The expedition wasn’t supposed to take longer than a few weeks. That’s what Julian Frae’s employer had told him, anyway. To be specific, he had said it would take three weeks exactly. He had a general idea of where the artifact was, that there wouldn’t be any complications, and if the team needed help, there was a guide he could recommend to help them.

The guide was the only thing the employer had right. Outside of him, everything else had been a monstrous pain, extending the job from three weeks to almost two and a half months. Julian had made it clear when he contacted the demon noble that the previously agreed upon amount paid to him and his team would be increased because of all the issues they had been dealing with. The noble agreed without argument.

“So long as Ren’s treating you fairly, that is.”

Julian sighed, looking sidelong at the blue-haired elf leaning against the broken down building. “Yes, he’s been a great help, actually. Thanks.” He didn’t even bother to suppress the note of irritation in his voice. Ren Nova was a great help; the job itself had been a nightmare. “I’ll call you again when I have something…yeah…Ruby’s watching the account now.”

Two seconds later, the girl, gaze fixed on her pocket tablet screen, gave him the thumbs up.

Julian gave a curt nod. “Two more weeks. If I don’t find anything, I’m calling it and refunding you only fifteen percent. Got it?”

“Of course, Mr. Frae, I completely understand,” the noble said, the apology thick in his tone. “I truly do appreciate you—”

“I bet.” Julian hung up and leaned against the opposite wall with a loud sigh, rubbing his forehead with the phone in an attempt to ease the headache growing from his annoyance. He dropped his arm, gazing out over the desiccated landscape; rubble, debris, and overgrown flora everywhere. 

“That went well,” Ren said, his smooth voice taking on a hint of amusement. Julian turned to face him, pocketing his phone. The elf’s light blue hair stuck out in every direction, some of it falling over his forehead, his cosmic colored eyes dancing with light laughter. The slight grin he gave Julian showing the hint of a few white teeth and he had to look away briefly before he could allow the flush at the back of his neck to grow. Julian couldn’t deny, and hadn’t bothered to, that Ren was incredibly beautiful as well as interesting, intelligent, and whitty. He’d been difficult at the start, but over the last few weeks, his humor and personality had begun to shine through, making the job a bit more bearable.

“Yeah,” Julian said, folding his arms over his chest. “I honestly expected he’d argue a bit on the increase.”

“The Tambor family is loaded,” Ren said with an undercurrent of a chuckle. “A few thousand more is nothing. Especially when it comes to something like this.”

Julian had to agree. The item he had been hired to locate was extremely valuable, worth millions, if not more, if the sources were to be believed. “I just want to get this over with and get back home.” If just to see Tanya and Tristan… He ran a hand through his thick brown hair, ignoring when it bounced back over his light blue eyes.

“How long has it been?”

Julian’s gaze went up to the mid-afternoon sky, dark clouds rolling in. “Few months maybe. I jumped from the last job straight to this one, to my mother’s utter annoyance.”

Ren chuckled softly. “She must be missing you.”

Julian shrugged, his jaw tensing slightly. “She’s more irritated that I missed my little brother’s birthday.” He pushed off the wall, the concrete shards falling softly to the ground. “As if he doesn’t have any more coming.”

Ruby came up to him, the rest of the small band finishing up their meal inside the ruins. “I was just checking the weather radar,” she said, her Irish accent light and flowy. “The storm is supposed to be pretty bad. Are you sure we shouldn’t stay here until it passes?”

Ren glanced at the heavy clouds, watching as they drifted slowly above them, their shape, form, and density not changing too dramatically. “I’d say we still have a few hours before it finally breaks,” he said. “There’s another old town up ahead. We can make it in time if we leave soon.”

Julian nodded. “We’ve been on this job too long as it is. The more ground we cover, the faster we can complete it.”

Ruby gave a one-shoulder shrug, heading back into the ruins. “Suit yourself.”

“It would be nice if we had a faster way to get there,” Connor said from where he sat next to a fallen pillar sharpening his knives. He gave Julian a pointed look, one that was tempered by the tiny grin that appeared.

Julian rolled his eyes. “Sorry I’m not Hawk or Hero and can just tear a hole through the Veil.”

“Damn the luck,” the demon said.

“Oh, to have a running vehicle,” Modette sighed, leaning back on her hands. A few of Ren’s men snorted and chuckled softly. In this part of the Realm, transportation like that was definitely a thing of the past.

“Or an anishif,” Michael laughed. Ren smiled, thumbing at him with his gaze on Julian.

“He has a point.”

“Everyone has a point, Ren,” Julian said. “And no one is wrong.” He sighed, walking off into the blown out city. Ren followed, glancing back once to make sure everyone was fine. Nothing major had happened in several days but that didn’t mean their guard could be dropped completely. Michael gave him a thumbs up and Ren hurried to catch up to Julian. 

When the pair were a good several yards away, chatting amiably, they turned behind an old house, and their steps slowed. The tone of the conversation changed as well, becoming softer, more familiar, before they were quiet again.

After a few moments, Ren said, “I’m still thinking about it.”

Julian glanced at him. “Yeah?”

Ren nodded. “I haven’t had a reason to stop moving for a long time. Maybe it’s instinctual, maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s a little of both. But now…” He stopped, taking hold of Julian’s shirt in his fingers, gently tugging him closer. He wasn’t much taller than Julian, maybe a couple of inches at best, something Julian liked. “Now I do,” he finished softly.

Julian could feel his heart race in his chest, his breath quickening. He swallowed, hoping his voice would come out normal as he said, “What is that?”

Ren smiled, his smooth teeth shining white under the cloudy sky. He fingered Julian’s hair, careful not to touch his skin. “You’re really having to ask me that?”

Julian tilted his head slightly, returning his smile. “Maybe I just like hearing you say it.”

Ren’s strange eyes danced over Julian’s face, his fingers shaking slightly as his wrist bent ever so slightly. In the entire time they’d been working together, and for how close they had become, not once had they had this much physical interaction. They had wanted to, Julian desperate to run his fingers over Ren’s smooth tanned skin, but something told them they shouldn’t. They already felt so connected, something Julian didn’t feel with anyone else, not even his own family. The elf was worried that connection ran deeper, and he had no desire to rope Julian into his life that way.

And yet…

He swallowed, his Adam’s Apple bobbing. “I don’t…want to say it anymore, Jules,” he said, his voice husky. 

Julian’s shoulders tensed, his hands going to Ren’s tunic, his fingers poised to graze the exposed skin of his chest. “This is physically hurting me, Ren,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I want to touch you so badly…”

Ren nodded. He knew exactly how Julian felt. The force it took to restrain himself from making any skin on skin contact was painful and he couldn’t take it anymore. “I just…I don’t want…”

“I know, I get it,” Julian said, fingering the strings that dangled from the open collar. “I’m not scared, Ren. Whatever you were before we met doesn’t matter to me. It’s who you are now that I want to know better.” He swallowed. “I want to be with you, Ren.”

Ren slowly wet his lips, his chest rising and falling. “It isn’t just a game?”

Julian shook his head, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. “Has it been for you? The flirting and everything…because if it has…” His eyes went wide as Ren’s hand slowly made contact with the side of his neck. Sparks shot through his body, his soul feeling like it had been electrified, stars dancing behind his eyes as he felt the entire world around him begin to spin and the ground give way beneath him. One look in Ren’s eyes told him he wasn’t alone in what he was experiencing.

“It’s not a game to me either, Jules. I want you…I want to be yours.” He smiled as the rush made its way through his soul. “Something tells me I already am.”

Julian swallowed, his smile wide. “Me, too.” His fingers made their way to the smooth skin exposed beneath Ren’s gray tunic, the sparks like a soft blue fire racing down his arm. He tilted his head slightly, Ren’s breath hot on his lips. “Be with me, Ren.”

Ren nodded slowly, his fingers curling around Julian’s neck and into his hair. “I—” 

A loud crash of thunder broke through the moment, pulling them apart with a start. They heaved a sigh of regret and shared a smile.

“Let’s finish this later, yeah?” Julian said, touching the side of Ren’s face, feeling that thrill race through him again. His skin was so soft and warm, his lips full and wet. He wanted to taste them and it was a let down that he had to wait.

Ren’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We’d better get going before this storm lands on us.”