by Flynn Eire
Instantly I lost my anger. He was right. “Yes, but you were very creepily excited and you even got my mother’s hackles up which is big because I’ve never seen her protective side come out like that.”
“He’s Wyrok,” she explained as if that said it all. It kind of did. “I’ve never known you not to be able to handle your own battles. Against him, face-to-face, you cannot. Does not hurt to remind him your mother is a councilwoman.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake. We don’t just go knocking people off or taking the ones with powerful gifts. We’re protectors, not demons,” Helios snapped, but then focused on me. “Now do you want to know or not?”
“Yes, but I also want to know why you were excited.”
“Because it’s a really rare gift. It normally comes out of horrible circumstances, and I’m sorry for that, but know that others will be jealous for what you can do.” He paused and I shrugged, not really caring about that and wanting him to get to the meat of it. I was tired of the foreplay. “You’re a sponge.” He smiled widely as if that explained it all.
Instead I busted out laughing, taking a few minutes to calm down as Helios and my mother gave me funny looks. “As in who lives in a pineapple under the sea?”
“I don’t understand the reference,” he hedged, glancing to my mother.
“His favorite cartoon when he was a child,” she sighed. “No, London, he’s not saying you’re SpongeBob SquarePants for god’s sake. The gift is your being like a sponge. You can absorb others’ emotions, thoughts, images from their minds even.”
“More than that. Knowledge when you’re able to control it.” Helios smiled widely again and I caught why he was so excited.
“It’s the ultimate spy gift. You won’t want anyone to know what I can do because it will make for a fabulous gift for spying. You can put me anywhere, by anyone suspected of anything, or next to any human we need help from, and I can pluck anything we need from their minds, see it as they did, and so on.”
“Basically, yeah,” he agreed with no compunction.
“Well hey, that’s great and all, thanks for telling me really no more than I knew and with such a clever term and all and if I ever get a handle on it and I want to be 007, I’ll come talk to you, but for now, there’s kind of a family bomb I’m going to get dropped on me with this new counselor guy so if you could give us some space, that would be awesome,” I drawled, gesturing with my head he should beat it.
My mother let loose a giggle that she covered up with a cough before moving to sit at one of the tables with Nicholas. Right, a little hysterical laughter was understandable right then I thought.
Hell, I felt the need to and I didn’t even giggle.
Then as I listened to my mother tell me the truth about my father, I felt the need to vomit. I pulled away when she tried to touch me, still waving her to go on because at that point, she’d opened the can of worms and it was just better to get it all out. But by the end of it, I hated the can and all the worms in it, part of me wishing it had never been opened.
After there was nothing but silence. Both of them staring at me, waiting to see what I would do.
“Are you wanting to talk to her or me?” I asked Nicholas.
“Both. Either. Whatever you need in this—” he started in that soothing voice.
“I need nothing. I want nothing,” I hissed as I jumped to my feet, focusing on my mother then. “Don’t ever speak to me again.”
“London, don’t. I did the—”
“I don’t care! There is no world in which you can have an actual excuse for this.” I bellowed, storming off without even looking back. I couldn’t stand to be around them or anyone.
Alone was better. Alone was always better.
9 ~ Drake
I just about lost my mind watching London hear the truth from the sidelines. It was stupid of me, but I wanted nothing more than to go over there and hug him as he received the blow of his life. He’d just about banished me but still I only went to a different corner of the cafeteria like a lovesick loser.
God, his mother was so right. How had this happened? I barely knew him. We hadn’t spent much time together. It wasn’t like we’d dated or really had many moments or… I sighed, knowing full well the moments we had had were more than enough to sink me. Watching him play with my boys when he thought no one was around, hearing them tell me later how great London had been with them was just about enough alone.
It was amazing how many people were only super nice to other people’s animals when that person was around. Scary but true. But not London, he tried to act cooler like it wasn’t a big deal when I was there but when he was alone with them he was kissing on them, scratching them wherever, and just loving on them in a way that showed me he could love with a big heart. He just needed to see the way to do it with people too.
And when we were together and he let go during intimate times… Wow! I mean, just, wow.
So the opposite of watching him right then with his mom. I couldn’t look away, like a car crash I couldn’t stop, and worse, I knew had to happen. Weird but true. His face went from worried to in pain and that pain grew to the point I didn’t think anyone in the room couldn’t feel it.
Finally he hissed something as he jumped to his feet, his mother replying but I couldn’t make out what she said either.
“I don’t care! There is no world in which you can have an actual excuse for this,” he bellowed, storming off without even looking back. Councilwoman Aberdeen crumbled into herself, waving off Nicholas when he tried to comfort her.
I, like a fool, raced after London. I didn’t even realize I was doing it, just the next thing I knew I was out of the cafeteria chasing him. I didn’t even get to say anything though, because he turned around and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Whatever you’re going to say, just don’t, Drake. I don’t even want to look at you after all of this. I cannot believe you went to my mother and—”
“You know, you can keep blaming me for all of this all you want, London,” I interrupted as evenly as I could, having a hard time controlling my tone and emotions. “But the only thing that’s my fault is taking the blinders off and getting people to start telling you the truth. And one day you’ll see that and realize you maybe should be thanking me instead of raging on me, especially since I keep trying to help and comfort you. I hope it’s not too late by the time you see that.”
I actually surprised myself by brushing past him and stomping off. I was willing to be there for him. Shit, I was expecting a bad mood or some grief for the way things went down. What I couldn’t handle was for everything to keep being dumped at my feet. None of this had been easy on me or for me since I still had to deal with Alexander’s wrath at the shit I pulled. I never expected London to thank me but I refused to be the villain either.
* * * *
For the next week, I kept to myself. Everyone pretty much knew not to say London’s name around me or really, it was just best to stay away from me for their own safety. Even the boys were treading carefully, snapping to commands without being playful, not crowding me at feeding time, or anything else they thought might annoy me. All around, I knew I was being a bear, and I felt bad the boys had to put up with it.
My friends just ducked in quickly to check I was still breathing and cranky before rushing off. It wasn’t that hard on them, maybe to see me like that, I don’t really know.
I had pretty much given up hope of ever seeing London besides in passing in the cafeteria—which he barely went to anymore—or the next time I needed to pass my shooting qualifier since he would be the one giving them now. And it killed my heart along with making me feel other things.
So the last thing I expected was to find him in the barn when I went to feed the boys over a week after my confrontation with his mother.
“I missed you guys too. Yes, yes, I brought bacon. Share with your buddies,” he said quietly and I heard lots of gobbling noises. “I wish you guys could talk to me too, tell me wha
t’s been going on. You’d be the ones to know.” I moved closer and peeked through the doors, frowning when he plopped on his butt. “Does he miss me? Is he happy to be rid of me and all my drama? I mean, give me a hint. Bark once for no, twice for yes.” He sighed heavily when they did nothing but fight over the bacon in his hands. “You guys talk to Drake.”
“I can understand them as they are,” I reminded him as I stepped into the barn. “They don’t speak in code for me.” He jumped up and dropped the bacon, all the dogs hurrying for it and knocking his legs out from under him. I thought it was somewhat poetic that he got knocked on his ass after how he’d made me feel the last time we’d been around each other. “What are you doing here, London?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured, rubbing his ass as he winced.
“Okay, well, see you later then. I’ve got to feed them.” I wasn’t going to play games with him, not that he intentionally played them, but I also wasn’t going to help him to the answers I think he wanted. Talk about getting bitten by the same teeth over and over again.
“You were right,” he blurted as I moved away, but I kept walking and picked the stack of bowls off the shelf. “You were so right. I’m sorry.”
“About? For?” I hedged as I leaned over and lifted the lid to the food bin.
“You’re going to make me say it. That’s fair. I deserve that,” he muttered. I wasn’t doing it to punish him, simply to make sure we were talking about the same thing so there wasn’t any more misunderstandings. “That I’m glad you took the blinders off and I’m sorry I was mad at you. It wasn’t your fault and it really wasn’t you I was mad it. It didn’t take me long to figure that out, but Nicholas helped me see I was glad for the blinders to come off and I prefer to know the truth so thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I scooped food out into a couple of bowls and set them down before sneaking a quick glance at him. “I’m glad you’re talking with someone instead of trying to handle all of this on your own. It’s not good to keep it all bottled in.”
“Yeah, it’s easier talking it out and really easy talking to him.” I winced and he must have seen it because he did that adorable tripping over his words, but not full words more like incoherent-noises thing as he tried to find words when he knew he messed up. But he always seemed to find what he wanted to say and blurted it out. “Only easier than you because I always wanted to impress you and I don’t care about impressing him. I don’t care what he thinks of me like I do with you.”
“But you did like talking to me,” I checked as I set down the last full bowl.
“Of course,” he answered even if I hadn’t really made it a question. “I love talking with you. I like listening to you better because your voice is great and I could listen to you all day and night, but yeah, you’re easy to talk to, Drake. Don’t ever not think that. I’m just not good with the heavy stuff, so that stuff is easier to discuss with a professional I’m not so invested in.”
I was letting go of some of the pain until then. “You were invested? Really? Could have fooled me.”
“I was. I am. I’m here. I’m trying, Drake. This is a first for me, okay? I’m not saying cut me some slack, but knowing this is my first time ever being real with someone, caring enough not to bunk with someone else before I caught that, wanting more than fuck buddies, and hurting because of what they said to me has got to count. Being here now to fix things has got to count.”
“Sure. I forgive you.” I tossed the scoop into the bin and whistled for the boys to come eat, in the chaos heading for the door. He caught up to me there and grabbed my arm. “What else is there to say, London? You said you’re sorry and I’m forgiving you.”
“Thank you. That’s more than I probably deserve, but you know that’s not all I’m here for.”
I adjusted my neck as I yanked my arm away. “No, I don’t and I’m done trying to figure out how to read between the lines of what you’re saying because all that did was get me into trouble or push you too fast or away from me.”
“Drake, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“You know what, I don’t think I want you to finish that sentence,” I growled as I ripped open the door. “Just don’t. I’ve been hurting enough. The last thing I need to hear is us being more than friends was a mistake or something.” I let the door close behind me, not surprised when he didn’t follow after me. Maybe I was being a jerk but it was time to start protecting myself some, looking out for number one even.
“We weren’t a mistake,” he yelled from the barn. I froze in my tracks and slowly turned to look at him. Then he did a really great impression of a fish as he fidgeted, almost as if having some internal debate on what to do next.
I didn’t give him the time to figure out which way he was going. Hell, it took him over a week to come this far. If we kept at his pace I’d never get the answers I needed. I stormed back over there and pushed him up against the closed doors of the barn. “What do you want, London?”
“I want you, Drake,” he rasped, his eyes going wide.
That left only one, very important question. “How?”
His eyebrows scrunched together and he nibbled on his lower lip. “I don’t think you mean positions.” Wow, talk about the fastest way to give me a woody. God, he was sexy even when I was still pissed at him. “I want us to be an us. I want to be with you for real, learn how to do that, hope you’ll be patient with me while I figure out how to do that. Nicholas says I need to find a real example of a mated pair that’s not so dysfunctional since that’s all I was around growing up and that would be a good start for me in resetting my—”
“Stop talking,” I ordered when an idea hit me, and he snapped his mouth shut so fast I could smell the blood. I took his hand in mine, dragging him after me, as I pulled out my phone with my other hand and let my thumb fly over the keys.
Few minutes later I led the still-silent London into one of the lounges that had several gaming systems all set up where people could come blow off some steam… I just happened to use it for something else.
“Sit,” I told London, and he slowly sat on the couch, nodding. I turned everything on, connected to what I needed to and smiled as I heard the silly beeping noises just as I always did.
“Come on, Terrance, Drake said he was going to be calling!” my mother yelled as she came on the TV. “Move that cute heinie faster or I’m going to spank it later and—”
“Mother!” I chuckled, stepping back and sitting down next to London. “You already accepted my call. We can hear everything.”
“Oh! Drake! Hello, my lovely son,” she greeted as she stared into the corner of her laptop. “Right, after the beeping and I click, you can hear me. I keep forgetting that.” Then she frowned. “Why am I seeing me only? Terrance, I think I broke the laptop again.”
“No you didn’t, my princess. You’re simply making this more complicated than it needs to be,” my father called out from somewhere in their house. “And don’t yell. Just because he’s very far away doesn’t mean you have to yell for him to hear you.”
My mother sighed. “He was the one doing that last time. Goofy man.” Then she blinked and smiled. “Oh, right, you’re the big one. Why do I always look in the corner? Hi, darling.”
Hi, Mother,” I chuckled, loving that my almost-eight-hundred-year-old parents were so into learning how to Skype just to see me when we talked so they didn’t feel it was so cold as the phone could be. “Mother, I’d like to introduce you to London Aberdeen, a friend of mine.”
“Oh, hello, London, so very nice to meet you.”
“You too, ma’am,” London said shyly. I glanced back at him and saw he was bright red. Oh god, he didn’t get what I was doing, thinking I was having a meet the parents thing.
Goofy man.
Then my mom moved her hand over the webcam in the laptop. “Terrance, hurry! Drake’s introducing us to a boy! A very handsome one. I think he’s got big news.”
“Yes, my princess, here I come,�
�� he replied and then I heard the stairs of their house creak that I knew so well. “And I’m pretty sure he’s not introducing us to a boy but a man. Our son is over four hundred years old, Mildred.” Then she removed her hand and I really didn’t have the heart to tell her we’d heard everything since she didn’t cover up the microphone or put it on mute. God, she was funny. “Drake, hello!”
“Father, you look well,” I greeted as he sat down in the chair next to her.
“As do you. Good to see they feed you and—” My mother cut in by clearing her throat loudly, raising her eyebrow menacingly at my father. He glanced at her and frowned. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I’m not sure. What are you offering as penance?” she asked somberly.
I chuckled quietly, knowing the show well. Then I leaned into London and bumped his knee with mine. “I’m not introducing you like to freak you out. This is what I wanted you to see. This is what I grew up with,” I explained, gesturing to the screen. I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.
“Oh, I don’t know,” my father hedged, rubbing his chin. “This is a very serious infraction. I mean, I should be flogged to start with.”
“Of course, but you have such wonderful skin, I couldn’t see any harm come to it.”
“I would heal.”
“I’m not sure I would from seeing you in such pain,” my mother countered as she sniffled.
“Okay, flogging is out.” Then my father snapped his fingers. “Foot rubs for a month?”
“Good, good, I like it. And?”
“What exactly did he do wrong?” London whispered as he stared at them, completely captivated by their interaction.
I smiled. “You’ll see.”
“We can discuss the rest later when our son isn’t listening?” my father hissed, nodding to the laptop.
“Oh, right. The boys are here.” She sighed dramatically and then nodded. “All right, I accept your terms. You may proceed with the do-over.”