by Layna Snow
He knew that sooner or later he’d have to make the decision, but right now he needed answers to some other questions. “What about the personal problems. She might like someone better, want to spend more time with one man or the other. What will we do then? Or what about jealousy. Sooner or later one of us will get envious of the other. It could ruin the relationship.”
Cay chuckled. “When was the last time you were jealous of me? When was the last time we had something we weren’t willing to share? Sure I’ve wanted to be more like you but I never wanted you to go without something, just so that I could have it. And I’m sure that you’ve never been that selfish. Do you want to have her to yourself? To take her away from me?”
Seth shook his head. Even when he was envious of Caleb, he didn’t want to take Melody away from him. He was right in that aspect. “She’s not an object. I can’t take her. But the day might come-“
Cay shook his head hard, cutting off Seth’s thought. “Exactly. She is a person and she wants both of us. We aren’t jealous of each other. It didn’t happen when we were young and had to go without things, or when we worked hard to get through school. It won’t happen now either. And if we are jealous or worried, we will just have to talk about it.”
“And if she changes her mind? If she wants just one of us in the end.” Or worse, neither of us. Seth knew that there was a possibility. They were the first men she met. She could easily change her mind if she fell for someone else, someone new.
Caleb gave a sad smile. “Anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean we should just not try. There’s nothing that we won’t be able to work out. Nothing we can’t live through. I’m not saying it will be easy, but you’ve never shied away from hard work before.”
Seth sighed, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. “Alright. I’ll think about it. Right now, we have enough to think about. We need to get new things, including a computer. We don’t know if anyone hacked in or left a virus. We need to change our passwords too. I will search around on the internet and see if I can find any of the Fallen Angels that Melody knew about.”
“Do you think that you’ll be able to find them?” Cay asked, sounding doubtful.
“I hope so. I don’t really know what to do to help her. Maybe she has more ideas on how to reach them.”
Cay made a sound low in his chest. “And what should we do about the motherfuckers who are trying to hurt her?”
Seth shook his head. “Without identification we can’t go to the police for help. I don’t know how we are supposed to protect her. We don’t really know what to do to stop them. Do we?”
Cay growled again. “We could kill them.” He said, but Seth shook his head again. They couldn’t kill anyone, especially not their friends. He knew that Cay would hate himself if he even so much as hurt Emily, and although he’d be fine beating Nate up if he had anything to do with this, that was where the line was drawn.
“You know that we can’t,” Seth cautioned, although he knew that Cay was only speaking out of anger. “We have to make a plan to catch them doing something illegal. That is the only way to stop them.”
“Oh fuck, too many plans,” Cay muttered, sounding over-stressed by the prospect.
“What other plans are there?”
“Just... keeping her alive. Keeping her happy. Rebuilding our life.” He said, yawning.
Seth couldn’t help but yawn too, too tired to analyze Cay’s response. “Alright. I’ll come up with some ideas. Run them past you guys and get to work tomorrow.”
When he didn’t get an answer, he looked over at Caleb, but he was already asleep. His head leaning against the wall and his face looking more youthful than he had remembered in a long time. He hadn’t realized how hard Cay worked, he just remembered all the times that he had tried to put off tasks, but Cay really did try his best. And he deserved some time to relax too. Maybe life wasn’t all about work, he thought before falling asleep himself.
24
Caleb had spent the last few days redoing the house. He bought all new furniture and had ordered a security system. He bought new dishware and cutlery. He had to get new food too. It wouldn’t have taken so long, but Melody had to look at everything and then pick out what they bought. She had even wanted new art for the walls. They also had to buy new clothes.
They went to a few close cities and spent the day together. Everything would have been perfect if they didn’t have the threat looming over their heads. It was always right there, at the back of his mind, waiting to pop his fucking bubble of happiness.
Shit, he couldn’t wait until this was all over. He couldn’t wait to be able to walk around with her without looking over his shoulder, wondering when an attack could come.
It also didn’t help that Seth stayed home. Seth always hated shopping, and…well Cay did too but someone had to do it, and he couldn’t say no to Mel. Besides, Seth spent the whole first day repainting since the red paint wouldn’t wipe off.
That was a pretty shitty thing to have done. The paint was impossible to wash off and was difficult as hell to paint over. He didn’t envy Seth one bit.
It was a damn good thing that it had been the weekend. They didn’t have to work and could spent their time putting things to right. But this was Monday and their reprieve was over. Now they had to try to help sick and injured animals while keeping an eye on Mel.
And she didn’t like it at all. “I want to go home,” She complained for the thousandth time, glaring at them as they worked.
The cat they were working on had been hit by a car and it didn’t look good, the last thing they needed was Melody distracting them.
“No. Sutures,” Seth requested, using suction to make sure that the internal cavity wasn’t filling with more blood.
Caleb ignored Mel’s pout as he passed the tools to Seth. It was going on seven thirty now and they had to get this fucking surgery over with. Whiskers couldn’t stay under much longer.
“But it’s safe there. You had those guys put.. that thing in.”
“A security alarm, and no.” Seth said before focusing his attention on sewing the kitty back up.
Cay understood. This wasn’t a very fun job and Mel was probably bored sitting in the other room for hours without anything to do, but they weren’t going to take a chance.
She wasn’t getting out of their fucking sight and so she sat near the door, where they could see her.
“But I don’t like hearing these noises, and seeing you do this. It hurts me. It makes me feel ill. Please,” she begged.
Cay knew that Seth didn’t care about her comfort, not when her life was on the line. Hell, Cay would tie her up and lock her in a closet if it guaranteed her safety. He would die protecting her if that’s what needed to happen. If he did, Seth could take care of her.
“Enough!” Seth commanded, his voice reminding Cay of a door slamming. Melody looked startled too.
She had apparently gotten used to getting her own way, well she’d learn. Seth always won in the end. Always.
Caleb could see Mel opening her mouth to argue more but he stopped her with a shake of his head. “We’re almost done here, Kitten.” He reassured.
The cat was just getting finished, and so far so good. It would be a waiting game for now. One of them would have to stay here overnight to supervise. They would have gotten Ian to do it, but he had something else to do and since he didn’t really work there yet, they couldn’t make him.
“Cay, why do you call me Kitten?” Mel asked, obviously choosing to entertain herself through questions. Surprisingly, he had missed her curiosity, her interest in the world. She seemed to be getting things quickly now and often used the computer instead of asking them. He must be a fucking pervert wanting her to rely on him for everything.
“Well, it’s a nickname, like I said before. You reminded me of a lost kitten. In fact, you reminded me of a little fur ball I had found when I was about twelve. It was scared and alone and I had to pick it up. Seth, y
ou remember, right? You helped me take care of it until Cecilia found out.” Cay looked back to Mel. “She was allergic to cats,” he explained. “We had to give it away. A good family adopted her. I was happy she found a home but furious that I had to give her up.”
Mel smiled back at him as he talked
“And then you reminded me of a curious kitten, wanting to learn the world. And now, you show your claws sometimes, while other times you all but purr. You are… you believe in yourself and I like it when you curl up on my lap to be petted.” He said, showing her his best leer.
It took her a moment to understand, but when she did, she did exactly what he hoped she would, she blushed. The pretty rose colour looked great on her. It was the colour she turned when she was on the verge of coming and it made him want to push her over the edge. Fuck, he wanted to touch her again. He couldn’t wait to be in her moist heat again.
But now was not the time. Right now he had to think about the cat on the table, not the wildcat in his bed—once the bed came in.
“Wait, did you just call me arrogant?” She asked, showing her temper.
Cay was about to comment back when Seth looked up. “Done. Can you take her back to her cage? I need to go check on Maddy’s rabbit.”
Cay nodded and carefully transferred the cat to her pen in the other room. He made sure that the door was locked and that the sensor would ring when she moved on the pressure-pad, before going to wash up. He noticed Melody watching the cat with a sad look on her face, along with a look of yearning.
Oh no! Hell no. They were not getting a cat. He knew how difficult they could be, and although he loved them, along with all animals, he was definitely a dog person. He couldn’t deal with three ornery beings in the house!
“Mel, come on. I need to talk to Brooklyn before she leaves.”
Cay didn’t wait to see if she followed, he knew that she would. She was jumpy, full of energy and she would be delighted to be able to move around again.
Once in the front room he noticed Seth already there. In fact he got there just in time to hear the best news he’d heard all week. “I can stay, Mr. de Cruce. As long as I get tomorrow off.” Brooklyn offered. “It’s a Monday anyways. Nothing good happens on Monday nights! And I’ve got a date tomorrow that I wanna buy a new outfit for.”
Seth nodded, writing down some information. “This is my new cell number. Call me when the cat wakes up, and I’ll come right over. And contact me if his vitals drop.”
The girl nodded and Cay rushed to get his shit together. He wanted out of here. He was tired of working over dying animals, sick of seeing their blood. He still liked the job. Hell yeah, he enjoyed helping but it was hard when he couldn’t do anything.
“You ready to head home, Kitten?” he asked Mel, seeing her excitement to leave. He hoped it was enough to take her mind off the cat. He didn’t want to have to tell her no, but it was not going to happen.
It didn’t take long for them to get back, and once they were there Seth checked out the whole house before letting them in. He could be a paranoid bastard sometimes, but he was great.
The first thing that he wanted to do was take a shower. The water felt wonderful. It was hot enough to take off all the dirt and grime from the day and to sooth his worries. Hell, he would have spent all night in the shower if he had food and Mel. He’d never have to leave.
But soon after he washed his body the water turned cool and he knew he couldn’t stay in much longer without getting wrinkly, and he’d be damned if he was going to walk around looking like an old man for a few hours. Besides, he had run out of things to clean and there wasn’t anything else to do. He rather hoped he didn’t need to masturbate anymore, but doubted Mel would want to do anything tonight.
So Cay got out, dried off and threw on some boxers before going to find Seth. No doubt he would be in the study. The guy spent hours on that new computer, trying to find some trace of another Fallen.
On the way he looked in on Melody, who was asleep on the makeshift pallet on the floor of Seth’s bedroom. It was the safest room, according to Seth. It was the furthest from the front door.
As he stepped into the study, Seth waved him over. “I think we caught a break,” he said, nodding towards the screen. Cay had to get real close to his foster brother in order to see what he was talking about, but he saw an email open, the subject line bolded in warning. You have already been compromised.
“What did you do?” Cay asked. Hell, he was usually the one to fuck up. He was the one who got into trouble and had to come crawling to Seth. Of course he had joked around once that Seth’s brain would get them into some hot water but he never thought it would be now.
“I just accessed some sites. I must have tripped something. I found this in my inbox. The sender line is blank. Read it.”
Cay didn’t want to. He would rather just back out of the room. But that wouldn’t solve anything. That wouldn’t make the situation go away and that wouldn’t make this email disappear either. He was shit-out-of-luck. Whatever this email said would change things. He just knew it.
Mr. de Cruce, you should have stopped searching. We already know about you and your roommate, Mr. Price. You have done a rather poor job of concealing yourselves and your guest from those who wish to find you. We cannot allow this to continue. We will not be linked to you. We will, however, help her. You will receive another email with instructions on how to receive her new identity, which will be created and be solid. Once you have obtained that, you will be able to file a police report. Don’t. They cannot be caught. They cannot release their information into the world. Please stand by for further instructions. If you do not stop searching, and do not follow these rules, we will refuse to intervene. Do not email back.
Cay whistled, moving to sit in an adjacent chair. They sure pissed someone off. He just wasn’t sure who. “Nice going there, Seth. Now we have to look out for someone else. Who is this guy anyways? Our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman? Shit.”
But Seth just shook his head. “Whoever they are, they are willing to help Melody.”
“And they seem to know what’s happening. If they can deal with it, all the better. Right, Seth?”
There was no answer. Cay turned to see Seth looking at the monitor, his eyebrow furrowed in thought. And damn, he was out again.
Cay shook his head and stood, but before he could leave the door Seth’s phone rang.
He listened closely to the line for a moment before giving a short ‘okay’ and hanging up. Shit that didn’t sound too good.
“The cat went into cardiac arrest and someone’s been in the clinic. Grab Melody and meet me there. I’ll need your help.”
25
Cay rushed into Seth’s room. He didn’t want to take Mel into a bad situation but damn he couldn’t leave Seth to work on that cat by himself. He obviously needed help and Cay couldn’t ignore it.
Fuck! He hoped the place was secure now. He knew that Seth would do what he could but he’d focus on the cat.
He didn’t even have time to think about the fucking creeper who messaged them. Who the hell had the kind of technology that would be needed to be able to put up those kinds of booby-traps on the internet. And to be able to shield their email address. How the hell was that even possible! Didn’t those things have to show? If not, why did those virus emails and junk have their forwarding info?
Shit! He didn’t have time to think about all this. He’d have to trust that Seth would look into it later. There was more important things to worry about. Well, at least more immediate.
Cay watched as Seth left, his jacket half on and his mind completely on the problem. He wouldn’t have noticed if a blue dinosaur was playing hopscotch in the front yard. No, Seth was focused completely on the problem at hand. He was always focused as shit! It was something they didn’t have in common. Hell, more than one teacher tried to put him on ADD meds. But Cecilia would always tell them that if he wanted to focus, he would have. The easy solution wasn’t always b
etter—that was her motto.
And right now, the easy solution of staying here, hiding with Mel, appealed to him. But he couldn’t. He was needed at the clinic.
And if Cay was going to help at all he’d have to get in there soon.
He turned to Melody, who was sleeping peacefully. She was curled up, as if trying to hold herself and keep warm. He wished that he could lay down with her and cuddle her close, but he didn’t have time for that.
Hell, he wished that he could let her sleep, she obviously needed it, but he couldn’t leave her here. He could always carry her, but he wanted her awake and aware. He had no idea what he was bringing her into in the clinic and didn’t want her to be so vulnerable. Not if there was a problem there.
“Mel, wake up. We have to go to the clinic again, Kitten.” He urged, running his hands along her bare arm. When she continued to sleep, he rose his voice and tried again, shaking her gently this time. “Come on, baby. We have to hurry. Seth needs us.”
This time, her eyes opened a little, making a groaning noise. “You have to get up and get ready. The cat took a turn for the worse. We have to get back there.” He said before placing a small kiss on her lips.
Fuck, he wanted to kiss her properly, but not now. He needed all the blood in his head, not his penis.
Mel stretched like the Kitten he called her, arching her back and thrusting her breasts out, which didn’t help calm his lust. Shit, she probably didn’t even realise what she was doing. And damn, that just made it sexier.
“Kitten, get your shoes and let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste. We got to get moving.”
It was difficult to pull himself away from her, to put the thoughts of Melody out of his mind, but he knew he needed to. He couldn’t wait any longer. Seth needed him now.