Adam woke up in a warm tight embrace, unable to move his limbs but it wasn't uncomfortable, on the contrary, he felt safe. Turning his head the scent of his mate was strong and he pressed his face against the curve of his neck, nipping then running the tip of his tongue over Paul's earlobe. The arms around him tightened and a shiver ran through his mate's body in response.
"Mmm that's so good...do that again." Paul stretched to give Adam more room to press kisses along his neck. It still caught Adam by surprise when the icy Guardian showed his softer side.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! An alarm went off on Paul's phone bursting their cozy bubble. He twisted around to find the phone with his free hand. It was somewhere on the floor beside the couch but he had no luck finding it and eventually had to let go of Adam and get up.
Paul slipped away and all of Adam's senses were suddenly bereft. If his limbs weren't so stiff he would have reached out and pulled him back but after lying in the one position for so long his body refused to do anything more than slowly stretch out. His eyes followed Paul as he wandered around the room finding socks and shoes, talking to someone on the phone, and putting on his watch. Bit by bit he was transforming into the austere Guardian, the man in black as the Luna always called him.
"Hang on." Paul dropped the phone on the table and disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. Adam rolled over and dragged himself up. Sitting on the edge of the bed he looked down at his rumpled clothes, looking like a homeless person who had wandered in by accident. Falling asleep together on the couch was sweet at the time, but now he felt like a pretzel. They had talked all night about their future, growing more excited about the endless possibilities. They had fallen asleep blissfully happy.
Walking back into the room and picking up the phone as he went Paul didn't miss a beat. He started talking where he left off, giving one instruction after another to some unfortunate on the other end of the line. Adam on the other hand looked in the mirror and winced, not a pretty sight. Running his hands through his hair did little good, even the patch around his eye was a darker purple-blue than usual, definitely not perfect mate material.
"Pick up one of my suits while you're there. I'll be in in 40 minutes." Paul finally found his tie and threw it over his shoulder.
"I don't care who it is." He yelled down the phone."They can wait like everyone else. One last thing, get David to come in before the end of the day. If he makes excuses personally drag him in yourself."
When Paul finished his call Adam could see his shoulders droop momentarily before quickly putting on his tie, straightening his collar, and pulling down his cuffs. The simple ritual helped him to focus.
Adam smiled, he loved his mate's little habits, the precise way he did things and carried himself as if nothing in the world bothered him when most of the time he was weighed down with problems. These days he knew better than to be fooled by all these little tricks of the trade and knew that Paul's complete focus on his job didn't come without a lot of effort. At the moment. unfortunately, he was the problem. Paul had to navigate around the mess his outburst had created and salvage his reputation, and he couldn't do a thing to help.
Adam was lost in thought when he was swept up into his mate's arms and held so gently that it made him melt.
"I know you're tired my love but I have to leave now and I need you to get a wriggle on. Before I head for the office I'll take you to where we're staying. You can rest there." Paul kissed Adam's cheek still flushed and warm from sleep, then went back for seconds. "Goddess I'd love you. I don't want to go...but..." He ran his thumb over the spot he just kissed. "...the news is out and I need to go put out a few fires."
Adam didn't need urging and raced around the room grabbing the clothes he'd arrived in and his phone. "Ready." The less stress he caused Paul the better.
the Guardian smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I promise I'll make it up to you for dragging you off ." The guardian didn't dare kiss him again, they'd never leave the apartment if he did, instead, he pulled him along and out the door.
.....
Constantine didn't need to open his eyes to know he was alone in bed. The lack of the annoying human's scent beside him told him Shaun had probably run off like a scarred rabbit the first chance he got, not that he blamed him.
His life was a mess. He had no purpose in life now that Adam was leaving him behind. What is an unwanted Bound Wolf with no charge to care for and protect, nothing? The last straw was losing control and mauling Shaun like a madman last night. He couldn't even blame it on alcohol, he was in his right mind if you could call it that. If he apologised from now and until the day he died it wouldn't be enough.
Rolling over Constantine buried his face in the pillow and growled in frustration. He didn't understand half of what he felt for Shaun and working it out was exhausting. For one thing, men had never been his thing, until teasing Adam's human friend suddenly turned into something else altogether. What was it about the most annoying human on the planet that made him do things that were out of character, stupid, impulsive, shameless things? Running his hands through his hair he pulled hard until it hurt.
The previous night was the perfect example. All it took was one kiss. It was only meant to shock the little arsehole into speaking his mind. Instead, it ignited something unexpected, dormant. After that he'd found it almost impossible to keep his hands off Shaun, manhandling him into the car, back to the hotel, and then into his bed. Constantine refused to let the struggling human go for love nor money, and all because he felt something surge between them.
Rubbing his forehead Constantine wondered if he'd temporarily gone insane. Unconsciously, he ran his fingers across his lips, and again the memory of the thrill, the connection, set fire to his blood. A deep long growl rose up from his chest and his eyes started to glow. Wolf wanted to come forward search for and trap Shaun again.
The moment he'd kissed the human, Constantine felt sparks, faint but tangible. They moved along his fingertips, down his spine and jumped between their lips. It hadn't lasted long and like a drowning man desperate for the next breath he clung to Shaun, wanting to ignite the spark again. But no matter how tightly he held on, or how fiercely he kissed him, the bliss didn't return. Constantine didn't know if Shaun felt it too? Do humans feel such things?
In the end, Constantine decided his mind was playing cruel tricks on him, the worst, fooling him into thinking he felt the mating bond. As unlikely as it was, for a few minutes, the magnetic pull between them was exactly the same as when he'd found his mate years ago.
Constantine dragged himself to his feet. The same pointless thoughts kept going around his head, a lot of questions but no answers. Shaun's leaving tomorrow was a good thing he told himself, the sooner the better. They needed distance between them. He had more important things to work out like...the rest of his life.
But for now, there was no avoiding having to face Shaun. It could go either way. They would return to ignoring each other until his departure or Shaun would rip him a new one. Constantine resigned himself to whatever happened, he deserved it. Standing at the door he took a breath, maybe the Goddess will be merciful and let him leave the hotel room without a confrontation. The were closed his eyes and pleaded for her help.
A couple of steps into the room and two heads turned in his direction. Shaun and Cyrus who were sitting in a huddle on the couch talking quietly, stopped speaking and pinned him to the spot with narrowed eyes.
"We need to talk." A blushing Shaun gestured for Constantine to take a seat.
It was an ambush. It appeared that while Constantine slept the human had been up to mischief with his friend. So when the were walked out of the bedroom they were ready for him, cornered by the pair who looked like vengeful vultures perched on the couch.
Constantine warily looked at Cyrus and then Shaun. The scene was unsettling. As he took a seat opposite them the were wondered if he was going to be interrogated or given a tongue-lashing. The silence was nerve-racking. Constantine could barely make eye contact with Shaun after he noticed the love bites on his neck. Shit. He cursed himself for leaving his mark on the boy and at the same time being excited at the sight of his marked flesh.
It was Cyrus who broke the silence and what he said took Constantine completely by surprise. For a while, all he could do was listen with a slack jaw and wide astonished eyes. Cyrus spoke as if he was giving a presentation. Even in pajamas and slippers, the boy put on his professional face and voice. It was all very business like and he methodically covered everything he and Shaun had discussed, and the decisions they'd made. The topic of the conversation was strange enough but the fact that the previous night's drama wasn't mentioned at all was even weirder. What happened to being told off, he really was going crazy? Did it mean nothing to Shaun?
When Cyrus finally stopped talking, he nodded conspiratorially at Shaun who gave him a thumbs up in agreement. The humans looked very pleased with themselves, especially Shaun who was now looking at Constantine, eagerly waiting for an answer.
"So?" The annoying human's broad grin started to fade the longer it took for Constantine to speak. "So what do you say?"
Constantine replayed bits of the conversation over in his head as he stared at the pair in front of him. It struck him as very strange how he had woken up that morning feeling lost. Thinking that the day, the weeks and months ahead held nothing good for him and as it turns out this morning, this conversation could change the course of his life.
"He woke me up early this morning." Cyrus pointed at Shaun. "... because it seems that you need to hear the idea we've been mulling over since we received the wedding invite. Shaun wouldn't let me go back to sleep unless we talked it through with you." Cyrus pulled his legs up and sat cross legged on the couch, he looked like a kid. Shaun beside him was a bundle of nerves, fidgeting, his eyes never stopped moving but never landed on Constantine.
"With Adam and Paul leaving the compound, you are without a job. You don't fit in with the Pures and they don't want you. So..." The were didn't appreciate his situation being spoken about so callously but he remained quiet. Constantine was use to Cyrus being straightforward."
"Geez...Do you have to be so blunt?" Shaun nervously piped in. "A bit of compassion wouldn't hurt."
Cyrus gave him a look and he shut up. "So this is it in a nut shell, nothing is set it stone, there lots of wriggle room." His attempt to put Constantine at ease was making him want to strangle him. One more bit of jargon and he would.
"I've been unhappy with my job for a while now. It's great money but I sick of catching cheating husband and all that crap, it's just to easy. I'd like more interesting satisfying work."
The two humans exchanged looks. "I've also been tossing up the idea of starting my own security firm."
"Are we ever getting to the point Cyrus?" Constantine was growing impatient and couldn't see where this was going.
"Yes, I'm getting there." Cyrus's face became more serious. "If it wasn't for Paul's sudden decision to resign his post we probably wouldn't be having this conversation now. We would have approached you in a few months when we were better organised but as things have happened quickly, and as Shaun pointed out we're leaving tomorrow, we're taking this opportunity."
Constantine's fingers were tapping on his knee. "Dear Goddess." He growled and Cyrus blurted out the next bit in one breath.
"I had the idea that you might want to come work with me. A partnership. We could start small. I've got connections and you've got your training as a bodyguard, I think it could work." Cyrus took a deep breath.
"As for Shaun here..." Pointing to his sidekick. "....even with his shiny new degree he's totally unemployable. It's been three months and he hasn't made it to a second interview yet. His career prospects are looking pretty dismal. I might take pity on him and employ him as our Girl Friday."
"Fuck off." Shaun punched him in the arm. "You're making me sound useless. I have a part-time job, sort of."
Cyrus narrowed his eyes. "Walking a couple of cockapoos twice a week isn't a job." He ignored his friend's protests and went on talking to Constantine.
"In a few weeks you will be a free man, like Paul and Adam you can start a new life where ever you want. Do want ever you want. What have you got to lose?"
"Sounds good riiiiiight?" Shaun added excitedly. Both Cyrus and Constantine stared at him. He shut up again.
Cyrus went on to explain how he thought it would work and Constantine was surprised to find himself excited at the idea of returning home. The were could see himself working with a human like Cyrus, he trusted him completely. The only thing holding him back from instantly saying yes was...Shaun.
The room went quiet. The humans looked at each other and waited patiently. It was a lot to take on board and they were rushing the were into a decision. Cyrus had laid it all out and it was up to Constantine. Tick tick tick.
....
"So?" Shaun's broad grin started to fade the longer it took for Constantine to speak. "So what do you say?"
The were's eyes went back and forth between Cyrus to Shaun, his blood pressure rising when he thought that he would have to be around Shaun every day. Could he stand it? He couldn't have a repeat of the previous night, even though it made him furious to have Shaun sitting in front of him seemingly unaffected, while he was feeling like shit.
"I need to talk to Shaun for a moment." Before the annoying human could wriggle away from him he picked him up threw him over his shoulder and walked into the bedroom.
Cyrus had a smile on his face as he got up and went back to his room to catch up on some sleep. He was pretty certain they'd be busy....talking....for a while.