Two days and he was already understanding this man better than he had people he’d spent years with in supposedly close relationships. Keagan took a cursory look around the first floor, and the layout was easy, and he especially liked the back deck that looked out on a decent sized backyard that was concealed within a tall hedge. Privacy in a large city was rare.
“How do you like it?” Sergio came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a snug embrace. It was intimate, and it felt right. Everything with this man felt right.
“This is really nice, and I love this deck.” Keagan leaned back against Sergio. “Thanks for finding me, thanks for helping me, and thanks for staying.”
“You are my beloved, and I will do everything in my power to make you happy, comfortable, and safe,” Sergio spoke softly against Keagan’s ear and then lightly nipped the lobe before loosening his grip and taking a step back. “Let’s have dinner and then relax out here with a glass of wine.”
“Sounds great.” Keagan followed him inside, and together they managed a decent dinner. Turned out, neither of them was much of a cook, and thankfully Kash knew that and had picked up a variety of prepackaged meals.
Dinner was spent as more of a question and answer period with Keagan getting a better picture of who Sergio was and what their future held. He asked a variety of questions regarding Sergio’s life at the coven and then settled on knowing more about his position within the coven. “You’re a guard with the Coven, not a soldier?
“Security is the base level with the soldiers a step up and guards a step up from there. It’s loosely interpreted as levels, but in the end, we’re all really Security just responsible for different areas and interests.” Sergio responded between bites.
“What is your area and interests as a Coven Guard?”
“My team guards the interests of Leadership and VIPs. My direct superior is Killian Frey, who rose through the ranks to become a master spy and assassin along with other darker endeavors before being given his own team at the Coven proper. He’s an excellent boss who’s seen it all and done it all.” Keagan could see that Sergio was very satisfied in his life. Keagan wished he could say the same. At twenty-one, he still wondered what his goal in life was.
“What about you?” Sergio seemed to read his thoughts.
“What do you mean?” Keagan demurred.
“I told you about my life now, tell me about yours.” Sergio smiled surreptitiously.
“I gave you the highlights already.” Again, Keagan meant to dodge.
“Give me the lowlights.” Now that just made Keagan laugh.
“Okay, but it’s a bore.” He began with high school, and there was nothing that stood out there and then moved on to breaking things off with his family and moving to Pittsburgh. It was then that he became a little more somber, and Sergio poured them two glasses of wine and suggested they move their conversation to the deck. The man could read him like a book.
…
Sergio was interested in learning all he could about his beloved. He appeared to be in a mood to talk, so getting him out to the deck would give him the calm atmosphere to hopefully aid in his disclosures. He acted as if his life was average with little ups or downs apart from the Ruby Light experience, but Sergio could sense more beneath the surface. There was something he wanted to say, and Sergio wanted his beloved to be honest and open with no secrets.
They shared the slatted bench seat, and Sergio draped his arm across the back behind Keagan and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Tell me what it is that has you suddenly so solemn. You can tell me anything. I won’t judge.”
He ran his fingertips across Keagan’s right shoulder, where his hand lay. “I’ve lived a rather checkered past myself until I came to the Hadden Coven. My days at the Western Coven were often harsh and violent and not always honorable. I learned a lot, many hard lessons from my time there, but it wasn’t a place I wanted to stay.” Keagan leaned forward onto his thighs and gripped his hands together.
“When I first came to Pittsburgh, I got a bit of a reputation.” Keagan began but did not look at Sergio. “I was young and looking for a good time. I hadn’t been able to be myself for so long that when I was free, I kind of went overboard.” He turned and looked at Sergio with an expression that was asking for understanding, and Sergio was more than willing to give it.
“There is no crime in that sweetheart.” Sergio defended.
“There was this customer who was a friend of the owner of the bar I worked at. I was a waiter and helped out behind the bar. He had a lot of money, and he made moves on me constantly. I wasn’t interested; he gave off a strange vibe, and I didn’t want to get involved in weirdness besides he was married. But he wouldn’t let up and even went to the owner to try and gain some sort of leverage over me. It was creepy.” Keagan took a deep breath and paused for a moment. Sergio didn’t comment, for he knew that Keagan was gathering his thoughts.
