In a rage, he headed straight to the only person who could give him any sort of consolation. He went straight to Garry. Maybe Simon would be there, maybe not, Carson didn’t really care. He just needed to see Garry and tell him that he’d been right all along.
He banged on the door, not caring at all about the time or if anyone was asleep inside. He just needed to see Garry.
A moment later, his wish was granted and they were face to face. Garry looked tired, in his pajama pants, hair disheveled from sleep. He yawned, confused, “Carson? What’s wrong?”
Carson answered him in the only way that made any sense in the moment. He surged forward and kissed Garry hard on the mouth.
Garry stared at him, blue eyes wide and full of fear. “What was that for?”
Carson wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Sorry, I…I…”
Garry shook his head, pulling Carson into the room by his wrist. “You should’ve done that a long time ago.”
Chapter 28
Trouble
After they’d both come, Drew spent an inordinate amount of time just kissing the back of Sam’s neck, letting the heat of the water fall over them, breathing him in, relaxing, sighing.
“I missed you last night,” he murmured into Sam’s ear. Sam shivered, pressing back against him. “I could hardly sleep a wink.”
“You seemed awfully energetic today,” Sam said, smiling, droplets of water dotting his skin, almost as plentiful as his freckles. “You could've fooled us all.”
“Pent up energy,” Drew snorted. “Besides, I wanted to impress you.”
“Is that why you scored two touchdowns?”
“Mmhm. Scored ‘em for you, puppy.”
Sam laughed, spinning around in Drew’s arms so they were face to face. He reached up, palm to Drew’s cheek, running it over the slight stubble there, smiling fondly. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
“I am too.”
“I’m glad you’re back here with me.”
“How could I ever leave you?”
Sam shrugged and leaned in for a kiss. No, Drew would never leave him. That was the beauty of finding true love. He closed his eyes as their lips met, melted against his lover, completely lost himself for a moment.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Drew breathed as they parted. “It’ll always be you and me.”
They dried off and put on underwear and climbed into Sam’s bed, both deciding that if Carson did wander in, they’d come up with some excuse as needed. There was no way they’d be apart after everything that had happened. They just had to be together, Carson be damned.
The TV was on in the background as they curled up together, Drew’s head resting right over Sam’s heart, and they sat in comfortable silence for several minutes just listening to each other breathe. Sam ran his fingers carelessly through Drew’s hair, soft and clean and unburdened by gobs of styling product. He smiled to himself, enjoying this rare moment with his lover unguarded.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
Sam blinked quickly, breath steady and calm with Drew pressed against him. He wrinkled his nose, unsure why he would ask him about it now of all times. They never talked about stuff like that, never bothered with nostalgia. The time they had together was too precious to waste on trips down memory lane. Their past was best dwelled upon during lonely nights all alone, not when their limbs were entwined and they were bound by sweat.
“Of course I do,” Sam finally mumbled, kissing the top of his lover’s hair possessively. How could he forget that day? Every moment of it was etched in his mind, and would be forever. “It was a historic day in my life, you know. You made quite a first impression. I was convinced you hated me.”
Drew scoffed, looking rather pleased with himself as he sat up and suddenly flipped their positions, Sam now safe in his arms, gazing up at him contentedly. Drew smirked as he reached down to tangle his fingers in Sam’s hair. He petted him for a moment, staring down his chest at Sam, golden brown and completely at home there pressed against him. “I might’ve hated you a little.”
Sam laughed at that, dragging his stubbly chin across Drew’s exposed skin, grinning as Drew squirmed beneath him. “Oh please. I had you wrapped around my finger within the first ten seconds.”
“You did not.” Drew scowled at the beaming young man, reaching to pull him up so that they were at eye level with one another again. Sam was still laughing, crawling up so that he could get comfortable beside Drew, face to face, only centimeters apart. Drew took hold of Sam’s hand, bringing it up to his mouth, kissing his knuckles roughly. “You had me before we even spoke. The second I saw you. The very instant you looked at me. You didn’t even have to say a word.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sam said, breath hitched in the back of his throat. He wasn’t being dismissive. He knew just how sincere Drew was being. He recognized the tone of his voice, the change which meant he was being completely serious. Drew was never one to talk about feelings, so when he did, Sam knew better than to tease him or shoot him down. Still, it was pretty far-fetched to really believe in love at first sight. Surely a grown man would know better than all that. He held Drew’s gaze for a long moment, searching the other man’s deep brown eyes, finding only glimpses of his soul. “How can you love someone without even knowing them?”
Drew didn’t shrink away from Sam’s commanding eyes. He didn’t even flinch at the word love. Instead he just raised an eyebrow and pulled his arms tight around him, burrowing his nose into Sam’s hair. “You tell me. How could you fall in love with me? You didn’t even know me. And everyone who did know me thought I was a prick.”
“They still think you’re a prick.” Sam pointed out, snickering as he gave a nip to Drew’s collarbone. It was gentle, soft, just a ghost of what he was planning on doing to him later.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I get it. I’m an asshole. And yet you still say you loved me at first sight.”
“I thought we were talking about you loving me,” Sam countered, biting the same spot again, only much harder that time. He gave a wolfish grin as Drew wiggled beneath him. “Don’t try to change the subject, Drew. I’m on to you.”
“Oh are you?” Drew shifted, pressing up and into Sam’s mouth, letting him abuse his collarbone with his mouth. He didn’t mind feeding his lover’s ego, especially as everything he’d already said was true. It was difficult for him to articulate those sorts of things. He didn’t do well with expressing genuine emotion when he wasn’t on the field. Out there, during matches, things felt spontaneous and real. An outburst of emotion was expected and could go uncensored.
But in the real world, people needed to display control. Falling all over himself to impress some sexy man-brat wasn’t exactly smiled upon. He couldn’t always show what he was feeling or even say it out loud. But in these private moments alone, when it was just the two of them locked away from the world, he felt like he could be himself and say everything he’d ever wanted.
He closed his eyes and pulled back a little, easing back into the soft folds of the bedding. When he opened his eyes again he saw Sam’s sunny freckled face, smiling at him with such warmth and caring that he thought he might choke, it was all too much. It wasn’t just warmth or caring in that look. There was want there too, and longing. Ravenous, desperate longing. It was like Sam was starving for him, like he could devour Drew with just that look alone. Drew reached up and stroked Sam’s cheek. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” Sam asked, biting on his lower lip. Drew’s eyes went straight to the distinctly sharp looking canines protruding from his mouth.
“Like you’re going to eat me alive.”
Sam scoffed, mischief flashing in his amber eyes. “I’d never eat you, Drew. You’ve domesticated me.”
Drew’s heart nearly stopped then, for just a second, as if he wasn’t quite sure if whether or not his lover was joking. He trusted Sam, and he knew on an intellectual level that he was safe in Sam’s arms.
But there was always that a risk, and with it came the nagging little voice in his head, reminding him that he was lying naked in bed with a werewolf on the night before a full moon. Drew had always been an adrenaline junkie, but sometimes he cursed his own risk-taking behavior. He didn’t really have a death wish after all.
“You never elaborated. Weren’t you going to tell me all about how you fell in love with me?” Sam said, rolling flat onto his back. He stayed still a moment before pulling Drew on top of him so that their chests were pressed together. Drew willingly obliged, looking down at Sam with a predatory look all his own. It was more like a smolder, really, and even after all that time it still sent shivers down his spine. Sam looked up at him, eyes large with anticipation. Drew stayed perfectly still, propped up on his elbows as he gazed down at him.
“Do you really feel like talking right now, Sammy?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. Sometimes, even now, after all this time, Sam still managed to surprise him.
“No. I don’t really feel like talking at all.” He stared up at Drew, with a look in his eyes that said many things, most of them completely obscene. His words, however, were pointedly less. Swiftly, he wrapped his arms around Drew’s shoulders and pulled him as close as he could get, whispering breathlessly against his lips, “Shut up and kiss me."
Drew didn’t need to be told twice. Their mouths met, kisses hungry and needy, but then they were interrupted by a noise at the door. Someone knocking softly, but incessantly. The two men shared a look before Sam pulled himself from the bed and went to the door, opening it to find Cassius standing there.
“Hey,” Sam said, frowning in surprise, shirtless and disheveled.
“Hey,” Cassius repeated, looking a little nervous. “Um, you uh, haven’t happened to have seen Adrian, have you?”
From the bed, Drew got up and wandered over to the other two, eyebrows raised and a most unimpressed expression. “You lost him?”
“I didn’t lose him,” Cassius pouted, glancing behind him cautiously. Hearing that same line twice in one evening didn’t help his panicked mood. “He said he was going up to our room, so I offered to grab some food and meet him, but when I got up there he was gone. And nobody seems to know where he went.”
“Have you tried his phone?” Sam asked, knowing how dumb that sounded.
Cassius nodded. “I even checked his Facebook and Twitter. He hasn’t updated at all or anything.”
“This is serious,” Drew said flatly, yawning.
“It’s really serious,” Cassius insisted, a wave of nerves rising in his voice.
Sam watched him closely, suddenly feeling very on edge himself, uncertain as to why he ought to feel on high alert. “Is there something else going on?”
“Uh…”
Sam’s breathing quickened. “Cass?”
“He wasn’t feeling so well.”
Drew’s smug act dropped then too, brows knit with worry.
“Is it whatever Drew had?” Sam asked, his hand on Cassius’ shoulder to steady him, keep him calm.
Cassius shifted a little and he bit his lower lip. He looked a wreck. Sam's heart sank to see him that way. “Could be something like that. I don’t know.”
“Cass!” The three men all turned quickly to see Fabian trotting down the hall toward them. He looked shaken up, but very relieved to see them, dropping his voice as he approached, speaking in a guarded tone. “Cass, I’ve been looking all over for you. You have to come with me. Something's happened to Adrian.”
Chapter 29
Fever
Adrian hadn’t moved at all for several minutes and Ian was beginning to get concerned again. He stood over his sleeping form, hand pressed on Adrian’s forehead. “He looks like shit.”
Simon grunted in agreement from his spot on the other bed.
“And he’s on fire. We’ve got to break this fever. Go get a damp washcloth, Si,” Ian ordered, rearranging Adrian to try and take his shirt off. Simon nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Ian to struggle to strip Adrian down. It was a little challenging, but once he got him undressed, Ian got a full picture of something else entirely, which had been hidden before by Adrian’s clothing. His throat was splotched with purplish bruises and wounds, that clearly hadn't fully healed. And the scrapes on his chest, deep, long, like an animal’s claws had ripped the flesh open. These weren’t typical hickeys or other evidence of a wild night out…not in the traditional sense at least. Something had done a real number on Adrian.
“Jesus!” Simon gasped, joining Ian in gawking at the sight before them. “What the hell is that?”
“I don’t know,” Ian confessed, breathing heavily as he placed Adrian back into the pillows.
“How the fuck did he manage to play today, all beat up like this?”
“I don’t know,” Ian repeated, taking the rag from Simon. Almost as concerning though, was that none of them had noticed it before. He frowned and pressed the washcloth to Adrian’s forehead, wiping the sweat away, suddenly thinking that perhaps calling an ambulance wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Adrian’s lip twitched a little, maybe from the cool water, maybe because he was coming too. Ian sniffed and tried to smile. “He’s a fucking Spartan. He’d show up for battle no matter what. It’d take a lot more than a flesh wound to count this guy out.”
Any other time and Simon would’ve rolled his eyes. Instead he just stayed there staring at Adrian and whispering that Ian was right about that. His thoughts were disrupted by a knock at the door.
“Probably room service,” Ian said as Simon went to get it. But it wasn’t room service at all. Instead it was Fabian returned, and this time he had an entire entourage with him.
“The gang’s all here,” Simon said, catching Fabian’s eye as Drew, Sam, and Cassius filed into the room.
“Adrian?” Cassius said softly, approaching the bed, dark eyes wide in terror at the sight before him. He’d seen the aftermath of what he’d done the night before, but Adrian had been so casual about it, told him it was nothing, insisted everything was just fine. Seeing him laid out on the bed, pale and clammy, his chest torn up made Cassius feel sick inside. He’d fucked up big time. He’d really and truly fucked up everything. “Oh my god.”
Beside him, Sam and Drew were having a similar reaction, though not for the same reasons. They looked to each other, sharing a knowing, somber glance, realizing only one thing could’ve done that to Adrian. Sam felt the blood draining from his face, a cold rage building up inside of him. He wanted to grab Cassius and drag him out of there, yell at him, curse him for being so selfish and stupid, putting them both at risk like that, endangering Adrian’s life and the lives of every werewolf in the world. Cassius may have just doomed every single one of them, and all because he wanted to fuck Adrian. How could he be so foolish?
Except…wait. There was a problem with this. Sam looked to Cassius, watched as he sat down on the bed beside Adrian, trying to rouse him. Sam knew what had caused such injuries to Adrian, he’d seen it before, he’d seen it happen to Cassius. But the problem was, it wasn’t yet the full moon. Sam knew how lycanthropy worked. His father had explained everything to him, and he knew for a fact that werewolves could only transform during a full moon, and that it wasn’t going to happen for another day.
A look of terror came over him, absolute shock and fear. Was it possible something else had attacked Adrian? But those bite marks…those were clearly the work of a werewolf. Sam didn’t know of anything else which could have made such wounds, so precise, yet so savage.
His whole body went tense and he started to shudder slightly, body pulsating with confusion and anger, only to be alleviated by a calm, steady arm snaking around his waist. He caught his breath and turned his head, Drew’s eyes meeting his as he gave him a small squeeze, unnoticed by the other men in the room. Though he was still wound up, Sam felt the tension dissipating in an instant, everything communicated between them in the simple gesture. Relax. Breathe. Don’t lose it now. We’ll take care of it
. I’m right here. Sam quickly looked away, nodding his head in silent agreement.
“Adrian, come on. Wake up.” Cassius shook his shoulders, careful not to touch the inflamed skin around the bite marks, hyperaware of all sets of eyes on the pair of them. Gingerly, he petted Adrian’s cheek, hoping, praying that he’d get a response.
And somehow, miraculously, he did. Adrian flinched a little. His nose twitched. And then, slowly, he opened his eyes. “Cass?” His voice was froggy, thick from sleep.
“You’re alive!” Cassius cried, relief washing over him. Sam wasn’t sure he’d ever seen that look on Cassius’s face, or if he had he’d never applied any sort of context to it.
“He clearly wasn’t dead,” Simon pointed out unnecessarily. Fabian elbowed him in the side.
“Where am I? What’s…” Adrian tried to sit up, obviously overwhelmed by the audience gathered around him. Still pale, he made a vain attempt to afford himself some privacy, pawing at the comforter.
“You’re in Ian’s room,” Cassius said, wiping the sweat from Adrian’s brow. There was no mistaking the affection in his gesture, and he didn’t seem to care if the others noticed. For their part, no one remarked on it.
“We found you passed out in the elevator,” Fabian said, stepping around to the other side of the bed. He dropped to his knees, elbows on the mattress, chin in his hands as he watched his friend, and studied the long, heavy look between Adrian and Cassius.
“You look like shit,” Simon added, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m just really tired,” Adrian said, tearing his eyes from Cassius, his situation dawning on him rapidly. “I just need some sleep.”
“Room service should be here any minute with some soup,” Ian said. “You should eat it and go right back to bed. Sleep as much as you can before we have to leave for the airport.”
Howl At The Moon: MM Shifter Romance Page 20
