Changes: Part Five
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in relation to Dark Angel. No money is involved (story of my life).
SUMMARY: Fluff warning. Max and Alec ride through their heat. Then it's back to work, business as usual. Or not? M/A
FEEDBACK: Please send feedback of any kind (praise, flaming, constructive criticism, etc.) to naiya@mauimail.com
NOTES: My first attempt at a non - Xmen fanfiction. Please be patient with me. Any questions see feedback for my email address and I'll answer as best as I can. Archive at will.
Do you know how weird taking a bath is for me? I swear I'll never get used to the utter terror I feel when the water first slides over my skin. Yet, once I get past that first gut wrenching reaction, I'm hard put to leave. My genetic cocktail guaranteed my love/hate relationship with water. Cat and shark: what was Manticore thinking? Sheesh, I take the notion of catfish to a whole new level. Alec didn't seem phased and I tried to take heart in his relaxed state of mind.
"They broke us from our aversion to water by extended periods in the tank, but that training was initiated a few years after your unit's escape." He laughed when I jumped at the sound of his voice. How did he do that?
I tried to keep my voice even and failed. "W...what l...left field d...did that come from?" He tried to sink us further into the warm liquid and I had to swallow against the bile rising in my throat. No one gets seasick in tub especially me I told myself firmly and clawed the sides of the tub for purchase.
Deft fingers peeled my hands from the sides of the tub and my claws sheathed instantly. It was a little frightening how they had become an everyday part of life. He massaged the color back to my whitened knuckles.
"If you were any more tense, you'd vibrate the water right out of the tub." He gathered me up and held on tight whispering reassurances in my ear. I focused on the feel of his body the sound of his voice and was able to work through my panic attack. All at once I relaxed, my shark DNA taking over and I squirmed with delight.
Teeth bit lightly into my shoulder and I realized with our close proximity that something was 'up'. Alec nuzzled his way up my neck and nibbled on my ear. "What happened to our heats being neutralized?" I asked and went as still as possible.
"They are. I'm male Max. No matter what state of hormonal distress I may be in, a naked female body rubbing up against my body will make it 'hard' for me to not react. That and the fact that I love you increases..." he hesitated as if realizing what he just said.
More water sloshed out of the tub as I shifted to my side and looked up at his stunned face. I could see his pulse beating in his throat and couldn't resist lapping the bead of water forming on his skin. His expression melted to apprehension. Was he expecting an ass kicking for telling he loved me?
"Sorry Max, I shouldn't have..."
Yep. I stole the rest of his apology with a quick kiss. "If you take it back, I'll forget I love you and definitely kick your delectable ass," I warned.
There it is again. That smile is going to kill me one day. He lifted me higher onto his chest and delivered a different kind of kiss, slow and provocative. For the longest time he caressed my lips with his. A jolt of electricity seemed to erupt from that small connection. In the back of my mind I kept expecting a surge of hormones but all I could feel was a growing desire built on emotion. The difference between the two was I knew if I wanted to I could stop this. I didn't want to.
In perfect unison our lips parted and we tasted one another. Our tongues slid together and we moaned. His hand cupped my face and I played with his barcode but our mouths never broke contact. Without missing a beat, he guided my arms around his neck, snaked an arm around my waist and stood. So much for the bath, I smiled into our kiss as Alec walked us back unerringly to his bedroom.
Through the rest of the day and most of the night I fully appreciated our transgenic endurance and fortitude. I found another reason not to hate my shark DNA.
*****
With six hours of sleep under my belt, a record for sure, I woke clear minded and heat free for the time being. My pager did the buzz dance right off the end table. Oops did I leave that thing on silent? I caught a glimpse of the number flashing on the screen before it fell out of sight and thumped to the floor. OC must have gone nuts when she realized I hadn't come home. That girl knows my heat cycles better that me. She also knows how much I hate being paged. For her to page me meant her worry was borderline frenzy.
*****flashback*****
A small object sailed through the air just missing the top of OC's brown curls. It landed safely in a pile of clothes defiantly buzzing away. "Oh no, you just did not throw somethin' at your boo. Sugah, wassup? Break it down for Original Cindy," she ordered and patted the cushion next to her.
"Logan." It was all I had to say as I flopped down and sulked.
"What does roller-boy want now? I could have sworn you said 'no' the last dozen times." She poured me a cup of tea and doctored it with cream, lots of cream. "Shoulda got rid of that thing when you called it quits on Eyes-Only missions - of which I still should break my foot over your pretty li'l ass." She lightly slapped the backside of my head and reached for the sugar.
Oh yeah, must have slipped my mind. Due to poor recon from a certain cyber journalist the intel mission I had been sent on went sideways. After a narrow escape from the supposed medical facility, I had to hideout in hostile territory for days with a couple rounds of buckshot littering my back. Those damn pellets were irritating more than anything but I couldn't reach them. When I got back OC gladly helped me remove them; she had not been gentle at all. In fact I think she reveled in making me wince, pay back for not letting her know that I was alive.
*****end flashback*****
To this day I still don't know why I kept it. Sentiment? Habit? Who knew? Now everyone used it to get in touch with me so getting rid of it was a moot point. I could swear that the buzzing was becoming angry. Alec's arms tightened reflexively around me when I tried to get out of bed; he was still out cold.
Eventually I wormed my way free, his highness merely turned over. A few minutes of stretching and I wondered if I had been shortchanged in the transgenic healing department. Granted that there had been some unusually high activity lately but I felt like I'd been worked over by a platoon of X5's.
The pager buzzed away under the bed. I bent down to retrieve it mindful of the seals Alec had insisted on applying before we fell asleep. According to the reports our saliva was equipped with a powerful coagulant he explained batting his perilously long lashes over guileless blue eyes. It was kind of gross if you ask me but it worked. Personally, I think he was marking his territory. I'm not sure how I felt about that.
Deep in thought, I drew the curtains aside and watched the rest of Seattle wake to a new work-week. Relentless clouds kept the sun prisoner and shrouded the city in a dull gray veil. Usually I didn't notice the state of disrepair most of the buildings were in but coming down from a high, they looked depressing. An inexplicable sadness gripped my heart and I hugged against a coldness that had nothing to do with temperature. Call it sixth sense, call it what you will. Something was going down and soon.
"Dollar for your touch," Alec purred in my ear.
"Isn't that 'penny for your thoughts'?" I asked and ducked out of his way before he could pull me into his arms. I didn't want him to know how vulnerable I was feeling right now. I gave him a slap on the behind to lighten my mood. "There's your touch. Where's my dollar?"
"And you call me a smart ass," he mumbled and stuck out his bottom lip. "You owe me a massage."
Excuse me? Anger flashed and brought a blistering tirade to the tip of my tongue. "I just paid my tab, in full with interest, and you want...!" Holy shit! My jaw hit the ground mid-sentence as Alec started to stretch in the most catlike way possible. I take it back; this is the sexist thing he's done.
Something vibrated in my hand and snapped me back from droolsville. Saved by the pager. "Oh my, look at the time. We're gonna be late." I left the room with his laughter ringing in my ears.
Without too much distraction, I was dressed and bandaged up in no time. The seals still held but the extra pressure made them sturdier. With a final kiss goodbye, Alec headed off to work first. Showing up together work together would raise a few eyebrows; I wasn't ready for the third degree from OC just yet especially when I hadn't returned any of her pages. Besides I still had that last package to deliver.
*****
Jampony was hopping and the entrance was especially clogged this morning. Would it give me enough cover to slip in unnoticed? Probably not but I could dream, couldn't I? Paranoid? Not me. Never.
Normal's 'Max is late' radar went off the instant I passed by dispatch and he homed in. "So missy miss decides to grace us with her presence. I suppose, since you're here, you got that signature from Saturday," he sniggered and adjusted his headset.
Far be it for me to mention it, but I was late because he wanted that signature. I smiled sweetly and handed him my clipboard with the completed form. What I wanted to do was wipe that arrogant expression off his face with the bottom of my boot. Beyond Normal, Alec's blonde head popped out from behind his locker door. He made himself look busy while trying to watch us out of the corner of his eye.
I had a few moments to watch him while Normal examined the form closely. His hands were moving in a structured manner. One passed across his face and touched his sternum. The other pumped twice in a closed fist. I've been out of Manticore so long I didn't recognize the hand signals at first. Halfway through the second repeat I got the message.
'Status report'. After bridling slightly at the implied order, I realized he was asking if I was okay. I gave him the thumbs up signal and crossed my hands in front of my stomach, letting him know I was okay but my wounds still hurt like hell. Then I made like I was putting on gloves, just in time for Normal to catch me in the act.
"Stop fidgeting," Normal ordered and gave my clipboard back with a brand new stack of tags. "These packages aren't going to deliver themselves," he added when I kept staring at them wide-eyed.
"You have got to be kidding me. This will take forever." Okay I know I was whining but with the added activities of the weekend, I already felt like what the cat dragged in, pun intended. Extra duty was just rubbing salt in to the wounds.
The cat that did drag me in was pulling on some fingerless riding gloves carefully over tightly taped bandages. Good, he got the message that we should hide all visible wounds to avoid questions.
"Bip, bip!" Normal snapped. He was close enough that I couldn't focus completely on his face. The fine hairs on my neck roses like hackles. I took a deep breath and instantly regretted it, but it prevented the adrenaline rush. My eyes remained their regular smoky brown. Only Alec would have heard the growl vibrating in my throat.
I turned on my heel sharply leaving Normal to his hollow threats of firing me if I failed to get any signatures. Luckily all the packages fit in my saddlebags. OC's bike was gone another lucky break. It would be a miracle if I could avoid her the entire day.
Normal berated me the entire time and I got sick of it. I dug through my backpack and threw a small plastic container at him. That shut him up for a few seconds as he snatched it out of the air. Frowning, he looked from me to the thing in his palm, then back to me with a lost expression. I kept my face absolutely blank and got on my bicycle. The bandages on my sides pulled a little but they would have to get used to it. It was going to be a long day and not moving wasn't an option. Work bites.
"Tic-Tacs are everyone's friend," I yelled over my shoulder and peddled out of there before he exploded.
*****
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my property," a gravely male voice grumbled before I could announce myself as a Jampony messenger. Instead of complaining about hearing that same stupid question through six deliveries, I seriously thought about busting down the door. I held my badge up to the peek-hole and waited; contemplating the variety of holes I could shove the package into.
I was about to call in another no show when the door cracked open. The opening was no more than six inches apparently at the limit of the chain still connecting it to the wall. A young boy squeezed through and frowned up at me with eyes that put the ocean to shame. Fire-red hair framed his face in a froth of curls - the type that never looked neat no matter how much grooming was done.
"Hey," I said gently and lowered myself so that he wouldn't have to look up so high. He couldn't be more than four and I didn't want to scare him. Oh what fun, my last delivery for this run and I get a pint-sized obstacle. He tipped his head to one side deepening his frown into a thoughtful scowl then gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. It was contagious.
Soon we were both laughing and neither of us had a clue why, but he introduced himself as Jake and called for his grandpa at the top of his lungs. Before I could back away he scrambled up my body and settled himself into my lap like he owned it. I stood, groaning as if his slight weight was a burden to carry, and made a silly face. He burst into a fit of giggles.
"Comfy squirt?" I asked with amused sarcasm. Jake took me seriously and nodded enthusiastically, clinging to my back with surprising strength. Shrugging inwardly at his change in attitude, we waited for his grandpa to come to the door.
Grandpa finally unchained the door and allowed us in. At least I thought so, but I walked right into a wall. The wall had fiercely intelligent, clear black eyes that regarded me with an uncomfortable intensity. Most people were taller than I was but he was huge, seven-eight or more. Not heavily muscled, but I could tell from the smoothness of his skin that there was more to him than just size. Potential muscle was deadlier and it spoke of combat training. He didn't look like anyone's father much less grandfather by any standards.
"Grandpa, my eye," was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Sometimes I was too much of a smart-ass for my own good. I smiled apologetically and tried to hand him Jake but the boy clung like an octopus. "Be a good boy and go to your grandpa," I whispered.
"Actually it's Grandall. Jake hasn't been able to pronounce it right. We're working on that, right Jake," he said not the least bit ruffled by my hasty comment and pried the boy off me. Jake fussed and threw a fit. His wail steadily rose until great sobs shook his small frame. It was the sound of a broken heart.
Grandall excused himself and took Jake to his room. The poor man had to duck fairly low to fit through the threshold. When the door bumped shut I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding. They were still within earshot though and between sobs Jake kept repeating the word 'mama'. Huh?
I was almost to my patience limit when Grandall reemerged from the back room. "Sorry, Max. His mother disappeared about two weeks ago," he said in a hushed voice and opened the envelope I was delivering. "I believe you recognize this."
It was an ordinary CD-ROM jewel case, nothing menacing there until I focused on the Manticore symbol plastered on the cover. Staring at the symbol made me realize that he called me by name.
Shit! I made a break for the door, but Grandall beat me to the doorway. He moved with speed I never would have given him credit for. No one that big moves like that without being an X-something. Retreating backward, my brain kicked into overdrive, taking snapshots of my current surroundings. Huge, potentially lethal guy in front closed doors to the right and rear and barred windows.
Going over his head was out. The smooth and solid ceiling had nothing to cling to. Grandall's face was absolutely unreadable as he approached. I felt the wall behind me and cursed. What had they said in combat school? Oh yeah, never back yourself into a corner. I may think about a refresher course if I survived this.
There wasn't a chance in hell I'd win if he decided to take me out, but maybe I could bluff him into backing off. I went into a full threat display, complete with glowing eyes, flashing claws, and a sustained warning growl. The only things missing were laid-back ears and an arched back but I did settle into a deep defensive stance.
Grandall stopped his advance and watched me for a moment. Hmm, maybe my bluff was working. Then again maybe he was simply debating whether to kill me slowly or to end my misery quickly. Cold sweat trickled down my spine and I fought to not twitch. What was he waiting for...backup?
The doorbell went off overhead and sounded like a siren. Grandall smiled, actually smiled and went to the door. Holy shit, he *was* waiting for backup! Before Grandall could let whoever was at the door in, I bolted for the kitchen. Most people keep knives in the kitchen.
"Come on in. You weren't kidding about this one," I heard him say as I huddled behind the stove with a pair of eight inch chef's knives. Their footsteps faded like they were moving away but I wasn't fooled by that old trick. Vibrations from their now silent footfalls shook the shelves nearby. A spice-laden cloud of dust tumbled from the top shelf and messed with my sense of smell but I could hear their heartbeats.
They were very close, maybe a foot away from the service counter adjoining the stove. Something whizzed above and struck the shade rope. The heavy shade unrolled and darkened the kitchen considerably. Idiots, I saw even better in the dark with these eyes than in full light.
Their thermal auras cast shadows in the hallway. Great, they were closer than I'd thought one on either side of the entrance to the kitchen. Assuming that the bigger aura was Grandall, I wasn't dumb enough to attack the biggest heat source like a moth to a flame. His partner's aura was considerably less, a better prospect for assault.
It was a shot in the dark, so to speak, but I angled one knife carefully and threw it against the far wall. The handle struck first as planned and bounced toward the smaller aura. No shriek of pain followed to my disappointment but I heard muffled swearing; I'd come close.
More whispering passed between the two; it was now or never. I held the remaining knife between my teeth and dove over the stove and counter into the living room. Unfortunately, in my haste I misjudged the distance to clear the coffee table.
My ribs hit the edge and sent the solid oak table screaming across the wood floor. Warm liquid trickled down my belly as I fought the burning sensation in my lungs. At first I thought it was from the knife but it lay a few feet away. I must have reopened my wounds.
Grandall rounded the corner, stopped the table's moment and picked it up one-handed. Now I was really up shit's creek. No oars, no boat no way out. Any minute I expected either a sound blow from the table or a flank attack from his partner.
But I wasn't going to give up. A couple of deep breaths restored my ability to function; the pain, I ignored. An image flashed in my mind and I think my brain was deliberately not putting a name to it. My nose was not so kind and quickly established that a scent belonged to the image. My world shattered, shards of betrayal drove deep into my heart. I knew Grandall's partner; it was Alec.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in relation to Dark Angel. No money is involved (story of my life).
SUMMARY: Fluff warning. Max and Alec ride through their heat. Then it's back to work, business as usual. Or not? M/A
FEEDBACK: Please send feedback of any kind (praise, flaming, constructive criticism, etc.) to naiya@mauimail.com
NOTES: My first attempt at a non - Xmen fanfiction. Please be patient with me. Any questions see feedback for my email address and I'll answer as best as I can. Archive at will.
Do you know how weird taking a bath is for me? I swear I'll never get used to the utter terror I feel when the water first slides over my skin. Yet, once I get past that first gut wrenching reaction, I'm hard put to leave. My genetic cocktail guaranteed my love/hate relationship with water. Cat and shark: what was Manticore thinking? Sheesh, I take the notion of catfish to a whole new level. Alec didn't seem phased and I tried to take heart in his relaxed state of mind.
"They broke us from our aversion to water by extended periods in the tank, but that training was initiated a few years after your unit's escape." He laughed when I jumped at the sound of his voice. How did he do that?
I tried to keep my voice even and failed. "W...what l...left field d...did that come from?" He tried to sink us further into the warm liquid and I had to swallow against the bile rising in my throat. No one gets seasick in tub especially me I told myself firmly and clawed the sides of the tub for purchase.
Deft fingers peeled my hands from the sides of the tub and my claws sheathed instantly. It was a little frightening how they had become an everyday part of life. He massaged the color back to my whitened knuckles.
"If you were any more tense, you'd vibrate the water right out of the tub." He gathered me up and held on tight whispering reassurances in my ear. I focused on the feel of his body the sound of his voice and was able to work through my panic attack. All at once I relaxed, my shark DNA taking over and I squirmed with delight.
Teeth bit lightly into my shoulder and I realized with our close proximity that something was 'up'. Alec nuzzled his way up my neck and nibbled on my ear. "What happened to our heats being neutralized?" I asked and went as still as possible.
"They are. I'm male Max. No matter what state of hormonal distress I may be in, a naked female body rubbing up against my body will make it 'hard' for me to not react. That and the fact that I love you increases..." he hesitated as if realizing what he just said.
More water sloshed out of the tub as I shifted to my side and looked up at his stunned face. I could see his pulse beating in his throat and couldn't resist lapping the bead of water forming on his skin. His expression melted to apprehension. Was he expecting an ass kicking for telling he loved me?
"Sorry Max, I shouldn't have..."
Yep. I stole the rest of his apology with a quick kiss. "If you take it back, I'll forget I love you and definitely kick your delectable ass," I warned.
There it is again. That smile is going to kill me one day. He lifted me higher onto his chest and delivered a different kind of kiss, slow and provocative. For the longest time he caressed my lips with his. A jolt of electricity seemed to erupt from that small connection. In the back of my mind I kept expecting a surge of hormones but all I could feel was a growing desire built on emotion. The difference between the two was I knew if I wanted to I could stop this. I didn't want to.
In perfect unison our lips parted and we tasted one another. Our tongues slid together and we moaned. His hand cupped my face and I played with his barcode but our mouths never broke contact. Without missing a beat, he guided my arms around his neck, snaked an arm around my waist and stood. So much for the bath, I smiled into our kiss as Alec walked us back unerringly to his bedroom.
Through the rest of the day and most of the night I fully appreciated our transgenic endurance and fortitude. I found another reason not to hate my shark DNA.
*****
With six hours of sleep under my belt, a record for sure, I woke clear minded and heat free for the time being. My pager did the buzz dance right off the end table. Oops did I leave that thing on silent? I caught a glimpse of the number flashing on the screen before it fell out of sight and thumped to the floor. OC must have gone nuts when she realized I hadn't come home. That girl knows my heat cycles better that me. She also knows how much I hate being paged. For her to page me meant her worry was borderline frenzy.
*****flashback*****
A small object sailed through the air just missing the top of OC's brown curls. It landed safely in a pile of clothes defiantly buzzing away. "Oh no, you just did not throw somethin' at your boo. Sugah, wassup? Break it down for Original Cindy," she ordered and patted the cushion next to her.
"Logan." It was all I had to say as I flopped down and sulked.
"What does roller-boy want now? I could have sworn you said 'no' the last dozen times." She poured me a cup of tea and doctored it with cream, lots of cream. "Shoulda got rid of that thing when you called it quits on Eyes-Only missions - of which I still should break my foot over your pretty li'l ass." She lightly slapped the backside of my head and reached for the sugar.
Oh yeah, must have slipped my mind. Due to poor recon from a certain cyber journalist the intel mission I had been sent on went sideways. After a narrow escape from the supposed medical facility, I had to hideout in hostile territory for days with a couple rounds of buckshot littering my back. Those damn pellets were irritating more than anything but I couldn't reach them. When I got back OC gladly helped me remove them; she had not been gentle at all. In fact I think she reveled in making me wince, pay back for not letting her know that I was alive.
*****end flashback*****
To this day I still don't know why I kept it. Sentiment? Habit? Who knew? Now everyone used it to get in touch with me so getting rid of it was a moot point. I could swear that the buzzing was becoming angry. Alec's arms tightened reflexively around me when I tried to get out of bed; he was still out cold.
Eventually I wormed my way free, his highness merely turned over. A few minutes of stretching and I wondered if I had been shortchanged in the transgenic healing department. Granted that there had been some unusually high activity lately but I felt like I'd been worked over by a platoon of X5's.
The pager buzzed away under the bed. I bent down to retrieve it mindful of the seals Alec had insisted on applying before we fell asleep. According to the reports our saliva was equipped with a powerful coagulant he explained batting his perilously long lashes over guileless blue eyes. It was kind of gross if you ask me but it worked. Personally, I think he was marking his territory. I'm not sure how I felt about that.
Deep in thought, I drew the curtains aside and watched the rest of Seattle wake to a new work-week. Relentless clouds kept the sun prisoner and shrouded the city in a dull gray veil. Usually I didn't notice the state of disrepair most of the buildings were in but coming down from a high, they looked depressing. An inexplicable sadness gripped my heart and I hugged against a coldness that had nothing to do with temperature. Call it sixth sense, call it what you will. Something was going down and soon.
"Dollar for your touch," Alec purred in my ear.
"Isn't that 'penny for your thoughts'?" I asked and ducked out of his way before he could pull me into his arms. I didn't want him to know how vulnerable I was feeling right now. I gave him a slap on the behind to lighten my mood. "There's your touch. Where's my dollar?"
"And you call me a smart ass," he mumbled and stuck out his bottom lip. "You owe me a massage."
Excuse me? Anger flashed and brought a blistering tirade to the tip of my tongue. "I just paid my tab, in full with interest, and you want...!" Holy shit! My jaw hit the ground mid-sentence as Alec started to stretch in the most catlike way possible. I take it back; this is the sexist thing he's done.
Something vibrated in my hand and snapped me back from droolsville. Saved by the pager. "Oh my, look at the time. We're gonna be late." I left the room with his laughter ringing in my ears.
Without too much distraction, I was dressed and bandaged up in no time. The seals still held but the extra pressure made them sturdier. With a final kiss goodbye, Alec headed off to work first. Showing up together work together would raise a few eyebrows; I wasn't ready for the third degree from OC just yet especially when I hadn't returned any of her pages. Besides I still had that last package to deliver.
*****
Jampony was hopping and the entrance was especially clogged this morning. Would it give me enough cover to slip in unnoticed? Probably not but I could dream, couldn't I? Paranoid? Not me. Never.
Normal's 'Max is late' radar went off the instant I passed by dispatch and he homed in. "So missy miss decides to grace us with her presence. I suppose, since you're here, you got that signature from Saturday," he sniggered and adjusted his headset.
Far be it for me to mention it, but I was late because he wanted that signature. I smiled sweetly and handed him my clipboard with the completed form. What I wanted to do was wipe that arrogant expression off his face with the bottom of my boot. Beyond Normal, Alec's blonde head popped out from behind his locker door. He made himself look busy while trying to watch us out of the corner of his eye.
I had a few moments to watch him while Normal examined the form closely. His hands were moving in a structured manner. One passed across his face and touched his sternum. The other pumped twice in a closed fist. I've been out of Manticore so long I didn't recognize the hand signals at first. Halfway through the second repeat I got the message.
'Status report'. After bridling slightly at the implied order, I realized he was asking if I was okay. I gave him the thumbs up signal and crossed my hands in front of my stomach, letting him know I was okay but my wounds still hurt like hell. Then I made like I was putting on gloves, just in time for Normal to catch me in the act.
"Stop fidgeting," Normal ordered and gave my clipboard back with a brand new stack of tags. "These packages aren't going to deliver themselves," he added when I kept staring at them wide-eyed.
"You have got to be kidding me. This will take forever." Okay I know I was whining but with the added activities of the weekend, I already felt like what the cat dragged in, pun intended. Extra duty was just rubbing salt in to the wounds.
The cat that did drag me in was pulling on some fingerless riding gloves carefully over tightly taped bandages. Good, he got the message that we should hide all visible wounds to avoid questions.
"Bip, bip!" Normal snapped. He was close enough that I couldn't focus completely on his face. The fine hairs on my neck roses like hackles. I took a deep breath and instantly regretted it, but it prevented the adrenaline rush. My eyes remained their regular smoky brown. Only Alec would have heard the growl vibrating in my throat.
I turned on my heel sharply leaving Normal to his hollow threats of firing me if I failed to get any signatures. Luckily all the packages fit in my saddlebags. OC's bike was gone another lucky break. It would be a miracle if I could avoid her the entire day.
Normal berated me the entire time and I got sick of it. I dug through my backpack and threw a small plastic container at him. That shut him up for a few seconds as he snatched it out of the air. Frowning, he looked from me to the thing in his palm, then back to me with a lost expression. I kept my face absolutely blank and got on my bicycle. The bandages on my sides pulled a little but they would have to get used to it. It was going to be a long day and not moving wasn't an option. Work bites.
"Tic-Tacs are everyone's friend," I yelled over my shoulder and peddled out of there before he exploded.
*****
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my property," a gravely male voice grumbled before I could announce myself as a Jampony messenger. Instead of complaining about hearing that same stupid question through six deliveries, I seriously thought about busting down the door. I held my badge up to the peek-hole and waited; contemplating the variety of holes I could shove the package into.
I was about to call in another no show when the door cracked open. The opening was no more than six inches apparently at the limit of the chain still connecting it to the wall. A young boy squeezed through and frowned up at me with eyes that put the ocean to shame. Fire-red hair framed his face in a froth of curls - the type that never looked neat no matter how much grooming was done.
"Hey," I said gently and lowered myself so that he wouldn't have to look up so high. He couldn't be more than four and I didn't want to scare him. Oh what fun, my last delivery for this run and I get a pint-sized obstacle. He tipped his head to one side deepening his frown into a thoughtful scowl then gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. It was contagious.
Soon we were both laughing and neither of us had a clue why, but he introduced himself as Jake and called for his grandpa at the top of his lungs. Before I could back away he scrambled up my body and settled himself into my lap like he owned it. I stood, groaning as if his slight weight was a burden to carry, and made a silly face. He burst into a fit of giggles.
"Comfy squirt?" I asked with amused sarcasm. Jake took me seriously and nodded enthusiastically, clinging to my back with surprising strength. Shrugging inwardly at his change in attitude, we waited for his grandpa to come to the door.
Grandpa finally unchained the door and allowed us in. At least I thought so, but I walked right into a wall. The wall had fiercely intelligent, clear black eyes that regarded me with an uncomfortable intensity. Most people were taller than I was but he was huge, seven-eight or more. Not heavily muscled, but I could tell from the smoothness of his skin that there was more to him than just size. Potential muscle was deadlier and it spoke of combat training. He didn't look like anyone's father much less grandfather by any standards.
"Grandpa, my eye," was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Sometimes I was too much of a smart-ass for my own good. I smiled apologetically and tried to hand him Jake but the boy clung like an octopus. "Be a good boy and go to your grandpa," I whispered.
"Actually it's Grandall. Jake hasn't been able to pronounce it right. We're working on that, right Jake," he said not the least bit ruffled by my hasty comment and pried the boy off me. Jake fussed and threw a fit. His wail steadily rose until great sobs shook his small frame. It was the sound of a broken heart.
Grandall excused himself and took Jake to his room. The poor man had to duck fairly low to fit through the threshold. When the door bumped shut I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding. They were still within earshot though and between sobs Jake kept repeating the word 'mama'. Huh?
I was almost to my patience limit when Grandall reemerged from the back room. "Sorry, Max. His mother disappeared about two weeks ago," he said in a hushed voice and opened the envelope I was delivering. "I believe you recognize this."
It was an ordinary CD-ROM jewel case, nothing menacing there until I focused on the Manticore symbol plastered on the cover. Staring at the symbol made me realize that he called me by name.
Shit! I made a break for the door, but Grandall beat me to the doorway. He moved with speed I never would have given him credit for. No one that big moves like that without being an X-something. Retreating backward, my brain kicked into overdrive, taking snapshots of my current surroundings. Huge, potentially lethal guy in front closed doors to the right and rear and barred windows.
Going over his head was out. The smooth and solid ceiling had nothing to cling to. Grandall's face was absolutely unreadable as he approached. I felt the wall behind me and cursed. What had they said in combat school? Oh yeah, never back yourself into a corner. I may think about a refresher course if I survived this.
There wasn't a chance in hell I'd win if he decided to take me out, but maybe I could bluff him into backing off. I went into a full threat display, complete with glowing eyes, flashing claws, and a sustained warning growl. The only things missing were laid-back ears and an arched back but I did settle into a deep defensive stance.
Grandall stopped his advance and watched me for a moment. Hmm, maybe my bluff was working. Then again maybe he was simply debating whether to kill me slowly or to end my misery quickly. Cold sweat trickled down my spine and I fought to not twitch. What was he waiting for...backup?
The doorbell went off overhead and sounded like a siren. Grandall smiled, actually smiled and went to the door. Holy shit, he *was* waiting for backup! Before Grandall could let whoever was at the door in, I bolted for the kitchen. Most people keep knives in the kitchen.
"Come on in. You weren't kidding about this one," I heard him say as I huddled behind the stove with a pair of eight inch chef's knives. Their footsteps faded like they were moving away but I wasn't fooled by that old trick. Vibrations from their now silent footfalls shook the shelves nearby. A spice-laden cloud of dust tumbled from the top shelf and messed with my sense of smell but I could hear their heartbeats.
They were very close, maybe a foot away from the service counter adjoining the stove. Something whizzed above and struck the shade rope. The heavy shade unrolled and darkened the kitchen considerably. Idiots, I saw even better in the dark with these eyes than in full light.
Their thermal auras cast shadows in the hallway. Great, they were closer than I'd thought one on either side of the entrance to the kitchen. Assuming that the bigger aura was Grandall, I wasn't dumb enough to attack the biggest heat source like a moth to a flame. His partner's aura was considerably less, a better prospect for assault.
It was a shot in the dark, so to speak, but I angled one knife carefully and threw it against the far wall. The handle struck first as planned and bounced toward the smaller aura. No shriek of pain followed to my disappointment but I heard muffled swearing; I'd come close.
More whispering passed between the two; it was now or never. I held the remaining knife between my teeth and dove over the stove and counter into the living room. Unfortunately, in my haste I misjudged the distance to clear the coffee table.
My ribs hit the edge and sent the solid oak table screaming across the wood floor. Warm liquid trickled down my belly as I fought the burning sensation in my lungs. At first I thought it was from the knife but it lay a few feet away. I must have reopened my wounds.
Grandall rounded the corner, stopped the table's moment and picked it up one-handed. Now I was really up shit's creek. No oars, no boat no way out. Any minute I expected either a sound blow from the table or a flank attack from his partner.
But I wasn't going to give up. A couple of deep breaths restored my ability to function; the pain, I ignored. An image flashed in my mind and I think my brain was deliberately not putting a name to it. My nose was not so kind and quickly established that a scent belonged to the image. My world shattered, shards of betrayal drove deep into my heart. I knew Grandall's partner; it was Alec.