“I came by so my new nurse could meet Kameron.”
“What about Nuallan?”
“Alex is with him.”
Hamilton hummed and closed his bag. “Do you think they’re together?”
Dallas’ brows rose on his forehead. “Alex and Nuallan?”
“Yeah. I mean, I know Alex is Nuallan’s guard, but he seems to be a bit too dedicated to be just that. Not that I have problems with it. I’m just curious.”
Dallas finally stepped into the room. He closed the door behind himself and came to sit on the bed. “I don’t know. It’s obvious Alex cares for Nuallan, but it didn’t strike me as romantic.”
“He’s been in the infirmary the entire week,” Hamilton pointed out.
“So? He probably became Nuallan’s friend during the time he had to spend with him. I told you, Alex actually stays inside the cell with Nuallan. It’s more than a cell, to be honest. Like a cabin. It looks like a home, even though Nuallan can’t get out. Spending so much time together probably brought them close to each other.”
Hamilton smiled and sat by Dallas. “Like the week we spent together means I don’t want to leave you now?”
Dallas rolled his eyes, but Hamilton knew how to read him now, mostly. He noticed the way Dallas pressed his lips together and how their corners twitched. He was trying not to smile. “You’ll be back after Christmas.”
“It’s still too long,” Hamilton whined.
“You sound like a kid.”
“That’s because I am.”
“You’re thirty-four.”
“Still a kid next to you.”
Hamilton had found out Dallas was almost seventy a few days before, and he hadn’t yet missed a chance to point that out. He found it hilarious.
“Are you going to bring this up often?”
“You can bet your sweet ass I will. You’re just a bit younger than my grandfather is. I certainly didn’t think I’d settle down with an old man.”
It didn’t matter that Dallas looked the same age as Hamilton. He was still sixty-seven. Of course, Hamilton wouldn’t tell that particular bit of info to his parents. They’d have a fit. Actually, he thought they’d have a fit anyway if he brought up the fact that Dallas was a shifter, but that was one thing he wasn’t going to hide. Shifters were out now, even if a lot of people didn’t like that fact. Hamilton’s family would just have to get used to the idea, because there was no way Hamilton was leaving Dallas. They weren’t mated yet, but that didn’t mean Hamilton wasn’t already half in love with Dallas.
Dallas seemed cool and collected, but Hamilton knew he was anything but, at least in the privacy of their bedroom. He was a caring man under that shell, and he was doing what he could to protect himself and the people important to him. He was good at his job, and he’d spent more time than necessary trying to get Nuallan to talk. He was trying to help Nuallan and to understand why he’d tried to kill himself, even though Nuallan obviously didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Dallas was shy even though he didn’t look like it. He always tried to hide when they were together at night, and so far they’d only had sex with the lights off. Dallas was always in control and was uncomfortable when he wasn’t. Hamilton wanted to break that control, so badly, but he hadn’t managed yet. He wanted to see Dallas lose it, see how Dallas would be, how he’d look when it happened.
It would have to wait until after Christmas, and Hamilton was going to come back to Gillham as soon as he could. His mom would probably moan about it, but by then he’d have told her about Dallas, so hopefully she’d understand.
Hamilton wrapped his arm around Dallas’ shoulders and pulled him close. He kissed Dallas’ temple and inhaled his scent, wondering if he’d be able to remember it in a week. Not that he’d be gone that long anyway, but still. He was going to miss it.
“You’ll be fine,” Dallas said. “It’s only a week.”
“I know.”
“You’ve known me almost less time than that.”
“I know.”
Dallas sighed and finally kissed Hamilton. “We’ll both be fine,” he said, speaking against Hamilton’s lips. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, and it made Hamilton smile. He didn’t often get to see Dallas’ feelings this plainly.
There was a knock on the door and Hamilton sighed. Dallas kissed his cheek and got up to open it, revealing Clea on the other side. “Yes?” he asked.
“Hamilton asked me to shimmer him home.”
Dallas looked at Hamilton. “I thought Nysys would do it.”
Hamilton got up and grabbed his bag. He was already wearing his shoes and his jacket, so he was ready to go. “I called him, but they’re having problems, and I didn’t want to take him away from the pride.”
Clea didn’t enter, and Hamilton paused next to Dallas before going to him. He leaned down and kissed Dallas, lingering for longer than necessary. He didn’t want to leave, but Dallas was right. It was only for a few days. “I’ll call you tonight,” he told Dallas, and Dallas nodded.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I can see you, sitting with your phone in hand, staring and waiting for it to ring.”
“Shut up.”
Hamilton laughed, kissed Dallas again, and walked to Clea. Clea smiled, and Hamilton held up his hand, wiggling his fingers. “Let’s go.”
“Is it the first time you’ve shimmered?” Clea asked.
“Nope. I had the pleasure of taking a trip with Nysys the other week.”
“You know what to do then.”
“Hold on tight?”
Clea laughed. “Yes, and think about where you want me to shimmer you. Make sure it’s a place that will be empty when we get there.”
It took Hamilton a few seconds to think of a good place. He’d told his mom he’d rent a car when he landed, so he had to have one when he got to his parents’ home. That meant he had to shimmer into the airport, or somewhere close. “How about a bathroom?”
“Where?”
“Airport.”
“How can you be sure it’ll be empty?”
Hamilton grimaced. “I can’t.”
Clea sighed. “Close your eyes and think about the bathroom.”
Hamilton obeyed. He felt Clea take his hand, but when he opened his eyes again, he was still in the hallway with Dallas. He blinked, but Clea was already back and taking his hand again. “Come on, I made sure to find an empty bathroom. I locked it from inside so you won’t have problems.”
Hamilton looked at Dallas, and he was still looking when Dallas disappeared and the house around them became an airport bathroom. Hamilton let his hand fall to his side and hauled his bag higher on his shoulder.
Clea leaned closer and whispered, “Call me when you want to come back, and I hope it won’t be from here.”
Hamilton shrugged. “Depends on how my parents take this, I guess.”
Clea sighed. “Fine, but if I have to come get you here, make sure it’s in this bathroom, okay? It’ll be easier.”
“Sure, boss.”
Clea rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what Dallas sees in you.”
“What do you see in your mate?”
Clea’s smile dimmed. “Yeah. You’re right.” Then he was gone.
* * * *
Dallas tried to stay on his own for Christmas, he really did, but he wasn’t able to ditch Zach, no matter how hard he tried.
“You can’t hide in your room for Christmas, Dallas,” Zach said from the other side of the door. “No one should be alone for Christmas.”
Dallas sighed and looked at the ceiling over his bed. The sheets still smelled like Hamilton, and it didn’t help. Dallas missed him so much it was ridiculous, but nothing he did could make him forget about his mate, not for more than a few minutes at a time. Dallas hated himself for it.
He’d never been dependent on anything or anyone, not since he’d left home. Even in the lab, he’d done his
best to survive on his own, and he’d managed. Then why did it feel like he wouldn’t be able to enjoy life anymore if Hamilton wasn’t there to enjoy it with him?
“Okay, I’m done. I’m coming in,” Zach said.
There was the sound of a key pushed into the lock. The door opened, and Zach stood there, wearing jeans and a red sweater, his hands on his hips as he scowled at Dallas. “Get your ass off that bed and come to the kitchen. We’re celebrating Christmas, and you’re celebrating with us.”
“Zach... ”
Zach threw his hands in the air. “Up! Seriously, Dallas. I hadn’t taken you for the brooding type, especially not for something like this. He’ll be back in a few days.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you still pouting in here? Your life isn’t on hold until he comes back.”
Dallas sat up. “I know that.” It wasn’t only Hamilton’s absence, really. Dallas was used to working a lot. He’d spent most of his days in the hospital until recently, and the days he’d been off, he’d slept and taken care of his house.
Now he didn’t have the hospital anymore. He didn’t have anything to do, not until someone hurt themselves, and everyone seemed to want to celebrate Christmas in one piece. He didn’t wish for anyone to do something stupid and harm themselves—not yet anyway—but the inaction was making him crazy. He’d already reorganized the infirmary’s supplies three times over the past four days. He’d hovered over Nuallan, so much that the man sighed every time he saw Dallas now. He’d tried to see how Sei worked, but with no one to heal, there was no way to do that, and Dallas drew the line at intentionally hurting someone.
“Come on,” Zach said in a softer tone. “Nuallan and Sei are here too.”
Dallas frowned. “Nuallan? Is he strong enough to walk around?” He needed to go check on his patient.
Dallas slid off the bed and walked to the door, stopping in front of the mirror to straighten his clothes before passing by Zach. Zach chuckled and closed the door, falling into step with Dallas. “He’s fine. I asked Sei if Nuallan would be up to spending Christmas here. That’s why Sei came too. He wanted to be sure Nuallan would be fine.”
Dallas paused when he entered the kitchen. Nuallan and Sei weren’t the only ones there, but they were whom Dallas went straight to.
Nuallan was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, his eyes wide, bundled into a blanket. He kept looking around as if expecting someone to jump him, and not even Sei’s presence by his side seemed to be enough for him to relax. He looked like he was about to bolt, and why he hadn’t yet was a mystery to Dallas.
Dallas crouched next to Nuallan, and Nuallan looked at him. “How are you feeling?” Dallas asked softly enough that only Nuallan would hear him.
Nuallan swallowed loudly and nodded. He didn’t talk, but then he never did unless there was no other way to communicate.
“You’ll be fine,” Dallas said. “You know no one here is going to hurt you.”
Nuallan didn’t look convinced, but he nodded again, and Dallas got up. He finally looked at the rest of the room and wasn’t surprised to see it was full. He could also hear people talking in the living room and the dining room, so he guessed it was going to be a busy Christmas.
Zach was at the stove now, talking with Jago and gesturing at whatever they were cooking. Kameron was at the table too, looking at Zach with a small smile on his lips. He didn’t seem to care about the fact that the guy who’d recently tried to kill him was sitting there with him, but Dallas thought he was probably ignoring Nuallan on purpose.
Corbin was also at the table, and his gaze kept shifting from Jago to Nuallan, then back to Jago, as if he thought Nuallan was going to jump up and try to kill his mate. Dallas knew Nuallan wouldn’t do that, or do anything like that. Nuallan really wasn’t a killer, and why he’d been sent to kill one of the council members still puzzled him. How could anyone have thought he’d succeed? It was obvious he wouldn’t hurt a fly.
A toddler barged into the room, running as fast as he could. Dallas leaned down and snatched Aranck before he could collide with the table, and Aranck giggled. He tried to bite Dallas’ fingers, but Dallas was used to dealing with him by now, and he made sure to keep the tiny fangs in Aranck’s mouth away from his body. The boy was experimenting with shifting, and he usually managed to shift only parts of his body when he really wanted to do something, like nibble on fingers.
“Oh, thanks,” a harried-looking Merle said as he came in. “He doesn’t stay still more than a few seconds at a time lately.”
Dallas nodded. “Normal. He’s a growing child.”
“Yeah, well, growing or not growing, he’s not making my life easy, especially not with those partial shifts. I don’t know how many times I almost lost a finger.”
Dallas gently raised Aranck’s upper lip, but his teeth were back to normal, and he grinned. Dallas smiled back and handed him to Merle. Merle looked tired, but the smile on his face when he looked at Aranck made it obvious he loved the boy.
Dallas looked away, because it made something in him ache, something he never thought he’d feel. His focus moved to Nuallan, because it was easier to worry about him than to analyze the feelings.
Nuallan still looked uncomfortable, but everyone was ignoring it, ignoring him, really. They were giving him space, and Dallas followed suit, sitting a few seats away from him. It was enough to keep an eye on him, just in case.
Zach dumped a cutting board and a knife in front of Dallas, startling him. Carrots landed on the table next to him, and Zach ordered, “Cut them up.”
Dallas arched a brow, but Zach was already gone. Kameron chuckled and pointed at the cutting board in front of him. “At least you got carrots. I got onions.”
Dallas got to work. It was oddly soothing, familiar, and he finally found himself relaxing. He still missed Hamilton, but Hamilton had a family, unlike Dallas. He was where he should be.
Someone else entered the room, and Dallas looked up. He was surprised to see Alex, since the man had a family to celebrate Christmas with. Dallas was confused when Alex sat beside Nuallan as if it were the most natural thing to do, but then Nuallan finally relaxed. The two were obviously closer than Dallas had thought they were. Alex had to be one of the very few people Nuallan trusted, if not the only one. Dallas wasn’t sure why, and he didn’t know why Alex wanted to spend time with Nuallan, but there were so many odd things in Dallas’ life right now that he thought thinking about it would only make things more confusing. Still, he wanted to know.
He leaned closer to Kameron and Kameron looked up, grimacing as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Yes?” he asked.
“Can I ask you something?” Dallas briefly looked at Nuallan, who was leaning close to Alex without actually touching him.
Kameron noticed it and put his knife down. “Of course.”
“Why is he here? I mean, I get why you wanted to keep him close. You want answers, and you’re the kind of man who’ll give anyone a second chance. But still. You’re letting the man who tried to kill you so close to your mate, and you’re allowing him to take part in this celebration. I don’t understand.”
Kameron looked at Nuallan and Alex. Dallas wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but his expression was soft and a bit pained. “I don’t know what happened to Nuallan,” Kameron finally said. “But it’s obvious something did. I don’t think he really wanted to kill me, and it’s obvious something is torturing him from the inside. I want to help him, to show him he has a family even though he made a wrong decision. He’s not a hardened killer. Besides, even if he were, Corbin is too. As long as neither of them tries to hurt anyone again, I’m fine with them being here.”
Dallas wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut and went back to his carrots.
* * * *
Hamilton was sprawled on the couch, his jeans open, groaning as he patted his stomach.
His sister chuckled next to him and bumped th
eir shoulders together. “Ate too much?”
“You haven’t?”
“Yeah.”
“You know Mom is going to try to force feed us again tomorrow, right?”
“I’ll be gone tomorrow.”
Helen’s brows rose on her forehead. “You will?”
Hamilton wished he’d kept his mouth shut, but the cat was out of the bag now, at least partly. “Yeah. I got someone to go back to. He’s spending Christmas with friends, but I really want to be with him right now.”
Helen’s eyes lit up, and she straightened from her slouch. “You have a boyfriend?”
Of course, she had to say it right when their mother came into the living room, a tray full of steaming coffee mugs in her hands. Hamilton groaned, but he knew she’d heard Helen, and sure enough, once she’d put the tray down, she grabbed two mugs, handed them to Hamilton and Helen, and sat on the corner of the coffee table in front of Hamilton.
He sipped at his coffee and tried to look like he wasn’t hiding something, but his mom wasn’t stupid. Besides, he wanted to tell her and the rest of the family about Dallas. He wasn’t going to hide the man he’d spend the rest of his life with from his family. He just hoped his family would be able to accept their relationship.
“Did I hear Helen mention a boyfriend?” she asked.
Hamilton sighed. “Yeah.”
“And is she right? Do you have a boyfriend?”
Hamilton was the only one of his siblings to still be single. He wasn’t that old—he was the baby of the family after all—but his mom still thought it was time for him to find someone to love. He agreed, even though he hadn’t had much luck with his past relationships. He didn’t agree with his mom when it came to him having kids, but maybe now that he’d found Dallas...
“Yeah, she’s right,” Hamilton said, deciding now wasn’t the right time to think about kids.
“That’s all you have to say? You don’t usually talk about your boyfriends.”
“That’s because things aren’t usually serious.”
“But they are with this man?”
Hamilton knew he’d been lucky his entire family had accepted his being gay without too many problems. There’d been a few awkward conversations and silence, but that had been all. The problem was that it meant his mom was bound to ask him as many questions as she’d asked his brother and sister when they’d had partners and when they’d met their husband and wife.
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