Page 37 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Taron’s stomach lurched. Right after lunch? But that was hours ago. Why didn’t he call? Or text? Left a big note on his desk? Something that would let Taron know where he was and that Tony needed him. He thought about Tony lying on that table all alone and pain shot through him, making him breathless.

“He’s not alone,” Isaac said, like he could tell how freaked out Taron was. “He asked me for a ride, but I don’t drive. Maverick took him, and Avery went with them. They’re going to bring him home when he’s done so he can rest.”

That should’ve made him feel better. Tony wasn’t all alone. But he doubted the doctors allowed Avery or Maverick into that room with him. He probably wouldn’t have been comfortable with that anyway. He barely knew the pair. Which begged the question, again, why would he not have called?

Zephyr was frowning at his phone, checking his messages from what Taron could see.

“He didn’t call you either?” he had to ask.

Zephyr shook his head. “No. I had a meeting after lunch, but I had my phone on me. He could’ve called.”

Isaac looked between them, eyes still narrowed like he knew something, and was annoyed at them both for missing it.

“What?”

Isaac looked at him again. “Nothing. He was just really adamant that neither of you know. I’m trying to figure out why. Last I heard, you two were dating, right?” He pointed at Taron.

“We're both dating Tony,” Zephyr interrupted with a growl. “He’s not just Taron’s.”

Isaac glared back at him. “I didn’t say he was. That was just what I heard. I’m just trying to figure out why a man has two boyfriends and refuses to call either of them when the doctor tells him he’s going to hurt after his appointment. You’d think he’d want you there. Unless you upset him somehow?”

The pain he’d felt before was nothing compared to now. It felt like there was a knife in his chest, and it was slowly twisting with every accusing word Isaac shot at him. He’d been a little distant with Tony that week, but he hadn’t meant to. He was avoiding Zephyr, not Tony. And he stayed away at work so Tony wouldn’t get worried about his mood. Whenever they were alone together, he made sure to put his whole focus on Tony and making sure he was happy. He hadn’t known Tony was upset.

Spinning on his heel, Zephyr walked out without another word. Frustration flashed through him, and he chased after the stupid thunderchicken, slipping in just before the elevator door slid closed. On a normal day, he’d comment about how rare it was that the elevator was there when they needed it, but right now, he was too pissed off. Mostly at himself, but he couldn’t help but lash out at Zephyr as well. They wouldn’t have had this problem if it hadn’t been for him.

“I hope you’re happy about this,” he hissed.

Zephyr’s head whipped around, and he glowered at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t–” He cut himself off before he could finish. He didn’t want to talk about that. If he did, he might let it slip that he wanted something he couldn’t have. He couldn’t .

Spinning to face him fully, Zephyr growled at him. “From what I remember, you were just as much of a participant as I was. Just because I initiated doesn’t mean I’m solely at fault. And you were the one who ran away before we could even discuss it.”

“There’s nothing to discuss!” he shouted, just as the doors slid open at a mid-level floor. A group of staff startled and stared at them, and Taron felt his face flush.

“Take the next one,” Zephyr snapped, slapping his palm against the button that closed the door.

Taron’s mouth fell open. “You can’t just do that! They have important jobs and–”

“More important than getting to Tony?” Zephyr tossed back. “I’m not waiting around for the elevator to stop every few floors. They can wait. Tony can’t. For all we know, he’s done by now and in pain.”

Taron’s chest tightened so much, it was hard to breathe. Goddess, he hoped not. He didn’t think any of the treatments would be painful. If he had, he would’ve taken the whole day off, just to get the apartment ready. Did he have enough snacks? Pain relief potions? He could’ve gotten a TV put in Tony’s room while they were working so he could rest in bed.

“I’m taking him home with me.”

That snapped him out of his spiral, and his blood boiled as he returned his focus to Zephyr. “Over my dead body. He’s going home with me. That’s where he lives and where he’s comfortable.”

“But not happy. If he was, he would’ve called you.”

“He didn’t call you either!”

“He doesn’t like inconveniencing people. You live and work with him. What the hell were you doing that you weren’t there when he found out?”

They stepped toward each other, and Taron felt himself swell with anger, matching his size more to Zephyr’s. He could make himself bigger and flatten the stupid thunderbird, but he believed in a fair fight.

“You always love putting all the blame on me,” Zephyr continued, his voice cold. “It’s never your fault. Maybe if you’d just talked to me, he wouldn’t have been too afraid to call one of us.”

“Maybe if you would’ve stayed the hell away from me, we wouldn’t have had to have a conversation,” Taron shot back. “Or stayed away in the first place instead of trying to steal him from me. We would’ve been happy if you never came into the picture.”

Zephyr jerked back like he’d been slapped, his eyes widening. Guilt hit Taron’s gut like a heavy weight, but before he could apologize, Zephyr lost his temper.

“He’s not just yours!” he bellowed, electricity sparking over his body and along his hands. Zephyr never lost his temper, not in all the time that Taron knew him. Apparently, the first time was going to be when they were in an elevator alone together.

“Zephyr, stop!” Taron demanded. “You’re going to–”

“Fuck you, Taron! I’m tired of everything being my fault! You were the one shutting me out! I tried to talk to you days ago! Hell, I wanted to have a conversation with you the day I showed up! You won’t even look at me!”

Taron put his hands up like he was trying to soothe a wild animal. It wasn’t working. The static in the air was so intense, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. If he didn’t figure out some way to get Zephyr to calm down, he could accidentally kill them both. He just didn’t know how to get the stupid man’s attention.

“Zephyr–”

“No! I won’t let you take him from me! You can hate me all you want–”

He was too upset. Taron made a mistake. And because he had no other choice, he used the one truth he had left.

“I’m still in love with you!” Taron shouted.

It shocked Zephyr enough to stall him out but not before he had a power surge. It hit the panel of the elevator, shorting it out, and the whole thing ground to a halt. Taron stumbled, using the handrail to keep himself upright as the power went out and the whole elevator went dark.

For a minute, the only sound was their harsh breathing as they stood in the darkness. Taron hadn’t even looked at what floor they were on. What were the chances they were high enough up that if the brakes failed, they’d die on impact? Could the brakes fail if the power went out?

“Taron…” Zephyr started.

Taron shook his head, trying not to panic. Small spaces freaked him out a little. He didn’t like feeling trapped.

“Try the emergency button. Can you see it?”

He couldn’t, but most shifters had better eyesight in the dark. He heard Zephyr’s movements as he got closer to the panel, and then the click of the button, but nothing happened. The button was supposed to connect them to an emergency line. What the hell did they do if the button didn’t work?

“Taron,” Zephyr spoke more firmly. “Try not to panic. The brakes are fully intact.”

“How do you know?” Taron demanded, his voice tight with panic.

“I can hear them when we move. They aren’t even creaking. We’re okay.”

He didn’t feel okay. He was trapped, who knew how far from the ground, stuck in the stupid elevator with his stupid ex-boyfriend, who he just stupidly confessed to just to get the stupid electricity to stop. Every part of him wanted to run and hide from embarrassment and shame but there was no way out.

“Tony…”

“He’s not alone,” Zephyr reassured him. “And we’ll get to him soon. Just breathe.”

“I am breathing!” he snapped.

Except he really wasn’t. He was hyperventilating. Was it hot in here? Could the electric surge have caused a fire right below them? They’d be roasted alive before they could get out and–

A hand touched his arm, and he jumped nearly three feet in the air. Zephyr didn’t comment, trailing his hand up Taron’s arm until he touched his face. He cupped his cheeks with both hands, leaning their foreheads together.

“Breathe with me, Chisa. You’re in no danger. Just breathe.”

He did as instructed, sucking in a few shaking breaths. He used Zephyr’s presence to ground him, holding the man’s wrists, and willed the panic to subside. It would do him no good to panic right now. He couldn’t think straight when he was like this.

For a little while, they were quiet, but the quiet made him hyper-aware of every creak and sound of the elevator and only freaked him out.

“Talk to me,” he pleaded. He needed some kind of distraction.

“Why didn’t you tell me you still had feelings?”

Embarrassment flooded him, and he scowled into the darkness. “Not about that! I can’t think straight enough to have that conversation right now! What’s wrong with you?”

He felt air tickle against his lips as Zephyr huffed out a laugh. “Alright. I’m sorry. I’ll ask later.”

Great. That was something he was definitely not looking forward to. But he doubted he could avoid it. Not after baring his soul like he had. He was an idiot to think he could hide it forever. Zephyr always had a way of seeing right through him. He would’ve figured it out eventually. That is if Taron didn’t break first and run to him like he’d wanted to all damn week. Just another reason he was so desperate to stay away.

“Pick something else,” he demanded again. Did Zephyr notice him edging closer, seeking out his calm comforting presence? No, of course not. Shut up.

Zephyr hummed, rocking them slightly in a way that Taron thought would freak him out but was actually kind of soothing. Like they were dancing in the dark, not suspended in mid-air with only a few brakes to protect them.

“Zeph…” he whined, giving in to the urge to push past the man’s hands and bury his face against his shoulder. Zephyr’s big arms wrapped around him and held him tight, his voice right against his ear.

“My cousin had another baby. She’s beautiful. Shima practically moved in to help. She says they’re kindred spirits, and the baby looks just like her.”

Taron huffed, a smile tugging at his lips. “Of course, she says that. Do you think she means it?”

“She’s mentioned it before, and those babies usually end up more attached to her, but I think this time she’s right. She’s the only one who can soothe the little thing besides her mother. Not even my cousin’s husband can do that. He’s trying really hard not to be sour about it.”

Taron chuckled and closed his eyes. He’d be jealous too if Shima was closer to his baby than him.

“What else?”

Zephyr kept rocking them, petting Taron’s hair as he spoke about the things that had changed in the convocation since they broke up. They were the family Taron wanted once. They were close but not overbearing, and Shima especially always made him feel like any direction he took in life was right as long as his heart was in it, unlike his own mother. He just wished that his heart hadn’t led him so far from Zephyr.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there before Zephyr asked, “Does your company not have any fae or demons on staff that can teleport? I have at least three who would be more than happy to help if something like this happened.”

“The emergency button doesn’t work,” Taron reminded him, still cuddled against him. It was a comforting embrace, and he wasn’t looking to end it any time soon.

“Your phone does,” Zephyr pointed out.

He stiffened. Shit. He’d forgotten about that.

Amusement tinged Zephyr’s tone when he asked, “Forget about that, did you?”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, fishing his phone out of his pocket, though there wasn’t any venom to it. It was hard to actually be pissed off when you were cuddled in someone’s arms. And he knew better than to accuse Zephyr of not thinking of the same thing. His phone was most likely in his pocket during his surge. The thing was probably dead.

The phone only rang once before Ozen picked up. “Taron? Where are you? There was some kind of electrical surge, and everyone is losing their minds. I could use some support.”

With a sigh, he said, “Well, since I’m currently stuck in an elevator, I can’t really do much from here. We don’t happen to have anyone who can get us out, do we?”

“You’re what?” Ozen shouted. “Why the hell didn’t you call sooner? Are you alright? Were you hurt?”

He smiled fondly at his friend’s worry. He knew he was an exasperating friend sometimes, but it was nice to know they cared.

“We’re okay. I’m stuck in here with Zephyr. And if you don’t remember, I’m claustrophobic, so could we maybe hurry–”

A portal opened and one of the fae on the security team stepped through, looking around in concern.

“Ah. There they are. Thank you.”

He was surprisingly reluctant to leave the circle of Zephyr’s arms but needs must. He had a company to help run and a lover to get to. He foresaw a lot of difficult conversations in the future, and hiding in here wasn’t going to make them go away. As they stepped into the lobby, he turned to Zephyr.

“Go to Tony. He shouldn’t be dealing with this alone. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can.”

Zephyr frowned, reaching for Taron’s arm and stopping midway. Taron’s breath caught in his chest, and he considered for a moment closing the distance between them again. He pushed the thought away. There was no time.

“Go, Zeph. I don’t want him to wake up without one of us there.”

Zephyr’s hand fell, and his expression hardened a little. “No. I don’t want that either. But we both need to be there. He’s obviously noticed your absence, Taron. Don’t choose your job over Tony. He deserves better.”

Like Zephyr did once upon a time. Taron made the wrong choice once. He couldn’t do that a second time. He put the phone to his ear again.

“Ozen? I can’t stay. I was on my way to meet Tony. He’s with Doctor Chapman and–”

“I understand,” Ozen said, cutting him off. “I’ll call Dorian to come help. Go take care of Tony.”

He felt bad for leaving Ozen while things were so chaotic, but Zephyr was right. He needed to be there when Tony woke up. Ozen had a whole staff to support him. Tony had no one except him and Zephyr. They needed to be there for him.