The Cat In The Middle

After my second shower of the day, I have to admit to feeling loose and wonderful. Turning to look over my shoulder at my primary mate, I smile softly. He's rinsing that mane of his, humming happily under his breath. We had an amazing afternoon with Alistair and Rhea. We were concerned when they showed up with takeout, but there was no drama about the incident two days ago.

They didn't even ask about what happened after Rhea left.

Alistair was a wee bit clingy, but the way our bond works, it's not surprising. I don't think Rhea's insecurities have ever rubbed off on him, and that's a good thing. It didn't feel enhanced by the current turmoil, so I'm not worried. I never thought our relationship would progress to where it is now, nor that he and Rhea would become so important to us. My mate and I were so entrenched with Sari and Wilde at the time that I didn't see it becoming serious.

Despite that, I'm always aware Rafe and I share our mates with Sari and Wilde. They made certain we acknowledged their claim came first as fast as they could. Everyone knew the four of them were close after the Conflict, but not how close. Alistair, Rhea, Rafe and I were talking seriously about mating as a family. Rhea and I had not mated yet, but we thought including it in the family ceremony would be nice. We decided once our new lovers came home from a trip planned with Sari and Wilde, we would finish the bond.

Sari and Wilde found out and moved in to mate with them first on the trip before we could do it.

That was the first sign that Sari and Wilde were not the amazing mates Rafe and I believed they were. They manipulated Rhea into mating with them on that trip purely out of jealousy. Rafe saw the blog post commemorating their mating and the trip while he was looking through his messages. We were shocked and hurt when we read Sari's blog; our lovers didn't mention it on any of our video chats while they were away.

That was also planned, if you ask me.

For clones, mating is sacred, and respect for your mates is paramount. That's the lore they drill into the clones during training, and that lore gets handed down to their human companions. I feel like there must be a book somewhere that explains the traditions and rules, but I've never been able to find it. Not speaking with your mates before you mate with someone else is a pretty big no-no.

Didn't stop the bullshit from happening, nor did it help the hurt when we found out.

This might have been the first time that Sari and Wilde used love as a weapon against us, but it would not be the last. All eight of us had to sit down to talk about what happened. Rafe and I sat through the excuses, and in the end, it was easier for us to move on. We couldn't make them understand why we were so hurt. You can't see a unicorn if you don't believe they exist—and Rhea didn't want to believe that she and Alistair got used. Sari didn't want to admit she'd been jealous and scared.

No one was going to budge—what good would it do to rip us all apart over it?

Perhaps we were foolish to think it would end there. Everyone pretends it doesn't happen, but it's easy for me to see the dysfunction inherent in our unit. As much as Sari crows about free love and sharing, she and Wilde are a constant source of needy drama that disrupts both families' relationships with each other. We love them and love does not demand perfection—it is. Rafe and I let things go, being the bigger people.

Since the incident in December, the rivalry gets worse every day. Adding Taurus into the mix is going to make that even more treacherous to navigate. Sari and Wilde are more than out of control than ever. Rafe and I work hard to reconcile with them, but it's not looking good. There are things that have happened that we don't even tell each other about. To be honest, I think we'd both be humiliated if any of this got out. We're the strong ones—the family everyone wants to be.

How can it have gone so wrong in such a short time?

But last night was good and I'm going to hold on to that. A sense of calm flows over me as I pad over to the French doors and crack them, letting the breeze air out of the room as if to cleanse it.

"Night Bloom?" Rafe murmurs low, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. His chin sits on my shoulder as our warm skin touches. It still makes my heart race when I feel how easily we complement one another.

"Yes?" I close my eyes as the breeze blows the sheer curtains around me. I feel like we're in a romance novel when we stand on the balcony like this. Not that I believe in that stuff, mind you, but I may have specifically picked out the design of this room with Hex to encourage that emotion.

"Was it me or did our mates seem inordinately clingy?"

"Very. It's hard to tell if they are being influenced outside of their own insecurities. Alistair's volunteered to be my sub—collars and all." I chuckle low. "I think he's really into it, to tell the truth."

I feel the grin I can't see. "Is he now? Isn't that interesting?"

He yelps when I reach back and pinch his rear. "No. Bad long hair. This is mine. You get to be his Royalty. Let me have this one."

"Oh, fine. Be a greedy little tart." He grumbles and squeezes my waist. "Rhea was needy. She said the drama with the coyote and the blogger are wearing her out."

"I imagine so. It's damn near killing us." I turn my head enough to see him and his eyes reflect the haunted look in mine.

"True." The silence is deafening for a moment before he whispers, "It's Thursday. We have dinner with the troublemakers tonight. In about… three hours."

My entire frame tenses up and I know he can feel it. We can't change our normal routine, or the consequences will be far worse than sitting through a dinner. Alistair indicated the pack was causing grief for them yesterday, and my conversation with Taurus confirmed their misbehavior two days ago.

What in hell's name is bothering them so much that they had to make four people miserable? Why, oh why, is today Thursday?

"Changing our standing date would be worse than dealing with them. It sucks, especially since we know they've been awful this week. That won't make this any easier."

"You can't smell like the turkey or the brother. It'll set them off; it always does. Make sure you're all squeaky by the time they get here."

I glare at him over my shoulder, not realizing that he knew I snuck out to meet Taurus again. He was in his studio painting, and I knew he'd miss most of the day in his ‘art stupor'. Rafe sees nothing while he's working, so it was a safe assumption. Surprisingly, he noticed, and not only that, he figured out that I showered to make sure all the predator noses in our house didn't catch the scent on my skin. "How did you know I showered after I got back from wherever he takes me, or even that I left at all?"

"You're awfully defensive. Are you planning on screwing the great ninny bird or what? It's the big question hanging in the air since the fight. I think the unanswered question is causing problems, my love. People are scared and jealous. Those two have lived a different life for so long. Now, suddenly, that git shows up and plants one on you in the middle of a civil war scenario. Excellent dramatic entrance, I must admit."

Turning in his arms, I tilt my head. "He's not safe—though, nothing is anymore, even when it should be. He's someone I can have to myself that no one else can ruin. You know?"

He nods and rests his forehead on mine, pausing before replying. "I do. It seems like everything good we've done recently has been ruined. I get why his separateness is appealing. Please promise me you'll be careful. I know you can take care of yourself, but you have a soft center. You pretend to cat around, but you take every single one of us into your heart. Don't let his views on our lifestyle make you feel worse than the Den already has. We're both fragile now—more than ever—and I know you better than anyone else."

I smile. He's right, but he's in worse shape than me. All I can do is hold his pain, yet he's worried about me getting hurt. "I know, but Taurus isn't looking for love. He doesn't want to claim or possess me. We're scratching an itch and having a good time. His views on our lifestyle are exact.ly why I know that nothing more than that will happen."

Rafe nods, tucking my hair behind my ears. "We should get dressed and see if Leo has the places set. I'm glad you're here. I thought I might be on this date tonight by myself if you took off with the great dodo."

Shit.I'd worried about Victor being alone and completely forgotten that it's Thursday. That would have been a recipe for disaster.

Recipe… oh, holy hell.

"Leo won't have anything prepared, love. They're all going out tonight because they had such a good time the other night. Leo told me about it yesterday, before Alistair and Rhea showed up. We're on our own."

"Fuck."

"Can we run away and join the circus?"

"Only you, my night bloom. My talents don't extend to tightrope acts."

I kiss him lightly, a sad smile crossing my face. "Oh, I don't know. I think we've been walking on one together for longer than I'd like to admit. Let's get dressed and order some food. Maybe we can eat at the movie. If it gets late, we might not have to entertain."

"That's a nice way to say that we hope we don't have to be intimate with our mates, love."

"What do I do if they ask about Taurus?"

"Hedge your bets, woman. No need for fur to fly yet."