The Cat Has an Epiphany

Several hours later, he swaggers in, dropping into the large armchair that's kitty corner from my spot. He looks haggard as he rubs his hand over his face.

I look up from the game on the phone to wiggle my fingers at him. He doesn't look up, so I try again. "Hi."

"Hey."

Feeling foolish for staying here when he won't to look at me, I ask softly, "Feeling better?"

"No worries; I'm fine."

That's a load of fresh horseshit. One look at him confirms that he's tense and unhappy.

I give him a shrewd look. "You don't look fine. I can feel the tension radiating off you from here."

He snarls, then gathers himself, giving me a forced grin. "Okay, I'm tense. But I'm not ripped at you and I'm not pouting like some prat. Are you okay with that?"

"I guess so." I don't know what else to say because he needs something, but I don't know what.

"Do you think you could give me a bit of a purr?"

A small grin creeps over my face and I nod, uncoiling my limbs so I can walk over to his chair. He pulls me into his lap, and I wrap around him as I rumble softly. Laying my head on his shoulder, I murmur, "I hate people that lie to me. I hate them even more when they hurt people they're supposed to care about."

He frowns, brushing a kiss on my forehead. "Who lied to you, baby?"

"Rhea, but it doesn't matter. She's in a mood and taking it out on anyone in her path. Whatever is making her upset will go away with time, but the marks she leaves with her words won't. She's been texting me. I had to stop looking at it after a bit because going postal in text isn't as scary as it is in person."

His arms tighten around me. The purr was easing his tension, but once I mentioned her name, it came back. "What did she lie about to you, Sandwich?"

I snuggle deeper in his arms, not wanting what pissed him off again. I'm trying to calm him down, but I have to be honest. "You. It was mostly by omission, I think. I wouldn't have known to ask if I hadn't talked to you earlier."

"The perfidious one didn't want to admit she was feeling my ass this morning while agreeing to slide right into my sheets for revenge. Does that about cover it?"

"I didn't tell her I'd talked to you. She told me she went to you after Sari pissed her off. I asked if you suggested gutting Sari and that's where it got sketchy." Rhea lied like a rug and avoided every question. There's was more ducking and weaving than in a boxing match.

It wasn't subtle and I sure as hell didn't miss it.

"Sketchy, huh? Interesting. I didn't mention the gnome; she brought the little troll up."

"She was cagey and evasive—which isn't normal. She kept repeating that Sari made her angry. When I tried to ask what happened, she avoided it. I haven't given her any reason to think I'd care if she wanted to screw you, so why all the dodging?"

He rubs his hand along my spine for a moment. When he speaks, it's in a rough voice. "I want you to know something." His hand cups my chin and tilts my face up to look at him. "I did not set out to offer to sleep with her. She complained her mates didn't do her like she needed. She threw a big hissy about people thinking she's like fine china. That's when I made the remarkably stupid mistake of reminding her that's not how it was with her and I."

My eyes widen as it hits me like a slap in the face. She literally set him up. Someone like Taurus couldn't help but point out how much better he is at something than others. Once that door opened, she flew in like a homing pigeon. She wanted him to preen so she could back him into a corner until he offered to help her out.

"Oh, Christ, did she play you. Women get a bad rap and this kind of shit is why. Between her and Sari, I don't know who's the biggest manipulator, but they both get a gold star today."

He frowns, looking confused. "Want to let me in on the secret here, love?"

"The stuff about her mates is a load of crap. She pushes Rafe until he's just shy of uncomfortable about how rough it is—because it's true, she's not as tough as some of us. She reminds Wilde every time she sees him, she's his ‘Lady Fair.' She loved being called that until he started calling me ‘Darkness'. Now she's gotten a yen for the hard stuff?"

He rubs his chin on the top of my head. "What really toasts my crackers is that she said only I ‘got her.' I agreed I knew her from way back and that's when she started talking about needing to bang someone who knew her. In a blink, she asked if I was offering."

Hissing under my breath, I try not to lose my temper. "She obviously ‘forgot' to mention that when she recounted the conversation with you. She didn't say a word about asking you to slam her because all five of her mates are falling down on the job."

My ire rises and I have to consciously fight to keep the purr going. Rhea lied to my face and then iced the cake with lies of omission so I didn't find out about her needy, pathetic ploys.

What a lovely way to treat a mate and an old friend.

"She didn't, huh? She also probably didn't mention that I demurred at first. I suggested with all the boys she plays with, she should be able to find one willing to handcuff and bang her up against a wall. Metaphorically speaking, of course." He looks down to give me a sheepish grin.

I shake my head, still not able to look him in the eye as I tamp down the furious beast inside that wants to go on a rampage. The more I hear about this meeting, the more I know my gut feeling about Rhea has always been true. She's a self-involved, needy twat who would sell her mother to a cannibal if she thought she'd get even a scrap of what she wanted.

I fell for the lies because Alistair took me on a bloody Ferris Wheel ride. Then I let Rafe fall for them. This is going to be a bloody, painful nightmare. I have no one to blame because it's all my fault. When I snap out of my red haze of fury, he's still looking at me, waiting for an answer.

"No, she did not tell me that. Why, you might ask? Is it because I get jealous and ask people to be faithful to only us?" I grit my teeth and start counting in my head again, trying to calm the fire running through my veins. "No, and if anyone says so, they're lying. She acted like you suggested you two bang. It took dropping enough details for her to realize she couldn't keep lying. If it makes you feel better, she said she hadn't decided if she wanted to yet."

Rhea thinks I'm an idiot.

If I'd believed her garbage story, someone should sell me a bridge in New York. The beast inside reminds me she doesn't care what Rhea thinks of us; she simply wants to rip, tear, and gore her into tiny pieces for her betrayal.

"I wonder if she was still deciding when she was rubbing my ass and telling me she was going to slap a bunch of ‘Proud to be an American' bumper stickers on it."

A dark, hungry snarl escapes my throat, and it surprises me. She is a bit territorial, but only with mates. She can't be pissed at Rhea about him. He'll fly the coop for sure if I don't get myself under control. Taurus has clarified that we are a casual fling, and I agreed to, so it doesn't matter how angry I am.

"You're not a goddamned Amer —" I stop, realizing that I still don't have my shit together. Breathing slowly, I picture ocean waves and Greek letters and every damned thing I can think to force her to back off my emotions. When the haze subsides from my vision, I mutter, "Probably with a little flag stuck in your pants, too."

"I prefer not to remember that bit of it, thanks."

Rhea is so fucking predictable. That's just like a ‘Day of the Dead' bit she playacted with Rafe last year. I sigh, looking into my glass as if it holds the answers to all our pain. "She has no idea what the hell she wants."

"She's a daft chit. Have you figured out now why I stay way off the radar? Most of you aren't worth the spit to speak to," he growls, his face shifting again.

I swallow hard, feeling the sting of that barb in my chest. I can't be angry at her, hurt by him, and ready to tear someone's throat out at the same time. "So let me sum up Rhea's day compared to mine. She picked a fight with Sari, got mad, rubbed all over you, tricked you into offering her sex, lied to both of us, and then flitted off with no consequences? She's a bloody psychopath. All I've gotten to do is nurse a hangover, clean, drink more scotch, and purr."

"Do you know why I said nothing about the gnome when she asked? She told me about their dust up, and I honestly saw nothing that the little monster did wrong. Trust me, I was trying hard to find something to fault the gnarly bint on, but I couldn't."

"Neither could I. I'd be perfectly fine with putting the blame on Sari if she deserved it." The caveat is that thistime it wasn't her fault. One innocent moment does not a million bad things erase, but this time, she's in the clear. Sari didn't purposely upset Rhea; she just didn't coddle her.

Taurus runs a hand through his hair, looking haggard. "I knew Blondie was in a snit when she came to see me today. The second she tried ordering me around, I knew we were in dangerous territory. I played into her bullshit, and I know better. What I didn't know was that she didn't think I'm worth the trouble. That's new." His hands settle on my lower back as if hoping to absorb my purr through his fingertips.

I frown. It always seemed like he was unaffected by the drama. Maybe that's a front he puts on and I'm seeing the real Taurus and his genuine feelings. Regardless, I don't like that she hurt him.

I'll have to be truthful about what he just said.

"I don't think Rhea thinks you're worthless. I think something you said accidentally hurt her in the past. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but she made it one. Because she didn't confront you, she's nursed the wound until it consumed her. She's done this with others; there was a similar issue with Mayhem in the fall. Same shit, different clone."

"Blondie jumped on that ‘stay away from the bastard' bandwagon that the gnome's got painted without a backward glance. She added fuel to the bad feelings, even though I had no clue she was upset. That's not fair, Sandwich. Before you and I started talking, I hadn't spoken to her in months. She's seen Talia on the other side, but she never gave me a chance to explain." He crosses his arms over his chest, looking stubborn.

"Rhea never confronts things," I scoff, shaking my head. "I've watched her self-destruct relationships over imagined slights. She can't ever resolve anything because she won't talk to the person she's upset with."

Closing my eyes, I decide I have to tell him what he did. It's not my place, but I think he needs to know. Once he knows, maybe we can shelve Rhea's bullshit for a while. "Okay, I'm going to tell you. I'm only comfortable doing so because it was talked about in public forums and I don't believe that it's a secret. To me, it feels like the only person this is a secret from is you. You're right; that is unfair."

I look up at him, pressing my lips together. "I have to warn you—you're going to laugh." My smile is mischievous as I imagine his reaction.

He'll blow his stack, and it will be hysterical.

"Everyone knows but me?"

"Not everyone, but… yeah, a lot of people know."

"You all bloody know. Why the hell wouldn't half the dipshits in the Rift know?" he mutters under his breath.

"I've known for over a year. I've been in at least ten ‘martini Mondays' bitch fests where it came up."

He growls, and I give him a puzzled look. "She's had her knickers in a twist for years and told everyone under the bloody sun. Yet no one has said a word to me or Talia. That smells like fear. Oh, I like that."

"Taurus, she's barely spoken to Mayhem since November and he sure as fuck doesn't know she's mad. I doubt he'd care, but I bet Belle knows. Sari must have told her because that woman couldn't keep a secret if it came in a sealed vault."

"Christ, you women kill me." He snorts and ruffles my hair.

I growl at the ruffle—I'm not a child. "Easy on the generalizations. I don't store crap away for years. I break way before it hits the year mark."

That's more of a fib than I'd like to admit.

I don't normally last that long; usually Victor gets it out of me and I resolve the issue. There's pain behind my eyes that I try to hide. Rhea hurt me—again—but I'd rather focus on him than the things I'm keeping in a deep, dark hole inside me.

"Not all of you, Sandwich. I stand mostly corrected."

"Nice of you to notice that I try to keep my insanity level at least at fifty-fifty."

He chuckles and gives me a look that I can't interpret. "You would be surprised what I've noticed about you."

"Oh, yeah? Like what, Sherlock?"

"Oh, no." He holds his hands up and shakes his head. "I'm not touching that. It's been a very pleasant surprise." Lowering his hands, he wraps his arms around me and squeezes lightly.

It makes a warm sensation spread through my gut. I duck my head, not wanting him to see my face. It feels like the sun was shining on it and I'm sure that means I'm blushing. When I feel in control again, I feign irritation. "Now you clam up. Sheesh. Clones."

His grin is unabashed, and my tummy flutters again. "Yup." His eyes twinkle as he pretends to think for a moment. "Tell you what. I'll let you spank me if you give up a kiss."

I choke, looking like a fish with my mouth hanging open. "I'm sorry; I believe I misheard you. What?"

He grins and zips his lips, his eyes glittering with humor.

I continue gaping at him until I finally dissolve into giggles. When I catch my breath, I wipe my eyes. "Goddess above. That's a mind picture for the record books."

Tilting his head, he wriggles underneath me and wags his eyebrows. "Like a good spanking now and again, you know."

"You don't say?" My lips curve, enjoying a moment of levity after a day of ugliness.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Don't get all pissy. I just didn't expect you to." I tap my finger on his nose, grinning playfully.

"It's not like I'm saying take a paddle to me and leave splinters, but a bit of a warm bum isn't a bad thing."

I chuckle. "See, the funny thing is that you wouldn't be the first to ask me to leave the splinters. Well, maybe not splinters, but the paddle thing is accurate. It must be that bred for blood and violence fetish that clones have."

"Bloody hell, I was only playing for a kiss," he grumbles, looking ruffled.

"I know. Since you lightened the mood and made me laugh, you can have one—even without the spanking." I stretch up and place a soft kiss on his lips. As usual, he seems to have a spot-on gauge for what I need. "Thank you."

In an entirely unprecedented moment, he flushes and mutters, "You're welcome."

I blink at the redness on his face. "That's two surprises in a row. Who knew?"

"Alright. That's enough of a show by Taurus the ponce. I'll have to kill someone and beat my bare chest to make it up for it if you don't stop."

"You are not a ponce," I retort, giving him an annoyed look.

"I've been acting like one all day. I'm over it now." He nods as if he's simply decided not to care about all the previous emotional baggage.

"You got dragged into something you didn't quite understand and you got upset. It happens to all of us imperfect humans." I'm serious. Rhea lured him into our family mess. He didn't know what he was signing up for.

"I should have known better."

I giggle. "Ha. ‘I should have known better' sounds like the title of a normal day for me. I step in it all the time."

"Now that we're less emotional, do you think you can give up the goods on this supposed affront I committed? I'm still feeling left out of the loop."

I knew he couldn't write it off. "You really want to know her problem?" I give him a serious look because once he hears this, he'll never respect her again. It's moronic because Rhea should never gotten emotionally involved with someone who is emotionally unavailable.

So says the kitty curled in that same person's lap, clutching him as if we are not headed down a very treacherous path.

"I could use a chuckle. Out with it, woman." He leers, making his patented scary-Taurus face.

I look up from his shoulder, my expression grave. "You don't cuddle. Specifically, after sex."

His expression is priceless, and I bite my lip to hold in my laughter. He looks like I hit him in the face with something wet and smelly. Watching him try to process it is funny; I can see the wheels turning in his head. I should expound before his head explodes.

"From what I understand, during your… tryst… you made a comment. Something about going to her mate for that sort of thing. It's been upsetting her ever since." He keeps gaping at me and I cross my finger over my heart. "I swear, that's what it is. That's what started this hullaballoo."

His incredulity is palpable, and I feel defensive. It's not my fault she's a loon. How did he not know if they've known one another for so long? "I told you it was dumb!"

His eyes narrow. "Are you sure you're not pulling my leg? You're not off your bird?"

I glare at him. This is not my crazy; I'm the messenger. He can stuff his disbelief. Wrinkling my nose, I huff. "The whole ‘bang my brains out in cuffs' thing makes this snit a bit of a head scratcher, I agree. Despite her poor, unbruised, poorly fucked body, her heart remains broken over cuddling. Hell if I know why."

Disgust makes the bile rise my throat. I shake my head, thinking I may have to move because I feel irritatingly gross about her hypocrisy. Rhea has no idea what she wants because she's too busy trying to compete with everyone else. Maybe there's not even a ‘real' Rhea That would make a lot more sense than the idiocy we're discussing now.

"Blondie's in a snit—saying that I'm a bad, rude man that you should stay away from at all bloody costs—because I don't cuddle?"