“Why would the sister agree to it?” Avery asked, looking around the group. “I don’t have any siblings, but I can’t imagine wanting to sleep with a sibling’s fiancé.”
Taron shook his head, looking just as confused. “Neither could I. That’s…”
“Icky,” Peri finished, wrinkling his nose.
They all nodded in agreement, including Elijah, who looked just as fascinated as the rest of them. Wash looked around in confusion, but the only one who didn’t look engrossed in the drama was Alistair, who stood in the corner, a watchful eye on the group and their surroundings. It was an odd stance, overprotective, and Wash found himself heading in that direction, his tone low as he asked, “Is something wrong?”
Alistair shook his head, pulling his gaze away from the group to look at Wash. “Why do you ask?”
“You look like you’re waiting for someone to start a fight at any moment,” Wash pointed out with a scowl. “Is there something I need to know?”
Because if there was some kind of threat and Alistair didn't tell anyone, Wash was going to be pissed. He had Peri to think about, and the little fairy shouldn’t be anywhere near danger.
Alistair sighed, his expression darkening as he looked back at Elijah again, but he seemed to push the emotions aside, keeping his voice low as he explained, “Occupational habit. I was in the military for a long time. I already did a perimeter sweep, there’s nothing to worry about here, I’m just overcautious when it comes to him.” He jerked his chin in Elijah’s direction.
Wash understood his position, especially if he’d been in the military, but something about that also bothered him. Elijah had been constantly frustrated with him for being overprotective when they were children. It was the whole reason why he pulled away. He didn't want Wash getting involved. Apparently that same behavior wasn’t an issue when it came to his anchor. Alistair was hovering in the corner like a wraith, ready to protect Elijah from any imagined slight, and Elijah only glanced in their direction once and smiled at his anchor.
It shouldn’t have bothered him, he was Elijah’s brother, not his anchor, but it did. He had cut Wash off for protectinghim, then bonded to a man who did the exact same thing. The distinction hurt.
Without a word, he spun away and headed for the elevators. He was going to go upstairs and cool off, but before he could do more than jab the button to call an elevator, Brennus cleared his throat, interrupting the eavesdroppers and reminding them all, “The first team bonding event is in a few minutes. Is everyone ready?”
He gritted his teeth, hands clenched into fists, and seriously considered making up an excuse to get out of it. It was only Peri landing beside him with an excited grin that made him hesitate.
“Peri… I’m not sure–”
“Don’t worry. I already got the details from Taron. It’s nothing crazy,” Peri promised, patting his arm. “Tonight, it’ll just be a few games. We’ll play as teams too, so you won’t have to be all alone.”
Taron’s warning about Peri being forced to sit out if Wash didn’t participate flitted through his head, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to fight back his growl. The shapeshifter was doing this on purpose. He’d bet his next paycheck Taron chose activities that had to be done in teams so Wash couldn’t get out of it without upsetting Peri.
“I’m going to hurt Taron,” he growled to himself.
“Why? Taron’s great!” Peri said, tugging Wash’s arm in an urge to join the group.
Wash shook his head. He couldn’t force himself to play games right now. Especially games that included his brother. “Now isn’t a great time, Peri. I’m sorry…”
He figured Peri would get upset. That was probably what Taron hoped for, so Wash would feel bad and participate anyway, but to his surprise, Peri’s expression became concerned, and he moved to stand in front of Wash, his head tipped, andhis hands resting gently on Wash’s chest. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
He still didn’t want to get into his issues with his brother. The last time they’d touched on that subject, Peri had cried, and everyone blamed him for it. He didn’t want to deal with that again.
“I’m just not in the mood. Maybe you can play with Tony, as long as the games don’t require him to stand up.”
Peri shook his head in refusal. “I don’t want to do that. I want to be with you. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”
Setting his hands on Peri’s hips, he leaned into it when Peri pressed their foreheads together. He didn't think he could get away with not explaining at least a little. Peri was stubborn when he wanted to be. But he figured if he kept things vague, Peri wouldn’t hold it against him. He respected Wash’s boundaries.
“I don’t think I can be around Elijah right now. I don’t want to talk about why, I just need some space from him,” he murmured.
To his surprise and relief, Peri didn’t demand an explanation. He wrapped his arms around Wash’s neck, studying him for a moment before urging him to hide his face against Peri’s neck. Wash did so, hugging the little fairy and breathing him in.
“If that’s what you need, then I can keep him away from you,” Peri murmured. “Are you sure you want to skip the activities though? You don’t have to be near him. But I don’t want you to miss out just because he upset you.”
He considered insisting on going upstairs, he didn’t want to take his foul mood out on the rest of the bunch, but he felt a little better with Peri in his arms, and he knew Peri was looking forward to the events. He could tell Peri wouldn’t let him go off alone, and he’d feel like a jerk if he forced him to skip them.
With a long sigh, he forced his body to relax by increments. Peri didn’t rush him, and surprisingly, neither did anyone else.The rest of their group had already headed into the nearby conference room, leaving them alone, and when Peri eventually pulled Wash in to join them, no one mentioned his absence.
Peri ushered Wash into a chair near Kian and Dorian, with Brennus and his mate on their other side. It meant he had to be careful what he said around the griffin, but he preferred their company over the rest.
Taron stood in the front of the group, his expression eager, but not mischievous in a way that would make Wash concerned. He relaxed a little further, squeezing gently when Peri took his hand and laced their fingers together.