Isaac chuckled. “You brought me a power bar.” He rolled onto his stomach, glancing over his shoulder curiously and grunting when Shadrach slid the washcloth over his skin, cleaning away cum, blood, and sweat.
“You don’t have to…”
“I know, killer,” Shadrach murmured, leaning in to kiss his shoulder. “I want to.”
He gave himself a cursory wash, then tossed thewashcloth in the hamper over in the corner and climbed under the blankets.
While Isaac ripped open the wrapper, Shadrach pulled him against his chest. Neither of them spoke while he ate, his head tilted in a way that let Shadrach feel the pulse of his jaw against his chest. He marveled at the contentment thrumming through him, gently combing his fingers through Isaac’s shoulder-length hair.
“Thanks for this. It was exactly what I needed.”
Shadrach preened. “I’m glad.”
When Isaac finished, he set the wrapper on the bedside table and turned to look at Shadrach seriously.
“What?” Shadrach asked.
“You said you loved me.”
Shadrach stilled. He traced his mind back to those intense moments in the other room. “I… I did, yeah.”
Isaac’s mossy green eyes were murky with uncertainty. “Did you mean it?”
He didn’t like admitting to such a thing. Doing so invited weakness. If Isaac knew how much he meant to Shadrach, he could use it against him. He was old enough to know better than to give anyone that kind of power over him.
But this wasIsaac. If he couldn’t trust Isaac, what was the point in any of this?
“I do,” he finally said. “Is that okay?”
Isaac stared at him for a long, inscrutable moment. “Nobody’s ever loved me before.” His voice trembled, and Shadrach wanted to raze the world to the ground.
He reeled him in, squeezing Isaac against his chest. “I do. I always will. I was made to love you, killer. You’re mine no matter what, okay?”
Isaac clung to him and nodded fervently. “Yeah. Yeah,okay. I’m glad.” He sat up suddenly, meeting Shadrach’s eyes. “Is it okay if I can’t say it back yet?”
Shadrach fought back a laugh, if only because he didn’t think it would be well received right now. “Of course it’s okay. Take all the time your fragile human brain needs.”
That cautious uncertainty fled from Isaac’s expression at that, and he swatted Shadrach even as he laid back down against him. “Ass.”
“Your ass, though.”
Isaac was quiet for a beat, then softly said, “Yeah. Mine.”
Chapter 23
Shadrach
They returnedto the Rink early the following night to share what had happened at In Extremis. When they appeared beside the air hockey table, Shadrach spied Ira on a step-stool, hanging a white sachet above the front door.
“What’s he doing?” Shadrach asked.
“Protection spell,” Wolf explained, standing behind Ira.
“Oh, good, your mage finally finished with the ingredients,” Shadrach said. “I assume this one will keep out the bad humans?”
“It should,” Ira said. “These are supposed to go above every door and window—not that this place actually has many. The herbs inside each bag should prevent anyone who means harm to those within from crossing the threshold.”
Beside him, Isaac perked up. “That’s pretty awesome. Why didn’t you have that on the building before?”
