Twenty-Two

Khush

Dustin's vacation days had ended a few days ago, which meant he was back at work dealing with distraught customers.

At first, I'd spent some time around the cabin while he worked, sneaking in kisses when he was between clients. But every time I saw one of the customers being rude to my mate, I wanted to go hunt them down.

So today, I decided that it'd be best for both of us if I left him to work in peace.

"I'll be outside," I murmured, leaning down and giving him a chaste kiss, then pressing a kiss on the mate mark I'd given him. I'd made the bite with my fangs—I wasn't venomous—and the twin dots on his neck filled me with pride.

I'd been worried for a while after I bit him that he wouldn't like it. Not everyone enjoyed being marked, and certainly not so boldly. But I shouldn't have worried, because Dustin had been delighted. He'd said getting the mark had felt like his whole body was filled with warmth, and I wondered if he'd felt our bond lock into place now that it was at its strongest.

"Okay. I'll come find you for lunch later," Dustin said, glancing up at me with a smile.

Dropping one last kiss on top of his head, I left the cabin, making my way to my favorite tree.

"Oh ho! Look who's out and about without his mate for the first time in weeks!" Silas said as he clapped one meaty paw across my back. For someone so big, he could be unbelievably stealthy sometimes.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," I said in a deadpan voice, snapping the back of his legs with my tail. He jumped a little, which amused me greatly.

"Stop assaulting me, jeez. Is Dustin working?"

"Yeah. The customers were starting to get on my nerves, so I had to leave."

Silas was quiet for a moment, and then he started to laugh. Silas had a loud, booming laugh in his troll form, and I was sure the whole Sanctuary could hear him.

"What's so funny?" Haruto asked, and I jerked back as he suddenly appeared in front of me, hanging from the tree with a couple of cobwebs wrapped around his wrist.

Silas took two big steps back, and I bit back a smile. Silas hated spiders with a passion, and while Haruto wasn't one—and Silas understood that—he tended to attract them like a flame attracts moths.

"Uh, I was just imagining Khush in any kind of customer service job," Silas said, his amusement fighting with his wariness over suddenly getting jumped by a spider.

"That would be funny," Haruto agreed, and I scowled.

"Hey! Don't turn into a brat like this one," I protested, and Silas laughed again.

"We only tease you because you're so fun to rile up," he said, and Haruto nodded in agreement, his dark eyes bright with laughter. Haruto usually kept to himself, but he'd started opening up recently. Dustin had told me Haruto had helped him the day I'd had my episode, and I had a feeling Dustin had somehow helped Haruto too.

"Well, unless you have any more jokes for me, I'm gonna go grab a nap on my tree," I said, and Silas chuckled again but let me leave without torturing me any further.

I climbed up my tree and settled on a thick branch, lying on my front with my arms folded under me. Wrapping my tail around the branch for support, I rested my head on my arms, closed my eyes, and just breathed.

If my life stayed like it was right now, I'd be happy. I had everything I could ever need. A home. People who cared about me. A mate.

Life was good.

When I woke up, it was to the sound of my mate's voice.

"Khush! It's lunch time. Wake up!"

Shifting my head, I glanced down at my mate, giving him a soft smile. "Hey, handsome."

Dustin paused, then grinned widely. "Hello to you too, my dear mate. Are you planning on coming down here anytime soon?"

Chuckling, I loosened my tail from the branch and gripped it with my hands instead. Sliding off the branch, I hung by my arms for a moment before dropping my grip and landing on my coiled tail right in front of Dustin.

His eyes were wide when they met mine, and then he shook his head. "Were you trying to impress me?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"If it impressed you."

Dustin chuckled, then grabbed my arm, linking his with it. We walked like that all the way to the dining room, and I dared anyone to tease us.

"Oh, Quest texted. He was wondering if you'd like to get drinks with us this evening?"

"The three of us?"

"We can ask Silas and Touya if they'd like to join too," Dustin suggested, and I smiled. The ease with which Dustin had befriended my friends wowed me, and I hoped I'd be able to do the same with his friend.

"What about Keoni?"

"We can't take Keoni to a bar!" Dustin sounded so utterly scandalized that it surprised me, and I shot him a curious look as I grabbed plates for us.

"Why not?"

"Because he's seventeen!" Dustin's voice implied the answer should've been obvious.

"And?" I had a feeling I knew what he was referring to, but I was enjoying the play of emotions on his face as he tried to figure out if I was dumb or if I just didn't care.

"He's not an adult yet, so he can't go to a bar, Khush." Apparently, he'd decided I was dumb. I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that or not. Actually, I knew. I was happy he found it easier to believe that I was dumb than to believe I'd be careless enough to get a kid drunk.

"Actually, that's not true. Centaurs mature at seventeen," I shot back, raising a brow in challenge.

Jacinta, who'd been plating our food for us as usual, glanced from me to Dustin, their brows raised.

"Well, the bar is run by humans, and all they're gonna see is a seventeen-year-old teen ," Dustin challenged back, and I raised my free hand up in surrender.

When we reached our table, the first thing Keoni said was, "Uh, I'm not really interested in going to a bar, but thanks for arguing on my behalf, Khush."

Well, if Dustin needed any other proof of Keoni's maturity, there it was. What human teenager would decline an invitation to a bar?

Dustin

That evening, I dressed to impress in my best jeans and a frilly, white top that gave off an air of innocence, until I turned around and revealed that it was mostly backless with only a thick strap at the bottom where my chest binder went. (I'd bought a special one just to wear with this top.) I was looking forward to seeing Khush's reaction.

I opted for a cute pair of boots I had instead of anything with heels so I could help Khush maneuver around the undoubtedly crowded bar we'd be going to. I'd asked Khush if he'd be comfortable in a place that was known for being loud, dark, and packed. I didn't want him to get claustrophobic, after all. But he'd assured me he'd be okay, and he'd go outside to get a breather if he started feeling trapped.

Putting on some lipstick, I checked my reflection in the mirror before nodding to myself. That should do it.

Grabbing my small purse, I stuffed my phone and wallet inside before leaving the bedroom.

Khush was waiting for me in the living room, and I struck a pose as his eyes scanned me from head to toe.

"So?"

"You look stunning," he said, then sucked in a breath when I did a little twirl for him. "Holy shit, Dustin. Would Quest get mad if we skipped?"

I laughed as I turned back around, then walked over to him. "How about we go out and have a good time, and then when we get home, you can take this off and show me a good time, hmm?"

Instead of answering with words, Khush jerked me forward and smashed his lips into mine, kissing me with a fervor that surprised me. I'd expected some appreciation of course, but I hadn't thought he'd like my outfit this much.

I kissed him back, and thought that maybe skipping out wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Of course, as soon as I thought that, a knock at the door interrupted us, and Silas called out, "Hey, you guys! Stop making out and let's get going!"

"Stupid troll," Khush growled against my mouth, then reluctantly pulled back.

"I heard that!"

"I don't care!"

Silas started laughing, and I smiled softly as I gave Khush one last peck before pulling back. "Come on, we can continue later."

Stepping back, I leaned down to give Scrappy a few pets as she walked over to the couch, then straightened up and took Khush's hand in mine.

Together, we walked outside, where Touya and Silas were waiting for us. Silas was in his human form, his mask firmly in place. He looked like a lumberjack with his flannel shirt and jeans combo, but he was the cutest lumberjack I'd ever seen.

Touya had dressed simply too, with a dark jacket thrown over a pale blue shirt and dark pants. His brown hair was styled to perfection, and I made a mental note to ask him later what product he used.

"You look great, Dustin," Touya said with a smile, and I grinned.

"Thanks! So do you!"

As we made our way out of the Forest, I wondered what it would take to organize a party for all the Sanctuary residents here inside the Sanctuary. I knew not all the supes felt comfortable going out into the human world, but I wanted to introduce them to some of the fun things humans had created, like booze. And music.

At the door, Khush slid into the wheelchair, and I found it fascinating now as I had the first time I'd watched him get out of it. It was physically impossible for his tail to fit in there, and yet, it did. Magic was awesome.

We all loaded up into a dark blue, old-looking van that was parked outside the building we'd come out of, one of the many places with a door to the Sanctuary. (Khush had told me those doors only opened for people whose magical signature was already registered by the headmaster. Everyone else just went in and out of the actual building when they opened the door.)

The van was courtesy to Touya. Apparently, he'd bought it after Draven successfully built the wheelchair so they could travel around when they didn't want to bother the headmaster with a portal request. It was an ingenious solution, since the van had a ramp, and an open back area where we could strap in Khush's wheelchair since he couldn't exactly get out of it in the human world without freaking people out.

I sat in the back with Khush—on his very comfy lap, since he didn't want me to get my clothes dirty—while Silas and Touya sat up front. I figured out soon enough that whoever was driving had recently learned it, or maybe hadn't learned it at all, and I decided I'd be the designated driver tonight.

When we got to the bar, it was as crowded as I'd expected, but Touya and Silas acted like our bodyguards, clearing a way for Khush and shutting down anyone who tried to start shit.

Quest had texted me where he'd be sitting—the bar was a regular hangout spot for us since it was LGBTQ+ friendly—and I waved at him as soon as I spotted him.

Secretly, I crossed my fingers as I pushed Khush's wheelchair toward Quest—I didn't want Khush to have to touch the wheels with how sticky the floors were—and prayed that the two would get along. They were both very important to me, and I needed them to become friends.

"Dustin! It feels like we haven't seen each other in years!" Quest exclaimed as he shot to his feet and pulled me into a hug. Unlike me, the jerk had copious amounts of facial hair—I still couldn't grow a beard, even though we'd started HRT at about the same time—and his beard tickled my cheek as he hugged me tight.

"Hey, Quest," I murmured, hugging him back.

Built like a big teddy bear, he had brown, frizzy hair that he cropped short, and a beard that he practically doted on. His green eyes sparkled as he leaned back to give me a look, and then his eyes slid to my mate.

"You must be Khush. I'm Quest. Nice to meet you," Quest held out a hand, and Khush shook it, looking a little starstruck. Oh, right. I'd forgotten he was a fan.

"Nice to meet you too. I like your videos," he said, and I smiled when the tips of his ears went pink. Damn. Why did he have to be so cute?

"Wait," Quest said, then narrowed his eyes at Khush. "Are you on the chat forum? You know, the one for my, uh, fans?"

Khush's eyes widened, and I wondered where Quest was going with this. What was he fishing for?

"Um, yeah. My username's NotActually—"

"AGamer, yeah," Quest said, cutting him off, and I blinked. Wait. Had Quest and Khush talked before? "Dude, you had a crush on me!"

Wait. What ?!