© ItalRT4u, 2012

     I was glad that dinner time was approaching and I had managed to spend the rest of the afternoon with Cane by my side.  I convinced him to finally let me out of bed and downstairs seeing as I had smelled Sandra’s cooking for the last hour or so; not to mention that I was feeling slightly caged in.  I felt happy but I couldn’t get past the nagging feeling I had with what was going on with Carly and Andy.  They both deserved to be happy and let’s face it, they would have never been matched if they weren’t good prospects for one another; the Fates knew what they were doing.  Anyone could see that those two were a perfect fit; granted, they were both incredibly different from one another but didn’t someone say once that opposites attract?  I didn’t know the extent as to what caused them to separate to begin with nor why Carly seemed adamant that it would never work.  Despite their differences, they were both very similar when it came down to their stubbornness and lack of seeing things for what or how they were supposed to be.  If you ask me, they needed a huge shove in the right direction.

     “What’s going on in that head of yours?”  Cane asked as I came out of the bathroom, refreshed and dressed for dinner.  I had tried to block him from my thoughts but clearly, I had forgotten about the conniving smile that played at my lips as I approached him.  The one I couldn’t seem to wipe from my lips fast enough.

     “Nothing.”  I said a little too quickly.

     “You need to leave it alone.”  He told me softly as he turned me to face him.  “You have enough to deal with as it is.”  Cane knew everything.  I had discussed it with him after Carly had left me earlier.  Turns out he’s known for a while seeing as he and Carly had talked over the last few years about it.

     “But…”  He hushed me with a quick kiss on the lips as I stopped in front of him to grab his hand.  I groaned and gave him my best pouty face as I pulled away.  “They need help.”  I kissed him quickly on the cheek and quickly pulled him into the hall and down the stairs before he had the chance for a rebuttal.

     Everyone had been at the table for dinner.  It felt great to be part of a family after last night’s horrendous massacre.  If I said that I had already forgotten about the worst of it and that I no longer hated what I knew I had to do, I’d be lying.  Truth is, I had thought about the unfolding of last night’s events nearly every second of the day.  As for what Cane had told me, regarding forgetting about his brother and my aunt, there was no way that I would drop it.  The tension between the two could be cut with a knife and it seemed to drag both Cane and I down with our extra empathic abilities.  The tension was so high that I had grown fidgety.  I had to make it better; I owed them both that much.  At the worst times in my life, those two had been there to help me out; sure, Carly a hell of a lot longer and more extensively than Andy but Andy did prove his worth.  He might be a pompous, egotistical, temperamental idiot on the surface but he also had loyalty, heart, and bravery on his side – those character traits couldn’t be overlooked, easily dismissed, or ignored; not from my perspective anyway.  As I sat there, silently stuffing my face, a plan began to form in my mind.  I couldn’t help the giggle that came out of me when Cane nudged my leg with his as a warning to cease and desist.  He knew what I was up to and I made sure to leave my block down so he would.

     “Are you two alright?”  Patrick turned toward us as he wrapped an arm around Kristie’s shoulders and she leaned into him slightly.  It seemed like Patrick was more like Cane and William than anyone thought; he had fully embraced the fact that he was matched.  They looked quite happy and I was thrilled because Kristie had been through so much at the hands of the Davis clan as we had come to find out.

     “We’re fine.”  Cane looked at me with warning lacing his eyes.  “You won’t leave this alone, will you?”  He asked me through our link.

     “Not a chance.”  I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared at him before pecking his cheek.  “You’re either with or against me, Sweetheart.”  And I threw in a wink for good measure which only made him roll his eyes and shake his head at me.

     We had found ourselves in the rather expansive family room for a nightcap later in the evening, the whole of us.  Prior to this, we had noticed Andy giving chase to Carly and she, the crafty one that she was, managed to find an out from being caught alone with him.  Judging by what I was seeing, Carly was the saboteur in all of this; at least, in this moment.  It was as clear as day that Andy needed to make a point and Cane was in complete agreement with me.

     Will and Sandy were the first to leave and head off to bed, and not too long afterwards, Patrick had pulled Kristie off to his room to finish what he had evidently started between them as they sat there cuddled, him whispering inaudible things as she blushed.  I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling the combustible heat between those two as they rose and left the room; Cane seemed rather relieved when the scent of lust dissipated the moment they had taken their leave.

     Cane rose to get himself a drink from the kitchen.  I sat there eyeing Andrew as he watched Carly get up, sadness surrounding him as she disappeared into the kitchen, behind Cane.

     “Talk to me.”  I trained my eyes on him.

     “What?”  He snapped out of the sorrowful daze he had fallen into.

     “You.  Carly.  I know something’s up.”  I gave him a sympathetic smile.

     “There’s nothing to talk about.”  He shrugged.

     “Bullshit.”  I eyed him sternly.  “I know that’s a lie and so do you.”  He ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair.  He looked like a man defeated before attempting the largest battle of his life.

     “I don’t know what to do anymore.  I really fucked it all up.”  He whispered into his hands as he leaned forward, elbows to his knees.

     “She’s your match Andy.”  I said exasperatedly.  “You two were made for each other.  Last I checked you can’t run from that.”

     “She’s right, bro.”  Cane said as he came back into the room.  I walked to his side.  “Just think of how much you’re hurting right now.  She’s hurting more.  You need to clear the air between the both of you before she leaves tomorrow.”

     “That’s what I’ve been trying to do all this time!”  He bellowed softly, evidently avoiding to be overheard by anyone else in the house.  Andy’s fists clenched tightly at his sides as he rose to his feet.

     “You need to check that temper of yours at the door.”  I warned him.  His face flushed and he seemed to relax as he let out a long drawled out breath and chased it with a nod.

     “I know.”  He said softly.

     “You’ll find her in her room.”  Cane told him.

     “Thanks.”

     “Oh, and word to the wise,” Cane began, causing Andy to turn to face us again.

     “Yeah?”

     “You refused her first.  She’s right in holding back and refusing you, you know.”  Cane stated.

     “I know.  I wish I had done things differently.  I need her and only her.  I see that now.”  Andy looked at his feet; he was ashamed.

     “Don’t tell us that.  Tell her.”  I told him.

     “Now go fix it.”  Cane interjected.  The brothers nodded to one another and Andy left us with what seemed like a determined bounce in his step.  I let myself fall down to the couch and leaned my head back, closing my eyes; the cushions dipping next to me, his breath fanning down my neck before his lips tenderly met the soft skin there.  The electrical impulses swirling around us as I turned my face toward his; he pulled back to look at me and gave me a heartwarming smile.

     “I hope it works itself out.”  I whispered to him, noticing his smile turning into a wider one.  “What?”

     “I love the way you decide to take it upon yourself and fix things.  I know I was telling you to get involved but I’m glad you did.”  He said.

     “Well, it beats sitting around watching those you love being miserable.”  I told him with a simplistic tone.

     “I couldn’t agree more.”

     The next morning, I was relieved that my aches were relatively gone and merely a memory of the past.  Cane was still sleeping beside me; I had iced his eye for him after we had turned in for the night, last night.  It seemed to have helped because the only thing left was bruising.  I leaned up on my elbow watching him as he slept; not really in a rush to start my day – one of which I knew would be filled with business-like dealings and who really looked forward to that?  My fingers trailed the curvature of his brows, over his cheekbones, down to his chin; he groaned and his eyes fluttered open to meet mine.

     “Good morning, Sunshine.”  I whispered as he smiled back at my statement.  I love the way he looks at me; I could have been in a room with hundreds of people and with simply one look, it’s like everyone else faded away and it was only he and I.

     “Do we really need to go?”  I whined as Cane pulled me out of our room.

     “My Queen, your duties await you.”  He chuckled at his playful banter.

     “Funny.”  I mumbled.  He stopped mid-step, turned and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

     “Just think, the sooner we get down there and deal with whatever we need to be dealing with, the sooner we get back up here.”  He wriggled his eyebrows at me suggestively causing me to laugh out loud.

     “Point taken.”  I closed my statement with a quick peck to his lips but before I could get away from him, he pulled me back to him and attacked my lips hungrily with his, leaving me breathless.

     “I needed that.”  He said with a wink and then pulled me down the stairs behind him.

     We had been at this whole war talk for what felt like hours and my mind was reeling.  I felt like we hadn’t accomplished much.  Sure, it was all about filling in the blanks of what transpired after Sandra and William had both come back after their attack, but I didn’t get how that related to the future business at hand.  Sandy had left us to make lunch and was back in a flash with a tray filled with sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade; we worked through lunch.

     William had been up to his usual and must have been up at the wee hours of the morning considering he had managed to gather some information on other factions of Matt’s clan around the United States and other parts of the world.  Scotland was currently the area that predominantly remained unstable to an alarming degree.  Will informed us that he and the boys were scheduled to fly out later this evening to meet with the leaders in Glasgow.

     “But shouldn’t I be there?”  I asked them.

     “We can’t risk anything right now.  We don’t know the full extent of the hostility they’ve been enduring.”  William eyed me.

     “But…”

     “There’s no sense to obstinate, my Queen.  We serve you, we bow down to you, but we also mean to keep you safe at all cost.”  Will said firmly.  I knew it was useless to argue with the patriarch of this household. 

     “Don’t look so worried, dear.” Sandra approached me and rubbed my arm soothingly but it did nothing to ease the heavy sinking in my stomach.  “They’ll be back in a few days and we’ll know exactly what we’ll be dealing with.”  I nodded my understanding.

     “Now,” Will began and eyed each of us, “I suggest you get your bags packed and tend to your individual affairs.”

     I felt so out of control as I watched Cane pack his bag.  I sensed his frustrations and did my fair share of observing the method of packing he had adopted – throwing and shoving every item in as if he detested it; as if he was angry at it.  He hadn’t spoken a word since we had left the den but being an empath has its perks in the sense that I don’t need words to know what he was feeling.  I waited until he walked by me so I could grab onto his hand and pulled him over so he stood between my legs.  He dropped his shaving kit immediately as his saddened eyes met mine.  Dropping down to his knees, I cradled his head into my chest, my fingers playing, massaging through his hair.

     “I swear if you’re not back after two days, I’m coming to find you.”  I whispered into his hair, tilting his face up so I could gaze into his violet eyes – the eyes that matched mine.  His soft hands began a rubbing pattern on my thighs, warming more than what he touched.  He rose to meet my lips and lay us down on the bed, his arms wrapped around me; I felt safe, I felt loved.

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