“What do you need right now?” Silas asked, then reframed the thought. “What do you want?”
The dam holding back his fear and sorrow burst, spurred by the beginning stages of his heat. Elijah sobbed in full and pressed his back firmly against the wall. It was safe and sturdy and unchanging. All he wanted was to be alone somewhere he could hide, where the rest of the world couldn’t get to him—even if that somewhere was Stonecrest.
“Wanna g-go,” Elijah choked through his tears. “Need’ta go somewhere safe.”
“I know.” The gruff quality in Silas’ voice turned smooth. He ran a hand down Elijah’s cheek, and Elijah’s skin tingled where their skin brushed. The pleasure registered distantly in his brain, pinpricks of wonder through the dizziness. “I know. We’ll get you safe, I promise. Can you walk?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear.” Silas pulled Elijah against his chest and locked his arm around Elijah’s back in a tight hug. With a rattling sob, Elijah buried his face against Silas’ shoulder and let it all out.
Fear. Anger. Anguish. Injustice. Beyond that, a bubbling hope that maybe things would turn out right.
If Silas detected his heat—and as close as they were, he was sure that Silas did—he said nothing about it. Working with omegas day in and day out, maybe he’d built up a tolerance. Maybe they’d get back to Stonecrest and nothing would happen.
Elijah didn’t want to trap Silas by starting a family with him. It didn’t matter how attracted he was, or how wonderful his bond to Silas felt. Silas deserved to be free of him, unless he chose otherwise. There was no way Elijah could force his hand—not anymore. Not since he’d actually started to feel for his stuffy, uptight counselor.
“Let’s go,” Silas murmured. He released Elijah from his chest, but kept one arm over his shoulders. Elijah appreciated the gesture more than he could say. It made him feel protected and safe.
The walk back to Stonecrest was going to be trying, but with Silas there to guide him, Elijah was sure he’d make it through.
