So we walked to my new place. I would have held Alex’s hand but his hands were full. Mr. Chivalrous and all. Though I could carry my own things, like I could walk myself home safely but I didn’t say anything and let Alex be the man. Though I did get the door for him, and we took the elevator. Which was fun because I got to stand there and press myself into Alex’s neck. His hands were full but his arms were still around me. He was all I needed to feel safe – and loved.
Thirty floors later, and I was punching in the key code to my room. I heard shuffling on the other side and I knew my brothers were doing something they shouldn’t be – which likely meant Laker had Matt over. Even though it was summer for my brothers, the Venatori didn’t get that sorta vacation. Though the fourth did yield a holiday maybe I was wrong. I could be – things could have changed. I laughed at myself as I pushed the door open.
I didn’t have a direct path into the living room so I just let it be. I’d rather they had sex in my house than out of it. It was safer here. “This is my new place.”
Alex was looking around the entry way. “My room’s this way. I’ll give you a tour in a sec.”
“It’s nice. And so much bigger than your last one.”
“Yeah I think they were glad to get rid of me.”
I pushed open the half closed door to my room. Ophelia sat on the edge of my bed and stared at me as I walked in. “You can put it down anywhere I’ll take care of it all later.” Alex dropped everything on the bed and my scruffy cat glared at him then turned on her feet and threw her tail in the air and pranced to my pillow, curled up and laid down. “I love you too.” I replied to the annoyance of a cat.
“You remember Fee.” I asked Alex.
“She’s ornerier than I remember.” Alex disobeyed all laws of Fee and rubbed the top of her head. “I had a dream with her once, did you know she’s actually a woman trapped in a cats body?”
“Yeah, but how did you know that?” I asked. I didn’t recall ever telling him that.
“I just told you I had a dream with her. I was looking for you, and I found her instead. I watched you have a nightmare and when I went to try to wake you I was thrust out of the dream into utter darkness. It was strange. Never happened to me before.”
“You talked to Breanna?” I asked.
“You knew your cat was a woman?”
I nodded. “The woman I got her from told me all about her past. She’s a ghost from Salem and she tried to inhabit Oma’s granddaughter. Oma cursed her into the cat. Fee will live as long as I do. If I were wiccan I could pass the curse on to another, but when I die so will Fee.”
“Sounds an awful lot like the Chevalier bond Ant was telling me about. The one Ryan Elliot has with his mother.”
I grinned. “I know what it is. You’ve been talking with Ant a lot?”
“He’s your friend. I was kinda sorta using him to find out about you.” Alex shuffled his feet. “I wasn’t stalking you I promise. I missed you and I was denying it. I’m human. What can I say?”
I sighed. “You could have just responded to my texts and none of this would have been necessary,” I countered. But before we could start a fight I grabbed Alex’s hand and tugged him out of the bedroom and into the living room where Laker and Matt sat on the couch dishevelled and looking too innocent while they played a video game. The room smelled like sex, but I was pretty sure that they didn’t know that. “You were careful right?”
Both boys blushed and Laker nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you for letting us stay here while dad goes on his grand tour of Central and South America.”
Matt looked up and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Well Alex, this is my brother Laker and his boyfriend Matt. Careful when you shake hands with this one, he’s a null.”
I waited for Alex to freak out when he shook Matt’s hand but he never did. “Guys this is my boyfriend Alex.”
Lake was all smiles. “So good to finally meet you. He’s a total mess without you.”
“Matt aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“Um. Normally. But Mr. Vega,” Matt said, but Laker was snickering at Matt’s formality, “Is at his wits end. I’m supposed to be with my mentor now, but I don’t have one cause no one understands my gifts. Mr. Vega warned me that if I can’t pass the Magnus tests then they’ll make me Tacet like every other null before me. He says he only has one option left.”
I laughed, “Me? Right?”
Matt nodded. “He said when you get back on duty he’ll ask you, but since I’m dating your brother and I’m technically with my mentor now even though he’s not really home, but no one other than he knows that he said I could come hang with the twins.”
“So you thought to sex up my brother while you were supposed to be studying?”
Alex snorted.
“Yes, sir,” Matt said never looking away from me.
I grinned. “Best hope you don’t hurt him or you are going to have a few pretty pissed of men after you.”
“Yes, sir.” Matt smiled, “Mr. Viddens already threatened my life. As did Chef Marco while he held a butchers knife in his hand.”
I laughed. “Where’s Rider?”
“He’s somewhere else.”
“Which means?” I asked.
Alex translated for me. “He left the apartment cause they were fucking.”
I nodded. “Ah, any idea where he went?”
“Gym probably.” Laker said.
“Go to your room, lock the door. Please don’t have sex on the couch. We all have to sit there.”
Both boys said ‘yes, sir’ and I shook my head. “Down stairs we go. If Rider’s in the gym we’ll say hi but if not we’ll go see Dorian?” I asked Alex as I tugged him towards the door by the hand.
“Yes, sir,” Alex mimicked loud enough for the boys to hear.
The Mind of Nox 