6. Cain

Chapter six

Cain

J erking awake in my seat, I cursed and hunted for the phone that woke me up. I'd finished up drinks with my client an hour ago, and I'd driven home, only to stop and park a block away and sit back to watch. It's not like I was avoiding going home, not in the sense that I didn't want to be there, at least. I made a lot of excuses to Addy and to the others on why I had to leave the house lately, and often I would just… sit outside like a sentry, watching for anything or anyone weird to come around. I was getting paranoid, and so utterly fucking exhausted.

We'd been settled here for three months already, but I still couldn't bring myself to relax. While Addy had prepared for the move, I'd combed over every inch of the docks, searching for any clue about where Jake might've gotten to. For a while I hoped I would just… stumble over his body somewhere in the overgrown lots and piles of trash. Maybe he'd crawled away and ended up in the water somewhere, sinking to the bottom where his corpse could poison the nearby fish. I needed to see the body. I wouldn't be able to relax until I could kick at his bones and feel them crunch under my boot. His death had to be visible. Nothing could be left to chance this time. I'd fallen for that once before, and I'd almost lost Addy and Wyatt because of it.

Checking my phone, I saw a couple of angry-looking texts from Addy, something about a ‘family meeting'. Fuck, I didn't think I could take an argument with her tonight. I dropped my phone and rubbed my eyes, patting my pockets to find a cigarette. It lit up before it even touched my lips, and I inhaled the smoke with a sigh. Addy had started to notice my absence. I was away more during the day, and some mornings I was gone before she even got up, forcing Wyatt or Piper to walk her to work. It wasn't like I was trying to avoid her. In fact, my body craved her so badly some nights I couldn't sleep. I was so desperate to hold her that I would actually climb into her ridiculous bed and curl up beside her for a couple of hours during the night, before slipping out in the early hours of the morning. I was starting to worry she would read my mind and see this secret I was keeping from her.

Finishing my cigarette, I pulled out of my current lurking spot, driving down the block and parking in the spot in front of our studio instead. I unlocked the door and walked inside, scowling when I nearly tripped over a pair of boots and Addy's purse. Annoyed, I gathered everything up and stormed inside and up the stairs, dumping the boots on the mat I'd bought and placed by the top of the stairs. I set her bag on the couch, glancing around for signs of life in our new apartment. Stomping over to my room, I slipped off my suit jacket and hung it back in my closet, shrugging out of my dress shirt and tossing it in the hamper. I grabbed a pair of sweats off the floor and dropped them immediately, swearing loudly as they started moving on their own. A ball python slithered out of them, darting for the door and slipping outside.

"Austin!" I snarled, shaking my sweats gingerly before yanking them on. What the fuck were his snakes doing out of his room? He knew better than to let them run loose. Following after the snake, I caught a rumpled-looking Wyatt wandering down the stairs. Jesus Christ, had he been in bed all day? I studied him closely as he stumbled to the fridge to grab a beer. Not working was clearly starting to affect him. He caught me staring and leveled a glare of his own as he cracked open his beer and climbed over the back of the couch to sit down in the living room.

I opened my mouth to snap at him when the door downstairs slammed closed, and Piper came up the stairs. "And where have you been?" I asked, frowning at him. Truth be told, I couldn't remember seeing him at all this week.

"Telling fortunes down at the indoor market. " He smiled, holding up a deck of weathered tarot cards. "I made $400 today." My eyebrows shot up as he traipsed past me, grabbing a beer and joining Wyatt in the living room. "Is today the family meeting?" he asked casually, and Wyatt glanced at him in surprise.

"Addy sent me a text," he explained, pulling out a rather beat-up looking smartphone. It was definitely not the one I'd originally bought for him, but I couldn't be bothered to question it right now. At least he'd come home.

"Downstairs, now!" Addy exclaimed, and I heard a door slam upstairs. I felt Addy's presence like a balm over my heart. As soon as she started down the stairs, the buzzing in my mind quieted and my shoulders loosened. She looked livid, and I just hoped I wasn't the target of her ire tonight. Her hair was loose, flowing like a waterfall of ink around her face and down her back. She was wearing an oversized tee shirt - one of mine, I realized with a jolt - and her eyes locked with mine as she reached the landing.

"You," she bit out, and I bristled at her tone. We were like oil and flame, a volatile combination when both of us were worked up.

"Little Spider!" Piper announced, catching Addy off-guard. She softened a bit and smiled at him, because of course he got the gentle treatment. "What's this about a family meeting?" he asked, and Addy headed over to him instead, leaving me a chance to grab a beer and settle in beside Wyatt, who deliberately avoided my gaze, slouching down into the cushions and picking at the tab on his can.

Austin slunk down the stairs, looking like he was trying to disappear into his hoodie, hunched over and unhappy. Addy's face hardened, and she whirled on him, her hands on her hips. Now I was truly shocked. I'd never seen her mad at Austin before. "Family meeting is officially in session," she announced, as Austin ducked around her and sat down next to Piper on the love seat. She remained standing, her body vibrating with anger.

"What's this all about, Addy?" I asked, drawing her attention. She cocked an eyebrow at me, accusingly.

"Well, Cain. It seems like some more weird shit has been happening under your roof, without your knowledge," she snapped cryptically. I eyed the room, and Austin and Wyatt cringed, while Piper just looked bored.

"Daddy Cain has been gone a lot lately," Piper noted absently, and I glared at him before looking back at Addy.

"Alright, sassy. Get to the point. What am I missing?" I snapped. She turned to Austin and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up beside her.

"You. Hoodie off. Now," Addy ordered, and he kept his gaze on the floor as he shrugged off his hoodie, tossing it on the couch. I blinked, and then blinked again, trying to figure out what my eyes were trying to tell me. Standing, I walked up to Austin, who finally met my eyes, and I frowned.

"Did you… what the fuck?" I frowned, looking him over sharply. "Did you join a gym or something?" I asked, baffled.

"Only if the gym also provides fucking growth serum. He's taller!" Addy insisted, and Piper stood up, his interest peaked. He sidled up to Austin, grabbing his hips and pulling him around to face him. Austin smirked, looking down at Piper, who stroked a hand over his muscled arms, looking amused.

"Well then, that's different," he mused, and Austin hissed and pulled him into a rough kiss. My eyebrows shot up, not at the action itself, but at Austin's aggressive behavior. Addy clicked her tongue impatiently, and when he finally let go of Piper, Addy pushed Piper back down onto the couch.

"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded, and Addy glared at me like it was somehow my fault. And… maybe it was? I grimaced and circled around Austin, who stiffened immediately. I caught the tension in his shoulders, his hands curling into fists.

"He bit me the other day," Addy announced, pulling down her collar to show the two half-healed puncture marks on her shoulder. "And he bit Wyatt today." I glanced at Wyatt, who was very quiet during all of this, his cheeks flushing slightly as he drank his beer. I looked over at Piper, who grinned and ran a hand through his hair.

"He bit me too… a few times." Piper sighed, pulling the waistband of his jeans down to reveal several puncture marks across his hip. "It felt good. I didn't mind. " He shrugged, winking at Austin. The serpentine fucker looked proud of himself, his chin raising up with satisfaction.

"Austin, what the hell, man? We don't bite people," I growled, and he met my eye with a shocking amount of defiance.

"They are mine," he snarled, his eyes narrowing. "My nest mates. I needed to… mark them as mine." Addy gaped at him, and he pulled her into his arms, rubbing his cheek against hers, his eyes flashing as he stared at me in challenge.

Jesus Christ, was this some sort of… Discovery Channel dominance display or something? I was too goddamn tired for this. I lifted my chin, letting flames rise to the surface as I met his challenge, pulling Addy out of his arms and moving her over toward the couch. Wyatt grabbed her and pulled her down with him, leaving me with the furious cobra. "Do we have a problem, Austin?" I asked sharply, feeling the heat on my tongue as my temper began to boil over.

"You're not protecting our nest. You're gone," he rasped, his eyes narrowing at me. He shifted to the left, toward the rest of the group. I moved to block him, and he bared his teeth at me.

"Everything I do is to protect this family!" I shouted at him. I could smell burning fabric, and I grimaced. There went another shirt ruined. "If I leave here, I'm busy keeping everyone safe!" Austin was coiling, his knees bent as he watched me, so I was ready when he struck out at me. I moved right and caught him around the waist, dropping him to the floor on his back. Straddling his hips, I shoved him down, pinning him with a hand on his chest.

"You are my family. I will keep you safe. Now stop fucking biting people." I glanced over at Piper. "Unless they want it," I amended quickly. "And no more of this dominance shit. I don't have the patience for it." I waited until the rage in his face dimmed, and he stopped snarling at me. "It makes me glad that you're stronger, Austin, because I need all the help I can get. I trust you'll keep everyone safe while I'm out." He softened underneath me, the tension fading away, and I released my grip on him, standing up and offering him a hand up as well.

"Okay, are we all done with the male posturing now?" Addy asked, climbing off of Wyatt's lap. She gave Austin a sharp look, and he chewed on his lip ring sheepishly.

"Good. Now I'm going to order a pizza," she announced, glancing at me before sauntering off toward my room. I followed her, getting the not-so-subtle hint. Closing the door behind us, I listened as she placed an order for a couple of large pizzas from the chain restaurant close by. Sitting down on my bed, I wished I could just go to sleep now. My eyes felt like I'd ground sand into them and then stared into the sun.

"Hey," Addy announced, stowing her phone. "He's not wrong, you know. You're never home anymore." She frowned at me, and I sighed, closing my sore eyes so I could ignore her piercing gaze.

"I'm busy trying to build roots here, so we can stay comfortable and safe," I replied sharply, rubbing my temples. Addy's hands cupped my face, and I opened my eyes, staring at her as she straddled my legs and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You're building roots at four in the morning?" she asked softly, cocking her head to the side. "You never met clients this much before…" My flimsy excuses weren't fooling her anymore, clearly. Her touch soothed the ache in my skull, washing over me like a drug. Addy shifted in my lap and I dropped my hands to her hips, growing hard as she rubbed herself against me.

"This is different. I have to set up new connections here," I explained softly, groaning as her lips ghosted across mine. Her hands tangled in my hair, tugging my head back.

"I miss you," she replied softly, and the guilt made my chest ache. "You don't have to keep doing this… penance for what happened. We won, he lost. We should be celebrating, not torturing ourselves over the past." She kissed me again, and I met her lips roughly, craving more of her - all of her. Addy moaned against my lips and ground her hips against mine, seeking friction. I slid my hand under her shirt, my fingers finding one of the scars my bastard of a brother had given her. Guilt threatened to drown me, twisting my stomach into knots. I gently broke off the kiss, and Addy's lips parted in frustration.

"We should get ready for dinner," I told her softly, hating the flash of hurt that crossed her face. I helped her climb off my lap and she left without a word, the buzzing behind my temples returning with a fierce vengeance.

Jake's true power was tainting everything he touched with misery, so even after we escaped, we were never truly free.