Chapter One Hundred and Forty Two
...
Warren dreamed of Layla, her body beneath his, her arms around his shoulders, his face pressed into the curve of her neck as he thrust and she writhed beneath him. Nails scraped his back, pain and pleasure shuddered through his body, even as he kissed Layla with a searing heat. She bloomed beneath him, opened up to him, and as he opened his eyes to watch her, he saw that he wasn't making love to Layla anymore.
Vines in a humanoid shape were beneath him, vines winding their way up his body, thorns digging into his skin, and he couldn't stop the roll of pleasure in response to the pain. He kept thrusting, his body lighting up with flames. The vines, just like Layla, blossomed beneath him, buds turning to flowers and thorns becoming white hot against him.
Warren was vaguely aware that he was no longer human himself, just a scorch of flames, fire burning where skin had been. He was still conscious and aware, his body and mind seemingly connected to every fire and every source of heat, even the vine-shaped one beneath him. He was within the vines themselves, a line of fire cracking the vines open, just as he had before.
In return, he knew instinctively that the vines were inside of his fire, pushing them to burn brighter and hotter, and it was okay. They'd done this before. They were so much more than their human selves, their restricting skin and mental limitations, and they just had to remember that.
Warren had no idea how he did it, but he came hard, consuming the vines as his fire burnt a pure white colour, invisible to everyone other than them. The vines beneath him bloomed once more, a harder impact as flowers and vines encompassed them both, Layla's voiceless scream echoing despite the lack of sound and vocal chords.
The feelings were so intense that Warren woke up abruptly, his body on fire and his dick achingly hard. In the same instant, Layla woke up beside him with flowers in her hair and her knickers soaked through.
"What the fuck was that?" Warren murmured, somehow both concerned and horny as all fuck.
"Dream later. Sex now," Layla said, straddling him and kissing him through the flames.
"Anything you want, hippie," Warren murmured, burning the last of their clothes away.
Who was he to deny her?
...
"Anyone want to explain why I woke up with a raging hard on at three in the fucking morning?" Adam snapped, glaring as Layla and Warren walked into the Hive's kitchen.
Terrence choked on his juice, and even Craig looked red.
"Dude, we weren't going to say anything!" Zach said.
"I don't care, I still feel gross. Turn that shit off next time," Adam said, glaring.
"Sorry, Adam. We weren't exactly thinking," Layla admitted.
"Yeah, we all know what you were doing. Fuck. I'm going to shower again. Do not even think about having sex again today or I will corrode everything I see," Adam said, passing by to get to the lower Hive and shower for the third time.
Warren winced, realising they'd done wrong even before he'd had his caffeine yet. "We'll make it up to him."
"All of us," Ethan said. "You broke my circadian rhythm," he said with a huff, going down to the lower Hive as well.
"It makes Eth grumpy if he doesn't get the five hours of sleep he's scheduled. He'll be all right once he gets the routine back on track," Zach said, looking perky as he followed after Ethan.
"Just don't say sorry, okay? Apologies don't mean shit when we know what you were feeling. You're not sorry," Craig added.
"We'll work out a way so you don't feel it again. We are sorry for that, at least," Layla said.
Terrence, Justina, and Robin looked between them all with varying looks of confusion.
"The training arena will help," Craig promised, putting his cereal bowl in the dishwasher. "Jewel's already frustrated and gets no privacy in the dorms, so she's not happy with you, either. We've got a study session later, so she's either going to jump someone or do an express priority order from the Sweet Spot."
"She's not the only one," Honey muttered from the doorway. She held a bag out for Warren and Layla. "Power repressing cuffs. In bulk. Put them on at night or I will hurt you."
"I thought you lived on your own?" Robin asked, frowning.
"That doesn't mean I like to be woken up at three in the damn morning because of two teenage sex drives. Yes, I'll still help with the Hive; go deal with the bees, you need more manuka honey. Some blogger raved about it, and you'll be busy with another tour bus."
Terrence blanched and shook his head. "I can't do another tour bus. I can't. Please."
"It's all right, go train. I'll do it," Robin said, pushing their friend towards the door.
"Thanks, Robin."
"I'll help you out, Robin," Justina said.
"Thanks. Can we talk about our brands later? Please? Even Pat's coming by this afternoon. We all missed out on these apparently epic orgasms," Robin said, looking annoyed.
"I'm going to the bees. Now," Warren said, using a vine to grab his beekeeping suit and hat.
"We'll talk later, okay? I've got to eat something and get the shop ready. Warren, don't forget your coffee," Layla reminded him, kissing his cheek before he put his hat on.
Warren wondered if it was worth delaying his escape. Honey reached into her bag and held out a travel mug for him and a blueberry bagel for Layla.
"Not that either of you deserve it. I've only had four hours' sleep," she muttered.
"Thanks, Honey," Warren said, hugging her.
"I know, you love me. Go on, before I taketh what I giveth," Honey muttered, pushing him towards the back door.
Warren drank his coffee like it was tepid water, then put his hat on and left the Hive. Layla kissed Honey's cheek and took the bagel with thanks.
...
"Are you all right, son?" Connor asked as he drove them out to the Hive.
Ry nodded. He'd had an orgasm far too early that morning, the sensation still awkward, especially with this one coming out of nowhere. (He could practically hear Craig's snicker over the 'coming' part, shut up.) "I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm going to sleep at the Hive after my shift."
"All right, that sounds like a good idea. I'll be back this afternoon."
"I can stay the night; Honey's picking us up tomorrow."
"I know, she told me. She also told me to drop by this afternoon. Something about a brand? I thought Ollie had already worked the branding for the T-800 injection out, but if she wants to go over it at the Hive, then I can do that," Connor said with a shrug, turning into the parking lot. "I'll have to drop you and run, son. I think the woman in the Subaru is planning on rear-ending me to get a parking spot," he added, seeing the woman in the rear view mirror.
"All right, bye, Papa. Thanks for driving," Ry said quickly, getting out of the car and heading down to the Hive.
As he walked, Ry realised what Connor had talked about, and his eyes widened when he realised that Layla and Warren were going to brand his father that afternoon. Some hysterical part of him was grateful it hadn't been last week; he didn't want to know that his Papa had woken up via orgasm, ewww.
"Thank Super Jesus you're here, Ry. Justina's about to lose her shit. Quick, before she stabs someone."
"With what? There's nothing at the front to stab them with," Ry muttered.
"Not the point. Shift change!" Honey called.
Justina glared, but a look of relief was on her face when she saw Ry come in. "You can deal with my colleague now. Bye!"
What the fuck had he missed?
"I know you have more hydrangeas, and I want to buy them!"
"We don't. They take two years to mature and the greenhouse is for the owner only, not employees. Weren't you kicked out by my father last time you were here?" Ry asked, frowning at the woman, recognising her as one of the three women who'd been here the first time he'd seen the Hive.
The woman sniffed. "Of course not. I don't get kicked out of places."
"Yeah, you are! I remember those gloves. We've still got the one you took off to try to scratch that other lady. It's in lost property," Ry said, reaching down to retrieve the glove from the cardboard box.
By the time he'd stood up again, the woman had left.
Honey laughed at the sight of Ry standing there with a single glove, looking very confused. "It's all right, Ry. I don't think she cares about the glove so much as her reputation."
Ry shrugged. "Whatever. Want a single glove?" he asked with a grin.
"Actually, yes. Thanks."
"Why?" Ry asked, frowning at Honey, who folded the glove and put it in her bag.
"Nothing for you to worry about. You should worry about the tour bus that's coming over the hill. Justina, Robin, tour bus incoming!" Honey called.
"Aw, kuso." (Shit. Japanese.)
...
By the time Layla and Warren had finished jarring the new batches of manuka honey, the Hive was packed full of people. Several people were in Eden, taking photos and discussing the lack of honey and the new floral lipsticks and lip balms that were for sale.
"I'll stack the shelves, you stay in here and organise lunch for everyone, okay? Adam might be more forgiving if we give him food," Layla said.
"Good idea," he said, relieved and grateful to not have to go out into that crush of people.
Layla kissed him, Warren deepening their kiss, as he remembered their morning after the dream. They'd realised it hadn't been a dream so much as a memory. They'd done the same when they'd branded each other, cracking open the last of the other's power and becoming their power instead of simply housing it.
Part of him was desperate to try it now, but he'd been exhausted after Layla had finished using him, bringing them both to completion in the early hours. They would have to try again when they were alone and when what felt like half of Maxville's population wasn't stuffed in the front two rooms.
"We'll try later. After the branding, okay?" Layla murmured, cupping his face.
"Okay. Go on, before someone breaks something trying to get to the honey," Warren said.
Layla kissed him once more, her lips curving to a smile. "They can wait one more minute."
Sixty-five seconds passed and Honey opened the door behind the counter into the dining area, rolling her eyes. "Give me the damn honey before someone gets stabbed, okay? You don't know what these out of towners bring on tours, and trust me, you don't want to know."
Layla sighed and handed one of the trays to Honey, taking up the other one herself, leaving poor Warren to try to control himself in the kitchen before he lit them all on fire.
Some days, she really hated opening a business that relied on people for profit.
...
"So what's this brand meeting about, Honey? Is Ollie coming here?" Connor asked as he sat at the table, accepting the cup of tea Layla provided him. "Thank you."
"It's not a brand meeting. It's about your brand. Look, it was early, I didn't explain myself well, because for some reason, I only had four hours' sleep," Honey said, Layla and Warren looking abashed.
"You're still not talking sense. What brand?" Connor asked, frowning.
"The one Layla and Warren gave the others to feel their emotions, find them if they were kidnapped, that sort of thing."
"It also transfers their emotions to us, if they're potent enough," Honey said in a mutter, sipping at her coffee.
"You're not going to let us live this down, are you? It was one orgasm."
"More like four," Honey said with a snort as Connor choked on his tea.
"What?!"
"Hi, guys. Sorry I'm late; Nigel couldn't find parking and threatened to drive us through the Hive itself. What did we miss?" Pat asked, sitting next to Honey.
Kiara, Lorcan, Maleah, and Najair followed him into the room, the latter three shifting and jumping up onto Kiara to make up for the lack of seats.
"Four orgasms, apparently," Justina said.
"Um... what?" Kiara asked incredulously, looking between them.
"The brands transfer emotions, and these two had four orgasms this morning," Robin said with a pout.
"Oh, is that why my phone was going crazy this morning?" Kiara asked, frowning.
"I didn't think Grant swore so much," Pat said with a grin.
"Fuck off! I had an essay due today, I didn't want to be distracted by... that," Grant called from where he was entering the Hive with Jewel and Beau a step behind him.
"I didn't mind," Beau said, his cheeks pink.
"You have a brand already?" Terrence asked.
"No, I had three very horny partners and a surprisingly good Internet connection at three in the morning," Beau said, coming into the room and stopping short when he saw Connor sitting there. "Seriously, none of you could tell me Connor was in here?" he hissed. "Sorry about that, sir."
Connor just raised his eyebrows as he sipped at his tea, trying hard not to laugh.
"I'm just going to go die in a hole now. Robin, do me a favour and make a hole for me?"
Robin snorted and tugged Beau onto the bench beside them. "Just shut up already."
Beau buried his head in his hands.
"Can someone please explain this clearly and concisely? Without mentioning orgasms again," Connor added.
"Doubtful," Honey muttered.
"Okay, so we're planning on taking over the world," Grant said.
"The fuck?" Pat asked, looking between them. "Seriously?"
"Grant, we don't start that way!" Jewel said.
"Right. Smaller plans first, then the big one. Sorry, babe."
"Maybe you should go downstairs and sleep. Craig's in the training arena," Layla said, guiding Grant to the door.
Jewel shook her head. "I'll take him, he's still so sleep deprived, he almost got lost on the way here. The orgasms were your fault, but then Grant decided to stay awake and finish his essay, so that's all his fault. We'll see you downstairs later, Beau," she added, kissing his cheek.
Beau watched them for a moment, then returned his attention back to the others in the room, studiously avoiding Connor's gaze.
"All right, what Grant said is technically correct: we are looking to take over the world. We're planning for more than that, though. We don't just want control, we want change," Layla said with a firm and fierce nod.
As she continued with her speech - Warren and Honey interjecting every so often with their own spiels - Connor couldn't help but think of himself when he was younger and signing up for the Army. He thought he'd be changing the world then, too. He had wanted to help people, to fix things, to help himself, and above all, do something where he could really make a difference. It had taken far too long for Connor to realise he was just another cog in the Army's machine, churning and spinning until he lost all of his teeth and was replaced by another cog, shiny and new and believing everything they were told to believe, just like he had.
In all of that time, Connor hadn't made a difference, hadn't fixed anything. Arguably, he'd most likely made things worse for some people, and he hated that more than the feeling of uselessness. Even before he'd been captured and tortured, he had felt a growing restlessness and anger at the system he'd willingly joined. The cogs were nothing more than cannon fodder, while useless men who couldn't handle a weapon to save their own lives were often the ones turning the wheel. Year after year, he'd seen good men die and bad men be promoted through the ranks. The only exception was Andy, who had been promoted simply because nearly everyone else had died. Then, the higher ups realised that Andy was a damn good leader, and he'd been promoted again on his own merit. Connor had been proud to serve under him, even on the mission that had gone so horribly wrong, radio silence in his ear and growing dread that he was alone in a hostile world.
Honey clutched his forearm tightly, nails digging into his skin, and Connor was brought out of his thoughts abruptly at the pain. He saw that he'd dug his nails into the table and scored crescent marks into the wood. His heart hammered in his chest as he fought to get control of himself and his breathing again.
He was alive, he wasn't alone, he wasn't in a hostile world. Ryuu was alive and safe, and he was with him.
"Papa?" Ry called, skidding into the kitchen and stopping short. "You should've called me when you got everyone here. I could've helped!" he said.
Connor looked over to see Ry making demands of Layla and Warren and he tried not to laugh because he hadn't seen this side of his child in far too long.
Whatever else happened, he knew he loved that these people had given his son back to him.
"Papa, are you good?" Ryuu asked, letting out a small oof of surprise as Connor pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm good, son," he murmured, then looked over to Layla and Warren who were watching the interaction with expressions of concern. "I'm in."
"Seriously?" Pat asked in surprise.
"They're not even halfway through their spiel. It gets worse," Terrence said with a laugh.
"So much worse," Robin agreed, giggling.
"Oh, hush. We had to start off Grant's 'we're taking over the world' thing, that threw us off," Layla said.
"We'd improved the speech and everything," Warren said, frowning.
Honey laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, no, you definitely did not."
Justina snickered at their expressions. "I'm in. Oh, and next time: start off with the multiple orgasms, you'll have half the population in a second."
Beau nodded in agreement, his cheeks pink. Beside him, Pat and Kiara both nodded as well.
"Oh, for fuck's sakes. We're not doing that every damn night," Warren muttered.
"Not up for the challenge?" Layla asked, her eyes bright with mischief.
"Hippie."
She laughed and kissed him. "Come on, hottie, let's go get a few more permanent markers," she said, taking his hand and leading him out to the trap door.
"Don't worry, Ethan's organised a glossary in the welcome pack," Honey said when several people looked after them in confusion.
"Of course he has," Kiara said with a laugh.
Ry laughed too, then hugged his father warmly. "C'mon, Papa. You have to see the changes to the training arena. It's awesome."
"You said your socks were awesome, Ryuu, you'll have to forgive me if I don't believe your assessment," Connor teased, trying to hide his nerves at what was about to happen.
"No, he's right this time. It's awesome," Robin said, grinning. "There's a pit with vine snakes."
"A what with what?" Pat asked, frowning.
"Pit. Vine snakes. It makes sense when you see it. After the brands," Honey said, ushering everyone to the trap door and down to the training arena in the lower hive.
"We got the softer training mats for you," Craig said, smiling as they stood in front of the small stacked mats.
"Why do we need the mats?" Beau asked, frowning.
"You're going to power up and faint. Or faint and power up? Maybe both," Craig said. "Don't worry, it gets better when you wake up."
Kiara set her siblings on their own mats, Lorcan looking to the forest behind them. Maleah murmured something soft to Najair who shook his head and reached across to squeeze her hand.
"Uh huh, don't spoil it. Come on, just trust us. Or me, if you can't trust a bunch of teenagers," Honey added.
"Hey!"
"No, I get it. You pour milk before your cereal, I wouldn't trust you either, dude."
"Hey!"
"Can we just get this over with? I don't think I'm going to enjoy it while it's happening, and the before ain't great, either," Terrence muttered.
"All right, who wants to go first?"
"Dibs!" Justina said, stepping up onto her training mats before anyone could stop her. "Oh, hey, I'm even taller. I like this," she said, grinning. "Can you do it from here?"
"We've got to brand your shoulder. It's the easiest place to reach with your chin if you're kidnapped and tied up," Warren said.
Everyone looked to Connor and he frowned. "They're right, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just checking," Ethan said, adjusting his glasses.
"Okay, fine; I'll sit down. Better?" Justina asked, sitting on the mats and waiting.
"Better, thank you," Layla said. "Can you touch our hands with your chin?" she asked once Warren had placed his hand over hers.
Justina turned her head and tried to reach, then shook her head. "A little closer, please."
When she was satisfied, Layla and Warren both powered up, a vine and flames burrowing down into Justina's skin. She screamed, her fingers clutching the mats beneath her, tears forming at her eyes and tears scratching into the material. Thousands of bugs made their way into the arena, climbing up Justina's legs and body, surrounding and cushioning her fall as she passed out.
"That's a lot of bugs," Craig said, wincing.
"Anyone else hungry or is it just me?" Maleah asked, grinning at her brothers and sister.
"Eww," Craig said, wrinkling his nose as the four frogs laughed.
"Can someone check the Hive upstairs? I'm pretty sure the animals outside didn't hear Justina, but just in case. We don't want dead birds littering the porch," Honey said with a shudder.
"Not it!"
"I'll check," Donny said, sighing. "I'll stay up there and check the weapon trees so keep on with the branding," he added over his shoulder.
"What weapon trees?" Connor asked.
"They're in the glossary," Honey said.
"Can I see this welcome pack before I'm branded?" Connor asked.
Ethan handed a folder to him. "If you have any thoughts on the style or design, please let me know. I can only improve if I have feedback."
"Sure," Connor said, sitting on his training mat.
He was vaguely aware of Terrence going through his branding - mostly because of the projector turning on and off, and less so for the screaming - and read through the documents.
"Any questions, Papa?" Ry asked, sitting beside him.
Connor finished reading the last page and closed the folder, setting it aside as he looked to his son. "What would happen if I said no to all of this?"
"Merge would wipe your memories and you'd go back to wondering what's happening," Ry said.
"Would you tell me?" Connor asked curiously, though he already suspected the answer.
"If you had your memories wiped? No, Papa, I wouldn't," Ry said, shaking his head. "You would have already chosen and I'd respect that by not dragging you back in. You'd probably end up disappointed in me if any of this goes south, but I wouldn't stop, either."
Well, that answered his next question.
"Even if you tried to leave, I wouldn't stop. They'd find me, for one, and I left one of my weapons here so I could find it, too."
Connor had suspected that would be the answer to that question, too. Admittedly, that was one question he hadn't wanted to ask.
Looking over to the others, he saw that the quadruplets were unconscious and in their poison dart frog forms, their bodies still on the mats. Pat was going through his brand now, clenching his teeth hard as flames and vines tore through his shoulder.
"They're all okay, right?" Connor asked, nodding to the unconscious teens and frogs.
"Yeah, Papa. They're fine; they just fainted due to the shock and pain. They'll be awake soon," Ry added with confidence.
Pat let out a scream, his eyes rolling back in his head, and collapsed on the mat.
"How did you feel going through that?" Connor asked.
"Mostly pained," Ry admitted, rubbing his shoulder briefly. "I didn't scream, though."
"Why not? It helps relieve some of the pain," Connor said.
Ryuu shrugged. "I would have felt weak; it was nothing compared to what you've been through," he said.
"That doesn't mean you should hurt yourself. Emotions aren't a weakness, Ryuu."
"Yeah, I know."
"Are you ready, Connor?" Layla asked.
Pat and Beau were both unconscious, and Robin had a small crater beneath their mat. He hadn't paid any attention to their ordeals and swallowed hard, wondering what he would go through now.
"I think so."
Warren shook his head. "You have to be certain, Connor. We're not doing this if you're not a hundred percent ready."
Connor looked from Layla and Warren to Ryuu and squeezed his hand. If his son could do this, then so could he. He'd do it a hundred times over if it meant keeping Ry safe and happy. "All right. I'm ready."
The weight of Layla and Warren's hands on his shoulder felt oddly light. Shouldn't a decision like this have more finality to it? Connor wondered, even as he moved his head to check he could reach their hands.
Layla squeezed gently, oddly reassuring, then the pain started as they both powered up.
Andy's voice faded as Connor's radio went dead. He'd missed the rendezvous, he wasn't meant to be in this country, let alone this far behind enemy lines, and there would be no rescue.
The weight on his shoulders was heavy but he couldn't stop to adjust his bag. He had all of his supplies in there, as well as several detonation charges intended for the enemy's stronghold. He still had a mission to complete and he might even find a way out of here if he was closer to civilisation.
It wasn't a movie, there was no swell of patriotic music as he set the charges on the building, just the heat and stink and the deafening sound of a gun being cocked behind him. They'd caught him.
Pain tore through his body. Electricity, knives, whips, and chains. They'd shot his leg so he couldn't escape, the shrapnel still in there after they'd dug out the bullet itself. They used rusty pliers to do that trick, and Connor laughed because his doctor had insisted on him having a tetanus shot before he went overseas. If he lived, he'd have to thank his doctor for that one.
He wasn't going to live. He'd been here for at least a hundred days. There were no other special forces coming to rescue him, the war had long moved on from this place and so had any officials who cared about one lone arms dealer in the forest. He thought about his child, still at home and either wondering what had happened to him or believing he was dead. Maybe his child had been told he was dead already. Connor felt like he was dead, some days, so the Army weren't lying about that. That was a first.
His child was probably making friends and playing with Andy and Yuki's kids and having the time of his life playing sports and winning things. Connor had won a medal himself, though war sure as fuck wasn't a sport, and it wasn't anything he could ever display. A secret medal was the worst kind, Connor decided. It meant that they were ashamed for what he'd done and what had happened and what they couldn't do. The piece of gold represented his silence for everything that had happened and he didn't want to display it anyway.
They tortured him again, though after this long, they knew that he had no more to give. Anything he did know had already been changed. Hell, it was standard protocol to change things within three days of someone being lost. He wasn't lost, he knew exactly where he was. His employers didn't know, his child didn't know, his best friend didn't know. It didn't matter that he knew when they didn't.
There was a deafening roar, an explosion and intense heat, but Connor was so focused on the sound of his blood dripping that it barely registered. Drip - his child playing baseball - drip - Andy and Yuki having a third baby - drip - his child growing up without him - drip - his child going to college and never knowing what - drip - damn, now he had to start again - drip - his child being born - drip.
There was another scream, this one torn out of his own throat, and he saw red and black and green before he slipped back to his memories.
There was a scream and the door burst open. Gunpowder and fire and dirt and drip, drip, drip. Connor forced himself to lift his head, though he could barely feel his limbs or muscles, and he smiled at the vision in the doorway.
"You're supposed to be having another baby," he rasped at Andy.
"Judging by the state of you, I just got one. C'mon, extraction is on the way - fuck!" Andy cursed as Connor fell face-first into the bloodied ground as he undid the chains.
Connor's memory was patchy after this point. He remembered green trees and hot air and choking because freedom smelled like death and shit and he wanted to puke. There was a memory of him puking. Several memories of that, in fact. He tried to answer questions, though Connor still didn't know who'd asked. Andy's face looming over him and he looked worried but it was okay because Connor was already dead and this was his punishment for leaving his child alone in the world.
He remembered the hospital ward, the official men presenting him with a second secret medal, purple and silver and he hated it as much as the gold one, just another secret to hide in the drawer. He remembered waking up with the memory of dirt in his mouth and puking again. He remembered hearing the incessant drip, drip, drip from the IV bag and screaming for it to stop. He remembered doctors and nurses and needles and surgery and anaesthetic that never seemed to work, his mind and body painfully aware of every stitch and suture. He remembered talking to Doc and hating Doc and crying against Doc's shoulder as he admitted that he hated himself more. He cried again when he forgave himself. He remembered learning how to walk again, his body broken and useless and frail, his determination to walk and see his child again breaking through the desire to sleep and stop. He remembered being released and going home and seeing his child for the first time in two years. He remembered the tears in his child's eyes, the trembling voice that screamed that he was hated. He remembered the sound of his own heart breaking.
"I love you, Papa," Connor heard as he fell unconscious, strong arms wrapping around his body in a loving embrace and keeping him safe.
...
End of the hundred and forty-second chapter.
