“Hello to you too,” I muttered, sitting on the sofa. I sensed Erik’s anger instantly. “Woah now, little brother.”
“Gray! Please stop this!”
“Erik, why does anything need to change?”
He looked at me blankly, and I continued to explain.
“We don’t need to tell her. Her life doesn’t need to change. We’ll be the only ones who know and when we get back to Elysia, we’ll forget about her.”
Last night, when the guests had finally returned home and after I’d watched the beautiful woman fall apart under my touch, a plan had formed. A plan that meant life could continue with no disruption.
“You’re simplifying it too much,” Erik told me. “What about when she has children, Grayson? What then?”
“She won’t have children. Have you seen her around yours?” I laughed.
Sloan shot me a withering stare. “Please, remind me again what my job is and what you are in charge of.”
I flushed slightly and grumbled. Something about Quentin having children made me uncomfortable. Children implied family, implied trusting someone to take that step with.
“This isn’t as simple as papering over the cracks, Gray,” Erik stressed.
“Why can’t it be? We don’t have to worry about any of that until the future.”
“You’re being selfish. You want to continue to toy with her for your benefit without worrying about the risk.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Sloan commented.
But Erik had tripped my temper. “And why shouldn’t I be selfish?” I asked. “I need something to preoccupy my time while we’re down there.”
“Why couldn’t you just try to date Elva instead?” Erik asked.
My aura blazed into life, and Erik’s followed, shielding his wife. The innate need to protect her would always win out over self-preservation. It was the stupidest reaction anyone could have. To let someone infiltrate their most basic needs until they would risk their life for them.
“Grayson, we’re just asking you to think. If they find out about her, they will kill her,” Sloan said.
A flicker of doubt came to my chest before I disappeared from the house, unable to carry out the discussion with two irrational participants.
They were blowing this out of proportion.
Since coming back down from Elysia, I’d committed myself to the lab again. As beautiful as the place was, it was good to be back in familiar territory. Fields, parks, pools, and cliffs were all glorious, but being around perfection was exhausting. Glassware, cells, and cursing colleagues were my comfort zone.
It had been another long day, and the last thing on my list was to gather fresh samples from Cato. Rather than come by the institute, I stopped by the house to see Sloan, Erik, and the baby.
“He’s grown so much,” I said.
Despite being a few weeks old, Cato looked months older.
“They don’t stay babies for long,” Sloan told me.
“Mortals have the same saying but this is a whole different level.”
I carefully took some cheek swabs from him and sealed them, ready to take back to the lab.
“I guess I’ll see you both soon,” I said, packing things away.
“Actually, Quentin, would you mind staying for a chat?”
“Sure. I don’t have to rush off. Is everything okay?”
