Merle

by Catherine Lievens

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  Merle tried to take a step down, but he was still holding the boxes. One of them slid down and he tried to grab it, but the only result he got was to miss the step. He felt himself lose his balance even as he tried to grab hold of the ladder.

  He fell, taking the boxes with him. He was suddenly glad the ladder was a sturdy one, because when he did manage to get hold of it, it slowed his fall. He landed on his ass and one of the boxes hit him in the forehead. “Fuck!”

  The shouting stopped and Merle saw his brother Brent come out of his room, Nootaw right behind him. Nootaw tried to hurry to Merle’s side, but Brent growled at him. Nootaw stopped and looked at Merle. Merle shook his head. “Let it go.”

  “What the fuck, Merle?” Brent said as he came closer. He offered Merle his hand, and Merle took it and let Brent haul him up.

  As soon as he was on his feet, Nootaw was there. Brent scowled at him but Nootaw ignored him, running his hands on Merle’s arms instead. “Are you all right?”

  Merle grinned. “I fell on my ass, not on my arms.”

  Nootaw looked at him. Merle could tell it took his mate a few seconds to get what he was saying. When he did, Nootaw smiled and shook his head. “You’re fine.”

  “Yeah. My ass hurts, but it’s nothing next to my dignity.”

  “What the fuck, Merle?” Brent said again.

  Merle rolled his eyes. “Don’t let Mom catch you when you swear like that.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about that right know. Who’s this guy and what is he doing here?” Brent looked at the boxes at Merle’s feet. “And why was he packing your clothes? Are you going somewhere?”

  Merle sighed. “Yeah. You might want to sit down for this.”

  * * * *

  “I don’t need to sit down!”

  Nootaw looked from the man he didn’t know to Merle. The man clearly was part of his family, probably a brother, since they looked like each other.

  Merle crossed his arms on his chest. “Fine. Nootaw is my mate, I had a bad fight with Mom, and I’m moving out.”

  Merle’s brother blinked. “You weren’t kidding when you told me to sit down.”

  “Told you.” Merle leaned down and took the boxes. Nootaw hurried to take them off Merle’s hands, and when Merle arched a brow at him, he said, “You just fell down the stairs. I don’t want you to tire yourself out.”

  Merle rolled his eyes again. “I don’t need to be coddled. You saw how bad that went with my mother.”

  Nootaw looked at the boxes and thrust them back in Merle’s hands. Merle staggered and Nootaw reached for him, mentally berating himself, but Merle just laughed and pushed Nootaw’s hands away.

  “I’m fine, and I don’t think you’ll try the same thing my mother did.” He paused. “Or at least I hope you won’t.”

  “I won’t. I know you can take care of yourself, but sometimes, well, I might get protective.” Nootaw really didn’t want to get into the reasons for that in front of Merle’s maybe brother. He didn’t know the guy, and he had problems admitting it even to himself, so the last thing he wanted was to spew lovey-dovey crap right now.

  Merle seemed to understand what Nootaw wasn’t saying—how, Nootaw didn’t know—and he smiled. He leaned against Nootaw, sticking the corner of one of the boxes in Nootaw’s ribs, and kissed him gently.

  “I get it. You can be overprotective sometimes. Just try to keep it to light stuff, okay?”

  Merle’s brother cleared his throat. “I’m still here, you know.”

  Merle moved away and Nootaw rubbed his ribs. “Right. Nootaw, this is my brother Brent. Brent, Nootaw. Are you going to help us pack, or are you going to run and call Mom?”

  Brent rolled his eyes—it seemed to be a family trait—and held his hand out. Nootaw shook it and tried to ignore Brent’s curious gaze on him as they walked back to Merle’s room.

  “Why are you leaving?” Brent asked.

  Merle dug in his desk and came up with a roll of tape. He opened one of the boxes and taped it together, then handed it to Nootaw and pointed at his bookcase. “Stuff it with as many as you can.” He turned to tape the second box together, but Brent stole the tape.

  “So? Are you going to tell me what happened?”

  Merle stole the tape back. Nootaw listened to the brothers as Merle explained, “Mom freaked out when I came back this morning and I told her Nootaw’s my mate.”

  “Yeah, well, she was already scared because she woke up and you weren’t there. I’m sure that didn’t help.”

  “I get that, but she went too far.”

  Brent sighed and started putting trinkets in Merle’s box. “What did she do?”

  “She tried to convince Kameron I wasn’t able to make my own decisions and that he should have put her in charge of me.”

  Brent gaped and Nootaw stuck more books in the box. It didn’t look like it would contain all the books that were still on the shelves, but Nootaw wanted to give Merle more time to talk to his brother, so he kept quiet.

  “She really did that?” Brent asked.

  “She sure did. She’s spitting mad that I’m giving Nootaw a chance.”

  Nootaw felt eyes on him and kept working.

  “You can’t say you don’t know why,” Brent said in a low voice.

  “Oh, I know why, but it’s still not a good enough reason to try to take over my life. The last time I checked, I was still an adult, and she hasn’t made decisions for me since I was, what? Seventeen? You know as well as I do that she’s just trying to keep me away from Nootaw and from life in general.”

  “She’s just scared.”

  Merle sighed. “I know, and I’m fucking terrified most of the time, too. I see Tom in every shadow, but I won’t solve that by hiding in the house.”

  “What did Kameron say?”

  “He asked Gentry to talk to me.”

  “And what did Gentry say?”

  “That I’m as sane as you are. Scratch that, I’m probably saner than you.”

  There was a muffled noise and Nootaw looked up. Brent had Merle in a headlock and was rubbing his knuckles on Merle’s head.

  Merle squeaked. “Nootaw, help me! He’s hurting me!”

  Merle’s voice didn’t have even a hint of pain, so Nootaw stayed right where he was.

  “Traitor!” Merle yelled, but he was laughing. Nootaw shook his head. Watching the brothers together was weird. He’d never had that kind of relationship with his brothers, not even with Chogan. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to. He’d been raised to think feelings and affection were a bad thing, and what Merle and Brent were doing clearly spoke of love.

  “How did Mom take it?” Brent asked when he let go of Merle.

  “Not well. She said she didn’t want to see Nootaw around the house.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “She’s also angry with me because I decided to be with him.”

  “Yeah, okay. What made you decide to move out, though?”

  Merle sighed. “Because I know her. If I stay here, she’s going to try to coddle me, to keep me close to her. She’s going to do her hardest to create problems between me and Nootaw, and to keep me sheltered. I want to live my life, Brent, and she’s not allowing that. I mean, she freaked out because I wasn’t in my bed this morning.”

  “You know it’s only because of what happened with Tom.”

  “Yeah, I do, but it doesn’t mean she’s right or that I have to like it. How many times has she woken up to find me gone before that? I used to do it all the time when we were kids, and even after I came back from the lab.”

  “Where are you going to live?”

  “Aren’t you going to try to stop me?”

  Brent snorted. “As if I could. I know I’m going to get hell for letting you go or whatever, but I think you’re doing the right thing. Who knows, maybe I’ll be your neighbor soon.”

  “Yeah? You
want to move out?”

  “Maybe in a little while. Can’t give Mom all the surprises together.”

  There was a minute of silence, then Merle said, “You can stop faking working and come here, Nootaw.”

  Nootaw left his box where it was and rose from his crouch. “I was just giving you the space you needed.”

  Merle smiled. “And that’s great. So, what do you guys think? Are we going to be able to move all my stuff before Mom comes back from school?”

  It took them a few hours and four trips with Zach’s car, but they managed it. Brent stayed at the house and packed everything while Nootaw and Merle went back and forth. They were putting the last bags in the car when Nootaw heard a car coming. He looked at Merle, and from the expression on Merle’s face, he’d heard it too.

  “You think it’s her?” Merle asked Brent.

  “Who else could it be?” Brent patted his brother’s shoulder. “You’d have had to tell her today anyway. It’s not like she wouldn’t have noticed you were gone.”

  Nootaw closed the car door and leaned against it. He kept his arms by his side, hoping it would make him look less intimidating, but he had little hope of that.

  A red car turned into the driveway and Nootaw could see Merle’s mother was driving it. Her gaze focused on him and she glared, parking the car with a bit too much enthusiasm. She got out, slammed the door, and stalked toward them. “I thought I’d been clear when I said I didn’t want him here. This is my house, Merle, and as long as you live here, you’ll have to respect my rules.”

  Nootaw heard Merle take a deep breath. He wasn’t sure what he could do to help, but he’d observed the couples around him, so he had some ideas. He moved his hand to the side and it bumped against Merle’s. Merle looked down and Nootaw saw him smile before he took his hand and faced him mother.

  “I know that, Mom. And that’s why I’m moving out.”

  Chapter Four

  Merle’s mother gaped at him for a few seconds, but she got herself back together quickly. “You’re moving out.”

  “Yes.”

  “To be with him.”

  “Not only for that.”

  Merle’s mother took a deep breath, but instead of starting to yell like Merle had expected her to, she just sighed and shook her head. “All right. You’re welcome here any time you want to come.”

  Merle looked at Brent. Brent looked just as surprised as Merle felt and he shrugged. “You’re okay, Mom?” he asked

  “Yes. It’s just that this day’s been a mess, so I hope it’ll soon be over, because I don’t think I can take any more surprises.”

  Merle suddenly felt guilty. He knew he was doing the right thing for himself, but he hadn’t really thought about how his mother and his father would take it. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I obviously went about this all wrong, and I knew it all along. I was just trying to protect you, and I did it the only way I know how to.”

  “By trying to keep me here as if I was still an irresponsible teenager?” Merle made sure his mom knew he was teasing, but she didn’t smile.

  “Yes. I still think you should rethink some of your choices.” Her eyes slid to Nootaw, but she quickly looked away. “But you’re right. You’re an adult. I was already married when I was your age, and pregnant with Brent. You’re old enough to be a father, and I shouldn’t be the one to make the decisions for you.”

  “No babies, please.”

  That got a smile out of Merle’s mom. “Not for a long while. I sometimes forget we’re free now, and that I don’t have to protect you as much as I did when you grew up. Where are you moving?”

  “Kameron’s house.”

  “You’ll be safe there. Are you staying for dinner? You need to tell your father about this, but I think you should be alone when you do.” Merle heard the words she wasn’t saying. Your mate can’t be here, so tell him to leave.

  “Can you tell him?”

  “It’s something you should do.”

  “I know, but I’m not letting Nootaw go back to Kam’s house and move my stuff on his own. I’ll stay if he stays.”

  Merle’s mother pressed her lips together. “I hadn’t planned on having someone over for dinner. I don’t think I have enough food.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. I can share with him. We’ll eat something else later if we’re still hungry.”

  “Besides, you went grocery shopping yesterday,” Brent added. Their mother glared at him and he raised his hands. “Right. Sorry. I’ll stay out of this.”

  “And this should be a family thing, Merle,” his mother said.

  “Well, Nootaw is family. I mean, he will be when we mate, but it’s really a given that we will, so we might as well welcome him already. Right?” He smiled sweetly. He knew his mom wanted nothing more than to strangle him. She was trying to get out of it politely, but he wouldn’t let her push Nootaw away like that. If she didn’t want him there, she needed to be clear about it. It wasn’t like she hadn’t already been a few minutes before.

  “He will be if you mate with him.”

  Merle opened his mouth to reply, but Nootaw leaned toward him. “I’ll go. I’ll get all your things in your room. I can come back later to pick you up if you need me to.”

  Merle straightened. “No. You’re my mate, and Mom is going to have to get used to it, because I’m not letting you go. From now on, we’re a package deal, so Mom, if you want me, you’ll have to take him too.”

  “Merle, I just think this would be better discussed among close family members,” his mother insisted.

  Merle threw his hands in the air, dislodging Nootaw’s. “I can’t win with you, Mom. If you don’t want him here, just say it to our faces, and we’ll leave.”

  She didn’t answer. She pressed her lips together and looked away, and Merle shook his head. He walked to the passenger door and yanked it open. He looked at Brent before sliding in. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Say hi to Dad for me, and tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.”

  “Yeah, all right. Make sure you call him tomorrow, though.”

  Merle had no idea how his father would react to the news, and he knew he probably should have been the one to break it to him. Who knew what his mother would say? She’d probably describe Nootaw like a monster that was just waiting for Merle to lower his guard to hurt him. Merle couldn’t stay, though. He needed his mother to understand she couldn’t treat Nootaw like that, and she would never do that if Merle gave in to what she wanted.

  Nootaw didn’t say anything until Merle’s house disappeared from sight.

  “You didn’t have to antagonize her like that.”

  Merle sighed. “I know. I just don’t like her talking to you that way.”

  Nootaw shrugged. “I’m used to it. You’re one of the few people who doesn’t think I’m a monster, and I don’t get why you don’t.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that again. I don’t think you’ll believe me any more than you did the first time I tried to convince you.”

  Nootaw looked sideways at Merle and smiled. “Probably not.”

  It didn’t take them long to unload the car. They hovered on the porch for a little while after that, though. Merle felt weird. He wasn’t going to sleep in his bed tonight, and maybe not ever again. His entire life was changing, and it was his fault. Now that the exciting part had passed, he realized he had more than a few doubts about it.

  “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” he asked Nootaw. He was leaning against Nootaw’s side, with Nootaw’s arm slung around him. Nootaw was a bit too rigid, his arm too tense, but Merle still felt good about their position.

  “About what?”

  “Everything.”

  Nootaw was silent for a few seconds. “Are you saying you regret being with me?”

  “No! No, I was thinking about my mother, about moving out.”

  “I don’t know, Merle. Do you think it’s the right th
ing to do? Maybe you’re just scared because everything is so new. Wait a few days and think about it again.”

  He left soon after that and Merle went to his room. He hadn’t unpacked anything yet, but it could wait. He took his pajamas out of one of the bags, showered, and slid into bed. To his surprise, he didn’t have any problems falling asleep, but he should’ve known his mind was restless after the day he’d had.

  Tom leaned toward Merle, a smile on his lips. “You should’ve stayed in the lab. It would’ve been less painful for you.”

  Merle didn’t answer. He knew he was going to die. He’d seen what Tom kept on the table next to the one Merle was tied on. And if he didn’t die, he’d probably wish he had.

  Tom didn’t look happy with Merle’s non-reaction and straightened. “Right. Shall we start, Merle? I need to be done before they start looking for you after all, and the night isn’t becoming any younger.”

  Tom reached for the table. He took his time to choose, and Merle closed his eyes when he saw Tom had chosen pliers. Tom leaned forward again and Merle jerked his arm, but it was tied to the metal table under him.

  Tom pried apart Merle’s fist and straightened one finger. He tapped on it. “Such a pity. So young, yet you’re going to be killed, and for what? Because Kameron wasn’t smart enough to stay in his place. How much do you love your new alpha now, Merle?”

  Tom moved the pliers closer until Merle couldn’t see them anymore. He felt them dig into the soft flesh on his fingers. There was a gentle tug on his fingernail and Tom looked at him.

  The last thing Merle saw before pain exploded in his finger was Tom’s wicked smile.

  * * * *

  Nootaw’s phone rang. He blinked his eyes open and reached for it on the nightstand. It fell and he swore, but it was still ringing, so it had to be important.

  He rolled off the bed and grabbed it. “Yes?”

  “Merle’s gone.”

  Nootaw got up and grabbed the clothes he’d taken off last night. “What happened?”

  “We think it was a nightmare,” Zach answered. “We heard screaming, but when we came downstairs to check on him the door to his room was open and he was gone.”