Second Assault — Bond And Treason — novel Chapter 33

Thursday, April 18th. Alexei & Xander's room, 8:40 a.m.

XANDER

When I returned to our bedroom last night, after saying goodbye to Lev and Yaakov, Magnus was already asleep. He had stripped off the clothes, leaving them scattered all over the floor, keeping only the boxers on, and small snores escaped from his half-open lips. He must have been exhausted or the emotions ended up draining his energy, falling into a deep sleep.

He wasn't even disturbed when, forty minutes later, I climbed into bed next to him, having taken a much needed and well-deserved shower. I left a kiss, more like a subtle touch on his chest, before I closed my eyes and surrendered to the world of dreams as well. In the middle of the night, I feel his body pressing against mine, his firm torso caressing my back, and his strong arm encircling my waist, pulling to attract me more to him.

—I love you, kitty — whispered in my ear in a low, deep voice, the lips touching my hearing aid and causing a pleasant chill along my spine.

I smile, although my expression is clouded by the darkness of the room, and I move even more towards him, absorbing his heat and feeling the warmth of his breath on my shoulder and neck. I close my eyes and enjoy his proximity. When I wake up in the morning, I'm practically on top of his body, in contact with all that delicious amount of naked skin.

The only parts that are still in contact with the sheets are my right hand and my toes. I don't even remember when or how the hell I managed to crush him in this way and I feel a little bad, even if he doesn't seem uncomfortable at all. My cheek is flattened against his chest and every time he breathes, a lock of my hair moves, tickling my nose.

I don't want to move, but in the end, I give up and with all the care in the world, stand up. He just shakes and wrinkles the eyebrows a bit, but then his breathing gives away that he is still asleep. I sigh of relief and confirm on my phone that it is barely six o'clock in the morning. I giggle, my brain always playing up and working better than any alarm.

I go to the bathroom and do my usual grooming routine. Clean, dry and dressed, I send a message to Lev and ask him to please take care of sending us breakfast.

I don't know if Magnus is in the mood to eat, but I still want to have something for him, just in case. I leave the cell on the bedside table and sit on the edge of the bed, watching him.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing him like that. There have been many times when I have taken advantage of his unconsciousness and admired the perfection of his features. The smooth skin, the firm muscles, the shiny brown hair, the masculine profile, the thin and delicious lips... It drives me crazy.

—Are you done observing? — His amused voice startles me and I put a hand on my chest, trying to soothe my heart. When the hell did he wake up?

—For God's sake, Magnus — I gasp and he opens the eyes, a sensual smile is drawn on his lips —. How long have you been awake?

—Since you climbed down from me — sighs, while extending an arm and his hand closes on my naked thigh —. You look sexy in my clothes, kitty — Yeah, I found out how much I like wearing his shirts. It would be useless to try to dress up some other of his garments, as he outgrows me by far. But the shirts are wide and long enough to reach almost to my knees.

I also love to smell his scent on the fabric and surrounding my skin. It's quite addictive. When I came out of the bathroom, I took out one of his white shirts and put it on. I didn't even have to undo the buttons, my head slipped through the opening without a problem.

His gaze ran down my naked legs with lust, slowly running the tongue over the lips. My Omega begins to purr, responding to his call with excitement.

—You and your early-waking-up habit, kitty — says, glancing at mine with a little frown —. Do you know how lonely I was when you left?

—I was crushing you, Magnus — I respond, unable to stop myself from laughing —. I'm surprised you didn't push me to the other side of the bed yourself.

—If I didn't, it was because I didn't mind — reaching out to me —. Come here — I quickly crawl, my knees sinking into the mattress and the sheet crumpling between my fingers. I step one leg over his body until I am sitting astride him, cross my hands on his chest and rest my chin on top. He smiles —. That's better — leaves a kiss on my nose and with the right hand, buries the fingers in my hair.

I close my eyes and purr again, enjoying his caresses.

—Did you sleep well? — I ask after a while. I hope to address the issue of Fred, but I don't want to drop the bomb from the beginning and make him feel uncomfortable.

—Let's say I did — he grimaces and averts the eyes to the ceiling —. I'm not sure how I feel now — I know, I can get a glimpse of his inner self through the bond, all that clutter of mixed emotions and fighting with each other overwhelming me too.

—Give them a chance, honey — I kiss the center of the chest with sweetness and that's when his gaze falls back on me —. I don't know about Angelo or Derek, but Fred truly has feelings for them.

—He's my brother, Xander. I've always tried to keep him safe, even though sometimes, things didn't work out the way I wanted, but... — a heavy sigh comes from his half-open lips —. Just... Fuck, I don't know.

—Are you afraid he's gonna get hurt? — I mumble, unsure how he'll react. He is silent for a few seconds, with an absent expression as his thumb absently brushes my lower lip.

—Yes... I guess — finally states, the frown deepening between his eyebrows —. Besides, Derek has been stalking you since he arrived and even before that. How can you expect me to believe that he's suddenly "in love"... — by making the quotation marks with the fingers —. With Fredek? And in all honesty, I don't know what to expect from Angelo. Damn it, the guy miraculously appears in our lives and despite I am grateful for everything he has done for us, I still can't let my guard down with him.

I nod with a slight movement of my head, processing his words. He's partly right, he barely knows Angelo, and Derek has given him enough reasons to distrust his sincerity. But in the end, the decision was Fredek's... And he's already made his choice.

—No one told you to let your guard down, honey. What I do ask is that you trust Fred — I raise a hand and rub my knuckles on his cheek.

—What do you suggest I do? — his question takes me by surprise, I would never expect him to request my opinion. Even if I planned to give it to him anyway.

—To wait — I put a finger in his lips when I sensed he wanted to protest —. I know it's not what you want to hear, but the right thing isn't always what makes us happy.

—But, Xander...

—No buts, Magnus — I pinch his cheek and he winces, even though I know it didn't hurt at all —. Give him time to experience the novelty of what's happening and to confirm on his terms whether Derek and Angelo are indeed in sync with his feelings.

—What if it doesn't work? — grabs the hand that I pinched him with and bites my index finger without hurting me.

—I trust he'll know what to do — I laugh when he does the same thing with my thumb — Fred's not a child anymore, honey. He's old enough to make decisions for himself and has the freedom to experiment — he grimaces.

—You were right up until the experimenting part — I laugh harder.

—I go back and repeat, he is no longer a child. He's an adult and you have to let him make his choices — sighs and stays silent for a long time. His hand returns to my hair and plays with the locks in a distracted way, watching me with eyes half-closed. I lose myself in his gaze, thinking how lucky I am to have such a man for myself... And only for me.

—I hope you're right, kitty — adds eventually in a low voice —. I know he's an adult now, but to me, he'll never stop being my mischievous and rebellious little brother. Protecting him was and will always be my responsibility and I love him with all my heart, even if I don't always know how to show it — his words warm my chest and if I thought I couldn't love him more, I was deeply wrong.

—He knows, honey — I smile and kiss him —. I promise you, that's how it is — his eyes become clear and looks away from me in shame —. Though it wouldn't kill you to tell him more often — That makes him laugh, and seems relieved and grateful that I managed to distract him and prevent the tears from appearing. He kisses me on the forehead, lasting a few seconds with his lips on my skin before parting.

—What would I do without you? — his hair shining from the sun's rays that stream through the window, but that doesn't take my breath away as much as the love that is reflected in his gaze.

—Believe me, honey. Even I don't want to know the answer to that — laughs before leaning over and kissing me. I sigh happily and allow myself to be carried away, enjoying the emotions that embrace both of us under his shelter and bring us even closer together. Despite the circumstances, I have never been happier.