Page 42 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

EPILOGUE

One year later…

“Taron! We’re going to be late!” Zephyr called down the hallway. He and Tony were already dressed and standing by the door, but Taron was taking his time that morning. Tony wasn’t entirely sure why. It was just another work day. It wasn’t anything special.

He loved that. Most people would complain about the monotony of it, but after how turbulent his life had been since he got hurt, he valued the stability. The fact that he could do his job mostly pain-free now was also a plus.

“I’m coming! Keep your pants on!” Taron shouted back, then paused. “Or don’t! I won’t complain either way!”

Zephyr rolled his eyes, but Tony could see the smile pulling at his lips. They’d all officially been together a year, and Taron and Zephyr had grown a lot closer since they finally admitted they still had feelings for each other. They were just as loving with each other as they were with Tony. It made him so happy whenever they absentmindedly kissed or touched one another. Morana getting him the temp job at Spellbound really was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Another few minutes passed, and Zephyr growled. Before he could get too annoyed, Tony put a hand on his arm. “I’ll get him. Meet you at the car?”

Zephyr didn’t look happy about it, but he dipped his chin once to acknowledge him and kissed him chastely before heading out. Just because they made up with each other didn’t entirely change every aspect of their relationship. They still bickered. Tony was okay being the mediator since it was always little things that just needed a bit of communication. He had an unbiased outlook, and they said it helped a lot having him there to remind them of what was important.

He headed down the hall with only the slightest hitch to his step. Doctor Chapman had done a lot to help him. He could move more freely and even bend and pick up a little weight without any pain now. He’d never be pain-free, but he could actually do his job without an intern helping him if he needed to. Taron wouldn’t let him and always had an intern around to help with deliveries and stuff, but if the intern was busy, Tony could and did handle things on his own. It helped that sometimes Taron wandered away to visit with Zephyr in the tech building. If he wasn’t around to see it, he wasn’t there to hover.

He smiled to himself as he entered their bedroom. Zephyr’s house ended up being perfect for all of them. The whole thing was one floor, so Tony didn’t have to contend with any stairs, and they each had their own space for things that were important to them. The master bedroom was massive, with a huge bed in the middle so they could sleep comfortably all together. More often than not with Tony cuddled in the middle of both his mates. He woke up with a big smile on his face every day with them holding him.

Taron paced by the ensuite, fully dressed with his phone pressed to his ear. Tony couldn’t hear who he was talking to, but Taron looked annoyed. Tony stopped him on his next turn around, wrapping one arm around Taron’s waist to give him a little love and support. Taron leaned into the touch, growling at whoever was on the phone.

“I don’t care. They already declared themselves our enemy. They don’t get that kind of courtesy. Make it happen.”

He hung up, shoving the phone into his pocket before pulling Tony fully into his arms.

“Problem?” he asked, tipping his head at his mate.

Taron shook his head. “Not really, no. Just a few people on the management team are pushing back against the plan. They don’t want to step on toes or whatever. Which is ridiculous. The only reason they’re acting that way is because they used to work with the bastard. He tried to screw us over. He doesn’t get special treatment now.”

Ah. He was talking about the new medical innovation company the old division lead started. No one saw it coming when he teamed up with Zephyr’s old VP, combining tech and medical and making some really big promises to clients to try and take power away from Spellbound. So far, it wasn’t working. They had a decent client base from what they stole from Zephyr and from Spellbound, but they didn’t have Spellbound’s research and development team. And they didn’t have Zephyr or Taron to run it. They’d lost a lot of traction when they couldn’t deliver on those promises. Now that they were losing clients left and right, it wouldn’t be long before they had to file for bankruptcy. They wouldn’t last long with Zephyr and Taron still out for blood.

“Come on. We don’t want to be late. Zephyr is already in the car.”

Taron let Tony lead him out of the house, still stewing. Since he obviously needed the support, he made Taron get in first, sliding into the middle of the bench seat in Zephyr’s truck.

Zephyr shot them both a questioning look, but Tony shook his head. “Work stuff. Let’s just go.”

Zephyr glanced at Taron, and as they pulled out of the driveway, he laced their fingers together, kissing the back of Taron’s hand to settle him. Tony cuddled close, and by the time they arrived at the portal station, Taron was no longer seething. A company car met them on the other side, with a driver who wasn’t so easily distracted waiting for them. Traffic was on their side, which was a positive, and they arrived at work more or less on time.

Tony expected to head straight upstairs. He needed to work on Taron’s schedule for next week. It was getting too busy, and he didn't like not giving Taron enough time to wander and clear his head. A little rearranging might help. But before he could head for the elevator, Taron turned to stop them both.

“I need to check on something on the research floor. Come with me. I’m still feeling the need for cuddles.”

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, amused, but Tony liked the open communication, so he didn’t argue. He laced his fingers through Taron’s, smiling at him.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Zephyr fell into step behind them without arguing, and they squeezed into the first available elevator that had enough space to not jostle Tony around.

“Ah, good morning, gentlemen,” Mr. Brightbeak said. Elijah stood beside him, giving them all a polite wave.

Ohhh… That was why the elevator was so empty. Between Mr. Brightbeak’s magic compelling people to be honest, and Elijah’s magic making people uncomfortable, the staff often tried to avoid them. Tony didn’t mind it so much. He had nothing to hide, and he liked getting to know the two over the past year.

“Good morning,” he said brightly. “Did you just get here, too?”

Mr. Brightbeak nodded, his eyes narrowed with annoyance. “Traffic was abysmal on the highway. If my home wasn’t so far, I’d fly to work more often.”

The portal station didn't require them to get on the highway, so Tony guessed that’s why they got lucky with traffic that morning.

“I’ve been here for a while, but I had a package to pick up,” Elijah added with a smile. “How are you, Tony? How’s your recovery?”

Elijah checked in often with him ever since they first met, but he was always polite about it. He explained that because he used his magic on Tony when his pain was at his highest, he basically felt it for a moment, and it worried him. He was friendly and kind, so Tony wasn’t embarrassed about talking to him.

“Good. I need to get an appointment on base soon though. My prosthetic has been pinching more.” He made a face. Getting seen on base wasn’t a pleasant process, and he’d been avoiding it, but Zephyr and Taron were starting to hover and fret. He didn’t want to upset them by dragging it out.

Elijah frowned. “Well, that doesn’t sound comfortable. Let me know if I can help in any way. Are we still on for Friday?”

He smiled and nodded. Not only was his relationship better than ever, he also made friends. A few Fridays a month, when Taron met his friends for a drink and Zephyr was helping Shima, Tony went to Avery’s house to hang out with his friends and drink wine. Since he wasn’t as afraid of falling anymore, he could have a drink without worrying. Isaac and Elijah were there often, and there was always someone new who joined them. Tony liked meeting new people and making new friends.

They were chatting idly about what kind of snacks they planned on bringing, since they didn’t want Avery to have to do all the work to set things up, when the doors opened to the research floor. Taron tugged his hand lightly, a smile on his face.

“Come on. I have something I want to show you.”

That confused him, but he waved to his friends and followed Taron onto the research floor and down the hall. He didn’t come down here very often, since he didn't want to get in the way, so he wasn’t sure where they were going.

Taron released his hand and knocked on the office door at the end of the hall, calling out. “Hugo! We’re here. Tell me you’re ready for us.”

“You’re late,” a familiar voice grouched.

Tony tipped his head curiously as Taron pushed the door open and beckoned them inside. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Good morning, Mr. Washburne.”

That was a funny coincidence. He was just talking to his brother.

Mr. Washburne was a grumpy man, but he liked Tony and when he looked up at him, his ire softened. “Good morning, Tony. And I take it this is your other mate?” He jerked his chin over Tony’s shoulder.

Tony sidestepped, gesturing to Zephyr. “Yeah. This is Zephyr Cloudwalker. Zeph, this is Mr. Washburne. He’s one of the heads of research. You guys might’ve met during the Thunderbird project. No one is better than him at figuring out why something isn’t working.”

Mr. Washburne actually smiled a little at the praise, nodding politely at Zephyr before looking back at Tony. “I’m glad you think that, since the recent problem I’ve been working on directly affects you.”

That made Tony frown, confused, and Mr. Washburne sighed, shooting Taron an exasperated look. “You didn't tell him?”

“It’s supposed to be a surprise,” Taron said lightly.

“What’s supposed to be a surprise?” Tony asked, looking between them. He looked over his shoulder at Zephyr, but he was frowning, too. At least he wasn’t alone in not knowing what was going on.

Mr. Washburne gave Taron a pointed look. His mate shook his head.

“You made it. You get to tell him.”

“You commissioned it!” Mr. Washburne argued. “Besides, he’s your– You know what, nevermind. I don’t know why I bother arguing with you.” He turned back to Tony. “Taron came to me about a year ago with a private project he wanted commissioned. He told me your prosthetic wasn’t up to snuff, and you needed something better. I’ll admit, it took me longer than I wanted to get it perfect, since I didn't know anything about human anatomy and healing. I met with a few people more familiar with it, and with Doctor Chapman since he heads up your care, and we finally created something that we hope will eliminate the issues you have with your current prosthetic.”

Tony was too stunned to say anything. He hadn’t even realized Taron had been thinking about this. Both his boyfriends worried about his prosthetic and how much it hurt him sometimes, but they knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Even with better insurance, it was a product made for humans by humans. It wasn’t great. There used to be innovations in that area, but with the human government fighting against joining the community as a whole, all medical budgeting went to more important things.

Zephyr wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist, supporting him. He didn’t realize he needed it until Zephyr took some of the weight off him. His knees were a little weak.

“I hope I didn’t overstep,” Taron said, approaching him with a tentative smile. “I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t know if it was possible to make things better. And with the ups and downs of the project, I didn’t want to tell you about it then have to tell you it wouldn’t work out.”

Tony shook his head slowly. “You didn’t– I’m not–” He blinked back tears, too overwhelmed to process.

Mr. Washburne chuckled. “Maybe we should show it to you. It’s finished now, and aside from some work with Doctor Chapman to make sure it fits right, it should be ready to use. Are you ready?”

He nodded dumbly. It was all he could do.

Mr. Washburne stood and headed for a cabinet against the wall to one side. He opened it, pulling out–

“Holy crap!”

It looked like something out of science fiction. There was more tech in it than he’d seen on some machines, while still in the shape of a human leg. It looked like he might even be able to wiggle his toes with that thing.

“Does anyone know the comic Iron Man?” Tony asked absently, his eyes glued to the prosthetic.

They all chuckled.

“I’ll keep working on the design,” Mr. Washburne said, gesturing him closer. “I want to eventually have it look like what you lost. I don’t want people to be able to tell the difference. But with what I wanted it to be able to do, it was hard to balance the two. For now, it’ll make you more comfortable and stable, and you might not need to rely on the cane.”

Startled, he jerked his head to look at Mr. Washburne again. “Seriously?”

He hummed. “That’s the hope, anyway. What do you think?”

“I think I’m going to cry,” he admitted, looking back at the prosthetic. “How much–”

“That’s not important,” Taron interrupted, coming up to hug him from behind. “What’s important is that you are able to function not only pain free, but with as much ease as everyone else. That’s what we do here at Spellbound. Make the world accessible to those who need a little help.” He squeezed Tony gently and kissed his neck. “You do just about everything on your own now. You just need a little help. I wanted to get you the rest of the way there.”

Turning in his arms, Tony drew Taron closer, kissing him softly. “I love you.”

Taron flashed him a softer and more affectionate version of that bright smile he always had. This one was just for him and Zephyr, and Tony loved that they got a special version just for them.

Zephyr wrapped his arms around both of them, and they easily shifted to include him in the hug. He kissed Tony’s temple, but his eyes were locked on Taron.

“I love you too. Thank you for taking care of our mate.”

Taron leaned closer to bump their foreheads together affectionately. “And I love you both, so very much.”

They stayed cuddled together for a minute, just soaking in the moment, before Mr. Washburne cleared his throat.

“Now that the sap fest is done, let’s get going. Chapman said he’d make time to see us whenever you were ready, and I want to make sure it connects like it should. We should get moving.”

A bubble of excitement filled Tony’s chest. Every time he felt like things couldn’t get better, his mates proved him wrong. It made him wonder; what amazing thing was going to happen next?