Chapter Sixteen
Catcher
The house was becoming a bit overcrowded. Not that I was complaining. I loved the life of it. The pattering of feet prancing through the hallways, the clattering of plates as meals were cleaned up, and the constant murmur and rise of voices as conversations transpired nearly non-stop. It was life and it was beautiful. Like a symphony.
Rafferty hated it, or pretended to at least. I caught him smiling at the kids antics or the hustle of bodies moving through spaces that were usually pretty empty. It was the warmest activity we'd been exposed to in a long time and, try as he might to hide it, it was putting him in a good mood. Cal not too much. Of course the Auphe never struck me as a social creature so the bustling noise and movement probably grated on him more than the company. He hid it as well, though for different reasons. It was sweet to see him put on a happy face for his family, which had double in size from yesterday. I could tell he would have preferred it to just be him, Cassie and Dante though…or maybe just him and Cassie for a few hours. It was impossible though, with so many people around.
I was loving it. Every second. Part of my studies in college had leaned toward anthropology for a solid three years. I enjoyed watching the interaction of being to being. The subtle ways people spoke without words and without consciousness. It allowed you to see who someone really was. How the sweetest of creatures could bare a slight fang in distasted and prove that they were faking almost every smile. Or the opposite. Like how Rafferty would clear the table for Mia one plate at a time, hoping we wouldn't notice or not noticing himself. Or how Niko hovered around his girlfriend, who showed up the night before with healing burns along her cheek, neck, and hands. He was less subtle about it, but compassion and fraternity were aspects of Niko's blood that we all knew ran deep.
Goodfellow was nearly a different person since I last saw him. He put on that haughty, better-than-thou front, but in retrospect he was behaving like a prince. I didn't know what had transpired to make him so…considerate, for lack of a better word, but my bets were on Cassie and Ishiah, who ran off after making sure everyone was safe at the house. The peri said he had to check on something; that Cassie's overhead hunting might have ruffled a few feathers. Even without Ishiah there, Robin was being sweet. He would nudge an inconspicuous shoulder to Niko's in brotherly affection or brush an almost unnoticed kiss to Cassie's hand or, if Cal wasn't present to scowl, cheek like a man truly content. I could only imagine how it would escalate when Ishiah arrive.
It made me jealous honestly. Goodfellow had his boyfriend, Niko displayed doting, understated, gestures toward the regal vampire always at his side, Cal and Cassie showed much more obvious passion and adoration in plain view of all (sometimes heavy enough they were chided), and even Rafferty's light touches to Mia's shoulders and the occasional brush of her thick brown waves over her shoulder were getting to me. Love was in the air and I was stuck with a wriggling pup that wasn't even mine in my lap and a stone in my stomach.
The biggest romantic of the bunch and I was left alone.
"Hey."
I startled at her voice so close to me. I was sitting at the kitchen table with the twins attempting to busy them with a few coloring books Mia had brought them. Hunter, half crouched in my lap, was doing a pretty good job of staying in the lines if not abiding by the natural spectrum of color, while Chase seemed to think the broader the stroke the better. Lucky the table could be scrubbed down; it would probably smell like crayons for a few days though, considering the grinding pressure he used.
I wasn't alone in the kitchen. Niko was chatting with Mia about some topic they found inviting. I tuned out after twenty minutes. Lovett, Rafferty, and Melee were in the adjoining room. It used to be a waiting room, but with our new family it had quickly become a typical living room; the sofa aired out, extra chairs situated around a battered coffee table and the dated television rewired and dusted. They were watching a game; soccer from the look of it –or futbol rather. Lovett was shouting at his team with exuberance, which made it difficult for me to hear Cassie approach me.
She slid into the chair next to me, ruffling Hunter's hair with a warm smile, before panning a concerned look toward me. "You're upset about something."
"I'm all right, just adjusting."
She tilted her head to one side to catch my downturned gaze. "I'm sorry about yesterday. That probably wasn't the reunion you had in mind."
It wasn't, but it progressed to the movie quality embrace I had been hoping for fairly quickly. And I didn't really blame Caliban for his irritation and hurt feelings for her leaving. From what I could tell he was very adamant on her staying win, lose or death. But hearing him attack her after all she'd been through, I just couldn't take it. He was still young and pretty impetuous and I should have curbed my instinctive need to protect Cassie; I also should have been less obvious about my attraction to her. That couldn't have been a good feeling for Cal. Knowing his lover had been away for months, then showing up with some guy that couldn't keep his paws off of her.
"He had his reasons, but so did you. I shouldn't have jumped in like I did."
"It was a very sweet attempt at defending the damsel in distress," Cassie teased, both implying gratitude and giving note that she was hardly in need of my efforts. I stared at her for a moment, studying the way her hair cascaded in loose auburn and blond waves over her shoulders, framing her round face and hiding the now slightly pink swells along her jawline. Her full lips were in a cynical smile, which was quickly fading the longer I leered. And it was a leer, I wasn't denying that. The longer I remained in her presence the more I liked her, the more I was attracted to her, and the more it felt like more than just fleeting-fling material. "Don't do this, Catcher. Not to me and even more not to yourself."
"I'm beginning to think that you and the family should get a hotel room." It was harsh, but probably for the best. The house was almost too crowded for all the beds we had. As it was Goodfellow already rented out a room in the Hampton Inn a few miles from our house and the reserve. He complained and moaned about the lack of luxury, but it spoke indefinitely of his loyalty to the brothers and Cassie that he didn't go any farther away despite the homeliness of his rented room. I half expected him to trek back home to his silk sheets and pillow top decadence of his own apartment, but he remained and he spent most of yesterday and today here instead of the hotel.
I figured Cassie and Cal could join him and, of course, Niko and Promise would follow; Promise would probably be footing the bill considering the designer clothes and high-priced perfume she was wearing. Good for the boys finding two very affluent and unflappably loyal friends in the puck and the vampire. I hated to break up the cocoon of warmth and vibrant energy coursing through the rancher, but spending anymore time with Cassie would probably just put me in hot water with Cal and make Cassie uncomfortable.
Cassie's eyes dropped to the table, then looking out into the living room. Caliban had joined the sports fans, leaned against the back of the sofa with folded arms and a half-intrigued look on his face. Dante was plopped down between his feet, a teething ring in one hand and a sippy cup in the other. He was more intent on the ring at the moment and I could see the plastic would burst soon. That kid had a powerful jaw.
"I don't want to lose you as a friend, Catcher. I don't have many and high quality ones like you are hard to come by."
I stayed quiet for a moment, digesting this. Honestly, I felt the same way. Even if I couldn't have a romantic relationship with her I still wanted Cassie in my life. She was too brilliant a beacon not to embrace. I just needed some time apart. I needed for her and Cal to establish their relationship more steadfastly so I didn't see the cracks and hope for things I shouldn't. "You won't lose me as a friend. I think you should just focus on your family right now."
She made a soft sound that reminded me of a laugh not completely realized or felt. She knocked one of the crayons back and forth between her fingers. "Meaning you want time away from me."
I didn't reply, which said enough. Cassie sighed and flicked the crayon so it spun around. We spent another minute or two of silently watching Chase and Hunter coloring and speaking to each other with little more than thrills and soft growls, then she pushed back on her chair and moved to leave. "I'll talk to Cal. We'll at least be out of here before tomorrow night."
"Cassie," I called. She paused with her fingers to the Formica and mahogany eyes fixed on me. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with anything deep or profound to say to her. I couldn't say she was wrong. I couldn't say that I didn't want her to go. I didn't, but I should have. She didn't need me to say anything though. With a little half smile, she leaned over me to press those full lips to my temple.
I watched her start back into the living room, taking a moment to brush her fingers over Chase's scruffy head too. He spared her a glanced then went right back to covering his book with swirls of vibrant color. I watched her go, then I watched her stop two feet from the threshold. I lifted my eyebrows and opened my senses to hear or smell the reason she would freeze like that and snap her head in the direction of the back door.
"Cassie?"
Gold flecked mahogany darted toward me, then back to the door. Her entire body was ridged and I wasn't the only one to notice. Niko had stopped talking to Mia, the former focused on Cassie as well and the latter craned her neck to see out of the window over the kitchen sink. Mia let off a little grunt and cast a cynical look over her shoulder. "Either the puck's boyfriend is here with family or the Legion has come."
"Keep Dante and Cal inside." Cassie's demand was aimed at Niko and she was pushing open the swinging back door before I even managed to slide Hunter into the chair beside me. Niko caught my arm and squeezed it purposefully as I passed, his gray eyes telling me to protect her as he hastened into the living room with the others. I didn't like this.
I could smell the mixed wild flower scents of several peris now and when I stepped out onto the porch behind Cassie I could see at least a dozen of them. Every single one had their wings out and ruffled with the heady smell of tension on the air. It intermingled with the mild musk of weeds and underbrush growing stiltedly in the cool spring months as well as the syrupy tang of Cassie's poorly concealed fear. "Catcher, go inside."
"Like hell," I responded, coming up abreast to her. The peris looked uncannily similar, probably a clan of distant relatives. At the helm stood the one that had saved me in the alley yesterday, Ishiah. The broad shouldered blond was accompanied by another that was only slightly less brute. Ishiah's brother maybe? Which didn't bring about great prospects considering I knew Cassie had take out most of Ishiah's family for trying to kill her and Cal.
No one made the first move; standing like the lines drawn for war. Cassie and I were unarmed save for the weapons given by nature. It normally would have been enough for either of us, but considering how well Ishiah could wield a sword I didn't doubt that his brethren could do the same with the weapons in their grasps. Rapiers, broadswords, and even a katana in the mix. I would have grabbed Cassie and ran if I didn't know we had plenty of back up waiting inside.
And speaking of which, the back screen banged open with great force and a new smell stung my nose. Pissed off Auphe. Cal tried to go at them in his rage, almost making it to the first step down the porch before Cassie caught him by the back of his shirt and yanked him back. That didn't stop the young brat's mouth from shooting off though. "Ishiah, what the hell are you thinking? Get them the fuck out of here now!"
"Calib—"
"We have children in there! Are you crazy?"
The blond beside Ishiah rolled his eyes at Caliban's tirade, unmoved from his position next to the larger peri. Cassie remained just as still, trembling just slightly; I couldn't tell if that was in effort to keep Cal from tearing into the yard or if she was just that frightened.
"Please calm down, Caliban," Ishiah tried again. That only encouraged Cal to whip out his Glock and aim it right at the unimpressed blond. His wings lifted just slightly at the threat, but he didn't shift otherwise. Ishiah extended his arm in front of his kin and held the other out to placate our seething half Auphe. "Caliban—"
"Do not test me, Ishiah. Last time these assholes came around they shot me and tried to kill Cassie again. They take one step forward, I swear it'll be open season. My son is in there—"
"That is precisely why we are here," the blond interjected with venom dripping from every syllable. Cal's finger squeezed at the trigger, but Cassie stepped in front of him. The Glock lifted as he crooked his elbow immediately, finger pressed to the side of the barrel.
Around the sides of the house the Calvary was appearing. Niko with his own katana unsheathed at his side and Goodfellow with a borrowed sword flanking him from the left side of the house, while Lovett, my cousin, and Melee stalked around the right side all three in wolf form with hackles up. The peris seemed a bit more ruffled now, maybe expecting a peaceful exchange or not expecting the Leandros boys to have more reinforcements than usual. Several of them grasped their weapons in ready and most of their gold-barred wings rose high on the apex of their full span. Most clans had signature highlights in their wings, different variations of precious metals and sometimes stones. The Ina clan had almost a shimmering pale turquoise kissing the grain of their feathers, so the fact that all of these peris had gold inlaid in theirs solidified my assumption that they were all clan members. The fact that it was mixed gender was a little stranger. Clan usually left the children with the females, like most primitive races, mostly because the women would defend their offspring with much more valor and fierceness in comparison. Since there were females among the males here, I could only assume that Castiella and the Leandros crew decimated their clan to the point of dwindling.
Ishiah held up both hands this time one to each side of the house to make our approaching friends give pause. "Please stop. This is not a visit of aggression. Trust me, Castiella." He cast his blue-gray eyes upon the focus of most of the peris' hostility. "They need to see Dante."
"Over my dead body," Cal snapped.
The blond beside Ishiah smirked. "That can be arranged." It wasn't just Ishiah that chided him either; a female just behind him tapped the flat of her broadsword to his heel in silent admonishment.
"Joel, refrain," Ishiah warned and even clasped one hand to his kin's shoulder. The smaller, and obviously younger, blond shrugged him off with a look of contempt and the familiar scent of sibling rivalry. Then, after a moment of silent bickering, both peris turned gazes back to the porch and our small ensemble gathered there. "Castiella, please, trust me. You know I would never place my grandnephew in any danger. This will help, I promise you."
From the corner of my eye, I could see the twins peering out the window with Mia hovering behind; prepared to snatch them up and drag them away from harm if a fight did break out. I turned just a bit behind me to find Promise cradling Dante close to her chest under the cover of shade in the hallway just outside the kitchen. She was a little too far back for me to see if the kid was squirming, but I could hear the little complains he was making when I turned my head.
No one moved outside. Everyone was assessing the best plan of attack, the best means of defense, or just trying to make a decision on who to trust. I didn't know these peris, but I knew Castiella's history with her own clan. They despised her, wished she had never existed and wished they could do something about her current existence. The Ina told me how the clan the Harbinger was born from shunned and abandoned her, which translated more as hid in fear from her in my head.
I remembered something else about the Ina clan, something they told me regarding their rare inter-species wars and something that fell in line with every virtue that was the peris' culture. I made my decision before Cassie could puzzle it out and retreated into the house. Promise straightened when I approached her, obviously asking for the vulnerable child in her arms. "They won't." I assured the vampire. "I know they won't. They peris, Promise, more honorable than any other race in this town."
She relinquished Dante to me with an apprehensive look. We didn't know each other well; I didn't blame her for the distrust, especially when Dante punched me in the jaw. It smarted, but the kid didn't have enough power to stop me from carrying him back outside. He struggled even more violently when he saw his parents, wanting very much to be in their arms instead of mine. I passed him off to Cal, hoping to keep his trigger-happy hands busy.
He glared vehemently at me and I tried to give him a confident nod. My stomach was roiling, but I was still ninety-five percent sure the peris wouldn't attack when a child was present. Peri wars never transpired in villages, never bled into the home life. They ruled and governed each other through duels and broadly drawn lines of battle. They were valiant creatures not manipulative.
"They won't," I said to Caliban, just as I had to Promise. He seemed less sated, but it was too late to hide the boy away. Instead, Cal hoisted Dante a little high on his hip and turned toward the peris waiting in the porch.
"This good enough? Or do I need to hold him up Lion King style?" he sniped, specifically at the peri called Joel.
Gold and white wings shuddered on Joel's back in irritation, then curled inward, heart-like, to his back. His molten gold gaze panned over to Castiella with the same bitter distaste, but he spoke to her, which was probably proclaiming loudly just how much more animosity he felt for Caliban. Either that or how much more of a threat he considered his half-niece. "I'm going to approach." He lanced the ground with his sword and stood with his shoulders in a straight line, waiting for Cassie to acquiesce the veiled request for her not to attack him when he did.
She did nod, resting a hand on Cal's arm that was wrapped around their son's rump and thighs. She was telling him to stay calm. She tried her best to exude that tranquility too, but couldn't control the nervous energy that Dante could probably sense. "I don't like this," Cal hissed. He held Dante with only one arm, the other was inching toward his gun again. The little boy didn't need any other support though; he clutched the front of Cal's shirt to hold himself up expertly. And like father like son, Dante was growling ever so softly at the new company.
Ishiah walked forward with his brother, while the other remained somewhat alert in the background. Niko had continued coming closer and now stood at the bottom of the porch, while the puck hung back. Same as my pack. They paced several feet away in readiness to defend our growing members. Except for Rafferty. He just sat quietly on his haunches watching, like he knew what I knew. And maybe he did.
A small smile ghosted over Ishiah's lips as he came up to Cal and Dante. Joel respectfully stayed at the bottom of the porch steps; a generous distance away from Niko, but close enough to view the hybrid anomaly clearly. Cal wasn't even watching Goodfellow's boyfriend. His eyes were on Joel, flickering nervously over the rest of the gathering. Ishiah, he seemed to trust. Though, Dante didn't share the sentiment.
"He looks exactly like you, Caliban," Ishiah murmured softly like a man seeing their grandson for the first time, which –oddly– was sort of the situation. He reached out to brush his hand over Dante's dark hair, then retracted when a set of thin claws nearly took off his thumb.
"Oh," Cal grunted and pivoted so his son couldn't slash at Ishiah again. "Sorry. He doesn't seem to like strangers. He'll get used to you. He kept growling at Promise for the first night she met him too."
Ishiah eased his hands down to his sides, not insulted. In fact he looked relieved. He turned his head to one shoulder to regard Joel. His smirk now looked triumphant. "Caliban does not have that ability, brother."
Joel seemed to roll this thought around his tongue like a fine wine that he didn't enjoy the taste of, then he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "You don't have claws like that, Aupheling?"
Caliban paused, looking over at his lover then back at Joel. After a moment he realized Aupheling was in reference to him. I imagined Cassie was just called Harbinger and nothing more when it came to the peris. Once he understood the question was directed at him Cal snorted. "You think if I had claws that could cut through bone and metal I would be toting around two guns and six magazines?"
Joel considered this as well, then focused those gold eyes on the child. After a long moment of silence, broken only by Dante's constant rumble of disquiet, Joel retreated a step and nodded. "It can't be helped." He turned his scowl on Cassie and gave a minute grin that was more malevolent than anything they'd shown the entire time. "We'll return in twenty years. Be prepared."
With that he turned and approached his clan. One by one they took off into the sky circling no more than once before soaring off toward Manhattan. Joel was the last, not even sparing a glance at his brother as he arced toward the clouds. I let out a breath of relief, glad my knowledge on peri culture wasn't lacking. Ishiah remained, only ascending the porch steps to greet Goodfellow with a brief touch and a much more intimate look.
"That was risky," the puck informed him.
Ishiah nodded. "Yes, but it was beneficial."
"What the hell just happened?" Cal snapped. Dante was a little more placid in his arms, observing the company around him with a little more curiosity and a little less animosity. He'd stopped growling and even let Ishiah scale the steps without snapping. He surprised me with how much he was like a werewolf pup, which explained why he got along so well with Chase and Hunter.
"The clan will not attempt to seek justice for Castiella's previous crimes against them," Ishiah said, carefully choosing his words and layering his tone with clear dissatisfaction to show he didn't agree with them. He grazed his calloused fingers over Cassie's temple, resting his palm to her neck and shoulder. "It is a strict rule. A peri will not attack another being that has a child dependant on them. Because of Dante, Joel and the rest of the clan will not attempt to harm you or Cal until Dante is no longer dependent on you. Usually it is fifty years, but they have obviously taken into consideration Dante's possible shorter lifespan and present accelerated age and shortened it to twenty."
"Doesn't that increase the risk for them?" Niko commented. His katana had returned to its sheath and he was much more relaxed as he stood near Goodfellow at the foot of the porch steps. "Waiting for Dante to become more powerful will only give them another enemy. And considering his lineage a more powerful one."
"It isn't a matter of risk, it's a matter of honor," Ishiah intoned. He dropped a kiss to Cassie's blond crown. "I'm sorry to have frightened you with that, but I feared you wouldn't cooperate if I had told you."
She frowned at his explanation, but didn't argue and how could she? If he'd given us advanced notice I didn't think it would have gone as smoothly as it had. Caliban would have probably been out for blood for what the peris had done to him and Cassie; Niko certainly wouldn't have let them within sight range of his brother if it was true that they shot Cal last time.
Ishiah turned to look at Dante still in Caliban's arms. The boy seemed a little more amiable now that they tension had ebbed away, but he still peered at the peri with skepticism. If a two year old could be skeptical. Ishiah smiled softly, the scar on his jaw and cheek stretching slightly. "Now, I'd like to spend some time with my grandnephew."
The party returned indoors in a subtle flow of bodies, as if we were just returning home from the grocery store. Tension slowly left the house as Ishiah sat down with his niece and grandnephew, getting to know the little boy and chatting quietly with her. Caliban circled close between the living room where the game had continued on TV and the surgery where the peri and Cassie had retreated. Dinner was much quieter than in previous nights, the twins contributed most of the noise, while light conversation passed through the rest of us. Ishiah and Goodfellow ducked out before the meal was finished cooking, but I believed that had more to do with the puck's insatiable sex drive than it did Mia's cooking. By nightfall, Cassie, Promise, the brothers and their son were heading out as well; apparently, Cassie decided now was a good time to fulfill my request.
Niko gave Rafferty his contact information –they were staying at Promise's apartment. And out the door they went. Cassie cast a forlorn look in my direction as she left, but neither of us had any words. My cousin, unfortunately, had plenty.
At first he just sat down across from me as I cleared the kitchen table. Mia was still in the room washing out the pans, but the rest of our pack had vacated to catch fireflies outside with the pups. He watched me for several excruciatingly quiet minutes, then cleared his throat and shook his head. "I told you not to get attached."
I glared and slid dirty plates next to the sink. "And you were right, bravo. Gold star for you." Mia paused in scrubbing, glancing over at me and then apprehensively toward Rafferty. As if she was asking if we wanted her to leave. I, personally, didn't care. Mia was as part of my family as Rafferty was at this point. The fact that she was sleeping with my cousin just realized that concept. I was pretty much an open book anyway. I hated gossip so I made sure there was nothing to gossip about.
"No need to get nasty," Rafferty grumped. He tapped his finger to the table across from him indicating that he wanted me to sit. He used to do that when I was in a particularly down mood, except those times I was hopping onto the chair with four feet and a fur pelt. And usually he had some sort of treat for me be it a video I had wanted to watch or just a particular food I'd been begging for. Once he had brought me home a laptop to cheer me up, presented with a sloppy bow taped on the case. That gift had been the best and the most useful. Unfortunately, these thoughts brought me to sink into the chair with guilt for all he'd sacrificed for me over the years. He didn't have a gift for me, but I needed a gruff talking to all the same.
"I understand your attraction to her. She is an amazing creature, but she was taken from the very beginning."
"I know."
"Then why did you send her away?"
"I didn't—"
He gave me a jaundiced looked, which was enough to cut me off. It would have been a lie anyway. I asked her to leave. I sent her away. "It's better. The longer she's around me the more I want her."
Raff grunted; his way of empathizing. He leaned back his chair, ran a hand over the scruff on his chin, flicked a glance over at Mia, who was dutifully trying to ignore us, and then sighed. "There's nothing I can say that will make you feel better today, Catch."
I nodded; no gift could make my feelings go away. The only thing that could would be time…or a damned good distraction. "I know." I felt Mia come up behind me, her water-warmed hands sliding over my shoulders to wrap around my neck in a hug. She nudged her nose above my ear, but didn't tell me anything inspirational, she just hugged me. It was nice though, a reminder of what I did have. Maybe not a mate, but I had a family. A big family, a pack.
I patted Mia's arms, rolling my head back to give her a smile. "Thanks, Mia."
"I do what I can," she replied and ruffled both hands through my hair. She then dropped a clean dishtowel next to me on the table. "And now you boys can do what you can."
I glanced behind me as she left the kitchen and saw the second sink was piled high with washed pots and pans. Our dishwasher had broken ages before we'd abandoned the house, so we had to resort to the old fashion wash and dry by hand. I sighed through my nose and snatched up the towel. I did ask for a distraction, after all.