Keldin watched as Skander put his clothes in the empty drawers. Ever since Eric had died, he had left half of the drawers empty. When John had moved in, he had taken those drawers, but since their break up, Keldin had kept them empty once again.
Skander was OCD about where his clothing went. Socks and underwear went in the top drawer, pajamas went in the second, and the third was full of shorts and jeans. His t-shirts and jackets went in the closet. He hadn't let Keldin help him. He had simply pushed him out of the room and Keldin had allowed him.
When he was done, the room was different yet the same. Touches of Skander were about it. He had pictures on the empty beside table and dresser. His stuff was in the closet and the bathroom. Suddenly the cold room became warm.
Keldin decided to shower. His emotions were high, making his skin raw. The water hurt his body as it hit him in a steady stream. He itched and wanted to scratch, but it wasn't a good idea.
So he took a loofa and scrubbed his body as hard as he dared. Washing his hair didn't seem like a good idea because his scalp tingled but he did.
It took a few minutes to calm down. With his skin raw, it hurt to wear clothes. Unfortunately he had to because Abby was coming over. If it were just the men, he wouldn't have cared but Abby was the one person they all respected. Well, they respected each other and all, but Abby was obviously a woman and they definitely respected her.
When he stepped out, he smelled something good. Coming into the kitchen, he saw Skander cooking. From the smell, it was some Cajun meal. From the looks, it was an etouffee. It was something he hadn't had in a long time.
Not wanting to disturb the chef, he sat down in the living room and picked up his discarded book. He heard Skander cooking and the smells were wonderful but he had to stay put. If he walked in there unannounced, he'd scare the kid. That wasn't something he wanted to do. He had made progress in two days. There was no way he was backtracking.
The doors to the elevator opened. Deuce was the first one through with his black case and extra duffle. Abby and Cougar were last with extra cases strapped to dolly's, which they set in the corner by the windows.
"Skander," Keldin said as he set his book on the table. "The others are here."
"I hear them. Dinner's almost ready," he replied. He pulled plates from the cabinet above the stove.
"You know, kid," Deuce said as he came in. He had just dumped his stuff in Skander's old room. "I think you've outdone yourself. Keep doing this and we'll make you a member of the team."
"Leave him alone, Deuce," Keldin replied as he grabbed a clean plate and allowed it to be loaded up with food.
"I was just messin',"
"Your picking turns into a pain to clean up. Remember that girl from Denver? She still calls from time to time," Cougar said.
"She was hot!"
"And you couldn't control yourself. You're worse than Landen."
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Landen protested indignantly. Cougar lifted an eyebrow. "What about Abby?"
"Don't push this on me! I haven't been with half as many guys as you guys have girls. I'm just not like you," she replied.
Everyone started talking at once. Skander watched in amazement. They were bickering good-naturedly, showing that their team was a strong and united one. He noticed that during it all, Keldin simply watched.
"Excuse me," he said silently. Keldin canted his head and that seemed to get everyone's attention. "You've talked about everyone else. What about Keldin? What's he like?"
They stopped altogether and looked at Keldin. He was pushing his food around his plate as he waited for his criticism. Abby smiled.
"Kelvin's different. Ever since I've known him, he's only been with one guy at a time. I know about Eric Martin, the man who was killed. The last guy he was with was name John. He wasn't so great," she said.
"If you're worried about him being unfaithful, you don't have to be. Keldin is a faithful puppy," Deuce said.
Keldin smiled mischievously. "For that, you get to do the dishes."
Deuce's smile fell. "Come on, Boss! Not the dishes."
Skander watched Keldin stand and deposit his plate in the sink. As he leaned over the island, the hem of his shirt rode up, giving him a glimpse of perfectly toned, tanned skin. Unfortunately he went back on his heels and walked to the bedroom.
"Don't worry about him," Abby said. "He doesn't like talking much about either Eric. Never has in all the years I've known him. It's painful for him so he doesn't talk about it. Be patient."
Deuce stood, taking Skander's empty plate as he went. "Go to him. He'll be doing
paperwork in his bedroom. But don't sneak up on him. I still have a scar."
He didn't argue. Getting up he went to the bedroom. Keldin was sitting at the desk pouring over some paperwork. One hand was braced against his head as he wrote some figures down. He really worked hard to keep his lifestyle.
Not knowing what else to do, Skander walked over and wrapped his arms around Keldin's neck. Keldin leaned back into him but continued to work. That didn't make his visitor happy. Skander turned his head and kissed him. Keldin dropped his pen and turned, encircling his arms around the smaller man's waist. Skander's hands clenched in his shirt.
"That's one way to get my attention," Keldin laughed when they had to breathe. "You taste of etouffee."
"You were working so hard I needed to distract you," Skander replied. His fingers played with the short ends of his head. "Did the topic of you past lovers upset you?"
Keldin sighed and leaned forward, resting his head against his chest. Skander gently ran his hands through his hair as he waited for the other man to answer.
"I was in love with Eric Martin. Nobody could tell me any different. We had the same relationship a hetero couple would. He never made me do anything I didn't want to do. That's probably why my friends liked him so much. When he was killed…" He stopped talking as his mouth became too thick with tears. He shoved them back, clearing his throat in the process. "When he was killed, we all lost something. I lost my best friend and Aiden lost hers."
Skander frowned at the name that had come up more than once. "Aiden? You've mentioned that name before. Is she someone special?"
Keldin nodded. "She's our queen and the one who helped me speak again. She was patient with me. In the end it was Eric who brought me out of slump."
Skander was patient. He let him nuzzle his belly before pulling him closer. "What about John?"
He felt his hands tighten in his shirt. "John was someone I really didn't want to get into a relationship with. He was just so exuberant. When he decided to leave it was because he found someone else to cater to his needs. He was born and raised in wealth. I wasn't going to give it to him because I was working hard to establish myself in my own community. He didn't like that so he found someone else."
"It broke your heart," Skander surmised.
Keldin shrugged, a lazy lift of his shoulders. "I wasn't into the relationship but it was comforting to have someone to sleep beside every night. Not many know I have nightmares about my childhood and having this power can be daunting."
Skander frowned at the new information. "Power? What are you talking about?" Keldin leaned back, his eyes wary as he looked up at him. He framed his face, tracing
the line from his eye to his hairline. "If it's a secret you don't have to tell me. But I will keep it that way if you do tell me. It will remain a secret."
Keldin sighed and untangled himself from the other man. Skander watched him stand and walk over to the window. There was a potted plant that sat there. Keldin stuck his hand out and wiggled his fingers slightly. The plant grew to meet his hand then tangled itself around his fingers and arms. When he turned around, his eyes were glowing a gentle silver.
"This is what I am. I'm a member of a community known as the Silver Court. We are human with a basic skill set that comes in when we hit puberty. Telepathy and shadow-walking are the basics but then we develop different ones. I developed Terrakinesis, which is the controlling anything and everything that has to do with the earth." With a swivel of his hand, the plant started to shrink.
"Does it hurt?" Skander asked.
"No, not anymore. It used to be very painful to use all of my power at once. As I grew older and my marks came in, it became easier."
"Is there anything else?" He watched as Keldin's throat convulsed at the thought of giving away too much information. "I'm already being hunted. What could I tell?"
"There are people who could force you to talk about everything I just told you and then they will kill you because you know what they look like. It's a no-win scenario for you. Do you still want the information?"
He watched as everything sank in. This kid was impressionable to say the least. Anything he told him could possibly lead to his death. Keldin made it his personal moral not to read anyone's thoughts but he couldn't help read the young man's in front of him. He was really thinking about doing this. This kid was in it for the long haul. He had made up his mind after only two days.
It stunned Keldin so much that his breath hitched when he grabbed him and hauled his body back to him. When his mouth settled over his, he felt calm. Something about this kid made him calm.
Leaving his mouth, Keldin trailed his mouth down Skander's neck stopping at his collarbone. Instinct took over and he bit down. Hard. Skander started to squirm under him and pushing against him but he wasn't letting go. Power poured through him and into Skander's skin, lighting both of them on fire.
Skander smelled lush green grass as he clutched at Keldin while he sucked on the wound he had just given him. Whatever was about this man made him never want to let go. This was someone he could be happy with, even if he was on the run.
Keldin lifted his head and pressed his forehead to his. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," he replied as he held on tighter. He feared this man was going to slip away from him.
The older man sighed and buried his face in his neck, inhaling the scent he had just laid on him. This was going to mark his territory, so to speak. Skander was his in every way unless he wanted out.
Fear struck him suddenly with the thought of him leaving. Even though it had only been two days, the thought of Skander leaving terrified him. The only other person he had felt so deeply about was gone and he knew that he would want him to be happy.
"What do want me to do, Keldin?" he heard Skander ask.
"Come to Seattle with me. It's the only way I can ensure you're safe," he replied.
"All right. I will."
They stood like that for a good long while that Keldin thought he would die like that.