Page 14 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Taron watched as Zephyr helped Tony to his feet and handed him back his cane. He spoke low, checking on how he was doing based on the tentative movements Tony made to test his injury. It irritated Taron to watch his ex touch Tony so casually. It was hard enough to see the man’s hand on Tony’s thigh. If he hadn’t seen the magic working, he would’ve punched the man for touching him. But it seemed to help, and while Tony had a slightly more pronounced limp than when they’d left the doctor’s office that morning, it was way better than it would have been if left untreated.
“Taron? Are you listening to me?” Ozen demanded.
Okay, so no. He hadn’t been listening. He’d been too busy watching Tony and Zephyr. But he wasn’t going to admit to that.
“Of course I am, dear friend. Why would you think otherwise?” he asked sweetly.
“What did I just say then?”
Damn. Called out before he could figure out what they were talking about. He was going to get reamed for it later, he was sure. Ozen only talked about work during work hours, but after the day was through, he had no trouble berating Taron for wasting time or causing mischief. He had such cruel friends.
“I asked if everything was alright. I got a call from Vilyra that you were fighting with one of the volunteers. Are you okay?”
Warmth spread through his chest and some of that irritation that had been riding him since he saw Zephyr slipped away thanks to Ozen’s concern. “I’m fine. It wasn’t a physical fight. Tony fell again, though. I’ll need to call the doctor again. I’m worried his prosthetic isn’t fitted right or something. He shouldn’t be falling this often.”
Ozen hummed, his voice concerned when he asked, “Is he alright? Is it safe for him to be at the site? We can send an intern to take notes if that would be better. He doesn’t have to be there.”
Taron thought the same thing, but he liked having Tony close. And technically, it would’ve been fine if Zephyr had left well enough alone. Taron shook off another wave of irritation, reassuring his friend. “He seems okay. He got some help, and he’s resting inside with the tech team. He’ll need a few accommodations to be out here that I didn't account for but that’s a tomorrow problem. I need to get this thing back on track so we don’t waste half the day.” He paused, his gaze flicking to Zephyr again. “Ozen, did you know?”
Ozen didn’t even ask what Taron was talking about. “I did. Which is why I kept it from you. This project is important, and he’s old enough to have the kind of self-control we need. I couldn’t refuse him volunteering just because of your history. You don’t need to be there for this part. You can get updates from the research team instead. But Taron… Leave him alone. I know your history, but we need him. Don’t drive him away.”
Taron let out a frustrated growl, but he wasn’t so unkind that he’d hang up in Ozen’s face for betraying him like this. Even if he really, really wanted to. Instead, he gave a terse, “I’ll be professional,” before saying goodbye. He hung up just as Zephyr passed him and headed outside to rejoin the project. Taron glared at him as he passed, wishing not for the first time that he had some way to hurt Zephyr without anyone noticing. A little fire spell under his ass would make Taron feel so much better.
Pushing aside his admittedly unhinged obsession with hurting the thunderbird, he went for Tony instead. Taron wasn’t necessarily needed outside. At least not until the actual experiments were underway. It was his idea they were working on, after all. If he wanted to figure out some way to fix any potential issues, he had to see it for himself. He was more of a concepts kind of man, but he had enough working knowledge to make suggestions.
Tony was seated again in the softer desk chair another researcher had given up for him. It didn't have any arms, which seemed helpful because Tony didn't have to squeeze into a smaller space, and he wasn’t as pale as before. Damn it. It was wrong on so many levels, but he kind of hoped Zephyr’s magic wouldn’t do any good. That way, he could continue to keep Tony away from him.
Tony was looking through his phone, and Taron could see his schedule pulled up as he chewed on his bottom lip. Probably trying to figure out how to rearrange things thanks to Taron’s complete disregard for the day’s meetings, both in letting Tony rest longer and in causing a scene with Zephyr. He’d feel bad about it, but the first one he couldn’t regret and the second one, the jerk totally deserved it.
“How are you feeling?” Taron asked, dropping into a squat by Tony’s chair so he didn’t have to crane his neck to look up at him. Tony didn’t even startle at his abrupt appearance, his voice a low murmur as he concentrated on the schedule.
“I’m okay. The magic helped a lot. You’re supposed to have a phone meeting in an hour. Do you think this thing will be over by then, or do I need to reschedule it?”
“Who’s it with?” Taron couldn’t remember who he was meeting half the time. He flew by the seat of his pants and relied heavily on people like Tony to keep him organized.
“Mr. Hawksley,” Tony answered, still frowning at the screen.
Taron flapped a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I just talked to him. Just send a message to his assistant, Colette, to let her know we already spoke. He’ll be glad for the free hour.”
Reassured that the schedule wasn’t completely upended, Tony smiled at him before sending a quick email to Colette to update her. He probably sounded a lot more professional than Taron would have. Tony was better at the job than he gave himself credit for.
“Alright. If you’re feeling up to it, I’d like you outside with me but don’t feel like you have to. I know it must feel a little daunting to put yourself somewhere without having your cane immediately accessible, but I promise you’ll be safe.”
Tony’s smile softened, and he put his hand over Taron’s on his shoulder. “Thanks. I agree, it makes me a little uneasy. I didn’t think about it before when I told the guy he was fine to take it. But I want to be there. Taking notes is something I can pull off. I can survive without my cane for a little while. They haven’t started, right?”
“I’ll check, and we’ll find a good time to move you before putting your cane away.” He didn’t offer to carry him again. Zephyr did it, and Tony wasn’t the type to complain, but Taron didn’t want any part in hurting him. If walking was easier, he’d let him do it. After seeing the colors of his energy the other day, he didn’t doubt it when Tony said being upright or flat was easier on him.
After checking to make sure no one had shifted already, Taron led Tony back outside. He hated putting Tony back in the flimsy chair, but until he could find something better, it was all they had, and Tony was determined to be out there with him. The joy that brought him warred with the guilt, and he hovered while they got set up for the shifts. Zephyr went first because he was the oldest and had the most control. Taron remembered the days he didn’t, and he had some wild stories but that would require admitting he once cared about the man. That was not going to happen. He wouldn’t admit to even himself that he still did. He’d bury that little truth down as deep as it could and pretend it wasn’t there.
When Zephyr shifted, Taron heard Tony suck in a sharp breath. “Wow… He’s gorgeous.”
Taron bit his tongue to stop himself from agreeing outright. He’d always thought Zephyr’s thunderbird was beautiful. Shaped like an eagle, only on a massive scale, his feathers were pitch black with streaks of brown. The same coloring of Zephyr himself, with his tanned skin and long black hair. The claws on his feet were at least as long as Taron’s forearm, and his beak, Taron knew from personal exploration, was sharp enough to tear someone apart. His eyes, which were more honey brown in his human form, were a striking amber in this one. The bird alone was beautiful, but the lightning that danced over his feathers and down his back made him sparkle. It was also hella painful to touch, and Taron knew better than to get near Zephyr when he was in a bad mood. He’d always had decent control, but when he was younger and more emotional, getting zapped by him in that form hurt like a bitch. It hurt in his human form too, but it was tempered. His shifted form was more raw.
Taron shuddered at the memory, almost missing Tony’s gasp as Zephyr threw out his wings. Show off.
“He’s not that impressive,” Taron lied. He didn't like Tony’s attention so locked on Zephyr. “I think Maverick is more intimidating. And he can have the same lightning effect if Isaac is with him.”
Was he pouting? He wasn’t pouting. You hush.
“The dragon?” Tony asked, finally looking away from Zephyr long enough to look up at him. “Yeah, he’s really cool. Kinda scary, though. He’s not as terrifying.” He gestured to Zephyr and looked back again.
They were testing Zephyr’s limits now. There were a few wards around the monitoring circle itself, and more around the lot to prevent any damage. Thunderbird lightning was natural and therefore a little harder to ward completely against, especially if the lightning was unintentional. Wards blocked against mal-intent. That wasn’t what happened with thunderbirds. Still, Taron moved himself partially in front of Tony to protect him as Zephyr’s magic swelled. A few more researchers rushed out of the main area of the lot, nervous excitement filling the air. Taron had seen it before, it wasn’t anything new, but he found himself holding his breath as lightning started coming off of Zephyr in such intense quantities, you almost couldn’t see him.
“Uh… Is the ward going to hold up?” Tony asked nervously.
Good question. The lightning was getting so intense, the ground started to crack. It affected the monitoring circle and the wards, and the researcher, who was supposed to be watching the whole thing, was dragged away by security before it could fail completely. Zephyr wasn’t mindless when he was like this, though, so he pulled back his magic before he could completely decimate the circle. He folded his wings neatly, and the lightning settled back to trail over his feathers again.
Murmurs filled the air, and Taron could see a few dubious looks from the researchers. They didn’t think the product they’d been testing thus far would be able to handle something like that. Taron had to agree. He knew the limits of the product. He’d been monitoring their progress himself. He also knew that Zephyr was holding back. When he truly let loose, he could level buildings with one lightning strike.
This might be more difficult than he’d originally assumed.