Page 29 of Orlando
That actually sounded like a good idea.“Seymour, I’m going to need your help.”
“Whatever you need.”
* * * *
LIAM WAS BORED OF STARINGat the ceiling.He felt like he’d been doing that for the whole week, but he also didn’t have an alternative.He’d been spending so much time on the phone he’d been given that sometimes, he wondered if the battery might explode.It was his only window on what was happening outside of the apartment, the only way he had to reassure his mother that he was still breathing, and he was overusing it.
He licked his lips.What else could he do?He could probably go spend time in the living room with Orlando, but he’d been avoiding him.Initially, it hadn’t been on purpose.He wasn’t quite comfortable with Orlando yet, and he’d thought it would take a while.Itwas, but that was partially his fault.So far, he hadn’t given Orlando a chance.
But he’d been thinking enough to make some decisions, and he wasn’t sure how to bring them up or even if he should.He needed to talk to Orlando, but where could he start?
Orlando was his mate.That would never change, no matter Orlando’s past or his future.Even if they decided not to be together, Orlando would always be part of Liam’s life.
But Liam wanted to be with Orlando.
It had taken him a while to wrap his mind around that and accept it, but Orlando was sacrificing a lot to protect him.How could Liam not want to be with him?Orlando had done what he’d promised.He’d given Liam time and space, and Liam had taken them.He’d thought about everything Orlando had told him, had considered the situation from every angle, and he’d come to a decision.
What Orlando had done in the past didn’t matter.What he’d assume he would be capable of doing didn’t, either.Liam was human, and he’d never had to live through some of the things shifters and other paranormal beings had lived through.Even though humans had been kidnapped and hurt, too, it wasn’t something Liam had ever thought would happen to him.
But shifters needed to be protected, which was why the council had been created.If they thought that killing the people they couldn’t punish otherwise was the best way to go about things, who was Liam to argue?He wasn’t a paranormal being.
Orlando had thought he could kill people for a living.Maybe he’d wanted to.Maybe something had happened in his past that had pushed him in that direction.
Or maybe he just felt that he wanted to do something for his community.Liam wished he could suggest something nicer, like the community garden, but it wasn’t his place.Orlando had probably gone through the program because he wanted to protect his people, and Liam couldn’t blame him for that.He could even see it in a good light.Besides, Orlando hadn’t killed anyone, and that was an important part of this.
Parsley poked at Liam’s cheek with his paw.Liam squinted at him, then reached up to stroke a fingertip on the top of Parsley’s head.“You think I should go there and talk to him, don’t you?”
Parsley yawned, exposing his teeth and pink tongue.That was the only answer he gave Liam, but it was also the only answer Liam needed.He’d already decided what he wanted to do about Orlando.
He wanted to bond with him.
“I know it sounds crazy,” he murmured.“But I want to be able to feel if something happens to him.I don’t know why Cynthia hasn’t found us yet, but I think it’s weird and that she’ll find us soon.She and Orlando will fight, and I need to know that Orlando’s okay.”
Liam almost laughed.He’d always talked to his cat, but he was having an entire conversation with him now, which probably wasn’t normal.It was about Orlando, though, and Liam couldn’t exactly go to Orlando to talk about his mate.Days like this, he wished he’d made more of an effort to find friends, but he was always so busy that it had felt easier to focus on his passions.He didn’t regret it, but he really wished he could talk to someone who would answer and not try to bite his finger off.
Luckily, he did have one person to talk to.He reached sideways, trying to find his phone.He’d dropped it on the mattress earlier and had told himself that he wouldn’t pick it up for at least half an hour.He’d never been into social media because he didn’t have the time, but he’d discovered them now that he was so isolated, and it was becoming an addiction.It was a problem he’d deal with in the future, though.
He dialed his mother’s number and waited for her to answer.Like always, when she did these days, she sounded a bit freaked out.“Liam?”
“I’m fine.”
“Thank God.”
“You need to stop freaking out every time I call.”
“How am I supposed to do that?My son is in mortal danger.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Of course it makes sense.Wouldn’t you be worried if I was the one in danger of being killed?”
“I need to talk to you.”
There was a pause before his mother answered.“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not bad, either.I think I want to bond with Orlando.”
“You think, or you know you want to?”
