Chapter 4

Maverick

I was so incredibly thankful it was the weekend. If I hadn't found Evan by the lake on a Friday, I wouldn't have been able to look after him as well as I could now. I had a mirror above my dresser and as I came out of the bathroom after having showered, I caught Evan staring intently at himself in it.

"The bruises are healing. I don't know how they feel, but they look much better." I said, grabbing the clothes I'd laid out for me on the bed and standing awkwardly, debating whether I should get dressed in my room, or go to the bathroom.

Evan sighed. "That's just it. They do look better. But I don't understand why."

I decided that continuing the conversation was worth the possible backlash and dropped the towel to get dressed. Evan had said that we should grow more comfortable around each other, after all.

"Well, I won't be able to say for sure as I don't know your usual healing speed," I began, pulling my black boxer briefs up my thighs. "But I can make a pretty good guess. You've never been fully accepted into a clan from the sound of it. Living with others and being accepted by them are two wholly different things."

I paused as I saw his eyes intently focused on my chest. I smiled and seductively ran a hand over my pecs after I finished buttoning my jeans. Evan gulped. He saw me watching and his cheecks went bright red. "Yeah, so?" His voice was slightly higher than normal.

I slipped my shirt over my head and began tidying the room now that we were both done. "So now, you're not alone anymore. I'm here. And by sleeping together last night, I could comfort you with my touch and your body could begin healing because you were safe and cared for. Even a clan of two is still considered a clan."

Evan contemplated my words for a few seconds as he watched me hanging up the wet towels. "So will my healing always be faster?"

"If we remain together and interact the way soulbounds are supposed to, then yes. Your magic will improve, too. And once you are accepted into my birth clan, you'll be even more powerful."

Evan suddenly looked scared. His body went rigid and his eyes wide. "They'll never accept me! I'm...me."

My heart ached when he said such negative things about himself, but I reminded myself that that was all he'd heard his whole life. Even I had contributed to his self-loathing. I hoped to hear the whole story of his life one day. "They will. You're my soulbound. And you're not an asshole, so there is no reason not to accept you."

He opened his mouth to argue, but I wasn't having it. "Have you had something to drink yet, today? Water, I mean," I quickly interrupted.

He huffed. "No. I'll go get some. Water bottles in the fridge?" I nodded and he was gone.

I vowed to myself right then and there that I would do whatever it took to make Evan see how amazing he was. Once my clan met him, they'd feel the same way. They were my family. It was a small clan near the academy. It was one of the deciding factors in moving back here. Even though I'd been accepted into other clans while teaching elsewhere, they'd never really felt like home.

There were only about fifty elves in my clan. But we were powerful. Most of us were spread out and only went home over weekends to care for the forest surrounding our home location. While we all had permanent rooms in Kelburry Lodge, the clan grounds, we mostly lived where we worked. Jackson and I lived at the academy. Many other members were also professors at different academies and some fulfilled roles on the council or the elven daycare centres. Only our clanmaster and about twenty members stayed at the lodge full-time. But we all knew we had a home to go back to, and that was enough to keep our power strong.

When I walked into the living room, Evan was lying on the couch. I immediately noticed his grey skin and tightly shut eyes, and rushed to kneel next to him. "Talk to me," I said.

He took a long moment. "I just suddenly felt weak. I went to get water like you said, but could barely make it to the couch."

My mind spun. We needed to get him tested as soon as possible. If I was wrong and he wasn't pregnant, he was seriously ill with something else. It was the weekend, however, so the clinics would not be open. I searched for a solution that wouldn't make my intentions too obvious. "How about we watch a movie?"

His eyelids rose a few millimetres to stare at me. I knew he'd expected something else. Maybe some more orders on how to get better. "Sure."

I grabbed the remote and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. He sighed. "There are other seats, you know." I nodded. He sighed again and began moving as if to sit up, I rushed to stop him and only lifted his head to slide first my legs and then a thin pillow underneath it. He hesitantly lowered his head again. The couch was more than big enough for him to stretch out and for me to sit in the corner without feeling squished. I needed him close and while he didn't know it yet, his body needed me close, too.

I chose a random movie on Netflix and spent at least twenty minutes wondering how I could subtly touch Evan. Eventually, I grew impatient with myself and simply lifted my hand and dropped in onto his chest before I could think more about it. He froze. I almost took it away, but then his hand came up and clasped mine. I smiled and settled comfortably for the first time in a long time. I was finally content.

I jerked at a loud banging sound. My mind was foggy. I must have fallen asleep at some point. Evan rubbed his eyes with his free hand, his head still in my lap and our hands clutched together.

"Time's up, I'm coming in!"

The front door flew inward and my best friend marched into the hallway, immediately turning into the living room where a new movie was blasting. Jackson froze under the archway. I quickly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

Jackson looked at me, then at Evan and finally at our linked hands. His mouth opened slightly as he stared at us in silence. Evan sat up slowly, releasing my hand in the process. I momentarily forgot about Jackson to look at Evan. He seemed a lot better now. His cheeks were a healthy colour and his eyes sparkled.

A throat clearing brought my attention back to our intruder. Jackson was looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "Oh, this is Evan," I said.

Jackson stared at me incredulously. "Yeah, I'm gonna need a bit more than that."

Evan shifted uncomfortably next to me and I reached out my hand to reassure him. Before my hand could reach his, he pulled away from me and stood from the couch. "I'll go. I have...something to do," Evan said, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

I quickly stood, too. "He's my soulbound and he's staying here now. I'd appreciate it if you tried to get along and knocked in the future."

Both of the other males stared at me in shock before Jackson burst out laughing. Evan was trying valiantly, but even he had to lift the corners of his mouth after a full minute of Jackson nearly crying from laughter.

I huffed. "What's so funny?"

"You should have seen your face!" Jackson was still trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

I rolled my eyes. Evan was still looking unsure, so I took his hand and pulled him down next to me on the couch. "You're not going anywhere. I told you, this is your home now."

Evan smiled shyly, his gaze dropping to the floor. Jackson took one of the chairs to the right of the couch. He looked at us in amusement. "It's nice to meet you, Evan. Though, I do of course know of you. You are in my air wielding classes... How about that?" Jackson was now looking at me imploringly and my cheeks heated.

"It's not like I could choose." My eyes went wide. "Not that I'd choose any different, because he's so amazing!"

A beat of silence went by. Then, Jackson snorted. "Yeah, okay. I get that part. I'm upset because you didn't tell me. We're best friends, man!"

I gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I'm telling you now, though."

"Oh, well as long as you're telling me now," Jackson mumbled sarcastically.

Another beat of silence passed. Evan shifted uncomfortably next to me. Jackson cleared his throat.

"Want some pizza?" I asked. Both of them turned to me, grinning from ear to ear.

*****

"I made a few calls. We're leaving in thirty minutes." I stared at Jackson in confusion. What the hell was he talking about? "The doctor. You said you needed blood tests done. A friend of mine is an OB-GYN. He can fit you guys in today."

"It's Saturday."

"Yeah, he doesn't mind, though." Jackson looked uncomfortable all of a sudden, his face slightly flushed.

Evan snorted. "I bet he doesn't," he said under his breath.

I frowned at him. I felt like I was the only one being left out of the loop. Jackson took pity on me.

"He's my soulbound. But he's not convinced on the whole soul match thing. I'm trying to convince him," Jackson said, smiling manically.

"And you were upset that I'd kept it a secret? Wait. Is he an elf?" I asked.

"Of course! You think I'd take Evan to a human doctor?" He scoffed. "He's also a bearer, so he understands better than most."

While most elves preferred to be around their kind, we could easily blend in with humans. Our ears were only slightly pointed and if we didn't use magic, nobody would be able to tell the difference. An elven doctor working in the human world was not as uncommon because of the specialised nature of the job.

"How is it possible that he's an elf but doesn't feel the connection?" Evan aksed.

"Oh, he feels it. I'm telling you, he just needs some convincing. I'm real good at convincing people."

Jackson's perpetually positive attitude drew people to him like moths to a flame. It was one of his best qualities. Evan was no different. A few hours hanging out together and the two of them were thick as thieves. It was good. Evan needed people in his life.

"Wait. An actual doctor?"

Jackson looked at me as if I was being slow on purpose and not just sceptical about his apparently magical abilities to always have what someone needed. "Yes, dear. And we now have only twenty minutes. It's a long trip. Grab some snacks."

Evan's face lit up at that word. He'd been eating all day. He needed it. Desperately. "Do we have anything?" He asked me. His cheeks coloured. "I mean, do you have anything."

"We don't. But Jackson definitely does."

"I should've just kept my mouth shut," Jackson murmured, already walking to the door to raid his stash of chocolate and cookies at home.

Jackson drove as he was the one who knew where we were going. I sat in the passenger seat and Evan in the back. He was perfectly content to eat as many of the snacks as he could and occasionally offered an opinion of what music to listen to. His true personality was already beginning to show around us.

When the hospital came into view, we all fell silent. This was it. While a baby would complicate things, I would be perfectly happy to have one. Elves lived to be about five centuries old, only aging rapidly in the last ten years or so. While Evan was still young, I was already a hundred and twenty six. I was more than ready to settle down and have a family. At this point, a pregnancy wouldn't change the relationship between me and Evan. After only sleeping with him in my arms for one night, I knew I could never sleep alone again. This was just the way it would be from now on. The soulbound bond wouldn't have it any other way.

A door opened. "You're going in with us?" I asked Jackson, exasperated.

He froze, already halfway out the door. He looked back at me, eyes wide. "Of course. Nathan is in there."

I huffed as he slipped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him. Evan laughed in the backseat. It sounded forced. I turned to look at him. "It's not going to change anything. About us, I mean. We're together now, and that's how it will stay."

He smiled at me and leaned between the seats to kiss me, even seeming to surprise himself. I reluctantly let him pull back. We had to do this.

The automatic doors opened and let us into a sterile white room. Jackson was already speaking with the receptionist. Movement caught my eye. A handsome man walked out of a hallway to our left. His pitch black hair looked odd contrasted to his pure white skin.

He stopped when he spotted Jackson. He cleared his throat. Jackson noticed him and beamed. "Guys, guys." He beckoned us closer. "This is Nathan. The best doctor ever, you'll see."

Nathan flushed bright red and cleared his throat again. "I don't know about that. And I prefer Dr. Kilian."

"But they're my friends." Jackson looked so crestfallen that the doctor gave in and told us to just call him Nathan. He invited us to his consulting room and I was immensely glad when Jackson stayed behind in the waiting room. Explaining to him that some things were too personal even for best friends had not sounded like a good time.

A few vials of Evan's blood were drawn and someone picked it up at the door before we even sat down in the two chairs in front of Nathan's desk. The doctor asked a lot of questions while he filled out a form. Evan answered all of them. It felt like an eternity before there was a knock at the door.

Evan and I tensed. This was it. Nathan spoke softly to whoever was at the door before taking the delivered papers and sitting behind his desk once more. He looked over them a moment before turning his sharp gaze on us. "Well, gentlemen," he began, "you're definitely having a baby."

Evan squeezed my hand where he'd held it between our chairs. I couldn't get a read on his emotions. Was he happy? Devastated? Indifferent?

"Let's do an ultrasound to ensure things are on track. First, Evan, if you could please step on the scale." My eyes went wide when I saw Evan's weight. The doctor's did, too. "You said you haven't been feeling well and thus not eating?"

"Yes, but it's getting better after..." He glanced at me shyly.

Nathan smiled. "Alright. Continue eating a bit more and if the intense nausea comes back at any point, make an appointment straight away. You can't risk not eating anymore."

Evan nodded before hopping onto the exam bed. He flinced when the gel touched his stomach. Nathan had said that just unfastening his pants and pulling up his shirt would be good enough for this appointment. The doctor glided the little device around for a long few seconds. Suddenly, a rapid beat filled the room. Evan turned to me with tears in his eyes and held out his hand. I clutched it tightly. This was suddenly all so real. We were having a baby.

"I'm so happy," I said before I could stop myself.

"Me too." Evan turned back to the monitor now showing a vaguely baby shaped object. "Me too."

I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed it. My family. They were all mine now. And I'd protect them with my life.