by C. Sunrise
He laughs, his deep, sexy laugh taunting me in more ways than one, and splashes water back at me. I try to maintain my game face, but a smirk slowly creeps its way onto my lips. I’m not one to easily back down from a challenge.
“Game on, little boy!” I shout as we engage in a full-on water fight.
What was once an act of anger has now turned into a childish game. One that we are both enjoying immensely. This goes on for several minutes before being interrupted by the sound of my stomach reminding me of its needs. Blaze seems both surprised and impressed that we could hear my stomach growl while splashing in the water. He nods his head, silently agreeing that it’s time to go inside. We pop out of the water and head to the pool house, the cool breeze nipping at our wet bodies. Shivering and covered in goosebumps, I quickly dry off and get changed into my dry clothes before heading to the kitchen to eat.
We walk into the kitchen laughing at a cheesy joke I told Blaze and find Kace staring out of the window towards the lake. His body is tense, with his jaw muscles twitching and his hands balled up at his sides. I wonder how long he’s been standing there and what he saw, but I have a good idea based on his body language.
“Kace?” I say, not hiding my surprise to see him here. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“How did I get into my house?” He replies without turning to face us, his muscles still visibly tense and exciting me in ways it shouldn’t be. “I used my key to get into my house.”
He turns towards us with pain and anger written all over his face. He must have been watching us out there for a while. I can’t help but feel guilty. We aren’t a couple, but I know how he feels about me and Blaze. It couldn’t have been easy watching us out there.
“This is your house?” I repeat, confusion etched on my face. “I thought it was Blaze’s house?”
“On paper, yes, it’s his house,” Blaze explains. “But I have an agreement with his family, allowing me to use this house anytime I want. So, it’s basically my house.”
“Exactly how well do you two know each other?” I ask, looking back and forth between them. “This seems to go beyond being business associates.”
“That guy over there looking like he needs to take an enormous shit is my dear, sweet cousin.” Blaze gestures over to Kace and my mouth drops.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I mean, it makes sense given the many similarities in their appearance, and I feel fairly stupid for not recognising or questioning it sooner.
“Unfortunately,” Kace says, his upper lip twitching.
Realisation hits me, and I turn my attention towards Blaze. “Wait, was it your dad that passed away and left Kace’s family to run his business?” I ask, remembering Kace tell me they moved out of the country when his uncle passed away.
“Killed, actually,” Blaze divulges, as he clenches his jaw. “While working.”
This is the first time Blaze has opened up to me about anything this personal. Most of our conversations have been fun and lighthearted, but maybe he needed those kinds of interactions just as much as I did.
“I’m so sorry, Blaze.” I reach over and squeeze his arm, fighting to suppress the inappropriate thoughts swirling in my mind as his muscles flex under my grip. “Did they find who killed him?”
“No, they didn’t.” He looks at Kace, whose face shifts from anger to sadness. “Technically, he just vanished. Both my parents vanished at the same time.” He turns and faces me again. “There were no bodies and no evidence to work with, so the case went cold. Kace’s family came out to run the business and help us search, but we found nothing. Not a single clue as to what happened.”
Hearing the pain in Blaze’s voice, I pull him into a hug. He tenses at first but eventually relaxes in my embrace, stifling a sniffle.
“I’m so sorry, Blaze.” I give an extra squeeze before releasing him. “That must be tough.”
“It was, sugar. It still is. Not knowing what happened and not having closure eats me up every day. But a part of me hasn’t given up, and I’ll always search for answers. Thankfully, Kace’s parents were there for me and they raised me like I was their own son.”
I look between the two of them and notice a familiar look, one of love. Regardless of how much these two bicker with each other, deep down they both care about each other like siblings. They appear to have quite the past and I can’t help but want to know more.
“I’m not exactly getting along with my parents at the moment.” I sigh, feeling silly for my recent behaviour and the way I have been dealing, or not dealing, with my issues. “But I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without them. I haven’t met Kace’s parents, but they sound like they’re amazing people and I’m glad you have them in your life. No one deserves to be left alone in this world.”
They both nod in agreement.
“To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever opened up to anyone outside of family, Laze, and Craze about my parents,” Blaze admits and then his gaze drops and he stares at the floor.
This is definitely not the Blaze I’ve come to know and adore. He looks so fragile right now compared to the confident, playful man I have grown accustomed to. I can’t help but feel a need to help him somehow, but for now we eat. Together. Food is love, right? We can talk more after our stomachs are full.
“Kace?” I wave my hand in the air, trying to break him from his thoughts. “Kace? Do you want some breakfast? Blaze and I were just about to eat?”
“I, uh sorry, what?” He shakes his head and I can’t help but chuckle at the stunned look on his face.
“Blaze is going to make a breakfast fit for a king,” I say using air quotes for the last words. “Are you in?”
“As long as he doesn’t poison mine, yeah, I’m in.” He chuckles and then smiles—not just any smile, but a genuine smile. “But only if I get a hug first.”
“I thought you’d never ask!” Blaze says excitedly and walks towards Kace with his arms wide open.
“Not from you!” Kace shouts as Blaze wraps him in a teddy-bear hug and lifts him off the ground. “Idiot. Let me down.”
I laugh at the scene in front of me. It’s nice seeing these two getting along. I make my way over to Kace and give him a hug once Blaze drops him and steps aside.
“Thank you, Kitten,” he whispers in my ear. “It’s good to see you. Nice outfit, by the way. I love the sports bra; it goes great with your icy blue eyes.”
I hadn’t realised that my eyes had changed colours again and were no longer their usual blue colour. I’m not sure when they changed, but I haven’t really paid much attention to them since I left for The Den last night. I’m not completely surprised to hear my eyes changed colour again though. I feel different. Happier. More focused. It’s a good feeling. I feel like me, only better. I pull my head back from Kace’s shoulder and look him in the eye, still comfortably wrapped in his embrace.
“Likewise,” I reply, noticing that his eyes are also lighter than normal. They aren’t as close to white as mine, but they are definitely icy blue. Kace seems a bit surprised to hear that his eyes were also lighter. As soon as I mention it, he blinks and his eyes return to their normal blue colour.
I really need to learn how to do that.
Kace and I take a seat at the counter, watching Blaze work his magic in the kitchen. Imagine that, the three of us talking and getting along without obnoxious flirting and constant glaring. I’m slightly turned on, okay, very turned on, watching Blaze and sitting here with Kace, but I won’t let them know that. I really look forward to the day when these damn hormones calm down.
Blaze didn’t lie, he truly made a breakfast fit for a king. He sets our food in front of us and then sits beside me. We dig in immediately, enjoying every single bite.
“I have no idea what is going on here, but I’m in!” Craze’s voice sings from the kitchen entry as she and Laze walk into the room.
“Grab a plate and a seat,” Blaze says, motioning to the food in fr
ont of him. He turns and smiles at them with a mouth full of food.
“Attractive,” Craze chuckles and slaps him on his shoulder on the way by.
We sit there, talking, laughing, and eating. It’s perfect—just like the good old days at my house with my family and friends. I think meeting these people wasn’t an accident. They do say the universe works in mysterious ways.
“So, I’m curious, how long have you two known each other?” Blaze asks looking at me and then Kace.
“We met a few weeks ago,” Kace replies and I nod, still focussed on the remaining food on my plate.
“Seriously?” Blaze says surprised. “And she’s not your mate? Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m not his what?” I ask, completely forgetting about my parents’ discussion of mates. “Mate? Are you an Aussie? G’day, mate. Put another shrimp on the barbie.” I laugh at my awful imitation of an Australian accent.
I look around and everyone is just staring at me with their faces all twisted up. Time seems to have frozen for several seconds before they all burst out into laughter. I look at Kace, and he laughs awkwardly.
Is he blushing? How adorable!
“No, sugar,” Blaze says with a huge grin. “That’s not-”
“Hey, how about you three head outside? We can continue our chat out there.” Kace motions to me, Craze, and Laze. “Blaze and I can clean up in here.”
I look at Craze and we both shrug. I know that was just an attempt to end the conversation, but I go along with it. For now.
“Sounds good to me, I hate dishes,” Craze says as she stands up and heads towards the door motioning for me to follow. “Let’s get out of here before they change their minds!”
The three of us go outside, leaving Kace and Blaze to discuss whatever they wanted us out of the room for. I have more questions for them, but I can wait until they’re done doing the dishes and having their private conversation.
SEVENTEEN
I close my eyes, squeezing hard, and fight the impending change. My beast is getting more and more impatient. A few deep breathing exercises later and the pressure in my eyes subsides, allowing me to open them again. As much as I’m enjoying this memory, I still don’t feel any closer to an answer.
Could any of the people in my life really be capable of doing this to me? Scratch that. I know they are all capable of doing this. But would they do it? And if so, why?
To be honest, with how distracted I’ve been since my twenty-fifth birthday, and not exactly in the mood to pay attention to anything going on around me, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed someone holding a big, flashing neon sign that said, “I will kill you in five minutes”. But there has to be something in my memories, even if I hadn’t noticed it at the time.
It’s becoming more challenging to ignore the aches, pains, and needs of my body by the minute, and I don’t know how much longer I can distract myself by focusing on the past.
EIGHTEEN
I walk through the patio doors and into the back yard with Craze and Laze in tow. We sit in the patio lounge set, soaking up the late morning sun and fresh air. I smile at Craze and Laze as they sit across from me bickering about something. Although I’m sure their conversation is highly entertaining, my attention is drawn elsewhere—to the private conversation being held back in the kitchen.
I wonder what Blaze and Kace are talking about in there. I wish I could hear them.
I tilt my head and tune out everything else around me. I can no longer hear Craze and Laze talking or the birds chirping; instead, I hear the faint sound of dishes clashing together in the house.
“Well, now I know you must have something important to say if you want to talk with me alone and do dishes,” Blaze's voice filters into my mind.
What? Did I just hear that or is my mind making that up?
“Look.” Kace sighs. “How much do you know about Whoopsie?”
Not much, to be honest. Then again, I don’t even know much about myself. Like this supersonic hearing that could have been useful my entire life. What other wonderful supernatural tricks have I been missing out on?
“I know what she looks like in a towel.” My cheeks blush at Blazes reply, which is followed immediately by a growl from Kace, I presume.
That idiot just can’t resist bugging Kace, can he?
“I’m being serious here,” Kace replies as I hear dishes being loaded aggressively into the dishwasher.
“You’re so boring now, Kace,” Blaze whines. “To answer your question, just the basics, I guess. We’ve only hung out at The Den a couple of times and then here this morning, but you already know all about that. Why do you ask? Is there something I should know?”
“Notice anything unusual about her?” I lean my head closer to the house awaiting Blazes reply, keeping my eyes focussed on Laze and Craze who are still deeply involved in their own conversation.
“You mean her eye colour and scent?” Blaze finally replies. “How could I not notice?”
“Yeah. Notice anything else, though?”
What else should he have noticed? My hair hasn’t been changing colours—that I know of, anyway. I didn’t grow furry ears or a tail either.
“Nothing,” Blaze says. “If it wasn’t for her eyes, I wouldn’t have even known she was one of us. Even the pheromones I would have excused as my hormones just being out of whack. I’m quite impressed with her ability to hide what she is, after all, it is my job to find our kind.”
What does he mean by that?
Kace sighs as someone closes the dishwasher. “Listen, Blaze. It’s complicated. She just learned that she’s one of us. Until recently, she didn’t even know our kind existed.”
Silence. Dead silence.
“Why didn’t she know?” Blaze finally asks, and I can imagine the look of confusion on his face. “She’s pretty old to be just finding out. Now it makes sense why she’s walking around with white eyes, throwing her pheromones all over the place. I’m guessing she hasn’t learned to control that yet?”
Old? Did he just call me old? Mother fuc-
“Like I said, it’s complicated,” Kace continues, interrupting my silent rage session. “I think it would be helpful if we sat down with her and answered some questions to help her learn about her kind. Our kind. She’s not on good terms with her family at the moment, since they kept this a secret from her for so long.”
More silence aside from the clanging of more dishes. Blaze must be processing this new information.
“Sure, but what aren’t you telling me? I know there’s more. She has a lot more pull than most women. I can usually resist temptations unless I’m looking for a good time, but with her it’s different. My beast fights to take control every time she touches me.”
“I don’t know much yet,” Kace answers, his voice getting louder, closer. “I’ve been digging into her family and will find out more when they get back from their vacation.”
“Do you need me to help?” Blaze asks. “It is what I do.”
What he does? He finds our kind and gets information on them? I knew there was a story behind the Aze Team.
“No, I’ve got this for now.” Kace says. “I want to keep this under the radar for the time being. She’s been through enough and I don’t want to cause any more problems or trust issues in her life.”
With that I look over as Kace opens the door. I smile at the two boys as they join Craze, Laze, and I out on the patio. They place cups of tea for each of us on the table before they sit down, each picking a spot on either side of me. They twist their bodies slightly, angling towards me, Blaze putting an arm across the back of the seat behind me.
Excuse me waiter, I’ll have one hot Whoopsie sandwich please.
“Kitten,” Kace speaks softly as he reaches over and puts his hand on my thigh, his thumb gently stroking my skin as he talks. “About your situation—we would like to help.” He nods towards the other three, and they smile in return.
“Wait, are you all… like me?�
� I ask as I scan their faces. As I look at each of them, their eyes turn icy blue and then back to their normal colours. I notice that Blaze’s and Kace’s are slightly lighter than Craze’s and Laze’s but not quite as light as mine.
They’re all like me. Well, not exactly like me but kind of like me; they’re like Papa. I get excited at the thought. Perhaps a little too excited as an unexpected and embarrassing squeak escapes my throat.
I focus my attention on Kace. His eyes are flickering, like he’s having trouble making them return to their normal colour. I swear his teeth look longer too.
“Easy there, Jacob,” I say, cocking my eyebrow.
“Jacob?” I smile at the confusion written on Kace’s face as his eyes return to their normal blue colour.
“Yeah, Jacob. Twilight. You know the movie about werewolves and vampires.” I roll my eyes as Craze puts her hand to her mouth, attempting to hold in a snicker as she reaches for her tea with her other hand.
“Speaking of, aren’t you all a bit old?” I emphasise the word I heard Blaze use to describe me earlier. “Werewolves in movies and stories all seem to be under twenty-five years old, usually teenagers, but you all look at least that age. You guys must be ancient in dog years. Right Grandpa Blaze?”
Suck on that one, Blaze. I bask in the glory of my revenge for his earlier comment about me being old.
Craze loses her battle, choking on her tea as she laughs. Laze chuckles and shakes his head while Blaze and Kace both look at me curiously.
“So, you guys didn’t become alphas at when you turned eighteen or nineteen and have to run your own pack and save the world?” I ask, hoping to distract them from their suspicions about my hearing their conversation in the kitchen.
“Good lord, I see we have a lot of work to do here.” Blaze huffs and shakes his head. “Unlike what you see in the movies, no, we don’t run a pack at nineteen. I would have loved to run a pack, but we can’t to run a pack until we are at least twenty-five.”