I love you to him, but it didn't feel right. Plus he hadn't wanted to leave him with too much hope if things went sour. At least someone would know. Ezra had explicit details.
A hand to his face brought him out of his thoughts. Though it was gentle, it was foreign and he wasn't used to it. He sat up and pulled away from Bastian, turning to look at the fae man quietly.
Bastian sat down at the end and stared at the bed cover. Everett wondered what was going on in his mind, but his body movements said enough.
"It's okay to have more than one lover," the fae muttered.
Everett laughed and rubbed his head. "I've barely mastered one. What am I going to do with another one?" He dropped his hand back into his lap. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up? I barely know you and there's no way in hell you could already feel something for me."
Bastian moved his hands from his lap, showing his tented pants. Everett's eyes flicked up to him. The fae covered his nether region again.
"It's been nearly three hundred years since I've had an intense reaction to someone I barely knew," he said. "When I saw you at the park, I was curious, but the werewolf had already claimed you. Even now I can feel his magic on you."
"He wouldn't apprive if I don't talk to him first," Everett rationalized. "If he does."
"So you've thought about it?" Bastian's voice was incredulous. His suspicions were confirmed when Everett's ears turned red. "Why don't you ask? The worst he could say is no."
"Again: I barely know what I'm doing most days with him!" The young man scrubbed at his face. "I just know it feels good."
"Making love to the right person will always feel good. Especially if they know what they're doing."
Everett shuffled back to the head of the bed and slipped under the covers. "Mal's more experienced than I am, at least in this version of things. Male and feamle I understand. Male and male I'm still learning. There are times when I wonder if he's with me because of the sex or because of me."
"The way he looked at you was obvious to the rest of us." Bastian folded his legs under him and leaned on his elbows. "The sex comes after the feelings are established. Chances are his feelings were established long before your first sexual encounter."
Everett leaned his head back and closed his eyes. A soft sigh escaped him before he opened them again. Instead of violet, they were red and extrodinary tired. Bastian smiled, a soft uptilt of his lips.
"Your eyes turn red with extreme emotions, don't they?" he wondered.
The young man nodded. "Most of the time I don't even know it."
"Magic is an intoxicating thing, and your libido will skyrocket the more you learn." Bastian frowned when the other man sighed again. "What is it?"
"I don't have an issue getting it up or keepit it up. Sometimes…" He paused and licked his lips. "Sometimes I think I'm pushy and overbearing, more than he is. Also I'm the least experienced in this."
The fae reached up to caress his face, but the young man dodged. His gaze wasn't condemning but it did hold a bit of wariness Bastian wasn't used to from a potential lover. Everett didn't see him as a potential lover, but the fae man had lived long enough to know feelings could change. He couldn't push him, but if he'd allowed him, he could guide him when he needed it.
Bastian stood, patting Everett's fee as he did. He turned off the light, the bioluminescent moss glowing gently.
"Bastian?" He turned back to Everett when he called to him. "Can I get a letter out tomorrow?"
He nodded. "I'll make it happen." He pulled the door open and stepped out.
~~~~~~~~
Ezra was on a conference call with the district attorney and the mayor when there was a knock at the door. He looked up to see Mal standing there, a strange look on his face.
He motioned them in, concentrating on his task at hand. Mal sat in the chair in front of him. He answered several questions even as he watched Mal closely. The other man didn't look right, looking down at something in his hands.
The mayor said something, and Ezra looked at the computer again. He made a few notes then ended the call on a good note. He looked back at Mal and was surprised by the blank look in the other man's eyes.
"What is it?" he whispered.
"How did Tilly react when you told her of your attraction to men?" The question was forced and Mal's voice was tight.
Ezra's mouth tightened into a thin line as he thought of how to answer. Whatever was in Mal's hand was enough to make his brain and his emotions go ape shit.
"I was dating a young man when my wolf chose Tilly. I tried for a bit to hide it, but she found out. We came to an agreement that once a month I could have a liaison, and since disease and pregnancy aren't an issue, she's surprisingly calm about it. Now that she has Tannyn, she's very amiable." He let out a dry laugh. "I think she just likes having someone other than me."
"How is Tannyn?" Mal asked. He was curious about Ezra's child even if it got his mind off things for a while.
"He's growing like a weed. He'll be seven months soon." Ezra eyed his friend and packmate closely. "That's not why you've come to see me is it?"
"I wished you would have taken me up on that offer the other day."
The attorney frowned. "Why? What happened?"
Mal licked his lips and set the envelope on the desk. "Everett wrote to me somehow. That damned fae came on to him."
Ezra picked up the letter and read it.
'Dear Mal,
Somehow, they gave me some paper and a pen so I could write this to you. I'm okay. The training is hard, but I've been through worse. I haven't slept much so don't be surprised if I sleep til kingdom come when I get back.
Mal, it's hard to tell you this when I can't see your reaction, but I couldn't be away from you without you knowing. Bastian has made his intentions known to me, and he says he would like to take me as a lover. I've refused his advances, but it has stuck in my head. I can't be away from you without you knowing, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did something against you.
I'm sorry this comes as a surprise especially while I'm away. Twelve more days is going to be torture.
Ev'
Ezra folded the letter back up and put it back in the envelope. He felt Mal's tension as he sat across the desk. He was already upset and now this letter was going to drive him mad. Everett's honesty was appreciated, very much so. Ezra was glad he hadn't wanted to hide it.
"Malcolm, Everett is a good looking guy who is incredibly powerful. The more he works at it, the more handsome he will become. You have started the mating process, and you will be irritable until you confirm it," he said.
"How do I confirm it?" He looked up. "How do I make him mine?"
Ezra leaned forward. "Mal, he is yours, but you don't know what he's going through right now." He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. "You have to be prepared that he has succumbed to urges you know all too well, then you have to choose whether to forgive him or not."
"Ez?" The look on Mal's face was completely open, completely distraught. "I can't lose him. I won't be able to bear it."
The attorney watched him, watched him closely. Mal was the way any mated male should be, only his mating bond wasn't completely sealed. It could only happen on the full moon which meant Mal would be slightly volatile until then. He would have to be watched closely.
"Mal?" Ezra whispered. The other man looked up at him. "It hasn't happened yet. Don't fret over something that isn't an issue."
"I'm worried; I'm worried that something is going to happen and I won't be there."
The second sighed. He wasn't going to be able to reason with him, not right now. All he could do was support his friend. He had plenty of work to do, but it would have to wait for now.