Page 15 of Eight Embers

“And now you're threatening me? He'll have his work cut out for him; that's for dill pickle sure. The goddess would never stand for this. She'd remove her claim on you if she saw your behavior right now.”

Okay, I'm bored. “I left my phone inside, but if you'd like, I can get the queen on the phone right now and she can tell you exactly how the goddess would respond to this conversation; But be warned, it’s eat glazed donuts off dicks day, and the queen will absolutely hold the conversation while she participates. Ask me how I know.”

“Why, you disrespectful little tart!”

It’s at precisely that point that Wil shows up, wheezing, pausing to use an asthma inhaler before he can talk. He stands between me and his parents, though. Yeah, these are definitely his parents. Huh.

“...Sorry, Delaney. I told them not to... but they... wouldn't... listen.”

I can't help but smile at how adorable Wil is with everything he does, even when he’s hunched over and barely breathing.

I’d offer to help him with a healing kiss, but somehow, I don't think that would go over well.

“Good morning, Wil.” His mother scowls at me but she can't ruin my smiling attitude around this adorable pink-cheeked man.

He directs his attention to them, putting his back to me. “I told you both it wasn't what you thought. You've just made everything infinitely worse by coming here at this time of day doing who knows what.”

He falls to his knees as he turns back to me, bowing his head while placing his hands flat on the floor. “Your Majesty, on behalf of my family, I offer my deepest apologies for their discreditable behavior. They have disrespected you greatly, and I'll do whatever you deem necessary to make up for the insult. We are ever in your service and pray that the goddess continues to look over our family in favor.”

“Oh my gods Wil, get up right now. Do not be ridiculous. Their actions do not reflect on you.” I bend down and grab his hands, making him stand.

He’s shaking almost as hard as his dad was a minute ago and won't look me in the face. I can tell he's incredibly embarrassed, and if anything, it just strengthens my resolve to adopt him even more.

Did I say adopt? Freudian slip.

“I'm sorry, what is it you think I did to your son? Wil’s been wonderful to me, we’re partners in class and he’s actually one of my favorite people on campus. Not sure how the fuck you two produced somebody as great as him, but it worked. I might like him more than I don't like you.”

“The other day, in the hall,” Wil says to me quietly, “you were telling me that story in the bathroom, and locked the door? That crowd of people that were out there?”

“Oh. That's right, you did say you were worried about something like this happening. You know I would never make you uncomfortable on purpose, Wil. I think very highly of you.”

He nods furiously, wrapping his arms around himself. A tear escapes his eye, and I can tell he's more than just embarrassed. He's completely humiliated, and by the sounds I'm starting to hear down the corridor, it's probably about to get a lot worse.

If people start walking out of the nearby dorms and see this whole display, he's going to be inconsolable. So, for his sake, I open my door and invite everybody in.

I direct them to the table and throw on a pot of coffee, telling them to ignore the half-naked demon sleeping on the couch, the lion that seems to have shifted in his sleep that is sprawled on the awful shag carpeting with his wrinkly balls out, and the guy in the corner, who's partially shifted with an incredible blue mane and horn on his forehead, kicking his feet up like he's having a fantastic dream.

Wil's eyes widen as he looks around, and I share a smile with him as I bring him a hot chocolate. I do not offer his parents anything, because I really don't think they deserve it.

“Now,” I whisper, “you think I compromised your son? What story did you hear?”

His mother is still glaring daggers at me, and if Wil and I continue to be friends or get closer, I highly doubt we’ll ever get on, but I'm not worried about that right now. I'm worried about taking care of Wil and making sure he feels safe with me again.

“We heard you sequestered yourself in a public bathroom. The women's, no less. You were unsupervised, and when you escaped, we heard that—”

“I'm going to stop you right there. First of all, Wil is an adult.” I look to Wil and raise my eyebrows, suddenly feeling like I need confirmation of that.

He nods, so I continue to question his parents. Somebody needs to stand up for this guy. “Second of all, Wil was only in there with me, because we were having a conversation and I needed to avoid someone that was walking down the hall. That is all the information you get.

“You do not get to dictate my life, or try and ruin your son’s, simply because you heard he did something you don't approve of. I want to be very clear. I apologized to Wil the second I found out that I might have crossed some lines. I am unfamiliar with the fundamentalists that require their followers to keep themselves pure before mating. Wil and I are friends and had therefore not discussed boundaries. I didn't think I needed to discuss that with a friend of mine.”

The dad finally speaks up now, ears and cheeks bright red, embarrassed. But I don't know if he's embarrassed because of his wife's behavior, or because he thinks his son did something inappropriate. I'm betting on the latter, though. “Just so, our son decided to put himself in a situation where his integrity was questioned. The entire church knows about it by this point. In their eyes, the two of you are as good as mated. If you deny him, you will ruin him.

“He would be excommunicated from the church, and from our house. Only respectably mated young men can be unsupervised with a female they are bound to, and double especially with conduits. Furthermore, no child of mine would dare be caught alone with a filthy, sexually deviant bodysmith unless a mating contract was signed. I suggest you produce it.”

I place my face in my hands and just breathe for a minute, rubbing my temples. Nothing about this situation makes sense, and I hate everything about it. “I don’t sign fucking contracts with people I want to be with; we simply bone and grope each other at all hours of the day. And who are you to demand this of me, a conduit? You do know I don't actually get to choose my mates, right? The goddess has predetermined all of them for me. It is merely my job to collect them.”

The woman leans forward tapping on the table angrily. “You want to see my son ruined? Is that it? You care so little for others around you that you would throw them away for a brief moment of fun?”

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