Taron made a choked sound, his eyes filling with tears as he said, “I swear, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was trying to help.”
“I know. And you did. In the most chaotic, Taron way possible.”
Zephyr snorted from where he was leaning against the wall by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. Even Tony smiled, twisting his mouth to hide it.
Taron still looked like he was afraid to hope, his eyes searching Wash’s for clues. Wash wasn’t making it easy for him, but he blamed that on a lifetime of avoiding interactions like this one. He felt awkward.
“You don’t hate me?” Taron finally asked in an unsteady voice.
“No,” Wash replied promptly. “I was hurt and pissed off. Doesn’t mean I hate you.”
They stared at each other awkwardly until Zephyr made an irritated sound and disappeared out the door, coming back a few seconds later with Peri. He took one look at Taron and burst into action, running over to hug him tightly. He shot a wide eyed look at Wash. “Why are you standing there? Hug him!”
“Uh…” Wash took a step back. There was one person only that he was okay with hugging, and that was Peri.
“Wash! Hug your friend,” Peri demanded.
And because he was utterly devoted to the fairy who owned his heart, he sat on the couch beside Taron and put an arm around his shoulders, keeping his face carefully neutral to hide the grimace at the awkwardness of the situation.
It tooktime and reassurance for Taron to feel okay again. Peri had been surprised when Zephyr had stomped out of the office and asked for him to join them, but he understood the second he saw Taron. The shapeshifter looked torn up, close to tears, and he was staring at Wash like he was afraid one wrong move would send his friend fleeing again. Peri got it, and he also knew that Wash cared under all that growl. He knew Wash was uncomfortable, and he’d make it up to him for that, but it was important to comfort friends after a fight. Wash didn’t have many friends. He had to be told how to fix it.
“Maybe we can all go on a group date,” Peri suggested once Taron had fully come back into his favorite shifted form and had finally allowed his mates to cuddle and reassure him. Washhad looked relieved to escape the couch and took up residence against the window, leaving Peri, Zephyr, and Tony to bring Taron back to rights. “We accidentally ended up having one with Ozen and Avery last night and it was fun!”
“How do you accidentally have a group date?” Zephyr asked with bland amusement.
“Ended up seated next to them at the same restaurant,” Wash grunted in reply. “It wasn’t that bad. I’m not doing any more team building activities though.”
Taron considered this for a long moment, and Peri saw Wash’s eyes narrow the longer it took him to respond. Just as Taron opened his mouth to say something, Wash pointed at him with a scowl that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Just a meal, Taron. Nothing crazy.”
Taron put his hands up in surrender, his grin still a little shaky but getting better. Peri let out a breath of relief. Taron was one of his people. It felt wrong when he wasn’t smiling.
“What about dinner and a show? I know this murder mystery dinner show that I’ve been wanting to try.”
To his surprise, Wash didn’t immediately turn him down, his lips pursed thoughtfully. “Send me the information. If it’s legit, I’ll think about it.”
Peri leaned in conspiratorially, speaking just loud enough that Wash could hear him. “That means yes. He’s just too growly to say it out right.”
Taron snorted and more of his light came back. Peri knew how he was feeling, he was just as devastated when Wash walked away. Wash would figure out eventually that he was more loved than he thought. Maybe his parents weren’t interested, but Wash had a lot more family than just them.
While Wash was distracted by a phone call, Peri whispered to Taron and his mates, “I’m going to need your help, but he can’t find out about it.”
“Didn’t keeping things from him just backfire?” Zephyr pointed out. “You didn’t learn your lesson the first time?”
Peri stuck his tongue out at him, then waved them closer anyway. This wasn’t a bad secret. He wanted a real mating ceremony for Wash, and if his parents wouldn’t get involved, then he would take care of it himself. You know… once he figured out what all went into it.
“How much do you know about demon mating ceremonies?”
All three shook their heads, but Taron was quick to come up with a solution. “You know who would know, though? Ozen. He attended a few, I think.”
“You should call Elijah too,” Tony added. “He’d want to be involved, wouldn’t he?”
Zephyr fished out his phone, already firing off a message. “I’m guessing this is a group thing. I’ll let Dorian know. Someone message Isaac.”
A big smile spread across Peri’s face. He knew he could count on these guys to help him. And once this was all said and done, Wash would know it, too.
Thirty-Nine
Two Months Later…