Book Smart

Eighty Two

Adrian's tears start so quickly that I don't stand a chance of stopping them.
My princess raises his hands up to his face so that the heels of his palms can attempt to catch most of the tears before they streak down his beautifully distraught face... So upset over the thought of being entrusted in my beta's care safe here at home, "I change my mind... Daddy has to stay home, Liam... I don't want him t-to leave..."

There's no longer any hesitation when the word Daddy rolls off of his lips, too upset to feel shy over needing the comfort it offers.

...
Adrian
...

Strong arms wrap around me as my emotions give way to tears and pull me into a tight, calming hold against Daddy's broad chest. We've only had each other for such a short time and I already feel so dependent... So attached... I had thought he had felt the same, but now he wants to leave me here instead of taking me with him... He wants to leave me behind and I don't want to be left behind, I want us together always, "D-Don't leave me!"

All I get are coos of, "Hey..." And, "Shhh..", and soft reassuring bounces meant to soothe the irritation now plaguing my heart.

"Li, can't you just put up with Henderson this once? Adrian can't even breathe right now." Casper's voice is what eventually breaks through my internal storm, his whisper hissed to his mate while my own struggles to calm my now ragged nerves.

"Sigh, I can fix the fucki-"
...
Silas
...

"No!" Adrian squirms against my hold as he cuts Liam off, now possibly more upset than he had been over the thought of me leaving in the first place.

"Baby... Princess... What do you want me to do?", I try and keep my voice low and gentle as I try and navigate these new trepidacious waters... I knew he would be clingy... And he is. And instead of pissing me off it's adorable.

His tears melt the very core of my being into a puddle at his feet, my entire being devoted to doing whatever I can to please him... To soothe him. My poor sweet Princess in need of so much attention and affection.

All I get from the heavy almost silence that's taken of the room are sympathetic looks from Liam and Casper, and soft sniffles from my beautiful boy while he tries to collect himself for a moment before finally answering me.

"I don't want to stay at home. Take me with you, Daddy." I shouldn't be surprised that he doesn't want to be separated. Just having the bathroom door closed between us from my doing instead of his had sent my Princess into a panic attack that only... That only...

...
Adrian
...

The growls catch me so off guard that the breath that had been struggling to leak it's way out of my chest in broken sobs rips itself away from me and I'm left trying to remember how to breathe.  Growl after growl rumbles underneath me, shaking me to my very core and smoothing out all of the wrinkles my distress had caused to form in my soul. It frightens the others when the windows start to rattle with the sheer force of Daddy's dominance, his arms tightening around me to help ground me and tether my physical sensation and consciousness to his warm body... To the safety that he offers.

By the time he's done and I can open my eyes without the threat of tearful overload, I'm greeted with the sight of an extremely pale Casper being cradled tightly against Liam's chest, Liam still caught up in whispering sweet things for his mate to focus on instead of the overwhelming dominance still settled in the air. I can just barely make out, "It's not the same as back then, Hun... Just try and stay in the now..."

I don't understand why something that is so soothing to me can have just the opposite reaction in the now trembling warlock... Why Casper's scent had gone from that of an ancient library full of crumbling pages laced with just a touch of magic to that of overwhelming fear over Daddy taking care of me.

"Sorry."  Daddy grunts towards the couple when Liam finally opens his eyes and presses a tight kiss to Casper's temple as his mate seeks safety in the act of burying his face in the crook of Liam's tanned neck.

"Next time some warning so I can get Cassie out of the general vicinity first?" He keeps his voice just barely above a whisper to keep everything shifted in favor of the slow calm that is currently descending as the dominance in the air starts to recede back to non-threatening levels.

...
Silas
...

"I know. I didn't think about it in the moment." It feels weird having to explain myself, but Liam should know I hadn't nor would I ever attempt to trigger a flashback for his mate. We had come to an agreement that I'd do better to keep myself in check around Casper as long as he tried to stay on his best behavior whenever we have to be around each other. For the most part, the old warlock listened other than the occasional pain in the ass prank here and there, "My Addy needs it to calm down... Don't you, Princess?"

At hearing his adorable preferred pet name roll off of my tongue, my bashful beauty nuzzles into me, adjusting himself until he's completely folded against me in just the right way to be able to bury his face in the crook of my neck. I don't think anything of it at first and just continue to rub my angel's back, switching to a gentle rocking instead of continuing to bounce my sweet pea... But then I feel it.

Hesitant lips find the shallow mark I had been gifted with and latch on, sucking on the beautiful wound and making it that much harder to focus. To remember that Casper and Liam are in the room with us even if we are still in bed and that my sweetheart will eventually need to finish the rest of what now is most definitely brunch. It takes true determination to grit my teeth and will my body not to react to the electric pulses that shatter their way down my spine with each tug of my angel's lips. My lips struggling to form the words, "Baby, what do you want us to do? It's up to you, Sweetie."