Finding Maddox (The Road to Truth Book 3)

by Quell T Fox

  “Fuck, Maddox. Pull your head out of your ass, dude! Get your shit together. You’re hurt, I get it. You’re upset, I get it. You’re fucking angry, fine. Be angry! But quit being a bitch!”

  Maddox is up out of his seat in a second flat, and right in my face. The stench of beer is overwhelming. He’s been drinking all day, hell, probably all night too. He probably hasn’t slept either.

  “A bitch? That’s what you think I am?” Now that his temper is out, he’s slurring his words. He can’t hide the intoxication. Actually, now that he’s all up close and personal, I can tell that he hasn’t slept for sure. I feel bad for him, I really do.

  “You’re sure as fuck acting like one right now.” But me feeling bad for him, won’t keep my mouth shut. He needs some tough love in his life. And I’m here to give him his first dose.

  He punches me hard and fast, with a loud crack. I take it. My hand goes to my jaw, I stretch it open and shake it off. It hurts, but the adrenaline helps keep the pain at bay. I crack my neck, let out a long breath and lean into him, our noses almost touching. “Do you feel better?” He punches me again. I stand there in front of him, I close my eyes and I breath. This time I taste blood. Only him. Only for him.

  “You know Maddox–” Another punch. This one hits me higher, towards my eye and blood trickles down from my eyebrow. The punch caused me to see darkness for a split second. I stand to my full height, giving Maddox a shove as hard as I can. He wasn’t expecting it, so he trips back and lands on his coffee table, not breaking it – I admit, I’m disappointed that it didn’t play out like those bad ass movie scenes where the table smashes into a million pieces, damn him for having sturdy furniture – and he rolls off to the ground, landing with a grunt.

  “Is this what you need? Then stand up and fight me, Maddox. Fairly. Fight me fair. Not with your vampire bullshit. Not with your Superior bullshit. Just you and me. Right here, right now. Get up! Get the fuck up! I’ve been waiting years for this shit!”

  He stands and bolts towards me. His fist is cocked back, going for another punch but I duck before he reaches me. He loses his balance and falls to the ground. I try not to laugh, if this were any other time I would have, because it was quite comical. Don’t drink and fight, bro. He lets out a loud growl, smashing his fist to the ground before pushing himself up.

  “I said no vampire shit. Come on. Get the fuck up, Maddox!” He does and he comes at me again, but before he can get a swing on me, I punch him, catching him in the jaw as hard as I can. For everything. For every time he’s pissed me off. For every time he’s bragged about being Superior. For every time he acted like he was better than me, tougher than me. He’s back on the ground. I straddle him and I let it all out, again and again and again. I let out my anger at him, at my mom, at Lenny, Callan, at the fucking world. It all comes out, through my fists and onto Maddox’s face. I only stop when the grunts stop and the only sounds filling the air are wet slaps. Blood splatters all over the floor and all over me. His nose is broken, and so much more. His face is completely disfigured, a bloody fucking mess. I’d be terrified if I didn’t know that he’d heal soon enough. I should wait for him to heal and do it all over again. He deserves it.

  It’s a damn good thing that he’s a vampire or he’d probably be dead right now. No, not probably. He would be. I get off him, walk to the kitchen and grab myself a beer and make my way back to the living room. I take a seat in his favorite chair, just to piss him off when he wakes up. Shouldn’t be too long.

  Unfortunately, it’s too quick. He groans as soon as I sit. I was hoping to at least get a few minutes in on the chair, to fuck up his ass imprint or something.

  “Ready for more, fucker?” I ask as I crack open the beer and down half of it.

  “Shut up, dickweed.” He sits himself – the scene looking like someone out of a horror movie – and even though his face looks better, it’s still full of blood.

  “You healed quicker than normal this time.” He growls at me but doesn’t give me a real response, not that I need one. Our powers are strengthening because of Friday. He goes to the fridge and comes back with a beer.

  “Get the fuck out of my chair.” I give him a look, narrowing my eyes at him before I do. I fucking get up for him, because he’s Maddox. Without an issue, I stand the fuck up and give him his chair. He sits and I take a seat on the couch beside his.

  “We need this, Maddox.” I take another sip and massage my jaw with my other hand. I bring my fingers up to the gash in my head and it burns at the touch, I let out a sharp hiss. It’s still bleeding.

  “I know.” We sit in silence for a few, before I get up and make my way to the bathroom. My face looks awful, the gash is still bleeding but I don’t think I’ll need stitches. I mean, I probably do, but I should be fine without them. I run the water from the sink faucet until it’s warm, I rinse my face off and dry it. I dig around in his medicine cabinet and find some closure strips. We all have an abundance of medical supplies in our houses. We learned over the years that they were necessary. Callan took stock from his dad whenever he could. I don’t know if this stuff has an expiration date, but if they do then I’m sure they’re all expired at this point.

  I pull a few strips from the small red box. I pinch the skin together with one hand and press the bandage over with the other. I find a cloth and wipe the dripping blood off. I stay here for a couple of minutes making sure that the blood stops. Finally, it does. I throw the bloodied hand towel into the trash before grabbing my beer off the counter and going back to the living room.

  “You know, back then with Charlene,” if I startled him, he doesn’t make it known. His eyes are still glued to the TV even though I know he isn’t paying attention to what’s on. It’s some infomercial bullshit with someone selling women’s shoes. He’s definitely not watching this shit. “You were right. I just–I don’t know. There was so much going on with us. You were all I had. I love Lenny, I always have, but he took from me. You were all I had Maddox. But I know it was right, I know that he shouldn’t have gone back to her. He’d probably be dead right now. This is why you’re the Superior. I know that now. I’ve known that for a long time. You aren’t selfish, not like me. That’s why it’s you. And I’m okay with that.” I finish off my beer. “It was so hard after mom… after her and Aaron. I had no one then. I blamed Lenny for losing you, but then I got over it, realizing that if I had just gone along with it, then maybe I wouldn’t have. It wasn’t that little shit’s fault that his mom was a douche bag.”

  “You had us.” That’s it. That’s all he says. Like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and why should I feel otherwise?

  “It didn’t feel like I did. Callan had his shit going on, Lenny needed to be taken care of. We were the ones doing it, taking care of them. When all I wanted was for someone to take care of me. Just for once in my fucking life I want to be taken care of.”

  “Friday.” He whispers.

  “Friday.”

  CHAPTER 12

  ​Friday

  ​Callan ordered pizza for us, since there isn’t any food in the house, and no one felt like cooking anyway. I ventured through the house a bit, familiarizing myself with where everything is. There are three bedrooms on the second floor, each with their own bathroom. There is a smaller living room/den area that doesn’t seem to ever be used. On the first floor is a large kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, a full bathroom and another room towards the back that is his library – and it is a library in every sense of the word. I peeked in, but I didn’t want to go in until I could full appreciate the beauty of it. Tomorrow. That’s what I told him. Right now, I’m just too tired.

  ​Callan offered for me to stay in his room since it’s the largest, and the only bedroom with a full bath attached. He also promised that his bed is the most comfortable, not only in here but in the whole neighborhood. I gave him a look after he made the comment, and it took him a few seconds to realize what he had said. I shook my head and laughed,
while he stuttered through words trying to explain that he didn’t mean it that way. I laughed more, until finally he gave up on trying to explain and just laughed with me.

  I tried to decline the room. He’s been away from home for a while, and I’m sure he wants his bed, but he “wouldn’t have it any other way”. I wasn’t in a mood to argue. Callan and Lenny each chose to stay in one of the guest rooms. Callan brought the bags in as promised. My lonely suitcase is off to the side, and this is the first time that I’m feeling the weight of living out of bags. Both from living out of bags for so long, packing and unpacking so many times, and now, hoping that I grabbed the right suitcase and have something to wear before Alec gets here. I don’t have a home. Yeah, I have the guys and I know that I can stay with them, but that isn’t my home. I don’t have an address, a place to call my own, but I am grateful to have a place to lie my head at night and four amazing men to share a bed with.

  I took a much needed shower in the largest shower that I have ever set my eyes on. Callan is spoiled. I change into my pajamas and get into bed after saying goodnight to two of the most special guys that I have ever met.

  Callan was right. This bed is comfortable. I sink into the mattress, the soft sheets under me add to the feeling of laying on a cloud. I lay there for a while, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Thoughts of Maddox and Alec run through my head and how I hope that they are both okay. My hand moves to my chest as that familiar ache pings right in the center. I hope that Alec was able to get through to him. Where are they? I think about Lenny and how hurt he is, just by hurting Maddox. Not even for himself, but for someone else. He’s so selfless, so sweet and so innocent. He didn’t mean to hurt Maddox, and Maddox needs to know that. He better know that. If Maddox doesn’t forgive him, I’ll chop off his nuts and nail them to his forehead.

  ​I drift off into a half-awake, half-asleep state when the creak of the door sounds, and soft footsteps fill the air. A smile plays across my lips as I feel him get into bed with me. I assume it’s Lenny needing some cuddle time, that is until I smell the fresh scent that is only Callan Grant. He gets under the blankets and slides close to me. Closer than normal. Peace falls over me at being in bed with one of my guys, and not alone. I sometimes need the alone time, but sometimes I think that I need it and I don’t. They always seem to know the difference. There’s been a few times where I’ve felt like they know me better than I know myself. I always have a peaceful sleep when one of them is with me, and that’s what I could really use right now – a peaceful sleep.

  ​Callan slowly closes the rest of the distance between us. His front is pressed firmly against my back. His hand slides gently over my waist, down my hip and over my thigh. Goosebumps cover my flesh in an instant. He places a kiss on the back of my neck that pulls a small moan from my lips. I arch my back, pressing my ass into his already hard length. He pushes into me and the sound that escapes his mouth leaves me breathless.

  ​“Callan…”

  ​“Shh. I want this, Friday. I’ve wanted this since the day I met you.” He whispers into my ear, nipping at my lobe between words.

  ​I roll towards him. His hand moves to my cheek, his thumb brushing over it ever so gently and then his lips are on mine. Our tongues dance together as my hand slides up his bare chest. His fingers squeeze my ass as he grinds his length into me. We kiss for a long time, like teenagers. Callan makes me feel like a teenager all over again. His lips move to my neck, he sucks and bites gingerly, pulling more moans from me that disappear into the darkness. Each moan that escapes my lips, I swear makes him harder. He pulls my camisole down, freeing my breast and his lips go to my already hardened nipple. He takes it between his teeth, flicking his tongue over it. My hands go to his hair, tugging at the strands, pulling him closer to me.

  ​“Please. More, Callan. I need more.” He pulls back, his eyes are hard to make out in the dark, but without his glasses I can see them more clearly. They are bright and filled with a need that we both share. The bright green of his eyes flicker in the bit of moonlight that shines through the window. I take his hand and place it over my already swollen core. His eyes flutter shut, and he lets out a harsh breath. “Like this,” I tell him. I move his hand over me, spreading my legs so he can reach. I pull my panties to the side with my other hand, and continue to guide his hand over me, through me, into me. My hips lift off the bed, his fingers slide over my wetness and fuck it feels so good. Callan continues to watch me like I am a raging fire, burning everything down around us. Nothing could make me believe that he isn’t loving every second of this just as much as I am.

  ​“In. I want you in me.” He slides his fingers down tentatively and pushes one finger inside of me on his own accord. I let out a moan and he does the same. He moves his finger slowly, in and out, curling it up just the slightest. “More.” He adds another finger and moves them in and out faster. My eyes meet his, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he watches me enjoy what he’s doing to me. I move my hand down and rub over my clit while he continues plunging in and out of me with his fingers.

  ​“I want to come. Make me come, Callan.” He tenses for a moment but then moves his fingers faster. In and out, in and out. “Harder.” He does as I say. My hand moving in a slower rhythm than his, but oh so close to falling over the edge. The look in Callan’s eye is what finally sends me over that edge. The intrigue, the want, the need. It’s beyond words. I orgasm with his name on my lips. He slows his movements as I come down from the high that his fingers caused. I take a moment to catch my breathe. I roll onto my side and capture his mouth in mine. My hand goes straight to his cock and I squeeze. He’s thicker than both Lenny and Maddox, my fingers barely touching. My hand sneaks inside of his soft, cotton pants and I pull them down, freeing his cock. I kick the blankets off the bed and pull my panties down, throwing them… somewhere. I straddle Callan’s hips, hovering over his length allowing only the head to press against me.

  ​“Oh, fuck.” His hands grip my hips and I ask, “are you sure?”

  “Yes. Yes, I’m sure.” He says.

  I settle onto him. My arousal and cum allow him to slide right in. He fills me up, entirely. I rock my hips forward, Callan’s hands squeezing and pulling at my thighs. I lean down and take his lip between my teeth, running my tongue along the plump flesh. “You feel so good, Friday. So. Good.” His word ends on a moan and I feel him thicken inside of me, so I move faster wanting to pull his orgasm from him. His hips move along with me, pushing up and into me harder and faster until I feel his warm liquid filling me. His moves slow and finally stop. His chest heaves, his fingers still digging into the thick flesh of my thighs. He pulls me down to lean over him and I rest my cheek on his chest. I fall asleep to the hard, fast thumping of his heart.

  CHAPTER 13

  ​Lenny

  ​I wake with a gasp, my body soaked in a layer of sweat. Looking at my phone I see that it’s only a little after 1AM. What woke me? I lay my head back on the soft, fluffy pillow and try to settle my racing heart. A sense of peace washes over me and my body gets unusually warm, starting at my fingertips and my toes. It rides up my body, through my fingers, my arms, my legs and settles into the middle of my chest. It pulses for a moment before it disappears.

  ​“What the hell was that?” I ask myself quietly, bringing my hand to my bare chest. Did I just have a heart attack? No, that would be more painful. Plus, I’m kind of young for that. But with all this stress lately, I wouldn’t be surprised. I stand from the bed that is always mine when I stay at Callan’s house, which isn’t often. It’s always made up in the same silver sheets and royal blue comforter. The bed isn’t very comfortable, it’s too stiff, not slept in enough. I should stay here more often. I walk out of the room and down the stairs to get a drink. I fill a glass with water and down it in a few gulps. I rinse my face and dry it with a paper towel before tossing it into the trash. I lean against the counter for a moment, enjoying the silence. A slight tingle still lingers in my chest f
rom whatever that was.

  ​I walk back up the stairs, wanting to get back to bed. I’m unusually tired. I hear being depressed makes you tired, and I guess that would explain it. Heartbreak can lead to depression, right? Because that’s what I am. Heartbroken. And the only person I can blame is myself. Before I go to my room, I peek in on Friday to make sure she’s okay. What I see, I almost can’t believe. I’m pretty sure she’s asleep. I think they are both asleep, but she’s naked and he’s naked. He, as in Callan. Like, butt ass naked. She’s lying on top of him. Naked. They are naked, together, in bed.

  ​Wow. Way to go Callan. I smile, something I haven’t done in what feels like forever. It feels as if a piece of my broken heart, just found its way back. Maybe in time they will all find their way back.

  ​I slip into the room quietly, their slow even breathing tells me that they are in fact sleeping. I pick up the blankets from the floor and cover them both. I run my hand through Friday’s long waves and turn back to my room.

  Maddox

  ​The feeling in my hand makes me drop my beer. It’s numb, almost. But not in the bad way, it’s somehow comforting and relaxing. Like it’s been massaged a little too much, a little too hard. I hold my hand out in front of me, staring at it in wonder. My skin begins to warm and tingle. The sensation grows stronger at the ends of my limbs and travels towards my chest. It all settles there, the warmth becoming a bit overwhelming. Right when I think it may be too much, it burns out, leaving only a small tingle.

  ​I shake my arm out, kind of freaked out over the sensation. I look to the floor, remembering that I dropped my beer. I move quickly to pick it up, luckily it was mostly empty, so I didn’t make too much of a mess and I didn’t waste much. I stand, walking passed Alec who is asleep on the couch, head to the kitchen to grab a towel to clean up the spilled beer.