Independents: Taoree Trilogy #2

by Michele Notaro

  Orrean paused and sighed. “Later that night, I snuck back into the lab. Autnomlias was fighting his restraints, trying to break free. I wanted to free him so badly, but Thelonious had already explained what he’d done. I could see that my boyfriend was no longer there, even as I looked into his foggy white eyes. He was gone.” He sighed, but his eyes were watery. “When the Qiren were taking him, when he was screaming in pain, he looked at me and begged me to kill him. He begged me to put him out of his misery. It was the last coherent thing he said to me.” I saw a stray tear run down his cheek. “So I snuck back down and killed Autnomlias so he wouldn’t suffer further because of me… It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” Orr looked right at me and whispered, “I was fourteen. Thelonious thought he’d been scaring me into blindly following him, but he accomplished the exact opposite. That was the day I decided that I would do anything and everything I could to stop Thelonious… it’s been about sixteen years, but I still swear to Enimus I will take that bastard down, one way or another.”

  What the hell was I supposed to say to that? That I was sorry? That it sounded like the worst thing I’d ever heard and I couldn’t believe he’d had to go through it? That his brother was a dickhead bastard that deserved to have his balls chopped off, followed by his head?

  No, there wasn’t anything I could say to that.

  So I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tight. He was tense and immovable for a long moment, but finally he relaxed into the embrace and tucked his head onto my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist. I couldn’t help but think about the way he fit in my arms, almost like the way Colt fit in them.

  Colt. My Colt. Orrean’s Autnomlias. They were gone. They left us behind.

  We stayed that way for a long time. So long that I lost track of time, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to hold him and make him understand that I was here. Even though I’d been a jerk, I was here. Even if I couldn’t be here the way he wanted, I was still here.

  He pulled back and when I looked into his eyes, I got lost in them, like I always did. My hand lifted of its own accord and cupped his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch for a moment, then opened those gorgeous purple eyes that were depthless. They started to fill up with tears and when one slid down his cheek, I wiped it with my other thumb, then placed that hand on his cheek too.

  I leaned closer to him so my nose was only centimeters from his. Then I closed my eyes and slowly closed the distance, lightly pressing my lips to his. As soon as his soft lips touched mine, I felt a spark shoot through my entire body and fill me with a warmth I’d never felt before. I could feel it in every shred of my being, I could feel it in my soul. It was like my body and soul exploded, then came back together and settled in a different, better place. I could feel my light come alive and buzz with excitement.

  I heard a little groan that wasn’t my own, and I froze. That wasn’t Colt’s voice. Those weren’t Colt’s lips. That wasn’t Colt’s light filling me with the most amazing contentment I’d ever felt. It wasn’t Colt.

  Colt.

  Oh my god, what have I done?

  I pulled away and dropped my hands, my eyes wide with fear.

  He was panting and trembling, searching my eyes as he whispered, “Emm Balu?”

  I looked away. I didn’t need the reminder of what I was to him. I blew out a breath and braced myself before saying, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

  His face sank, suddenly looking miserable and dejected.

  “I’m so sorry…” I scrambled, looking for the right words. “Oh, god, Orrean, I’m so sorry. I don’t… I didn’t… I… I want to be friends, Orrean. Family.” I glanced at his heartbroken face before finding a spot on the wall to focus on. “You’re a part of my family, you’re my friend… but…” I huffed. “It can’t be more than that, okay? I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have, uh, kissed you.” I sighed. “I just… I just need you to be my friend.”

  I took a chance and looked at him. His purple eyes were filled with tears again and I watched as his double eyelids blinked across, then down, and a tear fell from his eye. His voice was barely above a whisper, but I heard him say, “Okay.” He took a shaky breath and wiped his cheek.

  Then he got up and I didn’t miss the way he looked at the mural on my wall, the mural I’d painted of our field. He took another deep breath as he stared at it before walking out of my room, shutting the door behind him, and making my chest hurt worse than it had when I woke from that dream… from those horrible memories.

  Chapter Ten

  Orrean and I had been skirting around one another all week, avoiding eye contact, barely saying more than two words to each other. We were making things super awkward for not only each other, but our team members and family too. And Cal hadn’t shut his big fat mouth about it, either.

  When we got back to our suite, or apartment as we’d taken to calling it, after a scouting mission, Cal announced that we were going to have a family dinner in our apartment. And that everyone had to be there or he’d drag us there by our ears. I had no doubt he would.

  After I took a shower and put on my sweats and a tee, I made my way out to the common room in our apartment. Cal and Nolan were in the little kitchen area and Orr was sitting on the couch. Wes and Mandy weren’t out there yet. I automatically went into the kitchen so I could avoid Orrean.

  As soon as I stepped in, Cal said, “Nope. You’re not welcome here.”

  “What?”

  “You’re not allowed in the kitchen, J.”

  “But… I thought you wanted the whole family out here,” I said, confused and a little offended.

  He rolled his eyes at me. “You’re such a dumbass. Go sit in the living room.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. “Right. Now.”

  “Cal…”

  He narrowed his eyes at me, then suddenly pulled my arm, making me turn, then he held onto my shoulders and marched me back out to the living room. When we got to the couch, he maneuvered me around until he could push me to sit on the couch… beside Orrean. Cal grinned at me and I huffed out a breath at him, then crossed my arms and leaned back on the couch. Cal chuckled as he walked away.

  Orr and I sat in uncomfortable silence for a good five minutes. But finally, I couldn’t take it any longer, so I said, “What are you doing?”

  “Reading,” he said bluntly, waving the book in his hand a little.

  I sighed in annoyance. “What are you reading?”

  “Some book about wizards and magic and a wizard school. It’s fascinating.”

  “Are you reading Harry Potter?” I asked kinda loudly, making him flinch and stare at me.

  “Yes, have you heard of it?”

  I laughed at that. “Dude, those books are awesome. The movies were good too, but I love the books. Which one are you on?”

  His eyes were wide, but he turned the book so I could see the cover.

  “Oh, only book one. Hmm… you don’t look like you’re very far into it. You definitely need to read all of them. When you finish, maybe we can hunt down a TV and a DVD player or whatever. I’m sure we can find the movies in a house somewhere. They’re really popular.”

  He kept staring at me with widened eyes. Very slowly his vertical eyelids blinked, followed by his horizontal ones. It used to freak me out a little, but I was completely used to it now. Plus, out of everything we’d experienced, that was like the least weird.

  “Why are you just staring at me like that?”

  He swallowed, then quietly said, “That was the most you’ve said to me at one time all week.”

  I cringed at that and sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  He set the book on the coffee table and turned toward me. “Do you really still want to be… friends?”

  Without realizing what I was doing, I ran my hand over his hair, making him shiver as I whispered, “Of course I do.”

  He nodded, then settled into the couch, fa
cing forward again. “I thought you were only being nice the other night, and that was why you’ve been avoiding me all week.”

  I faced forward, too, and nudged him with my shoulder. “Nah, I’m just a jerk. Sorry. I meant what I said about being friends and family.”

  He nodded and leaned forward so his elbows were on his thighs. “Good.”

  I touched the end of his braid and asked, “Why do all Taoree keep their hair braided? I mean, you even keep it braided in your sleep… or you did when we were traveling.”

  “We keep it this way to protect it. When it’s not braided, the individual strands are weaker, but together they are strong.”

  “Why would they need to be strong?”

  “If Taoree hair is cut, it will not stop bleeding.”

  My brow furrowed. “Your hair bleeds?”

  “Yes.”

  I slowly asked, “Are you saying that you will bleed to death if your hair is cut?”

  He nodded. “I hear it is a very painful way to die.”

  I blanched at that, then stated, “I thought you said a reelian was the only way to kill Taoree.”

  “No, that is not what I said. I told you that a reelian was one of the few weapons that could kill Taoree, but we can bleed to death just like humans.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us that before?”

  “It isn’t exactly efficient in a battle to chop off someone’s hair and just wait for them to die. It isn’t as if they wouldn’t keep fighting, now is it? It is much quicker to shoot a Taoree in the head or heart with a reelian.”

  “Does that mean you could bleed to death if you, like, lost an arm or something?” I asked.

  He nodded. “It is possible, but like I said, it is not efficient.”

  “Possible, but not absolute,” I stated, rather than asked. “But with your hair, you sounded as if you would definitely bleed out.”

  “I do not know of any Taoree that survived their hair being cut,” he said quietly.

  I swallowed thickly at that, not wanting to think about it. I touched his hair and stopped to look at one of the beads in it. “Why do you have beads in your hair?”

  He shot me a small smile. “They aren’t beads, they are called riadias. They are kind of like mementos. Every Taoree puts them in their hair for different reasons. That riadias you’re playing with was Autnomlias’s, you know, my best friend when I was growing up. It is a way to remember him.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said as I let go of the bead, or the riadias.

  “I do not mind, Jeremy. It’s nice to share that part of my life with someone.”

  I nudged him a little with my shoulder and when he looked at me, I smiled gratefully. He smiled back. Then I changed the subject. “I’ve run out of room in my bedroom to paint. I think I might start out here.”

  “That would be nice,” he said. “The painting of Colt in your bedroom is gorgeous. It looks just like him.”

  “Thank you.” I nudged him again before sitting back. When I looked at him, I couldn’t help but run my hand over his hair yet again. I didn’t know what the fuck my problem was, but it was becoming a habit, though Orrean never complained or seemed to mind.

  “Don’t be a dickhead,” Nolan yelled in the kitchen, making both Orrean and me laugh.

  Tabby walked in, looked at us laughing, raised her brow, then walked past us without a word. I heard her say, “Cal, quit being an asshat.”

  I had no clue what the hell my friend was doing in there, but it didn’t surprise me that it was something that made both of them yell at him.

  Orrean wiped his hands over his face and said, “I’m glad you’re talking to me again.”

  “Me too,” I said simply, because I’d fucking missed him, even if I didn’t want to admit it. I ran my hand over his braid—yet again—and he quivered.

  “Jeremy,” Orr said quietly, in a strange tone of voice that I didn’t recognize.

  “Yeah?”

  “If we’re…” He blew out a breath. “If we’re going to be friends… just friends, I mean.” He cleared his throat. “Then you should probably stop touching my hair.”

  I blinked at him for a long moment, not quite grasping what he was saying. Then I furrowed my brow and asked suspiciously, “Why?”

  He puffed out his cheeks, then ran his hand across his forehead. “Uh… so the thing is… touching a Taoree’s hair is… intimate.”

  I blanched. “What? What does that mean?”

  He ran his fingers across his forehead again. Great, he’s fucking nervous. This outta be good. He cleared his throat before saying, “So, you see… well… okay…”

  “Just spit it out, Orrean.” I’ve never seen him like this. Jesus, what did I do to him?

  He cringed. “Taoree hair is extra sensitive, and, um… feels almost like it would if I were to rub your nipples, or your… um, area.” He waved his hand in the direction of my dick.

  I heard Cal, Nolan, and Tabby start cracking up laughing, but I could only stare at Orrean with wide eyes. Eventually I said, “So you’re saying that every time I touched your hair, I was…” I cringed, but pushed through, “turning you on?” Cal started laughing so hard, he sounded like he couldn’t breathe.

  Orrean huffed out, “Yes.”

  “And you kept letting me?” My voice rose so high and loud, everyone in the whole base probably heard me.

  Orr looked away from me, and I saw his cheeks start to turn pink as he whispered, “I liked it.”

  I opened my mouth in shock, then snapped it closed, then opened it again. “Dude. You were letting me fondle you!” I was totally yelling now.

  “I’m sorry!” He yelled back. “I couldn’t help it!” His eyes were wide and he started doing that shoulder-roll thing again and fidgeting all over the place.

  “Orrean!” I yelled, but started laughing a little. He was ridiculous.

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you sooner.”

  “Yeah, you should have,” I agreed, but seeing his cheeks turn even redder made me laugh a little bit.

  He eyed me for a moment. “You’re not mad?”

  “I’m… I don’t know what I am, but no, I’m not mad. I just feel a little… dirty or something.”

  He furrowed his brow. “You just had a shower.”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out at that. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He threw his hands up. “You and your fucking slang.”

  I was still laughing. “I can’t believe you just said ‘fucking.’”

  “I’m allowed to curse.”

  “Never said you weren’t.” I grinned at him.

  He sighed, then leaned over and gave my shoulder a little push. “You’re incredibly frustrating.”

  My grin turned to a full-blown smile. “Aww, thanks, man.”

  He glared at me. “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  I laughed a little. He is so fun to tease.

  Cal came over and pushed me until I scooted closer to Orrean so he could sit on the couch in the corner. I complained, “How come you always get the armrest?”

  “I’m older… and bigger than you,” he said and flashed me a smirk.

  I scowled at him. “You’re only twenty-one days older than me, you jerkface.”

  “Still counts, dickwad.”

  Nolan settled onto the loveseat with Tabby on his lap, and a minute later Wes and Mandy joined us in the living room. Wes sat beside Nolan, and Mandy pulled the chair closer to the coffee table and laid out her notebooks to start on her homework.

  When Orrean leaned forward to help Mandy read something in Taoree, Cal looked at me, nodded at Orr and asked, “You thinking about running your hand through his hair again?”

  “Cal!” I punched his shoulder, but couldn’t help but laugh, especially when I heard Nolan, Cal, Tabby, and Orrean all laughing too.

  I had the fleeting thought that this friendship thing with Orr might just work.

  It was nice to just have us together, laughing and spen
ding time with one another. I loved every minute of it. I looked around at my family and decided that I’d do anything to protect them, including trying to take down the entire damn Legion if I had to.

  ***

  I was heading from the training room to the mess hall. I’d decided to practice with the new spears after my team was attacked by over twenty bug-bots yesterday. We were beyond lucky that we’d managed to make it out alive. I’d been pulled by the leg by one of the bastards again. The thing knocked me over and pulled me away from the group, then started climbing up my body, going straight for my head. I’d started to panic when I wasn’t able to get a good angle to spear it. Had Orrean not shown up above me, I would’ve been turned into a Feral and possibly hurt or even killed someone.

  I couldn’t let that happen again.

  So I’d trained after we got back from a quick scouting mission this morning. The spears our people had made were pretty badass. They were double-edged and about eight feet long, but when they were stored on our backs, they were only around two feet long because the poles sorta folded into themselves. The case they were carried in allowed one end of the spear to hook into the bottom, so when the other end was pulled, the pole would lengthen and snap into place before the case released it. But once one was pulled out, it was impossible to get back into its smaller form because they instantly hardened into a material that was nearly impossible to break. Being durable and strong made them super valuable in a fight. Being strong didn’t stop the bug-bots from grabbing them or knocking them out of our hands, though, so we always had to carry a bunch with us.