by Toni Griffin
The feeling of safety they imbibed every time they were around wrapped Archie up like a blanket, keeping him warm and out of harm's way. It was also the reason he'd felt maybe the kidnapping was accidental like Adze had claimed. There had been someone else trying to abduct him, the hounds had come to rescue him—their eyes etched into his memory better than anything else. Adze's eyes, exactly the same ones as his fantasy man. Could he really be the Cor Coeunt Adze claimed him to be?
The confusing thoughts whirled around in his mind as Archie tried to work. His fingers tapped away at the keyboard in front of him as he sent off several emails to clients requesting paperwork he needed. He tried to keep himself busy, as when he stopped that's when his thoughts turned to everything that had happened reliving each moment in vivid detail. Jesus Christ that kiss was the most scorching Archie had ever experience in his life.
The phone ringing scared Archie, breaking him out of his concentration. He picked it up, noticing it was Miles's from reception.
"Hey man, what's up?" he asked, slightly confused. He very rarely got calls from Miles throughout the day.
"Is it your birthday today?" Miles asked him.
"Uhhh. Nope. Not even close. Why?"
"Then you've been holding out on us!" Miles said.
"Miles, what are you talking about?" Archie liked Miles, he really did, but God the man could try one's patience when he wanted to.
"Delivery for you, in reception." Miles hung up the phone abruptly.
Archie wondered who the hell would be sending him a delivery. He wasn't expecting anything work related, and there was no way his folks would be sending him anything. He worried, for a moment, the man who had tried to abduct him sent him something to work. There was only one way to find out.
Archie wondered if Adze and his hounds would let something hostile come into his building. A feeling of reassurance swept over him that they wouldn't. Shouldn't he be worried about how just the thought of Adze affected him? Archie shook off the feeling then stood from his desk and headed to reception. Miles sat at the desk a massive grin on his face as he watched Archie walk toward him.
Hopefully, Miles's smile meant good news, not creepy?
A delivery man stood on the other side with a tablet in his hand, two boxes sat on the desk in front of him, the man looked up at Archie.
"You Archibald Hennings?" he asked.
"I am," Archie replied.
"Sign here please." The man held out the tablet and the stylus and pointed to a spot on the screen that said recipient signature.
Archie signed and handed the items back to the delivery man.
"Enjoy," the guy said then turned and pressed the button for the lifts to take him back down again.
"Who loves you?" Miles asked him, his eyes alight with curiosity.
"I have no idea," Archie lied as Adze popped into his head and he walked around the desk. He shook the image away because it just didn't make sense in his mind, but his heart told his head to shut up and listen.
"I can tell you right now, my mouth is watering for whatever is in that box." Miles pointed to the large white box that had been tied up with string and had blue writing on the side of it. "Please tell me you're planning on sharing with the rest of us?"
"What is it?" Archie asked, confused.
"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Burch and Purchese bakery?"
"Nope, sorry, are they any good?" Archie asked. He could just start to make out a sweet, sugary scent of something. The smell tantalised his taste buds.
"Good? They're incredible. Their miniatures go for nearly ten dollars each, and a large cake from there will set you back close to two hundred dollars."
Archie's eyes bulged. "Two hundred bucks for a cake?" he spluttered. "Who would spend that kind of money on a cake?"
"You tell me!" Miles snickered as he stood up, his eyes glued to the parcel, waiting impatiently for Archie to open it. "Come on, man. I'm dying to see what it is. Did I tell you they change their menu like every month?"
"Jesus." Archie undid the string that was loosely wrapped around the box and folded the lid back.
His mouth watered at the sight before him.
Miles wolf-whistled at the cake.
A couple of the other staff had noticed what was going on and had made their way out to the reception desk, all of them drooling over the cake in front of Archie.
The cake was a work of art, it looked perfect, not a blemish to be seen. The cream-coloured outside looked like it had been spray painted with red colouring, leaving a perfect speckled appearance. The sides were a deep red that gradually lightened then disappeared altogether as you worked your way around the cake.
The top was decorated with perfect circular mounds of what Archie guessed were raspberry and possibly lemon flavoured goodness and finished with small squares of speckled white chocolate.
"Oh man, I love that place," Agatha, from the payroll department said.
"Really?" Archie asked her.
"Yep, I stop by every Friday and allow myself to indulge in one of their small creations. They're to die for."
"Well it looks like afternoon tea is on me today," Archie said.
His mouth was watering at just the sight of the cake in front of him. He really couldn't wait to taste it. But first, he wanted to know who the hell had sent it to him. Out of the two possibilities, he knew which he preferred. That he had a preference between two kidnappers was equally startling to him, but Archie wasn't about to let his workmates in on that detail.
"Could you guys take it to the break room for me? I'll be along in a minute I just have to take this parcel to my desk."
"What, you mean you're not going to tell me who sent you this? Or what's in the other box?" Miles asked with a pout.
Archie laughed. "Nope, but I will share the cake, so be happy. Now, don't even think about starting without me."
"No promises," Miles said then winked at Archie.
He picked up the other box and headed back to his desk.
Archie grabbed his scissors and sliced through the tape holding the box closed. Opening the flaps Archie's heart melted at the first thing he saw. He reached inside and pulled out the cutest thing he'd ever seen. A black dog, made of soft and smooth leather. He had to be about twenty centimetres high, his front paws straight, his little butt was sitting down, his tail out behind him. His little head was tilted up, almost like he was begging. A silver chain was wrapped around his neck like a collar. The only thing that gave Archie a moment of pause was the dog's eyes. They were red, giving the little fella an eerie look for a moment until Archie thought of someone else with red eyes.
Archie opened the note that had been attached to the collar and read it.
Archie,
I know we got off to a rough start, but would really love to get to know you better. I'll wait for as long as you need. Until then, I wanted you to have something to remember me by. I hope one day you'll think I'm half as cute as this little guy.
Your phone looked like it was on its last legs when I glimpsed it the other day. If you decided you wanted to call me, just to talk, I didn't want you to not be able to. Don't be mad at me.
Enjoy the cake.
Forever yours,
Adze.
P.S. my number is 0478 554 666
Archie furrowed his brows when he finished the note. Why would Archie be mad at Adze? Then he glanced back at the box, which he assumed was empty and gasped. He reached in a pulled out a brand-new iPhone 7 plus.
He stared at the box for what felt like forever. With all his money going to paying off his debts, Archie had never had a phone that cost him more than about seventy-five dollars. He'd drooled over the iPhones when they came out, but really couldn't justify spending over a grand for one of them, or locking himself into a contract for more than a hundred bucks a month for two years in order to get one. So, he'd done without.
He should give it back, but he really didn't want to.
His phone ringing jolted him from his int
ernal struggle.
"Oy," Miles said down the line. "You better get in here quick. I don't know how much longer I can hold these vultures back from cutting into your cake."
Archie laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming."
Archie hung up the phone and headed to the break room.
Half the office was now in there, plates and forks in hand, all waiting for Archie to cut the cake and take the first slice.
He was going to have to tell Adze not to do this again unless he wanted to start a riot on the fifteenth floor of their building. Apparently, Archie was the only person in his office that didn't know who the bakery was.
Archie took the knife from Miles and cut himself a nice big slice. It was his cake after all. He then handed the knife back to Miles.
"Can I trust you to make sure everyone who wants some gets a piece?" he asked. Archie wanted to take his cake and head back to his desk. He had a puppy to pat and a brand-new iPhone to play with. He ignored the fact that he was at work and being paid to do a job. It was Friday afternoon after all. No one ever got anything done on Friday afternoons.
"Sure thing!" Mile took the knife and started slicing.
"Enjoy everyone!" Archie said and left the break room, to dozens of calls of thanks.
* * * * *
Adze watched from across the street in the shadows as Archie left his work on Friday afternoon. His mate looked delicious. Adze wanted to devour him but knew that would have to wait.
Archie stopped and looked around when he walked out of the building. Like he was checking the coast was clear. It was a habit, but a new one if the wary look on his face was anything to go by. Friday afternoon and the streets were busy, filled with people heading to the pub after a long week at work, others racing to get home to their partners and families. Adze would make sure his Cor Coeunt got home safely.
After messing around with his wireless headphones with a smile on his face, Archie placed them in his ears and fiddled with his phone for a minute. Adze couldn't help the wide grin he sported as he spotted the leather puppy under Archie's arm. Maybe his Cor Coeunt wasn't so averse to him? It was the first genuine smile he'd seen from the man since they started guarding him. Archie put his new iPhone away and held the pup close like it was precious, then turned and headed down the street.
Adze grinned to himself. He had been worried Archie would return his gifts. He was immensely happy to see the man using the new phone. Knowing where his mate was would help put Adze at ease when they were out hunting for Bates. Adze wasn't opposed to keeping tabs on the man meant to be his as long as it meant he was safe. He could always find a way to apologize later if Archie found out and got mad.
Following Archie at a distance, Adze kept an eye on his surroundings. He scented the air and felt for the familiar tug of a nephilim being close by. However, there weren't any obvious signs of Bates being near. Though it'd be harder to tell in his human form. While Adze had assigned one of the hounds to watch Archie at all times until Bates was caught and killed, he felt a few more precautions were better than nothing. He wasn't going to risk Archie getting taken again.
When Archie stepped onto the tram, Adze hurried on amidst the crowd at the back.
The man in front of Adze nearly knocked him out with the stench of his BO. Had these people never heard of deodorant? He took a deep breath and tried to hold it for as long as he could.
Adze never lost sight of Archie. His mate had managed to snag a seat up front, his head tilted down. Adze figured he was playing with his new phone.
The bad BO guy finally got off at the next stop and Adze could breathe a little easier as the tram made its way through the city.
He kept his distance as Archie got off the tram and headed home. Adze hoped his mate had sense enough to stay there for the night, but no luck, within a half hour Archie was dressed once again as he had been when Adze had first met him, black slacks and a white shirt. Archie glanced around when he left the apartment building, his gaze sweeping over where Adze stood in the shadows.
Adze saw the little smile on Archie's lips before the man turned and headed down the road in the direction of his second job. The thought that Archie might actually appreciate their watching over him gave Adze hope.
He followed Archie as he walked the several blocks to his job. Once Archie finally let Adze into his life this would be one of the first things to go. There would be no need for Archie to have to work himself to the bone.
Adze could just tell that Archie was going to be stubborn about it, though, but he hoped he could wear the man down with time.
He watched as Archie walked into a restaurant. Happy his mate would be safe for the next several hours, Adze turned and headed home. They had planning to do for that night's hunt. He'd be back later to make sure Archie made it home again. Bates had so far snatched all his victims off the street, he hadn't once taken someone from within their homes. Adze hoped this meant that as long as Archie was inside, he was safe.
Adze dragged his tired body inside. They'd been out all night patrolling the city. His mate had made it home safely just after midnight according to Pyro and Daevas who had been the two assigned to follow him and make sure he was safe before continuing on with their patrol.
Nicor and Cacus had alerted at around one A.M. to the lingering scent of a nephilim in their vicinity, but after much searching and tracking it had come to a dead end.
The sun would be peeking over the horizon in a matter of minutes. Adze said a tired good night to his pack mates and dragged his sorry ass to his room.
The scent of Archie still lingered on his sheets, and if Adze weren't as tired as he was he'd give some pretty serious thought to rubbing one out, but right now all he wanted was sleep. Maybe when he woke in a few hours' time, he would be feeling a little more like it.
He stripped out of the loose shorts and shirt he'd thrown on not ten minutes ago and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up around him. The scent of his mate settled something deep inside Adze as he closed his eyes let sleep take him.
Adze felt like he'd only just closed his eyes when the shrill sound of his phone woke him up.
Groggily he moved his arm up and started fumbling on his bedside table until his fingers closed around the smooth plastic of his phone case. He swiped the screen and placed the phone to his ear, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Mmmm," he mumbled, not really capable of anything more coherent just yet.
"Are you still in bed?" Matti asked incredulously.
"What you want?" he groaned, wanting this to be over with quickly so he could get back to sleep.
"Adze, wake up!" Matti barked at him.
Adze jolted, his eyes fluttering open, he pulled the phone from his ear and gave it the death stare, when the clock told him it was eight fifteen, before returning it to the side of his head.
"What the fuck, Matti?" he groused. "I've had maybe two hours sleep, max. This had better be bloody important, or I'm hanging up and turning my phone off."
"Bates killed again last night," Matti said, completely ignoring Adze's snitty tone.
That woke Adze the fuck up.
He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them of sleep. Then he swore like a fucking sailor.
"When, how, who?" he asked.
"Looks like you were wrong, your boy might be safe after all."
"Just because he's killed someone else, doesn't mean he won't go after Archie again," Adze argued.
"Did you have any sign of him last night?" Matti asked.
"Faint traces, nothing concrete to go on. And nothing we were able to track. Bates was long gone by the time we got to where he had been."
Matti hummed down the line then softly said, "Seems you pissed this guy off if the latest victim is anything to go by. Poor guy looks like he suffered greatly."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Adze swore. "Send the reports through. I'll read over everything and catch the guys up. We need to get this asshole."
"You do." She pau
sed, and Adze knew she was holding back something else.
"What is it?" he asked. "What aren't you telling me?"
She sighed. "We have another situation escalating in Brisbane."
"For fuck's sake!" Adze swore. "Just what kind of situation are we talking about here?"
"Looks like it could be the work of a Djinn," Matti told him.
Adze swore again. He fucking hated those things when they went bad. Shapeshifting fuckers, they could take the form of any human and even some animals. Made it a bitch to track down.
"Send the details, and we'll take care of it." Adze sighed. This was not how he planned on starting his weekend.
Chapter Eleven
Archie stared at the little flashing cursor on the message screen of his new phone. He had written and rewritten a message to Adze a thousand times since yesterday afternoon, but couldn't quite settle on exactly what he wanted to say.
He leaned over and picked the red-eyed puppy up off the bedside table, where Archie had placed him when he'd gotten home from work yesterday. The feel of the buttery soft leather under his fingers was incredible, and the damn thing smelled so good.
If he were about a hundred times bigger and fiercer he would be the spitting image of Adze, as it was, he was just an adorable reminder of the man Archie hadn't been able to stop thinking about for damn days now.
He really did need to thank Adze for his gifts. The longer he left it, the more he looked and felt like a complete asshole.
Taking a deep breath, Archie typed out the first thing that came to mind.
Thank you for the gifts. The cake was delicious and enjoyed by the entire office. Little Bael is happy in his new home, and I love the phone, although you really shouldn't have.
Before he could think any more about it, Archie clicked send. He held his breath for a minute, not sure if he was expecting a response right away or not. When none was forthcoming, he figured Adze was probably either busy or still asleep. It was early on a Saturday morning.