Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Rule Number 80- Feeders are allowed to cancel contracts at any given time, though it is customary to give two weeks notice.

Avery was going insane. He didn’t believe Taron anymore when he said Ozen asked Taron to watch over him. Avery knew without a doubt that Ozen wouldn’t ask Taron to sleep on his couch every night. And he only slept there because Avery refused to go home with him. Taron never tried anything untoward, but it was getting rather frustrating trying to balance entertaining the shapeshifter while trying to figure out everything else.

Ozen had been gone for nearly a week now, minus the night he showed up and fucked Avery into unconsciousness. No text, no calls, nothing that wasn’t a message passed through one of his friends. And gods, they’d gotten annoying. They wouldn’t leave him alone. He was almost certain that they were making up tasks to keep him occupied. Mr. Martell had Avery reorganizing his entire office. Which would be a fun challenge if the goblin didn’t complain every time Avery moved something. Avery almost missed suffocating on smoke working with Mr. Van Buren. At least with the dragon shifter, he didn’t feel like he was going around in circles.

Their antics led to a rather frustrating few days. He’d hoped by the week’s end, they’d back off and give him some space, but Taron refused to leave. He was camped out on Avery’s couch, poking through his miniscule book collection and complaining that he was bored. Avery couldn’t even work on his book because he knew Taron would read over his shoulder if given half the chance.

“You live in a shoe box. Can’t you afford something nicer?”

“Not really,” Avery replied offhandedly. He was trying to read one of his favorite books in an effort to distract himself, but Taron was hellbent on keeping all of his attention.

“Why not? You can’t be paying a lot to live here. What do you spend your money on?”

“I’ve spent most of my adult life paying off my mother’s hospital bills. I couldn’t afford to save until I became Ozen’s feeder. And there’s nothing wrong with my apartment. I live alone. I don’t need a lot of space.”

Taron went uncharacteristically quiet when he asked, “Is she okay?”

Avery looked up. Taron actually looked concerned, and he felt a little bad for bringing it up. It’d been almost ten years now, so it didn’t hurt to talk about anymore, but it still took people off guard when he brought it up.

“She died. Breast cancer. She and my dad tried for years to find a cure, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt. Medical care for humans is really expensive without insurance, and most human companies won’t offer insurance outright. They basically demand a third of your paycheck to cover it and it doesn’t cover everything. Experimental treatments, hospice care, those kinds of things aren’t covered. She died despite their best efforts to save her, and my dad followed soon after from a broken heart. All their debt passed to me. They didn’t have anything to sell, so I got the first job I could find as a temp and moved in here. It’s not the greatest apartment in the world, but it’s better than living on the streets, and the rent is cheap. I don’t hate it.”

Taron listened intently and looked close to tears when Avery finished. He cleared his throat, looking away with a frown.

“Your story is a little cruel. You make me want to call my mother.”

A smile tugged at Avery’s lips. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

Taron scoffed. “Yes. She’s a tyrant. She’s been trying to manipulate me into moving home for years. And not because she misses me, either. She has her own business, and she was pissed when I left to partner up with Ozen. She won’t even acknowledge the fact that my company is doing way better than hers. I’m a failure for ignoring my duties to my family.”

Avery tipped his head from side to side. “Okay, that does sound annoying. But if you found out she was going to die, would you still want to avoid her?”

Taron made a face. “Low blow. I thought you were my friend.”

That made him snicker. “We’re not friends. You’re friends with Ozen. I’m basically your captive. I don’t need a babysitter, you know. The effects of the quick feed wore off days ago. I’m fine.”

“Yeah, yeah. You said that already. Maybe I could send her some chocolate or something. If I go visit, she’ll hog tie me into staying or something. Long distance is the only way I can deal with her.” He hoisted himself off the couch, going straight for Avery’s computer. It proved how distracted Avery was with what was going on with Ozen that he forgot entirely why he didn’t want Taron near his computer until Taron made a curious sound. “What’s this?”

Horror dumped into his gut, and he launched off the bed, scrambling to shut the computer off. “Nothing! That’s nothing! Don’t–”

Taron’s arms lengthened enough to keep Avery at a distance so he could read the page that was still pulled up on Avery’s screen. No amount of fighting was helping and Avery eventually gave up, flopping face first onto his bed and burying his head under the pillows with a groan.

“Hey, this is hot. What is it? A diary?”

“No!” Avery shouted, though the sound was muffled from the pillows. “It’s nothing! Just a hobby! Can you stop now?”

“No can do, buckeroo. This is interesting. And damn, it’s long. This is a novel, isn’t it? You write romance novels?”

Avery didn’t reply, but his face was burning so hot he was worried his pillows would burst into flames.

“I’m emailing this to myself.”

“What? No!”

That got Avery moving, and he launched off the bed again, yanking the chair away from the desk. Taron saw it coming and stood before he could be yanked away as well, cackling to himself as he attached Avery’s novel to an email to himself. Avery let out a frustrated growl and tried to tackle Taron away from his desk, but all he really managed to do was give the shapeshifter a hug.

“Aw, you do love me,” Taron cooed. “I should send this to Ozen, too. He’ll want to know what you’re into.”

“I hate you! Seriously! Don’t you dare send that to him! I know where your office is! I’ll mess up all your files! I–”

A knock on the door cut off his rant and the sound of the email being sent followed right after it. Taron smiled brightly down at him, tipping his head with an innocent look.

“Should I get that?”

Avery shoved away from him, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He’d never be able to face Taron again if he read that. And Taron probably wasn’t lying when he said he’d send it to Ozen, too. Avery would be too embarrassed to face him, which meant Ozen would starve and Avery would never forgive himself. He whimpered, contemplating fleeing the country when he opened the door. He lifted his gaze for a second, doing a double take when he realized who stood there.

“Ozen…”

“Ozen’s back?” Taron asked, poking his head out of the main room. He beamed at his friend, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Glad you’re here. You should see what I found–”

“What are you doing here?” Ozen demanded. His voice was rough, like a growl, and he was shooting daggers at Taron. Avery wasn’t sure what to make of his mood. Especially when Ozen reached for him and yanked him against his side. Avery gasped at the position. Being plastered against Ozen didn’t do great things for keeping his libido or his crush at bay. But aside from the confusion and the butterflies that always showed up whenever he was around Ozen, Avery was also pissed. He shouldn’t have been, the feeling wasn’t professional in the slightest, but it didn’t change how Avery felt.

“I asked you a question,” Ozen demanded.

Taron, at least, didn’t look bothered by Ozen’s growls. If anything, he looked overjoyed with the development, and his grin grew impossibly wider.

“Woah. Someone’s possessive. Finally going to admit you’ve got a thing for him? I mean, my back suffered a lot, but it was worth the effort if–”

Ozen’s snarl wasn’t human, and his glamor fell away in his fury. That made Taron shut up and his smile fell a little.

“Relax. I was just doing what you asked.”

“Get out.”

Taron raised his hands in surrender and didn’t argue, edging past a seething Ozen without a fuss. It was only when he made it into the hall that he spoke again.

“He writes sexy books in his spare time. That’s how he relaxes. You should read it. It’s–”

Ozen slammed the door before Taron could finish, and Avery could hear him cackle in the hallway as he left. The shock finally wore off, the noise of the door slamming startling Avery back to reality. He shoved away from Ozen with a glower, giving them enough space to breathe without starting up the chasing thing that happened the last time he backed up too far. As much as his body wanted a repeat, Avery’s mind was buzzing like a hive of angry hornets.

“What was that?”

Ozen’s face turned slowly to Avery, and he growled low. “I could ask the same thing. Why was Taron here so late?”

Avery rolled his eyes hard. “Because he wouldn’t leave me alone. None of your friends would. You disappeared, and they decided I couldn’t be trusted by myself. Even though I’m not the problem here. You’re the one who disappears without a word except to show up to maul me before leaving again.”

To his credit, Ozen looked ashamed when Avery reminded him of that. His anger faded and regret took its place, his frown so deep it looked like it was carved into his face.

“I understand that you’re busy and things come up, but I would’ve thought I would be afforded the courtesy of an explanation. You’re the one who invited me to your home. I don’t understand why you’re treating me like I’m the one who did something wrong.”

A lump formed in Avery’s throat that no amount of swallowing would remove. Tears burned his eyes, and he jerked away to face the wall so Ozen wouldn’t see them fall. He didn't actually care about courtesy. He was hurt that Ozen left without a word and wouldn’t speak to him for a week. He was sure the entire week that they were making sure he stuck around long enough for Ozen to come back and fire him. And because of the stupid crush that wouldn’t go away, Avery missed him terribly.

When Ozen’s arms came around him, Avery wanted to push him away. He told himself to do it. But he melted into it, choking back sobs as he leaned against Ozen’s chest.

“You have every right to be angry with me, firefly. The way I acted was childish and cruel. I’m not going to ask you to forgive me yet. That will take time. I would, however, like a chance to explain. I’ve come to realize a few things, and it’s important we discuss them.”

Dread filled Avery’s stomach. Ozen must’ve figured out about Avery’s crush. He was going to break the contract and send him on his way. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to brace himself for the worst. Tears spilled down his cheeks onto Ozen’s arms, and there was nothing Avery could do to stop it. He broke the contract first and fell for his boss. He deserved whatever Ozen had coming for him. Maybe he’d be blacklisted like Calvin. Maybe he’d even be dismissed from his temp job because of his unprofessionalism. The possibilities were endless, but the most gut wrenching one was the thought of losing Ozen.