Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

Friday, May 9th. Magnus Mansion, 2:25 p.m.

ALEXEI

—Honey, do you know where Cooky is? — Xander's questioning, worried —. I haven't seen him in a while.

—I think Fred's got him. He said he was gonna feed him. They must be in the kitchen.

—The kitchen's already working? — asks in amazement, I just nod, watching the men keep unloading the trucks, with arms crossed over my chest —. Well, I didn't think they'd fix it so quickly.

Suddenly, I hear a big crash behind me. One of the henchmen dropped a vase, large and tiny pieces of glass scattered on the stone floor of the garden. Fuck, Lev's gonna be so pissed. The man looks at me in sorrow and I just give him a signal to hurry up and pick up the mess made. It'll be deducted from his pay for being a sloppy asshole. My mind suddenly clears and I turn to Xander and, just as I suspected, he's barefoot.

—Go inside, kitty — I place one hand on his back and guide him to the entrance —. I don't want you out here, there's too much movement and someone could hurt you.

—Okay — smiles and kisses my mouth —. I'll try to get our bedroom set up as quickly as possible.

—While the bed is ready, it's all right with me — I smile maliciously and he blushes.

—Make sure you don't force yourself too much, Alexei Magnus — warns me seriously, pointing an accusing finger at me —. I know your wound doesn't look so bad now, but I don't want you to take any chances anyway. Am I making myself clear?

—Kiss me and I'll obey without any problem — I hold his waist and draw him into my body. He blushes even more, but still wraps both hands around my neck, standing on tiptoes to attempt being at my level. I love that he is so small.

—A tiny one — whispers before joining our lips with tenderness and slowness. I sigh between the kiss, and squeeze harder, reluctant to let him go.

When it dawned after having fought against Dimitri, it was that I could realize the seriousness of the wound on my back. The fact that I could not change to speed up the healing process, was even worse.

If I had done so, I would not have now a big scar from my shoulder blades to my lower back, and even though I was later able to change successfully to improve and accelerate the healing, about its appearance, I was not very lucky.

It no longer hurts as much as it did in the beginning, but at the end of the day, when my body is already taking its toll from exhaustion, it feels hot and stiff, causing annoying pain stings that are a real headache. Lev told me that it is possible that, in the future (not too soon, from what I could understand), the scar will disappear or become so small that it will barely be noticeable. So patience should become my best friend and wait.

I have never been that patient. Xander has taken care of me with extreme dedication and I always enjoy his attentions. He offered to disinfect the wound and apply the cream that Lev prescribed after the first day, and has not allowed anyone else to do so since. Later, every evening, he massages my muscles that lead me to glory, relaxing me until I end up falling into a deep sleep.

In the mornings, when I wake up, repeats the whole process despite my complaints, including the massage. Together, we eat breakfast in bed, between caresses and stolen kisses. I've never been so happy. While I have to endure Angelo's presence more often and bite my tongue every time I see Derek hovering over my brother. Xander, upon realizing this, always sends reassuring waves through our bond, but the glance warns me that, if I do anything out of place, I will be doomed.

I must admit that the situation has not turned out as badly as I expected. Angelo behaves like a perfect gentleman and despite that Derek, in my eyes, is a piece of shit, I can't deny that he treats Fredek very well, making him laugh constantly and being attentive on every single thing he needs. Fredek seems radiant and full of life, smiles more often and he and Xander spend a lot of time together, which fills me with joy.

Seeing the two people I love and adore the most in one picture, is more than I ever wanted. Mother Moon has blessed me greatly. It happens that Nikon did a spectacular job, searching every corner of that mansion, and managed to find a safe that, if it weren't for his keen sense of smell, he would probably never locate it.

An ordinary human would never have done this, unless there were technologically advanced tools at hand, and all the time in the world, in possession.

between the tiles on the bathroom walls? Very clever,

ass to get it open without risking whatever was inside getting damaged in any way,

headquarters, including the ports where he usually received or sent merchandise, the address of all his warehouses, with an extensive list detailing any weapons in his custody (including ammunition) and other valuables obtained through black market or smuggling. I would never go so far as to traffic human organs, but it seems that

man. Throughout my life, I have done many things that I could never be proud of, and the work that I have now is no exception. But I'm fucking good at what I do, and despite everything, I've got a taste for it. Among those and many other things, including quite

that even Xander, with all his effort, could not quell it. I lasted for hours in my animal form, destroying everything in my path, blinded by

ruining all the progress I had made. Lev and Xander got pretty angry and almost tied me up, to prevent

we sent Dimitri's body to his father. Not because he fucking deserved it or I gave a shit about him. It was more like a peace offering, as I made sure to send him a copy of the documents that were the proof of his son's involvement in my father's murder. An

happy about how things finished, he agreed to leave us alone and never mess with us again. I would never have agreed to such an action if I were him, but I imagine that the hatred

cheek when he saw the body of his only son, which justifies what a great piece of shit Dimitri turned out to be after all. I'm not quite sure what my fate would have been if I didn't have to take care of Fredek when he was just a kid,

thanks to the moon, I'll never know. Right now, we're occupying The Mansion again and while it's

cheek and pouts —. I said a tiny one — I have no fucking idea how much the

to stick more to mine —. I must be dead or

the hand that inevitably went to his right buttock

the entrance, disappearing through the door soon after. In the night, there will

XANDER

public. Fuck, anyone could see us, we were in the middle of the garden, almost all the men were still outside, unloading the stuff from the

of our bedroom, where I'm free to love him as I please and he can be as perverted as he likes. Frustrated and pouting unconsciously, I wander through the familiar corridors, henchmen pass me by, carrying boxes and suitcases, distributing them efficiently in the right rooms. When I'm near the one Magnus and

on to one of the walls to avoid falling, grabbing my rebellious stomach with the other hand. But what's wrong with

trying to get my

the sweat bathes my skin —. Baby boy,

one hand covering my mouth, feeling the bile rushing up to my

toilet and completely discharge everything I had eaten during the day. By the time I finally finish, I flush the toilet, my throat is burning from coughing and the effort of breathing, I receive

helps me up and leaves me

think so — I rinse my mouth with water repeatedly and spread toothpaste on the bristles of my toothbrush —. Everything tasted good — I proceed

— thinking for a while —. Maybe you got dizzy from the trip — I spit

say, puzzled

go to the kitchen, I'll make you some tea so you'll feel better — honestly, I don't feel like going out, but I nod and follow

I might have eaten as probable cause, I have no idea what could have

all right, kitty?». I can hear the concern in his voice, he must have

know... I feel

—«What happened?».

— I can't stop the fear from seeping into my voice —.«I have no idea what could have caused

I would never allow the opposite» — pauses briefly —.

is taking me to the kitchen. He says he'll make me some tea to make