Page 56 of Guiding Desire

Frankly, that had been sheer terror. Senlas didn’t understand the terror other than it wasn’t rational. Nevertheless, his brain had come up with about a dozen scenarios in which Orrey could’ve gotten hurt without Senlas ever noticing: sleepwalking out of the apartment, cutting himself on a kitchen knife, falling down the stairs to the pool, getting dizzy and falling over the balcony’s railing. None of those were that realistic, given that Orrey had managed survival fine on his lonesome up until Senlas had finally found him. And yet, the terror had been a real thing in Senlas’s blood and mind.

“Fucking imprinting,” Senlas mumbled as he stood next to Orrey, bathed and dressed in plain clothes that showed his pale if muscular arms, and also that butt Senlas found himself low-key obsessed with.

“What?”

Senlas grunted. “Nothing. Parasol. Should have gotten you one.” Senlas pulled out his screen and texted Col,Bring parasol for Orrey please.

I often think what a miracle it is any of you leave the house dressed,Col snipped back.

“I’m fine,” Orrey said.

“Hmm. Col’s going to loan you one of his. Just because of your face. Because it’s sensitive. Stem cell therapy. You need to take care of yourself.”

Orrey frowned, but he didn’t call Senlas on his Hound-crap, a small miracle, one Senlas was willing to bet would be temporary. Orrey, while seemingly mild, certainly had a backbone, yet another thing Senlas decided he loved about his Conduit.

For this trip, Senlas couldn’t bring himself to get an auto-drive. Orrey was apparently fine taking the vehicle, and he glanced over, watching Senlas shift gears and maneuver.

“Can I turn on the radio?” he asked when they were halfway there.

“Sure, kitten,” Senlas said, the muscles in his neck tensing.

This time, Orrey turned it not to music but to a narration type cast.

“You know this one? They do poetry, iambic only. I like their absurdist stuff. Turns unintentionally funny sometimes.”

She said she loved to undertake

What others called a huge mistake,

the cast went.

Senlas frowned. “I have a few poetry books. I’ll get them down for you when we get back home, kitten.”

Orrey gasped. “You don’t—I always feel weird, handling books. I don’t want to damage your collection.”

“Reading books doesn’t hurt them. It is what they are for. Wouldn’t it be sad if no one did that anymore?”

Orrey slow-blinked. “You just made up poetry.”

Senlas grinned. “Coffee. Poetry. Kissing. That’s an interesting list of things you like. What do I need to do to get on that list, kitten? Will you tell me?”

Orrey closed back up, deflated like a fancy, sugar-crusted dough ball fresh out of the oven. He stared at his lap, was quiet for so long Senlas was afraid he’d not speak again until he had to, but then, he said, “You’re doing fine, actually.”

Senlas wanted to bask in that. He wanted to make Orrey tell him all about how fine he thought Senlas was doing. The experience of incidentally offending Orrey twice already in as many days made Senlas try to remain calm.

When he’d breathed through his forced calmness, the first thing that came out of Senlas’s mouth was, “Good. Then how about we head straight home after the hospital, and you let me pamper you while you read the poetry books? I could show you what I can do with my telekinesis so you’re not surprised by randomly levitating cookware.”

Senlas could tell he’d made a mistake when Orrey tensed. “Do you not want me at that cookout? Is…it can’t be ideal. To have a Conduit who knows nothing. I apologize.”

“Hound-fucking—no. Get one thing through your head, kitten: to me, you are the definition of ideal.”

“Then why—”

“You were in an explosion, that’s why. And there will be other Guardians there.” Senlas looked over at Orrey for as long as he safely could while driving. “I don’t want you near other Guardians.”

“You had no issue with the others. And why not?” Orrey sounded confused. “Isn’t that a Conduit’s…mypurpose?”

Senlas’s hands tightened on the wheel. Orrey would think so. Senlas made a mental note not to assume his Conduit understood nuances between Guardians and Conduits. Maybe those nuances would surprise him, especially when he went on a mission with three other Guardians.